The hills around the China / New Territories Hong Kong border are covered in tombs. Much of the area is inaccessible, except on foot. The departed wanted to be buried in their homeland, China, but that practice was not permitted. They were interred by their loved ones as close as physically possible:On the green hills, next to the river that once divided a British colony and what was seen as a hostile nation. Barbed wire and video surveillance remain, as do the resting places the dead, still maintained by relatives granting a wish as best they could.

Captured: May 15, 2008.

To the photo geeks: If anyone knows how to cut-down on urban haze/smog, be it a filter or digital processing solution, please drop me a line.

The Stevo’s have a secret.

No, I won’t tell you what it is: It’s a secret.

No, the world cannot expect a little Stevo any time soon. Have you seen The Omen (the original or remake)? A wee Stevo would make Damien Thorne look like a harbinger of goodwill. I’d be happy with a xiao gou (puppy), but Mrs. Stevo feels we should pass on our genes. Not a bad idea: My good looks, Mrs. Stevo’s beauty and innate goodness…

Wanna know the secret? Stay tuned. Signed up for RSS email updates in the right sidebar (brought to you by Feedburner!)

RT Cunningham at Untwisted Vortex, uncrowned prince of the blogosphere, has been as busy as a beaver as of late.

Last week he posted some great articles on improving your blog.

Want to know how to use Feedburner to offer RSS updates by email? RT is the man to see. Check out info on the Top of the Blogs, a new ranking service . Heard about Stumpedia? It is a new human-powered search engine. RT has been there and lived to tell the tale.

RT is a knowledgeable guy that I met through Carrie at My Several Worlds. The man knows blogging and WordPress. Give him a click and learn a lot.

Dear Andy:

I’ve seen a movie or two of your’s. More often than not I see your face plastered on every product you pimp endorse.

A trip to an electronic store has me facing your face, smiling at me from boxes of DVD players.

A trip to a DVD store has me seeing your viseage on the posters of the four movies you make each year. A tour through the CD section has me confronted with a mini you, in strange costumes, on CD jackets. I see a lot of you, Andy. You’re part of my weekly routine. A week without Andy…

I feel as if I know you, so I will say this:

You Cheap Bastard!

That’s right. You’re a cheap bastard. I read of your donation to the Chinese earthquake relief fund. Andy: 100,000 RMB? You have more than that in loose change. If you searched your sofa you’d find more money than that.

Come on, cheapie. Jackie Chan gave 10 million RMB. Jet Li parted with 1 million RMB and Yao Ming donated 500,000 RMB. The students and staff of my school donated more than 400,000 RMB. Let’s not talk about the $10 million RMB anonymous donation made yesterday.

You, tight-wad. 100 Gs?

$14,285 American for the young Chinese women that revere you? I know a Chinese English teacher that took the name Andi to honor you. YOU! Scrooge.

I’m not a man of your means, but after a day of phone calls I could donate 100 grand.

Yes, I’ve seen you face all over China. I never really liked it, my only reason being your blatant endorsements pimping. Now I have a reason. As does the rest of China. You have gone from a superstar to a laughingstock overnight.

Please, Sir, redeem yourself. Open your sock drawer, pull out your mad money, and take it to the nearest Red Cross office. Be the star in real life you are on the big screen.

SIncerely,

Sti Fu.

As is my life in China, last night I was drinking Hennessy, eating crab, shrimp, and other expensive seafood.

Some times you’re on the top of the world.

This morning I’m installing a toilet seat, washing dishes, and doing laundry. At times I think I need to look into the symptoms of alcohol dependency.

Some times you’re in the gutter.

There is no justice.

Shenzhen is home to one of the two stock markets on the Chinese mainland. Shenzheners are stock crazy. It’s not unusual to walk into a business and see real-time stock prices ticking across computer screens. The Stevo only has stock photographs, not stock options.

Captured: May 15, 2008.