My eBay auction is up to $73 for something I originally paid $75 for.
Archive for July, 2006 Page 2 of 3
VIEW MOVIE [????] | 13 mb, pop-up
A little background in this video: I decided to “go” and get the hell out of this house for a while. So we just drove for 20-30 minutes to the hills and shot some “doc”. We turned around to go home and two old ladies were walking down the street and waved at us to stop, so we did. We asked them where they were going, and they were prepared to walk 10 miles to town. It was 81° today, no clouds. So we drove them in, then they insisted on paying us what they had (declined, of course.)
Then we walked around the development, which is basically in the “11th hour” phase, preparing for the Torch Festival, which begins tomorrow and lasts 15 days. This year the festivities are being held at our development, Yi Ren Gu Zheng. That explains all the kiosks, Hi-Fi computer man, the wooden chairs and other wares for sale down the main drag.
Thanks for watching,
BOB
Just imagine, you’re 15 years old, sitting in Driver’s Ed, you have your #2 pencil ready and your spiral notebook on the desk. You’re day dreaming of all your friends you’re going to give free rides to. In walks the instructor and he says, “It’s a free for all. There are no rules. Good luck. You all pass.”
The funny thing is, you see these “training” cars that are decorated with cautionary red and white stripes ALL over Chu Xiong. People are constantly learning and studying! I took the damn test, I know it wasn’t easy, so, what is happening on the roads of China?
Here are some of the new rules I’ve recently learned:
1. If you want to stop for a red at night, you can, but you don’t have to.
2. You can run a red at anytime, as long as you’re turning right.
3. There are no directions for streets, even if it’s a oneway (watch out for the three-wheeled motor-cart thing coming straight at you, or the people walking in the middle of the street, or the bicycles popping out of no where, or the other cars slowly but surely cutting you off…)
4. Jaywalking? What the hell is that? If you need to get to the other side brother, you just go ahead (especially on the interstate with the baby on your back)
5. There are no speed limits.
6. You only need liability insurance. Why waste all that extra money protecting your car, just the bare minimun on whoever you hit.
7. Cars have the right of way, no matter what. Little girl carrying her little baby on her back? BEEEEEP, get the f*** out of my way I’m first.
8. Always drive in 5th gear. Don’t care how fast you’re going, get it in 5th as soon as possible.
9. Any illegal U in is States is cool here, double yellow, whatever…
10. Park it anywhere, in the middle of a crosswalk, in the bike lane…
11. Turn the lights on as late as humanly possible so to avoid “wasting” any gas.
12. You can beep at the police to get out of your way.
This is the best way to describe it. While you can tell the difference, I think it’s amazing that it’s already that close.
WATCH MOVIE (Quicktime, 108 megs)
Here is a video of my new studio, with a “This Old House” feel on my desk.
_bob_
VIEW GALLERYWe bought this yesterday in Kunming and drove it back to Chu Xiong. Chun Mei’s favorite whistle is the MP3 aux port, mine is the windows that automatically stop if your hand is in the way. Other than that, it’s a pretty ordinary car. Either the computer is wrong, or we got 45 miles/gallon on the trip home (granted I was driving under the speed limit).
-BOB-