Monthly Archives: March 2009

We got a picture of Chairman Mao @ Tian An Men

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Because my kid said, “I know him, he is famous! Andy Warhol painted that picture!”

Looking at Tian An Men square (across the busy street opposite the Chairman Mao picture). Because it is on a Saturday morning, the crowd is larger than usual. The entire square is covered with people. Being there with two kids by myself, I didn’t even attempt going into the Forbidden City that day, which is right behind the picture of Chairman Mao.

Nice view we got by my getting “lost” right outside the Tian An Men area, by walking in the opposite direction. I guess it is nearly impossible to miss the long walls and the crowd, and that’s why the guard from whom I asked for direction looked so confused…

“Tian An Men? You mean the Tian An Men ahead where everybody is walking towards to?”

Oh, yes, that one.

Air China: Our new favorite airlines

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Air China, not to be confused with China Airlines which is the one based in Taiwan, is now my favorite airlines for flying with kids. The individual entertainment center on the seat back includes movies, TV shows, inflight information, games, and even a camera showing the view from the bottom of the aircraft. (And yes, wise guy, most of the time, you only see white clouds…) And the movies include kids’ movies, and more than one. So many choices I didn’t know what to do with them so I decided to listen to the music. That’s how overwhelming it was…
This was for a mere 3-hour flight. So now I am dreading our flight back to the US on United, which has absolutely nothing. Nothing to entertain the kids. Nothing. They also now charge $6 for alcoholic beverages, so I cannot even booze up now…

The Legend of Kung Fu: cheesy, cliché yet awesome. Like all best scenes from all kung fu movies condensed into 1.5 hours awesomeness

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It is 1.5 hour of sheer awesomeness if you love this kind of stuff. To say the least, these folks have a lot of years of training and practice under their belt.

AND, the narration (there is a storyline) is done in ENGLISH. Yes, English, with Chinese captions. At first, the abrupt switch to English gave me pause about the tourist-trap nature of the show, but the excellent combination of acrobatics, ballet, and various styles of Chinese kung fu (really) and martial arts won me over. Although they could have done without the red lanterns in the theatre, I am definitely a fan.

If you are in Beijing, and you don’t mind some Las Vegas show biz, esp. if you are traveling with boys (and men who are boys at heart), then you have to check this show out. The Red Theatre where this show is on every day of the week is in the same area of the Temple of Heaven, so plan your day accordingly.

This picture was taken during curtain call.

since we were rule-abiding people and did not take pictures when the show was on.

Westin In Beijing

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The Westin in Beijing (on Financial Street between Changan Avenue West & Wudinghou Street) looks just like any other Westin in big cities, completely with a upper scale shopping mall right across the street (the kind with a super market and a food court in the basement even!) The only thing that reminded us that we are no longer in Kansas is the fact that a Quart tub of Ben & Jerry costs over $10!!

Note to self: Eat a lot of ice cream once we get home!

I am a sucker for great bathrooms so I am very happy with this Westin. I believe the bathroom is as big as an average-sized dorm room, at least the one I had in grad school…


This shows how much a country bumpkin we are: we thought the blinds for the glass between the bathroom and the room are broken, and I was quite puzzled by this single neglect by this great hotel. Turns out, it is motorized! The kids had too much fun with it before I yelled at them.
Now we need to go out and find our first McDonald’s in Beijing. Sigh.
Maybe we will wind our way to Tian An Men Square & the Forbidden City which is only 2 or 3 stops away from this Westin.

A great yet little known Taiwanese-style restaurant in Taipei

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I did not know about this tiny gem of a restaurant until my girlfriend from college took me there last night. Lu Sang restaurant in Yongkang Street may strike you as yet another roadside Japanese restaurant in Taipei from outside because of its bamboo-focused decor, but a quick peek inside, the modernized traditional-style tables and chairs will tell you that this is a restaurant for Taiwanese food.  Great Taiwanese dishes with ingenuous twists. Experiments that actually worked. 
 
We tried miso tripe, baked pumpkins, deep fried Japanese tofu. All were done with great aplomb. Kudos to the chef really.

Best scallion pancake in Taipei

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When you are in Taipei, you need to seek out scallion pancakes no matter where you are.  Chances are, they are good. But if you are adventurous and are a foodie, then you need to make a track to 永康街 Yongkang Street.  This stand is at the corner of a building, on the first floor of a Vietnamese restaurant. And there is always a line.  I was there at 11 pm last night, and there was a line!  On a Wednesday night!  No wonder I am always so bored in the suburbs… 

“Gashapon”, cheap souvenirs for kids, sort of like pressed pennies…

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Ok, maybe not really like Press Pennie. But in spirit, just like pressed pennies, these "toys in a plastic egg" thingy are low-cost souvenirs that get my kids motivated.  They are called Gashapon in Japanese and are everywhere we go, and the varieties are impressive, so is the quality.  Only that, as you could see, some of the toys may get the not-so-young crowd motivated as well, albeit for completely different things… 
 
Can't imagine anything like this to be mixed up with Hello Kitty and Winnie the Pooh…  Asia is a place where, whichever way you turn, you stare at paradox right in the face. 

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Corporate Sponsorship at Its Finest… Microsoft invading school?

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Saw this sign outside of a high school that we past by and was amused.  Folks are probably simply happy that their kids are using the latest computers at school, but I cannot help but feel mildly concerned…  (That's also a sign I spent way too much time reading the anti-MS talks on the bulletin board at work…)

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