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11月2日
We have just booked our Christmas vacation to Borneo! We will be staying in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. We can't wait. Many of our friends here have been there and have raved about it. I just pasted a photo from the resort that we will be staying at above. There's supposed to be a lot to do there, too. Walk on a rope bridge (not me, I'm scared of heights) and go see the orangutans. We're all looking forward to some quality time together again. A few of our friends will be there at the same time....a Canadian couple from Beijing that we met in Phuket, and a Danish family that we know here in Tianjin. 10月25日 It has been stinking hot since....forever here! Probably since April or May. Finally on Thursday night, there was a big fight in the sky between the hot front and the cold front. We woke up to crisp breezes and a beautiful blue sky. Felt like Alberta in the Rockies. Gorgeous! Many new families have moved into our community. The building of a new Airbus plant in Tianjin has brought many Europeans to our neighborhood. I've been joking that our street looks like the Champs de L'Eysees with all of the French families that have moved in. I better brush up on the French I learned as a child at my Canadian elementary school...Gaston Gavroche mangez le gateau chocolat.
Here's some of our latest news:
- Nick was one of ten students chosen from his school to attend the first ever ACAMIS (Association of China and Mongolia Internatioinal Schools) Student Leadership Summit in Shanghai on November 7th and 8th. Secondary students from international schools from across China will be attending. Nick gets to fly on an airplane and stay in a hotel. He's very excited.
- The twins just got back from a 3 day field trip to Cheng De. I'm still not exactly sure where that is. They were on a bus for 6 hours. They did pass through Beijing at one point. They got to stay in a hotel, too. The teachers looked really tired at the end of the trip. But they all came back happy, and that's the main thing.
- We have 2 Australian boys staying at our house this weekend, Ace and Lucien, from the Australian International School of Hong Kong. They are playing in the ACAMIS volleyball tournament, which our school is hosting this year. Two of the politest boys we've ever met! Reminds me of the days when we used to take in hockey billets during tournaments in Canada.
- We're trying to plan our Christmas vacation. We've never been to Malaysia before, so we might head there. We're hoping to meet up with our British friends, Matt, Donna and Ellie Newman. We were so close in Peoria, Illinois many years ago before we all started moving around the world. The Newman's live in Singapore now. It'll be great to catch up with them if we're able to coordinate this thing.
8月17日 I must finally be over my writer's block, as I feel the urge to write again about our adventures here. It's been an interesting month, highlighted by:
- The Olympics! We have been able to attend several events.
- The high speed train between Tianjin and Beijing has started running. What used to be a 2 hour drive + one way is now a 30 minute train ride. This changes everything for us.
- Friends pouring back into town as the big summer hourglass runs out of sand.
- Some blue skies, the likes we've never seen in Tianjin. Sadly, we may never see them again. It was interesting, watching the pollution control master plan unfurl. We sure missed having a driver at our disposal, though. Vehicles were only allowed to drive every 2nd day.
About the Olympics. We've been amazed by how many Chinese people want to pose with us for pictures. They think we have just stepped off the airplane, practicing their few English phrases on us. Imagine their surprise when we respond back in Chinese! The boys have now turned into attention hounds, they've been asked to pose so much. I'll say one thing, the Chinese sure love children. In our almost 2 years here, no Chinese person has ever raised their voice at any of my boys. We went to quite a few soccer games in Tianjin. Although no one else seemed interested (it was the lowest attendance for all of the Tianjin soccer games), I found the game between the North Korean and German women very fascinating. It may be the only time in my life I am in the same vicinity as any North Koreans. The North Korean women all had their hair cut exactly the same, like there was no time for beauty...they only function to eat, breathe, and sleep soccer. I felt kind of sorry for them. I think they played a better game than the Germans, as most of the game took place by the German goalie. However, the German women got a breakaway near the end of the game and scored the only goal of the night. The North Korean women were devastated! They then played dirty. So dirty, I whispered to Doug that I'd never want a group like that mad at me. They're the type that would swarm you and rip your ear lobe off. It truly looked like they were playing for their lives, because they were going to get in some BIG trouble afterwards if they didn't win. They had so many fans in attendance, too. One block of the stadium (see photos) had people in red t-shirts and special clapping sticks. I didn't know they could leave their country??? The next evening, we had front row seats to see 2 games in a row at the same stadium. We had gotten our tickets via the online lottery for residents of China about a year ago. So we were sitting smack dab in the middle of a lot of Chinese people. The photo ops never ended, them asking to pose with the boys throughout the night. Nick's highlight was starting a wave that went through the whole stadium. He would turn around, stand up, look at the crowd, and hold his arms up like a maestro, yelling, "Yi!, Er!, San!" (1, 2, 3) and undulating his body in a wave-length motion. The Chinese fans loved when he did this in their own language, and they were usually pretty accommodating in helping him start a wave. We're still wondering why the Italian men's team stripped down to their underwar at the end of the game, though. Maybe they wanted to lure more female fans to future games? I've just looked up at the tv to see yet another Chinese athlete win a gold medal. They're sure racking them up. Our driver told us today that he thinks Canada might have finally won their first medal. I sure hope that we have finally made it to the podium.
8月9日 We have tickets for several Olympic events. As residents of China, we entered an online lottery about a year ago to see if we could get tickets. We were able to secure tickets to many events, but it was rare that we got 5 tickets to one event. We had to sit down as a family and plot out who was going to which event. Today was our first day for a Beijing event. Doug and the twins went off to badminton, which starts at 6:30 p.m. They took the new high speed train that runs between Tianjin to Beijing. They left the house at 1:30, and arrived in Beijing before 3:00 p.m. They weren't sure how long it would all take, so they arrived 3.5 hours before the event has started. They just called from Beijing, telling me that they were wasting time at a McDonald's restaurant near the venue until they could go to the event. I dressed the twins up in matching Olympic outfits. Hats with the Olympic mascots, and face tattoos with the official Beijing 2008 logo and mascots. It seems that they have caused quite a sensation at the McDonald's with the locals. Doug said it was a circus like atmosphere, people asking to pose with the twins about 20 times in the last half hour or so. I've told Doug to get some photos of this experience, it will be a fun memory for the twins. I'll be sure to post some of those photos tonight..... 8月1日 Doug learned a few months ago that the Olympic Torch would be passing by his work place via e-mail. Because of security precautions, his work area would be cordoned off early. He knew that if he wanted to see the torch go by, he'd have to wake up crazy/early that day. Today was the day! He talked to the kids, and Philip and Thomas decided that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the Olympic Torch. They all woke up at 5 a.m., and got to his workplace by 6 a.m. They then lined up until 9:30 a.m. to see it go by. Nick and I aren't as patient with such matters, so we opted to stay home. I'll be sure to download some pictures when they get home (they are expected home at 5 p.m.....they had lunch with dad and had to hang out at his office while he was in some meetings - plus Doug's office is about an hour away from our home). Here's a blurb from the web today about it:
Olympic torch relay begins in Tianjin
Source: CCTV.com | 08-01-2008 08:42Special Report: 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
The Olympic torch is making its way through the Tianjin Binhai New Area this morning -- just seven days before the start of the Olympic Games in Beijing.
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Kong Xiangrui, a national model worker,
started out the Tianjin leg of the Beijing
2008 Olympic Torch Relay at the Tianjin
harbor at 8:10 a.m. on Friday. |
The relay started from Tianjin Port Pier Square and will end at Binhai International Convention and Exhibition Center. 191 torchbearers are participating in the 10 kilometer run. The first torchbearer is Model Worker, Kong Xiangrui, also the winner of the National Labor Day Prize.
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| Singer Liu Huan |
The torch will pass through the Bonded Area and Development Area. After Binhai New Area, the torch will be carried through Tianjin central city. Over 400 torchbearers will take part in the 2-day relay in Tianjin Municipality. 7月28日 While the boys were getting their haircuts yesterday, I had the opportunity to browse through Sunday's edition of China Daily. Two stories caught my eye. The first one caught my eye, just because of its mere title:
Wives learn to please husbands
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-25 07:27
SHANGHAI: Ageing married women here are desperately trying to hang on to their husbands by learning how better to please them.
According to Weiqing Marriage Services Co Ltd, more than 300 insecure women have signed up a free course it will run in October.
The month-long "camp" aims to teach women how to "better manage their marriages", course manager Ming Li said.
"The training will include instruction on manners, apparel and, most importantly, how to deal with other people such as husbands, children, mothers-in-law and ex-wives," she said.
She did not say whether a similar course would be held for husbands.
Among the people to have signed up for the course are several soon-to-be wives, who are desperate to learn how to prevent problems in the future, Ming said.
The women who are already married just want to know how to stop their husbands from cheating on them with younger women, she said.
The course will include lectures from psychologists, sociologists and marriage consultants, Ming said, without saying whether the speakers would be men or women.
Most of the women who have signed up are aged between 35 and 55. "These women are starting to look old and some of their husbands are likely to be involved with pretty young girls," she said.
Some of them are "troubled" by the fact their husbands are cheating on them, she said.
Although China Daily did not speak to any of the women enrolled on the course, Ming said she had spoken to a self-confessed cheating husband, surnamed Wu.
"At first, I wasn't doing anything wrong," Wu said.
"But then I became so fed up with my wife accusing me of having an affair that I went out and got myself a mistress."
Some Chinese experts have said women should be aware they could easily lose their men. In China, 40-something men are in their prime, have flourishing careers and stable incomes, an anonymous expert said.
Wives at that age are no longer attractive, as they are fat and have saggy skin, he said.
Gu Jun, a sociology professor at Shanghai University, said: "Chinese woman usually take the subordinate position in their marriages, but why is the camp only for women, and not also for men?"
Ming said another husband of one of the women who had signed up for the course complained that his wife did not follow "his lifestyle".
The 80-year-old said he did not like seeing his wife exercising and dancing with friends in the community yard.
The second one I had to pass to Doug for him to read, in case he ever becomes super rich here. Then he'll know how to live:
How super rich live in China
By Wang Qian (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-25 07:13
Being rich in China does not mean all are living like aristocrats, a recent 2008 Hurun Report of New Aristocracy, said.
"Being rich and living the life of an aristocrat are not the same thing," Rupert Hoogewerf, author of the report, said. He is better known by his Chinese name Hu Run.
An aristocrat in China generally spends about 4.57 million yuan ($672,000) a year, and much of it on a premium standard of living.
Hoogewerf said the report was compiled after analyzing the lifestyles of more than 100 super rich people in China and not all spend lavishly.
To live the life of an aristocrat, those super rich people must have spent at least 83 million yuan.
The report describes the life of a typical aristocrat.
He is someone in his 40s, lives in Shanghai with his wife and has a son about 17 years old studying in Britain.
He owns a villa in the city and an apartment in Beijing, has four cars in his garage including a Rolls-Royce Phantom for himself and a Mercedes-Benz ML500 for his wife.
He enjoys playing golf and has paid more than 3.5 million yuan to join golf clubs in Shanghai and Beijing.
Sometimes, he and his friends will charter a plane to play golf in Hainan province.
He has four watches including a Vacheron Constantin and an Oyster Perpetual Datejust, and his wedding ring, very likely from Tiffany Legacy.
He has recently developed a liking for wines. Chateau Lafite Rothschild, costing 226,656 yuan per crate, can be found in his cellar.
He smokes Davidoff Classic No 2.
He is now more involved in charitable causes compared to last year.
Hoogewerf said that within a week of the May 12 earthquake, the top 100 richest people in the country had donated $120 million, about 10 percent of the total donations received by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
"More and more people are curious about the lifestyles of the rich in China. We want to give them an insight," he said.
Hoogewerf estimates that currently there are only 50,000 people in the country who can maintain such a lifestyle.
Last year 150,000 people could be considered having led an aristocrat life at a cost of 38 million yuan.
However, some entrepreneurs do not want to pursue the lifestyles of their peers.
Yu Minhong, CEO of the New Oriental Group, ranking 134 in 2007 Hurun China Rich List said: "I do not know where I can spend so much money. Maybe one day, I will buy a villa costing millions of yuan, but not now,"
"Every one has his or her own lifestyle."
Liu Mingming, 24, an office worker said: "It is their life. They can indulge in whatever they want, so long as it makes them happy.
"What surprise me is that I had no idea China has so many rich men." 6月9日 Sorry that I haven't written anything here in awhile. I'm not exactly sure why that is....maybe I did too much writing this year, and got a little burnt out. Writer's block, perhaps? Or it could be that my honeymoon period over here is done. When I first moved here, everything was so new and different. I just had to share my experiences with all of my family and friends. The experiences were so funny and wacky...like people staring in my shopping cart, fussing over my 3 sons, etc. So after several month's hiatus, here's my latest blog entry (sorry for the delay):
The boys all finished school last Friday, on June 6th. They came home with excellent report cards. Doug and I couldn't be prouder. Words like "polite," "great role model for the other students," "winning attitude, "prophetic statements and insights," "outstanding work," "friendly," "sensible young man," and so many more kind words from their teachers that I can't list them all here, made me wonder if maybe they brought home someone else's report cards. Just joking! They all worked really hard this year and deserved every compliment they got.
Doug and I decided that the kids needed to be rewarded somehow. There are times that Tianjin can seem like a big stinkhole with a great big grey cloud over it (there's actually a group on facebook called that which people can join, except stinkhole is a swear word instead.....I'm censoring to make my site family-friendly). With that said, sometimes you just need to get out of Tianjin for a couple of days. So we planned a trip to Beijing. Doug booked us a couple of adjoining rooms at Shangri-La's Kerry Centre (gorgeous swimming pool and a shopping mall underground, complete with a grocery store, a Subway, and a Papa John's pizzeria). But we couldn't figure out how to make this a fun trip for our driver, too, after a long school year. Doug came up with a plan, and enlisted a Chinese co-worker to talk to driver Mike. We only wanted to stay one night, but we didn't want poor Mike to have to drive back and forth between Tianjin and Beijing a few times (which can take 2-3 hours one way). We gave Mike some money to get a hotel room for himself in Beijing, and told him that he could bring his son, Oliver, as company for him. Mike thought that would be a great idea. We had briefly met Oliver in February, and were amazed at his good English. He is in his early 20's. This plan worked out well for everyone. Oliver had not been to Beijing since he was little, so he enjoyed the trip a lot, too. We left early Sunday, at 9 a.m. We made great time getting to Beijing, where we shopped at the Silk Market and then went to a t-shirt shop called "Gobi Gear," where we got some of the whackiest t-shirts we've ever seen. We had Mike and Oliver drop us off at the hotel at 4 p.m. and told them that they could enjoy the evening and next morning to themselves. We didn't need to check out until noon, and we had everything we needed at the Kerry Centre. After some swimming, we all enjoyed some real showers (our water pressure was pitiful at home), and then took a taxi to the Hard Rock Cafe for some real burgers and milkshakes. Yummy!
Monday morning we enjoyed an early breakfast, then went swimming some more (how many times can kids ask "are we going swimming again?" when you stay at a hotel?), then ate at Subway before Mike and Oliver picked us up. We heard that there was a shop near the hotel that takes shards of old pottery and turns them into jewellery, ornamental boxes, etc. We found that shop in Little Moscow, where rickshaw drivers will offer you rides and many signs are in Russian (we think). We then decided to do some sightseeing. We went to the Bird's Nest building, where many Olympic events will be held, and then we went to the National Grand Theatre, which is commonly called "The Egg."
I think the best part of our trip was finally getting to know Mike a bit better through his son. We learned many things about this nice family. Oliver is studying electrical engineering at university in Tianjin. He was telling us that for his final exam, he will have to either build a robot or an MP3 player. We learned that Mike's wife works at a furniture store. I told Oliver that we were happy to get to know them better, and added that we have wished the communication wasn't so difficult....it's obvious that Mike is social, and so are we. We laughed a lot the last 2 days, and that's what it is all about. 2月14日 Doug and I went to Beijing on Monday. Doug had a day off while the kids were in school. We thought it would be a good opportunity to stock up on some much-needed western foods. During our lunch in Beijing, we came across a magazine called "Time Out Beijing in English." I picked up a copy for the two hour drive home. When I got to page 5, I burst out laughing when I read a small feature called "Red Cab, Black Cab." My guess is that they pose a question every month and then ask a Red cab driver and a Black cab driver to answer it. I have to re-print what the Red cab driver answered to this month's question, "What's the best meal you've ever eaten?" His answer was:
A family dinner on New Year's Eve will always be my favorite meal of the year. It's not the fact that we have lots of food that makes it so special, the important thing is that it's a family reunion. We're only all together once a year, so I usually get excited and play drinking games with my elder brother. Last year, I drank so much alcohol, my mother had to call an ambulance and I spent the rest of Spring Festival in hospital. In spite of that, it was still the best time I had all year. I can't wait for this year - I am going to beat my brother...I've been practicing!
1月31日 I just made up a new word today. If I use it enough, I hope that other people will start to use it. Then I hope that within a year, the people at Webster's will add it to their new words of 2009 for their next edition. It's a really good word. Please help me in my quest to be the person that coined a new word by using this word and passing it onto your friends. I combined Chinese and pandemonium, to come up with Chandemonium. Definition: When Chinese people are abnormally frenzied, not themselves, and tend to crowd together in an altered state of mind. It's the only way I can describe what is going on here as we lead up to the Chinese New Year celebrations. I can hear the distant "pop pop" of the fireworks, and know that they will soon reach a 24 hour crescendo that mimic the sounds of a war zone. People are running with luggage, boxes, and even TV sets, trying to get on a bus or train to make their annual pilgrimage back to their home towns, so that they can be with their family during their most important holiday. The stores are packed full. It's not easy to move a shopping cart around, stand in longer lines to pay for your groceries, or even get to the store by car. Bank machines are being emptied. The holiday doesn't officially start until next Tuesday night, but it's now Thursday the week before, and I'v e hoarded all I can so we don't have to venture back into those crowds. People are trying to make a quick dollar anyway they can to buy a ticket back home. I even had my cell phone pickpocketed out of my jacket last week! Luckily, our area has not been hit by the storms that more than half of China has had and are still expecting during this restless time of "Chandemonium." (See! It can be used effectively in a sentence). I can't imagine how difficult life has gotten in these other areas where the weather has created havoc on top of the yearly Chandemonium. Desparation and panic must be at an all-time high there. It must be super-Chandemonium. I read the news today that some may not make it home. How very sad for those who toil long hours throughout the year, saving so that they can make this trip back home to their family. Bless them. My heart really goes out to them during this difficult time.
1月28日 We just got back from Harbin, China and had an amazing time. I need to catch up on my sleep first, then I'll find some time to jot some memories down here soon. We had a great time, but are extremely tired. But here's a map showing where we went for the weekend, in case you were wondering.....
1月16日 Happy 2008! Sorry I haven't been blogging in awhile. I guess because we've been here a year now, everything doesn't seem so shockingly different anymore. We've been busy with re-adjusting to our regular schedules, instead of just lolling away our days on a Thai beach. And what an adjustment it is! After 2 weeks of blue skies and sumptuous foods, we're back to horrible pollution (our eyes are all blood-shot!) and searching out 4 stores in a day for imported goods.
We have an upcoming trip planned. We were lamenting that we had lived in China a year and hadn't explored other cities in China much. Sure, Doug travels all over the country with his work, but the kids and I have only been to Beijing. So a plan was formed with another family (Americans) to fly away for a weekend to see the Harbin Ice Festival. It is a world-renowned event that only runs for the month of January. Check out some of these pictures from the net:
We fly out next Friday to Harbin and return to Tianjin on the Sunday, spending only 2 nights there. It should be a big adventure. We had to book in a "Chinese Hotel" for various reasons. But it did boast a "western buffet" (runny eggs, most likely), a swimming pool (probably the temperature will be too cold), and a disco (you know, where those painted ladies looking for LO$VE are?). I'm guessing that the hotel itself will be an adventure. We've been told to expect very cold temperatures, so the other mother and I are going shopping tomorrow at some of the local markets to try to find some warm winter gear. Wish us luck.
We had a fun night last Saturday at a friend's house playing BlackJack and breaking in his locally purchased poker table with 3 other families (Yanks, Kiwi', Aussie's, and Canadians....what a mix). Well, the adults played Blackjack and the kids watched videos and played video games. We made some small wagers to make the game more interesting. Doug and I didn't walk away with much money (in fact we lost some), but a fun time was had by all. Most memorable quote from the evening: Doug cackling out, "Yessir, yessir, three bags full!" in an Ed McMahon-type voice after a big win, as he raked his money towards himself. Where did that come from? He had us all giggling.
I'll be sure to post some pictures when we get back from Harbin.
12月14日 We leave tomorrow to go on a much-needed vacation to Thailand. First, we go to Hua Hin, Thailand for 9 days:
Then, we go to Bangkok, Thailand for 3 nights:
The children have 3 weeks off of school. So at the end of our vacation, we will be spending a week here in Tianjin, before they return to school on January 7th, 2008:
Merry Christmas to everyone and best wishes for 2008!
12月5日 I started a subscription to the China Daily Newspaper at the beginning of November. I absolutely love reading a regular column that runs every single day, called "China Scene." It is described as news items "from widely read Chinese media." These snippets of daily life from all over the country are priceless. Here's an example from yesterday's paper:
Dutiful guard does job without reward
On Sunday a woman surnamed Chen, in Chongqing Municipality, went home late and forgot to close the door to her apartment. A guard discovered the door ajar and called but no one answered. Not wanting to enter for fear of disturbing the occupants and not wanting to leave them exposed, either, Jiang Bo stood guard for seven hours. Eventually, Chen's husband went out and discovered Jiang standing guard. Moved by his actions, he wanted to reward the man with cash, but Jiang refused, saying he was just doing his job.
Chongqing Morning Post 12月2日 Doug and some of his co-workers went to a Chinese wedding. Doug is the boss of the groom, so his attendance was mandatory. The groom's boss speaks before anyone else may speak (even family!). Another expat friend here had recently attended a wedding, and I asked her how it was. She said it was, "interesting in a game show kind of way." When Doug came home from the wedding, I asked him if he felt the same. He said, "Well, they played the Star Wars theme music when the bride and groom entered." I asked him how he stopped himself from giggling during that. He said he had to, because he was up on the stage. So, Doug was the first to speak. He had practiced some Chinese and said he carried it off pretty good. The Masters of Ceremony then asked Doug if he would like to say something in English. The M.C. said that he could translate anything Doug said. So Doug tried to say some more nice things about the newly married couple. But the guests just kept laughing after the M.C. did each translation. Doug later found out that the M.C. was being funny. He was making claims that Doug was saying things like, "When you get back from your honeymoon, I will increase your salary by 4 X your current amount."
Everyday is an experience here, isn't it? 11月25日 Doug's boss and his family are going back to the United States, as he has a new position there. They have lived here for about 2 and a half years. Everyone at the company wanted to say good bye to him properly. So a time and night were chosen to give him and his wife a proper send off. We started the evening at a restaurant that was larger than any restaurant I had ever seen in my entire life. As we drove up to the front entrance, we were met by neon palm trees. Because the restaurant was so large, one of the drivers was at the front entrance, ready to greet everyone as they entered, and direct them to the proper room. We then were ushered to our own private room, where I saw a wooden table that functioned as the largest lazy Susan (I really hate that term) I had ever seen. As the meal progressed through the evening, I was fascinated to watch how the large lazy Susan table never seemed to stop moving. So if you had a favorite dish, you had to grab some of it quick with your chopsticks, because it was going to take about 5 minutes before you saw that dish again. Probably 30 dishes were placed on the table for us to choose from as they idled lazily by. A night out with Chinese co-workers isn't complete if there aren't drinking games of some sort. Many pitchers of a strong, spicy, dark beer were ordered. The first game was explained to us. We played it in English first. It was a numbers game. We were lucky for awhile that we didn't have to partake in the strong brew. But then the tables were turned, and we had to play the game in Chinese. I had to drink a glass of the swill once. It didn't go down very easy. We then introduced them to the popular U.S. college drinking game called "quarters." Amazingly, two of the drivers that were at the dinner were really good at that game. Either they once went to a U.S. college, or now we know what they're doing in the driver's shack on their downtime. Then it was off for a fun night of karaoke. The karaoke bars here are called KTV. I had never been to one before. They're all over the city. I just assumed that there wouldn't be many English songs for us to choose from. In the very large KTV building that we went to, we were ushered into a private room with 3 large couches facing a large tv screen, and a gaming table to the side. Of course, it was very hot in there. It's hot in every building right now. The heat just got turned on in Tianjin, and the Chinese people here are always cold. So they fire it up everywhere. Doug's Chinese co-workers asked me to help find good English songs that would keep the western men happy and singing. I had been listening to the westerners talk about what songs they'd like to sing. Boy, did I find some gems that had all of the westerners laughing and singing in chorus. Some of the best song choices I made were The Banana Boat Song (Day-O), Sundown (by Gordon Lightfoot).....special request for Brian.....I couldn't find it, but one of the secretaries eventually found it, The Things We Do for Love (like walking in the rain and the snow and there's nowhere to go, a part of you feels like you are dying), Tie a Yellow Ribbon, On Top of the World (The Carpenters), Crocodile Rock, some Neil Diamond tunes, and These Boots are Made for Walking. Some of my choices were just unfortunate, because they are sung in higher keys. So when we attempted them, people were covering their ears (Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees is a big no-no at karaoke). I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life. Sometimes the English songs didn't provide the lyrics on the tv screen in time, so we'd end up messing up some of our songs. I never realized what a good voice my hubbie had. He pulled off many difficult songs with great confidence. When we went to leave our karaoke room (there are probably about 50 private rooms full of about 20 people each), I think many other people had just left their rooms. For some reason, there were about 100 people standing in the lobby.....all Chinese. They looked up at us as we descended the grand staircase. Of course, they stare because we are from somewhere else. So Doug broke into song in the biggest, boomiest voice I've ever heard come out of his lips, "Daaaaaaaay-O, daaaaaay-o. Daylight come and we want to go home." Of course, we're all laughing hysterically, but the locals didn't skip a beat or change their expression. Doug did talk to a couple of the guys in the lobby and got them laughing a bit (see photo). Then we were off to the Rainbow Room, where they have a live Philippino band that performs good dance singles. Of course, Doug got to know them too (see photos). A lot of fun was had by all. 11月18日 Thomas brought a note home a couple of weeks ago from school, explaining that our child had been selected to attend a Science Day at another international school in our area. He said he wanted to go, so I signed the permission form. When I started to talk to other children at the school to see who else was going, I learned that only one child was selected from each class. I told Thomas what a great honor that was for him to be selected. At the end of the Science Day, I spoke to the chaperoning teacher, who was Thomas' teacher last year. She explained that it involved 4 international schools, and was a small, intimate group of 32 students. Thomas was in the Einstein group. He did many experiments during the day, and learned quite a bit. He even got to touch a sheep's heart! 11月14日
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I don't even have to write anything on my blog anymore....I can just browse the internet stories about China, or pick up the daily newspaper to read wacky stories. Ayi told me about this one today, then I spotted it in the paper afterwards. So I just had to find it on the net so that I could cut and paste it here. I guess you have to live here to understand how important cooking oil is to the Chinese. Supermarkets have entire aisles devoted to cooking oil. In fact, it's sold in such large bottles, that it's hard to find a small bottle of cooking oil. Why is so much oil used when the families are so small? Another one of my "why" questions that may never be answered.
Stampede leaves 3 dead, 31 injured |
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08:40, November 12, 2007
Three people died and 31 others were injured in a stampede triggered by cheap cooking oil prices at an outlet of hypermarket chain Carrefour on Saturday.
The three-day sales promotion in the municipality's Shapingba District was part of the French retail giant's 10th anniversary celebrations to mark its presence in the area and came amid rising edible oil prices.
The outlet was offering a discount of 11.5 yuan ($1.55) from the usual price of 51.4 yuan ($7) for a 5-liter bottle of cooking oil.
The promotion saw bargain-hunters waiting in line at the entrance around 4 am on Saturday, said Shapingba District spokesman Gao Chang.
The crowds rushed into the outlet and caused a stampede when its doors opened at about 8:40 am.
He Yu, one of the shoppers battling for bottles of the cooking oil, received bruises on his hands and face during the ensuing panic.
"I rushed to the oil shelf with others and grabbed four bottles," he said.
"Suddenly I was tripped onto the floor. Luckily, I got hold of another person and escaped from being crushed."
Those injured from the stampede are being treated at four hospitals in the city. One of the seven severely injured people is reportedly in critical condition while three were discharged by yesterday evening.
"The outlet has been ordered to suspend operation and an investigation is ongoing," said Gao.
The outlet has also been told to compensate the victims.
District officials issued a notice later that day stating that all departments and organizations must take effective precautionary measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Carrefour has opened 103 of its hypermarkets in 37 cities since it entered the Chinese market in 1995.
The latest outlet opened its doors on November 1 in Changchun, capital of Jilin Province.
It opened its first Chongqing store in 1998 and now operates four in the municipality.
The Shapingba outlet that saw the stampede is the chain's newest outlet in Chongqing. It opened last May and occupies 7,000 sq m.
Source: China Daily/Xinhua
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11月6日 Doug recently brought home a pamphlet from a work-related family day event called, "Small Matters of Environment Protection." It said on the pamphlet, "Environment Protection. Do From Me." My curiosity peaked, so I opened it up to read it. It is full of pictures and tips on how to protect the environment. I thought it pertinent that I share it with as many people as possible. Some tips make sense, and other tips are just unfortunate wording.
- Use calico sack
- Refuse excessively package
- As far as possible embark the bus
- Promote walking and riding bicycle
- Don't use the no degraded plastic box
- Don't set off the firework
- Don't burn the straw
- Don't burn in wildland
- Don't throw the cigarette butt disorderly
- Don't occupy the farmland disorderly
- Don't take the soil as one's pleases
- Don't pick and eat wild vegetable
- Don't pursue the update of computer
- Don't burn things that may produce the poisonous gas
- Don't purchase the production of wildlife
- Don't encourage make, and purchase the plant specimen
- Don't eat the frog, and protect the agriculture
- Don't keep the wildlife as the pet
- Don't maltreat the animal
- Don't encourage buying the animal and releasing them
- Don't fish from the river and lake
- Don't pick up the eggs in wild land
- Don't wear furriery creating (my personal favorite)
- Refuse to eat wildlife
- The water much use
- Close the faucet after using
- As far as possible purchase the local product
- As far as possible use recycling products
- As far as possible make use of the solar energy
- As far as possible, avoid producing the poisonous garbage
- Refuse to use chopsticks once a time
- Economy food
- Use saving-energy lamp
- Use the paper with double pages
- Simplify the fitment of house
- Little chew the gum
- Consume the meat limitly
- Little use the indoors insecticide
- Little use hair spray
- Observe small animals, birds around and offering them existing place conveniently
- Don't smoke and advise other people little smoking
- Donate the old things to the poor
- Object extravagant and promote the simple life
- Much use the soap, little use the wash (this one made me cackle out loud)
- Refuse to use things once a time
- Little use the canned food and drinking
- Save the paper, recovery waste paper
- Little use the canned food and drinking
As far as possible, it would probably be a good idea to follow the above tips. Should solve a lot of pollution issues before the Olympics next summer. 11月3日 I was just surfing on the net and came across the funniest classified internet posting I've ever seen at http://www.chinese-tools.com - I can't believe that someone posted this! I had to share it here, it's just so crazy! I have cut and pasted it as it appears on the site.
Can you help me go to a developed country?
I am SAM.,26 years old,chinese.I Have got a bachelor's degree.For getting a a developed country's passport like Europe or United States , I am looking for an European or American woman whose age is 20 to 30-year-old to having an artifical matrimony. The guerdon is USD 15,000.
Don't Need to worry about the safety, because I have a friend who has used this kind of methor to successfully obtain the American passport.And I acquaint with the procedure and process of carry out the multinational matrimony very much.It's one hundred percent safety.
Object: Female
Age:20-30 years old
National scope: Have:The citizen identities of the United States, England, Australia, Canadian etc. country one among those countries nationality
Remunerate USD 15,000
Hmmmmm.......I could have made a cool 15,000 USD 10 years ago or so for an artificial matrimony, which is one hundred percent safety. Too bad I'm already married and 40 now.
10月16日 Doug's Chinese co-workers must really like him or admire his opinion. They're always asking him to give them or their children (it turned out that the baby boy's parents finally decided on Elliott) English names. Doug sometimes comes to me for help on these matters, and I really enjoy the task of trying to match an English name to someone's personality. Doug has named a few people on his own....most recently, Michael and his girlfriend, Sharon. Michael because the guy likes basketball, and Sharon because her Chinese name sounds a bit like Sharon. Most recently, there was an interesting turn of events in the name giving game. One of his co-workers already had an English name that she has used for years, but she doesn't care for it anymore. Her name is Jane. She asked Doug to choose a new one for her. Imagine that....you don't care for your name, so you ask some guy from another country to choose a new one for you. Doug handed the task over to me. I submitted a list of 4 names (I like to give them choices), and I cut and pasted their meanings belows in an e-mail to Doug. Of course, a few of the names were names that I had chosen for my boys when they all were in utero. Then they had to be scrapped when I had boys, because I couldn't give them girl's names. Jane is now Charlotte. So if you ever travel to Tianjin and meet an Elliott or a Charlotte, chances are that I named them. I don't think those names are in wide circulation around here. It's one of the funner things about living in China, choosing names for people. Heck, I would have had 20 kids just to name them all, it's so much fun. But it probably wouldn't be fun to look after 20 kids.
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