It’s 春節! Time to eat Jiaozi and other yummy street food (mmm… luobogao!) and sit on a train for 24 …
January 19, 2012
Reading: Seung-Joon Lee — Gourmets in the Land of Famine: The Culture and Politics of Rice Consumption in Modern Canton
The last of my first stack of books for 2012, and one that has been on my list for a …
January 19, 2012
Reading: Shi Naian — The Water Margin: The Outlaws of the Marsh, Trans: J. H. Jackson
This is one of the classics of Chinese literature, and me being the philistine could only gawp over how thick …
January 19, 2012
Reading: Paul A. Van Dyke — The Canton Trade: Life and Enterprise on the China Coast, 1700-1845
Continuing my return to reading China, as with my focus on women in the history of China, so too is …
January 16, 2012
Christian & his Verdienstkreuz
One of the first freelance jobs I got in Berlin was salvaging a website for Christian Ender. Over the past …
December 15, 2011
Reading: Susan Mann – Precious Records: Women in China’s Long Eighteenth Century
Shortly before departing for Brussels, I finished Susan Mann’s brilliant The Talented Women of the Zhang Family, and began Gail Hershatter’s …
November 27, 2011
Reading: Gail Hershatter — The Gender of Memory: Rural Women and China’s Collective Past
This is the book I was so intimidated by I went off and read Charles Stross and Harry Potter for …
November 4, 2011
Reading: (2nd time) Susan Mann — The Talented Women of the Zhang Family
In early 2008, before I moved to Berlin, I had a book-buying spree, and a couple of those books I …
October 29, 2011
Reading: Gordon Mathews — Ghetto at the Center of the World
I once stayed a night in Chungking Mansions, when a flight from Canada arrived too late to catch even the …
October 19, 2011
“Reading: … ” Book of the Year 2011 (Non-Fiction): Nazif Shahrani – The Kirghiz and Wakhi of Afghanistan
nazif shahrani – the kirghiz and wakhi of afghanistan
October 19, 2011
Reading … a 4th anniversary
Another year of books. Not as many as last year; I took a pause for some time, unable to find …
October 6, 2011
Steve Jobs
Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class …
September 26, 2011
Reading: Rodric Braithwaite – Afghansty: The Russians in Afghanistan 1979-89
This year I’ve been attempting to fill in an embarrassing omission in my Central Asian studies. Mainly because my interest …
September 24, 2011
Reading: Liao Yiwu – God is Red
It was only in July this year, Liao Yiwu paid himself into the hands of smugglers on the border of …
September 23, 2011
Reading: Julia Lovell – The Opium War
Canton. The idea is romantic, and unavoidably one of Orientalism. Still, I lived there on and off for a few …
August 12, 2011
Reading: Thomas Barfield – Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History
Thomas Barfield – Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History
August 12, 2011
Reading: John Cage – Silence: Lectures and Writings
John Cage – Silence: Lectures and Writings
August 12, 2011
Reading: Robert Temple – The Genius of China: 3,000 Years of Science, Discovery, and Invention
Robert Temple – The Genius of China
August 4, 2011
Reading: Rosemary A. Joyce – Ancient Bodies, Ancient Lives
Rosemary A. Joyce – Ancient Bodies, Ancient Lives
July 31, 2011
A day in Gent
A short pause for two days before the next project begins. Gala and I have been working together and in …
June 18, 2011
200 years of Liszt and some pianos
There is a piano restorer in Uferhallen. Once a week or so the forecourt fills with many cars not from …
May 31, 2011
Reading: Owen Lattimore – Inner Asian Frontiers of China
owen lattimore – inner asian frontiers of china
May 16, 2011
Nein! Nein! Nicht die Wunde ist es.
I heard it slightly wrong. Parsifal, struck with awareness of Amfortas and the wound is physically overwrought. “Sie brennt in …
April 12, 2011
生日快乐!!! happy 7th birthday supernaut! (nochmal vergessen…)
aaa!!! I forgot again! every year! Trotzdem … Schokolade! Kuchen! Viel Spaß und Krawall machen! supernaut? yes!
April 6, 2011
reading: vera schwarcz – the chinese enlightenment: intellectuals and the legacy of the may fourth movement of 1919
vera schwarcz – the chinese enlightenment
April 6, 2011
Reading: Paul Hockenos – Joschka Fischer and the Making of the Berlin Republic
paul hockenos – joschka fischer
February 12, 2011
the sound of the people gives me hope
There has not been enough of this in my lifetime. It’s almost 4am, I should be going to sleep but …
February 9, 2011
The last free people on the planet
I started reading Neuroanthropology a couple of years ago at least, and it has been one of the first blogs …
January 25, 2011
Reading: Laurence Dreyfus: Wagner and the Erotic Impulse
Laurence Dreyfus: Wagner and the Erotic Impulse
November 27, 2010
Reading: Edward Allworth (ed.) – Central Asia – 120 Years of Russian Rule
(No cover image)
November 27, 2010
Reading: James R. Brandon – Theatre in Southeast Asia
james r. brandon – theatre in southeast asia
November 27, 2010
blacker…
China Miéville’s rejectamentalist manifesto has been one of my favourite daily-ish reads since I stumbled into it after wondering where …
October 16, 2010
uferhallen at night
Apparently the fire department will come and take me down if I attempt to climb the chimney in Uferhallen. Well, …
October 16, 2010
“Reading: … ” Book of the Year (Fiction): China Miéville – Kraken
china miéville – kraken
October 16, 2010
“Reading: … ” Book of the Year (Non-Fiction): Jonathan Safran Foer – Eating Animals
jonathan safran foer – eating animals
October 16, 2010
Reading… a 3rd anniversary
Regarding the two-score books of the last year, it is surprising which of the non-fiction – a term I use …
October 10, 2010
uferhallen – autumn
A warm autumn afternoon yesterday with Michael, come all the way from Madrid. A morning cleaning, and more warmth of …
October 4, 2010
Reading: Nazif Shahrani – The Kirghiz and Wakhi of Afghanistan
nazif shahrani – the kirghiz and wakhi of afghanistan
October 4, 2010
Reading: Peter Hopkirk – Foreign Devils on the Silk Road
peter hopkins – foreign devils on the silk road
October 4, 2010
Reading: Peter Hopkirk – Trespassers on the Roof of the World
peter hopkins – trespassers on the roof of the world
September 11, 2010
müggelsee by boat and foot
Today rising somewhat early and then via S-Bahn (und zwei abgefickte neo-faschisten), Ostkreuz, S-Bahn again to Friedrichshagen, a town outside …
September 5, 2010
germany is (slightly) embarrassing itself
Reading signandsight’s From the Feuilletons this week… it’s been dead in my feed for some time, but returned with excellent …
August 27, 2010
reading: charles stross – the trade of queens
reading: charles stross – the trade of queens
August 12, 2010
Werner Bab
One of the first sites I did as a freelancer was porting imdialog-ev.org from a dead cms into WordPress for …
August 10, 2010
reading: jonathan burrows – a choreographer’s handbook
jonathan burrows – a choreographer’s handbook
August 2, 2010
lainzer tiergarten
I took off away from the city yesterday, as I’d been planning since before I arrived, remembering wandering in the …
July 25, 2010
sophiensäle wien
Blogging daily about Café Prückel I think I can say won’t be happening. Much busyness, running around, long days, inability …
July 19, 2010
Reading: Christopher I Beckwith – The Tibetan Empire in Central Asia
christopher i. beckwith – the tibetan empire in central asia
July 10, 2010
Reading: James A. Millward – Eurasian Crossroads: A History of Xinjiang
james a. millward – eurasian crossroads
June 18, 2010
reading: frank dikotter – the age of openness: china before mao
frank dikotter – the age of openness: china before mao
June 17, 2010
reading: charles stross – the revolution business
charles stross – the revolution business
May 26, 2010
readin: david hinton: chuang tzu – the inner chapters
david hinton: chuang tzu – the inner chapters
May 18, 2010
reading: hanna arendt – eichmann in jerusalem
reading: hanna arendt – eichmann in jerusalem
May 6, 2010
reading: Leslie T. Chang – Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China
Leslie T. Chang – Factory Girls
May 3, 2010
reading: hanna arendt – eichmann and the holocaust
reading: hanna arendt – eichmann and the holocaust
May 1, 2010
I am a Muslim
Coming to Berlin caused my attention to drift to a small part of my life I know little about, and …
January 31, 2010
reading: g. whitney azoy – buzkashi – game and power in afghanistan
g. whitney azoy – buzkashi
January 21, 2010
reading: christopher i. beckwith – empires of the silk road
christopher i. beckwith – empires of the silk road
January 21, 2010
reading: iranophobia – the logic of an israeli obsession – haggai ram
iranophobia – haggai ram
January 10, 2010
Reading: Feng Jicai – Voices from the Whirlwind
feng jicai – voices from the whirlwind
January 7, 2010
Reading: Katherine Pratt Ewing – Stolen Honor – Stigmatizing Muslim Men in Berlin
katherine pratt ewing – stolen honor
January 5, 2010
i’d dance on your grave but i’ll piss on it instead
It’s not often I’m taken with glee to read of the death of someone. During the years I’ve blogged, many …
December 22, 2009
solstice
Taoism struggles against the cultural preference for the “light.” The Tao Te Ching, especially, champions the low, the dark. Darkness …
November 3, 2009
Reading… a 2nd anniversary
My reading the last year has not been of either the volume, nor the breadth of the previous, in no …
October 25, 2009
orgy of tolerance
To have your idols disappoint. It is a delicious sensation. And probably inevitable, necessary. My Friday Antwerp wanderings, despite the …
October 11, 2009
Ath
An adventure yesterday, south-west of Bruxelles for around 30 minutes. A train with Gala, past a town called Silly. No, …
September 26, 2009
sorayama nawa shibari
Last night with the wonderful Katrin, I was introduced to an artist I’d not thought upon for years, and likely …
September 21, 2009
uferstr & kreuzberg & treptow
Sie sagt, “Kapitalismus muss weg!” mit Ihr Faust drohen, über ein €10 Zweiradschloss. Wir hat geradelt um Kreuzberg und Treptow, …
September 5, 2009
leaving the brauerei
For the last nine months, I’ve been living in a beautiful, isolated small apartment, by virtue of being on a …
August 19, 2009
brauerei fast fertig
Soon I will have to leave my beloved hobo dachgeschoss. Eight months, surely one of the most beautiful homes in …
August 17, 2009
save the vca
It is a long time ago now, camping on the lawn outside the front of Victorian College of the Arts …
August 5, 2009
a chronology of burnt-out corpses
Mainly that I laughed and snorted when I read the title and looked at the familiar map of Berlin drowned …