Bring on the Night

Things you don’t want to know part II

I accidentally asked C what the nature medicine was made of that she brought home from Dr. Feel Good back in China. She brought home 2 bags of powdery foul brown stuff that she keeps in the freezer when not used. Can’t make out what it is and smelling the goods is no help.

C couldn’t remember the exact ingredients, but specifically remembered that the good doc broke off part of a dried up deer foetus and blended it up. When she saw my face expression, she added: “It was part of the head”.

She drinks it mixed in warm water every morning and evening. Even though I can see that she doesn’t like it, she still downs it and insists that her energy level is rising.

Not even sure we were allowed to bring it across the border, but here we are: C, me and the foetus in the freezer.

Tags: china vs denmark, chinese, fetus, medicine

…. I know the pic is an oldie, but I just love it.

I found it after cleaning some folders and I just had to share. Especially since I hate Jehova’s Witnesses as much as they hate logic.

I look forward to my next run-in with them, even though I still haven’t found a plan to keep them away for good. Guess I just have to do with my instant wit and a baseballbat. How the f… do I keep these morons from my door?

Liuzhou Laowai suggested that I told them that I’m a catolic, but I fear they will start asking questions I can’t answer. I haven’t had the slightest interest in religion for a long time.

Therefore more ideas are accepted with open arms.

Tags: annoying, Humour, Jehovah's Witnesses, rant

One thing I have noticed back when I was in China, was the difference in the way Chinese and westerners take and look at photos.

When I say Chinese I can only account for the ones I’ve met personally, so even though I may be generalizing, I also know Chinese are different about this. Still my guess is that my theory sticks for most Chinese.

Anyway, what I have noticed is that when I show Chinese pictures I’ve taken, they never use any time for the pictures I find best. At first I thought it was just C not caring about my “artistic side”, but later I’ve observed that all the Chinese I’ve met are this way. What they do find interesting, are pictures with people and food involved. The more arty ones that I personally take pride in are rarely given any time. Continue Reading »

Tags: China, china vs denmark, photography, pictures

Seems that the Danish woman’s soccer team was spied on through a two-way mirror through tactics meeting in their hotel. But by whom and what really happened?

The story as the media here presents it (this part is my rundown from many news the last 5 days):

China hosts the woman’s World Cup soccer tournament this year. The day before Denmark were to play China at the opening match, the Danes held a tactics meeting (oh, yes, women’s soccer uses tactics too). During the meeting someone at the meeting heard some strange noises from a huge mirror, and decided to check it out. Behind the mirror 2 dumbfounded Chinese gentlemen, clad in the hotel’s uniforms, were found holding each their camera.The representatives from FIFA saw them too, and they are currently holding their cards tight while China plays on in the World Cup. It is not confirmed from FIFA whether they are actually doing something about it yet. Some say they are investigating, while other reports says they won’t lift a finger. Continue Reading »

Tags: 2008, China, football, olympics, scandal, spy, Woman, world cup

Just found out that I missed posting one of my marathon entries from back in China.

Not sure what happened, but when I tried to backlink to it, I couldn’t find it. Turns out it was never posted, but fortunately I wrote all my stuff in documents and kept it on the laptop. Must have been one that slipped due to using proxy while posting it.

So if you are bored and want to read up on the time I was dragged to a village doctor by C, heres the read.

Tags: 2008, China, lost

Or maybe it should have been: Two accidents seldom come alone.

Just to follow-up on my previous post I can mention that god struck again and killed my bicycle.

The rear wheel is slanted and make funny noises when I use the bike. The local bicycle repair shop told me a repair would cost me an amount about 700kr (130US$). An offer that seems unreasonable stupid to accept, since I bought the bike for 1300kr (200US$) from new. A cheap bike from the beginning, but still it has taken its bashing over the years. Not sure exactly how old it is, but 4-5 years would be a good guess.

So seems I have to squeeze the lemon further and trash my credit card again. Now the question is whether I should go for a cheap bike again, or a middle priced one of better quality?

Sigh – what to do.

Tags: bad luck, bike, fate, money

So Someone managed to match the previous king of ugly with this “shoe”:

“Crocs”… They put the ‘Super’ in Super-ugly.

And… oh no… it’s not only for your children. Aparently adults are considered cool wearing them too. Fortunately I am neither a child nor an adult according to popular science, so you won’t catch me in these anytime soon.

How these suckers have become a fashion item beats me? Hopefully they won’t be staying round as long as sandals, but you never know.

I’m crossing my fingers for a swift death similar to the one that struck the Tamagotchi back in the 90s.

Tags: crocs, sandals, shoes, ugly

Last week our television started acting up. At first the picture started rolling, but then a few days later it managed to go a step further and roll to the bottom and make a glowing line. After 5 minutes os so it would become warm and seem to work with a few glitches. Unfortunately this was getting worse and worse for each day, so after a unsuccessful attempt to repair it, is was new-television-time.

Now these things always come when you have no money or have managed to save a bit for bad times. In our case it was the latter, which of course was on the plus side if you have to think positive. Our luck was that a special offer could be found in our local grand shopping “mall” (Bilka), due to them having birthday. So I teamed up with my dad and got a ride there Sunday, when the special offer started and ended up with a Phillips 32″ LCD television for 6000,- kr (about 1100US$). Way more than I normally would spend, but both my dad and C told me that we shouldn’t buy crap. So I decided to listen. Our last TV was a cheap one and that may be why it only lasted 5 years or so before cracking up. Bottom-line: Cool new TV, but now we’re out of money again. At least now I can say that one problem is solved for a while (hopefully). Continue Reading »

Tags: bad luck, fate, television

… unfortunately involves me having to make a few of my favurite blogs invisible on the blog roll.

I tried this tool, and it told me that some other blogs was “questionable”. I have now hid these in an attempt to lift the ban from the Great Fire Wall og China.

This means that:

Monkey Claus
Go Macau
Scrambler (Tim Beckenham)
Sinocidal
Yellow Wings

….are temporarily gone from the blogroll, while I cross my fingers for the ban to clear. It’s a long shot, but I feel I have tried everything now.

I also removed all links to Wiki’s page on the GFW.

I’m completely clueless and have to try everything.

Sorry bout that you guys.

Update: Put the blogs back on the roll. This wasn’t the solution after all.

Tags: ban, China, gfw, repairing

Somehow I got on the blacklist of the Great Firewall. Not sure what triggered it, but I’m doing my best to figure it out.

I have done a few random adjustments on this blog to test if it helps. Stuff like remove a Google translation service, remove some links and so on. I also checked out everything else I have adjusted in the code of the layout, but so far no luck… Well maybe – you tell me.

“So what can I do“, you may ask?
Well, if you access this blog from China, maybe you could drop me a line in the comments and tell whether you got here with or without using a proxy. This way it will help me to find out if my actions (changing stuff on the blog) helps me get the ban stopped. Since I am not in China myself, I can’t check this out.

So if you are in China reading this drivel right now, please throw me a bone and drop a comment about how you got here (am I blocked when you access or not).

Thanks in advance….

Your new best friend in the whole wide world

Tags: ban, blogging, China, gfw

… I have to share:

Deep down, in places we don’t talk about in public, you know you want to know, right?

May be related to this entry and may or may not be yours truly’s toes. If, and I emphasis if, it was to be my toes, the training in making nails, would have been accepted when this poor individual was delusional from fever and half asleep.

No matter what, I can guarantee that the wife of this site’s author is guilty of committing the crime.

Note: YES – it is removed again, thank you for asking.

Tags: China, Humour, nail, peticure, toe

Not much going on these days.

Visited my parents a few time. Getting used to working again and getting into the daily rumble. I am still a tad ill. Not enough for other people to notice, but enough for me to feel if I overdo the pace riding my bike. Other than that I feel all right. 

My blogging energy is low, but there isn’t much to blog about anyway.

Tags: blogging, silence

Do you have problems living with the oversensitive GFW of China like I do?

This may be a solution

You should note that you still need to think when you use it, as you have to replace words of concern with [*word*] to make it work. There may be a more automated solution to the next version, but Ryan is not completely sure he can do it yet. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Meanwhile I can just sit back and accept that I for some reason am blocked in China. Almost pulled out all my hair in an effort to figure it out. Still no luck.

Tags: ban, gfw, plugin, wordpress

If you already live in China, or have been, you’d probably not find it extraordinary, but some of the “delicacies” may not fall well in a non-adventurous western stomach.

Anyway, here’s the list:

Cow stomach (I think it was raw, or at least only boiled a very short time)
Chicken stomach (according to C I ate this with delight. She told me about it a few days later)
Chicken feet (both with and without nails)
Rabbit (C was furious with me for that one, but it tasted so good and was propably the best meat I had there)
Chicken hearts (barbecued and didn’t taste much like heart)
Deep-fried tiny fish (whole)
Fried silk worm cocoons (the most disgusting dish I tried)

I am pretty sure I ate other yucky stuff that the ones mentioned above, since C deliberately had fun avoiding to inform me when I ate something disgusting. Continue Reading »

Tags: China, china vs denmark, food

Seems that it’s back to the doc tomorrow and hopfully some positive tests that will warrent me some medicine.

It’s the same-old same-old. I always get ill and no result from the tests and then about 1 week later I can go again and get the medicine. Lousy immune system.

Tags: ill

Seems that I don’t have the flu, but just a horrible cold. Snotty nose, sore throat, cough and pretty dizzy. The doc tested me (way more intensively than the one in China), and found nothing but a cold. Ok with me, but still feel like shit. At least the fever is now gone.

After my trip to the Danish doctor it was clear how different the Danish and Chinese doctors work.

At Yilan, the doc only checked my temperature, looked briefly at my eyes, looked in my throat and checked out my blood pressure. From that I got: A shot of some liquid in my right buttock, penicillin and blood pressure lowering medicine. This was over 2 consultations. The last time he only checked my blood pressure/throat and the first time he (another doc) only checked my eyes, my throat and my temp.

The one here in Denmark checked my throat thoroughly, took a sample with a q-tip and checked it out, checked my blood pressure twice, took a blood sample to test for bacteria/flu (never can remember what is for flu and what is for bacteria). Then he listened to my heart, lungs and asked plenty of questions about my recent and current condition including questions about the medicine used in China. While doing this, he wrote a long note to make sure all facts was straight for an eventual prescription of medicine. He didn’t give me any medicine since my numbers checked out fine and overmedicating “just in case” is not a good thing. Continue Reading »

Tags: china vs denmark, doctors, ill, medicine

So C decided to give me the flu on our way home from China. Had one day at work and was hit badly. So now I’m home and ill again for the 2nd time in 2 weeks. Swell.

Better call the doctor and get an appointment. Some penicillin should do the trick. Life sucks.

Tags: ill

Just found out I missed this site’s 2 year birthday.

Never thought I would last this long, but have to admit that I don’t feel burned out yet. There’s still a lot to write and plenty of stuff to remember using this blog.

Anyway – hope to post some more reader-friendly entries the next time ahead. I know my entries from China has been extremely long, but that was a decision I made pretty early on. I wanted to document every single day in detail, which I weren’t able to do when I was in Shenzhen 2 years ago. That kinda annoyed me back then. Seems I managed this time, but of course didn’t aim my stuff at the readers. Sorry bout that (well, sort of).

Tags: birthday, blogging

28th July 2007 Beijing – Amsterdam – Copenhagen – Aalborg

Woke up a little past 5.00am. C was already up after a coughing ride and I felt rested out anyway. I actually managed to pull out some quality sleep in the train. The extreme noise from the rumbling train was not enough to keep me awake, and I slept pretty tight.

C had a cougher most of the night yet again, but we expected that. I had asked her before going if she was ready to go or not, as I was prepared to go alone and let her follow one week later if her health was not up to it. She insisted that she would be ok and she really started to miss home anyway. I’m happy that she does, since it was a bit difficult for me to weather her feelings about going back to Denmark and loosing her family yet again. I think she got some sleep on the train nevertheless, so that’s good, right? At least that’s what she told me.

I went and bushed my teeth and had a quick face wash. Then I decided to write a bit on my laptop. The laptop has short battery time, but until now I had been doing ok. One hour of battery is about what I need a day for writing the most essential stuff down and there was never far to an electrical outlet in Yilan. Continue Reading »

Tags: China, Denmark, flying, travel

27th July 2007 Yilan – Harbin – Beijing

What a sucky night. C almost coughed her lungs up.

At 2.30am we had to get up and stop C’s cough. I made some hot water that she breathed a bit of steam from, and also she drank a bit to soothe her worn throat. Sitting in the couch for 30 min helped. The pressure on her lungs from lying down is a classic at disrupting sleep when you have pneumonia. Finally she could sleep again. I had a hard time falling asleep. It was extremely hot in the apartment, even though the windows were open. It’s that warm here.

At 6.00am we both woke up again, and decided to get up. Couldn’t sleep much more anyway. We went to the nearby public bath to get a good last wash before the last stretch towards home later. The public bath had run out of clean towels, so I had to dry myself up using my old shorts. Better than nothing I guess.

Back at the apartment C’s younger sister arrived and started tutoring her students in drawing. She gave us a fan that she had written some Chinese signs on. C couldn’t translate completely, but it was something with our names and the strength of being from too different worlds far apart or something. It was simple and very beautiful. A great gift. Speaking of gifts. The other day I got a necklace made of stone from C’s other sister. It Is supposed to be some sort of fable animal. A “Pee Shou” (not sure how that is spelled in correct pinyin). It’s some sort of fantasy animal made by parts of many other animals. It is beautiful and I like it a lot. Continue Reading »

Tags: beijing, China, family, harbin, taxi, train, travel