This morning I found myself in the Zhengyuan Office Supply Supermarket in Beijing. The sign above the door said "Office Max," but I knew better. Ripping off names is a cottage industry here. I simply needed to pick up some computer paper and plastic file folders, so I thought it would be quick. The important […]
The Guns Go Silent
As the clock strikes midnight here in the Middle Kingdom, the quiet slowly begins. After an evening of "grand finale" fireworks being shot off from the parking lot (no, the BMW’s never did get blown up) next to my building, it is all, finally, coming to an end. As of right now, shooting off fireworks […]
Last Chance
Today marks the final day of the 2 weeks of celebrations surrounding Chinese New Year. It all started with a bang on New Year’s Eve and will end with a bang tonight, Lantern Festival. That means tonight is the last chance to blow things up until next year. Something tells me it’s going to be […]
Casualty Figures
Today the government released the fireworks casualty figures for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday in Beijing: 1 dead, 434 injured, and 143 fires started. A friend and I almost made it onto that list the other night. It was the 5th night of the new year, which I guess is another particularly auspicious night […]
Seven Percent
That was the relative humidity here in Beijing yesterday, a very cold and blustery day. 7%!!! No wonder my skin feels like sandpaper and I am perpetually thirsty and my heels have cracks in them the size of the Grand Canyon.
Goodbye Pig, Hello Rat
Today marks the first day of the new year according to the Chinese lunar calendar. The Year of the Pig ended last night with bang, and now it’s the Year of the Rat. My housing complex was like a war zone last night with roman candles and bottle rockets being shot off everywhere. I had […]
