Island Hopping

I just got back from Beijing this past Saturday and today I'm headed off to Kauai for a week's vacation with family and Natalia. Super stoked about it.

I've been dealing with major league jet lag since I've returned, so hopefully I can catch some zz's on the flight over. It will be much easier to sleep if they are showing the flicks, Music and Lyrics and Catch and Release. They showed these movies on both legs of the China journey and nothing cures insomnia like Drew Barrymore's tired act of playing the ditsy but "charming" urban dweller, who struggles to fall in love, but eventually finds it where she least expects it. The peak of her career was as a drunk 5 year old in E.T.

The blog will not be updated while I'm in Hawaii. I decided to leave the laptop at home. Until then, enjoy this great series of webisodes that I enjoy. http://www.clarkandmichael.com/

Its stars Michael Cera aka George Michael Bluth from Arrested Development. I enjoy it thoroughly.

Aloha!

More than A Game

Fortunately for me, my last few international trips have coincided with international soccer tournaments. Currently, the Asian Cup is in full swing and the games have helped me get through some jet-lagged evenings. What is interesting about these games is that the countries featured are definitely not your traditional soccer powerhouses. Korea and Japan are among the better squads, but its great to watch games featuring Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, or Qatar. (Alas, the Philippines is not represented. I guess if its not boxing or billiards, there is no chance for them to compete. If there were a text messaging competition, the Filipinos would dominate.)

The other night I watch Australia play Iraq while I was at the hotel gym. I was surprised that Iraq was even able to field a squad considering the obvious turmoil happening in their country. Even more surprising was that Iraq defeated Australia 3-1. This was the same Australian team that brought Italy to the brink of defeat in last summer’s World Cup.

I found myself rooting pretty hard for Iraq. For a nation in absolute disarray, I imagine that this game and tournament is one of the only galvanizing events for the country to rally around. I’m not sure how many folks are even able to watch the match, but I’m sure they knew about the result somehow and a tremendous sense of pride that has been stifled for so long came out.

This is definitely one of my favorite things about soccer and these international tournaments. Whatever political, economic, or social disruptions are occurring in their home nation, all is equal on the field. If only for a couple of hours, or even just a few minutes, Iraqis had visible proof that their country had the ability to come together as a single unit and emerge victorious. I’m sure they were quickly returned to reality and the dangers of their daily life, but its gratifying to know that Iraq coverage on the international news included this victory and not simply a death toll or other negative story about the war.

Getting Artsy in Beijing

Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day in Beijing’s 798 art district. If anyone’s been to Paris, it was reminiscent of St. Germain, with streets full of art galleries and artist workspaces. Guide books and local magazines call it the SoHo of Beijing and there is definitely a unique artist vibe happening there that is palpable. What was interesting about 798 is that it utilizes the space left in this area from old factories that once flourished there. It is a great concept and I feel a hidden gem for someone like me who has seen the more traditional sites that Beijing has to offer (Forbidden City, Great Wall, Tiananmen Square).

I am having problems uploading my pics to Flickr, so here is a brief sampling of a couple favorites.

(Update: 8/4/07- More pics can be seen here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/youngkye/sets/72157600833917951/)

Lingo

So, it appears that accessing this blog while I'm here in Beijing has proven to be difficult. On the surface, it is almost impossible to recognize any differences between life here and in the West, but things often sneak up on you that quickly make your realize things don't quite work the same here as they do in the US (e.g. with regards to open accessibility of the web).

Anyways, wanted to give a brief update. I haven't done or seen much thus far, mostly due to jet lag, work, and the stifling heat. I have gone out to get my meals and was amazed by the proficiency of English in many of the places. For example, I picked up a Subway sandwich last night and was fortunate that the staff there spoke English. I can't imagine that making sandwiches at Subway in China holds any more esteen than it would at home, but it would appear that the job requirements for working here are much more rigorous with regards to language proficiency. Subway workers at home often barely speak English let alone two languages coherently. Maybe they fund language courses here in lieu of Jared advertisements.

Also, SpiderMan3 DVDs here are only in Chinese. bummer.

From the Bay to Beijing

I arrived here in Beijing on Monday night at about 7pm. Since then I've just checked into the hotel, caught up on email, and chilled.

I did go on a short walk though. The hotel, St. Regis, is located near the embassies so there is a ton of shopping and Western chains nearby including Sizzler and TGI Friday's. Nothing says Chinese food better than curly fries and mudslides. I doubt I'll try it.

The bright side of being close to the embassies is that the street vendors are nearby and dudes selling DVD's are always easily found. I picked up Spider-Man 3, Ratatouile, Shrek the Third, Letters of Iwo Jima, and Fantastic Four. All movies I would see for about $1, which is what they cost.

This is my third time here in the last 22 months, so I feel pretty comfortable rolling around, but the one thing I can never get used to is the absence of the term "personal space" or cordially waiting in line. This time the first intrusion began before I even got off the plane. I had a aisle seat, but somehow the 60-something couple sitting in the middle and window seats were able to get past me and off the plane before I did. It was like some shaolin magic trick or something. I gotta learn that one.

The Blog World Tour Continues

I'm packing my bags and hitting the road as the next blog chapters will be written from the city of Beijing, China. I will leave SF this Sunday and will be there for two weeks. Per usual, I will post my observations, stories, thoughts, etc. similarly to what I did during my last trip to Kabul.

This week is extremely busy as I'm in a wedding on 7/7/7 (no, not Eva Longoria and Tony Parker's) and have related festivities surrounding the event for most of the week. Therefore, I doubt I will post much if anything this week.

I'm bummed I'll be missing the All-Star game next Tuesday which will be played right here at AT&T Park. I don't have tickets, but I had a couple of strategies that would have gotten me into the ballpark for sure. Oh well. Maybe next time in 2030.

TB or Not TB

Last Friday afternoon, our office received an email that all staff is required to attend a meeting this Wednesday hosted by the Department of Public Health. More information about the meeting was to be placed on our desks.

No big deal. A lot of folks here travel to Asia and most of us thought it was just another training about personal safety when traveling. Then we received the more information from the City and County of San Francisco on official letterhead.

“Dear Sir/Madam:

The San Francisco Department of Public Health has confirmed the diagnoses of active pulmonary tuberculosis in a coworker. Our investigation indicated that anyone working in [office address] was significantly exposed to the disease.

For you own health you will be required to be screened for tuberculosis.”

The letter goes on, but other than asking the entire staff to work on Saturday ala Lumberg in Office Space, there may not be a worse way to start the weekend. Everyone was mostly joking about who Patient X was, but it was hard to make jokes because: a) the dire language used in the letter made everyone slightly concerned, and b) not many folks knew of the symptoms of tuberculosis to even make a joke about it.

Our Human Resources department must have received a number of concerned emails and calls because on Saturday morning, we received a follow up email stating, “No one is contagious at this time from this incident and there are no changes you need to make in your life.”

While it’s nice to know that folks were getting worked up over nothing, I’m still expecting Dustin Hoffman to walk into the office at any moment wearing a germ-free space suit and yanking a co-worker from their office, Outbreak style.

We’ll see.

(Update 6/29/07: My blood test came up negative. Others in the office were not so lucky and had to get chest x-rays now. Apparently if you grew up in Asia, its fairly common to have TB in your system.)