freelfreel

Feb 25,2007 Opening business for Chinese Piggy Year

2007-03-02T02:46:25Z

Most companies started working after a week break for celebrating Chinese New Year in Shanghai.

This photo was taken in the morning, on the way to my office. You can glance how much blessing to this Piggy Year, and all wishes for obtaining money showed in the street, with red paper ash.

Wish you, my friends, have a happy new year!

Chinese Spring Festival is a campaigning

2007-02-17T04:35:17Z

Shanghai today is quite moist, foggy actually. I went up very early. So I had time to enjoy the peaceful street in the down town center. Chinese New Year to most ordinary Chinese people is not just holiday. It is a campaigning. People firstly called parents or relatives at home town, or inverse. Then, they have to make a long queue for getting a railway ticket. I used to meet a girl who was so excited for getting a berth ticket at cashier directly. The train and other public transportation are so busy before the midnight of Today, as it is the new year Eve. This year, national railway ministry claimed to provide the non-seasoning price to people. That is to say, the price must not be raised because of this traditional Chinese united holiday. This is very good policy, and show people that Chinese is able to provide public services now. The public service should not be a pure market-driven business.

Today, Shanghai is quiet since a lot of people are at their home in other provinces of China. I took my breakfast in Starbucks, nice cake and tea. I also got a cup of fruits and vegetable which however was made yesterday. It is unusual to Chinese, as we do not often mix fruit and vegetables to make out one dish, except salad sometime.

I am quite enjoying this moment, very, indeed. Even the empty office rooms show me the different features of display. Life is living and vivid art when our heart is full of joy and love.

Fashion is not just fashion

2007-02-08T07:53:25Z

[Toast master speech]

My fellow toastmasters and guests, are you
ready for the coming Valentine’s day? Have you found some lovely and
fashionable gifts for your g/b friend? Have you got some ideas to become more
charming and attractive for parities and other social activities? If you haven’t,
please buy yourself fashion magazines at first. They cost you a little but give
a lot. I didn’t get this idea until I watched the movie, The Devil wears Prada.

Let me briefly introduce this movie to you.
A small- town girl, Andy, went to New
York for her dream, to become a journalist. But, she
lucky got her first job that thousands of young ladies want to, the assistant
to the chief editor of Runway, the top fashion magazine. She didn’t know what
fashion was and even didn’t know how to use eye-brush. She wore old style of
skirt and being laughed at by her colleagues. She didn’t care them as she
believed something more important than fashion matter. Her job was tough as her
boss often asked her to take out unreasonable assignments. But, with a senior
manager’s help, and her natural intelligence, she survived and got her boss’s
trust at last. With the working advantage, she then started dressing in big
brands and became a shining, sexy, fashion lady. However, she quit her job as
she realized finally, she didn’t work for her dream, nor her belief but for
fashion clothes, bags and accessories. At the end of the movie, Andy was walking in
street with ordinary and plain dressing, but a happy smile.

I often wonder who create the fashion let
young men and women crazily follow. So, when I heard the dialog between Andy
and the senior manager, and her boss, the chief editor of a top fashion
magazine, I suddenly understood that fashion magazines, like the senior manager
said, are not just magazines. Without its guide, some people would die.
Moreover, fashion is not just fashion stuff. Indeed, it is an industry that
generate billions dollars revenue over the world.

So, what does fashion industry do on
ordinary people? The chief editor disclosed the secret to audiences. When a
color, green for example, is selected on fashion magazine and related to the
big brands such as Prada, Armani, Dior, then, green become a fashion.
Consequently, green will be used in a series of consumer products, such as bags,
shoes, earrings, painting, blanket, table cloth, wall paper and etc. You may
suddenly find you are in a green colored world. Therefore to be fashion, you
must choose green in shopping. Otherwise, you are not the IN person. However,
the green stuff will be more expensive than the other colored at that time. In
that case, fashion stands for being richer than the ordinary.

From my point of views, fashion is to give
you something beyond their utilities, more than the necessary. Tell me what you
will put into a 10 thousand Yuan’s bag, golden bricks? Certainly not, as usual,
you may put your wallet, keys, lipstick, paper tissues and your notes book in
it. So, for what reasons you need a 10 thousand Yuan bag instead of a 2-3 00
Yuan bag for containing that private stuff? Yes, the social identity; and to
tell other people you belong to such a social class. You are able to consume
fashion and big brand names.

You are cheated by fashion creators if you
buy in those stuff to satisfy your ego. In fact, the nature of fashion industry
is consumerism, which aims to change people’s behavior to accept the products
created by a small group of people. In 1920s, Edward Bernays worked for
American Tobacco Company. He took use of fashion magazines, movies, newspapers,
models, photographers, singers, actresses to persuade women to consume cigarettes.
They finally got millions and billions money from providing the harmful product
to people. So, my fellow toaster masters, take care of your own independent thinking
when you read fashion magazines. Although they cost you a little but could change you a lot. They are not wrong, but, sometimes they are no
less than a devil. Please don’t be a slave of fashion! Give yourself freedom of
thinking!

James Bond isn't a British

2007-02-07T09:13:15Z

I don't who will celebrate this milestone while James Bond movie first can be seen in Chinese cinema, the British people, the American film providers or Japanese investors.

Fortunately, it is not my first time to watch the James Bond movie. It basically is a British story, a Hollywood style of story-telling. But, I can't say I don't like it. In fact, I am a fan of Pierce Brosnan.

Many Chinese can't distinguish a British or a US from westerners. But, their differences can be seen in many ways. So, from my view, personally, Daniel Craig is not a British. He is 100% an American.

I can't say Mr. Craig isn't a good actor. He told Chinese people in a TV interview that he worked so hard to make this movie out. However, he worked so hard to show his nature of American. It is not wrong, but to me, I just feel a little bit disappointed. Something has been distorted that I can't clarify well in words.

My first speech

2007-01-19T04:10:10Z

Yesterday, I did my first speech in 5C+ Toastmaster Club Shanghai. I didn't realised my nervousness until the presentation was done. I did many impromptu speaking several months ago, when I was a guest of this club. So, it seemed to me that I should not have felt nervous.

I prepared one topic a week ago. But, on Sunday, I was suggested to talk about my dream. I thought it over, and made a change. I didn't quite know how to cut my big dream into 4-6min speech. I worked a day, actually, to make out it. But, I still felt I did unwell. My mind was total absent while my tongue was working. I felt disorganised in speeking, and also felt that I didn't reach the requirement of this ice-breaker project. However, I got quite good comments that let me feel unreasonable.

But, I got a lesson: don't make a speech as doing an assignment. Talk from heart and using mind.

Is writing diary harmful to your health?

2007-01-19T03:44:20Z

The british psychologists, Dr. David Sheffield, Dr. Elaine Duncan, found that the people have the habit of writing dairy,whose health is worse than those havn't. They have not drawed a conclusion, as they have not enough evidence. But, they placed it into a high suspicion.

They found people tend to complain or express their bad feelings or mood in their dairy. In that case, it is not writing diary making health bad but the negative information. Those information recall the bio-chemical process of our body in sadness, disappointment, anger and frustration. Consequently, the generated hormone is doubled.

In this case, I suppose the bad or the negative information make people tend in sick. Gradually, the physical will be affected. If so, we must to change our media codes. The bad news should be regarded as an invisible generator of illness.

Technorati Tags: Science

Please don't just laugh

2007-01-13T06:03:37Z

I am now a member of Toastmaster in Shanghai 5C+ Club. I went to the club last Thursday. The president of the club, a fat Singaporean, gave us something extra in order to make this new club special. He asked with his strong accent, "how many people here can shut one eye and close one eye to sleep?"
I am not sure when I write this question down, are you still being tricked. I was when I heard his question. All members were except two members who already experienced it. Actually, the president repeated this question twice, and still, I wasn't aware of his trick.

While he asked how many people felt confused of this question, most people raised their hand. So, you can imagine when he spoke slower, how big laugh all people felt in.

He pointed out that we were not used to listening to other people, but assuming what they were talking. He emphasized the subjective power in communication that made me feel shame in heart.

I really have so many experienced of subjective understanding. In fact, I was proud of guessing out people's words before they spoke out, and of my high intelligence. My friends already complained I did not listen to them, but I didn't understand what their complaints. Now, I understand! People think in varied different ways.

Now, I am wondering if the presidents of the State and China have learnt to listen to people. To ordinary people, the bad communication may cause personal problem, but those people's behaviour may bring a nation troubles.

Peace comes from respect to other's difference.

Smelly-bean-curd is better than the Golden Flower

2006-12-21T05:59:24Z

You may not like smelly-bean-curd, a popular Chinese snack sold in street, since it is smelly, very. However lots of Chinese people like it, as it is delicious, and little harmful to health. It is just special strong smell, actually, like cheese somewhat. If you want to know Chinese, the culture and the people, I recommend you to try it, even one time, as you may change your mind and become a fan of it. The smelly-bean-curds are often served in three ways, fried, boiled and steamed. The majority of the fans like the fried smelly-bean-curd. Usually, it is served with chili sauce and black bean sauce. It is very cheap food, (usually two pieces cost ONE Yuan) and four or six pieces can fill up stomach. It is a part of Chinese civil life, like hot-dog to American people, sandwich to the British.

However, as I know a lot of westerners don't like it since its special smell. Now, you can be served in a very western way. Firstly, name it as pickled bean-curd or Chinese bean-cheese, therefore, its strong smell can be regarded as a special fragrance that make you imagine to Chinese culture. Secondly, cut it into small pieces in order to fit the use of knife and fork. Thirdly, place it on a high quality plate, decorated with peanuts and other. From the view of Chinese moral, this business is excellent even though this dish will cost customer SIXTEEN Yuan; and of the west, this also can be regarded as an innovation or a piece of artwork, even it costs SIXTEEN dollars.

Compare it with a new movie from the view of Chinese culture, Curse of the Golden Flower( aka 满城尽带黄金甲, pronounce is MAN CHENG JIN DAI HUANG JIN JIA）, is no more than rubbish though it is directed by ZHANG Yimou who is treated as the one of the greatest artist of this Age.

It desecretes the Chinese culture and the name of Art. Indeed, it pollutes your vision to Chinese culture. The movie is not worth to take a glance because it is harmful and dangerous in guiding you into Chinese culture.

The basic story steal the classic Chinese drama works, Thunderstorm, written by Cao Yu in 1933 (http://www.cnhubei.com/200502/ca677340.htm). To Chinese people who have completed high school with the basic literacy, the drama Thunderstorm is very familiar, as it is selected into the standard textbook. So, they laugh at this ZHANG's movie, because the scenario is utterly wrong. It is to say, such a story never happened in Chinese royal family, impossible.

Zhang distorted the Chinese emperor lifelihood to put his trick into the Thunderstorm's scenario. For example, the emperor and his family lived in a small city (as Forbidden City as well-known)instead of a western castle, where buildings are separately set in order. Zhang made Chinese emperor live in a castle and call him king (The English version may call "My majesty" //Laugh & Sign// ). To amuse the western audiences, he also destroyed the Chinese aesthetics, importing the classic European sense with dishevelled and smashed Chinese elements without respecting historical facts. It is a dirty lie, with my understanding, a culture poison to the west people who want to understand China. He and his group took use of people's zeal of Chinese culture to make money.

Why shall I become so critically to a movie? Many Chinese friends may stop me spending time on writing it and telling this to the west. They would rather to think it is a great exportable product to get Dollars, Yens and Pounds back. Selling Chinese culture in the western taste is no wrong in their point of commercial business's views. However, I don't think art works, especially a movie, is a dish of delicate smelly-bean curd. Movie is a very strong information package that affects people emotion and views. Zhang changed this 1930's story into the Tang Dynasty only to provide huge scenes to shock you. (Every Chinese, either living in China or outside knows the magnificent achievements of civilisation in Tang Dynasty.) In that case, the expenditure of making this movie can be raised. It is no more than a business trick, irrelated to art or innovation. What will the "Golden Flower" sell to you? Only a list of big Chinese names in entertainment.

Am I right? To adjust, you may pay for this movie to get your own opinion. Then, you would lose, and I will have lost. Who will win? Those big names, and this tricky movie. They then will use the same model to do it to you again and again. They have already done，such as Banquet (aka 夜宴 pronounce Ye Yan) and Promise (aka 无极 pronounce Wu Ji）. Those big names already deviated from the norm of being artist.

To let you understand, let me take a simple example. You enter a Chinese restaurant as you want to have some Chinese food, then you are told a dish very Chinese, so you take an order. You then get to know what "Chinese" is. However, Chinese people who live in China thousands years never have such a dish, now what do you think what you had in this restaurant? Such a case is a crime to Chinese nation in particular regarding to information, knowledge and culture.

Please take smelly-bean-curds even if it is called Chinese bean cheeses. It is no harm to you to understand Chinese people. Buy the cheapest CD (FIVE Yuan in Shanghai. It is no worth than that.)without the concern other to get your own opinion in the sakes of the basic moral of respecting ancestors.

p.s. One of reasons to write this comment on Chinese movie is from my own experience in the UK. Chinese traditional medicine, a part of our culture, is being taken as a tool in cheating the west people. Big shame! Now, movies come....

Is the TIME for me?

2006-12-20T16:55:37Z

A very well-known US magazine, Time, claims, it is time for YOU and me, control the Information Age. But, is it true or not?

I move here since G-blog.net is unable to run. So, it seems not me in control, but the HOST. I like G-blog mainly because it set up on the base of the ideal of a FREE world. However, I very understand information is not free. I have written a long essay to explain my point from the current social structure. Though I got benefits from G-blog free lunch, I still keep my view. Even today, I move to this new free space, I still think information, nowadays, is not free. However, I am an advocate of information freedom, because once information being free, which means our societies, our social relationships(over the world) have a great change.

To contribute I am now a b~logger.