darkstar1
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darkstar1

Jul 10, 2013 16:43

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Music Festival in China: No Beer? We’ll Find a Way

Ok so I’ve been to several music festivals before in China, but I’d thought I’d write about my experiences regarding one particular festival which I attended late last May. This one was called the Dreamer Indie Festival (or the Indie Dreamer Festival, I can’t remember which), and was ...

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darkstar1

Jul 05, 2013 15:49

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Food Poisoning in China: My Culprits

Well since living in China for around four years I’ve only managed to be properly food poisoned three times. Not too bad I think. I’m not talking about the upset stomach following an evening of spicy food or chuan’er, no I’m talking about the full-blown, liquid spraying from every orifice ...

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darkstar1

Jun 21, 2013 09:47

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Some Observations of Swimming Antics in China

It was about October last year that I spent over 2,000 RMB to sign up for a year pass swimming card at the Beijing Olympic Sports Centre which allowed me to swim 80 times. I did the maths on the spot and calculated that it added up to 25 RMB a swim if I used the entire card up. Of course, that would mean I would ...

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darkstar1

May 20, 2013 15:52

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog TEFL – On How It Spawns the Most Interesting of Characters

As an on and off teacher in China for several years, I’ve met a fair share of different students, been treated and scammed equally by different schools, and have of course come across a varied selection of teachers; with some leaving me inspired and some leaving me grateful that I haven’t (yet) gone ...

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darkstar1

May 08, 2013 13:48

Around China : darkstar1 commented on news China’s Richest Man Snubs David Cameron & Queen Over Dinner

"British government bends over backwards for immigration" Hilarious Daily Mail sensationalism there mate. "They took our jaaabbs!" is it? Full Comment>>

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darkstar1

May 07, 2013 16:26

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog The Wonders of Weixin

Weixin, or WeChat, as it’s known to us English-speaking folk, is truly a revolutionary piece of technology. I’d heard about it for a couple of years from friends and was urged to download it and join the craze, but up until now I’ve never had a smart phone or tablet. Now that I do, I thought why ...

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darkstar1

Apr 28, 2013 12:01

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Culture Shock Wars: My Last Stand

I’ve been in China a good while now and while I can’t claim to have completely melted into the society I do believe I’ve done rather well at adjusting to the various nuances and annoyances that often have most expats either screaming at the walls or running down the street naked. The spitting, the ...

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darkstar1

Apr 25, 2013 17:17

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog The Chinese Generation Game

It’s amazing in China the sheer palette of varying social make ups, and by that I don’t only mean ethnicity, social or cultural background, I also ideas and viewpoints that come with certain age groups. It’s amazing to think most middle-aged people in China, who grew up during the cultural ...

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darkstar1

Apr 18, 2013 12:27

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Being Sick in China – My Dilemma

Being sick in China sucks. Well, being sick anywhere sucks really; but when we’re hit by a barrage of headaches or a nasty cold it seems that the symptoms and the road to recovery are somewhat more magnified than they would be elsewhere. I’m currently struck down with a ruthless cold that has left me at ...

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darkstar1

Apr 11, 2013 16:39

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Just When I’m Heading Out China Pulls Me Back In…

China can very easily get you down. Read the news, cross the road, open your window, look outside, teach a bunch a spoilt brats, and we can all feel the pressure at times and the screaming in our conscious which says “what the hell are you still doing here!” And up until recently, my daily frustrations ...

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darkstar1

Apr 02, 2013 12:00

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Tomb Sweeping Day/Holidays in General: Why I Plan to Do Absolutely Nothing

I must say that in general, China has a pretty generous amount of public holidays. In my mind, we’ve only just come out of Chinese New Year and are already about to enter another one with the morbidly named Tomb Sweeping Festival. After that, it’s the May Day Festival, then the Dragon Boat Festival, the ...

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darkstar1

Apr 01, 2013 08:45

Blogs : darkstar1 commented on darkstar1 's blog Never Been in a Chinese Hospital? Read on to Find Out their True Charm….

Hey TKA, I really don't know what pills they were though I think they're available in most pharmacies at a reasonable price. If you just say to the pharmacist 我的肠子不舒服 (wo de changzi bu shufu) they might know what to do. Full Comment>>

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darkstar1

Mar 26, 2013 16:37

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Never Been in a Chinese Hospital? Read on to Find Out their True Charm….

We all worry about the day when our bodies finally give up on us and we have to reluctantly haul ourselves from the comfort of the toilet bowl to the nearby hospital. I’ve been in China for a while now and I must say aside from a couple of instances of food poisonings, I’ve been pretty lucky so ...

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darkstar1

Mar 18, 2013 12:00

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Food China Has Taught Me to Love

Despite obvious food safety concerns and the like, China is still a culinary paradise for many reasons, and is known for its countless ingenious ways of cooking various types of foods in weird and wonderful ways. I have to say, that prior to my arrival in China I was a bit conservative on the old food front and ...

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darkstar1

Mar 13, 2013 12:20

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Is China’s Rise Really a Peaceful One?

Ok, I’m about to open a can of political worms with this one, though who doesn’t savour the opportunity to be an armchair pundit with almost no expertise on a subject which has been widely discussed by experts across the world? I certainly don’t, and this has been something on my mind of late. Yes ...

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darkstar1

Mar 08, 2013 12:34

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog An Evening in Gulou: My Shameful Part in the Destruction of Beijing’s Hutongs

I recall an evening roughly a year ago where I was with a group of friends heading back home after a night out in one of the many chilled out bars located around Beijing’s Gulou area. In a turn of events that would surely contradict any perception of construction safety anywhere outside of China, we were ...

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darkstar1

Mar 04, 2013 15:16

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog A Weekend in Tianjin – 1st and 2nd Tier City Chasms

I’ve been living in Beijing for a few years now, and though I don’t think it can quite claim to have full “international city” status in the why that Hong Kong or possibly Shanghai do, it’s still pretty modern and forward-thinking enough for a dumbass foreigner like me to maraud their ...

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darkstar1

Feb 27, 2013 15:22

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Beyond Cheesy Pop – A Long Lost Legend

Whenever some lays mention to C-pop, Mando-pop, or even J-pop and K-pop for that matter, images of sickly sweet bubblegum vocals and soppy ballads immediately spring to mind. We need only to look at the stars famous here: Wang Leehom, Jay Chow, Li Yuchun…they’re all different masks singing the same ...

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darkstar1

Feb 18, 2013 15:42

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Beijing Blues - Time to Head South?

On a flight back to Beijing from visiting a friend in Guangzhou, I really wasn’t looking forward to returning to the world of smog.Guangzhou was warm, greener, and to me, a lot cleaner than the rest of the country. Of course, you can always say that the grass is greener, and perhaps after being in Beijing for such ...

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darkstar1

Feb 07, 2013 08:51

Listings : darkstar1 Reviewed listing Richang Tea Restaurant

Good solid Cantonese restaurant, their daily soup is my favorite dish.

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darkstar1

Feb 06, 2013 17:28

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog The Wonderful World of Chinese Dialects

My Mandarin isn’t great, but since being here for a few years there’s been one thing that noticed and it’s certainly something I love about being in China – the countless regional dialects. From what I gather, they can be divided into several categories – Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghai area), Hakka, Taiwanese, ...

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darkstar1

Feb 06, 2013 11:24

Listings : darkstar1 Reviewed listing Drum and Bell

I have to say I have a mixed feeling about this place. It's great when it's quiet and you can sit and have a good conversation on the rooftop, though like most others I'm sure, I go on Sunday for it's 50 RMB open bar. Gets a bit hectic and I feel awful for the skeleton team of waiters/waitresses that have to run ...

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darkstar1

Feb 01, 2013 16:58

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog Dodgy Beer – How I Learned the Hard Way

We’ve all heard of the many food scares in China. MSG,gutter oil, rat meat disguised as beef, beef disguised as rat meat and so on. I had a heads up from all my friends and family about all these food safety issues, concerns which were reinforced upon my arrival here by Chinese friends and colleagues.Although I was ...

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darkstar1

Jan 28, 2013 09:33

Blogs : darkstar1 Posted a new blog The Wonderfully Wacky World of Weibo

So with my Chinese capable to a degree where I think I can read Chinese enough to know roughly what might be going on…if it’s a story book for toddlers…perhaps, I’ve recently been indulging myself into the wacky world of Weibo, and the results have been fruitful to say the least. There’s been a lot of talk as to......

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darkstar1

Jan 24, 2013 12:12

Listings : darkstar1 Reviewed listing Element Fresh

I'v e been here once and what can I say - authentic enough Italian place does awesome food, but at a price. During my visit I had a macaroni cheese, and it tasted just like the way my grandmother used to make it. Thumbs up, but be prepared to splurge.

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