Posted on 22 August 2010 @ 16:46 in Travels
Blogspot and YouTube are also blocked in China.
For the former, it means I can’t read my favourite blogs while in China.
For the latter, it means I can’t upload any of my videos to my YouTube account until I get home.
For my friends who are blogging on blogspot, you might want to consider moving to either wordpress.com or typepad.com, both free like blogspot, but both not blocked in China (for now, anyway).
For what it’s worth, Seth Godin blogs on typepad, too.
Aiks … Google Docs is (are?) also blocked in China. And while I can read from within Google Reader, I can’t link out to the respective websites – that’s blocked, too.
Good thing Google Translate’s working – that’s my lifeline to online Chinese – English (and vice versa) translations.
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Posted on 22 August 2010 @ 14:32 in Notebooks, Stress Busters, Travels
The two in the foreground are the “cover models” for Nostalgie’s “Giant Panda” notebook cover.
The two in the background are Mei Xin (left) and Feng Yi (right), two giant pandas living at the giant panda habitat at the Seven Star Park’s Zoo in Guilin, China.
I’d received the notebook as a gift from Ms Karen Doherty, Vice President, Marketing, Exaclair, Inc (exclusive US distributor of Clairefontaine, Exacompta, Rhodia, Quo Vadis, G Lalo, Brause, J Herbin and Decopatch products) in late March (thanks again, Karen). By then, I’d returned from my annual volunteer trip to Bifengxia Panda Base. But I was planning a visit to Guilin later in the year, and when that materialised and I was packing for the trip, I made sure to pack the notebook, to journal in, as well as to take a picture with Mei Xin and Feng Yi.
The picture was taken thro’ the glass display at the indoor enclosure. This is the best I can do for now, but I’ll be visiting them again a few more days, so I’ll make sure to take more, and hopefully better, pictures. In case anyone’s wondering, hand holding notebook belongs to keeper Zhang.
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Posted on 21 August 2010 @ 17:28 in Travels
It’s unfair but, after staying in a low-end motel for 2 of my annual giant panda volunteer trips, I tend to associate giant panda volunteer work with “hardship”. Like I said, it’s unfair. Cuz last year, I stayed at a really nice hotel in Ya’an City. And right now, in Guilin, I’m staying at the Guilin International Hotel, where the room is even nicer than Ibis Hotel, Ya’an, but at twice the cost, it’s expected.
Probaby the most important thing in a hotel room for me – Internet access. In this case, on a nice writing table
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Writing table is next to a fair size LCD TV on a swivel top, but all Chinese shows, even the English movies are dubbed in Mandarin; nope, no CNN or Bloomberg
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Fancy wash basin reflected in the shower door. Toilet is next to shower and discretely hidden behind door
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Top of mini fridge with something extra – boxes of playing cards, condoms and sex oil – for a price, of course
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Posted on 21 August 2010 @ 00:04 in Stress Busters
I never tire of telling the story of how a six-month-old giant panda cub in San Diego Zoo led to my love for giant pandas.
Hua Mei – the first giant panda cub to be born and to survive past 3 months in the Western Hemisphere. Her name, a combination of China (華) and USA (美), represents the partnership that resulted in her birth – China, which loaned her parents to the San Diego Zoo, and USA, which provided the place for her birth.
It’s 10 years since I saw her public debut on the San Diego Zoo website’s pandacam. I went to see her in person in May 2001. And had to wait 6 years before seeing her again in September 2007; by now, she was living at the Wolong Panda Centre in China. Since then, I’ve seen her every year, and hope to be able to see her every year till … whenever.
I know her American fans were sad when she left San Diego Zoo in 2004, but it was good news for me because it meant she would be nearer to me, and cheaper for me to go and see her.
I’ve yet to see her on her birthday. So I do the next best thing – celebrate her birthday, and what she means to me, online.
Love you, Hua Mei. Happy birthday.
Picture taken during my March 2010 visit
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Posted on 20 August 2010 @ 21:52 in Facebook
Just wanted to let you know I’m receiving email notifications of your comments on Facebook – I just can’t reply while in China. 
Besides Facebook, I also can’t access Twitter and blogspot. So I can’t read my favourite blogs over the next few days.
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