4 Killed in Subway

*FAKE NEWS*

Beijing, China - For some unknown reason 10 subway trains (well I saw 4) passed Jianguomen, one of the transfer stations, therefore one of the busiest stations, in Beijing without stopping rush hour. The mob on the platform grew quickly and workers and security personnel could not hold back the overcrowded platform, as a result, two people fell onto the tracks as the train pulled in and two people were trampled.

Rush hour on Tuesday in Beijing was met with many bewildered commuters, who were stranded at Jianguomen subway stop when trains on the 2nd line were not stopping. According to an Asian American on the way home after a hard day at the lacrosse company, “Yea, they kept announcing something in Chinese that I couldn’t understand, but I suspect it had something to do with the trains not stopping.”

The number 1 line was running, and many opted to get to their respected destinations by going in a very roundabout way from 1 line to 5 line back onto 2 line. However, if you were just going to a stop adjacent to Jianguomen, good luck, go find that bus.

The unruly crowd could not get any comprehensible answers from the handful of workers and incompetent security holding back the hundreds of people. Apparently, they were only told to stand there and try to keep the mob calm, but also were in the dark about what the municipal government was thinking.

The truth remains to be solved, did the higher officials bet how long it would take for someone to get killed in the subway, did they want to have an unruly crowded so they can test out the newest mob controlling weapons? We may never know but next time they decided to wreak havoc during rush hour they should really think about how long it is before the people start a mutiny.

Moments before the crowd became unruly

[I don't think anyone actually died (at this point) but the trains really weren't stopping. WTF!]

0.60 RMB bus ride

::Some random thoughts before I sleep, so may or may not make sense::

Sometimes you get the short end of the stick and sometimes you get the long end, as in sometimes you take the cab and it doesn’t add any extra money to the starting price but sometimes the meter adds that 1 RMB (13 cents) as you tell the driver to stop; sometimes you get a roomy bus/train sometimes you get smushed in like a can of sardine; life in China can be a game of chance. You never know what/who you might stumble upon (ie Michael and I exploring jishuitan hutongs and found obiwan; a sweet, chill bar). But sometimes you order a dish that looks relatively tame but after everyone takes a bite, it turns out to be the spiciest dish you’ve ordered. Just going about my day, finding opportunities but also surprising myself as to the ones that I’m intentionally looking for or just happen to get lucky and bump into.

Older white women join Kenya's sex tourists

Source: Reuters(complete article)... certain quotes I've picked out

Although condom use can only be guessed at, Julia Davidson, an academic at Nottingham University who writes on sex tourism, said that in the course of her research she had met women who shunned condoms -- finding them too "businesslike" for their exotic fantasies.
Too "businesslike?" wtf, are you stupid??? Have you heard of AIDS along with the other STD's!!!

"It's about trying to make those guests feel as uncomfortable as possible ... But it's a fine line. We are 100 percent against anything illegal, such as prostitution. But it's different with something like this -- it's just unwholesome."
What comes to mind when you think of wholesome? Little red head Annie from that musical, then I guess it is unwholesome.

Many of the visitors are on the lookout for men like Joseph.
Flashing a dazzling smile and built like an Olympic basketball star, the 22-year-old said he has slept with more than 100 white women, most of them 30 years his senior.
So mathmatically if he started being sexually active since 16 that's 16.7 partners a year, I think some Hamilton people have beaten him out... maybe

"We both get something we want -- where's the negative?" Allie asked

And apparently they don't get paid (see below), so it's just like having a sugar momma, I got nothing against that, but use a condom

"It's a social arrangement. I buy him a nice shirt and we go out for dinner. For as long as he stays with me he doesn't pay for anything, and I get what I want -- a good time. How is that different from a man buying a young girl dinner?"
I say more power to them for getting what them want and it's legal, I just think some people are threatened by women being empowered.

Free press campaigners protest at China block

Article and Pic from Rueters

"The protesters, from media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, had originally planned their international human rights day demonstration to take place in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, but on Friday they were barred from visiting China and two said they were blacklisted."

Even if they made it into China they could not have put that poster up. No posters go up at Tiananmen, even if they don't have a political message

朋友是生活中不可或缺的精神支柱

Really appreciating my friends right now. Got through the week, with out too much 伤害 (pains).

So I just wanna say 朋友是生活中不可或缺的精神支柱, my friends are life’s necessary (spiritual) backbone. I interpret “spiritual” as your state of mind, aka our sanity and every day moods. My family is definitely my absolute support, I can seek them anytime and I know they’ll be there, and they’re always providing for me, so I totally appreciate everything they've done. But friends are a totally different support, they’re the peers who get me, we understand each other. And having a group of friends in a different country is so essential because I do not and I can’t talk to my family about certain aspects of my life because they just won’t get it. I need my friends there to hear the crazy party stories, the incredibly culturally shocking thing I saw on the bus, consul me on my rants, and share our fun, sad, amazing experiences, etc. My friends are the ones who experience the same things and feel similar emotions about cultural differences while in China, like I love my family but obviously they can’t completely understand my feelings, experiences and prospective towards China.

So hats off to you guys.
MIA: Michael
Too busy, flying his kite and making language partners

I guess my point is that without my friends I probably can’t survive an unfamiliar environment. My friends have become a new family for me, I mean, we spend Thanksgiving together. And although most people will not be in BJ during Christmas and New Years, Alex and I will make the most of it. I can’t wait for you guys to be back.

And I gotta shout out to my new Chinese friends I’ve made here, I have learned so much from them. They’ve helped me expand my views and opinions and made me grow so much.

Nicole

Her pic of us at a chill cafe in Goulu

Also technology has made it very easy to keep in touch with people across the world and I have just randomly called people, just to rant, and we’re literally nanoseconds apart in a way.

I guess, this post is reflecting of how much I appreciate my friends around me (literally and figuratively). It's the season for giving!

Coming clean... Weekend update

First off I wanna come clean, I am pretty excited the Spice Girls are touring. And they're coming to China and instead of selling tickets in China they're having a lottery. Of course I have already registered and crossing all my fingers.

Second guilty pleasure, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, how can I not watch it. Drama, bi-girl, cat fights, stupid people who make me feel so much smarter, Amazing!!!


Weekend, specifically Friday was ridic. My friend Alex won this contest that give him 8 passes to this Hip-hop/electro party and 2 bottles of Johnny Walker. I would just end here and let you guess what happened, but I will go on.

At first we ran into a little slip up, the magazine that he won everything from gave him all this good stuff, but then we couldn't sit in the club because you have to spend some sort of minimum at all the tables. At first we're like well we can pass the bottle around on the dance floor. Luckily it didn't have to come to that because we were VIP/ the magazine talked to the manager, Milky (not joking) we got a table ordered 125 of mixers (vs the 800 min).

Then the party started. The music wasn't quite hip-hop as I would like, but I did discover oldies when mixed can actually be danceable (Nicky, you prob would have thought it was sacrilege). The DJ was pretty impressive, along with the lighting girl, ok she was just cute.

We all danced till the JW was gone, and I gotta had it to Wang Xi, Alex's friend, she was breaking it down and putting us all to shame with her moves.

It was a great night. Thanks to Cityweekend for supporting our alcoholism (jk).

Leaves are falling

To me it's a surprise there are still leaves on the tree branches because Beijing has a harsh wind. But below is a pic at the Geological school, there are a lot of leaves are on the ground but the trees are still holding on.

Another pic I took at Beijing Normal. Fall really is the best season in Beijing


And this sign I noticed while I was on the bus. At first I thought it was a sign for promoting "culturedness" in Beijing because for the Olympics the government has been scrambling to tell people not to spit, etc. So I thought the sign was like "don't fight people", then I look closer and it's for the Technology school's gym. The event must be like judo or something. What sport do you just body slam someone?

Black Friday

Again not spending the time in the States for Thanksgiving, you miss out on the commercialization of it all like Black Friday.

Who doesn't love sales but I was listening to my NPR podcast and this interview came up:

Reporter: What items are you looking for?
Customer: Shoestrings.
R: Wait a minute, you're here on the busiest shopping day to look for shoestrings.
C: Yea, came here to buy some shoestrings.
R: How much are you planning on saving today on one of those shoestrings?
C: Prolly a lot.
R: Good luck to you man.

He must be living on a shoestring if he needs to save money on shoestrings.
This guy must still be hungover from all the turkey and stuffing. I'm so proud to be from a country where people are this stupid.

Thanksgiving BJ style

Our Thanksgiving wasn't so traditional but we had the turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, cider, pumpkin pie and some other delicious things, but we where we lacked football we replaced that with going to Obiwan, and when we were half way across the world from our family we spent it with our favorite friends. I am so thankful for all you guys.

The Gang at Thanksgiving

We knew those margaritas weren't such a good idea, but they were so delicious.

After, dinner with went to our favorite XiHai Bar, Obiwan, we served up a mean game of asshole where if you put down an ace you had to give everyone a little dance, if you put down a three you had to give the person to your right a lap dance, whenever the cards cleared you had to insult Alana, and I had to say something chauvinistic.

There was only one ace in the deck so we waited three rounds before we got up and danced.

Sneaky Huanhuan

Huanhuan and Me

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.