My blog

Label... Category... Standard Entry Video Information Press Release Event News

• SAVE INFANT LIVES!!!!!!!!

  Saturday, Aug 30, 2008 3:48AM / Standard Entry / Members only

  hey everyone! i good friend of mine has helped to develop an awesome technology/product that allows baby incubators to be made and run for about US$25 dollars instead of the current industry standard US$20,000. that means millions of premature babies in developing countries and 3rd world nations who normally can not afford incubators for their premature babies now have a chance to save millions of lives. PLEASE REGISTER AND HELP BY NOMINATED THE EMBRACE PROJECT as instructed below.
  
  

  Embrace aims to save the 20 million low birth weight and premature babies born each year in developing countries through a low cost infant incubator.  While traditional incubators cost up to $20,000, Embrace is an innovative device that costs less than $25 and requires no electricity.  One of the U.N. millennium development goals is to drastically reduce infant mortality; Embrace is a disruptive technology that will help to achieve this goal.  You can find out more about Embrace at www.embraceglobal.org.  

   

  Please Help Embrace Compete in The Members Project for up to $1.5 Million in Funding!

  Please help Embrace by nominating us for American Express' Members Project 2008.  The top five projects will share $1.5 million in funding based on the total number of votes.  Please vote by September 1^st! 

  Here's what you can do:

  1)     Follow the link to our project (http://www.membersproject.com/project/view/AGAYRZ

  2)     Click on "Nominate this Project"

  3)     Login as an American Express Card Member, or sign up as a guest member. **You do not need to be an American Express Cardholder to participate**

  4)     Then click "Nominate this Project" again

  Nominations close September 1st.   Please spread this around to everyone you know!!!

  Thanks for your help!

  
  

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• DAE HAN MIN GUK!!!!!

  Saturday, Aug 23, 2008 11:04AM / Standard Entry / Members only

  ok, i admit it. i always get caught up in Olympic fever. i can't help it. i trained for 7 years trying to make it to the Olympics for Taekwondo, so i understand the athletes' discipline, sacrifice, stress, pride and emotional investment. i still get teary-eyed at medal ceremonies.
  
  that said, i also get very nationalistic whenever it comes to the Olympics. i can't help that either. i'm Korean. it's in our blood to be intense and to be proud. that's why i was so crazy happy when i watched Korea beat Japan in the men's baseball prelims last week and then again yesterday in the semi-finals. Korea, the only team still undefeated (8-0), advances to play Cuba (who they beat last week 7-4) for the gold tonight! Korea came in an underdog and have willed their way to the finals with an unbelieveable undefeated record.
  
  you know what i'll be doing tonight. DAEHANMINGUK!!!!!
  
  
  

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• Beijing's Loss, My Gain

  Friday, Aug 22, 2008 1:14PM / Standard Entry / Members only

  so i just got back from a few days in Beijing at the Olympics. i wasn't originally gonna go because i didnt have faith in Beijing's ability to manage crowds, tourists, transportation, infrastructure, safety, etc. for any one of us who's ever lived/worked in Beijing, we know that Beijing has trouble running on a normal day, let alone a huge event like the Olympics.
  
  i'm not a China hater - hello, i live in China! but i do have to call things as i see them. in fact, i was living in Beijing when China won the bid for 2008 and i was excited, proud and just as happy as any of the hundred or so overly talkative cab drivers i had conversations with about the Olympics in China; but i'd be lying if i said i wasn't also a bit worried. sure enough, China's set themselves up for a lot of dissapointment and have delivered just that - here's why:
  
  1. VISAS: from the onset, China shot itself in the foot by creating ridiculous, new rules and regulations about visas and foreign tourists;
  2. HURTING LOCAL BUSINESS: i have about 3 dozen friends who's restaurants, bars and clubs have been shut down. in addition to a very selective targeting for foreign owned businesses, even many of my local friends were forced to shut down for the entire month of August. The one's who've managed to keep open are not doing nearly as well as they hoped and have had to pay dearly (bribe after bribe after bribe) to stay open. almost all of them have said it's not worth it. hotels are still very vacant and have dropped their rates to no avail. most of my club owner friends tell me they were doing better before the Olympics then they are now;
  3. TOTALITARIAN BULLYING: only in China do bus loads with hordes of police come to ship people off out of the city to "clean" it up. they did it with bicycles and they did it with people. they literally bussed tens of thousands off to the boonies to get rid of any "unsightly" people during the Olympics. they did a similar thing during the Special Olympics a while back when they cleared the streets of all homeless, vagrants, beggars, etc. they've cleared Beijing of all Wigurs and aren't letting them back into Beijing until after the Olympics.
  4. EMPTY STADIUMS: most of the events i went to were almost half empty. we're not talking obscure sports like Shooting, but even Weightlifting, Tennis, Basketball, Boxing, Baseball, etc. i've been to 5 Olympics and have never seen so many empty seats. as a former competitive athlete, i can tell you first hand that it makes a difference, that crowds and fans and support so make you try harder, give you that extra lift and the boost you need - and it makes you feel damn special. it's gotta suck for the athletes to be competing at what is for most of them, the peak of their career, in half empty stadiums and arenas.
  5. FUCK FOREIGNERS: this is the attitude the government has taken during the games. not only were they intentionally making it ridiculously difficult for foreigners to come to the games, even after then got there, police were making random checks on the street for foreigners and shipping them off if they didnt have their passports and events tickets to prove they were there "legitimately". i've know of 3 people who were deported and have heard dozens more reports of similar incidents. it also doesn't help that random foreigners have been attacked and even killed during the Olympics.
  
  so why is it like this? well, most dont know this, but i spent my first 4+ years in China doing political and economic research and consulting for Fortune 500s and even the China govt. the reason? i can clearly and honestly state, in my humble opinion, that the 2008 Beijing Olympics are not for anyone except the Chinese. China doesnt care about anyone else, nor do they give a rat's ass about what others/foreigners think. China would rather have a mediocre (in the world's eyes) Olympics with lots of bad press without any huge fuck ups (woops, too late), rather then set themselves up for high expectations and not be able to meet them. by making things difficult from the start, they limit the tourism, limit foreign coverage, limit foreign participation and involvement and most importantly limit their liability. they save face...or at least some.
  
  In Beijing's and the rest of China's eyes, the 2008 Beijing Olympics are a huge, phenominal, uncontested, auspiciously, heavenly success. why? because, China's got the most GOLD! dont believe me? why else would Hu Jin Tao say to Liu Xiang "if you don't bring home the gold for China [in the Men's 100m hurdle], all of this (Olympics) and your career will be pointless". it's not about bringing countries, people, athletes, cultures together - it's about brining home the GOLD! i haven't heard a single Mainlander say anything congratulatory to any of the China athletes that won silver or bronze instead of gold. rather, i keep hearing how they have disgraced China, they should be ashamed, how can they consider themselves professional athletes, how they've let their country and people down. ouch.
  
  Sorry, China's let the world down. China really had the opportunity to showcase themselves in the world spotlight as a visionary, modern, progressive and developing country. instead, they remind us old China hands why we still have expressions like "T.I.C. = THIS IS CHINA"
  
  that said, i was able to benefit from all of China's selfishness. Beijing's cleaner than it's ever been ever! the streets are clean, people aren't spitting as much, the sky is clear, the weather is good (thanks to China's ability to manipulate weather and make it rain), the streets are empty, there are plenty of cabs, and i can get a table at any restaurant, bar, club (the ones that are open) any time without having to make advance reservations or make calls to people. i've been to 5 Olympics and this one is by far the easiest to get event tickets to. i did 9 events in 3 days! unbelievable. and i only paid for 1 of those tickets because there are so many tickets floating around. in fact, i'd have to pick and choose between events because i couldnt go to them all. i got to see Korea beat Japan in baseball (lost my voice for nearly 2 days), watched China win gold in weightlifting, USA men's basketball, sexy women's beach volleyball and their bikini cheer squads, boxing, athletics, and the men's and women's tennis finals! so i guess i have to thank the government for being so narrow-minded, zenophobic and selfish! Xie Xie Zhongguo!
  
  here are some pix:
  
  Korea wins over Japan 5:3 DAE-HAN-MIN-GUK!!!!!
  
  
  
  humina humina humina. those bikini girls are smoking hot!!!
  
  
  only RMB5 for a beer at all the events! (i had 12 on average at each event)
  
  
  USA's Williams sisters take the women's doubles gold in straight sets over Spain.
  
  
  Russia swept the women's finals! btw, the usher girls are all super hot!
  
  
  even empty seats at the Men's finals: Nadal (Spain) beat Gonzales (Chile) in straight sets
  
  
  Nadal is such a badass. no wonder he's now #1.
  
  
  

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• No pictures please!

  Tuesday, Aug 5, 2008 1:11PM / Standard Entry / Members only

  
  so Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Jason Kidd, Carmelo Anthony, Tayshaun Prince, Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Michael Redd who make up the TEAM USA men's basketball team, came to RACKS Shanghai to party last night.
  
  the arrangement i had with Nike and the NBA was that we would rope off a private VIP section for the players, the NBA and Nike, make sure the place was going off, filled with beautiful girls, good music, plenty of alcohol and a pumping atmosphere. all was good until the players were late at dinner and the natives started getting restless.
  
  "are they really coming?!"
  
  "they're probably not coming"
  
  "there's no way they're coming"
  
  "dude, they're not coming"
  
  and then.....
  
  "holy shit, there's Lebron"
  
  "he's fucking huge"
  
  "oh my god, it's Kobe! he's actually here"
  
  "yo Kobe! yo Melo!"
  
  the players were actually in a foul mood when they arrived because the SUVs they hired couldn't fit in the underground parking lot. they had to get out of the cars and walk a bit. they also had to take the cargo lift in the back so they were not in high spirits when they came in. on top of that, ppl were going crazy, pushing, shoving, grabbing, taking pictures and gawking as they entered.
  
  it took about 30 minutes of us pushing back the crowds, kicking people out of the vip area and making room for the players to shoot pool, to get the players relaxed and having fun. the cheerleaders helped. after that, the champagne, vodka, tequila, beer were flowing. we turned those frowns upsidedown.
  
  fyi - NBA players can not shoot pool! i think they are actually physically handicapped in this respect. they are actually too tall to be able to shoot well....on the table! most of the guys' waists are about a foot above the pool table so in order to shoot they have to crouch or bend over beyond 90 degrees!
  
  they were all really nice, polite, respectful and down to earth. i drank with Lebron - he was holding a 6 liter bottle of Grey Goose and i was holding a regular 750cl bottle. proportionally, it was about the same!
  
  all in all, it was a great night and everyone seemed to have a great time. the only drawback - no pictures, no autographs. i think everyone can empathize though. i wouldn't want to be constantly hounded for autographs and pictures by hordes of fans either. what are you kidding me?!?!?! of course i would! but seriously, too bad the only proof that it all happened are the 800 hundred people at Racks who witnessed me drinking with Lebron.
  
  

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• sometimes.....

  Tuesday, Jul 29, 2008 2:50AM / Standard Entry / Members only

  
  Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo9buo9Mtos
  

  
  you know, sometimes you hear things over and over and again and you try to convince yourself that that is the way it's supposed to be - that it's true; that it must be true; that it must be right. well, sometimes it just aint so.
  
  i know we're not supposed to "fight" because it is barbaric. i know we're not supposed to "fight" because there are always "better" ways to resolve an issue. i know we're not supposed to "fight" because violence is "wrong" and it doesn't solve anything. well, you know what? fuck it. sometimes you just plain simply need to kick some ass. violence doesn't always solve the problem, but sometimes... it does.
  
  i actually learned this many many years ago in the third grade, but somehow society managed to convince me otherwise. case in point: when i was in second grade, there was a class bully named Marcos. he used to pick on all the kids for no good reason. he'd steal, hit, intimidate and beat up kids for fun. one day i got fed up with Marcos and when he tried to push me off the monkey bars on the playground, i stood my ground. i told him to leave me alone. he didn't and when he tried to hit me, i twisted his arm around, dislocated his shoulder, punched his 2 front teeth out and made him cry like so many of the kids that he had made cry in his already extensive bully career. he stopped bullying kids. i think i did the right thing. of course, my parents were called in for a teacher-parent conference, i was suspended from school for a week and i was forced to write an apology letter to Marcos and his family for resorting to violence and hurting him. i in turn, asked that Marcos write letters to all the kids that he had hurt over the years, but i was sternly told by my elders that "two wrongs dont make a right". correction, sometimes 1 wrong can make a right.
  
  so i've resolved to go back to my third grade instincts and do what i feel is right. unfortunately some people will only learn when forcably taught a lesson. sometimes you just need to kick a little ass. this doesn't mean that violence will be my only solution to everything. but it does mean that it's in my arsenal of solutions to problems. lesson to be learned - dont be a dickhead unless you're ready to risk being on the receiving end of consequences.
  
  
  

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