I'm officially unofficially studying Shanghainese now with a couple language partners at school; our first meeting is tomorrow afternoon. The book I'm using is a gift from another teacher who is studying Shanghainese as well. I noticed three interesting things about the it:

1. It follows pinyin instead of IPA for "romanizing" Shanghainese, but for the four vowels that Mandarin Chinese doesn't have it uses Chinese characters. They are: 哎 ("ai" in pinyin, and the Spanish/Japanese "e" in Shanghainese), 安 ("an" in pinyin, a Japanese-like, forward-thrusted "u" in Shanghainese), 凹 ("ao" in pinyin, like the Spanish "o" but with a little bit of the Mandarin "u" at the front, in Shanghainese), and 欧 ("ou" in pinyin, a Korean-sounding "eou" in Shanghainese).
2. For illustrating the sounds that are different from Mandarin, it uses English words as examples! (the "v" in "very", the "g" in "good") One example is eerily suggestive of a connection between English and Shanghainese: 台 is given as the "de" in "desk"! Oh my gosh!
3. More seriously, there is a Shanghai-Taiwan connection in that it always bugged me that Taiwanese people say "feng" (风) like "fong", as in the same vowel sound as 龙, and 风 is pronounced "fong" in Shanghainese; it turns out that Shanghainese allows the ending "ong" after "f", where Mandarin doesn't. Also, according to the book Shanghainese has no tongue-curled consonants (pinyin's zh, ch, and sh), just like the Taiwanese version of Mandarin.

The good thing is that the book comes with a CD, so lots of listening and repeating to get the accent down. And the immersion thing is a snap by virtue of living in Shanghai.

The front page of the English-language Shanghai Daily has a headline about a bird-flu outbreak somewhere. I get e-mails from random staff at my school every few days about how to avoid catching bird-flu (today: "don't go to affected areas; tell your ayi not to go to infected areas"). And yet there is not a single mention of the virus anywhere in tonight's Chinese-language Xinmin Wanbao.

I'm totally in the dark as to how much weight to apply to each of these frames in order to have a useful picture of the real situation.

A while ago I stopped doing the monthly cellphone photo round-ups because my schedule got chaotic, but now that I have a job I may be more regular. I'm still uploading photos regularly to my Flickr account, so you can always get the full story there. For now, here's a few random photos from the past few weeks:

Batman and Batwoman (she did it first).

We shop at fashion-capital Shanghai's temple of avant-gardge fashion: Ikea.

Me and Jodi on the roof of the Peace Hotel, checking out the view. We like sneaking onto the tops of buildings along the Bund.

We like taking Poopy out of his cage and letting him run around the house, jumping on stuff and hiding beneath other things.

I take the metro every day to and from work, and hour each way, so I see plenty of rush-hour crowds.

This is my new office, where I have a desk and my own computer, and get to chat with the other math teachers... in English! Wow!

On Wednesday night we had out monthly Shanghai Weblogger meetup, with lots of the usuals and a few new face present.

The other day Jodi's cousin referred to her a piece of software called 千千静听 (Qian Qian Jing Ting, TTPlayer in English) to play her MP3s. Now Jodi is no softie when it comes to computers so when she called me over to check it out, I knew something was up. Sure enough, it's a cute little next step in the media player evolutionary chain.

That's because the guys who developed the free Qian Qian Jing Ting player also run a lyrics server for the player. So when you play a new song, it checks on the server for the lyrics using a combination of the file name and ID3 tags. Then it downloads the lyrics and shows them alongside the song, synchronized to the words in karaoke fashion.

The player also comes with a built-in lyrics editor and timer so you can add lyrics to your favorite new song and contribute them back to the server. It supports the playback of MP3, WAV, AAC and Ogg files. Ogg! According to the Chinese Wikipedia, TTPlayer is made by a software developer who lives here in Shanghai.

Using this in combination with Baidu or Yahoo would be a good way to practice Chinese reading and polish up for your next night out at the KTV. It recognized all of our Chinese songs, and a few of our English ones. Plus the interface is all in Chinese, so even more practice!

(This is almost, but not quite, as cool as my Baidu/Flickr/Adsotrans mash-up idea.)

This article from yesterday's Metro Express newspaper is significant (rush translation follows, I'm supposed to be off to work):

"Entertainment venues forbidden from staying open at night" is not allowed to be bypassed

According to the new national laws that are coming into effect on March 1st, entertainment venues are forbidden from staying open past 2am. Because Shanghai has a lot of KTVs and these are doing booming business, the KTV owners say that they will comply with the law by allowing no new customers onto the premises after 2am, but that they won't kick out the customers that are present when "closing time" rolls around.

In reaction to this, city authorities have said that they will strictly carry out the laws promulgated by China's national government, no matter who the proprieter of the venue is. [The rest of this paragraph is Communist-ardor speech about "有关部门" and "作出进一步的工作布置“ that I won't translate because I can't do it justice in the 30 seconds before I head out the door.]

That second paragraph is like both a veiled threat, and at the same time provides some wiggle room. Hooray for Chinese double-speak! which allows us to have Prohibition-like laws without people getting up in arms. I wonder what the Dragon Club and Cotton's have to say about this new law.

So at the "Rock Around Clock" concert at DDM a while back I heard about a new bar that Yuyintang was going to open near Caobao Road. This is the first concert I've seen advertised at that bar:

3.10 冷酷仙境《2005 LIVE》专辑首发专场音乐会
地点：龙漕路200弄100号一楼 育音堂
时间：2006年03月10日 20点00分
票价：30元（赠送新专辑一张）

自2001 年成立以来，冷酷仙境一直在录音作品上追求细腻唯美，而现场表现则沉重浓烈，激情四溢。可以说，没有看过冷酷仙境现场的人，其实并不了解这个乐队的真实面貌。因此我们将2005年在ark音乐餐厅演出时的现场录音，作了一个整理，将最能够展示乐队真实风采的录音集成这一张专辑，以弥补长久以来录音作品与现场演出差距太大的遗憾，使得冷酷仙境特有的双重气质得以全面体现。另一方面这也是我们自己对乐队成军五年来，经历过大大小小的演出之后，个人磨练和乐队配合的一个总结。

March 10th: Cold Fairyland "2005 Live" CD Launch Party
Place: Yuyintang Bar (200 Longcao Rd, #100 1F)
Time: March 10th, 8pm
Price: RMB 30 (includes a copy of the new CD)

Lin Di also put up a map to the location.

A day later, I find out that there's an earlier date, the opening bash on March 4th.

It's official: the February Shanghai Webloggers meeting is set for next week. According to Maria:

Wednesday night. 7 p.m.
I'll buy pizza, make a salad, and get some soda.
You guys can bring beer or other drinks.

Hope to see you there.

If you're reading this on my homepage, you'll already know that Jodi set up a weblog on MSN spaces and that her entries are also appearing on my/our site. So get ready for lots of cuteness from "Jodi's Preschool".

Article copy on the Ruff Ryders homepage reads like a messed up Add-libs puzzle made from a press release issued by a Fortune 500 company:

Surrounded by his Ruff Ryders crew, dogs and bikers, DMX was joined by CEOs Dee and Wah and newly-appointed president of Ruff Ryders, Swizz Beatz. Still, when asked about the status of the Ruff Ryders and whether the movement would be united at Sony, Wah was perturbed and skirted the issue.

Chad “Dr. Seuss” Elliott, a Sony executive and also ironically the producer who originally worked with X on his first single (released on Sony back in 1990), introduced DMX, who found a way to subliminally diss his former label, Def Jam “They sold the home on me. It wasn't about talent anymore.”

A Shanghai expat asked, so I replied:

The Livebar is run by some guys from Zhuhai, so there is very little English info. Lemme see...

Feb 17, 8pm - Blues Sultans (blues), Ground to Dust (death metal)
Feb 18, 3pm - Scratch, Saturday Afternoon (two bands I'm not familiar with)
Feb 18, 8:30pm - Living Thin, The Pins (rock)
Feb 25, 8:30pm - Acoustic guitar and harmonica performance

721 Kunming Rd. (near Tongbei Rd) Yangpu District. This place is waaay unconvenient to buses and stuff, get out your map and walk it from the Central Henan Rd metro stop (probably 30-40 minutes) or take a taxi.

It looks like the 021 Bar down near Xujiahui has a bunch of concerts coming up too, interesting ones. I've never been there myself, but I've had it recommended to me:

Feb 17, 8pm - Exhumation, Ground to Dust, Vacuous (Extreme Metal show)
Feb 24, 8pm - Guitar, harmonica night
Feb 25, 7pm - Glazed Rose, Poisoned, Scratch (visual rock)
Mar 3, 8pm - East District Power night (a buncha bands, solo artists; a long running series)

I always say that metal is what Chinese do best.

(translation still in progress)

I found the following through del.icio.us' shanghai tag RSS feed:

活在上海的22种风花雪月(ZT+原创片片)

22 Ways to Live The Vacuous Life in Shanghai

即使你很高傲，即使你很懒散，即使你很羞涩，即使你很偏激，只要你来到上海，而又不想自我封闭离群索居，总会沾染上几丝上海独有的小资情调。假如你喜欢上海，而又不是愤青，熟读以下文字，可以帮你提前热身，让你尽早溶入上海的风花雪夜中。

No matter whether you are a dandy or a vagrant, whether a church mouse or always the center of attention, when you come to Shanghai, even if you lock yourself in solitary confinement, you can't help but be infected by the city's unique bourgeois spirit. So if you like Shanghai and you're feeling a little rebellious, take a look at the following text; it'll warm you up and help you ease into Shanghai's vacuous lifestyle.

[去衡山路散步] 闻名遐迩的衡山路，最美丽的时光不是午夜，而是傍晚。这时候，街上华灯初上，行人稀少，沿着宽宽的梧桐大道轻盈漫步，只见西式的洋房、古典的教堂、街头的公园、私人的小院、还有那散落各处的酒吧和咖啡馆，全都披上了一层迷人的华彩，让你仿佛身处静谧的仙境。

[Take a walk on Hengshan Rd] World-famous Hengshan Rd is at it's most beautiful in the evening and at night. At that time, Chinese lamps are hung, and pedestrians are few; as you walk along the broad sycamore-lined avenue, your view is filled with colonial manors, historic churches, street-corner parks and private gardens, and finally bars and coffee shops scattered about along the way. Everything is draped with an enchanting excitement, as if you're body had been carried away to a peaceful fairyland.

[去襄阳路放电] 据说，女人只有进入服装店才会两眼放电，那么，赶快去襄阳路吧，这里服饰中心和广州的流行前线一样，可以买到最时尚的长裙，最前卫的T恤，最流行的手袋，最新潮的鞋子。据说，男人只有看到女人才会两眼放电，那么，也赶快去襄阳路吧，服装店最多的地方，美女也是最多的哦！

[Give your eyes a treat at Xiangyang Rd] People say that when women enter a clothing store, their eyes "discharge sparks", so get on over to Xiangyang Rd. This is a clothing supercenter, like Guangzhou's Qianxian, where you can buy the most fashionable skirts, the most avant garde T-shirts, the most trendy handbags, and the most new-wave shoes. People say that you just need to show a beautiful woman to a man, and his eyes will "discharge sparks", so get on over to Xiangyang Rd, because where there is a concentration of clothing stores, there will be a congregation of beautiful women!

[去慈溪路淘碟] 做广告就不能不看碟，看碟就不能不去慈溪路，因为，这里是上海最集中的D版DVD碟片销售地，可以和广州的粤富广场媲美，所有市面上出现的热门和偏门碟片，都能在此淘到。尤其是那个以古玩店做掩护的老板娘，经常还会根据你的口味，向你推荐一些另类新碟呢。

[Pocket some DVDs at Zixi Rd] As an advertiser you must watch DVDs, and to watch DVDs you must go to Zixi Rd. See, this is Shanghai's biggest concentration of pirated-DVD shops; you could go so far as to compare it to Guangzhou's Yuefu Square. All the latest movies and oddball flicks can be yours! We especially love that one shop that sells curios as a cover, whose boss will recommend movies based on your taste.

[去哈根达斯约会] 爱她，就带她去吃哈根达斯。哈根达斯冰淇淋，全部采用世界各地的纯天然原料精致而成，马达加斯加的香草、巴西的咖啡、夏威夷的果仁、俄勒冈的草莓、比利时的巧克力、瑞士杏仁......创造出一款又一款的极品美味，再配以浪漫雅致的环境，足以把她的心融化。(旗舰店地址:淮海中路558号.订座电话:63593481)

[Take a date to Häagen-Dazs] If you love her, take her to Häagen-Dazs. Häagen-Dazs's ice cream is made with the world's finest natural ingredients: Madagascar vanilla, Brazilian coffee, Hawaiian nuts, Oregon strawberries, Belgium chocolate, Swiss almonds... and they come out with one fine flavor after another. Add on an elegant, romantic atmosphere, and you're sure to melt her heart. (Flagship store address: 558 Huaihai Rd. Reservations: 6359-3481.)

[去百盛门口见面] 据非官方的非正式统计，每天相约在淮海路百盛门口见面的人接近上万，因为这里是淮海路的中心，因为这里是时尚的前沿，因为这里有个小小的广场，因为这里有个大大的地铁口。如果你心血来潮想约朋友逛街，如果你早有预谋想约网友见面，到百盛门口吧，不过小心被挤掉鞋啊！(地址:淮海中路陕西南路地铁站口.)

[Meet at the entrance to Parkson's] According to very unofficial statistics, every day approximately a million people meet at the entrance to the Parksons on Huaihai Rd! This corner is at the heart of Huaihai Rd, the frontline of fashion, a nice little open square with a convenient metro exit. If you're meeting that special someone that makes your heart flutter for a day of window-shopping, or you're finally getting together with that online friend that you have a special feeling about, make sure to meet them at Parksons; but be careful, it's often so packed that you might be squeezed out of your shoes!

[去钱柜唱歌] 几个朋友聚会，与其找个地方吃饭，还不如去钱柜唱歌，作为上海最流行的ktv店，这里不仅有最齐全的歌目，最震撼的音响，最舒适的环境，还提供自助餐任你品尝，总的花费也不比去餐馆吃饭多多少。而且，在晚上12点以后，包房费还可以低至四、五折呢。(静安店地址:上海市乌鲁木齐北路457号.)

[Karaoke at Cashbox] If you're planning to meet with friends and you're looking for a place to eat, why not just go to Cashbox for karaoke? As Shanghai's most well-known KTV location, here you can not only find the most complete set of songs, the most earth-shaking sound systems, the most comfortable rooms, you can also help yourself to the all-you-can-eat buffet as you sing. The price will even be comparable to simply going out to eat. Plus, after midnight prices are slashed up to 50 and 60% off daytime prices, for an even better deal. (Jing'an location: 457 Urumqi Rd.)

[去季风书店看书] 位于地铁陕西南路站里的季风书店，可能是上海最好的购书之处，这里的店主品位较高，所卖的图书既多又全，而且新书上架很快。至于购书环境，更是非常宽松自由，即使你在这里看上一个下午，店员也同样笑容可掬，在这样的地方买书或看书，绝对是件轻松愉快的事。(地址:地铁一号线陕西南路站大厅)

[Book hunt at a Jifeng Bookstore] Located in the S Shaanxi Rd metro stop, this might be Shanghai's best book-buying place. This bookstore boasts better books, bigger selection, more complete collections, and stocks new books faster than other bookstores. As for the store's atmosphere, it's very relaxed and free: even if you spend the entire afternoon just browsing the employees will still treat you with a smile. Buying books at this kind of store is simply a pleasure. (Location: S Shaanxi Rd metro station)

(this is one of my favorite Shanghai haunts, with locations throughout the city: my fav is the Jing'an Temple store --translator)

[去博物馆培养气质] 别以为只有老古董才去博物馆，在上海，现在有越来越多的时尚青年喜欢定期去博物馆看看。除了十个固定的展馆外，这里还定期举办一些国内外特展，比如古埃及艺术珍品展、西藏文物精华展、墨西哥玛雅文明珍品展等。想培养培养气质？去博物馆吧！(地址:上海市人民大道.)

[Cultivate refinement at the Shanghai Museum] Don't think that only old fogies go to museums! Here in Shanghai, there are more and more fashionable young people that enjoy making a date out of going to the Shanghai Museum. Besides ten permanent exhibits, you can find both domestic and international short-term exhibits like Egyptian art displays, exhibits of Tibetan cultural relics, and artifacts from the Mayan civilization in Mexico. Want to cultivate your refined side? Go to the Museum! (Location: People's Square, on Renmin Blvd.)

[去宜家寻找灵感] 来自瑞典的宜家家居，坐落在万体馆旁的龙华西路上。这里最好的东西，不是那些大件的家具，而是各种心思巧妙的小玩意，从纸做的台灯，到布做的碟架，从阔脚花瓶，到碎布地毯，从镂花碗碟，到活动书架......每去一次，都能淘到许多全新的宝贝，给你提供无穷的家居灵感。(地址:上海市龙华西路585号华富大厦1-3层.)

[Search for inspiration at Ikea] Swedish furnishers Ikea landed in Shanghai on W Longhua Rd, next to Shanghai Stadium. The best stuff here isn't the larger furniture, but those fascinating, clever little items, from paper lampshades to cloth CD cases, from bell-bottomed vases to rag throw-rugs, from flower-engraved bowls to mobile bookcases... every time, you can find a new treasure to give you a boost of that homey spirit. (Location: 585 W Longhua Rd, Huafu Tower 1-3F)

(this is also a great place for dinner --translator)

[去m-box听音乐] 栖身百富勤广场3楼的m-box酒吧，中文名叫"音乐盒"，这里经常会上演各种音乐秀，连菜单都被设计成cd碟形状。而且，门口的壁画里还有崔健、张学友等流行音乐偶像。另外，这里还有一样特色，那就是酒，m-box可是"绝对伏特加"设在上海的形象店哦。(地址:淮海中路1325号百富勤广场3楼,美美百货对面.)

[Listen to music at M-box] Nesting on the third floor of Peregrine Plaza, M-box or literally "Music Box" in Chinese, is a club that frequently hosts shows of popular music; even the menu is in the shape of a compact disc case. On the walls of the entrance you can find pictures of music legends like Cui Jian and Zhang Xueyou, and other hot singers. Also, M-box has the special status of being designed as Absolut Vodka's Shanghai "image venue". (Location: Peregrine Plaza 3F, 1325 Huaihai Rd, across from the Maison Mode department store)

　　[去1931’s怀旧] 位于茂名南路酒吧街的1931’s酒吧，努力保存着旧上海的几丝辉煌印记，其装饰主要以旧上海风情为主，墙上挂着许多三十年代的日用品，老电话、留声机、明星海报......使得小小的酒吧有点象上海的旧里人家，坐在这里，你可以感觉到老上海全盛时期的几分流风遗韵。(地址:茂名南路112号) 　　[去宝莱纳喝酒] 由白崇禧旧居改造成的宝莱纳餐厅，座落于环境幽雅的汾阳路上，是上海最出名的酒吧式德国餐厅，这里68元一杯的现酿德国黑啤，口感醇厚，香浓爽口，恰似黑色的天鹅绒，绝非一般的瓶装啤酒可以比拟。而且，这里的木制家具和彩色玻璃，全部出自巴伐利亚古教堂，让人有置身德国啤酒屋的感觉。(地址:汾阳路150 号.) 　　[去浦劲跳舞] 地处金茂大厦裙楼的浦劲娱乐中心，是全城最新、最引人注目的夜间娱乐总会，它由东京先锋派设计公司superpotato设计，两层楼高的舞池周围，环绕着内部透光的玻璃座，你可以坐在这里欣赏来自洛杉矶的六人组合乐队maxtempo的现场表演，也可以下场尽情热舞。(地址:浦东世纪大道88号金茂凯悦大酒店3楼.) 　　[去东魅看星星] 新天地里的东魅酒吧，是由谭咏鳞、成龙、曾志伟等香港知名艺人所开，虽然里面驻场的只是一般歌手，但说不定哪天就可能碰到来上海渡假的天皇巨星。如果你不喜欢喧闹的气氛，也可以到二楼的露台，这里不仅安静许多，而且还可以抬头望天，看看自然界中真正的明星。(地址:太仓路169弄上海新天地内.) 　　[去 park97乘凉] 作为夜上海最in的时尚前沿，开在复兴公园内的park97，具有得天独厚的清幽环境，公园里枝繁叶茂的法国梧桐，为这里的火红气氛招来几缕清风。夏日夜晚，如果厌倦了酒吧里喧嚣，可以坐到外面的露天吧里，听着迷幻的音乐，喝着冰爽的啤酒，让自己游离在繁华与宁静的边缘。(地址:皋兰路2号复兴公园内.) 　　[去九重天看夜景] 位于金茂大厦87层的九重天酒廊，曾被美国<新闻周刊>评为"亚洲最佳休闲去处之一"。在这里，不仅可以喝到各式好酒，尝到越南软皮春卷、泰国炸虾饼等亚洲小吃，还可以隔着玻璃幕墙，临空远眺上海的繁华夜景，让你的心灵远离尘嚣，进入九重天外的幻境。(地址:世纪大道88号金茂大厦87楼.) 　　[去香樟花园发呆] 衡山路上的香樟花园，可能是上海最有气质的咖啡馆。这里临街的一面，拥有明亮通透的开放式玻璃窗，你可以找一个阳光明媚的下午，选一个靠窗的座位，点一杯蓝山咖啡，把思绪抛到九霄云外，只管看着窗外发呆，让路人成为自己的风景，也让自己成为路人的风景。(地址:衡山路桃江路口) 　　[去真锅喝咖啡] 有人说，在真锅能喝到上海最精致的咖啡，这绝非虚言。走进店内，侍者就会奉上一杯冰水，让你先纯净舌头，把味觉归零，然后再用英国原装进口骨瓷杯，为你冲泡一杯真锅独创的密制炭火咖啡，任你细细品味其中的甘苦。日式咖啡的细腻与精致，在这里体现得淋漓尽致。(总店地址:华亭路85号.) 　　[去星巴克小憩] 在上海拥有13家分店的starbucks星巴克咖啡馆，已经占领了城市的每一个时尚据点，并彻底溶入了上海人的生活。由于这里环境雅致，价格便宜，许多上班的白领和逛街的美女，都喜欢中途溜到这里驻脚小憩，重要的不在于品尝咖啡，而在于营造那份优雅闲适的心境。(旗舰店地址:太仓路169弄上海新天地内.) 　　[去真汉看戏] 身居肇家浜路的真汉咖啡馆，是全国首家多功能配套的酒吧式剧场，拥有600多平米宽的演出空间。这里除了有特色小锅咖啡、西洋美酒和各式简餐之外，还经常以开放式的参与氛围，演出一些风格另类的咖啡戏剧，成为上海的一道独特的文化风景。(地址:肇家浜路567-569号,近小木桥路.) 　　[去汉源书屋偷闲] 由摄影家尔冬强创建的汉源书屋，隐藏在行人稀少的绍兴路上，它集书店和咖啡屋于一体，里面不仅收藏着许多二三十年代的老式物品，还有整墙的落地书架和琳琅满目的艺术书籍。你可以要一杯绿茶，选一本史书，把身体窝在法式雕花木圈椅里，惬意的渡过一个轻松的下午。(地址:绍兴路27号.) 　　[去仙踪林打牌] 台湾人开的仙踪林泡沫红茶坊，在上海有17家分店，这里的所有饮品均为自产自销，并由受过专业训练的师傅即时调制。其装修风格尤其别致，原木制成的方桌方凳，靠窗一排的秋千摇椅，极具台湾乡土气息，让你有置身童话中的感觉。当然，来这里除了喝茶，还可以打打扑克聊聊天。(淮海店地址:淮海中路671号,近思南路.)

This is hilarious. From the Wikipedia entry for the Student's t-distribution:

Student's distribution arises when (as in nearly all practical statistical work) the population standard deviation is unknown and has to be estimated from the data. Textbook problems treating the standard deviation as if it were known are of two kinds: (1) those in which the sample size is so large that one may treat a data-based estimate of the variance as if it were certain, and (2) those that illustrate mathematical reasoning, in which the problem of estimating the standard deviation is temporarily ignored because that is not the point that the author or instructor is then explaining. [emphasis added]

Ahh, the priveleges of being a statistics teacher/prof (did I tell you I have a new job?).

From USA Today, via Peter N-H on the Oriental List, "China wants Olympians to see its best behavior":

This time, it might not be easy. Decades of state propaganda has left
some in Beijing contemptuous of party authority. Chinese bloggers
decried a recent crackdown on public swearing and argued that the
anti-spitting campaign is futile.

"We won't just stop spitting because the leaders say so," taxi driver
Yu Yongxing says.

LOL, are bloggers the new taxi-driver-source of cheap media DTM quotes?

So 李宇春 has a music video out now that's getting pretty heavy play on Shanghai's local music television station, a song called "tmd (我爱你)". When I realized that she was singing "t-m-d", I started watching the subtitles* to figure out what this stood for. I asked Jodi to confirm that it was 甜蜜的, a phrase appearing later in the song, and she said:

"The first time I saw this video, I mistakenly thought it was 他妈的. But yeah, it's 甜蜜的."

(Listen for yourself: search for 李宇春 tmd on Baudi MP3 search.)

(And then listen to the splash hit at this year's New Year Gala on CCTV from Tibetan group 布仁巴雅尔, a song called 吉祥三宝:



.)

* All music videos in China have subtitles, so kids can learn them and then order them when they go karaoke-ing. This follows the Japanese model, where artists actually get paid royalties when their songs get played in karaoke parlors.

Ever since I was a kid I've have the secret wish that a war would break out in the country I'm living in, so that I could go into survival mode like Kevin Costner in The Postman or Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds. I still do to this day.

Top referrers to msittig.wubi.org for January 2006, courtesy of Google Analytics:

Konrad, in a post of anecdotes set on a recent trip to Japan, talks about the new pan-Asian identity movement:

Despite this, however, I have deep reservations about the center’s mission. In debates and discussions with friends there I have on many occasion expressed my own doubts about the need for the active creation of a regional based “Asian identity” which is constructed at the hands of intellectuals or political policy based on what will inevitably be a contradictory set of perceived commonalities between participants. Also, beyond economic integration, I don’t see the need or necessarily the desirability of the creation of an institutional “Asian community” since I fear the potential for a gradually increasing exclusivity build into the concept.

He mentions the "we/us" thing that I noted in a comment on pigpog's LJ.