Things are never easy

Well in the never ending challenge of China I've found that this blog is now blocked in China! For various reasons over the past year China has blocked YouTube, Facebook and blogs among other things. As with everything there are ways around it but it will make updating this more cumbersome than the last time.

Onto other news. I spent Christmas and New Years in Hong Kong and Thailand on a previously planned vacation with a buddy from the states. It was decided before I took the new job but the new job meant that essentially my flight to/from the states was paid for! So that made vacation all the better.

I've spent a fair amount of time in HK but had never been to Thailand before. It was absolutely crazy! Bangkok was full of bustling activity, tons of people and pollution but some wonderful tourist sites like the Palace and temples. Then off to Phuket to the beaches.

Here's some photos if you want to check them out...(FYI Picasa web album is also blocked!)

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/nolanmitchell14/ThailandHongKongDec2009#

The Only Thing Constant is Change

Well, it's been some time since I have posted here and for good reason I'm back. In November of 2009 I quit my job with the company I'd been with since 1996. At the beginning of December I began a new adventure. I'll be working for a fabric company that is based in NYC. My job however will require me to move to Shanghai for 3-5 years come February. I started early in December and have already made two trips to China and one to North Carolina. The company sells fabric that is sold to retailer and manufacturers mostly in the furniture business. So it's in my wheelhouse in terms of furniture background but honestly I don't know too much about fabric just yet.

Looking forward to reigniting this blog shortly...

Nolan

Back in China

As some of you know I didn't get the chance to go home between when I left in early January and the end of July. What most of you don't know is that I ended up returning to the states rather last minute for another visit in late August!

Well I'm back in China now. Here is a bullet point recap of my first day back and what I noticed:

• While it was hot in Chicago it's nothing compared to the heat and humidity I felt from the second I left the plane in Shanghai, only to get worse when I landed in Shenzhen later that evening!
• I returned home to find a nice cockroach on my kitchen floor. I'd say he was the size of a small rat! Dead thankfully! (probably from the heat)
• Then I turned on the water in my sink and a nice brown liquid came out!
• Oh yeah and my toilet wouldn't flush.
• And to top it off I grabbed a cab to find some food and the cabbie had the windows rolled up and was smoking a cigarette!

Welcome Home! Or as we say here "TIC" (This Is China)

Olympic Photos

Well the Olympics were phenomenal to say the least! There is not enough room for me to showcase my photos here but if you go to the link below you will see a pretty good representation of what I took. Awesome!

http://picasaweb.google.com/nolanmitchell14/Beijjing2008Olympics


Nolan

Olympic Tickets!!!

Well I had said I was not going to be heading to the Olympics for a variety of reasons. However once I started to watch and saw all the empty seat I got to thinking...maybe a chance?

Well it turns out an old high school buddy was there on his trip of a lifetime. Basically he was handling some ticket sales. So I got in touch with him and two days later I was headed to Beijing to pick up some tickets! Now I've taken way more photos than I can post here and am way behind in work so you will have to hold a bit for the full story including what events I saw.

What I will tell you is that it was an amazing experience! Everything from the venues to the volunteers (rumored to be over 1 million!!!) to all the people around the world that I meet it was super cool.

Here is a photo from the afternoon of my first day in front of the Bird's Nest. It's so large no matter where you go it's tough to get the perfect photo!


Below is a photo of the Water Cube. This has been given such wonderful reports by the athletes and everyone else who has seen it and been in it. I wasn't able to get in but it's super cool from the outside!

Olympic Spirit - Overdone???

Who all thinks this guy went a bit too far????

The rings/logo on his forehead is one but he also has the Fuwa characters all around his neck! I think he needed a bit of attention!

Olympic Spirit Everywhere!

I must say we are a few days into the Olympics now and the fevered pitch here in China has not slowed down one bit! Even down in Shenzhen here (3 1/2 hours by plane from Beijing) the excitement is literally everywhere! If the games are going on it's shown on no less than 10 stations (only one of which maybe is in English) and the focus is on the Chinese teams for sure. Plus TV's are set up outside of many restaurants and people just stop by to watch for a few on their way.

It's very exciting to say the least. Thankfully the US men's basketball team beat China or honestly I would never have heard the end of it!

Cheers to Michael Phelps as well!

8/8/08

For those of you back in the US, chances are right now many of you are watching the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics. China is thrilled about this opportunity to show the world how far they have come! The number 8 in Chinese is considered lucky. So it's no coincidence that the Olympics start on 8/8/08 at 8:00PM!!! Enjoy

Chinese TV...the Onion

Since I know many of you enjoy reading The Onion I thought I would include this article that recently appeared. You will probably have to click on the image to enlarge it. Enjoy!

Sweet Home...China

For those of you wondering I have made it home to China. Got in late last night (Tuesday the 5th). The visit to the US was all in all too quick with too much to do in a short time. Oh well, I will have to plan better next time.

For all those I got to see it was great seeing you! For those I didn't, maybe next time.

Hope everyone is ready for a spectacular Olympic celebration in a few days! To answer questions, no I am not attending any events due to not being able to get tickets and it's a good 3 1/2 hour flight from where I am.

take care