Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Last year in a post entitled “I am an atheist“, I concretely outed myself as an atheist in an effort to put to (digital) paper feelings I’ve had for a long time about religion. It sparked a bit of discussion, and led to a few mentions of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I always meant to …

Having a baby in China – some links

I’ve heard from a number of people that when you have a baby, you suddenly realize that everyone else is also having a baby. This has certainly been the case with me. From friends and family back home, to friends here in Suzhou, to friends out there in the blogsphere, everyone seems to be popping …

Redesigning Sinosplice

I meant to mention this sooner, but as is so often the case around here, I got caught up doing other things. Most people in the China blogsphere are well-aware of Sinosplice, a blog and Chinese learning resource by Shanghai-based expat John Pasden. Last week Sinosplice.com went live with a completely new design, and I’m …

CNYE in China Lite

Guò Nián HÇŽo and welcome to the Year of the Tiger! A couple cups of strong coffee and I’ve recovered from my 5th Chinese New Year‘s Eve in China. Despite living in Suzhou-Singapore Industrial Park (SIP) last year as well, this was the first time we celebrated the holiday in this district. Normally I would …

Nothing To Envy: Fascinating book about North Korea

Living in China you can’t help but be exposed to whispers of the “old days” pre-reform. Whether it be the portraits of Mao in taxis and Tiananmen, the massive USSR-inspired government buildings, the general apathy most people over 40 have towards their job (well, actually, that might be universal). The guidebooks give crash courses in …