A Day Out with My Imaginary Friend

For a long time, we all thought that CLee had an Imaginary Friend named Fred. Fred was his Snuffy for years. There was always talk of this "Fred" but no one had ever met him, until one day we discovered that he really existed.

As I was talking to X yesterday, it hit me.

I, too, have a Snuffy!

I, too, have an Imaginary Friend named Fred, although for even more secrecy, I call him Setzer (not so secret anymore though...oops).

Well, my friend, who really isn't imaginary, Setzer made a trip to NYC this weekend with some of his friends.

I saw him on Saturday and we went to Chinatown to where the cool kids hang out.

For some reason I forgot that he likes L, perhaps even more than I do (he's damned near obsessed but then again...I guess I teared when L died a horrible dishonourable anime death, ::insert my EFF YOU LIGHT!!! comment:: which makes me no different) and was very excited to get a cheapy black plastic ring with "L" all over it, which I found very cute of him especially since he's going to count how many days it takes for the "L" to wipe off; super excited to see an "L" baseball cap for $3.00, which I found very umm...suspect of him but was relieved when he didn't buy it; and I completely forgot (conveniently!) that he is Squall/loves Squall, which I found very lame and walked off like I didn't know him but not before judging him hardcore.

Heh.

I also did not get him that stupid Squall figure he wanted (conveniently?) but instead randomly picked something for myself in the form of Auron, which he quickly gave back to me.

Why is it that if I try to buy something for myself it always turns out something I don't care for but if I buy for someone else, I get what I want?

It's not right and I'm sorry, Setz but yeah, if I ever get a Setzer, he's all yours.

Also, the buying of lychee ice-cream does not make up for the fact that I did not get you anything from Japan nor do I feel better about myself, so you may lord that over me if you must.

Sadly, I couldn't make it to hang out with him yesterday but at least I directed him to Kenka and without my hand to force strangeness upon him, he had a meal that he loved.

Next time though, I'll be sure not to lapse.

One last note because it deserved a little blurb, I took this picture in Chinatown of something most disturbing.

You know those street artists that will spell your name out in some fancy manner on a piece of board to hang in your room?

I know I should not be surprised to find this in Chinatown but just another example of supporting shade and conducting shady buisness on behalf of the Chinese:

Support Your People

Beetchie and CLee, do your people a kindness and support them.

From a New York Times article:


By DAVID BARBOZA
Published: April 27, 2009

SHENZHEN, China — The phone’s sleek lines and touch-screen keyboard are unmistakably familiar. So is the logo on the back. But a sales clerk at a sprawling electronic goods market in this Chinese coastal city admits what is clear upon closer inspection: this is not the Apple iPhone; this is the Hi-Phone.

“But it’s just as good,” the clerk says.

Nearby, dozens of other vendors are selling counterfeit Nokia, Motorola and Samsung phones — as well as cheap look-alikes that make no bones about being knockoffs.

“Five years ago, there were no counterfeit phones,” says Xiong Ting, a sales manager at Triquint Semiconductor, a maker of mobile phone parts, while visiting Shenzhen. “You needed a design house. You needed software guys. You needed hardware design. But now, a company with five guys can do it. Within 100 miles of here, you can find all your suppliers.”

Technological advances have allowed hundreds of small Chinese companies, some with as few as 10 employees, to churn out what are known here as shanzhai, or black market, cellphones, often for as little as $20 apiece...

...Nokia, the world’s biggest cellphone maker, says it is working with Beijing to fight counterfeiting. Motorola says much the same. Apple Inc. declined to comment...

...“I saw iPhone pictures on the Web; it’s so cool. But it costs over $500 — too expensive,” says Yang Guibin, 30, an office worker from Chongqing. “So I decided to buy a shanzhai iPhone. I bought it in a digital market here; it looked exactly like the iPhone.”

Some experts say they believe the shanzhai phenomena is about being creative, Chinese style.

“Chinese grass-roots companies are actually very innovative,” says Yu Zhou, a professor at Vassar College. “It’s not so much technology as how they form supply chains and how rapidly they react to new trends.”

While the phones may look like famous brands, companies actually add special features like bigger screens, dual-mode SIM cards (which allow two phone numbers) and even a telescopic lens attachment for the phone’s camera.

Since it is the SIM card that makes a phone run in China, as in most places other than the United States, all you have to do is insert a valid SIM card into a shanzhai phone and it works.

All this innovation comes from an industry that only took off in 2005, after Mediatek, a semiconductor design company from Taiwan, helped significantly reduce the cost and complexity of producing a mobile phone.

Using what experts call a turnkey solution, Mediatek developed a circuit board that could inexpensively integrate the functions of multiple chips, offering start-ups a platform to produce a low-cost mobile phone.

The industry got another boost in 2007, when regulators said companies no longer needed a license to manufacture a cellphone.

That set off a scramble by entrepreneurs in this electronics manufacturing center. Counterfeiting and off-brand knockoffs flourished. Tiny companies would buy a Mediatek chip loaded with software, source other components and ask a factory to assemble them.

Marketing strategies were simple: steal. Designs and brand names were copied identically or simply mimicked. (Sumsung for Samsung or Nckia for Nokia.)

Tapping into the supply chains of big brands is easy, producers say. “It’s really common for factories to do a night shift for other companies,” says Zhang Haizhen, who recently ran a shanzhai company here. “No one will refuse an order if it is over 5,000 mobile phones.”

The people who make fake iPhones admit it’s a shady business.

“We are a kind of illegal producer,” says Zhang Feiyang, whose company, Yuanyang, makes an iPhone clone. “In Shenzhen there are many small mills, hidden. Basically, we can make any type of cellphone.”

The competition is already forcing global brands to lower prices, analysts say. And new Chinese brands are emerging, like Meizu, a would-be Apple that has opened stylish stores here.

“Our phone is even better than the iPhone,” says Liu Zeyu, a Meizu salesman in Shenzhen. “Our goal is to create a phone that makes Chinese proud.”

Chen Yang contributed research.




Buy a Hiphone.



They need the money more.

Forgotten Chinatown Shade

I forgot to mention it but we bought glow in the dark stars and moon to stick on Boo-Head's ceiling, and H1 was most appalled to discover that her kid's presento-pyo came in this bag:



Please click on the picture to enlarge if need be and read the various text on it.

Wha'?

Who did this? Was it those Koreans with their cuicks, again?

Ah, cuicks.

IFUCKING LOVE YOU!

That was some vintage stuff.

Keeping Track of Shady Buisness II

This time, we're monitoring the situation with Pongsri and Good Humour Ice-Cream Trucks.

A lunch less Thursday it was, so H1 and I ordered from Pongsri. The food arrived quickly but when H1 answered the phone, it went something like this -

Delivery Guy: You have food delivery downstairs.
H1: OK, I'll meet you in the messenger center (the place we're supposed to go to for food deliveries)
DG: You want to meet in the messenger center?!
H1: Yeah...
DG: No, I meet you downstairs on 48 Street.
H1: No, we'll get yelled at. We're supposed to meet at the messenger center for food pick ups!
DG: No! I'll be OUTSIDE the doors, on the street. 48.
H1: ::disgruntled:: Fine!

So we went downstairs and conducted shady buisness of our own. There was the guy, on his bicycle on the sidewalk, barely obscured behind the building.

Why are most Asians always so shady? Time is money, I guess.

The other shady occurrence today happened this afternoon when X and I were lounging in the living room.

Or 2: Oo! You hear that?! An ice-cream truck!
X: Oo!
Or 2: I wonder if it's a Mister Softee!

As we were pondering this, the truck had stopped somewhere up the street. Then we heard a familiar sound.

X and Or 2, to each other: Ummm, you hear that right? Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer?!
X: What the hell is up with that truck?! Why would an ICE-CREAM truck ever have the need to play that song?!

Memorable Conversations and Quote of the Day:

Momma HOchie: You are the Queen of Mean!
X: Oooo! I always wanted to be a Queen! At least I can be the Queen of something!

H1, on a facebook super poke discussion: If anyone throws Michael Phelps at me, I'll vomit.

Or 2, on a picture of Michael Phelps: I'd think those ears of his would keep him back in the water.
H1: Yeah... they're not streamlined.

Currently listening to: "LE BRANC sama Wa Nandemoari" by Noriko Matsueda, Takahito Eguchi, from the FFX-2 Original Soundtrack and "The Oath" by Nobuo Uematsu, from the Final Fantasy VIII Original Soundtrack. It still pains me that this effin' stupid ass game had such a good soundtrack. It's almost trying to redeem itself by having that and Zell but nothing can save that game's horridness.

Keeping Track of Shady Buisness

It should not come as a surprise to anyone but China's been pulling some shady buisness during the Olympics.

1. Digitally enhanced fireworks display for T.V.
2. Under aged Gymnasts
3. From one not so cute girl to another not so cute girl - one who sings and one who lip-syncs.

Our responses -

1. Meh. T.V.'s supposed to be entertaining, so whatever.
2. Meh. You Americans got beaten by kids younger than you? That just goes to show you that you should be ashamed of yourselves, Americans.
3. Awww, poor kid. I didn't think she was T.V. ugly. Everyone knows opera type singers are hideous. And as I stated before, I didn't think the face on that other girl was stellar either. I know it's true and I'm sure others do too but everyone's acting as if Milli Vanilla never existed.

Our overall take on the list thus far (I expect more, there's a whole week left) -

This isn't nearly as funny as the time China tried to switch out their entire football team at half-time a few years ago to send in not tired athletes to replace the tired ones, in the hopes that no one would notice since it's a common notion that all Asians look the same.

Clearly the Chinese underestimated our ability to tell who's who in the world of Asians. Though, that was a valiant effort on their part.

Goodness knows I couldn't tell.

You Turn Around

And I'm here, doin' stuff.

Currently listening to: "Timber Owls" by Nobuo Uematsu