After a brief hiatus, there will be many more postings in '09. I am headed to Costa Rica and in case I don't get too much internet time while there - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Cheers! Have fun wherever you are :)
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Greetings from a field at UBC
The other day we gathered to watch some co-workers play Australian Rules Football...
Not quite the same as a pro grand final, but entertaining nonetheless...
first both teams gather on the field (pitch? not sure) - they sang the Canadian national anthem (only in English) followed by the Australian national anthem.
Then they each gathered and sang their own fight songs
I'm not sure if these are known cheers or individual for these teams only
This is what the goal posts look like - you need to kick the ball between them (there are two smaller ones that then flank these)
After the match we proceeded to the bar, which really seemed to be the most important part.
We sat outside and basically commandeered the entire deck. Notice I am drinking a Kilkenny, which might just be my favorite beer. I am SO glad you can get it in Canada. (note for anyone hoping to go to the brewery in Ireland - it is only opened for a short time in August...I stood outside like Charlie looking at the Chocolate Factory)
YUM!!
One of the greatest things about this sport is the awards ceremony. Rather than getting some kind of trophy or other stationary object, you instead are honored with a pint, which you then must drink as fast as possible. Awesome.
Step 1: Describe award/honor (honour??)
Step 2: hand to recipient
Step 3: Enjoy!!
Not quite the same as a pro grand final, but entertaining nonetheless...
first both teams gather on the field (pitch? not sure) - they sang the Canadian national anthem (only in English) followed by the Australian national anthem.
Then they each gathered and sang their own fight songs
I'm not sure if these are known cheers or individual for these teams only
This is what the goal posts look like - you need to kick the ball between them (there are two smaller ones that then flank these)
After the match we proceeded to the bar, which really seemed to be the most important part.
We sat outside and basically commandeered the entire deck. Notice I am drinking a Kilkenny, which might just be my favorite beer. I am SO glad you can get it in Canada. (note for anyone hoping to go to the brewery in Ireland - it is only opened for a short time in August...I stood outside like Charlie looking at the Chocolate Factory)
YUM!!
One of the greatest things about this sport is the awards ceremony. Rather than getting some kind of trophy or other stationary object, you instead are honored with a pint, which you then must drink as fast as possible. Awesome.
Step 1: Describe award/honor (honour??)
Step 2: hand to recipient
Step 3: Enjoy!!
Greetings from my temporary housing
So I have housing for the month of September...here are a few shots of what I see every evening...
sitting on the couch and looking toward the window.
looking in to the bedroom
the view
sitting on the couch and looking toward the window.
looking in to the bedroom
the view
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Greetings from the Human Race
My first day in Vancouver was also the day of the Human Race, put on by Nike to get people around the world to run on the same day. In Vancouver it also had a free concert (which we went to) and burgers by local favorite Splitz, which I ate (yum!)
I demo just how human the human race really is...I had no idea my wrist was so veiny
This is what you get after a night (and morning) of packing and then driving to another country
Though a bit cool (perfect for a race actually) it was a beautiful evening
The finish line (it was a 10K)
Great action shot by MH
I demo just how human the human race really is...I had no idea my wrist was so veiny
This is what you get after a night (and morning) of packing and then driving to another country
Though a bit cool (perfect for a race actually) it was a beautiful evening
The finish line (it was a 10K)
Great action shot by MH
Monday, September 1, 2008
Greetings from Qwest Field
I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the Seahawks last pre-season game vs. the Oakland Raiders on August . I was also lucky enough to get CV to take some pics of Qwest Field with her phone. :)
looking toward the Hawks Nest from our seats
The view of the field...we had really good seats :)
They have a new policy at Qwest to report Knuckeheads...this was the sticker on the back of the seats and they also have an old 50's style video to accompany "keeping it PG"...very funny, and very Seattle. This is FOOTBALL can't we get it to PG-13? And we wonder why the Sonics left...
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Chinese tv
So, now that I am back in the States I can add some stuff that I didn't want to try and find while in China (youTube has so many blocked videos it isn't worth it)
First, this song was on ALL THE TIME - on tv, on the televisions on the subway/bus/set up in public for the games. Mind you, I did not have the English translations and just had the tune stuck in my head the whole time. It is over 6 minutes long yet they would play the whole thing, quite often.
THEN, they had a cartoon starring the Fuwa! (aka Olympic mascots). So, for your viewing pleasure here is the video of how they formed (just over 3 min):
and here is the theme song for their cartoon:
I watched part of one of the episodes and they go back in time to the Seoul Olympics. So, don't worry the Fuwa have saved past Olympics! Because China is the greatest and saves everything. duh.
They also had some kind of Beijing song (I understood that much) but I haven't yet been able to find it.
First, this song was on ALL THE TIME - on tv, on the televisions on the subway/bus/set up in public for the games. Mind you, I did not have the English translations and just had the tune stuck in my head the whole time. It is over 6 minutes long yet they would play the whole thing, quite often.
THEN, they had a cartoon starring the Fuwa! (aka Olympic mascots). So, for your viewing pleasure here is the video of how they formed (just over 3 min):
and here is the theme song for their cartoon:
I watched part of one of the episodes and they go back in time to the Seoul Olympics. So, don't worry the Fuwa have saved past Olympics! Because China is the greatest and saves everything. duh.
They also had some kind of Beijing song (I understood that much) but I haven't yet been able to find it.
Monday, August 25, 2008
more pics
hi!
Due to a fast approaching thunder storm (we had one the other night that was one of the most amazing displays of lightening I have seen since Blacksburg) coupled with my leaving in a few hours, here are all of my Beijing photos. Missing are the ones from JAK's camera, and from the Great Wall.
Anyway, enjoy! Feel free to tell your own story in your head; I will come back in and explain them tomorrow.
Oh, and check out all the Games winners here.
ciao!
~L
ps if that didn't work, hopefully this will:
Due to a fast approaching thunder storm (we had one the other night that was one of the most amazing displays of lightening I have seen since Blacksburg) coupled with my leaving in a few hours, here are all of my Beijing photos. Missing are the ones from JAK's camera, and from the Great Wall.
Anyway, enjoy! Feel free to tell your own story in your head; I will come back in and explain them tomorrow.
Oh, and check out all the Games winners here.
ciao!
~L
ps if that didn't work, hopefully this will:
 |
| Beijing |
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
August 19th
On Tuesday I spent the majority of the day wandering through the immensity that is the Silk Market. It is floors of stalls with everything you could think of - tailors, clothing, scarves, bed sets, clothing, socks, jewelry, nick-knacks and did I mention clothes?
Luckily for me JAK speaks Chinese so not only do we haggle with prices (by "we" I mean "she"), they are usually already lower because she gets a local discount (or something along those lines)...she got a leather coat for about $60 US!
It was fun to wander around and see all the different stalls. There were also a ton of athletes there too - they had their colors and credentials and it was fun to see them even if I wasn't quite sure what sport they were here for (we saw athletes from Spain, Senegal, Haiti and several others I cannot remember)
After walking through the market for hours, we met up with some other folks to get Hot Pot, which I can best describe as Korean BBQ meets fondue. We got the kind with the two different broths (half spicy and half just broth for spice wimps like me) but no eyeballs or feet or anything [apparently these are usually in the broth for flavoring]. To eat we got some basics like chicken and beef but none of the delicacies like "Fresh 3rd Cow Stomach" or "Pig Brains"...maybe next time.
your plate and cup comes sealed up
you get whatever meats and veggies you want to cook, dipping sauces (we got garlic oil and peanut) chopsticks and a damp cloth to wipe your hands
The red half is the spicy half
Everything comes out on dishes or baskets so you can add it how you want. In the middle is Lotus Root which I think looks really pretty and tastes very good too. It is almost like a potato in texture but I think it tastes better
clear noodles just like Hawaii!
Following dinner we went and hung out at the Heineken House - a big set up by the Dutch that is open to the public and has Dutch food, beer and a huge dance hall for bands and djs. They also have about 5 ping-pong tables, a place to play Wii Sport and test your various athletic attributes, tons of Team Holland clothing and athletes and fans from all over. My favorite part is that I feel short there :)
Without the flash - although you still cannot see the spotlights in the front that well
With the flash is more clear but less impressive. In 'real life' this is the Chinese Agricultural Center
classic self-portrait
Just in case you weren't sure where you were they had little detailed reminders around...this is on the side of one of the bars (if you look closely you can see the feet of the servers)
Luckily for me JAK speaks Chinese so not only do we haggle with prices (by "we" I mean "she"), they are usually already lower because she gets a local discount (or something along those lines)...she got a leather coat for about $60 US!
It was fun to wander around and see all the different stalls. There were also a ton of athletes there too - they had their colors and credentials and it was fun to see them even if I wasn't quite sure what sport they were here for (we saw athletes from Spain, Senegal, Haiti and several others I cannot remember)
After walking through the market for hours, we met up with some other folks to get Hot Pot, which I can best describe as Korean BBQ meets fondue. We got the kind with the two different broths (half spicy and half just broth for spice wimps like me) but no eyeballs or feet or anything [apparently these are usually in the broth for flavoring]. To eat we got some basics like chicken and beef but none of the delicacies like "Fresh 3rd Cow Stomach" or "Pig Brains"...maybe next time.
your plate and cup comes sealed up
you get whatever meats and veggies you want to cook, dipping sauces (we got garlic oil and peanut) chopsticks and a damp cloth to wipe your hands
The red half is the spicy half
Everything comes out on dishes or baskets so you can add it how you want. In the middle is Lotus Root which I think looks really pretty and tastes very good too. It is almost like a potato in texture but I think it tastes better
clear noodles just like Hawaii!
Following dinner we went and hung out at the Heineken House - a big set up by the Dutch that is open to the public and has Dutch food, beer and a huge dance hall for bands and djs. They also have about 5 ping-pong tables, a place to play Wii Sport and test your various athletic attributes, tons of Team Holland clothing and athletes and fans from all over. My favorite part is that I feel short there :)
Without the flash - although you still cannot see the spotlights in the front that well
With the flash is more clear but less impressive. In 'real life' this is the Chinese Agricultural Center
classic self-portrait
Just in case you weren't sure where you were they had little detailed reminders around...this is on the side of one of the bars (if you look closely you can see the feet of the servers)
Monday, August 18, 2008
What a day to forget my camera
The day of the 18th started like any other - going to meet JAK for lunch and then I had plans of going to Tian'anmen Square, and the surrounding area of Beijing (it is an area of the city I had not yet gone to). At lunch I discovered I had left the camera at home but rather than going back to get it, JAK lent me her phone to take photos.
As I write this, she has her phone and I do not, so I will have to post the eh-quality photos (official terminology) later on.
So, I decided to walk quite a ways along the big road that then crosses along the southern entrance to the square...and what a walk it was. Since I have not yet really hung out in the ultra-touristy areas I had no idea how many people would be offering me cds or Beijing 2008 merchandise or wanting to speak English.
I had four different people come up to me and say they wanted to practice their English, which of course is fine by me - but it cracks me up to think of someone walking up to a random asian person in the U.S. and say in Chinese: "I want to practice my Chinese"
Random white-person-in-china stereotypes aside, it was pretty entertaining. I also went into a pretty fancy mall (where one of the USA Basketball team members graciously posed with several people in front of the USA Basketball display mannequins).
In this mall there was also a set up (by Nike) of various uniforms for different teams and different time periods and as part of it they had this giant half-track with near-life-sized mannequins - the thing was with these mannequins that in every event they had them posed for, China was inching out over the USA every time. So of course there are some photos of that :) I think my favorite is the hurdles where China is winning by about a half-foot in mid-leap.
As I kept wandering I also went to one of the BIGGEST book stores I have ever been in. It was 6 floors of all kinds of books. They even had pianos and violins for sale on the top floor (and some books too...otherwise the 6 floors might be negotiable...).
Items of note (that I didn't want to take photos of because certain times they don't like you taking photos and I didn't feel like irking security): an entire aisle shelf - both sides - dedicated to the works and teachings of Marx, Lenin, Stalin (and someone else I can't remember); a large wall shelf with the writings of Mao; and an entire floor of middle-school, high-school, and higher learning workbooks (I don't know if they have to buy their own here or if these were supplemental).
By the time I got to Tian'anmen Square it was CLOSED because they take time to clean it after the flag-down ceremony (I got there at 5ish) until about 7:30 at night. Sigh. So I will have to return to fully experience the LARGEST PUBLIC SQUARE IN THE WORLD. (that's for you KLW).
Speaking of world's largest, I have made it to the WORLD'S LARGEST ADIDAS STORE. And I even made it out without buying anything!
long shutter exposure + no tri-pod = blurry
The rest of the evening seemed to be low key (I needed to sit and relax after all that walking) until we got last minute tickets to Athletics!! So I got to see the USA men win the hurdles 1-2-3 from row 19 of the Bird's Nest!!! That structure is incredible (I just wonder how it moves in an earthquake? ...but I always wonder that about buildings in Seattle too...). In a way even a photo cannot do justice to it or the water cube (which we were outside because they are right next to each other...the entire area around both venues is accessible only to ticket holders and those with credentials).
The water cube looks like a giant version of those packing bubbles you loved to pop as a kid, but it constantly changes color, and each bubble can change colors individually. Along some of the bottom glass areas they have cascading water on the windows and part of it has the big tubes with lights that make it look like big blue bubbles are constantly rising.
Like I said, a big day to forget a camera! Don't worry, I have it with me today!
:)
As I write this, she has her phone and I do not, so I will have to post the eh-quality photos (official terminology) later on.
So, I decided to walk quite a ways along the big road that then crosses along the southern entrance to the square...and what a walk it was. Since I have not yet really hung out in the ultra-touristy areas I had no idea how many people would be offering me cds or Beijing 2008 merchandise or wanting to speak English.
I had four different people come up to me and say they wanted to practice their English, which of course is fine by me - but it cracks me up to think of someone walking up to a random asian person in the U.S. and say in Chinese: "I want to practice my Chinese"
Random white-person-in-china stereotypes aside, it was pretty entertaining. I also went into a pretty fancy mall (where one of the USA Basketball team members graciously posed with several people in front of the USA Basketball display mannequins).
In this mall there was also a set up (by Nike) of various uniforms for different teams and different time periods and as part of it they had this giant half-track with near-life-sized mannequins - the thing was with these mannequins that in every event they had them posed for, China was inching out over the USA every time. So of course there are some photos of that :) I think my favorite is the hurdles where China is winning by about a half-foot in mid-leap.
As I kept wandering I also went to one of the BIGGEST book stores I have ever been in. It was 6 floors of all kinds of books. They even had pianos and violins for sale on the top floor (and some books too...otherwise the 6 floors might be negotiable...).
Items of note (that I didn't want to take photos of because certain times they don't like you taking photos and I didn't feel like irking security): an entire aisle shelf - both sides - dedicated to the works and teachings of Marx, Lenin, Stalin (and someone else I can't remember); a large wall shelf with the writings of Mao; and an entire floor of middle-school, high-school, and higher learning workbooks (I don't know if they have to buy their own here or if these were supplemental).
By the time I got to Tian'anmen Square it was CLOSED because they take time to clean it after the flag-down ceremony (I got there at 5ish) until about 7:30 at night. Sigh. So I will have to return to fully experience the LARGEST PUBLIC SQUARE IN THE WORLD. (that's for you KLW).
Speaking of world's largest, I have made it to the WORLD'S LARGEST ADIDAS STORE. And I even made it out without buying anything!
long shutter exposure + no tri-pod = blurry
The rest of the evening seemed to be low key (I needed to sit and relax after all that walking) until we got last minute tickets to Athletics!! So I got to see the USA men win the hurdles 1-2-3 from row 19 of the Bird's Nest!!! That structure is incredible (I just wonder how it moves in an earthquake? ...but I always wonder that about buildings in Seattle too...). In a way even a photo cannot do justice to it or the water cube (which we were outside because they are right next to each other...the entire area around both venues is accessible only to ticket holders and those with credentials).
The water cube looks like a giant version of those packing bubbles you loved to pop as a kid, but it constantly changes color, and each bubble can change colors individually. Along some of the bottom glass areas they have cascading water on the windows and part of it has the big tubes with lights that make it look like big blue bubbles are constantly rising.
Like I said, a big day to forget a camera! Don't worry, I have it with me today!
:)
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Greetings from Ping Pong!
On August 16th JAK's roomie CH and I went to see Ping Pong! er...Table Tennis! (doesn't sound quite as fun) It was the women's qualifying semi-final (or something like that) - basically the two teams that won then went on to compete for the bronze.
When you go through security they make you take a picture (ironic considering that usually you don't really want people seeing what your security set up is like) I tried to take a picture of the workers but all I got was a bunch of white gloves over their faces so unsuspecting CH became my photo victim :)
In the foreground is US (red) on the left and Korea (black) on the right, then behind is Japan on the left (pink) and Hong Kong/China on the right (blue-ish)
Korea beat the US 3-0 and Japan finally eeked it out over Hong Kong/China (who had the support of most of the crowd) 3-2
Each individual plays a match (best of 5 games gets the point) and then they play doubles. This is Japan v. Hong Kong. If you need to play more, the individuals play again...best of 5 matches wins so in the case of US v. Korea, there were no more games after the doubles because it was 3-0.
Korea went on to beat Japan for the bronze medal.
This large wipe-off board explained the schedule for the day and how the brackets worked...to be honest I didn't really get what is all meant until I saw the bronze match between Korea and Japan on tv the next day. :)
CH with the pictogram outside the venue (you can see the reflections of everyone leaving).
more pictogram action outside the venue. After Salt Lake 2002 I have really enjoyed seeing what different cities do with their pictograms. According to JAK, the Beijing pictograms are based on ancient Chinese symbols/characters.
The venue - known also as the Peking University Gymnasium
The greatest part about going and watching the games live is the crowd (ha! and you thought I was going to say the mascot intermission song and video...which ps sounds like a backstreet boys song with no words) No matter what country someone yells out, the crowd responds with Jiayou! [Ji-yo!]...so even at our match when someone yelled "USA!" you get good response of "Jiayou!" - of course, for the Chinese teams (and for Hong Kong, and other special districts) everyone really gets into it.
Zhong Guo! Jiayou!
I of course shout "Jiayou!!" every time, regardless :)
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Greetings from Beijing!
If you can read this, I can successfully post from China! woo hoo!
walking in the front door (she's on the 9th floor)
Her kitchen is its own room (more than I can say about many apartments in NYC)
I am here during the Olympics but also to visit my friend JAK who so kindly is putting me up (and putting up with me). Her apartment is really big, much bigger than I would have thought actually.
walking in the front door (she's on the 9th floor)
Her kitchen is its own room (more than I can say about many apartments in NYC)
fridge and sink
stove burners
the washer is about 1/2 the size of a standard one in the US (everything hangs to dry)
Living Room
Hallway to the two bedrooms and bathroom (guest room on left, master bedroom straight ahead, bathroom to right)
I have heard a lot about 'squatty pottys' but have yet to have to use one; and let me tell you, the water pressure here is phenomenal!
The View from the living room:
looking down to the courtyard. We're in a building just like these other three.
The main intersection near the apartment complex. To the left is one of the university areas. All the larger boulevard streets (these included) have a sidewalk, flanked with plants (which are new for the Games), then bike lanes, then usually a strip of a bit more green, then the main roadways. So even on pretty busy streets you feel removed from the traffic. The streets themselves are very wide, and the blocks are huge.
having the factories off for a few weeks and half the cars driving (odd/even days) has really paid off - notice the mountains! The weather has been beautiful!
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