Fire Goat Earth Monkey

Fondling in Thailand

2011-02-19T22:18:00.001+08:00

In Bangkok over Chinese New Year, we stayed at the Sukhothai Hotel, where Anne and I started our honeymoon in 2002. Returning to your honeymoon destination is, at best, like trying to reheat a soufflé. Returning with your children is like trying to reheat a soufflé in an oven without a flame.

One breakfast, the girls sat on a Thai silk covered bench and Anne told them, “Clean your hands before fondling the upholstery.” That line sums up our stage of parenting. We are beyond saying, “Don’t fondle the upholstery” since saying “Don’t” is a waste of letters on five and a half year olds. We are at least trying to do the right thing by recommending clean hands fondling, which will serve them well throughout their lives.

Ollie and Zoe enjoyed visiting the temples, cruising then sleeping on long-tail boats down the Chao Praya River, zipping around town in Tuk-tuks and being the loudest twosome in the pool. Apologies to the poolside honeymooners and adults trying to read and sleep. No use telling the girls to be quiet. Instead, I had them work on swimming underwater.

I enjoyed answering Ollie and Zoe’s questions as we toured the Grand Palace, sat together in the golden hall of the Emerald Buddha and watched the girls and Anne drop coins in the 108 alms bowls running along the back of the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho.

Anne and I did manage to enjoy couple of quiet cocktails together the last night of our stay at the hotel’s outdoor bar. Ollie and Zoe were asleep on the deep, white cushions after a day of sightseeing and swimming. As we talked, I was reminded how wonderful Anne is. Even though the soufflé did not have a chance to reheat, those romantic ingredients are still there. And, yes, we did clean the girls’ hands with the lemongrass-scented hand towels before they curled up and fondled the upholstery.

"D" is for Disaster, DangDang and a few other Choice Words

2011-01-18T21:49:00.001+08:00

One thing I love about living in China is it is never dull.

Today, started with a shocking China tweet about DangDang's CEO f-bombing, more like f-carpet bombing, Morgan Stanley via his personal Sina Weibo account. Weibo is China's version of Twitter and DangDang is a younger, smaller version of Amazon.

DangDang co-founder and CEO Li Guoqing was very unhappy with way Morgan Stanley priced his company's recent NYSE IPO. This past weekend he had to let all that anger out. Most executives would do it in private, but Mr. Li let more the more than 400 million internet users in China know exactly how he felt about Morgan Stanley. His rant spread like wildfire, was translated into English and picked up by media across the world. Good summaries of the meltdown on TechRice and the Wall Street Journal's China Realtime Report. (Note - plenty of adult words in these summaries.)

By noon today, everyone in my office was talking about Mr. Li's posts and his choice of words. His outburst was not the worst one they had seen in the past few years, but it may be the biggest flamer on Weibo to date.

It will be interesting to see what happens to Mr. Li. In the US, he'd be fired before the end of the week, but in China it's unclear what will happen to him.

Like I said, it is never "D" dull in China.

Visit to the Linden Centre

2011-01-15T13:13:00.002+08:00

Linden Centre at night

To start 2011, we spent five nights at the Linden Centre just north of Dali in Yunnan Province. The blue skies and much warmer temperatures were a nice break from the Siberian winds that punish Beijing from November until May.

Zoe and Ollie in horse cart

The Linden Centre is the brilliant concept of an American couple that found and renovated a mansion in the tiny village of Xizhou. Brian and Jeanee are wonderful hosts, making you feel like you are guests in their home rather than guests at a hotel. Guests chat between tables during meals, kids pile into the movie room after dinner, and parents are always within earshot from the well-stocked library and the Wi-Fi enabled bar that separates the mansion’s two courtyards. The verandah at sunset is absolutely peaceful.

Zoe, Craig and Ollie on Cangshan Mountain

Highlights for the girls included watching cormorant fishing on Erhai Lake, taking a gondola up to Cangshan Mountain and going for a short hike, and driving the horse cart that carried us around Xizhou village and to visit temples every afternoon.

We had heard about the Linden Centre for several years, and it was everything we expected it to be.

2010 In Review

2010-12-18T16:44:00.000+08:00

Ollie and Zoe continued their full-day, bilingual kindergarten program at the Montessori School of Beijing, and are happy as the older girls in class. Helping the three and four year-olds builds their confidence and places them at the center of gang of one-meter tall girls with straight bangs on the playground.

Confidence leads to constant question, such as, “Where did I come from?” and lots and lots of “Whys?”. Baking, piano and swimming lessons keep them busy during the week. Coloring, riding their scooters and dreaming about becoming princesses consume the remaining hours of their days.

For Chinese New Year, we went for a beach holiday in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Our week in the sun consisted of swimming, eating and sleeping -- that was it. A wonderful, peaceful holiday.

In March, Craig started a consulting project with Burson-Marsteller, a global public relations, government relations and public affairs agency. In June, Craig converted to full-time with Burson-Marsteller, working with a wide range of technology companies.

In June, Craig took Ollie and Zoe to Mattoon to visit his parents and his sister’s family. It was a full dose of Americana with baseball games, corn, tomatoes and good conversations.

In August, Craig and Anne went on a weeklong trip through Tibet, taking in the Yogurt Festival at the Drepung Monestary in Lhasa, the Horse Festival in Nagchu, and many days surrounded by towering mountains and warm-hearted Buddhists.

In October, Craig’s parents visited Beijing. We went to Xian to see the Terracotta Warriors and eat Xian’s famous noodles. This was Craig’s parents first trip back to Beijing after visiting in May of 1989 during the Tiananmen Square demonstrations. They were stunned by the changes in the city.

Anne’s work has been steady and rewarding, which we are all very thankful for. In the fall, she extended her contract for another two years, which sees us here until Dec 2012.

We will spend Christmas in Beijing. Ollie and Zoe are tuned in to the Christmas frequency and have asked for lots of princess clothing, jewelry and crowns from Santa Claus. Craig tried to sell the idea of a science kit or a skateboard, but was rebuffed. One must try.

We always enjoy hosting friends who visit Beijing. Please consider putting China on your travel plan for 2011.

And Then They Were Five and a Half

2010-12-03T22:07:00.000+08:00

So, ok, it's been a while. Just a bit under five months, but who's counting.

Actually, a lot of you are counting because you email or tell me, "Hey Craig, when are you going to update your blog." Well, here's my answer - today.

Here's what's been going on:

Girls started back to bilingual pre-school in August, and love it. Singing, baking, crafts, letters and Chinese characters.
My parent visited for two great weeks in October. Great dinners and talks, a trip to Xian, and visits to the major and quite a few of the sites we love but ones not on the tourist maps. Ollie and Zoe now call our spare bedroom Granny and Papa's room.
We took a fun weekend roadtrip to Shanhaiguan where the Great Wall enters the ocean. On the way back we had a picnic at the Eastern Qing Tombs. Photos here.
Chis Zender is in China now. Anne and I both enjoy her company.
Anne's work is good and so is mine. Too much work though, but these days too much is way better than not enough.
Georgia turns 10 in a few days. She sleeps in a sunny spot while we run all over Beijing and China for school, work, lessons and good food. She's got the life.

I'm spending a lot more time on Twitter than I am on my blog. 140 characters is about all I have time for.

Do get in touch if you are coming to Beijing. Always good to see friends.

Look for another update soon. It feels nice to post again.

And then they were five

2010-07-15T22:11:00.001+08:00

Ollie and Zoe turned five last week. It capped of a month of parties, cakes and gifts. On their birthday, we took them out for their favorite meal, Beijing Duck.

We gave the girls pink Razor scooters and they can't ride them enough. The day after her birthday Ollie faked a tummy ache so she could ride her scooter before breakfast.

Zoe was pleased to receive princess clothing to add to her growing collection. For Zoe this is great because she is a princess, and has decided she will be one when she grows up. I have no doubt she will be.

They enjoy dancing and singing, in Chinese or English depending who is in their audience. Anne and I play supporting roles in many of their performances. The Sound of Music's "So Long, Farewell" is a favorite.

The big difference I notice at five is their new scooters enable them to ride away from us. For three years, they've been right beside us. Its fascinating to watch them grow. And, now we reach for six.

A Heaping Spoonful of Americana

2010-07-01T11:31:00.000+08:00

Ollie, Zoe and I traveled to the US last week to stay with my sister and her family and to see my parents. It was full-on family and full-on America - all of it great.

My nephew's kid-pitch baseball team was in the playoffs so we spent three nights at the ballpark. Ollie and Zoe had never seen a baseball game, but did get to run the electronic scoreboard. "B" for ball and "S" for strike and the lights lit up on the outfield scoreboard. Post-game ice cream cones at the original Burger King were a huge hit too.

My niece is a year and a bit older than Ollie and Zoe, so they giggled, squealed and chased each other every waking hour. The used up so much energy by the end of the week they took a four hour nap lined up like pencils in king-sized bed.

Dinner at the Firefly Grill & Restaurant in Effingham was delicious. Always good to eat produce that is picked from an on-site garden.

It was also great to spend time talking to my sister and parents and catching up with friends in Chicago the night before our flight home.

Corn and soybeans in the fields, the smell of cut grass, the 'tink' of a baseball off an aluminum bat, jammed six to a booth at Burger King with ice cream cones, laughing, joking, and the familiar smiles and voices of family and friends have all come back with me to Beijing. Wonderful.

Tiananmen Square, June 4, 2010

2010-06-09T07:51:00.002+08:00

Tiananmen Square, June 4, 2010
Originally uploaded by cadams623.

Last Friday, I went down to Tiananmen Square to check out the scene.

Similar to any other day, Chinese and Western tour groups posed for pictures with Mao's painting on Tiananmen's Gate in the background, entrepreneurial photographers with portable printers hawked their instant photo services to couples, and drink and popsicle vendors did a brisk business in the summer's heat.

All appeared to be normal until I saw bunches of bright red umbrellas. They were not covering people fearful of a tan, rather, they were shading undercover security forces who where there to deal with any form of protest or remembrance.

In the center of the Square, groups of 5-6 men wore matching shirts and shaded themselves with bright red umbrellas. There were blue shirt cells, white shirt cells, and my favorite, the flaming pink shirt cells, a color so bright you could pick them out from the window seat of a transpacific flight.

Down the east edge of Tiananmen Square, larger groups of 10-12 men in matching shirts stood under umbrellas, texting on their mobile phones, waiting for their next break. I walked off the distance between the groups and discovered they were spaced 75m apart. Again, a well thought through component of their undercover plans perfectly complimenting their matching shirts.

Twenty-one years later, June 4th is still a sensitive day. Black-clad SWAT teams guard major intersections across town, the Internet is throttled back so searching and browsing takes longer, and this year, Foursquare, a location based social networking site, was blocked, joining China's list of undesirables, which include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and many others.

Twenty-one years later, I'll still remember the time I spent in Beijing in late May 1989. I remember the people, the marches, the flags, the excitement and the chaos. It's an experience I will never forget.

What a difference

2010-05-05T13:58:00.001+08:00

This past weekend, we visited the ancient, walled city of Pingyao in China's Shanxi Province (pictures here). To add to the experience, we booked four soft-sleeper beds on an overnight train from Beijing.

In 1989, I traveled extensively through China on the trains and was prepared for a similar experience this trip. The train was the same, antimacassars over the benches, heavy comforters, well-used white Formica table, silver thermos and frilly blinds.

What I wasn't prepared for was the transformation of the train stations. In 1989, the train stations were halls of mayhem with poor signs and no services. It's still mayhem, but now you have great signage and McDonalds, KFC, Kung Fu Fast Food, bookstores, and electronic stores. No duty-free, but its headed that direction.

Based on my 21-year train-riding experience gap, I had Anne bring a bag full of snacks for the trip. As I sat in McDonalds eating our pre-boarding dinner with that bag of useless food leaned up against our bags, I watched Chinese travelers surf the web on their laptops and share ear buds to listen to music on their iPhones. These newly affluent travelers reinforced the significance of the massive changes China has gone through in the past two decades.

On the trains today, gone are the Mao suits, gone is the playing the "East is Red" as your wake-up call. Instead, its a nation of 780 million mobile phone users with 174 million of them surfing the web from their phones who ride trains for weekend holidays and mid-week business commutes.

China is rapidly advancing by a tidal wave of government directed capitalism, which is both awesome and frightening. Its also why in my lifetime China will become the world's largest economy, resuming its rightful place in the world's economy. One plus billion people working hard to improve their lives will rocket past the US's and EU's populations that are a fraction of China's size and are tapped out. For a great TED talk on China's and India's development, check out Hans Rosling's video here.

Life is China may be chaotic, but its a beautiful, annoying, invigorating form a chaos and wonderful to observe.

Storms and Coverage

2010-03-30T21:17:00.004+08:00

It’s been a week of storms and interesting coverage.

On Saturday, March 20, Beijing had a relatively minor sandstorm, which generated a surprising large amount of coverage in the US. Friends emailed to see how we were doing, more so than during the tainted milk scandal. In the spring, sandstorms are a common occurrence in Beijing because north China is very arid and the closest dunes are less than 75 Km away.

On Monday, March 22, the gathering storm over Google’s business model in China broke when Google re-directed its .cn website to its .hk website in Hong Kong. Since Google’s blog post in January where they stated their intention not to censor search results in China, shutting down their .cn site was widely expected. It was unexpected that they would re-direct the traffic to their .hk website and shift the onus of censorship back on China. The impact to those of us in China that use Google’s search engine, gmail or other Google apps has been minimal. The Great Firewall of China still does what it did before, it blocks sites the Party deems to be sensitive or out of sync with the their view of history, society and the world.

Google’s commercial spat with China and its spillover into a bi-lateral political slanging match between the US and China has been covered by countless megabytes of bits and barrels of ink. What I have yet to see is an article on what I consider to be the root cause of the problem, but an all too common one that occurs when businesses enter China.

In 2006, Google knew when it set up its .cn website in China that the government required significant censorship of web searches, yet Google sacrificed their beliefs in freedom of speech and access to information to profit from the hundreds of millions of Internet users in China. In China, the market is littered with remnants of foreign firms that set up shop, do a deal they would never ever do in their home country, and then pull out because they can’t live with the deal they made.

Google could have, and should have, set up their simplified Chinese search business in Hong Kong to start with. Even though Hong Kong is part of China, under the One-Country, Two-System policy that governs Hong Kong’s post-handover to China, Hong Kong’s business rules, including freedom of speech, are different from those in Mainland China. If Google set up their search business in Hong Kong from the start, China would have censored Google’s search results just like they censor Yahoo’s, Microsoft’s or any other search engine. A Hong Kong base would have given Google a footprint in China from where they could have expanded with sales offices, or maybe an R&D facility, in China. This structure would have allowed them to operate more in line with their business principles. Instead, last week Google made a messy retreat from China, caused an international commercial and political firestorm, and shut themselves out of lucrative business relationships in China for many years to come.

Let me be clear, China’s censorship of the Internet is an outrageous, immature policy that will collapse in my lifetime just like the Berlin Wall did. Every single day, I am frustrated by China’s Internet censorship policies. Google needs to offer a simplified Chinese search engine. I just wish they would have thought through the implications of their China strategy before they jettisoned their principles to chase the dragon.

The only reason you are seeing this piece from me in China is because I have a VPN, which allows me to tunnel through China’s Great Firewall. Citizens of China don’t have that luxury because it requires a foreign credit card and a overseas mailing address.

For a great article on how China censors the Internet, read James Fallows’ piece here.

The Problem with Fox

2010-03-19T21:05:00.003+08:00

At dinner, Ollie said “fox” and Anne and I stopped eating. I asked Ollie to repeat that word, and she did, confidently saying “fox”. Zoe watched us with wide-open eyes. The issue was fox sounded like “fok” with a slightly off “o”, which, to our ears, sounded like she f-bombed the dinner table.

When I was just a bit older than Ollie and Zoe, I surprised my parents and sister by f-bombing the dinner table. I don’t remember who I heard the phrase from, but for no apparent reason at dinner I said “Fuck a duck”. Big words from a little guy and a horrible thing to happen to a duck.

Similar to our experience with Ollie, the table went silent. My mom asked me where I learned that phrase and I told her “at school”. She told me that phrase was very naughty and I wasn’t ever to say it again. To drive home the point, she told me the phrase was dirtier than “shit, damn or hell”, other bad words I must have known.

I have learned from parenting corrections often have unintended consequences. In my case, after f-bombing the dinner table, we went to see my grandparents. As soon as I entered their house, I found my grandpa and said “I know a bad word that mom says is dirtier than shit, damn and hell and it rhymes with truck”. Grandpa Howell, being a character himself, burst out laughing. Upside from me, I knew the f-bomb was a very bad word, downside for my parents, I confirmed it elicited strong reactions, including tear-producing laughter.

Ollie and Zoe haven’t used any bad words yet, but I know it will come. For now, they consider “fire” to be a bad word. Fire, as used in, “I will set you on fire” or “I will set your stuff on fire”. They will not tell us who they learned this phrase from, but it appears be the main put down on the playground.

For now, my guard is up as it will only be a matter of time before Ollie and Zoe start dropping bombs. I’ll just have to remember not to compare them to the repertoire of swear words I mastered on the playground.

I Spit

2010-03-04T21:29:00.002+08:00

Twins are competitive. Today, we reached a new level that almost made me crash my car.

It started at first sight in the kitchen. Ollie got to me first making Zoe upset. Next, they competed to see who could cut their PB&J toasts into the smallest pieces possible. Then, it was who could get their shoes on fastest, who could zip their coat and put on their gloves, then who was buckled into their car seat.

On the drive to school, the girls were in a dead heat when Ollie said, “I spit in Beijing”. The girls haven’t learned how to say “throw up”, instead they say “spit”. Spitting is recent phenomenon in our house. Zoe rebutted, “I spit in Beijing too”. Ollie countered with, “I spit the most”. Which is true, and an interesting feat of science, because a half a cup of milk one morning at breakfast somehow transformed itself in seconds into a quart, which covered a large part of our kitchen floor.

Hearing this, Zoe went quiet. I thought she was conceding defeat. Then, slowly, but with rising confidence she said, “I spit in Malaysia”. Ollie knew she was beat for Zoe had spit in two countries. Ollie had no choice but to cry.

Me, being a mature, responsible adult, did my best swallow my laughter, but I did veer very close to a bus as I doubled over. I recovered in time to get the girls safely to school and for me to live another day to see what they will get up to next.

Proud

2010-02-22T22:12:00.002+08:00

This past weekend, my dad was honored as Mattoon Chamber of Commerce's 2010 Citizen of the Year Award. I a very proud of him and his accomplishments. Click here to see an article about his award and what he has accomplished.

While I was in the US over Christmas this past year, I was shocked by the number of people who were upset by Tiger Wood's behavior. Most often, I heard they were disappointed in Tiger because he was a tarnished role model. I found this a bit strange. Tiger is an excellent golfer, period. He's not a financial whiz, nor, I expect a great chef, he's just the best golfer of his era.

As I collect role models for certain aspects of my life, I'd like to present and innovate like Steve Jobs, invest like Warren Buffet, write like Michael Ondaatje, opine like Thomas Friedman and build businesses and communities like my dad. To me, those are role models I can count on.

Congratulations dad, I'm very proud of you!

Dining with Ballerinas

2010-02-21T11:46:00.003+08:00

I dine with Ballerinas. In fact, I dine with them almost every night.

This semester, Olivia and Zoe take ballet after school, and they can barely wait for their Thursday afternoon class.

Olivia, whose mind is like a steel trap, reminds us to bring her’s and Zoe’s ballet outfits to school every Thursday morning. Both girls come home from school with their winter clothes over their pink tights, pink unitards with a sewn-in pink tutus. In the hour before dinner, the girls practice their new moves with giggles and tumbles adding to their performance.

Thursday night's dinner is a retina onslaught of pinkness that overwhelms the Chinese dishes on our table. Not content to spend just one meal in pink, Zoe changes into her ballet outfit every day after school and keeps it on until we peel it off her and plop her in the tub. Olivia, who likes brown and green more than pink, only joins Zoe as an in-home ballerina once or twice a week.

They dance and twirl with rice and noodles smashed into their pink tutus. Generally, I’m not a fan of the ballet, but I’m a fan of this one.

Fishing with T-man

2010-01-21T16:57:00.002+08:00

We spent the holidays in the US visiting family in Florida and Texas and friends in California. It was great to see everyone but one day stood out - the day I went fishing with Travis, my nephew, and Paul, my brother-in-law.

It was Travis', or T-man to me, first time to fish from a boat using a casting reel. Paul set up a guided day-trip with Sea and Stream Outfitter's Austin Lowder in the flats around Boca Grande, Florida.

Travis had first-timer luck to a degree I could never have imagined. He caught a fish on his first cast and just about every cast thereafter until he'd reeled in 20 snook and redfish. Paul and I trailed him with 11 fish between us.

We moved to a different spot where T-man landed a huge 10+ pound redfish - the largest of the day. He kept casting and reeling them in. He was on fire and Paul and I weren't doing too badly either.

By early afternoon we exhausted our live bait and switched to lures. The fish didn't seem to mind what we were using. By the end of the day, T-man and Paul had caught and released more than 80 fish between them and I was happy with just over 30.

It was great to spend time with my nephew catching fish, watching osprey, buzzards and egrets and seeing through his eyes how much fun the outdoors can be. We'll do it again T-man.

I Want Dou Dou

2009-07-06T21:27:00.005+08:00

We are in the middle of a transition - post-daytime diaper but not beyond the accident stage. Several months ago at least one, sometimes both of the girls would pee their pants every Monday at school. The troubling part was Ollie regarded peeing her pants as funny.

The girls are motivated by food and we decided to change their pants-peeing behavior by bribing them with a treat if they made it through school without an accident.

The first day Ollie and Zoe came home dry. After we returned from work we rewarded them with one jellybean each. They were very excited and proud to have earned a dou dou, Mandarin for “little bean”.

The second day Ollie peed her pants. We steeled ourselves for the conversation and gave Zoe her jellybean. For the better part of an hour Ollie went bezerk - crying, screaming, rolling around on the ground - inconsolable. When Anne and I went to bed we said to each other there was no way Ollie would pee her pants the next day.

The next day I worked from our den, which is located at the front of the house. As soon as Ollie rounded the corner and caught sight of me she started screaming over and over again “No pee-pee pants, No pee-pee pants.” By the time I got to the front door, Ollie had jumped out of the stroller, pulled her dress up to under her arms and was running in circles in the front yard still screaming “No pee-pee pants, No pee-pee pants.”

When I finally convinced her to stop running around and put her dress down she walked up to me and with a deadly serious look said “Give me dou dou NOW!” There wasn’t going to be any wait until mom gets home. Diversionary tactics were futile. It was produce a dou dou or get ready for another hour of bezerkness. And so, we had jellybeans before lunch.

For the most part, dou dous reigned in the accidents at school, but now we are faced with weaning them off the bribe and, most likely, more bezerkness.

[Ed. note. I wrote this blog just as China blocked access to blogger. Thankfully, we weaned them off of dou dous with very little bezerkness.]

Surfacing

2009-07-04T12:59:00.002+08:00

We are in California for a several week visit with family and friends. Now that I am out of China, I also have access to Blogger.

Since mid-April, China blocked access to Blogger in the run up to the one-year anniversary of the crackdown in Tibet in early May and the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4. One of these events would have made the Boys of Beijing nervous, but both anniversaries occurring within 30 days of each other kicked their heavy-handed responses into overdrive.

I've tried to use proxy services in China to access Blogger, but most fail, proving China's Internet filtering capabilities are becoming more sophisticated. For a good article on how China's executes their net censorship, read James Fallow's piece here.

I've thrown in the towel on free proxy services and will now pay for a personal VPN service. The service will give me access to Blogger, Hotmail, Flickr and all those other sites China deems to be "harmful to the people".

It's nice to be back. And to those net censors that toil away in China I'll sign off by saying, you can block it, but you can't block me!

NASCAR at 30 Kilometers per hour

2009-03-17T19:08:00.007+08:00

It is said that each day in Beijing more than 1,000 new cars hit the road. Not wanting to miss out on the action, I took the plunge last year, got my Chinese driver’s license and bought a car.

So far I have survived Beijing’s roads without incident. It is a white knuckled ride most days - thankfully at 30 Km/hr. I’ve come to learn and appreciate the rules of the road here. Here are some of my discoveries.

Right of way: Every driver is right and every driver knows the way, therefore there is a right of way and it’s my way. Stopping on a road or highway is understandable because you might be lost and why not take a minute or two to figure out where you are. Backing up into oncoming traffic is the best way to get back to that intersection or off ramp that you overshot. There’s not telling how long or what roads you might have to drive to get back to the place you wanted to be.

Value of a Sunroof: Many intersections in China are equipped with video surveillance. Blowing through a red light or making an illegal turn will result in points being deducted from your license. The sunroof comes into play when you are at an intersection and crane your neck to look up through the sunroof to check for cameras. No cameras, just blow on through. Re-read the Right of Way bit above to understand why this is OK.

No look lane change: Since everyone here is hustling to get ahead, everyone changes lanes when they see the slightest of openings. I’ve learned to nudge my way between buses, out jockey taxis and make military license-plated vehicles stand down for my dual car seat family mobile. When I make my move, I no longer look in my blind spot, I just go – another move defensible by the Right of Way bit.

The best part of driving is more of Beijing is now accessible to me. I pile the girls into the car every Sunday morning for our adventures of discovery and, as a family, we get outside of Beijing to the see the Great Wall and get a fresh air break.

For those of you visiting us in Beijing, I will pick you up at the airport. Just put on your seatbelt and get ready to experience the Chinese right of way.

To Zoe, From Zain

2009-02-19T21:24:00.005+08:00

And so it beings. Zoe received a Valentine's Day card from a boy in her class and now there is new dynamic in our house.

Zoe proudly shows us Zain's card - a card she won't let Ollie hold. Zoe tells us Zain is her friend, but is quick to say Zain is not Ollie's friend. On the way to school Zoe tells me she is going to see Zain. When I get home from work, Zoe tells me she that she saw Zain.

Through these conversations I see my future unrolling in front of me. "XX (insert name of boy here) is my friend/boyfriend.""I can't wait to see XX at school/the game/the mall/the party." "I want to play with/talk on the phone with/meet up with XX."

Ollie is not phased by Zoe's infatuation with Zain or his card. I assume it's only a matter of time before Ollie starts talking about YY.

As for me, I'm taking a deep breath because I know this is going to be a recurring topic for a long, long time.

What Happened

2009-01-19T12:12:00.005+08:00

“What happened” is one of the girls’ favorite phrases. They learned it from Anne who apparently uses it a lot around the girls. It’s used to answer the daily questions of why are they crying, how did that get broken and how did they write on the wall.

The phrase also helps me understand how I got from December 1st to mid-January. It’s been a blur. Too much work, a wonderful, but quick Christmas holiday with my family in Maui, the girls starting school again, and work picking right back up where I left it when I scrambled out the door for our Christmas holiday.

Maui with my family was great. We spent many hours in the pool swimming and playing on the slides. Travis and my dad became masters of the big kid enclosed water slide. Anne and I each had our fair share of trips down the smaller slide with Ollie and Zoe.

It was great to watch my family play with the girls and to see the cousins laugh and play together. Anne and I enjoyed eating freshly caught seafood and not worrying about food quality issues. Since it’s below freezing in Beijing, it was also nice to be warm again.

Our next family trip to the US will be in July. Something tells me with the way 2008 ended and 2009 began, between now and July, it will be a blur best explained by “What Happened”.

A Great Piece of Ass

2008-12-12T11:17:00.003+08:00

One reason I enjoy living overseas is that I get to do things that I don't have the opportunity to do back home. Recently I had one of those opportunities - I had a great piece of ass.

It was truly great ass. The buns were perfect and they fit nicely in the palm of my hand. Best of all, it came with a tasty bowl of soup and cost just under $2.

Donkey meat is a wintertime favorite in northern China. My friends explained a donkey's blood circulation slows in winter permitting the meat to soak up more nutrients, thus making it better for you. I have no idea if there is any truth to this widely held belief.

The lean meat was served in a slightly crispy, hot bun. If I was told I was eating lean corned beef, I would have believed it. At times the meat had a strong flavor, but not overpowering.

Asia is a wonderful place for adventurous eating and I love having the opportunity to do so.

Flying to Granny

2008-12-10T12:14:00.002+08:00

The girls are all fired up about flying to Maui to meet my family for Christmas.

Every night after work the girls pack bags for the trip - Anne's overnight roll-aboard and my briefcase. They they pull those bags and us into the kitchen, shut the door and we play airplane. Ollie gives us our instructions, makes us buckle our seat belts and makes us sit properly on the floor.

We hold hands on take off and landing as they pretend they are scared. Sometimes the girls will even give us a magazine to read. This week they brought couch cushions into the kitchen to make our hour of sitting on the tile floor more comfortable.

When we ask the girls where we are going, they respond "to see Granny". Now every time Anne returns from an business trip, which they know means a plane trip, they ask Anne if she saw Granny.

We're hoping with all the airplane play the girls be more prepared for air travel. Then again, who is really ready for a full day of flying and three plane changes to get to Maui. At least they know Granny will be there.

Explaining Obama

2008-11-11T16:58:00.004+08:00

Barack's electoral landslide victory made me very happy. When the girls came home for lunch, I did my best to explain the election's significance.

I told them for the first time in US history a minority had been elected president. I told them about my childhood when it was beyond possibility that anyone other than a Caucasian male would be president of the US. I let them know their grandparents had grown up in a time when people of color were required to use separate entrances to buildings, drink from different water fountains and sit in the back of the bus. Barack's election proved the color of your skin could not hold you back from achieving your goals.

By shattering the race barrier to the White House, Barack also paved the way for women to ascend to the presidency. I told them by the time they attend college, they should expect a female president in the Oval Office and a first husband hosting barbecue's in the Rose Garden.

I let them know we would have a little less money next year because we would need to pay more taxes. This might mean fewer toys and less meals out, but our taxes would support a forward-looking national energy policy, health care coverage for most citizens, and other investments in education, scientific research and our national infrastructure. I explained in order to grow you needed to invest just like going to school was an investment in their future.

I told them Barack was not afraid to stand up and speak out for the things he believed in. I told them how he was one of the very few people in government who opposed the invasion of Iraq. Even though his arguments fell on deaf ears at the time, his opposition to the invasion was right on the mark. I told them when they saw something wrong they should speak up.

I also told them Barack pledged to repair our severely damaged international relationships by communicating and working with governments around the world. Much in the same way that they must share in their kindergarten class, help others, listen when others are speaking and clean up after they make a mess, a good president must do the same.

For the better part of 45 minutes, I went on telling that what a momentous election this was and what they could expect to see in their lifetime. While I spoke, they ate and listened. They raised their eyebrows when I explained the current administration's justification of torture and became wide-eyed when I told them about them telling lies and fear mongering to hoodwink the populace. In our household hitting and biting, let alone water boarding, are not acceptable behaviors. Likewise, lying is a very naughty.

When I was done talking, I asked them what they thought. Zoe fidgeted in her chair. Ollie held out her bowl and said "More soup?"

Bested, I retrieved the soup pot from the kitchen and refilled their bowls. While they worked through their second bowls, I told them that I hoped they would stand up for the things they believed in, be honest, cooperate and not hurt other people. I also told them they could become anything they wanted to be, they should chase their dreams and that Anne and I would encourage and support them all along the way. At that point they both smiled and I did too.

Reciprocate

2008-11-07T21:19:00.003+08:00

On Sunday we took the girls to an organic farm and then for lunch at the farm's restaurant. We had a great time at the farm and a great, issue-free lunch - 7 enjoyable hours (up at 6a.m., nap at 1p.m.).

When I put Zoe down for her nap, I told her how much I enjoyed our trip to the farm, that she was a wonderful daughter and that I loved her very much. She smiled sweetly and then kicked me in the face.

Hey, it was 7 enjoyable hours - well beyond the fight, cry, or injury time frame of a normal day. Maybe to Zoe, a kick to the face was her way of reciprocating my love.

Halloween Beijing 2008

2008-11-04T17:03:00.001+08:00

Zoe, Craig and Ollie
Originally uploaded by cha3701.

It was a big night in the neighborhood. In our expat enclave, homes were decorated with spiders, witches and pumpkins, children were dressed up and the candy haul was tremendous. Some children rode Razor scooters to cover more homes in a shorter amount of time.

Ollie and Zoe had a great time going from house to house collecting candy. Back at home, the girls stayed outside looking at all the costumed kids visiting our house. Zoe pitched in and passed out candy while Ollie focused on eating what was in her bag.

At the end of the evening after probably too much candy, we told them they could have just one more piece. Zoe grabbed one from her pile and was happy with her selection. Ollie carefully looked through her entire pile and selected a full size candy bar. Proving once again she may be young, but she's savvy (she did dress up as a lion).

It was a great night in Beijing for Zoe, our organic banana, and Ollie, our lion.

Get Your Requests In

2008-10-24T17:33:00.003+08:00

We're doing fine in Beijing. Winter is almost here and each day requires one more layer of clothes.

We've just had the last known visitor to Beijing leave yesterday. Friends and family are making plans to visit next year. The first half of May and Christmas are already spoken for. We plan to visit the US the first two weeks of July.

If you are considering visiting us in Beijing in 2009, please shoot me an email and I'll put your name on the sign up sheet. Our Great Wall, Beijing Duck and foot massage tour goes like clockwork.

We'd love to see you here next year.

Returning to a New Home

2008-10-09T15:49:00.005+08:00

This past week Anne and I took the girls for a week long holiday in Bali. The trip meant a lot to me.

My experience in Asia started in 1985 when I was a foreign exchange student in Ujung Pandang on Indonesia's Sulawesi island. Even though Bali is Hindu and Sulawesi is Muslim, the food and climate are very similar.

We spent most of our time at the resort hopping between the waterfall pool, the hot tub pool and cold plunge pool. Our ever adventurous eaters devoured mangoes, mangosteens, bananas, tangerines, and salaks. We did take a day trip to see the artists in Ubud as well as a night performance of the Kecak dance at the Uluwatu temple.

The girls so enjoyed themselves that they called our villa their "new home". When asked if they wanted to live in Bali, they both replied "yes". On the way home from the Beijing airport, the girls started whining that they wanted to return to their "new home". It appears Bali made a deep impression on them.

My first visit to Bali was 23 years ago. The island and nation made a deep impression on me. It was rewarding to return to my first Asian home and to create new memories there with Anne and the girls. Maybe someday we will have the opportunity to live there and call Bali home.

Sour

2008-09-23T10:45:00.004+08:00

The big question in Beijing during the last week of the Paralympics was "What is it going to be like after the Games are over?"

Well, we now know things returned to "China-normal" very quickly when news broke concerning the nation's melamine contaminated milk supply. First reports discussed only the contamination of children's powdered milk formula. When I mentioned to my Chinese friends that I thought the problem was much more widespread and that melamine contaminated milk could be in the greater milk supply, they reacted like I was some crazy foreigner. It's a common response here.

In the last week, newspapers and Internet news sites reported that the milk supply was compromised after samples from 22 of China's main milk suppliers, including Sanlu, Mengniu and Yili, tested positive for melamine. Aside from Sanlu's tainted children's formula and milk, melamine has also been found in ice cream and China's most famous White Rabbit sweet taffy-like candy. Starbucks has also pulled milk from its 300 plus stores in China last week as its milk supplier, Mengniu, was one of the companies that tested positive for melamine.

Since milk or milk byproducts are used in such as wide range of food products from butter, cheese, candy, cookies, baked goods to industrial additives and colorings, there is no telling to what extent melamine contaminated milk has made it into the greater food supply both in and outside of China. Click here and scroll down the page for a list items made from milk or with milk derivatives.

The root of the problem is money. Milk suppliers watered down their milk to lower production costs. In order to boost the protein content, melamine was mixed in to the watered-down milk. Milk suppliers earned more money for less work but contaminated China's milk supply.

As this scandal unfolds, we are now learning that Sanlu was aware of products problems as early as December 2007, they identified the presence of melamine in their supply this summer, and they informed their local government leaders on August 2nd who waited until September 9th to tell their provincial leaders. Considering that the Olympics were held from August 8-24, it has cover-up written all over it. This week's New York Times has a good article how the scandal unfolded and has since exploded which can be found here.

China has reacted very quickly to the scandal, China's FDA tested the nation's milk supply and publicized the results, companies recalled products (Sanlu recalled 700 tons of formula on Sept. 11), and hospitals offered free treatment for children.

China has also arrested and made strong attacks in the press toward the unscrupulous milk suppliers involved in supplying and using melamine contaminated milk. The outcome is preordained. A large number of people are going to be arrested for their role in this scandal and several people are going to be executed. In the last 18 months, China's FDA head, Zheng Xiaoyu, was convicted of corruption and executed. The same fate will definitely arrive on several peoples' doorstep this time too.

As for us, we've thrown out all the China manufactured yogurt, ice cream, cheese and food products in our house. We're fortunate that we can afford to buys imported yogurt, cheese and other goods that are available at a substantial premium in stores frequented by foreigners. Most of the local population cannot afford to buy imported products. We won't buy any China produced milk or milk-based products for a very long time.

For me, the most troubling part of this scandal is that it is most likely just the tip of the iceberg. In September 2008, China discovered its milk supply was contaminated by the actions of greedy business persons. This past spring China discovered that corrupt construction practices led to shoddy school buildings that became tombs for thousands of school children during the Sichuan earthquake. Last year, China discovered that its dog food manufacturing process also contained melamine and that children's toys has excessive levels of lead. What else is lurking out there?

China has a real problem here. The problem stems from unbridled capitalism where people do anything to make money regardless of the impact on their families, other people, society or the environment. It's a very challenging social issue that everyone in China recognizes, but few have suggestions for resolving. Maybe it's one that will require a few more scandals (a dozen more?) to make the common man and woman fed up enough to demand change. We are not there yet, but that change will have its day.

Paralympic Track Cycling

2008-09-17T20:45:00.003+08:00

Japan vs South Africa
Originally uploaded by cha3701.

To round out my Olympic experience in Beijing I went to the final day of Paralympic cycling track events at the Laoshan Velodrome. During the Olympics, I saw several cycling track events and was quite impressed. But the athletes at the Paralympic Games truly amazed me.

I watched athletes race who were missing a leg, an arm, or hands, were blind or visually impaired or had other disabilities.

If you take a close look at this photo, you will see that the South African (green jerseys) riders' clothes are shredded on their right-hand side. In an earlier race they crashed hard at high speed and slid down a steep turn. The visually impaired rider in the back lay on the track for a long time before getting up. Even after this crash, they still went to win the bronze medal.

The Olympian track cyclists were impressive, but the Paralympians have motivated me to ride and exercise like nothing else I have ever experienced before.

For other photos for the Paralympic Track Cycling events, click here.

No Tears

2008-09-16T12:53:00.004+08:00

We appear to have crossed the drop off tears hurdle at school. The girls are both excited to leave for school and barely take time to say goodbye before they dart into their classrooms. Adapting well has made us very pleased.

I just finished reading Your Three Year Old: Friend or Enemy and found many of the tidbits helpful for understanding the changes our girls are going through. Many parents have advised me to take those tidbits with a grain of salt, I think they are much better appreciated after a glass of wine.

We are very pleased school is going well for the girls.

The First Week

2008-09-05T21:05:00.003+08:00

We all made it though the girls' first week of school without too much drama. We did have quite a few tears and a couple of shirts had their seams tested when teachers pried girls from our necks. By end of class on Friday, both girls said they were having fun and that they liked their teachers. I'm betting next week we won't have any tears.

Anne and I are now blocking time in our calendars to attend assemblies, parent-teacher meetings and parent evenings. Next week we have to decide which extra-circular activities to sign our girls up for. We would like the girls to take soccer and swimming, but we will have to see what else may be on the list.

We think it is great that the girls are in school, socializing with a children from a wide range of countries and making their own way in separate classes. Granted, when we pick them up they are always playing together on the playground.

So far, so good.

First Day of School

2008-09-03T12:36:00.002+08:00

First Day of School
Originally uploaded by cha3701.

The girls started a half-day program on Tuesday at a Montessori school within walking distance of our home. The girls are in separate classes which we knew would be a test. So far, they are doing OK.

When we drop them off we have a lot of tears and quite strong chokeholds around our necks, but with a little prying and help of the teacher's assistants, we can normally break free and make a run for the door.

I did try to get a picture of them in front of the school but my pleas for standing still and cooperating were a complete failure. This picture was taken before we left for school and was the best of the 100+ that I took that morning. Must work on the stand still bit.

The other great accomplishment this week was Zoe started saying her name in English. For months now she either would not say her name in English or she'd use the made up name she and Ollie created. Now it's "Zoe this" "Zoe that" in every sentence. Another hurdle cleared!

Summing up the Olympic Experience

2008-08-26T11:21:00.003+08:00

The Games are over and I'm making headway with all those things that were put on the back burner while I lost myself these past two weeks in all the fun.

From the Opening Ceremony to the Closing Ceremony, it was nothing short of amazing. I feel very fortunate to live in Beijing and to have seen so many sporting events.

The highlights for me include watching Usain Bolt fly down the track in a 100m preliminary and then, with fellow teammates, blazing to a world record in the 4x100; records being shattered in the men's and women's pole vault finals; Belgium beating Italy in a soccer match even though they were a man down most of the time; Togo's Benjamin Boukpeti taking the bronze in the Kayak slalom race; the US's Bryan Clay winning the Decathlon; Team Great Britain dominating the Velodrome; the final night of Taekwondo where a Cuban athlete attacked a referee and the China-Great Britain match result was overturned after Great Britain filed a protest; and May/Walsh winning the gold medal in beach volleyball.

I did not see Michael Phelps, diving or gymnastics as those tickets were too hard to find. For the Games in London 2012, I'll have to do a better job of getting tickets to those events.

Other highlights from the Games include watching them with Anne and our good friend Eva, showing Ollie and Zoe the Games on TV even if they were more interested in jumping on and off the couch, and seeing Beijing look the best it has since we moved here.

Much to my surprise, the skies were blue most days. A few days were just spectacular. It proves China's environmental challenges are not insurmountable, rather just difficult to solve. In order to turn the skies blue they did have to shut down all factories in a 100Km radius of Beijing and take half the cars off the road. These are not long term feasible solutions, but the problem can be dealt with if the will exists.

China should be very proud. They hosted a wonderful Games, their athletes were very successful and it appears Beijing made quite an impression on the visitors who attended the Games and those who tuned in from overseas to watch.

It was a truly wonderful couple of weeks. Congrats Beijing.

The Last Set of Games

2008-08-25T16:44:00.003+08:00

It was a fast and furious end to the Olympic Games for us.

We spent Friday night watching Athletics at the Bird's Nest. Our seats were in the third row which was great for watching the sprinters fly by us as well as getting a very close look at Bryan Clay, Decathlon gold medal winner from the US, and the amazing 4x100 meter races.

Friday night finished off with everyone on their feet cheering on Australia's Steve Hooker as he broke the Olympic pole vault record on his third and final attempt. Earlier in the week we watched Elena Isinbaeva break her own Olympic and world record in the pole vault.

On Saturday, we picked up a pair of tickets to the Men's gold medal soccer match between Argentina and Nigeria at the Bird's Nest. More than 89,000 fans cheered on the teams in a very well played match. Argentina won and repeated as Olympic champions.

We went straight from the soccer match to the the finals of the men's and women's +67Kg and +80Kg Taekwondo matches. We watched almost 6 hours of matches that included three of the wildest things we saw at the Olympics.

First, in an early afternoon match between China and Great Britain. The match ended 1-0 in favor of China. About a half an hour later, the announcer came on and told the crowd the team from Great Britain had filed a protest and upon review of the match's video, the scored was revised 2-1 in favor of the Great British fighter, Sarah Stevenson. The crowd erupted in boos. For the rest of the evening, whenever Sarah fought the crowd, in very bad form, booed.

Next in the bronze medal match between Cuba and Kazakhstan, the Kazak fighter was declared the winner when the Cuban fighter was not ready to fight after his one minute injury period had expired. The Cuban fighter and his coach went nuts. Shocking everyone, the Cuban fighter kicked the referee in the face and then went after the judges. The kick cut the referee's lip which later required stitches. Later the announcer came on to tell the crowd that the directors of the World Taekwondo Foundation, the sport's governing body, had met and decided to ban for life the Cuban fighter and coach from all future Taekwondo events. The fighter's Olympic record was also deleted.

In the last fight of the night, a Korean fighter beat the Athens's silver medalist from Greece 5-4. The Greek fighter's father went nuts in the stand and threw water bottles in to the ring as well as yelling and shoving anyone he could get his hands on including his wife and children.

After all this excitement, we stayed through the medal ceremonies to see what else might happen. It was an unbelievable way to end our Olympic spectator experience.

Beach Volleyball Gold

2008-08-22T09:42:00.003+08:00

Anne and I sat through pouring rain to watch the finals of the Olympic Beach Volleyball on Thursday morning.

Even though the weather was horrible and I realized an hour into the first match that the waterproofing on my rain shell had given out, the two matches were great. First, we saw China beat Brazil to take home the bronze.

In the gold medal match, Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor beat China's Wang Jie and Tian Jia in two close sets. Walsh-May also won gold in Athens and extended their amazing winning streak to 108 consecutive matches.

Today's news is filled with articles stating Walsh and May will take a break from beach volleyball to start families. With China taking both silver and bronze in Beijing and possibly Walsh-May taking a break from competitions for family matters, the Chinese are well positioned for the London Games.

Walsh-May were very happy after their win and ran round that stadium hugging their friends and fans. It was most likely the last time we will hear the Star Spangled Banner played at events we attend.

Of course I can't write about the Olympic beach volleyball competition without mentioning the Beach Babes. Two squads of bikini clad Beach Babes, the international Beach Babes with non-Chinese women, the other with only Chinese women, provided between game and time out entertainment that got people on their feet more so than the games themselves.

Anne is sure the dance where the international Beach Babes used Olympic colored hula-hoops in a routine must have been some type of copyright infringement. The Babes put their barely covered backside through the Olympic rings and shook them for all they were worth. Anne's probably right that this was not an IOC approved use of the Olympic rings, but the crowd sure loved it.

Not to be outdone, the Chinese Beach Babes did a modified Chinese fan dance that probably had traditional Chinese fan dancers turning in their graves. Something about the juxtaposition of a traditional Chinese fan and gyrating bikini clad women made for a surreal moment. Next time, best to just ditch the fan.

Another great day of Olympic events.

A Night at the Track

2008-08-20T10:51:00.005+08:00

Anne and I spent last evening at the Laoshan Velodrome watching the final night of cycling track races.

Team Great Britain was the dominate track cycling team in Beijing and they closed out the night with gold and silver in the Men's sprints and Gold in the Women's sprints. Team Great Britain is the team to beat at the London 2012 Games.

Argentina won the Madison race, a 200km two person team race. Juan Curuchet, one of the Argentinean riders, is 43 years old and will retire after the Games. He's another reason I should set aside time to work out and ride more.

The Laoshan Velodrome is wonderful venue and the races were very exciting. Another great event in this Olympics.

Besting Michael

2008-08-19T13:05:00.003+08:00

The biggest story of the Olympics so far is Michael Phelps's tremendous 8 gold medal effort at the Water Cube. Going into the Olympics, I thought if he could secure 8 golds in Beijing, no other effort could rise above that achievement.

I was wrong.

Last weekend there was another tremendous effort in the pool that has yet to be reported. Here's the scoop.

For the first time, Ollie and Zoe both swam in small circles in the big pool without being held by Anne or me. With her water wings on, Ollie first stepped off the lowest step and began to kick. She squealed with delight. Zoe soon followed. Round and round they went chasing each other and giggling all the while.

This is a huge achievement for Ollie and Zoe as well as Anne and me. I was actually able to sit on the side of the pool and watch as opposed turning light blue and shriveling like a raisin due to the longs hours spent chest deep holding one of both of the girls.

They may not be ready for the starting blocks, but it's a good start.

Record High, Record Low

2008-08-19T10:55:00.003+08:00

Today, Anne and I went to the Bird's Nest to see an evening's worth of Athletic events. The US Men's dominance in the 400m hurdles was great to watch as was the US's Stephanie Brown Trafton's gold medal performance in the discus.

The high point of the evening was watching Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva set the world record in the pole vault. She secured the gold medal after the US's Jean Stuczynski failed to clear the bar. Yelena went on to jump several more times to first break the Olympic record and then the World record. She cleared 5.05m on her third and final attempt which brought cheers from everyone in attendance.

Monday's low point was China's 110m hurdler and Athen's Olympic champion, Liu Xiang, pulling out of his preliminary race with a apparent hamstring and Achilles tendon issues. We were not in the stadium when it happened, but the news traveled like lightening around Beijing. We clearly have not heard the last about Liu's injuries. I believe there is a quite a story about what actually happened.

The pre-Olypmics pressure on Liu was tremendous. I expect the post pull-out pressure on him will be equally as hard. I'm seeing a lot of news reports that posts on China's main online bulletin boards are quite critical of Liu.

Liu's face is on billboards all over China, he is China's most high profile Olympic athlete and he was widely expected in China, at least, to bring home gold again. I think Liu will be regarded at the Icarus of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. It's a shame, I wish he could have competed.

Carried Away

2008-08-18T10:49:00.003+08:00

I'm completely carried away with the Olympics. Here's a quick summary of what I've seen in the past week:

Tuesday - Eva and I attended the Canoe and Kayak Slalom Men's semifinals and finals. The course was excellent and the competition was very exciting. Our favorite was the Togo's kayaker, Benjamin Boukepti, who paddled his was to Bronze. Togo is a small sliver of a nation in West Africa.

Wednesday - I spent most of the day with John Vande Velde, an cycling Olympian from Mexico City and Munich and father of Christian Vande Velde who competed in the Olympic road race. I gave John a quick tour of Beijing which included our taxi getting rear-ended at one point. We were fine and the taxi just received scratches. In typical China driving fashion, our driver negotiated for RMB 100 (about US$12) compensation from the driver at fault.

John got me into the USA House where we watched the women's cycling time trial race. Just after we arrived, I was waiting to get my credentials and a man came up next to me and in a booming voice said, "Hi, I'm Tom Brokaw". I about jumped out of my skin.

While at the US House, I also saw Janet Evans, Peter Ueberroth, and Brian Williams and Al Roker buying bags full of Team USA gear.

Thursday - I had to take a day off to recover. I should have trained harder to be an Olympic spectator.

Friday - In the morning, I saw several Track and Field preliminaries at the Bird's Nest. The highlight was the qualifiers for the 100m dash. I saw every sprinter run. Bolt looked amazing and proved it when he won the 100m dash on Saturday night.

For lunch I met up with Larry Smith, CNN's sportscaster covering the Olympics, and a friend since grade school. We'll get together a few more times before he returns to the US.

Saturday - I went to the Italy-Belgium soccer match and watched Belgium play an amazing match. Belgium won 3-2 and spent most of the match a man down. Italy's goalie was red carded in the middle of the second half and Belgium's goalie had to be replaced due to an injury. Belgium played like champions. It was great to watch.

Sunday - I saw several indoor cycling track preliminaries at the very fast Laoshan Velodrome. Many Olympic records were broken in preliminary races. I'll see more races there on Tuesday and expect to see both Olympic and world records broken.

Without a doubt this is the best sporting event I have ever attended. We have tickets every day this coming week except for Wednesday. The sports are wonderful, the atmosphere in Beijing is great and I'm having a blast.

I have taken thousand of pictures but do not have time to post them on Flickr. Look for photos there after the Olympics close.

Olympic Fever

2008-08-12T10:54:00.003+08:00

I've got Olympic Fever and I've got it bad. I'm telling everyone I know in Beijing that if they have spare tickets, I want to buy them. I'm also chatting up every foreigner I meet to see if they by chance have spare tickets.

Yesterday, I bought tickets for today's finals of the canoe/kayak slalom. I did not know that was an Olympic sport. I also picked up USA soccer tickets for tomorrow night from a friend who, with great reluctance, had to sell them as he has friends arriving from Australia.

Yesterday, I did not attend any events, but I did watch hours of coverage. Eva, Anne and I met downtown for dinner and we watched men's 62Kg weightlifting. We didn't utter a word except for criticism of the weightlifters form now that we are armchair experts.

Anne and Eva did earn their own gold medals yesterday as they shopped from 8:30a.m. until they finally threw in the towel at 10:30p.m. last night. As with the other Olympic athletes, if you are going to come home with the gold (or pearls, silk, or other treasures), you have to give 110%. They did that yesterday.

Great Wall of Brazil

2008-08-11T11:05:00.002+08:00

Great Wall of Brazil
Originally uploaded by cha3701.

We saw two men's volleyball games on Sunday. The first was between the USA and Venezuela, the second between medal favorite Brazil and Egypt.

When we arrived at our seats, we were met by stadium officials and were given new seats since our view was partially blocked by press seats. We wound up with front row seats giving us a great view of the matches.

The US vs Venezuela match went the full five games and we won. The level of play was tremendous and the enthusiasm in the stadium was great. We're now trying to pick up more volleyball tickets.

Brazil is a medal favorite and it showed. They served, spiked and blocked their way to an easy victory.

We have full-blown Olympic fever and wish we had tickets to multiple events every day. We've met many people who have attended previous Olympics and I fully understand why. Look for us on TV in Beijing and in London in 2012. The Games are a blast!!

Opening and Day 1

2008-08-10T08:00:00.002+08:00

We watched the spectacular opening ceremony from the comfort of our couch and were awed by the show. The girls cheered a lot and did their best to imitate the drummers and flying people. The selection of Li Ning, a very accomplished Chinese gymnast, to light the torch pleased many people in China. Mr. Li is a highly respected athlete and businessman. He's successful, but modest, qualities that most people in China admire. Expect to see his brand of sportswear become even more popular after his appearance at the Olympics.

On Saturday, we went to the rowing preliminaries at the new Shunyi Rowing stadium. The site was well set up, security was thorough - bag screens, metal detectors and wand and pat down searches, and the venue looked great. The only drawback was it was hot, hot, hot. By the time we passed through security, I was soaked with sweat. If I had only thought about it, I would have tried to secure the Popsicle rights to all outdoor Olympic venues. Popsicles were outselling beer 2:1 in my estimation.

We sat behind Peter Hardcastle's family, a rower from Australia. They were great fun and explained the ins and outs of the sport. It was also great to watch all the other supporters cheer on their teams.

Beijing is definitely full of energy and it's great be here to take it all in.

Countdown at 1

2008-08-07T21:58:00.002+08:00

Tomorrow is the big day. Beijing is swarming with visitors and embassies around Ritan Park are in full entertainment mode as dignitaries and national teams are being hosted.

Traffic is getting crazier by the day as police lead motorcades of VIPs through the streets of Beijing. I shudder when I think about how chaotic it will be when the Olympics are in full swing next week.

Tomorrow will be a quiet at home day before the opening ceremonies tomorrow night. After that, it will be a fun filled two weeks of sports, dinners out and celebrations.

Countdown at 2

2008-08-07T15:02:00.002+08:00

Yesterday I went out to the Great Wall and went into town for dinner. Everywhere I looked I saw people with Olympic credentials on lanyards around their necks. Most were journalists. A few may have been athletes and plenty looked like they were members of the beer drinking and overeating teams.

Beijing announced that Friday will be holiday which is probably a good way to keep everyone off the roads and out of the way of arriving dignitaries. One would think the government should have announced this weeks ago to get those who want to leave town out of here, but last minute plans are the way things are done here. We are going to watch the opening ceremonies from home to avoid the mayhem.

I can access most articles online about the protest that have taken place in Beijing so far. I saw a video and several write ups on the protesters that unfurled signs about Tibet. I understand they were deported today. If they have been deported as opposed to locked up, they should consider themselves lucky. It's going to be interesting to see what else goes down in the next few weeks.

Countdown at 3

2008-08-05T20:10:00.002+08:00

Just three days to go before the Games.

I went the airport today to pick up our friend Eva who is visiting for the next two weeks. The airport was a madhouse with teams and delegations arriving by the planeload. I saw quite a large contingent of the Italian team which included quite a few beautiful athletes. I brought my camera to take pictures of the scene at the airport but was stunned by several of Italy's finest that I walked (gawked/stumbled) past them without even taking a shot.

Tonight we received notice that the City Government of Beijing has ordered pest control spraying for all urban and suburban areas from August 6-8. The notice states that they will us a "government provided pesticide" (yikes) and that we are to "stay away from the treated areas" (double yikes). I'm not sure what the government is after, but the City Government of Beijing thinks the threat is so serious that it has to be dealt with in the last two days before the Games begin.

No need to worry about pollution when the government fogs the city with pesticides. If I'm knee deep in locusts, moths and mosquitoes tomorrow I'll let you know.

Countdown at 4

2008-08-04T20:50:00.002+08:00

Well, the clear skies of we had over the weekend have gone and the normal Beijing air quality has returned. If I were in charge of cleaning up Beijing's air, I'd be sweating bullets about now. The stark reality is the air quality in Beijing is bad, will be bad during the Games and for a long time thereafter until the government gets serious about correcting the problem.

We're not having much luck picking up tickets to diving, gymnastics and/or swimming events. The ones we do find for sale are going for astronomical prices. We're going to see if there is a rush to unload tickets in the days before the events that will bring prices down.

Countdown at 5

2008-08-03T22:13:00.003+08:00

The Olympic Games are just 5 days away. Thankfully we've had 3 consecutive days of blue skies in Beijing. I'm thankful because the government has announced they would take much more drastic measures to control pollution in Beijing if the skies do not clear up. The government has already instituted a even/odd license plate restriction that only permits cars with license plates ending in an even number to drive on even number ending days of the month and the opposite for odd numbered license plates. If the skies start to grey up or if the weather forecast is for little to no breeze, then the government said they would implement a drive only on days that match the last number of your license plate rule. Our license plate ends in a 6 which means we me could only drive on the 6th, the 16th and the 26th. I really hope we don't get to this as it would be a major headache for us.

We are still trying to buy tickets for diving, swimming and gymnastic events. The prediction is for the women's team gymnastic finals to be the big US - China showdown. We're not having much luck with those tickets though.

I was pleased to hear that Larry Smith will come to Beijing to cover the Olympics for CNN. Larry and I have know each other since grade school. It will be great to see him in Beijing.

We're really looking forward to the Games!!

Streaked

2008-07-26T11:46:00.002+08:00

Streaked
Originally uploaded by cha3701.

There are things you see in China that you take pictures of without thinking - temples, people on bikes, hutong lanes, to name a few.

Other things you see daily but never think about taking a picture of. This is one of those shots.

The photo was shot from the 27th floor of the hotel we stayed in while visiting Dalian. It's streaked with dirt and other airborne particles that are so prevalent in China. Windows are constantly being washed in China to remote the fine layer of soot that covers everything.

It's not pretty, but it's what China is like today.

Summer Faves

2008-07-26T09:24:00.003+08:00

Lately I've been asked what our girls are into, so here's a quick list.

Bikes - they ride their bikes most nights after dinner. I call it the Tour de Riviera (our neighborhood). They stop to see the bunnies and like to collect leaves and bark to put in the bags on the front of their bikes. Both have the hang of pedaling and pop right back up if they crash.
Swimming - most weekends we spend at the pool. Jumping and splashing as well as the requisite ice cream cones are all a bit hit.
Books - they like us to read to them. Their favorites book is Beebimbop, a book about making and eating that famous Korean dish.
Imaginary playtime - their imaginary play normally centers around getting or eating food. They pick a lot of corn, beans and nuts, just some of their favorite foods.
Swinging - the neighborhood playgrounds get a lot of use and the swings are monopolized by our girls until we pull them screaming from them. We're still working on taking turns.
Playroom - our clubhouse has a playroom where the girls play with other children and, in general, wreak havoc on a fully padded room.
Eating - still tops the list of favorite activities. Anything and everything is fair game. All veggies, meat, fruit, tofu, bread, nuts, beans, rice and noodles. We really haven't found anything they won't eat. Anne and I hope their love of food continues and will translate into a love of cooking sometime in the future.

So there you have it. Those are their summer faves.

Two weeks to go

2008-07-26T08:19:00.002+08:00

The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics is just two weeks away. The first delegation of athletes have arrived and we are scrambling for more tickets. Diving, swimming and gymnastics tickets are very difficult to come by due to the high chance that China may medal in those sports.

We've also made it through the first week of pollution related controls. The even/odd license plate rule which permits cars with license plates ending in an even number to only drive on even days of the month and the opposite for cars with license plates ending in an odd number. The rule went into effect on July 20 and will remain in effect until September 20 after the Paralympic Games end. Other rules to curb pollution include stopping construction and shutting down a significant number of heavy industry factories over a huge section of Northern China.

Due to the new rules, there was great expectation that we'd see a dramatic improvement in Beijing's air quality. So far, that has not been the case. It's just as polluted here as normal.

Here's why I think the rules Beijing put in place to clean up the air will fall short.

Like most expats here, we live in areas that are not well served by public transportation so we all scrambled to find another car with an opposite numbered license plate. I've also heard that many local people with the means to get a second set of plates or a second car have done so. Additionally, those who do not want to take the bus or subway are relying on taxis. Granted the traffic in Beijing does appear to be lighter than normal, but not 50% lighter.

I recently read in the US that cars contribute about 17% of all greenhouse emissions. In China, I do not know the statistics, but expect that figure is much, much lower due to the excessive amount of industrial and power generation related emissions. Black belching smokestacks are visible in every town in China. When you fly into Beijing an any other city in China, as you descend below the clouds one of the first things you see are inky black trails of smoke.

The National Resource Defense Council states that China contributes 30% of the pollution in California. So, shutting down factories in and around Beijing will only have a limited impact on air quality. To make a significant impact, they would need to shut down all the factories in China, an impossible undertaking.

Yesterday, I heard on the radio weather report that the pollution was expected to blow out of Beijing on July 28. They said it just like a meteorologist would forecast the movement of a storm front. I'd never heard anything like that before and thought it was quite telling about the air quality issues in China.

I fully expect the pollution levels to be as bad as they normally are during the Olympics. There will be some decent days and then others that will quite horrible (aka, normal for Beijing). What I hope is that with the world's attention being focused that attention will bring into clear focus the need for China and the world to invest in cleaning up China's environmental problems.

Three

2008-07-10T11:27:00.003+08:00

The girls turned three this week. We celebrated at home opting for a private affair rather than hosting little kid mayhem at our house.

The girls had a great time playing with balloons and opening their gifts. One gift, the dollhouse, brought out the competitive spirit in our girls.

I video taped the gift opening and caught the girls giving it to each other with all their best shots. Zoe was playing with the dollhouse and Ollie walked up to her screaming "Mine, Mine!!" Zoe didn't move so Ollie gave her a shove. Next, Ollie sat down on top of Zoe and threw an elbow that caught Zoe in the neck knocking her backwards.

When Zoe righted herself she gave Ollie a full-power pinch on the arm then several good whacks on the head and back. Ollie got the worst of it and burst into a screaming, tear-flowing fit. Anne then jumped in to separate them.

The next blowup came when we were presenting the cake Anne made for the girls. After singing Happy Birthday but before we could blow out the candles, Ollie took my hand and tried to push it into the lit candles. When I pulled my hand back she started crying and only stopped when I puled a candle out of the cake. It dawned on me she was done with the candle bit and wanted to get down to eating. With our girls, never let your hand, or in this case, an open flame get in the way of something tasty.

In all, a pretty decent birthday party. Aside from one good fight and several tears, it all went pretty well.

8 Pair Update

2008-07-04T13:06:00.002+08:00

It's been a month since we started potty training the girls and we're doing pretty well. We're down to just one accident or maybe one accident each per day.

The girls have about grown out of their training potties and prefer to use the toilet. This is a good thing, but we do spend a lot of time in the bathroom.

The other day I took the girls to play and then for a snack at the club. As soon as I ordered, Ollie said she needed to pee, so the three of us bolted for the bathroom. Sometimes the notification period and the event are separated by a very short period of time. We made it, but in general, bathroom stalls in Asia when they have them are very small. I was able to get us all in there, shut the door, and get Ollie on the toilet just in time. Zoe, like a good sister, took over management of flushing. I alternated between asking Ollie if she was done and barking orders at Zoe not the flush the toilet. After Ollie was done, I washed every one's hands and the girls made sure to point out the man we did not know peeing into the urinal.

After 10 minutes back at the table, Zoe told me she had to pee. I'm used to this. Off we run to the bathroom to repeat. Ollie manages the flusher, I bark orders, wash hands and the girls point out yet another man peeing into the urinal.

Another 10 minutes goes by and Ollie tells me she has to poo. Run to the bathroom, Zoe on the flusher, me barking orders, washing hands and yet another man the the girls point out at the urinal.

Guess what happened 10 minutes later. Yep, you got it. Zoe had to poo too. Run to the bathroom, Ollie on the flusher, me barking orders, washing hands and, yes, the 4th penis they've seen in 40 minutes.

At least we are getting potty training down. Now we have to work on getting it all done at once. I know, it's little steps, lots of hand washing and plenty of time in bathrooms. At least we are making progress.

Xinjiang Trip

2008-07-02T11:02:00.002+08:00

Kashgar Uighur Boy
Originally uploaded by cha3701.

In early June, Anne and I traveled with Patty and Ian through China's Xinjiang Province. We visited the capital Urumqi, Kashgar, Hotan, and Kucha and traveled on part of the southern route of the Silk Road through the Taklamakan Desert.

The Uighurs, the main ethnic group in Xinjiang, are of Turkic descent, and have more in common with Central Asia than they do with China. Like Tibet, Xinjiang has a very long and difficult relationship with China. Our guides gave us great insight into Uighur culture and the history of Xinjiang.

Kashgar was our favorite city. The livestock bazaar was right out the pages of National Geographic. The sounds, smells and sites from wandering through the streets and markets made deep impressions.

We had a great time traveling with Ian and Patty and many good laughs. Xinjiang's non-alcoholic Kawas Honey Beer was a great find.

Anne created the best phrase of the trip after our camel ride through the desert. We were riding camels all tied together and made our way to the top of the highest dune in the area. It was a great vantage point to see the Taklamakan Desert. Much to our surprise, our camel train driver nosed his camel over the steep edge of the dune. The camels were pulled running down the slope and we all wound up smashed together at the bottom. Nobody fell off their camel and the camels all stayed upright . Anne called this the "Five Camel Pileup" which we all thought we be a great name for a band.

I've updated by Flickr photostream with images from our trip. There were so many interesting people and sights I could have taken photos for months. Check out my photos here.

Meeting Bo

2008-07-02T09:51:00.002+08:00

Last night Anne and I went to a WildAid benefit event at the US Ambassador's residence. WildAid, an NGO that focuses on stopping illegal wildlife trade, showed several of their new public service announcements recorded by Harrison Ford.

Claudia McMurray, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and Science, gave a short talk about the global illegal wildlife trade market and efforts the State Department is undertaking to prevent it. Before she spoke, we had the opportunity to talk with her about her role at State and the numerous countries she visits.

We also met and listened to Bo Derek. She is the Special Envoy of the Secretary of State for Wildlife Trafficking Issues. Who knew?

WildAid does very good work. In China, their biggest campaign is against the decimation of the global shark population by fishermen harvesting shark fins. Yao Ming, the basketball player, is their main spokesperson. I see his public service announcements on TV and billboards with his picture and anti-shark fin soup message all over Beijing.

WildAid has done a very good job of partnering with key leaders and stars to get their message out. When you have time, check out their website for more info.

A Shiner

2008-07-02T09:29:00.002+08:00

Zoe gave herself a black eye this week. It's quite a shiner.

She and Ollie were chasing each other around. Zoe was going her normal pace, hell bent for leather, got a bit off balance and crashed into a table. I think this is going to be the first of many shiners for Zoe.

The girls like to jump and run, but they could not be more different in the way they do so. Ollie is more careful whereas Zoe goes all in with every activity. They both like to jump off steps and curbs. Ollie will wait for your hand before she jumps. Zoe just squats and propels herself into the air. We're getting pretty good at catching Zoe, but many jumps end in a splat.

We have a good stock of Band-Aids and Neosporin for which I'm thankful.

Olympics Tickets

2008-06-26T20:44:00.003+08:00

Today I picked up the Olympics tickets I was allocated in online lotteries earlier this year. I have tickets for two different Athletics events, Beach Volleyball, Taekwondo, and Cycling Track.

A friend will come to Beijing for the Olympics and we are counting on her to pick up swimming and diving tickets from the US Olympic ticket web site. All of the tickets available for sale in China were sold out during the last and final phase of ticket sales.

I'm really looking forward to the Games and to seeing how China pulls them off. It's been a very challenging first half of the year for China with significant protests in and outside of China and the devastating earthquake in Sichuan. I do hope the Games are very successful for China.

Gotcha + 1

2008-06-25T15:46:00.003+08:00

One year ago today, we received our girls in Guangzhou.

In adoption circles, Gotcha Day is the day you receive your child. It's a "Gotcha" because on that day you enjoy a leisurely breakfast and morning, but early that afternoon you are given your child, a pat on the back and your parenthood experience starts with a bang. In our case, a double bang.

It feels as if several years have passed. The girls have changed so much. Last year at this time, they were so tiny, couldn't speak, hated the bath, fought being put in the stroller, and were afraid of most things. Now, they run to the bathtub, make short sentences in both Mandarin and English, love their stroller and car seats, have grown into 3T clothing and fear very little.

We are celebrating tonight with a BBQ and will most likely top the night off with a few laps around the block on their new matching Surfer Girl purple bikes.

Anne and I feel so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to raise Ollie and Zoe. Our girls make our days wonderful.

8 Pair

2008-05-27T18:42:00.004+08:00

We started potty training the girls. Each morning we set out 8 pair of pants and regard it as a good day if at the end of the day we we have one or more pair of clean pants left.

Some days are better than others. Some days it appears we are not potty training, rather mopping training. We've rolled up the rugs in their playroom and always have a towel or mop nearby.

Because the girls like to play outside, they've watered the base of several trees and helped the grass grow in our neighborhood too.

This past Saturday I was at the playground and Olivia told me she needed to go. I took her behind a tree and had her squat down. While waiting for her to go, three friends on their way to a golf tournament stopped by and asked me if I could join them because their fourth had dropped out.

There I was coaxing Olivia to get her business done, hoping that Zoe wouldn't attempt to leave the playground and looking at these guys wanting to join them but knowing my golf days are on hold for years to come.

Surprise

2008-05-19T17:53:00.001+08:00

Surprise
Originally uploaded by cha3701.

Photographs do a great job of capturing a moment in time. Sometimes you can capture a feeling or sound. Here's one of those photos.

When Zoe stood up from Anne's lap she, um, no way to say this politely, farted so loudly it shook the windows. I was stunned that such a large sound could come from such a little person.

It's always good to have your camera with you because you never know when you are going to capture a priceless moment.

Sichuan Earthquake

2008-05-13T12:49:00.002+08:00

Yesterday's earthquake in Sichuan did not impact us in Beijing. Even though there was a 3.9 tremor near Beijing, we did not feel anything.

We understand the situation is Sichuan is quite bad and China's rescue personnel have not been able to reach the towns near the epicenter of the quake.

The Red Cross Society of China has formed a disaster relief working group to be dispatched to the earthquake-stricken Wenchuan County in Sichuan.

They have also published an emergency relief hotline, along with bank account information to receive donations to assist their cause:

Account name: Red Cross Society of China
开户单位：中国红十字会总会

For those who want to donate in RMB: you can send money to the RMB account at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China branch below:
人民币开户行: 中国工商银行北京分行东四南支行
人民币账号: 0200001009014413252

For those who want to donate in foreign currency, you can send money to the foreign currency account at the CITIC Bank branch below:
外币开户行：中信银行酒仙桥支行
外币账号: 7112111482600000209

Hotline: (8610) 65139999
Online donations: Red Cross Society of China website: www.redcross.org.cn
Click the tab for online donations

Smack, Double Crack

2008-05-08T17:16:00.002+08:00

This week I was with Ollie in our bedroom and Anne was with Zoe in the girl's playroom. Zoe was calling for Ollie to come out of the bedroom but Ollie was more interested in staying with me. As the shouts, "Come", "No", "Come", "No", reached a fevered pitch, both girls took off to find each other.

I'll state what happens next in the form of a high school math problem. Here goes:

If two 34 inch tall, 27 pound children run full speed towards each other, with their heads tipped forward at the same angle and collide with each other, at what speed will they smack the back of their heads on the floor?

Well, I have not idea how to answer that question but when the girls cracked their foreheads together, they bounced off of each other, flailed their arms over their heads, fell backwards and simultaneously smacked their heads on the floor. It happened very quickly. So did the tears and screaming.

For 24 hours, the girls had big goose egg sized bumps in the center of their foreheads. I spent a fair amount of time hearing them say "Owwee" and watching them rub their foreheads.

Not sure this has slowed them down any, but it was quite a sight to see.

Cheering Mr. Bunny

2008-05-08T12:36:00.002+08:00

A family in our neighborhood raises pet bunnies and the girls like to visit them every day.

During a recent visit, the bunnies were chasing each other around their enclosure with more vigor than normal. At one point, the white bunny found herself trapped in a corner near where Ollie was squatting down. The brown bunny took advantage of the situation, pinned the white bunny down and began humping her for all he was worth.

Ollie whipped her head around with her eyes wide open, pointed at the bunny and started screaming "Baba", "Baba" (Mandarin for Dad). Clearly, this was new to her.

Zoe also found the scene quite interesting, but she was more excited than shocked. She stood next to me jumping up and down, clapping and squealing.

My first thought was to move the girls along. I wasn't sure bunny love was an appropriate activity for two-year olds to witness. On the other hand, I thought , why not, maybe Mr. Bunny appreciates a cheering section.

The bunny love session was soon over and the girls went on to look at the flowers in the next yard. The girls didn't seem phased by the experience. Not sure the same could be said of Mrs. Bunny who was hiding at the back of her hutch.

Taking Cover

2008-04-30T20:13:00.002+08:00

The girls have discovered a new game which we are trying to desperately to stop.

At least once a week, the girls toss toy plastic cars off the top of our three story staircase. The cars come crashing down right outside the study where I work. Usually they throw one or two cars before being caught by the Ayis.

Last week when the Ayi was using the bathroom, the girls went for broke. First it was two cars, then a third. I started yelling at them to stop. They were giggling loudly and then started rapidily firing cars down on me. Cars were ricocheting off the stairwell, parts where flying in all directions. The more I yelled, the more they threw.

Then I noticed a little hand letting go of a metal car and I dove behind a chair. The car smashed hard onto the floor near me. By this time, Georgia was cowering in a corner. Smart dog.

I stayed down because I knew they have two metal cars. Sure enough, the giggling stated again and clink, clunk, clank, the second metal car hurtled down the stairwell. This car sunk itself half way into a potted plant.

At this point, the Ayi emerged from the bathroom and stopped the Gatling Gun of Cars. I raced up the stairs to give them a good tongue lashing. As usual, Zoe started crying and Ollie smiled at me clapping her hands after such a good bit of fun. The more I scolded, the louder Zoe cried and the more sweet Ollie tried to be. When I stopped scolding them, Ollie blew me a kiss and I had to pick Zoe up to calm her down.

Not sure what the girls leaned that day. I learned not to leave the study until their supply of cars has run out.

Mama Happy BooBoo

2008-04-29T21:17:00.002+08:00

We've been working on the girls to form simple sentences by putting words together . We say a word, they repeat it, we say the next word, they repeat it, and so on.

Anne's birthday was on Monday and she wanted the girls to wish her happy birthday. While they were waiting for their daily gummy bear vitamins, Anne asked them to say "Mama", "Happy", "Birthday". They said "Mama" well, "Happy" was close, but when it came time for "Birthday" Ollie just mumbled and Zoe said "BooBoo". Anne chuckled because "BooBoo" sounded like "PooPoo". "Mama Happy PooPoo" was not quite the birthday greeting she had in mind, but a cute one nonetheless.

Girls watching the noodle maker

2008-04-17T21:01:00.002+08:00

Girls watching the noodle maker
Originally uploaded by cha3701.

I've found a new favorite restaurant near the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. It's Xiaolumian and it's owned by the same group that runs Mutianyu's other wonderful restaurant, the Schoolhouse.

Xiaolumian is a set in a little village and serves up an incredibly tasty noodle lunch. The noodles are made by hand and the day's noodle selection depends on the ingredients the chef has recently purchased. This picture captured Anne, Olivia and Zoe watching the chef make three types of noodles for our lunch.

The best deal at Xiaolumain is to order the "one of everything" meal. The chef takes into consideration how many people in your party and makes appropriately sized portions of all types of toppings for you to mix and match. Carnivores and vegetarians may mix and eat until their bellies are fully satisfied.

The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor dining. From the outdoor seating you can look up and see the Great Wall snaking along the mountains that frame in Mutianyu.

Great restaurant, great view and great meal. Check this place out on your way to or from the Great Wall at Mutianyu.

Identical

2008-04-15T16:58:00.002+08:00

One of the most common questions we are asked about our twins is "are they identical". We often responded, "Well, they look very similar" but that response did not answer the question.

In order to answer the question, we gave the girls a mouth swab and sent the swabs for a genetic test. We've received the results and the girls are identical (monozygotic). Identical twins occur when a single egg is fertilized and soon thereafter splits into two embryos.

Identical twins have virtually identical DNA at birth but environmental factors will turn on and off genes as they age. As they age, the differences won't be major, but there will be some. IQ and personality will become more alike as they grow older.

So, there you have it. One our life's little mysteries solved.

Blackouts and Errors

2008-03-25T16:25:00.002+08:00

China's doing their best to control the coverage of the unrest in Tibet.

Last week when we returned to Beijing I asked our driver if he knew about the situation in Tibet. He replied, "there are problems" and left it at that. I assumed he knew what I was talking about but the next day he told me he had no idea what was going on in Tibet. He had spent hours that night online looking for news on the situation.

As I look for stories online, my clicks to pull up articles on BBC, CNN and others timeout and I get an Internet Explorer error page. This means China's thought police have blocked my request for information and, according to them, have protected me from harmful information and thereby helped stabilize society.

Another of their heavy-handed actions made me laugh out loud. I was at the gym watching CNN as I rode on a stationary bike. The lead story was on Tibet and began with anchors setting up a feed for their Beijing based colleague. When he came on, he gave a high-level overview of the situation then the TV screen went black. My first thought was the gym had lost power. Then I looked down and saw that the bike still had power as did the gym's lights. Thirty seconds later, the Beijing correspondent was back on the screen and stated his cameraman had told him their feed had been censored and cut. The correspondent spoke for another 15 second before the screen again went black.

I find these actions and the blockage or wikipedia, YouTube and plenty of news sites all rather annoying.

Even my driver is annoyed. He said he'd rather read all the points of view and make up his mind for himself. He then he uttered a phrase that neatly summarized the situation in China. He said, "in a single-party state, there isn't room for more than one point of view". With that, he shrugged his shoulders and kept driving.

A Five

2008-03-20T11:36:00.004+08:00

Nothing like returning to Beijing and getting right back into it.

As we made our descent into Beijing on Monday, the familiar yellow-grey cloud of pollution covered Beijing and stretched on as far as one could see. Exiting the plane, the familiar, dusty, industrial smell of Beijing hit us in an instant.

Tuesday, Beijing experienced a medium strength spring sandstorm. Strong spring winds bring sand from the encroaching Gobi desert. The sandstorm, combined with Beijing's normal pollution levels, pushed the air quality down to a V rating, or hazardous.

China publishes a daily air quality index rating, albeit one day in arrears. A normal day in Beijing is considered unhealthy by most Air Quality Indexes. This week Beijing has been holding steady between poor to hazardous.

China has pledged to clean up the air before the Olympics start on August 8th. There is absolutely no way that will occur. A fairly good or slightly polluted average rating on China's index is the best they can hope for.

Most countries take decades to make significant changes to air and water quality. China took a very important first step this month by elevating the State Environmental Protection Agency into one of five, new super-ministries. With its new status and much better funding, the Environment Ministry can start the difficult, decades-long work it will require to create and enforce policies to curb China's pollution problems.

Back in Beijing

2008-03-18T15:42:00.002+08:00

We flew back to Beijing yesterday. The 12 hour flight with twin two-year-olds went just as you would expect it would go. Cheerios went everywhere, seats were kicked and drinks were overturned on an hourly basis. I'm just thankful the doors can't be opened in flight because I might have jumped.

We all fell right back into our lives here. The girls returned to their favorite toys, Anne and I both jumped right into work and Georgia curled up in her favorite napping spots.

While we were back in the US we had a great time seeing family and friends. Our families made a big effort to visit us in California. Catching up with friends is always enjoyable.

We have a long list of visitors coming to Beijing this year. We look forward to their visits as it is always nice to see familiar faces.

It was very enjoyable to be back in California, but we are happy to be home.

Almost, I Know and Whoa

2008-03-11T05:09:00.002+08:00

The girls are starting to use certain phrases or words correctly. Until I figured out where they learned them from, I found their use of their use of "Almost", "I know" and "Whoa" rather surprising.

"Almost" comes from me. As in, praise for a daughter that pulled her pants half way up or put her left shoe on her right foot. Now, when the girls try something that doesn't quite work out right they say "almost".

"I know" is another phrase that I, apparently, use frequently. The phrase is often used just after we leave the house for an hour long car trip and one daughter tells me she has filled her diaper and her sister immediately makes the same claim. The girls will out shout each other in hopes of securing preferential diaper changing rights. After hearing them claim for the 100th time that they lala'd (Chinese for, "I just put some junk in my trunk"), I say "I know". This morning, Zoe came right back at me after I told her to "drink her milk" for the 3rd or 4th time and said "I know". Clearly, she's got it.

"Whoa" is Anne's phrase and the girls use this one the most. Anne uses "whoa" when something surprising happens. Around our house, surprises are a very regular event. The girls have a tug-of-war with a doll and the doll's head pops off, "whoa". One tries to feed her sister and the spoonful of food winds up on the floor, "whoa". One tries to wet her sister's hair in the tub with a cupful of water, but the cupful winds up outside the tub, "whoa".

If we could only get them to use, "please", "thank you" and "help me" as consistently as they use "almost", "I know" and "whoa", I'd be a happy man.

Top Down

2008-03-05T03:05:00.004+08:00

Yesterday, I had a quintessential California moment and it was great.

I drove Anne's bright yellow, rental, convertible Volkswagen Beetle to and from work . The hills along 280 were green due to winter rains and the sky was bright blue. With the radio way up and the top down, I floated down the highway taking in the view and clean air.

In two weeks, we return to Beijing were the hills aren't green and the air quality is horrible.

I'm very thankful for yesterday's drive.

Disposal

2008-02-21T06:07:00.002+08:00

The disposal is my least favorite kitchen appliance. This week I had to unclog the kitchen sink after our Ayi attempted to put a half a head of cabbage and the peelings from a whole bag of carrots down the disposal.

My biggest issue with the disposal is its name. Most commonly pronounced "Dispose-All", this crafty product name is probably the souce of millions of dollars of service fees to plumbers worldwide.

In order to prevent clogged pipes, I think the product should be called "Dispose-those-itty-bitty-bits-of-leftovers-that-you-didn't-scrape-into-the-trash-or-let-your-dog-lick-off-your-plate". If that name stuck, then plumbers and the makers of Drano would get a lot less of my money and I would spend a lot less time plunging and scooping out handfuls of mush from my kitchen sink.

Another alternative would be to cut a large hole in the side of the house and hook up an industrial grade wood chipper which would operate more closely like a "Dispose-All".

For now, our ayi is putting all scraps in the trash. I'm off to the hardware store to replenesh my stock of Drano in preparation for the next clog.

Movements

2008-02-15T08:39:00.003+08:00

This weekend Anne flies back to Beijing and both girls and I will stay in California until mid-March.

Zoe needs a few more weeks to get the all clear from her doctor. She's recovering well, just a bit more slowly than we anticipated.

Anne will return to California in early March and we will fly back to Beijing together.

While Anne is in Beijing, I get to step up and become the sole parent-in-residence. So, lots of dollies and pigtails for me in the next month.

Pee Shirt

2008-02-08T05:36:00.000+08:00

It's lunchtime in California and I've just taken a minute to reflect on the fact that I am wearing a pee-covered shirt.

This morning, Zoe woke up with a full diaper that had soaked through her PJs. When I picked her up, the wet PJs soaked my shirt too. Becuase we needed to change and feed the girls quickly, and I did not have another ironed shirt in the closet, I just pulled on a sweater over my shirt and got on with the day.

In my pre-children days, if my dog had peed on me, I would have changed my clothes before coming to work. Pee-shirt, yogurt-pants, Hello Kitty sticker on my face are all now acceptable ways to show up to work.

Now, my pee-shirt is just another example of how parenthood changes your mindset. It also reinforces my belief that one should always pack a black sweater.

Zoe's Home

2008-01-22T06:14:00.000+08:00

Zoe came through her surgery very well and we brought her home over the weekend. She never appeared to be in pain, maintained her normal ravenous appetite and spent many an hour walking the hallways of the pediatric ward.

The healing process will take 3-4 weeks and will require several follow up appointments with her doctor. We are very relieved she did so well and hope that her recovery goes equally as well.

They Weren't Lying

2008-01-17T07:14:00.001+08:00

This week Anne came back from a trip to Target with a Dora pop-up tent house for the girls to play in. The box stated the house was large enough to accommodate 6 kids.

When I unpacked the box and cut open the plastic wrapper, the tent house expanded geometrically in the middle of our dining room. In order to accommodate the Dora house, we had to rearrange furniture rendering our dining table unusable.

I looked at Anne and asked if they had anything smaller. She replied, "Well, I read on the box that it could accommodate 6 kids, so I guess they weren't lying". What the box failed to mention was the tent could accommodate 6 eighteen year old kids.

After one night of play and without a table to eat on, I convinced Anne would should move the tent downstairs. As I write this post, Dora is pointing at me wide eyed and open mouth and Boots appears ready to latch onto my leg.

I'm pleased to be able to use our dining room table and Anne is pleased to know product marketers occasionally tell the truth.

Passing Off

2008-01-17T06:53:00.000+08:00

Before we left Beijing, I needed to change US dollars into Renminbi. This involves going to the bank, taking a number and waiting with 10's of other people who are there to pay utility bills, deposit duffle bags full of cash and a few other foreigners.

China is very strict about confirming the authenticity of currency, both Renminbi and foreign. Every store, restaurant, hotel and bank uses a money counting/checking machine. If the machine kicks out a bill, then it will not be accepted.

During my recent visit to the bank several US$100 bills were rejected by the machine. I had no choice but to put those bills back into my wallet.

Within hours of landing in the US, I used those bills to purchase groceries and gas without even a cursory look into their authenticity.

I have no doubt the bills were genuine US currency. China is just very strict about the currency they will accept. The 20 Renminbi note (approx. US$3) is supposedly the most widely counterfeited bill in China. No one takes the time to check these bills.

If you are planning a trip to China and bringing US currency, make sure every piece is brand new. Marked, torn or worn bills will not be accepted. You'll be forced to carry them back home and pass them off on someone else.

Zoe's Surgery

2008-01-07T15:56:00.000+08:00

This weekend we fly back to the US in preparation for Zoe's elective surgery next week. Zoe has superficial rectovaginal fistula that needs to be closed. According to our doctor, her fistula has been present since birth or soon thereafter.

We will be in the US for 5-6 weeks including 5-6 days in the Lucile Packard Hospital starting January 17th. Following the surgery, we will be at our home in California until we return to Beijing.

Say Please

2008-01-07T14:43:00.000+08:00

We've been working on getting our girls to say "please" and other useful words as of late. With please we've made considerable progress over the past few months. Now, in order to get something, they know they must first say please.

This past weekend, we noticed that the girls were saying please to each other. We were very happy to see our girls doing so well. Then, Zoe added a new twist on its use.

Ollie wanted the magnetic drawing pad that Zoe was playing with. At first, Ollie tried her normal approach which was to walk up and yank it out of Zoe's hands. For Ollie, might makes right.

Zoe was quicker than Ollie this time and kept firm hold of the drawing pad. Ollie gave it another good yank, but still Zoe kept hold.

Zoe looked directly at Ollie and said "please" which was her way of letting Ollie know she needed to say please. Ollie hesitated, let go of the pad, held her hands out to accept it and then said "please".

Zoe nodded to acknowledge that Ollie had said "please". She then lifted up the drawing pad and swiftly brought it crashing down on top of Ollie's head.

I was not quite sure how to respond to this situation. I assumed it was Zoe's way of telling Ollie that might isn't always right and remember to say please. I figured, at least one good thing came of out this exchange and we could work on the head smashing later.

Nightstand Surfing

2008-01-02T14:56:00.000+08:00

The girls are getting much better about going to bed. We now just put them down, give them each a book or two, a stuffed animal, kiss them and leave the room. Once we close their door, they will chat and giggle for a few minutes before falling asleep.

This past weekend, I put the girls down and waited outside their door. They were carrying on a normal conversation and giggling. Then, the giggles began to grow louder and louder. Abruptly the giggles stopped and that is when I knew I needed to go back into the room.

I was stunned to see Zoe on top of the nightstand between their beds, arms stretched out above her head with a book in each hand squatting up and down much to the wide-eyed amusement of Ollie. I shouted, "Stop that". Ollie dove into her pillow and didn't make a sound. Zoe froze, standing up with her arms above her head and a slight guilty grin on her face.

As I hurried around Ollie's bed to get Zoe off the nightstand, she threw the books into her bed and started to make moves like she was going to dive back into her bed. I caught her before she could execute her quarter rotation belly flop.

Several, "No, No, No's" later, I was back outside their door. The giggles started up almost immediately, but then gave way to a normal silence and they were off to sleep.

Schoolhouse Gourmet Dinner

2007-12-28T18:01:00.000+08:00

Anne and I went to Mutianyu to attend another Gourmet Dinner at the Schoolhouse Restaurant, and again, we had a great time

This was our second Gourmet Dinner event at the Schoolhouse and the evening ranks as one of our favorite dining experiences in (near) Beijing. Located just 45 minutes from Beijing and within view of the Great Wall at Mutianyu, it's a must do for any visitor to Beijing whose visit falls on one of their Gourmet Dinner nights.

The food is great, the wine is free flowing and the dinner conversations are always interesting. The chef sources local ingredients, likes challenges and mixes cooking styles to create interesting courses for the prix fixe menu.

The Schoolhouse also has a glass blowing workshop, at art room, and country store. The store is a great place to pick up snacks and drinks for your hike along the Great Wall.

This place has it all and has become one of our favorite places to visit. Check it out here.

A Five

2007-12-28T17:49:00.000+08:00

The air pollution in Beijing the past few days has been ranked as hazardous, the worst level possible in the China Environmental Monitoring Center's ranking system. Air quality in Beijing is bad on a good day, but the past few days have been unbelievable.

For a good article on China's environmental issues, read Elizabeth Economy's piece in Foreign Affairs A Great Leap Backward?.

Sobering, but true.

Santa's Cookies

2007-12-28T17:05:00.000+08:00

Santa missed out on his cookies this year because each time we put down a plate of cookies Zoe and Olivia snatched them, ran from the table and stuffed them down. Two failed attempts to leave Santa cookies resulted in us abandoning that Christmas tradition.

On Christmas morning, the girls were in shock when they saw the gifts. It took a few moments for them to register the presents were for them. Quickly though, they moved from toy to toy checking them out. Paper was torn, packages were opened and every sound making device was activated.

The kitchen cook set and the Hello Kitty shopping carts were the biggest hits. Luckily Santa brought two shopping carts thereby preventing knock-down drag-out battles for possession.

Pictures of the day are up on Flickr.

Following Elephants

2007-12-13T20:36:00.000+08:00

Last week, we took the girls to Phuket for a week's holiday. It was a busy, yet enjoyable time.

The resort has a great children's pool and a water slide which the girls enjoyed immensely. Immediately after breakfast until their lunchtime nap and then post nap until dinner, we were at the pool or the beach.

Daily elephant sightings were the highlight of the trip for Anne and the girls. Each day a mahout would bring either a 6 year old or a one year old elephant up the beach to our resort. Each day we'd get out of the pool or walk down the beach to watch or feed the elephants. Anne and the girls even rode an elephant which they all enjoyed.

Every day as we returned to our room to clean up before dinner, the girls would look for the elephants in hopes of spending more time with them. This pleased Anne too. Most days ended with the girls trying to keep pace with the elephant and its mahout as they made their way back down the beach and out of sight.

Reprimanded

2007-12-07T15:09:00.000+08:00

On last week's flight from Beijing to Bangkok, a mother of older children reprimanded me for not keeping our girls quiet. She complained that she had not heard Anne nor I tell our girls to be quiet nor keep them from crying or screaming.

At first, I was shocked that someone with children would attempt to reprimand another parent. I was also surprised because our girls were doing so much better than they had on the flight to Beijing from San Francisco earlier this fall. Yes, at times they had meltdowns, but they are 2 years old and meltdowns happen every hour of every day even when they are at home with everything they could possible want.

I did keep my replies to this woman civil. However, when she told me I needed to explain to my girls that "a plane is a public place and they needed to be quiet", I told her to mind her own business and turned back to our girls.

After the flight, Anne and I talked about exchange and agreed the woman was out of line. However, we've both noted this week as our girls scream or cry, we quickly shush them.

Tomorrow, we fly back to Beijing. Flights with two-year-olds are always interesting. I wonder what will happen this time.

Crafts

2007-11-28T20:00:00.000+08:00

I learned a good lesson about crafts.

Each week at the girl's playgroup there is a craft to complete. I noticed the first few times as I was gluing, stapling and assembling away that the moms used the alloted time to complete just one craft for their sole child. Trying to be fair to my girls, I attempted to complete a craft for Olivia and another for Zoe. The outcome was I completed neither. Additionally, as I turned my back on one daughter to help the other, the daughter I was not paying attention to would entertain herself by gluing things to my back or attempting to staple something onto one of the other children at the table.

This week, I abandoned my plan for equal opportunity and helped the girls complete just one craft. My new plan was successful. The girls seemed happy with one completed craft, none of the other children at the table had random staples on their clothing and I made it home without cotton balls glued to my back.

Deuling Lions

2007-11-16T15:57:00.001+08:00

Deuling Lions
Originally uploaded by cha3701.

A month ago our property management company put up a pair of stone lions at the front and back entrances to our neighborhood. No sooner did the cement set on our lions than the property management company for the neighborhood across the street start preparing the ground for their own set of lions.

The perspective of this photo distorts reality because our neighbors' lions are 3-4 times the size of ours. Their lions are so large they had to be installed by a truck mounted crane.

My favorite part of the dueling lions situation was when the neighboring property company celebrated their installation by setting off a 20 minute barrage of fireworks at 7:30AM one weekday morning. I was walking Georgia at the time and she starting jumping and tugging on the leash to get away from the noise. Our neighbor's dog jumped the fence at the dog park and ran hell-bent-for-leather back to her house. Pre-school kids who were waiting for their bus cried as their hugged their parents' legs. Complete chaos at 7:30AM.

I chuckle at the blatant oneupmanship between the property companies, but to understand this situation is to understand China. Everyone compares themselves to everyone else and, often, quite negatively and critically. In China, a new watch is not a nice purchase or gift, but too expensive or cheap, too big or small, or too flashy or plain.

For now, our puny stone lions will sit under the gaze of their steroid enhanced cousins across the road. But, at least ours are finished with a nice glaze while their's are just rough concrete. Take that!!

Clean Report

2007-11-15T16:34:00.000+08:00

This morning, I found out that my mother's thyroid tumor pathology report was benign and I couldn't have been more relieved. For weeks now, we've all been hoping for a successful surgery and a good outcome. We got both.

Just like everyone in my family, I've been playing out "what if" scenarios in my head. Too many of the outcomes were ones I wasn't ready for.

For now, she (we) have been given a pass. A pass that gives us more time together, more meals to share and more laughs. I'm very thankful for that pass.

Playgroup

2007-11-14T12:58:00.000+08:00

I've started taking the girls to a playgroup for an hour each Wednesday morning. I avoided this event because I knew it was going to be me and the mommies. And, that has proven to be true.

Before the girls arrived, I read several articles about active dads and learned through others that dads who that take their children to daytime playgroups or the park are smiled at, but rarely spoken to. My experience is just about the same. Granted, the mother(s) who sit next to me as I help my girls with their art projects or keep the peace when a tray of snacks arrive are very pleasant, our conversations are just very limited.

When the moms sit down in circles of 3 to 4 to chit chat, I move through the room keeping an eye on my girls to make sure Zoe doesn't attempt a swan dive from the top of the slide and to discourage Olivia from mowing down smaller children with the Cozy Coupe. Passing by these circles, I hear snippets of the conversations and from what I've heard I'd have little to add and even less interest in what is being discussed. Not all the conversations are about lipstick and shoes, but enough are to keep me moving through the room.

The girls enjoy the playgroup and that is all that really matters. Playing musical instruments, making art projects and, of course, scarfing up treats make them very happy. So, it looks like I'm going to be a playgroup regular. It's good for my girls and that's good enough for me.

Words

2007-11-13T16:49:00.000+08:00

Our girls are starting to spit out new words on a daily basis. Our Ayi's speak to the girls in Mandarin and we primarily speak to them in English. Hua (flower), zhong (clock), deng (light) and chou (stinky) are very recognizable Mandarin words. More, Uh-oh, please and baby are the English ones.

The girls also talk to each other in words none of us can understand. Watching their gesturing, nodding and facial expressions, it's clear that they are communicating with each other.

I'm amazed by their comprehension of both Mandarin and English commands after only four months. Telling them to bring you a toy, share a toy, or stop doing something in either language seems to be understood. Granted, not always followed, but their reactions confirm they understood what you asked them to do.

It's amazing to watch them soak up two languages simultaneously.

Mom's Surgery

2007-11-13T16:23:00.001+08:00

Today, my mom had surgery to remove a tumor on her thyroid. Thankfully, she came through the surgery well. I spoke to her just afterwards and she sounded fine, just tired.

It's times like these when wish I did not live so far away. Being overseas has its advantages, but the disadvantages come into clear focus on days like today.

For now, we wait for the pathologist's report. And pray, to whomever will listen, for good news.

Puppy & Bee

2007-11-01T11:33:00.001+08:00

Read to Go
Originally uploaded by cha3701.

We celebrated Halloween in our neighborhood last night. The girls, Anne and I all had a great time.

The girls enjoy dressing up and were very happy to wear their costumes all night long. Once they figured out that going up to someone's front door meant they could grab a handful of lollipops and candy, they we set for the night. They made sure we visited every house that had their lights on.

We walked from house to house in our neighborhood just as Anne and I had done in our youth. I find it amusing that it is not safe to do this in most communities in the US, but in Beijing, where we know our neighbors, it's perfectly safe.

The girls were very happy about their haul of candy, particularly the lollipops. Tootsie Rolls, Snickers, and Milky Ways did not elicit much response, I assume, because they had not seen them before.

Anne and I went to bed last night as very happy, new parents. Our girls had had a great evening, and so had we.

The Schoolhouse Rocks!

2007-10-27T20:27:00.000+08:00

This past weekend we took Anne's family to the Schoolhouse Restaurant in Mutianyu for their Country Gourmet dinner. The restaurant, on-site glass making workshop and art gallery reside in an old schoolhouse below the Great Wall.

Their Country Gourmet dinners use a prix fixe menu with as much organic and locally sourced ingredients as possible. Having the opportunity to eat fresh produce and talk to several of the people that grow the produce themselves or know the farms where the produce comes from was a real treat.

The dinner conversations were equally as enjoyable as many of the guests had been in China 15 years of more. We swapped stories about studying Chinese and working here long before families parked their BMW SUV's below glitzy malls and text messaged one another to meet up at Starbuck's sometime later.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and I look forward to dining there again. The restaurant is also worth visiting for lunch. From their outdoor seating there is a good view of the Great Wall.

Brownies for Breakfast

2007-10-24T18:27:00.000+08:00

Earlier this week after I finished an early morning conference call, I heard our girls squealing with delight during breakfast. When I looked into the dining room, I saw Zoe with a brownie in each hand and brownie bits smeared across her face. Olivia only had a brownie in her right hand. Judging from the size of her bulging cheeks, I figured the one previously in her left hand was now in her mouth.

Our Ayi's assumed a pan of brownies in the kitchen were some type of bread and gave each girl a small bowlful for their breakfast.

My attempts to snatch the brownies off their highchair trays were wholly unsuccessful as the girls knew they had secured a two-year-olds' breakfast of champions. Left hand, right hand, they stuffed the remaining brownies into their mouths smiling all the way.

Realizing I'd lost that battle, I did what felt right. I poured myself a cup of coffee, cut a big brownie from the pan, sat down with my girls and laughed as we ate brownies for breakfast.

North Korean Singing Waitresses

2007-10-16T21:28:00.001+08:00

North Korean Singing Waitresses
Originally uploaded by cha3701.

I've wanted to go to Haitanghua Pyongyang Cold Noodle Restaurant for some time now. This week I ticked this Beijing-must-do off my list.

Anne's family is visiting from the US and we took them to Haitanghua for cold noodles, a traditional Pyongyang dish. Anne's father spent his early childhood in Pyongyang and we thought he would enjoy the dinner and entertainment.

The restaurant's draw are waitresses, all from Pyongyang, who take turns belting out Korean folk tunes. They wear identical flight attendant-like uniforms and have their hair pulled back in tight ponytails. It appeared they adopted dance moves from Robert Palmer's "Simply Irresistible" video but a whole lot less sexed up.

The only letdown was the restaurant did not serve North Korean beer. Cold Pyongyang noodles, singing and dancing North Korean waitresses and a big bottle of Kim Il Sung Eternal Leader Beer would have made for the perfect night. Now that North Korea is stopping their uranium enrichment and weapons sales, maybe they'll start exporting beer and do their bit to make the word a safer place.

Avoid Me

2007-10-12T15:58:00.000+08:00

Before I had children when I went to the airport or any other place that required you to queue up, I first scanned the lines for undesirables. Undesirables fall into to two categories, card carrying members of the AARP and anyone with children. Both groups often make lines grind to a halt.

I am now a bona fide member of the anyone-with-children group. During our three week trip to the US, we caused chaos at airport check-ins, befuddled waitresses and left a trail of food crumbs wherever we went.

Airports were the location of our greatest chaos. In Phoenix, Anne and Olivia sent off the metal detector. Anne had to hold Olivia while they were both hand searched. Holding a squirming two year old in one arm while you are molested by a latex glove wearing agent with a large wand is definitely not Anne's idea of a good time.

For the flight back to Beijing, I managed to pile 6 large suitcases, one roll aboard and two car seats on a $3 rental cart. The leaning tower of luggage stood 8 feet high and I navigated by peering through a small space between the two car seats. Anne pushed the girls in their side-by-side stroller while lugging two diaper bags and a computer bag. We were such a spectacle that seas of people parted before us. It's the closest we'll ever get to being Moses.

Adding to the chaos, Olivia and Zoe were selected for additional screening. Somehow, two terrible two-year-olds become two potential terrorists. Thankfully, the TSA screeners took one look at them, laughed off the requirement and sent us on our way. Granted, we still managed to snarl the baggage screening line with car seats that wouldn't fit through the machine, two diaper bags, two partially full sippy cups, two laptops, one portable DVD player, four pair of shoes and four coats.

For the foreseeable future, I expect family travel will be like this. I think it is best that I have a t-shirt made which would read, "Avoid me, I'm a Parent". Then, you will all be forewarned and I'll have to say "Sorry about that" a whole lot less.

11 Hours of Chaos

2007-10-09T09:51:00.000+08:00

Last weekend we flew back from San Francisco to Beijing. The girls bounced off the walls for 11 of the flight's 12 hour duration. There was nothing we could do to keep them quiet, still or satisfied. During the 3-6 hours period, I considered walking the aisles asking for Ambien, cough syrup or other sedatives for me or the girls.

After three weeks living out of suitcases, it's nice to be back. We had a busy but good time in the US seeing family and friends. We took care of many outstanding issues with the girls' immigration, work, and home. Lot's of new pictures from our trip posted here.

We have another big trip in January. Between now and then, I hope to forget or at least not remember this past weekend's in-flight experience.

Grandma on the Beach

2007-10-04T02:08:00.000+08:00

Hours after we flew into Honolulu, my parents arrived too. It was their first opportunity to get their hands on our girls and observe Anne and me as parents.

With the citizenship and passport paperwork filed, we had the rest of the week to play. We visited the zoo, aquarium, North Shore, Waikiki beach and shopped for both us and the girls.

The beach proved to be a big hit with the girls. Both enjoyed digging in the sand and Olivia was a natural in the waves. She would lie flat on her stomach and kept pointing out to the bigger waves beyond the breakers. I’m looking forward to playing with her in the waves when she is big enough to swim on her own.

The beach has always been an enjoyable and memorable place for me. As a child, we visited my maternal grandparents in Fort Lauderdale where I spent hours playing in the surf and sand.

This trip my mom could not play in the waves because she is recovering from dislocating her kneecap. Access to the ocean was a bit rocky, not the type of entry that was suitable for a tender knee.

One day at Honolulu, I had a surreal moment when I was holding Olivia, who was named after my maternal grandmother, Ollie Howell. At one point, my mother was sitting on the beach and waving at us playing in the waves. It made me recall my childhood when I would play in the waves with my parents and sister and my grandmother would sit on the beach and wave to us.

For a brief moment, I was not a father. Rather, I was a young boy, with short hair, wiping saltwater from my eyes as I waved to my grandmother. As I looked at my mother, I did not see her. Instead, I saw my grandmother. Then Olivia giggled and the image was gone. Instead of being the child, I was the parent, Olivia the child and my mother the grandmother on the beach. In that brief moment, I saw the cycle of life turn in front of my eyes.

Citizenship

2007-10-04T02:01:00.000+08:00

Our girls are now US citizens. We applied for their US passports in Honolulu and received them in two business days. Before making the trip, we were concerned about reported delays in issuing passports. Honolulu might be the most lightly used passport office in the US as there were very few people there when we submitted the girls’ passport applications and we were the only people there when we picked up the girls’ passports.

Since getting their passports, we’ve been on a whirlwind tour of government agencies and other offices. We’ve filed for Social Security numbers, applied for visas to get them back into China and set up other required accounts. Trying to get all this done in a few weeks has been exhausting.

It’s a relief to have changed their citizenship and ascended to the next stage in the post adoption process. We still have 9 months of follow up reports and other paperwork to file, but the end is now in sight.

The Big Flight

2007-09-13T14:14:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow morning we're off to the airport for a flight to Tokyo, where we have a six hour layover , then an overnight flight to Honolulu. We've assembled a mini-van full of luggage, car seats, the double wide stroller, and enough diapers, wipes and spare clothes for a change every hour for 24 hours.

Upon arrival in Honoulu, our girls will become US citizens. We have appointments for passports and other official post-adoption paperwork too.

The best part about going to Hawaii is my parents will arrive the same day we do. For two months now, my mother has told me she can't wait to get her hands on our girls. It's now less than 48 hours from happening.

After a week in Honolulu, we fly to California for a two week visit. My sister and her family are flying in too. We'll see friends, do a little work and take in as much fresh air, organic food and good wine as we can.

It will be nice to be State-side, it's just the ordeal of getting there that I'm not looking forward to.

Wish us luck.