Beijing, the last time I was there was in 2008 and things have changed somewhat since then. Last time Beijing made a mixed impression, I liked and disliked it all at the same time, finally I can share my experience and videos about what Beijing is really like, the video should be up early next week!
Stay Awesome!
- SerpentZA
2016-06-04 01:53:51 +0000 UTC View Post
So recently my 2011 video "Are Chinese Girls Easy?" went viral on Chinese social media, this was a good and bad thing, I got lots of great comments and support from I would say the majority of people who watched and commented on it (it has gone viral here before, but years and years ago), this time however although there were good neutral and downright nice articles about it, (for example both the Nanfang and China Wire wrote really nice balanced ar...
2016-05-30 11:52:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Just a quick one, my Beijing scams video is now up, there's a reason why I make these videos and it's not to be overly negative or try and paint Beijing (or China for that matter) in a bad light... China is a very interesting place, full of adventure, amazing food and of course opportunity to make good friends and have an overly positive experience... that is unless the rotten, immoral, cheating, bottom of the barrel scumbag scammers don't get to you first. I have per...
2016-05-18 03:23:43 +0000 UTC View Post
I've just got back to Shenzhen after a week long stint in Beijing and it certainly had its ups and downs. I was up there to record some voice-overs for my upcoming documentary and C-milk came up a few days into the trip to join me. I got some really good footage for several upcoming videos, the first will be a Beijing Scams video since every popular scam was tried on me during my short visit. C-milk and I will be doing a comparison between Northern and South...
2016-05-17 01:16:04 +0000 UTC View Post
If I record a video in public, I'll always draw attention from curious onlookers, it's usually harmless curiosity (although sometimes it's a little uneasy if a crowd starts to form and the police or security guards get involved). Last night I was filming a China, How it is about privacy and this old guy literally stuck his head an inch from my face so that he could see what I was doing with my camera, I unfortunately missed ...
2016-05-08 15:19:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Shenzhen, pictured above is the city I love best in China, yes I may be biased since it's the first city I came to and the reason I fell in love with China all those years ago, but honestly every time I travel in China I am always seriously disappointed by just how much more developing and also how worse other cities are, Shanghai is stuck up and more or less a foreign city (there are foreigners everywhere and one may be forgiven to think that ...
2016-05-06 12:38:10 +0000 UTC View Post
It just hit me as I was going through some old photos on my phone that there is an absurd truth out there that there were in fact quite a few people who wanted my autograph during our big adventure last year, not just the students we met in Kunming (pictured above) but a Chinese biker gang asked me to sign their helmets and write a message on their clubhouse wall, I obliged of course but was taken aback as I think of all of my subscribers as peers and friends, I'll just chalk it up to anot...
2016-04-29 11:24:58 +0000 UTC View Post
After asking my patreons for suggestions on videos, I got a message from Stefan (one of my patreons) who said that although he didn't have any ideas, he wondered if it would be possible to come out and ride with me and C-milk when he came to visit China (his first time out of Australia), I owe a lot to each and every one of you that support me here (be it $1 or $100) the fact that you're willing to show value in what I do, means that I in turn val...
2016-04-27 07:35:01 +0000 UTC View Post
This is a message to all of you who help support me here on Patreon!
I know that my Japan series isn't the most popular on my channel (the views attest to that), but I'm really enjoying getting them out there, it was such an awesome adventure and one that I've wanted to have for most of my adult life. I want you all to know that I feel confident making them and putting them out there because I have you all supporting me, in the past I may ha...
2016-04-24 16:11:06 +0000 UTC View Post
I finally released the video I've been wanting to do for ages, it was really difficult as I had to be pretty careful about what I said, anyone who's ever lived this side of the world will understand just how tense relationships are between China and Japan, I'm pretty happy with the outcome though and I've had very few bad comments and in fact I'm very surprised at how level headed the comments (especially from my Chinese su...
2016-04-17 06:10:59 +0000 UTC View Post
Was it all I hoped and expected it to be? Yes, in fact Japan did not disappoint in any way or form. If you've been following my videos, you'll know that I was uploading whilst in Japan, I managed to get 3 short episodes out, I desperately tried to get more out, but all the exploring, meeting old friends, excessive drinking and eating got out of hand and I couldn't find the time to edit. Now that I'm back I'm on it, I will complete my SerpentZA i...
2016-04-11 02:28:42 +0000 UTC View Post
Truth be told, Japan was my goal, that's where I wanted to end up working and living but I ended up in China on the way there and never left, in fact I found in China something that I was hoping to find in Japan, but actually even more! I was hoping to have an exotic adventure in Japan and discover new and interesting things whilst travelling the path less traveled all the while experiencing an Ancient and refined culture...
2016-03-25 14:53:10 +0000 UTC View Post
There is a problem with being a foreigner on Chinese TV, a problem that I have so far managed to avoid (and hope to continue to avoid). Firstly it's an honour to think that anyone would be interested enough to want me to appear on TV so please don't take this post as me being big headed or self important, quite the opposite, I'm extremely humbled and lucky to have gotten as much press coverage as I have here in China. I've been on Chinese TV four times and i...
2016-03-22 03:59:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Firstly, you may have noticed that my Patreon pledge amount is off the charts! An incredibly generous subscriber made a massive once off pledge as a wedding/honeymoon gift for Sasha and I (we're getting married very soon! I'll update you all on the channel closer to the time), you know who you are, and you have my sincere gratitude, but of course all of you who can read this message have my sincere and humble gratitude too for the support...
2016-03-14 14:31:53 +0000 UTC View Post
This is probably one of the most challenging videos I've done yet and there's a reason I've put doing it off for so long. It's almost impossible to mention Taiwan without a political flame war erupting over here in Mainland China, and the same goes for mentioning Mainland China in Taiwan.... I'm just not sure how I'll be able to keep the comments section of this video from erupting into hateful battles which could end up getting me into trouble over here.
...
2016-03-02 02:11:39 +0000 UTC View Post
I really enjoy taking street photos as a bit of a hobby on the side, but here in China it can be very frustrating, today while I was out filming some B-roll for my next intro (you know how I have random street scenes etc at the beginning of my videos), I noticed that the sky looked quite pretty, so I took out my DSLR and pointed it at the sky and took a photo, as I was about to take another photo of the sky, a security guard dressed in military...
2016-02-28 13:30:04 +0000 UTC View Post
I wanted to very briefly talk about my subscriber meetup that happened this past Tuesday.
I've just uploaded a video talking about wearing a suit and that it's not wanting people to respect me, but to show respect to the people I know.
I have gained an even greater respect for my subscribers after Tuesday's meet. Each and everyone that attended was interesting, stand up and on the level! I had an incredibly good time chatting...
2016-02-26 06:00:17 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey there guys, I know that the majority of my subscribers don't live in China, but on the off chance that you're in Shenzhen on Tuesday the 23rd, please come and meet me at TAPS brewpub in Nanshan, C-milk will be joining us too, so if you happen to be around, pop in and say hi! Also 10% off if you say "Stay Awesome" when paying for your beer :)
Just a quick one! Hope to see you there (I'll be making a video about for those who can't a...
2016-02-17 01:25:24 +0000 UTC View Post
The Chinese new year madness has come and gone, the firecrackers still occasionally crackle off in the distance in the middle of the night, but it's time for everyone to get back to work and wake up from their dreamy dumpling-filled holidays and face the horrible reality that it's time to get back down to brass-tacks (that is if they're not still stuck in massive traffic jams on the way back from their home-towns). I for one had a pr...
2016-02-16 07:22:57 +0000 UTC View Post
Although shaky, I'm still able to access the internet sporadically (I suspect that the VPN issues will be sorted once the holiday is over, either that or they'll get worse, I'll keep you all up to date). I'm glad I made my little travel frustrations video before the big rush began, the chaos that is happening right now with millions and millions of people all moving at the same time is astounding! I've attached a pictu...
2016-02-06 03:31:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Just an FYI, there is a massive crackdown on all VPNs at the moment and it is
extremely difficult for anyone in China to access Facebook or YouTube/Gmail/Twitter/Patreon etc etc (80% of the internet to be fair), I am in the process of trying to get my next video uploaded but it's very difficult at the moment! Fear not, I will make a plan!
I've been dealing wit...
2016-02-05 14:07:09 +0000 UTC View Post
An Indian subscriber came to meet me in Shenzhen about two weeks ago, he was a fantastic fellow and brought me a German beer and some chocolates from Germany (before you wonder why, he has been studying in Germany for quite some time). He knew that I had visited India and asked me if I could do a comparison video for him, he was very interested in what I thought of India in comparison to China as he had found that my videos of China were ...
2016-01-31 10:39:46 +0000 UTC View Post
After seeing a 90s advert for this machine (on C-milk's video) it reminded me that I'd always wanted to check out one of these interesting covert Chinese computer/TV game devices, so after a lot of searching, I got my hands on a very good condition (still in the box) unit from a collector! (still with the original documentation etc). It was a lot of fun unboxing and trying out this pretty awesome piece of Chinese Gaming history, and now<...
2016-01-22 01:58:42 +0000 UTC View Post
First, before reading, here's the link to the unlisted sneak peek video! It's just the intro, but I want to give you guys a little tasteof what's to come: https://youtu.be/HhKwH0T3cUQ
This week I only managed to release one video (the money one) which is a bit of a disappointment, I really wanted to release another Booze video and also a very interesting China gadget video (it's a h...
2016-01-17 12:47:15 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey there guys, I know that this video isn't the most exciting, but I honestly wish that I had known all of this information before coming to China, it really would have saved me a lot of trouble and actually a lot of money too (especially when I realised that all of the South African cash I had with me was worthless and I had no choice but to go to Hong Kong to change it.. and then have to apply for a new visa... which meant buying a new air ticket home as one of t...
2016-01-14 13:38:16 +0000 UTC View Post
You, my supporters have now officially allowed me take a massive risk, and that is to focus almost entirely on my videos during the week! You're all incredibly generous and solid people! If you aren't already where you want to be in life, I know that you can be! We all have the potential to improve our situations in life (granted it's much easier for some than others), all it takes is a lot of willpower and ignoring the ...
2016-01-10 04:24:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Finally, the official trailer is out!
The epic adventure that arguably cost me most of my work and almost my relationship (well not that bad.. but almost) is looking to be fantastic! This is one of those opportunities in life that only came around due to years of sticking to doing something even when I had no drive, energy or want. This is something that you, my subscribers/watchers and yes even trolls are to thank for... Let me explain!
When I start...
2015-12-30 08:55:38 +0000 UTC View Post
Thank you to everyone who sent me messages asking me about the landslide! It happened very far away from where I live (Shenzhen is huge and that industrial area is about 1 and 1/2 hours drive away from the area I live in), it's such a terrible and avoidable tragedy (I'll get into it in my next what's happening in China video). That aside, I would like to wish all of you personally a very Merry Christmas (or if you don't celebrate it, then hope you have an awesome weekend!...
2015-12-23 15:46:29 +0000 UTC View Post
This is awesome! A while ago I was contacted by a reporter from the Shenzhen Evening news (a Chinese newspaper) who had seen some of my videos and was interested in the whole YouTube thing that I do. She interviewed me in a coffee shop and asked all sorts of questions (all in Chinese since she couldn't speak a lick of English). That was about a month ago, I hadn't heard a peep out of her and so just forgot about it, that is until I had my subscriber meetup the other day (you can watch...
2015-12-15 05:28:13 +0000 UTC View Post
The subscriber meetup was a complete success, over 50 people attended, everyone who turned up was interesting, genuine and positive. The wine flowed freely and was actually good Chilean wine (the subscriber who supplied it was incredibly generous as he just wanted everyone to have a good time and didn't even try to promote his business, simply said he didn't want anyone to be thirsty). The venue was amazing with a balcony overlooking the Sea world light show, all in all a perfect night with lots...
2015-12-09 23:42:44 +0000 UTC View Post