April 2006 Archives

I've been a Woody Allen fan ever since I watched Small Time Crooks (2000). Match Point was quite different from that movie, but equally brilliant. I loved the story and that statement which opened the movie up:

The man who said "I'd rather be lucky than good." saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net, and for a split second it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck it goes forward and you win. Or maybe it doesn't, and you lose.

Besides the suspenseful Hitchcock like plot, I also loved how it brought back my memories of london, the tate modern, and the saatchi gallary were both important settings of the movie.

through some 2 days of treacherous online search on cell phones, this is what I decided on to replace the stolen phone. Its called SX-833, and you can read a review here on mobile burn.

of course, thanks to my dear silvia ^_^ who got this for me. love ya :)

I was browsing two weekends ago in Wu Ke Song Film and Camera equipment bazaar west of Beijing. It turns out, Fuji's somehow holding all upcoming supplies of 120 Superia negative films. The existing stock in China region will expire in May of this year. Guess what, they're selling it at 5rmb per roll. That is less than a buck. In states, these films cost about 18 - 22 USD a pop. I got 20 rolls ready for my May holiday trip just incase. For those of you thats not sure about soon expiring films, you can look at my ShiDu trip pictures, they're shot fuji 120 superia negative that will expire in may.

Today, the owner of the developing place I always go to rushed out and tapped on my shoulder. He also wanted to give away some 120 films thats about to expire. He sad that I'm the only person he knows who still shoot with a 120 camera outside of a studio. I felt really sad. Well, on a happier note I can say I'm ready to go to xinjiang to shoot for a month now.

Its really easy to shoot with a 120 camera, and it teaches you a lot of skill sets digital will never do. I actually started with a 35mm film, then digital, and now back to film. Whoever that has question about how to get your self started, just message me, and I'll do my best to help. :)

So not only I have to repair my computer earlier this month, pointlessly working on some 50 layouts while sick. Pushing back my Cuba trip to October due to "Overwhelming Chinese travelers converging in European hub cities on state-owned company trips." And of course, eating a million tons of mongolian first grade yellow sand. Some jackass in my gym decided that my scratched up, domestic battery powered, logo missing, IR port cracking, first edition Sony Ericsson K500 was worth a steal. Thanks to that fucker, I have to look for a new cell phone.

pretty neat stuff.

I find this movie really entertaining, the story theroughly told. The blood and gore were neccessary to live up to "quenton terintino presents" name, also neccessary for the story's intended impact. I had fun watching it.

This Past weekend, I was invited to a Shi Du field trip with some friends. The place is gorgeous.

read on for more pictures.

Sent off my beloved g5 tower to a repair center today. This machine did everything for me during graduation time. In two days, I will find out what to do with it...

Will blog things from work for now.

I forgot to mention this ordeal I went through when I went back to TaiYuan. So, as I explained before in my previous entries, I have to go back to my home town to add pages to my passport. Then, I was told that I can just mail my Chinese ID, Passport and photo to them. Only then, I was told that I have to show up in person.

Well, Chinese Airport only accepts two forms of identification, ID, or Passport. My lips were dry explaining the situation, and they won't take non of it. Not with my student ID, not with my Green Card, (which is about a million times more sophisticated than a Chinese ID), not with my business card, my credit card, or anything!!!!

Thank god I was there 2 hours early, I spend the time to call my relatives to call the local police station to present my "hu kou" or residence certificate. The thing doesn't make any sense to me, its an identification that says my name and my "ancestry birth place" which neither I nor my dad have been in. Anyways, then get this, they weren't able to find it in the computer!!!

My aunt faxed over an expired copy, and finally, after some sweet talk, I obtained this official "temporary ID" from the Capital International Airport Police Department.

Pst.. China, here's a tip: Social Security Numbers.

The unthinkable happened, just when I'm beginning to think I have a bit of spending money, something for the up coming may holiday trip, my computer fails. For mac, its not blue screen of death, its black. I do a restart... same thing, I do safe mode... nothing, "command + opt + P + R"... nothing, open the computer up, RAM reset button... nothing. Then panic sets in, tried every possible remediess out there, preying for it, kissing it, hitting it, curse at it, pressing every button on it... Finally.... A BIG FAT NOTHING.

Damn it!!!!!

view out side of my window, night and day.

This past weekend I visted Tai Yuan, my home town. I am fortunate enough that I'm still in contact with my childhood classmates, and we remain friends till this day. I had lunch with them and took some pictures. Tai Yuan remains to be this "third tier" city in china, a sleepy northern city that always trying hard to look the opposite. Not a particular charming city, has a reputation for delicious noodles and qing dynasty court yards.

One of my dear colleagues Grace Ma took me to have dinner at this very cozy Hu Nan flavoured restaurant two weeks ago. Since I'm committed to document as many restaurant I liked as possible, I brought my camera. Ok, also I suck at taking pictures with my leica m3, I decided to practice. The Place is not easy to find, its a small court yard west of National Art Museum. The restaurant its self is about 50 sq meters, and has two stories. It's gotta be the smallest full bar restaurant I've eaten in, smaller than Manhattan's Yakitori Tojo on St. Marks even. The food was decent, and arrived on time and in order, something not common in China. Staff were very friendly, I was very happy about that too. O and sorry Grace... there are no pictures of you because you sat right next to me and my lens wasn't able to capture you that up close. :-/

If you're trying to share your internet connection in Beijing, you will have to get both the router, AND a new modem. Thanks to CNC.

Like the States, China's broadband internet access providers, are hesitant on providing support for setting up a connection sharing router. Unlike the States however, as I find out today, the dsl modem that comes with the connection package from CNC, was deliberately altered so routers won't be able to work with it to share connections in a fully legal home network setting. I am pissed because there isn't another alternatives to this, like picking a different provider, CNC is the only company that handles this business in beijing, most part of China in fact. This company is so backwards, thinking it will some how protect their profit by limiting connection sharing, but at the same time, they are not able to offer any multi account packages for the consumers. People here has to pay for a new non- proprietary broadband modem to by pass this nonsense. So, once FUCKING again, the end user has to suffer. I'm so sick and tired of this kind of shit here.

The opaque colored layer is China's dirty air. It affects countries as far as the United States.

From April 1-8 CNN will combine live broadcasts from Shanghai with a "Town Hall" discussion before a studio audience and reports on the people and the issues shaping China today. I watched the one discussing China's environment in Shang Hai concert hall. I still could not believe that this country's pollutant such as sulfur dioxide and mercury can now be detected in the soils of America's western seaboard. The guests on the panel were so incompetent, that they are still using the "o, western nations polluted the world during their industrial revolution, they didn't get blamed nearly as much we have been." tactic. This other woman, Sheri Liao, annoyingly trying to suggest individuals should step up, use a paper fan instead of air conditioning, and bunch of other things for people have there heads stuck so far up high in their asses. The only useful information came from this Shang Hai city government official, who claimed Shang Hai Managed a 97% "clear day" last year. The host Jim Clancy right away asked for a show of hands in the audience who believed such a thing. Less than 5 rose their hands. The host then expressed his shock at never seeing a sun rise during his week in the city. That official then quietly sat down. I hope this changes soon..... I don't want my children to have 3 legs or anything scary. China, you really need to cut this shit out.