I wonder what people in China would do if a solar flare suddenly knocked out all cell phone service. Wait! I don't know what they'll do, but I have a good idea what they won't be doing:
Parents won't be answering their cell phones while participating in parent day in the classroom.
Teachers won't answer their phones and text while I'm teaching in their classrooms.
Teachers won't answer their phones and text while they're teaching in their classrooms.
Teachers won't talk on their phones in the middle of parent-teacher home visits.
Bus passengers won't yell into their phones like they're talking to someone across the street.
Bicyclists won't be flapping into their phones as they absentmindedly ride at 5 km/h in front of a ten tonne bus going 30 km/h.
People will no longer set their ring volumes to a level a few decibels lower than Rolls-Royce Trent 700 aircraft engines.
Girlfriends won't talk to their friends for an hour while they're on a date in a nice restaurant. Boyfriends will no longer have to feign interest in said restaurant's interior design.
Girls won't be able to use their phone's video camera to apply make-up.
Phones will no longer be worn around the neck like gaudy jewelry.
China Mobile would no longer have to maintain the cell stations installed along the entire Guangzhou subway system.
People won't use their phones as scratchy portable stereos, allowing everyone around to enjoy their music choices.
I will no longer be tempted to steal all these people's phones and hurl them into fountains, rivers, or into the path of 50 stampeding elephants.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Hong Kong 2.0
Carol and I went to Hong Kong a couple of weekends ago. You can read about our reasons for going and about my train ticket fiasco here.
We arrived in Hong Kong at about 10:30 or 11 in the morning. Our plan was to visit the world's biggest bronze, seated in a lotus flower, outdoor Buddha. I wonder where the bigger indoor, standing, non-bronze Buddha is?
The Buddha is at the Po Lin Monastery, on Lantau Island. To give you an idea where it is, Hong Kong's newish airport is built on reclaimed land off the north coast of Lantau Island. Big Buddha is 26 meters high, weighs 220 tonnes, and took ten years to make. It's roughly in the middle of the Island.
To get there from the train station, we got on the subway, made a transfer, and rode to the end of the line. From there, there are usually two ways to get to the Po Lin Monastery. You can take the Nong Ping 360 Cable Car (very similar to the Blackcomb Excalibur gondola, or the one at Mont-Sainte-Anne) or you can take a bus. Lantau Island has a few bus routes, but no subway. We only had one option though, because back in June, one of the gondola cabins on the Nong Ping 360 fell off. Luckily it was after operating hours. Recent reports indicate that children will be invited to participate in trial runs of the repaired gondola system. Hide your children everyone!
The bus ride was about 50 minutes long, and took us through the beautiful Lantau Island countryside. It was a very nice change from downtown Hong Kong. There were beaches, little houses, fewer people, and lots of nature.
We got to Big Buddha, and it was a gong show! There were people everywhere! There were 300 steps leading up to the Big Buddha, and both the up lane and the down lane were packed. It was really hot and hazy that day too, and I began to get a headache. The crowdedness, haziness, and the hotness made me grumpy!
(Remember, if you want to see the original,enlarged version of the picture,click on it and the picture will open in a new window.)
Carol fared better than I, and enjoyed posing with the big guy.
The landscape surrounding the Big Buddha was my favourite part. There were steep hills with a few pagodas emerging through the trees, paths zig-zagging up, down, and across the mountains, and nary a tall building to be seen.
After seeing the Big Buddha we paid for and ate a special vegetarian meal at the Monastery. We thought this meal was a requirement for seeing Big Buddha, but right beside the restaurant there was a cafeteria that served similar looking food for a whole lot cheaper. Oh well...the meal was good. As you can see, I have a deft touch with my chopsticks. If given a bowl of peanuts, I would tuck into it no problem, eating them all with confidence. I'm pretty happy about that.
After we ate, we took a walk along the Wisdom Path, a sidewalk that wound through the woods. It was definitely my favourite part of the day. There were birds in the trees, hikers heading out or coming back from a day in the mountains, people relaxing, and it was great. I even saw a mountain biker walking his bike. It was great...I would have rather walked on a dirt path instead of the concrete swath, but I was happy anyway! I hadn't been in the woods or anything close to nature since the beginning of October. Since then, it's been all classrooms, buses, streets, smog, subways, taxis, and the odd patch of grass you're not allowed to walk on. So this path through the woods was great! It was also very cool in the shade, and my headache went away.
Carol and I explored the path, and after about half an hour decided to head back and take the bus back to the subway line. Even though the excursion had started with me being in a foul mood, it ended with me being relaxed and happy. We got on the subway, and headed back to the city to figure out our lodgings for the night.
Stay tuned for Hong Kong 3.0.
We arrived in Hong Kong at about 10:30 or 11 in the morning. Our plan was to visit the world's biggest bronze, seated in a lotus flower, outdoor Buddha. I wonder where the bigger indoor, standing, non-bronze Buddha is?
The Buddha is at the Po Lin Monastery, on Lantau Island. To give you an idea where it is, Hong Kong's newish airport is built on reclaimed land off the north coast of Lantau Island. Big Buddha is 26 meters high, weighs 220 tonnes, and took ten years to make. It's roughly in the middle of the Island.
To get there from the train station, we got on the subway, made a transfer, and rode to the end of the line. From there, there are usually two ways to get to the Po Lin Monastery. You can take the Nong Ping 360 Cable Car (very similar to the Blackcomb Excalibur gondola, or the one at Mont-Sainte-Anne) or you can take a bus. Lantau Island has a few bus routes, but no subway. We only had one option though, because back in June, one of the gondola cabins on the Nong Ping 360 fell off. Luckily it was after operating hours. Recent reports indicate that children will be invited to participate in trial runs of the repaired gondola system. Hide your children everyone!
The bus ride was about 50 minutes long, and took us through the beautiful Lantau Island countryside. It was a very nice change from downtown Hong Kong. There were beaches, little houses, fewer people, and lots of nature.
We got to Big Buddha, and it was a gong show! There were people everywhere! There were 300 steps leading up to the Big Buddha, and both the up lane and the down lane were packed. It was really hot and hazy that day too, and I began to get a headache. The crowdedness, haziness, and the hotness made me grumpy!
(Remember, if you want to see the original,enlarged version of the picture,click on it and the picture will open in a new window.)
Carol fared better than I, and enjoyed posing with the big guy.
The landscape surrounding the Big Buddha was my favourite part. There were steep hills with a few pagodas emerging through the trees, paths zig-zagging up, down, and across the mountains, and nary a tall building to be seen.
After seeing the Big Buddha we paid for and ate a special vegetarian meal at the Monastery. We thought this meal was a requirement for seeing Big Buddha, but right beside the restaurant there was a cafeteria that served similar looking food for a whole lot cheaper. Oh well...the meal was good. As you can see, I have a deft touch with my chopsticks. If given a bowl of peanuts, I would tuck into it no problem, eating them all with confidence. I'm pretty happy about that.
After we ate, we took a walk along the Wisdom Path, a sidewalk that wound through the woods. It was definitely my favourite part of the day. There were birds in the trees, hikers heading out or coming back from a day in the mountains, people relaxing, and it was great. I even saw a mountain biker walking his bike. It was great...I would have rather walked on a dirt path instead of the concrete swath, but I was happy anyway! I hadn't been in the woods or anything close to nature since the beginning of October. Since then, it's been all classrooms, buses, streets, smog, subways, taxis, and the odd patch of grass you're not allowed to walk on. So this path through the woods was great! It was also very cool in the shade, and my headache went away.
Carol and I explored the path, and after about half an hour decided to head back and take the bus back to the subway line. Even though the excursion had started with me being in a foul mood, it ended with me being relaxed and happy. We got on the subway, and headed back to the city to figure out our lodgings for the night.
Stay tuned for Hong Kong 3.0.
New method of posting pics
So, I'm testing a new method of posting pics on this blog. The photo publisher I usually use takes forever. So, this picture is a test to see if my new way works, and if I'm happy with the way it sits on the page.
This picture is one my friend Dave took in Whister. He found a secret trail that you have to either hike up from the bottom, or cut through someone's backyard to get to. Either way, it was worth it!
This pic was taken two biking seasons ago. The drop I'm about to hit has now been tamed. A wood plank has been put in, so you can roll it if you want. I'm glad I did it when it was tougher.
edit: It's huge! But I think I'll leave it since I like this pic and it reminds me of biking. I think I'll stick to the other way of posting pics in the future though.
This picture is one my friend Dave took in Whister. He found a secret trail that you have to either hike up from the bottom, or cut through someone's backyard to get to. Either way, it was worth it!
This pic was taken two biking seasons ago. The drop I'm about to hit has now been tamed. A wood plank has been put in, so you can roll it if you want. I'm glad I did it when it was tougher.
edit: It's huge! But I think I'll leave it since I like this pic and it reminds me of biking. I think I'll stick to the other way of posting pics in the future though.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Er wears his hoodie to work!
Hurray! Looking good Er!
It is Casual Friday at RIM, and Erik opts for his new, awesome full-zip hoodie. This pic is taken with his phone, and he sent it to me just now.
Nice threads!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
750 000 people die from pollution in China each year.
Click this link for the article.
I'm not surprised. The last few days have been terrible here. In Hong Kong on the weekend, it was the most polluted weekend of the year. Since Guangzhou is not as close to the water, I imagine that it's worse up here.
I'm trying to run daily again, but it's hard. Lately, when I step outside I can feel the particulates in the back of my throat as I breathe. It makes me snotty and I cough a lot.
Once dusk arrives, I can see vehicles' headlights cutting through the smog...it's like an ever-present light fog. Most vehicles here have feather dusters in them, and I realized they're there to wipe the pollution residue off the cars. It's a very fine dust that accumulates after a few days. It's less dusty than gravel road residue, but you can still see it very clearly on darker cars.
If I leave my laundry hanging outside for more than a few days, my clothes start to smell bad. So it's important to take it in once they're dry.
Carol's friend in Korea says that when we have a smoggy day, they get it a few days later. To use her words, China is outsourcing its pollution to Korea. How long until it makes it across the Pacific to Canada?
So, pollution is what I'm thinking about today. It's frustrating and depressing. And physically sickening. *cough* *hack* *sniffle* *hack*
I'm not surprised. The last few days have been terrible here. In Hong Kong on the weekend, it was the most polluted weekend of the year. Since Guangzhou is not as close to the water, I imagine that it's worse up here.
I'm trying to run daily again, but it's hard. Lately, when I step outside I can feel the particulates in the back of my throat as I breathe. It makes me snotty and I cough a lot.
Once dusk arrives, I can see vehicles' headlights cutting through the smog...it's like an ever-present light fog. Most vehicles here have feather dusters in them, and I realized they're there to wipe the pollution residue off the cars. It's a very fine dust that accumulates after a few days. It's less dusty than gravel road residue, but you can still see it very clearly on darker cars.
If I leave my laundry hanging outside for more than a few days, my clothes start to smell bad. So it's important to take it in once they're dry.
Carol's friend in Korea says that when we have a smoggy day, they get it a few days later. To use her words, China is outsourcing its pollution to Korea. How long until it makes it across the Pacific to Canada?
So, pollution is what I'm thinking about today. It's frustrating and depressing. And physically sickening. *cough* *hack* *sniffle* *hack*
Monday, December 10, 2007
Hong Kong : The train ticket
This weekend, Carol and I went to Hong Kong. There were two reasons for going, and I'm not sure which was more important to me. One reason was to leave mainland China to deal with some money matters, and the other reason was to leave Guangzhou, just to mix life up a little. The last holiday from teaching we had was at the beginning of October, so it's been a tough slog since our next holiday seems so far off. We haven't had a long weekend or anything, and I'm not used to working for almost 4 months without an extra day off to look forward to!
Hong Kong seems to always cost me more money than I intend. Last trip, in September, I paid too much money for a watch, as I did a poor job in the bargaining. The good thing is that I haven't been ripped off again, so I learned my lesson. This time, it was something totally different, and happened before we left Guangzhou.
Carol and I bought tickets last week for the first train leaving Guangzhou on Saturday, at 8:17am. It's a popular train, so buying a few days ahead was a wise choice. We left home at 7am, in a cab. To make the cab ride easy, I showed the driver my ticket, so he'd know where we were going because I still don't know enough Chinese to tell him myself. There was no drama on the cab ride...the driver knew where we were going, and traffic was light. It was a good thing, since we realized we hadn't given ourselves as much time as we would have liked.
The action started as I tried to pay for the ride. As soon as I started digging in my pockets to pay the fare, a homeless man came to the cab, stood in the open door, and began bowing and saying something over and over over. He obviously wanted my money, and I guess asking me when I had it in my fist was a good tactic on his part. I was having trouble finding the right change, and the added distraction of the homeless man wasn't helping.
The driver decided to help, and drove about 50m away from the man. There was another person waiting there though, so this time I didn't open my door as fast. I was still digging around, looking for the money I knew I had. Finally I found it in my pocket, paid, and the cab drove off. It was a bit stressful, but I was happy to have paid finally. It's hard digging in your pockets when you're sitting down and can't get full leg extension.
As the cab drove away, I realized I no longer had my train ticket in my hand. I had it in my hand for the whole ride, after I showed it to the driver when we got in. I don't remember putting it away, but do remember looking at it during the ride. I looked in my bag, in all my pockets, and couldn't find it. I must have dropped it in the search for money, or put it on the dashboard or something. Frustrating! The added distraction of the homeless people, and our semi-rush to make the train must have made me forget all about the ticket.
So, the train was due to leave in half an hour, and I didn't have a ticket. When I tried to buy another ticket for 8:17 train, the lady told me it was sold out, so I couldn't be on it. I was so frustrated. I don't think I've ever punched a wall, but I almost did just then. I angrily bought a ticket for the second train of the day, two hours away. This was going to be a pain, as Carol would arrive in Hong Kong two hours before I would. It was going to be a hassle for us to find each other, and also it was terribly inconvenient for her personally and also for our plans of the day.
As I walked dejectedly away from the ticket wicket, with Carol rushing to make her train, I wondered how I'd spend my two hours. I was angry, frustrated and embarrassed that I wasn't organized enough to keep my ticket. I was also embarrassed that my disorganization had caused me to spend my money on a second ticket, now paying double for a trip to Hong Kong. And I was also embarrassed for throwing a wrench into our plans.
As I walked away from the wicket, two Chinese guys in nice-ish suits, standing (hiding?) behind a big support column, waved me over and said with sideways, worrisome glances, "Ticket? You need ticket?" Turns out they were scalping train tickets...what a good idea. They had one ticket left for the 8:17 train. I thought about it for about 4 seconds, and bought it. I paid a hefty scalpers charge though, an extra 50%. Yikes. Serves me right for losing my original I guess. We exchanged money and ticket while they nervously kept watch for the authorities. I had now bought my 3rd ticket to Hong Kong, and this one had cost me a lot more than the other two. I figured it was necessary though, as Carol and I could travel together, not have to find each other, and not have to alter our planned plans.
So, I learned a lesson...don't be careless with important things like train tickets! I made a conscious effort for the rest of the trip to put my money, tickets, keys, and everything important back to their rightful place, not somewhere where I would lose it.
That's the beginning of the trip. I will write more about actual Hong Kong later.
Hong Kong seems to always cost me more money than I intend. Last trip, in September, I paid too much money for a watch, as I did a poor job in the bargaining. The good thing is that I haven't been ripped off again, so I learned my lesson. This time, it was something totally different, and happened before we left Guangzhou.
Carol and I bought tickets last week for the first train leaving Guangzhou on Saturday, at 8:17am. It's a popular train, so buying a few days ahead was a wise choice. We left home at 7am, in a cab. To make the cab ride easy, I showed the driver my ticket, so he'd know where we were going because I still don't know enough Chinese to tell him myself. There was no drama on the cab ride...the driver knew where we were going, and traffic was light. It was a good thing, since we realized we hadn't given ourselves as much time as we would have liked.
The action started as I tried to pay for the ride. As soon as I started digging in my pockets to pay the fare, a homeless man came to the cab, stood in the open door, and began bowing and saying something over and over over. He obviously wanted my money, and I guess asking me when I had it in my fist was a good tactic on his part. I was having trouble finding the right change, and the added distraction of the homeless man wasn't helping.
The driver decided to help, and drove about 50m away from the man. There was another person waiting there though, so this time I didn't open my door as fast. I was still digging around, looking for the money I knew I had. Finally I found it in my pocket, paid, and the cab drove off. It was a bit stressful, but I was happy to have paid finally. It's hard digging in your pockets when you're sitting down and can't get full leg extension.
As the cab drove away, I realized I no longer had my train ticket in my hand. I had it in my hand for the whole ride, after I showed it to the driver when we got in. I don't remember putting it away, but do remember looking at it during the ride. I looked in my bag, in all my pockets, and couldn't find it. I must have dropped it in the search for money, or put it on the dashboard or something. Frustrating! The added distraction of the homeless people, and our semi-rush to make the train must have made me forget all about the ticket.
So, the train was due to leave in half an hour, and I didn't have a ticket. When I tried to buy another ticket for 8:17 train, the lady told me it was sold out, so I couldn't be on it. I was so frustrated. I don't think I've ever punched a wall, but I almost did just then. I angrily bought a ticket for the second train of the day, two hours away. This was going to be a pain, as Carol would arrive in Hong Kong two hours before I would. It was going to be a hassle for us to find each other, and also it was terribly inconvenient for her personally and also for our plans of the day.
As I walked dejectedly away from the ticket wicket, with Carol rushing to make her train, I wondered how I'd spend my two hours. I was angry, frustrated and embarrassed that I wasn't organized enough to keep my ticket. I was also embarrassed that my disorganization had caused me to spend my money on a second ticket, now paying double for a trip to Hong Kong. And I was also embarrassed for throwing a wrench into our plans.
As I walked away from the wicket, two Chinese guys in nice-ish suits, standing (hiding?) behind a big support column, waved me over and said with sideways, worrisome glances, "Ticket? You need ticket?" Turns out they were scalping train tickets...what a good idea. They had one ticket left for the 8:17 train. I thought about it for about 4 seconds, and bought it. I paid a hefty scalpers charge though, an extra 50%. Yikes. Serves me right for losing my original I guess. We exchanged money and ticket while they nervously kept watch for the authorities. I had now bought my 3rd ticket to Hong Kong, and this one had cost me a lot more than the other two. I figured it was necessary though, as Carol and I could travel together, not have to find each other, and not have to alter our planned plans.
So, I learned a lesson...don't be careless with important things like train tickets! I made a conscious effort for the rest of the trip to put my money, tickets, keys, and everything important back to their rightful place, not somewhere where I would lose it.
That's the beginning of the trip. I will write more about actual Hong Kong later.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Full Zip Hoodies!
So, it's Friday and I love Fridays! I'm in a great mood, since another week is done! I'm also in great mood because yesterday Erik got his parcel that I sent him more than a month ago. I thought it was lost, but it's not! The highlight of the parcel was a full-zip hoodie I found...it didn't fit me, so I bought it for Er. I would have been really disappointed if it was lost, or if some Chinese government official had pilfered the parcel and taken it for himself. I wouldn't be surprised if it was stolen though, because of the hoodie's level of awesomeness.
The hoodie isn't something that Er would buy on his own, so it might take some prodding to get him to wear it. But it was such a great find, I couldn't leave it there. So, dear readers, when you see Er, ask him how is hoodie is doing! And if he's wearing it, make sure to comment on how great he looks in it!
Here are some fun pictures of Carol and I in full-zip hoodies. The first pictures are of Carol modeling the one I bought for Er. The second set is a random hoodie that I liked for obvious reasons, and the last picture is me wearing the full-zip I ended up buying for myself.
Happy Friday everyone!
The hoodie isn't something that Er would buy on his own, so it might take some prodding to get him to wear it. But it was such a great find, I couldn't leave it there. So, dear readers, when you see Er, ask him how is hoodie is doing! And if he's wearing it, make sure to comment on how great he looks in it!
Here are some fun pictures of Carol and I in full-zip hoodies. The first pictures are of Carol modeling the one I bought for Er. The second set is a random hoodie that I liked for obvious reasons, and the last picture is me wearing the full-zip I ended up buying for myself.
Happy Friday everyone!
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