New Years 2010. The end of a decade.. but I haven't enough wit to tackle a subject as written about as that. Instead I'll simply inform you that I've survived over a week in Shanghai's mayhem of construction and traffic. Construction is primarily for Expo2010 beginning in May. Before arriving in Shanghai I'd never heard of Expo besides that thing in Montreal a million years ago, but now it's all I've seen. The traffic, well that's mostly to do with me being a pedestrian and dearly missing my 'right-of-way' which is not in place for here.
Time with the family has been great - especially the Christmas day dinner completed with chocolate pudding, ice cream, cakes, fruit and a chocolate fountain to dip all of the above in. We've seen Old Chinese areas, the polished French Concession, snuck our way 67 floors off the ground for a view of the Pudong skyscraped vista, and learned plenty of the history about this East-meets-West port. Tomorrow we will ring in the New Year, new decade in fact, at an outdoor street party with a live band, and I hope the motherland of fireworks won't disappoint!
Also tomorrow my father returns from his quick trip to Thailand (35 degrees C compared to the near freezing temps here) and we'll enjoy each other's company - taking in more of Shanghai's spectacles before we all part on the 4th. Pops returns to the chill of Canada, while Larissa and I set off to ride the rails to Nan-jing (South Capital), Bei-jing (North Capital) and the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, before completing the triangle to return here.
I definitely feel as if I'm on the homestretch - possibly because being with family feels like home. One month and I'll be back on Canadian soil - cheering my Canadian lungs out at the Olympics. And the triumphant return to Ontario will fall another month after that. Can't wait to catch up with everyone in the New Year. Have a happy twentyten 'til then!
PS: If anyone has a prime job for a motivated young mind (backed by a Physics/tech degree) coming open early March, please comment below *wink*
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I can remember exactly where I was when this awful decade came into being. Believe it or not, when I rang in the new year on January 1, 2000, not only was I stone-cold sober - I was at church! My then-girlfriend and I attended a special midnight mass at the local Catholic church to welcome in, not only a new decade, but a new century and a new millennium. I remember feeling filled with optimism. By entering this new era, I felt, we could wipe the slate clean. Maybe this would be a new age of peace, love, brother and sisterhood. EVERYBODY SING!
ReplyDeleteThis is the dawning of the age of Aquarius!
Age of Aquarius!
Aquariusuuuuus!
How utterly naive on my part, huh? By year's end, all of that hope was out the window and into the toilet. In December of 2000, an ideologically perverted Supreme Court would assist in a stolen election by stopping the vote count in the state of Florida, installing a corrupt little frat boy with the I.Q. of a half-eaten box of Milk Duds as president of the United States. It was all downhill from that moment on. From the birth of "Reality Television" to the worst attack on American soil since the Civil War, it was quite a strange ten years to say the least. Thankfully this awful decade is a mere three days away from being forever consigned to history's scrap heap. Hallelujah.
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
hey buddy...you can always come work on the golf course with me cutting grass :)
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