RETROSPECTIVE: Nanjing Open pictures

Another team picture here.



The roommates

Poor kids took the soft seaters down. For more, see Barbara's Facebook album.

WEEK IN REVIEW: New people and a new newsletter

The first-ever Ascott Bar Games Triathlon is this weekend at the apartment of Ellen and Marc Miller (an embassy guy). Should be a great time.

Until then, let's look back at the week that was:

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

BCIS pickup, Wednesdays 7-9 pm, Saturdays 2-4 pm

Welcome new people (Kris Pickett (top picture, far left, with friend John; and Barbara Chen O'Connell)!



GOOGLE GROUPS POST OF THE WEEK:

Alicia, Beijing Ultimate: Weekly Newsletter (week of Jan 17), 1/18 (NOTE: this weekly newsletter might occupy its own post from now on; look for it on Tuesdays):

*Pick-Up*
Pick-Up per usual on Wednesday night at BCIS, 7 - 9pm!

There is NO pick-up on Saturday 22 January. For those of you who have paid RMB150 for 6 sessions in January, we'll give you one session (either Wednesday or Saturday) in February.

For details, visit www.beijingultimate.com.
**
*Events and Happenings*

This week: Nothing

Next week: Something!
Jim and Tao will be hosting American Pub Quiz starting Thursday 27 Jan, 8pm onwards at Kro's Nest on Xiao Yun Lu near San Yuan Qiao. Special drink deal: five bottles of imports for 100 kuai!
For more, see http://beijingultimate.blogspot.com.

*Farewell and Welcome*

We will sadly be saying bye to Marc Hiller who is leaving to go back to the US after a year in Beijing. He was a crucial member of Team Pillage, winners of the 2010 Summer League and helped Big Brother win the beach tournament at Dalian in July.

But the cycle of life continues: welcome to new players!
- Lauren "Barbie" Reed is back with us after spending the past year in Indiana / Washington DC.
- Barbara Chen O'Connell joins us from Boston.
- Micah Jarnot, from Minnesota, joins us after spending some time in Shantou.

*Tournaments*

1) Phnom Penh: March 5 - 6

2) Shenzhen: March 19 - 20

3) First annual India Hat Tournament will be hosted by AV Ultimate Feb. 4th-6th. The event will take place in the cozy community of Auroville and the closest airport to fly in to is Chennai, so look to Tiger Airways, Malaysia Airlines, or Indian Air for the lowest international fares. Air Asia also flies to Tiruchirappalli. As well, MakeMyTrip.com or Yatra.com can be used to find the best flight within India. Consult the website (http://www.auroville.org/society/ultimate.htm) for more information and please submit the registration form (on the left side of the website) on or before January 16th so all those interested can be accommodated. And any questions can be directed to AVultim...@scott.ms

4) The Boracay Open is set for this April 1st to April 3rd! There will be an Open tourney on the 1st, and a Mixed tournament the 2nd and 3rd. More details to follow; for now just save the date!

5) 12th Annual Bali Nusantara Cup is planned for next April 22/23, 2011. They say they have sweet grass fields and you know the beaches are awesome… Check the website (www.ultimateindonesia.com) for details and email elodiesel...@hotmail.com with any comments or requests.

For more about happenings around China, check
http://chinaultimate.wordpress.com.

WEEKEND ROUNDUP: Boozy trivia party, at last

To celebrate his team's string of trivia victories at the place formerly known as Souk Lounge, Kirby held a trivia party on Saturday night that might be the last party he holds for Frisbee people for a while. Within 10 minutes of walking into his apartment, Joe asked Leigh to "throw a Jello up" so he could catch it in his mouth, and here's what ended up happening:



As Joe swiped at the Jello -- failing miserably of course -- his foot knocked over a cup of vodka-lemonade. Within the first 10 minutes. Kirby looked incredulous.



Later we played slap-cup, a game brought to us by Alex [EDIT: Peach, apparently! Not Alex] soon to become staple of our little community.

As these things happen, everything devolved into a mess and a group of people ran downstairs to swim naked in the swimming pool -- accessible only by squeezing between a pair of doors chained together. This involved a rather funny scene with Kirby's roommate, who could not manage to squeeze through. "It's not going to happen," he said, almost weeping. "Go on without me." This just before a grenade landed at his heel and blew him into pieces as we watched from the other side, mercifully stunned and oblivious to the sadness about to detonate us into a hundred little pieces, as entrails and blood simmered there a mere three feet from our eyes.

The evening and day were notable, too. Steph Kwan organized a dinner at Baoyuan Jiaozi near Women's Street. Here was our group:




And earlier in the day, in an extended pickup, we were re-acquainted with one Micah Jarnot, who will bless us with his presence for the next year. This is he (sitting next to Barbara, Alex's friend, fresh from Boston, who will be here long-term too):



He comes to us from, of all places, Shantou. We are so much more interesting.