Nej, this is not a fanciful play of numbers like Wong Kar-wai's 2046 movie. This is the name of a threadmill running competition that is going on at the gym chain that we frequent.
Without a doubt, it is a marketing gimmick of a sport brand that is introducing its NEW running shoes, whose model number runs by the name of the competition, and is purported to give better BALANCE to you when you run. *I hope you have already guessed the name of the brand*.
So, the gist of the competition is to stretch your cardio limit on the threadmill, by measuring how far you can run within 12 minute 24 seconds. There will be ONE winner each from the male and female categories, who then get sponsorships to fly off to Seoul to participate in a real marathon.
Yes, you might have guessed it already. Olof and I took part in the competition. I ran 2230meters, and he ran 2980meters. *We pray for bad weather, so that little people will venture to the gym. If anybody should go to the gym, we pray for more Chinese-illiterate foreigners, because the competition promoter speaks no English. Ha!* Only THEN, we probably stand any chances of winning.
BUT, for two packs of nearly 30-year-old bones, I think we did not bad. Events as such really adds fun to training in the gym, especially in a city like Beijing, where outdoors sports are not very possible.
AND, kudos to us for not getting any muscle aches the next day.
2008-12-31
2008-12-16
Wedding Wonderful!
One of my best friends got married in November, and I was extremely honored to be able to participate in her wedding as one of the wedding sisters. Her wedding jerked back alot of memories of my own. The anxiety, sleepness nights, countless visits to the beauty salons, and of course the sudden, "excruciating" attentiveness to details like pens on every dinner table, all seemed so familiar. Ha! But as all who had been-there-done-that know, all will turn out fine in the end. And it did indeed!
2008-10-27
What else is there left to eat?!
Milk powder - cross.
Liquid milk - cross.
Milk chocolate - cross.
Yogurt - cross.
Ice cream - cross.
Now comes eggs and chicken! The discovery of excessive levels of melamine in eggs in Hongkong is prompting authorities to now begin checks on chicken meat as well. We knew for a long time that chickens in China are probably injected with loads of steriods. But MELAMINE?! Apparently, experts suspect that the melamine originates from chicken feed. I am REALLY paranoid now. Because it seems any foods that "should" contain proteins are prone to manipulation.
Before we moved to China, I told Olof that my biggest concern in Beijing is food safety and it is a shame that I was proven right. Since months ago, we started buying organic foods and imported products. But there are limitations and inconveniences. We can't find organic beef, for example. Plus, we often have to go to different places to buy different things. Carrefour and Wal-mart don't sell organic poultry. Lohao City charges exhorbitant prices. The local food market from which we buy fruits from is not stone's throw away.
PLUS, who can be 100% sure that the so-called "organic" foods that are selling off the shelves are REALLY organic?
I am not being over paranoid, but I totally anticipate this possibility that unscrupulous businessmen will find ways loopholes getting the "organic-certified" sticker and happily paste it on his toxic vegetables.
No way out? Grow your own vegetables. Rear your own chickens and cows. But then again. What are we going to water the vegetables with? What are we going to feed the animals with? Should they, also like us, eat only organic feed? But how to ensure that the feed is really organic...
How pathetic are we as human beings! We poison the food cycle "river" that we drink from.
We leave behind a legacy that we have nothing to be proud of and which our offsprings will lambast us for.
Liquid milk - cross.
Milk chocolate - cross.
Yogurt - cross.
Ice cream - cross.
Now comes eggs and chicken! The discovery of excessive levels of melamine in eggs in Hongkong is prompting authorities to now begin checks on chicken meat as well. We knew for a long time that chickens in China are probably injected with loads of steriods. But MELAMINE?! Apparently, experts suspect that the melamine originates from chicken feed. I am REALLY paranoid now. Because it seems any foods that "should" contain proteins are prone to manipulation.
Before we moved to China, I told Olof that my biggest concern in Beijing is food safety and it is a shame that I was proven right. Since months ago, we started buying organic foods and imported products. But there are limitations and inconveniences. We can't find organic beef, for example. Plus, we often have to go to different places to buy different things. Carrefour and Wal-mart don't sell organic poultry. Lohao City charges exhorbitant prices. The local food market from which we buy fruits from is not stone's throw away.
PLUS, who can be 100% sure that the so-called "organic" foods that are selling off the shelves are REALLY organic?
I am not being over paranoid, but I totally anticipate this possibility that unscrupulous businessmen will find ways loopholes getting the "organic-certified" sticker and happily paste it on his toxic vegetables.
No way out? Grow your own vegetables. Rear your own chickens and cows. But then again. What are we going to water the vegetables with? What are we going to feed the animals with? Should they, also like us, eat only organic feed? But how to ensure that the feed is really organic...
How pathetic are we as human beings! We poison the food cycle "river" that we drink from.
We leave behind a legacy that we have nothing to be proud of and which our offsprings will lambast us for.
2008-09-29
A trip to the mountains
Hi,
Sunday and a good opportunity to go for hiking. Together with two of our friends (also Singaporean and Swedish), we headed towards Tiger Valley for more than 2 hours of walk along the river. The one hour car drive to get there (or to one of the other mountain spots) is worth doing again!
Olof
Sunday and a good opportunity to go for hiking. Together with two of our friends (also Singaporean and Swedish), we headed towards Tiger Valley for more than 2 hours of walk along the river. The one hour car drive to get there (or to one of the other mountain spots) is worth doing again!
Olof
View over Tiger Valley
Sam, Jacqueline and Stefan (photographer Olof)
2008-09-18
Paralympics
Hi!Last night was the closing ceremony of the Paralympics. The big Olympic "party" has now come to an end. Will life in Beijing go back to normal? I think yes, gradually business and life will continue as usual.
On Saturday, all cars are allowed on the roads again. No more special traffic regulations and other regulations for construction work and so forth, at least nothing that we know of today.
Regarding the sport events, we saw some of them live. Wheelchair basketball quarterfinals at the National Indoor stadium and swimming finals at the Watercube. Take a look at the photos.
Bye, bye!
Bird's Nest - the National Stadium
Swimming ticket - Paralympic finals
Watercube - the swimming stadium
2008-08-31
Huixin's Birthday Party
It was Huixin's birthday on Friday and she had invited us to dinner at Grandma's Kitchen located on Xiushui South Street. I wanted to bake her a birthday cake but ended up buying one at Kempinski Deli. But I compensated my laziness for probably the best Black Forest Cake in town and a doggy softtoy. *oh, yanqing has a share in the presents too*
We drove to Grandma's Kitchen. I realised that with driving on our own, we became never punctual for appointments - partly due to our unfamiliarity with directions yet. But I must say then we usually underestimate the time we need to drive to a destination. Hhhmm, this is bad. Because having a car is suppose to shorten our commute time. *perplex*
Back to the topic, it was great fun at her party. We haven't been seeing each other alot since I moved here. Things do change after one is married and has his or her own family to take care of. I feel that I am a friend who is guilty of neglecting her friends. I'll try to change that.
Grandma's Kitchen was filled with laughter and loud talking on Friday night, thanks to us. But they also got a big check to cash in, because the birthday girl ordered ALOT of food. We were stuffed, happy, and satisfied. Olof and I left earlier since he got a flight to catch the next day. 
2008-08-24
Piano concert
Hello!
Our kind landlady gave us 2 free tickets to the National Center for the Performing Arts of China. This amazing opera and concert hall has the shape of an egg, and looks very futuristic also from the inside: http://www.chncpa.org/n33879/n33958/n34529/index.html
We saw a great piano performance by the French pianist Phillipe Entremont.
Olof and Sam
Our kind landlady gave us 2 free tickets to the National Center for the Performing Arts of China. This amazing opera and concert hall has the shape of an egg, and looks very futuristic also from the inside: http://www.chncpa.org/n33879/n33958/n34529/index.html
We saw a great piano performance by the French pianist Phillipe Entremont.
Olof and Sam
2008-08-17
Olympics Basketball Match - Prelims
Wow! Holi cow! It was absolutely spectacular to watch basketball LIVE at the competition venue, especially to watch good teams play.
We were lucky to manage get our hands on two last minute olympics basketball prelims tickets, which cost 2.5 times their original prices. To that, we (*&$*#&))(#_(*&!!. The Wukesong Indoor Stadium was surprisingly 80% filled with spectators for the two matches. *Yes. One ticket that entitles you to watch two matches. Yeah!* It was just the prelims, we can't imagine how it is gonna be like for the finals.
Croatia vs Lithuania. The Lithuanian audience cheerleaders became star of the show as well. Ha! They were very united and coordinated, but at the same time definitely a menace to the Croatia team, as they jeered whenever a Croatian laid its hands on the ball. But it was a fantastic game. Croatians led the score by as much as 10 points first, which was later over taken by the Lithuanians. The latter were charged with adrenalin after the 2nd quarter break, and crushed the Croatians like a monster. Both teams displayed great skills and perseverance.
Iran vs Argentina. When we first knew that Iran was playing, our first thought was: Eh? Iran? Then our second thought was Mr Ahmadinejad and his missile tests. But the players turned out to be quite good - absolutely skilled in 3 pointers, with very few misses. No.15 left a very strong impression on us, as he NEVER got changed out during the entire match. We understood that the Iranian team needed him - He was almost as tall as the goal post. He did not even need to jump in order to block or dunk any balls. However good they were, they were never good enough for Argentina. They swept the court like a hurricane. Swift, seamless teamwork, good physiques, the Argentines were unstoppable.
Of course the games aside, there were also the Beijing Dream Dancers and Olympics Mascots to amuse the spectators during breaks. Unimpressed with the dancers, we were rather entertained by the inproportionate big-headed mascots, which are called Fu Wa in Chinese.
We were lucky to manage get our hands on two last minute olympics basketball prelims tickets, which cost 2.5 times their original prices. To that, we (*&$*#&))(#_(*&!!. The Wukesong Indoor Stadium was surprisingly 80% filled with spectators for the two matches. *Yes. One ticket that entitles you to watch two matches. Yeah!* It was just the prelims, we can't imagine how it is gonna be like for the finals.
Croatia vs Lithuania. The Lithuanian audience cheerleaders became star of the show as well. Ha! They were very united and coordinated, but at the same time definitely a menace to the Croatia team, as they jeered whenever a Croatian laid its hands on the ball. But it was a fantastic game. Croatians led the score by as much as 10 points first, which was later over taken by the Lithuanians. The latter were charged with adrenalin after the 2nd quarter break, and crushed the Croatians like a monster. Both teams displayed great skills and perseverance.
Iran vs Argentina. When we first knew that Iran was playing, our first thought was: Eh? Iran? Then our second thought was Mr Ahmadinejad and his missile tests. But the players turned out to be quite good - absolutely skilled in 3 pointers, with very few misses. No.15 left a very strong impression on us, as he NEVER got changed out during the entire match. We understood that the Iranian team needed him - He was almost as tall as the goal post. He did not even need to jump in order to block or dunk any balls. However good they were, they were never good enough for Argentina. They swept the court like a hurricane. Swift, seamless teamwork, good physiques, the Argentines were unstoppable.
Of course the games aside, there were also the Beijing Dream Dancers and Olympics Mascots to amuse the spectators during breaks. Unimpressed with the dancers, we were rather entertained by the inproportionate big-headed mascots, which are called Fu Wa in Chinese.
2008-08-15
Reception with President Nathan
My first thought when I saw Mr President, "He is so tiny!"
I finally saw my motherland's president in person. A reception organized by the Embassy of Singapore in Beijing gave Singaporeans the chance (probably once-in-a-lifetime) to get so upclose and personal with their president. The turnout was rather overwhelming. The entire Chaoyang Grand Ballroom at Grand Millennium Hotel was filled up with ladies and gentlemen in fine dresses and suits (although some were dressed typically Singaporean, if you know what I meant).
Mr President was, as we saw on TV, amicable and friendly. But he has clearly aged. At an age when he should have already retired and be enjoying his twilight years, we should be thankful that he took a 7-hour tiring flight to come support Team Singapore and graced the reception.
At a big event like this, and especially for newbies like us, we felt rather small and insignificant. But thank god that we saw some familiar faces that we got acquainted at the national day folk dinner that we organized last Sat. And my best friend Stacey was there as well (although she cleanly forgot about it if not I called her). 
So the evening ended fantastic still - minus the food.
So the evening ended fantastic still - minus the food.
And no, Mr President did not get to shake my hands. But I caught a glimpse of him on my Coolpix camera.
2008-08-10
Singaporeans
Hello!
Sam called for a celebration of the Singaporean National Day on one of the online forums for expats. Soon she had gathered a crowd of around 25 people. We met at a Malaysian restaurant and enjoyed a few hours together. I think we will meet up with some of them again.
When we were about to enter the building until, we realized that the Malaysian king lived in the hotel (during the Olympics) in the same building as the restaurant. We could not enter until he had left the building. Luckily he was just about to leave when we arrived.
Next Singaporean gathering may be at the official Singaporean celebration at the embassy. The Singaporean president will be there, and so will we.
Take care,
- Olof
Sam called for a celebration of the Singaporean National Day on one of the online forums for expats. Soon she had gathered a crowd of around 25 people. We met at a Malaysian restaurant and enjoyed a few hours together. I think we will meet up with some of them again.
When we were about to enter the building until, we realized that the Malaysian king lived in the hotel (during the Olympics) in the same building as the restaurant. We could not enter until he had left the building. Luckily he was just about to leave when we arrived.
Next Singaporean gathering may be at the official Singaporean celebration at the embassy. The Singaporean president will be there, and so will we.
Take care,
- Olof
2008-08-08
The Olympics are here!
Hi,
Last Wed (2 days ago) the government announced that Aug 8th would be a public holiday this year. No working day on the opening day of the Olympic Games. I had to re-schedule some meetings and work harder last night, but an extra public holiday is never wrong...
Sam and I will go to a gathering with INSEAD alumnis at the Little Saigon, a Vietnamese restaurant located in the Old Beijing. The opening ceremony starts at 8h08 (and today is 2008-08-08, yes 8 means luck in Chinese culture). The INSEAD alumnis have booked the whole terrace, which has a great view on the Drum & Bell Towers. A large screen will be set up for us to enjoy the ceremony together.
Looking forward to tonight!
Cheers, Olof
Last Wed (2 days ago) the government announced that Aug 8th would be a public holiday this year. No working day on the opening day of the Olympic Games. I had to re-schedule some meetings and work harder last night, but an extra public holiday is never wrong...
Sam and I will go to a gathering with INSEAD alumnis at the Little Saigon, a Vietnamese restaurant located in the Old Beijing. The opening ceremony starts at 8h08 (and today is 2008-08-08, yes 8 means luck in Chinese culture). The INSEAD alumnis have booked the whole terrace, which has a great view on the Drum & Bell Towers. A large screen will be set up for us to enjoy the ceremony together.
Looking forward to tonight!
Cheers, Olof
2008-08-05
Driving license in China
Yeah!
I passed the theoretical driving test that was required to transfer my driving license to a Chinese one. 100 points out of 100. Completed test in 26 minutes of maximum 45 minutes.
Some things were a bit tricky, for example the penalty point system and the different fine levels, as well as some of the signs. Overall, most questions are actually quite entertaining.
Let me share some of my favourites. The first one is related to "Driving with civility and profession ethics".
1) What should a driver do when he needs to spit while driving?
A. spit through the window
B. spit into a piece of waste paper, then put it into a garbage can
C. spit on the floor of the vehicle
Correct answer: B
The second one is in the category of "Laws, rules and regulations on road traffic safety".
2) All vehicle drivers, pedestrians, passengers and other people related to road traffic:
A. must obey "The Law of the P.R.C. on Road Traffic Safety."
B. can sometimes disobey "The Law of the P.R.C on Road Traffic Safety."
C. need not obey "The Law of the P.R.C on Road Traffic Safety.", only vehicle drivers must obey.
Correct answer: A
Finally, one example from the chapter about "Related Knowledge on safe driving".
3) Can the driver be barefooted or shirtless while driving?
A. no, he can't
B. at night, he can
C. when its vehicle is running on highway he can
Correct answer: A
Ok, this was the theoretical test. In reality, traffic rules look very different. Close to no driver follows the rules. That is particulary clear for rules about when to blow horn, wait in line, use lights and pass other vehicles.
In a typical situation at a crossing, if one vehicle is waiting for a green light to make e.g. a right turn. Then the vehicle behind will blow horn several times when it approaches the car that has stopped and then pass on either the inside or outside of that car... Against the rules, of course!
All the best,
-- Olof
I passed the theoretical driving test that was required to transfer my driving license to a Chinese one. 100 points out of 100. Completed test in 26 minutes of maximum 45 minutes.
Some things were a bit tricky, for example the penalty point system and the different fine levels, as well as some of the signs. Overall, most questions are actually quite entertaining.
Let me share some of my favourites. The first one is related to "Driving with civility and profession ethics".
1) What should a driver do when he needs to spit while driving?
A. spit through the window
B. spit into a piece of waste paper, then put it into a garbage can
C. spit on the floor of the vehicle
Correct answer: B
The second one is in the category of "Laws, rules and regulations on road traffic safety".
2) All vehicle drivers, pedestrians, passengers and other people related to road traffic:
A. must obey "The Law of the P.R.C. on Road Traffic Safety."
B. can sometimes disobey "The Law of the P.R.C on Road Traffic Safety."
C. need not obey "The Law of the P.R.C on Road Traffic Safety.", only vehicle drivers must obey.
Correct answer: A
Finally, one example from the chapter about "Related Knowledge on safe driving".
3) Can the driver be barefooted or shirtless while driving?
A. no, he can't
B. at night, he can
C. when its vehicle is running on highway he can
Correct answer: A
Ok, this was the theoretical test. In reality, traffic rules look very different. Close to no driver follows the rules. That is particulary clear for rules about when to blow horn, wait in line, use lights and pass other vehicles.
In a typical situation at a crossing, if one vehicle is waiting for a green light to make e.g. a right turn. Then the vehicle behind will blow horn several times when it approaches the car that has stopped and then pass on either the inside or outside of that car... Against the rules, of course!
All the best,
-- Olof
2008-07-27
Weekends in Beijing
Wei, wei! Ni hao!
The last three weekends in Beijing have been really nice we must say. We have settled in pretty well and also found some good weekend activities.
Three weekends back, we did some sightseeing. We went to see the Forbidden City in Beijing. Most likely, this will not be the last visit there. It was crowded with people, but autumns or winter time are supposed to be better from that perspective.
Last weekend we had our non-official housewarming party. We invited a few friends and colleagues over for dinner in our apartment. Quite a small crowd, and very good atmosphere. We were not been able to have friends over for a meal in Sweden, since the apartment was too small for that. Here it worked out much better.
On Fridays, we try to leave work early if possible, usually around 5pm. We find a restaurant where we enjoy dinner and then we continue with some kind of performance/entertainment. So far we have seen musicals. Thereafter we finish the night with a wonderful foot or body massage. Around 1 pm we arrive back home and sleep very deep until Saturday morning.
Last weekend we went to see a Chinese action musical together with two other Ericsson colleagues - Anders and Andreas. We got free tickets from another Ericsson colleague. Really kind! The show was much better than what we had expected. The story was about the powerful Tang dynasty and the only(?) female emperor of China.
Last Friday we saw a Broadway musical - Hairspray. Not too bad! Still, we both found the Chinese musical better. So far we have no plans for next weekend. However, we found out that our landlady sponsors some shows, so that may open up for some good discounts in the future ;). There is a piano show coming up. But Riverdance is sold out already.
Hope you had a good weekend too!
Cheers!
Olof and Sam
The last three weekends in Beijing have been really nice we must say. We have settled in pretty well and also found some good weekend activities.
Three weekends back, we did some sightseeing. We went to see the Forbidden City in Beijing. Most likely, this will not be the last visit there. It was crowded with people, but autumns or winter time are supposed to be better from that perspective.
Last weekend we had our non-official housewarming party. We invited a few friends and colleagues over for dinner in our apartment. Quite a small crowd, and very good atmosphere. We were not been able to have friends over for a meal in Sweden, since the apartment was too small for that. Here it worked out much better.
On Fridays, we try to leave work early if possible, usually around 5pm. We find a restaurant where we enjoy dinner and then we continue with some kind of performance/entertainment. So far we have seen musicals. Thereafter we finish the night with a wonderful foot or body massage. Around 1 pm we arrive back home and sleep very deep until Saturday morning.
Last weekend we went to see a Chinese action musical together with two other Ericsson colleagues - Anders and Andreas. We got free tickets from another Ericsson colleague. Really kind! The show was much better than what we had expected. The story was about the powerful Tang dynasty and the only(?) female emperor of China.
Last Friday we saw a Broadway musical - Hairspray. Not too bad! Still, we both found the Chinese musical better. So far we have no plans for next weekend. However, we found out that our landlady sponsors some shows, so that may open up for some good discounts in the future ;). There is a piano show coming up. But Riverdance is sold out already.
Hope you had a good weekend too!
Cheers!
Olof and Sam
2008-07-12
Faaaaaaaaantastic weather today
Holi Cow! I can't help but to gasp at the faaaaaaaaaaantastic weather today in Beijing. The sky is clear and most amazingly, the air is CLEAR too! I can see clearly buildings miles away. With a rare flash of luck, the almight up there has blessed this city with good weather on a Saturday - a day where busy city dwellers like me and Olof left behind our work at office and enjoy the wonders that this city has to offer.
You probably have already noted that we mention the weather alot in our postings. I believe we echo the sentiments of other foreigners who came from relatively clean cities like Stockholm and Singapore that being able to see objects more than 500 meters away is not always a given. It is a blessing. And we should (and must) appreciate these blessings.
And to our friends in other parts of the world, we hope that you are having (or will have) a wonderful Saturday too. Stay tune for more postings from us as we blog from our mobile phones. Today's feature is the Forbidden City.
Cheers!
Sam
You probably have already noted that we mention the weather alot in our postings. I believe we echo the sentiments of other foreigners who came from relatively clean cities like Stockholm and Singapore that being able to see objects more than 500 meters away is not always a given. It is a blessing. And we should (and must) appreciate these blessings.
And to our friends in other parts of the world, we hope that you are having (or will have) a wonderful Saturday too. Stay tune for more postings from us as we blog from our mobile phones. Today's feature is the Forbidden City.
Cheers!
Sam
2008-07-05
A big effort, for nothing...
Hi!
This time I want to share a story that feels like it very well could happen again in some form somehow...
Monday to Wednesday this week we had an off-site activity at work. A typical management meeting to discuss vision, mission, strategies, goals and similar. I was briefly informed about the activity since quite some time back. It turned out though that I had missed out some important details, due to an email problem caused when transfering from Ericsson in Sweden to China.
I thought the venue for the meeting was an hour away - by car. However, on Friday the last working day before the trip, by coincidence I got to know that in fact it was an hour away - by airplane. Normally, this would not have caused a problem, but in this case I had handed in my passport to the authorities to get my residence permit.
An intensive effort began by my colleagues and department assistant to try to speed up the residence permit application process. And in the last minute, they actually managed to get my passport back (with the permit).
When we arrived at the airport, we got to know that the flight was one hour delayed. We checked in as usual, and then ordered a drink from an airport café while waiting. A heavy rain and thunder storm swept over the airport and we were actually quite happy that we were not in the airplane yet.
We got to know that the flight was further delayed (even though the storm was over). Finally, we walked to the gate. Still no boarding, and no other news about delays. After a few hours waiting, we saw that they started to unload the luggage. They announced in the speakers that the flight was cancelled.
Instead of waiting for a new flight the next day, we decided to take in at a hotel in Beijing instead. It was already close to 1 am at night when we check in to the hotel. And all that effort to get my passport back, for nothing...
Cheers, Olof
This time I want to share a story that feels like it very well could happen again in some form somehow...
Monday to Wednesday this week we had an off-site activity at work. A typical management meeting to discuss vision, mission, strategies, goals and similar. I was briefly informed about the activity since quite some time back. It turned out though that I had missed out some important details, due to an email problem caused when transfering from Ericsson in Sweden to China.
I thought the venue for the meeting was an hour away - by car. However, on Friday the last working day before the trip, by coincidence I got to know that in fact it was an hour away - by airplane. Normally, this would not have caused a problem, but in this case I had handed in my passport to the authorities to get my residence permit.
An intensive effort began by my colleagues and department assistant to try to speed up the residence permit application process. And in the last minute, they actually managed to get my passport back (with the permit).
When we arrived at the airport, we got to know that the flight was one hour delayed. We checked in as usual, and then ordered a drink from an airport café while waiting. A heavy rain and thunder storm swept over the airport and we were actually quite happy that we were not in the airplane yet.
We got to know that the flight was further delayed (even though the storm was over). Finally, we walked to the gate. Still no boarding, and no other news about delays. After a few hours waiting, we saw that they started to unload the luggage. They announced in the speakers that the flight was cancelled.
Instead of waiting for a new flight the next day, we decided to take in at a hotel in Beijing instead. It was already close to 1 am at night when we check in to the hotel. And all that effort to get my passport back, for nothing...
Cheers, Olof
2008-07-04
Rain, rain, rain and thunder and lightning
June is usually a hot month in Beijing. Hardly no rain. This year is different. Rain almost every day. And if it rains, it is always with lightning and thunder.
Is all the rain due to climate change? Or is it a pre-olympic phenomenen?
According to rumours, the Chinese authorities do everything they can to guarantee sunshine during the Olympic Games in August. They bombard the clouds with iodine crystals to make the water particles heavy enough to fall down as rain. Afterwards, the sun will shine for weeks.
Is that what we experience now? Is it a game with nature, where we have too little knowledge about the consequences? Or is the unusual weather already a consequence of our previous actions around the globe?
I heard August is usually a rainy month in Beijing. If we have sunshine at that time, then perhaps we can have a better guess about why we see the weather conditions that we see today.
The Lundstroemos
Is all the rain due to climate change? Or is it a pre-olympic phenomenen?
According to rumours, the Chinese authorities do everything they can to guarantee sunshine during the Olympic Games in August. They bombard the clouds with iodine crystals to make the water particles heavy enough to fall down as rain. Afterwards, the sun will shine for weeks.
Is that what we experience now? Is it a game with nature, where we have too little knowledge about the consequences? Or is the unusual weather already a consequence of our previous actions around the globe?
I heard August is usually a rainy month in Beijing. If we have sunshine at that time, then perhaps we can have a better guess about why we see the weather conditions that we see today.
The Lundstroemos
2008-06-29
Aaahhh!! 3 weeks already
Hello out there in the big world!
Olof here. This second blog, took two weeks to put together... Well, perhaps not, but we realized that we could not view our own first blog due to the Chinese sensorship. We considered changing to a local blog provider. Then we got to know that if we bought some proxy, we could get around the whole problem. We have not tried yet, but anyway, this blog could not wait any longer.
The last two weeks have had its ups and downs. The apartment is now finally looking the way we want it to look. It took really some effort to get there, having repair men drilling holes and fixing cracked tiles until 22.30 on Saturday night.
Yesterday, we started with the decorations, putting up pictures on the walls. When we selected the frames from IKEA, we brought some of my school paintings with us to get a better feeling for what would be a good match. Some of the Chinese customers saw my paintings and tried to buy them, hehee. They were not for sale!
This weekend was also the first one we had time for some social activities. Beijing is certainly more vibrant than Stockholm. I have not had many international visitors coming over to Stockholm, but in Beijing it took less than 3 weeks to meet the first one. We met up with some friends from the Europe-Asia Young Leaders Forum. One of them were here on a short business trip to plan for Euro-Asia Summit with the world´s big leaders. This seems to be the place where things happen ;).
I continue on the same topic, but this time about the Olympics. I may have bought two tickets for the table-tennis semifinals. More about that later.
Until next time, cheers everyone!
Olof here. This second blog, took two weeks to put together... Well, perhaps not, but we realized that we could not view our own first blog due to the Chinese sensorship. We considered changing to a local blog provider. Then we got to know that if we bought some proxy, we could get around the whole problem. We have not tried yet, but anyway, this blog could not wait any longer.
The last two weeks have had its ups and downs. The apartment is now finally looking the way we want it to look. It took really some effort to get there, having repair men drilling holes and fixing cracked tiles until 22.30 on Saturday night.
Yesterday, we started with the decorations, putting up pictures on the walls. When we selected the frames from IKEA, we brought some of my school paintings with us to get a better feeling for what would be a good match. Some of the Chinese customers saw my paintings and tried to buy them, hehee. They were not for sale!
This weekend was also the first one we had time for some social activities. Beijing is certainly more vibrant than Stockholm. I have not had many international visitors coming over to Stockholm, but in Beijing it took less than 3 weeks to meet the first one. We met up with some friends from the Europe-Asia Young Leaders Forum. One of them were here on a short business trip to plan for Euro-Asia Summit with the world´s big leaders. This seems to be the place where things happen ;).
I continue on the same topic, but this time about the Olympics. I may have bought two tickets for the table-tennis semifinals. More about that later.
Until next time, cheers everyone!
2008-06-15
First week in Beijing
Ojojoj!
One week has quickly passed since we arrived in Beijing.
We have moved in to our brand new apartment, and somewhat settled down a little. Well, the flooding in the bathroom is still not fixed, but the leakage in the kitchen is settled. The toilet water pre-paid card has been topped up, so it should last for another few flushes...
Can you imagine that we have to top up six different utilities meters: toilet water, warm water in the bathrooms, warm water in the kitchen, electricity, gas, and cold water. Hope we won´t forget too many times ;). Maybe our new ayi (cleaning helper) can support us a bit here.
Olof has started at his job at Ericsson and Sam starts her new job at IKEA tomorrow. We have already done some shopping at IKEA, and more will come. The apartment has to yet be fully furnished, and we have spent quite some time checking out different stores that suit our tastes.
Food! Finding quality food is not easy, not at least if you don´t want to pay a much higher price than in Sweden. Check out Jenny Lou's! The same can of crushed tomatoes cost 3rmb more than carrefour! Anyway, we are continuing sussing out the cheapest grocery bargains in town and try to eat home-sweet-home cooked food (read: Sam).
We have also tested the gym facilities close to our apartment in order to quickly get back to our healthy life style and not denigrate into lumps of corpulent human flesh. So, first orange juice in the morning and then enough sleep at night. Now regular sport activities.
That´s our short summary of the first week.
Stay beautiful, you!
Sam and Olof
One week has quickly passed since we arrived in Beijing.
We have moved in to our brand new apartment, and somewhat settled down a little. Well, the flooding in the bathroom is still not fixed, but the leakage in the kitchen is settled. The toilet water pre-paid card has been topped up, so it should last for another few flushes...
Can you imagine that we have to top up six different utilities meters: toilet water, warm water in the bathrooms, warm water in the kitchen, electricity, gas, and cold water. Hope we won´t forget too many times ;). Maybe our new ayi (cleaning helper) can support us a bit here.
Olof has started at his job at Ericsson and Sam starts her new job at IKEA tomorrow. We have already done some shopping at IKEA, and more will come. The apartment has to yet be fully furnished, and we have spent quite some time checking out different stores that suit our tastes.
Food! Finding quality food is not easy, not at least if you don´t want to pay a much higher price than in Sweden. Check out Jenny Lou's! The same can of crushed tomatoes cost 3rmb more than carrefour! Anyway, we are continuing sussing out the cheapest grocery bargains in town and try to eat home-sweet-home cooked food (read: Sam).
We have also tested the gym facilities close to our apartment in order to quickly get back to our healthy life style and not denigrate into lumps of corpulent human flesh. So, first orange juice in the morning and then enough sleep at night. Now regular sport activities.
That´s our short summary of the first week.
Stay beautiful, you!
Sam and Olof
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