Always concert in Nanjing

I rested in Shanghai on the fourth day of vacation, complete with a nice body massage, and then went to Nanjing for day 5. My good friend in Nanjing, Andy, bought us tickets to his favorite pop star's concert. 

The star, Andy Liu, is 52 years old and he almost never stopped moving and dancing with the dance team. I hope I can move like he does when I reach that age! 

I could only understand a few words here and there of the songs, which means I need to keep improving my Chinese, but the show was still enjoyable.

Apart from the singing, there was also lights, smoke, and rain effects. Dancing and acting. One particular song was a recreation of the music video- I'm told- which is a good chance to add a little commentary. The music videos in China that I've seen are quite different from MTV, chiefly in that they are refreshingly free of constant booty-shaking and party-making. Instead, most videos tell a story, often a love story, and very often about the common man/woman. This particular video was about a man who meets a girl at a dance; he rescues her from an abusive bf, and they have a brief romantic rendezvous before the bf returns with his gang. In order to save the hero's life, the girl returns to her ex. But they fight again when they are at the evil mans apartment, and he kills her. It is a very sad story!

Concerts in China, if I may extrapolate from my one experience, are very different than those in the US: no mosh pits, everyone sits down for 90% of the show, for example. So I am glad I got to experience a different style of musical performance and presentation, and I actually quite enjoyed it! My vacation had all but ended with the concert, with only a train ride back to Shanghai on the schedule for day 6. It was a great, week-long holiday!

Huzhou

The train from Jiaxing to the next destination, Huzhou, was only one hour and I passed the time with some reading.

The taxi from the train station to the hotel was only twenty minutes, and that time was spent observing the scenery. Huzhou is dotted with small hills and is situated along Lake Tai, which is the third largest lake in China. The other primary attraction is an impressive Sheraton hotel that is one of the top ten modern architecture designs in China. 

Now, being that this hotel costs USD $500 a night, I did not stay there. Instead, I opted for a room at $50 a night, including breakfast, across the street.

The Sheraton lights up at night, so this was my window view: 

 The next day, after discovering that my included breakfast was not a good match for a western appetite, I went out to explore the lake. There is a very nice Fisherman's Wharf that was bustling with activity. Out floating on the water was a strange mix of giant rubber duckies and traditional Chinese warships, called junks. 

This was a no itinerary vacation, so I made time for a good rest on my second night in Huzhou. Then for the next day, I simply got up and casually explored. I went along one side of the lake for a good hour walk, then returned and thoroughly explored the Sheraton facilities.

Before long, it was time to get back on the train and return to Shanghai. Three days of vacation down, three more to go.

Jiaxing and Wuzhen

The Chinese National Holiday, celebrating the creation of the modern Chinese state, runs from Oct 1 to Oct 6. It's a week-long holiday, and the next few posts detail how I took advantage of the down time.

I arrived in Jiaxing on the first night and stayed at a very quaint hotel right on a lake. The morning brought a still, calmness that can't be found in crowded metropolises, and I was reminiscent of my many walks around the pond in my parents suburb. 

The draw of this destination is a place called WuZhen, which is a sleepy riverside community that has maintained the traditional style of old China. The town has a history of 1300 years. 

The tourist sites of particular interest were a 100 year old pharmacy, a fabric workshop where they make and dye indigo, a traditional fire department with old tools, and an ancient bed museum that displayed beds that had been preserved from past Chinese dynasties.

There was also a bamboo pole gymnast performance, which was staged on a boat in the water, and was incredible! The gymnast performed different feats of balance and strength on the pole, thirty feet above water, with no safety harness!

It was definitely worthwhile to "wander off the beaten path" and to see this place. The last picture below is a representation of a traditional Chinese wedding, which I took to give some inspiration to my family members who will be wed next year!

Lego Classmates

This blog is dedicated to some of my oldest friends, who I've known since we shared table space and the football field in elementary school. During high school, we split into two different schools across the metro area, but maintained contact and continue to do so, even across state lines and international borders, today. So when I went to an awesome exhibit in Shanghai (at one of the many fancy shopping malls) that displayed these really cool Lego creations, I could almost see my friends in the structures. The exhibit was done by New York based artist Nathan Sawaya - the man really knows his way around Legos! I include a brief description of why I thought certain pieces related to my friends.

This Lego structure has Justin written all over it. I can still recall a grade school summer camp (Owl's Roost) that I participated in one year, and when sharing a seat near Justin, I was fascinated to hear him talk about black holes.

This image reminds me of Chris, though my friends are all pretty well connected to their computers. From my days of running my own college newspaper through to today with projects on spreadsheets, Chris has always been available to 'reach through' my computer screen and help to edit or troubleshoot.

This picture reminds me of Bryce - a Captain for the US Army. Some people may look at this and think the figure is just barely hanging on, but I think it is a very heroic pose and the Lego man is about to climb up and deliver a can o' whoop ass.

This image is a good match for Shigeki, who is completing his PhD in complicated curing cancer kind of science stuff that I don't really understand. I think he will be successful, so people who suffer from pain or have holes in their chest (like below) will one day be able to use his cures.

And these are just a few particularly impressive Lego structures. The dinosaur is supported by lots of wires. Unfortunately, there was already an incident and the structure was missing some ribs and an arm. Part of the staff was trying to 'put humpty back together again,' but their efforts were unsuccessful, at least while I was there. They managed to glue on the rib, only to realize that they had glued it on backwards a few moments later!

Here is one game that my friends and I all enjoy. We haven't any chess matches probably since elementary school or possibly into high school, but I think I would win if we did!

Stockholm: Doherty Baltic Adventure

I finished my packing my suitcase early in the morning, then ran up to have a buffet breakfast on one of the higher decks, while sitting at a table with a floor to ceiling window view to watch our sailing in to Stockholm. The country is composed of about 221,800 islands, and the ones that floated passed us were all beautifully tree-covered with idyllic houses and boats.

Once the ship was docked, we made an exclusive visit to the Captain’s Bridge (one of the perks of being crew family!). One of the officers, Petyr, gave us the inside scoop, and let us ask a string of questions. He showed us the three methods for controlling the ship’s movement. One way is with the Ship’s Wheel which, despite our expectations, was actually smaller than a car steering wheel. The second way is with a tiny joystick, and I mean TINY joystick. The third way is with two devices that can rotate and swivel around 360 degrees, thereby changing the thrusters of the ship, which react and move exactly according to the thrusters.

Once off ship, we boarded a hop-on, hop-off bus and went to the first spot of interest: the Vasa museum. We really wanted to see the shipwreck that had been recovered and put on display. We didn’t know what to expect, but once we saw the huge line of people, we figured it must be good! I did a quick James Bond maneuver and went to the entrance to scout the situation. I returned to the family with a plan: we held a brief Doherty huddle, then exited the ‘Visitors’ line and entered the ‘Tour Group’ line, which actually was not a line at all, so we got in right away!

The ship was fascinating; as we learned from a brief movie in the museum theater, the ship was built over the course of several years, and then sank within the first half hour of its maiden voyage. So it was pretty well preserved and the explorer’s always had a pretty good idea of where it might be on the sea floor, once the technology to lift it back up and restore it had caught up, which began in 1961. They are actually constantly restoring the ship, though this is now mostly focused on gently removing the bolts that have corroded and replacing those with new ones.

After the Vasa, we took the hop-on bus around for a while, listening to the recorded information about places we passed by, and taking in the sights as a family. Before we knew it, the time for goodbyes arrived, and we exchanged hugs and kisses before I headed into the Central Station to get to the airport. Parting truly is such sweet sorrow! 

Me

Best memory: Operation Stealth Mode: entering the Vasa museum disguised as a tour group, so we didn’t have to stand in the thirty minute long line!
Fave spot: The Vasa
Fun fact from tour: The Vasa sank almost immediately after it set sail, yet the two shipbuilder brothers were not held responsible or faulted for anything wrong with the vessel.

Mom

Best memory: Sean using his natural charm and suave personality to expedite our wait time to tour the Vasa Museum. I am confident the Swedish ticket taker at the “Groups Only” entrance was totally smitten!

Fave spot: Touring the Vasa Museum and watching the video about the history of the ship was fascinating.  Although the ship was not seaworthy, the vessel is beautiful! It has incredible woodwork and carved sculptures.

Fun fact from tour: “On 10 August 1628, Vasa set sail on her maiden voyage and sank in Stockholm harbor.  The wreck was salvaged in 1961 after 333 years under the sea.”

Tim

Best memory: Vasa tour
Fave spot: Vasa Museum
Fun fact from tour: Short voyage for the Vasa!

Shannon

Best memory: Showing the family my favorite city!
Fave spot: Any coffee shop in Stockholm with delicious pastries!

for more photos, please follow this link

Helsinki: Doherty Baltic Adventure

This blog entry is dedicated to Lambchop; may the puppet live forever.

The morning started with a drizzle of rain, so we took things slow at a late breakfast, following our morning workout routine. By the time we departed from the ship, the sun had resumed control of the sky. We meandered through town, enjoyed some smoothies at a local shop, before we figured out our bearings on the map and walked along a nice, community greenbelt, then through a farmer’s market, and up the hill to a church. After the church, we visited the senate building, then returned to the farmer’s market for a reindeer meat lunch (not for mom and Shannon). We also bought and sampled some yummy fresh berries, then dad purchased some nice homemade jams for taking back in his suitcase. As we retraced our steps back through the greenbelt, we stopped to enjoy the performance of a military band, and saw some interesting street performers.

 

Even the street performers in Europe have a more relaxed mindset: smoking and drinking beer during ‘on the job’ breaks. I wouldn’t be surprised if these were American street performers who determined that working in the states, along Hollywood Blvd, L.A., or 16^th Street Mall, Denver, was just too demanding and they preferred to emigrate for work on ‘easy street’ in the EU.

That night for dinner, we ate at the nice restaurant on ship. Most of the food on the ship is included in your ticket price, but this restaurant is so nice that you should pay extra! They do a really nice, 3-4 course meal, followed by an additional course of dessert, and provide better wine pairings. The atmosphere there is very nice and the dress code is formal. We enjoyed the food and some silly inside jokes!

Dad

Best memory: Watching the Marching Band while visiting the church
Fave spot:       Farmer’s Market: buying wild strawberries and blueberries, and sampling reindeer meatballs

Shannon

Best memory: Listening to the band in the park on a beautiful day in Finland
Fave spot: The Senate building

Sean

Best memory: Racing against Shannon to the top of the senate building stairs, Rocky-style.

Fave spot: The farmer’s market we stopped at for lunch and shopping.

Mom

Best memory: Watching Sean create a video of the marching band welcoming four of the Doherty clan to their fair city: Helsinki, Finland.

Fave spot: Walking through the city, filled with canals, historic statues, and luscious gardens was very impressive. The Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral and Senate Square was brimming with history, yet bubbling with residents of today. (The white cathedral is the unofficial symbol of the city.)

For more pictures, please visit my Flickr account here

St. Petersburg, Day Two: Doherty Baltic Adventure

Day two began with a bit of a panic: we had three of four tickets for the tour, but we were somehow missing the one with dad’s name on it. So we devised a plan, which relied a bit on luck. I went through customs and started looking for the tour guide, hoping she’d have an extra ticket or that she could vouch for dad. Step two would be for mom and Shannon to come through customs to let me know if dad got stuck behind them and needed help. The guide was apparently running late, and I walked out to the vehicle pull-out lane to see if she was still in the van. Nope. So I turned around and headed back to the customs building when, what should I see? In a classic, Jason Bourne move, dad emerged from the terminal, wearing his Russian spy hat. He coolly removed his jacket, perhaps wanting to fool the cameras, and looked around. Thinking that he took one of the tickets and left mom and Shannon behind, or that there was an issue with the others, I grew worried. Until I saw my other two family members emerge behind him! I wondered how he gave Visa Control the slip; turns out, mom was in cahoots! She left her ticket on the counter for dad to reuse. Clever parents!

The travel for this day was well-worth the finagling at customs: we started at the Hermitage Museum, and spent two and a half hours taking in the display of art and other treasures. Here, treasure is a rather appropriate word: it seemed like everything, even the walls, were gold-plated! Marble pillars held up the ceiling, elaborate paintings by famous artists decorated the walls, and magnificent household items were preserved in glass cases.

We finished the day with an early return to the ship, to ensure that Shannon was back on time for rehearsal before her show that evening. Shannon once again captured the audiences’ heart!

Overall impression of St. Petersburg: the art and interior decoration of the palaces and museum was extravagant! Here are some more specifics for what each Doherty family member enjoyed most:

Mom
Best memory: Walking around the grounds of Catherine Palace, with Tim, Sean and Shannon, admiring the brilliant colors, architecture, and craftsmanship

Fave spot: Catherine Palace, the summer residence of the Russian tsars.

Fun fact from our tour: The Catherine Palace is named after Catherine I, the wife of Peter the Great, who ruled Russia for two years after her husband's death.

Shannon
Best memory: Dad trying to understand, and speak Russian. (It usually just sounded like Spanish :D)
Fave spot: Catherine’s Palace
Fun fact from our tour: On the dark nights they only get about 7 hours of sun! AH!

Dad
Best memory: Tour of St Petersburg
Fave spot: Impressive buildings and architecture
Fun fact from our tour: All the trees that were chopped down during the siege.

Me:
Best memory: Dad pulling a Jason Bourne move to give the passport checkpoint the slip
Fave spot: The incredible palace gardens and two hundred fountains
Fun fact from our tour: Learning about some of the art and statues that were from Asia

Click here to see more St. Petersburg Day Two pictures on my Flickr page

St. Petersburg, Day One: Doherty Baltic Adventure

We had a two day stop in St. Petersburg and, due to visa requirements, were faced with the decision of either staying on ship for two days, or booking a tour with an agency, which would grant us a short-term entry visa. We went for the tour option, and mom and Shannon did some careful pre-planning and research to arrange a private van to take us around the city. We left the ship, cleared customs, and found our guide, and we were on our way. The first stop was along the main river that cuts through town. The guide explained some of the statues and buildings alongside the river. Then we transferred to the subway system and went for a ride on the subway, deep underground.

For the next portion of the tour, we drove further outside the city to the Peterhof Palace, which was a massive structure with a wonderful, expansive garden dotted with around 200 water fountains. The area was beautifully landscaped – I would love to have a job just mowing the palace lawns!

We followed this with a visit to The Catherine Palace, another massive structure that was similar in size and beauty to Peterhof. We actually walked inside this palace, while the focus at Peterhof was only outside on the grounds, and the decoration inside was neat. Every room had some kind of distinguishing feature.

Then we returned to the main walking street of the city, where I tried to exchange my currency (I was carrying Chinese yuan, U.S. dollars, Euros, Danish kroners, and Russian rubles at this time). After spending some time at the money counter, we strolled along and Shannon bought a painting at a small grouping of art tents. Then we ended up at another cathedral.

Back on the ship, we feasted at the restaurant, Tamarind, for an Asian-themed dinner.

for more St. Petersburg Day One photos, go here

Copenhagen: Doherty Baltic Adventure

I’d been to Copenhagen on my last trip to Europe with Shannon, and we’d seen a lot of the major tourist attractions. Taken into account with the overwhelming city life in Shanghai (a city of 23 million or so), I wanted to make this portion of the trip a time to get some fresh air and ‘get out of the city.’ So I booked a room at a nice bed-and-breakfast cottage. When I got in the taxi and the driver asked me, “why did you book something so far away?,” I knew I had made the right decision. The cottage had its own chickens and the other properties nearby had horses. I was out in the country side, I reckon, about a twenty minute walk from the coast, and I enjoyed those two nights, and one day, of down-time. On my second morning there, I had an early breakfast, then followed the nice owner’s directions to take a bus to the train system, and then to the cruise terminal.

When I arrived, Shannon was already outside waiting for me! We chit-chatted and practiced what would become our ‘vacation prance’ dance moves, while we waited for boarding time to begin. Shannon is friends with one of the photographers, so we just goofed around and took some rather ridiculous photos for our entrance image, not expecting that he’d actually give us the images for free later that night, haha! Once on board, the waiting game began. We knew mom and dad’s flight should be on time, but we were worried they’d get lost in the airport. We made an attempt to take the train to the airport, thought better of it, and then returned to sit by a window and scout for their arrival. Nothing. We waited. Still nothing. Then the mandatory emergency drill began, which meant time to leave shore was very near, so we were pretty nervous. Turns out mom and dad were held up at the boarding gate because of this drill, because no one can come on board at that time. Then they were allowed on, but they must have come aboard before we had a chance to see them. So Shannon and I raced around the ship in a mad search.

I went to the front desk and the employee gave me the report, play-by-play as: “no, they haven’t arrived…oh wait, they just checked in outside…now they should be boarding, right now!” So I raced down to the gangway but missed them there, then raced up to their room and there they were! Shannon was inside, so she had already beaten me to the first hugs, and it was such a delightful family moment, reuniting in Europe on the cruise ship!

The second most important thing to happen that day (after finding the parents) was the distribution of goodies: we pried open the suitcases and dug through all the familiar stuff they’d brought from home and that our ever-caring aunties had sent. Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful goodies!

At Sea: Doherty Baltic Adventure

Our first day and night on the cruise ship was spent at sea. We enjoyed a casual breakfast at the restaurant, did some working out, and toured the ship. Shannon and Mom went to one of the dance classes, while dad and I went to a health seminar in the gym. The time passed quickly (as it often does when we're doing nothing) and before we knew it, it was time for dinner (with a formal dress code) and then Shannon's show. The show was amazing, with performer of the night award going to Shannon, according to the Doherty review group. I was feeling a bit tired, I have to admit, and must have looked a bit sour from my seat in the front section of the audience. Well, Shannon caught me and she briefly flashed a sour face while spinning out a dance move, then was back to her wonderful stage smile. I made sure to keep my face straight after that!

Estonia: Doherty Clan Baltic Adventure

Our first day back on dry land began with us moving from sitting on the 936ft cruise ship to sitting on a 30ft log on the pier, which had been dragged up from the bottom of the sea! After a few pictures in front of the ship, we put our best feet forward and walked into what felt like medieval Europe (with modern day comforts). The small town had old architecture, a city wall, and a cool looking watch tower.

Lots of the local businesses staff were wearing traditional outfits to fit the time period; we stopped at a stall for some tasty roasted almonds, then entered a restaurant and really stepped back into time. The menu was written in old, Renaissance English, the walls were decorated with beautiful tapestries, but prices had definitely been adjusted for modern inflation rates! Dad and I snacked on some elk jerky, washed down with a nice honey beer.

Further in to town, we climbed the stairs of a bell tower that overlooked the whole area. The view was very nice. Having spent eight months living on the top of Shanghai, where even my rooftop view of the city was only privy to other views of other skyscrapers, the view of low rises, single and two story homes, surrounded by trees and parks, along the beach was remarkable. We left the tower and walked through the town some more, including along an interesting kid’s park / play place that really got the teacher in the family interested.

In order to get back to the ship at the end of the tour, we had to first get past one major obstacle: a semi-truck full of chocolate! Resistance was futile: we stopped and loaded up on supplies for late night snacks and souvenirs.

We had dinner at the normal dining room on the cruise ship, then spent family time in my stateroom, with the girls watching some of Disney’s Anastasia to get ready for the next day in Russia, and the men on internet duty.

Me
Best memory: Exploring medieval Europe with the family
Fave spot: The restaurant where we had some kind of deer/elk jerky, drank honey beer, and were transported back to the middle ages.

Dad
Best memory: Shopping at the chocolate truck!
Fave spot: Restaurant, eating elk jerkey, olives, and drinking honey beer.

Shannon
Best memory: Exploring the medieval town with the fam
Fave spot: The bell tower with a beautiful view of the ship and the town

Mom

Best memory: You mean, other than having you and Shannon there for all sorts of spontaneous photo shoots???? I liked scaling the 258 steps up to the top of St. Olaf’s Church…coming down those 258 steps was not as much fun! (This church was once the tallest building in the world!)

Fave spot: The medieval looking café with costumed wait staff and beautiful menus, “Delicious Dishes of the Merchant’s Home”, made me feel like we were transported to another place and time!

For more photos of Estonia, go here

Overview: Doherty Clan Baltic Adventure

 

When I discovered that another family at my bed and breakfast in Copenhagen shared the same family name as my family, I thought that was a strange coincidence. But when the coincidence turned uncanny, as in one of the family members was a retired firefighter (like my brother), and they were from Colorado, and they were going to be on the same cruise ship as my family and I, I knew the cruise trip was going to be full of awesome, happy surprises that we'd never expected. Since a lot of our conversations with these Doherty's centered around Ireland and the Doherty family reunion that takes places every five years, I figured the trip needed a good name as well. And so it was, the Doherty Clan Baltic Adventure began!

Below is a brief overview that highlights the family favorites from the trip. We had an excellent tour guide along for the whole time - Shannon - who had visited all of these places before. If you are thinking about jumping on one of the cruise's with Shannon, she will be happy to see you! She summarized the trip with these words: "It was a lot of fun showing my family the places I remember exploring from my past trips here, as well as experiencing new things! I love traveling with the Doherty (and Ford!) clan!!!!!"

Dad

Fave country: Russia
Fave site we visited: Peterhof Palace
Best food eaten: borsch
Best dessert: Cherries jubilee
Best place on the ship: Captain’s bridge!
Best part about being on a cruise: Eating all the food without having to make it, plus the entertainment!
Fave show: Night Life

Fave souvenir: Commie t-shirt

Mom

Fave country: Russia (I liked having our personal tour guide show and tell us about her home country. I enjoyed listening to her talk to other Russians in their native language.)

Fave site we visited: Peterhof Palace and Garden. WOW! Talk about living in style! Simply gorgeous setting!

Best food eaten: Tomato soup and an assortment of breads at a café in Copenhagen, when Tim and I were left to survive on our own in Europe:)  The restaurant overlooked one of the town squares where we watched a crepe maker create her crepes for the people going to and from the Jazz Festival! We went to the Jazz festival after dinner. We also returned to the crepe maker the next evening, for our final treat in Copenhagen before we flew home. Melanie had raved about the tomato soup from her travels to Europe, so I had to go with her recommendation.

Best dessert: An ice cream that Shannon and I pretty much devoured in record time! Sadly, Tim managed only a bite or two. This was in a favorite café/internet stop, for the dancers and cast members in Kiel, Germany.

Best place on the ship: Obviously, the theater, but after that, the Crow’s Nest. I liked playing games and looking out the massive windows at ports and being surrounded by the beauty of the ocean!

Best part about being on a cruise: Besides having Shannon and Sean in the same place at the same time, and there was no place to run…I loved the amenities: no cooking or washing dishes, no laundry, plus, somebody else ready and willing to drive us to our next destination! There was always something fun to do.

Fave show: Nightlife, because Shannon was highlighted with each male dancer and she rocked the boat!!!! This was followed closely in second place, by Sean’s Jive performance in the Dancing with the Stars at Sea competition!

Fave souvenir: The book, A Material Life, we bought for Ivan in Copenhagen. After marveling at the history and architecture which surrounded us in every port, we happened upon this resource. We hope it will inspire Ivan with his portfolio.

Shannon
Fave country: Sweden
Fave site we visited: Catherine’s Palace
Best food eaten: Russian pancake
Best dessert: Chocolate soufflé
Best place on the ship: Tamarind Restaurant
Best part about being on a cruise: Traveling the world with your family!
Fave show: Nightlife
Fave souvenir: Painting from St. Petersburg and the pictures with the family

Me

Fave country: Denmark
Fave site we visited: Hermitage Museum
Best food eaten: my daily breakfast: berries and granola muesli, with a Denver omelette, and a Sante Fe omelette
Best dessert: everything with chocolate!
Best place on the ship: The captain’s bridge
Best part about being on a cruise: chillaxin’ with family
Fave show: both of Shannon’s shows that I saw were awesome!

Fave souvenir: cruise ship jacket that dad and I both purchased

All by Myself...

After having spent the past six months living with an incredible mix of people, fluctuating from 3-6 roommates at a time from different countries all around the world, I decided it was time for a change. So I've traded in the 29th floor penthouse apartment in the heart of downtown Shanghai, for a 4th floor apartment, also centrally located downtown, but in a nice, secluded part of the city that is fairly well isolated from city life. Beautiful trees grow in the courtyard and throughout the neighborhood, hiding the surrounding high-rises. In the morning, instead of hearing the chorus of traffic floated up to my window on the 29th floor, I wake up to the sound of bird songs and tai chi music downstairs. And the best part: I'm on my own now - no roommates :-)

Here are some pictures of my new place:

Passing the Time in Shanghai

Life has been much too busy lately, between work and a few other projects I have on my plate, so I haven't had much time for typing up longer updates, as is my style. I have been able to enjoy some different places and activities in Shanghai recently, so at the very least, I will post some pictures so everyone knows I'm still having fun these days, despite the busy work grind!

I went to an English Corner (for locals to practice their English with foreigners and make new friends) in a very random, kind of run-down part of the city and, lo-and-behold, the coffee shop is a almost perfect replication of the coffee shop featured on the Friends TV series. The coffee shop's TV was locked on repeat episodes of Friends, the coffee (I was told by those who imbibe) was good, and the event was fun. So interesting to see a place like this that felt, really, like it was lost within the city: a real hole in the wall.

Here's a view from my apartment with the sunset; the weather has been getting warmer and we are able to enjoy more sun on a daily basis.

This past Sunday afternoon, I went with my German roommate, Fabian, for some rock climbing at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium. It was certainly the biggest wall I've ever looked upon, not to mention been on. But I made it up all the way - two times!...on the beginner course. When I tried a more difficult course, I could only go about 1/3 of the way.

Kind of looks like I'm going up the side of an apartment - but scaling buildings is more for my firefighter brother to do!

What Rats Can Teach Us About Courage

I was listening to a most interesting podcast this morning: Big Ideas (a TVO production) with Jordan Peterson, a U of Toronto Professor of Psychology, entitled Slaying the Dragon Within Us. The speaker started by talking about rats. This was especially curious because I was also already thinking about the proposed dinner of ratatouille that one of my flatmates would cook tonight.

Turns out, rats are basically programmed to fear cats (go figure!). Even if a rat has never seen a cat before, in it's entire life, if it so much as smells a cat somewhere, the rat will immediately flee and return to the safety of it's burrow. There, inside, it will scream for 24 hours! The other rats nearby will be alerted and will remain inside. The speaker comments that this is an especially long period of time to spend screaming, considering a rat only has a lifespan of about one year.

Wait a minute, Sean, you said this was about courage. Right, I'm getting there!

After the screaming is over, the rat re-emerges and does what? Returns to the scene of the smell! It will very carefully run across a small part of the area, then hide. Then run across a slightly bigger area, then hide. It repeats this 'scouting mission' until it determines the area to be safe. Then, and only then, does the creature resume normal rat activities: eating, being sociable at rat house parties, mating, and otherwise annoying humans.

So, the way to look at it is thus: what 'cats' are out there that have you running scared? Do you hide away from your fears for an especially long period of time before you emerge to confront them? Do you emerge to confront your fears at all? Some might say that the rat who returns to the scene of the smell is a stupid animal and soon to be cat food. Perhaps. But it takes courage to go back and see if the coast is clear. And if the cat is gone, then the whole world is that rats oyster...er, garbage can?

Answer Key to: Family in Ice and Snow

Mom for her favorite flower: lilacs (this flower is not a lilac, but close in color)

 

Ivan on his motorbike

myself (of course!)

Melanie (the ever watchful and all seeing, wise big sister)

Jill (for the horses!)

Shannon (a dancin')

Ryan (a bit tricky, because the snow rifle does not have a full barrel, but this is a snow hunter)

Dad (and his birds)

Polar Yin Yang

I spent some time in Polar Land on my recent visit to Harbin, and the majority of that time watching this particularly fascinating polar bear. He spent the entire time I was watching - about 30 minutes - swimming the same lap circuit, back and forth, 10 meters each way. His friend, also equally adorable, did not catch my attention as mush so since he chose to spend the same time sleeping. As I observed the bears, I had to wonder at how much their captivity influenced their behavior. 

Bear 1: Was it his anger at captivity or his joy for life that moved him to a constant swimming motion?

Bear 2: Was his slumber guided by his sadness at being in a cage or his acceptance to be calm in life?

And a question to readers: if, heaven forbid, you should one day find yourself in a cage, surrounded by people who holler and take pictures throughout the day, which bear would you be?