Eastern Skies

Spring Break

2010-03-30T14:04:00.006+08:00

So now that we're on Spring Break, I have time to catch up on all the things I've been meaning to do. I've been doing some coding, working on video...maybe I'll even get some new pictures posted!

Our school recently had a "China Day" to celebrate Chinese culture. The director of the Chinese Language Training Center, which provides language training for all of us teachers, wrote this skit for us to perform called "Who is the Most Chinese?" Now you, too, can view and decide for yourself.

Oh, and in case you missed it, GirlTravelOR put up this video a while back from Chinese New Year that includes more foreign Chinese-speaking goodness.

Danny Boy

2010-03-29T13:09:00.003+08:00

This is my second recorded tin whistle track. It was recorded at the same time as Moonlight B, so it suffers from the same mic placement and recording issues, but I spent more time on it in Garage Band. Hope you like it!

Moonlight B

2010-03-02T21:57:00.003+08:00

We've been working on setting up a combination video/audio recording studio at school. We already had some small, mostly soundproof music practice rooms, so we knocked out a wall to stick a couple together, put up lights and a bluescreen, and now we've brought in sound recording equipment. The new Macintosh lab is located just across the hall, so it's pretty convenient for audio processing. Right now, I've got my middle school technology electives working on audio dramas. I've been wanting to do some music recording for a while now, though, so the other day I finally sat down and recorded my tin whistle. I then took that track and dropped it into Garage Band, told the program to process like a flute, added a little extra reverb & echo, and underlayed the whole thing with some nighttime sound effects. You can hear the result below. It's a little rough--I'm still working on mic positioning for recording my whistle, and I did the whole thing in one take without any rehearsal, just sort of making it up as I went along. I hadn't planned on keeping this cut, but it turned out so nice I thought I'd share. (There's only audio, no real video--Blogger doesn't seem to want to embed an mp3.)

Ah, the power of Garage Band to make musical magic. This is why we pay so much for you, iMac.

Happy New Year!

2010-02-24T19:11:00.005+08:00

It's the Year of the Tiger in China, and we celebrated with a trip to the Philippines where, among other things, I became a PADI-certified open water scuba diver! For more info and pics, head on over to GirlTravelOR's blog. For now, I leave you with a short video of the fireworks display put on by our school. Enjoy!

18, 21, 23

2010-01-17T17:00:00.007+08:00

If you haven't been following GirlTravelOR's blog, the following pictures, taken at 18, 21, & 23 weeks, might come as something of a shock.

I'm happy to report that mother & baby are both doing well. No complications that we can see, and we Hope it continues that way.

We had a wonderful time at Christmas back home with our families. To think, the next time we see them, they'll be Grandparents (and Uncles, and Aunts)! It's hard to believe, but it's exciting to think about.

Baby's First Home Video

2009-11-03T20:51:00.002+08:00

Introducing...

2009-10-10T16:39:00.003+08:00

Our little bundle of joy at 7wks.

Visions of the Future

2009-09-24T20:30:00.005+08:00

So I've written a little poem, complete with illustrations. Here it is.

This is my wife as she is today,

And this is how she'll look next May.

Ok, so that's probably not exactly how she'll look, but hopefully you get the idea.:-) Oh, and we're coming home for Christmas!

Summer

2009-08-02T14:00:00.007+08:00

Hello! Lots of posts today. Scroll down to see them all. I'm trying to catch up on the massive amounts of back photos I have. We've been very busy this summer, traveling all over the country. I must say, there's a lot of beauty and interest to be had here, and a lot of culture and history. And, of course, some awesome views of these Eastern Skies.

You know, a lot of people don't think the sky has much to offer around here, but I beg to differ. Of course, I do live in a place known for its clear and beautiful skies. The weather this past week has been the best we've ever experienced--definitely better than when we arrived a year ago!

It's been a year, can you believe it? School starts again in less than two weeks, we go in a week before that, but for now, I'm going to squeeze every last drop out of my remaining vacation. Here's a few pictures of the past year that I don't think I've posted before. Enjoy.

Heartbeat - Fame!

2009-08-02T13:11:00.003+08:00

I've been working on the Heartbeat! video a bit over the summer, so I thought I'd give you a sneak peak. Here is the opening number, "Fame!"

Laoshan

2009-08-02T13:04:00.000+08:00

Last fall, we went out to a place called Laoshan. Some of us decided to cycle there. It's about 30 miles away over some rugged mountains. Cars can take a tunnel through the mountain, but bikes aren't allowed, so they have to go over. But, hey! One of the guys had heard about a shortcut, so we decided to try it.

In retrospect, we like to say that we invented a new pastime: the Hike'n'Bike. See, sometimes you're biking like you'd expect, sometimes you're pushing your bike up steep, underused footpaths, sometimes you're team carrying bikes across ravines, over boulders, and through old, washed out riverbeds, and sometimes (all too rarely), you're flying down the side of a mountain, bouncing over rocks, dodging trees and peasants, and trying not to fly over the front of your handlebars. The Hike'n'Bike. Try it today!

In the end, we made it to our destination, and it was worth it. Enjoy the pictures below. I didn't take all of them, but I thought they were worth posting nonetheless.

Heartbeat!

2009-05-15T15:13:00.005+08:00

Middle school drama Heartbeat! opens tonight! Our middle schoolers have worked really hard, and it's going to be a fantastic show. If you're in the area, come out and see it!

Coming Soon

2009-04-23T17:54:00.008+08:00

Since November I have been spending nearly every free moment editing together our production. The fruit of our combined labors is almost at hand. View the trailer below.

He is Risen!

2009-04-12T18:52:00.002+08:00

Spring Trip!

2009-04-08T18:15:00.005+08:00

From 7th Grade Spring Trip 09

Every spring, our school sends grades 6 through 12 on trips around China in order to learn more about Chinese culture and deepen the students' appreciation for their host country. This year, we went with the 7th graders to tour Shandong Province.

From 7th Grade Spring Trip 09

We stayed overnight at Weifeng in a nice hotel with an attached amusement park. From there, we headed to Zibo where we explored a cave, visited an aviary, played on a ropes course, hiked up a hill, and stood on a piece of the Qin Dynasty wall (kinda like the Great Wall, but smaller).

From 7th Grade Spring Trip 09

Next, we headed to Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius. We stayed two nights there and saw his home, his grave, and the temple dedicated in his honor. Later, we played Capture the Flag between the outer wall of Qufu and its moat.

From 7th Grade Spring Trip 09

From there, we headed to Taishan, the holiest mountain in China. We climbed to the top, ascending about 3,000 steps along the way (we started halfway up the mountain), reaching a final elevation of over 1500 meters. We stayed overnight at the top of the mountain, then headed home the next day.

From 7th Grade Spring Trip 09

The trip was a blast and the kids were great! I can't wait for Spring Trips next year. Enjoy the pictures. :-)

Pictures, Pirates, Pantos!

2009-03-17T17:08:00.004+08:00

If you haven't found it yet, I have an album of backstage pictures from the Pantomime here (the same ones as in the slideshow below). More pictures, including onstage pics, are here, here, and here. Finally, there are many pictures from the pirate scenes specifically here, but you'll need a Facebook account to see that album. For those of you who don't, I've added some of my favorites to the end of the slideshow below. Enjoy.

Broken Legs

2009-03-15T02:35:00.006+08:00

All our hard work over the last 6 months finally paid off today with two shows. We have a third show tomorrow, so if you haven't seen it yet, please come out and support your local Panto!

I have a lot of backstage pics, and I'm hoping to get some onstage ones soon. As for those of you wondering about my costume, here it is.

From Robinson Crusoe

When you're big in China...

2009-03-04T22:31:00.002+08:00

Drama continues to be a big part of my life here. I've become involved with the International Drama Group here which performs mainly British Pantomime. Our next show is

I play the part of the villain, notorious Pirate Captain Blackbeard. The story was picked up in the local paper. You can read the (translated) article here. (And yes, that is my Keep Grace Weird shirt in the photo.)

Happy (Chinese) New Year!

2009-01-25T23:42:00.002+08:00

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

It's the year of the Ox here, and the city is celebrating in style. In the land of cheap, plentiful fireworks and lax civic restrictions, everyone's a pyrotechnic artist. The fireworks have been going literally non-stop on all sides since about 6:00pm. In the city, every building serves to echo and magnify the reverberations so that each explosion sounds like ten. The fireworks aren't just the little crackers you get in the States, either (although there are plenty of those). I'm talking about rockets 50 feet in the air, triple bursts of color, and on and on, displays grander and more intricate than any civilian show you've ever seen on the 4th of July. Walking down the street, you feel like there must be a war going on somewhere. I expect to have video soon.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T13:33:00.005+08:00

Happy 2009!

We just returned from Beijing, and I realized that I'm about 5 sets behind on my picture posting. So without further ado, here are a few more views of our fair city decked out in both autumn and winter colors. These pictures were taken at different times from the top of a 25 story office building downtown.

As you may have already heard, it snowed recently. Here are some views from our apartment and around town.

Enjoy the holidays!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T17:07:00.004+08:00

Merry Christmas or Happy Boxing Day as the case may be for your time zone!

Turkey Day

2008-11-27T13:36:00.003+08:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Hong Kong!

More Travel

2008-11-21T14:46:00.004+08:00

Greetings from sunny Tianjin! We decided to take a long weekend and get out of our city for a while to visit some friends. It's been cold (lows around 0C--that's about 32F), although it did heat up yesterday. We thought it'd be a lot colder here, but so far it actually seems warmer.

We took the fast train, which takes about five hours, and our trip was quietly uneventful. Be looking for pictures of this fine city to grace the blog soon.

Curtain Call

2008-11-13T21:37:00.003+08:00

The show was awesome, but now it's over. It's funny how you can spend such a long time building up to such a relatively short event, but I believe it was worth it. Pictures, music, and video to follow shortly, though probably not on this site. I'll be cutting together a DVD of the show that'll also include photos and behind-the-scenes footage and making-of features. If you're interested, drop me a comment. I'm not sure what the recommended donation will be on that or how I'll get it to you once it's done, but if there's enough interest, we'll find a way.

Now, onward to the next show!

Mazel Tov!

2008-11-06T22:49:00.001+08:00

The show was, as predicted, a great success, playing to an international audience in a packed house where we brought in extra standing room. The cast and crew are to be congratulated as they reap the fruit of their long labors. Congratulations! Now, where's the party? What's that you say? Oh, right. One down, three to go.

Opening Night

2008-11-06T11:18:00.005+08:00

Opening night. Friday and Saturday are sold out. Only a few tickets left for tonight's show. Still unsure? Click below to hear a sample.

Thespianism

2008-10-29T21:09:00.005+08:00

You probably didn't know it (and there's no reason you should), but we're doing a play right now! As is always the case, the show has consumed our waking hours. We've had a couple of days where everyone's just dropped what they were doing and we ran from 9 to 5. I'm doing some directing, some choreographing, and leading tech. It is quite an undertaking, let me tell you. It is also definitely an adaptation. It breaks with a lot of long-standing tradition. We open next Thursday for a three night run (plus a matinee), and we've got full houses every night.

Please remember us in the days to come. We've got practice in the afternoon every day next week, and a lot of folks are struggling with illness. You know, I once did a show where one of our main cast members had the flu. He was running a temperature over a hundred and bolting off to puke between scenes. The show must go on, right? I'm sure we could do that, but I'd really rather prefer not to have to (as I'm sure we all would).

If you're in the area next week, drop by for one of our evening shows. I'm sure we'll have standing room available, at least...

Pics!

2008-10-17T20:20:00.004+08:00

It occurred to me that I have not yet shown you the view from my office, so here it is:

From My Office

Hit the link for more pics.

Also, we went on a tour of the city a few weeks ago. We saw an old German church complete with working clocktower, a bird that spoke Chinese, and some truly spectacular views of the city.

From Tour

Again, hit the link for the full album.

I'd tell you more about how this is the end of the quarter and work is really busy, about how I'm directing a production on Monday, and about all the neat and interesting things that are happening, but I'm sick. :-( I'm hoping it's not my semi-annual sinus infection. The good news is, I can probably get meds for it over the counter. The bad news is, I have no idea what meds I'd need.

Shanghai

2008-10-07T21:54:00.002+08:00

A few weeks ago, some colleagues and I attended the Learning 2.008 tech conference in Shanghai. It was a nice three day trip, and a few pictures can be found in the gallery below.

Shanghai

Shanghai is definitely a big, modern city. It's also much more bicycle-friendly than our city. On the other hand, we almost witnessed an accident. That is to say, an accident occurred right behind us as we were walking down the sidewalk, and we turned and saw the aftermath. A motorcycle cop had run into an old lady crossing the street, and she was down for quite a while. The guy seemed genuinely sorry about it as he tried to staunch the blood flowing from her head, but he was flustered, too. He seemed to want to help her up and on her way as soon as possible. It is my observation that the police here aren't like police in the States. For one thing, I don't think they receive the same level of training or discipline. I once saw an officer who ostensibly was supposed to be standing watch on a triathlon route but was instead sitting on the curb on the side of the road with his hat off, listening to a portable music player. The yellow "Police Line: Do Not Cross" caution tape commanded zero respect from the pedestrians. Another time, I saw two officers walking hand-in-hand with a third, non-uniformed man between them (one thing about Asians in general is that they are not shy about what Westerners would consider intimate hand-holding between same-gender friends). Police here also don't seem to be taken as seriously by themselves or the general citizenry. I wonder if this isn't because most of them don't carry guns (although I have seen tasers and collapsible batons--but then again, you can buy those in the open night market for under $5). In the end, they just don't seem to command the same respect, power, or authority as officers in the States. Of course, I've never been on the wrong side of the law there or here, so a lot of this is purely conjecture.

There are many things like that here, that at first blush seem similar to what we're more familiar with, but the visual cues mislead us because the reality is something very different.

While in Shanghai one of the guys we were with decided he wanted to buy a Wii (you know, Nintendo's ubiquitous game console?). That big glass ball you see in the picture above is actually the front of a giant mall. Inside, there were plenty of vendors with Wiis for sale. However, all of the Wiis on sale there had been "modded." That means that they'd had their hardware slightly modified to allow them to play illegally copied game discs. When my friend tried to explain to a vendor that he wanted an unmodified Wii, the man was very confused. His English was pretty good, but could this Westerner really be asking for a Wii that couldn't play copy games? A "shackled Wii", as it were? What for? He tried to convince my friend that regular games were too expensive. Why pay that high price when he could get a copy game for 1/10th the cost? Integrity didn't even enter into it, merely economics. Finally, he said he could maybe get an unmodified Wii in a few hours, but it would cost 500 RMB extra. My friend politely declined.

During that trip, I experienced a lot of new things. The second night there, we ate at a Japanese Teppanaki restaurant, and that was quite possibly the single most transcendent dining experience of my entire life. I've had better individual dishes before, but the total offering was greater than the sum of its parts. I sustained epicurean delight across eight courses.

Soon, I'll have more pictures of our city and work environment, but for now it's to bed for me. It's only Tuesday after a holiday break, and I'm still missing sleep.

Space

2008-10-04T00:09:00.002+08:00

Did you happen to catch the space news last weekend? China is moving ahead quickly with its space program, but rumors of a moon landing having already occurred are, needless to say, somewhat exaggerated. Still, China is only the third country to have a man walk in space. It would appear the sleeping dragon is again on the rise (literally).

Wei Hai, Finally

2008-10-02T14:22:00.003+08:00

As promised, the Wei Hai album can be seen below. I had to, on occasion, be creative with the cropping, so please forgive the split infinitive above and any of the shots that look a bit strange below. All in all, a splendid weekend it was, as I hope you will see. (Click through below to see the album.)

Wei Hai

Yes, that is us attempting to windsurf. We were able to try sailing, too, both on one-person crafts and a couple catamarans. Unfortunately, the weather was too nice (what kind of a complaint is that!?), so there wasn't really enough wind to get moving! This was about the same time Ike was blowing through Houston, too...

Wei Hai

2008-09-23T23:05:00.005+08:00

A few weeks ago we traveled to a small resort city by the sea. Pictures are forthcoming, but here's a little something to whet your appetite.

Aarrrr!

2008-09-18T20:16:00.007+08:00

T'day be September 19th, maties, International Talk Like A Pirate Day! How will ye be celebratin'?

Floating About

2008-09-18T20:16:00.003+08:00

Posting from Shanghai. Some really cool stuff going on. This looks like it could be good conference. Check out the new Twitter feed on the right. You can follow me directly on Twitter, username "mallak".

There will be pictures of Shanghai later. Oh, and I had my first Starbucks in China today! It tasted just like Starbucks.

Alive and well

2008-08-30T15:38:00.004+08:00

I'm sure some of you were thinking maybe we'd disappeared forever, but it is not so! We are merely quite busy, what with the new school year starting up and trying to be teachers and all. On the bright side, I've got a new set of photos for you, and you can view them all here:

Two

We could see the fireworks for the opening ceremonies from our back window, and now you can, too!

Unfortunately, I missed filming the beginning of the show, which was spectacular. Since we didn't expect this show, I wasn't ready with my camera, more's the pitty. Also, the camera work ended up being pretty bad since I was just sort of holding it. Ah, well, there's no shortage of fireworks around here. One night near the end of the events, the city sounded like a warzone. Everywhere people were firing off firecrackers and even the big blooming airborne fireworks. It was definitely something you would not experience within a municipality within the states. For one thing, Americans just don't know how to use fireworks safely. We were joking that here, you can buy a box for a few hundred kuai (100 kuai is about US$15) that you put on the ground, light, and it shoots a bunch of fireworks into the sky that explode in pretty colors. The people here light the fuse, stand back, and admire the fireworks. In the states, drunk guys pick up the box and aim it at passing pickup trucks. That's why no cool stuff for you!

First Impressions

2008-08-02T18:56:00.001+08:00

Wow, so much has been happening! We've been so busy, I don't know where to begin. How about I just throw up some pictures, eh?

I haven't taken many pictures, just a few when we got here, and then some again today as we wandered around town. Hit the link above to see the album with captions.

Touchdown

2008-07-27T17:39:00.002+08:00

We're here safe and sound. I have now officially seen both sides of the Pacific. Pictures to follow just as soon as I figure out this foreign internet thingy. (Dump trucks? Tubes? Dump trucks full of seaweed driving through tubes?)

Chapter 1

2008-07-27T06:31:00.002+08:00

I'm sitting in the Hong Kong International Terminal, local time approximately 6:00AM, Sunday, July 27th. We've been traveling since 4PM on Friday, but that was Pacific time. For those keeping score, we're fifteen hours ahead (or nine hours back plus a day). We left the States at 1AM, and we flew through fourteen more hours of night. We arrived with the dawn.