Ramada Plaza Hotel Yantai

... and look down at the rocks by the sea and count a dozen such couples all being photographed in a small space. It is corny in the extreme. And the forced expressions on their faces somehow manages to be both nauseating and comical. I can't work out what is most objectionable about this phenomenon: the mawkish sentimentality, the artificiality, or the completely unimaginitive repetitiveness of it all: I'm just willing one of the men to perhaps wear a light grey suit.<br>

... what would happen to this planet if humans were to simply vanish. Besides everything being better and more just, think of how unbalanced and confused things would be and for how long. Now think of what will happen when we finally batter up and flake the last shark. The big blue would be turned upside down and confusion would rein for an unknown amount of time.<br><br>Yet we continue to fish and fish and fish ...

... each other better, told stories, got a little punch drunk, and got to laugh and hang out with our professors. Christy, I'll let you discover for yourself the charms of Chinese train-travel but just say it's awesomely ghetto. As I mentioned before Beijing is HUGE. So many people, so much pollution, it's a crazy place. But it really didn't feel much different at all, except that it was a city. I could have gone to DC and it ...

Just recently I was visiting my best Chinese mate in the seaside city of Yantai. On this one day, while we were strolling through a mall, I heard this Chinese trance-dance song playing faintly off in the distance. I thought, "Oh man, that was my song! My friends and I used to jam to it at the many Chinese dance clubs we used to frequent". I never knew the name of that song, but I was about to ...

Ok folks, I've finally started writing a blog! Just getting to grips with this site, it seems pretty complicated so I'm not going to get down to any serious writing just yet. It's almost dinner time here, the weather's pretty nice today as it's just about the end of winter now and I'm just lazing around. Have been watching some random TV ...

... kick to the head. This happened just after I had been stretched personally by Little Du for about 20 minutes straight. While he was doing it he asked me to help him with his English, I agreed if he would help me with my chinese. This was an elaborate cover for distracting me into stretching more while he said "January, February.." while I went "yi yue, er yue..." and so on until we got onto numbers and then days of the week, by the time we got to about Sunday ...

... Chu Shifu was the master of chinese medicine, massage and bagua. Bagua was the walking in circles class and the only time I went to massage was great (he's damn good). He was a really nice guy, constantly smiling goofily, never saw too much from him except his really long sword form. I don't mean the form was long, i mean the sword was about 4 feet. Zheng Shifu was the mantis master, he was a real tough guy, nice if you were not in his class and he ...

... out foreign students learning about how to eat with Chinese people without stuffing their faces and being rude. I think. After the rehearsal, the teacher and a couple of the organizers asked the korean girl and I what we would be wearing. Jeans? of course not. Skirts? mmm.. no.. not so great. Chinese dresses? No, not enough. how about we go downtown and rent you dresses? I was then piled onto a bus with a my cohost and a few Chinese girls and was taken ...

... I do have - they don't give any warnings here - everything is very last minute. Two minutes before lessons, I've been asked to teach songs, so I've had to run off, find the words and quick sharp think of a way to teach it, not to mention the fact that I can't sing and it is highly embarrassing. Yep, I've had to sing - and that's not the worst of it - I've had to sing "You are my Sunshine", "Auld Lang Syne" and, wait for it, "My Heart will go on!" Enough said. "Beautiful" is still ...

... Chinese! I was photographed looking suitably like an idiot, and then taken away for an interview. Perhaps the most special bit was when the photographer asked if he could have a photo with me himself, because I really am that special out here! Oh summer is here as you can see by the gorgeous cheery blossom! On a rather less inspiring note, I visited Yantai zoo this week. What can I say, I normally am distinctly unphased ...