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| 30 |
Went to Children's Hospital - Refugee Camp JS, why do you need a prescription for a diaper rash? Do they sell over the counter diaper rash cream? Anyway,I use to just use a little Vasline with each diaper change as a preventive measure, and it seem to work well. I mean he still got red once in a while if he had diarea, but never so bad. |
| 29 |
Some Thoughts about War and History @shrek7, are you serious when you said most don't carry a grudge against Germans? I grew up in a community with a strong Jewish presence, and from what I can tell many of them do still carry a grudge. One of the things I remeber very clearly was that many of the parents did not allow their children to take German as a second language in school. |
| 28 |
Fight Between Foreigners and Local to Yangqing and ZJ, what does "Patrotism" in other countries have anything to do with this incident or WJS's entry? Are you saying that just b/c similar types of problems exist in other countries, the people in China should not think about these issues and try to promote rational thinking rather than blind nationalism. This type of response is really fustrating. So often when Jianshuo points out an issue, someone will say oh but it also happen some where else. So what!!! if you are a true Patriot, would you not want to improve yourself, your own society, your own country, regardless of the conditions in other countries? |
| 27 |
Pictures of my Newly-Born Baby JS, Congradulations to your family, and your baby is so lovely. I am a relatively new mom and its definitly a life changing thing. There is an article I read a while ago by an Newsweek columnist and a mother that I found really great, and wanted to share it here. Its about being a Mom but i think it could apply to both parents. I hope its okay since its a bit long. Enjoy the new chapter in life!! ___________________________________________________________________- Anna Quindlen, Newsweek Columnist and Author: "All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow but in disbelief. I take great satisfaction in what I have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people who read the same books I do and have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more than I like. Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth all by themselves. Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the unreliable haze of the past. Everything in all the books I once poured over is finished for me now. Penelope Leach., T. Berry Brazelton., Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education, have all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories. What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations --what they taught me, was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all. Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout. One child is toilet trained at 3, his sibling at 2. When my first child was born, parents were told to put baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome. To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then soothing. Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the research will follow. I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts of infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an 18-month old who did not walk. Was there something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China . Next year he goes to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too. Every part of raising children is humbling, too. Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the, "Remember-When-Mom-Did Hall of Fame." The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, "What did you get wrong?". (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was I thinking? But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less. Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought someday they would become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be. The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes over the top. And look how it all turned out. I wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity. That's what the books never told me. I was bound and determined to learn from the experts. It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were. " |
| 26 |
Areas to Visit in Shanghai JS, Those are good places you mentioned, but I think the guy who sent you the email is interested in a place outside of Shanghai that he can visit in 2/3 days, is that correct? Anyways, i can not speak for JS, but I think Hangzhou or Suzhou would be good places to visit on a short 2/3 day trip. or if the reader must be back in SH everynight, he can take daytrips to those water towns..... |
| 25 |
10 Things You Love/Hate About Shanghai Typo (excluding Shanghai) I may be wrong but I sort of noticed that decent womens come from anywhere in China except the Shanghainese who in turn think they are a better breed than other chinese. I get chat up by china women in Shanghai but not when I am in Hong Kong. |
| 24 |
10 Things You Love/Hate About Shanghai Seems like Oncerest travels quite a fair bit but is ignorant of that fact that many china women do end up (yes,sadly) as prostuitutes in other countries because they cant find well paying/ respectable jobs overseas. Taiwan is one such example, Japan is next, there are heaps in Europe (illegal migranjts who have to work in brothels to pay off their "travelling expenses" to snakeheads and in Singapore where many "study-mamas" work in sleazy massage centres, karaoke and such "in order to keep their child in Singapore's schools". Funny though, why would anyone want to go all the way to another country only to cheapen themselves? Only the Chinese women do that. These study mamas can jolly well remain in China and send their child to school in china (i'm sure there are good schools in china too) instead of becoming a whore or kept-mistress in a foreign land. These women break up happy families thinking they can lead a better life (if the man marry them) and I dont believe their main motive for leaving china is for their child. Have you heard of "Huang Na"? And just recently another study mama was murdered for cheating on 3 men who kept her as a mistress. She has 12 years old son. Shame on her. She deserves it. Sorry by cheap women like her really deserve a worse death than that! I also dun see any need for womens in France or Taiwan or Sount Korea to "migrate" illegally. Do they really believe they can have a better life in these country by prostituting themselves??? Is it possible to kinnap tens of thousands of china women for the international sex industry? Or would you rather let your commonsense tell you that they wanted this to a certain degree? This is how I look at china women. And im sorry that you are chinese oncerest but this is sadly true of china women (most anyway). There are a few good ones here and there but MOST are cheap ones. The better ones are probably in China (excluding) which is why they dont disgrace their country and themsleves. |
| 23 |
Not Perfect English is Fine, So does Correction JS, I'm glad you have many loyal readers and I am one of them. I am getting a little confused with many of the comments that are being made here in the last couple of days regarding Bob's comment . I actually don't agree with all of Bob's suggestions/corrections. But what I don't understand is why people got so upset? I thought about this for a long time, but still do not understand what is wrong with Bob/ or anyone else making suggestions? What is wrong with people pointing out one's mistakes or making stylistic suggestions. I realize Bob was not necessarily pointing out grammar or spelling errors, rather he felt that there were better ways to say a few things. Is that why people were upset? Would people be less upset if Bob pointed out spelling/grammar errors instead? (Since stylistic changes are more of a personal preference) I always believed that suggestions and criticism given in a constructive manner are great ways to help one improve. It certainly is not a sign of in-tolerance and disrespect, as one of your reader suggested. For example when JS noticed the spelling errors in SH metro stations, he tried hard to get that corrected(many readers supported him). I certainly don't think that was done out of disrespect. I may even go as far as to say he did it out his love for the city (I know that maybe a little sappy) Some of the readers defended JS by saying that his English is better than most. I agree that for a person who have never lived in an English speaking country his English skills are quite impressive, but it does not mean he is perfect. So there is always room for improvement right? I don't know JS, but from his entries, I gather he's the type of person who would want to improve, and welcome other people's suggestions. One of the readers mentioned that he knows that he makes mistakes while speaking to his clients, but it was good enough as long as they understand each other. Why is it good enough? Shouldn't we always try to do the best we can? If you know you are making mistakes, then it is possible to correct it. If we can improve, why shouldn't we? Perhaps the same should apply to your clients. If they are dealing with a Chinese company, perhaps they should learn to speak Chinese as well as they can. Yet another reader said that he writes an English blog to practice his English writing skills. I gather from the statement that he would like to improve his English writing. So wouldn't it be helpful to him, if someone corrected his mistakes, or made suggestions in the way he writes? Sorry, this comment is so long. JS, I truly enjoy reading your blog, and all the comments that go with it too :-) I admire your spirit, confidence, and humility. |
| 22 |
How to Win Free Cross China Travel? Perhaps if we knew a little bit more about the girl; why she would like to go on this trip; what does she hope to accomplish through traveling across China....then we can probably give better suggestions for fund raising. |
| 21 |
Trusted Tourism Agency Also, you can not book flights on line in the English version with Ctrip. Have anyone heard of www.wacts.com. Seems like its similar to ctrip, but they have an office in Chicago. I'm trying to book something through them. I have never used them before, so if anyone has info on them, I'd love to hear about it. |
| 20 |
T.I.C Moments Ladies wearing mini skirts and high heels while hiking. When shopping for clothes, sales person comments "oh you are fat you should buy Large" when you are a XS by western standards. |
| 19 |
No Baggars Premitted on Metro? JS I agree that the less fortunate deserve our sympathy. However I have very mixed feeling about giving money to beggars (especially Children). On one hand, I feel badly for them, and giving them a couple of dollars here and there is not going to hurt me any. On the other hand, I hear stories about children being used by adults to go out and beg for money. In that case, by giving these children money, am I not supporting the exploitation of these innocent children? Its a tough call for me. |
| 18 |
New York - Day 2 JS &Wendy: If you like hot chocolate, you may want to try Serendipity @ 225 E 60th street between 2nd and 3rd ave. It has really good Frozen hot chocolate, and other coffee drinks. They also serve food. here's the link http://www.serendipity3.com |
| 17 |
I am in New York JS, When I first came to the States years ago as a little girl my first stop was NYC. I had the exact feeling that you have. I thought to myself, why did my parents make me leave shanghai to come here :-) But I'm almost certain you will fall in love with it. I don't live there now, but I go there often for business and I just love it. have a great time with Wendy!! your night pics of Chicago is awsome! |
| 16 |
Dec 6 - The Longest Day in 2004 JS, Welcome to the States!! Hope the weather gets better for you. But east coast seem unseasonably warm these days. But I have to say what is the deal with "holiday XXX with live girls"...did you goto a strip joint? just curious anyway enjoy your stay in Seattle!! |
| 15 |
Top 10 Places to See in New York City JS, For the broadway shows, I have always been able to get discounted tickets the same day. (I say always, but I've only done it a few times :). Because there are so many different shows, you should be able to find something, unless you have some specific show you really want to see. Although I haven't tried to goto NYC right before christmas, it maybe more crowded with tourist. Where are you planning on staying in NYC? Is it difficult to get budget accomadation there? I usually go there for business and it seems like the hotel prices has gone up dramatically in the last year. (doubled). As for the train you can always reserve online. (www.amtrak.com) But on a couple of occasions I just purchased them at the ticket office 1/2 hr before departure. Some routes have very frequent services especially during rush hours. I'm not familiar with train service in other parts of the US. It seems like the services are not as frequent. Train travel is definitely more suitable for the east coast. Are you able to find a "lonley planet" book? I really like that travel book. I find it very detailed, and more catered to budget traveler. But I'm sure the books you have are just as good, I'm biased toward it b/c its been a very reliable resource for me when traveling to many unfamiliar places. Good luck with your planning. Too bad you are not planning to do any traveling on the west coast! |
| 14 |
Road Report between Home and Xujiahui Getting to work around 9:00...that sounds pretty nice. How late do you stay at night usually? |
| 13 |
Top 10 Places to See in New York City JS, For NYC, while all the sights you mentioned are great to see, its also very interesting to just walk around the different neighborhoods. For example: Soho, Greenwhich, ect. They have many cool shops, perhaps you would want to buy some gifts for Wendy :-) I also like the broadway shows. Usually you can get 50% discounted tickets when you purchase them the same day at TKTS. or if you are just by yourself, go to the box office of the theaters just before the show starts, you may find them 75% off regular price. |
| 12 |
So Many Typos in Shanghai Metro Speedyop, you may find this article on CNN intereting. Seems like the French are making a big push to attract Chinese tourist, including having Chinese language leaflets at major tourist sites :-) http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/10/21/bt.china.travelers.ap/index.html |
| 11 |
So Many Typos in Shanghai Metro JS, On your trips to Beijing, do you find the signs there have less errors, or about the same quality? Also, at the airport, are the signs better quality than the metro stations? I don't know if there is any deduction one can make from these comparisons. Hey also, since China is hosting the 2008 Olympics, IOC probably would inspect the major cities many times. Do you think they would make suggestions to whoever is in charge, to make these signs correctly? Anyways, I don't know if any of mine suggestions are relevant given my limited knowledge, but I hope to help in anyway I can. Qingsi, how much effort would it entail to do the wiki-style website you mentioned. (for those of us less technically inclined) p.s. if anyone is feeling really rebellious, I suppose one can go post one's own signs next to the mis-spelled ones. I don't know how much trouble it would bring you with the authorities. |
| 10 |
So Many Typos in Shanghai Metro JS, that's great that you care enough to do something about it! What bothers me the most, is that these are not very difficult words, they are common vocabulary that could be found in any Chinese-English dictionary. You don't need an expert, you just need the right person who care enough to look it up in a dictionary!! So it seem to me the typos are not the result of lack of "expert" knowledge rather the sign of apathy. I don't know much about how things work in China, so I can only offer what I would do in similar situations here: ===> find out 1) who manufactures these signs 2) who is ultimately responsible for signs for public transportation system (i.e. is there a dept of transportation in SH?) ===> then write letters to them as a concerned citizen, including pictures, and the correct spellings. ===> send pictures to the press, which you have already done. Do you think they would publish it? since this could give incentive to other concerned citizens to take on your cause. ===> would it help to have so called "experts" write to these places? I only say this b/c of the employee's response to your phone call (i.e. native speakers who work in SH, Linguistic professors in SH) I don't know if this would backfire. It seem that sometime its difficult for people to accept criticism from foreigners, b/c of the "face loosing" aspect. I guess no matter what you do, its important to be clear that you are doing this b/c you care about SH, you care about SH's image, and its for the betterment of SH. I wish I can help you! b/c this is one of my pet peeves everytime I go to SH. If you think it would help, I can write to the Chinese Embassy here. Maybe to the Tourism and the Economic depts. I could attach your pictures the pictures you have if you send it to me. Let me know what you think. In the mean time best of luck to you. It would be awesome if things started changing b/c of one concerned citizen!! |
| 9 |
Happy Birthday to Me Thanks Fei, that is so kind of you. The particular entry I was referring to is on June 13th. I believe the title is called Dreams for turning 30?? Since my reading comprehension of Chinese is very limited, most of the time I can only figure out the topic she's discussing, but not the details. So I know that she has many interesting topics :-) Unfortunately for me I can't even figure out the topic for the Oct 13th entry :-( thanks again Fei! |
| 8 |
Happy Birthday to Me Hi JS, Hope you had a great b-day, the cake looks delicious....so what flavor is it? I read in Wendy's website a blog she wrote about what she hopes to accomplish before she turns 30. I was very interested in reading it, unfortunately my Chinese is horrible, and could only understand little bit. I was wondering if you also have a list of things you like to accomplish before 30. Also if its not too much trouble, if you or her could translate that piece in English. I tried using a web translator, but it didn't work very well. Happy b-day again, may the year ahead bring you even more happiness and success both personally and professionally. |
| 7 |
Stealing in Xiang Yang Market Wow, that's great that you were able to get your phone back...twice!! People, especially tourist should know to take extra precausion around crowded areas when traveling. This is not a phenomenon that is unique to Shanghai. Any big city with crowded gathering places, flee markets are places where pick pockets target. For example, some areas in London actually post big signs that says "be aware of pickpockets". I had my purse pick pocketed in Madrid once. But these things certainly do not diminish the wonderful experiences I had in those cities. Anyway just wanted to say that I have always felt safe the few times that I traveled in China, especially for a city of its size. |
| 6 |
Business Trips you are so right about business travel. My favorit trip was the 3 weeks I spent in Italy where I stayed in inexpensive hostels. I usually try to tag on a personal trip along with my business trip. i.e. staying a weekend in NYC to catch a broadway show and visit some interesting places, that is one perk I enjoy about business travel. Sometimes its a nice little romantic getaway without having to pay for the flights and hotels myself :-) I'm still hoping one of these days I will get a business trip to China, then I can stay for a personal visit!! |
| 5 |
Watch Out Bad Taxi Drivers in Beijing Hey Jianshou, do you tip taxi drivers or hotel staff (i.e. your cleaning lady) I was just curious what is the common practise, and if people expect to be tipped. |
| 4 |
Going to Europe? Hi JS, Have you seen a series of travel book called "lonely planet" in Shanghai? These are my favorit travel books. They've published books on many interesting destinations. They give very detailed travel information....excellent for traveling on your own withour tour guides. That is the book I use when I travel to China. They publish a book on Europe, and another called "Europe on A Shoe String" which is for budget travelers. They were very helpful when I traveled in Europe, especially on my backpacking trip in Italy. (Italy is awsome) I hope everything works out for you on the Visa end. Let me know if you like to me to share my travel experience in Euorpe. |
| 3 |
Went to Shanghai Community Church Hi Jianshou I don't know if I completely agree with the statment that majority of of Chinese don't believe in God. My grandmother was Catholic, and most of her friends were Catholics as well. They never practised openly, because the government did not allow it. It didn't mean they didn't believe. Also I think that there were and are many people who are Buddist. While there are many differences between Buddism and and Chistianity, there are also many similarites in the underlying concepts. I dont think China is a nation full of people with out spiritual believes. |
| 2 |
First Day Driving Experience Hye JianShou, congradulations on your first driving trip by yourself. Was your wife in the car? was she nervous for you :-) Are you driving a five speed or automatic. It seems like I've only seen five speeds on my visits to China. now that you have driven by yourself, are you going to be able to take weekend road trips? anyways, you are very brave. I drive everyday here in california. but don't think I would have it in me to brave the SH roads! |
| 1 |
Returned from Huizhou (Huang Shan) Trip The pictures look great!! When you get a chance, would you mind writing up some more details about the trip(i.e. transportation, accomadation, main attractions ect). Perhaps on my next visit to China, I could check it out too. Thank you for sharing the pics!! |