I'd think of myself as a lower form of life, selfish and damaging to social values, if I ever found myself posing for a picture in front of a luxury car. For me, the feeling comes natural, but I'm surprised how few people nowadays don't even understand the basis for my feelings at all. Full Comment>>

Mental health don't-care! Full Comment>>

I think he remained stubborn because he wasn't in the wrong. As I mentioned above, the video footage of the crash was likely taken from a different incident, and used to incriminate him. It's insane that nobody in China even noticed that there were 2-3 people on the bike. Full Comment>>

Look at the moment of collision. A child dressed in white falls forward on impact. The were 2 or 3 people on that bike. It was footage from a different incident used to incriminate the guy. Full Comment>>

The correct term is thief. A thief stole the money. The thief was a person. It wouldn't even have made the news if the accolade FOREIGNER wasn't linked to it, because locals steal 20,000 yuan from each other all the time. The state media is cherrypicking news stories and using divisive language to influence people's ... Full Comment>>

Not to mention, the ESL gig is actually limited in duration. I've seen ads posted for age categories 25-35 (most are less strict of course), and it's definitely true that employers are more reluctant to hire you as their foreign clown at 40+, because you're not so fun and energetic-looking anymore. ESL is rarely a ... Full Comment>>

Yesterday my boss spoke with me about documents needed for the visa; criminal record check and health check. It seems things are finally getting in motion! About time, too. I do feel a lot more comfy with the routine of this job than at the time I wrote the text in the blog (originally written in august, with sweat ... Full Comment>>

It's definitely true that many a low-skilled worker has an early head-start when it comes to income. Education is often regarded so highly, that there is little reasonable consideration given as to whether it is an effective investment. This is especially true in China, where most of the successful people gained ... Full Comment>>

Oh noes! Foreigners steal too! This is obviously more noteworthy than Chinese stealing, because foreigners' actions immediately reflect upon the status of the expat community (while any immoral act by a Chinese is automatically absolved by their cultural superiority). Full Comment>>

I honestly wish I could take his advice, too. But the reason why I came to China was because it was taking too long for Dutch immigration to let my wife into the country. We're stuck here for a while, but at least my Chinese in-laws have agreed to sell our house by the time my baby Owen is of school age. Then he ... Full Comment>>

Switching the Chinese Dream for the American one. As long as they can live in a 'dream' country. Dream on! Full Comment>>

if your own text is any indication, finance majors are more likely to ramp up additional debt with their high lifestyle expenses, whether it's due to cost-of-networking, peer pressure or self-esteem. But the 6k was 3 years back, and inflation has been quite steep recently, while teacher's salaries in China have been ... Full Comment>>

I'd have to agree with JayKnox here; you're just getting defensive. True, there are lots of expats who voice lots of criticisms. But keep in mind that whenever locals ask us what we think of China, this happens: http://space.echinacities.com/239770/blog/spacenodedetail/818 and people stubbornly go on living their ... Full Comment>>

Yeah, that did strike me as odd too. You accepted a 6000RMB/month job that I wouldn't even think twice about. But kudos for sticking with it for a while, if only to get your bearings in the country. My job is in a teaching centre in a glorified city (more like a town-sized regional capital) near my wife's hometown, ... Full Comment>>

Hilarious! The idiocy. And yet sad - that people are still capable of completely losing restraint like that. It happened in mid-filght too, you say? I'm not sure whether I'm laughing or crying... Full Comment>>

Yeah, it's not like they'll be understanding that it's in the beast's nature to kill, and that it was a captive animal after all. I wouldn't be surprised if the family tried to claim the hide as "accident compensation". It would be funny if the tiger had to appear in court! Who knows, it might end up being ... Full Comment>>

Dunno much about zookeeping, but it seems wise to never tend to a dangerous animal alone, in case something like this happens. I'm guessing there might have been time to save his life if there were others present. Full Comment>>

"1) There is just nothing quite like food in China" - true enough. Once you try it, there's some stuff you'd definitely miss, but that depends on how much you want to experiment. "2) The cushy hours" Had better hours in my old job, better salary, and without being humiliated. "3) The buzz of ... Full Comment>>

China works by ranking systems, rather than a more realistic appraisal of circumstances. The student who learned to copy answers but doesn't have a clue how to think critically is considered a genius. The city that just made it into tier 2 stands to make a bundle in tax revenues, but the city that just didn't make ... Full Comment>>

I also value the discussion, and I'm glad you acknowledge that despite my value judgements I'm not just trolling. I doubt whether the other posters you mentioned are deserving of such an accusation, though. Calling people trolls has become a far-too-popular trolling pastime, and I'm hesitant to accuse wookie1 of it, ... Full Comment>>

intonation. 1 is a flat, constant tone, like singing. 2 is an ascending tone, like a question. 3 is a weird descinding then ascending "hiccup". 4 is a decending tone; forceful like an emphasis Full Comment>>

always bring your lucky wad of cash, or you may have an unsuccessful recovery. Full Comment>>

might be true, but it might also be that nothing was stolen, and the guy just wants money from the backpacker or website. Full Comment>>

they'll give it the death penalty, right? good riddance. be careful which women you talk to, expats. jealous chinese husbands are not good at balancing appropriate responses. Full Comment>>

Yes, just call me a troll (and... stalker? listen to yourself, man) in order to mentally categorize all my comments as worthless, despite the fact that they offer valid opposing views. I think your namecalling-without-substance makes it quite clear who may be trolling, now. Every expat who lives in China eventually ... Full Comment>>