You may have already seen the original version of this by Corey Vidal a few years back, but I like this remake by Moosebutter.  Without any further gilding of the lily, here is their version of the Star Wars a cappella tribute to John Williams.  See how many movie themes you can pick out.  Happy holidays to everyone, even the non Star Wars/John Williams fans.  May the farce be with you.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGYAPr6UKhs

If it doesn't work for you, a problem often in China, try http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGYAPr6UKhs

No expectations.  That's how I approached Alive Not Dead just over one year ago when I posted my first blog.  When I was encouraged to join the site, I didn't see any personal benefit to blogging.  Years earlier, a good friend from Canada encouraged me to to blog about my experiences, but it felt like one more thing to do in front of a the computer rather than behind the camera.  Last year, however, I decided the time was right to give it a shoot, and I preferred AnD's format to other larger social networking sites where poking and biting, rather than actual dialog, appear to be the norm.  Not that I've anything against biting; some of my best friends are vampires.  Fifty posts later, and who knows how many photos, it seems appropriate to reflect on the past 12 months.

Personally, AnD has been a fantastic way to network with people who are passionate about their art; something I did not realize was missing in my life as an expat in China.  Seeing what other artists are up to on the site spurs my own creative juices.  It's akin to having a personal multimedia art gallery at my fingertips and I'm the curator.

There have been some high notes with AnD this past year: events in Hong Kong (karaoke, boating, concerts, performances), film school, the Triple J exhibition (once they reopen, we'll do that again), and the Jet and Jackie shoot.  All enjoyable and none of it would have happened for me without my participation here.  But the best part of the site has been meeting artists and fans who have become my friends both online and in person.  This was especially helpful when we moved to Beijing.  And of course, the outpouring of support for Reina was genuinely touching and the comments continue to come in.

Thanks to Pat, Stephen, Etchy, Boon and everyone else at AnD for making it a great year.  Love the concept and the community that you all worked so hard to create.  Special thanks to Mark Moran for introducing me to the site and for gently persuading me to actually use it.  History will show the Internet was renown for three things: porn, gambling and Alive Not Dead.  I'm proud to be a part of that history.

Now if I may segue a bit, here are some shots from my recent excursions around Beijing that I had no time to previously post.  It's random, but don't let that frighten you.


Wu Di and a couple of friends gathered before the Jeff Chang concert at the Worker's Stadium. 


Jeff Chang belts out his ballads while the whole audience was singing along.  The only person not singing - me - I'd never heard his music before.  In fact, I'm fairly sure I was the only non Asian in the place besides the band. 


The Egg at sunset. 


Kebabs anyone?


Nothing cures a hangover like a charcoal brick.


Helen always knows where to find good coffee and waffles.


Industry after the boon years.


View from my window.


Will C. shows off his latest bone beads.


Ian Hsieh, a painter from Taiwan, takes time to serve tea to all the guests at his studio. 


Tiny studio stool.


Even the robot in Ian's studio appreciates the afternoon light.

First of all, the surgery went well.  On behalf of Reina, Savvy and myself, I would like to thank the Alive Not Dead community for the huge show of support.  It was very touching to receive your encouragement and prayers for little Reina's facial surgery, speedy recovery and for her parent's state of mind (breath and stay calm).  May you never encounter such problems with your children.  However, judging from the response from parents, you most likely will at some point.  Let's face it, kids get hurt.  They also bounce.  Seriously, my friend Rob Lok says you can bounce kids.  Then again, he is a circus clown.

If you are a regular here, you know I don't write much about my family life.  Originally, I had no intent of showing or saying much about Reina's life as I prefer to keep this page about my art.  There are a few artist friends of ours, however, that are such huge fans of Reina's that it became clear keeping her from AnD was not an option.  So the other night, as I reflected on Reina's surgery and the emotions wrapped up with it, Savvy and I decided it was okay to share this experience with the AnD family.

For me, the worst part of this whole procedure was actually that blood test on Friday.  It surprised me because I'm usually the one who takes Reina for all her shots and I'm accustomed to being that voice of reassurance for her.  Having gone through loads of allergy related injections as a kid, I received more shots by the time I was 12 then most people will get in 4 lifetimes.  Yet there was something about the tests on Friday that caught me off guard.  

Reina's surgery lasted under an hour.  The procedure was actually fairly simple in that the surgeon made a small incision, cut out the cyst and uses a few sutures under the skin to close the wound.  My largest concern about the surgery was the anesthesiologist.  Thankfully, Dr. Ye (the surgeon) brought along the chief anesthesiologist from Beijing Hospital and it was clear we could put Reina's little life in her capable hands.  Afterwards, Dr. Ye told me when she made the initial cut, a small stone popped out and took the whole O.R. team by surprise.  A deposit in the cyst had become calcified and rock hard.  Dr. Ye showed it to us and even offered to let me photograph it.  So, if you are curious, there is a photo below.

Thanks again to all the staff, artists, friends, fans and even complete strangers who supported us.  You guys rock!  Special props to Rob for having the fortitude to throw pies at us, even in our time of distress.  It takes a special clown to have the courage to make people laugh, no matter what the circumstances.  But next time, I’d prefer chocolate to the banana cream.  Finally, huge thanks to the Dr. Ye and the team at Beijing Family United. 

A note about the photos.  I did not intend to document the day; I had the Ixus with me, so I went ahead and snapped a few.  Had it not been my child and wife, there is much more I would have done.  Still, I hope you find these interesting.  A rather painful "day-in-the-life of Reina" series.


Even in the morning, Reina knew the day was unusual.  Because of the surgery, she couldn't eat breakfast, but she never even asked for anything.


She was not too keen on wearing the bracelet, but after we put one on Savvy, she decided it was okay.


Pre-op, just before the sleepy-time drugs were administered.  We had already been at the hospital for an hour.


The nurses did a good job getting the I.V. line in her foot.  Ouch.  Looks more painful than getting one in the wrist.


Post-op, the nurse told me Reina did not cry after she told her that she was taking Reina to her parents.


We stayed in the hospital for four hours after the surgery, two of which one of the nurses stayed in the room with us to keep Reina under close supervision. 


Teddy Bear came along for moral support, even though the sight of blood makes him pass out.


The problem: the cyst (top) and the calcified deposit (bottom).  No, those are not my jeans.  I guess they use surgical grade denim in the O.R.  it does give you a sense of scale if you think about it.  Yes, I failed to place something in the photo to give you a better sense of scale.  The calcified deposit was hard as a rock.


After sitting/lying still for two hours, Reina began to perk up and demand entertainment.  She had the most fun playing with her heart monitor which was attached to her big toe.  She also started demanding macaroni and cheese, which the nurse would not let her eat.  She settled for poridge, which if you know the story "Goodnight Moon", we call mush.


The only time she didn't cry when a nurse touched her foot (or any other part of her body) was when she came to gentelly remove the I.V. line.


Finally, after some macarroni and cheese for dinner and a glass of milk to wash it down, Reina was ready to call it a day.


Then she decided to wake up at 10PM and play for a couple of hours.  Thanks everybody.

Three weeks ago, I wrote my last post and when I reflect on the time since then, I've a dozen posts I should have written.  Mia culpa, but I've been very busy.  My intent tonight was to update you on things, but in light of an upcoming family event, I've decided to hold off on all that and my reflection on my first year with AnD (yup, it's been a year now). 

Reina, that darling little girl who is nearly 21 months old, has a cyst on her left cheek; some of you may have spotted what looks like a small bruise in some of her photos lately.  Cysts are not normally a big deal and can often be left alone for years - decades even.  Unfortunately, Reina's cyst has become infected and this means our favorite young model on AnD must undergo surgery to remove it.  The procedure is not that big a deal if she were older - say 25 years older - but since she is a toddler, there is a bit more concern for her safety.  No matter how cool I may seem about the situation, it is merely a facade.

Today, I took Reina to the hospital for a chest x-ray and blood test to make sure everything is okay for Sunday's surgery.  Reina was fine until she had to lay down on the x-ray machine.  That's when she began to cry and I had to hold her down.  She was crying so hard she was shaking.  That was bad enough, but for the blood test, it took me and a nurse to keep Reina still enough while a second nurse took 5 agonizingly long minutes to extract 4cc of blood.  She wasn't slow, Reina's blood was.  Reina kept crying, "No, no, no, no, no," punctuated by the occasional, "Baba?"  As if to ask, why are you letting them do this to me daddy?  It was all I could do not to cry while singing to her.  When it was over, Reina and I were both sweaty from the exertion.

If you are unfamiliar with babies, they generally hate going to hospitals.  Then again, who doesn't?  This is because whenever they do, someone sticks a needle in them (usually a vaccination, or, in the case of China, an I.V. for medication).  Babies know once they get in the little examination room that something bad is going to happen.  From Reina's perspective, something very scary is going to happen to her on Sunday.  I know it is for the best, but at the same time, I hate that it must happen to her at such a tender age.

So please do myself and Reina a small favor and take a moment between now and Sunday to whisper a prayer for Reina, or send happy thoughts, or light a candle, or whatever your prefered method of well wishes may be.  It's a small gesture, but it couldn't hurt.

New to town, so what's an artist to do?  Go looking for an art scene.  In Beijing, one easy target is the 798 Art District.  I recently met a photographer, Catherine Croll, who is an artist in residence with the Red Gate Gallery.  Red Gate was started about 15 years ago by an Australian and was the first gallery to open in Beijing.  They have since added another gallery space at 798.  So, Kate invited me to an opening where I met some cool guys from Tibet who did some work I didn’t fully appreciate until I went back for a discussion night about their art.  It really helps to get some input from the artists themselves when looking at contemporary fine art.  I also bummed around there one afternoon with Will C. from Made In Hong Kong.  So, here are a few photos to keep you occupied as I’ll be on assignment for the next few days.  It’s a tasty one that I’ll share with you later.


Wait for it, the numbers will come to you.




The exhibition featured 7 artists, six of whom were present.


1,000 what?


Oh Mickey, you're so fine, you calm my mind.


Props for showing a photographer too!  He took old Chinese impressions of Tibet and reinterpreted them according to life today.


If you like stickers, this piece is for you.




Uh, this was not part of the exhibition, but rather a social commentary on youth and art galleries.


The artists mostly hung outside - so they could smoke.

Mr. Stickers


Will C. gets ready to deface public property....


And he scores!  Looks like he was not the first to do so.


A rare picture of D-S not posing.


Spotted this elderly woman looking at the outdoor art.  She walked up to each piece, read the title, looked at the sculpture and waved her arm at each piece as if swatting away a fly.