tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963Fri, 15 Sep 2023 15:15:42 +0000Just your average multiracial American stuck in Beijing. Media studies, culture(clash) and snark, all with a dash of MSG. Join me on my endless search for the best pork bun. Live from China, dubbed in my (very) poor version of Mandarin.http://flipblack.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (JDW)Blogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115771266755197502Fri, 08 Sep 2006 10:43:00 +00002006-09-08T18:51:07.566+08:00In my next lifetime, I want to be a meteorologist. It seems like there is some random science involved, but let's be honest: the majority of your time is spent trying to read a teleprompter while pointing to a white blob of air mass on the green screen.I had no idea you had to work your way around cockroaches though. That's tough; as in tapping your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/09/whats-t-gurrr.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115547813295546966Wed, 30 Aug 2006 14:03:00 +00002006-08-30T20:39:42.136+08:00[NOTE: Yeah it's been a while. China censors, I'm lazy, I've been working, yadda yadda yadda. No excuses, bring on the fun.]I've seen my fair share of gaudy and questionable exercise machines, but fat cell vibration is the laziest, and stupidest concept of all. The idea is that you stand (or sit) on a machine that shakes you like a can of paint (or a baby that won't stop crying) and the fat http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/08/galloping-fun.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115522307052829141Thu, 10 Aug 2006 14:57:00 +00002006-08-13T16:08:49.963+08:00We decided to finally do something about our hideous apartment. As of last week, we still had 4 moving boxes and our landlord's ugly furniture in the living room. This weekend we drove to Beijing's Classical Furniture District: it's in the southeast corner of the city, with the neighborhood entrance right next to a smelting factory.We went to Lily's Antiques, a reputable location known for their http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/08/antiques-r-us.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115504224961613443Tue, 08 Aug 2006 12:48:00 +00002006-08-08T21:04:09.716+08:00I love politically incorrect products. I saw this in a mainstream drugstore and had to buy it. They're fake cigarettes. It's just chocolate wrapped in white paper though. Apparently, after kids consume one stick, they promise themselves it will be the last one. It was sitting right next to the M&M's too, so there's no novelty joke being told (I expect to find this alongside http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/08/made-in-china-cigarettes-for-kids.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115487666881231847Sun, 06 Aug 2006 14:32:00 +00002006-08-06T23:04:28.950+08:00Beijing men are missing out on great progress when it comes to underarm protection.The past four months I have found zero decent deodorants available for men in the city. It seems that the only version available are roll-on deodorants. Girls may not know this, but there's a simple reason men and roll-ons don't mix: stuck hair leads to painful pinches.Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that there's onlyhttp://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/08/its-pits.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115452064265350762Wed, 02 Aug 2006 11:57:00 +00002006-08-02T22:20:58.583+08:00My trip to Shanghai felt like an odd mix of a history lesson and a quick dunk in a tub of Appletini. I can write a treatise on the mixed emotions stirred by Shanghai as a whole, but you already have Ambien to put you to sleep...The long Shanghai weekend was like eating an Atkins-style serving of mashed potatoes that was actually made with cauliflower: you can sense a glimmer of the cosmopolitan http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/08/field-trip-i-heart-shanghai.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115435661091958492Mon, 31 Jul 2006 14:19:00 +00002006-07-31T22:57:22.066+08:00The face of J-Lo is plastered all over Beijing as of late...But no, it's not for this season's Louis Vuitton campaign. It's for Lux, a mass market beauty brand mainly popular in Asia.American actors usually have contract clauses preventing their commercials from making it to the mainland; however, thanks to YouTube, you can bask in the glory of Jennifer Lopez's lustruous hair. Check it out:Can http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/jennifer-lopez-shampoo-shiller.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115383711869087356Fri, 28 Jul 2006 13:58:00 +00002006-07-31T17:34:28.096+08:00http://chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-07/25/content_648749.htmA sticky side effect of China's rapid modernization is the equally fast rise in obesity rates. While it's not quite the "1-in-3 is obese!" epidemic of the United States (I didn't really see that in California though), there are telling signs that the KFCs and McDonald's are having their effect on the mainlanders. Which is why articles http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/can-i-get-happy-meal-after-this.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115396895023324368Thu, 27 Jul 2006 02:45:00 +00002006-07-27T10:55:50.276+08:00Borat, the glorious Kazakh reporter from Da Ali G Show, is premiering his new movie this fall.I don't know how he can possibly extend a 3-minute joke to a whole movie, but the movie title proves promising: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of KazakhstanCheck out the trailer here (Apple Trailers). *end*http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/fall-for-borat-this-autumn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115383587668634640Tue, 25 Jul 2006 13:23:00 +00002006-07-26T09:20:45.780+08:00One scorching Saturday morning we decided to visit Lama Temple, Beijing's most popular Tibetan Buddhist temple. We picked up our awesome folding bikes and made the 7 km journey. Oh, did I mention it was a humid 105 degrees in the city? Enjoy the slideshow:This guy paid 10 kuai to hit the bell. I offered the same dude 20 kuai if I could hit him with the stick, because he was an actual gong show http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/field-trip-lama-temple.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115383338055724456Tue, 25 Jul 2006 13:04:00 +00002006-07-26T08:59:38.306+08:00Bicycles are the preferred mode of transportation in Beijing. It's free (after the initial fixed cost), traffic is in one's favor, and it's good for the body.It seems like Beijingers try to carry everything with their bikes though. I've seen beds, cases of beer, washing machines, and a set of twins all in the back of a bike or a sidecar. For example, M found an awesome armoire in a street fair,http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/sidecar-transport.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115323002516009279Tue, 18 Jul 2006 13:36:00 +00002006-07-18T22:02:10.040+08:00People show more skin during the summer: it's a fact. Women bring out the skirts and the halter tops, while men wear wifebeaters and shorts. When the day hits 100F/40C, it's even considered socially acceptable for men to go shirtless. The men of Beijing have found a 'third way': half-shirt and half-bare. See the example below:I see at least a quarter of the neighborhood males do this routine. http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/beijing-belly.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115306246289985928Sun, 16 Jul 2006 15:03:00 +00002006-07-17T20:57:00.640+08:00Before moving to Beijing, I owned a phatty Volvo S40 LSE. It sounds like a soccer mom ride, but that machine served me well. Sometimes M, friends and coworkers would take funny swipes at the ride (Examples: 'Aren't you late for your PTA meeting?' Or, 'The Vassar Professors Mixer is on tonight, right?'). However when it came to get-togethers, moving parties or Ikea runs, my Volvo was always at thehttp://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/my-new-ride.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115305588059342768Sun, 16 Jul 2006 13:08:00 +00002006-07-17T23:53:16.776+08:00After three months of patience, we finally got our freight from San Francisco. The past ninety days, we've been forced to live off of three cases worth of clothing.It's funny how I expected to have way more stuff than what actually arrived though: it seems like a quarter of our 500-lb. expat allocation went to packing tape and packing peanuts.I agonized over the idea of a weight limit: I knew http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/you-know-its-real-hard-trying-to-be.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115266832681376767Wed, 12 Jul 2006 00:56:00 +00002006-07-17T20:59:10.833+08:00Quoting a former colleague, "Kids are crazy, man... they crazy."[sic]Childhood takes on a unique spirit in Beijing, where most kids are products of one-child households. They are what's called the 'little emperors', a term meant to evoke both the doting they receive from parents and the spoiled attitude that results from being an only child.A new book has been published that apparently compiles http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/book-report-100-sentences-parents.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115245550164323201Sun, 09 Jul 2006 14:08:00 +00002006-07-17T20:59:52.480+08:00The Asian version of HBO is still stuck in the 80s, pre-Sopranos and Entourage. Here's a movie that was on this weekend:Yes, the lead characters are corporate mascots. And yes, that is Mickey Rourke and Don Johnson, I'm assuming after their respective careers stalled. Oh yes, I had to watch at least 15 minutes. It's amazing what you have to do to stay awake before the World Cup final. Speaking ofhttp://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/weekend-media-study-hbo-asia-has-crap.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115214960993988640Thu, 06 Jul 2006 01:08:00 +00002006-07-17T21:00:25.260+08:00Beijing has muggy summers punctuated by scary thunderstorms. One night, we got caught in one of these mini-monsoons and ran to the nearest restaurant. It had wet floors and was hazy with cigarette smoke, but that's just what to expect with a small neighborhood restaurant with rain-stranded customers. We ordered three dishes, one of which was a hand-pulled chicken stew. I had no idea they meant http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/culinary-crazies-or-chickenheads.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115199060441513976Tue, 04 Jul 2006 05:03:00 +00002006-07-17T21:01:03.296+08:00Right around noon on July 4, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit Beijing. The epicenter was pinpointed about an hour south of the city, according to Chinese officials.I felt my table and office door shake, and quickly asked around if anyone felt it. It seems like no one is familiar with earthquakes around these here parts, as everyone laughed off my questions. Being a San Fran native (2 years count, http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/beijing-4th-of-july-earthquake.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115194247006640542Mon, 03 Jul 2006 16:00:00 +00002006-07-04T09:38:12.683+08:00MUZAK-Lauryn Hill/Why Am I So Old/Post #50It's funny how money changes situations... it's also funny how a simple task like recharging an iPod can lead to a 3-hour time warp via one's music history.Today I shuffled through my old "Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" CD. More specifically, the song 'Lost Ones'. It's amazing how current the song (and the whole album) sounds after 8 years.I uploaded it forhttp://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/muzak-lauryn-hillwhy-am-i-so-oldpost.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115193889445938203Mon, 03 Jul 2006 14:36:00 +00002006-07-03T23:01:34.540+08:00News from the Hinterland: On-the-go Execution Machines(Picture source: USA Today)This van is Dr. Kevorkian resurrected as a Chinese vehicle. It's funny how articles like this completely escape my notice now that I'm in Beijing. Yep, it's from USA Today, best known for their inane cartoon stats and their role as airport timewasters. The article's a little old, but still fairly interesting. The http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/news-from-hinterland-on-go-execution.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115172570785930397Sat, 01 Jul 2006 03:10:00 +00002006-07-01T11:48:27.966+08:00Chinese AcrobatsAcrobats shows in China are crazy. First off, the ticket pricing is out of whack: the cheapest seats get you in front of the stage, as opposed to the nosebleed section. Next, the performers all look like sixteen-year-olds. (I guess I can blame this on my new fear of getting old). Some pictures courtesy of Bivian:I've decided to pursue spinning plates as my new "China hobby". If http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/07/chinese-acrobats-acrobats-shows-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115133436736292685Mon, 26 Jun 2006 16:58:00 +00002006-06-26T23:07:22.440+08:00Taglish (or Tagalog-English) Gone WildI love a good Filipino variety show. There's no better source for cornball, poorly planned, and random hootenanny entertainment on G-d's green earth. The shows all follow the same routine: throw a couple of 80's-style dance numbers here, a couple of karaoke-style duets there, and one finale involving a bit of both. This video is from a popular Filipino http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/06/taglish-or-tagalog-english-gone-wild-i.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115131736257412649Mon, 26 Jun 2006 10:06:00 +00002006-06-26T18:22:42.626+08:00Karaoke FeverAs part of the goodbye sendoff to Viv and Ben--who have now gone spelunking into the belly of China/Vietnam--we went to a karaoke palace called PartyWorld. The place looks like a retrofitted Hilton Hotel. Large reception areas greet you at every floor, man made waterfalls are in each corner, and of course let's not forget the private rooms that are as gaudy as they are awesome. A http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/06/karaoke-fever-as-part-of-goodbye.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115115696004419344Sat, 24 Jun 2006 13:43:00 +00002006-06-24T21:49:54.570+08:00MEDIA STUDY: "Log Entry", part 2Looks like my old post on Beijing's poop patrol hit a nerve, so to speak. Asians love potty humor, and this video below shows toilet practical jokes at their finest.Thanks for the link, Carla! *fin* http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/06/media-study-log-entry-part-2-looks.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25091963.post-115097883749063146Thu, 22 Jun 2006 11:31:00 +00002006-06-22T23:13:03.883+08:00Who Will Justin Timberlake Copy Next?This morning I checked out a news article announcing that Justin Timberlake--that dude who got out of the boy band inferno and salvaged a successful solo career (along with some street cred...well, as much as a white Mickey Mouse Club alum can muster)--is coming out with a new album. Here's the link from Trent.I don't have a problem with Justin. His music's http://flipblack.blogspot.com/2006/06/who-will-justin-timberlake-copy-next.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Anonymous)0