I been getting really good feedback for my blog. I appreciate all the old friends, who keep updated with this blog. I will probably turn off the update email notice function for a few weeks, for my own reflections, and turn it back on when I have a life update I feel important enough to share. Most of the time, it’s just my own ramblings.

Today: Watching, Discovery Channel’s Travel and Living "Vacation Homes" show, I came across a concept similiar to what I’ve looking at/working on/and testing out. www.ModuFab.net (Site still under construction)

This one is a vacation home kit designed by Rocio Romero and put up on a great green area in Missuri. Real Nice y’all.

Anyways, it’s modernist prefab, which means the design comes with the material kit with instructions on assembly, but assembles like a loft, has green features, floor to ceiling windows,  and costs about 30K USD. When done it’s suppose to cost about 100K without the land.

We are working on getting it down lower here in China (Including furnishing), with green features, seismic 8 proof, hurrianne 3 catagory tested, solar panels, zero energy, modernistic modular format that cost less than 30K, fits in a 40 feet container, and assembles in 50 days. The wiring and piping and furnishing may cost another 40 if you are not careful, but, that stuff also costs low amounts here.

Affordable modernist homes that assemble in 45 days and comes in a 40 feet container. Time to buy land!!!!

http://www.rocioromero.com

When did Marmol Radziner + Associates start planning a prefab product line?
MRP          
Ron Radziner, AIA and Leo Marmol, AIA
For nearly a decade the firm has been using prefabricated steel structures in our institutional projects, most notably in the LAX First Flight child care center and The Accelerated School in South Los Angeles. In both cases, prefab modules offered simple, quick and affordable solutions that still matched the modern aesthetic of the buildings.

Then in 2002, we were invited to be part of the Dwell Home competition, and for the first time we applied apply prefab technologies to a residential project. We were so enthusiastic about the potentials of prefab homes, that soon after we began designing a prefab prototype. Building the prototype, which we call the Desert House, helped us learn more about the realities of prefabricating homes, and the three models we currently offer are based on what we discovered with the Desert House.

fpf           MR+A has a reputation for high-end projects and attention to detail. Can you tell us how the values of your firm might be reflected in your new products?
MRP          
Marmol Radziner Prefab is a natural extension of our firm’s long-standing approach that combines design and construction to produce modern spaces that are designed and built with exacting detail. We are architects first and foremost, and we see construction and fabrication as the work that supports our designs because it allows us to bring the rigor that we used in designing a project and to apply it to the construction process. Because we fabricate and handle all aspects of our work, we are responsible for everything we build and can ensure a high level of detail and quality for the homes. Our custom site-built homes have always focused on indoor/outdoor living, and we have carried that ideal into our prefab homes as well. The material selection, open floor plans, and floor-to-ceiling windows all reinforce this modern ideal.

fpf         Design-build architecture firms seem well placed to undertake a prefab business. What advantages does MR+A have in entering this market?
MRP           As a design-build architecture firm, we have years of experience in designing buildings that are very suitable for construction, and at the same time, understanding how construction demands can strengthen our designs. We are skilled at dealing with the challenges that arise in the reality of building single family homes, and our in-house capabilities from our metal and cabinet shops directly translate to the fabrication of our prefab homes. From this past experience that specifically blends design and fabrication, we believe we can provide beautifully designed prefab homes with detail-oriented and efficient manufacturing capabilities.

fpf           Your homes use steel frame modules. What do you like about steel?
MRP          
Our steel-framed prefab homes are unique in both their strength and design since traditionally the house-building industry supports the construction of timber-framed homes. Steel-frame construction allows for superior durability both during transportation and over the lifetime of the house. In addition to structural strength, large structural spans give us more flexibility to facilitate seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces through features such as wide expanses of glass and airy floor plans. We also use recycled steel, which is a more sustainable building material than wood framing

fpf           Can you tell us about some of the other materials you have chosen and why?
MRP          
Many of the materials in our prefab houses are the same as what we use in our custom-built home and reflect a mix of practicality and beauty. The cabinetry is all teak and walnut, which we admire for its rich, natural colors, and the countertops are made from Caesarstone, which has high heat and scratch resistance. We have also taken care to use environmentally-sensitive materials in both the structures and interiors. For example, we offer the option to use solar panels as the energy supply for the houses, and we use EcoTimber flooring, which is FSC certified to ensure the wood is grown and harvested in a way that protects forests for the long term.

fpf         What can you tell us about the fabrication facility you are developing in Los Angeles? (WE HAVE OURS IN CHINA)
MRP          

Our factory occupies a 60,000 square foot space in Vernon, California, close to downtown Los Angeles. The building is large enough to accommodate three assembly lines of prefab modules, as well as to hold our cabinet, metal, and window shops. Our staff has the training and experience to complete all aspects of the fabrication, ranging from creating sheet metal flashings to welding structural steel, so we are able to centralized operations and oversee every stage of production.

fpf           What geographic markets will you be serving?
MRP           Our prefab models are pre-approved for use in California. Our goal is to secure pre-approvals in the majority of US states. At the moment, we can work with out-of-state potential homeowners in securing permits on a case-by-case basis.

fpf           Is MRP going to undertake all of the site work in addition to the fabrication of the modules, or will you be working with contractors?
MRP          
We have four installation options to help potential homeowners with securing permits, preparing the foundation, and installing the prefab modules. On one end of the spectrum, the homeowner can take care of everything, including delivery and installation, and on the other end, if the homeowner selects our Deluxe Installation Plan, we can care of essentially all technical and planning aspects involved in getting a prefab home. It is worth noting that Marmol Radziner Prefab homes are not a “kit of parts,” which still require the home to be assembled and constructed on site and often face the same issues of scheduling contractors and sub contractors as standard site-built homes. Our modules are entirely prefabricated in our factory, including preinstalled electrical circuits, plumbing and flooring, so they are delivered to the site move in ready.

Ours is still in development! But exciting. Developing our own mirrored modernistic design right now, based on all the good features of previous prefab designed fused with some Asian features and Zero Engergy Solar Panel features.

Just more rambling………… The feeling of winning can’t be bought.

To go through trial by fire, and walk away winning. It is a matter of expectation and relativity of expectations.

Winning in business, life, or sports. The little things in life even.

It’s not something to prove, or is it?   

A man judged by the number of times he wins, is someone who needs new friends/peers, or a chill pill. A man should only be judged by how he lives his life and treats others. But it’s not an easy thing to do.

The body is a funny thing. Feed it a little bit of team work, some pig skin, an afternoon running around on the grass, and the endophines kick in, and it’s a great feeling. Feel like you are 18 again. Until the kick dies, and you realize your knee hurts, and you are still 31. Reality.

Come to realize, starting businesses, is as much about gambling odds as it is about winning. Padding odds, as in creating advantages, and leveraging resourses.  not throw good money after bad? Diversify the bets, start more than one at the same time, and see which one takes off. Keep it simple. Does it always work? no. It just means, you can lose 3 x as much, so try to keep the investment low, so you can’t lose so much. Buy insurance where possible. Sports booker strategies apply.

Startups, is it about winning? about bank acct numbers? or about retiring early? or is it the process? It maybe all of that.

Most of the time, all the trials and tribulations, are forgotten when you win. But what happens when you lose? obviously getting up and trying again is the right answer, but it needs to be done for all the right reasons.   

Winning for winning sake is not the right reason. Watch "Two for the money"

But I guess you can’t really lose if you enjoy the process, of playing, of starting something or having accomplishing something.  It’s not about who has the upper hand, or who you know, or who you are seen with. Vanity, Face, and Ego are just excess baggage that inflates what is considered a win. Instead of breaking even, now you feel like you have to make 1 mil, party with the stars and have everyone kiss your ass.

The higher it gets inflated, the further one can fall and sadly it’s all in your head.

The only certainty is the rocking chair test. When you are 80, and sitting on a porch in a rocking chair. Will you be able to say, I have enjoyed living, and have regretted nothing,

because everything else is just hype.

I have been told that I seem to see through everything. Alot of times, I write this blog to formulate my own thoughts and priorities into words, as the mission statement on the business plan of my life. 

I wonder if it will change now that I am over the 30 hump. It would be interesting to look back and see if I have lived by my own creedo.

Wonderful Indi - Film by Alice Wu, Joan Chen, Michelle K, and Lynn Chen.  Produced by several producers including Will Smith. Alice Wu had tried for 4 years before being able to make her film.
Wonderful in it’s delivery, the film shows the interactions of 3 generations of main land Chinese. References to the revolution, & Shanghainess are spoken through out the film with each generations of characters having varying degrees of accents.

I am quite amazed by the subject matter of the film. Joan Chen a widow and pregnet mother at age 48, and Wil , a successful surgeon and Americanized young Chinese -American at age 28 with a girlfriend from a broken family. (Divorce at a young age). Naked love scene between Lynn and Michelle was tender yet loving. The cute couple that calls each other old dog fart and I love you in Shanghiness during the uproar @ the wedding, and MA commenting to Wil, that she should not tell her she loves her, and that she is gay in the same breath.

Although no strong Chinese males were portrayed other than the older generation, I think people would have gotten the wrong idea about the gay topic and asian males mixed into one plot. It’s a good thing Yao Ming is around. But certainly, there must be a movie with Asian males who are not gangsters, nerds, factory owners, red guard, accountant, kung fu master, software engineer, lab tech or restaurant waiter in flushing, who also do not speak hip hop ebonic English.   I guess this is better than,  the  dude in the most recent Deuce Biglow, European Giglo, who decides he wants to take his 3 inches somewhere else.
A chick flick? A Chinese culture merging with western culture flick? (Like My Big Fat Greek Wedding?) Perhapes. But it was definitely more entertaining than American Pie 4 Band Camp.

Last Saturday, we went to see the knock off show of Trump’s Apprentice in Shanghai.

During the week, my brother had come in to town for Dad’s 70′th B-day dinners, and that night we had done the DKD- Jean Paul Gaultier event for 15 minutes before Tom decided that he has had enough. It was an eventful weekend with an uneventful purpose. Dad’s big dinners with our company management and the family dinner aside, the rest of the activities during the weekend was just friends asking to go out. Friends that are pretty specific about bar rouge, guandi, and not peg or windows. People that consider themselves beautiful people or just more mature.

I just go where my friends are. To have to be seen is just alot of bull shit. The boys will put on another 9 events in the next 4 weeks. Peg will always have their thursday, Guandi, their Fridays, and Bar Rouge the Sat.  So, there is no hurry to get tired of them. Where else you gonna go?

I rather watch  West Wing @ home if the new episode downloaded. Maybe with some of the New York style pizza.

On Sat, during the afternoon, we had gone out to SH Physical Univ, to play with the students, the NFL was training as Flag football refs. It’s a whole different game trying to grab flags, but our 2 teams did fine. 20 x 30 year old guys running around with 100x  20 year olds. I pulled my hamstring again. Yes, I am that guy, now.

Fun, but need way more physical activity to combat aging. But I bought my cleats, running shoes, exercise ball, floor mat, and 2 bags @ Decathalone anyways. Pulling my hamstring is one thing, but not be equiped is completely unacceptable. ha ha.

Anyways, on Saturday, I gotta say, meeting with the YEO chapter heads of north asia and going to see the Apprentice Show taping (fake one) with Tony Lin, was the high light of the weekend’s activities. Started at 8pm, taping was slightly long, and was actually live, if you can believe that in China’s gov controlled airtime. Segments were pretapped during the week, but the studio portion seem to be live. Shooting was continuous for 4 days out of the week. They are doing episode #7 this week.

Our forum member, Jeff B, the head of Am-Cham for Shanghai is one of the judges for the show. Afterwards, @ Mesa we took the producer & contestants out for drinks and protended we knew lots about biz. The 2 bottles of Chevas helped the unsolicited advise giving.

Interesting enough their last task was doing an infomercial, and one of the teams won by 4 product units. Live rating through purchase tracking. I believe it came down to detail and minutia of the TV segment each did.  I dare say, I don’t know if we would have done better, if our group tried our hand at it.

Anyways, the night ended with me crawling home from the White party @ Bar Rouge, where I attempted to buy bottles, but justed ended up looking like I was sticking cash into my guy friends pockets. Then Berson bite my left chest, and iata again attempted to introduce me to guys I have known for a while. Why she doesn’t introduce me to women, I don’t know. Perhapes, I should try not to stick bills into guys breast pockets next time in front of her, and not have guys bite me @ a white party.

Anyways, woke up the next day to put Tom in the airport bus after Dim Sum lunch. He asked while eating what sort of staple micky mouse like to eat (Mi  Lao  Sui),  which is obviously Mi (rice), and what sort of snack Donald Duck likes (Tong Lao Ya) which is  Tong  (candy), and then  what did  superman like to do. (Cao Ren).   Mom didn’t get it.

Yes, he is 32, and I am 31. We still laughed, while our mom and pop shook their heads.

Brothers seldom change. 

Boys: Check out, the follow page. Talk about a collection? Where are these in Shanghai? even if most are jail bait.

http://www.friendster.com/friends.php?page=2&uid=20472105                  

A gal (Marianna from Garden Grove) edited this:

he’s not yours IF:
If you have to call him because he never calls you
If you have to ask your friends for advice about him
If you don’t know his best friends name
If you haven’t met his friends
If he makes you come to his house all the time
If he never goes out in public with you
If he never calls you back until after 9:00 PM
If he’d rather text you than call you.
If he says he has a lot of friends that are girls
If he never makes plans with you (just goes day by day)
If he gets uneasy when it gets late and you cant tell If he wants you to spend the night or get the fuck out and drive home)
If he says he already ate every time you ask him if he wants to go out and eat
If he’d rather take his dog for a walk then meet up with you

she’s not your girl:
If you’ve gone on at least 3 dates and she hasn’t made an effort to advance
If shes busy 6 out of the 7 days of the week(shes seeing someone else)
If she says your nice If she says your funny
If you remind her of her ex that cheated on her
If she only calls you when shes drunk
If shes an Internet girl
Hahaha I wish I knew of this sooner……

a guy should know about girls….
1. Whatever you do, don’t just show up at their house…they run around in their underwear too. (so true…)
2.
Don’t cheat on them. It may seem foolproof, but girls tell each other
everything about everything. Trust me, they WILL find out and you will
be mud.
3. Beware of every single male relative and all guy friends.
Any of them would kick your ass at the drop of a hat, and a lot of them
wouldn’t even wait for the damn hat.
4. Never miss an opportunity to tell them they’re beautiful.
5. Don’t refuse to kiss in front of your friends. If they laugh at you, it’s because they’re jealous.
6. If they slap you hard, you deserved it.
8. If you don’t sleep with them, do not tell your friends that you did.
9.If you DO sleep with them, don’t tell your friends that you did.
10.-13. Censored (Top Secret)
14. Every girl should
eventually get three things from her boyfriend- a stuffed animal, one
of his sweatshirts, and a really pretty ring. Even if it’s not a
serious relationship.
16. If a guy is bothering her, it is your right to kick the shit out of him.
19. Go to a chick flick once in a while. She doesn’t care whether you enjoy it or not, it just matters that you went.
22. Don’t be freaked out by PMS. It’s not gross, and it really does make them feel like shit, so be understanding.
23. If you don’t like the way they drive, you do it..
31. If you think the relationship isn’t going to last, don’t wait to find out. It will only hurt you more if you draw it out.
32.
After you’ve been dating for a while, realize that they really have
started to trust you. When you have a girlfriend who truly trusts you,
you have a lot more responsibility, priviledge and control than you
would think. Be careful with it, most guys would kill for that kind of
power, and it can be lost in a nanosecond

Read this, only if you have read Rich Dad/ Poor Dad.

I have never seen a game mimicing life or simplying life in financial terms this succinctly.

BTW: trying to download a Cashflow E-Game torrent, and looking for the cracked key on the net. However, the sites are all spy-bombs, that tells you they have the cracked key but just waiting for you to accept their spyware. No free lunch…….. most of the time.

In my previous posts, I have mentioned living simple and comfortable, which would be the same as being able to decrease "other spending, and loans" so that passive income = total expense as fast as possible. The guys who only had 1300 as total expense was able to win much faster than say an Air Line pilot who had 9500 as pay, but also 4900 as expenses.

Cashflow 202 is an expansion to Cashflow 101 that focuses on Technical
Investing including a simple system for options and short sales. The
expansion pack is a new set of four decks of cards and new player
sheets to handle the new investments possible. It is unplayable without
Cashflow 101.

Components:
Capital Gain Deal cards replace the Small Deal deck.
Cash Flow Deals replace the Big Deal deck.
A new deck of more punishing Doodad cards replaces the 101 Doodad cards.
42 Market cards replace the 101 Market deck.
Stock shorting envelopes for each player for the two major stocks
players can make short sales in. (Unfortunately with glue still on the
envelope flaps that people will invariably forget and lick shut.)

Major rule changes
Market Deck is now reshuffled after drawing 25 cards, removing the guarantee that all Market cards will be played.
Also, a new rule exists that attempts to fix how the Market deck was
under drawn with 2-4 players. Now landing in the Rat Race on either an
Opportunity or Market space causes you to draw both a Deal card (your
choice still large or small) and a Market card each time.
In the Fast Track, landing on a business you already own allows you to
franchise it. Pay the down payment, add an additional token, and
receive the additional cashflow listed on the board again.

Players not only start by filling out their sheet with a ?career? as
before, but also randomly draw a starting investment portfolio as well.

The game is definitely more chaotic and not as idiot-proof as Cashflow
101, and investments can be entirely wiped out. The game teaches
gambling theory and cash management. For instance, if a bet only wins 1
in 20 times, but pays off 50:1 when it does, this is a good bet. The
issue then is cash management through the losing cycle placing bets
steadily while waiting for the payoff.

     The Remote Control CEO
    

Stephen Mcdonnell insists
that he stays home four days a week because it’s good management–not
because it’s fun. The performance of his company, Applegate Farms,
seems to back him up. ….. …But they were also a bit in awe–not one of them had managed to retain
a controlling interest in their companies when they reached Applegate’s
size.

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20051001/remote-control.html 

     How to Run Your Company in Your Pajamas

1. Visibility

Make sure you and your management team see all key business data.
Assign responsibility for monitoring the data for accuracy and for
needed action. Build weekly and monthly meetings around data points as
a forum to discuss problems rather than micromanaging on the spot.

2. Replication

Hire and train management people who look at data and information
the way you do. Be relentless about instilling the precise way you want
every number, invoice, quote, e-mail, meeting, discussion handled.
These are your core operating principles.

3. Consciousness

Create a public forum for issues of the day and week to be posted–not
just for the CEO’s benefit but to expose all personnel to issues that
are affecting the business. This data can give great insight into
hidden stressors in the system.

4. Weekly meetings

Route issues into key weekly meetings with the core management team.
Jumping on issues instantly can inhibit the self-reliance the system
needs to develop. Unless it’s a true crisis, don’t micromanage the
situation by voice or e-mail. If you do, the team will always look to
you for a solution rather than looking within.

5. Park the ego

Be comfortable when the organization no longer needs its hand held
on a tactical level. This is a sign that you’ve built a strong system
and have the right team in place. It doesn’t mean they don’t need
you–it means they need you looking ahead.

So, I met up with Big R last night, at XTD,
and ran into Tito & parents,

Alton

and Joyce. By the time, we were done drinking, and celebrating

Alton

getting his firm off its feet, it was 3
black and soda, and 4 double Glenfiddich down the can. Elle’s office and

Alton

’s design office is in the same tall building, and
Joyce had offered to give

Alton

a tour of her floor. Elle magazine and it’s 8 other publications, seem to be
staffed with hot woman. (So she tells us.).

Seemed everyone was in a chill mode last night, so when I told Cortney that we
were out, the only thing he said, was to drop by Bar Rouge. Now here is how
small

Shanghai

is. I go to Bar rouge, and at least 4 of the poker guys are already there.

Anyways, I get introduced to Da Ge again. Da Ge has always been one of the
nicest guys with the weirdest digs. He apparently owns a couple of shopping
complex, big cars, has body guards, and has a portfolio of property in dev, and
is rumored to be part of the PLA, post de-commercialization. So, he tells me
that he doesn’t have a girl friend, is 42, and says that money is crap. He whispers
that he has 52 Yi, and really, he would only need to leave 100 million to his
kid, so the rest is just so unnecessary. Now, trying to get my numbers correct,
52 Yi, is 5,200,000,000. Regardless if it’s in USD or RMB, it’s still quite a
bit. Tells me that he is looking for love.

He seemed quite lonely, at times he would
gaze away and lose himself. Understandably, amassing 5.2 billion rmb at age 42,
is an achievement that few have gotten, but time and time again, I see this
loneliness in the eyes of people that have actually done it. It would be
interesting to find out how he got there, but only to find out how it’s
possible to get there, without becoming despondent and so alone. Perhaps the
resolve to get there, create an environment devoid of soul and spirituality. I truly
feel bad for those, that from day one, has already gotten it. Sometimes the
desire to achieve is just as fulfilling as the achievement. The process itself
is more rewarding than the actual rewards. On self reflection, I guess, setting
a goal at a self made personal wealth of 5-10 mil USD at retirement age of
45-55 is okay. A family and 2-3 month of vacation every year, and at least 10
good friends in my phone, that I can call at a moment notice. This would be
enough. Picking up an interest in cooking, and the arts, and having passive
revenue streams that pays daily expenditures, while facilitating this type of
lifestyle should be preventive medicine from losing one’s desires and soul.

Lifestyle? I was having this discussion
with

Alton

,
about living.

My family is moderately well off.

In the realm of Rich Dad and Poor Dad, my
family would actually be considered Poor Dad mentality, with Rich Dad type of
business. It’s weird. I guess it has to do with their upbringing. Conservative
entrepreneurs, and it has rubbed off on me. The reality for most people is
that, they are usually trying to make ends meet, but have a small saving. Or
they are leveraged, and still trying to make ends meet. The more liquid your
assets are, the more investment risk you take on. The more investment risk you
take on, the easier it is to lose your pot. It’s harder to lose a property,
than on stock. Stock works on cash, while property works on financing. One
feeds a mortgage or loan, like you would a savings account. In poker terms,
checking all the time, not wasting ante, and playing your cards only when you
have the nut is the same way fiancé should be managed.

Low key people their types are called, that
live a low profile existence. They do not speak of living low profile, simply
that they live comfortable, it’s not something you try to reach, you just do. My
dad have problems buying anything that cost over 10 USD unless it’s for
business. My mom on the other hand, will take the bus if she can, irregardless
of taxi, or our own cars, but seem not to have a problem buying land on
speculation. I can’t say they are sophisticated investors, just lucky ones. Even
the most recent 4 year property boom in

China

, has only been taken advantage
of from my urging. They live below their means, but comfortable, and take few
risks. Dad and Mom would never feel comfortable at Bar Rouge or a French
restaurant. Dad (who officially turns 70 in a couple of days) periodically
calls to ask me if I want to go to Burger King or get a Pizza.

I remember, giving my mom an invitation to
Gucci. She was excited to go, like any girl going to a big ball. (I am sure,
that this was what she had in her head, because she asked me if there was
dancing) But once she got there, she seemed shy and a bit out of place. It was
a weird realization that this is not the environment that she naturally belonged
to, the shishy, luxury, pretend world of what is considered high society. She
is much happier talking to her kids and friends, holding babies and doing
interior decoration on homes. She likes being a mom, it makes her smile.

I love them, my parents are so cute.

I later came to realize my upbringing was the
reasons why the PR biz was fun, but got old very quickly. It wasn’t satisfying.
In fact my satisfaction came more from working with my team, than becoming
successful.

On a separate example.

I recently met 2 gentleman from the

Midwest

. The man quietly explained, that once you built a
power plant, there is no upside or downside, it has a life of it’s own. The
interesting part is that they used the excess heat from the power plant and the
excess farm land that they had to purchase to grow tomatoes in green houses. Because
the produce was grown in green houses, it was non seasonal, and fetched a great
dollar during off seasons. He told me this story, as they are about to look for
coal bed methane extraction rights. Without blinking, he simply said, this was
the business they were in, and really didn’t know how to do anything else. Just
to put this in prospective, gas rights are anywhere between 10-100 million to
buy and yield in multiples of that. This was a 50 year old gentleman, wearing
simple but neat clothing, confident, modest and almost without ego, explaining
his “simple” business. The words “good people”, comes to mind immediately. The
sophistication of what they do is undeniable, yet the word simplicity comes to
mind, when thinking of these gentlemen.  

You come to realize that THESE are the men
that made money, and quietly supported their family and the community. They pay
their taxes, and after a certain amount of property purchases, conservative
investments, and cash savings, lived quietly, like regular income people.

One of the partners bikes to work, because
he liked to, and although he lived well below his means, and worked out of his
basement, he lived the way he wanted to. Would one want to be a slave to making
money to support a pretense of the music video lifestyle image, or would one
simply enjoy life’s pleasures, most of which, can not be bought anyways?

Is it the small town environment that made
these people the way they are? Is it the upbringing? Or was it a realization
embraced once someone have reached a certain amount of savings?

Reflecting internally, what would be My
comfortable balance?

I think, I actually wouldn’t mind flying a
plane, but I would never buy one. In fact, I would love to fish, but probably
don’t want to keep a boat, unless it made economic sense. (Not social sense,
mind you, economic sense) A big open comfortable living room with a view would
make economic sense, and actually a basketball gym, would be great usage of space,
rather than a massive garage with multiple bling vehicles.

Balance, and what one is looking for in
life. The smoke and mirror of the flash, the jaded ego, the chip on the
shoulder? Or down to earth sincerity and true caring? I guess, maybe that’s why
people of

Xiamen

were more agreeable to me, than
in

Shanghai

. The
pretense is lower, the ego is smaller, and the level of sincerity is so much
higher, it seems.

It’s in the environment devoid of soul,
that someone like Da Ge would seem alone. He spoke as if he has already done
everything, and seemed bored.

I think I would rather be at a comfortable existence
holding on to 1-2 million, instead of 200, if the trade off was to be in a spiritual
void.

The right partner with the right mentality
about money, principal, spirituality and the sincere down to earth personality,
would be key to living and sharing this existence.

The path seems to be clear at this point.
No?

So, my last blog post left the question of "where the cool girls are unanswered."

Apparently, there are outside of Shanghai, in booming town/cities.

Henry, calls me on Friday while I was out visiting work sites and clients in Suzhou and tells me to get on a plane. The last time this happened, I was told to get my ass on a plane to BJ for a all night rager. A car would be there to pick me up at the airport, and a 4 he yuan was rented. I was not able to make that one, unfortunately.

So, when Henry called, I made my decision, bought an e-tix and got on the plane at 6:50pm to arrive in Xiamen at 8:40. Check into this nice hotel for half price, and proceed to go to a Birthday Party @ KK. Henry gets flagged down by a hottie named Angel even before we leave the Hotel front. We made it to the Club to meet the B-Day Gal, She had brought friends and her entire modeling company out. Male and Female 6 feet tall, beatuiful people getting plastered. Jacky and Jim, the boys with the rides shows up, and Henry buys 4 more bottles to Zhi Sua’s 5.  Yeah, the beautiful bday girl was paying for the entire group.

The different groups of friends were down to earth, happy, nice, and good people. Quite a number were more than a bit hot. Henry gets completely plastered, and eventually gets dragged out of KK by Angel to go to another DJ party.

Like a rock star, I watched as he flirted his ass off, gets wasted, get in the car with hottie Angel and her girl friends, and meet up with another group of friends, before he proclaimed that we must go to Saw Kal street. (BBQ st.) Had great street food. Stuff I remember from Taiwan childhood.

Everyone was so chill. the sea air and breeze reminded me of KoSamui while the local accent was reminiscent of my hometown. They actually speak better Mandarine in Xiamen then folks in Taiwan, and the Fujian accent lighter.

I met so many people I had a hard time keeping people’s name straight. There will be a stream of hot girls to come to Shanghai in the next 60 days.  Down to earth gals. 

Zhi Sui asks Henry to go over for lunch. I tagged along. Expecting to see, a pampered girl at home. Quite the contrary. The two girls served us with the maid. Completely chill.

They were in  facial masks when we  walked in. So down to earth and unpretentious.

She later showed us the town in her hard top convertable Peuget. Apparently the little island takes less than 1 hour to circle and has a beatufil coast line. It’s no wonder the local folks there kept on referring to Xiamen as a little city. Beautifl coastal island, great down to earth people, and a good 24 hours trip.

All in an 1 hour flight.

I think, I know where I maybe able to find some cool gals now………………………..It’s possible that they are only an hour away….

Going out with these rockstars in this day and age. I am, too old for this shit.

Been going out with J and H, who both pack 20 friends each, and always generous with buying bottles. I hate the collecting thing, but Johnny and Henry always buys bottles and get stuck with the collecting, and although maybe 7 people end up chipping in, collecting at the table is always a drag. 4 bottles for 25 some boys and girls, instead of 2 bottles for 6 is just not the right drink to drinker ratio. Anyways, I feel bad for those 2, even if they are rockstars and have some of the biggest smiles around. I will probably give the 2 boys 15 large each, for the next 4 outings, so they don’t have to do the embarrassing collections. They really put up with too much.

Plus, it’s hard to not drink, when whiskey shots bottoms up is the norm of the day.

Solution: 2 nights a month, pick 2 venues, and assemble a “drink club”. Designated money bags with pre collected pot, and one person to regulate.

The other thing: Imagine this : Mel Brooks moment!

So, my friend Mike was in town from BJ.. someone I had gone to high school and Cal with. I met Big R at Face, and end up meeting Tony L, Jennifer, Ron and Albert at New Baby Face. After that , we did a tour of Lux-Park, Guandi, Rouge, and VIP.

While at Baby Face, Tony L, prims this skit and says to me “Hey, bro, you should practice your line with some of the girls here at our table!”, we were sitting at a table at the top of the Club VIP area, and there were few seats availabe, There were 7 attractive girls facing the railing. Jennifer plays dice with me, and proceeds to kick my ass. Big R actually wins with her. (WTF), anyways, I am half plastered by lairs dice.

We decide it was time to go to Park, and get up to leave. I see 2 of the girls near the stair/exit next to our table. 2 girls that didn’t look very comfortable, sober and standing by themself, and may not speak English. Yes, these maybe the girls who drink OJ at a club and pretend they like it and pout.

Anyways, I figure maybe I should chat them up and so walk up to them, and gave my “line”, as Tony L calls it. “Hey, whats your name, we are leaving for next club, you staying here?” and point my thumb toward the club exit.

She mumbles something under her breath, and my friend asked her what she said.

I realized later, that she thought I was asking to take her home, which would not be too far from the end goal truth for most nights with the boys, but……….. she thought………. it was for MONEY!

I did a bewildered double take that Scooby Doooooo would have envied.

Apparently,the music was loud, she heard wrong and ACTUALLY mumbled “Idiot!’ under her breath!’ I realized later that I blocked her fumble out completely, because no where along the logical line of reasonable answers would “Idiot” ever be a choice. for “Hey, whats your name?” Really, her name could NOT be “Idiot!”, unless her English teacher was playing a cruel trick on her.

Funny, her friend, introduced herself over the loud music, just fine.

WTF?

If this gal thought I wanted to take her home, most days she would be completely correct. I am male after all. Like Chris Rock says, all guys really want to say is ” Can I get some??”, expecially if we are drinking THE “Whiskey” like our table had been.

But for Bling?, at a club? Please………..

I told Tony L, Ian and A C, later and all were chuckling at my expense. One was even nice enough to suggest that I should pronounce my line better, and the other explained the double cupid air gun point. My old friend from SF, told me the story made his day. Glad it made someone laugh, because I still don’t really understand it.

But how sitcom-ish was that? Hey, go practice your line, … Okay, “Hey, whats your name” and a dialog box above her head pops up, and she is like “What? $$$$?” which unfortunately means, she has either been asked before (poor girl), or I look like a regular fucking pervert to her! , and adding insult to misunderstanding, the assumption that I would actually be willing to offer.

Hey, no saint here, but ……………………

It is awefully presumptious of her…………. Okay, maybe being tipsy, smiling, and talking to some girl, could be intimidating and should never be tried, but not with something as simple as “what is your name?”. Would the skit have been funnier if it had been maybe, with ” How do you like your breakfast? or Who is your mamason again? or one of those other ones about pants on the bedroom floor.” ?

End of it all. SH girls needs to have some more self-confidence. Object of desire, not goods to be purchased! It should not even be part of the optional definiation considered. Bless our jaded asian male hearts! Where are the cool girls at?

Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurence in China, or in Asia, so the mistake could be understandable I guess. We closed down Mint tonight after hang out with Pauly at Peg. End of the night, the pro started coming to our table. We are not special, she went to all the tables of rawdy men. At least she didn’t need to be given a hint to go to the next table of inebriated males. Whatever.

But A for spirit for the new generation. I mean, I like our little 20 year old dirty dancing friend better; she has the gusto to try to jock 3 of my friends at the same time! But at least she has game or think she does, and doesn’t think of “money” in the same breath, even if she doesn’t understand the concept of connectors and 3 degree of separation rule in Shanghai.

The sweet heart is still looking for love. Can’t blame her for that. But…………..

Everyone knows each other, so don’t look so sheepish when you gets busted for being a player ! After, all, although looking for a bf in a club is like looking for ice in Hell, sometimes it does happen.

Even if my guys are players as well.

Hate the game, not the player.

It’s no wonder, the majority of my once single friends, now are no longer single. It gets old.

Anyways, all I want is a good conversation, and maybe something that at least allows me to think there would be a relastionship beyond the obvious. Pretend, baby, try at least. Can one stay unfazed here?

Funny 4 second sitcom skit material tho, but not so funny in the grand view of mentaility in SH.

My conclusion: fuck meeting up with random friends of friends of friends.

Stay just a licking drop from being sober, regardless of the number of bottles.

And from now on—>

I am either chilling with a close group of friends, or I am on a date.

Date! So, she can at least have the same amount to drink as I, and not misunderstand ANYTHING over loud music. Real conversations, with real content.

Like earlier tonight:
Went to dinner with JL, and Simon, and had a real conversation just chatting alot about nothing. But it was a real 2 way conversation. I still have hope. It does happen, even if it’s as elusive as Bigfoot.

Am I still surprised after 9 years? even if I did take a 6 month break, partially because of exactly this? Is it any wonder that I want to be half time in SF after 2 more years?

And please ladies, I will get you a drink, but if you even maybe think of money anywhere close to what a relationship represents. You can buy me a drink. I am not looking. Tony would rather chill with friends, stay home or play poker with the boys.

(Some day this will all be in a sitcom I am sure.) (”The one about Money for Sex”, Ross and Joey)

Times like this, I especially miss spending time with my baby sisters, or having my girl friends around, who automatically repel these other jaded woman just by their presence.

On a super bright note, although , its 4:30, and we have gone through about 7 rounds and 3 bottles, I myself have not had more than 3 drinks. Still having a good time, and not behaving badly. Can do, Can do. and now ………………………………………to slow down the cigs, my nagging vice.

Out. (Revised due to graphic language and description, wed Oct 5th)