Vista - don't bother!

I hate MS Vista, what a POS it is.
I been playing w/ Vista for awhile (beta and all), and I do have the MSDN, so I do get it legally.
So I decided to install it, purely for 1 reason, Media Center so I can play movies on my computer on my Xbox360/Tv.

Well you would've thought a Xeon 3.2ghz w/ 3gb of ram and Nvidia Quadro 1400 was sufficient. No no no. So I'm a computer user, I actually do get as much work out the system as possible. So I'm running BOINC w/ worldcommunitygrid.org and then I open Firefox w/ and end up w/ maybe 2 windows w/ 60+ tabs per window. Next thing you know FF goes gray and says (not responding). [I have some tab add-ons and memory enhancers for FF] What the hell? After about 20min it comes back to life and continues operating as normal. And I'm not running any other app which would put strain on the system. [I've turned off most of the GUI sh1t, to improve performance]

But no Vista is a POS, stay away from it. I'm going back to 2005 MCE.

[Note: My laptop is a core 2 duo w/ 2gb ram and nvidia 256 laptop vid. runs winxp and all the same apps, and I never (or rarely crash FF)]

Tea Partay!!

funniest damn video in a long time...

well it seems like the christmas season is finally upon us...

I know it's a bit late, but I'm now in the christmast spirit...I don't know what happened the the 3 odd weeks b/t Thanksgiving and now. [I'll tell you I do hate the word 'xmas.' I'm not too sure why, but it aggravates me.] Thankfully this year I don't have to buy too much...My big gift this year is a new car. So only stocking stuffers need apply.

You know I'm not a firm believer in much of the mumbo jumbo, but being w/ the description of a Libra pretty much defining me it's hard not to. It's a PIA to always be judging the pros/cons of all options..but I do it w/ just about everything. I just kind of wish I could could make a rash decision. [Though I do go on rash spending splurges every so often]

So among my current debates....what type of new car for myself. [that's 2 new cars, 1 as a gift, 1 for me]; what should I name my new foodie blog. Gastronome? [sound a bit arrogant, but I don't want to be too blanket, w/ something like 'food bag' ]; when and where am I going to go on vacation next[I'm too devoted to my job, 2 years and NO VACATION isn't a good thing, all I'm getting is more pissed off.]

Ah well, should probably get a christmas tree this week. I don't understand getting one around thanksgiving...it would be dead by now.

Brainiac: Alkali Metals

What happens when alkali metals come into contact with water? Very Cool....Dogs Bollocks.

stress

well not too sure where it came from...
maybe it's a pinched nerve....haven't been to a doctor in 5+ yrs, so can't say I truly know what one is. But I have pain in my shoulder....and I can barely lift my right arm...so far gimlets and scotch @ night have resolved the pain; though that doesn't help during the day.

you know the stress of work shouldn't wake me up in the middle of the night, and keep me up.

I need a vacation, 2yrs w/ no vacation is not a good thing. I think it's time to say fsck work, if they can't survive w/ me gone. Then that's their problem, maybe if they got us some more help, I wouldn't be so stressed.

thanksgiving, thxgvng, thxgiving,...

well another great/gr8 thanksgiving, kept feeling like I should write in TXT to sponsor the NZed TXT'ng promotion. Drove about 850miles for the 3-4 day weekend/WE, had an unusual Turkey day. Had dinner in Mass. w/ ham and turkey, a 1st for me. Plus enough food/alcohol to shake a stick @. I didn't need any 2nds. Then drove back in horrendous rain to our abode(well not ours per se, but gr8 friends)...ooh too many large swamping puddles...had we not been in a SUV(I hate that term) we would've been in the puddle w/ a flooded engine. I do love the Cape(cape cod) that is, but I can't imagine living there yr round...especially as far out as Orleans, it's 'like' 1hr or more to a best buy/loews/HD/etc. How the h3ll do you buy anything....oooh I sound like an obnoxious, arrogant, nouveau riche. Had more then enough Breves' @ El Dia in E. Orleans, I'm sad to see them sell...I wish I could fund their establishment, but a las I don't live too near. I'm sadder to see them leave then, I am Kadees. (Kadee's had great kale soup, but the rest of the establisment was a tourist dive, I felt like it belonged in Hilton Head.)

[mind you I'm writing this after multiple Vodka Gimlets straight up.{I think this is my new drink of choice...scotch(famous grouse on the rocks(no other water needed), vodka gimlet, or wine(start w/ sauvingon blanc(NZ), move on to a good pinot noir/or syrah/ or cab...to hell w/ beer/V&T]

I hate computers....addendum

well about 1am Igot another SPE on the SAN replaced 3rd in 6+ months. all is working again.

guess I'll go get some food, do some more tests, wait till people show up @ 6 or so....go home @ pass out.

4 days with less then 6hrs sleep total has started to take it's toll. everyone better get off the road when I head home!!

AHHH I hate computers

well yet again I'm having a multiple disaster nightmare...
I had my SAN upgraded on friday, 10NOV06, and that seemed to go well. the drives for 90% of my systems showed up fine....oracle mounted.......then all hell broke loose. I'm having latency issues of 1hr to 4hrs accessing data on my disks. oracle & exchange are dead. during the upgrade some ATA drives were added...those work fine, but the Fiber Channel drives just won't work. Which for over 4TB of data is helluva an issue....so I've been here since 5pm on 10Nov gotten about 3-5hrs sleep since then, been popping Vitamin waters and starbucks double shots.

been on the phone w/ support for 2days, w/ no results. about to call rep and then manufacturers rep.

we disassembled our DR site SAN and computers and brought them to the HQ, but as they're all ATA the peformance truly sucks....and that's only w/ 10 or so connections, let alone if I add 1,000 connections.

Why the hell do I do this job? I think maybe I should get my series 7 or such. I'd much prefer 8hrs of high stress daily, then multiple days of high stress.

etc

found a great new tool, Ampache
it's a web-based music catalog, I've got soo much music that itunes and such always crashes when I try to load my collection.

This web app, uses php, mysql, and apache to catalog via the ID3 tag, plus you can search/stream/download the files that you need.

WOW...don't know if it's my Biorhythm [tends to reflect me, even though I don't believe in it], or the daylight savings or what...but here @ 11am, all I want to do is go to bed. Which is odd, as I didn't go to bed too late, midnight, which kinda early for me.

well another year gone, and I haven't been on vacation again. WTF, I think I'm too devoted to my job. Yeah, I was away for 3weeks, but that was work.

working on some solutions for the end of this year, start of next.

need sleep, think I'll go get a double espresso @ lunch. maybe 2.

out west

just saw a somewhat sappy film on encore, I think, called 'Wooly Boys' w/ Peter Fonda and Kris Kristofferson. Reminds me I need to get out west again, I think I'll take up friends offer to head out over new years, I hate that time anyhow better spend on a ranch then in city.

no matter what film he's in, Peter Fonda will remind me of 'Easy Rider.' It's one of those good/bad parts of being an actor/ress I suppose, if your too good in a part, or the movie is too good...you'll always be seen as that person. But then again some movies are epics.

simple things....

it's the simple things in life...

today, feeling much better post cold.

went out and bought a heavy duty[per staples] shredder. Ooh the joy to finally get rid of documents/invoices/statements, etc. Having seen what happens to paper in china, I'll no longer throw out sensitive data again. Now I can shred. :) :) [and cross shred, those straight/spaghetti shredders are stupid]

also found out that as of the 13th, Audi is offering Euro delivery now!! Now if I could only get an Audi RS4 Avant or a S6 Avant. [a total sleeper, a wagon w/ a v10 lambo engine ;) ] So need to find out if I can get a euro delievery w/ a trade-in? If so, I'm off to deutschland to enjoy driving[what a gr8 end of year vacation that would be].

colds suck

well don't know where I got it, but since last sunday night, I've been out w/ a cold.
went to work 2 days. bad idea, probably would be better by now if I hadn't.

so I had a wonderful b-day, went to work, felt like shit, came home drank a bottle of one of my favorite wines and went to bed. [the wine helped to put me to sleep, and made my throat feel better]

my first sick days in over 2years, well I'll have to restart that timeline. finally feeling more normal today, went to farmers market got some indian food(lamb rogan josh, naan, mango lassi, mango rice) and some gelato feel much better after that. I'd gotten quite tired of soup, cream cheese & jelly, and fish/burgers, and was too ill to cook more advanced food. a milk shake and some fish tacos from the ruby's on the pier in huntington beach sound perfect.

felt better all day, now feel like shit again, hmm more scotch...that worked last night.

had to cancel any athletic stuff for the last 7days which sucks as well, and I need to make sure my taxes are in-line for monday. what a great week.

Another great weekend

met up w/ some friends @ a monk's, had my beer fill for the next several weeks. [though I know I'll be imbibing after sporting events]

played cricket in the the cold...got a cold...not sure when/where I got it, but can barely talk now. First sick day in 2yrs.

sunday was mellow, minus 2 squash events, one where I got pissed off and managed to hit someone too many times...then played a league match where I wish I had been in better shape, then a nice dinner w/ the family and some baramundie.[love that fish]

Beer Free

Well this weekend is my last beer weekend for awhile. Time to lay off the high carb alcohol, now just wine or scotch[for the most part].

last night went to orchestra concert, ooh lots of stairs. legs don't feel too well, w/ so much excercise over the last week w/ no rest time b/t them, and little sleep. only had last night and today off for excercise. then more cricket saturday, 2 squash games sunday(both league matches) then fitness again on monday. I've got a lot of beer belly to get rid of...damn u china.[only beer{1litre} or tea to drink]

took medicine again 2 days ago, first time in over 1.5yrs. [I don't like to take pills, etc.] Advil, ooh 3 advil and leg pain goes away, started carrying a/c's from bedrooms down to basement, w/ no issues.

fitness

well started my fitness regiment today. painful.
need to drink less beer. no more crap food, working back to south beach diet.
hard to keep on a diet when u travel.

won 1 game lost another this past weekend in cricket.
had a squash fitness program today, lots of stairs. I hate those stair excercises, b/c of my height I count 2 stairs as 1....so when I'm told to take 1 at a time, old habits die hard.

Tech Headaches....Part 2

M$ products suck. all my linux and oracle came backonline with little tweaking post crash.

M$ took 3days, so it's been like watching a baby, wakeup every 2hrs to see if something has progressed. each process took 13-17hrs. AHHH! You need a lot of patience to deal w/ M$ and be able to ignore all bitching by endusers.

Now know what caused the issue having it looked @.

------------------

On a lighter note...my fall/autumn cricket season starts today. Time for some rest, though it it is a bit cold today, I think I'll have plenty of pain.

Tech Headaches....

Get to work this morning, to find 1 device is acting inappropiately, so I call tech support, we diagnose the issues and they send a part and a tech out.

tech turns out to be just a parts guy, not a true tech. he replicates what I did this morning....but in the midst of it 2 of my primary servers go down.

1 came back after a little tweaking...
the 2nd not so easily, it's looking like 16-24hrs more of work today, to get this damn M$ product back online.

I just love the resiliency of M$ products.

Movie:Hollywoodland

I won't ruin the ending...
but a few critiques from a massive movie watcher and a former film student.

the cuts between the current and the past were hard to figure out. For the 1st 15 minutes. I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on.

Ben Affleck is not a very good actor, oddly he plays one in the this movie(coincidence?)

Diane Lane was hot; and in the end, they did some good makeup and made here look old (well done).

Robin Tunney, she's always had this hot&cute thing going on for me. not sure what it is; rarely does she get in a good film. I'd day 'The In-Laws' was the last great flick she was in.

Bob Hoskins another great actor, often put into some bad films. for some reason he always reminds me of phil collins.

Adrien Brody can't say I've ever seen him act badly. [kept thinking all the cars he was driving were probably his own personal cars, as I know he's a obsessed petrol head like myself]

Though I disappointed if this film got any awards; as it's just not that good. And I keep thinking I've seen this plot in many films before.

Airports [especially US]

what can I say...I hate airports!!!

so for the weekend in Chi-town, I flew out of PHL to ORD.
which is a worse airport, I'm not sure.

PHL - get to aiport w/ an 1hr prior to boarding. Go to check-in baggage[per the new rules] and can't. Why b/c I'm there to late. Huh?? All the airline sites and security sites an hour suggested. They say my bag won't get to the plane in time and I won't get through security in time.[got through in 10min; I didn't fly a hub airline] Really ticks me off; if I didn't have liquid/razor, I could've given it to the gate to check it. Oh, and I was originally 1st class [w/ credit that needed to be used]; but for the next flight I'm in the back[w/o exit row]....then on the return flight; do have 1st class; but as PHL is owned by the unions, we land @ 2am and I don't get my baggage till 3am.

ORD - landing and pickup of car were ok. Return trip....late flight, 9pm. Getting my boarding pass....If I was in the back, I would've had to wait outside for an hour and then inside for 2. [thank god I got there 4+ hrs ahead of time] As I was 1st class; and there were only 2 people in front of me; you would've thought it would be quick. Not So! United in the infinite wisdom; decides on sunday[the start of the work week for business travellers] to run a light staff. So I could check in, but....they only had 2 desk clerks for 15+ e-ticket booths. what genius thought up this plan. Security was a breeze, minus the long line. Then once inside, due to standard ORD issues and weather; the last 3 scheduled flights have been canceled. And I'm now delayed 2hrs; thank god no connection. Due to the delay; of course all books are over booked as well. If I didn't have a morning meeting, I would've taken the voucher deal.

You know prior to 9/11 people still had to get to the airport 1hr or 2 ahead of time. Thus there is no reason that ORD hasn't installed more chairs. Making the 2nd load of passengers sit on the floor. Granted everything was delayed; so every empty floor area was taken; as was the sides of the moving walkways.

Lovely security...the extra hassle of security doesn't bother me; I guess I travel a lot. The pat down and wands and remove the shoes and so forth are not a big deal. Though do I feel more secure, not really.[though I do feal it's maybe lessened the chances of whatever] I've been in communist countries, through zones of civil strife, and been in airports when #$%$#@ have been found or imploded. When I look @ the security equipment the USA uses versus the rest of the world, I think of the cold war days. The security is so old and each aiport is setup differently that it doesn't shock me that items get through.

Laptops...Why do you need to remove your laptop? can't an x-ray read through the bag? [it's not people are carrying around lead laptop cases]

Shoes...now if they actually had good machines which could check for explosives when you walk through them, removing them wouldn't be necessary. [if someone can figure out how to put explosives in a shoe, they certainly can do the same w/ a belt, a liner in shirt or trousers.]

knives, clippers, etc...ok this is amazing to me. so you prevent these devices from entering an aiport, but you provide them on a plane in 1st class; and per all the movies about prison you can create a shank from a toothbrush. [why not smash a glass, or u can cut someone w/ broken plastic, hell stab them w/ pen.

liquids...this theory has existed long before the most recent london issue.[But...if mules will cary coke/heroin in an ingested condom, what's to prevent someone from doing that w/ other stuff]

finally baggage....this one is ingenius to chicago 1 week ago. So all the flights are delayed, and of course everthing is buggered up. So I hear on the loud speaker 'due to delays, lost baggage cannot be claimed, your baggage will be at your final destination.' So if I get this correct...all the security rules to prevent your baggage from flying when you're not on the plane, has just been nullfied.

[pardon my imagination, I've read to many history books and seen too many movies]

Rants...

Well here goes my Rants post of the ....

well let's start w/ airlines and airports...actually due to the anniversary today, I'll postpone that till tomorrow.

Chicago....
Traffic - I was in chi-town this past weekend. I believe chicago may have the worst traffic in the US. Sure LA and NYC have lots of traffic; but at least they have many options. Chicago has 2 options for going north/south. NYC has between 2-3million people commuting in/out every day; and although there is plenty of traffic it always clears b/t 3-7; chicago could go from 2-8. And most of the road is under construction; which just adds to the madness. Luckily I put my chinese driving lessons to the test, and people did move out of the way for me...but I was afraid of getting shot as well.

So they have the interesting double decker trains; but why won't anyone put in a highspeed ferry or maybe a hovercraft(to account for the ice). That alone would save a lot of congestion.

Road design - what moron decided to put a toll @ the o'hare exit which has not cash option. It's either exact change or ezpass.

Suburbs - quite odd; as you head up I-94 or such; near the hwy there's lots of corporate parks; but get off and you're miles away from the suburbs; and in a mix of farms and junk yards.

Parking - try finding a free place to park in the city. I was stuck driving around town till 6pm due to my flight restriction. The parking in garages was more expensive then NYC; quite an amazing feat. So I got tired of walking up and down michicagn ave; and thought maybe I could go to a park and read; and there are plenty of open spaces about; but you need to pay to go to all of them. So either I neeeded to drive back north to the upper suburbs(parking is free there) or drive about....well I drove about and then opted to go to the airport...[thank god I did...more on that tomorrow]

Cars....

Ah!!! I love cars and hate them all at the same time; they're not much different the boats or planes. Although I do like some of the ICE [in car entertainment]; I think we should go back to simple carburetors and transmissions.

So I've made the same mistake 2x; b/c of a good deal...which alone I should've questioned. I got 2 new models of cars...one was supposed to have fixed all the issues of it's lineage[not so!]. And the other my current love/hate; has all the bells and whistles, goes really quick, gets good mileage, and is good for the environment...yes as all cars now are conglomeration of parts; there is 1 part which continues to make my life a living hell every 15-20G miles.

So now I've decided I need to get this fixed 1 last time; and trade it in. As I'm now only on extended warranty. So I now go down the line....how fast; how much space; how practical; etc. Too many choices....1/2 of me says go pratical, spend the money elseware(travel, etc); they other 1/2 say....you only live once; get whatever you can afford - sure fuel is expensive relatively[the US is cheap; compared to elseware].

Boat....
And a BOAT...which stands for Bet On Another Thousand. So who want's a boat? 24' cutty cabin; w/ dual I/O OMC 150hp w/ cobra outboards? To much time and money for me to waste w/ it.

well now I'll go and rest a bit...low on sleep due to airport woes...more tomorrow.

Back Home

Hard to imagine; but even after landing @ JFK; the relative calmness of NYC and the east coast is a welcome relief to the past 3 weeks in China.

Drove to the beach house for a some respite; as well to help figure out what time it was. [didn't happen till Sunday; 3 days afterwards]

Still in catchup mode...not much to catchup on but still gathering my thoughts prior to giving my formal trip report.

Got lovely news on my cars health on returning...just over 50k on the clock and still having the same issues since day one. Might be time to review my options for trade-in a new car. Would love to get a another diesel...but no...for whatever reason many euro manufacturers are pulling out of the diesel market in the US.

Tuesday...

Last day in Mainland China...heading out @ 14:00(2pm) to HK. It will be nice to be someplace where more people speak english. Also see the sights of HK; leaving tomorrow night(23:00); so I'll get to see a lot over the day.

I've spoken to many co-workers who've come to work here...3 weeks is long...I think I'd rather do 2 weeks here 2 weeks in western world, then back....the travel would get tiring...but it would be less stressful on me...maybe if I was traveling w/ another westerner things would be less stressful...

Monday...

usual day @ the office...luckily had people @ office call about camera...I left it and my sunglasses @ the tea house.

today's the last day before I head to HK then back home...had a closer meeting...hard to close when the person who's translating has no technical bkgrnd in computer tech.

everyone wants me to stay...and to stay a long time...odd as there are so many people here.

Weekend...

Well as this weekend comes to an end...

Saturday...walked around Shenzhen a bit more this weekend; saw the city that the people live in; not where the expats live. Had a traditional dim sum[actually means desserts; not dumplings] meal, we could pick from 40 items. We had about 7, was told this is a place on the chinese come to; as well on the weekends mostly Hong Kongese.

Visited Happy Valley; a chinese centric epcot like place, but w/ amusement park like events in the middle of it. [e.g., you can see miniture version of temples through out china; and go on a zip line as well]. Saw a nice musical like performance w/ people wearing traditional clothing...and from my vantage point everyone looked tall..till you notice the 5-7" heels. Then went to a traditional sezchuan feast; 100+ tables in the place. People seem amazed I can eat this food; I don't find it that hot; not compared to when you've eaten an habenero raw. Great food; another place westerners don't go to. Ventured back towards hotel and found a great tea house...kind of wish I knew about this place prior; open till 2am; people playing poker and checkers; nice place to unwind. Had the emperors tea; very mellow.

Sunday...got a late start; figured my hosts wanted some relaxing time...so opted for a later meeting. Met up w/ some more friends and took the subway to downtown Shenzhen. Ooh lots of people...less then I thought, but still lots...had some gelato[kind a odd in this place]. Noticed all the KFC's 3 in 1-2 blocks; all probably seating about 150 or more. Then off for a foot massage...odd obession here; seems like people get these more then any other massage. Went to Panling Plaza for dinner; in the rotating restaurant...ooh do you get a new perspective on the city...about 3 blocks away there is a canal and just beyond that rice fields....look the other direction and row after row of flats. Do a 180; and you see the bay...just beyond that HK. There were a lot of HKese in the restaurant...they carry themselves differently...dress more western...but enjoy the cheapness of mainland. This was definitly the most expensive meal..though worth it for the view. $55/person [including a pricy bottle of red wine].

As usual both days..fighting off call girls on the elevator and when entering my room - though I will say this the first 4 star; which has condoms on the room service menu.

seemed to have misplaced my camera...hope one of the girls didn't walk off with it; or I didn't leave it @ the tea house.

Driving....

Ah driving in China....
I had been warned about it prior....they're all 1st generation drivers...or they go both ways around a roundabout...but I didn't think it would be that bad...was I wrong.

over the last couple of weeks...I've become accustom to it…which scares me that I may start to drive like them when I get home.

So what’s all the fuss…

First throw out all the rules that you learned when driving; they do not apply here

You take the fastest way from point A to B; negating all obstacles

If there are people in the way..it’s ok to drive through them..they’ll move.[as they won’t stop @ a crosswalk anyhow]

If there is a traffic jam…it’s perfectly accepted to drive into oncoming traffic on the other side of the road...they’ll move out of your way

if you approach a roundabout[circle]…and need to go from 6 o’clock to 9 o’clock[w/ non-GB style driving] you can go against the flow of traffic and cut out the ¾ round waste of your time

If you or your passenger[often a hitchhiker] needs to go someplace off of a highway where an exit isn’t available...it’s ok to stop in any lane and let them out

You can exit at any point…such as most people exit the highways at the on ramp, and of course when entering you do not look at traffic behind you...you just drive head in

Other common courtesies, for those of us from countries who’ve been driving for generations

If you get a flat tire, in the left lane on a highway, its normal to slam on your brakes…and change the tire there….due to this…the shoulder is most often used as the high speed lane

The shoulder…its considered rude and improper to stop your vehicle in the shoulder

If you need to change lanes [most of the roads in the cities are 3 lanes or more]…you can use a term told to me…the ‘Shanghai Shuffle’ wiggle your car, by moving the wheel left and right…this will frighten the people behind you and give you the option to change lanes or stay where you are.

If you’ve yet to learn the ‘Shanghai Shuffle’ just turn your wheel hard[mirrors are for backing up only] and people will move…the size of your vehicle has no bearing on your ownership of the road.

Horns...they are not to notify of impending danger...think NYC taxies..they are to inform people to move their car or that you are near...doesn't mean that your going to do anything...just that you are there

Turn signals...they don't mean a thing...its normal to put your right blinker on and take a left turn; but is more often normal not to use them at all

My Final Anecdote…Navigation

No one has any idea where they’re going…at first they kept driving in circles everywhere…I grew tired of this…and started navigating for them. Often we drove into the wrong driveway near the office or they couldn’t get back to the highway or the hotel[after having been there many times]…no one knows how to read a map

In China there is a written test and NO driving test.

Another day...

Another day...here in Shenzhen...

an influx of expats over the night, another 10+ at breakfast. Also a few suits...can't understand wearing a suit here...to hot/humid. today it's quite cool @ 90°F and 62% humidity [heat index=100°F]...2 weeks ago it was 93°F with 89% humidty [heat index=135°F]....

also there's a difference here w/ the set A/C temperatures...most of the westerners keep the temperature @ normal temps for us...68-72°F..whereas the locals keep the temp @ 75-80°F and as I'm w/ the locals...it took awhile to get used to working in a damp environment.

so yet again, I retired early...keep hearing noises in the hall, couldn't tell if it was the whores or guests...didn't want to get caught by them. As is understandable...most locals see westerners as people w/ lots of money....which if you convert everything to USD, you can live very well here...but if you do the conversion, you increase the inflation issues here for the locals.

Frustration...Loneliness...Tired...

well...here goes a total ingnorant comment...
when traveling to a foreign country where you can't understand the language or the words.
it becomes very lonely, when all you can do is speak in broken english to people. you start to think, write and speak in broken english. [or whatever language you speak] And as there are no expats around, I stuck talking to myself or drinking more.

Plus when all the people your working with have told you not to trust anyone on the street, and that 98% of them want to rob you. it's also very tiring, constantly feeling you pockets to make your wallet and passport haven't gone missing.

Muppets...

You Are the Swedish Chef

"Bork! Bork! Bork!" Your happy and energetic - with borderline manic tendencies. No one really gets you. And frankly, you don't even get you. But, you sure can whip up a great chocolate mousse

The Muppet Personality Test

Morning Traffic in Shenzhen

It's interesting...there's about 1/2 the amount of people in Shenzhen as Shanghia[10mm vs. 20mm] yet the traffic seems like 1/8 the amount. Now I can't tell who drives worse either...

Dinner & Whores

Well ate my first korean food today; and was offered dog. [I cannot eat something I have as a pet.] Food was good; somethings more interesting then others...as so many things here a china centric it's hard to determine what is/not normal.

went back to hotel and had drink; where some horrible Philippino singers were singing.[apparently in china; they're the most prevalent in the hotels visited by foreigners as they sing in english] Then I noticed that there were a lot of single women about...well thankfully I was w/ some friends who informed me that they were working women.

And low and behold as I try to go up in the elevator to get some work done; they rush to get in, then follow me to my room....where I need to slam the door to get rid of them..as they try to enter.

I must be in some sort of fog...I can usually tell westerners ages, but here all the girls look 12-16, and a few 17-18. Which I can clearly understand why people like John Mark Karr like these places so much.

SH to SZ

Well flew back to Shenzhen today via HK. Flight was on China Eastern...though the food was good[noodles w/ meat sauce], the service on the Shenzhen Airlines on my initial flight from SZ to SH was much better; more drink service.

Took the Ferry from the Airport to Shenzhen Shekou. It was a lot easier then expected. [much better then taking the bus & train]. There was limited people on the ferry, though I imagine that's because it was 15:30. You don't have to bother entering[immigration] in HK, and thus can enter China mainland quickly and easily.

Was met @ ferry port by company driver, and w/in 15minutes was at hotel. Still think I' like Shenzhen better then Shanghai. Not too sure what it is, just like it more...maybe I should spend more time in the non-local areas of Shanghai.

Today

Today walked around Hangzhou, down the levee, saw the carp hatchery[several million $$$ of fish], and around to famous restaurant for a chicken cooked in mud[best chicken I've had here in China]. As well as tasting the local beers...century star west lake beer is ok, but thousand island beer is better. [though a lot lighter] [plain west lake is not good]

Drove through a heavy rain storm getting back to Shanghai, here now but tired. So I think I'll take a rest and have some western food; as I'm flying tomorrow want to limit any issues.

I'm taking a bassackward route back to Shenzhen...my original plans changed due to planned power outages in Shanghai; reminds me of California. So I'm flying to HK then taking a ferry to Shenzhen for a week, then back to HK the back to US via London.

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