Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Kunming
Every year, Labor Day in the Unites States reminds us that summer is coming to a close and once that last dog is grilled and the last beach volleyball is spiked, Autumn along with it the monotony of labor rears its ugly head once again. In China, the Mid-Autumn Festival falling on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month reminds us of the same thing. This traditional festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is not too dissimilar to the customs of Thanksgiving in that it emphasizes family unity and the act of giving thanks. Moon cakes (representing unity because of their circular shape) are given out like rapid fire to family members, teachers, coworkers, friends and everyone in between. During this season, I end up eating my fair share of moon cakes, but when I reach that tipping point and can no longer stand the taste, I do what everybody else does and recycle these small gifts – unless its one of the new ice cream moon cakes from Haagen Dazs– I always have room for those. By the time someone actually eats a moon cake I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it had already changed through half a dozen hands.
Since this this one-day holiday gave us a day off on September 15th, I took this opportunity to take a 4 day vacation and fly down to Kunming to chill with a good friend (and his friend) who had been backpacking through China and Southeast Asia. I wasn't expecting to do much sightseeing but rather relax with my buddy and let the spontaneity of this lovely southern city take us for a ride. Kunming lies high in the foothills of Yunnan that eventually lead up to the plateaus of the Tibet. Although the city is not known for its attractions, it is well regarded as a base camp for some of the most spectacular treks through the mountainous regions in Northwest Yunnan (home of Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La). Kunming is also regarded as the gateway city to Southeast Asia considering its close proximity to the Vietnam in the South. Lying on the border of a country known for its jungle warfare and unruly inhabitants, however, makes Kunming notorious for being the premier gateway city for China's drug trade. And by judging from the hostel that I was staying at (The Hump), the aroma of Afghani ganja was all too present.
This holiday was unusual for me in the sense that my only priorities were to lounge around the hostel, explore the city, and rock hard all night. Actually, daily we made attempts to leave our beloved Hump Hostel by checking out every morning, but after eating an American breakfast on their patio overlooking the square, we found ourselves checking back in. Hump rubbed us the right way – we met interesting people, we ate comfort food, and we took full advantage of their pool table and free internet. It was also centrally located, in walking distance to most parts of the city, and was perched above a bar that was conveniently names Hump bar.
Since this this one-day holiday gave us a day off on September 15th, I took this opportunity to take a 4 day vacation and fly down to Kunming to chill with a good friend (and his friend) who had been backpacking through China and Southeast Asia. I wasn't expecting to do much sightseeing but rather relax with my buddy and let the spontaneity of this lovely southern city take us for a ride. Kunming lies high in the foothills of Yunnan that eventually lead up to the plateaus of the Tibet. Although the city is not known for its attractions, it is well regarded as a base camp for some of the most spectacular treks through the mountainous regions in Northwest Yunnan (home of Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La). Kunming is also regarded as the gateway city to Southeast Asia considering its close proximity to the Vietnam in the South. Lying on the border of a country known for its jungle warfare and unruly inhabitants, however, makes Kunming notorious for being the premier gateway city for China's drug trade. And by judging from the hostel that I was staying at (The Hump), the aroma of Afghani ganja was all too present.
This holiday was unusual for me in the sense that my only priorities were to lounge around the hostel, explore the city, and rock hard all night. Actually, daily we made attempts to leave our beloved Hump Hostel by checking out every morning, but after eating an American breakfast on their patio overlooking the square, we found ourselves checking back in. Hump rubbed us the right way – we met interesting people, we ate comfort food, and we took full advantage of their pool table and free internet. It was also centrally located, in walking distance to most parts of the city, and was perched above a bar that was conveniently names Hump bar.
During our days we would explore the city by foot, walk through the markets, stroll along the Green Lake, and get lost in the back run-down neighborhoods. Kunming is a slow placed city with nothing touristy about it – except for that it is a great destination to just sit back and recline. At night we would explore the nightlife on Wenlin Avenue, visit hotspots like Speakeasy and the clubs in Kundu. Although the local expat crowd seemed a little too burt out for me (I doubt half of them can even locate their passports), they all seemed gregarious enough.
The people we met during our days spent in Kunming really helped characterize the whole experience. A French backpacker named Phillipe who I had actually bumped into at the airport ended up accompanying us during our first night of charades – a mixture of live music bars, beer bars, street food shananigns and hard-edge clubbing. A Scotsman living in Chengdu but in town for weekend was staying at the hostel and had a nack for telling jokes like “what do you get when you cross a kangaroo and a sheep… a wooly jumper”- its much funnier in a Scotish accent. After hanging out with a heavily intoxicated Chinese group at one club, a Chinese girl who fancied my friend followed us back to Hump Hostel, and again the next night. One of the more peculiar encounters of my trip took place at 4 in the morning at the Hump bar while listening to this scruffy guy free-styling to the beat of a Chinese guitarist to his left. After suffering through a few minutes of deja vous, it hit me… I went to school with this guy back in Philadelphia. It was completely random – apparently he is the official Captain Morgan (hence the scruffy beard) for their Kunming launch – a dream job of his he claims.
On the last full day I was in Kunming, we decided to take an afternoon trip to the famous Stone Forest a few hour to the south of Kuming. The three of us, the Scotsman, and the Captain Morgan got on to a bus right next to the train station and made the haul out of the city, past Dianchi Lake, and into the Stone Forest. At first I was a expecting to see fields of petrified wood similar to the national park in central Arizona, but I quickly learned that the forest actually refers to the tall and jagged rock formation covering this beautiful area of land – however, one wrong step and you may find yourself impaled by a sharp rock. The landscape was so dreamlike and the weather was ideal that it took great efforts to head back to town… only to discover that the last bus heading to Kunming had just left. No worries – we ate a menial dinner, drank a few Dali beers (a local brew) and hitched a ride back in a van.
After four days in Kunming, I boarded a plane and returned back to normalcy.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Olympics - Final Notes
Before I start writing about my various journeys throughout the month of September and October, I suppose I should briefly wrap up my accounts during the Olympic summer. Unfortunately these wild memories are already becoming hazy.
Like I had stated in my earlier posts, my old Beijing schoolmates had made the return to partake in the festivities and much of my excitement was rooted in the fact that they were there to accompany me to many of these events and parties. My brother was also with me during the whole spectacle and only God knows what he had recorded on his video camera – especially while getting lucky with a Chinese girl named Ai (meaning love).
One memorable night came after the Dutch field hockey team had won the gold. The Heineken House was infamous for being the craziest of all the Olympic houses (others including the Bud House, the English House, and the Australian House) and being there the night of their victory was incredible. After walking into Beijing’s agricultural exhibition hall, we were confronted by a sea of tall people in orange (the Dutch national color) and of course, kegs upon kegs of Heineken. We drank, we danced, we sang local Dutch songs and American classics, and although cups of beer would go airborne every 30 seconds, it didn't matter – the place smelt like sweat, beer, and pure adrenaline. Finally the field hockey girls came on stage to receive a thunderous applause – and to the tune of a national favorite, the whole team decided to go crowd surfing with their gold medals hanging around their necks. European camaraderie, rooted in a deep passionate love for their country and countrymen, is something that I have never experienced living in Connecticut. When growing up in the States, competition with another country, especially on the sports field, was nearly nonexistent outside the Olympics or World Cup. Because I more akin to rooting for the New York Yankees or the Philadelphia Flyers rather than the USA, I will never be able to associate drinking with singing nationalistic songs with my neighbors. Don't get me wrong - I’m just as patriotic as the other guy, but I just can’t recall any instance when the whole country of America would celebrate at the expense of another nation’s loss (post WWII). Sometimes, I am amazed at how massive our country really is, and how fractured…For the remainder the night, we rocked out with our inebriated European cousins and it was glorious.
There were many other jovial occasions throughout the month, some blurrier than others, but all in all it was a wild and crazy time – by brother’s Olympic documentary will lay testament to this. Despite the controversies and scandals, the Olympics in Beijing, I believe, will go down in history as a great success. How has the world changed? How has Beijing changed? How has my life changed? I guess we will see.
Like I had stated in my earlier posts, my old Beijing schoolmates had made the return to partake in the festivities and much of my excitement was rooted in the fact that they were there to accompany me to many of these events and parties. My brother was also with me during the whole spectacle and only God knows what he had recorded on his video camera – especially while getting lucky with a Chinese girl named Ai (meaning love).
One memorable night came after the Dutch field hockey team had won the gold. The Heineken House was infamous for being the craziest of all the Olympic houses (others including the Bud House, the English House, and the Australian House) and being there the night of their victory was incredible. After walking into Beijing’s agricultural exhibition hall, we were confronted by a sea of tall people in orange (the Dutch national color) and of course, kegs upon kegs of Heineken. We drank, we danced, we sang local Dutch songs and American classics, and although cups of beer would go airborne every 30 seconds, it didn't matter – the place smelt like sweat, beer, and pure adrenaline. Finally the field hockey girls came on stage to receive a thunderous applause – and to the tune of a national favorite, the whole team decided to go crowd surfing with their gold medals hanging around their necks. European camaraderie, rooted in a deep passionate love for their country and countrymen, is something that I have never experienced living in Connecticut. When growing up in the States, competition with another country, especially on the sports field, was nearly nonexistent outside the Olympics or World Cup. Because I more akin to rooting for the New York Yankees or the Philadelphia Flyers rather than the USA, I will never be able to associate drinking with singing nationalistic songs with my neighbors. Don't get me wrong - I’m just as patriotic as the other guy, but I just can’t recall any instance when the whole country of America would celebrate at the expense of another nation’s loss (post WWII). Sometimes, I am amazed at how massive our country really is, and how fractured…For the remainder the night, we rocked out with our inebriated European cousins and it was glorious.
There were many other jovial occasions throughout the month, some blurrier than others, but all in all it was a wild and crazy time – by brother’s Olympic documentary will lay testament to this. Despite the controversies and scandals, the Olympics in Beijing, I believe, will go down in history as a great success. How has the world changed? How has Beijing changed? How has my life changed? I guess we will see.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Olympic Memories - Part 2
Although the Olympics is about much more than just sports, I think it would be insensitive not to mention them in my blog. A few days before the start of the Games, I was able to scrounge up a few more tickets from one of the websites that had bought a slew of leftovers and were now trying to unload them with haste. I was also lucky enough to get invited by friends and coworkers to a few of the events. Here is a list of Olympic events that I saw in no particular order:
Handball: This sport will forever remain one of my favorites of the Olympics. This unsung hero is packed with intense physical play, insane vertical jumps, and the stirring suspense associated with games where a single possession can make the difference between a win and a loss. The first match that I attended was between South Korea and Germany. Because of its relatively small court, the crowds at handball matches are more directly linked to the play than usual – often setting the tone for a run in goals or by assisting in energizing their teams. Both Germany and Korea had brought a presence to administer such fervor, however, Germany smuggled in a secret weapon sitting not more than a few seat behind me – Dirk Nowitski (Dallas Maverick’s monster center, winning the MPV Award in the 06-07 NBA Season). Dirk used to play handball in Germany before making his transfer to the NBA and is figuratively and physically their biggest fan. After cheering Germany to victory, Dirk and his teammates tried to flee the scene as dozens of Chinese NBA enthusiasts began to swarm their seats, and in the process ran by me to get to the closest exit – let’s just say that it was interesting to feel like a hobbit for a few fleeting seconds.
The second handball match I attended was between the Norwegian and Croatian (I think) women. Because this is something of a national sport to Norway, it wasn’t surprising to see the stadium mostly filled with red shirts and hats. They also had the most animated cheer of the Olympics, similar to the Florida State Seminole’s tomahawk chop, but instead this chop was more suiting for a raping a pillaging Viking. It was a close game to the very end, but very much to the liking of practically everyone in the stands including the king and queen of Norway, the Norwegian women pulled out with the win.
Weightlifting: Not exactly an action packed event, but it was…interesting. After stocking up on refreshments (they never had hotdogs, even though they are advertised, making popcorn the next best thing), my brother and I found our seats in this spanking new gymnasium on Beijing Aerospace and Aeronautics University’s campus. After learning how the scoring worked (taking up half of the time we were there), we spent the remaining time we had trying to guess which women lifters are better suited for the snatch and which are better suited for the clean and jerk. We concluded that shorter girls are better at the snatch (like this little Mongolian brut) and that all-around massiveness helps girls with the clean and jerk (like this Mexican giant). The American girls competing seemed the most jovial and always smiled and waved after a lift – this was a stark contrast to some of the surly-looking Soviet-block girls with coaches that seemed to be breathing down their necks.
Archery: This event was pretty cool. For one, I had no idea that the target was so far away. I found it incredible that they were even able to hit the target, much less the bulls-eye (I suppose these state-of-the-art bows and arrows perform a lot better than Robin Hood’s ever did). When my brother and I first arrived, the stands were full of South Koreans rooting for their star competitor. I found out later that the Koreans have excelled at this event for the past few Olympics and that their archers were expecting to nab a few golds. In fact, their best archer (last name Park of course) set a world record while we sat there, getting perfect 10s for ten of his twelve attempts. The crowd was wild. During the next round, an American kid easily beat his Chinese completion, but was later edged out by a Canadian lumber jack (he had a beastly beard). Even though the Koreans had chosen for some reason to side with the Canadian and thus, making a ruckus superior to ours, it was a blast to be able to cheer for the good old USA with my fellow compatriots. WOOW - USA!!!
Field Hockey: This was probably the least interesting of all the events that I attended during the Olympics. After finding our seats among a crowd of Chinese fans with some crazy face paint, we sat their for about 20 minutes looking at men running around with field hockey sticks before deciding to leave the game and walk around the park for a bit. In a team sport like field hockey, who would have thought China had a men’s team.
As a side note, at all of the Olympic events that I attended, the staggering number of empty seats was shocking – I thought everything was sold out. This stems from the fact that a large swath of China’s corporate sponsors and government officials chose not use most of their free tickets. This result was also exacerbated by speculators who bought the cheap tickets trying to make an extra buck from the over demand, but in the end failed to sell them. A few days into the events, the empty stands shown to TV viewers all over the world started to reflect poorly on the Games. The embarrassed Beijing Olympic committee hastily bused in annoying Olympic volunteers to fill in the empty seats. The unison cheer was always “JiaYou” (Turn on the Gas) and more often then note, they cheered during all the wrong times – these robotic cheerleaders may know how to smile, but you’d be lucky to find one that knew anything about the sport they were watching.
Boxing: There is nothing better than getting off work and heading straight to a boxing match with a bunch of guys where beers is less than a dollar and bets are exchanged after every round. This coliseum atmosphere was very much conducive to a rowdy crowd full of hecklers and popcorn throwers. Often I took blind bets with my friends (picking red or blue before knowing where the competitor was from) and because of this, I mostly lost, and was therefore relinquished to beer duty during most of the night. Strategically, I found that it was safe to pick a boxer from a –Stan country, and to never underestimate the pale white guys – they’re wiry. The night was full of “amazing” and “terrific” matches (those words flashed on the big screens almost every other round), but the icing on top was the last match when the American murdered the Russian – the group I was with began humming the Rocky soundtrack all at the same time. It was glorious.
Baseball: The first game I went to was between the Dutch and the Japanese. Baseball games in general are pretty slow but I suppose it’s better than watching them on TV. The enjoyment I derive comes from sitting amongst a rambunctious crowd taken in by the suspense behind every pitch. On my right I had Dutch families with everything orange (their national color) dancing to music. To my left there was a large Japanese cheering squad repeating chants one after another without pause. The Japanese cheer captains had whistles and overpowering voices, which to my surprise lasted for all nine innings (I felt exhausted just looking at them). Minus the fact that I was in Beijing and the teams weren’t American, the experience was no dissimilar that those I’ve had at baseball stadiums at home - the 7th inning stretch, the wave, fighting over foul balls, constant heckling. I just wish they had ballpark hotdogs – that was a little frustrating. The Japanese ended up winning the game, but I think everybody was in high spirits on that beautiful night.
Thanks to a coworker who had a few extra tickets, I was able to score a game between the Japanese and the United States. Having your team on the field definitely added an extra element of excitement. The funny thing is that the Chinese spectators sitting around us chanted USA more often then we did (If you know anything about WWII history and the historical prejudices the Chinese have yet to overcome, this actually makes perfect sense). The game in itself was very uneventful. At the top of the 11th inning, the score was nill to nill. In a new Olympic rule, if you the score is tied going into the 11th, the batting team can start the inning with two runners on first and second base. This seemed like a crazy rule to me, but luckily it worked in our favor. The Americans scored four runs which was enough to hold back the Japanese team, only able to bring home three runs. It was an exciting 11th inning – I just wish I hadn’t wasted my time for the two hours that had proceeded.
The gold medal game which I was able to see on a big screen at a Korean owned bar was between Korea (naturally) and Cuba (the powerhouse). This was an amazing game that had everybody on the edge of their seats up until the end. The Koreans were up by one going into the bottom of the 9th but the Korean pitcher suddenly choked and before you knew it, the bases were loaded with only one out. All the Cuban batter had to do was hit a fly ball and they could at least tie the game, and even possibly win… smack, grab, toss, out at 2nd, throw, catch…OUT at first. DOUBLE PLAY!!! Korea wins!!! I, everybody at the bar, and I am sure the whole nation of South Korea sprung out of our seats consumed with pure ecstasy. It was so beautiful. Funny enough, this event that wasn’t even televised in China (the stream was coming from a Korean internet site) will go down as one of my favorite moments of the Beijing Olympics.
And Others: Of course other great athletic achievements and moments helped to define this Olympics: Bolt (fastest man ever), Phellps (8 golds), Liu Xiang (couldn’t take the pressure), Chinese women gymnasts (more like 14 year old girls), and of course the ReDeem Team (so sick). Naturally, I was disappointed to see the Americans achieve fewer golds than the Chinese, but in the end, we won more medals. The overall winner – debatable – but all in all, the Beijing Olympics brought about some of the most amazing moments in the history of athletic prowess and I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have been apart of them.
Handball: This sport will forever remain one of my favorites of the Olympics. This unsung hero is packed with intense physical play, insane vertical jumps, and the stirring suspense associated with games where a single possession can make the difference between a win and a loss. The first match that I attended was between South Korea and Germany. Because of its relatively small court, the crowds at handball matches are more directly linked to the play than usual – often setting the tone for a run in goals or by assisting in energizing their teams. Both Germany and Korea had brought a presence to administer such fervor, however, Germany smuggled in a secret weapon sitting not more than a few seat behind me – Dirk Nowitski (Dallas Maverick’s monster center, winning the MPV Award in the 06-07 NBA Season). Dirk used to play handball in Germany before making his transfer to the NBA and is figuratively and physically their biggest fan. After cheering Germany to victory, Dirk and his teammates tried to flee the scene as dozens of Chinese NBA enthusiasts began to swarm their seats, and in the process ran by me to get to the closest exit – let’s just say that it was interesting to feel like a hobbit for a few fleeting seconds.
The second handball match I attended was between the Norwegian and Croatian (I think) women. Because this is something of a national sport to Norway, it wasn’t surprising to see the stadium mostly filled with red shirts and hats. They also had the most animated cheer of the Olympics, similar to the Florida State Seminole’s tomahawk chop, but instead this chop was more suiting for a raping a pillaging Viking. It was a close game to the very end, but very much to the liking of practically everyone in the stands including the king and queen of Norway, the Norwegian women pulled out with the win.
Weightlifting: Not exactly an action packed event, but it was…interesting. After stocking up on refreshments (they never had hotdogs, even though they are advertised, making popcorn the next best thing), my brother and I found our seats in this spanking new gymnasium on Beijing Aerospace and Aeronautics University’s campus. After learning how the scoring worked (taking up half of the time we were there), we spent the remaining time we had trying to guess which women lifters are better suited for the snatch and which are better suited for the clean and jerk. We concluded that shorter girls are better at the snatch (like this little Mongolian brut) and that all-around massiveness helps girls with the clean and jerk (like this Mexican giant). The American girls competing seemed the most jovial and always smiled and waved after a lift – this was a stark contrast to some of the surly-looking Soviet-block girls with coaches that seemed to be breathing down their necks.
Archery: This event was pretty cool. For one, I had no idea that the target was so far away. I found it incredible that they were even able to hit the target, much less the bulls-eye (I suppose these state-of-the-art bows and arrows perform a lot better than Robin Hood’s ever did). When my brother and I first arrived, the stands were full of South Koreans rooting for their star competitor. I found out later that the Koreans have excelled at this event for the past few Olympics and that their archers were expecting to nab a few golds. In fact, their best archer (last name Park of course) set a world record while we sat there, getting perfect 10s for ten of his twelve attempts. The crowd was wild. During the next round, an American kid easily beat his Chinese completion, but was later edged out by a Canadian lumber jack (he had a beastly beard). Even though the Koreans had chosen for some reason to side with the Canadian and thus, making a ruckus superior to ours, it was a blast to be able to cheer for the good old USA with my fellow compatriots. WOOW - USA!!!
Field Hockey: This was probably the least interesting of all the events that I attended during the Olympics. After finding our seats among a crowd of Chinese fans with some crazy face paint, we sat their for about 20 minutes looking at men running around with field hockey sticks before deciding to leave the game and walk around the park for a bit. In a team sport like field hockey, who would have thought China had a men’s team.
As a side note, at all of the Olympic events that I attended, the staggering number of empty seats was shocking – I thought everything was sold out. This stems from the fact that a large swath of China’s corporate sponsors and government officials chose not use most of their free tickets. This result was also exacerbated by speculators who bought the cheap tickets trying to make an extra buck from the over demand, but in the end failed to sell them. A few days into the events, the empty stands shown to TV viewers all over the world started to reflect poorly on the Games. The embarrassed Beijing Olympic committee hastily bused in annoying Olympic volunteers to fill in the empty seats. The unison cheer was always “JiaYou” (Turn on the Gas) and more often then note, they cheered during all the wrong times – these robotic cheerleaders may know how to smile, but you’d be lucky to find one that knew anything about the sport they were watching.
Boxing: There is nothing better than getting off work and heading straight to a boxing match with a bunch of guys where beers is less than a dollar and bets are exchanged after every round. This coliseum atmosphere was very much conducive to a rowdy crowd full of hecklers and popcorn throwers. Often I took blind bets with my friends (picking red or blue before knowing where the competitor was from) and because of this, I mostly lost, and was therefore relinquished to beer duty during most of the night. Strategically, I found that it was safe to pick a boxer from a –Stan country, and to never underestimate the pale white guys – they’re wiry. The night was full of “amazing” and “terrific” matches (those words flashed on the big screens almost every other round), but the icing on top was the last match when the American murdered the Russian – the group I was with began humming the Rocky soundtrack all at the same time. It was glorious.
Baseball: The first game I went to was between the Dutch and the Japanese. Baseball games in general are pretty slow but I suppose it’s better than watching them on TV. The enjoyment I derive comes from sitting amongst a rambunctious crowd taken in by the suspense behind every pitch. On my right I had Dutch families with everything orange (their national color) dancing to music. To my left there was a large Japanese cheering squad repeating chants one after another without pause. The Japanese cheer captains had whistles and overpowering voices, which to my surprise lasted for all nine innings (I felt exhausted just looking at them). Minus the fact that I was in Beijing and the teams weren’t American, the experience was no dissimilar that those I’ve had at baseball stadiums at home - the 7th inning stretch, the wave, fighting over foul balls, constant heckling. I just wish they had ballpark hotdogs – that was a little frustrating. The Japanese ended up winning the game, but I think everybody was in high spirits on that beautiful night.
Thanks to a coworker who had a few extra tickets, I was able to score a game between the Japanese and the United States. Having your team on the field definitely added an extra element of excitement. The funny thing is that the Chinese spectators sitting around us chanted USA more often then we did (If you know anything about WWII history and the historical prejudices the Chinese have yet to overcome, this actually makes perfect sense). The game in itself was very uneventful. At the top of the 11th inning, the score was nill to nill. In a new Olympic rule, if you the score is tied going into the 11th, the batting team can start the inning with two runners on first and second base. This seemed like a crazy rule to me, but luckily it worked in our favor. The Americans scored four runs which was enough to hold back the Japanese team, only able to bring home three runs. It was an exciting 11th inning – I just wish I hadn’t wasted my time for the two hours that had proceeded.
The gold medal game which I was able to see on a big screen at a Korean owned bar was between Korea (naturally) and Cuba (the powerhouse). This was an amazing game that had everybody on the edge of their seats up until the end. The Koreans were up by one going into the bottom of the 9th but the Korean pitcher suddenly choked and before you knew it, the bases were loaded with only one out. All the Cuban batter had to do was hit a fly ball and they could at least tie the game, and even possibly win… smack, grab, toss, out at 2nd, throw, catch…OUT at first. DOUBLE PLAY!!! Korea wins!!! I, everybody at the bar, and I am sure the whole nation of South Korea sprung out of our seats consumed with pure ecstasy. It was so beautiful. Funny enough, this event that wasn’t even televised in China (the stream was coming from a Korean internet site) will go down as one of my favorite moments of the Beijing Olympics.
And Others: Of course other great athletic achievements and moments helped to define this Olympics: Bolt (fastest man ever), Phellps (8 golds), Liu Xiang (couldn’t take the pressure), Chinese women gymnasts (more like 14 year old girls), and of course the ReDeem Team (so sick). Naturally, I was disappointed to see the Americans achieve fewer golds than the Chinese, but in the end, we won more medals. The overall winner – debatable – but all in all, the Beijing Olympics brought about some of the most amazing moments in the history of athletic prowess and I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have been apart of them.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Olympic Memories - Part 1
WOW.WOW...WOW
You know that piercing feeling you get when walking into the glaring sun after spending what seems like an eternity at a matinee where you had just experienced all the sensations of life in an orderly yet chaotic stream of consciousness. This is how I would currently describe my state of being as my body, mind and soul recovers from what has been the most unruly month in my post-college years characterized by an unrelenting flow of hearty house guests, all night merrymakings, and of course, Olympic madness. (Lack of articulation seems to be a side effect so bare with me today.)
Because I have not written anything in over a month, I believe it would be more appropriate to run through a few select highlights of the Olympic Season. But before I do that, I would like to thank all the visitors who shared these experiences with me in Beijing, namely by brother, Dan, Chris, Jessica, Scott, Clara, Ben, and Ray. And of course, I would like to thank Beijing, despite all the mafan (trouble) it throws at me, for giving me the opportunity to experience the only Olympics I will probably ever be part of. The following are some Olympic memories and afterthoughts:
The Opening Ceremony: On the eve of the Olympics the city was anything but relaxed. There had been warning signs that terrorists were ready to strike, dissidents were being thrown into dark vans, rainstorms were brewing, and one simple question seemed to be on everybody’s mind: will Beijing really be able to pull this off?
Although most Chinese stayed at home to watch the ceremony on their televisions, my friends and I had decided to celebrate this festive occasion and citywide holiday (no work that Friday) at one of the city’s 18 big-screen outdoor TVs. The plan to watch on the big-screen inside Chaoyang Park was thwarted when we learnt that there were technical difficulties in getting the image to appear – this only made me more skeptical of China’s ability to hold the world’s biggest party. Finally, we decided to relocate to the big-screen outside the Worker’s Stadium near Sanlitun. By the time the countdown began at 8 pm, the pavement outside was covered with curious locals and jubilant foreigners. “Curious” because their eyes were fixed on the screen. “Jubilant” because we were making toasts, dancing, singing, and inviting all around us to join us in drinking games. Flags of various nations began to appear throughout the crowd and at first I, along with my Chinese counterparts, were taken back by this unprecedented loud show of foreign nationalism on Chinese soil. Foreign flags do not set well with a society that was plagues by wars and foreign invaders for over a century. Naturally, this was non-issue once the Olympics started.
To be honest, I only saw bits and pieces of the opening ceremony. I spent most of my time running amuck. The climax of my night came when the American Olympians finally entered the stadium – the order of teams this year was determined by the number of strokes in the first character of each country’s Chinese name, rather then using the trusty old Roman alphabet. At the sight of the American delegation, a boisterous guy with a large American flag emerged in front of me, and in my semi-intoxicated state I ran up to him to hold up the other end. Overflowing with utter excitement and the sheer pleasure of fulfilling our patriotic duties, we ran around the square waving the grand old red, white and blue high above the crowd. When we returned, we found ourselves being surrounded by dozens of young Chinese with digital cameras and a few real photographers (I was hoping to see a pic in the newspaper the next day). At this point, my brother also posed in front of the flag as the three of us began to sing the National Anthem. It was a glorious moment for all Americans everywhere.
After that, the program seemed to lag on and on. Hungry as a bear, most of us skipped across the street to dine in a small but scrumptious hole-in-the-wall Xinjiang restaurant, and on their TV, we were able to watch the lighting of the torch. The Olympics had officially begun, the fanfare was breath-taking, the performances were beautiful, the government had prevented rainstorms, terrorists, and any major screw-up… and the whole country exhaled that night as billions all over the world watched in awe – this night will be remembered by generations as China’s (much anticipated) coming out party.
(to be continued...)
You know that piercing feeling you get when walking into the glaring sun after spending what seems like an eternity at a matinee where you had just experienced all the sensations of life in an orderly yet chaotic stream of consciousness. This is how I would currently describe my state of being as my body, mind and soul recovers from what has been the most unruly month in my post-college years characterized by an unrelenting flow of hearty house guests, all night merrymakings, and of course, Olympic madness. (Lack of articulation seems to be a side effect so bare with me today.)
Because I have not written anything in over a month, I believe it would be more appropriate to run through a few select highlights of the Olympic Season. But before I do that, I would like to thank all the visitors who shared these experiences with me in Beijing, namely by brother, Dan, Chris, Jessica, Scott, Clara, Ben, and Ray. And of course, I would like to thank Beijing, despite all the mafan (trouble) it throws at me, for giving me the opportunity to experience the only Olympics I will probably ever be part of. The following are some Olympic memories and afterthoughts:
The Opening Ceremony: On the eve of the Olympics the city was anything but relaxed. There had been warning signs that terrorists were ready to strike, dissidents were being thrown into dark vans, rainstorms were brewing, and one simple question seemed to be on everybody’s mind: will Beijing really be able to pull this off?
Although most Chinese stayed at home to watch the ceremony on their televisions, my friends and I had decided to celebrate this festive occasion and citywide holiday (no work that Friday) at one of the city’s 18 big-screen outdoor TVs. The plan to watch on the big-screen inside Chaoyang Park was thwarted when we learnt that there were technical difficulties in getting the image to appear – this only made me more skeptical of China’s ability to hold the world’s biggest party. Finally, we decided to relocate to the big-screen outside the Worker’s Stadium near Sanlitun. By the time the countdown began at 8 pm, the pavement outside was covered with curious locals and jubilant foreigners. “Curious” because their eyes were fixed on the screen. “Jubilant” because we were making toasts, dancing, singing, and inviting all around us to join us in drinking games. Flags of various nations began to appear throughout the crowd and at first I, along with my Chinese counterparts, were taken back by this unprecedented loud show of foreign nationalism on Chinese soil. Foreign flags do not set well with a society that was plagues by wars and foreign invaders for over a century. Naturally, this was non-issue once the Olympics started.
To be honest, I only saw bits and pieces of the opening ceremony. I spent most of my time running amuck. The climax of my night came when the American Olympians finally entered the stadium – the order of teams this year was determined by the number of strokes in the first character of each country’s Chinese name, rather then using the trusty old Roman alphabet. At the sight of the American delegation, a boisterous guy with a large American flag emerged in front of me, and in my semi-intoxicated state I ran up to him to hold up the other end. Overflowing with utter excitement and the sheer pleasure of fulfilling our patriotic duties, we ran around the square waving the grand old red, white and blue high above the crowd. When we returned, we found ourselves being surrounded by dozens of young Chinese with digital cameras and a few real photographers (I was hoping to see a pic in the newspaper the next day). At this point, my brother also posed in front of the flag as the three of us began to sing the National Anthem. It was a glorious moment for all Americans everywhere.
After that, the program seemed to lag on and on. Hungry as a bear, most of us skipped across the street to dine in a small but scrumptious hole-in-the-wall Xinjiang restaurant, and on their TV, we were able to watch the lighting of the torch. The Olympics had officially begun, the fanfare was breath-taking, the performances were beautiful, the government had prevented rainstorms, terrorists, and any major screw-up… and the whole country exhaled that night as billions all over the world watched in awe – this night will be remembered by generations as China’s (much anticipated) coming out party.
(to be continued...)
Thursday, August 7, 2008
One Day To Go
With the opening ceremony for the Olympics only one day away I thought I should write a brief post. What is the situation on the ground. As of right now my building is surrounded by Chinese SWAT, Bush will be arriving this evening, pollution looms over the city, traffic is horrid, protesters are already up to their stunts (2 Britons and 2 Americans scalled an electrical line to wave a Free Tibet banner), I have been harrassed constantly about my residency permit, and the police dogs are all over the city.
Security is tighter I have ever seen it and many diplomats are even comparing it to war zones they have lived in like Kosovo or even Iraq. Many of my favorite bars are closed because of "security reasons" and outside seating has been banned to prevent confrontations between foreigners and locals. Nerves are high, everybody has basically arrived , rain is in the forecast, and it's completely chaotic.
I thought Beijing was going to be a little more prepaared than this. Perhaps the official's only measure of success is not allowing terrorists to ruin the Games. Pollution, traffic, bad PR from throwing dissendents in jail or blocking websites, a no-fun Olympics - these matters although troubling to me do not seem particulary threatening to the organizers.
I am so anxious to see how the Games turn out. How the media reports it. And how the Dream Team performs. I recently went on a ticket buying spree, picking up tickets for Archery, Weighlifting, Boxing, Handball, Baseball, Field Hockey, and the last stretch of the Women's Marathon (as long as it's not delayed because of poor air quality.)
I have been typing this stream of consciousness for about 5 minutes now and its allready 6pm. Time to go home and get the party started. No work tomorrow. Citywide holiday for all. Rock on and lets see how this movie ends.
(I will talk to ya'll after the end of Olympics since I will be hosting family and friends and mainly because I will be having to much fun to post). One World One Dream --- ha ha!!!!
Security is tighter I have ever seen it and many diplomats are even comparing it to war zones they have lived in like Kosovo or even Iraq. Many of my favorite bars are closed because of "security reasons" and outside seating has been banned to prevent confrontations between foreigners and locals. Nerves are high, everybody has basically arrived , rain is in the forecast, and it's completely chaotic.
I thought Beijing was going to be a little more prepaared than this. Perhaps the official's only measure of success is not allowing terrorists to ruin the Games. Pollution, traffic, bad PR from throwing dissendents in jail or blocking websites, a no-fun Olympics - these matters although troubling to me do not seem particulary threatening to the organizers.
I am so anxious to see how the Games turn out. How the media reports it. And how the Dream Team performs. I recently went on a ticket buying spree, picking up tickets for Archery, Weighlifting, Boxing, Handball, Baseball, Field Hockey, and the last stretch of the Women's Marathon (as long as it's not delayed because of poor air quality.)
I have been typing this stream of consciousness for about 5 minutes now and its allready 6pm. Time to go home and get the party started. No work tomorrow. Citywide holiday for all. Rock on and lets see how this movie ends.
(I will talk to ya'll after the end of Olympics since I will be hosting family and friends and mainly because I will be having to much fun to post). One World One Dream --- ha ha!!!!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Shenyang
Finally, a free afternoon to do nothing but relax and update this Beijing blog that is becoming increasingly more difficult to sustain – don’t expect another post any time in the near future. During the last two weeks, my time has been fully occupied, spending a few days each week on different business trips to the city of Shenyang.
Shenyang is the provincial capital of Liaoning Province and the transportation hub for Northeast China. This city of 7 million people was once the “Industrial Center” during China’s industrialization movement in the 1950’s focusing on steel production and chemical processing. After Deng Xioaping’s opening reforms, as the nation began to privatize, most of the state-owned enterprises in heavy industry went bankrupt in the region. This rust-belt city suffered for some time until the central government launched a set of initiatives and policy reforms to help “revitalize the Northeast” This “Pittsburg of China” is currently experiencing tremendous growth as MNCs expand into the city and as the disposable incomes of those living in the metropolitan area climb at an astounding rate.
My job is to research about Shenyang’s real estate markets (retail, residential, and office) and in doing so I have absorbed an incredible amount of information about the city. For example, Shenyang has become the retail hub for northeast China with currently more luxury and high-end retail space than Beijing. Since 90% of the companies in Shenyang are domestic firms that prioritize price of office space over quality, the majority of office buildings are crap – ugly low Grade B strata-titled towers. However, considering that all quality space is basically occupied, every developer and their mother has a Grade A office project in the works. And on the residential side of things, huge complexes are being erected to the south of the Hunnan River that bisects the city, where land is cheaper and where the Olympic Stadium (for soccer preliminaries) has been built. This second-tier city is going through a transformation that Beijing experienced maybe only 5 years ago. For someone like me, and especially for someone in real estate, this dynamic and fast-paced city is rather exhilarating. I prefer not to elaborate much further on property market activity and trends in Shenyang (mainly because that’s what I write about all week) but rather a few observations I made during my stay.
First of all, Shenyang gets a bad rap throughout China for its notorious organized crime syndicates and corrupt political leaders. In the past, I had heard of numerous shady business deals that were rooted in Shenyang, I had met a group of Shenyang gangster’s during a drunken escapade in Sanlitun (Beijing’s bar street), and before I left for the airport, my colleague advised me not to look at anybody directly in the eye unless I was indeed looking for trouble. I was expecting the worst… and was delighted to find the exact opposite. My encounters in Shenyang left me with a positive impression of the laobaixing (ordiary folk) of the city – in fact, they were friendlier and more hospitable than their Beijing counterparts. I spent a lot of time wondering the streets alone, exploring many run-down neighborhoods, chatting with old men playing chess, receiving smiles from xiaomaibu (convenient store) girls, and discussing my adoration for Shenyang with taxi drivers. One night, I stumbled upon two guys running a hole-in-the-wall chuanr (meat on a stick) joint, and because I was starving, I pulled up a stool and ordered 10 mutton chuanr. An hour and a few beers later, I found myself in a heated discussion over China’s new visa restrictions, Chinese soccer, and the pros and cons of living in Singapore. Before leaving, I told them that I would stop by during my next trip to the city and they said that a free bottle of Zero Beer (Shenyang’s local brew) would be waiting for me.
Shenyang may not be as international or as culturally dynamic as Beijing and thus the nightlife for an expat like myself may be limited to chuanr stands. However, with a bit of investigation, we were able to find one bar street – called XiTa Jie. This area, known as little Korea to the locals, is filled with Korean restaurants, Korean style bars (soju bars) and room saloons (KTVs where you can buy a girl for a night). This scene filled with neon lights and “girls for hire” did not surprise me at all. As I have mentioned before in my posts about Seoul and Dalian (another city with a high Korean population), Korean business men do not have any moral qualms with objectifying women as long as these women are not married. Korean wives, on the other hand, are expected to remain tolerant of this male-dominated practice which is deemed acceptable in a traditional society where ideology is focused around filial piety (obey thy husband, thy father, thy elder).
Lastly, I would like to say that Shenyang reinvigorated my love for life in China. Overshadowed by pollution, westernization, and of course Big Brother, Beijing has lost much of its glamour over the years. I came to China to learn Chinese, see the country modernize, and allow myself to grow with a global perspective. I believe that I have been successful in accomplishing much of this to a certain extent, but I can also see Beijing slowing down economically and beginning to plateau as a modern Asian city, too many people can speak English, and the familiarity of Beijing and its newly embraced sense of modernity is making life in Beijing somewhat monotonous. Perhaps, I’m just being a melancholy grouch today, but I am cogitating more and more how wonderful it would be to relocate to a second-tier city, where I can feel like I am in China again and find myself surrounded by the unfamiliar. Clearly, I am still at an age where personal discovery and free will are basic drivers that shape my existence – and while “stability and security” are still vying to dominate this approach to life, I should take advantage of my youth by maintaining a simple path towards personal enlightenment.
In other words, I am never complacent.
Shenyang is the provincial capital of Liaoning Province and the transportation hub for Northeast China. This city of 7 million people was once the “Industrial Center” during China’s industrialization movement in the 1950’s focusing on steel production and chemical processing. After Deng Xioaping’s opening reforms, as the nation began to privatize, most of the state-owned enterprises in heavy industry went bankrupt in the region. This rust-belt city suffered for some time until the central government launched a set of initiatives and policy reforms to help “revitalize the Northeast” This “Pittsburg of China” is currently experiencing tremendous growth as MNCs expand into the city and as the disposable incomes of those living in the metropolitan area climb at an astounding rate.
My job is to research about Shenyang’s real estate markets (retail, residential, and office) and in doing so I have absorbed an incredible amount of information about the city. For example, Shenyang has become the retail hub for northeast China with currently more luxury and high-end retail space than Beijing. Since 90% of the companies in Shenyang are domestic firms that prioritize price of office space over quality, the majority of office buildings are crap – ugly low Grade B strata-titled towers. However, considering that all quality space is basically occupied, every developer and their mother has a Grade A office project in the works. And on the residential side of things, huge complexes are being erected to the south of the Hunnan River that bisects the city, where land is cheaper and where the Olympic Stadium (for soccer preliminaries) has been built. This second-tier city is going through a transformation that Beijing experienced maybe only 5 years ago. For someone like me, and especially for someone in real estate, this dynamic and fast-paced city is rather exhilarating. I prefer not to elaborate much further on property market activity and trends in Shenyang (mainly because that’s what I write about all week) but rather a few observations I made during my stay.
First of all, Shenyang gets a bad rap throughout China for its notorious organized crime syndicates and corrupt political leaders. In the past, I had heard of numerous shady business deals that were rooted in Shenyang, I had met a group of Shenyang gangster’s during a drunken escapade in Sanlitun (Beijing’s bar street), and before I left for the airport, my colleague advised me not to look at anybody directly in the eye unless I was indeed looking for trouble. I was expecting the worst… and was delighted to find the exact opposite. My encounters in Shenyang left me with a positive impression of the laobaixing (ordiary folk) of the city – in fact, they were friendlier and more hospitable than their Beijing counterparts. I spent a lot of time wondering the streets alone, exploring many run-down neighborhoods, chatting with old men playing chess, receiving smiles from xiaomaibu (convenient store) girls, and discussing my adoration for Shenyang with taxi drivers. One night, I stumbled upon two guys running a hole-in-the-wall chuanr (meat on a stick) joint, and because I was starving, I pulled up a stool and ordered 10 mutton chuanr. An hour and a few beers later, I found myself in a heated discussion over China’s new visa restrictions, Chinese soccer, and the pros and cons of living in Singapore. Before leaving, I told them that I would stop by during my next trip to the city and they said that a free bottle of Zero Beer (Shenyang’s local brew) would be waiting for me.
Shenyang may not be as international or as culturally dynamic as Beijing and thus the nightlife for an expat like myself may be limited to chuanr stands. However, with a bit of investigation, we were able to find one bar street – called XiTa Jie. This area, known as little Korea to the locals, is filled with Korean restaurants, Korean style bars (soju bars) and room saloons (KTVs where you can buy a girl for a night). This scene filled with neon lights and “girls for hire” did not surprise me at all. As I have mentioned before in my posts about Seoul and Dalian (another city with a high Korean population), Korean business men do not have any moral qualms with objectifying women as long as these women are not married. Korean wives, on the other hand, are expected to remain tolerant of this male-dominated practice which is deemed acceptable in a traditional society where ideology is focused around filial piety (obey thy husband, thy father, thy elder).
Lastly, I would like to say that Shenyang reinvigorated my love for life in China. Overshadowed by pollution, westernization, and of course Big Brother, Beijing has lost much of its glamour over the years. I came to China to learn Chinese, see the country modernize, and allow myself to grow with a global perspective. I believe that I have been successful in accomplishing much of this to a certain extent, but I can also see Beijing slowing down economically and beginning to plateau as a modern Asian city, too many people can speak English, and the familiarity of Beijing and its newly embraced sense of modernity is making life in Beijing somewhat monotonous. Perhaps, I’m just being a melancholy grouch today, but I am cogitating more and more how wonderful it would be to relocate to a second-tier city, where I can feel like I am in China again and find myself surrounded by the unfamiliar. Clearly, I am still at an age where personal discovery and free will are basic drivers that shape my existence – and while “stability and security” are still vying to dominate this approach to life, I should take advantage of my youth by maintaining a simple path towards personal enlightenment.
In other words, I am never complacent.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)