Lifestyle: Should I do it?

First, take a look at this from the spiegel to practice your German.

The whole freelancer thing has been pretty enjoyable. Of course, I don't really very much except for meet people for lunch, dinner and drinks, occasionally getting baked in between. The past seven days is typical: last Thursday night I was at gay drink night at Mesh until two am with two girls that I find attractive and Tally. Friday, I was at Mesh again with a number of pretty girls, one of whom took this picture. Saturday afternoon, I tried to open a bottle of wine with some of my clients at Senli and Frye but they thought I was joking, and I acted as if I was. Later, after my friend's sake-soaked birthday party, it was a Madmen party with drinks as strong as they were in that time. Sunday, I got up early for the Champagne brunch (free flow - about fifteen glasses), had a manhattan at four thirty and polished off a bottle of wine by eight and was snorting ritalin at nine. The next day, after resolving not to drink, I was having a few afternoon beers (beer isn't alcohol), then an irish coffee with a pretty art intern. This time, the clients at Senli and Frye were up for drinking, so I opened a bottle of wine. After that, we went for huangjiu, and several other types of booze. When I arrived home, Stella asked me to clean, so I smoked a bit of weed to try to facilitate that. Tuesday, I barely drank, only a few glasses of plum spirit from Guizhou in the evening. Wednesday, a magazine interviewed me, so I smoked out before hand. I was over at a friend's house for dinner, which meant four vodka cocktails, a shot of straight vodka (to accompany the caviar) and sharing a bottle of champagne and wine with two friends. Today, I realized that I was feeling a bit woozy and that I was spending the whole morning debating about whether I would drink if there was free booze at the event I was going to that afternoon. Fortunately, there wasn't. Shockingly, I persuaded myself that I was too tired to go gay night at Mesh, which is my usual Thursday night activity.

Thus, the rather horrible job offer that I've received from my friend who owns a dreadful publication called Lifestyle magazine is actually seeming like something I should really do. Yes, this is a magazine called Lifestyle. It is in English and Chinese and has nationwide circulation. It contains advertisements for hotels, is distributed in hotels, and the content is all thinly disguised adverts for hotels and the bars, restaurants and spas they contain. He wants me to make it into Wallpaper so that it can have wider distribution (beyond hotels) but he is not really willing to invest the money. The pay is going to be rotten unless I sell ads (and get commission) but he is going to give me a 10% stake (though he claims there is no profit; of course he hopes there will be). I will be the editor-in-chief and he says I can change the name if I want. Will it be at all helpful when looking for a job in publishing or media in the west to have done this for six months to a year? If not, it might be that giving a tiny bit of structure to my life is a good enough reason to do it. I would still be able to do the stylites and tailoring stuff that I am doing now.

I would really appreciate your advice, since you have had time in industry.

to take the lifestyle job?

yeah, I'll call asap. I am meeting richard tmw about lifestyle. he wants me to make it into something like wallpaper, but I doubt he is willing to invest what it will take. the only way to do it without heavy investment would be hiring very creative and unusual photographers and designers who want to make a name for themselves (essentially giving them creative license), but that might make the thing to funky for him and his readers. right now, it is just lame, but that might satisfy his advertisers.

For the viza, I must go abroad, unless Richard gives me a viza, which he will if I take the job. Going abroad would mean waiting quite a while if it were Europe. Hongkong can process quickly.

I want to postpone the event beacuse I don't have a lot of products ready, but they say april is too busy for the venue.

Economic now

I don't know. It all depends on whether one thinks that these types of stimulus packages are useful and valuable for the economy. If they are, this was a rather paltry one given the size of our economy. It was barely bigger than China's and China's will go much further given the relative value of the currencies. Moreover, China's economy is on less shaky ground in some respects (though any economic threat is more of a direct threat to economic stability). For me, it doesn't particularly matter as I don't pay into the system or benefit from it at the moment. I just want people to feel happy and spend money

Though all of that may be so, I'm generally happy with Obama's approach to foreign affairs, which seems very realist. With someone as clever and practical as he is at the helm, we should be able weather the economic crisis quite well. Ironically, the economic crisis might actually benefit the overall position of the US relative to other countries. Or, it might slow somewhat our decline relative to other countires. I describe this as "ironic" because most foreign leaders - interestingly not china's - have somewhat gleefully predicted that this financial crisis means the final nail in the coffin of US supremecy. The more indebted the world becomes to us - and they are only becoming more so - the more secure our position becomes. The safety of dollar was confirmed by this crisis. The enduring vulnerability of other economies was also revealed. We are far more powerful than all of the countries to which we owe money, I think.

Kimono, Hanbok, or Qipao

Undress? Shocking and original!

Are we asking for sexy or cute?

If cute, the Korean Hanbok might have a chance.

If sexy, it is a toss-up between the kimono and the qipao, and it really depends on the man and what type of woman he likes. Or maybe just what mood he is in...

The qipao has unfortunately taken on a certain tawdriness due to its misuse by those with inappropriate bodies and attitudes.

The fineness of kimono fabrics is very sexy. Perhaps the ideal is kimono fabric cut in a vintage 1960s style of dress. This has been done very successful.

Are Americans Stupid?

I never meet stupid people from anywhere. That means that I am stupid, that I have a very elite circle of acquaintances and friends, or that I am deliberately zoning out the stupid people.

Though I am a fool, in the sense of being weak-minded and lacking sense, I would call myself stupid, which seems to suggest deficiencies of education, knowledge, and wit. I can't think of anyone I know that has not attended a four-year university or that has not has visited fewer than three continents. There is some statistic that Europeans like to cite that says 80@ of Americans don't have passports. As I scan my facebook friends - 80% of whom are American, I cannot find one who has not at least been to Europe.

Where are the stupid Americans? It's a big lie caused by the loud voices and go-getter attitude. Who would want to like people like that.

Dressing in a suit turns me into a drooling Anglophile.

The British self-image is so much more pleasing than the American one. Despite the enduring importance of class in their society, the British self-deprecation always makes them seem more inclusive than Americans. The American insistence on confidence and certainty brings success but not charm.

commentary over the ages and how frustrating it is

So true...To me, the commentary and ongoing dialogue over centuries seems to define elite culture in China particularly, and the West as well. It's too bad for those that don't have time to immerse themselves in the tradition, but that is unfortunately the states of things. I fully relate to the frustration of not being able to get into the discourse. It makes me angry. All the lovely scribbles in the clouds are the true value; it's not the beautiful images that just about anyone with some technical skill could reproduce.

At the same time, to be sellable, artists often do have to use tropes that are easily digestible by the masses (of which I am a part).



If you can manage an image that no one can forget, all the better.

An Online Respose to Cybern*tionalism and the Web Blockage?

Closely connected, censorship and cyberationalism define the online population of the world's most internet-using country. The former at least in part causes the latter. The identity and attitude of the internet users is formed by a system that deliberately contorts and blocks their understanding of the outside world and the outside internet.

Is the opinion of the cybernationalists less valid or, at the very least, less worldly? It often seems less civilized.

Should websites with a majority of users who are not cybernationalists and not formed by a system of censorship consider a response? This could be in the form of guarding against users who are cybernationalists. It may be that these people detract from the experience of other users and bring down the level of the dialogue.

This point could go beyond the internet. The goal of non-censored fora is often to facilitate a free dialogue; those with minds sculpted by a system that is not free are often intent on blocking the dialogue. Should they be blocked by the "free users"? This could potentially be through simple multiple choice cultural tests given upon joining a website. This could end up being a little bit like pagan tests of Christians in the late Roman empire.

My point is entirely rhetorical and I acknowledge that no systematic response from the non-censored world is possible.

Detachable Codpieces

tight jeans with a detachable codpiece have been singled out by reputed fashion analysts as a major trend for 2009. This system allows the jeans to be even tighter and, more importantly, the area most susceptible to sweat stains can be removed for cleaning. The external codpiece prevents all the threat to circulation and child-siring ability some have claimed is associated with tight jeans.

An additional reason for the detachable codpiece's expected popularity is the economic downturn. By attaching a codpiece of a different color or pattern to one's jeans, one can achieve an entirely new look. Rather than buying new pants, simply buy a new detachable codpiece. Plaids and bright colors are excellent for lifting the spirits in this difficult time. Thicker fabrics can be used in winter to insulate this sensitive area and lighter, looser codpieces in linen blends and silk can be attached in summer, providing maximum ventilation. One really only needs one pair of jeans now.

Moving to an Office - Letter to Lina

It's so sweet of you to be concerned about my lot. This sort of intrustion is welcome. I find that people rarely express concern after my wellbeing beyond the required exchanges of meaningless pleasantries. To hear someone express genuine interest in my life is a rare pleasure. Still, I should caution anyone going down this line that I am a huge complainer and not particularly content about anything in life.

As it turns out, your name has come up here several times recently. At my place, there is a "Lina chair" and the cat has a "Lina collar". You may recall that you left several pieces of undesired clothing here. Stella has now formed these into useful furnishings around the home. So thanks for leaving those chic objects here.

Who told you that I was miserable as a freelancer? I believe I told you myself, but the reality is that too few people of the people in my current circle had to endure my incessant complaints when I was working in an office. My everyday routine was to bitch about everything from the people, to having to go to a high rise and behold the concrete and steel of the "new China" on a daily basis. In my current cocoon, I don't have to witness any of these horrors and I can pretend I am in a country that I like. I really do despise having to leave the second ring road or go to any of the business areas.

I had even more difficulty getting things done when I was in the office. I'm learning that a big part of it is just getting a list of things to do put together and doing those things. I fear that I would be constantly distracted by the presence of my office-sharers and would quickly become their nightmare. That said, your advice is obviously very far from being without merit. Stella is currently singing behind me and that is just one example of the distractions I have on a daily basis. My plan now is to use Senli's shop as my office. In this way, I could kill too beards with one stone and also not have to pay. I am not terribly keen on adding another rent check at this point, though I understand the benefits.

Gross and Lame

"gross" strikes me as the wrong word for "lame" people. Perhaps "clumsy" would be better? "Lame" used colloquially connotes squareness or dullness rather than the sleeziness that seems to go with "gross".

I sort of see where you are heading. Just as cool has come to mean more than "hip" or even "subversive and rebellious" and now can even be thought of as "morally acceptable" or as in possession of positive values, "lame" could suggest dubious or unappealing approaches to life. I just mean that using gross had a bit of a character judgement attached. My understanding of lame people has always been that they are dull, socially unadept, and quite square, but not really bad.