Mid-Autumn Follow-up

We're back to work following the three-day weekend for Mid-Autumn Festival. I was given a moon cake in class today--it's sitting in my office, where it will probably stay until next Mid-Autumn Festival.

For great commentary on the moon cakes and their brick-like resemblance, you can check out this post at GwaiLoDown. Very amusing site.

Moon Cake Break

It's Mid-Autumn/Full Moon Festival in China. Last year the government implemented a public holiday change to give workers the day off for such traditional holidays. Of course, it fell on a Sunday, but I still get today off from work. I have only eaten one moon cake this year, which my office gave me--it was small and didn't feel like a brick when it hit my stomach, so it was pretty good.

Yesterday, we went to OCT East in Yantian district, near Dameisha, with Shenzhen Daily and a group of foreigners (and a few Chinese). We even got our picture in the paper today. The event was meant to bring some interest in the park, and we were given a tour of mostly the tea village--in part because it's hosting a tea festival.

OCT East is definitely not as cheesy as Splendid China, but it does have its moments. It contains a reproduction of the town of Interlacken, Switzerland, with Chinese characteristics (in other words, with Chinese writing and restaurants). There's also a wetland park, a bamboo forest, spa, and tea gardens. I think there's also a golf course.The grounds at OCT East are quite beautiful, providing a pleasant and peaceful day for visitors to walk around. Unfortunately for us, it was unbearably hot and humid, which made it difficult to walk around for extended periods.

The Shenzhen Daily tour gave us a really nice lunch in the park, a little tea production demonstration that wasn't all that interesting, and a tea performance. Parts of the performance were really nice. Other parts included tea pots performing Riverdance and some aliens. I'm not sure what aliens have to do with Chinese tea culture and history.

It was still nice to get out of the house and see something different in Shenzhen.

Antiques Are Quite Modern

We were very confused at the sight of a few shops across from our hotel in Malacca. Unfortunately, we passed by when the shops were closed so we couldn't find out exactly what they sold. How exactly is an antique modern?

Long-overdue Review

I have finally finished reading the 1981 Booker Prize-winning novel by Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children. In the time I've read this novel, I've read at least five others. That's not to say that this isn't a good book, it's just that I constantly got sidetracked. I have previously read Rushdie's Fury, which was also enjoyable.

The novel is a narrative memoir of Saleem Sinai, a child born on the stroke of midnight at the time of India's independence from England--an event that binds him to history and to the other children born during that same midnight hour. The event of his birth not only binds Saleem to the history of India in a magical sense, but it also provides him with powers to pursue what he claims is his destiny.

The novel begins in a conversational tone, with Saleem almost unwilling to reveal the truth of his existence. He continues into the past generations of his family in Kashmir that affected his life's course prior to birth. He progresses into tales of childhood, including the discovery of midnight's power and the other children to whom Saleem is connected.

Rushdie writes a terrific novel that is culturally enlightening and entertaining. He incorporates a bit of dark humor to lighten the serious tone of much of the narrative.

Shaking in Shenzhen

According to today's Shenzhen Daily, Longgang has experienced 10 earthquakes in the past 19 days. The epicenter of these quakes is about a two-hour bus ride from my apartment, but I haven't felt anything unusual. Fortunately, all of these quakes have been less than 5.0 on the Richter scale. Does seem strange that I haven't felt anything like I did during the minor quakes a few years ago. The last one disrupted the Internet connection throughout China.

The hope is that none of these earthquakes become major ones like the one Sichuan (or even close to that magnitude) because I highly doubt many buildings in Shenzhen are built to code.

No Soup for You

I arrived home Friday afternoon to my mother-in-law introducing me to two turtles that were inhabiting my bathroom floor. I was definitely a bit surprised. Later, my wife translated the reasoning--my mother-in-law was told by a monk* on the street that he would take the turtles to a pond at a Buddhist temple if she bought them. I was quite relieved to hear she wasn't planning on cooking them (though I doubted that when I first saw the turtles).

As of Monday, we have a little fish tank for the two reptiles sitting on the balcony. I'm not sure if my mother-in-law is still looking for that monk. Jia says she found a local Buddhist organization that would take care of the turtles, but I haven't heard anything about that since Friday.
I just hope that they end up in a pond that's clean and not overcrowded like the one in Guangxiao Temple in Guangzhou. It looks like the monks are practicing turtle stacking there.

*There are quite a few fake monks in Shenzhen that go around asking people for money for their temples. Usually these "monks" are seen talking on cell phones and wearing sneakers. We've even seen a few eating meat.

Pimp My Royal Ride, Thailand

While in Bangkok this August, we stopped off at the Royal Carriages Museum near Vinanmek Palace. Most of the carriages were not all that impressive or fancy, which seems odd considering the King Rama IX of Thailand is the wealthiest monarch in the world. However, this one vehicle caught my eye--it's the royal tuk-tuk. Riding in a tuk-tuk is a very Thai experience, but it just doesn't have that royal appeal.

Dream of Blue Mansions

In Penang, we stayed across the street from Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, an old Chinese-style mansion that has been converted into a hotel. We intended to stay at the mansion during our trip, but there were no rooms available due to the filming of a Singaporean movie.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion has been renovated in the last decade or so after years of neglect. It is a World Heritage Site, as is much of Georgetown. Since it's renovation and conversion into a hotel, tours are offered to visitors for a small fee.

Unfortunately, the owners of Cheong Fatt Tze do not allow photos inside (mostly so they can sell postcards and books at inflated prices). The tour itself was worthwhile because it traced the family history of the house as well as quite a bit of Chinese culture. It was the best explanation of Chinese culture that I received since arriving in China (it's too bad I had to travel to Malaysia to get it).

We also were told that there is still another Cheong Fatt Tze mansion in Taipu, Guangdong--not too far from Shenzhen. Jia and I have planned to take a weekend trip at some point to find it.

Review: A Million Little Pieces

I did not have high expectations when I picked up the copy of A Million Little Pieces by James Frey that my friend gave me a couple years ago. Those expectations were exceeded only slightly.

James Frey's A Million Little Pieces follows the author's recovery from severe drug addiction while in a rehabilitation center.

It's not that I have a problem with claims of lying in a memoir--I looked at this as a piece of entertainment rather than a true story. The problem I have is with the actual writing. Frey's work reads like a repetitive grocery list. And the format (lacking indentation and quotation marks) makes an editor want to throw a style manual at the author.

Style and format aside, A Million Little Pieces isn't all bad. There is an interesting story in the mess with characters that are slightly sympathetic for recovering drug addicts. However, readers don't necessarily need every single detail about the author's time in rehab. I really didn't care what he had to eat at every meal.

The book could easily be cut down by about 150 pages without losing any significant points of the story. Of course, seeing as it is a quick read, losing those pages would also save readers about two hours.

New School Year Cometh

Tomorrow is the beginning of my second year teaching academic writing to graduate students here in Shenzhen. For the next two weeks, I get to have an introductory class (because my classes only meet once every other week). This means everyday for two weeks I get to walk into my classroom and say, "Hello, my name is Matt. I am here to teach you English writing." Or something similar. It's basically the same speech I've had to give at all my other classes over the years (including numerous demo lessons at the training center).

Of course, this year my extended speech will include quite a few classroom rules and hints in the hopes that I can correct the mistakes from the previous year (i.e. plagiarism, ringing cell phones, and other annoyances).

I have been preparing since the end of July for this school year. I know how I'm going to change my teaching methods and tweek my lesson plans in an effort to better educate my students and cut down on my own boredom. I will not, however, take up the recommendation from the previous 600 MSc students that wanted to play more games in class. It's graduate school, there are no classroom games. With any luck, this year will go much smoother than the last.

Betting on Portugal

Before we left for Malaysia, Jia and I spent a day in Macau--still one of my favorite places to visit, even though I don't gamble.
This is the Casino Lisboa, the oldest casino in Macau. Because of recent competition from major Las Vegas companies, such as Wynn and Sands, the Lisboa built one of the largest casinos in the world right across the street from the original. I still think this one has more class than the new one.

Political Stupidity

And I'm not talking about the Democratic National Convention.

Why would a political party nominate an indicted politician to run for Senate? It seems the Alaskan Republican party is willing to do it. Ted Stevens has won the primary. This shows that the party and the voters are idiots. I don't care that he hasn't been convicted yet, because he almost certainly will. He is corrupt and should not serve his country any longer. If he had any decency, he'd resign.

How is it possible that the Republican party couldn't find a single conservative Alaskan to run in Ted Stevens' place? There must be dozens of eligible candidates. Fortunately, Stevens will probably lose the November general election. Of course, had the Republicans found another candidate that didn't disgust the general public, they might actually retain the Senate seat. But, again, this is politics, and politicians aren't known for intelligence or logical thinking.

I do wonder if democracy really is better than the Chinese political system. Is it better to choose between two brain-dead schmucks that will lead a powerful nation or having no choice but the same result? At least if I didn't have to choose I wouldn't endure a year of mind-numbing political ads and pointless opinion columns.

And for those wondering, I do plan to vote with my absentee ballot in November. I don't like McCain, but I also don't think Obama is as good as everyone makes him out to be. And Hillary wouldn't have been any better. It doesn't matter who you vote for, you get screwed in the end.

It's Really Over

The 2008 Beijing Olympics have finally ended. They ended last night in grand fashion that wasn't quite as grand as the opening (then again, why should it be?). The show was interesting, but quite confusing. The beginning looked like something out of Dr. Seuss. And why were the drummers wearing bicycle helmets? All jokes aside, the acrobat bit, acting like the Olympic flame was quite impressive.

Then there was the hand-off of the Olympic flag to London. They had a nice musical dance number that really confused most people. They perpetuated the notion in China that everyone in England carries an umbrella everyday. And thanks to Jimmy Page playing the Led Zeppelin classic "Whole Lotta Love," the 2012 Olympics will forever be associated with sexuality...or maybe just aging legends. It would've been more amusing if they got The Rolling Stones to do "Sympathy for the Devil."

We just have to wonder what CCTV9 will fill the newscasts with now that the Olympics are finished.

Don't Stink Up the Joint

All over Malaysia, there are signs notifying people to not bring durian into their establishments. For those who don't know, durian is a fruit with a spiky shell that was probably used as an ancient weapon. The fruit also stinks.
My wife was very disappointed by the signs because she loves durian and it's about half the price in Malaysia than in Shenzhen. We still allowed her to eat some, as long as it wasn't in the hotel or up wind from us.

Again with the Typhoons

Typhoon Nuri is headed my way today. When I checked yesterday afternoon the course was set for the eye of the storm to pass right over Hong Kong with winds at about 130 km/hr (I don't know my metric conversions). There are a lot of dark clouds over Hong Kong as I can see from my window, and the wind is picking up a bit, but no rain yet.

Just glad I don't have work yet. I'm supposed to go into the office Monday and then classes start the next week (I think).

Tale of a Swatch

Swatch came out with a line of Beijing Olympic watches a while back. I didn't realize it until about a month ago when I passed by the shop in Coastal City. I picked up a nice one with a Beijing opera mask design for my mom.

While in Hong Kong, I was talking with my parents and uncle about them. We found that every Swatch store in Hong Kong was sold out. Upon my return to Shenzhen, I headed over to Coastal City again to buy a couple more. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that they don't take credit cards, only Chinese bank cards. I walked home in the heat and got my bank card. Again, I had problems. I forgot that prior to my vacation I emptied most of my account to deposit my pay in our savings account, leaving me with only enough money to purchase one watch. Fortunately, I went back the following day with cash to buy a second one. I think it was worth the hassle.

Now I have one Olympic souvenir that isn't a fake.

Artistic Malaysia

One of the first stops on our tour through Malaysia was the Islamic Arts Museum, which was much further from the metro station than it appeared from the map. Along the way we passed the National Mosque, a modern structure that doesn't conform to the Western expectations of what a mosque looks like. It's a beautiful building, but, unfortunately, it's difficult to get a good view of it from a distance.

The Islamic Arts Museum claims to house the largest collection of art and culture from the Muslim world. It is certainly a large museum that one can spend hours wandering through. There was a large display of art from China, though they didn't mention the region or ethnic group to which each piece belonged. Suspiciously absent from the displays are works from Africa--there was nothing from the continent (unless you count a few items from Egypt and Morocco in the gift shop).

We also took a trip to Compleks Budaya Kraf, the traditional Malaysia crafts complex, which is another great work of architecture in a more traditional style. The shops inside the complex weren't that interesting, but the artist village outside was worth a walk in the heat. We came across some very nice original artwork. One of my favorites was the work of Mohammed Zaki Zakaria, who paints a lot of colorful sea scenes. I was only able to afford a print of one of his oil paintings.

Even as we went through Malacca and Penang, we found great galleries filled with some inspiring work. I had expected more repetition like I've seen in most of the art galleries throughout China, but I was relieved to find a wide variety original work. My only regret is that I didn't bring enough money to buy a few paintings.

Fast Food Luxury

This must be the classiest KFC anywhere. In Penang, we came across this interesting site on our way to an outdoor food market. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to make it back to view the inside. It seems that KFC acquired one of the old colonial mansions of Georgetown and fixed it up--much like many other places nearby (a university and hotel each have the mansions as part of the larger buildings). It was very nice to see that some people are making an effort to preserve these beautiful structures around Penang--many others are dilapidated and probably beyond repair.

Waiguoren Returns to China

I arrived back at the Shekou port early this afternoon from my nice vacation away from China and the Olympics--I really don't find summer Olympic sports all that exciting.

We began our trip with an interesting encounter at customs, while departing from China. Apparently, the customs officers had a problem with the fact that my wife is from Xinjiang, though not a minority. They held her up for a few minutes and asked her some pointless questions: Are you Han? Where do you live? Where do you work? Why are you leaving China? And then her passport was passed around to another three officers before they allowed her to pass.

Everything improved as we waited for my parents to arrive in Macau. We found a great new restaurant near Senado Square--Dragon Mama Cuisine. It was inexpensive and quite tasty.

Malaysia was beautiful and we found that Kuala Lumpur is nothing compared to Malacca and Penang. We made a mistake by not planning more time in Malacca--the people and culture were amazing. Jia was upset that she saw more Chinese culture in Malaysia than she's seen in China. I have to agree that the Malaysians presented the Chinese culture in their country better than most places in China.

The most amazing part of the vacation was the fact that Air Asia was on time for all five of our flights. For an airline with such a bad reputation, this was a pleasant surprise.

I'll post more stories about the trip over the next week or so.

Kuala Lumpur

We've been in Kuala Lumpur for about three days now and it is quite hot, but still better than Shenzhen. First impressions of this city are that it's very confusing--I blame the British for making the roads; why couldn't they make their roads straight? It also seems that the logical location for an entrance to any attraction is not where it should be--we've spent plenty of time wandering for a way to get in. Other than that, the people have been very friendly and the shopping areas are much more relaxed than in China (no one has yelled at me or grabbed me in an attempt to sell cheap tourist junk).

Tomorrow we head to Malacca for the day and then we're off to Penang.

I'll try to post more updates if I get to another Internet cafe.