Now that my MMO book is completed (woot!) and due to be published in the next few weeks, I am beginning my thoughts on what to write for my China book. I had such a fantastic experience last year teaching students in China and exploring much of Asia, as my previous blogs have shown, that I want... no, I NEED to write about it in a book that others can enjoy.
So, what should I write about? I will write about my observations on how the Chinese gaming community differs from its Western counterpart, how economics and politics of the East and West differ (and in many ways meet), and many other topics of interest. Should I actually write about China itself though? I'm wondering, because even though I had so many experiences there, I only saw a fraction of China overall.
One thing that annoys me about the media in general, is that they are generally biased. They often can't help it, and often have to be that way to make a point. Sometimes they simply don't have enough information to make a fair and balanced review. Do I want to do the same in a book that will be pressed permanently in the minds of its readers? Should I write about my limited impressions of what China was like?
While it was, to me, a thousand times better than my initial assumptions, what if those impressions are largely skewed? What if my book takes an entirely different direction if I had spent a few months in Sichuan or some other deeply embedded province, away from any of the cities like Beijing, Shanghai, or Hong Kong that I explored. In the end I think it doesn't matter, as I cannot write about everything, nor certainly experience everything.
I think I will write this book about what I experienced and only what I experienced, and let you the reader decide what percentage of reality there is in my story. I can say one thing for certain, and that what I experienced was a once-in-a-lifetime event. I encourage anyone that is thinking about taking a similar experience, to do so without hesitation (but do take considerations).
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
The Beijing Olympics have begun
With the onset of the Olympic games occurring today, there are controversies and unities happening all over the world, especially in the capital of China, Beijing. Having visited the city I can say that much of what reporters have spoken about are true, but what is surprising to me still is the lack of significant change the government was able to implement in the time they had. Billions was spent, yet clouds of smog still cling to the city skyline.
Still, the Olympics are officially on, and all the major athletes are ready to begin several days of heated competitions the likes of which we haven't seen since perhaps the start of the very first Olympics itself in 1936, Berlin. Interesting isn't it, that the very first Olympics and today's games would both reside in countries that are Communist. Germany outgrew its past, now let us see if the Olympics can help China grow beyond its past.
Great Wall celebrations:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00787/beijing-620c_787560c.jpg
Olympic swimming pool:
http://www.wayfaring.info/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/2008-beijing-olympics-2.jpg
Olympic stadium at night with city skyline in the background:
http://2008summergames.info/nationalstadium01.jpg
Olympic stadium at night with fireworks:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T1vzYiWcy7U/SJxTGMS_1EI/AAAAAAAAQIA/1hSK7952xaU/s1600-h/2.jpg
A series of photos that help to show how series China is at not only the Olympics, but proving itself as an entity that "can do":
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/08/2008_olympics_opening_ceremony.html
On a more personal note, I find the aspect of China growing as a world power to be exciting in one way most of us never come to realize... electronic games. Asia has always been a huge influence on the game industry, especially Japan. With China holding more persons than any other country, an Internet population that just passed the United States, as well as a population developing in a consumerist society faster than one can say "Beijing Olympic Games", electronic games will inevitably be a growing and increasingly powerful industry internationally.
While my previous blog post about China revealed that it may not be as easy as some think for the upcoming superpower, it still is an unstoppable entity that now holds force on the world stage. I can guarantee that the electronic game industry will see that growth potential being realized over the next decade. The Olympics, another type of games, are exciting the Chinese people in a fury that will last decades beyond what we see here in the next few days, through good or bad, wins or losses, Americans or Chinese.
Still, the Olympics are officially on, and all the major athletes are ready to begin several days of heated competitions the likes of which we haven't seen since perhaps the start of the very first Olympics itself in 1936, Berlin. Interesting isn't it, that the very first Olympics and today's games would both reside in countries that are Communist. Germany outgrew its past, now let us see if the Olympics can help China grow beyond its past.
Great Wall celebrations:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00787/beijing-620c_787560c.jpg
Olympic swimming pool:
http://www.wayfaring.info/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/2008-beijing-olympics-2.jpg
Olympic stadium at night with city skyline in the background:
http://2008summergames.info/nationalstadium01.jpg
Olympic stadium at night with fireworks:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_T1vzYiWcy7U/SJxTGMS_1EI/AAAAAAAAQIA/1hSK7952xaU/s1600-h/2.jpg
A series of photos that help to show how series China is at not only the Olympics, but proving itself as an entity that "can do":
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/08/2008_olympics_opening_ceremony.html
On a more personal note, I find the aspect of China growing as a world power to be exciting in one way most of us never come to realize... electronic games. Asia has always been a huge influence on the game industry, especially Japan. With China holding more persons than any other country, an Internet population that just passed the United States, as well as a population developing in a consumerist society faster than one can say "Beijing Olympic Games", electronic games will inevitably be a growing and increasingly powerful industry internationally.
While my previous blog post about China revealed that it may not be as easy as some think for the upcoming superpower, it still is an unstoppable entity that now holds force on the world stage. I can guarantee that the electronic game industry will see that growth potential being realized over the next decade. The Olympics, another type of games, are exciting the Chinese people in a fury that will last decades beyond what we see here in the next few days, through good or bad, wins or losses, Americans or Chinese.
China rising as an Olympic star? Maybe not...
With the Olympics approaching we can see China in just about every newscast when turning on the television. News reports recently have ranged from Tibetan uprisings, Taiwan elections, Sichuan (that's pronounced Sit-che-wahn) province earthquakes, to the more positive, such as the upcoming Olympics, a population that loves Americans (more or less), and... well, I don't know what else to be sure.
While China is rising fast, it still has a lot of problems and things to learn, some of which may never be resolved or as good as we have them in the United States. Yes, China will likely surpass the U.S. in a lot of areas, such as overall economic power (as well as Internet users, which they just did a few days ago). But they should eventually, as they have 1.3 billion persons to our 300 million. It's a numbers game in this respect.
A numbers game... that is what China is also playing at the Olympics. When I was in Shenzhen on one of my normal bike rides to Lianhuaxian park, I watched the torch go by the central government building (the big wavy colored building in my photos). Several young men and women that were part of the official escort looked incredibly young. In fact, many of them were younger than would be allowed in the Olympics if they were to compete.
Even though there were very few foreigners around at the time, I could see the image China was trying to project to the world... young, determined, and powerful. What I saw personally, however, was young, determined, and ignorant of the world stage and their puppet place within it. The government wants to see their population become powerful, but sometimes for different reasons than the population themselves understands.
Read here for a news post on the suspicions that the Chinese government are protecting underage Olympians to help bolster their wins during the Olympics:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/sports/olympics/27gymnasts.html?th&emc=th
China's positives and long-term negatives:
Positives
1) A young workforce that is very focused on helping its country succeed in all areas of development, backed by a government that has done a lot to build this workforce (whether the methods were right or wrong at times).
2) Thousands of miles of rivers to navigate and dam, although they are becoming polluted fast (drinking out of the tap is not a good idea...).
3) Overseas investments help spur their domestic economy that is increasingly turning Chinese towards a consumerist lifestyle (which will in turn lead to more domestic economic stimulus vs. the current outside stimulus).
4) The Chinese have a short-term focus of growing big and fast and doing proud for their country. Sometimes they aren't sure how and what the consequences of that "how" are going to be to their country, or the world.
5) They now have more Internet users than the U.S. This can be looked upon as a good thing, as more and more Chinese are seeing the world and hopefully making positive judgments about their place in it. Views which hopefully will overtake their current government someday.
6) They are learning English, woot! (and so is everyone else in the world... English is this centuries universal language, even if, by numbers, more speak Mandarin Chinese or Hindi Indian).
7) While the U.S. sees China as a growing threat in many ways, I don't believe they are an enemy on the level as Germany was in WWII or Russia during the Cold War. We have a chance to really be a team on the world stage. The potential is there, so let's hope our leaders both take advantage of it.
Negatives
1) An overall population this is aging faster than the U.S. They will have 300 million elderly by 2050. How are they going to pay for their care when the One-Child Per Family policy act is restricting the age-old practice of birthing large families to help support the aging population (they don't have medicare or Social Security like we do, even if ours isn't the greatest).
2) While they have a large area of land, resources are dwindling or already critically low. The Chinese are very inefficient about their use of energy (a problem for sure when it comes to global climate change). The U.S. is lucky here, as we have 25% of the world's coal reserves, 25% of fresh water reserves, the largest potential for solar energy, wind energy, and hydrothermal energy, plenty of forests and other natural resources, and many raw resources overall.
3) While the Chinese economy is booming, their intake of money is actually going to a lot of foreign firms, not necessarily the Chinese government or its people.
4) The separation between the rich and poor is huge, and growing. This may eventually cause severe unrest, destabilizing their economy at points.
5) They lack a long-term "where are we in the world" focus, but at least they aren't like some in the sole reason that they believe god will save them and, well, because they haven't anything else to do over there apparently. The Chinese love us Americans (more or less)!
6) A political regime that still today restrains its people in far too many ways, even though they now outnumber the U.S. in Internet users (I've had personal experience with the Chinese Internet, and while you can get to where you want if you're savvy enough, there is a lot of problems with it yet).
7) With such pressure the younger population has, both internally through a competitive viewpoint and externally through their government's eyes, we may see the country implode before it has a chance to rest from its efforts.
Supportive articles on the subject:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502255.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/arts/design/27ouro.html?th&emc=th
http://api.aggregateknowledge.com/click?t=www.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2008%2F07%2F24%2FAR2008072402162.html&f=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2008%2F07%2F25%2FAR2008072502255.html&rg=36&sid=4&rid=6&a=4160&p=0&s=DE&rt=RECOMMENDATION&i=36
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24041149-5001942,00.html
Boom or Bust
Will China truly be the next global super power, in all rights and respects beyond the obvious numbers? I am not so sure... but that's good for us I think. The U.S. has it lucky, that's for sure. I've seen what its like on the other side of the ocean, and while it was only a year and only a single journey, it was enough... for now anyway :).
While China is rising fast, it still has a lot of problems and things to learn, some of which may never be resolved or as good as we have them in the United States. Yes, China will likely surpass the U.S. in a lot of areas, such as overall economic power (as well as Internet users, which they just did a few days ago). But they should eventually, as they have 1.3 billion persons to our 300 million. It's a numbers game in this respect.
A numbers game... that is what China is also playing at the Olympics. When I was in Shenzhen on one of my normal bike rides to Lianhuaxian park, I watched the torch go by the central government building (the big wavy colored building in my photos). Several young men and women that were part of the official escort looked incredibly young. In fact, many of them were younger than would be allowed in the Olympics if they were to compete.
Even though there were very few foreigners around at the time, I could see the image China was trying to project to the world... young, determined, and powerful. What I saw personally, however, was young, determined, and ignorant of the world stage and their puppet place within it. The government wants to see their population become powerful, but sometimes for different reasons than the population themselves understands.
Read here for a news post on the suspicions that the Chinese government are protecting underage Olympians to help bolster their wins during the Olympics:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/sports/olympics/27gymnasts.html?th&emc=th
China's positives and long-term negatives:
Positives
1) A young workforce that is very focused on helping its country succeed in all areas of development, backed by a government that has done a lot to build this workforce (whether the methods were right or wrong at times).
2) Thousands of miles of rivers to navigate and dam, although they are becoming polluted fast (drinking out of the tap is not a good idea...).
3) Overseas investments help spur their domestic economy that is increasingly turning Chinese towards a consumerist lifestyle (which will in turn lead to more domestic economic stimulus vs. the current outside stimulus).
4) The Chinese have a short-term focus of growing big and fast and doing proud for their country. Sometimes they aren't sure how and what the consequences of that "how" are going to be to their country, or the world.
5) They now have more Internet users than the U.S. This can be looked upon as a good thing, as more and more Chinese are seeing the world and hopefully making positive judgments about their place in it. Views which hopefully will overtake their current government someday.
6) They are learning English, woot! (and so is everyone else in the world... English is this centuries universal language, even if, by numbers, more speak Mandarin Chinese or Hindi Indian).
7) While the U.S. sees China as a growing threat in many ways, I don't believe they are an enemy on the level as Germany was in WWII or Russia during the Cold War. We have a chance to really be a team on the world stage. The potential is there, so let's hope our leaders both take advantage of it.
Negatives
1) An overall population this is aging faster than the U.S. They will have 300 million elderly by 2050. How are they going to pay for their care when the One-Child Per Family policy act is restricting the age-old practice of birthing large families to help support the aging population (they don't have medicare or Social Security like we do, even if ours isn't the greatest).
2) While they have a large area of land, resources are dwindling or already critically low. The Chinese are very inefficient about their use of energy (a problem for sure when it comes to global climate change). The U.S. is lucky here, as we have 25% of the world's coal reserves, 25% of fresh water reserves, the largest potential for solar energy, wind energy, and hydrothermal energy, plenty of forests and other natural resources, and many raw resources overall.
3) While the Chinese economy is booming, their intake of money is actually going to a lot of foreign firms, not necessarily the Chinese government or its people.
4) The separation between the rich and poor is huge, and growing. This may eventually cause severe unrest, destabilizing their economy at points.
5) They lack a long-term "where are we in the world" focus, but at least they aren't like some in the sole reason that they believe god will save them and, well, because they haven't anything else to do over there apparently. The Chinese love us Americans (more or less)!
6) A political regime that still today restrains its people in far too many ways, even though they now outnumber the U.S. in Internet users (I've had personal experience with the Chinese Internet, and while you can get to where you want if you're savvy enough, there is a lot of problems with it yet).
7) With such pressure the younger population has, both internally through a competitive viewpoint and externally through their government's eyes, we may see the country implode before it has a chance to rest from its efforts.
Supportive articles on the subject:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072502255.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/arts/design/27ouro.html?th&emc=th
http://api.aggregateknowledge.com/click?t=www.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2008%2F07%2F24%2FAR2008072402162.html&f=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2008%2F07%2F25%2FAR2008072502255.html&rg=36&sid=4&rid=6&a=4160&p=0&s=DE&rt=RECOMMENDATION&i=36
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24041149-5001942,00.html
Boom or Bust
Will China truly be the next global super power, in all rights and respects beyond the obvious numbers? I am not so sure... but that's good for us I think. The U.S. has it lucky, that's for sure. I've seen what its like on the other side of the ocean, and while it was only a year and only a single journey, it was enough... for now anyway :).
China's All-Seeing Eye
My city is famous! Well, if you want to praise it like that, then it is indeed famous, but for something many of us shun... being watched without knowing it. China, in conjunction with western investments, has dumped billions of dollars into Shenzhen over the last thirty years. I have the privilege of seeing the results of that investment. While it is indeed an impressive city visually, it is even more impressive in what hides beneath the street lights and in corner shadows, as this article details:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/20797485/chinas_allseeing_eye/print
Am I frightened of being watched? Of course not, for I have nothing to hide. Only those that have something to hide, or for some reason may be embarrassed at an act they commit publicly (in which case they probably deserve being embarrassed) should have anything to worry about. What is worrisome is the likely proliferation of this technology across the globe and its potential abuse. What's next, the extinction of net neutrality and enforced monitoring? Oh, wait...:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/11/AR2006061100707.html
and
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/feb/09/internet.china
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/20797485/chinas_allseeing_eye/print
Am I frightened of being watched? Of course not, for I have nothing to hide. Only those that have something to hide, or for some reason may be embarrassed at an act they commit publicly (in which case they probably deserve being embarrassed) should have anything to worry about. What is worrisome is the likely proliferation of this technology across the globe and its potential abuse. What's next, the extinction of net neutrality and enforced monitoring? Oh, wait...:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/11/AR2006061100707.html
and
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/feb/09/internet.china
May flowers bring June...
Almost a week has gone by since my last blog... some might think I've given up! I assure you that wasn't the case. I had a simple lapse of a few days where I somehow forgot my login information. The way I figure it, my memory is about 4ns worse than a cats. A cats memory span is about 10 minutes...
I still haven't come up with a rhyme for the title of this blog yet, but it is supposed to relate to my coming home in two weeks. May has been an interesting, although mostly quiet month during a time when I am thinking about a lot of things, such as what to buy for myself when I get home! Hey, I haven't "shopped" in a year... can you blame me? June is when my time is up in China for this year and I go home to visit family and friends for the summer, and possibly beyond (I haven't absolutely thought this far yet).
I've written in previous blogs about my time here in China, the goods and bads, normal and not-so-normal happenings, etc. Could I have picked a better year than 2007/2008 school season? I have Tibet uprisings and earthquakes on the left, the Olympics in the North, Taiwan elections to the east, and SARS reappearance to the South in Hong Kong. I'm trapped, unable to escape, help!
Fortunately, it's been a great learning experience, and there has been so many positives I've written about that I fear I will be spending a lot of time with the family boring them to death with my adventurous stories of mayhem, curiosities, and school days. I can only imagine what way they will react when they see me for the first time in a year. The last time I was with them I was 190lbs, but today I am 125lbs. "Rolly Polly" was a name my grandmother used once as a joke. I wasn't really fat, but she just spit it out anyway. Now I get the last laugh, haha!
One thing that I want to pass along to whomever reads this. Have fun with life, go out exploring and find new things, because you may only get one chance at it. I took a chance, wasn't sure what to expect with China and Asia, and I certainly underestimated that expectation. I've discovered a new world within my sphere of knowledge, a world that is blossoming and growing on a daily basis. I need only watch the dozen construction sites around my school and the students learning in their classrooms within as evidence of this.
I still haven't come up with a rhyme for the title of this blog yet, but it is supposed to relate to my coming home in two weeks. May has been an interesting, although mostly quiet month during a time when I am thinking about a lot of things, such as what to buy for myself when I get home! Hey, I haven't "shopped" in a year... can you blame me? June is when my time is up in China for this year and I go home to visit family and friends for the summer, and possibly beyond (I haven't absolutely thought this far yet).
I've written in previous blogs about my time here in China, the goods and bads, normal and not-so-normal happenings, etc. Could I have picked a better year than 2007/2008 school season? I have Tibet uprisings and earthquakes on the left, the Olympics in the North, Taiwan elections to the east, and SARS reappearance to the South in Hong Kong. I'm trapped, unable to escape, help!
Fortunately, it's been a great learning experience, and there has been so many positives I've written about that I fear I will be spending a lot of time with the family boring them to death with my adventurous stories of mayhem, curiosities, and school days. I can only imagine what way they will react when they see me for the first time in a year. The last time I was with them I was 190lbs, but today I am 125lbs. "Rolly Polly" was a name my grandmother used once as a joke. I wasn't really fat, but she just spit it out anyway. Now I get the last laugh, haha!
One thing that I want to pass along to whomever reads this. Have fun with life, go out exploring and find new things, because you may only get one chance at it. I took a chance, wasn't sure what to expect with China and Asia, and I certainly underestimated that expectation. I've discovered a new world within my sphere of knowledge, a world that is blossoming and growing on a daily basis. I need only watch the dozen construction sites around my school and the students learning in their classrooms within as evidence of this.
My favorite unique games of all time: Part 1 (PC)
There is only one (PC) game in this universe that I still play without exhaustion, and that is Heroes of Might and Magic III. A game that was developed years ago, has only 2D graphics, a top-down perspective, and is in the Turn-Based Strategy genre. There have been predecessors, and successors, but none compare to the third installment.
Why? Because it is unique, even within its own series. How many games can you truly say are unique from all the others out there on a given platform? Would you be able to even count to 10? Probably... but not much farther. I am stressing the word "unique" in all areas of a game's presentation of content and mechanics.
The Heroes series map layout is like no other game in terms of items being displayed, paths you can take to get from point A to point B, and the display of castles and other buildings. Combat encounters forced you to think about each and every turn in a way that Civilization and other TBS games don't quite match, and it provided a unique experience each and every time. It truly is a unique game, even to this day (or should I say, especially to this day).
Here are those PC games that I find are my top picks for all-time games that are still today, in some significant form, unique:
1) Heroes of Might & Magic Series
2) Worms Series
3) Dungeon Keeper Series
4) Conquest Series
5) Disciples Series
6) Deadlock Series
7) Ultima Online (NOT the single player games)
8) Diablo Series
9) Populous Series
10) Monkey Island Series
I had a hard time coming up with ten, but there they are. Stay tuned for Part 2; console games!
Why? Because it is unique, even within its own series. How many games can you truly say are unique from all the others out there on a given platform? Would you be able to even count to 10? Probably... but not much farther. I am stressing the word "unique" in all areas of a game's presentation of content and mechanics.
The Heroes series map layout is like no other game in terms of items being displayed, paths you can take to get from point A to point B, and the display of castles and other buildings. Combat encounters forced you to think about each and every turn in a way that Civilization and other TBS games don't quite match, and it provided a unique experience each and every time. It truly is a unique game, even to this day (or should I say, especially to this day).
Here are those PC games that I find are my top picks for all-time games that are still today, in some significant form, unique:
1) Heroes of Might & Magic Series
2) Worms Series
3) Dungeon Keeper Series
4) Conquest Series
5) Disciples Series
6) Deadlock Series
7) Ultima Online (NOT the single player games)
8) Diablo Series
9) Populous Series
10) Monkey Island Series
I had a hard time coming up with ten, but there they are. Stay tuned for Part 2; console games!
The more things change, the more they stay the same
I was discussing my overheating laptop concerns with a friend back in the states when the subject of classic games came up. We were testing the transfer speeds between the U.S. and China with older games while we simultaneously tested our laptops for heat ceiling limits (we have identical laptops, but because mine is overheating I have a nice 85c GPU instead of a normal 62c GPU...).
While transferring a few select programs and games, we both simultaneously (I must be in some weird synced/multi-tasking twilight zone day today...) messaged each other about flashbacks from the mid-90's when we were with another friend at his home trying to transfer Doom II over a 14.4 modem Internet connection. I recall something about a couple of dozen floppy disks, two nights without sleep, and a lot of complaining in between.
The Internet connection in China is usually slower to International connections (they really should call it ChinaNet or something), thanks mainly to the "Great Firewall of China". The connection speeds we were reaching hit a ceiling at about 8 or 9 KB/sec. We were testing a 540MB file too. Knowing something bad was going to happen at some point while I was sleeping, I had my friend split up the file into chunks. 100MB chunks each at this rate will only take three hours or so. Now we're getting somewhere!... Oh yes, and before you ask, I have no FTP site to upload or download from, nor does my friend. And any bitorrent-like transfers do not work with our connections either. It's the 90's all over again...
Flashing forward a bit, earlier today while riding my bike to the park I decided to stop at a nearby Starbucks for coffee. This is the first time that I took a serious look at a Starbucks here in China. I figured they were all the same, but perhaps the prices were less since I was, well, in China... I thought wrong, on both accounts.
I walked in and was warmly welcomed by the staff, who immediately found me a table and asked what I wanted to order. I did some quick math on my cellphone when I caught site of my favorite latte, coming to a simple equation between U.S. Starbucks and Chinese Starbucks prices... 1:1. Give or take 5% of course. I was shocked that a coffee at a Chinese Starbucks still costs me the same as in the states, while not three or four shops down I can get a local blend for cheaper than it costs me to buy a bunch of bananas at a street vendor (six bananas cost about .75 cents).
After having my $5 latte I proceed around the corner to get my haircut. Entering the barber shop I was greeted by a dozen men in pink skirts waiting to help me at every turn. You see, China here is absolutely and completely opposite of any barber shop system I have ever seen in the states. Before you raise your eyebrows, burst out laughing hysterically, or quietly whispering "WTF...", please allow me to explain. I will bullet point for simplicity and effect:
1) All barber shop workers are male
2) All barber shop workers either wear a pink shirt, black skirt, or dress up their own hair in various wild ways. Not the boring same 'o I see in the states.
3) Shampoo (3x) and massage are all included, not exclusive...
4) There are at least two or three workers assisting the main hair stylist at all times.
5) You walk away with a haircut and a nice massage for less than the price of, oh say, a $5 latte at Starbucks.
Oh yes, the explanation, almost forgot... Chinese in some ways are much more open culturally than Americans are. Pink is OK for guys, as clearly are some occupations, and hairstyles. When expressing feelings of affection, concern, or pity for another, Chinese tend to be extremely shy. The styles of their clothes, where they work, is all a part of how they express their emotions and attitudes. Do we not do the same in the states and all around the world? Just maybe not with pink shirts, or skirts...
Last, but certainly not least, when I'm in a Chinese pub (its all British English here baby...) it is completely up to me which women I want to pick up. They are all apparently interested in me, as I frequently hear from my accompanying cohorts. They are just shy in making themselves known to you. Once they know you, however, they quickly warm up and are quite friendly (unless underneath they really don't like you, in which case they will not say of course, but instead just stop calling you suddenly with no explanation whatsoever...). In the states it can be more neutral in this respect, although generally the male still has the dominant role. Either way, it's a real pain to find someone you not only are interested in physically, but emotionally, and sexually. Is that not also the same in the states, and elsewhere?
The more things change, the more they clearly stay the same. At least in my case here in Chinaland.
While transferring a few select programs and games, we both simultaneously (I must be in some weird synced/multi-tasking twilight zone day today...) messaged each other about flashbacks from the mid-90's when we were with another friend at his home trying to transfer Doom II over a 14.4 modem Internet connection. I recall something about a couple of dozen floppy disks, two nights without sleep, and a lot of complaining in between.
The Internet connection in China is usually slower to International connections (they really should call it ChinaNet or something), thanks mainly to the "Great Firewall of China". The connection speeds we were reaching hit a ceiling at about 8 or 9 KB/sec. We were testing a 540MB file too. Knowing something bad was going to happen at some point while I was sleeping, I had my friend split up the file into chunks. 100MB chunks each at this rate will only take three hours or so. Now we're getting somewhere!... Oh yes, and before you ask, I have no FTP site to upload or download from, nor does my friend. And any bitorrent-like transfers do not work with our connections either. It's the 90's all over again...
Flashing forward a bit, earlier today while riding my bike to the park I decided to stop at a nearby Starbucks for coffee. This is the first time that I took a serious look at a Starbucks here in China. I figured they were all the same, but perhaps the prices were less since I was, well, in China... I thought wrong, on both accounts.
I walked in and was warmly welcomed by the staff, who immediately found me a table and asked what I wanted to order. I did some quick math on my cellphone when I caught site of my favorite latte, coming to a simple equation between U.S. Starbucks and Chinese Starbucks prices... 1:1. Give or take 5% of course. I was shocked that a coffee at a Chinese Starbucks still costs me the same as in the states, while not three or four shops down I can get a local blend for cheaper than it costs me to buy a bunch of bananas at a street vendor (six bananas cost about .75 cents).
After having my $5 latte I proceed around the corner to get my haircut. Entering the barber shop I was greeted by a dozen men in pink skirts waiting to help me at every turn. You see, China here is absolutely and completely opposite of any barber shop system I have ever seen in the states. Before you raise your eyebrows, burst out laughing hysterically, or quietly whispering "WTF...", please allow me to explain. I will bullet point for simplicity and effect:
1) All barber shop workers are male
2) All barber shop workers either wear a pink shirt, black skirt, or dress up their own hair in various wild ways. Not the boring same 'o I see in the states.
3) Shampoo (3x) and massage are all included, not exclusive...
4) There are at least two or three workers assisting the main hair stylist at all times.
5) You walk away with a haircut and a nice massage for less than the price of, oh say, a $5 latte at Starbucks.
Oh yes, the explanation, almost forgot... Chinese in some ways are much more open culturally than Americans are. Pink is OK for guys, as clearly are some occupations, and hairstyles. When expressing feelings of affection, concern, or pity for another, Chinese tend to be extremely shy. The styles of their clothes, where they work, is all a part of how they express their emotions and attitudes. Do we not do the same in the states and all around the world? Just maybe not with pink shirts, or skirts...
Last, but certainly not least, when I'm in a Chinese pub (its all British English here baby...) it is completely up to me which women I want to pick up. They are all apparently interested in me, as I frequently hear from my accompanying cohorts. They are just shy in making themselves known to you. Once they know you, however, they quickly warm up and are quite friendly (unless underneath they really don't like you, in which case they will not say of course, but instead just stop calling you suddenly with no explanation whatsoever...). In the states it can be more neutral in this respect, although generally the male still has the dominant role. Either way, it's a real pain to find someone you not only are interested in physically, but emotionally, and sexually. Is that not also the same in the states, and elsewhere?
The more things change, the more they clearly stay the same. At least in my case here in Chinaland.
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