moments before 32

spent the whole weekend watching 17 episodes of Brothers and Sisters... and when I finally went out for my first meal of this sunday (okay... 2nd, if you count buns and yogurt as brunch), I was also keen on taking a walk to move some of the lazy muscles.

it was only then that I realized the lake next to the hotel had a musical fountain with laser and hip-chinese music show. it was actually quite entertaining, and I like water afterall...

the bright spot in the top background is the moon on the 16th... supposedly at its roundest. Quality of the blackberry camera for night shot is poor, but at least the camera caught some of the moving lights.

Really could stay there and watch the dancing water jets, in the cool weather with the nice night sky. The laser show was quite good, reflected at various depths of water, rushing up, or splashing back down. If the music were different, and if there were good company, with a container of hot coffee, it would have been a perfect night. :-)

in China during their holidays

China's National Day... Mid-Autumn Festival... The adjacent festivities almost meant a standstill in China, since people are inclined to return home for a much deserved long break. In the past, this would be critical, as people needed to return home via rail, which could take days. Today, it is still important, as not everyone is rich enough to take the more expensive modes of transport.

Anyhow, despite the customer's plan to complete the work during this period, reality caught up, and there were insurmountable problems and hence delays. The result was the "burning" of holidays for many of the people around the project.

Photos from the park - day & night:

China's 60th National Day

It is a big deal, the 60th National Day of China. The parade began at about 10am, and is still ongoing in Beijing, with a dramatic level of participation. There was military display, some group performances, and now, the parade floats are going around Tiananmen. There are mainly floats from the various provinces, but also includes (at least one?) foreign participants. The floats are quite elaborate, with iconic features of the provinces, rotating parts, people in various customers posing or waving to the people, and also large screens that show highlights from their regions. There is some more marching now, from the bands and other groups.

Wonder if they will be having fireworks in the evening? Should be an excellent display, if this morning's parade is anything to go by.

Of course, I am watching the parade in the hotel room in Heze. The same hotel room that did not have electricity from 2-6pm yesterday. The same hotel room that has questionable quality of water and questionable cleanliness of the towels. While I am fine with waiting for things to happen at the customer's site during this period, the local Chinese who are also supporting the customer are not the most excited bunch since they would probably prefer to be having their long-awaited long holiday.

A few more days to go...