A Visit to Beijing

aka: Where Ancient and Modern Collide
I'm 2 days into Beijing and I'm marveling at this transformed city. I thought Hong Kong was a chaotic blend of the old and new.. but it has nothing on Beijing.

While here I've visited both the Ancient and the Modern. The Forbidden City and the Great Wall humbled me with their majestic scale and history. But tears welled up in my eyes when I came upon the National Stadium(aka Birds Nest) and all the new history it had made in such a brief amount of time. It is a tremendous site to see up close; it's the 2nd building I have ever seen that has brought tears to my eyes. (The Disney Concert Hall being the First.). Perhaps it seems silly to cry at the site of a building. But visionary architecture can do that, it can soar above just steel girders and right angles to be glorious and full of hopes and dreams.


And one wouldn't think I would find it here, in the Communist Motherland. Where men(and women) spit freely and pick their noses with matching aplomb. But there's the juxtaposition. I fear using the toilet while away from my Ikea-like hotel because squatting is just not in my DNA(is there ever enough Purell??). But it seems this damn city is wired and I can surf the internet wherever I wish. The Great Wall warns against cellphone usage during thunderstorms; and I still find stewed dogmeat on the menu.

I reckon there are some things technology still can't do.....

Greetings from Asia

Greetings from Hong Kong!
It's been just 5 days here and there's a part of me thats already a tad homesick. Pathetic, right?
5-star hotel, room service, and a 3-hr massage and facial treatment. What more could a girl ask for? I think it's just the fatigue talking. It's been a full work week on top of jetlag.

I'm off to Beijing in the AM for Holiday. At which time I'm hoping to catch on me, and you of course!
In the meantime, this little doodah has been giving me laughs non-stop. Enjoy!

Edit:
Video can no longer be embedded. You know, copywrite and all that stuff.
But here's the link, it's classic.

God Bless America

I still can't believe it. I'm numb. Can it be true?
This is not just another presidential election. This is a remarkable, transformational night.

Tonight. Tonight. Tonight we are truly the greatest nation on this planet.

Vote Early and Vote Often!

It's so exciting to see Election Fever taking over this country! I believe its high time that Americans actually vote for something other than the nex American Idol or their favorite episode of Seinfeld. It warms the heart to see Americans care again.

Although its thoroughly depressing to read the vile tactics that people are using to keep Dems at home from voting.

If ever there were people who hate America and work at its downfall, its the c@cksuckers that printed these flyers out and had them distributed. I know, I said c@cksucker. That's enough to throw me out of a baseball game, but that's how infuriated I am!!

**Edit: "State elections officials have identified the person responsible for a phony election flier that told Republicans to vote on Tuesday and Democrats to vote a day later.

State Board of Elections Secretary Nancy Rodrigues said Monday the flier bearing the Virginia seal and the elections board logo was a joke that got out of control. The flier was distributed early last week across Hampton Roads. State police confirmed it also was distributed by e-mail.

State officials declined to name the person who created the flier or a second person who began distributing it.

While distribution of false information to voters is a misdemeanor, state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller says no charges would be filed."

OMGWTFBBQ. Heads should roll. Of course, wait till we find out this was perpetrated by a 13-year-old...

Some other last minute election thoughts of note.....

• Everyone voting electronically... doublecheck your votes!!!! Early voters are reporting that votes are not being registered correctly.
  
• Report any and all f^ckery being perpetrated in not allowing you to vote. Record it, blog it, email to the Liberal, Gotcha Media (especially to my news hunk Anderson Cooper at AC360).
  
• If in Cali, vote No on Prop 8! Lest you forget, anti-miscegenation laws were not repealed in California in 1948! That's right, it was illegal 60 years ago for Whites to marry Asians. My ass would've been in jail. State law was finally overturned by state judiciary in the Supreme Court of California. And yes, if there was a vote, I bet you more than 61% of the state would've said keep marriage status quo between Whites only. Please let such dark days of bigotry and fear be bygones.
  
• Electronic voting reeks of potential tampering. If they can hack into the FBI database, they can tamper with an election! I say the country stays with the "times up, pencil's down" method.
• Why on earth is Election Day not a National Holiday??!!! For god's sake we need to address this antiquated voting day that's been around since the Farmin' Days!!!
• Get out there kids and perform your civic duty, flex your right, your PRIVILEGE to vote!!
• Ladies, 100 years ago we weren't allowed to vote!! Let's do it for Susan B Anthony, $1 coin styleee!!

No doubt I'll be back with Post-Election reaction. Until then, read some Thomas Friedman.
Be Well America. Go Vote.