GZ Expat, Part II

New Canucks Uniforms

The new Canuck uniforms were announced today and I am completely underwhelmed.  Despite the club doing an astounding job of hyping the release and allowing the rumor bug to spread and spread...the finished product introduced was, well, cluttered. 

There was so much speculation about the new uniforms...from the color to the logo.  Many people like the original 'stick and rink' logo, which I find to be one of the most amateurish pieces of graphic artwork in the history of man (just next to the old Hockey Night in Canada logo).  Many people also felt the old 'whale' logo would bite the dust, because it was associated with the previous ownership of the team.  Not much people were giving all that much love to the 80's and 90's Technicolor 'skate' logo either.  Bottom line, the hockey blog world (particularly Canuck-land) was a buzz with the hype.  It was a brilliant piece of work by the club to fuel the fire and get attention in a normally slow part of the year for hockey.  They kept the Canucks in the headlines during the dog days of Augsut.  In the end, the team stuck with the whale, but went retro on colors.

The new jersey, by design of Reebok, is smaller.  They have been billed as a tighter/more aerodynamic fit for the players.  Initial uniforms for the all star game had vertical lines, rather than horizontal lines...accentuating the length and speed of the players...rather than the size and strength.  They were a bit radical and they were definitely smaller.  You could see the armpits of the guys with those new sweaters.  So, with less real estate to deal with, what did the Canucks do with their new design?  They added 'VANCOUVER', arched over the whale.  Too cluttered boyz.

The perfect combination of retro and modern would have been to do exactly what they had done, but, choose one or the other.  Retro is all about going back to a simpler time.  A time when there were only 6 teams.  Given that, you could argue for the 'stick and rink'.  But, the chose the whale, so, either give me the whale and hook the city name...or give me the retro city name and hook the whale.  The best of both worlds would have been to have the road uniforms with the whale and the home uniforms with the 'VANCOUVER'.  But, I am not in marketing... 

I still think they missed the boat by not fully utilizing Johnny Canuck.

links for 2007-08-30

• Kuklas Korner: Canucks and Beyond: Birth of a Logo
  I just hope we can quit talking about hockey clothes and go back to talking about hockey soon
  (tags: hockey canucks)
• Vancouver Canucks - News: Vancouver Canucks Unveil New Home and Away Sweaters for 2007-08 Season - 08/29/2007
  (tags: canucks hockey)

The Vacation SlideShow

I've done these video's before...mainly through YouTube...and have always been disappointed in the quality of the video that comes through after conversion.  No more!  I signed up for a Vimeo account and uploaded the most recent slideshow I have done of vacation photos...simply awesome. 

Music:  Jeff O'Kelly; Somewhere (yeah, a bit country sounding for me...but, it's OK).  Jack's Mannequin; Bruised.

2007 Vacation Video from GZ Expat and Vimeo.

links for 2007-08-29

• Austin Bay Blog » Taking Turkey’s Military to the Political Brink
  ...General Yasar Buyukanit, repeated the military’s warning to the government on secularism in a statement yesterday to mark Victory Day on Aug. 30. The military is determined to stop “sneaky plans aimed at removing the republic’s achievements,”
  (tags: europe turkey waronterror)
• Sarkozy Seeks Greater World Role for EU
  "Europe must progressively affirm itself as a first-rank player for peace and security, in co-operation with the United Nations, the Atlantic Alliance and the African Union"
  (tags: europe france news)
• Simon World :: Smashing
  The Hang Seng has managed to go from 19000 back up to 23000 in the space of a week, largely thanks to news that China is to allow the hordes of mainlanders (previously despised, now welcomed with open arms)
  (tags: hongkong business china)
• Michael J. Totten: The Future of Iraq
  GZE2 - MJ Totten is a must read...always.
  (tags: waronterror iraq)
• ESPNsoccernet - World - Spanish midfielder, 22, dies after collapse on field
  Puerta died of "multiple organ failure stemming from prolonged cardiac arrest" and subsequent coronary problems, Virgen del Rocio Hospital director Gimeno Guerrero said in a statement.
  (tags: soccer sports)

Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations; Beirut

We don't have satellite TV where we live.  Well, I shouldn't say that, we do.  But, its only the channels the complex is stealing to give to the expats.  We get a handful of channels like BBC and CNN, but we do not get Discovery Travel & Leisure, so bear with me, I may be way behind the times in this regard.

Michael Totten posted a link to YouTube copies of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations program on Beirut, in which the program was less about food and more about being trapped and trying to evacuate a city being ripped apart by war. 

I wasn't much of a Bourdain fan when I saw his first programs on the Food Network when we were living in the states...but over time, he grew on me.  Yeah, he smokes incessantly and tends to have a large ego on the screen, but his shows (particularly those in Asia) are realistic to the life and culture of where he is traveling.  After watching this program, however, I have a new found respect in what he does and who he is.

I downloaded the video's and watched them in the car ride from office to plant.  As the program went on, I found myself being drawn into it.  My hands were clapped together, as though in prayer, cupping my nose and lips.  I felt the tightness in my gut at the scenes around the pool with helicopters flying overhead.  I could clearly see myself in that situation, but here in China. 

He showed the situation for what it was; boring, stressful, chaotic, exhausting.  I could understand every bit of what he was going through.  Bourdain told the story of what was going on like a blogger. As someone on the scene experiencing the daily grind...rather than the big picture of what was going on such as that of a big news organization.  It was riveting stuff.

I have had friends that have been evacuated from countries in Asia and they have told me the same stories about the waiting...the rumors...the stress (while the kids frolic in the pool)...the misinformation...and then the joy of evacuation, but the emptiness of what you are leaving behind.  Tai-Tai and I have not been through that experience, but watching this program put me in that place and time...and it is scary. 

We have become complacent since we have moved back to China.  During our previous tour, we always had one bag packed and documents and cash at the ready.  Today, we would have to scramble if told to leave right away.  This program was a sobering reminder.  We just might be putting together those evacuation backpacks together this weekend.  Thanks for the kick, Tony.

links for 2007-08-28

• Dangerous Chinese Toys: Exactly who is to blame?
  (tags: china business chinaeconomy)
• Michael J. Totten: The Accidental War Correspondent
  (Anthony) Bourdain went to Lebanon to film a show about restaurants, but he went in July and ended up as a war correspondent of sorts on accident until he was rescued by the Marines.
  (tags: waronterror lebanon food)
• Michael Yon : Online Magazine » Blog Archive » The Ghosts of Anbar, Part II of IV
  I said, “I only met you for the first time like twenty minutes ago. What’s your name, Staff Sergeant?” “Staff Sergeant Lee, Sir,” he answered while crawling forward. “United States Marine Corps,” I said. “Semper Fi,” he answered
  (tags: waronterror blogs)
• ESPN - Tough road ahead for U.S. team in Rugby World Cup - ESPN
  That battle began with a draw that slotted the Eagles in Pool A with defending World Cup champion England. The two teams are slated to lock horns in their finals opening match Sept. 8 in Lens, France.
  (tags: sports rugby usa)

links for 2007-08-27

• Breitbart.tv » New: Video Shows Flaming Balloon in Death Plunge
  OMG...this is scary...
  (tags: news canada)
• China to crack down on rumor-spreading [angrychineseblogger.blog-city.com]
  (tags: china blogs)
• As China rises, pollution soars - International Herald Tribune
  GZE2 - Hmmm...and it seems to Tai-Tai and I that the pollution is actually better today than it was in '97
  (tags: china pollution news)
• Boing Boing: Microsoft WGA servers down; XP and Vista installs marked as counterfeit - UPDATED
  DRM bites again: the Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage servers (which every XP and Vista install phones home to) all failed sometime earlier today.
  (tags: drm microsoft windows blog)
• EastSouthWestNorth: The Black Rain in Shenzhen
  Just as he was ready to throw his umbrella away, a girl passing by under the lamp of the kiosk screamed, "Heavens! Good grief! This rain is black!" GZE2 - Check out the photos!!
  (tags: china pollution)

Uh...Yeah?!

Miss Teen America contestant...Miss South Carolina:

And people wonder why America gets a bad rap around the world.

Check the Standings

As a Cubs fan, I don't get the luxury of enjoying August and September too much.  The fact that I seem to follow hockey much closer than baseball these days is a testament to that.  However, I find myself drawn to the MLB Standings everyday these past couple weeks...and OH is it fun. 

I get that same old feeling I did as a kid, waiting for the afternoon Oregon Journal to arrive to check the standings of my favorite team of those days, the LA Dodgers.  And then, agonize as they would get dumped in the playoffs by the Yankees. 

As those Dodger players (Cey, Lopes, Monday, Baker, Garvey) aged and were traded, I followed the teams they were traded to.  I gravitated to the Cubs, who seemed to be a retirement home for old Dodgers in the early 80's.  And then, cable TV came into our home.

I watched the '84 Cubs break my heart on the bat of one of those former Dodgers (Garvey) and then I thrilled to the young and exciting Cubs of '89, but get crushed in the playoffs by the Giants (who went on to lose the 'Earthquake Series'). 

Today, I toil in GZ with no baseball coverage (except multiple Yankee or Dodger games on ESPN), except what I can read on the internet and garner from the Cubcast podcast.  I don't really know what the players look like, since I haven't seen a game...but I know the players names.  It feels as though I were back in jr. high school, sneaking in the transistor radio with the earplug, listening to stretch games and divisional playoff games, while passing along the scores to my buddies.  Never got caught, which is the important thing!

Go Cubs!

Oh yeah...and be sure to check and see where the Yankees are in the stands.  As we bear down on the wildcard spot in the AL...GO M's!

The Four Hour Lunch

Friday night, Tai-Tai and I headed out to dinner with another departing expat from GZ.  We ended up at the Turkish BBQ restaurant, which is always a good choice.  Expat son was off at a friends house for a sleep over and it was just us for a night.  Well, after an afternoon of beers saying goodbye to our friend, we took him to dinner...and, being the old folk that we are, we were dead tired by the time we got home. 

The next morning, Tai-Tai wanted to head out for some lunch, without a clue as to where to go.  It was just us...no kids!  Our car arrived at 11am and we hopped in and asked each other; 'Where do you want to go?'  We started flipping through the magazine to see what was available and we couldn't decide.  So, off to our favorite Italian restaurant for a relaxing bit of wine and food.

We ordered up some drink and a few dishes to share...tonnato, seafood salad, rissoto with shrimp and a green peppercorn steak.  Yeah, not sure why we ordered such a load of food, but, it was sooo good.  And, it was just us, something that just doesn't happen very often.  We just sat and slowly enjoyed our meal...she with her glass of prosecco and I with a shot of grappa and pint of Tiger.  The food was fantastic, the restaurant quiet, the service unobtrusive (a rarity in GZ).  In no time at all, 2 hrs had passed us by. 

We couldn't decide what to do, so Tai-Tai suggested we go for a walk around to some of the shops.  We walked down the street where with all sorts of small shops selling clothing and the like.  It is amazing how ugly the clothes and shoes are here...whew.  As we got to the other end of the street, Tai-Tai suggested we pop into the Irish pub for a drink.  Hmmm...that sounded like permission for a pint to me!  I'm always game for that. 

In we went for a drink and, as usual, there were friends inside to chat with.  As we finished up our drink, I looked at the watch, it was past 3pm.  Do we order another and then pick up expat son, or do we just go home and then pop over the hill for him at 5pm?  We headed home. 

Of course, when we went to pick up expat son, the parents of his friends had us for a drink and a chat...and then over to another friend for a quick drink and chat.  By the time we were finished it was well past 7pm and expat son was growling a little...'I'm hungry.' 

If there was ever a day in GZ in which Groundhog Day occurred, yesterday would have been a good choice.