the Beijinger

Before I met Ray Plummer, who manages the Beijing International Ice Hockey League, he sent me a one-line e-mail in response to coming to one of their games: “Drink lots of beer when watching.”

Thanks to the fashion bible that is the Calgary Sun, we found out that animal prints are “in” this season. Not just in the greater Alberta area, or even Canada at large (although both are fashion hothouses, that’s for sure). Beijing, too, is in on the craze with prints that are wilder than a box set of Animals Say The Funniest Things (which is also popular in Canada).

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, but not all of us are lucky enough to have a lover, wife, "special friend" to share meals with. Need a table for one? Don’t wither under the smirks. Hold your (sniveling) head high and tuck in at one of these singles-friendly establishments.

When it comes to multi-brand high-end retailers in Beijing, the list has been exclusive indeed – only I.T, Lane Crawford and The Swank. Now Mr.Ms has joined the club.

This month, Purple Haze founder Tobi Demker celebrates five years at his original Gongti branch plus the (re)opening of Purple Haze Bistro in a new hutong pad. We locked spoons over a bowl of tom yum soup to find out more.

Sweets, candy, lollies. Call them what you will but you’ll struggle to find all you want in Beijing, where pricey imports or shoddy local produce are the only choices. No longer. Bonbon Bins have sweets that are stupid fresh.

Nobody likes an early rise on Monday morning. If you’re an American football fan, though, you’ll probably be raring to go before the sun rises this coming Monday. Super Bowl XLIV kicks off at 7.25am Beijing time, with the Indianapolis Colts facing off against the New Orleans Saints. Aside from a short period in the late 1980s, when my interest in the NFL peaked with my completion of a gridiron-related Panini sticker album, I’ve lived life more or less ignorant of what goes on in American football. I thus have zero insight to offer on who might win the Super Bowl, but ESPN does have what looks like a reasonable preview here.

Run by a Hong Kong team, Lee Theatre Bar is pretty small, but suitably intimate for its weekend jazz shows. Those are the venue’s strongest cards in an area short on decent live music.

As we all know, the city will be empty during the Spring Festival holiday - bands are leaving Beijing for home, organizers are taking breaks, and groupies will have to wake up with someone else...this would be the last weekend for live music before everything goes wrong. Hard rockers Misandao, Gum Bleed and Hell City make noises at Mao Livehouse on February 5 before firecrackers burn down the city; For Saturday night, Ourself Beside Me and The Molds make their return at Obiwan, Beijing rap group In3'er swear on Bob Marley's Day (hold me...), while Wu Fei plays guzheng and creates her version of the mysterious east with Taiwanese American singer Jen Shyu.

Go out, have fun - you might be married after the holiday, then who knows what's gonna happen...