Troubadour

Troubadour

I've just discovered JJ Cale (it's never too late, right?) by listenning to this album. my friend gave it to me. it is sooooooo good! 1976... damned... wonder if his new album are as good....

Fish in the net 

wonder what this is...... 

North Kunming, people are coming here for a little walk. 

Saturday night at the Hump with Rachel. the music is too heavy metal. we'll go home sooner than we thought. but first we sit at the pleasant balcony and watch the night fall on Kunming main square... 

My sunday afternoon....I try to find a way to go on my mountain. i thought i was on the way but i found myself in front of military area gate and i had to go back. I found this little place indeed where chinese people come to take a rest from the city. they come here fishing. i met a friendly group who invited me for a drink... we finally played cards. the pan is saying that the small lake is 3 meter deep (i was told...) 

google news

Libération : Google retire de son site d'informations le contenu de l'AFP: "Google a annoncé mardi soir qu'il allait enlever les dépêches et les photos de l'Agence France Presse des pages de son site d'informations Google News dans le cadre d'un conflit juridique avec l'agence française d'informations qui lui demande des millions de dollars de dommages et intérêts pour violation présumée des droits d'auteur."

Exam

looks like i made it! i pass my exam!
I missed only 2 which should not be a problem. if i understood the system, i won't have to come back from China to revalidate them... which is so a good news!
happy happy happy!!!!
it's been 2 weeks since i've been waiting for these results!

Update:
well.... actually, the 2 exams i failed are in the same "group" so as i'm not allowed to fail 2 exams in the same group, i'll have to go back to france to "revalidate".... i may try to avoid that, but hope is small...

i was so happy, and now i'm just... disgusted. i don't wanna think about it. i did enjoy my weekend. tomorrow, i'm gonna take care of a few things...
i could take a new plane ticket "china-france france china"....so that i can be in China in july, it should be worth it.... i could also take advantage of this trip to france to pass some interview (to continue my study i mean). i'm pissed of!

Keri Noble

Keri Noble: "Music"

I just listen to her cd "Fearless" in Mark Cafe tonight. i could borrow it... i definitly want to hear more! it's not the piano part, it's her voice, and the way she use it.

RADIO.BLOG.CLUB - Jack Johnson

RADIO.BLOG.CLUB - Jack Johnson
"sitting waiting wishing" is a new tune you could listen to....

In Between Dreams

Image: In Between Dreams
Jack Johnson New Album

LongMen

LongMen
Originally uploaded by songo155.

Dragon gate in the XiShan. Chinese people touching the stone of the gate. beatifull point of view on the lake.

china blogs 

Comparison of life in Piscataway, New Jersey, Kochi, Japan, and Zhuzhou, China

Comparison of life in Piscataway, New Jersey, Kochi, Japan, and Zhuzhou, China: "Comparison of life in Piscataway, New Jersey; Kochi, Japan; and Zhuzhou, Hunan Province, China
September 6, 2004"

What is bbs, smth....

Yahoo! News - China Clamps Down on Campus Bulletin Boards: "China has blocked off-campus Internet users from accessing several bulletin boards operated by universities as part of a government clampdown on outspoken domestic Web sites. "

smth dying - a photoset on flickr

stormy weather

The weather is great here. I loved it on sunday when it started to rain. There were still sun rays passing through the clouds but the rain was heavy on the window of the living room. After the rain, the wind was still here, dispersing the clouds, playing with the lights of the sunset. The air was more refreshing than ever, giving the life its full meaning... 

Construction of an Highway on the west coast of the DianChi Lake.... 

Chinese girls

"After all, what kind of girl can you hope to find in this mixed-up country? Clever girls are too busy opening restaurants and trying to make money. University graduates expect their men to be like the heroes in romantic novels who explore the wilds of tibet. All the nice girls are in the countryside, but when they move to the cities they are too preoccupied with the cosmetics countrers to have any time for you."
Ma Jian in "red dust"

On sunday, we went to the XiShan (west mountain near Kunming).... I was kind of hoping good view on the lake (dianchi lake), and i got satisfaction... 

Sunrise from home. every morning, as we have chinese class at 8am, we wake up with the sun. it's nice. 

Fruity desert at the Mark Cafe, learning chinese on a wooden table at candle light. the fruits are apples, lemon and lotus roots (maybe) on ice with orange juice all over.... 

Marc (English) and D. shooting a commercial for dentists 

New pictures

Flickr: Photos from songo155

Kunming street

Kunming street
Originally uploaded by goodlux.

it's from flickr....

English slam

ARTE radio.com : Un Poème Slam en VO de Danny Solis

Shangri-La

Dsc00216 copy
Originally uploaded by CottonCandy.

Shangri-La, Yunnan - a photoset on Flickr
mmmmhh.... what about going there?! looks good! i have to go!

North South East West (Magnum Photos)

North South East West - Food-2
"RECENT REPORTS SUGGEST THAT CLIMATE CHANGE COULD CAUSE RICE PRODUCTION IN CHINA TO FALL BY ONE FIFTH BY 2080."

Chinese friends

I'm going to this little music shop near our appartment from the beginning. but now, as i can (and want to) use a bit more my chinese, i'm going there more and more often. now i have friends there. they hardly speak english, i hardly speak chinese but we have music in common!
sunday night and last night, i was invited for dinner. it's much better than eating with my french friend i might say.....
tonight i'll try to take them to the speakeasy bar for a jam session.... it should be fun.
yesterday i went to a small home studio to hear what they call computer music. interesting!

Huppe fasciée

Huppe fasciée (Hoopoe?) 

j'en ai vu une ce midi,une huppe, à l'universite (li gong ta xue), et de très près! ça m'a étonné vu que c'est plutot difficile à voire en france. Je me demande si c'est commun ici....

[update:] c'est très commun!

Censure bis

encore un post tres interessant...
Mon journal de Chine: "Il en va de même pour les patrons de cafés internet, qui sont condamnés à des amendes si des utilisateurs de leurs ordinateurs vont sur des sites interdits. Des descentes de police ont lieu régulièrement pour analyser la mémoire des ordinateurs des cybercafés pour savoir quels sites ils ont visité. Des milliers de cybercafés sont fermés chaque année."...
"Chacun, à son niveau, y compris nous-mêmes étrangers en Chine, se demande tout le temps s'il ne franchit pas la ligne rouge... En tant que journaliste, la question est même obsessionnelle."....
commentaires du post precedant, à lire

Jam session at the speakeasy bar

it happens on wednesday night, apparently from 10pm. i had the opportunity to play drums but not for long. There were many drummers so i played the guitar. I started on a Jack Johnson's song, Flake. just the first rif. There were a drummer, a drummer playing bass, a guy playing congas, and this girl playing the sax and singing! it was fun. we also tried 'creep' from Radiohead, and some blues... we were westerners but also chinese (on drums).
i killed my finger playing the guitare as i don't know how to playing with a pic. i really have to learn that.
I went there with E., an american guy we met at the Mark Cafe.

kunming

Yoko Kanno

Yoko Kanno
I found this tune on radio.blog where yoko kanno plays piano live. i think it's so good. the link will lead you to a radio.blog.... enjoy!

11/9

Mon journal de Chine : presse libre: En chine, "le 11 septembre n'a été annoncé à la télévision que plusieurs heures après qu'il se soit produit"

Mona Chollet

ARTE radio.com : Reportages, témoignages et bruits pas sages
"Colonialisme", comme "capitalisme", est-il devenu un gros mot ?

Fiona Apple's new album

Cherry Blossom Special - George Washington is rolling over in his grave.: Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Album "Extraordinary Machine" Leaked in its Entirety To The Internet: "All 11 songs are now in the hands of Fiona Apple fans"
you can listen to it with radio.blog on this site.

via blogotheque.net

Starting our routine in Kunming

With the project starting (slowly but still), we have now a schedule to follow. Originally from 9am to 5pm in our office, working on whatever needs to be done (we are now trying to understand Matlab, and the program already achieved in it. We don’t have much information on what we are running after)... We began this morning our Chinese class. Beginner level (but assuming we know already stuff, which is good), 2 hours. Today was the conversation class, but we’re gonna have class everyday... From 8 to 10am. So yes, one hour earlier, but it’s worth it, I think. It’s gonna cost us 600 kuai (60 euros) which is the price for 1 month but that we will pay just once (as we stayed for 2 and half month in the university, it’s nice).
I gave French “lessons” tonight to R, the English teacher we met in Mark’s cafe. I’ll get a Chinese class in exchange.
I also might get a very small job in a Chinese company of Kunming who needed a French native speaker. How it lands into my hand... I guess I’m lucky. My tutor recommended me. it’s so nice.
Saturday we got bike in Carrefour. Very lousy bikes. Mine broke in the street when leaving carrefour so I got refund and got a little more expensive one (a montwhich looks more resistant but still needed to be fixed). 200 yuans instead of 150.
I had a big ride on Sunday. It was quite nice to see around, but couldn’t found good places to go and rest.
Oh yeah, Friday was the hump concert, and it was nice. Could meet the drummer of the band and get some info. I met some other people which I’ll probably run into in other nights in Kunming.
Wednesday nights are jam sessions in Speakeasy bar. I plan to go tomorrow.
Saturday night, we got an opportunity for a house party but I had a... evening planned with R (=my French student, my Chinese teacher (?)).
Things are getting on my nerves (with my roomates), but I know what I have to do. It takes time, that’s all.

Jaseur boréal

Le Monde.fr : Le jaseur boréal fuit l'Europe centrale à la recherche de cieux plus cléments: "Malgré son plumage avenant et son chant guilleret, on le disait naguère oiseau de malheur, présage de famine et de peste. Le jaseur boréal s'est installé en France depuis plusieurs semaines. La Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux (LPO) a recensé de 12 000 à 25 000 individus sur notre territoire quand se comptent habituellement sur les doigts de la main les spécimens qui, des toundras russes ou scandinaves, viennent s'égarer jusqu'ici.

Plutôt qu'annonciatrice d'un funeste augure, la venue du jaseur boréal est la conséquence de conditions climatiques défavorables. Ce passereau frugivore quitte les grandes étendues du Nord quand les baies viennent à manquer. D'ordinaire, ce semi-migrateur se réfugie en Europe centrale. Mais, cet hiver, les grands frimas et l'abondance des précipitations neigeuses qu'ont connus l'Autriche, la Pologne, la République tchèque ou l'Ukraine l'ont poussé toujours plus à l'ouest à la recherche de nourriture. Son menu se compose surtout des pommes et des baies de gui, sureau, sorbier, aubépine, viorne ou piracantha, qu'il avale avec gloutonnerie.
"

View on Kunming's mountain from our flat... 

Sunset from our flat in Kunming 

Colorfull umbrella (under wet snow) 

Another picture from the snow days.... 

Statue (west of Kunming: west extremity of renmin lu) 

Kunming, Carrefour free bike park, with letters not to get lost in it....... 

flowers under the snow

flowers under the snow
Originally uploaded by songo155.

it's snowing in Kunming! it is quite fun! (but so cold and no hot water for shower)