Beautiful Day

Again the Sky is blue and the West mountains are visible from my office.

I was in bed early last night for me and plan the same for tonight if possible. At breakfast I make plans with my traveling companions to go to the dumpling house across the street for dinner. Then I will pack for the trip home. I plan to be in the office tomorrow but only for a couple of hours. We leave the hotel at 12:30.

It was still hard to get up this morning. I wanted to sleep in. I'm supposed to be recovered from jet lag by now so my only excuse is I must be working too hard. Next time I come (if I come again) I will plan more down time for me.

The morning is crazy. I have over 200 emails to process this morning. A lot of it pertaining to the work we are doing this morning. I'm behind the curve when I start and it take me most of the morning to come close to catching up. For that we suffer on the work we are dong this morning. My apologies to the ream in Beijing for that. It's what happens when you have a single point of failure for information sharing. Me. That will change when I get back.

It is cold this morning. Right now, as I write this section of the blog, it is 11:30 AM Beijing time. Temperature is 46 F and with wind chill feels like 39. By comparison it is 11:30 PM in Durham and they are reporting 54F with not wind chill factor. Chilly morning here in Beijing. But as I said it is gorgeous. The air will deteriorate but this weather pattern seems to keep it clearer than I've seen it.

This will probably be the last post from Beijing. I doubt I will have time to post anything tomorrow. Too much travel time. Maybe a summary of thoughts once I get back to the states.

Here is an image for you. I'm not very good with the chopsticks but I keep trying. Yesterday at lunch we're sitting at the table and I look up. I'm sitting across from Jason. And I tell him "Now this is a picture. The American guy is eating with chopsticks and the Chinese guy is eating with a spoon. There is something wrong here." He replies "I'm not very good with chopsticks." Evidently in middle school he learned to use fork and spoon and abandoned the chopstick ways.

At lunch, back to the Sogo Food Court one more time. Today I have chicken and barbecue pork. The presentation of the chicken is quite interesting. It's a cooked leg of chicken that someone has chopped into equal pieces using a cleaver. Bone and all are intact. A little difficult to eat for me but others seem to handle it well.

Afternoon goes pretty well. Good conversation with the team about increasing their testing responsibilities. We basically say good bye in this afternoon session since I will only be in the office for a couple of hours tomorrow hopefully while they are busy with time critical work to do.

Back at the hotel my travel companions and I share drinks and peanuts. Plan our day for tomorrow and confirm our van to the airport. Good thing we did. They didn't have us scheduled to leave the hotel until 4:00. That's plane time.

Bob, Michael, and Peg head off for dinner. I still feel full from lunch so I head back to the room to pack and do a little work.

Good night from Beijing for the last time this trip.

And there is no picture today.

Time is Growing Short

It's Halloween in Beijing. The photo is from the Sogo mall next to our office building. Halloween is not big here, but it is apparently growing.

As with any trip, the things you wanted to do when you started out are partially done. Both personally and professionally. Some of that is OK. Some of it is not. As you reach the end you begin to assess where you've come and what you can still accomplish in the remaining time.

Personally I did not make the Forbidden City. That is OK because I did make it to the Summer Palace which was not on my agenda. I've also seen the Chinese Acrobatic Troupe that was not on my agenda. Generally I end up in the plus column with the personal side of this trip.

Professionally there is still a lot to do and will require additional work once I return to the states to insure training is done and done half way around the world.

The day is gorgeous. Cold to my colleagues here in Beijing but quite nice for me. My rain parka is enough to get me to work in comfort. The air is clear and the sky blue again. Good news. I think a cold front came through last night and cleared things out. I can see the mountains in the distance today. A good thing.

The morning is spent in one-on-one sessions with the team. Defects signals, bugver reports, and general assessment of the trip so far. We are hindered in doing testing tasks by a slow network. I again adjust my training schedule to try and maximize our remaining time together.

Lunch is in, yes, you guessed it, the Sogo Food Court. Chicken cutlet and curried rice for me today from a restaurant called 'Hollywood.' Terry decides I need to eat "Hollywood on Halloween." Quit tasty. They try and lure me into a game of ping pong after lunch but after watching them play, these folks are basically tough ping pong players. Since they are playing doubles, I send Lana in my stead and quietly slip back to the desk for work.

We took pictures this morning. A group picture and then I took individual shots to put up on the website at SAS. I want folks in Cary to be able to see who they are talking to when conversing with the Beijing staff.

Our afternoon session goes pretty well. It ends up being longer than planned but I'll sit and answer their questions as long as they want to ask them. I catch up on a couple of emails and then we're off to dinner. Hopefully back to the hotel a little earlier tonight. I think I need a little more sleep.

Air quality has deteriorated through the day making the sunset a somewhat gorgeous affair. I try to capture the sun going down behind the mountain on film but the windows are too dirty up here and the sun too bright to really capture what I want. If I go outside I'll be too low to see the view like I have up here on the 19th floor.

I realize today that I am going to miss these folks after I'm gone. Not nearly enough to keep me from going...I miss home a lot more, but I've become quite fond of them over the last couple of weeks. Their enthusiasm and hospitality will be missed.

But I do so look forward to being home again. In my bed. Eating my food. Seeing the people I love. Phone calls from abroad just don't cut it. While I'm not looking forward to that plane ride, it is my ticket home. I'll make it.

We did the trip administrative details today. Reconfirmed reservations. Arranged for a van to the airport. Set our departure time. Decide who was going to pay for what. We have to pay an exit tax in cash. 90 RMB...about $12. And 550 RMB for the ride to the airport...about $73 for the 4 of us in a van. We could probably get to the airport for less but the convenience for the 4 of us traveling together can't be beat.

Dinner tonight is with Terry at a place called, in the English translation, Wang Steak. It's not really a steak in the US sense. It's actually a giant beef rib. Very good. The last couple of nights with Terry have been relaxed and I feel like after nearly two weeks he is finally opening up to tell me things he really thinks. Good conversation. Good working dinner. Good dinner with a friend.

Get back to the hotel, and log on to talk with Janie. Get to see pictures of Kyle as the Incredible Hulk. Finish this blog and head to bed. Tomorrow night I pack for home.

Good night from Beijing.

Another Workday - Almost All Day

I oversleep again but this time because I did not call for a wake up call and failed to set my Blackberry alarm correctly. Have to rush a bit but not too bad. Got my laundry ready, ate breakfast, and arrived at the office only 15 minutes late.

And speaking of laundry, and not to be politically incorrect, you have to love a Chinese laundry. The shirt that I reported was on it's way out the other day, well it looks to be back in. Looks like they got the stain out. Of course the shirt may fall apart tomorrow, but the stain is gone.

Our training session this morning went pretty well. I made a mistake but it gave us a chance to get online with Joe P. and trouble shoot the problem. Kinda fun doing that kind of work from half a world away.

Of course lunch was again at the Sogo food court. Rice noodles and beef for me. I don't think the noodles had much taste at all but no taste is much better than bad taste. No shopping or walking today as I need to get ready for an afternoon training session.

The air quality continues to deteriorate today. It's beginning to look ugly out there. Buildings some distance away are beginning to disappear. Heck buildings two or three blocks away are beginning to disappear.

The afternoon session with the team goes well. They are hungry for information and they absorb as much as I can give them.

Evening is the theater. So to speak. The Chinese Acrobatic Troupe in a historical theater. Very entertaining. Really enjoyed it. Terry took me. We had a relaxed dinner before hand which allowed me to dig out some information I'd been wanting to get. A pleasant evening .

Back to the hotel. Al little work. A little blog. A little reading. Lots of sleep. And what I said earlier about the Chinese laundry I may have to take back. I'd worn the shirt again so sent it out to be cleaned today. There was a note attached when it came back that they couldn't get the stain out. What stain? Well the shirt is folded neatly for the trip home. I"ll wait to find out.

No picture today. No time for pics.

Day in Limbo

My night did not seem to go well. Sleep was there but not restful. Thus I overslept this morning. No real cause for concern., This will be an operational day. The Beijing team has priority work to do and I will use the time to plan for the rest of the week. Today will be day lost to training so I need to rethink, repriortize and replan how to finish the week.

I jump on the computer, send a note to the staff here in Beijing to let them know I will be a little late getting in and try to start some work. The work fails miserably. I try a couple of more times before throwing in the towel and getting ready to head to the office.

At the office I find the team at work but the network connection extremely slow. I am unable to get work done because the connection to Cary is so poor. This is going to be a tough day.

I spend the morning working from my Blackberry because it is more efficient than the desktop. We break for lunch around noon. Today I have beef and barbecue pork. Sechzuan(sp?) style I think. Very tasty. Terry suggests that I purchase silver chopsticks. Eric even suggests that I could do that and give one to my new grandson so that he would be born with a silver spoon in his mouth. I correct him and tell him it would be a silver chopstick instead. Lana, Jason, and Lily haul me down to the Sogo supermarket to buy chopsticks. There are no silver ones available. We buy 'what they use in their homes.' Six or eight pair. Washable. Reusable. And genuine Chinese. I guess next time we eat Chinese at home we'll be using chopsticks. A man has to practice. Hey, I just thought. I might sneak back down there tomorrow and see if they have any of those funky Chinese soup spoons too. I really like those.

Afternoon is more productive but this will not go down as one of my most productive days at SAS.

There will be a sunset in Beijing tonight. It will be enhanced by the atmosphere that has begun to deteriorate already today. if the wind doesn't pick up or there is another rain, it's going to be ugly in a day or so.

Dinner tonight is hosted by Alfred, the SAS Beijing General Manager. As usual he orders the food for us. Tonight's fare is pretty good. Pork, beef, flounder, and a few other dishes. The most exotic thing on the menu is eel. The food is from Shanghai. Most of it has some sort of sweet sauce associated with it. Even the eel is palatable with the sauce.

Today's picture of the day I'll call Hutong from on High. It's a picture of a traditional Chinese hutong directly across the street from our office. The picture is taken out my office window. This is where the people maintain small shops but mostly live. It's rough looking. And right across the street form a modern 20 story office building and a shopping mall. You have to love the contrasts in this town.

And Not a Stranger in this Strange Land

The morning is beautiful here in Beijing. It rained last night, which has cleared the air, the sun is shining after yesterday's fog, and the sky is actually blue since the first day I arrived. The fog/smog whatever you want to call it has been bad. They say that about 1300 flights leave Beijing Airport every day. On Friday 5 flights left. OUCH! Let's pray the weather is going to be virtually clear for the rest of the week. I'd like to get out of here on Friday.

It's cooler this morning. I think members of my team will say that it is cold. But the cold comes from the wind mostly. Not from any real temperature change, though it is a little cooler.

I sleep later, try and catch a bit of the World Series but can't find it on ESPN as they promised yesterday. (Find out while I'm at lunch the Red Sox won.) Take my breakfast in the main restaurant to get some eggs this morning and then get ready for a day of shopping.

Don't have a lot I want to buy but a few things are in mind. Chopsticks. I've got to practice before heading this way again. And some traditional Chinese music . Some of it I like very much and need some CD's for slide show creation. And a gift or two. But I already have some gifts on order so some of that has been taken care of already.

Lana and Eric will take me to the Silk Market for shopping. The name change of the hotel has everyone confused. It was called the Marco Polo last time I was here. Now it is called the Grand Mercure Xidan. Both Lana and Eric have a little trouble finding it. But they make it and we're off to the subway for a 15 minute ride to the Silk Market.

Our first stop is at a CD store across the street from the Silk Market. Here is where I find the traditional music I want. We go through several CD's and I pick three. Total cost 60 RMB. $8.00. Listening to them while I write this, I'm very pleased with my purchase. This is nice music.

Lunch is next. We decide to hit the 'hot pot' restaurant we did last year when I was here. This is a good meal. Sort of a cross between fondue and beef stew. In essence they cook vegetables and meat at your table in a wok like pot placed on an electric burner there. Quite tasty. We have a mixture of beef and shrimp. Lana throws in the towel early and Eric and I feast on the meat there. Quite good.

Then to the Silk Market. I have a stamp made for Keaton with his name in Chinese characters. The picture today is the man carving the stamp for me. Have one made for me but they 'make it up' as there is no match for Jere in the book of names. (This may mean I'm not getting into heaven, huh?) Keaton will be born in the year of the pig. A good luck year from what they say.

We look for chopsticks but only find the flashy/showy kind. Nope. Not doing that. I need something I can actually use. Lana promises me a trip to the Sogo mall to find what I want. And my negotiations for toys fall far short of what I'm willing to pay so I walk away. One the way out I grab some Olympic souvenirs at the official Beijing 2008 store. I can buy it for half that out in front of the hotel but that is pirated stuff and since pirated software is a concern for our company I don't want to buy anything that I can see is pirated.

And at Silk Market I am not a stranger in this strange land. Every vendor seems to know me. "Friend. Want to buy some shirts?" "Friend, want to buy some shoes?" And so on. But they barely speak to my Chinese friends. I must have a lot of friends here. This is a place of negotiation. Everyone expects you to haggle over price. I've never been good at that kind of wheeling and dealing. Lana does my negotiation for me. We have fun negotiating with the engravers. We bust on the toy stall. But that is OK. It is a kind of fun place to visit and shop.

As we prepare to board the subway for the hotel Lana remembers a place I can buy toys. It is the Wantong Commodity Wholesale Market. As it is explained to me, the Wantong market is the Silk Market for the locals. She asks if I want to go now. I say sure.

So down into the subway. When we turn to go to the platform to catch the train Lana says "Oh my God" and from there on out the subway ride is an adventure. Packed in like sardines with attendants standing back an pushing people in to get them in the cars. We have to change trains once and getting in and out is an adventure. Eric is behind me saying "Go, go, go, go, go..." I think I force one woman off a train and it is not her stop. We vow we are taking a taxi back to the hotel.

But we find what I think will be the perfect toy for a little fellow I know and bail out of the market, find a cab, and then we're headed back to the hotel. My shopping is not over, but if I had to go home today, I could.

At the hotel I retire to the lounge on the 10th floor, have a couple of drinks, watch the sunset and read my book. A rather relaxing way to end the day. Back in the room I make some phone calls...Janie, Kyle, and Daddy. Then I do a little work, blog a bit, and head to bed.

Not Such a Strange Land

I'm up at just about the same time, 6:30, to get ready for the trip to the Summer Palace. Today's lunch will be a picnic lunch and I want to eat some breakfast before heading out just in case their idea of a picnic does not match mine. And I still have a bag to pack. It rained this morning and I wonder if we might not cancel this trip. But the rain has stopped and Jason picks me up at 9:00 as planned.

We'll ride a boat up to the Summer Palace. We catch the boat from a dock near the Beijing Zoo. The whole group is going and we'll make a day of it. We actually ride two boats. One in a man made river for the Emperor. Where that river joins the main river there is a difference in water levels so we walk around the lock there and catch another boat.

The ride up is pleasant. These are not the nicest boats in the world but appear 'sea' worthy and safe. The view along the man made river is quite nice. Through some of Beijing's parks. The team is thrilled to see some trees. The regular river is nice, but has more construction on it's banks and the view is not quite the same as the man made portion of the river.

But the beauty of the Summer Palace is not to be surpassed. This place is absolutely gorgeous and they tell me it is even more gorgeous in the spring and summer. Things are starting to die from the fall season. The trees are beginning to change color but it will be another week or so before that color is brilliant. But I am totally impressed with this place. It's Duke Gardens but on a much grander scale and it has historical buildings at the Summer Palace, a huge lake, and a boat made of stone.

For the most part we walk a very large loop around the outer perimeter of the lake. We also take a paddle boat ride on the lake. And we eat all along the way. We started with fruit on the boat. Some of the most delicious pears I've ever eaten. Lana made ham and boiled egg sandwiches. Pretty tasty. Dates and bananas round out the fare, except for the Oreos I contribute to the mix.

And man do they take care of me. Our first stop after hitting the Garden is a bridge which is very tall. Lana wants to take my picture with the lake in the background and I tell her that my fear of heights won't let me go to the edge of the bridge. After that, on every descent from a climb, one of them has me by the arm to make sure I don't fall. Yea, like that would stop me. I don't really have a problem with the descents except the bifocals mess up my depth perception a bit and I'm slow going down. And they don't let me paddle the paddle boats. And somewhere along the line I lose my daypack to one of them that carries it for me and Jason takes command of my camera. I give up trying to convince them it should be otherwise.

The day is foggy, but that does not deter me from taking pictures. I take a lot. And every time I turn around Jason is saying, "Jere, take your picture?" For the first time in a long time I'm in some of my own pictures. It is truly a beautiful place. And if you hike up to the Buddhist like temple the view from there is pretty remarkable. According to the GPS we're about 9 miles out from the center of Beijing. But it is sprawling all around us.

We catch a taxi back from the Summer Palace. I keep talking about taking a cab and they have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm trying to be very conscious about saying 'taxi' when we're trying to catch a ride someplace. Some of the group take buses home.

I'm back at the hotel about 5:00, read a while, and it quickly becomes apparent that I'm going to fall asleep if I don't do something. So I begin to piddle around the room and keep busy till about 7:00. Then, what to do for supper...

This is where I discover this is not such a strange land at all. I walk about 6 blocks to a food court at Xidan and find out that #1 is the Big Mac meal both in America and China at a McDonald's. My only struggle is figuring out the question she is asking me after I order and tell her I want a Coke with that. In her own way she's asking me if I want to 'Supesize' it. I tell her small is fine with me.

It tastes basically the same as a Big Mac in Durham. The consistency of the ground beef is different (OK I probably don't want to know what is in it) and it seems a bit light on the onions, but otherwise you couldn't tell. I can't tell a difference in the french fries. Cost 17.90 RMB. At today's exchange rate, that comes out to right at $2.38. About a buck less than in the states.

I can't really make out much on the menu that is indigenous to China, but I can figure out chicken nuggets and a fish sandwich plus Quarter pounders, etc. Same restaurant and same food. I look around and the most popular item I see is the good old Mickey D's hamburger. That is what most people seem to be eating.

And speaking of looking around, I feel totally conspicuous today. Catch several people staring at me. And maybe rightly so, but I begin to wonder if it is my cap. I'm wearing my Durham Bulls orange cap. Am I presenting some sort of social faux pas? Not sure but I'm getting more stares while wearing it.

After dinner I think of heading next door to the DQ for ice cream but decide against it. Not sure how vanilla will be interpreted. So it's back to the hotel for me. Get back about 8:30 after wandering through the mall for a few minutes and then read for about an hour. Finally the gods of sleep will not be denied and I shut down for the night.

Good night from Beijing.

Time Warp

The time warp bites me this morning. This is to be an 'operational' day for our team in Beijing. That is we will perform weekly testing of newly created software images. So I'm up early to check the status of the work we need to do today. Things have not gone well in Cary and nothing has been delivered.

However, one note says that they will be done about 7:00 Thursday night. I'm concerned that I've not received any mail since 6:30 last night. What's wrong? Why am I not getting mail? Finally it hits me. It IS 6:30 last night in Cary. OOPS! The time warp of 12 hours has bitten me.

One of the new arrivals from Cary has thrown out her back. We spend some time this morning trying to get her some relief and assitance. I'll arrive at the office a little late this morning.

The air quality continues to deteriorate. The worst day yet. It's cloudy and damp this morning but no rain yet.Something needs to happen to clear out this atmosphere. We'll pray for a little rain, but Terry told me last night it very seldom rains in Beijing.

There is very little to report today. It is a major work day for me. There is no work for the staff here in Beijing this morning as deliveries from Cary are delayed from various reasons. I spend the morning coordinating work in Cary and trying to get things moving so there is work for them to do.

It turns out to be one of those days when if it can go wrong it will go wrong. I work until midnight and make two phone calls to the staff in Cary to make risk assessments of the work we have done and work still to do.

My only break is to the Wal-Mart to pick up some snack food. I find Coke, Doritos, Oreos, Ritz crackers, M&M's, a Snickers bar, peanuts and some cashews. My supper is taken at the hotel. A club sandwich holding the ever present Fried egg. It's an OK taste, but tonight I pull it off the sandwich.

No picture today. No time to take them.

Work and Play

Back to the office at 9:00.

I'm not taking many pictures this trip so I get the camera out and snap off a couple of shots on the way in this morning. Just to practice. But outside the air is still horrible and there is not much use for outside shots.

Weather report is calling for rain tomorrow then cooler temperatures. Ten degrees cooler. Fall will be here. One of the office staff told me yesterday that he believes the Beijing winter will come after the rain. I thought he was nuts. Maybe he is right. This could be the start of the slide into winter for my friends here. I don't think I'll mnd the cooler temps myself.

About 2/3 of the way to the office I realize this brown shirt has a stain. And remember it has been like that for sometime.OOPS! Won't be wearing this one again while I'm here and will relegate it to yardwork when I get home.

First meeting of the day is with Eric. Good conversation. About 1/2 way thru that meeting Shiau Yen shows up from the Cary office. Janie works with Shiau Yen and she is the attorney that supports this office. She has been a big help to us in the past getting a visa problem worked out so we could get staff to Cary.

I work one on one with several team members this morning until they head off to a meeting with Shiau Yen.

It s providential that I wore this stained shirt today. Our lunch on the food court tends to be a messy affair for me. Chinese meat pies. I would say they are like a well stuffed Hot Pocket. Very tasty. I enjoy them very much. My messiness comes more from a lack of chopstick prowess than anything else. And we all know I tend to wear what I eat anyway.

After lunch, another walk. I have the camera with me today so take a few shots as we wander through the hutongs behind the building. I realize that I am indeed fortunate to have at my disposal 6 tour guides. They seem truly interested in sharing their culture with me which is a blend of the old and the new. They share it in food selections and by explaining things to me on these walks. That is a blessing for me.

These are the young bucks so to speak, so I think their culture is more modern. We've been going to restaurants in shopping malls. But the food selection is genuine Chinese and food I find more palatable than some things I've eaten in the past. I will be interesting to watch this culture over the next decade or so to see how it changes.

Due to the meeting today we don't get back from lunch until well after 2:00. We have a training session at 3:00 for a couple of hours. MVS validation. There is no MVS experience on this team so this is a real adventure. In the end the whole thing falls apart and we talk abouit some other issues. Will ltry again tomorrow with MVS.

Supper tonight is barbecue they tell me. It's actually a Korean food place where they bring hot coals to the table and you cook the food. Beef, shrimp, lamb, all dunked in a delicious sauce. I like this food too. I do stay away from the kimchee fried rice. Too many stories from daddy to make me want to try that. The picture today is Terry cooking our barbecue.

But more than the food I 'step back' a bit and watch this team interact. These poeple relate well together. They laugh, joke, share repsonsibilities, and generally have a good time. Although I can't understand what they are saying to each other half the time, I can tell that they have bonded pretty well. I'm impressed.

Jason walks me back to hte hotel. He has to pick me up Saturday morning and take me to the boat for the trip to the Summer Palace and wants to make sure he knows where the hotel is located. Jason takes care of me. He is my tour guide of sorts. Clearly he is interested in what I can share with him and shares readily with me his own culture. It's a good relationship for me outside the office.

After Jason leaves me at the front door, I'm off to the room for a little work, a little blogging, a little reading, and bed.

Feel the Burn

That is the theme of the day and I'm not talking about exercise.

The air quality is horrible today. Compare today's picture with Monday's picture. It was suppsed to rain today and I wish it would. Maybe it would clear the air. Everyone on staff here in Beijing talks about how much the air quality has improved. And I have seen it worse. But it is still pretty lousy. My eyes are burning all day long and my nostrils are irritated. They have a long way to go before the Olympics. Feel lthe burn baby.

Again, looks like a petty mundane day at the office. The morning is a presentation on Defects to the staff. Two hours of talking and running demos.

Sogo Food Court has become the lunch place of choice. Today I ask what I am going to eat. I let Lana pick for me every day. Today it is hand made noodles and beef soup. I stand and watch a man create the noodles I will eat in a few minutes. Even with the chopsticks I manage to eat a healthy portion of the bowl of noodles and soup set before me. This is good Chinese food. We again walk after lunch but not nearly as far as Monday.

Back in the office I hold one meeting with Terry and one of his colleagues to discuss a testing issue. Am convinced after the meeting that thisis a case where too many chiefs in Cary (me included) should have let the indinans in Beijing work this issue out. We have to trust these people to do their jobs.

Spend the rest of the afternoon planning, answering email, and getting some catch up work done.

Dinner tonight is at a restaurant know for it's traditional Chinese spicy food called Spice Spirit Here I do well. First they bring me a fork. good news! And too be honest I don't find the food all that hot. One of my hosts is sweating pretty good. I'm not. I feel more burn from the air than from the food.

This food is good. I enjoy it. I think they are surprised.

After dinner two things happen. I play a game of Chinese checkers with Tina and win. Then we go shopping. We are in the Xidan area. A famous shopping area. This is upscale shopping. I don't see bargains here. Prices are as high or higher than US prices. Levi's jeans are around $100 per pair. I bringing a suitcase or jeans next time I come.

What I do see are a bunch of different looking Chinese people. More punk in some cases. More very stylized in others. A case of a very western China.

Back to the hotel to finsih blogging and then to bed.

The Office Day Two

I'm up early. Didn't sleep well last night. Worked too late I guess, but at 5:45 I'm up for the duration. Eat breakfast, turn in my laundry, and decide to head to the office.

The excitement may come later today, but for now, this is a pretty mundane work day. Being up early did give me the chance to call Janie about 8:00 to get some 'stuff' on a couple of purchases worked ouit and to catch up on the local(Durham) news, and that is a good thing. Very good. But right after that I'm polishing up my morning presentation. Testing Process and Procedure Overview. When I give the presentation I'm long winded and cut into the lunch hour. They forgive me.

Lunch is back on the Sogo Food Court. Today they take me to eat an American meal. I choose spaghetti. Actually quite tasty.

In the afternoon I meet with Alfred, the general manager of the office here, and hold a one on one meeting with Lily. I will hold these one on one meetings with all the staff before I leave. I also work on my presentation for tomorrow.

Late in the afternoon, I'm presented with my schedule for the coming week or so. It is as follows:


2007-10-23(Tue) 6:30PM Dinner at Tasty Jere, Lana, Lily, Jason

2007-10-24(Wed) 6:30PM Dinner at MaLaYouHuo Jere, Eric, Terry, Tina

2007-10-25(Thu) 6:30PM Dinner at Barbecue Jere and whole Team

2007-10-26(Fri) No plan

2007-10-27(SAT) 9:00AM Summer Palace Trip Jere and Team
Jason will pick up Jere at front of MarcoPolo Hotel at 9:00am

2007-10-28(SUN) 9:00AM Forbidden City Trip or Shopping Jere and Lana

2007-10-29(Mon) 6:00PM Dinner with Alfred and Managers Alfred and Managers

2007-10-30(Tue) 6:30PM Acrobatic performance at Tian qiao theater Jere and terry

2007-10-31(Wed) 6:00PM Dinner at WangPin Jere and terry

2007-11-1(Thur) No plan


Looks like I'm going to be a busy boy.

The one thing I hate about the 12 hour time difference between Cary and Beijing is that as I'm closing out my day here in Beijing, for work anyway, Cary is starting to crank up. That means that if I don't work tonight I'll have 200 email mesages to process in the morning. It stinks. But I don't think I'll work tonight. Too tired. Back to the hotel after dinner (they've promised ot have me home by 8:30) and then relax. I worked hard yesterday and today.

Dinner tonight is interesting. We're going to a restaurant called 'Tasty.' It serves Western food. My take on the term Western is that they probably meant Western Beijing as opposed to Western culture. First problem - there is no English Menu. No sweat. I have three people that speak Chniese with me. But the translation is more than they can handle. We find a a waitress who can explain it to me.



You pay one price and get an appetizer, soup, entree, dessert, and beverage. "One from section one, one from section two...." I order based on what I heard the waitress saying. What I get is sometimes different. Appetizer. have no clue what that was except it had a duck egg included. I pass on the duck egg. Soup is fine. A bit greasy but basically the Chinese version of chicken noodle soup. The "Tasty Steak", the house specialty, is excellent. Dessert is Black Forest cake. Not as 'black' as I remember it back home, but good. I'll say I batted .500 on this meal. At least they use forks in this restaurant.



I am dead. Head off to bed as soon as I hit the room.



Good night Beijing.

Hi Ho! Hi Ho!

It's off to work we go!

Monday morning. They've offered to come down to the hotel and meet us and walk us to the office. We call them back and tell them that is not necessary. We know where we are going. So about 8:45 we head out on the trek to the office. GPS satellite reception is not the greatest here in Beijing, but the estimate is that it is about 1/2 mile from the hotel to the office. A pleasant morning walk.

We arrive and are greeted by our friends and colleagues. Things have obviously changed. Peter is dressed in a t-shirt. Not the Peter I knew before. Terry, the project leader for my test teeam is dressed as usual...what I'll cal business casual. Soon I get to meet Eric, Lily, Jason, and Tina, the members of the team I had not met before.

The picture today is the view from my office window.

I deliver the gifts of Cackalacky hot sauce, chosen primarily for its unique Southern name, sugar cookies shaped like a Tarheel foot, and M&M's. They are accepted with interest. I take the time to tell the historical story of the Tarheel as well as relate it to basketball fame. These folks are so gracious, they'd never let on if they didn't like the gifts.

I begin the day with an hour long presentation of goals for my trip and an overview of what these two weeks hold in store.

Then we are off to lunch. They no longer eat in the basement 'cafeteria' they were eating in last year. We ride down the elevator to the 13th floor (the office is on the 19th floor) past floor 13A (there is no 14th floor...it is an unlucky number in China) cross over to another elevator, descend to the 7th floor and cross over to the 6th floor of the shopping mall next door. Lo and behold, it is a Food Court!

Today I'll eat Korean. It's a beef dish with vegetables and rice. Quite tasty actually. Mildly spicy. And dang those chopticks. But I eat most of what is set in front of me. My beverage is lemon green tea. That is good. We chat over a wide variety of food at the table for each of the team members.

After lunch, they suggest a walk around the building. I think we're going for a walk around the block. They take me back into the hutongs for a walk that lasts over an hour. Good for the soul. Good for the body. Would have been better for the body if I'd had on good walking shoes. My only other regret is that I didn't have my camera.

The walk takes us down a street called Liu Li Chang If I learned my lessons correctly Liu Li means colored glass. Like a church's stained glass windows. This particular street, or Hutong, is an art area. Lots of stores selling traditonal Chinese art. Jason, one of the team members, gives me a good lesson in art. I thoroughly enjoy the walk.

After the walk I sequester myself with Terry for most of the afternoon. It is a frank discussion and in the two or three hours we're together I learn enough to make the trip 'pay' for itself and immediately begin revising my training schedule. I'm going to be working tonight. It's the only way I can get ready to give these folks what they need.

So I turn down three dinner invitations in lieu of room service at the hotel. A hot dog. They forgot the kraut but I'm not waiting. I eat. It's a hot dog. Good and tasty. The hotel also makes french fries that I like. All in all it's not a bad meal after Koren for lunch.

I work until midnight, conversing with the staff in Cary, trying to keep up with email, writing a couple of blog posts, and revamping my training schedule for Beijing.

It's been a long day.

Beijing by Daylight

Actually it was daylight when I got here yesterday, but I really didn't feel like doing anything about it. Last night I unpacked, wrote a chronicle of the day events for this blog, and hit the sack.

My travel companions are Peg Hart and Bob Carpenter from RMD Source Management at SAS, and Michael Guerin, Peg's husband.

This morning the ritual begins.

I'm up about 6:00, only woke once during the night so feel pretty rested. However I am a bit groggy and as I move around that is not going away. It is probably the jet lag that will be with me for a couple of days. I piddle around the room and about 8:00 head our for breakfast. Bob, Michael, and Peg are there.

Our first stop of the day will be Wal-Mart. I to pick up some survival supplies. Bottled water and Coke. Hopefully some peanuts. They will buy bicycles. They will be touring the city for the second week of our trip and it's cheaper to buy bicycles than rent them from the hotel. At the end of the trip they will be given away to someone either in the office or to folks we meet at the hotel or in other contacts. A new bike, with baskets and bells added, costs about $40. Cheap investment.

I get busted in the Wal-Mart for taking pictures. They ask me to stop. Why, I have no idea. But I stop. Lesson #1 for the trip. While the D200 is a great camera, one needs a stealth camera here. Something less obtrusive for these situations. No matter. I got enough shots and a receipt to prove I was in the Wal-Mart in Beijing. I actually looked about buying a stealth camera here but decide I can't tell if the prices are good or not. I imagine cheaper, but not sure. We'll probably write this up as lesson learned for the future.

But the picture of the day above is one of those pictures from Wal-Mart. It is what the well dressed Chinese Wal-Mart greeter is wearing these days. It's a little blurry so forgive. But you'll get the idea.

And it is a Wal-Mart. Crowded. But they have everything. Multiple floors here. It's a Supercenter so it has food and everything else. You want duck? You can buy one cooked here just like rotisserie chicken in the states.

After we return, Bob, Peg and Michael are off for a bike ride. I elect to remain at the hotel. I have a sore foot which was bothering me a bit before I left home but seems to be especially tender this afternoon. And I'm the one who still needs to get work done before I meet with the staff tomorrow.

I am confused about what time it is at home. I wonder this morning how the church slide show went, but finally realize it will not take place until I am asleep tonight. I usually do this time conversion the other way.

Really spend the afternoon working from the room except for a few short breaks for a walk outside. Went to the hotel restaurant for lunch. Order a hamburger. Not a particularly good experience for me. Ground beef patty was not so much a patty as a blob. And of course there was the ever present fried egg that appears on virtually every sandwich in the place. Ended up eating the thing with a fork. Won't be trying that again.

Met my travel mates for cocktails about 5:00 and we decide to go over to a dumpling house for supper. We order 4 plates of food; a shrimp dish, a chicken and mystery meat dish, and two plates of a vegetarian dumpling. It is while eating here I am reminded of another reason that I may starve in Beijing. Chopsticks. Sometimes I can do them sometimes I can not. Tonight I do OK. Who knows what tomorrow will hold.

Back in the room I try to do some prep work for the sessions with staff tomorrow, but after a few minutes I can barely hold my eyes open. So its off to bed. Work will have to wait until tomorrow.

Back to Beijing

I'm here. Back in Beijing. The GPS tells me from the hotel it is 7111.75 miles from home. I believe it.



I departed RDU about on time to arrive in Newark on time. And low and behold, the flight for Beijing should have left on time and someone on the ground not hit the emergency power button and killed all the power to the aircraft for a few minutes. The pilot announced that once everything was 'reloaded' we would be on our way. I had visions of some earlier navigation systems that required aircraft to be stationary for a lengthy period of time before take off. Thankfully technology has improved and we were only a few minutes late for takeoff.



The Continental 777 is nearly filled to capacity. I'm in a window seat with a French Canadian couple between me and the aisle. Part of a tour group coming to China. We converse only briefly. Their English is limited and my French is non-existent. But we get along for the flight and I just make it a point to get up and walk around when they get up and walk around. It works just fine.



I still don't sleep well on planes. Had brought some Sominex to try to help me sleep, but it is in my bag a couple of rows back and I decide to try other strategies for coping with being cooped up.



I watch a movie. Bruce Willis in Live Free or Die Hard. My kind of action movie. I watch it three times trying to catch it all. I would either doze off, get interrupted by needing to get up and walk because the couple next to me were on the move, or by food/beverage deliveries from the flight attendants. I still don't know how a couple of things happened in that movie. I also do a little reading but in the end, the fatigue that sets in keeps me from concentrating on a book. I'll save that for long nights in the hotel. What I am able to read is a book authored by my grandson Kyle. That is a big help in getting through the long hours.



The strategy seems to work though. I seem to handle the entire flight easier than I did last time.



I'm through customs without incident and we're off to the hotel. Much has changed but much stays the same. The air quality is still poor, but I remember worse. We'll see what happens with that over the course of my two week stay. Some buildings under construction when we were here before are nearing completion. There is a general trend to more cleanliness, and green is in. Everywhere garbage cans are marked for recycling and then 'other' waste.



The hotel has changed hands It is now the Grand Mercure Xidan Hotel Beijing. Xidan is a shopping district and must be nearby. But I know nothing about it. The hotel is comfortable with excellent service in my book. I like it. It is a good place to call home for a couple of weeks.



Technology is an amazing thing. After several attempts, I finally connect with Janie (the repeated calls are not technology problems...just issues of us getting to the right phone at the right time.) From 7000 miles away I just dial her number like I would at home and talk to her at the laundromat (we're saving our well water due to the drought.) It's wild.



I'm off to bed in a few minutes. I can hardly keep my eyes open. At this point I've been up for 28 hours. That's enough for one day.



No picture today. Maybe tomorrow. Though uploading pictures may be something of an issue. Working this site from Beijing, well it's in Chinese. Maybe a bit hard to figure out the upload process.



(Posting time adjusted to Beijing local time.)

When Magic Collides

The plan was to do Downtown Disney this morning and Disney-MGM Studios this afternoon. However at breakfast the discussion leads us to believe that no one really wants to do Downtown Disney, so the morning is easing going and relaxing. Just an easy way to start the day. Which is going to be a problem when I get back to work next week.

But we will not be denied Disney-MGM Studios.

Our first goal is to arrive in time to catch the Stars and Motorcars Parade. We do. It's a great parade. More accessible than the Magic Kingdom parade. We're right there on the street. And the characters walking the street before the parade help keep Kyle entertained. Because the parade is more accessible, I think we all enjoy this one more than the one in the Magic Kingdom, but it is not quite the spectacle of the parade in Magic Kingdom. That spectacle would be hard to top.

But as soon as the parade is over, the first question is "Where is Lightning McQueen?" Momma has done her homework and carts us off to the location where in 1/2 an hour Lightning will appear. And promptly at 4:00, here come Lightning and Mater. They make a U-Turn and Lightning stops directly in front of where we are standing. And Kyle is off! His hero is here! For the next 15 to 20 minutes, Kyle will not be separated from the car. Bribery will not pry him loose. He knows where he needs to be and that is with Lightning.

Our magic is beginning to collide. I cannot believe he is so attached to that car.

Pretty much anything else we do at this point is anti-climactic. The ride in the Star Wars Flight Sim is no fun. The ride thru the backlot is probably boring. The magic of the day, in fact possibly the whole trip to this point was found with the connection to Lightning McQueen.

Dad goes off to ride the Aerosmith Roller Coaster.

But the final of the day is the Fantasmic light and sound show held in the amphitheater. This show is spectacular. The ultimate in the marriage of light, sound, sight, special effects, and drama. It is an incredible show. Should you get the chance to see this show you should attend.

And it is at this show that our magic collides. Kyles magic and my magic. No major epiphany here. Just some hope that the magic will continue. In Fantasmic we're both taken back by the special effects and the show itself. It's exciting. It's new. It's different. Nothing we've ever seen before. And though I can't imagine "Life is a Highway" having the same singabilty as "Zippity-Do-Dah", time changes things. And maybe it will. And when Kyle sings it, it will have the same meaning for him.

If I want Zippity to survive and the magic it holds for me, I must carry that message to Kyle and his generation.

If that particular magic can not carry the message, then I must allow room for new magic. Or more precisely that I must allow room for new symbols for the magic because I don't think the magic changes. The magic is telling us we can be whatever our heart desires.

If that message is delivered, no matter if it is a Cricket or a Car carrying the message, I don't have to worry.

Return to the Magic Kingdom

Today provides early hours in the Magic Kingdom. For those staying at Disney resorts and hotels, early admission means you get to enter the park 1 hour before anyone else. Not a bad deal till you see how many people actually qualify for early admission.


OK. So were not there when the park opens. Be we're there early and we are off!

Today the front section of the Magic Kingdom is filled with characters. We've not seen many characters yet, but today they are out with abundance.

Chip and Dale meet us at the front gate. Inside we find Daisy Duck and Pluto. Since we already have Pluto's autograph, we hit the line for Daisy. Autographs and pictures secure we head just around the corner to Pinocchio. Further in to the park we run across Tigger and Pooh. That's just to mention a few of the ones we see today.

There is an aggressive plan laid out for the day and it begins with a run thru It's a Small World. Small World is supposed to be boring and flat as an exhibit goes. Kyle thinks it's so boring he wants to do it twice. We do. The line is short.
And we hit a few other rides and look for more characters to harvest for autographs. The Dumbo ride is a hit. We also do Mickey's PhilharMagic, a 3D presentation. I love these things. Kyle is not so crazy about them. Soon it's time for lunch and given that it is hot and we've been at it for 3 to 4 hours, we decide to head back to the hotel for some rest.
But we will not rest long. Tonight we are guests of Cinderella in the ball room at her castle. Rumor has it that the castle was built to be the home of Walt Disney and his family, but was never used for that purpose.
We meet Cinderella and have our picture taken with her before heading off to dinner. At dinner we party with the Fairy Godmother and a few of her mice. Then it's off to do the park and rides. Don is off to do Thunder Mountain. Kyle, Stacie, and Janie hit the Jungle Cruise. I wander around looking for some photo ops for me and my camera. The final ride of the evening for Don, Janie, and Kyle is Splash Mountain. Not sure Kyle wants to try that one again anytime soon. We beat a hasty retreat after that one heading back to the hotel where we catch the fireworks at Cindy's place from the beach at our hotel.
It's late and it's been a long day. We'll sleep tonight I bet.

To Inifinity and Beyond!

While the magic of Disney is technology applied, travel to space is technology derived from magic.


Disney produced (and continues to produce) programming. TV programs. Movies. And as a student in elementary school I loved any movie a teacher was wiling to show as an educational experience. What a break. But my favorite was one produced by Disney on space travel.

I can't remember the name but I can remember at least one space ship they depicted and thinking even then what a clever design and being impressed with, what I know now, was innovative thinking.

So for me Disney and space are intertwined. Could't think of a better complement to a 'Destination Disney' trip than a run over to Kennedy Space Center to check out what is happening there.

Our initial hope was that the shuttle, recently damaged by hail, would be repaired and sitting on the pad awaiting launch. No such luck. It was tucked safely away in the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) and not viewable.

Kennedy after the constant bombardment of Disney World is boring. Or almost so. Very quiet. But lots of displays. It's a much slower experience. But when we are done, we agree that we'll all know where things are happening the next time we see a launch on TV. And maybe, the grandson and I will figure out how to catch the actual launch one day. Up close and personal.

Kennedy is transforming. There will be a 'ride' soon call the Shuttle Launch Experience. And the new Saturn V complex gives you insight to a moon launch. An impressive display. It is becoming more Disney like.
We catch dinner in Titusville at a restaurant called Dixie Crossroads. We get lost on the way back to Disney world.

But we manage to get back just in time to see the fireworks at Cinderella's Castle from across the lake. In some ways it is better than the fireworks seen from in front of the castle. It too is wonderful, even better from a visual standpoint than being there. But I do miss audio track that goes with the show. It completes the whole experience.

We're back. No longer boring. We're here for the Disney experience.

Disney? Kennedy? Your choice. Most of us wold choose Disney everytime. I won't make a judgement now as to which one is correct. i just hope they develop a synergy to drive each other, as they have in the past. Here is where innovation will take place.

Breakfast with the Stars

My early memories of Disney are the characters and the 'Mickey Mouse Club' program. I used to sing the song for the TV show "M--I--C--K--KEY--Y--M--O--U--S--E. I'm sure it was one of my favorite programs.

What has stuck with me from that time are the characters. Mickey Mouse. Minnie Mouse. Donald Duck (I used to do a fair impesonation of Donald.) Goofy. And on an on. They probably stuck with me because of cartoons and the like.

Today, Disney has changed.

I don't sense any particular connection in Kyle to most of these characters. He know who the characters are for sure, but he doesn't seem terribly excited about seeing them. In fact, when asked about it later in the day, he declared the breakfast 'boring' since there wasn't much to do there.

But he does enjoy attention provided by the characters as evidenced by the pictures.

Kyle relates more to Buzz Lightyear and characters more of this generation. Things change I guess. He's also more excited about riding up front in the monorail than any Disney character you can throw at him.

But I must wonder about some things. I remember on a trip to New York planning a worship service with my college room mate and another friend. We were very much into creative worship in those days. And my room mate suggested we use the song "Zippity-Do-Dah" for the worship service. "Why?" I asked. "Because no one can sing that song without smiling."

I wonder what happened to songs like that? Do kids still sing them? Have we lost that? What's replacing it?

For me, I don't know.

Perhaps the answer is in a place like Epcot, dedicated more to the future than the past. We visited. I really liked the place. New ideas. New things. Technology applied.

Disney is techhnology applied. It is the technology that enables all the magic.

I just hope that a five year old sees more magic than technology.

The Show

He's been in training as a baseball fan for 5 years. Chosen first in the draft, he has been attending baseball games since age one preparing for his big moment. Well on Monday night it happened. He was called up from AAA Durham to The Show. Kyle Nichols made his major league debut at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg Flordia.

Tropicana field is home to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Great seats and a great game were the beginnings of his major league career. There are still some rough edges to work out. Like he's not always sure which team to cheer for. A home run is a home run after all. And it took a while to get the gear in place. A fan is not a fan without one of those big fingers to wave in the air.

But in the end his efforts were enough to sustain the Devil Rays to a victory over the NY Yankees. But not enough to keep him in the show. He's being sent back down to AAA Durham for a period of further training.

Of course any fan in training must relax before his big debut. So the morning was spent at Animal Kingdom.

There he experienced "A Bugs Life", a water ride, lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, and a safari through the heart of Africa.

In all honesty, we'd been told this was not a great park to visit and not to plan much time there. Wrong. We really enjoyed the park. Wish we'd had more time there.

Magic and Dreams

We're about to leave for the morning when Kyle and I step out into the hall. A housekeeper is there and looks at Kyle and says "Good morning friend. I have a gift for you." And at that moment a chance encounter is transformed into magic. She pulls out a kit grabs a couple of towels, and with skilled hands transforms those towels into an elephant for Kyle. It is truly amazing. She announces "That is not my room but you are my friend." Our day begins with the magic of the place.

And at least one dream is fulfilled. More years ago that I care to count, I ran a Howard Johnson motel. It so happens that it was the oldest operating HOJO in the world. At about the same time, Disney had a hotel on the property at Disney World which is now called "The Contemporary Resort." The hotel was operated by the Howard Johnson company, listed in the directory as the Lake Buena Vista, FL Howard Johnson.

It had always been my dream to spend time at the hotel. I just thought the idea was neat....a hotel with a monorail running through it. Today my dream came true. On my return from Magic Kingdom the monorail I was riding stopped briefly at the Contemporary. My dream of 25+ years finally came true.
But this is not the only magic of the day. Magic is found in a 5 year old who has discovered his ride. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. And I'm his partner for this ride. We go and shoot the soldier's of Zurg who are out to take over the world. Maybe the real magic for me is in being his riding partner for this ride.
We discover there is no magic in space mountain for the young one, but there is plenty of magic to spread around.

There is magic in a parade of characters that brings light, sound, and movement together on a stage of the street. And there is magic in the most incredible show of light, fireworks, and sound I've ever seen in front of Cinderella's Castle. It is truly incredible.

There is magic in the air.

Priceless

The day starts early. Still packing to do. things to finish massaging into place before heading off to Florida to visit the House of the Mouse.

We breeze thru security at the airport and the late take off arrives only 10 minutes late in Orlando. The bus drops us at the front door of the Polynesian Resort and we're here.

Kyle loves his first plane ride. Running commentary on take off. "There's a house. Hello house!" "I see cars. They're getting smaller." "It's a map." And, about 20 minutes in to the trip "It's a good thing there is not a a bon on the wing." That one is a long story. Check out Nightmare at 20,000 Feet and know that Kyle refers to the creature on the wing as 'bon' and you'll probably figure it out. No problem flying for him.

I'm off to pick up a rental car. Everyone else hits the pool and explores the hotel grounds. You can see Cinderella's Castle, Space Mountain, and the Contemporary Resort as well as the Floridian. Beautiful beaches surround the place. There really is some magic here.

I wonder what Walt would really think about this place.

The event of the evening is the 'Spirit of Aloha' Luau. It's is good entertainment. The food is good. The weather is nice. And it's a good way to celebrtate Stacie's birthday. But things are not cheap.

Dinner with the family at a Disney resort with all the souvenirs and extras: about $350.

The image of one five year old falling asleep in his mother's arms in the middle of the show because he can't hold his eyes open any more: Priceless.