12-30-04

Hackin' it up. Well it looks like chinese hackers aren't waisting their time. McDonald's main Chinese website was hacked into twice on christmas day (see image on the right). If you go to the main McDonald's webiste (www.mcdonalds.com) you will notice how it says 'I'm going to McDonald's' and then a drop down menu with a country list in which McDonald's has franchises. Well one of those countries is China, but another one is Taiwan, and yet another one is Hong Kong. The guy who hacked the page was protesting because Taiwan was listed as a separate country, but didn't mind Hong Kong being listed as a separte one. Everyone wants Taiwan to be part of China, but it doesn't matter that Hong Kong had their own team in the Olympics. I don't think I need to mention that theoretically the British gave Hong Kong back to China a few years ago and they are now 'one' country.

12-20-04

Another one down. It all started last night when Andres insisted we ride the motorcycle all the way across Beijing to the good DVD store. So that was it, Jeronimo, Andres and I covered ourselves in basically any type of clothes we owned which was still not enough to survive the polar temperatures we were going through at 100km/h on the highway. I bought 6 DVD's (total of 6 USD), including some of the Stephen Chow movies, since I'm a fan now, and guess what..they already have the good version of The Incredibles. I had been waiting for this one. Eager to come back home, after quick pit stop on the highway since the bike had ran out of engine-oil, we got back home with great anticipation to watch the last Pixar-Disney production. We sit down, I'm getting the DVD read, and POOF! lights go out.

Entirely my fault. Pedro had been warning me for days, our electricity card was running out of money. I insisted saying that we would have enough to get us through the weekend, well it got us through Sunday 8.30pm. Sunk in frustration, Andres and I went back to his room where we watched the movie on his laptop. For those of you who haven't seen The Incredibles, do yourself a favor and watch this great digital animation movie.

No electricity means no heater, no heater means cold all night. It was one constant shiver all the way til 9am when I decided to get up and go to the bank to refill our Electricity and Gas card. I go down to our parking lot to get on my bicycle..and guess what. GONE! I couldn't believe this. The second time it gets stolen from our own garage which is kept lock by a brand new door that they just installed, who's magnetic key only people who live in the building hold. So what's the deal? I still think it's the guy that lives in the garage, he's been trying to set me up with his niece recently and I've been avoiding him. Is this his way to take revenge? Not having my bicycle is as bad as not having a leg. I can't move!!! I'm going to get one now. Night.

12-19-04

Visit to the Beijing Aquarium. It is getting colder than I ever thought possible. Going out just doesn't mean the same thing anymore. Bicycles being the main way of transportation, pedaling 3.5km to class everyday isn't that much of a 'pleasant ride'. Anyhow, today Sunday, we decided to get on one of those illegal cabs and ride to the Beijing Aquarium. Well, as you can see in this picture on the right, not a great deal of people out today. Who wants to see seals and dolphins when it's -9C degrees outside? Well, apparently we did. So after paying a strong admission ticket (100rmb) we went in for yet another experience in China.

The main building's architecture, although not the ugliest I have seen, was well in the top five. The interior was entirely decorated as a rain forest, and although not exactly what I have seen in other aquariums, it was interesting.

Aquarium entrance: Itamar stands alone with the dolphins

From left: Pedro(mex), Soona(korea), Itamar's girl(china), Itamar(israel)

Again, the masses...

...thousands gather to watch the show.

12-17-04

My first Movie Premiere. Invited by a friend of my mom's, Li Chow the Columbia Tri-Star Pictures general manager, I was sent a couple of invitations to watch the premiere of Stephen Chow's most recent movie. Famous for his " Shaolin Soccer " production, it was with great enthusiasm that we went to this one.

After a decisive Game Cube FIFA soccer game, the results declared Jeronimo de winner of the second invitation. Friday night, at 19.30 we got to the event's location, a fancy mall in the south of Beijing , nearby Tian'anmen. Both wearing dirty old jeans, tennis shoes, and Jeronimo a school backpack, we showed to what seemed like one of those E Entertainment TV presentations of the Oscars. Walking the red carpet next to the actual movie actors and other Chinese celebrities, we didn't make the best of impressions. Cameras and flashes blinded us all the way to the entrance of the actual theater. It was quick but also a little flattering, we felt like stars for about 10 seconds. Once inside we were handed a gift-bag which did not include one of those screening DVD's as I was hoping it did.

The movie was a lot of fun actually. For those of you who don't know about Stephen Chow (his real name being Zhou Xing Chi), he was born in Hong Kong in 1962 and has been into the martial arts movie production since early stages when he presented a children's show called “ 430 Space Shuttle ” in 1983. He is now a famous director of what westerners know as 'Hong Kong martial arts movies' (Jackie Chan style) and also very reputable in mainland China.

I have only seen two of his movies (Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle), for which my comments might not be the most accurate, but out of these two movies I can tell you that he has his very own distinctive style. His movies, although well edited and action choreographed, are taken to the extreme of things. Special effects take a significant role in his productions, and while they are well made, he does not intend to hide them from you. The first time I saw Shaolin Soccer I honestly thought it was funny, but not great all in all. However, now that I know the way he works, I managed to understand a little more of the way he does things. In both movies, Steven plays the man roles of the stories and does a brilliant job at it.

I don't know about the availability of these movies in your home countries, but if you get a chance, like martial arts, and are in the mood for something humorous and different, go check out one of these movies, or both if you can.

Left: Director and main actor Steven Chow

A night at Lush. Lush is a bar located at less than 100 meters from my apartment her in Wudaokou (Haidian), the student district in Beijing. For those of you who know me, it's pointless to explain that I'm not a party animal, but I have recently found out the joys of Lush. The place is owned by a guy from New Zealand; his name: Jade Gray. From what I've heard he has been in Beijing for a long long time. He is well known around the area and is one of those foreigners that dominates mandarin. I have seen the guy several times but never actually met him in person. I do know some of the managers though. However, I would have to say that Jade has done a very smart move business-wise; he is far from being a novice at this. He had a clear vision, and was able to make it work through his efforts, investment and help of good international staff.

The Vision: to create an environment which as their slogan indicates it, 'Lush is your 'home' away from 'home'. A not big but not extremely small place either, it is just the right size to simulate a cozy atmosphere amongst foreigners coming from every country around the world.

The Operation: open 24/7, in the morning anyone can enjoy a great western breakfast with waffles, pancakes, scrambled eggs and a tasty fresh orange juice. Trust me, these are luxuries we can only treat ourselves once in a while. We all have limits when it comes to chinese food. Then, as the day takes shape, students, professionals, music lovers and pretty much anyone may walk in to enjoy a semi-quiet milieu giving you the chance to work on a project, chat with someone, practice your mandarin or simply sit back on one of those bean-bags. Muffins, bagels with cream-cheese are available along with a hot cup of coffee. Lush also offers different types of classes including Mandarin itself, English, Management and IT which form what they like to call the Lush University.

At night, depending on the days, movies are displayed through a video beam for everyone to enjoy. An open mic session on Sunday nights allows you to show what you got in front of a affectionate and supportive crowd encouraging anyone to stand up there and give it their best shot. On Wednesdays it's Latin Night with salsa dancing lessons available and the arena is yours to practice with the large variety of latin americans that tend to dominate their own moves. Thursdays means 'all mixed up' nights, where anything goes. Fridays and Saturdays...well who knows. Come out and check it out for yourself!

All in all, Lush is a good option if you feel a little homesick and want to see more western faces conglomerated in one single spot. Western decoration, music and food, is just what you need to gain your strength back and keep facing this tough blending culture that resides in this amazing city.

Xiao Mei

The 'bouncer', Andy and Jeronimo stand at the entrance

Slow on the Olympics. Yesterday Andres and I went out for a bicycle ride. We started going east until we arrived to the future Olympic Site. If you've been reading this website since I moved to Beijing, you will then probably remember that I said I was going to take periodic pictures from the same spot at the Olympic site in order to see how it's been evolving. Well, the first picture I took was in March, and today I took a second one, nine months later. Here's what it looks like:

March 18 2004

Back online. After a couple of weeks of being on and off, I finally managed to transfer the website and domain to a different registrar and hosting company. If any of you are interested in hosting a website you might want to consider this one. The prices are good, so is the customer service and so far I've had no problems (www.mymarkdown.com).

So what's been going on lately in Beijing? Well last weekend Jeronimo and I took off on a two day trip to the mountains on my motorcycle. The weather has been amazing during the past month;no more than 4 days of high pollution or foggy air. Temperature has been dropping considerably although it has not snowed yet. At night time the mercury inevitably drops below zero. Now, if you decide to spend the night in a tent, on the top of a windy mountain, you could be facing some serious chilling issues. Well that is exactly what happened to us. A couple of farmers did approach us and offered the hospitality but we refused it for no other reason that we were already set up and ready to go to sleep.

Today the weather was great as well which is why we decided to take the afternoon off and go out for a walk downtown: Qianmen (前门), Tian'anmen ( 天安门), Forbidden City (故宫) and a few Hutongs (胡同).

Flying kites in Tian'anmen

Sweeping autumn away

I said 'stand still!'

He's got the shot of me doing the same thing

Some pro's wait for the perfect light