Memoirs of Beijing

They held another dress rehearsal last Saturday for the opening ceremonies and this one was much better than Wednesday.  There were fireworks which made me giddy like a kid and the opening act was “WOW”.  I missed the opening act last Wednesday so I made it a point to really watch it that night.  I wasn’t disappointed, I will add that act as one of my favorites!  The broadcast show on the TV inside was much better this time but it’s so irritating to see “Not for Broadcast” on the middle of the screen.  I guess they’re paranoid because of Korea’s SBS TV Network’s coverage.

The show started at 8:08 pm.. and there was even a countdown with matching fireworks when the clock stroke 8:08.  No downpours marred the dress rehearsal so all acts were completed.  4 batches of fireworks were lit and the last one was at 10:02 pm.  According to the news, the fireworks they lit last Saturday was just a third of the fireworks display which we will see during the opening ceremonies.  I can’t wait to see the full display!  I heard they will form letters in the air just like in Sydney.

Earlier that evening around 6pm, the different provinces of China performed acts which represent their provinces.  It lasted for an hour and my friend was impressed with the Hong Kong dancers.

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The Phase 4 of the Beijing Olympic ticket general public sales will start tomorrow, July 25. A total of 820,000 tickets will be sold to the public of which 250,000 are for sports events to be held in Beijing.

Ticket sales will start from July 25, 9am to 6pm until the tickets are sold out. Each person can only purchase a maximum of 2 tickets for one event. They also put a cap on how many tickets will be sold daily and for which events. No English list yet out there.

Ticket buyers can proceed to the respective venues ticket office except for the events in the Bird’s Nest, Water Cube, National Indoor Stadium, Fencing Hall and Wukesong Baseball Field. These tickets will be sold at the main box office in Beitucheng Road. Payment method is either cash or VISA credit card. Invoices can also be issued, if needed. For more information, visit the ticketing website at http://www.tickets.beijing2008.cn/?lang=en-cn

So.. what are you waiting for? You sure won’t see me there! Hehehe.. I already have a bunch of tickets which I won from Phase 1 to 3. See you at the Games!

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Country hero Manny Pacquiao was officially confirmed as the RP Flag bearer for the upcoming Olympic Games. This position is usually reserved for Olympians only but the Beijing Games organizers gave way to the Philippine Olympic Committee’s request to have Pacquiao assume this prestigious role.

The Olympic Games will hold it’s opening ceremonies on August 8, 2008 at 8:08pm. The Philippines will be sending 15 delegates in 8 sports namely Shooting (Eric Ang), Athletics (Henry Dagmil and Marestella Torres), Boxing (Harry Tanamor), Swimming (Christel Simms, James Walsh, Daniel Coakley, Ryan Arabejo and Miguel Molina), Diving (Rexel Ryan Fabrega and Sheila Mae Perez), Taekwondo (Tshomlee Go and Mary Antoinette Rivero), Archery (Mark Javier) and Weightlifting (Hidilyn Diaz). The Philippine Embassy in Beijing is planning to have a Team Welcome Ceremony at the Olympic Village on 4 August 2008 should the Beijing Games organizers allow entry to Filipinos supporting the delegates.

The flag bearer news was announced in Philippine newspapers last July 10, 2008. So.. as usual.. my news is always late. However, I’ll keep you posted with pix and stories of the opening ceremonies which I’ll be watching live at the Bird’s Nest!

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This is China! Even if they say they don’t discriminate people, they do! If you plan to teach here, make sure you have a Caucasian look, or else you’ll have a hard time finding a teaching position.

As with the Olympics, the crackdown begins! The article below is taken from a Hong Kong newspaper “South China Morning Post” as reported by Tom Miller.

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In our series looking at preparations for the Games, Tom Miller reports on plans to crack down on “undesirables” in the bars of Beijing

Beijing authorities are secretly planning to ban black people and others it considers social undesirables from entering the city’s bars during the Olympic Games, a move that would contradict the official slogan, “One World, One Dream”.

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It was a cold Monday morning in Lanzhou, Gansu when Bambi, her mom and I were waiting for Marco’s torch relay. He was number 207 and would passed by in our area by 1052am. We took off from our hotel at 430am armed with a stick, stools, snacks, water, camera and video camera. We were quietly waiting for Marco to arrive when the police came and ask us to move back from behind the barricade. We didn’t have a choice as we don’t want to be sent back to the hotel. So, we moved back and tried the camera and video camera again from a higher ground. After half an hour waiting in that area, we were asked by the police to open our bags. In Marco’s mom’s bag was a Philippine flag. The policeman who searched her bag looked like he won a million dollars. You can see his eye lit up as if bagging the ultimate prize. A mob of policemen then drag us and ask us to stand near the wall. After checking all our bags, they lead us to a mini-van and asked us to go inside of it. The policeman asked me to hand in Marco’s camera and I was trying to show him there was nothing in it that’s damaging or incriminating. However, he just motioned to me to give it to him and go inside the van.

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With only 39 days to go till the Olympics, is Beijing really ready for their big coming out party? It’s been a week since I last saw the sun. I’m feeling depressed already as everything is gray and gloomy. I hope they can improve the environment because it’s not gonna be a beautiful Beijing without the blue sky.

Anyway, here are some changes which is in effect during the Olympic and Paralympic period. Most of them are already annoying and a lot of foreigners and businesses are not happy.

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We’re down to 43 days till the start of the 29th Summer Olympiad and what’s the hottest commodity in town? OLYMPIC TICKETS!!!! Everyone wants one and those who have it are selling it for profit. So, which exactly are the most sought after tickets??

- Opening ceremony : They only draw this in Phase 1 and a person can only apply for 1 ticket. Only 91,000 spectators will see the live show directed by Zhang Yi Mou at the Bird’s Nest and Chinese are paying top money to witness it. My friend and his friend both won 1 ticket each with a face value of RMB 800 and are selling it for RMB 30,000 each. I’m not sure if there will be someone who’ll buy it but I’ve heard people who would pay for more than that.

- Athletics Aug. 21 evening games : What’s so special about this event? It’s the 110m hurdles and the favorite Chinese hurdler Liu Xiang is pressured to win the gold medal. The face value of the tickets are RMB 800/400/200. A friend’s friend was able to sell 3 tickets with face value of RMB 800 @ RMB 20,000 each. That’s ridiculously expensive! The same friend who has the opening ceremony tickets is also selling two of them for RMB 10,000 each.

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