Do Not Watch This Video

Do not watch this video if you are easily offended by nudity, sex, and the abnormal

Lisa and Architecture for Humanity

Lisa took two weeks off vacation time from work to volunteer for Architecture for Humanity to rebuild New Orleans. Some beautiful and haunting thoughts from the pimpmaster herself:

i think i'm really considering leaving neworleans early
it's really depressing here
not the people
but the place
so much time
so little done
and individuals do what individuals can
but top down action hasn't been had
and the monied riches riffle for more
so the individuals do what individuals can
while the masses move their mountain abodes
closer to the water's edge
it's sad and depressing here
and i don't think i can take much more

Don't leave! We'd be lost without folks like you who actually take the time to mend this earth. Mad props from the motherland.

Shots of Apple Vinegar

Running against your friends on the new Nikeplus website is probably not a good idea when a.) you have negative caloric intake and b.) most of the running you've been doing lately has been to the toilet.

That said, I've been eating nothing but jook, saltine crackas, salty plums, more jook, and two-second shots of apple cider vinegar. Alvin would be so proud.

Biggest Tropical Storm to Hit Shanghai in 10 Years

It's called Wipha and it plans to say hello to Shanghai with 155+mph winds in t minus one hour. Camera batteries are being charged NOW.

Crappy Turned Good Day Compliments of Pho

Buddha once said that the purpose of life is to end suffering, and that humans suffer because we continually strive after things that do not give lasting happiness. Well I say the purpose of life is to find really bomb restaurants that are two blocks away from my house that serve a fantasy-inducing bowl of pho for less than 32 kwai.

The timing couldn't have been better: I was going through what my brother coined a dai-jeh pseudo-bipoplar mood swing today, and was in serious need of a dose of uninterrupted comfort. Staring up at Temple Saigon on Huaihai and Huashan, I calculated that I've taken far more treacherous risks than eating at uncharted establishments. So, I sat down in the unusually open and comfortable dining hall and quickly ordered the rare beef pho soup, secretly crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. When my food appeared twenty minutes later with lime and Rooster Hot Sauce following close behind, I knew it was ON. A tongue-burning sip of the soup confirmed my suspicions: here lies my little private portal to bliss.

There's no magic formula for days like these, where you feel like last man on earth and your sixth sense tells you eternity is patiently waiting for you. Perhaps the gods heard me crying, for it was with this bowl of noodles that I came to terms with today's mundane existence. (key dramatic cinematic music) It almost even atones for the Nation of Idiots I've been dealt recently (yours truly being the most notorious of them). By the time I cleaned out the contents of the dish I was already mapping out the coursework for my next visit. A little voice started to remind me of the day's divine bleakness but my happy tastebuds quickly bitch-slapped them back into submission. As for Buddha's warning of ephemeral happiness? The restaurant is open seven days a week.

My Local Chinese Neighborhood

Just a glimpse of my daily surroundings here in Shanghai.