Archive for December, 2008

Which Video Platform?

Posted on December 29th, 2008

Now that I’m starting to create short videos with my new LX3 the time has come to decide which video platform to host them on. There are literally hundreds of options but to me only three main contenders: YouTube, Vimeo & Flickr (let me know if you think I’ve missed anyone important). Having played with all three here’s my take on the pro’s and con’s and what I ended up choosing… YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY The king of online video has come of age with support for widescreen and HD newly enabled. Over 13 hours of new footage is uploaded to YouTube every minute which clearly gives you some idea about the scale of its operations and the massive community it provides. The player is functional…

IKEA Shenzhen

Posted on December 27th, 2008

If ever there was an indicator of the economic prosperity of the middle classes in China the presence of western brands has got to be one of them and they don’t get much bigger than the Swedish furniture conglomerate IKEA who have a massive store not far from where I live. Needing a few bits and pieces for my apartment I headed over there to see what I could find… Its Chinese name is “yíjiā” (宜家), which literally means “fit for home” in Mandarin. As usual the store was house in a massive windowless box with a single one-way path which took you through the entirety of their range. It’s quite a clever idea as the consumer is far more likely to make impulse…

Christmas in China

Posted on December 25th, 2008

Not having the Christian background that the west has Christmas in China today is a mostly commercial affair aimed squarely at young people. Yesterday evening after work I went for a wander around my local shopping mall, the enormous “Coastal City”, and was amazing to see the number of people out and about enjoying the lights and blatant consumerism – Although Christianity still generally frowned upon in China, there are an estimated 10 million baptised Christians (about 1 percent of the population) who celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas time and this number is steadily increasing. Usually the mall is pretty quite quiet (most the shops are ridiculously expensive) but tonight things were buzzing. Most the restaurants were full and people were queuing…

Lumix LX3 First Impressions

Posted on December 23rd, 2008

My primary camera of choice for the past four years has been my trusty Nikon D70s. It’s a wonderful camera and I’m not getting rid of it any time soon but because of its size/weight it’s not always ideal for carrying around and taking quick snaps or shooting video (impossible). At the other end of the spectrum my iPhone’s camera isn’t up to the job of anything other than grainy low resolution photos – good enough for making a visual note of something but nothing more. Photo by Daniel Y. Go Enter the Lumix LX3, a new high end compact from Panasonic which has been getting rave reviews. I’ve been wanting to get a compact for sometime but none offered quite the right balance…

Guangzhou Gluttony

Posted on December 22nd, 2008

I spent last weekend in the culinary capital of southern China; Guangzhou. To say I ate a lot of food would be an understatement. It felt like a two day non-stop tour of east-asia cuisine with my stomach bearing the brunt of all manors of Chinese, Japanese & Vietnamese delights! Before visiting Guangzhou I was warned by many friends to be careful with tales of thievery and general social disorder so it was with some anticipation that I stepped off the train on Saturday morning. Whilst the city is a bit grubby around the edges it wasn’t as bad as I had been led to expect and indeed the city has a far richer history and culture than Shenzhen (being founded in 214BC). It was…

Dapeng Fortress

Posted on December 14th, 2008

This weekend I joined my company’s photography society on at trip to the little known Dapeng Fortress, about 55km east of the city centre. Dapeng Fortress is a small but well preserved ancient town which was built in the Ming Dynasty (1394) to protect the southern coast from Japanese Pirates and later in 1838 bore the brunt of the British naval invasion (thus beginning the Opium Wars). What makes the town even more fascinating is that it’s still lived in, mainly by migrant workers, with everyday life taking place amongst 600 years of history. The narrow streets contain countless hidden architectural gems from ornately carved wooden beams to beautiful door paintings and a number of fresh water wells (still in use). Most of the…

Maxim’s Palace

Posted on December 10th, 2008

If Dim Sum is your thing then Hong Kong is the right place to go. On my last visit I went to Maxim’s Palace, reputably one of the best restaurants to sample this delicious delicacy, strangely located in the City Hall. As it’s so popular be prepared for a wait when you arrive – you’ll be given a ticket with a number on which will invariably only make you more hungry as you soak up the sights and smells from the enormous dining hall with a great view over Victoria Harbour. “Traditional dim sum includes various types of steamed buns such as cha siu baau, dumplings and rice noodle rolls (cheong fun), which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options… Dim sum can be cooked by steaming…

Shenzhen: Before and After

Posted on December 9th, 2008

The city of Shenzhen in China developed at a rate unseen before in history. Before the 1980′s it was a small fishing village formerly known as

Notes On Living Abroad

Posted on December 3rd, 2008

I was reading a great post on Shenzhen Undercover recently about the frustrations of expatiates living in China. The author hits the nail on the head; China can certainly be a frustrating place to live for foreigners. That said I think there are a few points to bear in mind here for anybody living or thinking of relocating to another country not of their own – Illustration by o_hai You are a guest in another country – don’t forget it. Treat people with respect even if they don’t show it to you. All to often expats get a bad reputation for the minority running amok abroad, don’t be one of them. Accept differences – even if you don’t like them. Shanghai is not Southend…

Hong Kong Nights

Posted on December 2nd, 2008

Hong Kong is a magical place, especially at night when the neon lights come on. As if held by invisible hands the signs appear to float in mid-air advertising all manor of unknown things (to the foreign eye anyway). The light they give off creates a strange sort of artificial daylight to the streets below and for the most part they constitute the only street lighting. I could walk for hours here being drawn deeper into the narrow ravines between the decaying façades of shops and apartments memorized by this electric circus. Neon signs are made from luminous glass tubes that contain neon or other inert gases at a low pressure. When a high voltage is applied it makes the gas glow brightly. Somewhere there…

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