Be very careful when saying: excuse me you are looking for your wallet. Asking a stranger for a passionate kiss because you can't find your foreskin does not make for polite conversation.
Friday 31 August 2007
Thursday 30 August 2007
Chinese Visa application advice
When applying for your Chinese Visa in Edinburgh, make sure you arrive at the Consulate before 12midday and bring a glue stick with you.
If you haven't already attached your photograph to your application there are notices everywhere reminding you to do so, but sadly there isn't glue everywhere to allow you to do so.
If you have attached your photograph, bring some glue along anyway and make instant friends of glueless applicants. You can even practice your Mandarin... how do you say "your welcome" again?
As for scissors, they have a really neat little passport photo cutter outer device, which almost makes up for the lack of glue.
If you haven't already attached your photograph to your application there are notices everywhere reminding you to do so, but sadly there isn't glue everywhere to allow you to do so.
If you have attached your photograph, bring some glue along anyway and make instant friends of glueless applicants. You can even practice your Mandarin... how do you say "your welcome" again?
As for scissors, they have a really neat little passport photo cutter outer device, which almost makes up for the lack of glue.
Monday 27 August 2007
Where In the East are you going?
After musing over my choice of China, where I am actually going is perhaps surpisingly the next logical question. China, yes I know i've said so already, but where in China? For how long and do I happen to be planning on coming back via say Japan?
I'm going to Xian the old capital and home of the Terracotta Warriors. Lisa Simpson's heard of them even if you haven't (saldy no prizes for remembering the reference).
From there, ill head over to Beijing and then down south providing I haven't frozen solid. Wuxi and Shanghai are on the way, arriving in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year at the start of february.*
After that, depending on how much money I have left, I will pay a quick visit to the Philippines and a good friend of mine there (if you like cool clothes of the decorative variety or want to see some pewter work of mine http://sillymeclothing.multiply.com/ is well worth a look).
Then konichiwa to Japan; Kyoto for a month and Tokyo for a week before catching an already booked flight home. Yes its risky booking it this far in advance, but it saves me £650 or 151 214.178 Japanese yen (thanks google) or 2080 pieces of Tekka Maki Sushi so I am willing to risk it.
(*thanks for the map google, if its a problem please tell me and it will go faster than road runner on rollerskates)
I'm going to Xian the old capital and home of the Terracotta Warriors. Lisa Simpson's heard of them even if you haven't (saldy no prizes for remembering the reference).
From there, ill head over to Beijing and then down south providing I haven't frozen solid. Wuxi and Shanghai are on the way, arriving in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year at the start of february.*After that, depending on how much money I have left, I will pay a quick visit to the Philippines and a good friend of mine there (if you like cool clothes of the decorative variety or want to see some pewter work of mine http://sillymeclothing.multiply.com/ is well worth a look).
Then konichiwa to Japan; Kyoto for a month and Tokyo for a week before catching an already booked flight home. Yes its risky booking it this far in advance, but it saves me £650 or 151 214.178 Japanese yen (thanks google) or 2080 pieces of Tekka Maki Sushi so I am willing to risk it.
(*thanks for the map google, if its a problem please tell me and it will go faster than road runner on rollerskates)
Choosing to visit China
Spinning a globe of the earth and pointing to a country at random is a rather China biased way of choosing a holiday destination.
The first reason is that the place is huge. Second is that from your vantage point sitting above the globe you are more likely to point to the northern hemisphere. Lastly you didn't want to loose digits to frostbite in Russia.
I am not quite sure how I came to choose China, but that was my choice; embodied by the one way plane ticket to Xian sitting in my top draw. It is just six weeks until I leave; a trip that will combine cramming 6 foot 5 inches of pure James into a budget airline seat and enough carbon dioxide to put my "TV off standby" global warming efforts to shame.
At this point my Mandarin is liable to get me a pup of hot green pencils rather than some Chinese tea and any games of Chinese Chess I join will be over before you can say "ai you". But I've go six weeks. Right now I am waiting to find out just exactly what volunteer work I will be involved in while I am there, very excited and mildly terrified at the same time.
The first reason is that the place is huge. Second is that from your vantage point sitting above the globe you are more likely to point to the northern hemisphere. Lastly you didn't want to loose digits to frostbite in Russia.
I am not quite sure how I came to choose China, but that was my choice; embodied by the one way plane ticket to Xian sitting in my top draw. It is just six weeks until I leave; a trip that will combine cramming 6 foot 5 inches of pure James into a budget airline seat and enough carbon dioxide to put my "TV off standby" global warming efforts to shame.
At this point my Mandarin is liable to get me a pup of hot green pencils rather than some Chinese tea and any games of Chinese Chess I join will be over before you can say "ai you". But I've go six weeks. Right now I am waiting to find out just exactly what volunteer work I will be involved in while I am there, very excited and mildly terrified at the same time.
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