We all have items from our earliest youth that carry fond memories til this very day. When I was very young, still in a crib, I had a little red stuffed dog. It's tongue was a piece of red felt stapled underneath its snout. I don't remember playing with the dog, but somehow I remember the feeling of that soft tongue between my fingers. Years later ( Read more... )

They say that everything has a price. In China, everything has at least 8 of them ( Read more... )

It's 3:30 am here in the Paris of the East, and I've just returned from a romp at Pegasus, the nightclub famed for it's Thursday hip-hop nights. Of course (OF COURSE!) you'll remember that Pegasus was where I first ventured out into Shanghai when I arrived oh so many moons ago. Tonight marked my triumphant return, and since some of you have ( Read more... )

I am finally back in Shanghai, after what was supposed to be a three week vacation in Shenzhen (including a pit-stop in Hong Kong to take the LSATs) turned into a two month hiatus from my new home. Not that I am seeking much pity, since all I did was watch DVDs and work on my golf-tan while my comrades back in Shanghai were freezing their ass-hairs ( Read more... )

In 1979, after years of encouraging reproduction, the Chinese government implemented a policy known today as the one-child policy (not to be confused with the "one-China" policy which advocates the reunification of Taiwan with mainland China). The policy has at times been praised as an effective tool for ensuring that China will be able to continue ( Read more... )

“You’re gonna get so fat in China ( Read more... )

Things really were easier when we were kids, weren’t they? As children, our lives were marked by clear signposts guiding us towards the next logical step in our development. The graduation from each elementary school grade to the next was a greater watershed moment than the previous one. Somewhere between third and fifth grade, it wasn’t cool to ( Read more... )

Hey, can anyone tell me what "horlick" is?

With Hong Kong just being a hop, skip, cab ride, 2 lengthy immigration lines, and a 1 hour bus ride away from Shenzhen, my home the past month, it is natural that I would find my way back there a few more times since I'd last written about it. My 19 year old brother Andrew was on his winter vacation from his sophomore year at UC San Diego, so he ( Read more... )

I’m going to put myself on somewhat of a limb here and risk future ridicule, but being so far away from home, I wanted to feel closer to you back in the States by opening my chastity-belt life up for just a few minutes and display my 2004 New Year’s resolutions for all to see ( Read more... )