I'm headed out to China from 13 March through the 24th.

The itenary swings me through Beijing, Dalian, Guanzhou and Shanghai.... literally from North to South.

The last time I was in China was 1989. Will it be the same? I doubt it. What has changed? Will everyone still be riding bicycles? How much more are the Chinese connected to the rest of the global village?

Do they still eat dogs?

Despite being a business trip, I'm packing along the Contax G2 and the 28/35/45/90 for a couple of days of weekend shooting. I dont have a clue of a story that I might end up with. Rural migration? Chinese night life? Modern China? Chinese room service? I dont know.

Back in the 80's I'd made 5-6 trips to various parts of China and ashamedly, I've yet to see the Great Wall (I did buy some Great Wall post cards in the Nanjing hotel lobby then, but I dont think it counts)!

The weather is expected to be between 0 in Beijing through 21 in Shanghai. I hope I can find my Long Johns and flannel shirts.....and dust off the ol' Chinese-English dictionary.

That dictionary's a life-saver and bookmarked in many places with those all-important Chinese phrases like:

"Where's the toilet?"
"Dont kill me, here take ALL my money!"
"Where's a cheap place to buy fake Nike shoes?"
"A bottle of Tsingtao beer please" AND
"ONE more bottle of Tsingtao beer please"

Meeting the Director of the Singapore History Museum tomorrow at 4pm with Lance and a couple of other guys. I hope it goes well.

I gave in last week and subscribed to cable TV after the building antenna surrendered its last breath. What a change it did to our lifestyles. With about 30 channels, I was an unwitting potato couch all weekend literally surfing all the programs. Movies, English Premier League , Formula 1, National Geographic, BBC, CNN, CNBC, TVBJ, TVRI......I overdosed.

Technology's made life easier for me too. Now the cable TV box allows me broadband access without even the need to dial up. I'm trying to decide if I should hook up a PC to broadband and surf the net from home. I've always been proud of the fact that the family's (almost) free from the claws of the drugs we call TV and Internet to be out almost every weekend doing something outdoors under the sun/moon, sensible and meaningful......I fear how cable (and possibly broadband) will fit into our lives from now on.

Then there's always the option to just say 'No' and pick up a basic programs package. Or better, unplug the cable box and return it with a note saying "here...you can take this back and shove it up your ass" The verdict's not going to be in for another couple of months.

I didnt shoot this past weekend. Its the damn cable TV's fault.

Good buddy Greg (aka Mr Leica) asked me in Offstone this week to share my experiences with the Leica M6 and the Contax G2. He's always setting up booby traps like this for me.

Chickening out of a very possible Leica vs. Rest-of-the-World conflict and avoiding a possible flame war I replied with a neutral "I love and hate both systems". Funny, I really meant it.

I mean, both systems have their pro's and con's and I am impartial to either. Well almost.....there are many situations where I need to work fast, have little time to ponder and marvel at man's non-electrical mechanical ingenuity. Automation and having the camera work for and with me will be the bullet that I will eventually bite at.

HOWEVER, a mechanical camera like a Leica M (or for that matter the Canonet as well) brings me down back to earth to first base and reinforces all the basic fundamentals of camera handling and tenets of thoughtful shooting. With enough time on my hands it hones basic skills and heightens my appreciation and enjoyment of a pure work of art and functionality. The mechanical camera will never disappear from my cabinet.

Who knows? Nuclear war might break out one day and Man retrogrades back to the times and environments of Mad Max or Water World.....where batteries become extinct . Then, Leica will claim its final victory.

Irregardless of all the brickbrats thrown its way by lesser mortals, I daresay extremely few 35mm cameras (none Japanese, one Swiss and a couple of fellow Germans) comes close in terms of sheer build quality next to the M's.

Let me put it another way...How else would I know and appreciate what pleasure and convenience is without first tasting frustration and pain? How would I appreciate what 'fast' is without first living with 'slow'? Ying and Yang it will always be.

Mechanical or electronic (or even digital) camera for you?

To my friends who remain faithful to the Red Dot, "dont strike me off your list of close photo buddies. I STILL LOVE YOU!" I dont give a rat's poop what anybody shoots with.

I'll be posting the next couple of diary entries from China if I can find an Internet cafe in the Land of Smiling Pandas.