Today's weather: High = 17 Low = 11
Cloudy
Having finally learned my lesson from the previous two hard drive crashes and the loss of two former laptops, I went out to Best Buy today and got myself a 500 GB portable hard drive. I'm now in the process of backing up every single file. Eventually I'll be making backups of those backups, I kid you not.
It was actually last week when I realized how much of a teacher's life depends on the computer. I was chatting with my students about marks and trying to calculate their term 1 report card mark. On that particular day my computer wasn't with me. Trying to explain the calculation by hand was really complex for both myself and the students.
So I said, "OK we'll do it this way then. I'll just go home on the motorcycle during lunch, get the computer, and we can discuss the marks then." Problem solved.
Aside from the all-precious marks, the computer is also used for storing lesson plans, resource files, tests, worksheets, electronic books, teaching videos, and a whole host of other resources. In fact, I'm still trying to get the resources back from the first two hard drive crashes and the loss of the computers that happened while teaching in Dalian, Suzhou, and Wuhan. Some of it will never be recovered.
I was using an ad-hoc USB system for storing data files at first, but since gave it up as it wasn't very efficient. The whole exercise of plugging in U-disks, unplugging them, and transfering them was rather frustrating, not to mention there was a risk of getting a virus. So I figure a portable hard drive is well worth the cash and it could very well save my butt in the future if my computer should crash again.
On the subject of backing up hard drives, I have recently downloaded a whole arsenal of math resources from an FTP site that my former school had put online. Combine this with a trip to Wuhan in August to get files from other colleagues, and it's now a major re-organizing task to put the folders in a way that's easy to use.
When a bunch of teaching resources come together from all over the place, it can get rather messy, so the challenge is to sift through it all and streamling the resources into more usable packages.
During teaching practicum, one of the math education leaders went against the crowd with a statement, but she was basically right on the money. She said that the way lesson and unit planning really works is that you start with the resources you have, and base the planning around that. In other words, you gather resources first, and plan the curriculum later. When it comes right down to it, a well-designed multiple choice test, a review package, and a pre-made answer key are far more valuable than a lengthy document about how you're going to teach the material.
And if you want such documents, for example the boss or the inspector wants to see it, you can always download them from an FTP site where somebody else has already produced them.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Saturday, 13 November 2010
Life Quality is Good
Today's weather: High = 23 Low = 13
Sunny
Unbelievably, the gorgeous weather keeps up for yet another week and the cold fronts have not hit this far south yet. That is going to change abruptly this weekend when the temperature will drop in Shanghai and it will feel like winter, but for now I am grateful for the good timing.
It may seem like I'm a wimp for the weather, as I'm from Canada after all where it is supposedly cold all the time. But the problem here is that the houses are not designed for it, and the *indoor* temperature becomes uncomfortable. At least in Canada you can walk into an insulated house, turn on the heat, and take off the jacket. In a Shanghai winter, you never feel like you're warming up and the jackets always stay on. Including when you sleep. And yes, that's with the hot air conditioner going full blast too.
So any break in the winter weather is a good thing.
I just got back from a global leadership training conference that was very inspirational. We heard talks from the former CEO of General Electric and some of his business models can be applied to what I do -- teaching work. Certainly a lot of useful take-aways and it was well worth the money.
Being based in Shanghai makes it possible to attend these kind of events, in addition to Toastmasters clubs and a whole host of other activities. I have been enjoying a very active life over the last month and making lots of new friends. Combined with a more relaxed work schedule, I would say the quality of my life here is far better than the last two years combined ---- as I expected that would be the case.
Frankly, you really can't beat this city in China for the quality of life it offers. What amazes me about living here is that every weekend you can visit a different corner of Shanghai and it is all brand new. For example, the conference was held in a part called 'Xin Tian Di'. I don't often go out there, it is near the People's Square area and rather crowded. I live in the Xu Hui area which is about 15-20 minutes away by motorcycle, or 30 minutes by subway.
'Xin Tian Di' is a very attractive area in that most of the older houses have been preserved and it has that unique Shanghai charm that I remember over 8 years ago from first coming here. There are new developments of course, but they blend in well with the old houses and they haven't been bulldozed down like so many other districts. There is this new pedestrtian street where you can lounge around, eat at restaurants, chill out in the Starbucks, and so forth. If friends and family come visit me here, this is definitely the place to hang out in.
I'm really grateful for how this year is going because I remember all too well what it was like in the previous two years. The feel of dread quickly set in by November during the long stretch before the big holiday. It was basically a case of survival. Just get up, go to work, go home, and crash on the couch. When you combine varying degrees of isolation and extreme workload, that can't be healthy.
It is interesting that most of my colleagues here go to other places in China during the weekend, for example, a trip to Beijing, another one to Dalian, and weekly trips to Nanjing that one of my colleagues does. I used to do this stuff all the time while living in Wuhan last year. This year I'm going to stay put until the holiday as it has been one incredibly hectic travel year for 2010 already.
For the sake of health, I better stick in one place for awhile and give those airplanes a rest. It wasn't until I was 22 years old when I took the first major airplane ride. Because of that, I've always regarded air travel as something special and want to experience that same kind of joy. Since it got to the point where I was sick of air travel and dreaded going to the airport, then something had to be seriously, seriously wrong. So that's why I'm staying put for awhile.
Sunny
Unbelievably, the gorgeous weather keeps up for yet another week and the cold fronts have not hit this far south yet. That is going to change abruptly this weekend when the temperature will drop in Shanghai and it will feel like winter, but for now I am grateful for the good timing.
It may seem like I'm a wimp for the weather, as I'm from Canada after all where it is supposedly cold all the time. But the problem here is that the houses are not designed for it, and the *indoor* temperature becomes uncomfortable. At least in Canada you can walk into an insulated house, turn on the heat, and take off the jacket. In a Shanghai winter, you never feel like you're warming up and the jackets always stay on. Including when you sleep. And yes, that's with the hot air conditioner going full blast too.
So any break in the winter weather is a good thing.
I just got back from a global leadership training conference that was very inspirational. We heard talks from the former CEO of General Electric and some of his business models can be applied to what I do -- teaching work. Certainly a lot of useful take-aways and it was well worth the money.
Being based in Shanghai makes it possible to attend these kind of events, in addition to Toastmasters clubs and a whole host of other activities. I have been enjoying a very active life over the last month and making lots of new friends. Combined with a more relaxed work schedule, I would say the quality of my life here is far better than the last two years combined ---- as I expected that would be the case.
Frankly, you really can't beat this city in China for the quality of life it offers. What amazes me about living here is that every weekend you can visit a different corner of Shanghai and it is all brand new. For example, the conference was held in a part called 'Xin Tian Di'. I don't often go out there, it is near the People's Square area and rather crowded. I live in the Xu Hui area which is about 15-20 minutes away by motorcycle, or 30 minutes by subway.
'Xin Tian Di' is a very attractive area in that most of the older houses have been preserved and it has that unique Shanghai charm that I remember over 8 years ago from first coming here. There are new developments of course, but they blend in well with the old houses and they haven't been bulldozed down like so many other districts. There is this new pedestrtian street where you can lounge around, eat at restaurants, chill out in the Starbucks, and so forth. If friends and family come visit me here, this is definitely the place to hang out in.
I'm really grateful for how this year is going because I remember all too well what it was like in the previous two years. The feel of dread quickly set in by November during the long stretch before the big holiday. It was basically a case of survival. Just get up, go to work, go home, and crash on the couch. When you combine varying degrees of isolation and extreme workload, that can't be healthy.
It is interesting that most of my colleagues here go to other places in China during the weekend, for example, a trip to Beijing, another one to Dalian, and weekly trips to Nanjing that one of my colleagues does. I used to do this stuff all the time while living in Wuhan last year. This year I'm going to stay put until the holiday as it has been one incredibly hectic travel year for 2010 already.
For the sake of health, I better stick in one place for awhile and give those airplanes a rest. It wasn't until I was 22 years old when I took the first major airplane ride. Because of that, I've always regarded air travel as something special and want to experience that same kind of joy. Since it got to the point where I was sick of air travel and dreaded going to the airport, then something had to be seriously, seriously wrong. So that's why I'm staying put for awhile.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
How To Count 1.3 Billion People?
Today's weather: High = 23 Low = 13
Keep up this run of gorgeous sunny days!!!!!!
Every 10 years, the People's Republic does a census. This is actually my first experience with a population census, as I arrived to China in 2001 and the last one was done before I got here.
The newspaper articles are rather clear about the difficulties faced by the census workers this time round. The majority of residents don't trust strangers knocking at their door, and are suspicious. This goes hand in hand with a faced-paced lifestyle in Shanghai when it's also hard to find people at home. So the workers try to show up between 5pm to 9pm and catch as many people as possible. But they figure that 2 out of 10 people reached is a good thing. That's how hard it is to do the survey.
Somehow or other they'll be able to do their census. My guess is they would use pre-existing data from police registrations to get the numbers. By law, every resident must register their address with the local police station, otherwise known as 'pai suo chu'.
So if the numbers can be found from the police station, then the purpose of doing the census must be to ask questions and get survey forms filled by those residents who can be reached. In fact, it's a lot like what they do from my home country Canada. Some of the forms are standard, but a randomized 1 out of 10 has an extended form.
They mainly want to know migration patterns and how many people are really living in the cities. Shanghai has a huge floating population, and it's anyone's guess as to what it actually is. The official population figure is around 20 million, but a 4-5 million floating population is quite likely.
The problem, however, is this. The floating population is not registered with the police, because most of them are migrant workers who come into Shanghai from the countryside. So if they're not going to register with the police, then why would they be available to answer questions from a census worker? Despite the so-called reforms, there is a 'hukou system' that is rather entrenched. Basically it means they need to have a Shanghai 'hukou' or residents permit, in order to get social benefits, and of course, to register with the police. No hukou, no registration, so how can they track this?
The census undertaking is a laudable goal, but I seriously doubt we'll ever know the true population figures for the cities. There is safety in numbers. When there are too many people to track, it makes registration a very difficult thing. This of course would also apply to me tootling around the city on an unregistered bike.
Keep up this run of gorgeous sunny days!!!!!!
Every 10 years, the People's Republic does a census. This is actually my first experience with a population census, as I arrived to China in 2001 and the last one was done before I got here.
The newspaper articles are rather clear about the difficulties faced by the census workers this time round. The majority of residents don't trust strangers knocking at their door, and are suspicious. This goes hand in hand with a faced-paced lifestyle in Shanghai when it's also hard to find people at home. So the workers try to show up between 5pm to 9pm and catch as many people as possible. But they figure that 2 out of 10 people reached is a good thing. That's how hard it is to do the survey.
Somehow or other they'll be able to do their census. My guess is they would use pre-existing data from police registrations to get the numbers. By law, every resident must register their address with the local police station, otherwise known as 'pai suo chu'.
So if the numbers can be found from the police station, then the purpose of doing the census must be to ask questions and get survey forms filled by those residents who can be reached. In fact, it's a lot like what they do from my home country Canada. Some of the forms are standard, but a randomized 1 out of 10 has an extended form.
They mainly want to know migration patterns and how many people are really living in the cities. Shanghai has a huge floating population, and it's anyone's guess as to what it actually is. The official population figure is around 20 million, but a 4-5 million floating population is quite likely.
The problem, however, is this. The floating population is not registered with the police, because most of them are migrant workers who come into Shanghai from the countryside. So if they're not going to register with the police, then why would they be available to answer questions from a census worker? Despite the so-called reforms, there is a 'hukou system' that is rather entrenched. Basically it means they need to have a Shanghai 'hukou' or residents permit, in order to get social benefits, and of course, to register with the police. No hukou, no registration, so how can they track this?
The census undertaking is a laudable goal, but I seriously doubt we'll ever know the true population figures for the cities. There is safety in numbers. When there are too many people to track, it makes registration a very difficult thing. This of course would also apply to me tootling around the city on an unregistered bike.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Retro Commute
Today's Weather: High = 23 Low = 11
Sunny
With such a nice day today, why not another motorcycle ride. This time I did the retro commute of two years ago from Shanghai to the boonies where I used to work at Sino Canada. The trip seemed to take an extremely long time, and I kept wondering: How on earth did I use to do this so often two years ago? This was freakin grueling!
In actual fact I did that commute 2-3 times a week, sometimes every day when I used to live out of the Gubei apartment. I still can't figure out how I managed to survive all that.
Mind you, there are some advantages of living out there. Today was a matter of necessity to head out and get gas for the motorcycle. Inside the city they are cracking down as I feared they would .... they don't fill up gas to unregistered bikes anymore. So that means trips far out to the boonies to get gas.
With a tank full of gas now, that should last more than another month. Here's to a bet I can last until Christmas with that tank of gas.
Sunny
With such a nice day today, why not another motorcycle ride. This time I did the retro commute of two years ago from Shanghai to the boonies where I used to work at Sino Canada. The trip seemed to take an extremely long time, and I kept wondering: How on earth did I use to do this so often two years ago? This was freakin grueling!
In actual fact I did that commute 2-3 times a week, sometimes every day when I used to live out of the Gubei apartment. I still can't figure out how I managed to survive all that.
Mind you, there are some advantages of living out there. Today was a matter of necessity to head out and get gas for the motorcycle. Inside the city they are cracking down as I feared they would .... they don't fill up gas to unregistered bikes anymore. So that means trips far out to the boonies to get gas.
With a tank full of gas now, that should last more than another month. Here's to a bet I can last until Christmas with that tank of gas.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Feeling Good in the Long Stretch
Today's weather: High = 19 Low = 7
Sunny
For those familiar with the Chinese holiday schedule and the school semester schedule, the longest stretch between holidays occurs right now. Last holiday was October break, or National Day. The next one isn't until Lunar New Year, about mid-January. Unfortunately, I considered the National Holiday a write-off for me anyway, and was really worried that it would set me back for this long stretch for the next 3-4 months.
Thankfully, this long stretch is turning out to be OK. It is remarkably different from the depression of previous years. I'm actually enjoying life and finding it going quite well, instead of preparing for the usual dread of going through this 3-4 month slog every year.
The weather plays a big role in this. It's the first time in years I remember the gorgeous weather continuing right into November. Last year and the year before, an early and long winter set in with freezing cold fronts, rain, and biting winds. With the exception of a cold front a couple weeks ago, it has remained relatively mild up until this point. That makes a huge difference with bearable motorcycle rides to work, and then finishing work in the afternoon without needing to wear a jacket.
The lack of commuting is also helping me feel a lot better. It is a simple 5-10 minute motorcycle zip on downtown streets to get to work. That can be exilerating, as the roads are super crowded and it's a constant game of dodgeball the whole way through. Nothing like a cold blast of wind and a real-life video game to wake me up. Since it's so short, I don't get to feel the nasty effects of cold hands or leg burn like in the commuting hell while I was working at Sino Canada a couple years back.
The only downside to this method of transport is that it's more or less required, ironically, just like it was required at Sino. The bike is unregistered, which is a major pain in downtown Shanghai as there are constant police to dodge. Of course, I could do without the motorcycle and use the subway but that would turn the trip into 30+ minutes and then it *would* be a commute! Walking to the subway takes up to 15 minutes. Once in the station, all the rush hour controls and security checks make for convoluted paths and waiting which adds time to the commute. It's not worth it for only going 2 stops. The other alternative is a taxi, but they are impossible to find in rush hour and even if I get one, I'd just end up sitting in really bad traffic jams.
The motorcycle is really the most convenient choice. It takes me door-to-door, bypasses all the traffic jams, and allows me to enjoy more sleep and still get to work on time.
Another positive are the relaxing work hours. Most of my classes are taught in the morning, 40 minute each, and then there are the long lunch hours. Most of the tutorial times with my students are during lunch, unlike at the other schools where the only available time was after school. So that means I can usually walk out the door around 3pm, go home for a much-needed afternoon nap, do lesson planning, and still have time for other stuff in the evenings.
Speaking of which, I've really gotten involved in exactly that. Two nights of the week are for church-related activities and there is another thing I've got going on the weekends.
So all in all it's working out pretty good. There isn't much of a need to travel, although one of these days I need to make a trip to Wuhan and withdraw all the cash from my old bank account.
Sunny
For those familiar with the Chinese holiday schedule and the school semester schedule, the longest stretch between holidays occurs right now. Last holiday was October break, or National Day. The next one isn't until Lunar New Year, about mid-January. Unfortunately, I considered the National Holiday a write-off for me anyway, and was really worried that it would set me back for this long stretch for the next 3-4 months.
Thankfully, this long stretch is turning out to be OK. It is remarkably different from the depression of previous years. I'm actually enjoying life and finding it going quite well, instead of preparing for the usual dread of going through this 3-4 month slog every year.
The weather plays a big role in this. It's the first time in years I remember the gorgeous weather continuing right into November. Last year and the year before, an early and long winter set in with freezing cold fronts, rain, and biting winds. With the exception of a cold front a couple weeks ago, it has remained relatively mild up until this point. That makes a huge difference with bearable motorcycle rides to work, and then finishing work in the afternoon without needing to wear a jacket.
The lack of commuting is also helping me feel a lot better. It is a simple 5-10 minute motorcycle zip on downtown streets to get to work. That can be exilerating, as the roads are super crowded and it's a constant game of dodgeball the whole way through. Nothing like a cold blast of wind and a real-life video game to wake me up. Since it's so short, I don't get to feel the nasty effects of cold hands or leg burn like in the commuting hell while I was working at Sino Canada a couple years back.
The only downside to this method of transport is that it's more or less required, ironically, just like it was required at Sino. The bike is unregistered, which is a major pain in downtown Shanghai as there are constant police to dodge. Of course, I could do without the motorcycle and use the subway but that would turn the trip into 30+ minutes and then it *would* be a commute! Walking to the subway takes up to 15 minutes. Once in the station, all the rush hour controls and security checks make for convoluted paths and waiting which adds time to the commute. It's not worth it for only going 2 stops. The other alternative is a taxi, but they are impossible to find in rush hour and even if I get one, I'd just end up sitting in really bad traffic jams.
The motorcycle is really the most convenient choice. It takes me door-to-door, bypasses all the traffic jams, and allows me to enjoy more sleep and still get to work on time.
Another positive are the relaxing work hours. Most of my classes are taught in the morning, 40 minute each, and then there are the long lunch hours. Most of the tutorial times with my students are during lunch, unlike at the other schools where the only available time was after school. So that means I can usually walk out the door around 3pm, go home for a much-needed afternoon nap, do lesson planning, and still have time for other stuff in the evenings.
Speaking of which, I've really gotten involved in exactly that. Two nights of the week are for church-related activities and there is another thing I've got going on the weekends.
So all in all it's working out pretty good. There isn't much of a need to travel, although one of these days I need to make a trip to Wuhan and withdraw all the cash from my old bank account.
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Commuting less than 100 km / week
Weather today: High = 20 Low = 5
Hazy
The motorcycle odometer tells me I'm putting less than 100 km every week for getting around. Actually I haven't left the city of Shanghai at all since August except for two occasions. One was a family wedding in Vietnam earlier last month, and the other was was a church retreat in Songjiang just last weekend. Technically, Songjiang is part of Shanghai (province) so that may not necessarily count!
At any rate, most of what I need is right downtown in a particular district: Xu Hui. Even trips to Pudong or People's Square are a rarity as the majority of time I am happily enjoying life in this district.
Two years ago while living out in the boonies, I would be commuting almost 100km *every day* on the motorcycle, actually the scooter at the time. Last year while working in Wuhan, that dropped to about 250 km every week, or just about enough to fill a tank of gas every week.
Now I only fill up the gas tank every month.
Hazy
The motorcycle odometer tells me I'm putting less than 100 km every week for getting around. Actually I haven't left the city of Shanghai at all since August except for two occasions. One was a family wedding in Vietnam earlier last month, and the other was was a church retreat in Songjiang just last weekend. Technically, Songjiang is part of Shanghai (province) so that may not necessarily count!
At any rate, most of what I need is right downtown in a particular district: Xu Hui. Even trips to Pudong or People's Square are a rarity as the majority of time I am happily enjoying life in this district.
Two years ago while living out in the boonies, I would be commuting almost 100km *every day* on the motorcycle, actually the scooter at the time. Last year while working in Wuhan, that dropped to about 250 km every week, or just about enough to fill a tank of gas every week.
Now I only fill up the gas tank every month.
Life After EXPO
As the 2010 EXPO has wrapped up here in Shanghai, the life is slowly returning back to pre-expo days. That means, among other things, subway schedules finishing at 10:30pm to 11pm instead of after midnight. Construction projects are back up and running at full speed, along with all the unlicensed night trucks nicknamed 'street killers'. Construction was more or less banned during the event, but since it has resumed, so have the trucks come back on the road. Related to the resumption of construction, the skies aren't so blue anymore as they were during the event.
With the influx of visitors now back to the provinces, the hotels aren't so busy anymore and it's easier to get around. Security, however, still remains tight ... and likely will remain for quite some time.
Most of the pavilions themselves are being dismantled and shipped back to the respective countries. The China Pavilion, along with the EXPO Cultural Center, the Saudi Pavilion, and a few others will remain. The EXPO site will be re-developed into housing, parks, and other benefits.
I actually enjoyed the event --- went at least 4 times. Although getting around was a pain, to be sure, the benefits of a cleaner city and less noise / air pollution were charming.
With the influx of visitors now back to the provinces, the hotels aren't so busy anymore and it's easier to get around. Security, however, still remains tight ... and likely will remain for quite some time.
Most of the pavilions themselves are being dismantled and shipped back to the respective countries. The China Pavilion, along with the EXPO Cultural Center, the Saudi Pavilion, and a few others will remain. The EXPO site will be re-developed into housing, parks, and other benefits.
I actually enjoyed the event --- went at least 4 times. Although getting around was a pain, to be sure, the benefits of a cleaner city and less noise / air pollution were charming.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)