RETROSPECTIVE: Barbie tribute video

Lots of departures this year, but I only had time to make one video. This one from Barbie's pink party on December 12:

[ Download ]

Alice likes Frisbee

Without meaningful input and lacking any remaining reason or coherent narrative structure, the rejected cartoons grew unstable. They began to fall apart.

-- Rejected - Best Oscar Award Winner Movie

Picture of the Day:


The blogroll now reflects the latest addition, Nick Liu's Be Active for China Ultimate Frisbee website. Check it out.

Emma! (A message from the Shyus)

Just wanted to wish you a Happy Holidays and introduce you to the newest member of our family. Weighing in at 4000g (8.82lbs) and 53cm (20.86") Emma Lillian Shyu was born on 12.24.2009.

Mom, Baby and Dad are all doing well. We are wishing you and your family a very Happy Holidays!

Love

Mike, Helen and Emma

Beijing Ultimate's first baby

Baby Shyu, as yet unnamed, crawled out of Helen Shyu's tummy -- we can only assume Alien-style -- around 10 p.m. on the 24th of December. Pictures will be available once the proud mommy and daddy give us permission to post.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

RETROSPECTIVE: Caps madness in Tianjin

Since we're talking caps and all, here's a scene of battle caps from the Tianjin tourney in March:

Youku version here.

Preview of the 2009 Year-in-Review Slideshow

I've lately been consumed with the Beijing Ultimate 2009 Year-in-Review Slideshow, waking up at 8 (though that's partly because of jetlag) and working through lunch these past three days. Here's a preview of the 23-minute show, which only needs finalizing and could be ready by New Year's (though it may not debut until after I return to Beijing on Jan. 12):

UPDATE: Blogger's video uploader not working so well... will think of way to get the preview posted shortly.

UPDATE 2: Here.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Beijing All-Caps League

As we prepare for the holiday break, Beijing Ultimate would like to announce the beginning of a great thing: the Beijing All-Caps League. (If you need a refresher on how caps is usually played in Beijing, go here.) Caps, in the traditional sense, is a controlled and refined game, and as such we are able to keep stats, etc. After two nights, this is what the standings look like:

Players	Gms.	Caps	R	Pts.	Avg.	C/7	W	L	Win %
Tao	9	53	3	48	5.89	3.09	6	3	0.667
Kevin	9	39	4	32	4.33	2.28	6	3	0.667
Alicia	9	14	1	11	1.56	0.82	4	5	0.444
Jim	3	5	0	4	1.67	0.80	1	2	0.333
Jehan	6	9	1	8	1.50	0.83	1	5	0.167

More to come after the break. These were the final standings of the New York All-Caps League, by the way:

Players	Gms.	Caps	R	Pts.	Avg.	C/7	W	L	Win %
Tao	82	286	28	222	3.49	1.76	34	37	0.442
Ian	62	312	35	239	5.03	2.45	36	17	0.610
Rob	63	264	34	220	4.19	2.06	36	16	0.621
Tony	26	108	11	83	4.15	2.05	14	12	0.538
David	36	116	10	91	3.22	1.60	17	17	0.500
K-Ball	6	17	2	14	2.83	1.28	2	4	0.333
Paul	35	107	15	76	3.06	1.42	6	24	0.188
Jon	12	56	6	45	4.67	2.29	8	4	0.667
Anna	3	6	0	5	2.00	0.78	1	2	0.333
Ross	1	5	1	4	5.00	1.59	0	1	0.000
P-Funk	20	23	1	18	1.15	0.67	6	12	0.333
Cheryl	2	2	0	2	1.00	0.64	0	2	0.000
O-Town	2	2	1	1	1.00	0.64	0	2	0.000
Smita	1	1	1	0	1.00	0.64	0	1	0.000
Jane	1	2	0	2	2.00	0.78	0	1	0.000
Mae	6	11	1	8	1.83	0.97	3	3	0.500
Darden	2	3	0	3	1.50	1.17	0	2	0.000
Liz	1	1	0	1	1.00	0.64	0	1	0.000
Molly	1	0	0	0	0.00	0.00	0	1	0.000
Julie	4	4	0	4	1.00	0.55	0	4	0.000
Alan	1	2	0	1	2.00	0.58	0	1	0.000
Mike	4	13	1	12	3.25	1.98	2	2	0.500
Megan	3	5	0	5	1.67	1.06	1	2	0.333
Craig	7	10	1	7	1.43	0.89	1	2	0.143
Coe	1	2	0	1	2.00	1.08	0	1	0.000
Nick	1	0	0	0	0.00	0.00	0	1	0.000

Hopefully Beijing's league will be as successful.

And now we bid adieu until after the New Year.

The Jim Show

We mentioned a certain foosball tournament at Ellen's a couple weeks back. Well, a couple videos have surfaced from that night. Enjoy:



Update: Now on Youku! Part 1; Part 2.

RETROSPECTIVE: Remember when this girl was here?

So long ago...


(She left us on Sunday for Chicago, which, in her words, is "dreary.")

WEEKEND ROUNDUP: A bittersweet party for Beijing Ultimate

Barbie Reed

We'll have a tribute video up in the coming days, but for now these pictures of Barbie's going-away party will have to suffice. Also, Kevin's got a post up on his blog, and if you don't believe he and Therese were the most impressively dressed on the night (though Sandy and Baby Girl were impressive in their own way), go read what he had to do get ready

Pink Party 2009!









It was also Liz's last night in Beijing.





Lots of debauchery we can't write about in this space.

WEEK IN REVIEW: In preparation of another party, this one meaningful

Pink Party! Lauren's going-away / Liz's last night. See details below.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:


GOOGLE GROUPS POST OF THE WEEK:

Lauren:

Hi everyone!

Here are the finalized details for which you have all been waiting!

7 pm - Meet at *Raj Indian Restaurant* （拉兹印度餐厅）, eat *all-you-can-eat buffet
and all-you-can-drink Yanjing draft for 80 RMB *

Address: 31 Gulou Xi Dajie （鼓楼西大街31号） *
Tel: 6401 1675, 8403 5920*, or call barbie 135-2058-2509

9 pm - Walk to *Sandy's cousin's bar at Nanluoguxiang* that has great drink specials
11 pm - Go to Luga's *"Ladies Drink Free"* night after party - *Chocolate*

Due to lack of enough interest in a dongzhimen departure, and the close proximity of our first two locations, the* party bus has become obsolete*. Since there is no party bus, please *find your way to Raj at 7 pm *on your own.

We have 45 guests representing Air Kazak, Bang, Hang Time, and Big Brother. Let's use this opportunity to mix a little bit and get to know the members of other teams! Can't wait to see you all.

barbie

RETROSPECTIVE: Preview to a pink party, part deux

We looked back on the 2008 pink party here, but Mike Shyu and Donald felt so bad about being left out that we're gonna make it up to them:



Lauren's going-away party this Saturday will be 2009's pink party. Last year it was to honor Reid and Julia, and this time it will be for someone who's been in Beijing even longer. It's gonna be a bittersweet night.

WEEKEND ROUNDUP, part 2: Ken Dry, we'll be seeing ya

Ken, the man on the right in the pic above, seen with his girlfriend Steph and Jim on Friday night, has departed for South Carolina.

It's this blog's opinion that nothing good ever happens in South Carolina, but Ken's gone to finish some important and worthwhile work, and when he returns it might be for good.

Until then, godspeed.

***

Saturday was Adam's housewarming / Nicki Fung's birthday party at Adam's apartment near Chaoyang Park. Lots of people went, and at least one girl showed up wasted beyond recognition, resulting in hilarity and embarrassment. Afterwards some people went to Fu Bar, which just may become Beijing Ultimate's new classy hangout, as opposed to Chocolate, which will always be our sordid hangout / exactly where we're gonna end up this Saturday after Lauren's going-away pink party, because there's only one good way to send someone off: with naked dancers and vodka. Can't wait.

WEEKEND ROUNDUP, part 1: It is now legal for this girl...

...to drink in the United States. Happy birthday, Liz! You have made Jim very happy.

After the Korean BBQ dinner in the Wu we went a few blocks down the street to D-22, where Jeff and Kevin's band, Autobots, Deploy!, played in front of a lively crowd. Videos to come later, but first:




And then we ended up in Propaganda until 5 a.m. What happens in Propaganda, especially past midnight, stays in Propaganda, such as Jeff hooking up with two college girls who may or may not have been 17*. *This may or may not be a flat-out lie.

But -- hey, look! -- Jim had fun.

WEEK IN REVIEW: More parties!

Seriously, my body's getting tired.

Nov. 21: Ellen's Thanksgiving party
Nov. 27: Ellen's foosball tourney
Nov. 28: Mike and Helen Shyu's Thanksgiving dinner
Dec. 4: Liz's birthday + Autobots, Deploy! at D-22
Dec. 5: Nicki's housewarming
Dec. 12: Lauren's going-away, Liz's going-away

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

From Kevin Reitz at the Shyus' Thanksgiving dinner

GOOGLE GROUPS POST OF THE WEEK:

A tie! Zahlen, in the post titled, Barbie's Imminent Going-Away Party: The Legacy of Pink, Dec. 12:

One time when I was out of town, Doc broke into my house and stole ALL my pink clothing.

I returned to Beijing late on a (Pink Shirt) Friday night, and went from airport to home and direct to the bars. I had acquired a few new PSF shirts while in the states, so I didn't miss a beat. Doc was flabberghasted when he saw me show up in a pink shirt. I was doubly flabberghasted when I went to grab another pink shirt the next PSFriday and found that my wardrobe had shrunk considerably.

True story, real people.

Z

And me, replying to Alicia's post, Wednesday night Frisbee - BCIS from 7 - 9pm!!!

Jizz! Jizz! Jizz! OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD THERE IS JIZZ EVERYWHERE!!!

BCIS is awesome. I was really excited.

RETROSPECTIVE: Five Ultimate going into Japan?

Zahlen, owner of Five Ultimate, addressing the Flippers, a Japanese team CUUP played in its first game Friday at AOUCC/Manila Spirits.

Has it been a month already?

WEEKEND ROUNDUP: Things to be thankful for

Mike Shyu gave a stirring speech at his Thanksgiving dinner Saturday, the sixth annual Jump, Jive and Someone Kill the Turkey Already, and if you weren't there it'll be hard for us to recreate the moment, because how does one capture a heartfelt sentiment, an expression of endearment in front of next-to-kin friends?

Reitz has more here.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Ellen's foosball tourney, and Jim

This just in: Boehner and Ellen are really good at foosball, and teamed together, they're unbeatable. The team was 3.5-point favorites in the finals against Michael Chaitkin and Jim, and covered, winning 10-6. The house won 5 kuai over a night of betting (14 total games, though not all saw action), with big-winner Jim leaving with 20 kuai (6 for 6 on bets) and big loser Michael leaving as a sad, decrepit shell of himself, down 15 big ones.

Afterwards we drank and played asshole, a game in which I won six straight times and seven out of eight, including once from the asshole position. (Don't ask if you don't know.) And then things got -- how shall we say? -- a bit out of control. This is all we'll say for now:

An oven broke. Jim did some other stuff.

Consider that a preview of a video to come...

PICTURES OF THE WEEK:



GOOGLE GROUPS POST OF THE WEEK:

Jeff, you sick, sick man. I had to write this (11/21):

Jeff Orcutt, you play a risky game. When having sex with horses next time, you'll want to

pitch, not catch. Otherwise you place yourself in mortal danger of a perforated colon, which is no laughing matter, as Kenneth Pinyan, otherwise known as Mr. Hands, could tell you... from his grave.

I must also, despite the sensitive disposition of our fair readers, bring to attention the despicable game you have been playing these last four years with the lives of innocent, sentient beings. The other day, during one of my several leisurely Internet browsing sessions, I uncovered a disturbing Seattle Times article documenting your unscrupulous lifestyle and laying bare your degenerate constitution. I quote: "But because investigators found chickens, goats and sheep on the property, they are looking into whether animal cruelty — which is a crime — was committed by having sex with these smaller, weaker animals."

Jeff, you pervert! Horses are one thing, but small, furry, defenseless animals? I... I'm aghast. I'm absolutely shocked beyond words. How sick. How vile! How... how dastardly! You should be ashamed. What your dark, monstrous conscience will tolerate in the basement of your private dwelling is not for us to judge, but to betray your friends and acquaintances by bringing this defilement upon us in the world of virtue and light is unforgivable. How Joe has co-habitated with you all this time is beyond guessing, though we should probably take pity at the horrors -- gross and unfathomable! -- he has repressed in the name of survival!

It will take us years to erase the vestiges of your profanity from our collective consciousness. I beseech you do us the favor of removing yourself from our chaste community at once. Your libido has harmed its last living soul.

Sincerely,
Beijing Ultimate Community

Happy Thanksgiving!

That is all.

RETROSPECTIVE: Beijing's continual awesomeness at tourney parties

Manila Spirits 2009

WEEKEND ROUNDUP: Two turkeys, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, banana bread, pumpkin soup, apple pie, pumpkin pie...

...14 friends, Scategories, hot tub, swimming pool, foosball, and the drinking games Ride the Bus and Circle of Death... recipe for a good Thanksgiving.







Thanks go out to Gareth for making the bulk of the meal, Michael for helping in both kitchens and Ellen, once again, for hosting.

POSTSCRIPT: Doc!

Countdown of Doc's greatest works

3. Shanghai 2008



2. Jeju 2007









1. Hong Kong 2008