Urkidding Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 http://www.iaminchina.com/2008/09/bypassin...ewall-of-china/ All of you in China probably know all about this proxy stuff anyway but for anybody dumb on 'puters like me here's a cookbook method... Geeeeez, Rog...thanks! I'm heading over there next week and was concerned that I'd need to set up a proxy to get into my office LAN. Since Firefox is my default browser, it's a natural fit. In fact, the only thing I miss from IE is ispell. Don't know why the fox ain't got that as an addin yet. Don is gonna' be an EXPAT??? Not in this lifetime. Just a short visit so tai tai can get her ID card renewed. Ya know she don't wanna lose rights to that $20 per month retirement money. Does she have to stand in line to get it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerluli Posted October 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 http://www.iaminchina.com/2008/09/bypassin...ewall-of-china/ All of you in China probably know all about this proxy stuff anyway but for anybody dumb on 'puters like me here's a cookbook method... Geeeeez, Rog...thanks! I'm heading over there next week and was concerned that I'd need to set up a proxy to get into my office LAN. Since Firefox is my default browser, it's a natural fit. In fact, the only thing I miss from IE is ispell. Don't know why the fox ain't got that as an addin yet. Don is gonna' be an EXPAT??? Not in this lifetime. Just a short visit so tai tai can get her ID card renewed. Ya know she don't wanna lose rights to that $20 per month retirement money. Laopo informs me that by the time I retire the exchange rate will be THREE TO ONE... Making my US$$$ almost worthless in China... So your wife may be right in holding on to her retirement which may end up being larger than yours... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerluli Posted October 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 http://www.iaminchina.com/2008/09/bypassin...ewall-of-china/ All of you in China probably know all about this proxy stuff anyway but for anybody dumb on 'puters like me here's a cookbook method... Geeeeez, Rog...thanks! I'm heading over there next week and was concerned that I'd need to set up a proxy to get into my office LAN. Since Firefox is my default browser, it's a natural fit. In fact, the only thing I miss from IE is ispell. Don't know why the fox ain't got that as an addin yet. Don is gonna' be an EXPAT??? Not in this lifetime. Just a short visit so tai tai can get her ID card renewed. Ya know she don't wanna lose rights to that $20 per month retirement money. Does she have to stand in line to get it? http://i33.tinypic.com/2qmhymh.jpg Can you properly differentiate between the western line and the Chinese "line"??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilton747 Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 http://www.iaminchina.com/2008/09/bypassin...ewall-of-china/ All of you in China probably know all about this proxy stuff anyway but for anybody dumb on 'puters like me here's a cookbook method... Geeeeez, Rog...thanks! I'm heading over there next week and was concerned that I'd need to set up a proxy to get into my office LAN. Since Firefox is my default browser, it's a natural fit. In fact, the only thing I miss from IE is ispell. Don't know why the fox ain't got that as an addin yet. Don is gonna' be an EXPAT??? B) Not in this lifetime. Just a short visit so tai tai can get her ID card renewed. Ya know she don't wanna lose rights to that $20 per month retirement money. $20 goes a long way in China. I certainly don't blame her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerluli Posted October 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 (edited) Well lately I've been investigating further those areas to the south of China... Especially Malaysia...Can I stand the brutal winters on Hainan??? Over the 3 coldest months of December - February the normal temp range is 75 - 73 for a high and 64 - 61 for a low. By comparison on Penang Island, Malaysia (a popular retirement locale for expats) the temp range FOR THE WHOLE FREAKING YEAR is 89 - 87 for a high and 77 - 75 for a low...Is that balmy or what??? Malaysia also has a program to draw expats (and their money) called Malaysia My 2nd Home...You have to have a certain guaranteed income or an amount deposited in a Malaysian bank account...You get a TEN YEAR social pass (easily renewable)...you come and go as you please...In China you always will have the visa hassles...On Penang the population is about 45% each Malay and Chinese and 10% Indian...I am reliably informed that the food is OUTSTANDING with contributions from all three cultures...In China you get great Chinese food...and then KFC...In Malaysia English is widely spoken and there are English newspapers widely available...Contracts are written in English and the court system is based on the English system...Malaysia is VERY stable politcally unlike the former hot spot for expats, Thailand which seems to be getting more unstable by the day....You can buy any property you wish to live that is above 250,000 MYR (1$ = 3.52 MYR)...There are both 99 year leases and freeholds available to foreigners or you can just rent at very cheap rates...Freehold means you own the whole ball of wax...No jumping through the hoops of property ownership in China or Thailand... Edited October 22, 2008 by rogerluli (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerluli Posted October 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2008 http://uschina.usc.edu/(A(UgZEOX1syQEkAAAA...CookieSupport=1 An article from the USC US-China Institute on expat blogs in China... Yes more and more expats...more and more expat blogs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadeOgray Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Well lately I've been investigating further those areas to the south of China... Especially Malaysia...Can I stand the brutal winters on Hainan??? Over the 3 coldest months of December - February the normal temp range is 75 - 73 for a high and 64 - 61 for a low. By comparison on Penang Island, Malaysia (a popular retirement locale for expats) the temp range FOR THE WHOLE FREAKING YEAR is 89 - 87 for a high and 77 - 75 for a low...Is that balmy or what??? Malaysia also has a program to draw expats (and their money) called Malaysia My 2nd Home...You have to have a certain guaranteed income or an amount deposited in a Malaysian bank account...You get a TEN YEAR social pass (easily renewable)...you come and go as you please...In China you always will have the visa hassles...On Penang the population is about 45% each Malay and Chinese and 10% Indian...I am reliably informed that the food is OUTSTANDING with contributions from all three cultures...In China you get great Chinese food...and then KFC...In Malaysia English is widely spoken and there are English newspapers widely available...Contracts are written in English and the court system is based on the English system...Malaysia is VERY stable politcally unlike the former hot spot for expats, Thailand which seems to be getting more unstable by the day....You can buy any property you wish to live that is above 250,000 MYR (1$ = 3.52 MYR)...There are both 99 year leases and freeholds available to foreigners or you can just rent at very cheap rates...Freehold means you own the whole ball of wax...No jumping through the hoops of property ownership in China or Thailand... No way will I EVER live in a mostly Islam country. been there done that, you can have it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerluli Posted October 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Well lately I've been investigating further those areas to the south of China... Especially Malaysia...Can I stand the brutal winters on Hainan??? Over the 3 coldest months of December - February the normal temp range is 75 - 73 for a high and 64 - 61 for a low. By comparison on Penang Island, Malaysia (a popular retirement locale for expats) the temp range FOR THE WHOLE FREAKING YEAR is 89 - 87 for a high and 77 - 75 for a low...Is that balmy or what??? Malaysia also has a program to draw expats (and their money) called Malaysia My 2nd Home...You have to have a certain guaranteed income or an amount deposited in a Malaysian bank account...You get a TEN YEAR social pass (easily renewable)...you come and go as you please...In China you always will have the visa hassles...On Penang the population is about 45% each Malay and Chinese and 10% Indian...I am reliably informed that the food is OUTSTANDING with contributions from all three cultures...In China you get great Chinese food...and then KFC...In Malaysia English is widely spoken and there are English newspapers widely available...Contracts are written in English and the court system is based on the English system...Malaysia is VERY stable politcally unlike the former hot spot for expats, Thailand which seems to be getting more unstable by the day....You can buy any property you wish to live that is above 250,000 MYR (1$ = 3.52 MYR)...There are both 99 year leases and freeholds available to foreigners or you can just rent at very cheap rates...Freehold means you own the whole ball of wax...No jumping through the hoops of property ownership in China or Thailand... No way will I EVER live in a mostly Islam country. been there done that, you can have it... Malaysia is not a muslim country that tries to control what others may practice religion wise...It is a much more free and open society than whatever your experience was... Amazingly enough all countries are different... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerluli Posted November 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-10...ent_7142305.htm An article from China Daily on how expats are doing in China with the global financial crisis going on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsap seui Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 I've got a question for those living in China.... Do you see, or go to, any nightclubs with live bands in China? My lil' rabbit lives in a northern city and she tells me her city doesn't have clubs like that....Hmmmm I used to play in nightclub bands, actually did a lot of traveling around the east coast, middle of the country, and as far west as Colorado Springs. I got into the business world as a blue collar entrepreneur and stopped touring nightclubs playing music. When I sold one of my businesses I bought myself a damn nice bass amp and a SWEET bass geetar. I'm not gonna need to work while in China, but I have been a hard workin' bastard all my life. Work keeps me young, I thrive on it. I plan on dropping my construction tools and uncovering my creative side, once again, when I get to China. Two things I want to do when I'm in Chinatucky for a few years is, to work out and practice my bass to the point that I am a competent nightclub type musician once again. The other is to write these crazy books bouncing around in my head. So back to my question....any of ya see any bands playing in nightclubs? When I was in China those 4 times I never asked about nightclubs, heck I never even thought about playing music then either. It will take me months of hard work and long practices to get myself back into any sort of musician again, but I'll have the time. And the motivation to work. Anyhow...It would be pretty cool to get myself back into music again, and maybe find some Chinese players to jam with. I am intrigued with some of those "traditional" instruments they have, and once saw on TV while there, a band of young Chinese musicians playing rock-jazz with some traditional Chinese instruments playing off of a traditionally american FUNKY rhythm section. They blew me away, and I lied, I DID think about playing music while in China. tsap seui Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerluli Posted November 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 Well Tsap I don't know the first or last thing about the music biz so let me answer your question... If you want to make some serious Chairman Moes I recommend you stay right with your house fixin' up line of work... We just had a friend in China ask us to send over a ton o' American house decorating pics so she could decorate her new house US Style... So you as an actual AMERICAN with a portfolio of house fixin' up idears you can make a mint..They'll be beating a path to your door... They'll be oubidding each other to have your services... You'll be rolling in it... and hey its creative also...So get to the store and fill a box with those house mags from the checkout counter and you're in BIZ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan R Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 From what I hear in Tinseltown around here, China is starting to bring performers for one month engagements in clubs like Japan has long done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsap seui Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 (edited) Well Tsap I don't know the first or last thing about the music biz so let me answer your question... If you want to make some serious Chairman Moes I recommend you stay right with your house fixin' up line of work... We just had a friend in China ask us to send over a ton o' American house decorating pics so she could decorate her new house US Style... So you as an actual AMERICAN with a portfolio of house fixin' up idears you can make a mint..They'll be beating a path to your door... They'll be oubidding each other to have your services... B) You'll be rolling in it... and hey its creative also...So get to the store and fill a box with those house mags from the checkout counter and you're in BIZ... Ya know Roggie, that idear has sure passed through my hed. The lil' rabbit told me many times how she wanted our house to be "american"....so I guided her to some real estate websites here in my county. She looked at them and tried her best to get some of the ideas she saw into our home. I say tried...because lots of what she considers "american" turns out to be trim...wood trim. The way we typically trim out windows and doors, and chair rail, etc. When I learned that fact I thought of how badly I need to get to the nearest Chinese style Home Depot store (about 45 minutes from us) and see if they...or anyone sells lumbar that I could shape a Chinese home into having what would be considered an american flavor. Okay...I'll show my smarts and get real basic here, do they sell lumbar in China? Specifically, something metrically comparable to boards like "1X6" or 2X4's, or trim like our ogee, quarter round, ranch, colonial, etc.? I'm very anxious to go to every builders supply place in our area. Hope they have Liquid Nails there...I'd hate the thought of filling "masonary nail" holes in trim. I'll be like a kid in a candy shop looking at tools, materials, and lumbar..... and asking questions. Well suh, I'll be lookin' at that aspect when I get over, and I can trim out our house if I can find the right materials. I'll guarantee you if I can find the materials I can easily trim out and make our home as "american" as ya please. And I know some great paint schemes to "decorate" instead of just painting a home, and I have worked as a plumber and electrician. As far as trying to make money off those skills, who knows? I certainly never thought I'd be living in Chinatucky... to being with. Stranger things have certainly happened to me in my walk through this ol' life. One thing fer rootin' tootin' certain, mister...this DOS sponsored "Forced Patriot Relocation Plan" and the resulting life in Chinatucky is gonna be quite a hilarious and loving adventure, I'll betcha by Gawd Billy Bob... tsap seui Edited November 9, 2008 by tsap seui (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsap seui Posted November 9, 2008 Report Share Posted November 9, 2008 From what I hear in Tinseltown around here, China is starting to bring performers for one month engagements in clubs like Japan has long done. It will be interesting to check things out on any music scenes when I get there. It would be nice to just get together with some players and explore some things with their traditional instruments intergrated into some funk rock with a heavy drum, bass, guitar, and keyboard rhythm section...I mean REALLY FUNKY rock....with traditional Chinese instrument overtones. Heck, who cares what language the songs are sung in...the musicians talk in their own language within the music anyhow. Yeah, I'm dreamin' but that's how things come to fruition...they start with an idea, or a dream. It's not really about the money, it's more about havin' fun, and personal satisfaction. tsap seui Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerluli Posted November 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 (edited) Lately I've been doing more studying on "other" options for retirement than China... We both would prefer that Lu Li becomes a USC rather than face the annual trek back to the US to try to keep her PR intact... And it does not appear that China will be offering any really viable options to persons like ourselves for remaining within its borders without major hassles and uncertainties... So while we would always keep a residence in China and travel there extensively, other southeast Asian countries are very welcoming to expat retirees and their MONEY... and many offer retirement visa plans that allow staying there and buying "freehold" property an easy process... I first started out looking closely at Thailand but discovered there were simply too many negatives. I then moved on to Malaysia and it is still up there for consideration but since joining the excellent britishexpats forum below we have now added the Philippines to the list and it is currently in the lead. The other website goes about everywhere possible in southeast Asia with the BIG THREE of Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines leading the pack but adding lesser known destinations like Bali and Laos...Anywho it is a very big world out there and there are many options for people looking to spend their retirements in a warm place where they can afford a lifestyle that would be well out of their reach by staying home... http://www.retire-asia.com/index.shtml http://britishexpats.com/ Your retirement in southeast Asia... http://i33.tinypic.com/10dea8i.jpg or in America... http://i35.tinypic.com/14wwu0w.jpg Edited November 21, 2008 by rogerluli (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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