From CNN, Yangze River will die in 5 years if government don't do something about it now. According to the World Bank, 16 of the 20 most poluted cities in the world are in China. The worst amongst the worst, is actualy, my fucking "hu kou" residency, where my grandfather was born - Lin Fen, Shanxi.
Unbe fucking lievable.....
Being back with family has been great. great home-cooked meal available to you almost 24-7. I'm able to watch quality american shows such as Cribs, Judge Hatchet, and The 5th wheel again, not to mention all the up to date infomercials, and not the ones back in the late 90s back in China. (They're still running the first edition george foreman grill, dubbed with chinese). Find it a bit awkward watching I Love Raymond, also. (yep, you guessed it, Raymond and his family speak Chinese in China). Anyways, I found this out side of my parents' bedroom patio. A little tiny bird nest between the window panes and the rolled up window blind. Inside, two tiny newborns. Welcome to the world guys.
Besides watching movies, I also ran a pretty tight schedule on visiting all my favorite places to eat, such as El Taurino in downtown LA, and In n Out joints. Thanks to Roger, I also discovered Shin Sen Gumi's Ramen alternative to their popular yakitori place. The only thing left on my list, was to shoot off some big ass guns like what a typical Angelino would do, hehe. Here's a picture of me shooting skeets with James' shot gun.
Blockbusters are like candy: you can enjoy a few, but pretty soon you need some real nourishment. I watched some of these talked about films this past week in the US. I enjoyed Mission impossible 3, but hated the da vinci code. I've never seen Shang Hai so beautiful, and Paris so dull in these films. I enjoyed Ethan Hunt taking up an impossible mission again, blowing things up all over the world, a lot more than Tom Hanks, with that dreadful hairdo, trying to save a rumored descendent of Jesus Christ. Also, I was lucky enough to catch Thank you for smoking, a film about A spokes person for the big tobacco. This film is one of the smartest films I've seen, I highly recommend it. Why did and How does China choose these American films to show in China anyway?!
Please people, buy the Da Vinci code on pirated dvd, and fly to Hong Kong or Japan to watch mission impossible, and Thank you for smoking.
Ok, its nothing spetacular to my standard, but at least its different from all the phone tv commercials I see. I present to you, my first TVC.
Sorry for the delay, I was packing. They are all here. Comments and suggestions are welcome.
Pictures are finally scanned and sorted. About 50 something pictures are finally chosen, all of them shot on film. I think I'm beginning to consciously advocating film more and more these days, I hope these pictures would provide some proof. Come on people, digital is for losers!
The pictures posted in this entry are those that didn't make it to the up coming pictures section of my site. Enjoy.
I've hated soccer all my life. Ever since I was little, I would complain about it every time when grown-ups watch it. The never ending back and forth without scoring, the many anti climatic attempts at the goal, ad of course, as a child, I can't understand the frustration of limiting the use of upper lim in this sport... just simply not my cup of tea. Recently, as stupid as it sounds, our fool's ball games have made me to be more appreciative about the game, the collaboration of getting just the right angles of attack, and the adrenaline after scoring a goal is truly a special feeling. Then, real assignments came in, that we're to shoot Mr. Beckham. I initially thought about profiting from this shirt, I'd be lying if I said I didn't. But somehow the righteous soccer god intervened, and I loved this gift brought back from Madrid. Thanks to Patsy, Nils, and of course, David Beckham. Oh yes, and, for those curious minds, my first autographed object is a ticket stub to Orange County's Disney Land, signed by Mikey.
I always loved the 798 art district in beijing. The annual 798 art festival is dedicated to preserving the district from government zoning laws. I used to be very pessimistic about 798, as it deteriorates every time I visit. The Beijing Government seems pretty determined on destroying it to make way for some grand IT scheme they had envisioned for, pretty ignorant and sad. This time at 798 however, the district seemed more lively than ever, with many participating artists from around the world, I saw sculptures, paintings, video walls, performances, et cetera. Exciting things are happening here, Beijing should keep this rare cultural site instead of building some IT buildings.
Checked with the lab today, most of the films came out, except for 2 rolls of black and whites. To develop and scan these films it costed me about 1200 RMB, relatively speaking, It is a bargain compare to doing it in the States. I checked the negatives, and they look pretty alright, so.. patience friends... I will have the pictures up around coming tuesday or Wednesday I think. ^_^
Found this one by accident online, really nice album.
From Sprout Home, pretty clever, dishwasher safe, limited microwave use, dissect while you dine. All at $10.50 a plate. Is that a dog on the green plate? Hmm.... dog...
The may holiday trip to xin jiang was wonderful. I've never imagined how exotic middle asia can be. Pictures will be posted in about a week I think. It'll take the shop a good week to develop and scan all these rolls.
