It’s getting colder here in Dongguan finally.Okay, not exactly cold, but colder.Last week I played golf in shorts (we won by the way).But today I had to bum a company shirt for a jacket.Of course, I can’t button it.At least I’m warmer.
A light rain has been falling, which probably should be deemed more of an acid rain.The smog the last few weeks has been some of the worse I’ve ever seen.After going through a nice summer with winds and aversions that kept the air fairly fresh, it has reversed to very poor conditions!You can rarely see a hundred yards at any hour of the day.
And truck drivers are having to endure the cold and the smog while waiting on diesel gas.Every station in GuangdongProvince for the last week has had long lines of trucks trying to get fuel.Reports today surfaced that there is no shortage, but that dealers are limiting the amount they sell, in hopes of price increases being allowed soon.The result is that trucks are certainly stuck in long lines to get petrol.
Maybe with a little less gas being burned, the rain will now clear the air and we’ll see blue skies again some day soon.
Here I am on the other side of the world, and I have a hard time finding any news from the US.Or I should say “worthy news”.But the infamous “FEMA news conference” sure made the headlines here!Every local television newscast has proudly replayed it. They get great fun at laughing and making fun of the event.
What were those guys at FEMA thinking?I’m sure their intentions were good, but they still probably have no idea how damaging that can be.The world seems to really enjoy ridiculing the US, and that was just fodder for their desires.Being an expat in a foreign country, I see it first hand.It is sad, but when you are on high, you are the target for all.Most of the world envies the US, so these type news events get prominent attention.
The newscasters and station managers hopped on it like bees on honey.They certainly enjoyed all the fun they were able to throw at the US on that one.
”I didn’t expect China to look like Times Square!” That was the comment of a friend’s wife visiting here last year. We had taken her to the Old City of Dongguan and she told us the narrow cobblestone streets lined by canals and banyan trees was more of what she had expected here. Not all the lights of the city.
Well, Dongguan certainly seems to have a love of lights. Almost every building erected is topped with some magical lighting to enhance its appeal.
One truly got my attention the other day. On seeing something bright I stepped out on my sixth floor balcony, to get startled. I had seen a flash of green through my blinds. As I stepped out I saw a long green beacon of light come at me. It looked like some kind of laser in the sky. Sweeping right at me, I unconsciously ducked to only see is sweep by at a safe distance overhead.
The large green beacon is just the newest attention getter here. It swings in a wide arc and a large beam across the sky nightly from the top of a new nearby apartment building. Unlike large sweeping beacons like often seen at new shopping center openings, this is more like a thin bright laser light. But it certainly gets your attention.
Now I’ve heard of it all, but an “invisibility cloak”??(See details by clicking on article here – and maybe the video will work for you too – not for me in China.)Well, I really shouldn’t be surprised.The Chinese are always advertising some rather bizarre and unique items.
Nightly every Chinese channel (and especially the English channels) get inundated with what I can only term as mini-informercials.They are about three to five minutes long, but when an advertiser starts a campaign with one of the infomercials, they get repeated every 20 or 30 minutes for days on end.Then suddenly it disappears and another appears.(Maybe we will get the invisible cloak next.)
Now these are shown right within the regular programming of the news or any other feature.And all being three to five minutes long, they often run over into the show.Evidently, the local carrier is pre-empting the regular broadcast to show the commercial, and they don’t care too much if runs over.
But what’s more amazing, is the subject matter.First there is the downtrodden cast of girls that get magically transformed with a facial lotion into beautiful young ladies.
The second is really unbelievable.It plays on the gullible to buy shoes that increase one’s height.Example after example shows boyfriends and other purchasers transformed into a larger companion just by the purchase of a new shoe.Of course, the camera angle changes nicely to make it look like the wearer of the shoes has grown overnight.
The most recent really amazes me.It is for a hair tonic to instantly provide men with new hair.But what gets me is that the main promoter is BALD!I finally figured out he is a famous Chinese actor.It helps explain why he is in the infomercial, but it still seems a little unusual to use a bald guy to advertise a tonic to help men grow hair on their head.
But what really galls me is that almost all these infomercials feature a statement that the item is “from the USA.”Yes, they really think that makes a big difference.
Please read Wayne Dreh's special that was posted today on ESPN: Ray of Hope. It is about Jason Ray, the former UNC mascot, and how his signing a donor card when he got his drivers license subsequently meant life for five other people with his unfortunate death last year.
As you read about the young man, Antwan Hunter, who received one of Jason's kidneys, remember one number: 5.9. That is my creatinine level now.
You can sure tell something is up this week. I bet Samantha Brown has visited Seville every morning for the last two weeks. At least she has on my TV.That one Travel Channel documentary is the standard fill-in whenever the regular news is controversial. And with the People’s Congress meeting in Beijing, almost all news is regularly being pre-emptied.
You can be sure that not many people are even reading this in China. No, I’ve not gotten combative with my opinions.Heck, I don’t even express any here. This is just a fun travel site. But the government here elects to limit access to any blog site. I can’t even read my own site from my home.There are some roundabout ways to do it, I’m told, but I’m not that computer savvy. Besides I can still get to it at work from our Hong Kong server.
And the government made it even very difficult for businesses recently. With the Congress meeting being held for the first time in five years, most servers that had any blog were shut down.That basically curtailed any business that worked from the internet.
But I miss the news.Every morning I plan my day around seeing the ABC or CBS Evening News from the US. The Hong Kong stations broadcasting into our area carry both here at 7:30 AM on a slight delay from the US. But for the last two weeks, I’ve see Samantha Brown climb those steps to the top of the “world’s largest cathedral” in Seville! I know enough about Seville!!At least, just show me another city tour!!
Okay, time to try something new here. I found and finally got a video of my magic debut from the Mid-Autumn Festival posted to YouTube. It wasn't easy to get edited to maximum length, and I have been inundated with visitors the last couple of weeks, so time has been limited.
Anyway please remember, while viewing, that I was unable to understand any directions by the magician and her assistant during this performance. They were speaking in Mandarin or Cantonese, and I've only learned a little.
A wedding celebration you would only find in Dongguan.First the buffet was in the Pub, and then the party was in The Thirsty Dog.It was the first wedding party I ever remember in a bar anyway, but it certainly made it memorable.And besides, I can’t imagine a better place for the expats of Dongguan to celebrate such an event.
It was Peter and Lucy’s wedding celebration.Peter is here from the US working in the furniture industry and married Lucy last Friday.Family members came from the US to enjoy our Asian hospitality.And expats and local friends gathered in mass to celebrate the union of our friends.
The One for the Road Pub setup a great little buffet in the dining area Friday night.Many non-invited patrons stared from the background, as they awaited a table for their own dinner until we departed for our next location.They had come for dinner, but had to await tables to clear from our party to get their own turn for dinner.
At The Thirsty Dog, the bar was decorated for the wedding party in unique style.An entry arch was covered in flowers and balloons outlined the outdoor sitting area.Inside there was a large three tier cake on the bandstand.
I won’t even attempt to do a “newspaper wedding-style account” of the event, but the event included the typical trappings with the bride arriving and being escorted in by Peter’s father.
Things then moved to an informal cake cutting and champagne toasts for the bride and groom.Dancing followed as the toasts and drinking got more enjoyable.And the band was in great form for the event.
A wedding party like you will only find in Dongguan!Congratulations Lucy & Peter.
More photos available by clicking here or using the link under Photo Links on the right.
First she had on a blue mask.Then faster than you could blink your eyes, it was yellow!“How’d she do that?”Before you could think about it…… whoosh…. It was now red with a yellow eye band…………. “Whoa!!!!!!!!” And then…………. Gone!Just that fast!
Of course, I’m talking about the magician lady at the recent show.It was the same lady that I got to tie up in the magic act during the second show.(See previous posting.)But in the first show, she put on one of those amazing displays of “Bianlian” or face-changing.One second she had on a blue mask, and with a pass of her hand across her face,……….. Presto…… it was now another color!
I had long heard about “Bianlian.”It is the face-changing technique that started from the Sichuan Opera.Performers used the masks in character, and with a quick wave of the hand or turn of the head, they change the mask.I read that professionals can change up to 10 masks in 20 seconds.And there are only about 200 artists able to perform the face-changing effectively.I guess we were privileged on this night!I sure was.(You may find some videos on YouTube.)
The magician lady did keep the stage lights dimly lit for her act.I’m sure that made the illusion and actions easier.Instead of doing many masks face-changes though, she reverted to a succession of other magic acts.In quick succession she did produce probably about 20 umbrellas, practically from thin air!They just kept coming out.
Other acts were more common, like girls dancing to different themes representing different regions of China.Dance acts of groups of girls seem very common at the many stage shows put on throughout China.
Several singers performed, including one that did a Michael Jackson imitation.I was more than a little confused when that one started.After a song or two in an army style outfit, he stated he was going to do a “Michael Jensen” song.The audience around me got very excited, as one of my co-workers kept calling out “Michael Jensen!”Until he donned the white glove, I couldn’t figure out where this was going.Then it finally hit me:his Chinese dialect was a little off….. “Michael Jackson!”
A group of at least 10 young men did a kung fu demonstration.At one point one performer jumped right into the audience.Another lady did a juggling act, and appropriately for our company, took a large table and spun it in the air with her legs.One odd performance included a man who did impersonations of birds and other noises.
But all performances were good, and everyone seemed to enjoy the night.I sure enjoyed it, particularly the magic shows, both the Bianlian and my magic debut.
