wee hens
recently finished john ralston saul’s latest book: the collapse of globalism and the reinvention of the world. as the title might indicate, saul chronologically maps the rise in the idolatry of globalism (i.e., viewing the world through an economic prism) and then its miserable failure to deliver: the rising tide of globalization alone is just not enough to pull the … Read More
a story about chinese in-laws
an american writes about cultural differences when visiting another country: but when you’re older, chinese, and are his in-laws visiting the US for the first time. granted, it’s mostly just complaining about in-laws, but the best are the parts about food, particularly the Mealtime Conversation at the end (can’t…stop…laughing — but for more sobering context as to the possible origins … Read More
strippers & peelers
China cracks down on striptease funerals. [found on wanbro] at lunch today (incidentally my last day at work), a co-worker regaled me with a pretty nasty stripper story at a stag party he went to at a polish restaurant. (of course, we happened to be eating lunch in a polish restaurant.) strippers seem to fill out a more important social … Read More
montreal restos by metro stop
inspired by idlewords’ taste of subway and jeremy & vinita’s to-the-point montreal restaurant guide, I’ve cobbled together my own little list of montreal restaurants by subway stop. highly selective and by no means exhaustive, I’ve only included places I felt have something worth noting. so far, anyway. still adding as I go along. hope you enjoy!
breakdance
was walking down the street when I heard some beats–I followed the sound to the côte-des-neiges community centre and found a breakdance competition going on organized by csmooth. I saw a 3-corner solo contest and the finals for the b-boys/b-girls (under 18) competition. amazing skill not only for the improvisation, but also for timing: knowing when the guy dancing is … Read More
IPR protection in china
My people are poor; people in western China are making RMB200 (US$24) per month. Now a bunch of foreigners want me to protect their Gucci handbags? I couldn’t care less. so represents the views of rural Chinese government officials, according to Ekkehard Rathgeber, President of Bertelsmann Direct Group Asia. (found on china law blog) this is the economic argument against … Read More
man-eating pandas
I’m at my cousin E’s housewarming (nevermind that he’s been living there for months), and we start talking about China. him: “WHAT? you haven’t been to the panda sanctuary?!” me: “er….” …so one of the highlights of Chengdu in Sichuan province (besides the *fabulous* scenery and this rumour that the girls are the most beautiful in china) is supposedly this … Read More
福娃 friendlies
oh dear lord. not one, not two, but FIVE olympic mascots! (thunderclap) Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), sent a congratulatory letter to the BOCOG saying China was “lucky to have so many beautiful animals to represent the Olympic spirit. I love them all. I believe that this little group of friends … will be extremely popular … Read More