Archive for January, 2006

As we huddled on the steps leading up to the Chaoyang Men Cash Box, steam rushing out of our mouths and noses, the prospects for that evening looked dim.
“How about DVD-shopping,” I proposed to the small crowd, who had ventured out into the blistering freeze to welcome me to Beijing on Chinese New Year’s Day.
“You [...]

After I spent the first half of my week in Bangalore simply trying to rest and recover from the bender on Friday night, I vowed that I would break the vicious cycle of partying once I returned to Shanghai, simply because my body was visibly breaking down from the constant pounding. Bangalore was a welcome [...]

In the fall of 2002, I took a trip out to London to visit Betty, and during Halloween made the short flight out to Prague by myself for a few days. There’s no point in me adding to the generations-long catalogue of “wow”-type descriptions of the city; suffice it to say that there’s really no [...]

One torturous thing about having a 5 hour lay-over at the Singapore International Airport when your plane lands at 3 am is that there’s not a whole lot to do but stare at the beautiful boxes of Johnny Walker Blue at the only duty free store open in the joint.
I’m halfway through it so far, [...]

Good Idea: Immersing oneself in a local culture while on travel by daring to sample new sights, talking to new people, and trying out new kinds of food.
Bad Idea: Going to India, stuffing oneself on super spicy chicken dishes and Kingfisher beer, then returning to one’s hotel room, getting depressed about that huge rubber tire [...]

Last night was Selina’s birthday party at the Class Bar. I was struggling with whether to attend or not, as all I wanted to do was to lie in my bed and stare up at the ceiling and cry after an all-night bender with Eddy and Alex and friends. It had been a while since [...]

So, everything’s new again. Fresh phlegm on the pavement, new pollution in the air, and a palpable sense of misdirection and aimlessness that always floats around my head during this time. I’ve killed the my resolutions before they’ve even gathered the hint of momentum. I’m still jetlagged though I’ve back in Shanghai for a week. [...]

After a harrowing pre-new year’s experience, I was prepared to accept the fact that everything would be different. Now that it’s a few days past the new year and I’ve had a chance to gain my footing, I realize that some things just don’t and will never change.
- Life with friends in San Francisco will [...]