NZ, AU, and SEA.

This past month has been the best yet. Travelling to new destinations and meeting new people along the way had solidified my love for travelling and continues to be the drug I need to live life to the fullest. From Christchurch, New Zealand, to Sydney and Perth, Australia, and from Singapore City, Singapore, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and further-on to Phuket and Bangkok, Thailand, and Xiamen, China, mere words just can't even begin to explain how important this trip was to me, how it had affected me in ways I hadn't imagined, and the love I have for the people who helped made this journey possible. It is with sincere gratitude in which I thank the network of CouchSurfers whom I'd met along the way, who took me into their homes and gave me the red carpet treatment.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all.

For more pictures from this magnificent journey, please visit my "Explorasia" image gallery at www.couchsurfing.com/PETSHOPBOY

Cathedral Square, Christchurch, NZ

Waimak Alpine Jet

Snorkelling in Thailand

Popping CSta's Cherry.

Buying anything from IKEA warrants a little happy dance on the spot just before checking out, just after checking out, and again when you bring it back home with you. The acquisition of a KLIPPAN couch calls for a party, and that's exactly what Kyle and I did.

Because we are both proud members of CouchSurfing and well connected within Beijing's vibrant CouchSurfing community, we nicknamed the KLIPPAN "CSta", a clever play on CouchSurfing's acronym and the word siesta (and yes, it's a she). After calling up a number of people and posting an event on the Beijing Group, we had a good number of people come out to break the seal and pop CSta's cherry at her party we threw for her this evening. CSta was whoring it out there, alluring us with her voluptuous red dress and sleek lines, then swallowing more than the standard three she was made to take in. We all wanted to sit on her!

Late into the night, we played a game called "Apples to Apples" to which EXPATSTEF was kind enough to bring and had many jolly rounds of fun. The serving of alcoholic beverages continued as the night went on to the point when SUSTAINABLEJOHN just couldn't take anymore of it and broke a glass full all over the floor when he raised his bottle with my cup. All in good fun, though I feel terrible about what happened to the "Apples to Apples" cards which had some spillage on it. Captured on SD, there's a video of this momentous event, which doesn't say much about the quality of IKEA's glassware division.

Here's to CSta, and to a future sibling, CSter. Bottom's up!

Popping CSta's Cherry

MIDI Music Festival.

The MIDI festival itself wasn't terribly special, as I was hoping to discover some unknown talents and failed to find any. What was notable, however, was how we got in...

Having to take the taxi to Haidian Park, we had the good intentions of paying our way in like every other lemming, which meant queuing in line and waiting patiently at the box office. We were quite disappointed when we were turned away with an explanation that they had sold out concert tickets. Sold out? How on god's green Earth could an outdoor event held in one of Beijing's LARGEST parks, which by the way is the go-to place for people in the Haidian district in an event of an emergency such as a natural disaster, turn away people? We didn't want to take NO for an answer, so we walked around the entire park which was fortified by temporary retaining walls used in construction sites for a mole hole. As we had anticipated, there were security guards stationed at various points all around, so we had to be a bit more discreet about our intentions.

After sizing up our challenge, Barry and I found a section of the wall that gave way ever so slightly from the bottom. It was only wide enough to stick a leg in, so we took a corner of the sheet metal fence and bent it around like dog-earing a page in a book and gave each other a high-five when we got to the other side successfully. Our jubilation was short-lived, however, when we discovered a secondary barrier around the park. Sneaking around in the bushes, we made a dash for the supporting log beams leaning against the fence once we got close enough. This sudden commotion caught the eye of a security guard manning his post nearby, but we pulled a ninja, scaled the log, and jumped safely onto some soft green grass on the other side. Barry should be commended for his stealthy ninja-ness as it isn't as easy for a tricenarian to scale fences as it is for those who are younger. Way to go, Barry!

Where there's a will, there's a way. =)

MIDI Music Festival 2007

The Great Wall of China.

Barry, Kim, Robert, Kyle, and I hired a private driver to take us to the Jingshanling section of the Great Wall early this morning, and about 90 minutes drive outside of Beijing, we had arrived at the base. With a large frozen bottle of Watsons water in my back pack, I felt prepared for what was said to be a four-hour walk to the Simatai section of the wall over in the East.

We opted for these sections of the Great Wall for several reasons: it's farther away from the city centre than it is to Badaling, it's far less touristy, way more challenging, and offered a spectacular experience and view of the Great Wall which involved walking across a long suspension bridge towards the end. Badaling, on the other hand, has a cable car running up to the wall so fat American tourists could brag that they've "done the Great Wall" with nothing more than a backpack full of Snicker bars, Big Macs, and a diet Coke. Badaling is also dubbed "The Great Wall of People". That was enough to turn me off completely.

Along the way, there were vendors selling snacks, water, Great Wall books, "I Climbed the Great Wall" t-shirts, and other souvenirs. While I didn't need any more water as I came well prepared with a huge bottle of frozen drinking water which melted little by little as I moved along, I did want a commemorative Great Wall book with full-colour pictures of the wall in various seasons, so I haggled for it.

Some sections of the wall were treacherous to navigate, with plenty of loose and weathered rocks to make you loose your footing. Even the towers themselves were dangerous, as some had caved-in roofs leaving a pile of rocks in the middle. At one particular tower, hikers had to be assisted by other hikers to climb out from the window and jump three feet down back onto the badly weathered wall.

It took us six hours to complete the journey from one section to the other. Our legs gave out on us once we got back into our private van to take us back home. Was it worth it? Oh yes, it most definitely was, but it'll be a while until I set out to do it again.

In China, an age-old proverb states that "one cannot claim to be a hero until he conquered the Wall." Well, I'm glad I finally did, because now, without argument, I am a super-hero.

Ming Tombs.

Don't even bother coming here. Instead, live vicariously through my experience. It was boring, dusty, and disappointing. Sure I was warned by locals that it would be, but I went anyway, if only to get my bragging rights to say that I was actually there. After spending 40 RMB at the first section of the Ming Tomb, and 65 RMB for the bigger one, I felt price gouged and screamed out "EXTORTION!" in Chinese in front of the ticketing counter.

At least I was in good company.

ArtWALK Beijing.

As stolen from www.artwalkbeijing.com:

artWALK Beijing is a monthly gathering for the Beijing community to explore and engage in the city's vibrant contemporary art scene. The event is free and open to the public with specific aims to introduce Beijing’s art districts to a broader cross section of the local community and to provide a social platform on which to experience the explosion of creativity on display in these unique cultural venues.

Our inaugural event will be held in the 798 Dashanzi Art District and will provide special after hours access to selected galleries and art spaces along with a free reception with food, drink and live entertainment. Each artWALK provides a map and descriptions of the selected art venues for each viewer to independently explore on their own. Selected galleries will be located near each other in the art district to allow viewers an opportunity to more intimately explore these spaces. The receptions will have an evolving entertainment schedule with local and foreign artists and/or musicians performing and contributing to the dynamic atmosphere of artWALK.

artWALK is a community oriented event that hopes to foster a network of fun, creative, interested viewers living in Beijing today and channel that energy into the art scene. Our target audience is especially focused on encouraging a foundation for art appreciation. We hope to provide a neutral platform to contribute and participate in creative dialogues with all those involved in the arts industry, including artists, collectors, students, critics, and anyone interested in the art scene that is quickly gaining momentum both here and internationally.

We hope that this unique opportunity will make China's contemporary art scene and the 798 Art District more accessible to the Beijing community. No previous knowledge is necessary to appreciate art, just an open mind. Beijing is one of China's largest and most exciting art scenes. Come find out what the hype is all about!

Caught in the Act.

Discalimer: The following article has been republished and used here without permission from City Weekend magazine. To show some sense of remorse, I feel that I should comment on City Weekend magazine and praise its editorial staff for publishing such an outstanding publication for the foreigners and ex-pats who dwell in Beijing looking for the light of day. Our weekends would be far less entertaining and enlightening without you!

And look! I'm including a link to the page I stole this article from right HERE. So on with the plagiarized article:


Beijing Actors Make it Up as They Go Along

"Push!" screams the doctor, "Push!" The pregnant woman pants in pain as her terrified husband watches in horror at her side.

"Freeze!"

The husband abruptly flees the delivery room, and another young man, this one holding an imaginary video camera, steps into his exact spot.

"Unfreeze!"

"Let's try another take, but more passion this time," says the camera man.

The woman, suddenly no longer pregnant, though still panting heavily, now embraces the doctor as the filmmaker pans around with his invisible camera.

No, this is not the set of an erotic film for those with mother fetishes. It's a scene change at the Beijing Actors Workshop. The "Freeze" game, in which participants act out a scene, then freeze in mid-performance and reinvent the scenario as new actors join in, is just one of the many techniques employed to stretch the creativity of members.

Though always entertaining, often hilarious and at moments downright raunchy, the weekly workshop's skits and plays are a lot more than just shows.

"It's not a class and it's not just to watch!" exclaims co-founder Patrick Pearce. The Canadian filmmaker started the workshop two years ago to be a meeting ground for the creative, where actors, writers and directors can hone their skills and test out new ideas. "We want people to contribute!" Pearce says vehemently.

Though improv skits usually dominate the night, aspiring writers and directors sometimes bring scripts for volunteers to act out. Ming Hsu, a screenwriter from the US, is working on a conspiracy theory scenario. "You have something in your head, but you have to see it to know if it'll work. The workshop is an opportunity to see my characters come alive."

Hsu sits back and watches intently as an actor rehearses a monologue from his play. He shakes his head a little in frustration as the scene wraps. "It's not animated enough. It's not gripping," he says, partly to the actor, but more to himself. He'll be back next week with a revised version.

The actors are a mixed bag. Some aspire to be professionals, some have extensive stage background and some are just looking for amusement.

"The format has a lot of freedom. I don't have much theater experience so it's nice to be in a group where you can develop in whatever direction you want, as an improv actor, method actor or writer. Plus it's just fun," says workshop member Tom Clouse.

"It's nice for those who want a break from the office and the club scene," adds Pearce. "Acting a role completely different than who you normally are is therapeutic too!"

For those who want a bit of therapy, (Believe me, it's cheaper than seeing a shrink and more entertaining than lying on a couch) check out the workshop at 7:30pm on Tuesday nights. For the non-exhibitionists who would rather just watch, the Beijing Actors Workshop will be having a special night of improv performances on December 1.

CS/HC Meetup @ Browns!

Meeting up with members of Hospitality Club (HC) and other CouchSurfers (CS) at Browns felt like a reunion of two parties embracing a common ideal. Though we were taking jabs at each other sprouting the many merits and demerits of our respective organisations (and the usability of our respective websites), we managed to have a wonderful gathering of enlightenment and stories. The one impressive thing I found about these Polish members of HC touring through Beijing was how organised they were. I mean, they were all wearing matching HC t-shirts and had personalised name cards with their HC usernames on them. It was cute and professional at the same time. =)

Time to get my act together!

A very boisterous guy usernamed Toniwalia (and a tag line on his name card which read "Do not freak, for I am a SIKH.") shared with us a few amazing stories of his experience and history in ride-sharing, hosting, and "surfing", one of which was about some young teenage couple backpacking across Europe. He had hosted them for a while, then dropped them off the side of the freeway for them to hitch a ride with someone heading their way. Some weeks or months later, as Toniwalia was travelling on the same freeway to drop off some other hitchhikers, he had met the young teenage couple again by chance. The teenage couple were now on their way back across Europe and were on the other side of the freeway.

His story really made us all realise how small a world we live in. These coincidental run-ins will happen more frequently with networks such as CouchSurfing and Hospitality Club.

From pearly words of wisdom to travel tips, I was able to better plan for my upcoming South East Asia and Eurasian trip in a few month's time. I'm going to check out www.skyscanner.net for myself.

We were all treated to a delightful spectacle of a cute turtle race at Browns towards the end of our evening, and the manager had us all place bets on which turtle will cross over to the other side of the Plexiglas tank for free beers. Though I was not chosen as "the winner" (surprise, surprise), I managed to score a bottle of beer from Toniwalia as he doesn't drink. (Thanks again, Toni!)

Gatherings such as these and the cross-border networking opportunities it provides is why I will continue to "Pay it Forward" and be an active member of CouchSurfing for years to come.

Cherry Blossom Festival.

A particular scene from Sophia Coppola's movie, Lost in Translation, left a profound impression in my frontal lobe, a scene where Charlotte explores the strange wonders of Japanese life outside her hotel room and comes across a couple dressed in kimono, walking graciously along a pathway towards a ginza. The sakura trees that lined the pathway had thousands of white strips of paper tied to its branches which made the whole scenery look like a surreal winterscape.

Walking into YuYuanTan for the Cherry Blossom Festival reminded me of this scene and brought about some euphoria. How could one not, in a park full of cherry trees blossoming everywhere! Though the life expectancy of these pink blossoms are but a few weeks only, several varieties of these trees were planted so they bloom at different times, keeping the park looking vibrant for spring.