Farrago

And so that sucked…

Sorry to all you that visited the site over the last couple days and got various error messages. My old hosting (at ICDsoft) ended on the 14th and as such I needed to move servers. I hate moving servers almost as much as I hate moving in real life. Sure there are some perks – …

November 16, 2007
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SiCKO – Finally

Finally watched the #3 highest-grossing documentary of all time last night. Yeah, seems a bit of an arbitrary number really. Anyway, I finally tracked down a copy of Michael Moore’s SiCKO here in China and it’s well worth the watch. Disclaimer: I really like Michael Moore’s films, and Sicko was no exception. The need for …

November 8, 2007
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English-language yoga lessons in Suzhou

Looking to learn yoga in Suzhou, but not sure where to find a private teacher that can speak English? Well my aspires-to-be-bendy friend, today is your lucky day. This is a bit of a public service announcement / ad for my lovely wife. As long-time readers may know, Maggie is a yoga instructor/teacher here in …

November 6, 2007
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Why not to study Chinese at university

As some of you may know, I’m enrolled at Suzhou University (or Soochow University, SuDa) studying Mandarin. Having just completed my mid-terms, I want to give a bit of a summary on the problems I see studying in this way. First, the title of this post is a bit of a misnomer, as overall I …

November 2, 2007
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Burger King in Suzhou?

After a night out at the Shamrock, Suzhou’s defacto Irish pub, surrounded by fellow non-Asian faces most of which are rattling on in English, it’s sometimes easy to forget where you are. This is likely why, while sipping some post-closing brew at a little canal-side gazebo (Suzhou’s cool that way) around the corner that a …

October 27, 2007
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Guess who’s coming to Christmas dinner?

Hint: It’s not Sidney Poitier. We made our third and final visa trip to Shanghai yesterday. After about 45 minutes of watching a muted DVD of Canada’s more scenic side, Maggie got called in for her interview. Neither of us knew really what to expect, but to calm her nerves about the whole thing we …

October 23, 2007
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Gettin’ Smashed

As some might remember, I bought an e-bike a few months back. It’s pretty much replaced taxis as my primary mode of transportation (taxis having replaced buses shortly after I got caught in the rear door pushing my way on an overstuffed bus). For a city like Suzhou I would even go so far as …

October 20, 2007
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Hao Hao Report Update

Hey all, in sticking with my best attempts at not cross-posting here and at Lost Laowai, but in the interests of still wanting you all to know about it – I’ve redesigned Hao Hao Report. Or, if you don’t want to go read about it – by all means, just check out the newly re-designed …

October 19, 2007
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The dreaded Canadian visa process

After a failed start last Thursday*, Maggie’s application for a visa to go to Canada with me this Christmas has finally been submitted. Why is it that governmental bodies, no matter of what nation or for what purpose, always have the ability to make even the most innocent person feel like a criminal? For something …

October 15, 2007
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Right Brain Vs. Left Brain: Cage Match

I get far too much amusement out of optical illusions, little puzzles, those 3D pictures of sailboats that you have to cross your eyes to see. So, it’s little surprise that when I ran across the picture below, I spent a good 20 minutes staring at it – and not (just) because if you look …

October 13, 2007
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