tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19028071628621145182024-02-21T12:55:15.061+08:00The Silver Fox in ChinaRecently nicknamed "The Silver Fox" due to the shade of my hair, I'm an Aussie radio executive working and living in China. I can't live without my passport, and look at the world through "Seinfeld" coloured glasses. Welcome to my adventure....Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-85790051464909952842014-07-09T17:02:00.000+08:002014-07-10T09:14:47.323+08:00Once upon a time in the Middle Kingdom...Once upon a time there lived a man called Barry the Wise. Barry the Wise was from the Great Southern Land and travelled the world teaching people about a magic box he called radio. The box was magic because it allowed people to speak to millions of other people all at once, serenade them with music, and tell them where they could pick up icy cold cans of Coke from the back of the Black Thunder.<br />
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In the year 2012 AD, Barry the Wise travelled to the Middle Kingdom to share his wisdom with its people. Barry was employed by Lord Ken to travel the land, and teach the people about the magic box called radio. Barry the Wise visited many great cities in the kingdom, none greater than the city of Hefei.<br />
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One evening, Lord Ken called on Barry the Wise and requested that he accompany Lord Ken to the great city of Hefei to meet with the rulers of Hefei's magic box called radio. The meeting would include Lord Ken, Barry the Wise, Prince Luca (second in command), and Allan the Master of Coin. Like all meetings in the great city of Hefei, it would be followed by a great feast which would include the dreaded poison elixir called Baijiu. <br />
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Barry the Wise knew much about the language of the Middle Kingdom and he knew that Baijiu in the common tongue meant white wine. But Barry the Wise did not think it tasted like white wine at all. Barry the Wise knew one day man would build a ship that would take to the stars. These ships would no doubt be propelled by Baijiu.<br />
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Upon arriving in the great city of Hefei, they were summoned to the tower of Hefei's magic box called radio. There they met with the Lord of the tower, and spent an enjoyable 30 minutes conversing with the Lord about the magic box called radio, and how much they enjoyed working together. Everyone rejoiced at how profitable the relationship had become, and Lord Ken was very keen on continuing the relationship.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ156RHD9e650p4uBuImWh3SEYJhUYDS2P4vTkB0IaimON3qCFm9pKrzSvJRSYeiVGCcdJ_S7yYNIN7uLzqws5oO9TR6JdIXfWplDYQOAPcwhR7aChkrfuJG2wZ-NxY6_mzgEdl8OTtbw/s1600/IMG_0966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ156RHD9e650p4uBuImWh3SEYJhUYDS2P4vTkB0IaimON3qCFm9pKrzSvJRSYeiVGCcdJ_S7yYNIN7uLzqws5oO9TR6JdIXfWplDYQOAPcwhR7aChkrfuJG2wZ-NxY6_mzgEdl8OTtbw/s1600/IMG_0966.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a>The meeting concluded, and everyone was ushered into the dining room where the great feast would begin, and the dreaded poison elixir Baijiu would be served.<br />
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The great dining room was beautifully furnished with elegant furniture from the city of Hefei. Barry the Wise, Lord Ken, Prince Luca, and Allan the Master of Coin were joined by several members of the high council of the magic box called radio. After the introductions were made, everyone took their seats around the great table and the feast commenced. There were many delicious dishes served, and like most cities in the Middle Kingdom, there was always plenty of food to go around.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGNtvNLE2Tf3SRzMPNRv_oryfRJIJwShLwHCA9SQv7YRCXJ5GNWLJQa8-vnqXcFNxSYFQu58MFd3AZ_PpfT5-ruy10Sd-b6mStfN5r6KkIvXkmKbw51PyODUECmCe_LFF6Qa4ZN9mHPY/s1600/IMG_0973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGNtvNLE2Tf3SRzMPNRv_oryfRJIJwShLwHCA9SQv7YRCXJ5GNWLJQa8-vnqXcFNxSYFQu58MFd3AZ_PpfT5-ruy10Sd-b6mStfN5r6KkIvXkmKbw51PyODUECmCe_LFF6Qa4ZN9mHPY/s1600/IMG_0973.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjYn-wLQRw9jxD5_6oB17_2ylOTOozIEVskHRIPaStlNozsyF4rGlDOa2LaorMRu75ga1PYYWAMA6-ARJVrsE2r_OtpUpBbuK29ItbHAqH-C9hlnR8zm-Aa7I3kugIZ_kxCteM9MqkCA/s1600/IMG_0968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjYn-wLQRw9jxD5_6oB17_2ylOTOozIEVskHRIPaStlNozsyF4rGlDOa2LaorMRu75ga1PYYWAMA6-ARJVrsE2r_OtpUpBbuK29ItbHAqH-C9hlnR8zm-Aa7I3kugIZ_kxCteM9MqkCA/s1600/IMG_0968.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvjqjPQl2odmMcfi1egMAZXmRGJj6lfwBFg0NnhtPPQovWScMk2bdGnwzKBSNtr4SXGsWPmjgv-seRQ3UCAP1Q9ArK96VKXnf5nIEkuZ2BsXqScI_ROtCG8t2yq62U23xPs1BuWiAa9M/s1600/IMG_0976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvjqjPQl2odmMcfi1egMAZXmRGJj6lfwBFg0NnhtPPQovWScMk2bdGnwzKBSNtr4SXGsWPmjgv-seRQ3UCAP1Q9ArK96VKXnf5nIEkuZ2BsXqScI_ROtCG8t2yq62U23xPs1BuWiAa9M/s1600/IMG_0976.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a>After the feast commenced, the poison elixir known as Baijiu was brought out by the servers, and small serving jugs were filled in front of each guest. It is customary for all who feast to drink the poison elixir, but to the surprise of everyone, Lord Ken refused. "No matter", said a member of the high council, "more for everyone else." Barry the Wise watched as each jug was filled with the poison elixir, recalling the ill effects he received from the last meeting in the great city of Hefei<br />
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In every city of the Middle Kingdom, it is again a custom for everyone who attends a great feast to propose a toast. At this great feast, there were 12 people so Barry the Wise prepared to drink 12 times - at least. Even though the poison elixir known as Baijiu is consumed at every important feast in the Middle Kingdom, Barry the Wise is still to meet someone who actually enjoys it.<br />
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The leader of the high council proposed the first toast, and everyone drained their<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRq7smIH2KvTCIb0LO_kJX8ib1HgAbGOzOmf_MAmOOWb7XxhP0whm7aLHLDy9sNnGEFDd2ZsgEIvZaziaJETx-m5etkjCED637vQDXjchrAazmGnaaxv6z0YIhbeiBGrui2h_9DMIjrIA/s1600/IMG_0977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRq7smIH2KvTCIb0LO_kJX8ib1HgAbGOzOmf_MAmOOWb7XxhP0whm7aLHLDy9sNnGEFDd2ZsgEIvZaziaJETx-m5etkjCED637vQDXjchrAazmGnaaxv6z0YIhbeiBGrui2h_9DMIjrIA/s1600/IMG_0977.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a>glasses, and the toasting began. Everyone refilled their glasses from their jugs, and continued to toast each other. The only saving grace for Barry the Wise and his colleagues was the glass was only small. On the other hand, the poison elixir known as Baijiu was very strong so the fact the glasses were small probably didn't help. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YC96fFdSiCVk6xqjW4BcZGHicQ8zlEJIP9TurSAx5uItLHXhiYgP-hEkI5IN1cplx682W8IVbWK6Ol2Kk1sTfIXB_sWByf9af_DrU4zzh4AdlM4WSQoWWNoS1V0He4o5APlwvLOvzsk/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YC96fFdSiCVk6xqjW4BcZGHicQ8zlEJIP9TurSAx5uItLHXhiYgP-hEkI5IN1cplx682W8IVbWK6Ol2Kk1sTfIXB_sWByf9af_DrU4zzh4AdlM4WSQoWWNoS1V0He4o5APlwvLOvzsk/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCqhZ_uTN3XgVOKwLgpdtp7fcvIveogyvh3F7BoAzW_jsNYM5zl0Ik9a50H_y9IvlH0CONR17lQ6BGVbU6pYm1r78Sdn1Io90zTJ3MOu0VdEtiJwip4XUawMIoMRw9cviAUxUQzMRPCc/s1600/IMG_0969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCqhZ_uTN3XgVOKwLgpdtp7fcvIveogyvh3F7BoAzW_jsNYM5zl0Ik9a50H_y9IvlH0CONR17lQ6BGVbU6pYm1r78Sdn1Io90zTJ3MOu0VdEtiJwip4XUawMIoMRw9cviAUxUQzMRPCc/s1600/IMG_0969.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a>The feast continued, and so did the drinking of the dreaded elixir called Baijiu. Barry the Wise had consumed 2/3 of his jug, when a member of the high council proposed that he dispense with the glass, and drink from the jug instead. Barry the Wise thought this a foolish idea, but remembered that this was the great city of Hefei, and they make the rules. So, after a little encouragement from Lord Ken, Barry the Wise drained what was left of the dreaded elixir called Baijiu.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hTx-bGWtKhL-b4Kn6bmmy6enJZmezJcrPuNWuZJ77mJqlaqb_uxZgWB26-7DsFcv3W9urzBGJMNOs9g8nVvzeeo3Et1pdXLZSM_gbefzItXjqU1n1r1C1fYhdYGgPIjtZ9fbzptzgUw/s1600/IMG_0975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hTx-bGWtKhL-b4Kn6bmmy6enJZmezJcrPuNWuZJ77mJqlaqb_uxZgWB26-7DsFcv3W9urzBGJMNOs9g8nVvzeeo3Et1pdXLZSM_gbefzItXjqU1n1r1C1fYhdYGgPIjtZ9fbzptzgUw/s1600/IMG_0975.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a><br />
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Barry the Wise sat back down, thinking that his adventure was over and that he would consume no more poison elixir called Baijiu. However, there was evil seated at the table this day. For one of the high council called for more Baijiu, and for the jugs to be filled again with the poison elixir, and for the toasting to continue. Barry the Wise turned to Allan the Master of Coin and whispered two simple words. "Help me!".<br />
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So, much to the disappointment of Barry the Wise and his colleagues, more of the poison elixir called Baijiu was consumed. Barry the Wise began to feel the effects of the poison elixir called Baijiu. He started to feel dizzy, he giggled to himself and laughed at Lord Kens jokes, and wanted to tell everyone at the great feast how much he loved them. No really, he loved them all. He also felt inclined to jump on the table and sing, a popular form of entertainment in the Middle Kingdom. Maybe not for the people who had to listen to Barry the Wise sing, but definitely for him.<br />
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After what seemed like an eternity, but was in fact only 2 hours, the feast ended and the members of the high council retired to their quarters. Lord Ken and Allan the Master of Coin returned to their homes, Prince Luca retired to his chambers, and Barry the Wise went back to work. He did not do much teaching of the magic box called radio that afternoon as his head was spinning, but he still had the urge to tell everyone he loved them. However, he did spend alot of time sharing the story of the great feast, and his dislike for the poison elixir called Baijiu.<br />
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If you do decide to travel to the Middle Kingdom, remember the story of Barry the Wise and his colleagues, and of the poison elixir they call Baijiu. Whether you drink it or not, that is up to you. But if you do drink it, and you like the poison elixir called Baijiu, please tell Barry the Wise. He would so love to meet an actual person who enjoys it. <br />
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Oh, and everyone lived happily ever after.<br />
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The End.<br />
<br />Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-73575419363784991772014-06-08T22:24:00.001+08:002014-06-08T22:24:32.544+08:00Kill a chicken to scare the monkeys - My 2 years in ChinaNihao!<br />
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First, let me explain the title of my blog post. "Kill a chicken to scare the monkeys" is a Chinese proverb that I heard and somehow has stuck in my head, and I thought I could use it as the title of my blog (to get your attention), and then segue from this into my latest entry celebrating my 2 years in China!!!<br />
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Yep, it's been 2 years (9th June 2012) since I arrived at Beijing Capital airport with damaged luggage, a driver who was 20 minutes late leaving me in a mild panic, a hotel room where I still don't know what the smell was, and my first thought being "what the hell have I done?!"<br />
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But 2 years on, I can now say that I feel very much at home amongst the countries 1.3 billion people, except of course for the silver hair which makes me stand out like a chicken in a troop of monkeys.<br />
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If this is the first time you've read my blog, let me fill you in (and also ask why is it the first time you're reading my blog?)<br />
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- I'm an Australian radio executive living and working in China, teaching the locals how to create great radio content specialising in music, research, and talent coaching<br />
- I live in Beijing, but travel to our radio stations in 10 cities within China<br />
- After 2 years, I still haven't been to the Great Wall! (but I have seen it from a bus)<br />
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Living and working in China was never a part of my career plan (neither was getting married for a radio promotion, but that's another story), but I'm so glad I decided to take on this role because it has been an awesome adventure. And to celebrate my 2 years in China, I have chosen a selection of photos that I want to share with you so you can hopefully get a feel for what life has been like in China. They are in no particular order except the first photo is, well, the first photo.<br />
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When I left Perth, I flew to Malaysia for 2 weeks for an induction into our company, then onto Beijing. As you can see from this photo taken at KL airport, I flew to Beijing on flight MH370. In fact, when I have returned from Australia a number of times, I have flown into Beijing on this same flight. When I first heard about the missing MH370, I'm sure you can understand a little shiver went down my spine. <br />
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OK, sorry to start with such a serious photo. Let's move onto something more festive, literally. This is our Beijing office Chinese New Year family photo. Because I travel alot to our stations, I am usually only in the office 1 week out of each month. But it's always nice to see everyone in the office. Most of the staff don't speak English, so it also gives me an opportunity to practice my 96 hours of Chinese lessons.<br />
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As I mentioned, I do spend alot of time on the road travelling between our 10 cities (if you have a map - Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Nanjing, Nanchang, Hefei, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Urumqi and Changchun). Most of my travel is by plane, but every now and then I take the fast train. A great way to see China go past at 300 km/h, plus get some work done without having to "turn off all electrical appliances for takeoff and landing". Only problem is I don't get any frequent flyer points.<br />
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Hefei is the capital of Anhui province, and is relatively small (7.4 million people). My first visit to Hefei was in August 2012, and it was also my first visit to a KTV (karaoke). The one thing you quickly learn in China is that most Chinese would not look or sound out of place on "The Voice". They can all bloody sing! After watching all the staff sing a song or two, I realised I was never going to compete. So I just picked a song (Billy Joel of course), and hammed it up as much as I could to hopefully detract from my lack of singing ability. I did get a round of applause, but I think that was more to do with the fact I had finished and not on my performance.<br />
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Being the only ex-pat in the company, and having a shock of silver hair, I tend to attract a reasonable amount of attention. It's OK in day to day life, but not when you are sitting in the front row of a magic show in Changchun. Our station put on a party for clients, which included said magic show. I was front row, direct centre, and an obvious choice for his assistant. One small problem. I didn't understand what he was saying. Thank god I could understand his body language, so I just followed what he was doing, which worked. I still don't know the Chinese word for "abracadabra".<br />
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Speaking of Changchun, it is one of the coldest cities in China during winter, getting down to -35 degrees. The above client party was held late December (winter), and the temperature got down to -30 degrees. It was the coldest I have ever been in my life. As you can see from this photo (rugged up in many layers), I was excited to be travelling to Changchun. And yes, I now own a pair of long underwear!<br />
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I've written many times about the pollution, especially in Beijing. So I could not write about my 2 years in China without mentioning it again. Pollution is measured on a scale of 1 to 500, measuring the particles 2.5 microns in size, small enough to get into your lungs. Sydney, on average, has a pollution level of 7. Beijing has an average of 120. In January 2013 we had one of the worst days at 728. The narratives accompanying the number usually range from "lightly polluted" to "heavy pollution" to "hazardous". I think the day it got to 728 it simply said "buried or cremated?".<br />
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My role with Adrep China is General Manager of Content (for those in radio, a fancy title for Group Content Director). A large part of my job is teaching our local team of Program Managers about radio, and how to create great content. They are a great bunch of people, and I'm sure they teach me more about China than I teach them about radio. This photo is from our group training session in Beijing, October 2012.<br />
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One of the first blogs I wrote was centred around how things get "lost in translation". I would have to say at least once a week I snap a photo of a sign or notice that has got lost in translation. I'm sure it makes perfect sense in Chinese, but loses something when translated. This is one of the first I snapped, found in my hotel in Nanchang. The famous "Background Music Regulating Cock". I was a little scared to turn it, because I didn't know what to expect.<br />
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The expat community in Beijing is growing every year, and Internations Bejing (a company establish to provide social gatherings for expats in various countries) is now one of the biggest in the world. Because of this, there are now many magazines in English aimed at the expat - including restaurant reviews, accommodation services, travel advice etc. One such magazine, Agenda Beijing, ran a regular feature called "Beijing's Brainiest Boss" and I was invited to appear. They take some photos, then ask you 12 business related questions. The result? A respectable 7 out of 12. I mean, who knows that the worlds richest man is a Mexican?! (You can check out my results <a href="http://agendabeijing.com/barry-keohane-general-manager-content-myfm-china-radio-network/" target="_blank">here</a> )<br />
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Our company is growing every year, and in February we launched our newest stations in Guangzhou (see below), and Shijiazhuang. As mentioned, part of what I do is training the Chinese DJ's on what makes great content, and how to deliver it everyday. It's one of the most rewarding parts of the job. That, and actually being able to say "Shijiazhuang".<br />
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At midnight on December 31, 2013 most people were celebrating the New Year. I was in a radio studio in Guangzhou, pressing "play" on the newest MyFM in China. As I sat there, I realised that not many radio programmers in Australia (or even the world) would ever have the chance to launch a new station in a market of over 16 million people! At 12:01am on January 1st 2014, the only thing I could think of was "just don't fuck it up!"<br />
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As you can see, the party was in full swing after we launched the new MYFM Guangzhou. Janssen (Nanchang Program Manager), myself, and Director of Guangzhou Radio Director He posed for the official photo (which will no doubt appear in some Communist Party Newsletter somewhere), then went off for a celebratory beer at 2am. Hey, it was New Years Eve after all.<br />
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I know I mentioned at the start that I did feel at home amongst the 1.3 billion Chinese, but sometimes it does get a little overwhelming. At times I remember that I'm a foreigner, I don't speak the language, I live in a different country, and our cultures are very different. The thing that keeps me sane is the fantastic group of friends that I have made along the way. Most of the people I have met have all been here the same length of time, we are all away from our family and friends experiencing a very different way of life. So, it's great to get together, share experiences, share a laugh, and share plenty of alcohol! Here are some of my favourite moments....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhYpStjIXdm9l2LyjvSYv2-a3PUM4xu4KS4mxaBj6_cXqHaPBpQP8gOmkfEt4sBzc1NHzwBOlag4c49nxTEmmLa_W9D4UyungXSB6rYDBO1EquzNJ6BPciVtFhSNNDFxY9gIeweXKqLNA/s1600/Bowling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhYpStjIXdm9l2LyjvSYv2-a3PUM4xu4KS4mxaBj6_cXqHaPBpQP8gOmkfEt4sBzc1NHzwBOlag4c49nxTEmmLa_W9D4UyungXSB6rYDBO1EquzNJ6BPciVtFhSNNDFxY9gIeweXKqLNA/s1600/Bowling.jpg" height="152" width="200" /></a><br />
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One of the first social events I went to was tenpin bowling (July 2012), and have been to pretty much every monthly bowling event since. A great opportunity to meet up with old and new friends, share a beer and have a bowl. This photo was from May 2014.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxxoTavqx8cqoYFaxsX0EoE2VX5ctzy1pke-CVhSAPHtwR9B8lgRxoHMsIpqUXM5DKAX1pbyVVEgYErPr_yQY4S71Sm0EOMkfWm-BnztlqRB0G602P88aa6XXsn7A9ejPanhWKGSGWXE/s1600/Polo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxxoTavqx8cqoYFaxsX0EoE2VX5ctzy1pke-CVhSAPHtwR9B8lgRxoHMsIpqUXM5DKAX1pbyVVEgYErPr_yQY4S71Sm0EOMkfWm-BnztlqRB0G602P88aa6XXsn7A9ejPanhWKGSGWXE/s1600/Polo.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><br />
As I mentioned, China is attracting more and more expats every year, which makes it a great place to meet people from all over the world. We hired a bus to get to the British Polo event (Nov 2013) outside Beijing, and we had a great day/night. If I'm counting correctly, this group includes 11 nationalities. Great, I'll have somewhere to stay in 10 different countries!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWU09QSJuwL5UtR5QnHK02JXZte4PEi0I9iI7mUhRBhyphenhyphen6BheNsLUtHy_769QU_xsotMJYZwXZtiqPE36yR38FRr40bAKDJGr7VpkrLwvn6OuuuvNxUMUEgWSqFQIDUzHj19Rn4XkfKblY/s1600/IMG_0848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWU09QSJuwL5UtR5QnHK02JXZte4PEi0I9iI7mUhRBhyphenhyphen6BheNsLUtHy_769QU_xsotMJYZwXZtiqPE36yR38FRr40bAKDJGr7VpkrLwvn6OuuuvNxUMUEgWSqFQIDUzHj19Rn4XkfKblY/s1600/IMG_0848.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>The social scene in Beijing is growing every year, and one of the biggest events is the St Patricks Day Irish Ball. Last year (2013) I was recovering from food poisoning so wasn't in much of a party mood - but I made up for it this year. We managed to get everyone in one spot for this photo, including our very own Irish representatives (thanks Jules and Susie).<br />
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Of course, one of the disadvantages of people coming to Beijing for short term contract work is that they then have to leave. In my 2 years, I think I have said goodbye to over 10 people who have become good friends. It sounds weird, but it's almost like you're away at camp. You are meeting new people, away from your family, having fun, playing volleyball on the sand (OK, maybe not playing volleyball), then it ends and you all have to go home. This photo was from a leaving party for Camilla and Stefan. Camilla is from Sweden, Stefan from Spain, and they now live in South Africa. What an adventure! And you can see we were all so sad to see them go! :)<br />
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I could write alot more, and show you more photos, but that would spoil the slide nights I have planned for when I come back to Australia. I feel like I have achieved alot in 2 years - launched 2 new radio stations, trained alot of staff, eaten my body weight in rice, and finally learned my second Chinese swear word.<br />
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Thanks to everyone who has read my blog and shown interest in my adventure. Yes, it is hard being away from family and friends, but it's also been an amazing experience and something I will cherish for a very long time. It's been a great 2 years......maybe a song to celebrate!<br />
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Zaijian!<br />
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<br />Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-31664936851769970802014-04-09T14:21:00.000+08:002014-04-09T14:21:50.685+08:008 things about China I now consider normalNihao!<br />
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I'm sure most of you had thought I had left China considering it's been 6 months since my last blog entry. And I know some of you have been waiting patiently for the next chapter of my incredible Chinese adventure. OK, maybe just mum and dad have been waiting.<br />
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Well, wait no longer. Here it is! <br />
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Like any good story, for those of you who have just joined, let me fill you in.<br />
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1. I am an Australian radio executive living and working for the last 2 years in China<br />
2. I'm responsible for programming 9 radio stations in the MyFM China network<br />
3. I once played the role of Jimmy Olsen in the Picton High School version of "Man of Steel", and sang a love song to Lois Lane. Not directly related to my job, but it has helped my karaoke skills in China.<br />
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I recently read an article titled "20 things that change after living in China", and it got me thinking. This thinking then led me to creating my new blog entry, <b>"8 things about China I now consider normal"</b>.<br />
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1. <u>Carrying your girlfriends handbag</u><br />
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Even though I'm currently single, I have had enough exposure to the female species to understand their obsession with the handbag. And, like most loving boyfriends/husbands/partners, I have been more than willing to "hold" said handbag on occasion. But, the Chinese have taken it to a new level. Not only do Chinese men hold the handbag, but they also carry it around for their partner. And it's not like the girl is weighed down with other items. No, I think it's just a task that has been gradually handed over to the man, whether he likes it or not.<br />
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It could also be the reason why Chinese men have adopted the "man bag" as an accessory.<br />
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2. <u>Chinese girls and the "selfie"</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lFNe4GMp5xT2qJyCsU6J-NoLKHlamNKjcFa-OJEwBApvCvXM4kOlRRL8ydu8aYLQUhM01444yq2opYdKTnXazjemu72maYbbuR0YG_vgELQdyaf7CB3wh_6muzbLTWNvLOo0kBklaZM/s1600/Chinese+selfie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lFNe4GMp5xT2qJyCsU6J-NoLKHlamNKjcFa-OJEwBApvCvXM4kOlRRL8ydu8aYLQUhM01444yq2opYdKTnXazjemu72maYbbuR0YG_vgELQdyaf7CB3wh_6muzbLTWNvLOo0kBklaZM/s1600/Chinese+selfie.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a>The "selfie" is one of the biggest trends in the world, and not because of Ellen Degeneres and her celebrity selfie from the Oscars, but because of the Chinese. I believe they can lay claim to the "selfie". My first few months here, I was amazed at how much time Chinese girls spend taking photos of themselves in different poses. Smiling, pouting, moody, broody, fingers up, cheeks blown out, glasses on, glasses off etc etc. It is so popular and so trendy, that there is even a website in China that shows you 100 different "selfie" face expressions to try. Really? 100? I could only think of 7. A few weeks ago, I was on a train from Shijiazhuang to Beijing, a journey of approximately 1 hour. The entire journey, the girl in the seat opposite me spent it taking a range of selfies. God bless the digital camera. (Note, the photo attached is from Google)<br />
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3. <u>Eating dessert first</u><br />
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I know, it sounds crazy right? On my first trip to Xi'an, my colleagues took me out to dinner and ordered the dessert on the right as part of the meal. They explained it was from Hong Kong, and it's baked warm honey bread with ice cream which melts and it tastes awesome. What they didn't explain was that it was served first. What? I'm sorry, but after spending the last 40 years eating dessert last, I can only go from savoury to sweet. I cannot go from sweet to savoury. My taste buds would freak out! For some reason, the Chinese like to eat dessert first, and most times will finish the meal with rice or noodles, or maybe soup. My taste buds have adjusted, but it took a long time. But I have a sweet tooth, so there is NO way I am missing dessert, even if it is served first.<br />
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4. <u>Smelling like I've just walked out of a night club from 1991</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPNsJBnJ3AfPA0NAU1rqIQATGVi0kkQhMAHepfN8-y3cXggmPlIpFz7Ye1jf6XteIsz4-KhPmYfG-ZyeUa7_MOBVeMRmEt2obwMJY4qAzzFwwvqn9IlDVKkyMFrjspj9f22CFm1eCvlI/s1600/Chinese+smoking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPNsJBnJ3AfPA0NAU1rqIQATGVi0kkQhMAHepfN8-y3cXggmPlIpFz7Ye1jf6XteIsz4-KhPmYfG-ZyeUa7_MOBVeMRmEt2obwMJY4qAzzFwwvqn9IlDVKkyMFrjspj9f22CFm1eCvlI/s1600/Chinese+smoking.jpg" /></a></div>
Let me start by saying I have nothing against people who smoke, or smoking in general. I have good friends who smoke. But what I found hard getting used to is going home after a night out in China, and smelling like I'd just left Waves night club in 1991 (Waves, was and still is a nightclub in Wollongong Australia. A popular hangout back in the early 90's. Ah the memories.). The reason of course is that smoking is legal everywhere. And even where "no smoking" signs are displayed, people still smoke. Someone needs to invent a machine that you walk through when you leave a bar or nightclub that instantly removes the smell of smoke. Now there is a Chinese money making idea!<br />
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5. <u>Chinese Fashion</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEclDp6x2E13BJJPeil62OvahhfmXKZHJ8i5mYHq8MJN32iZehNZw1fyP30HKgWdjDqdBUbW_oT-zLiWrjV5LcCwL8rZHnwYjT2_c8QsEyTFu1wFaimXfGxP1qUFUItLoCDsP9b8Ymm4/s1600/Maggie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEclDp6x2E13BJJPeil62OvahhfmXKZHJ8i5mYHq8MJN32iZehNZw1fyP30HKgWdjDqdBUbW_oT-zLiWrjV5LcCwL8rZHnwYjT2_c8QsEyTFu1wFaimXfGxP1qUFUItLoCDsP9b8Ymm4/s1600/Maggie.JPG" height="200" width="149" /></a>I am not one to comment on fashion. Hey, I still wear jeans and sneakers together. But something I do respect is the Chinese sense of fashion, or lack thereof. Overall, I have stopped doing the double takes at what I see, but every now and then I will get surprised. As part of my job, I do airchecks with the DJ's. This is where we sit down together, and listen to their talk breaks and discuss the content and give advice. My first aircheck with Maggie (30yo married DJ from Nanjing), she was wearing this hat. It was like doing an aircheck with Yogi bear. I am thinking to borrow the hat for the next board meeting. How do you think that will go down with the board?<br />
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6. <u>Hot water fixes everything</u><br />
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Like most restaurants in most countries, in China when you sit at your table they serve you a glass of water. The only difference is, it's usually boiling hot! The first time I went out, I didn't even think, and just picked up the boiling hot glass it was served in. If I had known how to say f*** in Chinese, I would have screamed it. The reason apparently is that hot water cures everything. You are sick, your colleagues will tell you to drink more hot water. Headache? Hot water. It's 40 degrees outside and your thirsty. Hot water. Bad back? Oh, drink some hot water. No matter where you are in China, you can always get a cup of hot water. They even have it at the airport. But it's hard to drink boiling water served in glass. <br />
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7. <u>It's normal to hire attractive DJ's</u><br />
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I'll make it clear now, I do not hire the DJ's for our stations. That job is left up to the local program managers. But it's a fact in Chinese radio they tend to hire DJ's that are good looking. I know what you're saying, "but it's radio?". However they think of the benefits of good looking staff when they need to advertise them, or hosting events in public etc. Many times the local stations tell me they have hired a new DJ. My first question is "are they any good", at which they reply "they are very pretty/handsome". If that was a criteria in Australian radio, I (and many others) would not have got a foot in the door. (Have you ever heard of the saying "a face for radio" ?). Attached picture is our female DJ's in Tianjin, and a rather happy/smug looking General Manager of Content!<br />
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8. <u>It's not just OK for batman to wear a mask</u><br />
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Finally, the last thing on my list of what I now consider to be normal is wearing a face mask. As I write this blog from my office in Beijing, the pollution count is 154 (out of 500) which is considered "unhealthy". That is probably about an average day for Beijing. Our newest station in Shijiazhuang (south west of Beijing) is China's most polluted city where it consistently gets above 500, which is "hazardous". I never thought I would need/wear a mask, but when it gets above 300, the mask comes on. Provided you change the filters regularly, you'll probably be reasonably safe - or at the very least, live to see NSW win a State of Origin series (Sorry to the non-Australians for that reference).<br />
Oh, and notice from this photo I have matched my mask with my shirt? (See No.5 about fashion)<br />
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I know what you're saying. 6 months wait and that's all I could come up with? Well, I have been pretty busy launching 2 new radio stations. You haven't heard? Go and have a read of this:<br />
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<a href="http://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/aussie-leads-ratings-surge-chinese-station" target="_blank">http://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/aussie-leads-ratings-surge-chinese-station</a><br />
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That's all for now. If I get the urge, I might even write another blog in the next few weeks about the launch of our new stations. <br />
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And thank god winter is over! Aussies should not be subjecedt to cold, dry Beijing winters!<br />
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Zaijian!<br />
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<br />Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-20922987726247198972013-10-15T21:21:00.002+08:002013-10-15T21:27:46.533+08:00Domo Arigato Mr.RobotoWelcome back sports fans!<br />
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This blog is another slight diversion from my life in China. The week before last week was "Golden Week" - 6 days of holidays for National Day, and one of the largest movement of people in the world. The government estimates that during that week, 610 million Chinese travel. Extra trains and planes are put on to cover the holidays. Let's just say that's alot of extra inflight meals.</div>
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Being in Asia, I had a lot of options available for the week. I could stay in Beijing and enjoy the less people/less traffic week, or I could travel somewhere else in China. I could go to Vietnam, Cambodia or even go and lie on the beach in Thailand. All very tempting. But I decided to go and visit Tokyo.</div>
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It was a mad, hectic and very enjoyable 5 days in Tokyo, so I have decided to dedicate this blog to my time in Tokyo, and write about the top 5 things I did (or in one case didn't do) in Tokyo.</div>
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1. Eating</div>
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What better place to start my Tokyo blog than to talk about the food. I know when I think of Japanese food, I think of Sushi, Tempura, Ramen and my favourite Teriyaki Chicken (with the additional sake of course), and of course it was everywhere. One of the things I did love about Tokyo is that the food was convenient, fast, and relatively cheap. And if you can operate a vending machine, life is good.</div>
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One of the places I found in Tokyo (actually I didn't find it, I followed my guidebook) was called "Ichiron", a restaurant chain that specialises in ramen. I managed to find one near the Tokyo National Museum (even though there was no English signage. I had to ask someone where it was). The way it worked at Ichiron was this - you entered the store and bought your ramen ticket from a vending machine. The waitress then gives you a form which you complete to let them know how you want your ramen (it's specially prepared for you). You then sit in a cubicle, fill out your form, and hand it to the staff. Within about 5 minutes, your ramen appears, prepared exactly the way you want. Brilliant!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlqQq-i2CHjL8kS8MAoDueasa2LpGEtIfEh6ThnvW1aiotbZq-qCZT5jRdtW9SrSpqVPSvj2NE6oZdl7Ib3LPdbcyxk63qBRzAXrRSAGiUhkUWqQzqTOt7VbJ6XS86OGE1H_q6vGCrxQ/s1600/IMG_0455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlqQq-i2CHjL8kS8MAoDueasa2LpGEtIfEh6ThnvW1aiotbZq-qCZT5jRdtW9SrSpqVPSvj2NE6oZdl7Ib3LPdbcyxk63qBRzAXrRSAGiUhkUWqQzqTOt7VbJ6XS86OGE1H_q6vGCrxQ/s200/IMG_0455.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq71VE-o4_GnkrSRjC0ForgV_enYHcbW5qRSzIqMtJgpBbR5ZQBedMXMJBd1XKNP-hzuV1f0Vor3qEDLCPl-7PsHrhIUkgUpzk5L7L8ja70sr6sbcrnc11fcm9s9IWMg99kaAQc76_B74/s1600/IMG_0454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq71VE-o4_GnkrSRjC0ForgV_enYHcbW5qRSzIqMtJgpBbR5ZQBedMXMJBd1XKNP-hzuV1f0Vor3qEDLCPl-7PsHrhIUkgUpzk5L7L8ja70sr6sbcrnc11fcm9s9IWMg99kaAQc76_B74/s200/IMG_0454.JPG" width="149" /></a>Left: The vending machine, which includes pictures AND English menu. <br />
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Right: The form (in English) asking how you like the flavour, how much garlic, texture of noodles, and whether you would like fries with that (OK, maybe not the last bit)</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9FPL0k04LJTxLTGqioMy4pCNEVzA7ukEad5UdjywLrEHelc0mgLNJtqWAG8Hs34kMURQpcKXNVrscw4Wdfjfzymi3gycfEMltIRt3IjytGG0spO_1CKNPS8Qg1tMWY6_OMmO0t0ag40/s1600/IMG_0457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9FPL0k04LJTxLTGqioMy4pCNEVzA7ukEad5UdjywLrEHelc0mgLNJtqWAG8Hs34kMURQpcKXNVrscw4Wdfjfzymi3gycfEMltIRt3IjytGG0spO_1CKNPS8Qg1tMWY6_OMmO0t0ag40/s200/IMG_0457.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
Below Left: The cubicles. It reminded me of the voting cubicles in Australia<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2ki1gWJj0itH6kpfvv5B-WzeHBSLYq0-6phfwua91LbmC4WuyUdzXh-Tyk-2V1-__Jsa9_pXSUVXqAV_GNr_oIjnM0tfuPU0OElB8YJENeqINTOKNFg0Q5zZdZGXlhlvFFKVYgKvrKM/s1600/IMG_0456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2ki1gWJj0itH6kpfvv5B-WzeHBSLYq0-6phfwua91LbmC4WuyUdzXh-Tyk-2V1-__Jsa9_pXSUVXqAV_GNr_oIjnM0tfuPU0OElB8YJENeqINTOKNFg0Q5zZdZGXlhlvFFKVYgKvrKM/s200/IMG_0456.JPG" width="200" /></a> Right: The final product, all delivered through a bamboo curtain which is then lowered so you can sit in your cubicle, and enjoy your ramen.<br />
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2. Kabuki Theatre<br />
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Never let the weather spoil a good holiday, so even though it was raining on my first full day in Tokyo, I hit the streets. The night before I discovered that near Ginza shopping mall was a Kabuki theatre (traditional Japanese dance/drama), so I went for a look. The show was due to start at 11am, and I arrived about 10am. I found an English speaking staff member who said that I could line up and buy a ticket for one act, for just 1000 Yen (About AUD$10). The first act was 40 minutes. After he told me that the whole show was 4 hours, I decided to take his advice. I took my place in the line and waited to buy my ticket. The first 90 people in the line get a seat. Anyone after can stand at the back of the theatre. I was sitting next to a girl and her mother who were Japanese, but actually lived in Perth (what are the chances?!). They told me we were very lucky to get near the front of the line as it gets very popular.<br />
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So, what can I say about Kabuki theatre? The costumes were colourful, the show was very dramatic, and the females roles were played by men (which I discovered was part of the tradition). And the language they use is so old, that most Japanese find it hard to understand. It is something you have to try, but I recommend buying the English audio translation, as I understood nothing!<br />
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3. Tsukiji Fish Market<br />
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According to my guide book, one of the things you must do in Tokyo is visit the tuna auctions at the Tsukiji Fish Market. The fish market is the biggest wholesale fish market in the world, and the auction takes place at 5:30am each morning (except Sunday). It is recommended that you arrive at 5am and register, as they only take 120 people. Let's do it!<br />
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I did the right thing - early dinner, back at the hotel, and in bed by 9pm. Had the worst night sleep, and ended up getting about 2-3 hours sleep. When the alarm went off at 4am, I did think about sleeping in and skipping the fish market. But hey, I'm on holidays! So,I dragged myself out of bed, hit the shower, and was in the taxi at 4:30 for the short 10 minute drive.<br />
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Now let me paint the scene. The guidebook (and the hotel staff, the website, every forum I read) all said that you need to be there at 5am to register, and they let the first group in (60 people) around 5:20. I had 3 hours sleep, it was raining (again), it was dark, and I was heading to a fish market. The taxi driver spoke English, so he knew where I wanted to go. I arrived at 4:45am to be greeted with the sign "Registration for Today Finished". Finished? Finished? Is Finished Japanese for "Come in an enjoy our fish market"? How could it be finished? I went up to the security staff and asked for an explanation. They said (in very broken English) that I was too late, I need to come at 4am! <br />
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4am?! Where did it say that in the guidebook ? I knew I should have bought the Lonely Planet guide instead of the brand I bought. I bet Lonely Planet says 4am. But what was there to argue about. There was nothing I could do. I walked around the outer markets, tried to find the courage to try sushi at 5am in the morning (it didn't happen), then pulled up stumps and went back to the hotel for bacon and eggs.<br />
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Left: What I look like at 5am in Tokyo after 3 hours sleep and being refused entry to the fish market (I believe I had just consumed a Red Bull)<br />
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Below: My only proof I was at the fish market (apart from a slight fishy smell which I carried around with me all day)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_DZ7u3p4kE6fEH-CmHopEAON7TqCOo4UJQA9n8yCsqXEbptZOFXdHt0ZioUhAPFLWr46EUml-lbsNGCIG_KW8L1RW5eh18lkJjCX93W3UGIpNXULBEucXaBx2OEMsImwgt0n1myrXSw/s1600/IMG_0453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_DZ7u3p4kE6fEH-CmHopEAON7TqCOo4UJQA9n8yCsqXEbptZOFXdHt0ZioUhAPFLWr46EUml-lbsNGCIG_KW8L1RW5eh18lkJjCX93W3UGIpNXULBEucXaBx2OEMsImwgt0n1myrXSw/s320/IMG_0453.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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4. Akihabara and the Maid Cafes (AKA "Nerd Central")<br />
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The day I went to Akihabara was a day where I experienced both ends of the cultural spectrum. In the morning I went to the Tokyo National Museum - looked at the art, the swords, the fashion, the history- you know, everything you do at a museum. Always nice to get a bit of culture. Then 3 hours later, I was being offered coffee and cake (including singing and dancing) by a young Japanese girl dressed as a maid!<br />
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Akihabara is also known as "Electric Town" - you can buy everything electronic. From cameras, and TV's to spy cameras, games, comics, costumes, DVD's. For me, it was nerd central. I was home! But one of the other things that this area is known for is the "maid cafes". I read about these in the guide book (who am I to say no to a pretty girl dressed as a maid), so I wanted to discover them for myself. <br />
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The whole idea behind the maid cafe is they are designed to target the nerds (Ie. Me!) who frequent the area. The girls are dressed as maids, they serve you tea/coffee/beer/cake/desserts etc, plus they will sing and dance for you. I approached a "maid" on the streets, and got a brochure. She explained that there was a 1000 Yen cover charge, and they have many kinds of drinks. OK, sure. Let's give it a try. If anything else, I could get some nice photos.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kpUeEq264KKAAv3ZdLxs9MJ7rq-9K60DgSRYD1obaT7bdaEQUkN0AH-UvpYy5mBTM4RfMz8vnn_jgb42AIUSXTLzCFqkySDAeYh2BdF64UCkkGn656EZrxCUHEladO8KAr6dGMviYhs/s1600/IMG_0460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kpUeEq264KKAAv3ZdLxs9MJ7rq-9K60DgSRYD1obaT7bdaEQUkN0AH-UvpYy5mBTM4RfMz8vnn_jgb42AIUSXTLzCFqkySDAeYh2BdF64UCkkGn656EZrxCUHEladO8KAr6dGMviYhs/s320/IMG_0460.JPG" width="238" /></a>"No photos! No photos!". the girl explained as she was leading me up the stairs. OK, so I am going to pay 1000 Yen (plus) for a beer and a biscuit, served by a pretty girl, and I won't be able to show photos to my friends? Forget it....And I have to say, the girls looked very young. Or maybe it's just me getting old.<br />
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5. Skytree<br />
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From my hotel room I could see the "Skytree" - Tokyo's newest tower, and now officially the tallest tower in the world. It has only been opened for about a year, and gives you a great view of Tokyo. On the Wednesday after my visit to the Imperial Palace Gardens (that didn't make my top 5. Hey, it's a garden!) I decided to go and check out the "Skytree" - along with 8 million other people.<br />
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Lining up for a ticket to the Skytree reminded me of lining up for the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios. You join the end of the line, which you see has about 100 people in it. You slowly move forward, then you get to the front (or what you thought was the front), turn a corner then move into the "second" waiting area, which has about 500 people in it! At this stage you have already waited 20 minutes, and probably have another 30 minutes. You are committed now, so you just keep inching forward.<br />
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Because it was a clear day (the only clear day when I was there), it was busy. Line up to get a ticket. Line up to get in the lift. Line up to get in the second lift (to the very top). Line up to get the lift down. Line up to get your photo taken. Line up to join the line up to the toilet. You get the idea.<br />
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But the view was spectacular. Being the tallest tower in the world (and only 12 months old) it was pretty cool. A few quick snaps from the top. <br />
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(I can't remember anything in these photos, except taking the pic of me in front of the mirrored elevator doors - below)<br />
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5 days is not long, but I managed to get in a whole lot more, including a visit to the Imperial Gardens, Ginza Shopping Mall, Harajuku (just like the Gwen Stefani song), and the Tokyo Dome where they play indoor baseball. As I wrote on my Facebook page when I came back to Beijing, Tokyo is now one of my favourite cities in the world. </div>
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Oh, and let me leave you with a few quick observations</div>
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- Thanks to the Shangri La hotel and their heated toilet seat, I get a shock (and a cold bum) using normal toilets.</div>
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- Japanese are very friendly and polite. They stand to the left on an escalator, they wait for you to get out of the train before you get on, and they don't talk on their mobile phones on the train</div>
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- I travelled on the subway everyday for 5 days, and I still don't understand it.</div>
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- The "Super Drama" TV channel on Japanese TV has the Big Bang Theory. How is that drama?</div>
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- In Akihabara (see above) they sell photos of young girls for 100 Yen. I am still not quite sure what for - maybe for fashion tips for the girls, or maybe they are superstars. Maybe just to show the nerds photos of girls they will "never" get.</div>
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- Did I mention the warm toilet seats? Oh yeah, I did.</div>
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- I spent the whole time singing lines from "Turning Japanese" and "Domo Arigato Mr Roboto". Probably not a good thing to do in Japan.</div>
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- Japanese can't make pizzas (one night, to have a break from the cuisine, I went to a bar for a beer and a pizza. Let's just say that I have tasted better pizzas from a microwave).</div>
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There you have it blog fans. My quick trip to Tokyo. Next time I am going to hike up Mt Fuji, and I might even go back to the fish market. Let's hope they don't change the time to 3am.</div>
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Sayonara!</div>
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<br />Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-4784678605391747342013-09-26T14:35:00.002+08:002013-09-26T14:50:23.577+08:00What's the deal with Ovaltine?<div>
Hi everyone,</div>
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A slight detour from my normal "life in China" blog this time around. If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you would know that last week I went on a bit of a pilgrimage (for want of a better word) to see one of my all time favourite comedians - Jerry Seinfeld. Family and friends who know me well know my obsession with Seinfeld (both the man and the show) - from the fact that I own the complete series, to being able to beat other Seinfeld fans at the DVD boardgame (yes, I'm talking about you Dan VanDerMeer). I even bought the t-shirts! The only other entertainer I am more obsessed with is Billy Joel.<br />
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The story of my recent adventure begins in my office in Beijing......<br />
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About 3 weeks ago I was sitting in my office thinking what I should do during the upcoming "Mid Autumn" festival (3 days holiday in China), when a little voice in the back of my head reminded me that Jerry Seinfeld was touring around the USA. What would the chances be that he would have a show during those 3 days? And would there still be tickets available? How about the flights? Surely they would be too expensive? And what would I wear? Perhaps I might get to meet him?</div>
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OK, maybe I was getting ahead of myself. First step, check where he was playing. I looked up his tour dates, and found he was playing a gig on Friday 20th September in a city called Peoria, just outside of Chicago. Tickets were sold out on Ticketmaster, but I tracked some down on a site called "Ticket Liquidators". A little bit more than face value, but acceptable. And they had seats available in the second row.</div>
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Next step, look at flights. Cheapest I could find was with American. Beijing - Tokyo - Chicago - Peoria , and return Peoria - Chicago - Beijing. Let's see.....close to 30 hours round trip for possibly a 90 minute show. Let's see what people think.</div>
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I posted on Facebook my plan and asked for comments. Should I stay or should I go? I sort of knew what friends would say, and 99.9% of people said "Do it!. So, I did it. Flights, accommodation and ticket booked within 30 minutes. I was off to America to see Jerry Seinfeld. For 3 nights! And 30 hours on a plane! Crazy?!</div>
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A quick summary of the trip from Beijing to Peoria, so you can see the pain I went through</div>
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1. Wednesday 18th, got up at 2:30am (was supposed to be 4:30am, but couldn't sleep). Got a taxi at 5:00am to the airport.</div>
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2. Beijing to Tokyo, arrived in Tokyo at 1pm. Next flight was at 6:05pm, so I flashed my Qantas Club card at the American Airlines lounge, and chilled for the next 5 hours.</div>
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3. Tokyo to Chicago, sat next to a chatty (and slightly drunk) American. His name was Kevin, and he lived in Thailand and was married to a Thai girl who he kept referring to as "my girl". Surely she has a name? Watched Monsters University and Star Trek (for the 5th time), and got a few hours sleep.</div>
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4. Arrived in Chicago at 4pm (Wednesday), and transferred to my flight to Peoria leaving at 6:00pm. Due to thunder storms, we sat on the plane for 90 minutes because of the lightening as they closed the ground operations. 5 minutes earlier, we would have been on our way.</div>
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5. Lightening finally stopped about 7:30pm, at which time we were told our flight had been cancelled and there were no more flights that night to Peoria. Oh-oh!</div>
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6. In a moment of sheer brilliance (or stupidity) decided to rent a car for the 130 mile trip to Peoria. By the time I got my bag back from the flight, walked around in a daze for about 30 minutes thinking what to do, then hired the car, it was about 9pm.</div>
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7. Drove to Peoria. Arrived at the hotel just before midnight.</div>
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Oh, and what was my first purchase when arriving in the USA? What else...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5XrOA6OW0I5H2Bae3fI0MEybSPRbLvYzIHHTV1nDPlvhzPJH27e8YjYDC0xemzi5PmeasYdwAKAUqrA9w_z0fOp0yuAddwBDVtDr2PiJk_5NniY-GLo1JFR6EFYYQmpdCHi_qQ3Y_uk/s1600/IMG_1524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5XrOA6OW0I5H2Bae3fI0MEybSPRbLvYzIHHTV1nDPlvhzPJH27e8YjYDC0xemzi5PmeasYdwAKAUqrA9w_z0fOp0yuAddwBDVtDr2PiJk_5NniY-GLo1JFR6EFYYQmpdCHi_qQ3Y_uk/s200/IMG_1524.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGO1AfiBAWwndB-SXrGMzskZXrhm11A9htO5KdsWAiSBUM6fX7xSNAMb_bDQWqV07OfYp_I1NykU5lFqKme31d_ld5ksX4EDYkh8o6Htm0mETP-GeSob84VU9NEcp9lNKS0LUTHClyJU/s1600/Jerry+Ticket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwGO1AfiBAWwndB-SXrGMzskZXrhm11A9htO5KdsWAiSBUM6fX7xSNAMb_bDQWqV07OfYp_I1NykU5lFqKme31d_ld5ksX4EDYkh8o6Htm0mETP-GeSob84VU9NEcp9lNKS0LUTHClyJU/s200/Jerry+Ticket.jpg" width="200" /></a>As you can see, it wasn't all smooth flying to get to my destination. But the thing that made it all worth while was waiting for me at the hotel reception....</div>
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Let the fun begin!</div>
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Woke on Thursday, and decided to explore downtown Peoria. I had the car for the rest of the day, so did some exploring. Let's just say that there is not a lot to see and do in Peoria (pop. 150,000). I drove around and admired the number of closed down businesses, and houses up for sale. In the downtown area (where I was staying), it felt like it was a holiday. I don't think I saw more than about 10 people. After lunch, I took the car back to the airport and got a taxi back to the hotel. I asked the Taxi driver (Terry) what is there to do in Peoria. "Well, Peoria is the home of the Caterpillar head office, and visitors centre (that should be center, I'm in the US after all). You can go and check out the massive trucks and bulldozers they make". </div>
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OK, why not!?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzHjzzFfN_iqKwig2G0uGc8ZpB-eI__xlqlSuN0Pmr9cEGTkMXDcn6ZhAFOqoLVrF4wUf1lKIK4UdHF03LPC3WHkLnXkYHP-d8iZIrWgAHwGqoqG41BwlcYCgYrFmVnA7n4zQ4921-sA/s1600/IMG_1527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzHjzzFfN_iqKwig2G0uGc8ZpB-eI__xlqlSuN0Pmr9cEGTkMXDcn6ZhAFOqoLVrF4wUf1lKIK4UdHF03LPC3WHkLnXkYHP-d8iZIrWgAHwGqoqG41BwlcYCgYrFmVnA7n4zQ4921-sA/s200/IMG_1527.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkoTzz6ukfiecjy3-KMk8mhVyjq93Zg_rR_SYWmP2ISctEK9rM5YFERJ9i4RradTP09ZdMx9Llep6nIk6MMvHI1-6vFV34j13itmyXhAvR1t7HpYDlywZ7964PRgfEzqdgBvcpFy86aM/s1600/IMG_1528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkoTzz6ukfiecjy3-KMk8mhVyjq93Zg_rR_SYWmP2ISctEK9rM5YFERJ9i4RradTP09ZdMx9Llep6nIk6MMvHI1-6vFV34j13itmyXhAvR1t7HpYDlywZ7964PRgfEzqdgBvcpFy86aM/s200/IMG_1528.JPG" width="149" /></a>Like all of Peoria, things were quiet at the Caterpillar visitors center. I was the only one there. But, I have to say I was impressed. The center has only been open for 12 months, so things were all shiny and new.</div>
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Plus they had lots of simulators, so I could practice my dozer work on a computer simulation. The visit to the Caterpillar HQ filled in 2 hours.</div>
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Back at the hotel, I decided to do some homework on where I should eat dinner. After a whole 5 minutes of research (remember, not a big city), I found "Joe's Crab Shack". Great! Dinner is sorted. A quick nap (I had only slept about 6 hours in the last 2 days), I hit the road to find Joe's Crab Shack.</div>
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Peoria is built on lake, and Joe's over looked the water. It was a clear night, and it seemed that most of the Peoria population were at Joe's. After being seated by my "server" James, he quickly explained all about the choices. Everything at Joe's seemed to come served in buckets. If you ever wondered why some American's are so big, there is your answer. Their food is served in buckets.</div>
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"OK James, I will have the shrimp (served in a bucket), the rum punch drink (served in the glass equivalent of a bucket), and let's see...Ah yes, I will have the bucket of crab".</div>
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Now James was very clever, he picked straight away that I was Australian. "You sure you wouldn't like a Fosters instead?". If there is one thing you should never ask an Australian, that's "would you like a Fosters?". There is a misconception all around the world that because Fosters is promoted as an Aussie beer, we must enjoy drinking it! Wrong! I then had to explain to James that even though it's an Aussie beer, we don't drink it because it tastes "like piss". James will never make that mistake again.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ED6ZoNH-gOnSx4YHWd0AmMRAxpHDYBJgMYUblHMMLv1DYMqFjucDewgi7XTJpQ9T9J_FbFIPekGNOlNs6ngWZh7g_godQ6UYCjFvUkeSmiZXKa3MbO84nAYirhKxY5j7GnEW60RIPWI/s1600/IMG_1531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ED6ZoNH-gOnSx4YHWd0AmMRAxpHDYBJgMYUblHMMLv1DYMqFjucDewgi7XTJpQ9T9J_FbFIPekGNOlNs6ngWZh7g_godQ6UYCjFvUkeSmiZXKa3MbO84nAYirhKxY5j7GnEW60RIPWI/s200/IMG_1531.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4krnCgwEsuDQluu6i6LFI4u18G6338QxObFkjkZik68g7VqIels69JLOG5PtnCzwAa5404tvh6de2d5G5xHyhwJHqbJ9O5THs-cpCY3B_7BteF_DIOa9_8rdYcwyb7Y1yjAhWA8506I/s1600/IMG_1532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4krnCgwEsuDQluu6i6LFI4u18G6338QxObFkjkZik68g7VqIels69JLOG5PtnCzwAa5404tvh6de2d5G5xHyhwJHqbJ9O5THs-cpCY3B_7BteF_DIOa9_8rdYcwyb7Y1yjAhWA8506I/s200/IMG_1532.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
A quick selection of photos from my night at Joe's Crab Shack.<br />
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Left: The menu, showing buckets of everything</div>
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Right: The bib that I was given (James wrote "I come from a land down under" on it)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4qAtN-xH3OnepNm6A1CPVSdqYtnTmMMrDPfkqt_hbg5_e0muZPBDF5ULuV4sxC27alqspU86d0osYV9YkucMEacJQAbjRyNObGONwoZNl-o2RIRwZQLDlCNH6P4JP9KckFMAIxG4JEM/s1600/IMG_1533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4qAtN-xH3OnepNm6A1CPVSdqYtnTmMMrDPfkqt_hbg5_e0muZPBDF5ULuV4sxC27alqspU86d0osYV9YkucMEacJQAbjRyNObGONwoZNl-o2RIRwZQLDlCNH6P4JP9KckFMAIxG4JEM/s200/IMG_1533.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySucbvbk3MsQmhSmCC5yEUDbCV2Y7_SEjsPkyZdQGokNZXA1V_h-Aui9lcJe4UIVPt1b5jnAE6uumNjh9iNz-J1ih2Th62e-30vFXkyJUehg1tuQoZot9oNedhe_RaFm_xezgFfVpaWs/s1600/IMG_1534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySucbvbk3MsQmhSmCC5yEUDbCV2Y7_SEjsPkyZdQGokNZXA1V_h-Aui9lcJe4UIVPt1b5jnAE6uumNjh9iNz-J1ih2Th62e-30vFXkyJUehg1tuQoZot9oNedhe_RaFm_xezgFfVpaWs/s200/IMG_1534.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
Left: My bucket of steamed crab served with garlic and butter (along with potatoes and corn). Have to admit, it was bloody delicious!<br />
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Right: Joe's Crab Shack<br />
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Below: View from my table across the lake<br />
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After a walk around Peoria to find a bar (let's just say I didn't like the look of some of the bars), decided to head back to the hotel. Friday rolled around, and hit the streets again. Surely there is something more entertaining to do in Peoria than visit the Caterpillar Center. </div>
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Apparently not. I got the feeling that Peoria is one of those cities that has been hit hard by the economic crisis. Any shops that I went in (the ones that were still open) seemed surprised to see me. The whole city felt rundown and on the brink of putting out the "closed for business" sign. </div>
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I managed to fill in the day, and finally it was show time. The Peoria Civic Center was a 5 minute walk from my hotel, so no need to rush. There was a little bar on the corner that was doing a "Jerry Seinfeld" special. Burger and Fries, plus a beer for $8. Who am I to say no to anything Seinfeld related (even though burgers, fries and beers have nothing to do with Seinfeld!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8CyHkSGM7WRljGcxseOVjbqOHUqJJ6gTaqZNaZcciQtPpEhtl2KmGXgfDINUL5KTI5aDv48E3zdY-9FHvvxlVg3B7jpiTE4_3OlISSGDns3PvrvXND_U5FkO0Rjt_JUG0sq70thJPfA/s1600/IMG_1540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8CyHkSGM7WRljGcxseOVjbqOHUqJJ6gTaqZNaZcciQtPpEhtl2KmGXgfDINUL5KTI5aDv48E3zdY-9FHvvxlVg3B7jpiTE4_3OlISSGDns3PvrvXND_U5FkO0Rjt_JUG0sq70thJPfA/s200/IMG_1540.JPG" width="149" /></a>Not sure how many people the Civic Center holds, but it was full (apart from seats next to me). And I was in the second row! Gold Jerry! Jerry was supported by another comedian, Larry Miller. He actually appeared in an episode of Seinfeld (he played "The Doorman"). I think the hardest job in the world must be supporting someone like Seinfeld, but he did a great job. 30 minutes into his set, he said goodbye, and it was time for Jerry.</div>
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No big fan fare, no big booming voice introducing him, he simply runs out on stage - and it was game on. Now, even though the tickets said "no photos", I did manage to snap a few. Not the best, but I think you can tell it's Jerry Seinfeld.</div>
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And he did not disappoint. 30 hours on a plane, a dent in the credit card, someone trying to offer me a Fosters and a ride on a Caterpillar tractor all made the next 80 minutes worthwhile. Yes, I was a little disappointed that he did not perform for longer, but you know the old showbiz saying - "leave them wanting more". It was gold baby!! 80 minutes of wall to wall laughs. That's what makes him one of the best. And even when he started talking about his wife, and the woman behind me yelled out "She's hot, and she puts vegetables in cookies", he did not miss a beat. (Apparently his wife has learned to bake vegetables into cookies, making them more healthy for kids etc. I know, very random thing to yell out).</div>
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We were out by 9pm, and I walked back to the hotel. I was planning to go and check out a live music bar I had seen the night before, but I met some people back at the hotel who told me Jerry was staying at the hotel. My hotel!! What? So instead of hitting the bar, I stood outside with 6 other people waiting for Jerry to come back....standing...waiting....for 2 hours. We were finally told by the manager that Jerry had indeed stayed at the hotel - the night before. But after the show, he took his private jet back to New York. </div>
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Saving grace was I did manage to get a photo with Larry Miller, "the doorman"</div>
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Saturday, and time to head back to China. In the taxi on the way to the airport, I was telling the taxi driver about my journey, and why I had come. He thought I was crazy, but he got it. He told me there was an article on the show in that mornings paper - so he gave me the paper. What a nice guy! </div>
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Was it worth it? Of course it was. Would I do it again? Yes. Am I going to stop asking myself questions, then answering them straight away? Maybe.</div>
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Sometimes life throws up these opportunities, and I have learned that you have to grab onto them, hold on tight, and enjoy the ride. Hey, that's how I ended up in China.</div>
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-51396330274468310762013-09-17T10:02:00.003+08:002013-09-17T10:02:51.319+08:00Six things you need to know about UrumqiSo, where was I......<br />
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Last time I blogged (back in July) I was describing what it was like travelling by fast train in China. Many things have happened since then, so I thought it time to bring you up to speed on my adventure. If you've just tuned in, let me bring you up to speed:<br />
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1. I am living and working in China, and have been since July last year<br />
2. My job takes me to many different cities in China, and<br />
3. I am still scared of using squat toilets<br />
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I am currently General Manager of Content for a group of radio stations in China. Currently we have 7 stations, and expanding to 10 in the next 12 months. We have stations in Nanjing, Nanchang, Hefei, Xi'an, Changchun, Tianjin and Urumqi. Today's blog (as you would have guessed by the title) is about my recent trip to Urumqi, and six things you need to know.<br />
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1. Urumqi should be called Urumqi-stan<br />
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Urumqi is located in the North West of China and is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, about a 3.5 hour flight from Beijing. The unique thing about time zones in China is they are all on the one time. So even though Urumqi is 2500 km's away from Beijing, it still has the same time zone. It would almost be like Sydney and Perth having the same time. Which makes for a strange experience - it's still dark at 7am in the morning, and still light at 9pm at night..<br />
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Urumqi is a very unique city in China, as it has a very diverse population. Because of it's proximity to Russia and the Middle East (it should be called Urumqi-stan because it is surrounded by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan - all the Stans!), it also has a large Muslim population. In most other cities in China, road signs are in Chinese and English. In Urumqi, the road signs are in Chinese, English, and Arabic.<br />
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2. Security is tight!<br />
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If you follow the news, you might have heard about the trouble in Xinjiang province. Like most parts of the world, it all comes down to religious differences. In July, a group of extreme Islamists attacked a police station in Xinjiang province, killing over 20 people. So, as you can imagine, security is tight. Every hotel, shopping centre, and major street, has police and security presence. At the airport, your bag gets screened twice, you get a "full" pat down (including your feet getting scanned), and then when walking onto the plane, you also get checked for explosives.<br />
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Our station is owned by the Xinjiang Broadcasting Station - a big complex housing both radio and TV stations. Again, because of the security presence, foreigners are not allowed in without an escort. On Monday when I arrived, I had to phone my Program Manager to come and let me in. However, Tuesday was a different story. The security guards had changed, and they would not let me in - even with my escort. It took several phone calls to the station bosses, and finally one of them had to come down to sweet talk the grump guard to let me pass. I managed to sneak this photo of the guards. I am sure if they had discovered me taking this photo, they would not have been happy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4DG5g62RY6ESW4YR8dl4Xu45tyINRjotUW3HbsajQCrNhry7HM272imn-xMQc_d8j8zswR2mPzQb4HzS-84yLZkoZRccHQc0ZvgvbKZU0zmRYYdZyAEXIS7gKWWr7Qd4Q7C3N8_reAk/s1600/Urumqi+-+Security.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4DG5g62RY6ESW4YR8dl4Xu45tyINRjotUW3HbsajQCrNhry7HM272imn-xMQc_d8j8zswR2mPzQb4HzS-84yLZkoZRccHQc0ZvgvbKZU0zmRYYdZyAEXIS7gKWWr7Qd4Q7C3N8_reAk/s320/Urumqi+-+Security.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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3. Feels like a different country<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNz16wvrVK6ygHvO4OdFCt1uAweGJw9tos3SAndm4U4LVTG1iSAxgGFGi50209bnVsvJ164u2undXpeT3bx_zbT1UTPvU8qwOYltgZlogrfeOR96QKLKHx1ib4MF5CO5mc0LpqivjfqM/s1600/Urumqi+-+Mountain+view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNz16wvrVK6ygHvO4OdFCt1uAweGJw9tos3SAndm4U4LVTG1iSAxgGFGi50209bnVsvJ164u2undXpeT3bx_zbT1UTPvU8qwOYltgZlogrfeOR96QKLKHx1ib4MF5CO5mc0LpqivjfqM/s200/Urumqi+-+Mountain+view.JPG" width="200" /></a>Because of the population diversity, it feels like you are somewhere in the middle east (even though I have never been to the middle east). The combination of people, signs, food, and even architecture, you get the feeling you're "not in Kansas anymore".<br />
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On Saturday night, one of the girls and her husband took us out to dinner. We drove to the outskirts of the city, and it was such a contrast to cities like Beijing. You could actually see the surrounding countryside. It felt like a street in another part of the world. We also went to the Muslim market, where again, the architecture felt like you were strolling the streets of Turkey.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWN0oZF5MJZrGEVQkETcMa4_6AAtvbW4gs4R2EvQp1NKL5O03NbmFnc2muED_78Hbi0Lm19DzsRqBIBf7i2YmlzMjtm_DZq_ggvuIaeyl_4nHzDvD1nbDWPDUfw55rzuckgquP0AFrz0c/s1600/Urumqi+-+Bazaar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWN0oZF5MJZrGEVQkETcMa4_6AAtvbW4gs4R2EvQp1NKL5O03NbmFnc2muED_78Hbi0Lm19DzsRqBIBf7i2YmlzMjtm_DZq_ggvuIaeyl_4nHzDvD1nbDWPDUfw55rzuckgquP0AFrz0c/s200/Urumqi+-+Bazaar.JPG" width="149" /></a><br />
The bazaar sold mostly Muslim food and souvenirs, but it was such a surreal experience walking around this very middle eastern market, but still in China. And again because there is also a large population of Russians (Urumqi is close to Russia too), I kept getting mistaken for a Russian. It could have been the white hair, or the fact I was carrying around and drinking a bottle of vodka. I'm not sure.<br />
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3. Their squat toilets are even worse in Urumqi.<br />
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If you've been reading my blogs, you will know that I am not a fan of the squat toilets. In most parts of China, I am constantly faced with the squat toilet. Ok, I have now sort of mastered the experience, but it still scares me - and in Urumqi, the toilets are even worse.<br />
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The restaurant we went to on Saturday night, as I said, was on the outskirts of Urumqi. It was recommended by our host, so we went along to try some Xinjiang food (which, if you like your food spicy, you will love!). When we arrived, I popped off to use the toilet (only Number 1's). As I walked in, I noticed a big drum of water and a scoop inside the drum. It wasn't until I finished and reached for the flush button, that I realised what the water was for. Yep, you had to use the water to "flush" manually. Well, that's a new experience. And to prove I am telling the truth, here is a photo of said water drum.<br />
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4. Technology is everywhere!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYwdWYv9YsE788Pikx34ouE7djdomcJL5AFFMNsNbMCs5KXqNgl_QEbxQJJsoDZVt3Y-_QEzXJhWNk8sWoEW75q79UjYAekRBQsrVhL7TC9mudHVkIYL5pic0j4QXu_yxy7SMCBbN0oU/s1600/Urumqi+-+waitress.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYwdWYv9YsE788Pikx34ouE7djdomcJL5AFFMNsNbMCs5KXqNgl_QEbxQJJsoDZVt3Y-_QEzXJhWNk8sWoEW75q79UjYAekRBQsrVhL7TC9mudHVkIYL5pic0j4QXu_yxy7SMCBbN0oU/s200/Urumqi+-+waitress.JPG" width="149" /></a>Technology has infiltrated all areas of China. Smart phone sales are through the roof, and pretty much everyone has access to the internet. But it still surprises me when I see it in rural areas. Again, in the restaurant in Urumqi, it was a very basic place (I mean, look at the toilet). The decor was old and tired, it looked dirty, rundown, and it would be something you would see on Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares".<br />
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However, as rundown and basic as it was, the waitresses still took our orders electronically. Yep, that's right. It was all entered into a hand held ordering system , and sent to the kitchen electronically. <br />
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5. They possibly invented the Shandy<br />
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I was introduced to a new style of beer in Urumqi. I have to admit, I was not feeling all that well last weekend when we ventured out, and really wanted to avoid beer. But when I was told it was like "beer mixed with honey" I thought I would give it a try.<br />
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So, out came the Kawas. And I have to say, it was pretty good. It tasted more like a Shandy (beer and lemonade) than beer and honey, but it was refreshing. I was told it was a local drink which had been made for years. Which got me thinking, did the people of Xinjiang actually invent the Shandy? <br />
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6. Urumqi is one of the most polluted cities in China<br />
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You may not guess by this photo, but Urumqi is one of the most polluted cities in China. It is situated in a valley, so on heavy pollution days, the pollution just hangs in the sky. This time of year (as you can see) it's nice blue skies. In fact, everyday I was there, we had similar weather. But in winter, when the temperature drops to around -17, people crank up the heaters, and the pollution level goes through the roof.<br />
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This was only my second visit to Urumqi. Because of it's proximity, it's hard to find the time to get up there. Plus, the station is making money and the radio audience ratings are good, so I have not been required in the last 12 months. It's a nice city, but as I said, it does feel like you are in another country.</div>
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I will leave you with this photo. I took this photo in a shopping centre in Urumqi. I noticed parents of this girl encouraging her to pose for this photo. She is standing next to a photo (yes it's only a photo) on the wall. They parents thought it was hilarious. And so did I.....</div>
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Tomorrow I am doing something completely different - flying to the US for 4 days to see Jerry Seinfeld live in Peoria, Illinois. I know, crazy right? Well, I am sure there will be good Blog material.<br />
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Zaijian!<br />
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-53045552605152125172013-07-19T15:09:00.002+08:002013-07-19T15:15:38.963+08:00Train Spotting - China StyleNihao!<br />
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Time for another blog-errific tale from China, my home for the last 13 months. If you've just joined the story, let me update you on a few key facts:</div>
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1) I am an Australian living and working in China</div>
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2) I live in Beijing, but travel to 8 cities around China on a regular basis</div>
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3) Don't challenge me to Seinfeld trivia, as I will win hands down (nothing really to do with the story, just wanted to throw that in).</div>
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As I mentioned, I get to travel to a number of different cities around China, most with populations the size of Sydney and Melbourne put together. Usually I fly, but last week I thought I would take the scenic route and jump on a fast train from Beijing to Nanjing. The trip to Nanjing is 1,404 km's and takes 3 hours and 53 minutes - exactly! The good thing about fast trains in China (unlike the flights), is they always run on time.</div>
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The 4 hour journey costs about 750RMB (roughly $125 AUD) for a first class ticket. The difference between first class and second class is in first class they give you a bag of sweets and a drink, and in second class you get to sit next to the guy who decides to phone every number in his phone, and talk really, really loudly. Thank god for ipods!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_2b3ZHOV6evKh2N2ieqc8yJbkD1ZhFy-GThU4pEWTOZeQA0V-vhTHWNBB1qO85pFaavWXBII7GfJO3m-9w5PEnRjnGNsvQCuZDURDSGQFhbvInRA1ZLF8ycy23BtUBaY_UL7Y9lkW5o/s1600/IMG_1367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_2b3ZHOV6evKh2N2ieqc8yJbkD1ZhFy-GThU4pEWTOZeQA0V-vhTHWNBB1qO85pFaavWXBII7GfJO3m-9w5PEnRjnGNsvQCuZDURDSGQFhbvInRA1ZLF8ycy23BtUBaY_UL7Y9lkW5o/s200/IMG_1367.JPG" width="149" /></a>Last Tuesday, it was off to Nanjing. From my home to the Beijing South Railway station, I jump on the subway. Takes about 40 minutes. My train to Nanjing was leaving at 8am, so I decided to leave around 6am, and get some breakfast when I arrived. The first photo is something that I have never seen in Beijing in my 13 months here - an empty subway station. </div>
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Beijing South Railway station feels like an airport, except it's crowded, hot, and you don't have those little carts driving people around to catch their flight. the good part about arriving early in the morning is that it was not too hot - but still crowded. Trains leave pretty much every few minutes, to Tianjin and also Shanghai. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSCKUv_nWcBcBPfzwBryYeHEster8tVYox9LrrdpTt4PuUnWm7JgIF3is6YfSBPSQ6ec7mbn-sV0bEtoavK23GIwVXuou9Y-RBznJnwMSR_lBx9GnWOq5PGAIgxD6rC34Ik5JE7X8lIY/s1600/IMG_1369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSCKUv_nWcBcBPfzwBryYeHEster8tVYox9LrrdpTt4PuUnWm7JgIF3is6YfSBPSQ6ec7mbn-sV0bEtoavK23GIwVXuou9Y-RBznJnwMSR_lBx9GnWOq5PGAIgxD6rC34Ik5JE7X8lIY/s200/IMG_1369.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
If you are going the short distance to Tianjin (30 minutes) you can usually buy your ticket on the day. Long distances, it's best to book. My Chinese is now good enough to ask for one first class ticket to Shanghai, and please don't sit me next to the guy who wants to call his entire phone directory<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nkiA-pcy7uG0yipXecneFQdVvhitBBWXDUUKwns2tgtoXeAWaONmqPJMkxV8OOlvt3yGuBD5qG3gKAv2OuGan4fFPg4UdfDchGyh4aH46WOFr4k9vbNU9pYHvM3VneVD-0CzzlE0Wsg/s1600/IMG_1372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nkiA-pcy7uG0yipXecneFQdVvhitBBWXDUUKwns2tgtoXeAWaONmqPJMkxV8OOlvt3yGuBD5qG3gKAv2OuGan4fFPg4UdfDchGyh4aH46WOFr4k9vbNU9pYHvM3VneVD-0CzzlE0Wsg/s200/IMG_1372.JPG" width="149" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYoQzIGDuZXPFGqKExVbdEUNKe5fv4EQ5YbEdEMgS23VTTjjYjouwVtG5z8KsbIEh9_Dyvc-eeYXfDYeyz599iC6OcxbE5nVb7fTmlUgurC0_cqJL2nUJWGMUS02JCj_2Pomcx5IxrS0/s1600/IMG_1371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYoQzIGDuZXPFGqKExVbdEUNKe5fv4EQ5YbEdEMgS23VTTjjYjouwVtG5z8KsbIEh9_Dyvc-eeYXfDYeyz599iC6OcxbE5nVb7fTmlUgurC0_cqJL2nUJWGMUS02JCj_2Pomcx5IxrS0/s200/IMG_1371.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
Photo on the left is the the view of the train on the platform. 16 carriages long, made up of second class, first class, business class, and a dining car. The right photo is the sign pointing to your train. I think they installed the arrow on the sign after my boss once caught the wrong train. <br />
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The thing I like about travelling by fast train in China is that they are comfortable, and fast (OK, that's 2 things). I can stretch out, turn on my laptop, put my ipod on, and not have to worry about flight attendants coming around telling me to turn off all electrical devices before landing. The train travels at just over 300 km/h, and you don't feel a thing. If you want to get some work done, this is the best way to travel. And it's probably about the same time as taking the plane, especially to Nanjing. By the time you get to the airport, check in, wait for your flight, get on your flight, sit on the tarmac for 45 minutes during the obligatory delay, then arrive at your destination, it's about the same - and probably less stress. (Only thing is, I don't get frequent flyer points on the train).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7I6kNE9ZvswHa4zX_NUpsKST79MT3otgl4ssGDKBPe2pku8dDBzma8R2X3mqhAr_l2dU0XP8fu2zwVWOY_NR2ciA5QXPEzeq7StRC8Cx4z9YCrBuMlL0jm-U-f9m5ScpyCU3OcljEr4/s1600/IMG_1376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7I6kNE9ZvswHa4zX_NUpsKST79MT3otgl4ssGDKBPe2pku8dDBzma8R2X3mqhAr_l2dU0XP8fu2zwVWOY_NR2ciA5QXPEzeq7StRC8Cx4z9YCrBuMlL0jm-U-f9m5ScpyCU3OcljEr4/s200/IMG_1376.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
And yes, keeping with the Chinese tradition of taking "selfies" (please refer to previous blog), here is another "selfie" of me on the train. Look how relaxed I am. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioB3vFoBI1oYtmHpJkuQ6eJ-srVrT6RLVi2VbnmnhF0oAbAZYB2XbjjKyq47D48uY9eCqtYYjhPHoIbgEm8omUhplTHAXX10B4P50KV2adAUsml5sVjCYI7nf8fVJr5gCbDVd2lC9h34A/s1600/IMG_1374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioB3vFoBI1oYtmHpJkuQ6eJ-srVrT6RLVi2VbnmnhF0oAbAZYB2XbjjKyq47D48uY9eCqtYYjhPHoIbgEm8omUhplTHAXX10B4P50KV2adAUsml5sVjCYI7nf8fVJr5gCbDVd2lC9h34A/s200/IMG_1374.JPG" width="149" /></a><br />
As mentioned, the train travels at a constant 304 km/h, and only stops at about 3 or 4 stations before getting to Nanjing. I am taking the train to Shanghai on Monday (due to the fact I have no passport), which is about another hour from Nanjing. My dad asked me once does it feel like you are travelling this fast? No, not until you look out the window, and see China rush past. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLdKiQf1jX2oMaVuKk_UtlZjqpm7AUjLV8N372xt66GQNLOZJPqCfBS3MECBp4oThmNTtxXpT0vXTYoai1iCewZKkFrJPPqqaop6SHydqAt-Gm_YyvXw0TqLfoXBoXmIP4gLfrw7aE6o/s1600/IMG_1377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLdKiQf1jX2oMaVuKk_UtlZjqpm7AUjLV8N372xt66GQNLOZJPqCfBS3MECBp4oThmNTtxXpT0vXTYoai1iCewZKkFrJPPqqaop6SHydqAt-Gm_YyvXw0TqLfoXBoXmIP4gLfrw7aE6o/s200/IMG_1377.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Oh, and this is a photo of me doing some work on the train. I thought I would throw this in just in case my boss was reading my blogs. Just proves that I was doing some work, and not just watching China go by at 304 km/h.<br />
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Like anything in China, there are always some interesting observations along the way. So, here is a quick summary of a few of the things I have noticed:<br />
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- Chinese men love making friends, and playing cards. The chairs spin around, so you can easily form a game of 4 players.<br />
- Even though there is an announcement advising that "this is a short stop, so please do not get off the train if this is not your destination. And a reminder, smoking is not allowed on the platform", at every stop, men jump off the train and smoke a cigarette in about 8.5 seconds. <br />
- They serve instant noodles on the train, and every carriage has hot water, so you can "slurp" away to your hearts content<br />
- They have TV's and movies on the train, but they do not hand out headphones. If you haven't got your own, you best bring a book.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqO0ab6mtoHe_m_pkZxdPbfaIvVr80D7ZJWZhwq39w_Zsh6nvdzOhjrffQeWAQ5T3iyMKn2t8Ou7DUDONUliqABf4Jf9zj_VA5oFuwCbB6hsIPf5TI2K7lXfF3WaGeaIfeVVdPul7leMo/s1600/IMG_1378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqO0ab6mtoHe_m_pkZxdPbfaIvVr80D7ZJWZhwq39w_Zsh6nvdzOhjrffQeWAQ5T3iyMKn2t8Ou7DUDONUliqABf4Jf9zj_VA5oFuwCbB6hsIPf5TI2K7lXfF3WaGeaIfeVVdPul7leMo/s200/IMG_1378.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86b5OeyChcHMF54XX7Q9VoBohSQ3qCTS602Bg5jTj9Ft9KujdAqZaJkzH_isujaYd9zeKaRBsDaBprmcz3ojspu0cUGs_bVofiSBiEmsauzgXIazIRBfzpVN8yeDs3VWRlIEVPRfY3Mc/s1600/IMG_1379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86b5OeyChcHMF54XX7Q9VoBohSQ3qCTS602Bg5jTj9Ft9KujdAqZaJkzH_isujaYd9zeKaRBsDaBprmcz3ojspu0cUGs_bVofiSBiEmsauzgXIazIRBfzpVN8yeDs3VWRlIEVPRfY3Mc/s200/IMG_1379.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
(Left, a quick game of cards before the next stop, so they don't miss the smoke break)<br />
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(Right, coming into Nanjing at 304 km/h. I included this photo, because it was the first time in about a week I had seem some blue sky)<br />
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Well, there you have it train spotters, a quick overview of train travel in China. I am going to Japan in 2 months, and I have heard they have even faster trains!! My next blog will write itself!!<br />
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As I mentioned, I have no passport at the moment as I am getting a new 12 months visa. For some reason, they changed the length of time for processing from 5 working days, to 15! I thought things were getting more efficient. Needless to say, I feel naked without my passport. <br />
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Life goes on in China. Next week off to Shanghai for a week, then back to Beijing then off to Nanjing for 2 weeks. Let me sign off postcard style. "Having a great time. Wish you were here!"<br />
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Zaijian!<br />
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-9861633431440435172013-06-13T21:40:00.002+08:002013-06-13T21:40:26.198+08:00Dear Mr President (no, not the Pink song)Nihao!<div>
Welcome to my latest blog, all the way from my little one bedroom apartment in Beijing. First let me apologise for the gap between blogs. I have been way too busy living life than writing about it (mmm, might have to remember that phrase and use it again). Let me just say that I could show you the photos of what I have been up to, but that would spoil the magic of telling you. Mind you, if you are following me on Facebook, you might have seen the evidence (except of course the picture of me dancing on a table at a bar to a Beatles cover band. That photo has been confiscated by the secret police for having way too much fun in China!).</div>
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Let's get down to the business at hand. Sunday 9th June 2013 marked my one year anniversary of coming to China to start this wonderful adventure. I can remember the day I arrived after a 6 hour flight from Kuala Lumpur, only to discover one of my suitcases was damaged, and the driver sent to pick me up at the airport was not there. Welcome to China!</div>
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And here I am one year later...and I'm still here.</div>
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So, it got me thinking, what should I write on my blog to mark my one year anniversary in China? Answer questions from my adoring public? Well, did that for 6 month anniversary. Post pictures of me with that famous "selfie" Chinese pose? Did it. Write a 1000 word essay on communism, and what makes it work? Boring!</div>
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Then it hit me. Why don't I write a letter to head honcho/big cheese/top dog/paramount leader, President of the People's Republic of China, Mr Xi Jinping, thanking him for making my stay in China so, what's the words, blog worthy! So, blog fans, here it is - my letter to President Xi.</div>
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(Please take this for what it is, a bit of fun. I am simply using sarcasm to express a few of the frustrations of living in China. This is no way a dig at the people of China, everyone I have met is kind, gracious, friendly, and more importantly, tolerant of expats) </div>
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<i>2013, June 13</i></div>
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<i>Mr Xi Jinping</i></div>
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<i>c/- Zhongnanhai</i></div>
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<i>Beijing, China</i></div>
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<i>Dear Mr President,</i></div>
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<i>First, let me thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I am sure you get many letters from foreigners living in Beijing, and I appreciate you taking time away from running such an enormous country - both in terms of population and geography - to read my letter.</i></div>
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<i>I am from Australia, and have just marked my one year anniversary living in China. I thought to commemorate this occasion, I would write to you personally, thanking you for allowing me to stay in your country, and also to comment on a few things I enjoy about life in China.</i></div>
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<i>As I mentioned I come from Australia, a country where the sky is so blue every day, it gets a bit tiring (unless of course you live in Melbourne). I mean, can you imagine waking up to the same blue sky day after day after day. Boring! That is what makes Beijing so exciting. You wake up one day, blue sky. The next, such a thick layer of smog that you can almost taste it. And last week, when it rained and the smog was so thick, it had a special "burny" quality to it. Oh, and don't worry about my umbrella that melted, it was getting old anyway. </i></div>
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<i>The one thing I love about air travel in China is the amount of time I get to relax, stretch my legs, and sit on a plane on the tarmac at Beijing airport not going anywhere. I mean, let's face it, other countries just get you onto the plane, and before you know it you're in the air and on your way to your destination. Not in China. You get on the plane, then sit there for 45 minutes before the plane moves. It's a great opportunity to catch up on the phone conversations that everyone around me is having while we sit and relax.</i></div>
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<i>I do love how a large amount of people who travel by plane cannot bear to hang up the phone when it's time to take off. I mean, I enjoy hearing the slightly elevated volume of 200 people talking on their phones. It gives me practice in understanding the language. And it's the same 200 people who again turn on their phone as soon as the nose wheel touches the runway when we arrive at our destination, desperately wanting to finish that conversation with friend or family. I mean, that is special.</i></div>
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<i>And speaking of phones, some people in China have great mobile phone etiquette, and this is obviously something that comes from up high. I've always been fascinated by people who look at where they are walking, with their heads held high. I mean, what is there to see. Some people in China have got it right. Look down and watch the movie on your smart phone, or finish writing that text message while you are walking. It's called multi tasking, and I love a bit of multi tasking. And don't worry about people like me who run into you. It just gives me practice in saying "sorry" in Mandarin. Practice I so desperately need. </i></div>
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<i>It's also great that your government gainfully employs 50,000 people in your censorship department. More countries should follow your lead and help the economy in a similar manner. I mean, what would those 50,000 people do if it wasn't for the censorship of the countries internet and media. It makes me happy that I am living in a country that has their finger on the pulse - and the button. You should be very proud of your censors. The other night I was watching CNN, and the presenter didn't even get the word "Tiananmen" out before the screen went black. Please pass on my congratulations for a job well done.</i></div>
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<i>Finally, I want to thank you for helping with a serious health issue I have had now for most of my life. Ever since I can remember, I have had this tendency to react at the sound of a car horn, either to look in the direction of the horn, or to stop where I am to avoid being potentially struck by traffic. The overuse of the car horn in China has now made me immune to the sound of the car horn. In fact, on a recent visit back to Australia, I was reminded of the annoyance of the car horn after one was used to warn me that I was about to get run over. Thank you for making me immune to such an annoying device, and to potentially save me from severe neck injuries associated with whipping your head around to see a potential danger.</i></div>
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<i>I appreciate you taking the time to read my letter, and my reasons that I find China such an interesting country. It is such an amazing country, deep with culture, that I have decided to stay here for a further 12 months to continue this adventure.</i></div>
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<i>Kind Regards,</i></div>
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<i>Barry Keohane</i></div>
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<i>PS: As much as I enjoy the public holidays, is it possible to take a vote at the next party meeting to remove the fact we have to work on the weekend before and/or after public holidays. I mean, you must hate working on a Sunday?</i></div>
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-40044752263396253902013-04-19T16:46:00.000+08:002013-04-19T16:52:06.568+08:00The "selfie"For people who know me, I am pretty slack when it comes to taking photos of my travels. For some reason, I never think to get the camera out and squeeze off a few snaps. Hey, I lived in Bangkok for a year, and have about 30 photo to show for it. <br />
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So, since moving to China, I am trying to change my habits and take lots of photos. Of course, these days it's easier as the iphone has a reasonably good camera, so I don't have to rummage through my bag to find my camera. <br />
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I was going through my collection of China photos the other day, and I realised something - I am turning Chinese. How do I know this? I am taking far too many photos of myself, what the world has renamed as the"selfie". One of the things I noticed when I first moved to China was the amount of time the Chinese, especially girls/young women, spend taking selfies. You look through the photos on QQ (Chinese instant messaging) or Weibo (another social media site) and most of them are selfies. How did this happen to me? Is it something they put in the rice that makes you do this? How have I not realised what I am doing?<br />
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Anyway, after getting over the initial shock of what I have been subconsciously doing these last 11 months, I decided to dedicate this blog entry to a collection of selfies I have taken since arriving in China.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQxRjnjLo2o4hnBPx7CMGoZle6i2cLY9krxesE-b_UGCT2bFHOYmTGfz-jScWpXWEW7dFlHSQ7oY9dinC8I43_LmM-l5Hs5OGQzhgd1IOjSADyRaogB4nrVEM77jTj_3jCEnHIZLgYNg/s1600/Cold+-+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpYR_MxCD0RaVfB7nFJc91D07cw6ANK6z0xoA3V0TLNoRKxA2yZlMwUMW7tgEHPaMmpnxsrKIL2nwyQNqrqon4rw87_AlWDWu1hU87ac8CCcvzGfbVkFCzdxZhOq1SL2IjBk7fDvM_30/s1600/Profile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpYR_MxCD0RaVfB7nFJc91D07cw6ANK6z0xoA3V0TLNoRKxA2yZlMwUMW7tgEHPaMmpnxsrKIL2nwyQNqrqon4rw87_AlWDWu1hU87ac8CCcvzGfbVkFCzdxZhOq1SL2IjBk7fDvM_30/s200/Profile.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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This is one of the first selfies I took, aboard a fast train from Tianjin to Nanjing. As I have mentioned before, train travel is one of the things they do well in China. Efficient, always on time - and fast! Well, that's if you take the fast train.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDDNJYB5xnICDc8K9STPyk5HQX0I7Y6swJ1fd9nE6WC7J0RjyxZmG26jCOD2yJe_iR84HADcsL_EbTFcfgIrM8WpYDjvohiLvVZum3XryW0y7wWVZgmJ09SBJAWeiAS9Po14uZPMkpNU/s1600/Selfie+-+Bank.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDDNJYB5xnICDc8K9STPyk5HQX0I7Y6swJ1fd9nE6WC7J0RjyxZmG26jCOD2yJe_iR84HADcsL_EbTFcfgIrM8WpYDjvohiLvVZum3XryW0y7wWVZgmJ09SBJAWeiAS9Po14uZPMkpNU/s200/Selfie+-+Bank.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
The photo on the right is my first visit to the bank to transfer money back to Australia. They make it so difficult, it takes a whole day. First stop, the tax office (20 minute taxi ride one way) to pick up proof I have paid tax. Next, I have to take my passport, contract, tax certificate, endorsed salary slips, and my first born into the bank. On this day, I made the mistake of going in at 2pm - and waited 3 hours! Now I wait until the next day, and line up at 8:30 in the morning!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQxRjnjLo2o4hnBPx7CMGoZle6i2cLY9krxesE-b_UGCT2bFHOYmTGfz-jScWpXWEW7dFlHSQ7oY9dinC8I43_LmM-l5Hs5OGQzhgd1IOjSADyRaogB4nrVEM77jTj_3jCEnHIZLgYNg/s1600/Cold+-+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQxRjnjLo2o4hnBPx7CMGoZle6i2cLY9krxesE-b_UGCT2bFHOYmTGfz-jScWpXWEW7dFlHSQ7oY9dinC8I43_LmM-l5Hs5OGQzhgd1IOjSADyRaogB4nrVEM77jTj_3jCEnHIZLgYNg/s200/Cold+-+1.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
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I am writing this blog from my hotel in Changchun. The last time I was in Changchun was in late December, when the temperature got down to -35 degrees! I took this photo at the subway in Beijing as I was going to the airport to catch my flight. As you can see, I am rugged up and so looking forward to spending 36 hours in -35 degree weather. Thank god for central heating!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzTwXTcVcAgLMWwxMfnVbpaJ7jy1WnRqXwo_vSSC93JIixeKpcIc9ugopf69bEYh9EmQB7tcQVqm7g_yDCB5EfuTeGTDewlpurcnAXTNboopZVXzaXzazBh714EaI-VzY1fkTaRHGKWY/s1600/Selfie+-+Subway.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzTwXTcVcAgLMWwxMfnVbpaJ7jy1WnRqXwo_vSSC93JIixeKpcIc9ugopf69bEYh9EmQB7tcQVqm7g_yDCB5EfuTeGTDewlpurcnAXTNboopZVXzaXzazBh714EaI-VzY1fkTaRHGKWY/s200/Selfie+-+Subway.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
One of the lessons I learnt from travelling in China, is never arrange to arrive back in Beijing during peak hour. I made the mistake once, coming back from Tianjin via fast train. To get from the fast train station to home, I have to take the subway. You can't get the full experience from looking at this photo, but let's just say that when you have luggage and a backpack, and you and 20 million Chinese are trying to squeeze in the train, it's not very comfortable.<br />
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OK, the next series of selfies were taken at various airports in China. I travel by plane to 6 of the 7 cities I visit regularly, so I spend alot of time in airports. The bad thing - most of the flights are usually delayed. The good thing - I'm still thinking of a good thing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg03kIS88dxp2VWfGQr7H5390Vr0XgXb6MreYMQhwbVkKe6f7hbwOVc62A_slIF4Sk8AFiLtSjjFZu01aySlgDzspOwVFQNOmpyAGVXNwfyoJQr-lWI0QRGlQIYpkuI6ghg_-GRZfjuw0/s1600/Selfie+-+Airport.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg03kIS88dxp2VWfGQr7H5390Vr0XgXb6MreYMQhwbVkKe6f7hbwOVc62A_slIF4Sk8AFiLtSjjFZu01aySlgDzspOwVFQNOmpyAGVXNwfyoJQr-lWI0QRGlQIYpkuI6ghg_-GRZfjuw0/s200/Selfie+-+Airport.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4q4TpP9lqgc1rWVe7P6NlMsV7iOioSdX4DZ3WnpKh8deb-yl7DMuONAk9LF_-gHb5bG_yhvfpUukvms12h3yc6AnKx5p18m7orJe6KfHu69BCUrMaVPIEV44VJPnEtqq8b2NSnjifydk/s1600/Nanchang.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4q4TpP9lqgc1rWVe7P6NlMsV7iOioSdX4DZ3WnpKh8deb-yl7DMuONAk9LF_-gHb5bG_yhvfpUukvms12h3yc6AnKx5p18m7orJe6KfHu69BCUrMaVPIEV44VJPnEtqq8b2NSnjifydk/s200/Nanchang.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQ6WxHsYyUMs6QCEpR226bIuwYf6etJeSnmo7wbu0g4MXgaFuFCFu-UnJhbQydoZv64cLoKxgdA9D82aOFiZEYybefqzPY-9rf466FZt9AYioC39eDSBuBPCVRwfSmYaPXYNowNKbrTo/s1600/Travel+-+Waiting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQ6WxHsYyUMs6QCEpR226bIuwYf6etJeSnmo7wbu0g4MXgaFuFCFu-UnJhbQydoZv64cLoKxgdA9D82aOFiZEYybefqzPY-9rf466FZt9AYioC39eDSBuBPCVRwfSmYaPXYNowNKbrTo/s200/Travel+-+Waiting.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieM7EEsOO2PvtJupv0lGUJQPH9e6IXWadlLftsfsHzXm8P-KjJxNTqMshTr2LeO4hqAVpB0QAG1s35W0kNVjCiI5f4bL6DDTbyyQzR7WJkFsCtDWUOVtBA7dJEFN91GopYWZBKC7viRYc/s1600/Selfie+-+Beihai.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieM7EEsOO2PvtJupv0lGUJQPH9e6IXWadlLftsfsHzXm8P-KjJxNTqMshTr2LeO4hqAVpB0QAG1s35W0kNVjCiI5f4bL6DDTbyyQzR7WJkFsCtDWUOVtBA7dJEFN91GopYWZBKC7viRYc/s200/Selfie+-+Beihai.JPG" width="200" /></a>During the recent QingMing holiday (tomb sweeping), I decided to try somewhere different, and flew to Beihai. Beihai is in Guangxi province right down near Vietnam. It is warm and humid in Beihai. Felt just like Kuala Lumpur. This photo is standing by the sea with my hotel in the background. Nothing great about Beihai - it was just nice to get out of the Beijing cold for a few days.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj697PFjetou2SkIDAT4NI08-EDph5kv3I1SpKpKCMAi5Lp43siMNlC0AtvSAfMOWxLRUj1y3fzVd6bckV_bEOZWzAr350RupYkyqPx8LFpvP-YJENJKYQ4x9hr7g4Ks38S7ihpmrXXt4/s1600/Selfie+-+Irish+Ball.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj697PFjetou2SkIDAT4NI08-EDph5kv3I1SpKpKCMAi5Lp43siMNlC0AtvSAfMOWxLRUj1y3fzVd6bckV_bEOZWzAr350RupYkyqPx8LFpvP-YJENJKYQ4x9hr7g4Ks38S7ihpmrXXt4/s200/Selfie+-+Irish+Ball.JPG" width="149" /></a><br />
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The St Patricks Day Irish Ball is one of the biggest social events of the year in Beijing, so a group of us got 2 tables and decided to party like it was 1999. Only problem was I was suffering from food poisoning, and wasn't 100%. I think I only had 2 or 3 beers and a shot of whiskey. Let's just say it didn't help the food poisoning. But I scrubbed up OK!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWUhMTmGFUKGQDMYreHoHS5guGwMV9NW3n_X7zIj51GcLv2-hE28GUyJ_QuPCSQ1recEk-Cse9DxQNtRU1TZ5M60WddjtaSF-_JKzBHWhzjrKNLo_xJzilbIaE1a7CS1FHt3PkTUH_ak/s1600/Mask.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWUhMTmGFUKGQDMYreHoHS5guGwMV9NW3n_X7zIj51GcLv2-hE28GUyJ_QuPCSQ1recEk-Cse9DxQNtRU1TZ5M60WddjtaSF-_JKzBHWhzjrKNLo_xJzilbIaE1a7CS1FHt3PkTUH_ak/s200/Mask.JPG" width="150" /></a>The last photo pretty much sums up the last few months in Beijing. I can't remember what summer was like, but winter and now spring has produced some of the most polluted days since I have been here. They measure the PM 2.5 particles in the air (particles that can get into your lungs) on a scale of 1 to 500. In January, it got to 728! So, I bought a mask. I used to laugh at people who wore masks, and now I am one of them. It is one of the real low points of living in China. I heard the other night that 700,000 people a year die from pollution related illness. It seems rather high, but afterall China has 1.3 billion people - so maybe not that high.<br />
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Well, there you have it. A quick blog dedicated to the "selfie". It's as Chinese as Chairman Mao and MSG. As I said, right now I am in Changchun for 2 days of music research. It may not sound that special, but Changchun is pretty close to the border of North Korea. So if anything kicks off, let's hope that South Korea don't over shoot.<br />
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Zaijian!<br />
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<br />Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-82684988928418538672013-04-08T16:03:00.001+08:002013-04-09T09:49:00.094+08:00The silver fox gets the silver!Ni hao! Huanying wo de blog (This means welcome to my blog, except I don't know the Chinese word for blog)<br />
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If you've been playing along at home, and following my Chinese adventure via my blog/facebook/twitter rants, you will realise that I have now been living in China for 10 months! And this month, due to all my travel within China, I notched up my 40,000th kilometre with Air China. You know what that means? The silver fox is now a silver frequent flyer! Woohoo!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOVarcWqr35mrkufj3rYPnw3tztf_z0kAGeVoTwcrLrtVXmj_ETaU7ylB4Z1KE19rkyL1QMaNYuwRKgS56A-u5JvnB_RPlFIPpO1zYw2PhpoTe9BC0HQjFIeQQPRgT3q4_-L-G2dCcTI/s1600/Travel+-+Card.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOVarcWqr35mrkufj3rYPnw3tztf_z0kAGeVoTwcrLrtVXmj_ETaU7ylB4Z1KE19rkyL1QMaNYuwRKgS56A-u5JvnB_RPlFIPpO1zYw2PhpoTe9BC0HQjFIeQQPRgT3q4_-L-G2dCcTI/s200/Travel+-+Card.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
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This has inspired me to write my latest blog entry. After all the flights to the many cities I work, I thought I would share with you what air travel is like in China. Seriously, I am hoping that someone in the Ministry for On Time Departures (I am sure there is such a place in China) will read this. </div>
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For those who have come in late, let me recap the story so far:</div>
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1. I am from Australia, and live in Beijing</div>
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2. I travel alot inside mainland China.</div>
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3. I work in radio, teaching local Chinese how to do world class, format radio</div>
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3. Apparently, according to my Chinese teacher, I now know between 700 and 1000 chinese words (this has no relevance to the story. I just wanted to brag!)</div>
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4. I like reading, eating out, and long walks on the beach (just in case there are any single girls interested)</div>
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<u>The Airport</u></div>
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I think I have now been through about 12 airports in China. They are generally big, scary places and are generally pretty busy. Hey, with 1.3 billion people, everywhere is busy! In some of the airports queues are non existent when checking in. It's every man for himself. I learned very quickly the benefits of a strategically placed elbow. Don't get me wrong, not all Chinese push in, but you need to be aware of your surroundings. If your attention wanders, 1000 Chinese will jump the queue in front of you.</div>
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I recently went to Beihai (south China, near Vietnam), for some R&R, and took this photo of the check in area. Probably the quietest I will ever see an airport during my time here.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_J6FrXEm4wuSMJp-C4XUjwvJPWShk4YWQQO0ehOnDF8cGZN0QhbOJerM4bfs64A0IdZ6B_SsuyFnnASRoxI_hdJ_c1nb4OUno6u796F5Sr71PWhTzRVeo-r3ajUEDM7Xcn7FPyMlx0Os/s1600/Travel+-+Checkin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_J6FrXEm4wuSMJp-C4XUjwvJPWShk4YWQQO0ehOnDF8cGZN0QhbOJerM4bfs64A0IdZ6B_SsuyFnnASRoxI_hdJ_c1nb4OUno6u796F5Sr71PWhTzRVeo-r3ajUEDM7Xcn7FPyMlx0Os/s320/Travel+-+Checkin.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Security, as you can imagine, is very strict at all airports. You have to show your boarding pass and passport at security, then your bags get scanned, and of course you get patted down. And EVERYONE gets the pat down. Usually it's just a brush over your clothes with the scanner, and some light patting. However, in Xi'an, it's a little more thorough. Let's just say that normally when I get that sort of attention, I have to buy the girl dinner first.</div>
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<u>The Inevitable Delay</u></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LOMo7dom8Ie-djY0TZhXdrOD1nyxtfw2KWbL6kmWYjipLbp1McDZwqC14PaiDfzPQce1Jd7oMGRTZg4KuvLUUz6bRJw6Vzs9nuSGmvnqDsEPxgrkGmM2UkX5ETkZPLmx3Mr_cv6m1zE/s1600/Travel+-+Clock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LOMo7dom8Ie-djY0TZhXdrOD1nyxtfw2KWbL6kmWYjipLbp1McDZwqC14PaiDfzPQce1Jd7oMGRTZg4KuvLUUz6bRJw6Vzs9nuSGmvnqDsEPxgrkGmM2UkX5ETkZPLmx3Mr_cv6m1zE/s200/Travel+-+Clock.JPG" width="200" /></a>The first flight I took in China, which from memory I think was to Changchun in the northeast, we boarded the plane on time, then sat there for an hour before the plane took off. The reason? "Due to air traffic congestion". This has now become my least favourite saying in China, because pretty much 90% of the flights I have taken have been delayed due to air traffic congestion. It's also a very sneaky tactic by the airlines. If they make you wait inside the terminal, then they have to provide you with food, drinks etc. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JTF_a_kUsVNaMazmvNoKU40rW7xDJXtBi69WfB6VFkWEZ0yqPTJXJvI9VFp03Rk_q2bsPb-zrzREv8bZIsvT8DQfp1UczC5g2yWElmd4swl6YOnnp5mO0J1P7GGLbAcY64eXKnQ7JSk/s1600/Travel+-+Waiting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JTF_a_kUsVNaMazmvNoKU40rW7xDJXtBi69WfB6VFkWEZ0yqPTJXJvI9VFp03Rk_q2bsPb-zrzREv8bZIsvT8DQfp1UczC5g2yWElmd4swl6YOnnp5mO0J1P7GGLbAcY64eXKnQ7JSk/s200/Travel+-+Waiting.JPG" width="200" /></a>Coming back from Beihai yesterday, the incoming plane was delayed, so of course the flight back to Beijing was delayed. Watching the clock and waiting. I think I spend too much time doing that at airports.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJvbxp26822OGE1zpx5AI-ysJX3rSmuG6iNFY6fe2_M3I7yfEaWL6_ezukkuwLxQAA99mT_EyhWAlY9EHxwvOYw1JgCpIufX0IA6AC-ia4sqp07RP0OdlC1CuhZ8Ey-AInF6a0gwFbG4/s1600/Travel+-+Passenger.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJvbxp26822OGE1zpx5AI-ysJX3rSmuG6iNFY6fe2_M3I7yfEaWL6_ezukkuwLxQAA99mT_EyhWAlY9EHxwvOYw1JgCpIufX0IA6AC-ia4sqp07RP0OdlC1CuhZ8Ey-AInF6a0gwFbG4/s200/Travel+-+Passenger.JPG" width="149" /></a>Of course, one of the many benefits of spending alot of time waiting in airports is you get to do a lot of people watching. Waiting yesterday at Beihai airport, this guy sat opposite me. No, his pants were not too short, he just decided he would hitch them up. More comfortable obviously.</div>
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<u>Carry On Luggage</u></div>
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Most airlines around the world, especially Australia, are fairly strict when it comes to the size of your carry on luggage. Not in China. There seems to be no limit to how many carry on pieces you can bring. And sometimes, they don't even fit into the over head locker. I learned very quickly that if you want to get some space in the overhead locker, you need to get on the plane early. If you're the last one on, it's very hard to find some space. Yesterday, I watched a guy try and squeeze a rather large box into the overhead locker (in addition to the bag he had already thrown in there). Just as I took this photo, it squeezed in. Obviously didn't contain any priceless Ming vases.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3M-iaYFXO4_KroppCt3UWU9EkfhYz3HCI3TeAYBCgGOYbw20PmeX8qODoLKH7uNE2lbij-ILFpMUY6LqRqQy3BMQdNQpTzQEeyWUoqakWnDFSoppJAAsoxMgeIYjzL5i04k_PKBQ-PY/s1600/Travel+-+Carryon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3M-iaYFXO4_KroppCt3UWU9EkfhYz3HCI3TeAYBCgGOYbw20PmeX8qODoLKH7uNE2lbij-ILFpMUY6LqRqQy3BMQdNQpTzQEeyWUoqakWnDFSoppJAAsoxMgeIYjzL5i04k_PKBQ-PY/s320/Travel+-+Carryon.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<u>The food</u></div>
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I have a confession to make. I don't mind airline food. Yep, there, I said it. Of course I wouldn't eat it everyday, but most airline food is bearable and I have never had any problems with it. The problem with flying Air China is their lack of imagination, or maybe it's the customers lack of imagination. As I said, I have now racked up 40,000km's on Air China, so I am drawing on a pretty good sample size. It comes down to this, there is a choice A) Beef with rice, B) Chicken with rice, C) Pork with Rice, or Beef, Chicken or Pork with noodles. There is usually only 2 choices per flight, and it's normally with rice. OK, I know I am living in China and rice is the main food, but surely every now and then they can surprise the customers. Yesterday coming back from Beihai - pork with rice, or chicken with rice. And by time they got to me, chicken was gone. And after trying the pork, I know why.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY7_MHhuT04XMSMQhyphenhyphenWQNXipkv2zn4fuksoVa7gCKANcgwo_ZUqR1krhGpbsBBUWqkfkAYngKP8cjc8NNDYB5WZT9AqqWFSz2pyiY2Za6GzUsna0XKFOL5tGatrFNsnD1PBn43XmxEgM/s1600/Travel+-+Food.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY7_MHhuT04XMSMQhyphenhyphenWQNXipkv2zn4fuksoVa7gCKANcgwo_ZUqR1krhGpbsBBUWqkfkAYngKP8cjc8NNDYB5WZT9AqqWFSz2pyiY2Za6GzUsna0XKFOL5tGatrFNsnD1PBn43XmxEgM/s320/Travel+-+Food.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A few other interesting pieces from my travels:</div>
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- Everytime the plane hits a bump, however small, the flight attendant will come on and say "we are experience some turbulence. Please remain seated." On one 2 hour flight, I counted them saying it 8 times</div>
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- God help me if they allow people to use mobile phones on planes. Let's just say that being without a phone for a period of time, some Chinese have withdrawal symptoms.</div>
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- If planes allowed people to go out on the wing and smoke, however dangerous, some Chinese men would take the risk.</div>
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As interesting and as quirky as I find travelling in another country, the bottom line is I do feel safe. With the amount of security (they have a very conspicuous air marshall that is on every plane) and regulations from the government, plus the number of planes actually flying all over China, it's probably one of the safest places to fly.</div>
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And what benefits do I get from being a Silver flyer? I'm still waiting to find out, but I am pretty sure I will still only get a choice of beef or chicken...with rice.</div>
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-30138134613989448482013-03-18T20:41:00.001+08:002013-03-21T08:49:20.812+08:00The heat is.....off!Hello bloggees (being my new term for people who read blogs). Welcome to my latest blog entry, all the way from Beijing China. It has been 2 months since my last confessi....I mean blog entry. Things have been a little bit crazy over the last couple of months. Let me quickly bring you up to date.<br />
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Chinese New Year has come and gone, and I spent 2 weeks back in Australia during the start of February - a few days in Perth, and the rest of the time back with mum and dad in Picton. It's probably appropriate that I compare my new home town to my old home town (for those that don't know Picton, or Beijing for that matter). Beijing, where I currently call home has a population of 20 million people. I have walked down streets in Beijing for the 9 months I have been here, and not met anyone I know. Picton has a population of 3,000 people. I was home for 5 minutes, went into the town, and heard my name yelled across the street. Got to love small towns!</div>
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I arrived back in Beijing mid February to enjoy the last few weeks of winter. I have to admit that as much as I thought I could handle winter, it was harder than I thought. Bitterly cold days, heavy pollution, having to put on 3 layers of clothes to pop out and get some milk. Give me Australian seasons any day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikI-JDYmazIBcdu0D8Nv4cRGyViE3v0Yfy_fn2j6HduQlyXYLQEWwEpP3oGU4XKumf3VS5ee4lAalQH_Rog1LVT7p9t0tC3PABbIZvU5Rcyl5NKToL9L5Gs_XLWe32_UbQ9FSqEXFiTyU/s1600/Cold+-+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikI-JDYmazIBcdu0D8Nv4cRGyViE3v0Yfy_fn2j6HduQlyXYLQEWwEpP3oGU4XKumf3VS5ee4lAalQH_Rog1LVT7p9t0tC3PABbIZvU5Rcyl5NKToL9L5Gs_XLWe32_UbQ9FSqEXFiTyU/s200/Cold+-+1.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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This is a photo of me travelling to Changchun, where the temperature got to -35 degrees! You can see how excited I am to be travelling to such a cold place. </div>
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It was a crazy week after arriving back in Beijing. For those that don't know, mum broke her hip and had to be hospitalised for a few weeks. Through the joys of social media, I found out what happened before mum and dad had a chance to tell me. Got to love Facebook! The good news is mum is back at home now, recovering well. </div>
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It was time to hit the road again, and spent some time in Nanchang, Shanghai, Nanjing and Hefei. One of the great things about travelling is not just visiting some amazing cities, but also working with the local teams and enjoying the many different cuisines throughout China. In my stop in Nanjing, we went out to an Oyster themed restaurant where they serve many different types of oysters. The attached photo is oysters covered in grilled cheese. Not bad. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRt9YgSWkHlpTVGUfqzFqJOv4-uuhJh6Z9M3FprdFvy9Ne-raM5uLz6kXkGp2K5-QakuxYaTOmy02naRdgPQlTJl6PAQf9xi15A00yB-AZAwJs2nFrrypHJ1smHwGqbJSTvwR9Up55Rso/s1600/Oyster.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRt9YgSWkHlpTVGUfqzFqJOv4-uuhJh6Z9M3FprdFvy9Ne-raM5uLz6kXkGp2K5-QakuxYaTOmy02naRdgPQlTJl6PAQf9xi15A00yB-AZAwJs2nFrrypHJ1smHwGqbJSTvwR9Up55Rso/s200/Oyster.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
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These were Chinese oysters (I can't remember exactly where from), but they were very tasty. There were garlic, curry and many other styles. Between 6 of us, I think we had about 25 oysters. It took me a while to explain to the locals the word aphrodisaic. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9lztbbqsk8LHWUTnRnNbiz7JAgHp9TDyFmXAznUJEeXHMel_DjJrg2gUA1gPlb41dQ0myC3L_1nuMbsE98ks1XaVVouv02j-HWVhd8a8VBUkBCbFMYaSJze0M_FB_cy0AD5KIWjzOAc/s1600/Enzo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9lztbbqsk8LHWUTnRnNbiz7JAgHp9TDyFmXAznUJEeXHMel_DjJrg2gUA1gPlb41dQ0myC3L_1nuMbsE98ks1XaVVouv02j-HWVhd8a8VBUkBCbFMYaSJze0M_FB_cy0AD5KIWjzOAc/s200/Enzo.JPG" width="200" /></a>The photo on the left is where we went after the Oyster restaurant. It was a club in the 1912 district of Nanjing called "Enzo's". Lots of tables (which is wise to book), a DJ (but no where to dance), and a drink menu that included a champagne package valued at RMB 30,000 (about AUD5,000). Let's just say we went for the cheaper option. In the photo is night DJ LuKai, Program Manager Summer, our new marketing manager Rheece, and me.<br />
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Next stop was Hefei, where we planned to attend a client party for about 150 clients. One thing about being in a foreign country that I am very careful about is eating, and making sure that food is prepared properly etc. I have been here almost 10 months, and it was Friday where I finally got caught out. Not sure how, or where, or what, but I obviously ate something that made the following 24 hours very interesting. Let's just say I was very glad to make it onto the plane the next morning.<br />
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During winter, Beijing is centrally heated. The government says when they will turn it on, and they say when they will turn it off (which was yesterday, hence the title of this blog). It takes a lot of energy to centrally heat a city of 20 million people, so as you can imagine, this would generate alot of pollution. In fact, it produces a bloody lot of pollution. There is a scale that records the pollution from 0 (clean), to 500 (stay inside/unhealthy). One day in January, it got to 738! So, when I returned to Beijing after my trip, the office girls decided to distribute face masks. Not sure how much they keep out, but even if it's 50% it will be my new fashion accessory next winter.<br />
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So, that brings me pretty much up to date. Oh, except the St Patricks Day Irish ball which was on Saturday night. One of the biggest social events of the year in Beijing, and we had 2 tables with 20 people (there was 700 people all up). I was still getting over food poisoning, so wasn't 100%, but still had a great night. The food was good, the band so-so, but great company! The attached photo shows me with friends Will and Andy (notice Andy and I have the same bowties, especially made for a few of us).</div>
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This week is in Beijing, and next week on the road again to one of my favourite places - Xi'an. Thanks for taking the time to share my adventure and reading my blog. Don't forget. Tell you friends! It is still an incredible ride, and it keeps getting better. I can't believe that in a few months I will rack up 1 year in China.</div>
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Zaijian! Bring on spring!</div>
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-75423091831733123572013-01-22T10:36:00.001+08:002013-01-22T10:36:11.196+08:00Lost in TranslationWhere has the last month gone? I can't believe it's been over a month since I wrote my last blog entry, and it took a reminder from my mum to write another entry (thanks mum!).<div>
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For those who have been following the journey so far, a quick update of the last month. Xmas was a strange experience and not simply the fact that I was away from family and friends, but because in China, Xmas is simply another work day. So I went to work! OK, I went to work in the morning then I had a 3 hour lunch with a friend, then left early to go to dinner, so there wasn't much work done.</div>
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Here is a photo of Xmas night dinner. It was like a gathering of the United Nations - Singapore, Canada, Australia, USA, UK, Russia and Ireland. And a big turkey dinner! Boxing day (my birthday) was another work day. Again, went to work, had lunch with the boss, then went home early and a quiet drink with the neighbours at a local. I was coming down with a cold, so it was a very quiet night. Home by 8:30!</div>
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Let's skip to New Years Eve, and was I was introduced to a new NYE custom. A group of us were invited to a Spanish restaurant by our friend Gina (I hope you're reading this Gina!) to celebrate the New Year - Spanish style. What happens at midnight is you eat 12 grapes - 1 grape each strike of midnight. And you are supposed to make a wish for each grape. Have you ever tried to eat 12 grapes in 12 seconds? And as you can see by the photo, my grapes were not exactly small, so I failed. Next time I'm going to request smaller grapes. But it was a great night, which finished for me at 4am.</div>
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The last few weeks it's been back to work (oh, and planning my trip back to Australia on 31st January). I've spent a few days in Tianjin, 2 weeks in Nanjing, then back to Beijing before flying out to Australia next week. Everyone in China is getting ready for the Chinese New Year (on the 9th February). One of the most important days on the Chinese calendar. Almost everyone goes home to spend time with their family, so it is also one of the biggest travel days of the year, when big cities like Beijing and Shanghai see a mass exodus of people. Just the thought of moving 1.3 billion people is mind boggling.</div>
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Anyway, I don't really have that much more to report so I thought I would share some of my favourite "Lost in Translation" photos that I have taken in the last 8 months since coming to China. As I've come to understand, things get translated literally (Eg. Rocket in Chinese is translated to "fire sword").</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQojWwjjBwsm93BnpKwRb5EP6U4EeHlXgfVdnCPldfhSjpqCG-FMyDLHcUNhLpmoG5PSoBZrunEANpJwHoYbw46BEtSTJaZqAdc5fdDGt8jYkD_lnGwnDLWMO-E5FRiilx2_esCBTiBss/s1600/Egg+roll.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQojWwjjBwsm93BnpKwRb5EP6U4EeHlXgfVdnCPldfhSjpqCG-FMyDLHcUNhLpmoG5PSoBZrunEANpJwHoYbw46BEtSTJaZqAdc5fdDGt8jYkD_lnGwnDLWMO-E5FRiilx2_esCBTiBss/s200/Egg+roll.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
The first was taken at the JinJiang Inn in Guangzhou where I was staying for 3 weeks while preparing for the launch of our latest station. It didn't taste fierce, in fact it tasted just like it looked - sweet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVEIYjJP35DFtxzq_ZUwsAwR0WBPckI_u3wPafem1RgMlMq3gi2-9aA52PzAb4wp3DQBzYTMCzgGXMrIkhCblWg4jsidIpWDLiCVOQQyHjqegZ5xJe_rWsJG36_hioFm3o55BmoWH8mQ/s1600/Pubic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVEIYjJP35DFtxzq_ZUwsAwR0WBPckI_u3wPafem1RgMlMq3gi2-9aA52PzAb4wp3DQBzYTMCzgGXMrIkhCblWg4jsidIpWDLiCVOQQyHjqegZ5xJe_rWsJG36_hioFm3o55BmoWH8mQ/s200/Pubic.JPG" width="200" /></a>This sign is in the lobby of my Mandarin school. It reminds people that you must go and register when you arrive in China, at the "Pubic Security Bureau". What exatcly are you registering?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5qaeT4an04Gyv9abWC0OpaXLpcmO7m3EFclsPYgeiXQJYkn9QY0-Kif3UxM6RpLmFlE9ocB5mNB6Z3GFJ-AitlQl7_2Z2VpkStFLYIQxO5WczJNY-FOya2OHGXI9FxilO0uQEmxCy2k/s1600/Sign+Everywhere.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5qaeT4an04Gyv9abWC0OpaXLpcmO7m3EFclsPYgeiXQJYkn9QY0-Kif3UxM6RpLmFlE9ocB5mNB6Z3GFJ-AitlQl7_2Z2VpkStFLYIQxO5WczJNY-FOya2OHGXI9FxilO0uQEmxCy2k/s200/Sign+Everywhere.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
We held a Digital Music Test in Xi'an back in August, and this sign was at the registration desk. I think it should have said something like "Sign in here". <br />
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I'm sure I have mentioned it before, but it's common practice for most people in China to spit. Yep, a good clear of the throat, then hack up on the pavement. The government even tried to ban it before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. As you can see by this loosely translated sign "don't spitting at anywhere". Trust me, no one pays attention to no spitting signs.<br />
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One of my new favourite "lost in translation" signs I snapped this week at a food hall in a shopping centre in Nanjing. I am still yet to work out exactly what it should say, or even what it is. I think it could be marinated, or stewed - but not urinated.</div>
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And finally, this last photo was on the wall of my bathroom at my hotel in Nanchang. I had to look twice to make sure it said what it said, and definitely a laugh out loud moment. I'm sorry, but I think I will skip the background music this time.</div>
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I was thinking, if you were fluent in Chinese (both reading and writing, and speaking) and good in English, there is an opportunity to work as a sign translator. Mind you, if someone came in and fixed all these sign, what would I have to post on Facebook every week.</div>
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-44958791580297551532012-12-24T20:59:00.001+08:002012-12-24T21:07:00.397+08:00I've never been so cold in my life!!!As you can see, the title of this blog post needed 3 exclamation points. Yep, I love a good exclamation point, and the weekend just gone I needed them all when describing just how cold it was. Not just cold. Ridiculous cold! And when I say ridiculous, I mean R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S! At one point the temperature dropped to -35 degrees!<br />
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But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning.<br />
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If you've been following my China adventure, you may remember that 2 weeks ago I was working in the south of China, in a city called Guangzhou. The weather was great. Warm almost everyday, temperature around 28 degrees, and me sitting by the pool while girls in bikinis fed me grapes. OK, maybe the pool, grapes and women in bikinis is a bit too much - but you get the picture.<br />
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Coming back to Beijing was enough of a shock to the system. When I arrived back home, the temperature was about -2 degrees. Pffft! -2! Is that all you can throw at me? That I can handle. But it was nothing compared to what awaited me the next weekend.<br />
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David, the Branch Manager at our Changchun station, was throwing a party for about 400 people - 200 clients, and 200 listeners and he sent me an email officially inviting me to take part, first by making a brief presentation and then by presenting some awards. All in the city of Changchun North-east China, where the forecast for the weekend was from -35 to -27 degrees!<br />
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Sorry, what?!<br />
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Yep, -35 degrees to -27 degrees (and we're talking celsius here people!). In a matter of one week, I will have dropped 63 degrees! I'm not a doctor, but I'm sure that cannot be good for your body.<br />
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Once I got over the initial shock of going somewhere where it will be colder than the coldest place I have ever been, first thing I needed to do was go and buy a warmer coat. Preferably one that covered every inch of my body, and that had a built in heater that kept me at about 20 degrees. OK, maybe asking too much, but off I went to Yashow market and haggled over the price of a Canadian Goose jacket. Happy with the price, and the coat, I tried it out in the -5 degrees Beijing had decided to deliver. Beautiful! But how would it survive -35?<br />
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Saturday morning, up at 5:30 and decided to catch the airport express which involved about a 10 minute walk to the station . Temp = -12 degrees. As you can see by this photo taken at the subway station, I looked very happy to be going to -35 degrees. But I felt warm.<br />
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Oh, and the train didn't leave until 6:30, but I realised it takes about 10 minutes to get dressed. 5 minutes to do up the bloody zipper on the coat, then put on everything else - scarf, beanie, gloves etc. <br />
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Pretty much all of the flights I have been on in China, the planes have been full. But for some reason, not today. Strange?! Why don't people want to fly to Changchun where the weather is cold, and -35?<br />
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Once we landed in Changchun (after seeing from the air just how white it was), I could feel the cold walking through the airport. This was going to be something I will remember for a long time. <br />
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I met my assistant Milly ( who flew in from Shanghai) and then we met our driver. OK, here it comes. Time to walk outside. Jacket zipped up. Scarf on. Beanie secure. Gloves fastened. <br />
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Walking through the door, the cold just hit me in the face and took my breath away. It was -22 degrees! The cold reached every inch of my body in a second. Wow, what a feeling. It felt like when you are exercising in the cold, and breathing in the cold air - but about 100 times worse!<br />
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We got to the hotel and checked in. Lesson 1 when walking on ice. Beware the black/clear ice. You know, the real slippery stuff. I think I almost fell about 5 times, but managed to stop myself.<br />
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The day was uneventful. We went to the office to interview some staff, then back to the hotel and got ready for the big party. Leaving the hotel (around 5pm) the temperature was -27 degrees. And sometime over night, it would drop to -35! Bring it on!<br />
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Next 3 hours we were in a theatre (which was surprisingly cold considering they didn't turn on the heat) watching the show put on by the Changchun staff. My presentation went badly (the PPT didn't work), then I was asked to come up and help the magician, which was also a struggle because I didn't know what he was saying, and he didn't speak English. I have been learning Mandarin, but I don't yet know the Chinese word for "abracadabra".<br />
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After the show finished (around 11pm) we all went off for Karaoke. Temperature, -32 degrees. I'm not sure of the lowest temperature I have been in (maybe in the snow fields of NSW), but on the steps of the theatre in Changchun, I was now in the coldest place I have ever been. The photo on the left is Lio (Branch Manager of Xi'an) and my assistant Milly on the steps of the theatre. Photo on the right is me, asking myself "what the f*** am I doing here?"<br />
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We finished karaoke around 1am, and when we walked outside it was -35 degrees! Even though I wasn't looking forward to it, and I could not think what -35 degrees could feel like, I did take a moment and thought that this was pretty special. I'm sure I will get the chance to go back to Changchun during winter next year, but nothing is like your first time. Right?!<br />
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A few things I learned from the weekend:<br />
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- Wearing suit pants in -35 degrees is not a great idea. <br />
- If you travel outside with a bottle of water, it will freeze.<br />
- Pizza Hut in China do breakfast (I know, a bit random. But the bacon and egg sandwich on Sunday morning from Pizza Hut was awesome)<br />
- Taxi drivers don't put the heat on<br />
- No matter how many times you say "geez it's cold", doesn't make it any warmer.<br />
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<br />Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-72861879342464638032012-12-09T19:31:00.000+08:002012-12-09T19:31:02.959+08:00The Chinese - A few observationsNihao!<br /><div>
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Jintian, wo zhu zai Zhongguo liu ge yue le.</div>
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Oh sorry, I'm just showing off my Mandarin. What the above says is that today, I have been in China for 6 months! (well, I hope that's what it says?!). And what an incredible, amazing, eye opening and mind expanding 6 months it's been. I knew that coming to China was really going to push me outside my comfort zone, and it's been worth every second. I feel that, in my first 6 months, I have grown both professionally and personally (no, that doesn't mean I'm getting fat!). OK, enough of the deep and meaningful stuff.</div>
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China is the world's most populous country (just in case you didn't know and you get asked that question at your next trivia night). I am surrounded by 1.3 billion Chinese, so I thought I would dedicate this weeks blog to a few observations I've made about the Chinese people (with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek.)</div>
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1. Spitting</div>
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OK, so this is a big generalisation and not all Chinese spit. But everyday, no matter where I am, I'm guaranteed to hear the sounds of someone clearing their throat, followed by said person spitting. I think the Chinese government should invest in the good old fashioned spittoon, and put them on every street corner. At least the spitting would be accompanied by the "ding" of the spittoon. I can already see the next act on China's Got Talent. A spittoon band!</div>
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I Googled the reason why Chinese spit, and really, there was no definitive answer. Some say it's because of the pollution. Others say it's because everyone does it. But I think it is something that will be phased out over time. It only seems to be the older generations that spits, and the teens and 20 somethings don't seem to have taken up this habit. Maybe if Justin Bieber did it, they might take it up.</div>
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2. Close Door button</div>
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Here's a tip for when you are riding a lift with a Chinese. If you are getting on or off the lift - be quick! When those doors open you better jump on, or off fast! The reason? They love using the "door close" button. I hesitated getting onto a lift once, and someone pushed the door close button. The result was the doors started closing as I was walking on, and the door closing on me. Not a very pleasant experience. And when you are on the lift with someone, and it stops at a floor, their finger goes straight for the door close button - while the doors are still opening! Run, run for your life!</div>
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Be prepared. Be alert. Don't hesitate!</div>
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3. The food</div>
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Every meal I've had with my Chinese colleagues and friends is an experience. It's part of their culture that they order enough food to ensure there will be some leftovers. A good host will lose face if the guests eat all the food. Guaranteed you will have enough food leftover for another meal. I think the "doggy bag" was created in China, although in some parts of China, doggy bag has another meaning. The hardest part I have found is managing what I eat. Because pretty much every Chinese meal is a banquet, with dishes constantly being brough out, you lose track of your portion size. It's very easy to eat too much because you can't get an idea of "what's on YOUR plate", because you are trying all the dishes. And don't get me started on the variety of food. That's a whole different blog.</div>
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4. Personal space</div>
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I suppose in a country of 1.3 billion people, personal space is a luxury. I'm constantly fighting for space on the subway, walking down the street, fighting for cabin baggage space on a plan, even checking out of a hotel. In Australia, you get used to people giving you your own personal space. We obey the rules. We don't stand on top of you when you are conducting personal business, like taking money from an ATM. Not in China. I was checking out of a hotel once. I had my passport, my wallet and my credit card on the counter when someone came up and stood right next to me. Shoulder to shoulder. I didn't know the Chinese word for "back off", so I sort of shooed him away. I think he got the message. </div>
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<br />5. Oldies Flash mobs</div>
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I think this is one of my favourite observations so far. You could be walking anywhere in China - outside a shopping centre, through a park, or just down the street, when suddenly someone will set up a ghetto blaster, start playing music, and begin dancing. I first saw this outside a shopping centre in Nanjing. It was simply a group of housewives who began dancing. My favourite happened in Guangzhou today. I was walking down from the Dr. Sun Yat Sen memorial when I came across another group. And this time they were ballroom dancing. Not a care in the world. Like the saying goes, "dance like no one is watching". There was one woman dancing by herself. I was afraid to make eye contact with her, because I'm sure dancing with a foreigner would score her some brownie points with her friends. It's been a while since I've had to dance, so I avoided her gaze and kept walking.</div>
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Just a few of my observations during my first 6 months. I left out driving skills, the abuse of cabin baggage limits, the leaving of doors open in hotel rooms, the fact I have to get an official receipt for EVERYTHING, or the fascination with small dogs. Maybe I'll write about those at the 12 month mark.</div>
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A quick thank you to everyone who reads and enjoys my blog, and thanks for the feedback. I would like to write more, but sometimes I just don't have the time. As I mentioned above, this is an incredible journey and I am learning so much that will set me up for bigger and better roles, once I'm ready. Sometimes it's hard to believe that this boy from Picton, a little town in NSW with a population of 3,000, is about to launch a radio station in Guangzhou China - population 12 million. </div>
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Zaijian!</div>
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-14990129061305074052012-11-30T17:41:00.003+08:002012-11-30T17:41:45.083+08:00So, what about that local sports team?Hello from Guangzhou! Yes blog readers, I have set up camp in the JinJiang Hotel in Guangzhou (Southern China) for 2 months as we get ready to launch our biggest radio station so far....and we have to do it in 6 weeks! We have no office, no on-air staff, no research, 1 station manager, and 1 admin person. It's going to be a busy few weeks.<div>
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In the meantime I have set up office in my hotel room. Well, when I say office, I have my computer and an internet connection. That's it. I suppose all I need for now. Next week it's round 2 of interviews, and I hope by this time next week we will have close to a full staff. Still no office though (we move in on December 26. I've never had to work on my birthday - until now!). </div>
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OK, now to the subject of my latest blog. I could have written about the change in weather in both Beijing and Guangzhou. (Boring) I also could have written about dancing to a cover of a Midnight Oil song in a Chinese bar last weekend. (Surreal). Or maybe my first visit to the doctor in China (expensive!). Or bragged about my appearance in a local expat magazine (I'll do that at the end).</div>
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I was sitting at dinner last night with 4 of my work colleagues, and it hit me. This is what I should write about!</div>
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One of the most difficult things I found when working in Bangkok, and now working in China, is the language barrier. Out of all the staff with MyFM China (about 200), probably about 10 or 15 people can understand and communicate in English. That's why I use a translator most of the time. But when it comes to sharing dinner with my workmates, this is where I find the language barrier the most challenging.</div>
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Last night 5 of us went to a local restaurant for dinner. Luca (my boss), Hongtao (Station Manager for Nanjing), Lillian (Admin in Shanghai), Milly (my translator/assistant/legend) and myself all went out for a local Chinese meal (although in China, it's just called a meal). It's a situation that I have found myself on numerous occasions. Out of the 4 of them, only Milly can speak good English. Luca is better at written English, Lillian understands a bit. Hongtao nothing!</div>
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So, as dinner starts, we talk briefly about work and kick around a few ideas and talk about the day. Things are being translated, and I feel part of the conversation as we share a drink and some food (after last night, I can add a new food to my list - eel!). As dinner progresses, the conversation is translated less and less as they talk with each other. It's nothing that concerns me, and I was prepared for this as the same thing happened in Thailand. But sometimes you do feel like you are the third person on a date (actually, at least on a date I could understand what they are saying).</div>
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I probably know about 700 Mandarin words, and pretty confident about what I have learned so far, and I listen out for words I know during the conversation. Sometimes I can put together a few words and work out what is being said. Most of the time, I sit their like a shag on a rock (I don't even know what that means). It's a strange feeling watching a group of people talking, and having no idea what they are talking about. Sort of like watching the last Matrix movie.</div>
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Every now and then Milly might translate something, or if my name gets mentioned I ask what is going on. But at dinner, the momentum of the conversation prevents me from jumping in too much. Any pause in the conversation, I feel like breaking out that great line "So, what about that ( local sport) team?". But they just wouldn't get it.</div>
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Don't get me wrong, I enjoy listening to the conversation, and feel very proud of myself when I can identify words and pick up on the conversation. But it does get boring sometimes when you have no idea what is going on. I have become an expert in fiddling - playing with the chopsticks, looking at my phone, picking food out of my teeth (even if it's not needed), checking my phone again....and my favourite, trying to work out what I just ate.</div>
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Below is another photo, from my perspective last night. Luca is on the left, Hongtao on the right. As you can see, very animated discussion taking place - I just wish I knew what it was about!</div>
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Oh, and as promised (and just in case you missed it), I popped up in 'Agenda' magazine this week. A fortnightly expat magazine, based around business people. I appear in the "Brainiest Boss in Beijing" section. And before you judge my 7 out of 12, I'm actually coming equal first!</div>
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If you missed it, have a look at <a href="http://issuu.com/agendabeijing/docs/agenda2012.12a/49">http://issuu.com/agendabeijing/docs/agenda2012.12a/49</a> Plus, you're all getting a copy for Xmas. But knowing the way China post works, it will be Xmas 2015!</div>
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Zaijian!</div>
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-41761063079944017622012-11-11T18:41:00.001+08:002012-11-11T18:41:32.029+08:00"D" is for drinking, and "T" is for TequilaMy first trip to China was back in 2006, when I was asked to come here to speak at the annual conference of the Shanghai Media Group. It was a very quick trip - arrive on Monday night, speak at the conference on Tuesday, and fly back to Bangkok (where I was based) on Wednesday. But during that 48 hours I was introduced, very quickly, to the way you do business in China.<div>
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Before I moved over here in May, I started doing some research of what I should expect. I read 2 books about doing business in China, both of which had very big chapters on drinking. And ever since arriving on 9th June, I have learned that pretty much everything that was contained in those 2 chapters, is pretty close to the mark.</div>
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Here are a few key points to understand about drinking with Chinese business people:</div>
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1. Alcohol is served at every dinner or lunch you have with Chinese business people</div>
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2. If you don't want to drink, you need to show you don't drink from day one. Otherwise, come up with a bloody good excuse because you will be EXPECTED to take part.</div>
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3. You will be served either beer, wine (most likely red), rice wine...or the dreaded "Baijiu", which is translated to white wine (but it's not white wine. More like rocket fuel!).</div>
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4. Everyone at the dinner will propose a toast, either to the group, or to individuals. So, if there is 20 people at the dinner, you will be required to participate in 20 toasts. </div>
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5. When you do toast, it will most likely be "ganbei". This means bottoms up, or loosely speaking drain your glass. Luckily, you will be working from a shot glass</div>
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6. Don't expect to leave before the host or guest of honour. It is polite to stay the distance. You get lots of brownie points if you're one of the last men standing.</div>
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Now that I've let you into a few tips about drinking in China, let me get to the purpose of this weeks blog - tequila! On Thursday, we held the 3 monthly station managers meeting in Shanghai. It included a day of presentations from each manager, plus a session from me. Then it was dinner time. Always expected to be a lively affair.</div>
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My drink of choice at dinner was beer. The secret to staying the distance is to only drink when you are being toasted. I learned this the hard way because they keep refilling your glass. So, I kept my beer handy, and toasted everyone by taking a sip of beer. Not much "ganbei" action on Thursday night, which is fine. But I still managed to polish off about 10 beers. Oh, and the point of the dinner was to present some awards. And just to prove it, here's a photo.</div>
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After dinner, we moved to a local bar, and the drinks kept flowing. No one was leaving (the boss was still there), so we ordered. Wine and beer for most people, I ordered a double Baileys. I can handle that better than anything else after drinking alot of beer/wine. 2 double baileys later, the boss decided to wrap things up - not before he bought a bottle of Tequila and shots for everyone. At this stage there was about 10 of us left, and not many of the team had ever had a tequila shot. So, it was up to me to show them how it was done (Hey, I'm just improving China/Australia relationships).</div>
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Before I showed them, I thought I would tell them how we REALLY do it in Australia. "Have you ever heard of the Stuntman?" I asked. No. Well this is how we do it in Australia. You snort the salt up your nose, throw the tequila over your shoulder, then squeeze the lime/lemon in your eye. This was received with a few shocked looks, but mostly laughter as they did realise I was joking. Ah that good old Aussie sense of humour!</div>
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I downed the first shot, complete with the lime and salt, then joined in when everyone else did theirs. Hey, if they can handle Baijiu/Rocket fuel, a shot of tequila is nothing! We finished off the bottle (I had 4 shots), and called it a night. I was a little worried about how I would wake up on Friday, but surprisingly woke feeling OK. Maybe it was the fact that the boss bought a good tequila...or maybe it was the fact that I am slowly becoming used to the way we do business in China.</div>
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Ganbei!</div>
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-2225749189134135122012-11-04T18:28:00.000+08:002012-11-04T18:28:05.035+08:00What a crazy winters day!I started writing this blog with the view to writing an entry every week thinking I would have plenty of time. I mean, how long does it take to write a blog? Add a few photos, write a few things about what I did, throw in the odd funny observation, and it's done! But I didn't realise I would also be very busy. That's why it has been a few weeks between blogs.<div>
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So, for those who are playing along at home, a quick summary of what I've been up to since my last blog. Prepared 6 powerpoint presentations for training, flew to Xi'an for 3 days, flew to Hefei for research study. Then got the call to fly to Guangzhou for a day to have dinner with our new station partners, then flew back to Hefei. Then flew from Hefei back to Beijing. Caught up for a few beers and some bowling with my Beijing peeps, hosted 2 days of training for my Program Managers, throw in a few Chinese lessons, some Chinese meals (including a surprisingly tasty turtle soup)..and that brings you up to date.</div>
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Last week at bowling, a few of us decided to go to the soccer (apparently they call it football in other countries). The local Beijing team (Beijing Gu'an) were playing their last game of the season at Workers Stadium, which is only about 20 minutes walk from my apartment. Great, my first ever live soccer match, and I am watching a little known Chinese team play another slightly lesser known Chinese team. Bring it on!</div>
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As the day grew closer, the weather got colder. At one stage, they forecast the first snow of the season. Could be interesting, but I am willing to try anything, and in any condition.</div>
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The game was due to start at 3:30, so we decided to meet at Switch Bar and Grill, and bar near the stadium. After I suited up in jumper, jacket, scarf and umbrella, I met my neighbour Andy and we walked down to the bar. Joining us on our soccer adventure would be Al (Kiwi), Bruce (Scot), Phil and Alistair (another 2 Poms), and Sue (American). After a few Heinekens, Tsingstaos, Mooseheads and steak sandwichs all round, we marched up the stadium.</div>
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The scene at the stadium was, in one word, mad. The riot police were on hand, along with a massive security presence. The rain was absolutely tipping it down, and even though our tickets had seat numbers, it was a matter of finding the best place to stand/sit. We decided to walk right to the top of the stand, and watch from the nosebleeds.</div>
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Let's face it, I don't know much about soccer, but I'm pretty sure the Picton Under 12's could have given both teams a run for their money. Kicks for goal went high and wide, and it wasn't until about the 89th minute that Beijing Gu'an kicked the winning goals winning 1 to 0. (Did someone say rigged?) The crowd went wild, and it was all over. What then followed was the longest ever team song I have heard. I think it went for about 10 minutes.</div>
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Just in case we didn't realise, the announcer (in English), told us "The game is over". Thank god, otherwise we would have stayed there all night. We made our way out, and discovered the temperature had dropped by about 5 degrees, and with the wind chill, it was about 0 degrees! So, what better way to finish a football game, than a beer and pizza. A quick stop at "the Den" for a beer, then I had to make a quick exit. I promised another friend I would meet her and a few others at a Malaysian place on the other side of town.</div>
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I walked the 20 minutes back to my place in the now freezing cold. Wind, rain, and inside out umbrellas was what greeted me on the streets of Beijing. A quick change, then it was out to try and flag down the ever elusive Beijing taxi. Standing in the wind and rain under my cheap umbrella, I was almost going to chuck it in. It took about 20 minutes to flag down a taxi, at which stage I was running late. Meeting at 8:30 was turning more into 9:00. I got dropped off where I believed the restaurant to be, only to find out I still had a bit of a walk. After phoning Wen (my American/Chinese/Malaysian friend), I finally made it to the restaurant wind blown, cold, and in reasonably good spirits.</div>
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When I walked in, I discovered that out of the 7 or 8 people invited, only 4 of us turned up. And on top of that, the restaurant was closing at 10pm. So, it was the worlds quickest meal, pay the bill, then the 20 minute obligatory wait to get a taxi. Made it home by about 10:30, and turned on every heating device in my apartment. </div>
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It was a crazy winters day in Beijing. But, well worth doing and would do it again tomorrow (actually, I did do it again tomorrow, but that's another blog). After the crazy events of yesterday, I woke up to the first Beijing snow this morning. And 0 degrees! </div>
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-72298012575900176392012-10-14T11:17:00.002+08:002012-10-14T11:17:51.830+08:00A Day in the Life....After a week off in Malaysia for the National Day/Mid Autumn Festival Holiday (yes, we had 5 days off!), it was back to work this week, and back to the blog. This week I spent at our station in Changchun, which is North East of Beijing. Changchun was one of the first stations I visited when arriving in China, so it was time for another trip. Oh, and it's also one of the coldest places I will travel, getting down to -17 during winter.<div>
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I thought I would try something different this week, and write about my typical day when travelling. So, welcome to "A Day in the Life...". This was my day on Friday (give or take a few of the boring details)</div>
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Most of the hotels I stay in are bartered with the station. They are basic, and reasonably comfortable. And only about about 300 RMB per night (AUD$50). My 4 nights in Changchun were spent at the "Fifth Season Hotel". Newly refurbished, and comfortable. Only problem was the breakfast. I enjoy cereal, toast, bacon, eggs. You know. Normal food. So, the choice of fish porridge, noodles, and other Chinese cuisine didn't really appeal to me. </div>
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The hotel was about a 15 minute walk from the office. Sounds good? Yes, at the moment. A fresh, 6 degrees each morning. I won't be walking during the middle of winter though, where it gets down to -17. Arriving at the office (which is in a 20 floor building), there are 3 elevators. Not a bad wait on Friday. Usually you have to wait 5-10 minutes, and sometimes you won't get dropped off on your floor. If there are too many different floors pressed, they will usually choose a few, just so it doesn't stop so much. Once, we were dropped off on the 13th floor, then had to take the stairs down to the 12th. Thank god it wasn't the 2nd floor.</div>
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Let the day begin! Friday was a busy day, and mainly revolved around airchecks with the DJ's. These can be anywhere from 1 hour to 2 hours. Because of the need to have everything translated, it can take twice as long as it would normally. In this photo, XiaoYan (English name Smile) is on the left. Smile is one of our youngest Program Managers. On the right, is Arlene, one of the DJ's. And Milly (all round legend, and half my assistant, half assistant to the COO, and helps me translate when needed) is taking the photo. I think she might be camera shy.</div>
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After the busy morning of airchecks, it was time for lunch. Always a nice surprise to see what we are eating each day. Friday, it was noodle soup - served in a plastic bag and eaten from a plastic tub (as you can see in this picture). Surprisingly tasty. And cheap. And hand delivered. Alot of places in China you can order on the phone, and they will deliver so you can eat in the office. Lots of different options too. Oh, and to balance the cuisine, we had Pizza Hut on Tuesday. A proper pizza hut restaurant, where you can sit down. Just like you could do in Australia once, before they all became takeaway.</div>
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The afternoon was more airchecks, and review with the branch manager. Then it was party time! Changchun was the most recent station to achieve monthly revenue of RMB 1 million, and to celebrate we had a "Million Club Dinner", with all the staff, the COO and also the Executive director. Lots of food, red wine - and the dreaded Chinese spirit Baijiu. (Note to self. Never organise an early morning flight after a night of drinking Baijiu. Result = Bad). In the photo is our Executive Director Ken, myself, Branch Manager David, COO Luca, and Nanjing Branch Manager Hongtao.</div>
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After the food, the 2 bottles of Baijiu, and the 16 bottles of red wine, we moved onto a local KTV. KTV = Karaoke. You are shown into your own private room, with your own Karaoke system. We ordered more drinks, and the singing began. It took we while to navigate through the system, but they had a great selection of English songs. Alot better than in Hefei where I last did Karoaoke. Time for some Billy Joel! I did "It's Still Rock n Roll to Me" first. About 2 hours later, when I was singing it again, I realised that I had already sung it that night. But everyone was too drunk to notice.</div>
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As I said, there was plenty of drink on the night. One thing the Chinese love doing is celebrating with alcohol. The red wine, the champagne, the Baijiu (I recommend that everyone try Baijiu at least once. Just so you can appreciate what I'm going through), and then the Budweisers at the KTV. It's a matter of grabbing a beer, choosing your favourite song, and belting it out in front of everyone. All these bottles are still full.</div>
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I did notice however, that not everyone was singing. I think of the 10 or 15 of us that made it to Karaoke, there was about 5 of us singing, including me. I think I managed a few Billy Joel songs, Smokie, ABBA, and Elvis. I remember seeing the Sugababes as a choice and thinking "Who would sing the Sugababes?". Oh, and we managed to sing along to the English parts of Gangnam Style, plus tried to dance the moves. Very interesting at 1am.</div>
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In this photo, our COO Luca singing with one of the Changchun staff.</div>
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OK, so maybe it wasn't a typical day the way it ended, but it definitely was a big day. As I mentioned, I didn't plan the flight back to Beijing that well as I needed to be up at 7am. Not a good thought when climbing into bed at 2. Oh, and the taxi ride to the airport was interesting. I'll save that for the next blog.</div>
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-76105485561634893482012-09-25T16:10:00.000+08:002012-09-25T16:10:32.400+08:003 months on....Part 2!If you've just tuned in, you missed last weeks blog where I answered a few questions from friends and family about my first 3 months in China. I had so many good questions, I divided it into 2 parts. Hence why this is called Part 2.<div>
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So, please sit back with your cup of tea or coffee, or glass of red (very appropriate, as red is a lucky colour in China) and enjoy part 2 of my first 3 months. Let's start with a tough question.</div>
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<b><i>Do they have honey chicken in China? (Jo Macarthur)</i></b></div>
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Trust you to ask me a question about food Jo Mac. For those that don't know, honey chicken is a popular item on Chinese menus in Australia. And you will be glad to know Jo that I have had honey....prawns. Sorry, I haven't had honey chicken yet. But I am sure you would be able to find it somewhere. I have tried many different dishes over the last 3 months, so I am sure there would honey chicken. I'm just looking for the curried prawns and rice.</div>
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<b><i>What did you think was really weird when you first arrived that you now consider normal? (Angela Heise)</i></b></div>
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Angela, I would love to say that I am getting used to people spitting on the street, but no. I still find that pretty disgusting. Probably not the actual spitting, but the clearing of the throat that precedes it. I think the thing I found most weird, is the use of the car horn. The car horn has become a tool in China for pretty much every road procedure you can imagine. Changing lanes? Hit the horn. Turning left? Yep, I'll give the horn a toot. Warning the driver three lanes over that I am overtaking him? Beep Beep. Letting the car in front of me know that I am behind him? Let's give the horn a try.</div>
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But, the horn is so overused in China that it has lost its power. In my first few weeks hear, I would turn at the sound of every horn. But now, it doesn't even make me blink. However, the drivers believe it will protect them from anything. The other night I was in a taxi when someone cut in front of us. The driver actually went for the horn before he slammed on the brakes. Hey buddy, the horn is not going to stop you from slamming your head against the dashboard when you hit that car in front!</div>
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<b><i>Have you come across a Donna Chang? (Gemma Rule)</i></b></div>
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For non Seinfeld fans, this question might seem a little strange. But for the rest of us, it will make you giggle. Gemma, no Donna Chang - but plenty of Changs. I should ask the next Chang I meet if they have a sister called Donna. And whether she is actually Chinese.</div>
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<b><i>What is the most inspiring thing you have come across during your travels in China? (Keith Fowler - I took over from Keith!)</i></b></div>
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I should ask you the same thing as you were here for 4 years before me. I think the most inspiring thing is the huge amount of construction that is taking place across the country. In a city like Tanggu, which is just south east of Beijing. you are literally seeing a city being built in front of your eyes. It has been designated a special economic zone, and the amount of construction is mind boggling. There is an actual city being built. Not just one or two buildings. A whole city. That is pretty inspiring to watch.</div>
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<b><i>What is the saddest thing you have seen during your travels? (Keith Fowler)</i></b></div>
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I could say it's the beggars and poor people that you see trying to make ends meet everyday. And I don't mean to get all Bob Geldoff, but I think the saddest thing that I see time and time again is just the huge amount of food that goes to waste. It's part of Chinese culture that when you eat out, you order alot more than you can actually eat. Especially if you are invited out by a local. If you finish your plate, or finish everything, they get insulted and lose face because they did not order enough food for their guests. So, it is not uncommon to have dishes of food left after a meal. Depending on where you are, you can ask for a doggy bag and take it home. Most of the time, it gets thrown out. Very sad to see it go to waste.</div>
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<b><i>Is Chinese pop music as bad as English pop music? (Bridget Emrose)</i></b></div>
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Yes, it's bad. But very, very popular. You look at a show like Pop Asia on SBS in Australia, and multiply it by one billion! Not only is the music bad, but the film clips are worse. Although, it's like a car crash. You just can't look away. I blame reality TV. The Voice is China's biggest TV show at the moment, and it is just one of many that are creating over night pop sensations. But of course, if I put my radio hat on, I would have to say I love it! Our listeners can't get enough of it!</div>
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<b><i>How have you managed the language barrier? (Kieron Atkinson)</i></b></div>
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Kieron, the first month was tough. Very tough. In some Asian countries I have travelled to, you always feel confident that some of the locals will know some English. In China, not many people know English. In my day to day job, I have the luxury of having a very good translator and colleague who does an amazing job at getting my points across, and vice versa. Outside work, I am now at a stage where I can communicate the basic stuff. The other day, I paid my mobile phone bill at a bank, and spoke entirely in Mandarin (ok, it was only 5 or 6 words, but it worked!). So I am slowly cutting through the language barrier one phrase at a time (Oh, did I mention my mandarin teacher told me I was her best student?)</div>
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<b><i>How confident are you that when you buy something electrical, you are actually getting the genuine article? (David Corkill)</i></b></div>
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Not very confident at all. I bought a DVD/Mini Stereo online about 3 weeks ago, through a reputable website in China and what I got was the real deal. But, I wouldn't have attempted to buy it in a store. You might look at the real thing on the shelf, but what you get from "out the back" maybe something different. Counterfeit everything is big in China. I'm in the market to buy a new watch, and I look at watches in department stores, and a little part of me wonders whether it's real, or fake. So, I'm not going to buy a watch in China. And I definitely won't be buying an iphone in China. (The iphone 5 is not officially available in China until next month. But it went on sale unofficially 5 hours after it was released in Hong Kong).</div>
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Thanks everyone for the great questions. When I first accepted this position, I was very overwhelmed by what lay ahead. Now I know, I am enjoying every minute of it and looking forward to each and every day. China can be a big, scary place. But all you need to do is scratch the surface a little, and you soon realise that it has many different layers - all as equally interesting as each other.</div>
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I will leave you with my latest Chinese photo. This sign was at a research study we conducted in Xi'an about a month ago. Like most things, you had to register when you arrived. I think this sign was meant to say "Sign Here", or "Sign in Here". I love when it gets lost in translation</div>
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-42022606528232354922012-09-14T11:46:00.001+08:002012-09-14T11:54:44.695+08:003 months on...I answer your questions!As I mentioned during the week, I have now been living and working in China for 3 months. In this latest blog, instead of me prattling on about my time so far, I asked you to come up with some questions for me (via Facebook). I had so many great questions (and a few dodgy ones), that I will split it into 2 parts. See, that's just the radio person in me hooking you through to the next blog.<br />
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These questions are in no particular order (and thank you to everyone who contributed).<br />
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<i><b>Does it feel Communist? (Ingrid Argo)</b></i><br />
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Because of where I live and work and where I travel, most of the time it doesn't feel communist. But this week it did. I want to send some money back to Australia, so I can pay some bills etc. China does not like foreigners sending money out of the country, and they make it very difficult. First, you have to go to the Tax Office to get a certificate to prove you have paid tax in China. Then, you go to your bank with this certificate, your employment agreement, your passport, and your work permit and organise the transfer. You are also limited on how much you can send out of the country each year, plus you have to take all these documents to the bank EVERY time you want to transfer (with an updated tax certificate).<br />
I started this process on Monday. It is now Friday, and my money is still sitting in my Chinese bank account (they had no record of me at the tax office). So yes, this week, it felt very communist. <br />
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<i><b>How can you tell if the announcers are breaking codes training? (Kymba Cahill)</b></i><br />
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You would love this Kymba - not! Because all the stations are owned by the government (we simply partner with the government in each our markets), every station has a censor. Yep, that's right. Someone who is there to look over and/or approve everything that goes to air. In most situations they don't actually approve everything, or look at anything, but they are there just to keep everyone on their toes. Plus our announcers are very careful on what they say, because they don't want to upset the party.<br />
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<i><b>Have you had any "what the f*** moments?" (Keith Tan)</b></i><br />
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I think my first real WTF moment happened in my first week in China. The team in the Beijing office went to Qingdao for the weekend as a bit of a team bonding session. Qingdao is a beachside city where most Chinese in the north go for their holiday. I spent the weekend, on a bus, going from one location to another, with a group of people I just met who could not speak a word of English. So, I felt very isolated during that weekend, and many times I asked myself "what the f*** am I doing in China?". But I soon realised that the team in Beijing were very shy, and reserved because they are all "office people", and felt a little intimidated. Things have got alot better now I have been to all the stations, amongst the expressive, outgoing people.<br />
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<i><b>Are you a full-time squatter? (Dan van der Meer)</b></i><br />
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Dan, let's put it this way, I am not a full-time squatter and if presented with the choice of a normal toilet or a squat, I would always go for the normal toilet. But, I am now very confident with the squat. I have mastered the position, and like everyone in China, carry a supply of toilet paper with me(squat toilets never have loo paper). But, I do still get a little surprised when I use the squat toilets in some remote areas, because most of them don't have doors. I am still not sure of the no-door squat toilet etiquette. Do I acknowledge my fellow squatters when I walk in? Maybe with a simple nod. Not sure on this one.<br />
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<i><b>What is the most bizarre food that you've eaten? (Ben De Jonge)</b></i><br />
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I had to think about this one for a few minutes Ben. Let's see. I have tried donkey, which was OK. I've eaten a ducks head (too many bones for my liking), but said no to the ducks blood soup. I also tried some goose, which really just tasted like chicken. Probably the most bizarre food to date would be jellyfish, which I ate last week. When it came out, I didn't know what it was, and the 2 people I was with didn't know the English word for it. All they could say was that it was from the sea. So, I looked up the word jellyfish on my Iphone app, and showed them the Chinese word. Yep, it's jellyfish. By this stage I had tried it, and actually enjoyed it. Oh, I just remembered. I had spicy chicken gizzards too. <br />
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<i><b>How challenging is it developing a team with such a big communication barrier? (Blake Beale)</b></i><br />
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Very challenging. Most of the staff I work with on a daily basis don't speak English, so I am using a translator for alot of my communication. Things that could be explained in 30 minutes, end up taking alot longer because of the translation, and making sure everyone understands what I am saying. Most of the time, I will have to repeat things, because what we are doing is trying to change habits which have developed over time. There is alot of cultural change. Sometimes they fall back into their old ways, and we have to repeat the process. Most of the foundations of format radio and what we are doing have already been laid, it is now trying to get them to keep growing and to keep moving forward. It's very challenging, but it's also a very rewarding experience of teaching people how to do something that I take for granted.<br />
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<i><b>What's the one thing you miss most about Western civilisation? (Matt Paton)</b></i><br />
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I suppose the one thing I miss the most is being able to go somewhere, anywhere, and no matter where it is people can understand what I'm saying, and I can understand them. Not many Chinese can speak English, so it really tests your will power and patience when you can't communicate. I am just about to finish my first 32 hours of mandarin lessons, and that has made it alot easier to communicate on basic things. I can order a meal, ask for a drink, I now know dates and times and money, and how to introduce myself, and ask for directions. But when confronted with something I don't know, it's very hard. Thank god for the great group of expats that I have met where we can talk with each other without using hand gestures.<br />
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<i><b>One word of wisdom for someone moving to China? (Megan Bilaloski)</b></i><br />
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Be patient. Things happen when they happen, and not before. It is a big bureaucracy, a country of 1.4 billion people, and it will test your patience. I am now used to getting on planes (on time), and then the plane sitting on the tarmac for 60 minutes "..due to air traffic congestion." I'm used to waiting in line at the train station to buy a ticket, and for every Chinese person to push in front of me. I have learned to use my shoulders and elbows getting on and off trains, because they don't wait for anyone. You want to get on that train, you have to elbow your way through. <br />
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Be patient.<br />
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<b><i>Next week: What is the most inspirational thing, and the saddest thing, I have seen so far? What did I find weird when I first arrived, and now take for granted. Plus, Jo Macarthur asks the big question, "Do they have honey chicken in China?".</i></b><br />
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I will leave you with one of my favourite photos. This is me singing karaoke with the programming team in Hefei. I think I was singing a Billy Joel song (no surprises really)<br />
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<br />Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-63340604521217275342012-09-04T17:37:00.003+08:002012-09-09T18:57:32.765+08:00Someone tell me what is happening!Last week I finally got to travel to Urumqi. Urumqi is the furthest city away from Beijing where MyFM has a station, and it's close to Uzbekistan, Kazihkstan, Pakistan, and all the other -stans. It's a melting pot of different cultures - Chinese, muslims and Russians make up the majority. Because of the large muslim population, the road signs are no longer in Chinese and English. It's Chinese and Arabic.<br />
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Driving from the airport to our hotel, my boss asked me what my first impression was. Honestly, it felt like I was in a middle eastern country. The signs, the people, and even the buildings had a middle eastern appearance/feel to them.<br />
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Let me skip forward a few days to the story behind my blog this week. I flew out of Urumqi last Friday. I was warned to get to the airport a little earlier because of the heavy security. Plus, the city was about to play host to the Eurasian Economic Expo, so security was very, very high. Before I got on the plane, I was screened, x-rayed, patted down, screened again, feet x-rayed (yes, just my feet) and 2 random explosive tests.<br />
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The flight from Urumqi top Bejing was about 3 hours, so I settled back with my book and enjoyed the flight. I have flown many times, and (for those who don't know) I am also a licensed private pilot. I have an understanding of how planes work, when they do what they are supposed to do - and when something doesn't sound right. So nothing about air travel really worries me.<br />
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About 30 minites before we were due to land at Beijing, and still flying at 30,000 feet, a great noise came from below the aircraft as the pilot lowered the landing gear. At 30,000 feet? Where were we landing? On Mount Everest?<br />
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This was immediately followed by the cabin staff madly rushing around the cabin telling people to fasten seatbelts, put your seat up and tray table away etc. There was a little panic to the way they were doing it, and judging by the look on other passengers faces, they were panicked too. One of the flight attendants came on the PA and explained (in Chinese) what was going on. Normally, all their Chinese announcements are then followed up with English versions. But not this time.<br />
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I asked one of the flight attendants walking past what was happening? She looked at me blankly, and I repeated my question. She told me to fasten my seatbelt (which was already fastened). I then realised that they don't actually speak English. I think they learn the basic phrases like "welcome aboard", "fasten your seat belts" and "would you like beef or chicken?" When you ask them something else, they don't how to answer because that's not on the script.<br />
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At this stage, I am starting to panic a little. Why would you need the landing gear loweret at 30,000 feet? I asked the Chinese guy next to me what was happening. He shook his head and gestured he did not understand me.<br />
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So, here I was, the only non-Chinese person on a plane flying at 30,000 feet with the landing gear down, and no one could explain what was happening. However, if we were going to crash, I could happily get either beef or chicken as my last meal.<br />
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After about 10 minutes the landing gear came up, and we started to descend. Crisis everted. Well so I thought.<br />
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We were making our final approach to Beijing airport. Flaps were down, as was the landing gear. Suddenly, the pilot applied full power, and we began to climb. The gear was raised, and we performed a go-around (attempt to land again).<br />
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OK, something has to be wrong. Why did we lower the landing gear at 30,000 feet? And why now are we trying to land again. Maybe our landing gear fell off, and the pilot was checking it at 30,000 feet? My mind was playing different scenarios. <br />
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We came around for our second attempt and I have to say my heart was in my throat as we touched down. I expected the landing gear to collapse, and for us to skid down the runway and 300 mph. But no, we landed safely, and as I got off the plane I looked back to make sure we had all the wheels.<br />
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So, what did happen on board flight CA1902 from Urumqi that Friday afternoon? Why did the pilot lower the landing gear at 30,000 feet? Why did we have to go around and try to land again? And should I have had the beef instead of the chicken for lunch?<br />
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I know the language barrier is difficult sometimes, but when you're in a large cigar shaped metal tube flying at 30,000 feet, and something goes wrong, it's just a little scary when no one can answer your questions. <br />
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<br />Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-1789769908267298862012-07-26T09:28:00.002+08:002012-07-26T09:28:58.907+08:00So, what's the deal with squat toliets...Part 2.I usually include a photograph with these blogs, but the blog site is not being kind to me at the moment and not allowing me to put up a photo. I am working on a fix, but in the meantime, I will tell you my recent squat toilet story. If this is the first time you have read my blog, before reading on I suggest you familiarise yourself with my first adventure with the squat toilets.<br />
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Last Friday night, I was invited to dinner by Andy and Tracy (a couple I met from the UK) who were celebrating Tracy's 41st birthday. There was 8 of us going out to a great restaurant called "Black Sesame Kitchen". If you ever get the chance to come to Bejing, I would recommend it. It's a small, intimate restaurant that caters for only 23 people per night, and you sit around a table in the kitchen and watch the chef cook your 10 course meal. Awesome!<br />
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I hitched a ride with Andy and Tracy, and their boss Ray (from Australia). It was about a 20 minute ride to the restaurant. It wasn't until we were in the car driving to the restaurant, that I felt that nature would be calling on me some time soon. Damn! Why hadn't I thought of this earlier? All I could hear was my mothers voice in my head from when I was 10 years old. "Make sure you go to the bathroom before we leave home". Where was mum's voice 20 minutes ago?<br />
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But, having been in China now for almost 2 months, I was prepared. I knew we were going to a location that most likely only had squat toilets. And squat toilets are now my friend. I have mastered the pose, and I know what to expect. <br />
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We arrived at around 6:15 and weren't due at the restauarnt until 7. So we decided to have a beer at a small bar called "Wiggly Jiggly" in one of the hutongs (small, narrow alley). I excused myself, and asked the bar staff where the toliet was. "Down the street, on the left. 1 minute". So, I gathered a supply of napkins (Ok, I wasn't that prepared) and went to find the toilet.<br />
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It was easy to find, and exactly where they said it would be. Down the street, on the left, one minute. I walked into that toilet block full of confidence, having tamed the squat toilets. Head held high, chest out, I would once again take on the squat toilet - and win!<br />
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Like my very first meeting with a squat toilet, as I walked in I stopped dead in my tracks. Yes, they were indeed squat toilets, but with a slight catch. These were the squat toilets that had no doors, and as I walked in, I made immediate eye contact with the current tenant, doing his business. He was also on his mobile phone texting, and looked up at me as I entered. I did what any normal Aussie would do. I acknowledged him with a nod, then moved to the nearest vacant stall. <br />
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There is also another highlight of these squat toilets. The walls on either side only come up to your waist (hell, you don't need any higher. You're squatting!). I had already committed myself, plus I was never going to find another toilet where we were.<br />
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So again, I took on this new challenge, dropped the dacks, and assumed what I now know to be the correct squatting position - in full view of anynone who chose to walk in the door. I'm sure there would have been one stage in my life (maybe when I was 2) that I had been in full view of anyone who decided to walk past/in at any moment. But hey, when in Rome......<br />
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The one thing I am glad about is that they build the stalls at right angles. I don't think I could handle it if you were in a squat toilet, with no door, looking across at the opposite row of squat toilets. And I suppose the other good things was that it was highly unlikely that someone I knew was going to come in at that moment. Mind you, if someone I knew did come in, it would make a great story! "Hey, remember that time I walked into the squat toilet in China and I bumped into you taking a dump. Ha, what are the chances?!"<br />
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There it is blog fans. My latest adventure with the squat toilet, and again victorious. With that behind me (excuse the pun), I had a great night with new friends in Beijing. <br />
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<br />Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-60047551401152059462012-07-16T16:37:00.002+08:002012-07-16T16:37:25.276+08:00My name is Barry, and today I went shopping!So, the title of this blog isn't that exciting. Wow, I went shopping. Hooray. Far out. Really great. Let's have a party. Barry went shopping. Woopee!<div>
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But let me just clarify a few things that may make you read on. 1) I'm in a non English speaking country, 2) I only speak English, and 3) If the Chinese people don't speak English, they will not talk to you for the fear of "losing face". </div>
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These three factors make for an interesting shopping (well, everyday) experience.</div>
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First, let me say that I am learning the language. I am 6 hours into my Mandarin classes and loving every minute of it. Cici (my teacher) says I am doing "hen hao" (very good) and I am picking it up very easily. I sort of knew I would because I learned to speak Thai very easily too, and both languages are very similar, conversationally. I can introduce myself, say where I come from, ask for phone numbers (very handy :)), and also tell you what day Christmas is on (and many other dates too!)</div>
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On Saturday morning I had a 2 hour class with Cici, and we learned money, how to ask the price of something, and then how to bargain etc. So, skipping out of the lesson (NB: I didn't actually skip, but felt confident after my 2 hour class) I decided to go shopping with my newly acquired knowledge for a wireless router (for those non tech people, it would allow me to connect wirelessly to the internet in my apartment).</div>
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The night before coming home from drinks with the Internations mob, I saw an electronics store and decided to make my way back there. Subway system I know, found out the nearest station, and the rest would be easy. I would dazzle the sales staff with my excellent command of their langauage, and walk out with a brand new modem.</div>
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I walk in the main door of Dazhong Electronics in the CBD, and find the modems straight away. I pick up the (empty) box and try to make out the pictures on the back (because everything was in Mandarin). Looks good, price OK (RMB 138), now to find someone to help me. This is where I refer back to point 3 above.</div>
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Chinese culture is all about "face". The Chinese will not do something if they feel they are not good at it, because they will "lose face", or respect. I learned this at our team bonding weekend in Qingdao. I wondered why no one would talk to me. It's because they don't know English, and don't want to lose face.</div>
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So, I wandered through the aisles of the computer section trying to attract someones attention, and found no one. Every time I would approach someone, they would turn away, or walk off. Of course, it may have been a number of reasons (all going to lunch together?), but I assumed it was because they didn't want to talk to the foreigner, because they could "lose face".</div>
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OK, so what now. I waited a few more minutes, and caught the eye of a young sales guy. Here he comes, it's time to dazzle him with my mandarin. Oh no. A problem. I don't know how to say 'I want to buy this". </div>
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Quickly searching my memory I realise I hadn't been taught that yet, so in a slight panic, I pointed at the modem, then to me, and said in Mandarin "I like". </div>
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He smiled, and he got the message. Then he started rattling off some Mandarin. What I could understand was that this model was no longer in stock, but they have a more recent model, and it would cost me RMB 185 (numbers and prices I know - woohoo! I can understand something). I replied with "Hao De" (Good), and the transaction was over. He then escorted me to the cashier, I paid, he got the goods, I left!</div>
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Mmm, a bit of an anti-climax and not so much dazzling as I thought, but I did get to say a couple of words in Mandarin. And now the proud owner of a fully functional wireless router. (see picture of happy customer below)</div>
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Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-29360535634036222822012-07-07T17:22:00.001+08:002012-07-07T17:24:05.521+08:00Welcome home!Hello blog fans, and welcome to my latest entry. As most of you may know, I have been travelling for the last 2 weeks to a few of the cities where we have radio stations (if you have a map - Changchun, Tianjin, Nanjing and Xi'an). So, I've been living out of a suitcase, staying in different hotels, and spending a lot of time in train stations and airports. All while charging it to the company (that's the best part!)<br />
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On Wednesday, I arrived back home in Beijing and will be here for at least 10 days while the authorities issue my residence visa (they have my passport, so I can't go anywhere!). Today, I thought I would invite you all into my new apartment. </div>
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Welcome to Cosmopolite Apartments, Building 25, Unit 1, Apartment 2208.</div>
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It didn't take me long to find this place, plus our finance guy lives here too and he said you couldn't find a better spot to live. It's a secure compound, with 4 buildings, tennis court, convenience store, dry cleaner, plus I have access to the gym next door and swimming pool (at a fee of course). It's a 20 minute walk to work (passed the Australian Embassy), and 10 minute walk to the Beijing subway. It's quite mixed, with a few locals and alot of ex-pats. </div>
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The apartments are fairly small, compared to Australia. I was shown a studio apartment and a one bedroom apartment, and chose the latter. A little more room. I'm on the 22nd floor, fully airconditioned, broadband, satellite TV (well, 8 extra channels!), but most of all, it's comfortable.</div>
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A quick guided tour....</div>
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This is the living room and kitchen, which are pretty much the same room. Washing machine, small fridge, hot plates, microwave and water cooler. Will allow me to cook my own meals, when I'm home.</div>
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Bedrooom (with the hardest bed in - the - world!) and bathroom. There is a phone and broadband connection in the bedroom, and a great view out the window (see below). Whenever we have a clear day (what, in Beijing? Never!) I will have a great view.</div>
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There you have it, in one simple blog entry. My new home! I know I have chosen the right place, because it was a great feeling coming back after 2 weeks on the road, unpacking, and relaxing. <br />
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Tune in next time to find out how my first Mandarin lesson went. <br />
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<br /></div>Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1902807162862114518.post-87711022490398953712012-06-30T16:59:00.001+08:002012-06-30T16:59:51.120+08:00China at 303 km/h<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">I
arrived in China 3 weeks ago to the day, and since arriving it has been a
series of paperwork, dinners, team bonding weekends, different hotels, learning
the language, meeting the staff, finding a place to live, dealing with the day
to day challenges of progamming 7 radio stations, learning to use squat
toilets, and of course managing my finances (it’s been 70 days since I last got
paid!). And that’s just the highlights…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">And I
was thinking I really haven’t had the chance to sit back, take a deep breath, and
absorb what I’m actually doing, and where I’m doing it. Until now….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I’m
writing this blog entry sitting in window seat 12F of the G127 train from
Tianjin to Nanjing. We are travelling at
303 km/h and will cover the 900 km’s in about 3.5 hours. “Atomic” from Blondie comes up on my Ipod, one
of my favourite Blondie songs. The view
outside the window changes every 20 minutes, and right now for as far as the
eye can see its farmland, dotted with roads every now and then and blanketed in
what could only be described as pollution, but don’t say that to the locals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">As we
approach the next city, Blondie changes into Billy Joel (All About Soul), and
apartment buildings start appearing in the suburbs. China’s population density
in cities is about 3-4 times that of Australia, and I now know why. Apartment construction in China is
incredible, and with the rural population gradually moving to the cities for
work, it’s going to get higher. Hey,
remember, China has 1.5 billion people!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“Oh,
that’s right. I’m in China!” That’s not
the first time I have thought that to myself, said it out loud while crossing
the street, or muttered it to a passing stranger. I think I keep reminding myself because
sometimes it’s very surreal. I’m working
and living so far outside my comfort zone that I would NEED to travel 900km’s
on a fast train just to be able to see me comfort zone again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">But am I
enjoying it? You bet!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The
professional challenges ahead are enormous, and I am very excited about the journey. And for those uneducated in the audience,
what am I actually doing in China? Well,
I’m glad you asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">MyFm is
owned by a large media company based in Malaysia. We started these radio stations in China
about 3 years ago, and growing by about 2 stations every year. Radio in China has traditionally been run and
programmed by the government, and in the past has been used as a tool of
propaganda. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">They
have also programmed the stations a lot differently than what we are used to in
Australia (or the UK, or US for that matter).
They use what is known as block programming. 1 hour you may get Chinese pop, the next you
get talk back, the hour after is Oldies and so on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">What we
have done, and continue to do, is introduce China to format radio. A station built around a specific target
demographic (in our case 25-34 yo’s) and delivering the same music format all
day, every day. A consistent product,
generating market noise, results for advertisers and producing revenue for
us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">And so
far, it has been very successful. The
stations are now turning a profit after a short time, and we are achieving many
of our ratings goals. After working with
some of the staff for 3 weeks, it’s a big challenge. Because of what they have been used to,
trying to change the way they do things is the first hurdle. But they are starting to see the results, and
now it’s just a matter of fine tuning what has already been established.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">OK, so
that is just a brief glimpse into my world, and I suppose a good oppprtunity for me to step
back for a second, look on this from the outside, and realize that this is a
huge moment in my professional and personal life. If someone had tapped me on the shoulder 6
months ago and told me I’d be in China in July, I would have laughed, and asked
them what drugs they were on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It’s
amazing how life changes. But it only
changes if you’re open to it…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Barry Keohanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430379229691675324noreply@blogger.com0