As I write this, I am listening to Radio Free Asia, a podcast which I subscribed to on iTunes with no hassle. After I finish writing this, I plan, just for shits and grins, to run a Google search on Liu Xiaobo and proclaim my love for a free Tibet on Twitter. When I first [...]
Expat Stuff Posts
On being harmful to social management
According to a post on Global Voices, Sven Englund, a Swede studying in Shanghai’s Fudan University, has been interrogated and has had his passport confiscated by Shanghai police after writing a “letter” to the Chinese President Hu Jintao in his Chinese-language blog.
Not wishing to bring any undue wrath down on me or mine, I’ll not re-post Sven’s letter, which GV has translated. Essentially it asks China’s president to join him in a flash mob event in Shanghai (or the president’s city of choice) on July 1st promoting “freedom”.
According to his summoning notice, Sven is suspected of “being harmful to social management” and has violated article 55 of the “PRC social security management law”, which I’m guessing is the one about no protesting or organizing large gatherings without permission.
My gut reaction is: Sven, dude… what were you thinking?
Canuck expat loses it at train ticket office
Some Gems:
“Chinese people need to learn brains.”
“It’s 2011. Chairman Mao is dead.”
And the kicker:
“See, I’m Canadian, I don’t have to shut up. Chinese people have to shut up. Canada people [sic] don’t have to shut up.”
Jack at McDonald’s
Jack finished his last class and coming out the door he lit his first cigarette of the day.
At his apartment door, Jack crushed his fourth cigarette and took the fifth inside. He checked his phone messages. Then he stepped back out and lit number six and headed to McDonald’s.
How-to: Setup an HTPC for better TV in China (Part III – Media Sources)
In my previous two posts I outlined how to get your computer connected to your TV and where to get some good media centre software, as well as the setup I’m using. I continue in this part with where to find things to watch on your newly setup HTPC (or how to justify the purchase of a new 2TB hard drive).
All of this setup was for naught if you don’t have decent stuff on your computer to watch. Here are a few sources to get you started in the wonderful world of digital media.
How-to: Setup an HTPC for better TV in China (Part II – My Gear)
In my last post I explained how to get your computer connected to your TV and where to get some good media centre software. Before I share a few resources for getting content for your newly configured media centre, I thought I would talk a bit about my home setup and some of the more “advanced” tweaks you can make to get even more functionality and convenience from your HTPC (or HTMB, if you will).
First though, I’ll explain what I had been using until recently for a matter of comparison and diversity; as I’m sure many are stuck in apartments, like I was, without a decent TV.
How-to: Setup an HTPC for better TV in China (Part I – Getting Setup)
If you’re like me you probably long-ago did away with the bland programming of CCTV9, the endless carousel of period dramas, and ever-more-annoying variety shows that China’s cable providers offer up. For some that means getting outside and getting a life. For people like me, that means finding better ways to get the entertainment I want when I want it.
This is part one of a three-part series I’ve wanted to put together for a while now outlining how to get better sources of entertainment while living in China. It intends to walk you through hooking up your computer to your TV, installing some media centre (HTPC) software, dishing out what my current HTPC setup is (so you may want to wait and read that before you rush out and buy any of the gear mentioned below), and finding some good sources of media.
An Open Letter to Chinese Students Going Abroad
Dear Chinese student, If you’re reading this, you have already decided to seek higher education in an English-speaking country. Congratulations! Going abroad takes a lot of courage, and I’m sure you’ll do very well. Before you go, though, I’d like to send you a modest list of things to remember when using the English language. [...]
Guangzhou laowai rolls out some high-level traffic justice
Should we get involved? A question that has plagued foreigners living in China since time immemorial. Do we step in when we see some gross injustice, or simply let it pass as “not our fight?”
It’s a tough question, and one not easily answered — unless you’re a rollerblading laowai in southern China’s Guangzhou. Being called “Rollerman”, the foreigner has been caught on traffic cameras around the city animatedly pointing out traffic violations to cars sporting government plates who no doubt thought they were above such petty laws.
The goodbye (but not farewell) China post
I’ve been resisting the idea of doing a “goodbye China” post for awhile now, just as I resisted the idea that I was leaving China.
I remember clearly what it was like the summer before I left America. Those initial emails, the excitement, the trepidation. The realization that my options were a) go to grad school, do the same thing I’d been doing for the past four years, or b) go to China. Do something new. I circled B.
It was the best decision I ever made.
