To Be Calimquim

Here’s a comment Tiger Woods made to the AP after two of the top golfers, Zach Johnson and Phil Mickelson, withdrew from the Memorial Tournament going on at Dublin, Ohio:

“You’ve got two marquee players, the Masters champion and, obviously, Phil being the second-best player in the world,” Woods said. “It’s too bad for the tournament.”

Talk about rubbing salt in Phil’s wound. Phil withdrew due to an injured wrist, incurred after playing 11 holes.  It is a fact that Tiger is ranked #1 and Lefty is ranked #2, but could the greatest golfer whoever lived show some humility? Oh well, this keeps the Tiger vs. Lefty saga all the more intriguing.

These are some photos of the Shangri-La Hotel that I stayed in Suzhou during April 2007. This was one of the Horizon Club suites on the 40th floor. Some of the benefits of being on a Horizon Club floor: free high-speed internet connection; complimentary buffet breakfast in the Horizon Club lounge located on the 48th floor; club floor check-in/check-out; free-suit pressing and shoe-shine service; free daily newspaper and fruits, etc.

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Well, I was supposed to get the Blackberry 8830 at the Verizon Wireless store in Chicago today, but I found out a few things from the sales representative there:

• Although the BB 8830 has a slot for a SIM card, you only need to use the SIM Card to utilize the “world phone” capabilities like making/receiving phone calls and sending/receiving e-mails while you are in another country.  If you are in the USA, the SIM card is not required.  The one time cost of the SIM card is around $40.
• Another catch is that the phone is locked, meaning that you cannot use another SIM from another mobile carrier either from USA or an international carrier.   This is a bummer because when I do go to China, I use a SIM card from China Mobile, so the local phone calls are about $0.05/minute.  If I use the VZW Sim Card, the phone calls will cost about $0.60/minute.  Whoa!
• Furthermore, in order to use the “world phone” in another country aside from the USA, you will need to pay an additional $14/month for the international phone + e-mail service.   This is on top of the unlimited data service that I’m already paying for, which is $30/month.

So now I’m debating whether or not to get the BB 8830 now, or just wait until November of this year when my 2-year anniversary with my current Treo 700w is up.  If I wait, I can get an additional $100 off the phone price, from their “New Every 2” plan.  Right now, the retail phone price of the BB 8830 is $399, and there is current mail-in rebate promotion of $100 off.

So you want to start a weblog?  Or blog, for short, for those who’ve already taken the plunge 😉 .  Well for you first-timers, you are best going off to those blogging sites that have everything already setup for you.  Free sites such as WordPress, TypePad, Blogger, LiveJournal, Xanga, MySpace, Facebook, etc., are excellent starting points for blogging newbies.

However, the limitations of those free sites are customization and blog filespace allowed.  Although, most have different templates to change the look of your blog, basically, you are stuck with the 20 or so templates that the millions of other users are utilizing for their blog.  Also, you are limited to how many photos, posts, comments, etc., that you blog site can have.  If you plan to use your blog often, upload many photos, and have frequent visitors, then you are better suited to have a self-hosted blog, which means buying your own web-hosting service and then uploading the blogging software to your site.  In most cases, the web-hosting that you do end up with, will have their own blogging software already installed.

For my site, I’ve purchased web-hosing on Aplus.  They do include their own blogging software, but I prefer to more user-friendly, WordPress.  Installation of WordPress on my site was very simple.  Go here to view the Famous 5-Minute Install.

I’ve traveled to China over 30 times in the past 10 years, so I’m a seasoned travel veteran. These are my Top Ten China Travel Tips to help you have some peace of mind when you are traveling to the most populous country in the world!

(Tip #10) Bring your travel charger and ethernet cable. Even though most hotels carry them, most will charge you an extra fee per day usage. It is better to bring your own and save the money. Also, make sure you get the adapter to fit Chinese outlets, which have three-prongs, in the shape of a triangle.

(Tip #9) Bring your own US medications. Even though you try to avoid it at all costs, some Chinese food might get you sick. In that case, make sure you have handy your anti-diarrhea pills, like Immodium and Pepto-Bismol. Also in case you catch a cold or flu, don’t forget cold/flu medicine like Tylenol and Claritin-D.

(Tip #8) When shopping for higher-end and more expensive items, always bring an English/Chinese interpreter. In department stores, price negotiation is not an option. However, privately-owned shops do have some wiggle-room on pricing on the goods they are selling. As a general rule, if you are foreign English-speaker you will pay more for an item than a local Chinese-speaker. Therefore, let the Chinese-speaker begin the negotiation on the expensive item that you want.

(Tip #7) Learn some basic Chinese phrases and learn some ettiquette when eating at Chinese restaurants, especially during business lunches and dinners. In most of your encounters in China (i. e. airport, hotel, etc.), most Chinese speak good English, but there are few important phrases you should learn in Chinese, such as “Where are the restrooms?”, “I need a taxi.”, “Thank you.”, “You’re welcome.”, etc. Also, when meeting with Chinese business people for lunch or dinner, be sure to learn the proper way to use chopsticks and also the other nuances of presenting yourself during a Chinese meal.

(Tip #6) Be a tourist, but don’t “act” like a tourist. Treat areas you visit with respect. Most ancient sites have been around for thousands of year and even though you may see trash around, this doesn’t give you reason to litter also. Another thing, most Chinese are friendly and welcome foreign tourists with open arms, but be very cautious of those few bad apples that may take advantage of you because you are a tourist. Watch your belongings carefully, especially if you have an expensive camera hanging around your neck or a cell phone clipped to your belt. Pick-pockets are ever-present.

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