There’s a Chinese Twitter meme going around now, Twitter users — I’m supposed to say “Twitterati” and not “Twits” — are adding #080808 to their icons and tweets. David Feng explains more on CNReviews, and Ryan has a collection of #080808 twitter icons.
I don’t have the awesome art skills of other people doing this meme […]

There is much more of an expat community here in Beijing than there was in Yantai, but I find myself in a weird no-man’s-land between looking for the best meet-market bar with the cheapest beer, and looking for the best preschool. I suppose I’d reach this stage of life anywhere, but China brings this, like […]

We set out for Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant last night, our second trip in Hugo and Diana’s visit. (Hugo may not be so fond of living ducks, but he loves them on a plate!) When we went inside, we said hello to some other foreigners. They were a camera crew, setting up to film […]

Last night, I went shopping with Diana on the little streets by Qianhai. There’s a gorgeous old street, lined with craft and clothing and tea stores, and one place selling nothing but decorative matchbox covers.  There’s also a stinky-tofu vendor down at one end of the street, so we didn’t investigate those shops.
In some places, […]

Basic Chinese is my new superpower. I’ve been making a lot of progress with vocab and the hellish tones, and I’m starting to feel like Matt Parkman on Heroes, magically given the ability to hear what people around me are thinking, or in my case, saying. In the grand scheme of superpowers, though, perking my […]