Chris Rock's joke rocked. Hugo doing well. Someone said the F-word and they missed the biiip, so yeah, good show this year so far.

The only game of Handegg I like to watch. Damn shame about the time though, at least we can warm up with some real football first.

Visa stupidity is not just confined to Shandong. To me it sounds like the school hasn't obtained permission from the provincial education bureau to hire foreigners. Private ESL schools cover a broad spectrum of legality, from having no contact with the authorities, no authorization, no tax-paying (read: illegal) to nationwide schools allowed to set up branches anywhere and hire almost any number of foreigners they want. Most schools are somewhere in between. One thing is for certain: DON'T accept work or go there if they aren't sure they can settle things for you visa wise. They need to figure everything out beforehand and get written proof that they are allowed to hire foreigners. When they have that you can come to China on a tourist visa, get the paperwork done and make a trip to Where-ever to swop it for a work visa (thay's the most common way to do it, although you can also get everything done from Canada - biggest problem here is that the school is fairly clueless right now and probably will mess up the paperwork or at least spend an awful lot of time on it).

I wouldn't try crossing over land. I went to another border crossing last month and foreigners were not allowed to enter Burma there. The guards were very chatty (slow day I guess) and advised us to get the visa in Kunming and fly to Burma from there. When asked about the Ruili crossing they said I could try but it got closed down somewhat arbitrarily from time to time and I couldn't count on being allowed to enter. Still needed to get a visa in Kunming anyhow. Chinese nationals do not need a visa to go to Burma, just a permission slip from the PSB.

Golf enthusiasts all over the world today mourn one of the greatest golfers ever. Kim Jong Il playing out of Pyongyang, North Korea ascended into Heaven today due to mental and physical overwork according to DPRK's official (and only) news agency. According to said news agency Kim regularly scored 4-5 holes-in-one during a round of golf and would likely have won every single tournament on the PGA had he not graciously chosen to bow out and allow lesser beings like Mickelson, Woods and Donald a little time in the spotlight. Kim instead opted to spend his life tirelessly working for the prosperity and enlightenment of his people. It is expected that Kim's youngest son Jong-Un will try to fill the size 36 shoes of The Magnificent One. Kim Jong-Un had already promised to make at least 6 or 7 holes-in-one every time he plays to honour his father's memory. The Dear Leader is dead, Long live The Dear Leader!