Beijing and Shanghai
A colleague from work asked me in an email what I thought of Beijing and Shanghai, and I ended up sending her a rambling email of my impressions. Figure it is worth posting here as well:

My impression of the two cities is that they have their own distinct character. Beijing apparently has more construction cranes on the go than in the whole of Britain (never mind Canada), and I can well believe it. The scale of the city dwarfs that of the GTA -- actually, the size is about the same, but imagine high-rises and commercial buildings *everywhere*. All of which have been built in the last 10 years or less. But there's still room for a mix of the traditional amidst all of the building and construction, with such sites as Tianamen Square, The Forbidden City and other older sections of the city preserved.

The sense I get of Shanghai is of a somewhat rootless city: one comment someone from the localization firm I visited said that he didn't think it a very Chinese city, since there are so few bicycles and that the city is clearly laid out with cars in mind. I get the sense that it is more vibrant and cosmopolitan, but perhaps more root-less. I just came back from a boat tour and the towering skyscrapers seem to tussle with each other to get your attention with multi-story hi-def displays, sparkling lights, illuminated spires, or endless neon razzmatazz. It is also one of the first cities I have been in where I just have not been able to get my bearings -- I couldn't tell you whether or not a certain location is north, south, east or west of another. I tried to walk from People's Square to the Bundt area, got lost, gave up and flagged down a cab. You have to understand that I'm pretty good at reading maps, and that the street signage is bilingual Simplified Chinese + English. Still, have had a good time here and I would return here (or to Beijing) in a second if given a chance.

The cost of labour here is exceedingly cheap, sadly so at times. At a golf game some of the people from the localization conference went to, four female caddies were attendant on every player, helping to look for lost balls, holding the flags, carrying the golf clubs, etc. I saw a showroom apartment whose wood-work, tiling and finish was executed with a precision and care that you simply don't see at home, and at I price that, were it back home I (or you) could easily afford. I learned new term from one of my guidebooks which I think is applicable: "Marxist-Thatcherism" -- there's a sense that all of the mad rush to build is for the good of everyone, but there are a lot of people who see very little direct benefit from it. China's middle-class is apparently now about the size of that of the United States, but the underclass is very poor indeed. In some ways the country I would compare China to most is Mexico, specifically Mexico City -- riches aplenty, but still people hawking their wares or presenting vouchers for luxury condos to passing cars at intersections.

I also don't doubt that this situation will not stay this way -- I think it is fair to say that the 21st century belongs to China.

Another Addition to the Menagerie: Dawn the Kitten

One of the things that Vanessa has been constantly asking about has been about adopting a cat of her own. It is safe to say she is "cat mad", constantly drawing pictures or making crafts involving "kitties".

Finally, this last time that we had my Aunt Jane's cat Nick over for cat-sitting we told Vanessa that if she looked after him (feeding and cleaning) we would seriously consider the prospect of getting her a kitten. Vanessa was successful at this, and a couple of weeks ago Erika managed to find a good candidate from a cat fostering group: a 5 month old tortoise-shell kitten named dawn. Erika called and made the arrangements and she and Vanessa went and picked her up today.

Apparently the foster mother was very sad to see her go, but was happy that she was going to a good home. Vanessa was beaming when she came through the door with the cat carrier in hand. She then took Dawn upstairs to her room and let her out of the cat carrier.

That was about the only time that I've had the chance to get a good look at her, as she has been hiding under various pieces of furniture ever since.

This isn't too surprising really, as I remember stories about Erika's late lamented cat Naomi that she was similarly exceedingly shy when she first got her, and turned out to be a very lovable, affectionate animal once she settled in.

Vanessa did manage to tease her out with a piece of colourful string on a small stick, a perfect kitten fishing rod. Got to see a playful paw extended from under a dresser at the proffered string, as well as a bright pair of eyes that looked straight at me when I came down to her level on the floor.

Vanessa told me around bedtime that she had found a nice hiding spot under her bed. She still hadn't emerged, but there was a constant purring, so things are obviously not that bad from the kitten's perspective.

A lucky little girl and an equally lucky kitten.

Goldfish for Annie

Adding further to our menagerie we went to the local pet store by Queen and Coxwell today in order to get a small aquarium and goldfish for Annie. She's been wanting her own pet for a while now, and since Vanessa has been cleaning up after my Aunt Jane's cat Nick (who we have been "cat sitting" while she is away on her regular holiday season trip to visit with friends in Seattle) in order to prove she can handle a cat of her own, it only seems fair to get Annie something she can look after.

I picked out a small Hagan-made aquarium kit. Small (less than 8 litres) and wholly made of molded plastic (so no seals between glass and metal that could fail), it also came with colourful orange gravel (which matches the trim and the plastic cover) a filter, plus some goldfish food and some water conditioner.

We picked out three fish. Annie chose the smallest goldfish available from a "feeder" tank and named it "Goldie" (of course). I also let her choose one from a tank of small fancy goldfish above it, whose mottled white and gold colouring she called "Snowgold". The pet shop owner then let Vanessa pick one out and she picked a somewhat larger goldfish from the feeder tank she named "Clicker".

Assembly took next to no time, especially since both girls were keen to help out, and so all three fish we in their new home within half an hour of us bringing them home.

Annie was beaming with happiness at the end of it all.

Next, a new kitten for Vanessa.

My Wikipedia "Good Deed" for the Day

Was browsing through some of the pics I had taken while visiting the Monterrey Bay Aquarium with the family back in April, I ran across a nice pic I had of a giant jellyfish, its long arms extending several meters from its large, bulbous bell. Whenever I take pics at museums (or aquariums) I make a point of also taking a pic of the accompanying plaque or board describing the thing I have taken a pic of. Turns out this beastie was the Black sea nettle, a rarish Pacific coast jellyfish, which has the Latin name "Chrysaora achlyos".

So I looked it up in Wikipedia, in order to see whether or not there was a pic of it already. But not only was there no pics, but there was no article—just a "red link" from the genus page for that species, indicating a link to a "hole" in the encyclopedia.

So I spent an hour researching the creature and managed to pull together, in about an hour, a fairly decent, substantive article on it. Jellyfish are definitely not my specialty, but I was able to find some good online resources that I referenced in the article, and managed to pull the formatting (and some generic jellyfish info) from the related Sea nettle article. Voilà!, instant semi-decent and substantive article.

I threw in a nomination to make it a "Did you know?" article, which is a summary of a major point from new articles recently posted to Wikipedia that appears on its main page.

And I uploaded the pic to Wikimedia Commons, which is what started the whole process in the first place.

Getting Some of My Pictures in Print

Got an email earlier in the week asking me for permission to use some of my Ancient Egypt-related pics that I have posted to Wikimedia Commons for use in a book. Turns out that it is for an illustrated version of the bible from a small press somewhere in the States.

I answered and told them that yes, they could have my permission, though I have to admit that I felt a bit conflicted, since as an atheist I feel like I am "aiding and abetting" to some extent. That qualm is a small one though, since when I uploaded the pics to Wikimedia Commons I relinquished any claim as to retaining ownership of those images, all ostensibly for the "greater good" of Wikimedia in general. Turns out though that that provision doesn't extend necessarily to print, hence the query to me about the pics was not just a courtesy.

Apparently they will use the pics (ranging from a wooden model of people working in a bakery to a stela of a late period pharaoh) and give full attribution to myself as the photographer, to Wikimedia Commons, and to the institution where the artifact in question is located. On the whole it seems like everyone is to be treated fairly, and I am disinclined to say "no" to a seeming equitable proposal.

The only real potential downside is that the home institution where the artifact resides might otherwise loose out on some money for licensing the photo directly, but in my experience they don't always have pictures of the more minor items available, and whatever is posted to Wikimedia will not be professionally shot -- the resolution for print will be low in comparison to whatever the home museum could provide, and in most cases there is glare or awkward lighting that inevitably degrades the quality of most of the images, even after a bit of PhotoShopping.

On the whole, I think the idea behind Wikimedia Commons is a good thing, and am happy to lend my support to people who want to include any of the pictures I have shot anywhere else.

Getting a photography credit in print is nice too.

Annie Looses Her First Tooth

While I was away teaching my first class in Information Architecture at the U. of T., Erika took the girls to a Scottish festival that was happening at Kew Beach park. While there, Erika bought some toffy at a candy stall there and a small bottom incisor that had been wiggly for a while came out.

This was Annie's first baby tooth to come out. A completely different story than Vanessa, who started loosing her baby teeth much earlier (beginning at least the age of 5), and who herself lost her first baby molar tooth last week. Annie was thrilled at the prospect of her first visit by the tooth fairy.

Safe to say the tooth fairy will pay her well and be particularly appreciative for that first tooth. And maybe also leave a note about how messy her room is (fairies are known to trip over things, after all). ;-)

Donating Blood Becoming More Arduous

The following is basically a rant.

I had a call earlier in the week for my blood. I'm O+, which means I am a universal donor, so my blood is always in demand. I agreed to go, and in the end managed to swap times with Erika, who ended up working again on the second unit for The Incredible Hulk.

This time it was being held at St. Aiden's church at the other end of the Beach from where I live. A minor inconvenience, from its former location at the local rec centre, which was closer. I took the girls with me and made a point of stopping by the local magazine store so they could have something to read/play with while they were waiting. Am glad I did since the whole process from beginning to end lasted a good hour and a half, much of which was waiting around for the next step in the bureaucratic process donating blood has seemingly become.

Much of this seemed to stem from the increasing bureaucracy included every time somebody donates. There's the forms to fill out and the obligatory visit with a nurse to answer the more sensitive questions.

Yes folks, after all of this time I have still never had cocaine or done any other injectable drugs, had sex with someone whose history I didn't know, or with a member of my own sex. My own feeling after the usual interview was that while this information may exclude me from the sort of parties that might in some way be press-worthy, there's little need to have a nurse there to specifically ask these questions; as a responsible adult I think I can be trusted to be truthful about such things. (And for the record the only thing I did trip up on in that section was having sex with a woman from Africa (which was not how the question is phrased in the questionnaire, but how the nurse asked it), though apparently Sierra Leone is not on the list of "bad" countries, and in any event that was back in the mid-80s, a *long* time ago).

I am all for donors being well informed as to what their blood will be tested for and knowing what the risk factors are (a new one for me was "having worked or working with monkeys" -- again, no problems there for, though if "working with lab rats" ever comes up, which I did in my Psychology courses in University, I'm toast).

It was a full hour after my arrival (with an appointment) before I got into the line for those who were ready to actually donate. A woman actually fainted at the drinks 'n' cookies table, which freaked out Annie and Vanessa a bit, though thankfully I was nearby to reassure them when it happened. (That was a first for me too).

My time actually donating blood took about 20 minutes or so, with another 5-10 spent at the drinks 'n' cookie table.

Turns out the last time I had donated according to my donation card was in January 2005. Given the lengthiness of the whole procedure, and that fully two-thirds of my time was spent waiting around after filling out forms, definitely fall under the category of being a less-enthusiastic donor.

Admittedly this was during peak times, right after the end of a working day, but the weather was rainy (something sure to drive the more casual donator away) and there were certainly stretches I saw where there were empty cots while the staff was trying to keep pace with everything else they had to do. This is a process in need of improvement.

Off to the Argos Game... to See the Argonotes Play!

I finally took up the opportunity to go see an Argos game, mainly so I could go and see Erika play in the Argonotes (okay, and maybe to see a bit of the football game too. ;-)

I recorded a couple of short videos while they were in a nearby parking lot, warming up for the game. Here they are:

A really short version of "Louise Louie"

The "Argos Rule the CFL" Song

The Girls Go Back to School

Erika is currently working on the second unit of The Incredible Hulk and told the kids last week that she would not be able to escort them to their first day of school. Crying ensued, and so I volunteered to take them myself, arriving at the office much later than usual.

A major milestone for us, as this year Annie enters Grade 1 and is now in school full-time. Vanessa enters Grade 4, though lamenting that her best friends are in another teacher's class.

Despite that there were several happy reunions and much hugging and "what did you do over the summer?" as Annie and Vanessa got reacquainted with school chums they hadn't seen in a while.

We had to leave early as Erika had received conflicting reports as to when the bus for Annie's school was to arrive. Turns out one of the other parents at the drop off point knew, which was 8:29, a mere 6 minutes prior to the school opening (pushed back almost half an hour over last year's start time for some reason). A bus came along at the right time, but it turned out it was for a different school, so Annie and her friends narrowly escaped going to an entirely different school altogether. When her bus did come (a bit late as the driver wasn't sure of the route) Annie was very stoic and hopped on the bus to her friends to start her first day in non-Kindergarten.

I tied up Yo-Bob by the Kew Beach School fence and then escorted Vanessa to her school, locating the line of kids she was to enter her class with. She fought back a tear and gave me a quick hug and kiss before joining the throng and disappearing into the school entrance for her first day of Grade 4.

Took Yo-Bob home and gave Erika a quick call to tell her how things went, and then got on my way to work, marveling at how fast kids seem to grow up.

A Busy Day, Spent Largely at The Ojibway Club

Woke up early, sometime just before 7am. On any work day that would count as having slept in, but up here the only commute I had to do was to head outside to

I joined Erika in her daily delivery of the girls (Vanessa, Annie and Kassandra) over to the Ojibway Club. She soon discovered that yoga classes were offered every Tuesdays and Thursdays, so off she went to that. The local store sold newspapers, so I picked up the day's copies of The Globe and The New York Times and settled in for a while to do some reading by the dock. While at the shop I also picked up a couple of postcards depicting the local lighthouse along with the stamps necessary to send them off to my Aunts and Uncles in England. Prior to settling down with the newspapers I went wondering about the immediate grounds of the former hotel, and went inside to look at some of the local notices and to read the captions on old black and white pictures scattered about the ballroom depicting the history of the establishment. There are pictures of Edwardian-era adventurers going out for boating trips, big catches of fish, and scenes from various phases of construction for the century-old building I was in.

Erika met me dockside when she finished her yoga class, vowing to come back for more on Thursday. We went to explore the grounds further together, to see if we could find what our kids were up to. We lucked out on finding Vanessa in the Arts & Crafts building, where she and a bunch of other kids were working on a paper-marche piggy bank. What struck me most about the Arts & Crafts building was that each kid who had played in the place had been invited to write or otherwise paint their name on the walls. One of Vanessa's friends (by the name of Lola) pointed her mother's name on one section of wall, who also happened to be the woman who was the yoga instructor the class Erika had just finished. Didn't find where or what Annie was up to, but we had fun taking in the sights of the island during our leisurely stroll. Erika expressed that she didn't really feel that she was part of the group that casually comes up here every year, and I responded that while the both of us may always be outsiders, the hope is that our girls will grow up and be a part of the local summer community of visitors to the area someday.

Checked my BlackBerry for messages from work. One of them was an invitation for me to present at a DITA XML conference in Brussels, Belgium. Nothing could be so far from my mind right now that the technical complexities of my work. Unfortunately my company is restricting travel budget only to sales-related efforts at the moment, visiting so Brussels is not in my immediate future.

We picked up Kassandra from the dock (she goes for the half-day program), some further supplies from the island's grocery store (many items on sale thanks to it being the end of the season), and I ended up buying a copy of Our Pointe au Baril, which is a local history of the islands.

We brought Kassandra back and basically decided to hang out on the island until it was time to pick up our girls. Erika set off on an errand to Pointe au Baril Station, while I stayed and wrote on the postcards I had bought. Around 2pm there was a bit of excitement when I spotted a boat on its side by the southern end of Eyrie Island just across from the main island we are on. I didn't see anybody on the boat and there was otherwise no sign of any distress, leading me to think that maybe it was a boat that had gotten loose from its moorings and beached itself. I went back to our cabin and donned my swimming trunks and flippers, but by the time I returned there was another boat already on the scene, along with some kids emerging from the other side of the island, who must have “abandoned ship” when it got stuck in the shallow waters. Soon the beached boat was put into tow and a small flotilla of kayaks and power boats left from the other side of Eyrie Island, heading back to Ojibway.

In the evening the girls went back to Ojibway for kid's movie night. While the kids watched "Madagascar" we were invited to have a grand dinner at the Ojibway Club. While there we met Peter and Fay, old friends of Josef's, and whom we hadn't seen since our initial visit up here years ago when Vanessa was still a toddler. Both are resident in Southern Carolina, but come up here for the whole of the summer now that Peter is retired. Peter has been coming up here since 1967, and I got him to talking about the place. I asked him about whether he thought that water levels had fallen over the past year, and he responded that in his estimation it had gone down by almost a foot in just the past week. He talked about channels that were no longer navigable by boats with any draught to them, and how the waterline was visibly dropping year over year. He didn't know what the cause of it was, but he expressed the belief that global warming (which he emphatically did not believe in) definitely had nothing to do with it. I had heard something in the news about billions of liters of water being siphoned away from the lakes, but I had hoped it was either a mis-heard news story or an urban myth (much like the “NAFTA highway” that was recently exposed as being a confabulation).

Sometime during the conversation a challenge was thrown up between Erika and Ariane: make your way to Peter and Faye's island cottage separately by boat using only a map of the islands. Not so much a one-on-one challenge so much as an individual test as to whether either of them could take a nautical map and use it to make their way from point A to point B. I have every confidence in Erika, and basically whoever is able to do it pretty much proves that they are capable of navigating their way around the islands solo.

After the very filling dinner I picked up both of our girls from the movie hut, drove back in the boat in the dark to our island, and went to bed happy but exhausted.