Cultural Studies

I went fishing this morning with a guide. His boat was small and difficult to manage in the stormy weather. I caught a handful of small fish- one Nemo- and decided the fishing here is donkey. He was fishing from the back of the boat with about 50 yards of line wrapped around an empty plastic water bottle. He hooked a couple too using shrimp. He and his brother (who drove the boat) kept all the fish we caught except Nemo- they put him back. I say all- but we caught a total of maybe 6 fish all under 6 inches long....

Enough said about that.

I've learned that the term Asian Pacific Islander should be two different things. Asian or Pacific Islander. Filipino people are as much Asian as say a native Hawaiian is Oregonian!

Filipino folks are islanders through and through. Much like Hawaiians- they are very comfortable in and around the water, use the oceans resources for food, tourism, and spiritual guidance.

Why do you spell Philippines with a P but Filipino with an F? Seriously, what is that?

The ocean here is different, and so is the island. We have to go back Kate. We have to go back to the island!

First, I thought that this was a small island that had just a few resorts. I was wrong- the whole interior of the island is village. Local folks packed in! So I guess the way it works is the resorts get the good, ocean front real estate, and the locals get stuck with the leftovers. That seems to happen in a lot in nice places.....

I stuck a video of the car ride from the hotel through town to another beach. I only put the first half up and will try to get the second half....but Internet is slow here, and it took like 6 hours to upload this 1 minute clip. Also, the video sucks- so only watch it if you're bored or just want to waste your time.

Search "Calee and Sarah" on YouTube and the video will come up.

If you're really curious what the Philippines may look like maybe watch it. Otherwise it's not much.

We rented a jet ski today from the hotel. The hotel has a dock and you can take off from there. Ill try to take a photo. Sarah drove it most the time while I scouted for fish. Didn't see any fish, but there was other cool stuff....caves and little islands. This place has a Pirates of the Caribbean feel. Bamboo huts, overgrown with vines, built on a tiny little island, with skulls and stuff on it. Arrr, where's me rum?

Yeah, you read that right. Sarah drove it most the time and I'm still here to write about it. She was weaving us through a gauntlet of boats, divers, snorkelers, and small islands....only hit one dude. That thing rips too, we topped out at 45mph! Chris Jones always has been a big fan of jet skis....I should have listened.....but roller blades are a step too far buddy.

Now we are at the end. Can you believe you waisted your time reading this one? Jokes on you I guess. Sorry....

We made it!

The flight was rough- Shanghai airport at 9:45pm last night. That was three hours early because of Chinese Holiday travel. Flight left Shanghai at 12:45 in the morning, and arrived in Manila at 4:30am.

The Manila airport has 4 terminals which are each the size of a normal airport. We had to get a cab from terminal 3 to terminal 4. I'll hopefully write about this later, but in that 10 minute ride I saw the most impoverished areas I've ever seen in my life by far. The worst parts of Mexico wouldn't hold a candle. Literally garbage everywhere, people sleeping in the gutters- literally- in the rain....I was taken off guard and still am stunned by what I saw. All the while, a donkey cab driver who was trying to charge us twice what he should have. Poor guy didn't know that you can't cheap out on Sarah!

Four hour layover in Manila gave us enough time to read the headlines- "US Embassy Restricts Travel to Manila"....awesome.

Made it out, but flight was late due to really heavy rains.

Got to Borocay airport to find out its an hour and a half drive to the boat. The boat ride is about 20 minutes to the little island that the hotel is on.

Turns out this place is one of those where all the wildlife is giant....saw a giant snail and a giant bee. Looks like its gonna be me versus the giant frogs tonight! Then me versus the giant fish Monday.....

Finally, at around noon we arrived at our hotel!!!.....Sarah fell asleep the second we sat by the pool.....

I mean.....

I mean, chhh..  It's just more than, it's beyond guys like you and me.  It's more than just a keytar- it is, well- just look for yourself.....

Video 1

Video 2

I'm speechless....

Physical Education

Has anyone noticed that my blogs and/or blog titles have numerous references to things one may find at say.....a community college?  You're either in it for the comm or the unity.

Well, today I took the plunge.  I joined the ranks of millions of people who turn to the internet to find other people with similar interests.  Someone I can talk to, and who listens.

That's right, I joined tennistonic.com.....a place for like minded people to come together and not be afraid to express themselves!  People like:

Brian
"A 4.5 player with a passion for the game"

Megan
"A former college player from the Southern US with a strong backhand"

I had no idea that this whole new world existed!  I signed up using the online name "Racket Attack", a clever play on the old Nintendo game Racket Attack.  Clever indeed.

Within minutes of signing up I had about 10 emails!  People just like me, iphone in hand, checking their email every second in hopes of something to do.

Before I knew it, I had scheduled about 5 days of tennis.

Well with that said, I'll leave you with this song....a favorite of David Bellinger's:

I can show you the worldShining, shimmering, splendidTell me, princess, now when didYou last let your heart decide?
I can open your eyesTake you wonder by wonderOver, sideways and underOn a magic carpet ride
A whole new worldA new fantastic point of viewNo one to tell us no or where to goOr say we're only dreaming
A whole new worldA dazzling place I never knewBut when I'm way up here, it's crystal clearThat now I'm in a whole new world with youNow I'm in a whole new world with you
Unbelievable sightsIndescribable feelingSoaring, tumbling, freewheelingThrough an endless diamond sky
A whole new worldDon't you dare close your eyesA hundred thousand things to see(Hold your breath, it gets better)
I'm like a shooting starI've come so farI can't go backTo where I used to be
A whole new worldEvery turn a surpriseWith new horizons to pursueEvery moment red-letter
I'll chase them anywhereThere's time to spareLet me share this whole new world with you
A whole new worldThat's where we'll beA thrilling chaseA wondrous placeFor you and me

This Place is CRAZY!

I decided to change my writing style again for this blog.  Now, I'm going to go for more of a Captain Kirk style.  I'm not talking the new-era Kirk wimp....I'm talking old skool Kirk who used to pick up on green chicks.

Captain's Log 2431:

This place is crazy.

With so many differences, its hard to decipher which things are worthy of writing about and which to leave out.

You have to be comfortable in your own skin here to be able to tolerate the uncomfortable reality of such differentness.  If you are not, you won't survive.  I suppose that is why people so often change once they have been to such a foreign place.  If you don't abandon any self doubt right out of the gates, you won't make it.

I like the everyday differences.

People don't tip here, ever.  Traffic lights don't mean anything.  It cost $.05 if you want a plastic bag from the store.  Electrical outlets are 220v, not 110v.  People here never make eye contact.  People talk to you in Chinese even if they know you don't know what they are saying.

All these little things are fascinating to me.

Captain out.

Stay tuned....next week is "write like chang from community" week!  Trust me, you don't want to miss it!

Grocery Store and Medical Exam

I was in a bad mood this morning! I woke up and my VPN wasn't working, that means no internet. Then, I couldn't have any coffee cause I had to take the medical exam.

The chick who did the ultra sound was way cool- maybe 55 years old, and the only one who tried to be nice through the whole process (though the eye doctor was ok). She showed me my liver, kidneys, something she called a goblet, and my heart- said it all looked good. Something was wack with the EKG- but there was a girl in training, so I'm chalking it up to that.

Not to toot my own horn, but I blew the eye doctors mind! He made me cover one eye, look in the mirror, and read the eye chart. I, just like the old guy in the movie Cocoon, skipped the letters he was pointing at and went straight for the bottom row! He thought it was funny- so I think he's seen the movie.

Glad that is all over with. I made friends with a woman from Boston cause we were getting shuffled from room to room together. I went first each time and was able to tell her what to expect....she appreciated that. Any time something sucks, it's better when someone else has to do it with you.

After, I had David take me to the grocery store. I could spend forever in there! Don't know if its cause I was hungry or what- but all the food, spices, bulk goods looked good. I'll include a picture of what I got, here is the list:

- Hair dryer for Sarah- $29
- Iron- $20
- Giant bag of top ramen style noodles- $i don't remember
- Listerine- $2
- Beer-$cheap
- Other junk- $not cheap

I wish someone would have told me, but the shopping carts have magnets on the wheels, if you push them past the designated threshold, they stop dead- thrusting the handle straight into your guts if you keep walking. Sideways looks and laughter from the locals get you into fights that your poor driver has to try to mediate.

Made it home to learn that not only does Yao Ming live in Lakeville, he lives in our building! There are only two elevators in building 9 folks....it's only a matter of time. I'm gonna dunk on him!

Found out that you can buy Xbox games here for $1-$2. Nobody tell Tim cause I'm pretty sure they are counterfeit. Sorry dude, I don't support it, I just buy cheap stuff when the going gets tough.

Anyway, check out these pics- the random one of the street is how our driver parks when he's waiting to pick us up (black car)....right in the middle of the road! It's way in-your-way and I'm-not-moving cool!

Geography 101

Well, I'm going to flex my geographical ignorance on a hunch that you too may have some misconceptions about this little region called Asia.

Turns out Indonesia isn't an area....but rather a country. I always thought....actually....I'm not even sure that is right.....

The Philippines isn't one big island, but rather a bunch of small islands. Trip on that for a minute.

There is a place called Laos and its a whole country.

The drive from Shanghai to Hong Kong is 20 hours....and some people actually do it.

Taiwan isn't a city, it's an island. Taipei is the biggest city on the island. I'm not even gonna get into the politics of it being a country or not.

The distance between Shanghai to South Korea is less than Portland to Klamath Falls. I think the South Korean mascot is a pelican too.

Mongolia is way up there.

The Russians were able to leave the Eastern front once Japan went south after the rubber and tin resources....marching their army clear across the continent, they made it to Moscow just in time to stop the Germans on the Western edge of Russia. Huh Dade?

The first person to fill in the names of the islands in this picture gets $20.....$30 if you do it before October 19th!

I'm going to guess Mia Fast will be the winner.....

Driver David

Our driver David got me a welcome gift- a Shimano spinning reel!

He was worried that I wouldn't catch any fish with a fly rod around here....so he's making sure I'm set up.

I will catch fish with a fly rod. I think he thinks I'm going to only fish little dry flies all the time....but I'm going to show him what I got, see if he thinks anything will work.

David showed me some pictures this morning that were pretty promising. Apparently you can dive about 45 minutes to the coast and rent a charter that will take you out to fish for snapper and yellow fin tuna. We'll be hitting that up for sure! They will also drop you off on these small islands and you can fish from shore. I saw pics of the islands- they are small and nothing but rock....just what you'd see off the Oregon coast really. I couldn't help but notice that they looked just like the small islands I've been seeing on the news that China and Japan are fighting over.....

Anyway, he's legit- every picture on his phone is of him with fish. When it comes to fishing, pictures don't lie....Kris usually does though.....

David's English is pretty ok and he's very willing to help do anything. So this morning we are going to go to the electronics mall and get a few adapters and a home phone.....I bought a home phone for cheap at target before I left- but it blew up as soon as I plugged it in.

Here are some pics of the mess I'm trying to wade through to find a phone....

Oh- last thing- I woke up at 5am and started pounding the pavement- cause what else do you do at 5am if you can't sleep? There is a Lamborghini dealership about a block from our house! I'm gonna test drive one!

Peace Out

I'm out. Special thanks to Jen for the ride to the airport!

16 hours from now I'll be in Shanghai....someone better have a big "Welcome Home" sign for me at the airport.....better yet, pay off the government to put it on the reader board on the highway.

Meanwhile, my phone isn't gonna work until Wednesday morning Shanghai time....I think that is Tuesday night here in Oregon. Need something- email me.

I only have a couple of days in Shanghai before we bounce to the Philippines....but I'll be spending a few days cursing the toy stores looking for a birthday gift for Gino....open to good ideas....

I'll try to keep this blog updated while I'm over. The back end statistics are saying we have at least 3 people consistently visiting the blog here....don't want to disappoint all of you!

Countdown begins today:

25 days away.....

Truly yours,

El Tigre

Medical School

October 19th is just over a month away!

Through the course of my 28 years on this earth, I've met a number of people who were or are going to school as a "Pre-med" major. That means their undergraduate degree is geared toward a post graduate education in medical school.

To date, I know 2 people who have become doctors- and one of them I didn't meet until just before they went in to med school. Congratulations to the Williams family, Jay and Sarah, for completing medical school! Free medical advice for me!

Keep your feet on the ground but keep reaching for the stars. This blog is for you- the 99% who think they're going to be a doctor before the reality of your ambition comes to light....there is still hope....you can be a doctor in China!

Not to bag on China too much, especially since I don't know anything about the place (yet)- but check it out- if you're going to get a visa to stay there they make you take a physical exam. Apparently it's pretty comprehensive and includes an ultra sound, EKG, other things, and an eye exam.

Anyway, google it and you'll see that it is a bit of a formality- and if, for example, you have bad eyes- the answers to your eye exam will be given to you....courtesy of your exam administrator! Those are my favorite kinds of tests.

Sarah made it to her exam last week and managed to snap a couple photos. She doesn't take bad pics- its just that finding anything interesting in this place is probably next to impossible.

Again- nothing bad to say about China, the place is going to be sweet...it's just that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to point this one out.

PS- please excuse any typos....blogging from my phone, while driving, while towing a boat, in traffic...

Xintindi

Sarah got a chance to get out and about around the house on Shanghai yesterday.

The included pic is the back side of our apartment building- a little park with a fly fishing pond! Fish caught there will be yummy!

The area we live in is called Xintindi which means "new world on earth". It is right in downtown Shanghai, and is a scene! Picture dudes with poodles....

The streets haven't been that busy though!? I don't know where the 23 million people are- or when they're going to show up....but for now all seems quiet on the home front.

I say that like I'm there- or have been there lately. To be clear, I'm at Sarah's parents house right now hanging out with their dog Joey.

October 19th is right around the corner, mark your calendar!

Sociology 101

Well, Sarah had her first big meeting today in China. Yup, got to sit through the whole thing- and realized it was ALL in Chinese!

If you didn't already know, they speak Chinese in China....makes meetings tough to understand I'd guess.

She was able to send me a quick pic of the introduction of the meeting. It looks to me to be a mix of That 70's Show and American Idol. Hopefully I can get the photo up on the blog this time.

I'd guess that pop culture in China is very similar to the TV show Wipeout- maybe Sarah can post on this blog one time and let us know what she's found out this far.

All that being said, no one is hitting the keytar scene in China yet- so if anyone wants to be on the cutting edge of coolness.....

Last but not least, looks like our house appraisal came through good to go. I went in and cleaned it once over and closed the doors as I walked out.

PS- October 19th is the big day!!!!!

The New Job

I spoke with Sarah this afternoon.  She was on her way to work- it was Monday morning in Shanghai...Sunday afternoon here.

She gave me the rundown of the next week on the job.  It sounds like a busy week!

Tomorrow she's off to the "coaches conference", a big get together for all the Nike store managers.  I'm nervous for her- she has to speak in front of like 1000 employees....and is going to try to throw down a few Chinese phrases!  Good luck Sarah.

The conference is in Hangzhou and she'll be there all week.  After that she is back in Shanghai for about a day, then off to Beijing.  Good luck Sarah.

Apparently when she travels for work, there is a lot of eating "local food"....so she's going to pack some power bars in case the local food doesn't appease her sophisticated palate.  Good luck Sarah.

Meanwhile, I've laid out my entire collection of fly fishing crap and have figured out what I'll be taking with me to China.  What is that you say?  You can't fish in Shanghai?  Wrong.....our driver David fishes in Shanghai and is going to show me whats up.

Most of the stuff I'll be bringing is saltwater stuff as I anticipate more (and better) fishing in some of the tropical areas near Shanghai....Christmas Islands are calling my name!

I grew up at 2167 Harvard St in Klamath Falls, OR.  Had a neighbor by the name of Joe Caraher who's writing style I'll be adopting for this blog from here on out.  I'm not sure I can do him justice but I'll try.  Joe was a good family friend and had this cool, old school style of writing that I always enjoyed.  He was the editor of the Herald and News.

Last thing- turns out the first week of October is a bad time to hang around Shanghai- so we'll be making our first trip to Thailand or maybe Laos.  We're welcoming any suggestions or advice on where to go....