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China, technology & everything inbetween



Inception Timeline Visualisation (Sep 5)
Last night I finally saw Inception in the cinema (it only came out this week in China). Like most people I was blow away by the ingenious complexity of the dream-within-a-dream-within-a-dream storyline and immediately sat down with a pen and paper to try to work it all out. Below is my attempt to visualise the [...] Other possibly related posts you might enjoy:Online Marketing Have you ever clicked on an online ad purposefully? I...


Twenty Six (Sep 2)
I turned twenty-six a couple of weeks ago and find myself at a bit of a crossroads – as the saying goes, every beginning has an end and every end is a new beginning, but it’s not always clear which way to turn when faced with life-changing decisions. I don’t usually get introspective here but [...] Other possibly related posts you might enjoy:CNY2006 This year there were some fairly substantial celebrations organised for... Things That Interest Me To get a sense of what you want to do... Tubular Mish-Mash Excuse the lack of updates again, life is squeezing every...


Match Night Intestines (Aug 27)
This story is a leftover from my previous trip to South Korea two months ago. The date was June 17th 2010 and on the streets of Seoul world cup fever was in the air. For Korean fans the night was not simply about soccer; it was also wrapped up in a sense of national pride, identity, and [...] Other possibly related posts you might enjoy:Shida Night Market Taipei is famous for its numerous night markets dotted throughout the city... Oblivion I’ve been back up in Durham for the past few... Ximending Night Market Another day, another night market in Taipei, this time Ximending in...


Shanghai Apple Store (Aug 23)
The weekend before last I paid a short pilgrimage to the new Apple Store in Pudong, Shanghai. It’s Apples second store on the mainland (the other is in Beijing) and as with many of its other stores the facade sports a cylindrical glass entrance with glass stairs which lead down to the brightly lit subterranean [...] Other possibly related posts you might enjoy:Up North After a fairly eventless train journey yesterday I’m now back... Apple If you follow techy type news then you’ll have undoubtedly... Apple Farm Cafe in Wonju A friend of mine has recently opened a quaint cafe...


Le Royal Méridien Presidential Suite (Aug 19)
Sometimes in life you have to pinch yourself to check what you’re experiencing is real. I had one such moment last weekend when I had the chance to visit the Presidential Suite of Le Royal Meridien in Shanghai. It just so happened to coincide with my birthday so was a pretty special occasion. Read on [...] Other possibly related posts you might enjoy:WET @ W Hong Kong Last week I continued my quest to stay at the... Shanghai Jinmao Tower Shanghai is well known for its dizzying array of skyscrapers... Hotel Éclat – Taipei Last weekend I took a short trip to Taiwan, a...


Hong Kong Moments IV (Aug 16)
Given the number of times I’ve been to Hong Kong over the past two years to show friends around I’m pretty sure that I could be an official tour guide by now. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy going there but there’s a limit to how many time you want to visit the same [...] Other possibly related posts you might enjoy:Hong Kong Moments III Hong Kong is a mesmerizing city unlike any other. Each time I... More Hong Kong Moments An old friend from uni was in town last weekend... Hong Kong Moments Continuing on from my previous posts here’s a collection of...


A Field Guide To Typography (Aug 5)
I never knew there was an art to typographic design until one day one of my friends told me she had studied it (while simultaneously trashing the layout of something I had just made). This new world of serif, san-serif, ascenders, descenders, terminals, baselines and kerning fascinated me so I set out to try to educate myself on the subject. [...] Other possibly related posts you might enjoy:Tufte on iPhone Resolution Edward Tufte, undisputed master of information visualisation (described by The... Travel Guide Over the past few years I’ve been lucky enough to... Hitchhiker’s Guide If like me you’re a fan of the late Douglas...


WET @ W Hong Kong (Aug 4)
Last week I continued my quest to stay at the worlds most amazing hotels for free with a visit to the W in Hong Kong (for previous escapades see W Seoul, Park Hyatt Shanghai, and Hotel Éclat Taipei). The hotel is located alongside the relatively new Elements shopping mall in Kowloon right above the MTR station. The ground-level entrance [...] Other possibly related posts you might enjoy:Hong Kong Moments IV Given the number of times I’ve been to Hong Kong... Hong Kong Nights Hong Kong is a magical place, especially at night when... More Hong Kong Moments An old friend from uni was in town last weekend...


Seoul Streets: Samcheong-dong (Aug 2)
I spent my final few days in Seoul exploring a few areas I hadn’t been to before. First up was Samcheong-dong (삼청동) which lies north of Insadong and east of Gyeongbokgung Palace. The hilly neighborhood is characterized by numerous small art galleries, coffee shops, and many beautiful old residential houses. You can reach Samcheong-dong by [...] Other possibly related posts you might enjoy:Seoul Streets: Happy Feet Each time I go travelling my feet clock up a... Seoul Streets: Neon Fantasy Walking along the streets of Seoul can sometimes feel a... Sadako on Seoul Subway So I was sitting on the subway in Seoul early...


Finding Serenity in Sokcho (Jul 23)
Sokcho (속초) is a small city on the north-east coast of South Korea along the 38th Parallel, in close proximity to North Korea. While the city in itself doesn’t have much to attract visitors (think 1970′s grey apartment blocks) the nearby Seoraksan National Park (설악산) is renowned for being one of the most beautiful in the country. [...] Other possibly related posts you might enjoy:Rain Rain Go Away It’s been a busy few days in Korea… many interesting... South Korea In case anyone’s wondering where I am, I’m currently in... Jackie’s Kitchen So it turns out the Jackie Chan, the venerable Hong...