ME WITH MICHELLE KWAN'S DAD, DANNY

Everyone in the skating world knows Danny Kwan. A dynamic figure, and a great father. Look at how Michelle turned out and you will realize its the product of her parents upbringing.

EAST WEST ICE PALACE - MICHELLE KWAN

I was a small part of this before it was built working with Danny Kwan. This ice rink is in Artesia, Ca. and is owned by Michelle Kwan and her dad. Before accepting the job in China, I was designated as the General Manager of this rink. Never go the chance however as I was already in China by the time it opened.

SAN CLEMENTE 2005

This photo taken in San Clemente on our way to dinner at the pier. L to R is VJ Novales, Raul Gomes, Mike Novales, Thomas Choi and Dave Chen. Ted is the photographer. This is where I left the keys in my car with engine running for 3 hours and the doors unlocked...and no one stole the car. Shocking.

ASIAN GAMES LUNCH 2007

This photo taken at a luncheon with Chen Lu, Denis Petrov and competitor Mike Novales in Changchun for the 2007 Asian Winter Games.

NICE TO WORK WITH NICE PEOPLE

Lisa Lee and Alex Yeung, two people who helped me run World Ice Arena in Shenzhen. Alex and I have worked together since 1988 in Hong Kong. Lisa Graduated at No. 1 in her class at Guangzhou University and Alex graduated at U of Calif in Berkley as an Architect.

ANDY KUO AT WORLD ICE ARENA

Andy was in our marketing department at the rink where I was GM for 4 years. Nice guy and knows a lot about iPhones.

THE MALL AT TAIPEI 101

Taipei 101 was the world's tallest building for many years and has now been surpassed by The Burj in Dubai. The mall, however, was very elegant and this is a photo from inside. We didn't go on top of the building because it was too new and wasn't yet open for sightseers.

TAIPEI 2004

In 2004 Alex Yeung and I went to Taipei to do a presentation on Skate Asia for 2006. Taipei certainly has a lot of things that are great but my favorite was the night market which was very crowded and with lots of things to do and see. I love the lemonade most of all. I don't know how they make it there, but its unlike any I've had before. Worth the trip just to get it again.....

ON THE BUND IN SHANGHAI

Shanghai is one of the most interesting cities I have ever visited. I like it because so much of it's past is still there. The Bund still has all the old pre-war buildings; the old French concession is filled with beautiful tree-lined streets and quiet elegance of the past. Shanghai has all the modern things too including a great Metro system and wide variety of restaurants and stores. I do not think its as up to date on shopping as Hong Kong, but it certainly has more to show in terms of history and old world elegance. LOVE IT!!! and I only live 70 min by bullet train from Hangzhou.

DOWN IN MANILA

This is a photo of some friends. L to R is Nardi Aranton and his student in from Manila. Indy Wong (Festival Walk) and Alex Yeung (the Vice Dir on this Hangzhou project and who is a friend going back to 1988 in Hong Kong). This photo taken in Manila in 2007 before Skate Asia.

HEY CARLOS, HERE YOU ARE!!!

My Dear friend Carlos just wrote and said WHERE'S MY PHOTO!! I was certain this photo was already uploaded but just in case, here it is. Carlos and I went to Tokyo in 2006 and shopped till we dropped. Had such a great time although the hotel we finally ended up with wasn't to our liking. Still we had a great time. Carlos is the only person I know in all of Asia who is a true classy gentleman in every sense of the word. He knows great liquor, fine cars and the significance of brands whose quality lasts forever. Carlos is not into trends so much as getting good quality. A dear dear friend.....

CLICK THIS MOVIE. MY DOG KITA PLAYING

This is a short video of my little long haired Chihuahua, Kita, chasing after one of her dolls. This little creature is a joy. Totally house-trained, quiet, and loves everyone she meets. A dog with a good nature and always seems happy.

CLICK THIS MOVIE. LUNCHTIME IN TOKYO

My friend Carlos Choi from Hong Kong and I went to Tokyo for 3 or 4 days in 2007 and had a great time. This is Shibuya and is one of the most crowded places at all times of day and night. Great restaurants and shopping here.

HANGZHOU SCENE - PEACEFUL MORNING

If this looks serene and peaceful, I can assure you it's really like this. Summer or winter, Westlake always has a mist and the lake is calm. Hundreds of small boats ply the lake with tourists who are just drinking in the scenery. Hope this entices you to come and see for yourself. Hangzhou is one of China's most important tourist locations and I live here...lucky me.

HANGZHOU SCENE - DRAGONBOAT

This unusual boat is used for dinner parties and I understand its only for government use. Quite a sight to see this huge thing floating on the water around Westlake.

HANGZHOU SCENE - HOUSE BY THE LAKE

This beautiful home is situated right on Westlake. Not sure who might live there but they would have to be very very wealthy. Likely this is owned by the government for senior cadres to use for entertaining. Took this photo from a small boat I was riding in while drinking Chinese tea.

HANGZHOU SCENE - MORNING ROMANCE

Even at 7am, young couples walk around this enormous lake which has scenes such as this. No wonder many young people come here to get engaged.

HANGZHOU SCENE - A GARDEN

This is a garden in a private home on Westlake in the center of Hangzhou.

HANGZHOU SCENE

I took this photo early one morning. The fog on the lake obscures the distant features. Westlake is the main tourist attraction of this city.

A DUBAI SCENE

This is just one of many impressive scenes in Dubai when I visited there a few years back. The Burj al Arab hotel in the background.

GUARDING THE FLAG AT TIANAMEN SQUARE

With more than 2 million in the armed forces of China, to be selected to work at Tianamen Square is a great honor. This photo taken at sunrise when they raise the flag with great fanfare each morning no matter what the weather. The changing of the guard is a big ceremony that takes place just as the sun lights the square.

CHEN LU AND HER MOM

Lulu was world champion in 1995 and won bronze medals in the 1994 and 1998 Olympic Games. She is currently working at our rink in Shenzhen as school manager and his one little boy Nikita, with her husband Denis Petrov, himself an Olympic silver medalist in 1992.

IN BEIJING WITH FRIENDS

Me pictured here with Kelvin, my assistant Lisa Lee and staff member Chris Zhang in front of the Peiking Duck restaurant on a cold day.

KELVIN WU AND ME AT DUCK RESTAURANT

Beijing has one very famous restaurant for Peiking Duck and off we went to try it out. Here pictured with Kelvin Wu who is from Beijing. Needless to say this photo makes me look older than I really am.

PIECES OF THE FORBIDDEN CITY

For several years before the Olympic games in Beijing, They disassembled many of the structures in the Forbidden City to restore them to their original beauty. They did complete the job and anyone going there now will see a magnificent place of palaces and other buildings in this enormous complex. This is probably the most important thing to do in China other than the Great Wall.

THE FACE SAYS IT ALL

You can see by my expression that this Burberry trenchcoat was NOT keeping me warm. To say the least I was freezing in -20c windy day. Still was a nice afternoon when I wasn't standing out in the open. Wonder why I always end up in this place in winter....

ENTERING THE FORBIDDEN CITY

This is the familiar front of the Forbidden City that faces Tianamen Square. I've been here maybe 3 times and its so huge you can never really take it all in. Learning how they lived there, however, is very interesting. Occupants could have been living on the moon as they had no contact with the world outside these walls. Very very interesting place.

A COLD WINTER MORNING IN CHANGCHUN

I went to the Asian Winter Games in Changchun in 2007...one of the coldest places on earth. That is a huge river in this picture with a giant ice rink carved out on the surface. 40c below zero is common here. Needless to say this is NOT the kind of ice skating I prefer. Photo taken from my hotel room window.

INCREDIBLE DAVID LIU

I know a lot of talented people on this earth but none are more so than David Liu (www.davidliu.org). An accomplished ballet dancer, choreographer and Olympic skater, David has done a number of shows for me as director and star. This photo was taken at Spherical, a show which I will post on this site very soon. He's choreographed for people like Brian Boitano, Katarina Witt, Chen Lu and many others. David lives with his life partner, Darren Olivero, another gifted and creative individual.

RYAN AND KILBY MAHONEY

Not married. Brother and sister. They and their mom, Linda, own the largest real estate company in the middle east, based in Dubai. Kilby was one of my star skaters in Dubai and performed for me in Hong Kong several times. Ryan is her brilliant brother who is GM of Better Homes.

HANGING OUT

The photos are in reverse order. Here is Paul again, this time hanging out on a cliff and feeding a friendly elephant in Thailand. Is there anything this guy won't do????

PAUL BELSITO, A MAN OF THE WORLD

This is the same guy in the next photo below. Talk about adventure. This guy will do anything and seems to always be wrapped around a snake, a monkey or hanging by his fingers from a cliff somewhere.

THE GREAT PAUL BELSITO

Maybe once in a lifetime you might meet someone like Paul Belsito. The son of my former boss at the Hyatt Regency in Dubai, Paul is the most entertaining, clever guy I know. Comes from a wonderful family in Vancouver. He is an absolute nut for soccer and goes to every world cup match. A great snowboarder, skater, comedian, talk show host, actor, restaurant manager, bartender, etc. Super super nice guy.

SOME OF MY STUDENTS

This is an old photo taken around 1989 in Hong Kong. All of these kids have grown up now. The little guy in front was a vice president of HSBC. Little girl on left is a coach. Interesting how little kids grow up and become into their own....

TONY WONG

Good friend, Tony Wong. Graduated with a medical degree at Chinese Univ in Hong Kong but moved to Sweden where he never really pursued his career in medicine. Talented guy. Just made contact with him again and so happy. Wish I had been a better friend to him in Hong Kong. Super person to know. He also loved my dog Lucy very much. Saved her life actually.

ALEXIS KWONG IN HONG KONG

Alex is a good friend who lives in Hong Kong. He's with STAR tv, a satellite channel that serves all of Asia and middle east. I think he's conntected with Channel V, which is all music. He and once did an around the world trip and flew on the concorde from London to Paris.

GURINDER SINGH

Another shot of Gurinder when I knew him in Shenzhen. He's an engineer and was last working on a nuclear power plant project in China, but think he's doing the same now in India. He's actually British and lives in London.

KELVIN WU UP IN BEIJING

This is Kelvin Wu, a good friend who lives in Beijing. Over 6' tall and a super nice guy. Helped us with Skate Asia in 2006. Lives near the Birds Nest national stadium with his parents.

THE MODEL OF OUR MALL

I am working on the ice arena which is pictured here on this corner of the mall. As you can see its an enormous part of the structure. Ice is 31m x 60m

GOOGLE EARTH SHOWS MY APT

This view of Hangzhou shows Westlake on the left and my apartment on the right. Bike ride to the lake is 20 min.

SKATE ASIA 2006 PRESS CONFERENCE

Before we held Skate Asia, we had this press conference. One of the few photos I also have of Raul Gomes who is next to me in this photo on the left. Randy Winship is on right wearing glasses. He was our competition director for this event. 1100 skaters took part over 8 days.

PARIS? NO, CHINA!!!!

This replica of the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe are located at Window of the World park in Shenzhen, China.

INDOOR SKIING IN SHENZHEN

This is the small indoor ski slope at Window of the World theme park in Shenzhen.

IN TOKYO WITH KIM CHOL SUNG

Photo of me with Kim Chol Sung, former champion skater of North Korea, on a train in Tokyo a few years back. Well maybe 10 years back.

RICHARD, GERTY AND TONY

A rare photo of Richard with his dad, Tony Dwyer who lived to be 102 years. Pictured here with Gerty Verbiwski, one of Richard's former skating partners. Gerty lives in Vegas while Richard lives in the Hollywood Hills overlooking Universal Studio's and the big Hollywood sign.

LLAMA ON ICE

Yeah, a real Tibetan Llama skating on the rink holding the hand of a young guy dressed in a Chinese symbol. Actually there were 2 Llama's skating that day and they did quite well. Wonder if there is an ice rink in Lhasa.

WILLIAM CHENG

This guy is like my guardian angel. When I was sick last October, and no hospital in Shenzhen could take me, he found a doctor at Yan Chai hospital to put me in right away. Probably saved my life too since I had a serious operation a few days later. Thanks William. I am forever in your debt.

KITA'S GODFATHER, EDDIE XIE

This is Eddie Xie (pronounced "she"). Lives in Shenzhen and is my dog Kita's true godfather. He loves her as much as I do. Eddie is probably my best friend in China. He really cares about my dog, and is always there to help when I need it.

EVAN ZHANG

A former staff at our rink, now working at Coastal City ice rink in Shenzhen is Evan Zhang from Harbin, China. Evan is a very good skater and loves being around this sport. Good luck Evan.

DING YIN, THE DANCER

One of my friends is a student at a national school in Beijing. He was fortunate enough to appear in an important sequence in the Olympic opening ceremony where several dancers, using their bodies, painted a caligraphic message. A very talented guy.

JEFFREY HONG....LOS ANGELES

One of my very best friends and nicest people on this planet is Jeffrey Hong who lives in Arcadia, Calif. Jeff is a multi-talented guy with a great singing voice and plays a mean piano. He's studying at the U of Calif and lives with his mom and brothers. Never will you meet a nicer guy than Jeff.

A WITNESS TO HISTORY

On the day before I was to leave Los Angels, I stayed in a hotel in Santa Monica. When I came back one afternoon I saw all these television trucks and hundreds of people. Turns out there was a funeral home across the street from the hotel, and former President Ronald Reagan had just died and was taken there. People were lined up to see the arrival of the casket and the Reagan family. Sharpshooters were on top of every building around the funeral home.