Hahahha

Hey peeps,

I have had my first drunk-scapades here in Beijing - YAY!

Last night after work we (Aus workmates) went to a restaurant called 'Red Rose' and had OK muslim food. They did a really nice leg of lamb and the chunks of meat on the skewers were really nice too. They had belly-dancers as well and they were cool. One of them did her dance with a snake and the young 5y.o. son of one of the dudes hid under the table lol to get away from it.


Wow, I was drinking 600ml Heinekens during tea and was relatively charged by the time we left. We decided that (apart from the family) we'd go out on a Wednesday night. We went to a bar area here called Sanlitun, which is apparently where the Aus embassy is located too btw. lol. Anyway, after much harrassment from ho-dealers we managed to get into a bar that had a decent guitarist playing and we had a few more beers. then we went to a few other places and mixed drinks a bit but by the height of the evening we were drinking at a cheap street-vendors tables and started a massive beer-fight. It was cool, and they didnt care at all whilst we kept buying more drinks... I guess R.S. of A. doesnt exist lol. Anyway, after much Hi-5! attempts at random ppl we went to another club area. There, the alcohol started to catch up with me and a dude came and found me passed out in the loo =)

On the way home, I was spewing out of the taxi window and the driver was (apparently) not too happy but he didnt stop. Now, MY recollection of the cabby was that he was really nice and friendly - he even got out of the cab and gave me a hug when I left. The dude that took me home however informed me that he was realllllllllllly pissed off and was trying to hit me up for cash but I just gave him a hug and walked away. Then, I realised that I wasnt at my apartment building after all, so someone walked me home from that building lol.


Work was HELL today.

P.S. Apparently, yahoo's scrabble game Literati doesnt recognise the word 'pimp'... wtf.

Interesting Open Question

This question is sure to raise many interesting arguments:

"Should the Bible be classified as 'Historical Fiction'?"

You All

Well, it's 11:40pm on Saturday nigth & I find myself just watching the slideshow of pics beign displayed on the photo frame of everyone.

God I miss you all. I cant wait to see you guys next, you're all my family really & it's hard to be away.


Anyway, later peeps!

Big Day Out - Beijing

Hey Peeps,

Today I did my first touristy-sightseeing and went to the Forbidden City, Tian An Men, Panzi Houtong and the Emperor St Market. It was awesome. As soon as I got to the Forbidden City I met these two dudes from Shanghai. They are both doctors, one an intern and one older with more experience.

They both spoke English and basically became my tour guides for Tian An Men, the houtong and the market area. It was really nice as I'd never have ventured as far as I did without them. The old dude knew heaps about Beijing but the younger one was visiting for his first time so he didnt know much. The only place I really did myself was the market st but due to the events of the previous weekend I was completely uninhibited and just had a blast bargaining etc.

I think the shopkeepers really enjoyed bargaining with me:

• they invariably sent young women
• everytime they said "youre so smart/cute/etc" when trying to butter me up I just laughed at them and told them that I get that a lot, they need to say much more =)
  
• I really hammered them for price and wouldnt back down - but with a smile enjoying the game

I will have to go back to the forbidden city though as I only saw about 10% lol. But I really need a full day for it on its own. It's a pretty wicked place. I also got the info for the great wall tour I want to do in the coming weeks and that should be good.

Anyway, I hope people are having fun back home. I always like to see emails from you all so get typing =) Catch yas later!

Pics @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/8696598@N07/

My Sister's New Bub

Hey peeps,

My sister Sarah has given birth to her and Josh's first baby - a 3.1kg cute-as-hell baby girl. Her name is Georgia Jane Bisson and she was born 9:09am 22-June-2007. Sarah had to have a c-section though as the baby was sitting too high or something. I dont really understand how but the cut was only about 8cm! Apparently the procedure was really rough though which sounds strange - like a nurse was really shoving down on her belly to force the bub through the hole - it sounds really quite interesting lol.

Anyway, I cant wait to meet her. Scary said that everyone in the families has been flitting about all day, and that she'll be in hospital until about Wednesday next week. I wish I was in Sydney for it, I guess we'll meet sometime soon. Apparently Josh was really shy to hold her incase he broke her or something so he actually held her after a few of the other women there lol, but I guess that's how we guys react to such small and fragile beings.

Welcome to the world Georgia, I can't wait to meet you! (beaming Uncle Jon).

Rolling the Roller

Hey ppl,

well, as some of you may be aware, I got majorly rolled last Saturday. I was in a really touristy area of Beijing that was recommended to me as a good place to be able to get something of quality for my -new- baby neice that's due late June. So I went to wangfujing (it's like a shopping area) and found something to buy her (I wont say until I've given the pressie) =).

Anyway, after a hot morning of wandering around I went to a tea house and decided that the whole "tea in China" thing would be cool. Well, evidently so did the tea house and they charged me like Y2030 for my afternoon's tea. That's water and leaves and it cost $350. And no, there was nothing 'untoward' about it - just water and leaves. The experience before I got the bill was cool though, a real cultural thig was happening and there was a waitress that did the whole tea-ceremony show thing and I really enjoyed the experience.

Anyway, when I got the bill I was like 'fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck', but as it seemed legit I paid (I had to use my c/c) and left for my hotel room. I mused over it a bit, complained to some ppl online and lived really cheap for a few days.

Then, I told the foreigner dudes at my work and they were all like "dude, that's FUCKED. you got rolled and that's obviously a scam.". They really forced the issue at me for a couple of days 'cause I was too embarrassed to return to the place to ask for my money back as I thought that I knew that it looked like an expensive place, but not that expensive, and that at least it was a learning experience. But the dudes were adament and said that arguing was an experience in China anyway so we piled in a cab today and headed toward the tea place.

Well, we didnt really expect to be too successful as once you've handed over the cash as a consumer here, you're completely reliant upon the vendor's morality. Once that moeny's left your hand, there's no consumer protection, nothing forcing anyone to give you what you've paid for - and I had paid the weekend gone.

We arrived at the tea house and Trevor (later) tells me that he knows more Chinese for arguing than anything else lol. He argues with them for about 30 mins in Mandarin and at the end, secured about an 85% refund. I'm stunned. He then tells me that as soon as he said that "I'll tell everyone here what you're doing" they caved and gave us money. That was our spot of luck really as if no one else was being scammed at the time, they'd never have given us a cent.

The really nice thing for me wasnt getting 85% of my money back though. Once I had the cash in my hand, I told everyone else there what was going down and induced a mass walk out without paying of all the people there. I really fucked with their jive and they can go to hell if I care. It apparently is a classic scam for foreigners but most of us dont have dudes at the office that:

a) they feel comfortable telling such things
b) have a Masters in Arguing in Mandarin
c) have the class to carry a refund through (VERY RARE here) then provide the opportunity to turn the situation back round

So, Chinese scammers can go to hell.

The interesting thing is that I expected that scammers would try to get me, but this situation, time of day, setting etc just took me completely by surprise. I think Westerners are spoiled at home by authorities that really clamp down on such shit and as a result really are too trusting. Not anymore for this chappy.

Anyway, that's my nice ending to a shitty story - those that rolled me:
a) paid me almost all my money back
b) lost lots of money when I proceeded to tell all the ppl there today

Mwahahahahahahahha! It was a good day.

Food

Hi-5 for Dysentery!

New office, street drinking etc

Well, my new office is moving! we're moving about a km or two away and it takes is a little away from the center of the CBD district (ChaoYang). However, the new office building is brand new and is about 2-3 times the size of the old one. One of the dudes here (Trevor, he worked in Canberra and knows Geoff [Hyper, from parties back around 1999/2000] as Geoff was his boss! small world) actually took it upon himself to do the interior decorating lol. I am going to go to check out the office tonight and also to try and find new restaurants - preferably with picture menus. When you go overseas to some place that doesnt speak English or use Latin characters, you'll appreciate picture menus =)

I'm living in a hotel atm as I had to get out of my awesome apartment now that we're moving etc. I am to look at new places on Monday at lunch so this hotel room is home for now. it's ok but I wouldnt write home about it (heh) - maybe 3 stars.

Last night I went with some people from the office to a place called "Schindlers" which was a german restaurant in the heart of the southern embassy district. The food was a realllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly nice change as they have real sausages, schnitzels, saurkraut, cheesy-potatoe things and german beer. And it wasnt too expensive either. After that, we went to the 'Biscuit-Lady' who is this lady that maintains a shabby store-front on a corner near one of the dude's apartment buildings.

She mainly caters tothe migrant workers that live near her stand and as such the facilities were extremely basic. But, it was a fantastic night =) we sat on the edge of her shop front on rickety stools and drank 1.5 "kwai" (roughly, "bucks") longneck beers - which is about 20cents aus. they had a chu'ar (ckicken skewers dusted with arab spices and bbqd then and there) also just up the way which is tasty and half-kwai per stick, extremely cheap really. It's that sort of street-scape and experience that I was hoping to have and I'm glad that I've had it so quickly, however the dudes here were already locals there so that made it easier. I guess beer that cheap will always attract Aussies =)

Anyway, I'm going to go look at the new office then find some food somewhere. Also - My little sister is almost due for her baby - 28th of June - so I cant wait to hear that she has given birth without issue to a happy and healthy baby girl.


Until next time, cheers and have a good one!

KTV with Officemates

Hey ppl,

yesterday I went to KTV here which is almost exactly like the noraebangs in Korea except no one drinks. It's basically private karaoke rooms and the idea is that everyone has a blast murdering otherwise good music. My boss Francis and one of the developer girls Liyang are both really good and did several duets (at my boss's request, he's a performer lol). I got up and murdered "Bon Jovi: It's my life", "Elton John: Crocodile Rock", "The Doors: House of the Rising Sun" and a couple of others.

A word of advise - it's a lot of fun and you shouldnt be shy - give it a go! I wish there was some leg-opener beer or something to help 'loosen up' at the start but other than that it's such a great passtime.

Afterwards a couple of the foreigner ppl and a developer from my office and I went back to do more singing/murdering back at an apartment of ours and that was great too. We drank beer, crooned out Aussie classics from the likes of Crowded House and Jimmy Barnes and then went and had wicked sushi. I got thoroughly trashed and when I woke up this morning my apartment was plus a half-full magnum of sake that I walked home with lol.

Great night.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8696598@N07

China and visa and everything since my last post

Hey peeps, well it's been a few days since my last post and lots has happened since I left Sydney last week. I have received my work permit from China and subsequently the visa. I have actually left Aus for China and made it to Beijing. I have started my new job and have learned some Mandarin.

The second part of the visa issues was that after much disorganised muckign about and several well-'executed' pagan rituals, I got the work permit original delivered to Sydney and my Sister applied for my visa on my behalf and got it. It was a pretty good effort though to be fair. My sister was really the one that made it happen as without her I would not have been able to have the presence in Sydney as it was required.

Leaving Tas was REALLY hard Saturday morning, not just because of the heavy drinking all week, but it was really nice to say goodbye to those that I saw Saturday morning and at the airport. In many ways it started to sink in just who and whaat I was going to be leaving Saturday morning and I hadn't really felt anything about leaving until then.

The trip to Beijing was long and went Ltn - Syd - Brs - Bangkok - Beijing over 36hrs. I was pretty tired by the end as I didnt really sleep much - just the odd few minutes. Economy-class seats... Anyway I got to Beijing and getting through customs was piss easy due to the really awesome visa I now have. It's basically an unlimited one so I can come and go as I please which makes the effort required in gertting it seem ok. When I cleared customs I walked out and found that my driver had my name on a piece of paper and was waiting at the exit. He didnt speak any English so we just walked to the car and drove to my new place.

Beijing was having a bad polution day Sunday so I could not see the sun. It has happened again since Sunday and apparently not seeing the sun is pretty common here (due to pollution). I was not met by anyone from my office so I had a shit of a night really but I managed to find some random ppl that helped me out which was great and I made it tot he office the next morning ok.

My new office is pretty full on. It's really busy and ppl always look tired/stressed. Most ppl have at least some english and I have now started learning Mandarin with a dude twice a week so I will have plenty to practice in between lessons =) The culture seems to me to be really "gogogo" and I am sure that if I stick with it it'd be rewarding job-wise, really staying will come down to whether or not I like living here. I will stay at least until Kristy gets up here at the start of October, and I have to pray that I am not required to work at any time during the public holiday period.

So, now I'm starting to settle into a routine for work but it's only been less that one week. When I get confirmation that I will be staying in my apartment and not moving soon I will be able to unpack and settle a little more, so I think staying til October at the earliest would be the right thing to do. I have an 'ayi' who is an apartment cleaner but she also -apparently- irons for me and does the dishes. That's a big awesome point and I can see myself getting REALLY lazy, heh when I get home I'm either going to find a wife [sorry ladies =) ] or have to pay a cleaner lol. But yeah that's really cool.

The biggest issue here for me is not being able to effectively communicate with everyone. I have found that event the absolute simplest things become a real challenge and it frustrates me a shitload. I bought a phone card today using Chinese (hack) which was fullfilling to the max and I was like "YES - take THAT China! I used Mandarin to p0wn your street vendor" lol, you get the idea.

OH - and I have three new goals for my impact on this office. I want to:

• Make ppl smile more
• Make ppl be louder generally
  
• get ppl doing the 'thumbs up' thing

Umm, for tonight I think this will do, there's a lot to talk about for life here but I'll leave it for now. I hope everyone back home is doing well and I hope EVERYONE knows that I miss you all terribly. It's amazing how much a part of me you all are and I didnt really ralise just how much until I left lol. Anyway, talk later and keep the emails coming!

Buh!