Is it bi-annual or semi-annual?

So, here I am again, less than a year later.





Again, several changes.





T and I got married in February! Woot! We went down to Cabo San Lucas, to a fantastic resort (Dreams Los Cabos). This place was incredible... the only drawback that I could think of was the lack of swimming in the ocean in front of the resort. The rooms were great (well, the honeymoon suite was great anyway --it was as big as our last appartement in the city!), the food was really good, and the drinks were plentiful.

The wedding ceremony itself was simple, like we wanted. Essentially, we exchanged our vows on the beach in a small ceremony. T even managed to include the words "airplane" and "sunscreen" in her wedding vows. It describes me pretty well. The hardest part was getting out of the water at 11:00, because we had to go and prepare for the ceremony.

Everything is great with the house. Shovelling snow all winter was fine --even fun. (We have a small driveway). We bought a lot of stuff for the spring / summer... lawnmower, trimmer, garden hose, tools, sprinklers, lots of plants and landscaping things, etc. Cutting the grass is ok... I am not very good at cord management yet, and risk electrocuting myself every week.

On that subject, I replaced a light fixture last weekend. I am actually very proud of myself, considering that it works, the house has not burned to the ground from an electrical fire, and it actually looks good! I have come a long way... it was only 7 months ago that I attempted to hang a mirror, which involved me drilling about 15 holes in the drywall, and it was still (after a 3-hour job) not level, or centered.

The house has really changed how we live. We both look forward to getting home at night, and truly enjoy the silence and darkness --so different from Yonge and Eglinton. We have met our neighbours, done a few social functions with them, and seem to be getting along fine. Thank God they are normal!!! (I wonder what they say about us...)

I try and barbeque every night, if possible. The corn season is coming up... and we have found some great sources for steaks and chicken. Grilled lemon is my new favourite garnish, as is grilled pineapple with grilled hot peppers and grilled red peppers (together, on a toothpick, the way God intended).


This weekend we are off to St Andrew (New Brunswick) for my dad's 75th birthday. I plan on eating nothing but lobster.



Well, perhaps I will write more in the next few weeks. If not... maybe around Christmas LOL!

Oh, wow... I had a blog?

Ok, so it has been a few days. 

What has changed? Lots. 

I'm engaged. I have been for a while. Tracey and I will be married at Dreams Los Cabos in Mexico in April. They have a beach --an unswimmable beach, so I won't get eaten by a shark, and a bar with swings instead of stools. I think we should bring helmets, although I suspect that the wedding party will all end up with a concussion anyway.

We bought a house. 

Isn't it nice? 4 bedrooms, 3 bathroms. My guess is that, in another year's time, I will add another blog entry titled "OMG I am so sick of cleaning!".

I am suddenly facing all of the thrills of home-ownership, such as (but not limited to) "no more upstairs appartment dweller-kids playing indoor basketball", "thank GOD we don't have to listen to our downstairs neighbour's stereo cranking out the John Bon Jovi anthology with absurdly-high bass for 7 straight hours", or "you know? Rock Band doesn't sound so great at 4 am when it is your uncoordinated and (obviously) deaf teenage neighbour banging away on plastic with all of his windows open."

Now I will face new and exciting challenges, such as "umm... do I need to clean out these eaves-troughs?", "HOW am I going to clean out these eaves-troughs?", and the one I will ask most days I am certain "now what do I do / who should I call to fix this for me at an outrageously high price?"

We move in to the house in two days. Who would have thought that a two-bedroom appartment can hold so much stuff?

We also bought a car. 

We call him Bobby Frey. It is kind of a play on words that most people don't get. 

It sounds like Bobby Flay, the well-known chef. The car is a Santa Fe, and Bobby Flay is well known for his Santa-Fe style flavours. 

Of course, it is also a Hyundai. [Insert stereotypical "R"-for-"L" replacement joke here.]

Unfortunately, when most people get the play on words, they find it even less funny.

The car is seriously cool though. We take it everywhere.

So, lots of changes for me. Exciting times. I am going to try and write more, and watch television less. (If there is someone who actually lands here by accident and reads this, and feels that this decision to write more is a complete barking-up-the-wrong-tree mistake, and that there is plenty to be learned on Dr. Phil, please let me know.)

See you in a year!

You're doing it wrong!

Yes, they are doing it wrong.

That brings up an entire suite of questions, though. For example: what if they planned this particular position? What if they trained for months to be able to do something you wouldn't normally see unless you were watching lots of overweight guys running back and forth between ropes (or possibly in a movie that is available in only the best motels for $9.99 and features such stars as Candy Divine, Lance Ballstrom et cetera)?

My point is: people can assume that you are "doing it wrong" from their perspective. Without some sort of outside context, they can only frame your actions within their own experiences.

This, of course, raises even more questions. For example: the woman in the check-out line at the grocery store today... what was she thinking? Did she think that it was a good idea to put her items on the conveyer belt and then "run" over to the canned-goods aisle to look for dog food? And when she "ran" back 3 minutes later to complain that there wasn't any dog food in the canned-goods aisle, did she have the decency to cash-out and return to look for it?

No. She didn't. She involved the cashier in a search for said dog food. So I transferred to the next cashier. After waiting in line for 5 minutes, I finally managed to place my 4 items on the conveyer belt. That was when the cashier running this lane suddenly became very involved in the search for the lady's dog food. What should I do? Should I leave? Abandon my food-stuffs on the belt and walk out the door?

Finally, after finding a bag of frozen peas, a tub of margerine, and a small box of herbal tea, the lady (and the attending cashiers) returned to the check-out. Ther ewas no dog food to be seen.

After paying, I walked over to the LCBO to get a bottle of wine. I noticed the dog-food lady talking to someone at the check-out. I just kept walking.

But really... what was she thinking? And what was half of the available staff thinking at the grocery store? It looked like there was a "team-meeting" in the frozen foods section, while 1000 people (I can say that with absolutely no trace of hyperbole) waited in line to pay.

Of course... sometimes people are just wrong.

Leafs hockey

I went to my first ever NHL hockey game the other day. T and I went after work, and watched the leafs host the New Jersey Devils. The seats were pretty good... 16th row up. It was quite the experience for me...

Immediately upon arrival, I went directly to a beer vendor, and asked for a couple of beers. "Small, Medium, or Large?" she asked.

"Large." I was somehow astounded that someone could even ask that question.

"That will be $25.50" she said, handing over a couple of tubs of beer.

The first thing that struck me was how quiet the game is. On television, where there are lots of microphones directed at the ice, one hears the constant scrape and grind of skates on the ice; the thud and rattle of hard checks; players yelling; slapshots. I happened to be trying to lift my beer to my face when the game started and I wasn't even aware of the face off! There was no sound...

Where was the crowd participation? Where was the crashing boards from bodychecks? Where were the cheers? I swear, I could hear the players on the bench coughing delicately...

Until Belak threw down his gloves and started hitting someone from the Devils. The crowd roared. The crowd screamed for blood. The crowd chanted "Belak! Belak! Belak!" I felt like a person might while watching a couple of gladiators fight to the death in Rome! And when it was over, we all sat back down politely and shut up.

Until Toronto scored! The crowd leapt to its feet! The crowd roared. The crowd screamed. And a minute later, with some (possibly) embarassed looks, we all sat down again and looked thoughfully into our vats of beer.

The funniest moment of the night came when a Toronto player got a penalty for hooking. "Toronto penalty, number ____, 2 minutes for hooking. Time of the penalty, 9:38," came the announcement.

Tracey asks "he got a nine minute and thirty-eight second penalty?! For what?"

I stare uncomprehendingly at her.

Tracey looks at her watch. "What the...? It's only 8:30. Why did they say he got the penalty at 9:30?"

Ok, she'll kill me for writing this in here... but it had to be done. And I am hooked on hockey games now!

The Blur

My last day in China was a complete Blur. I had managed to delay my departure by 1 day --departing on the Wednesday instead of the Tuesday. I was hoping for a Thursday departure, but there were no seats available on the plane.

As usual, I awoke early to a long list of emails. By the time I had finished dealing with those, and with our Chinese suppliers (with C's help), it was about 3 pm. C had promised me a Sichuan dinner ("with lots of pepper"), and we were talking about meeting around 4 pm. That left me about 1 hour to freshen up.

C had helped me so much during my trip. The words "above and beyond" would only apply if they were prefixed with "way". In fact, it should be "WAY"! I had thanked her a number of times. It some how didn't seem to be enough. I wanted to find a way to express how I felt about it.

Flowers.

I started looking online. Oh. $100 USD to have a small, and frankly ugly, bouquet delivered to her. I felt cheap, because this was not in my budget. I happened to be online talking with a new friend, L, who works with our logistics supplier in Shenzhen. L finally understood that I was trying to find a way to get flowers to C.

"Ok. Wait there." ?

10 minutes later, there was a knock on my hotel room door. L and our logistics supplier were there! They escorted me to a couple of flower shops nearby. Luckily L was there, as I could not have done it by myself. She translated for me, as I tried to chose an adequate bouquet. She also negotiated the price for me. (As I was going along, I was asking the price... I stopped when I got up to about 200 RMB in my head.) After a flurry of Cantonese, L turned to me and said "ok? 100 RMB?" Done. I had chosen a nice bouquet of huge Lilys, a couple of roses, and some other small flowers. Deliverable the next morning at 11 am. Woo hoo! L walked me back to my hotel, where we waited for C to arrive.

They both took me out to dinner. We started by going to the Dongmen shopping district to find a few souvenirs to take home. (Again, price negotiating way below what I was going to pay. I had my own personal shoppers.) I finally decided on a few small items, and we departed for the restaurant.

Talk about amazing! This was the best looking restaurant we had been in yet. The decor was brilliant. The food was amazing. We had a Sichuan Hot Pot. The pepper side was very peppery indeed. It was a rich, deep red with pepper oil. We had two different kinds of bean curd (tofu), mushrooms, beef, some kind of vegetable, big thick chunks of seaweed (delicious), Lotus root, and something resembling fresh coriander. (I tried to make a joke, as we had finished everything else on the table... I picked this potted-looking plant in a bowl off the serving table and said "and now this?" Well, I thought it was a plant. Nope. We added it. Yum. Best dinner EVER!

Afterwards, they brought me back to my hotel, where we said goodbye. I can't tell you how difficult it was to say goodbye to my new friends. It seemed to be a sad moment. A quick hug seemed inadequate. A brave smile clearly not felt. I tried to delay as long as possible.

When the door closed, I turned to my work, as I knew there would be alot. Canada was now online. As it was my last few hours, there would surely be questions. Keeping busy couldn't cover up my sadness. Sigh. And then I packed.

Wednesdays departure went like clockwork. C even called to say goodbye again in the morning. I checked out, and dragged my suitcase through the streets to the train station in Shenzhen. From there, I walked across the border into Hong Kong; caught a KCR (subway) train for 1 station, found a city bus, and proceeded to the airport.

No bulkhead seats this time, but the person at the counter thankfully booked me into a single centre seat that had the only empty seat on the plane beside it. So the flight wasn't too bad.

I arrived at home at 8 pm or so, to a happy reunion with T, having been travelling for about 24 straight hours. I had caught a few naps on the plane, and had re-adjusted my internal clock to the local time here. Once again, though a little tired, I suffered no noticeable jet-lag.

I was at work at 8 am the following morning. C emailed me and thanked me for the flowers.

I look forward to my next trip. I hope it is soon. For now I have too few pictures, a "lucky star", some tea, some gifts from C, and lots of great memories.

Trip to the Folk Culture Village

I didn't do much today to report. Most of the day was spent online with manufacturers clarifying orders.

However yesterday (Sunday) was probably the best day of my trip so far.

The day started with the usual emails. I was in constant contact with C, who was on the phone with the suppliers when possible. But because everything was closed (Sunday AND the Lantern Festival), it was a pretty easy day.

I met C at the subway nearby, and we took the train to the China Culture Village. (The Metro here is a marvel of inner-city transport. It is only two years old, and is one of the best undergrounds I have been on anywhere.)

At the exit of the subway, we met L, who works in the same office as one of my contacts here. We had two choices --Windows of the World (the world's marvels in miniature) or the China Folk Culture Village. Since I thought this would be a great opportunity to learn about Chinese culture, it was an obvious choice. We walked along a broad sidewalk for about 800 meters, with overhanging trees and flowers. Waternut trees were everywhere, and I was constantly reminded that I am in the south. (Today, I popped out to get some water and nearly bumped into a Peacock walking on the sidewalk!)

The theme park was interesting. We started on one side, which had all of the great landmarks in China depicted in miniature. In a city so bustling with activity, it was strange to be in a place that was so quiet and serene. The place was marvellously lanscaped, with lots of gardens, trees, and flowers. Birds called (sounds that were so strange to me) and flitted from tree to tree.

We then walked through the second half, which had lots of builidngs, temples, pagodas, covered bridges and more from the various regions and histories of China. The sun had already set, so we were walking around on sparsely lit paths, entering deserted buidings, and exploring wherever we wanted. We saw very few other people. It was almost as if we were trespassing after hours! It would be a very romantic walk... and I was told that the Lantern Festival is the Chinese equivalent of Valentine's day... it would have been nice. I know someone that would have really liked it if we were alone there ;-)

It turned out that there was to be a show. C ran and got us all tickets while we waited. The outdoor stage was made to look like a huge cliff. It was very realistic looking too. When the lights went down, I was thinking "oh, great... this will be a typical Vegas-style show". A cpuple of clowns came out and got the crowd riled-up. They were funny.

And then the costumed perfomers came out. The sounds were amazing! The lights were amazing! There were acrobats, and people doing things with their bodies that should be impossible! I saw a group of young girls that were so strong and talented it defies the imagination. (I.e. 8 of them came out, each twirling 8 plates on 8 sticks that were about 3 feet long. Then, without missing a beat, 4 of them stepped up onto the shoulders of the other 4 girls! And they all walked along without dropping the plates! And then they all stepped up onto the heads of the bottom girls, and then one foot onto the head of the next girl on the bottom, who all moved apart. So there were the girls on top doing the splits, and all the while the plates are still twirling! I don't think I described it well... but I know that I sat there with my mouth agape, half-way through applauding!)

The show was spectacular. This was the most astounding stage I have ever seen. It could transform itself within seconds. Now a cliff; now a huge waterfall; now the stage floor rises with new performers; now the sides of the stage swing out. This was the equal, at least, of any Cirque De Soleil performance. The entire show was the depiction of China's vast history through costume, regional music, and performances. I remain, and always will, astounded.

After the show, my logistics contact (in the nice Mercedes) picked us up for dinner. We went to a restaurant that served food from his home town (Beihai?). I have tasted so many different regional dishes in China, and this was really good. As usual, he over-ordered. There was so much food. We had a whole fish (on a plate: you just reach in with your chopsticks and grab a hunk of it right off the fish), some sweet-rolls that were hollowed-out, and we filled them with (?) something, a hot pot with more fish (my dad would call it a bouillabase), "glutinous rice dumplings" (OMG the best ever --very sticky balls of rice dough containing almond and sugar! C calls it "Glue Pudding."), some vegetable like celery, but different, some kind of deep-fried biscuit which we dipped in sauce, bbq ribs (delicious)... and I think I am forgetting something. I will have to ask C what the names of all of these dishes were. (Or, and I know she reads this, she could leave a comment and tell us all...)

Following that, they hailed a cab, we all piled in, and they took me back to my hotel. What a great day. I am so lucky that my friends in China treat me so well. It is a valuable lesson to me.

I have delayed my departure by one day, in order to collect a few more things from suppliers. That means that tomorrow is my last full day in China, before I begin my return journey. (another 30 hours of travel: ugh!)

But I will be happy to see T again.

Folk Culture Village

I went with C and L this evening to the China Folk Culture Village. It was very calm and peaceful. It shows many of the different cultures that make up China, with buildings that we could walk through, as well as a miniatures section with great gardens. We even saw a great show detailing the history of China --extremely impressive. And then we went out for a late, and great, dinner.

I will post about it tomorrow, as I am exhausted. Fo now, here are a few pics.