francesen's User Profile

Date registered: July 15, 2009
Region: China
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Profile • Forum Posts (6) • Comments (16) • Classifieds (1) • Reviews (1)

Latest Comments

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- May 17, 2012
- What's on Chengdu May 18 to May 20
  Sexy Saturday @ Shamrock
  Free shorts for girls in skirts. Prize for shortest skirt.
  Classy!
- October 12, 2011
- Botched surgery: Doctors replace man's thumb with his toe
  Jesus....
  (who incidentally was a Rabbi according to last night's pub quiz...)
- July 4, 2011
- Photo report: Torrential rains flood Chengdu and Sichuan
  Yep, that second picture and last picture is right outside my house. See all that water there? Much of it flowed right into our underground parking lot while the guards and management stood around passively. Now there is about 6 foot of water still in there - cars and my electric bike is submerged in sewer water and they pumped it out all night and it only went down maybe a foot. We had no power last night, still probably no water and no elevator. And our bike lady lost her home and her money.
  Also amazing the amount of cars that tried to drive though this 80-90cm of water on the road and get stuck. I watched probably 6 or 7 cars do this, break down one after the other. If they see cars above abandoned, what makes them think they could get though?!
  Also, it was flooding from about 4pm, no traffic police even showed up until about 9pm as far as I could tell. The bridge even filled up with a second queue of traffic that got stuck because some idiot must have let them in the other end.
- August 31, 2010
- Entering the 3D transportation era: the Chengdu subway in photos
  Wait, the subway doesn't go to the airport?
- August 26, 2010
- Sichuan Time Travel: The Le Shan Steam Engine
  Didn't really mean it to turn into an essay, but I did really like that place!

Latest Classifieds

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- May 17
  
  Respond
- Join Green Drinks! Monday, May 28th, 7pm - 9.30pm Talk: The Economics of Extinction
  Classifieds > News & Information
  Green Drinks May edition!
  The Economics of Extinction
  Monday, May 28th, 7pm - 9.30pm @ Chengdu Bookworm
  In this session Sarah Bexell will lead a discussion on the myth of infinite economic growth upon which global economies are founded. Then we will discuss how this mythical thinking necessarily leads to disparity between rich and poor countries as well as the destruction of Mother Earth, loss of biodiversity, loss of ecosystems, and the current mass extinction event. We will discuss new economic models and strategies for economic sustainability, such as Bhutan's "Gross National Happiness Index" and Bolivia's giving equal rights to nature. We will also discuss the impact of economic pursuits on the decline of giant pandas and red pandas. Put it in your diary!
  Sarah Bexell has been engaged in wildlife conservation, conservation education and humane education for nearly 20 years. Currently, she is Director of Conservation Education at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and a Research Scholar with the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver, USA.
  What's Green Drinks? Every month people who work in or are interested in the environmental field meet up at informal sessions known as Green Drinks. We have a lively mixture of people from NGOs, academia, government and business. Come along and you'll be made welcome. And as usual, entrance is free and we'll enjoy a 20% discount on any colour drinks from the Bookworm too. Supported by the Sustainable Chengdu Working Group.
  Details:
  Date: Monday 28th May 2012
  Time: 7pm - 9.30pm
  Location: The Bookworm No. 2 Yujie East Street, Chengdu(老书虫：人民南路四段28号玉洁东街2号(心族宾馆南侧))
  Price: Free! Plus 20% drinks discounts kindly provided by the Bookworm.

Latest Forum Posts

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- May 3, 2012
- Forums > Living in Chengdu > Pet Relocation
  
  As far as I am aware, taking a dog to the states is easy. You have to get an export license from the Quarantine Bureau about 10 days to a week before you leave. That's to show the dog is fit and safe to travel.
  四川检验检疫局
  一环路南四段 28号 (just a bit east of 高升桥 gaoshengqiao on first ring)
  Tel: 82998126
  If you enquire they might send you to the 7th floor in the other bit of the building, the people there are fairly friendly and helpful.
  However, if you travel via Beijing you apparently have to get this changed to a Beijing one to leave China still... Not so sure about that but if you PM me I can send you details of someone who has done this and got their dog back and I'm sure they can give you more information.
  Don't think its necessary to use a pet relocation company to take a dog to the states. They're expensive and it seems to be not that difficult anyway, so you should be fine.
- October 26, 2011
- Forums > Living in Chengdu > Business visa (for a Brit)
  
  Cheers for your help. I should be sorted now :)
- October 21, 2011
- Forums > Study > HSK Test Taking Info
  
  All the information is on this site - there is an English and Chinese version but the Chinese one is updated a lot more regularly. So always check that.
  http://www.hsk.org.cn/
  It appears the schedule for 2012 hasn't been released yet, but here is the information for the rest of the year:
  http://www.hsk.org.cn/news/news20101108_c.html
  In November there are foundation and also elementary level tests - the registration period is very soon - this month.
  Think you can register online or at the testing centre somewhere in Sichuan University. More info on the site I'm sure. There is a list of examination centres and I think it is in Chuanda.
  I am not sure about resources for these new tests. But you could try Pop-up Chinese http://popupchinese.com/hsk/test - they have some free materials. Others you have to pay for.
- October 12, 2011
- Forums > Living in Chengdu > Business visa (for a Brit)
  
  Anyone got the latest word on getting a business visa in CD? I have never applied for one before so no idea what stuff I need to sort out. Also I think some nationalities have to leave the country every month or so... does that apply to British people? Ideally I want a 3 or 6 month visa.
  Any tips/experience/advice etc would be much appreciated!
  Cheers!
- August 27, 2009
- Forums > Food & Drink > Poll: Mapo Doufu--Love It or Hate It?
  
  plain food is good at times, sure, but we're discussing the merits of a dish that I go to for lots of flavour (read: huajiao and black beans haha). It's a shame you don't like it though. I hereby promise to be more sensitive to those who can't take the heat in the future ;p
  who else dislikes it then?

Latest Reviews

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- francesen
  May 17, 2012
- Chengdu > Indian Food Corner
  I went there yesterday and it wasn't closed, but I wouldn't recommend it either, sad to say (would love more Indian food choices). All the veggie dishes were basically the same; the samosa, although nice, came with tomato ketchup. And it was all crazy slow to appear on the table.
  Namaste is still the best in my opinion. Will try out this new place Paradise though, let's see!