Cup of Cha
This is China

So I just tried to send a package express to the US through one of the three major shipping companies (EMS does not qualify. Sorry). They now require a photocopy of your passport. Why? “We’re now in a ’special period.’”
Damn presidential election!
I can’t wait for the Olympics to end so we can get to normal [...]

Continue reading “Express Mail Now Requires Passport” »

In New York I sometimes get phone calls from wrong numbers. Sometimes they are speaking in Spanish. Come to think of it, that happened once with my US number in Beijing. Can you imagine living in Washington Heights and accidentally calling China? Anyway, callers are usually apologetic in the US, or sometimes embarrassed causing a [...]

Continue reading “I Do Not Call Wrong Numbers” »

Um, this is so awkward it makes me kind of sad. You can just see it in his face some aid is going to get punched as soon as the reporters go away.

Continue reading “Most Uncomfortable McCain Video Ever” »

Since the first day I set foot in China seven years ago, I have heard a constant refrain of “China is still a developing country.” This is used to explain anything and everything from poor driving skills to confusing ticket-buying procedures. The truth is that in many ways China is a highly developed country. It [...]

Continue reading “Mindset, Not Infrastructure, Still Developing” »

This afternoon my lunch-mate and I were refused salad at a Thai restaurant in a mall on Wang Fu Jing.  The reason given was that salad is banned for the Olympics.  This was news to me, but my colleague said that he had heard tell of this impending ban but had not believed that it [...]

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In the last few days it has begun to dawn on me that there will actually be sports going on during the Olympics. I know, hard to imagine. So I began to think about what the most interesting events will be. Personally, I want to go to a bunch of boxing. It’s pretty close to [...]

Continue reading “Beijing Olympics’ Best Tickets” »

I have a confession. My apartment and desk need to look clean. It drives me nuts to see clutter. However, If you open my drawers, my clothes and papers tend to be piled in a haphazard manner. In other words, I need the appearance of tidiness.
I bring this up because I’ve noticed some remarkable changes [...]

Continue reading “Nothing to See Here Folks” »

Last Friday, a true villain in American history died, and the first line of his obituary aptly sums up his sad legacy:
Jesse Helms, the former North Carolina senator with the courtly manner and mossy drawl who turned his hard-edged conservatism against civil rights, gay rights, foreign aid and modern art, died early Friday.
He made his [...]

Continue reading “Forget Helms; Clair Engle is Real Hero” »

In China, all too often, criticizing any aspect of Chinese society or the government is taken as an affront to the entire country. On my blog I pretty much say whatever I want, but in my personal interactions I try to be a little more cautious. Nevertheless, it also strikes me as bizarre that talking [...]

Continue reading “When Can One Criticize China?” »

Let me be clear. For those of us in Beijing, the Olympics will be a lot of fun. I suspect the best way to enjoy them will be getting one set of plastic pre-school sized table and chairs that restaurants in this blessed country love, get some friends together, grab some beer and maodou , [...]

Continue reading “How to Botch the Beijing Olympics” »