Some fun videos of Asia; to include China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan. (Part 14)

Yes. Here we are going to explore Asia. This entire post is devoted to this. Except that we are going to take just a little bit of time to talk about something else.

As we continue in our video exploration of Asia, and my various rants of stuff, let’s first explore one of my all time movies. You know which one, don’t you? It’s from the photo splash screen above.

The movie is “Casablanca”, and it’s a classic.

I am so amazed at how many millennials have never heard of this move, nor watched it. It is stunning to me. Which is, perhaps, why I am going to spend a larger than usual amount of time writing about it.
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.

Lost in Love in Casablanca.

Casablanca is a film about the personal tragedy of occupation and war. It speaks to the oppression of the one side – and the heroism and self-deprecation of the other. From opportunists, to isolationists – from patriots to disenchanted lovers – the film has everything a man or woman would enjoy.

I cannot go with you or ever see you again.

Bravery, courage, intrigue, romance, beauty and love. Leading actors to please any appetite.

Watching this film is to step back to a world that doesn’t exist – yet to know it. It is to experience lives that have never been lived – but are “real to you.” It is to know pain and joy, pride and pity for characters that are a fiction – yet are so real that you can’t help but get lost in their story.

So what exactly is so special about it? Is it its great genre mix, never  equaled by another film? When we think of 'Casablanca' first, we  remember it as a romantic film (well, most of us do). 

But then again,  its also a drama involving terror, murder and flight. 

One can call it a  character study, centering on Rick. And there are quite a few moments of  comedic delight, just think of the pickpocket ("This place is full of  vultures, vultures everywhere!") or the elderly couple on the last  evening before their emigration to the US ("What watch?"). 

But  'Casablanca' is not only great as a whole, it still stands on top if we  break it apart and look at single lines of dialog, scenes or  performances alone. 

Amazing cast, memorable dialogue, unforgettable story. Through this film, Casablanca will always live in my heart and I will think of its characters as family.

Seeing it for the first time is truly the start of a romance with ideals that will live in you long after credits end.

Casablanca 1
Not only is the dialog great, it’s unforgettably delivered, especially by Humphrey Bogart (“I was misinformed.”) and Claude Rains (“I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on here”). Many of scenes have become a part of film history; the duel of ‘Die Wacht am Rhein’ and ‘La Marseillaise’ is probably one of the greatest scenes ever shot, and the last scene is probably even familiar to the few people who’ve never seen ‘Casablanca’.

The Nazi envoy, Major Heinrich Strasser puts it: ‘Human life is cheap in Casablanca.” Of course because a man may be executed in its crowded market before Marshal Pétain’s portrait or where a charming girl may guarantee an exit visa by spending her night with the Prefect of Police…

Rick’s Café is the point of intersection, the espionage center, the background for Allied offensive, the focal point as refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe seek to gain exit visas to Lisboa…

The interesting club so well organized, leads to an open arena of conspiracy, counterspies, secret plans, black market transactions, in which the games and fights are between arrogant Nazis, patriotic French, idealists, murderers, pickpockets and gamblers around a roulette wheel, where a ball could rest on Rick’s command against the settled number 22…

Casablanca a love lost.
The cast is one of its main strengths, not just Bogart and Bergman but also the fine supporting cast. Rains, Greenstreet, Lorre, and the others are indispensable to the atmosphere and the story, and each has some very good moments.

“Casablanca” is an adventure film which victory is not won with cannons and guns… The action, the fight, the war takes place inside Rick’s walls rather than outside…

But who is this Rick? What is his magical power? His secret weapon? Rick is the anti-fascist with hard feelings, the former soldier of fortune who has grown tired of smuggling and fighting, and is now content to sit out the war in his own neutral territory…

Hum... A little like myself, eh?

Even loyalty to a friend doesn’t move him as he refuses to help Ugarte, a desperately frightened little courier who is fleeing from the police…

Casablanca 3
This is a film that MUST belong in every video collection in the U.S. is not in the world. The stories about it’s making are legendary from the constant rewrites to the apocrypha of casting stories. What is amazing to me, and the reason I believe it holds audiences almost spellbound in successive viewings, is the connection with the horrors of World War II was almost every single cast member.

Emphatically, Rick says, “I stick my neck out for nobody.”

Play it again Sam.

Ah, but we know he will do just that in a very short time, for into his quiet life comes a haunting vision from his past, the beautiful woman he still loves and bitterly remembers…

But…

But…

But, she is married to an underground leader and she desperately needs those papers Rick conveniently now has in his possession…

OMG!

The cynical Rick’s facade of neutrality begins to weaken as he recalls the bittersweet memories of his past love affair, memories triggered repeatedly when the strains of “As Time Goes By” come from Sam, his piano-playing confidante…

But “Casablanca” basic message is a declaration of self-sacrifice… War. World II demanded all!

The words stated by Rick at the airport had their impact: ‘The problems of three people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.’ It goes without saying that Bogart is incomparable when he seems most like himself…

His way with a line makes “Casablanca” dialog part of the collective memory: ‘I remember every detail. The Germans wore gray. You were blue.’

Rick and lost in love.
Everyone in this film is fabulous, but it is the chemistry of Rick (Bogart) and Ilsa (Bergman) been truly holds the film together. When I saw this film almost frame by frame in the limited book series of classic films that were produced in the late 1960s, I was stunned by the subtlety of facial expressions that conveyed so much of Rick Blaine’s character by a marvelous actor Humphrey Bogart.

There is a reason why he was named the actor of the century. While every person in the film becomes a real flesh and blood presence, the story of Rick and Ilsa is the center of this cinema feast.

Intermixed in this intrigue are all the fascinating and beautifully acted supporting roles…. With his customary skill, Claude Rains plays Major Renault, a prefect of police who is like Bogart in many ways…

He, too, claims neutrality, but is definitely against the Nazis…

He is Rick’s most devoted adversary, tauntingly calling the man a “sentimentalist” and delivering his share of cynically amusing lines…

But, what about us?

When he makes a small bet and is encouraged to make a bigger one, he remarks that he is only a “poor corrupt official.”

Ingrid Bergman is fascinating as the lovely heroine, the mysterious impossible woman of an impossible love, the tender mood of every man, the love-affair, the quality of being romantic, the traditional woman enclosed by two rivals, symbol of a besieged Europe…

Time to say goodby.
CASABLANCA is the best treatment ever of the ancient theme of the love triangle. Set in World War II Casablanca, a Moroccan city under the control of the collaborationist Vichy French government, the movie starts with a news wire that two German couriers have been murdered and their letters of transit stolen. Each letter will permit one person to leave Casablanca to a neutral country.

Paul Henreid is Victor Laszlo, the anti-Nazi resistance leader, seeking in Morocco the two letters of transit signed by General De Gaulle…

Here’s looking at you kid.

Sidney Greenstreet is the black marketeer on good terms with Rick, the rival owner of the ‘Blue Parrot,’ the acceptable face of corruption…

Peter Lorre is Ugarte, the racketeer, the dealer of anything illegal, the killer, driven into a corner by the Vichy police, who has given Rick two letter of transit…

Enter Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, owner of the shady but cheerful Cafe Americaine. Rick  is a cynical and hard-nosed man whose motto is, "I stick my neck out  for nobody." Like many a cynic, Rick is an embittered ex-idealist, still  nursing his wounds from being abandoned by his lover Ilsa (Ingrid  Bergman). By chance he falls into possession of the missing letters of  transit. 

Enter  Ilsa, who comes to Casablanca on the arm of Czech Resistance leader  Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), a few steps ahead of the Nazi police. We  now have three people and two letters of transit. Who will reach  America, and who will stay in Casablanca? I know no other movie that so  perfectly balances humor, romance, and drama. 

The  soul of good drama lies in presenting characters with hard choices, and  few choices are as hard, or as illuminating of the protagonists'  makeup, as the choices in CASABLANCA. All of the characters must decide  what they will give up for love, for honor, and for themselves. The  scenes of Rick and Ilsa's love, years ago in Paris, are some of the  finest romantic scenes in cinema. 

And  the humor, particularly in the person of Casablanca's Prefect of  Police, Louis Renault, has contributed dozens of dry witticisms to our  everyday language - "I am shocked! Shocked! - "The Germans wore gray,  you wore blue." - "I was misinformed." - "It would take a miracle to get  you out of Casablanca, and the Germans have outlawed miracles." 

So  perfectly blended are these three major elements that you cannot point  to a single shot or scene that should have been eliminated from the  movie. Never try to watch only one scene from CASABLANCA; you will  inevitably be absorbed until the very end of the film. It is little  short of miraculous that the chaotically mismanaged shooting of this  movie resulted in such a magnificent final product; it speaks volumes  for luck and for Owen Marks' and Michael Curtiz' post-production  editing.  
At the table in Casablanca.
A scene still from the 1943 Academy Award®-winning film “Casablanca” features (l to r) Humphrey Bogart, Claude Rains, Paul Henried and Ingrid Bergman. Bogart received an Academy Award nomination in the Lead Actor category while Claude Rains was honored with a nomination in the Supporting Actor category. “Casablanca” received eight Academy Award nominations in total and won three Oscars® including Best Picture. Restored by Nick & jane for Dr. Macro’s High Quality Movie Scans Website: http:www.doctormacro.com. Enjoy!

Conrad Veidt is the very essence of German rigidity, unfeeling, unconcerned about life, but firmly believing in the foolish ideology of his Nazi compatriots…

“Casablanca” covers many highlights: The Marseillaise against the Horst Wessel song inspiring sequence; the blissful days in Paris; Ilsa’s emotional words to Rick in occupied Paris; the champagne toast; Ilsa’s request to Sam; the poetry of the magic words and the beautiful voice of Dooley Wilson; Captain Renault’s words in the airport; and the farewell…

The magic that developed from the teaming of Bogart and Bergman is enough to make a new romantic figure out of the former tough guy…

To his cynicism, his own code of ethics, his hatred of the phoniness in all human behavior, he now added the softening traits of tenderness and compassion and a feeling of heroic commitment to a cause…

They helped him complete the portrayal of the ideal man who all men wished to rival…

Casablanca and the fat man.
In December 1941, American expatriate Rick Blaine owns an upscale nightclub and gambling den in Casablanca. “Rick’s Café Américain” attracts a varied clientele, including Vichy French and German officials, refugees desperate to reach the still-neutral United States, and those who prey on them.

Although Rick professes to be neutral in all matters, he ran guns to Ethiopia during its war with Italy and fought on the Loyalist side in the Spanish Civil War. Petty crook Ugarte boasts to Rick of “letters of transit” obtained by murdering two German couriers. The papers allow the bearers to travel freely around German-controlled Europe and to neutral Portugal, and are priceless to the refugees stranded in Casablanca. Ugarte plans to sell them at the club, and asks Rick to hold them.

Before he can meet his contact, Ugarte is arrested by the local police under the command of Captain Louis Renault, the unabashedly corrupt Vichy prefect of police. Ugarte dies in custody without revealing that he entrusted the letters to Rick.

One can look at hundreds of films produced during this period without finding any whose composite pieces fall so perfectly into place…

Its photography is outstanding, the music score is inventive, the editing is concise and timed perfectly…

Bogart’s and Bergman’s love scenes create a genuinely romantic aura, capturing a sensitivity between the two stars one would not have believed possible…

Rick in love in Casablanca.
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman starred in “Casablanca,” the Oscar®-winning film of 1943. Bogart was nominated for an Academy Award® in the Lead Actor category for his portrayal of Café Americain owner Rick Blaine. In total, “Casablanca” received eight Oscar nominations and won three, including Best Picture. Restored by Nick & jane for Dr. Macro’s High Quality Movie Scans Website: http:www.doctormacro.com. Enjoy!

“Casablanca” is a masterpiece of entertainment, an outstanding motion picture which brought Bogart his first Academy Award nomination (he lost to Paul Lukas for “Watch On the Rhine”) and won Awards for Best Picture of the Year, Best Director and Best Screenplay…

 There is a scene about halfway through the movie Casablanca that has  become commonly known as 'The Battle of the Anthems' throughout the  film's long history. A group of German soldiers has come into Rick's  Café American and are drunkenly singing the German National Anthem at  the top of their voice. Victor Lazlo, the leader of the French  Resistance, cannot stand this act and while the rest of the club stares  appalled at the Germans, Lazlo orders the band to play 'Le Marseilles  (sic?)' the French National Anthem. With a nod from Rick, the band  begins playing, with Victor singing at the top of HIS voice. This in  turn, inspires the whole club to begin singing and the Germans are  forced to surrender and sit down at their table, humbled by the crowd's  dedication. This scene is a turning point in the movie, for reasons that  I leave to you to discover. 

As I watched this movie again  tonight for what must be the 100th time, I noticed there was a much  smaller scene wrapped inside the bigger scene that, unless you look for  it, you may never notice. Yvonne, a minor character who is hurt by Rick  emotionally, falls into the company of a German soldier. In a land  occupied by the Germans, but populated by the French, this is an  unforgivable sin. She comes into the bar desperately seeking happiness  in the club's wine, song, and gambling. Later, as the Germans begin  singing we catch a glimpse of Yvonne sitting dejectedly at a table alone  and in this brief glimpse, it is conveyed that she has discovered that  this is not her path to fulfillment and she has no idea where to go from  there. As the singing progresses, we see Yvonne slowly become inspired  by Lazlo's act of defiance and by the end of the song, tears streaming  down her face, she is singing at the top of her voice too. She has found  her redemption. She has found something that will make her life never  the same again from that point on. 

Basically, this is Casablanca  in a nutshell. On the surface, you may see it as a romance, or as a  story of intrigue, but that is only partially correct.

The thing  that makes Casablanca great is that it speaks to that place in each of  us that seeks some kind of inspiration or redemption. On some level,  every character in the story receives the same kind of catharsis and  their lives are irrevocably changed. Rick's is the most obvious in that  he learns to live again, instead of hiding from a lost love. He is  reminded that there are things in the world more noble and important  than he is and he wants to be a part of them. Louis, the scoundrel, gets  his redemption by seeing the sacrifice Rick makes and is inspired to  choose a side, where he had maintained careful neutrality. The stoic  Lazlo gets his redemption by being shown that while thousands may need  him to be a hero, there is someone he can rely upon when he needs  inspiration in the form of his wife, who was ready to sacrifice her  happiness for the chance that he would go on living. Even Ferrai, the  local organized crime leader gets a measure of redemption by pointing  Ilsa and Lazlo to Rick as a source of escape even though there is  nothing in it for him. 

This is the beauty of this movie. Every  time I see it (and I have seen it a lot) it never fails that I see some  subtle nuance that I have never seen before. Considering that the  director would put that much meaning into what is basically a throw away  moment (not the entire scene, but Yvonne's portion) speaks bundles  about the quality of the film. My wife and I watched this movie on our  first date, and since that first time over 12 years ago, it has grown to  be, in my mind, the greatest movie ever made. 

-A Masterwork for all Time
A great romance.
“Casablanca” is a great romance, not only for being so supremely entertaining with its humor and realistic-though-exotic wartime excitement, but because it’s not the least bit mushy. Take the way Rick’s face literally breaks when he first sees Ilsa in his bar, or how he recalls the last time he saw her in Paris: “The Germans wore gray, you wore blue.”

There’s a real human dimension to these people that makes us care for them and relate to them in a way that belies the passage of years. For me, and many, the most interesting relationship in the movie is Rick and Capt. Renault, the police prefect in Casablanca who is played by Claude Rains with a wonderful subtlety that builds as the film progresses. Theirs is a relationship of almost perfect cynicism, one-liners and professions of neutrality that provide much humor, as well as give a necessary display of Rick’s darker side before and after Ilsa’s arrival. But there’s so much to grab onto with a film like this.

You can talk about the music, or the way the setting becomes a living character with its floodlights and Moorish traceries. Paul Henreid is often looked at as a bit of a third wheel playing the role of Ilsa’s husband, but he manages to create a moral center around which the rest of the film operates, and his enigmatic relationship with Rick and especially Ilsa, a woman who obviously admires her husband but can’t somehow ever bring herself to say she loves him, is something to wonder at.

My favorite bit is when Rick finds himself the target of an entreaty by a Bulgarian refugee who just wants Rick’s assurance that Capt. Renault is “trustworthy,” and that, if she does “a bad thing” to secure her husband’s happiness, it would be forgivable.

Rick flashes on Ilsa, suppresses a grimace, tries to buy the woman off with a one-liner (“Go back to Bulgaria”), then finally does a marvelous thing that sets the whole second half of the film in motion without much calling attention to itself.

Time to go in Casablanca.
Love and sacrifice during WWII underlie the story about a café owner named Rick (Humphrey Bogart), and his link to two intellectual refugees from Nazi occupied France. Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) and Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) seek asylum here in politically neutral Casablanca and, like other European refugees, gravitate to Rick’s upscale café, near the city’s airport, with its revolving searchlight.

Rick is a middle-aged cynic who also has a touch of sentimentalism, especially for people in need, like Ilsa and Victor. The film’s story is ideal for romantics everywhere.

I wish I didn’t love you so much.

Sorry, for that long narrative. Let’s get back to Asia, shall we.

Faded. Music in China.

First stop is a DJ version of the song “Faded”. Faded is a song made popular by Alan Walker. It is very popular in China. As such, there have been many people who have used the song and music to manufacture “DJ” versions of the song.

There are many of them. Some of the best mix a kind of pop-rock with guitar solos and a background of war and machine-gun fire. Others, just take the melody and mix in Chinese dialog.

When done this way, it becomes a track that would evoke period of deep reflection while remembering the words of others who may or may not have been close to you. In the example below, you can well guess the complexity of those thoughts even though most would not have a clue as to what anyone was saying.

DJ Ricardo – Faded (英雄联盟台词版)

El Rusbo’ notices the roar of silence…

You know, El’ Rusbo had a great dialog on his progam on 7Aug19. In it he discussed what is going on while the American news media are going full-bore anti-Trump, anti-middle class America. Here’s an excerpt…

 
Trump Support Grows Stronger — and More Quiet — by the Day
Aug 7, 2019 
                                            
x----snip

 Well, it’s not entirely true, but I’ll try to make the point. There  aren’t any, per se, Republican voters right now. There are Trump voters.  There are Trump supporters and everybody else. Most of them are  Republican, and Trump’s approval rating within the Republican Party  still stands at 90 to 92%, and it may be even higher now. Those people  are totally behind Trump. They are fully, quietly supportive of Trump  and his agenda. They grow stronger and more quiet by the day, and that’s  the great dichotomy. They are growing stronger, but they are shutting  up.
 
They don’t want to make themselves targets. But they are seething out  there. This is what I think the breakdown is. I think there are more  and more Trump voters. Trump’s approval rating is at 49%. You go to  state by state, and some states show him the losing there, but this is  16 months before the election. So there’s way too much time for any  polling data here to be accurate. It’s nothing more than an interesting  point of conversation at this point. But I really think that tends to  describe the political lay of the land.

 And the one thing that I think that is happening (just to reinforce  this) that nobody is reporting on at all — not even what you would  consider friendly outlets like Fox — is I think that the base support  for Trump is solidifying and I think it is growing because I think those  people are seething. They are the ones being called white supremacists.  They are the ones being called white nationalists. They are the ones  being blamed for all this, and they know they are not responsible for  it, and they know that Donald Trump isn’t responsible for it.

 They know that most of the rhetoric in this country that is inciting  extremism emanates from the left. Most of the activity that incites  extremism and violence emanates from the left. Do I need to give you the  organizations? Antifa. Black Lives Matter. I could go down the list.  Planned Parenthood. These are people who do this as a way of life. The  basic Trump supporter (you), you’re just out there. Some of you are  probably not totally invisible, but the grand majority of Trump  supporters is just out there seething.

 Look, I think I’m a typical Trump supporter, as far as you can define  “typical.” And I am. I’m seething over this stuff. Each and every day,  I’m seething over it. Now, don’t misunderstand. This doesn’t mean I’m  depressed. This stuff literally ticks me off! Every time I hear these  clowns throw out the term “white supremacist,” “white supremacy,” it  ticks me off, and it makes me want to defeat them even more. It makes me  want them to go down in flames even more — and in this, I believe I am  typical. 

I like his phrase “seething”.

It is what is going on. Be advised.

Chinese Hospital

China, as an enormous nation, has a wide hospital network. These include smaller local clinics and hospital branches. Like in the United States, they also have training and teaching hospital as well. The quality varies from region to region, but it is very easy to find a hospital suitable for what ever problem ails you.

In general, I have found the hospitals to be competent, staffed with caring and trained workers, and while the appearance varies from one hospital to the next, most Chinese hospitals are up to date and equipped with the latest in technology.

Aside from the handful of village hospitals that I have attended, most hospitals (and I have attended them for various reasons, many and yes, many times) all tend to look like this…

All with costs and prices far, far, far, FARRRRRR below what you would find in the United States. I think that the reason for this is that if the hospital or doctor tries to scam you or work in some kind of “kick-back” scheme through insurance or other legalized-bribery method, the Corruption Police will be unleashed.

Many regulations, agencies that require registration to work, fees, and other hidden costs are legalized ways for collecting bribes. Over the last 100 years, people have gamed the United States to extract as much money as possible from the citizens living there.

People, you DO NOT WANT the corruption police crashing through your window at night.

Thailand Beauty

My other posts were so serious with all the protests in China, and all that. I know these people “just want” “freedom and democracy”, though they are trying to appeal to Americans who live in an Oligarchy disguised as a Democracy (as evolved from a Republic). It’s all messed up.

The world has been gamed by the wealthy over the last 100 years, and now most people are serfs working on a plantation where everything they do has some kind of cost associated with it. This is most especially true in the United States and the UK. No so much elsewhere.

Life is all about love.

Here is some “lighter fare”. This is a cute girl in Thailand. I like the local rural restaurant that looks like an airplane, the green lush trees, and the blue skies. If it wasn’t for the gold temples over the next hill you would think that it’s in China.

Chinese Beauty

For comparison purposes, here is a similar video of a girl in China. As you can well see, that while the fashions are different, and the behavior and demeanor is different, there is a similarity that cannot be ignored. Ah. I do so love Asia.

European Beauty

Sometimes I get emails from trolls and other confused people. They seem to be under the impression that I need to curb what I write, or present so as not to offend anyone.

Nonsense!

If you are offended you can leave. I am far too old and too grouchy to tone down my thoughts for someone who has the emotions of an infant.

That being said, I do not want people to think that I do not appreciate other forms of human beauty. I am an equal-opportunity girl-watcher. I find so many women beautiful, and you would be so absolutely stunned at how wide ranging my tastes are.

For starters… here’s an European beauty. Isn’t she awesome? Wouldn’t you just love to take her out on a date, eat some fine steak or fish with a nice wine, and then go to a club or jazz bar? I would. I’ll tell you what.

OMG! I am such a sucker for a big toothy smile, and big hair. (Hint, hint to all you heavier girls out there…)

How to Cook Chicken Legs – Chinese Style

Here’s a quick video on how to cook chicken legs on the stove in a pan. This is the traditional Chinese cooking method, as most Chinese do not have ovens. It is not only tasty and healthy, but it uses far less electricity than cooking in a stove.

And as I finish this particular bunch of micro-videos about Asia, take a deeper look into my life as an American expat why don’t ya.

The Cafe American.

I have many more videos, but I just cannot put them into a single post. It will bog down your computer terribly. So to watch the rest of the videos in this post, please continue…

Continued-graphic-arrow

If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.

Links about China

Here are some links about my observations on China. I think that you, the reader, might find them to be of interest. Please kindly enjoy.

Popular Music of China
Chinese weapons systems
Chinese motor sports
End of the Day Potato
Dog Shit
Dancing Grandmothers
Dance Craze
When the SJW movement took control of China
Family Meal
Freedom & Liberty in China
Ben Ming Nian
Beware the Expat
Fake Wine
Fat China
Business KTV
How I got married in China.
Chinese apartment houses
Chinese Culture Snapshots
Rural China
Chinese New Year

China and America Comparisons

As an American, I cannot help but compare what my life was in the United States with what it is like living in China. Here we discuss that.

SJW
Playground Comparisons
The Last Straw
Leaving the USA
Diversity Initatives
Democracy
Travel outside
10 Misconceptions about China
Top Ten Misconceptions

The Chinese Business KTV Experience

This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.

KTV1
KTV2
KTV3
KTV4
KTV5
KTV6
KTV7
KTV8
KTV9
KTV10
KTV11
KTV12
KTV13
KTV14
KTV15
KTV16
KTV17
KTV18
KTV19
KTV20

Learning About China

Who doesn’t like to look at pretty girls? Ugly girls? Here we discuss what China is like by looking at videos of pretty girls doing things in China.

Pretty Girls 1
Pretty Girls 2
Pretty Girls 3
Pretty Girls 4
Pretty Girls 5

Contemporaneous Chinese Music

This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.

Part 1 - Popular Music of China
Part 3 -Popular music of China.
Part 3 - The contemporaneous music of China.
part 3B - The contemporaneous music of China.
Part 4 - The contemporaneous popular music of China.
Part 5 - The contemporaneous music of China.
Part 5B - The popular music of China.
Part 5C - The music of contemporary China.
Part D - The popular music of China.
Part 5E - A happy Joe.
Part 5F - The contemporaneous music of China.
Part 5F - The popular music of China.
Post 6 - The contemporaneous music of China.
Post 7 - The contemporaneous music of China.
Post 8 - The contemporaneous music of China.
Part 9 - The contemporaneous music of China.
Part 10 - Music of China.
Post 11 - The contemporaneous music of China.

Parks in China

The parks in China are very unique. They are enormous and tend to be very mountainous. Here we take a look at this most interesting of subjects.

Parks in China - 1
Pars in China - 2
Parks in China - 3
Visiting a park in China - 4
High Speed Rail in China
Visiting a park in China - 5
Beautiful China part 6
Parks in China - 7
Visiting a park in China - 8

Really Strange China

Here are some posts that discuss a number of things about China that might seem odd, or strange to Westerners. Some of the things are everyday events, while others are just representative of the differences in culture.

Really Strange China 1
Really Strange China 2
Rally Strange China 3
Really Strange China 4
Really Odd China 5
Really Strange China 6
Really Strange China 7
Really Strange China 8
Really Strange China 9
Really Strange China 10
Really Strange China 11
Really Strange China 12
Really strange China 13
Really strange China 14

What is China like?

The purpose of this post is to illustrate that the rest of the world, outside of America, has moved on with their lives. That while they might not be as great as America is, they are doing just fine thank you.

And while America has been squandering it’s money, decimating it’s resources, and just being cavalier with it’s military, the rest of the world has done the opposite. They have husbanded their day to day fortunes, and you can see this in their day-to-day lives.

What is China like - 1
What is China like - 2
What is China Like - 3
What is China like - 4
What is China like - 5
What is China like - 6
What is China like - 8
What is China like - 8
What is China like - 9

Summer in Asia

Let’s take a moment to explore Asia. That includes China, but also includes such places as Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and others…

Summer Snapshots 1
Summer Snapshots 2
Summer Snapshots 3
Summer Snapshots 4
Snapshots Summer 5
Summer Snapshots 6
Summer Snapshot 7
Summer Snapshots 8
Summer Snapshots 9
Summer Snapshots 10
Summer Snapshots 11
Summer Snapshot 12

Articles & Links

You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles sequentially by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
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Some fun videos of Asia; to include China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan. (Part 2)

Thanks for sticking with me on this. Now, let’s continue forward, shall we…

About the splash photo above. This is a scene from the early 1980's movie "Hot Dog - The Movie". Ah, it's a classic movie for certain, and maybe worth a re-watch. 

"Ah... I had Sunny side up. Und... I had Sunny side down. Und... I had Sunny side all the way around." LOL.
Hot Dog the movie quote

But first, might I suggest a nice snack. You know, something that you can enjoy with your buds. Maybe a fine meatball sandwich in fresh crusty bread with delicious melted cheese? You do know, that it tastes delicious with some fine frosty beer.

Oh, and you had best be careful. Make sure that it is extra cold.

Delicious meatball sandwich with beer.
Delicious meatball sandwich with beer. I find that this goes well with just about anything. I rather suggest that everyone enjoy a nice meatball sandwich from time to time.

On second thought, maybe you should open up a nice bottle of wine.

You do know that wine goes with everything. I happen to like red wines, especially the rather dry wines. What ever you do make sure that you find someone to share the wine with. You can get by drinking a beer alone, but wine… ah, that is meant to be shared.

Me when we are out of wine.
Can you just imagine what it would be like if your local supermarket was out of wine? What a horrible, horrible thought. Yeah, no doubt, this is me.

For some reason, I don’t know why, I do enjoy wine with a grinder. Any wine goes great with long crusty bread, as does it with prepared meats, cheese and olives. In fact, how about a nice salad with some fine anti-pasta? Yeah, now doesn’t that sound great?

You bet it does.

So what are you waiting for. Grab a bottle, call over some friends, and make some great snacks. Then you can watch some of these obscure and unusual videos while munching, drinking and just paling around with your friends.

Hot dog the movie quote 2

We have forgotten that we NEED to connect with others. So, make that connection. Solidify it with good delicious food and fine drink.

Spend the time with others.
Life is really short. Spend you time with others. Enjoy your time with family, pets and friends. Drink well, and eat well. Tell jokes and play around. Just have a great time.

Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.

Getting together with friends…

While I do like to talk about food, beer, wine and pretty girls. The most important thing is friends and family. We are social creatures, and it is our relationships that add color to our lives. I really believe that. not only that, but it is our uniqueness and our “special-ness” that really makes our relationships great.

Friends at a ball park enjoying a beer.
Friends at a ball park enjoying a beer. All Summer baseball, with hotdogs and beer. Now, doesn’t that sound great? Or would you rather see how many “likes” you get on Facebook? People! Let me tell you, life is too shot not to enjoy a baseball game with your friends.

I believe that many of us just take our friends and family for granted. They are just “there”, and we don’t appreciate how important they are to us. We don’t appreciate how they enhance our life, and how they are our support network with things go wrong.

Hot dog quote 3

It is our real friends who will be there for us when we need them. We need to cultivate our friendships and spend time with our friends, and (of course) our families. This is very old fashioned. Back in the 1960’s and long before that (but it ended in the 1960’s.) People used to go out on picnics and outings.

Camping, and cooking some fresh fish, with some delicious PBR.
Camping, and cooking some fresh fish, with some delicious PBR. Can’t you just smell the pine needles, listen to the creek ripple and flow, and pop the tab on a nice frosty beer? Life is meant to be enjoyed and shared with friends. So do it. Don’t fall into the progressive liberal trap of strength though isolation in electronic wonderment.

The wife would cook up and package some great, healthy wonderful fresh food. You would take a baseball, or maybe a frizbee, and bring the dogs (the cats would usually prefer to stay home) and go out and play. You all would make a day out of it.

Sadly, this is pretty much a thing of the past in the good ol’ USA, but it is quite active in the rest of the world. Well, at least those areas that haven’t been poisoned with new new progressive improvements of being alone… isolated… lonely… desperately trying to connect to others through electronics…

Yes. Make no mistake. This is the ideal utopia that is just now being realized. It was set in place in the USA back in 1913. That is when Americans lost their freedom in the hope that the government would provide for them a marvelous utopia. (The “Never Trumpers” still believe in this lie.) You can see elements of this utopia just by visiting Wal-Mart at night.

Friends and family on a picnic.
Friends and family on a picnic. Life is too short, not to play catch with your old man, have a coke with your mother, or chat with your son about how delicious peanutbutter, jelly and bacon sandwiches are. Life is too short to squander it on the trivial.

Friendships. We all need them.

Yeah. This is pretty much what it is like all over the world. here, in this case, this is what it looks like in China. You will notice that they all don’t go to their individual houses and apartments after work. They don’t eat a burger in their car while they are going from point “A” to point “B”. They don’t rush home to play games on the computer and surf the internet.

No.

They go outside and gather in communal settings. Often around food and beer. They spend time with each other. They cat, laugh and play. And yes, they might be playing games and connected on their cellphone, they are doing so with friends, not isolated and alone, hidden inside some kind of box.

Southern China on the Laos and Vietnam border…

In the bigger communities it becomes more lively…

Of course, the above is a rural section of the country. In the towns and cities there are areas with much more life and excitement. One of the the things that I like about this is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to decorate or establish venues. Just some cheap tables made out of plywood, and some gas barrels, will do.

Camping.
Here we have some friends enjoying a nice fire at a campsite. They are drinking coffee, so it must be in the morning. Ah, now that’s a great adventure, what do you think. Fishing at the crack of dawn, and drinking some coffee with friends.

You can play some music. String up some lights. Cook some chicken on the grill, and roast up some corn. It’s cheaper and healthier than any fast food available, and as a bonus you can make friends. You see guy or a girl, you say, “Hi” and then you offer them a beer. They will accept it and you two can then start talking.

It’s what has been historically what has been done all over the United States for decades, well at least up until the progressive utopists started to gain power and started to ban things. Now today, you need designated smoking areas, fees and taxes, and of course rules on times and permits. It’s the price you must pay for living in a progressive Marxist paradise.

Free people do not need to purchase permits, pay fees, or suffer through regulation.

Cooking iwth your son.
Ah, the best part of Summer. Teaching your son the importance of cooking hamburgers, and bacon. Oh, and don’t forget the baked beans, and the nice cup of coffee (or icy beer). The boy can have a nice soda instead. then, when he turns 14 he can have his first beer. As he is now a working man. Don’t you love it? Friends and family, the most important ingredients for a successful life.

In the rest of the world, in places where social progressiveness (such as communism) is frowned upon… like China, you don’t have any of those perversions. You are free to live life on your terms, and while China is officially called “communist”, in practical terms, it functions more like a libertarian environment.

Some baked beans at the picnic.
Here the wife prepares some delicious baked beans for everyone to eat. Looks like a very nice picnic to me. I personally believe that the best baked beans has lots of brown sugar and nice chewy pork and bacon simmering while it is cooking. You can smell the aroma and enjoy it over a nice frosty beer.

Ah, but don’t believe me.

You can read CNN, and Rush Limbaugh. They will tell you what China is like. Heck, how’s all that working out for you all? Think about it. Jeff Sessions is playing 5D chess, don’t you know. The Muller investigation will prove that Donald Trump is a Russian Spy, and your taxes must be raised because a 22 trillion deficit is good for you!

Don’t believe me. What do I know?

Meanwhile, this is what the rest of the world is doing…

Party Time – Northern Thailand

I love how everyone gets together and has a great time. I most especially love how open and friendly everyone is. I like the food, the smiles, the pretty girls in the pretty outfits and the tons of tasty delicious food.

Fun on the beach.
Fun on the beach. You can enjoy yourself with loved ones on the beach. You can pitch a big ol’ tent up to provides some shade and just eat and build sandcastles. You can listen tot he radio. You can have fun, and walk along the water. Life is too short not to spend it with friends.

This video below is taken in Thailand, not in China. You can tell by the music, the people, and the language. Still… look at how happy they are and what they are doing. They are together. They are talking, dancing, eating, and drinking. People! We need each other.

The progressive utopia of sitting in a work cubicle, eating a burger alone in your car, going home to a lonely life in front of the TV or the PC is a lie. The progressive Marxists want you to be isolated. Together, in force, with friends and family, we have power and strength. Realize it.

There is no set formula or rules for having fun. I believe that all it takes is two people, and some food and drink. That’s it.

Having fun in a mall

Here we have a kind of human “got-ya crane”. Sort of like a human version of those devices that you find all over the world. I think that this is a pretty cute idea, and it is replayed over and over again all over China. Why doesn’t it happen in the USA?

Yes, I know, it’s a gimmick. But so what? It’s cute, and good for a few laughs. It might make a good venue for a church fair, or a school fund-raising program. (Provided of course, that you pay the necessary fees, obey the necessary regulations, and pay off the proper people… Oh, you know who I mean. Yup, life in the USA today.)

Yes, I know it’s just some bags of chips, and that they aren’t healthy and full of salt and oil. But, there’s nothing wrong with eating one or two… just make sure that you have it with a nice frosty mug of beer and some delicious snacking dip.

Call some friends over and have some fun. than maybe go play putt-putt afterwards, or even go par-3 golfing. Or, perhaps just wack some balls at the driving range. Life is too short not to have fun.

How about plinking some cans with that trusty .22 that you haven’t fired in a while? Go ahead. Have some fun.

Do not sit at home and let life pass you by.
Do not sit at home and let life pass you by. Do something with your life that involves smiling faces, a little laughter, good food and drink. If you can, include your friends and family, and never forget to bring along your pets. Life is far too short to waste it.

What’s Stopping YOU?

Yeah, here’s another video about the Chinese islands. I’ll bet that you that you weren’t even aware that China had islands? Were you? There are many videos about the many beautiful islands of China. You don’t have to limit your expose to them by what you hear on CNN or MSNBC.

Of course, there are many more videos…

I have many more videos, but I just cannot put them into a single post. It will bog down your computer terribly. So to watch the rest of the videos in this post, please continue…

Continued-graphic-arrow

If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.

Links about China

Here are some links about my observations on China. I think that you, the reader, might find them to be of interest. Please kindly enjoy.

Popular Music of China
Chinese weapons systems
Chinese motor sports
End of the Day Potato
Dog Shit
Dancing Grandmothers
Dance Craze
When the SJW movement took control of China
Family Meal
Freedom & Liberty in China
Ben Ming Nian
Beware the Expat
Fake Wine
Fat China
Business KTV
How I got married in China.
Chinese apartment houses
Chinese Culture Snapshots
Rural China
Chinese New Year

China and America Comparisons

As an American, I cannot help but compare what my life was in the United States with what it is like living in China. Here we discuss that.

SJW
Playground Comparisons
The Last Straw
Leaving the USA
Diversity Initatives
Democracy
Travel outside
10 Misconceptions about China
Top Ten Misconceptions

The Chinese Business KTV Experience

This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.

KTV1
KTV2
KTV3
KTV4
KTV5
KTV6
KTV7
KTV8
KTV9
KTV10
KTV11
KTV12
KTV13
KTV14
KTV15
KTV16
KTV17
KTV18
KTV19
KTV20

Learning About China

Who doesn’t like to look at pretty girls? Ugly girls? Here we discuss what China is like by looking at videos of pretty girls doing things in China.

Pretty Girls 1
Pretty Girls 2
Pretty Girls 3
Pretty Girls 4
Pretty Girls 5

Contemporaneous Chinese Music

This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.

Part 1 - Popular Music of China
Part 3 -Popular music of China.
Part 3 - The contemporaneous music of China.
part 3B - The contemporaneous music of China.
Part 4 - The contemporaneous popular music of China.
Part 5 - The contemporaneous music of China.
Part 5B - The popular music of China.
Part 5C - The music of contemporary China.
Part D - The popular music of China.
Part 5E - A happy Joe.
Part 5F - The contemporaneous music of China.
Part 5F - The popular music of China.
Post 6 - The contemporaneous music of China.
Post 7 - The contemporaneous music of China.
Post 8 - The contemporaneous music of China.
Part 9 - The contemporaneous music of China.
Part 10 - Music of China.
Post 11 - The contemporaneous music of China.

Parks in China

The parks in China are very unique. They are enormous and tend to be very mountainous. Here we take a look at this most interesting of subjects.

Parks in China - 1
Pars in China - 2
Parks in China - 3
Visiting a park in China - 4
High Speed Rail in China
Visiting a park in China - 5
Beautiful China part 6
Parks in China - 7
Visiting a park in China - 8

Really Strange China

Here are some posts that discuss a number of things about China that might seem odd, or strange to Westerners. Some of the things are everyday events, while others are just representative of the differences in culture.

Really Strange China 1
Really Strange China 2
Rally Strange China 3
Really Strange China 4
Really Odd China 5
Really Strange China 6
Really Strange China 7
Really Strange China 8
Really Strange China 9
Really Strange China 10
Really Strange China 11
Really Strange China 12
Really strange China 13
Really strange China 14

What is China like?

The purpose of this post is to illustrate that the rest of the world, outside of America, has moved on with their lives. That while they might not be as great as America is, they are doing just fine thank you.

And while America has been squandering it’s money, decimating it’s resources, and just being cavalier with it’s military, the rest of the world has done the opposite. They have husbanded their day to day fortunes, and you can see this in their day-to-day lives.

What is China like - 1
What is China like - 2
What is China Like - 3
What is China like - 4
What is China like - 5
What is China like - 6
What is China like - 8
What is China like - 8
What is China like - 9

Summer in Asia

Let’s take a moment to explore Asia. That includes China, but also includes such places as Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and others…

Summer Snapshots 1
Summer Snapshots 2
Summer Snapshots 3
Summer Snapshots 4
Snapshots Summer 5
Summer Snapshots 6
Summer Snapshot 7
Summer Snapshots 8
Summer Snapshots 9
Summer Snapshots 10
Summer Snapshots 11
Summer Snapshot 12

Articles & Links

You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.

  • You can start reading the articles sequentially by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.