Matt Schiavenza From the Dragon to the Apple- A Sinophile Goes to New York

Throwing a Bone

-Over the past week and a half one of my good friends from college, Jascha Pohl, has been traveling with me in Yunnan a bit before he heads off for some much-needed tropical time in Vietnam. Jascha has been blogging about his trip at his (semi) eponymous site Jascha Pohl Sucks (an inside joke from college, perhaps subconsciously borrowed from the 90s band Primus). Well worth a read.

-For those of you who read Chinese, have a look at my friend Tracy's (陈雪) blog. Tracy recently completed her Masters in Anthropology at Yunnan University and as part of her thesis research interviewed yours truly and several other Kunming laowai. She's an insightful writer and always has something interesting to say, particularly lately when discussing the earthquake.

- While on the subject of academia, congratulations to John "Sinosplice" Pasden who this past weekend successfully defended his masters thesis in applied linguistics. John's site remains a great resource for those interested in learning more about the Chinese language.

- Finally, congratulations to Chris Waugh for his great HSK result. I still haven't gotten my results back yet, but I hope that I'll be able to post them here with pride (if you hear nothing, then assume it's back to the drawing board