There’s a great article in the December 20 edition of the Christian Science Monitor, about a family that decided to attempt a year without purchasing anything made in China. It just confirms what I’ve been saying for a long time now: If it weren’t for China, we couldn’t do Christmas in the US! The article […]
A Bit More Science…
I was in a cab this afternoon coming home from an appointment up in Wudaokou, the university district of Beijing, when I spotted a nearly block-long billboard that made me laugh out loud. It wasn’t an advertising billboard, but one set up and maintained by the neighborhood or district neighborhood committee (smallest unit of local […]
A Pigeons’ Warm Blessing
It’s Christmas card season, even in China, and they are pouring into our office fast and furious-like! Most of them are very nice, but some of them have very humorous "Chinglish" greetings. One that we received today scored particularly high on the chuckle factor: Please listen carefully to the bell in the distance before time […]
Finger Food
Finger food has never really been a part of Chinese culture. It is very rare here to see someone using his/her fingers to eat anything. In fact, I’ve seen people go to great lengths to avoid using their fingers when eating food that is normally eaten with fingers, such as hamburgers, french fries, etc. Did […]
Background Music
I was in a taxi yesterday afternoon on the way downtown to meet a friend for supper. The radio was on, and I was just half listening. But during the commercial breaks, my ears locked in to the background music of some of the ads. For one of them, it was "Jingle Bells." For another […]
Second Hand Smoke
If you were to pop in to my place for a visit tonight, you’d imagine that I was secretly indulging in cigarette smoking. The smell of cigarette smoke in my place is quite strong. Problem is, I haven’t been home all day, so it can’t be me! Here’s the problem. The apartment next door has […]
