But they told me to shop...

Corbett | June 28, 2009 1:43 AM

Domestic consumption? Yeah right.
Not if you are a farmer or a poodle who wants to shop at the Charter Mall in Changchun.

Especially if you're a farmer who's a photographer and likes to smoke - with a poodle - who wants to shop at the Charter Mall in Changchun.

Source: 我的世界

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Category: Mr. Asia

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This is just wrong

Corbett | June 26, 2009 5:32 PM

I was picking up some magazines for my flight and saw this...
Keith Richards with a LV guitar case? LV is not rock and roll. This is all just very wrong.

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SWEPAC

Corbett | June 20, 2009 9:51 AM

I was out at the Expo site yesterday checking out the new stadium. It's looking very impressive. Soon we'll have an international quality sports and performance stadium akin to the Staples Center with an ice rink, a large music venue, lots of sports retail, movie theaters, and plenty of stuff to eat. This is all supposed to be ready by the end of the year.

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Category: Mr. Asia

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If China were a bunch of different countries

Corbett | June 2, 2009 1:31 PM

I found some interesting maps on China at Mutant Palm. One that stuck out was this one, which substitutes China's provinces for the populations of other countries. It really puts into perspective how many people are here.

Note: I was with most of these people on the same subway this morning. It took me 4 trains to even get on the damned train.

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Category: Mr. Asia

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How not to go bust fast in China

Corbett | May 31, 2009 7:55 AM

I saw today where Jiao Tong University is launching a new one month MBA-C (C meaning China curriculum). This sounded kind of interesting until I went to their web page and started reading the course descriptions.

What grabbed my attention was - "Special emphasis is given to China related topics..."
- How to do business in China ?
- How to prevent pitfalls in China ?
- How not to go bust fast in China ?
- How to make a fortune in China ?!!!

I wonder if they offer a course in "How to sell yourself professionally and not look like a cheap infomercial scam to make $8888 from foreigners."

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Category: Mr. Asia

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GTD

Corbett | May 29, 2009 2:54 PM

I seem to be able to get a lot of stuff done pretty quickly. At least that's what people say. I think I put off more stuff than I ever get done, but hey, that's the secret sauce to my personal efficiency system.

Lately I've been using iGTD, which I like since it's simple and it works in lists. I've always been a list kind of guy, and got through several crazy start-ups just on legal pads and lists.
With iGTD, I can easily input stuff to get done, then decide what needs to really get done and what can be put off - and my favorite - forgotten entirely.

The above diagram is the complicated way of using the GTD system.

My simplified method is as follows:

Give it a "1" when it really really needs to get done.
Give it a "2" when it needs to get done, but can wait until it really really needs to get done.
Give it a "3" when it's something that should get done eventually.
Give it a "4" when it's in purgatory.
Give it a "5" when it's in hell.

My goal then it to whittle down the ones and twos first. Ones get done regardless of how much of a pain they are. Two's either get promoted to ones, or get demoted to threes. Threes get done once ones are done, or when they come up as easy tasks along the way.
Fours just sort of hang out there until they can get noticed, repositioned, or deleted. Fives are all those time wasting things that don't really make your life better but clog up the mind, so I condemn them to hell, where occasionally instead of surfing or making a call or zoning out, I'll pick one off and get it done. If they hang around in five land too long, then they just get deleted.

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Category: Ramble

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The New New Yorkers

Corbett | May 24, 2009 1:46 AM

I thought New Yorkers didn't give a damn, but now I have new respect for the "Get the f$%k outta my face" attitude of the Chinese. I see minor versions of this everyday, so am not surprised.

"Lian Jiansheng, 66, who was passing by the bridge, offered to talk Chen down. Police refused, but Lian broke through the police cordon and climbed to where Chen was sitting. Lian greeted Chen with a handshake, then pushed him off the bridge."

CNN: Would-be suicide jumper pushed off bridge

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Tioga Pass

Corbett | May 16, 2009 11:27 AM

An amazing spring day spent 10,000 feet up in the snow in Yosemite Park.

Click here if you are in China and YouTube is blocked.

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Category: Ramble

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Lunchroom Band

Corbett | May 2, 2009 5:33 PM

Back in high school, our band pretty much got to do whatever we wanted. Somehow we managed to get an entire period off a day to practice. I remember being called out of class to drive across town for studio sessions at the local technical school. I remember we were pretty good too. Because of Facebook, I've now found that Vernon, the bassist went off to be a pro, and still is. Jamie, our keyboardist, not pictured, went off to become a well known concert pianist in NYC, and I did my thing in Asia. Little did any of us know that our combined interests would define what we would do for our careers.

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Category: Music

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School Daze

Corbett | April 25, 2009 1:45 PM

Now that most of my life is consolidated in one place after 30 years of moving around, I actually can go through this stuff and decide what I want to keep for the next 30 years, or just contribute it to the Shanghai compost pile. My office is currently a stack of boxes filled with photos, letters, and memories which haven't been opened or seen in at least 25 years. Some of this stuff dates back to the Spanish-American War (seriously), as I've become the default historian of the Wall family. I remember as a teenager sitting down with my grandfather for several weeks at a time going through these photographs (at that time strangely aware that I'd never remember these people, or that he'd pass one day and these people would be totally lost forever...) and writing down dates, locations, and names.

Back to present time: Recently Irene and I have been watching the whole boxed set of Two and a Half Men, and love the little boy, Jake, who in our current DVD is 11. It's hilarious, and a great way to wind down before going to bed. Plus, we now have a place with a big enough blank wall to use our projector, so every night is movie night at the Wall house.

And speaking of movies: Just now I found a short screenplay, something I have no recollection doing, which I apparently wrote when I was in the 4th grade, called "School Daze". I wanted to put it onto the blog for anyone who enjoys Two and a Half Men, or if in the wild chance that anyone from my class of 1977 at Lincoln Elementary every happened to find this site, they'd also have a chuckle. It's very Jake-ish in it's grade school humor, and all notes, direction, and misspelling are kept as is.

School Daze

Opening: The scene is a schoolroom. The bell rings. All the the students come in and talk. Teacher enters.

Teacher: Order, class. Order!

Stanley: I'll take a vanilla shake, a big mac, and a large order of fries.

Teacher: Oh Stanley! Now, Stanley, I'd like you to go through the whole day without having to yell at you.

Stanley: You have my permission, Miss Peters.

Teacher: Good! Now take out your Social Studies book and turn to page 104. Lori, what great event took place in 1809?

Lori: Abrahan Lincoln was born!

Teacher: Correct. Now, can anyone tell me what took place in 1812?

Larry: Lincoln had his 3rd birthday.

Teacher: Oh Larry! What does Brazil produce more than any other country?

Freddy: (Quick as a flash) Brazilians!

Teacher: Freddy! When the Eskimos trade, they use fish for money...

Dora: They must have an awful time getting gum out of a slot machine.

Teacher: They don't have slot machines, Dora. Why should we do all we can to prevent war?

Stanley: It makes too much history for us to learn.

Teacher: (Who didn't hear) Let's do some spelling. One of our spelling words for the week is grusome. Dora, five me a sentence using the word grusome.

Dora: He grusome whiskers since last year.

Teacher: (Sigh) Well Nellie, five me a sentence using the word facinate.

Nellie: Well, ummmmmm My sister broke the zipper on her jacket and now she can't facinate.

Teacher: (Sigh) Oh brother! Freddy, what the opposite of sad?

Freddy: Happy

Teacher: What is the opposite of cold.

Freddy: Hot

Teacher: Right again! What is the opposite of woe?

Freddy: Giddiap.

Teacher: Ok! OK! Lori, give me the definition of sawdust.

Lori: (Not sure) um...it's the past tence of see dust?

Teacher: (Sigh) Can anyone tell me what a grudge is?

Larry: A grudge is a place to put cars in.

Teacher: Yes Larry (sigh)

Larry: Oh, ya know what Miss Peters?

Teacher: What Larry?

Larry: My dog Peppy can count. I asked him what 2 - 2 is and he said nothing.

Dora and Lori: At least he's smarter than you are

Larry: Oh! In your pocket with an electric socket.

Teacher: Remember, you come to learn, not to fight.

Freddy: So that's why we're here.

Teacher: Yes Fredrick! That's why you are here. Nellie, what is usually used as a conductor of electricity?

Nellie: Why - eeeer...

Teacher: Right, wire. Now what is the unit of electrical power?

Nellie: The whatt?

Teacher: Correct, the watt, and now Stanley, why do they name hericanes after girls?

Stanley: Well, have you ever heard of a himacane?

Teacher: Guess not? (Bell rings) Class dismissed

All students: Yeah!

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Category: Ramble

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