According to this article on the below link, this is part of the e-mail diary Yao produced for the Houston Chronicle during All-Star Weekend. It's not on the Chron net though. I wonder if any people living in Houston have read the full version in the actual papers. A very interesting read. http://www.detnews.com/2003/pistons/0302/16/c06-86140.htm * "My All-Star custom-made dress shoes didn't arrive as promised today. I'm kind of disappointed to not have the chance to wear my new suit. My GQ moment is a missed opportunity. They told me the shoes got stuck at the U.S. Customs -- they were made in Brazil. I thought the league is all-powerful, but I guess we don't own the U.S. Customs, even though my shoes are custom-made." * "During the Q&A this afternoon, a reporter got too excited bouncing between tables. He asked me a question, and just left without waiting for my answer. I mean wow -- this is humbling -- he is not interested in what I have to say?! I actually looked around to see if some rock star stopped by." * "This day is surreal. As the day went on, more and more stars showed up. I am not talking just basketball stars I meet on the court during the season, but legends of (the) past. This is like a basketball fantasy, like a basketball video game, you know? I met Bill Russell today. Mr. Russell told me he watched about (a) dozen games I played, and he liked what he saw. I'm honored. Whenever I meet a legend like Mr. Russell, I appreciate the game a little more. It has so much glorious history and tradition. Basketball is truly a game to be respected and treasured." * "After practice, Shaq came over and talked with my parents. I was already gone. But Shaq gave my mom a kiss. I hope my father didn't mind. It's not a custom for strangers to kiss in China. But I guess Shaq is not really a stranger anymore." * "The traffic was terrible when the van to the game blew a tire. We hijacked a shuttle to the arena. When I walked on, everybody was chanting 'Yao Ming, Yao Ming.' I gave everybody a high five on my way to the back of the bus. Is this what it will feel like when we're in The Finals?"
More news for this diary: The Chronicle's Rockets beat writer Jonathan Feigen, who edited the diary, said Yao wrote the pieces without help and went far beyond the few hundred words per day the paper asked him to write. And he never missed a deadline. http://foxsports.lycos.com/content/view?contentId=904756 Ming's English seems to be progressing well.
