Monthly Archives: July 2009
Getting ready for the total solar eclipse
I have a vague memory of being a kid at school and going outside during class time to witness a solar eclipse. But other than that fuzzy moment, I’ve never witnessed a solar eclipse before.You might imagine then the sense of excitement I have about this Wednesday, July 22, when the longest total solar eclipse that will grace our planet this century comes to my dear Suzhou, China.
The path of the eclipse as it crosses over China
Holiday Fu’s Suzhou City Guide
Iain Manley, editor of City Weekend‘s relatively new Holiday Fu, has just put together an excellent city guide for Suzhou. Most all the large travel portals give Suzhou a mention, but Iain’s writeup is full of a wit and insight that makes it a fun and informative read, even for this laowai that has called …
16 Candles x 2 = Some Serious Wax
So, it’s my birthday — and shaping up to be one of the best ones I’ve had in years. As mentioned in the previous post, my best friend Cory arrives from Canada today for his first visit to China. I leave in a couple hours to grab the shuttle from Suzhou to the Shanghai Pudong …
Summertime and the livin’s easy
So summer’s definitely here – I know this because when I’m outside for more than a few minutes everything gets blurry and my skin starts to melt. I’m Canadian — +40°C weather is something for fairytales of where the old folks go come winter.
Of course it’s the perfect time to take a holiday and trek around the country — so that’s exactly what I’m going to be doing next week and the week after.
Heat or not, I couldn’t be more excited. The timing of the vacation is because my best friend Cory is (coufinallygh) coming to visit me in China. We’ve been friends for going on 20 years, which for me is no small feat. See, I’ve called 25 different places “home” over the course of my 32 years (birthday this Thursday), and as such have shuffled through friends nearly as much as I’ve shuffled through addresses. But whereas many friends come and go, Cory is as close as to being kin to me as you can get without sharing blood. It’s been a year and a half since I’ve seen him, and even then it was only short visits. It’s going to be great to be able to spend two weeks catching up.
iPhone finally coming to China, but who cares?
When BusinessWeek’s Peter Burrows reported the other day that Apple has finally applied for a Network Access License with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), 1.3 billion potential Chinese customers collectively shrugged their shoulders.
Green Dam bursts under netizen pressure
I had meant to post this yesterday when I learned of it, but having my nation’s birthday to celebrate proved too much of a distraction–apologies. So, if you’ve not yet heard, Green Dam Youth Escort appears to be dead.
What was, as of July 1, to be mandatory censorship software installed on all new computers in China, has been indefinitely delayed due to a lack of prep time being given to hardware manufacturers.
Proud to be a Canadian (expat)
I love Canada, I truly do. For all the grief that myself and my fellow compatriots give the country, it really is top shelf as countries go. Sure, it’s a bit vanilla when it comes to foreign affairs and global influence; a bit archaic when it comes to political makeup; and, well, a bit cold. …
