Jia Hui Hwei Jia (Sarah returns home)

There's nothing more exciting than to see your child come home. Especially after they have being out of the country for almost half the year in the Middle East - Doha, Qatar.
It was two night ago when I receive a call from Sarah, just landed in Doha from Paris, with her flight details. It wasn't encouraging to learn that she was on a wait listed in Singapore till 28th Feb before she can get on a flight. The annual Chinese reunion dinner, on the 18th February, was going ahead with her absence.
This morning while I was in a meeting, I received a call from Sarah in Singapore that she was coming home Sunday morning. Her ticket (valid for 6 months) was expiring and she had to depart Singapore for home asap. I suppose this got Emirates to respond and gave her seat on the flight to Melbourne. Unfortunately, Gene and Nick are stuck in Singapore, probably till the 28th Feb. I hope they can get home as soon as possible.
Like I promise Sarah, some home made Char Siew (barbeque pork) is going to be on the menu. I believe Sarah has learn more life's experiences than me at her age. When I was at her age, the only plans I had was how to get a date with a girl. Well how time's changed.
Well, uncertain where her next project will take her, all we are going to do now is to enjoy her company...soon.

Cake supplied...

Pauline did not wish to celebrate her birthday with an elaborate dnner. As all men do, we comply. But I thought at least we can have a cake.

Every Tuesday evenings, I conduct a small group bible study so the time for me to celebrate with her was later that evening - lile 11pm.

There was no ready cake mix in the pantry. But (Bing!) an idea. It wasn't the size of the cake but the sentiments. So as you can see it was a fantastic night when I brought out this morsel with a match as a candle. The peanut cake was tough to cut. But all in all, a great night.

We sat and watch Superman but I don't remember watching it because I fell asleep.

After 27 years, she is still my best friend and I love her so.

Moral of the story: Never put off anything. Love your spouse and friends. Make time and watch things happen.

The Magic of Melbourne

Often a picture is worth a thousand words.

Emm. I wonder what 40 pictures are worth?

Enjoy and welcome to Melbourne

Half way to 108!

Well I suppose everyone has a day in the year where it reminds you that you have chalked up another 365 days. The day began with yawn and a call from Sarah in Paris. It was a day where I had to show my parents how to operate their cable TV. A day I took Pauline to the hairdressers and a day where I spent an afternoon in the city taking photos of the city. But it's has been along time since the clan had the opportunity to gather at the table for a meal.

When you are half way to 108, you wouldn't want to make an event of it. It was to be a celebration that everyone could make it (Sarah and Gene are excused – still in France). It was a dinner for my parents returning from Canberra; my nephew Aaron for his new job; Jon for his research grant; Julian for his new born - Pablo and also return to Australia; my sister's return from Japan; and all their lovely spouses.

We had a lovely meal at a restaurant by the banks of the Yarra. My jet-lagged sister found time to sneek in a birthday cake. There weren't any cameras but these days of technology meant there was always a cellphone camera. Light was a little dim so to complete the photo, I was lit up by a tiny LCD light. The cake was absolutely devine.

So when I have only been on earth for just under 500,000 hours (19,710 days), one's perspective on life changes some what. While it is important to celebrate the milestone, I believe relationships far outweights our time on earth. The privilege of relating is without favour nor envy (albeit I was shown a beautiful IWC timepiece).

Well I suppose when everyone relates well, it makes this insignificant milestone quite worthy of celebrating – and thanks for the gifts guys.

It almost came to naught...

Robert McNaught discovered the comet C/2006 P1 on August 7 2006. The comet is commonly know as the McNaught Comet. I heard of it just a couple of weeks ago. It goes to show how up to date I am with current affairs.

Nevertheless, the last couple of evening I endeavoured to go out and experience this one in many life time comet. according to astronomers, this comet isn't coming around for another 100,000 years! On the 23rd , I tried to look out of our backyard but there was cloud cover. Emm.

On the 24th Jan, Pauline and I went up to Mt Dandenong to take a look but I arrived at the gate house of Mt Dandenong at 10.02pm. The gate closes at 10.00pm. Streuth! (always wanted to say this).

Last night, 25th Jan, we went to Williamstown over the western side of Melbourne. This would enable me to avoid the city lights of Melbourne. Our destination is also a lovers' haunt. I felt it would be intrusive with my huge Nikon D2Xs with the 200mm f2 lens plus a 1.7x teleconverter. Well, I suppose the love birds, if there were any would know that I am pointing at the sky.

When we arrived, there were a few cars but we decided to drive further to see if there was a clear area for me to park my tripod and camera gear. Yes, indeed there was. In the relatively large grassed area a couple of gentlemen were also star gazing. I was scanning for anything bright. I focused on a bright object bit it turned out to be Venus. Suddenly, one of the guys pointed to a faint area of light and there it was - The McNaught Comet. A couple commented that It was one of the best nights. This made me feel good.

Gazing at the universe made me started to sing "How great thou art" -

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Well, it was an experience and I am over the McNaught that I see and capture this glorious comet.

We will go out tonight, at an earlier time, to see if I can improve on the shot I have taken.

To learn more of Mr McNaught's discovery, just visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_McNaught#History

Else everything will come to naught.

Build Gate would be happy

To those who know this is the driveway of my parents house. The previous wooden gate lasted just over 18 years. It was falling apart.
So over the Christmas season I took on the challenge to build a better gate. To move from the wooden age to the metal age. The problem was the driveway's width. It wasn't the standard driveway width. It was too narrow for a double gate but too wide for a single gate. From the image you can tell I have gone with the latter. The width of the gate is 2360mm. The steel frame required diagonal beam support. Welding was out of the question. Bing! an idea. A suspension system will provide sufficient support. Instead of some serious Emm... engineering, I chose 2x 6mm diameter stainless steel cables tension with a turnbuckle.
After initial prayers followed by 7 hours for fabrication and painting of the pickets, the new gate was lowered into the new hinges and with a lock installed, the task was finished. The neighbours inspected the gate and it met with their approval albeit there were some stray drill holes on the frame through miscalculations. Well some putty will soon fix that. By my Emm... calculations, this gate should last at least 20 years. By then I would not know a drill from a driver. For those who require explanation, a drill is not a march. It drills holes while a driver screws! This is noted for my own reference in 20 years time.
No sooner when the sun set, my tools - drill and driver and screws are packed away for another project.

You only need a heart.

The previous mesh ring was nice but it was too big. Pauline was a size 5 and not 6. Anyway, it looked a little too big for her when she put it on. I took Pauline back to Tiffanys to let her pick something out herself. I was surprised at the number of people in the store - still shopping. Pauline tried on the size 5. It fitted but it still looked very bulky. She asked the staff if they had the "Dragonfly" ring. The lady replied yes but it's at the front of the store. I knew the expensive rings were kept at the front. Nonetheless, she must have seen the ring before. The lady casually brought the ring out and placed it on Pauline's finger. It looked ok. Bravely I enquired about the price - $1170. Emm. Pauline removed the ring and handed it back and asked the lady to show here some alternatives. We ventured back to the rear of the store and next the mesh ring was on that had a heart on it. It was more refine. I knew it had her name on it. The lady brought it out and slipped it onto Pauline's finger and I knew that was what I should have given my true love - a heart.

My true love brought to me...

Her kindness and love. I could not ask for anything more. We said that we will not have gifts for each other. But all I can think of to give her this Christmas is a ring, made up of tiny little mesh links. I thought it represented the little things that I have often forgotten to do for her. This does not replace any of that but it reminds me each time I see it. I know only of one place that sells this ring. It's that place you go th have breakfast... tiffany. Merry Christmas.

Time to slow down...

At the beginning of November, I thought I was going to have an easy couple of months leading to Christmas. I thought wrong. It ended up with the PDA filling up with meetings and lunch and dinner appointments. There were so much to do and so little time. I nearly fell into the state of doing a little of everything and end up with having nothing done.
I reassessed my situation and drew up a priority list. Not sure about the priority as the projects were all required at the same time. Well the time of day seemed a good measure of which jobs ad to be attended to first. Emm, it's lunch time already. Have not received the changes to the alterations. I am uncertain if I am time poor of a just a poor chap who is desperately running out of time. I think the latter. nevertheless, it's Christmas time and it's a time to rejoice and be merry even though there's still a couple of jobs with crazy dead lines.
I am looking forward to the weekend when I can really slow down. Or can I? I have not bought any Christmas shopping for food. Well there's always 2007 when I can start again.
Merry Christmas to all my fellow bloggers and have a thought of those people who are displaced and lonely. My hope is for each one of us to take time to help those who cannot help themselves.

Why is it?

It is normal that whenever I am in Singapore, I am in my tee shirts and shorts. And I have always believed that people who wait for a cab or even a limo at the cab rank will get a ride. Historically, every time Pauline and myself wait for a cab and a limo turns up, we are always told they are busy. So we wonder why do they bother turning into the cab rank.

However, this recent trip to Singapore open my eyes to another facet to how we deal with fellow brothers and sisters.

It was a formal reception I had to attend at the Conrad Centennial, a pretty fancy hotel in the Marina area. I was staying in a hotel near Chinatown. Uncomfortably dressed in my Hugo Boss outfit, I ventured to the lobby and stood at the cab rank to wait for a cab. No cabs came. A Mercedes limo turned up and asked where I was going. I told him I was waiting for a cab to take me to the Conrad. The limo driver said he'll take me. I politely declined as I did not see the requirement of a limo to the venue. The driver continued to persuade me that the rates are same as normal cab rates. So I got in.

During the journey, I quiz the driver their choice of clientele. He naturally said that they are always busy and are on call. I said to the driver, there were times when I was casually dressed, going to a colleague's home for a lunch, willing to pay any amount because I was running late, and a limo would not pick me up. All of 8 times at my last recollection. Well may be they were busy but I love a good conspiracy. At the destination, I gave the driver a hefty tip and told him that if I was in my tee shirt and shorts, I would have triple that tip.

I hope my concepts are misguided and misinformed. Any way the dinner was sensational. But that's another story.

A whirlwind trip to Singapore

It wasn't too long ago I was a Tullamarine airport. Tomorrow I find myself heading out north to the isle of Singapore. It's a trip to catch up with old friends, attend a wedding, meeting clients and even get to vote in the Victorian elections at the Australian High Commission in Napier Road.

Napier Road - what memories it bring back having live opposite the Aussie High Commission for 5 years. It is unfortunate that my camera is at the camera clinic getting fixed. It will have to be the compact camera for this trip. Pauline has even given me a list of beads to buy for her. That will be a test. So it to that little bead shop in Arab Street.

All these activities in 3 days. But like I said, I only need a hour in Singapore and I would have bought everything I need. The tough part is having to pay for the items when I return.

May be the hawker centres may not be such a bad idea. After all, there is only so much food you can eat. The first order of the day is a kilo of "Long Yok" - sweet barbecue pork slice. Yumm. Sorry Sarah. Your turn will come in February.

Well have to fly.

God's grace - my teacher from the west

I like to share a couple of friends who have taught me what God's grace was all about. David and Jan Boan.
I am both encouraged and excited that a good friend, John is dragging the Boan's into the 21st century arena by starting up a podcast post for them.
Last I heard John has even invested in a couple of podcast books to ensure that this happens.
When it is up, no doubt John and I shall let you know both the website and the podcast details.

ipod therefore ipod

I have often wondered what was life like before the ipod. It was the CD players that played mp3 music. The CDs held a maximum of 80 - 100 songs (wow) depending on the length of each song. Then there were walkman players with cassette tapes. Then history begins to fade a little. I believe there was a void where mobile music was unheard of. (pardon the pun) There was the vinyl singles of the 60 and early 70s.

The Apple ipod. I ought to be careful here lest this reads like a testimonial for Apple ipods. However, with a 80Gb capacity, I have loaded up my entire collection of music and more. My favourite is subscriptions to audio and video podcasts. Suddenly the world of information is condensed into a palm size unit and I love it.

I know Sarah too have just received her ipod. I must confessed previously I did have a 60Gb ipod. But since I convinced my best friend and soulmate, my wife to have one for podcasts, Pauline has taken the next step into this technology. (YES)

I tend to miss Andrew Denton's Enough Rope most weeks but the video podcast have saved the night. Now I have the entire series.

Aside from this, a mate of mine is working hard in helping a teacher of God's grace to post podcasts of his teachings. This will enable the world to have access to David's teachings. No more burning of audio CDs. (John Y will be happy).

I saw the launch of microsoft Zune. Emm it's not an ipod is it.

Plug in I say. (Yay, as Sarah would say)

Back in time for the back to go

It is incredible after almost a month in China, lugging camera gear along the Ancient Silk Road, every thing was fine.
The body has begun to get back into the work mode. Things seemed to be bobbing along until this Monday.

It was a corporate golf day organised by my client and I knew I couldn't play because of my bad right shoulder. I was commissioned to be the official photographer at the signature ninth hole.

The tripod was set and the camera in focus. The groups came past and I took photos of them. After a few groups had passed, I decided a change of lens would create a more dramatic image. I squatted, something I learnt in China, to change the lens. Suddenly I felt the lower back gave way and excruciating pain ensued. I was picked up by the groundsman who took me back to the club house and laid at the locker room for a couple of hours.

I managed to drive home and the decided if I should go the hospital. I had a couple of panadine tablets and went off to bed. I had a morning briefing which I could not miss.

I drove to the office and it took me 15 minutes to get up 2 flights of stairs. I had to see a doctor after that to make sure that it was not anything worse. By his prescription of panadine forte I was reassured that it was a bad sprain I had inflicted on my back. Just as well I am back in Australia and not in Keurle or Kuche or Aksu or Urumqi.

I think a few days on my back and starring at the ceiling will be good for the healing. So this looks like back to back rest.

The sorting begins

It is now the calm after the storm. A whirlwind of almost a month of exploration and learning the history of a civilisation that pre-dates the birth of Christ.

With around 3500 plus images (how can anyone take so many photos!) and 10 hours of video to edit, the pressure is on to have the album finished and the video completed by 19th November for a dinner show and tell. So far I have been through the first culling of images but as I wade through the images, I struggle to remember the location. Just as well I bought a book of the region.

I have to go through a second and third culling of the images before I feel I have the best images for the trip. Some of which are on my .mac website: http://homepage.mac.com/caseywong/PhotoAlbum5.html

Slowly, the body is getting back into work mode. But I cannot help but reminisce about the people I have met in Xinjiang. But I suppose life goes on...

The Terminal

We connected with the 3.40pm coach to Narita. On arrival at Narita, there were thousands of people. (people mountain, people sea in Cantonese). We were early and knew that our flight was not yet on the board. But most flights had the remark "Indefinite" next to their flight status. People were getting anxious. We were getting anxious. But the time our flight details were up, a red "Indefinite " was the status. One by one indefinite became cancelled. Only then I learnt that typhoon Yagi was hitting Japan from the north. The last time Narita airport was closed was in 1975.

We hastily went to look for accommodation but every hotel was full. In fact our flight was diverted to Haneda airport. Eventually over 1,500 people were stranded at Narita. Well, like Tom Hanks in The Terminal, we ventured off to secure some seats that we can sleep on.

We made the seats in aisle E and F our home for the evening. Later JAL distributed sleeping bags. The bags were nice. It had a JAL logo printed on them. So I had to have one to bring home. We felt quite safe with the police patrolling the terminal.

The next day I got up at 5.30am and found a Japanese family sleeping right next to me. Any way I went for a wash and sauntered up to the MacDonalds and waited for them to open.
After breakfast we secured seats on another flight for the following day. We booked accommodation at the Washington Hotel - an airline crew hotel. We were offered free coffee in the flight crew's waiting area.

We decided retail therapy would fix the night at the terminal. So we caught a coach to AEON department store. We spend the day there, doing most damage at Daiso - a $2 store. An early night was in ordered for all. The next morning, we went back to AEON. I was ready to come home.
The flight departed without any drama. Normally I can sleep in any position. But somehow I was very restless and I tossed and turned the entire night.

Sydney harbour bridge was indeed a welcome sight. We connected a Qantas flight bound for Melbourne. In flight, sitting at an emergency exit, I was able to narrate this story to Tania the flight stewardess. She asked me for my boarding pass and before I disembarked, she presented me with a bottle of red wine. What a homecoming.

Odayaku is near Odakyu

After a hectic number of days on the road sandwiched by the Gobi and the Taklimakan deserts the end was near as we arrived at Urumqi. I was looking forward to getting on to Tokyo.

The flight was uneventful albeit I took some photos of some beautiful cloud formations only to learn that it was the seed of Typhoon Yagi. On arrival in Tokyo, the body awaken to an environment of cleaniness. After checking into The Shiba Park Hotel, we ventured out to a ramen house and tucked in some delicious fresh ramen. With the body fed, a couple of us decided to take a walk around the environs. The Tokyo Tower was just behind the hotel. We walked passed a couple of homeless sleeping in large copier boxes.

The program for the next morning was a half day tour of the city. We visited places like the Meiji Shrine, the Imperial Palace, the Diet (parliament) and ended up at Asakusa. The visit to the temple was short. It's the 100 small shops along an alley that took most of the time. Eventually we were dropped off at Ginza. The rain began to change the day. There were those who needed to change money and there were those who wanted to shop. We decided to take a train on the Marunouchi line to Shinjuku. This is a old haunt of mine when I was working in Japan. Pauline's mission was to find a particular craft shop there. Armed with a hand written transcript of Sarah's directions, I forewarned Pauline that I may not succeed in taking her to the destination.

Stepping out of Shinjuku JR station the instructions pointed that a large department store, Odakyu, was to be on the right and we are to be on the opposite of the road. There is an alley with a DVD store, a watch shop and an adult store. This craft store is opposite these shops.

When we surfaced onto Shinjuku, through 1 of the 16 exits, indeed the large department store was on the right. I thought I am on the right track. The problem was there were numerous alleys with either a watch shop, a DVD shop or an adult shop, but not the 3 stores in the same alley. We stop and asked 2 girls for directions and they thought we wanted to go to an adult shop. Eventually when they worked out that we wanted to go to a craft shop, they pointed us to Mitsukoshi. It was a compromise but a good one. At the store, I asked a guy for directions to this elusive craft shop that Sarah's been, but the said Mitsukoshi is it. Eventually in a typical Japanese animated gesture, he remembered that there was one - Odayaku. He drew me a map and with the correct orientation, I manage to find our way there and resulted in one very happy wife. I knew then that my trip to Tokyo was complete. We spent almost the entire day there.

The next day was the same. We took a train on the Oedo line and went back to Odayaku. You would think that it's easy to find now that we've been. We were lost again. After a couple of stops for directions, we were back at the store, waiting for them to open. After 3 hours and numerous selection of coloured beads, we returned to the hotel in readiness to go home. What a thought.

Kashgar to Urumqi, the relaxed way

After a trip to the Abakh Khoja (Apak Hoja) Tombs, the definition of the city name of Kashgar became clear. Kashgar was known for its tiles. They were made from their naan ovens.
Construction began in 1640 and houses the remains of several generations from one family, beginning with an Islamic missionary, one Yusuf Hoja. The tomb is actually a series of tombs, ranging in style from elegantly simple to simply over-the-top elaborate. We had lunch at the old British Consulate offices. Lamb was the order of the day. After a couple of visits to the compulsory stops, we headed to the Kashgar airport in preparation for the flight to Urumqi.
At the airport, the X-ray picked up a silhouette of a Leatherman penknife that I thought I had lost it in Xian. Nevertheless, the immigration and customs took my bag through the X-ray machine for five times to locate the penknife. Eventually they call me behind the monitor and ask me to identify the knife. Eventually, I took it out and I thought to myself, that’s it, the knife will be confiscated. The customs officer suggested that I took the penknife and put it into the checked in luggage. How I managed to negotiate with the airline supervisor in Mandarin beckons all of my skill or lack off. Eventually, a baag from our group appeared and I slid the offending implement into one of the checked bags.

On arrival at Urumqi, the plane did a wide turn and introduced Urumqi in the most spectacular manner. We landed at 6.40pm, Beijing time.

Urumqi is a big city is a welcome sight after a couple of weeks of moving around in the outback of Xinjiang. We headed straight to a restaurant and after dinner, a couple said that their sling wallet was missing. The had put the bag between themselves. To get at her bag, the thieves will have to move the bag back and bend to pick it up.
No one noticed any unusual commotion. Plans were made to prepare emergency travel documents in Beijing for Rob and Lynne so they can travel to Japan and eventually to Sydney, Australia.

Tomorrow we head of to the heavenly lake and enjoy the vista there.
I shall keep you posted in my next blog in Beijing.

Kind regards
Case

Every corner a postcard

I finally worked out the smell that was coming from my hotel room - ammonia! The staff here use ammonia to clean everything. It sure keeps me up at night! Well blog on.

Today China celebrates its 57th Anniversary since Chairman Mao came into power. So I thought it is appropriate to wear red.

Blurry eyed from the little amount of sleep from last night, we headed west 500km from the Pakistan border. The country walled by the Himalayan Mountain. The journey to and fro would take a good part of 8 hours. We also had to bring our passport to the first of three checkpoints. However, we did not have to go to the second and third as the lake is just before the second checkpoint. All along the way, with every turn of the bus, the scenery is picturesque and spectrum of colours truly astounds.

We stopped at the Ka La Ku Lake situated 4000m above sea-level. The air here is a rare and after a while, I felt a little dizzy. Worked out that I need to have my lunch any way. Camels, horses and donkeys are the means of transport. This makes walking quite treacherous - dodging camel, horses and donkey poo!

After a lunch break and 300 shots later, we journeyed back to Kashgar and visited the Ancient City which dates back to Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. The entire city is built on straw and mud and the odd adobe brick. However, the Uygurs who live here are happy and the children are happy to have their photos taken.
The narrow lane ways are no wider than 5 feet in the old measure. The fringe of this old city is dominated by stores and shops selling handmade pots, vegetables, door hinges and the like. But its the children that brought a smile to my face. As you walk pass their home you would hear "hello" coming from various directions. They are mesmerised by the digital technology. Bemused by the fact that they can see themselves a second or so after on the back of the camera.
Still with a little time, we ventured over to the livestock bazaar. Goats, sheep, donkeys, horses and camels are sold. A lamb costs around ¥150 or A$30 each. A strong donkey will set you back ¥800 or A$130. The cacophony of noises adds to the colour of the bazaar.

Tomorrow is our last day at Kashgar. We will visit a Uygur Mosque. The afternoon is spent at the tombs of the family instrumental in building Kashgar. Then we take off to Urumqi at 5.30pm Beijing time.

Blog soon from Beijing. Thanks for spending time here. Makes it worth the while blogging. The rest of my images can be found at: http://homepage.mac.com/caseywong/PhotoAlbum5.html

Blog soon.

Finally…Kashgar!

Our journey started at 8.30am. We lost an hour at the start as the local council decided to build height-detecting gantries on bridges. One road had a gantry and we had to turn back. Another had massive road works and we could not cross. We had to circle around the city to find a road west. Finally a taxi driver directed us out. It was a long journey that took around 7 hours. We decided to have a karaoke sing-along to pass the time.

The Uygurs, a minority group, lived in very spartan homes. The elderly are still cheerful and strong. The husk that contains them is slowly falling away. Their weathered faces tell a thousand stories. There are extremely shy people so the greatest respect for them is not to embarrass them by taking photos of them.

The journey was quite uneventful except for some stunning mountain range along the Gobi desert. Along the route, we caught up with the train going from Urumqi (Wulumuchi) to Kashgar (Kashi). The train ride takes 22 hours. From what we can see, the train was chocker block full of country folk going to Kashgar to celebrate China's golden week - National day falls on 1st October. The nation celebrates for a week. All offices and schools are closed. Shops are open though.

After checking into the hotel, we headed off to the biggest grand bazaar of central Asia. Nuts, carpets, musical instruments and the odd kitsch item were on sale. I hope to get to the live stock market on Sunday.

Tomorrow, we are heading 200km towards the Ka La Ku Lake located 4000m up the Karakorum Mountains. Oxygen is required for older travelers. As it’s going to be a long day, an early night is in order. Blog night for now.