The final Photo of the Week of 2007 comes from photographer Tom Saunders. As I’m in Canada right now celebrating NYE, I’m somewhat inclined to go out in a rye-induced graffiti binge spreading these numbers across the True North Strong and Free. Every week we’ll feature an interesting, funny, beautiful or otherwise noteworthy photo here. [...]
Archive for 2007
Perfume: The Story of an Elevator
Elevators are fun. I remember as a kid whenever my dad and me would ride in a crowded elevator, he’d shatter the uneasy elevator silence by loudly exclaiming “See Rick, did you ever notice that nobody talks in elevators?”
I never realized how fun elevators could be until I came to China. Having studied mandarin for a while, it’s amazing the entertainment value that comes from overhearing stuff that your Chinese elevator-mates assume you can’t understand.
Cartoon: The Unbearable Italian-ness of being Chinese
I hope that this post finds all its readers in good health, and that a happy and prosperous 2008 is heading your way. Here’s my return to blogging at Lost Laowai after a busy few months of moving house and changing jobs. When I often blogged on my own site (which now languishes behind the [...]
We’ve got an HHR down!
Hey all, I’m technically on holidays, so please excuse the lame posting schedule and sorry to finally break the silence with the craptastic news the the Hao Hao Report is currently down. The site is in the middle of switching servers, and breaking myself away from seeing friends and family I’ve not seen for a [...]
Nanjing – Listen up and put it to bed
Today marks 70 years since the imperialist Japanese army entered Nanjing, then capital of China, and began one of the most brutal massacres of the 20th century and has led to harsh friction between the two countries in the years since. I’ve always liked history, in a purely sofa sort of way. Back when my [...]
Fakes abroad, why not at home, too?
I vividly remember my first trip to Xi’an to view the Terracotta Warriors a few years ago. We took a public bus from Xi’an about an hour away to the site and I remember seeing dozens of factories lining the highway that showed off their wares: phony but authentic looking Terracotta warriors! This got me [...]
Give a gift, help make a difference to Chinese children
Tired of sending the folks from home some tacky Chinese souvenir for Christmas? Why not send them something that makes a difference? The Library Project has created some nice gift cards to help raise funds and awareness for their excellent cause – building libraries and donating books to under-funded schools and orphanages in China and [...]
Charlton Heston Never Thought of THIS
Religion is a pervasive topic of interest when discussing culture, especially in today’s global society – a society in which secularism and orthodoxy battle one another more ferociously than elderly Chinese grannies and repressed housewives at a Carrefour sale. What, too soon? Though I know merciless missionaries have spread the good Christian faith the world [...]
Photo of the Week: Beautiful Jiuzhaigou
Our Photo of the Week is a beautiful shot of the very picturesque Jiuzhai Valley (九寨沟) in Sichuan. The photo is one of a collection of equally beautiful images by Ben Kong. Every week we’ll feature a funny, interesting or otherwise noteworthy photo here. If you have a photo you think might make a good [...]
Open Your Hearts This Holiday Season
For the December holidays this year, as every year, I will return home to the United States, leaving behind the exasperation of smog-coated lungs and sideways “waiguoren” glances that always last just a smidge too long. Thinking about my impending return brought me back to memories of last year’s trek homeward. And as my mind [...]
