Archive for May, 2009

Five Principles To Live By

Posted on May 24th, 2009

I’m lucky enough to be able to live in a fascinating country (China) and have enough disposable income to travel when time allows. The other day I unexpectedly received an email from a student in the US who was interested in knowing how I managed to afford to travel so much as it was also their goal once they graduated. What they probably didn’t know is that I actually have a full time job and my blog isn’t really a representative view of my life as whole but this got me thinking about the wider issues of how you can achieve your goals and be successful in life. There are a million and one books and websites you can read about how to improve your life…

Hard Boiled Feng Shui

Posted on May 20th, 2009

In my last post from Beijing (for now) we take a trip to a remarkable new landmark floating behind the Great Hall of the People, colloquially known as The Egg, which houses the National Centre for the Performing Arts. At a cost of 3.2 billion CNY this was no cheap egg to lay and indeed caused much controversy given its location next to some of China’s most holy of holy sites (Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City are also next door). Seen here beautifully lit up at night I stumbled across it almost by accident when its shimmering titanium and glass surface caught my eye at the end of the street near where I was staying. As if a UFO had just landed in…

Western Chinese Wedding

Posted on May 17th, 2009

Last weekend an old university friend of mine got married. By chance she and her husband live in Guangzhou (1 hour away from Shenzhen by the fast CRH train) so I was fortunate enough to be able to attend. If you were expecting something traditionally Chinese then I’m afraid you may be disappointed. Most Chinese couples today choose something akin to the western format, in style if not substance anyway. It was a civil ceremony witnessed by a local official held at a nice hotel and luckily the weather was good enough to hold it outside. The ceremony began with the couple processing in together (not escorted by the father) and presided over by a host (who even sang a song later in the evening!). It…

Beijing 2009: Then and Now

Posted on May 14th, 2009

Two years have passed since I spent three months in Beijing in 2007 and it only seems like yesterday that I was writing a series of posts about how Beijing was changing in its mad dash to get ready for the 2008 Olympics. Of course the games are long over but the city has been forever changed by its passing and on my first return two weeks ago I was surprised at the extent of the transformation. Using photos I snapped on previous visits (and a few more I found online) I’ve put together a few comparative impressions from my fleeting visit… Pollution & Traffic Upon landing at Beijing Capital International Airport we were greeted with the all-too-familiar blanket of smog suffocating the suns light…

Olympic Birds Nest

Posted on May 12th, 2009

For the first time since its completion I finally had a chance to see Beijing’s centrepiece National Stadium dubbed the “Birds Nest”. On both of my previous visits to Beijing in 07 & 08 I had wandered around the perimeter of the building site to get a glimpse of this striking steel lattice structure but had never been inside before. Getting there is pretty easy using the subway line 8 spur. After purchasing a ticket (50 RMB) though a gap in the iron railings which surround the stadium you’re basically left to wander around the stadium freely, which has been left pretty much as is was, complete with thousands of red and white seats sitting expectantly in neat rows. It’s an awe inspiring structure which is…

2 Minutes in Beijing

Posted on May 10th, 2009

Below is a short video I put together from shots I took during my trip to Beijing last week. It’s nothing fancy but hopefully can give those who’ve not visited a small taste of the grandeur of some of the main sites there. As the country’s cultural and historic centre Beijing is not to be missed if you visit China and a good place begin exploring the country as a whole (although somewhat misleading if you expect the rest of it to be like this). I’ve not had much time to pay attention to the technicalities of shooting video yet but hope to improve in the future. Like taking good photos it needs time and patience which are often lacking when you’re travelling with…

Exotic Street Food

Posted on May 8th, 2009

One of the great things about China is the staggering variety of snack food available on most street corners for a couple of yuan and differing from region to region. Whilst hygiene standards may be questionable (most of them are illegal) I’ve never had any problems and quite often enjoy getting some spicy dry noodles or a meat stuffed pancake on the way to work. Wangfujing night market (王府井小吃街 in Beijing) has an exotic selection of insects, sea creatures and even scorpions which can be deep fried to order. I have a feeling that most of this is just for the sake of tourists who screech when they see the scorpions twitching on the sticks they have been harpooned on. I didn’t take my parents (who…

Ode To The Great Firewall

Posted on May 7th, 2009

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 updated for 21st Century China (and my current mood): Photo by wvs Oh Great Firewall shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? No, I shalt compare thee to a thorn in my backside. Thou art more restrictive and more disruptive. Rough connections do shake the darling congress of March, And 1989′s memory hath all too long a block. Sometime too hot the eye of CPC shines, And often is Youtube’s complexion dimmed; And every post from BBS sometime declines, By chance, or golden shield’s changing course, untrimmed; But thy eternal censor shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that power thou ow’st, Nor shall freedom brag thou wand’rest in his shade, When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st.…

A Symphony of Lights

Posted on May 6th, 2009

Every night at 8pm in Hong Kong the buildings along the Victoria Harbour waterfront are illuminated in a vibrant light show known as “A Symphony of Lights“. Even without this novel spectacle there is nowhere else in the world where you can see such a astounding scene of the same magnitude. I never get bored of gazing out over the water to the endless line of twinkling skyscrapers clinging to the edge of Hong Kong Island which appear so calm yet are a hive of activity for its 7 million inhabitants. There is something truly magical about this city which conceptually lies between East and West, torn by its turbulent history and aspirations for the future. Perhaps my Britishness and it’s colonial roots are…

Tiny HK Hotels

Posted on May 5th, 2009

After 10 days of wandering the streets of Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Beijing I’m back with pleanty of tales to tell and a few new videos in the works as well as lots of photos to share. Home to many a rich banker, Hong Kong is not a cheap city by any standard. A while back I saw a list of supposedly affordable HK hotels but at $1400 HKD per night I’m not sure who’s idea of “cheap” these were. For me budget options would be more in the $200-300 range (without it being a Chunking Mansions dive) of which there are plenty to be found if you don’t mind sleeping in somewhat basic accommodation. Based on the recommendation from a friend I recently stayed…

随线放矢 Randomwire

Exploring asian culture, travel and technology