Tony's Tales: From the Desert to the Alps

What an action-packed past two weeks!

Firstly, November 24 was Melissa's birthday (no year numbers, but if you look back in the blog one year ago you will know) and the family took her out on a Desert Safari trip. A wonderful afternoon and evening of four wheel drive dune-bashing; sand boarding (think snow boarding on a steep sand dune); dinner; henna painting; camel riding; etc.

Amongst many there were two highlights of the day:

(1) The Ack-meister managed to lose one of his Crocs in the powdery super-dune that the tour group was preparing to sand board down. Despite feverish digging it was lost to the desert.... until half an hour or so later after many had boarded down the dune a glimmer of green poked above the sand and a rescue mission ensued. Needless to say we now describe it as a "croc-in-a dune" rather than a "needle-in-a-haystack".

(2) The kids decide to go quad-bike riding (think four wheel motorbike on a sand race track) and both took to it brilliantly. Alexander in particular was a speed fiend and was scarily quick -- Dad is hoping to retire when he is of age for the X-Games or the World Rally Championship!

The next morning we poured the sand from our shoes and packed to head off to Europe for a vacation coinciding with the Eid al-Ahda holiday (and coincidently the American Thanksgiving). The primary part of the trip was focused on Switzerland based on a request that Alexander visit the land of his birth -- which he, Sarah and Melissa had not been back to for eight years.

Best we don't describe the travel issues, but be assured that those of you who ritually avoid Air France and /or Paris - Charles de Gaulle airport are encouraged to continue that practice!

So off to Switzerland and a tour of our old neighbourhoods (not sure that was for the kids or for Tony & Melissa). The moody Zurich valley was very welcoming and the sun and vista of the lake and alps made up for the cold that all of us were struggling with. That evening we were hosted by our friends from Singapore (the Wildi family) for a traditional Swiss cheese fondue.

Next day we were off to Denmark to visit friends from Hong Kong (the Jensens) who live just north of Copenhagen and were wonderful hosts over three cold but fun-packed days. Winter (and the short six hours of daylight) don't do justice to the many sights -- especially if you live in warm climes and have thin blood. All that said, we had a wonderful time at the many understated attractions.

The Tivoli Gardens are a must for anyone new to Copenhagen. In fact they are in our assessment the BEST amusement park we have visited (not bad given it opened in 1843), with a blend of restaurants, rides, gardens, etc, and all right in the heart of Copenhagen opposite the main train station.

The next day we were off to Kronborg Castle, home to 500 years of Danish tolls to exit / enter the Baltic Sea (plus a minor Shaksperean play entitled Hamlet). The reality is that this magnificent royal residence is famous without Shakespeare however the two sit well together. It is a peninsula in a cold sea -- dress well.

Back to Switzerland to catch up with Carlos & Alexandra for a great dinner at their fabulous apartment -- fondue again but this time of the meat variety.

We then finished with a day trip to our favourite Swiss city, Lucerne, and up the nearby Mount Pilatus on a peerless day with unrestricted views across the mittelland and alps. After a few days of snow the weather was again kind to us and the kids got to play in the white stuff without it getting in the way of a great day. A long day ending in dinner at Il Pappagallo, a small family run Italian restaurant near our former home that we ate in regularly -- still the same: humble and wholesome.

Then back to Dubai for some warmth before it is beack to school and work.

Cheers.

Number 27: World Champions Again !

Tony's Tales: No news is good news

Well folks, our bad for not posting since mid-September. We were doing well with two posts per month for a while there but seem to have lost the plot in the month of October. The good news is that we have been busy transitioning from arrival / set-up mode and into consolidation mode and our days sort of filled up with stuff. Anyway the following is a random update on all sorts of things that have happened this month (and watch for the internet shortcuts below if you want more details).

Closing out on the previous "Green Foot" blog, Alexander has recovered from his broken foot and is back to full mobility. This past week his class performed a school concert for the parents and it consisted of a series of musical numbers and short acted sketches that were based on their current units of enquiry. Sketches were performed in English, French, German and Arabic. Alexander composed a short sketch on deforestation (with a conflict resolution sub-theme) and he and his classmates acted it out with great gusto.

On the same day Sarah and her class ran a Bake Sale at school to raise funds for a charity in Nepal. Our kitchen at home was a sight to see for the days prior as Sarah decided to make small cakes in the shapes of cars and using bright colours. Apparently a big hit as they sold out at 5 Dirhams each, and all for a good cause.

Sarah has been chosen to play the national anthem of the United Arab Emirates ("Ishy Bilady") on the piano each week for her high school. She has also re-commenced her interest in Drama and has started with the Drama Scene -- no specific play in rehersal as yet but stay tuned for a potentially exciting event in December !

Melissa has now totally mastered Dubai and is back into some of her activities such as assisting at Alexander's school in the library and at Sarah's school in reading books onto audio recordings. She is also back at the gym, and generally enjoying this great city. Her focus now is her upcoming exams for her Behavioural Science degree which start next week.

I spent the best part of two weeks this month in London for work -- a great city but was missing the family. It has been great to be back these past two weeks and getting into the day-to-day groove of Dubai. The weather here is now wonderful and, although the middle of the day is still hot, the mornings and evenings are gorgeous. We have purchased an outdoor table and chairs and have dinner outside each evening. For some reason there are annoyingly "sticky" flies around in the mornings and so breakfast tends to be inside.

We have also been getting out and about a little to see more of what Dubai has to offer. Yesterday it was time for Sarah, Alexander and Dad (with Mum at home studying) to head to Sega Republic which is a large indoor entertainment centre within the Dubai Mall. It has nine rides and seemingly hundreds of games to play. It's theme is "instant adrenaline" and is most apt as all of the rides were full on and had my stomach turning after the first one. The kids went full bore for the afternoon but I had to take a few breaks along the way. A lot of fun and I'm sure we will be back for more.

And of course this time of year is all about sports -- at least for most of those I follow. The Magpies got annoyingly close in the AFL but in the end the two best teams made it to the Grand Final and it was certainly a great game to watch. Formula One now has a new World Champion and I was hoping to get to the inaugural Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix tomorrow (only about 45 minutes drive from here) however work calls me away and so it will have to be next year. The interest now is on the MLB World Series where my beloved Yankees are 1-1 in the best-of-seven series. Unfortunately after Game Three I will be on the road and unable to watch, but I'll be cheering nonetheless -- Go Yanks !

Well that's all from us in sunny Dubai. Cheers.

GREEN FOOT!!

You have heard of BIG FOOT, I am GREEN FOOT!!! I was walking around the pool at school when I slipped (I wasn't messing around) and fell into the pool. I hit my foot on the edge of the pool as I fell in. The teachers asked me if I was OK and I said "I think so". I wanted to finish the swimming lesson, so I did. When the swimming lesson was finished. I got out of the pool and realised that my foot REALLY hurt. So I was allowed to go to the school nurse. My teacher offered to carry me, but I said "No, THANK YOU!!" and so one of my friends went with me to the nurse.

She put some cream on my foot and said that if it was still bad the next day then I should go to the hospital and get an x-ray. When Mum picked me up from school my foot was still killing me and I was in my uniform but had my flip-flops (thongs) on my feet. Mum was surprised that I didn't have on my school shoes and asked "why are you wearing your flip-flops?" So I told her.

When I got home, I sat on the couch and mum put some ice on my foot. Then she decided to take me to the hospital that afternoon. When we got to the hospital I had three x-rays and a ride in a wheel-chair. The doctor said that I had fractured three of the bones in my foot (that join to the three toes between my big toe and my little toe). Then I got a cast put on my foot. It goes all the way from my toes, around my heel and almost to my knee. The cast is green! That is why I said I am Green Foot! I also got two red crutches.

At first the crutches were hard to use (and my hands REALLY hurt and got a couple of blisters) but I am used to them now and am pretty good at moving around. I have to go back for a check in a couple of weeks.

School is good and I am fine. There is a photo of me and my green foot and my red crutches.

Alexander

Sarah's Blog -- Starting School

Hi everyone, it’s Sarah. I just finished my first week of school here in Dubai. It was great. Although, there’s some funny story’s too.

Alexander and I go to the same school but, the middle school and the high school are on a different campus to the primary school (where Alexander is). I also started a day early.

On the first day I caught the bus form the primary school to the high school but, the taking the attendance took forever and we were 12 minutes late. After we meet our homeroom teachers we got our lockers (mine smells like someone left their P.E. shoes in their locker all year) and our schedules we had English and Cultural Studies, Cultural Studies was really fun. Our teacher was really funny and we had to do a poster on our beliefs and values. Our teacher told us to leave that in our lockers until next class. So I left that day and I double checked that I had packed everything because there were papers that had to be signed. Nope, all that was there was my paper for Cultural studies. So I got home and I wanted show mum my timetable. I looked in my bag . . . It wasn’t there. Neither were the papers. I had left my timetable, homework book and papers that needed to be signed underneath the paper that was still in my locker! Oh No!!!

So the next day I catch the bus and we were 5 minutes late. I went to homeroom. That day I had Math, Arabic, Double period of Science and Computer Technology. Math was fun; my teacher looks like Jeff the Wiggle. Arabic was ok. Science was awesome! Our teacher is really cool, and in IT we learned about the great technology breakthroughs. That was really it for my second day.

On Thursday (the end of the week) I walked into the bus waiting area and I looked at my bag. Uh-oh. My locker key wasn’t there. I had left it in the car! I ran back out to where mum was parked. Luckily she was there and I got my locker key. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.

So that’s my first week of school in Dubai. Bye!

Tony's Tales: Welcome to Dubai

Well it's been some time since our Farewell to Hong Kong blog, but it is only now that we can report on the sequel: Welcome to Dubai. Of course it took some time for our household goods to arrive, but more to the point was that Melissa and the kids enjoyed a month in Melbourne while the (northern year) school holidays were on. Those school holidays end in a week (and that new school year will no doubt be the subject of a future Frencham family blog).

For now, we have all arrived in Dubai and the furniture is in and the house is operational, with only the paintings to go on the wall. Melissa and Tony both have their cars and are greatly enjoying driving again after being carless in Hong Kong. The much commented traffic in Dubai is not particularly heavy at present with the construction downturn and the summer vacation period still coming to an end. Many comment on the poor quality of driving but if one considers most drivers are first generation and make allowances then it becomes humorous rather than frustrating.

Like all cities there are many things the same, and lots of new things to learn. The orientation process is well underway and as a modern city there are many procedures that are very efficient indeed. It also helps that essentially everyone speaks english, although one's listening skills are certainly tested as it is spoken by people from all four corners of the world (more than 90% of those living in Dubai were not born in the United Arab Emirates).

And then there's the heat. Well it is summer and there's a reason it's a desert. It is also great to live in an airconditioned age. After that it really is a state of mind and if you let it get to you then it will. Frankly, you get used to it after awhile and one picks up teh strategies to manage it. The weather on the radio news the other day summed it up: "high and dry".

Our two story house (termed a Villa in Dubai) is one of ten in a compound which simply means they were all built together and they open to a common area which has a pool, gymnasium, etc. The pool is VERY popular with Sarah and Alexander at this time of year, and like most pools in Dubai it has to be chilled as it would otherwise overheat in summer. A few villas have new tenants arriving and the rest have existing folks returning from home leave or vacations -- all tenants are westerners by request of the owner.

As we write this it is the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, and we wish you all Ramadan Kareem. It is a time of fasting and reflection where the world's 1.5 billion Muslims develop self-discipline and consider those less fortunate. For those of us who are non-Muslims but living in an Islamic country we will see changes in the schedules of life, and we must be considerate and not eat or drink in public during daytime so as to not offend those fasting.

As it is Welcome to Dubai ! Stay tuned for the adventures to follow.

Tony's Tales: Dropping Names in NYC

While being away from the family is always a downer, there are some benefits in being able to experience things one would otherwise only read about or watch on the idiot box. So it was when a week of JV negotiations brought me recently to the ever interesting New York City. And not just NYC, but the meeting location had us staying in the centre of things: mid-Manhattan (by now you should be humming the Sinatra standard New York, New York).

On arrival the weather was brilliant with sunny skies and temp in the mid-20s, and so with a Sunday afternoon to myself it was exploring time. One tourist event I had not done previously was the "Top of the Rock" which is the observation at the top of the Rockefeller Center. As you can see from the picture (north towards Central Park with the Hudson river to the left) the views were stunning. Then it was off to do a little shopping and to enjoy the community fair set up along Madison Avenue.

On arriving back at the hotel -- the historic Waldorf-Astoria (and for you Fawlty Towers fans, they did NOT run out of Waldorfs) -- there was some commotion near the Lobby level bar. Turns out it was Pierce Brosnan (first dropped name) doing a reasonably poor job of being inconspicuous, and consequently being hassled by tourists for a photo.

Onto a long week of negotiations, but the weather was wonderful and warming slightly each day to the high 20s by the end of the week. So there was lot's of walking done to and from meetings and to dinners so as to get in some of the local buzz. Turns out that on the walk from our hotel to the office we passed the sidewalk vents from the famous Marilyn Monroe white dress video (second name, albeit a little less lively).

Awoke mid-week to a message under the door that we would have a "dignitary" in the hotel that evening and security would be heightened. Well by heightened they meant blocked streets, barricades everywhere, men in suits with wired up earplugs, and countless of New York's finest. I guess that's what happens when Barack Obama turns up for a fundraiser in the hotel! (now you have to admit that's a great third name). That much security encouraged us to head out for dinner so there was no personal sighting, however one of our party did see the 44th President earlier in the day.

And for a mad Yankees fan like me there cannot be a summer visit to NYC without an attempt to see the Yanks play, and especially with the new Stadium up and running this year. Friday night saw me catching the Green Line #4 from Grand Central up to the Bronx and enjoying the very modern and spacious facilities. Had a great seat, and the New Yorker beside me was convinced I was a TV Host and so took my picture for his wife (I guess that doesn't count as a name?). Of course the Yankees have a full roster of famous names, and the biggest is Derek Jeter, seen here swinging for the fences. He didn't drive in the winning run that day, but Teixeira did and it was Detroit's turn to go down 5-3, but not before the beautiful weather ended with a huge thunderstorm in the eighth inning. That made for a long evening and a messed up train system, but a win is a win as they say. Thanks for a great week NYC.

Tony's Tales: Farewell Hong Kong

Well it's goodbye to June and it's farewell to Hong Kong. The Frencham family have just completed the never fun, but very familiar, home exit and preparation to relocate.

It was an elongated exit. Firstly, we managed the three day pack during what was supposed to be the last week of school for the kids (see full story from Sarah in the Blog below). The pack went very well thanks in no small part to the excellent pre-organisation of Melissa. Meanwhile the family moved to a hotel which was fun for a short time, although this author was not happy having just spent the prior five weeks in hotels. Also during this first week Melissa had the first of her two exams for her Bacheor of Behavioural Science course (in her spare time). Of course Sarah had her three shows of Wind in the Willows. We also managed a farewell dinner with friends, and I even squeezed in my Birthday (I can't remember how many years it is !).

We then stayed on in Hong Kong for another week so that Melissa could complete her second exam, and we could close out the final exit issues. The second week was more relaxed (except for the studious Melissa) and the Kids and Tony were able to spend some time at the pool and generally decompressing. On the day of Melissa's exam the three of us headed off to Ocean Park (see Feb '09 Blog) to hit the fun park rides for a final time. It was a hot humid HK summer day, but we had a lot of fun.

So now our household goods are on the water on their way to Dubai, and we are in Australia to catch up with family and friends. To Hong Kong we say thanks for a happy two years and to the wonderful sights and sounds that are one of the great cities of Asia and the World. We will miss the friends we made, but look forward to keeping in contact with them, and to new friends to come. In Dubai we may miss the orderly efficiency, but we will certainly have plenty of the buzz and bustle of a vibrant city determined to knock off the Hong Kong's of this world. And we certainly hope to be there a LOT longer than we were in Hong Kong.

Sarah Bear's Blog: Swine Flu & Wind In The Willows

Hi everyone, Here’s an update of what has been happening for my last couple weeks of school.

Most people know that Swine Flu (H1N1) is going around the world. There have been a few cases of Swine Flu in Hong Kong. This past week before school ended on Thursday (it also happened to be my friend’s birthday) in the newspaper there was a warning the government might close the primary schools. No one in our class wanted that to happen because this year we are supposed to get a pizza party and watch Monster vs. Aliens as a good bye to primary school. Unfortunately, right around lunch, the government decided to close all of the primary schools. The middle schoolers still have to go to school. Ha ha. Nobody was very happy; we all wanted another week of school. The kids in my class who were leaving Hong Kong (myself and 4 other kids) had to return our instruments to our music teacher because there is a 5th grade band. I am a percussionist and my music teacher let me keep my drum sticks. So I got everyone to sign them and my shirt. Oh, well at least it was a memorable end to primary school.

Another thing I was afraid of was that the Faust show might get cancelled. That would have stunk. But, let’s back up. I’m in a show called The Wind in the Willows. For those of you who don’t know the story line here’s a quick summary.

There are 4 main characters, Rat, Mole, Toad, and Badger. One day Mole meets Rat along the river bank and they strike a friendship. Then they go to see Toad. Toad is a rich conceited gentleman who gets these obsessions. When Rat and Mole go to meet him Toad's obsession is a gypsy caravan so Rat, Mole, and Toad go on a trip. While they are on a trip a motorcar knocks the caravan into a ditch and Toad becomes obsessed about cars. He soon starts buying them and driving them recklessly. Meanwhile Mole journeys into the wild wood where the weasels are. When Rat comes they have to find shelter and they find Badger’s house. Badger is a grumpy hermit but is also very commanding and most people (even the weasels) have some sort of respect for him. When Badger hears about Toad and his obsessions he decides he must do something. They force Toad to stop driving but he steals a motorcar that he drives around. He is taken to court where he is sentenced to 20 years in jail. Then Toad escapes as a washerwoman with the help of a jailer and her aunt. When Toad is reunited with Rat, Mole, and Badger, he finds out that weasels have taken over Toad Hall. The four friends set up a plan to recapture Toad Hall. Then a big battle ensures. At last the friends take back Toad Hall and Toad changes into a humble man of integrity.

I was cast as Badger (in the picture above I am "in character"). We had about a month and a half of rehearsal’s leading up to our show. We performed three shows and as we went through them they got better, and better, and better. I am really proud of what we did and I’m sad that I can’t do it again. But when I go to Dubai I really want to keep going with it.

Well, that’s pretty much it. Good bye!!!!

Tony's Tales: Middle East experiences

Having just spent four weeks in the Middle East, variously in Dubai, Bahrain and Saudi, it gave me the opportunity to spend some time getting to experience a little more of the place we will soon be calling home. Admittedly it is still a hotel existence, however the localisation process has definitely started.

Firstly, Summer is early this year and we have had a few "warm" days come our way -- three days of 49 Celsius. A couple of observations: (1) apparently it rarely gets to 50C officially since that is the temperature at which work must stop in many of the ME countries, so there can be varying intensities of 49C; and (2) the humidity at present is less than 10% which makes it a more tolerable dry heat -- when the Indian monsoon season kicks in and the humid air flows our way is when the Meteorological Bureau advised that the weather will become "uncomfortable" !

Secondly, I have also been trying many of the local cuisines, eating at Moroccan, Lebanese and Iranian style restaurants. As with all cultures, the food is generally fabulous and it is simply the ingredient availability and the treatment that provides the wonderful surprises. Two new ingredients have been added to my experiences: Ostrich and Camel. The latter was terrific, however both my Ostrich experiences were a let-down (dark, dry and tasteless). I'm told Ostrich should be better than that and so the ones I had must have run all the way to me. Or maybe it's the Drumstick - Breast meet thing?

By the way, the region seems to be picking up a busier hum. Certainly not anywhere near the early 2008 boom, however much of the uncertainty has dissipated and there is more and more business getting done.

So I'm on my home to Hong Kong, albeit via a week of meetings in Houston. The flight today is a first for me and a very interesting route. If you look on a map you will see that Dubai and Houston are only a similar latitude. However if you look at the same map and head North-West from Dubai as we are doing as I write, we are travelling across Iran, Azerbaijan; Georgia; Russia; Estonia: Sweden; Norway; Iceland; Greenland; Canada; and finally to the US of A. A very long 16 hour flight, but it is daylight the entire time and the changing landscapes are fascinating.

Enough from me. Very much looking forward to getting home to Honkers to see my wonderful family whom I miss so. Then soon after we will be packed and down to Oz to catch up with more family and friends, and to enjoy some nice winter weather. Until then, cheers.

Short Story from Ack

Hi, this week in writing I had to make up a short story based on a picture that they gave us. The picture was of a girl with plaits in a t-shirt and jeans holding up a trophy (like a big cup with one handle on each side). In the picture it looks like the cup is shaking. Anyway, here is my story!


BOOM BOOM

On a clear and wacky Wednesday I went to the BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM competition and every competitor had a 500 wide stick of dynamite. Eva went out to the front of the stage with her stick of dynamite, gasoline, lava and black powder. She held the magnifiying glass to the sun (which was coming in through the sky-light) and Ka-boooooooooooooooooom! Eva's boom was the loudest so she won the trophy. After the fire brigade left I went home.

THE END

Ack's Blog of Camp

From April 28 to April 30 the Grade 3’s at my school went on camp. We went to an island off Hong Kong (we had to catch the boat to get there). We had to take a HUGE backpack with lots of things (and we had to carry it ourselves!)
When we got to camp we met our camp instructors and we made up our team names. I was in the Golden Phoenix team (a girl made that name up, not me). Then we went to our dorms (this is the boys' dorm.)


We had loads and loads of activities. My personal favorite was the high ropes course. (Picture at the top because it was the best!) It was over 50 feet tall! We had to go right to the top. We did have to wear helmets and, to make sure it was safe, we were attached to safety wires. It was awesome! We were all a little bit scared to start with, but the teachers were more scared than us. Once we all got going it was perfectly fine.

Everything was great at camp. We did lots of different activities (we even had to build a raft – that floated!) and we didn’t get much sleep. When I got home I was glad to be here, but I had had a fantastic time. I hope I get to go on camp again!

Sarah's Blog -- Poverty

Hi everybody! Sorry I haven’t written in so long -- I was busy. But I have some great news. Before I can tell you my great news. I have to tell you the background.

I go to an IB (International Baccalaureate) school. At IB schools at the end of primary, the Grade 5 class does an exhibition about certain topics. I chose to do poverty. One of our requirements is to take action, i.e. volunteering, donating, etc. If you know me I have shoulder length hair which, lately, has been driving me crazy.

When I was about six I had waist length blonde hair. I decided to donate it to Locks of Love. Locks of Love takes hair that has been donated, turns it into wigs, and gives it to underprivileged children that have cancer. Well, I did it again!!!!!!!! My hair is now short and I like it. See the picture attached.

We also took action by going to UNICEF and sorting out donated coins. THERE WERE HUNDREDS!!!!!!!!!! It was a very long process. First you had to sort out the coins (we were sorting RMB) into $1’s 50 cents and 10 cents. Then, you stacked them into the plate in groups of ten. Lastly you had to stick 5 lots of 10 into a tiny plastic bag and seal it. We went through about a hundred coins. My hands smelled so bad and were so dirty!!!!! But, I’m glad I did it.

So, that is the “Taking Action” part of poverty done. Now we have to work on the presentation. We are doing an A-Z Poverty Book (done), a diorama of a slum in poverty (done), a song (done), a poster (needs to get done), and Free Rice. Free rice is a Quiz website that, for every question that you get right, 10 grains of rice get given to people in hunger.
Here is the website: http://www.freerice.com/

Our exhibition is on May 7th & 8th. I will write another blog on how it goes.
BYE!!! : P

Bear's Blog -- Dubai's Fun !

GREETINGS FROM DUBAI!!!!!

DAY 1
We got in yesterday and did lots of stuff, like, sleeping, eating and watching movies on planes. That’s it. Our hotel is the shorter of the two buildings on the left.

DAY 2
Today we looked at lots of villas. A villa is a type of house that is normally smaller than your average house. Sometimes it has a pool and and it almost always has a backyard. We looked at so many villas that I can’t count them.

DAY 3
Well, yesterday was the first of 2 or 3 school assessments. I know, you’re all feeling sorry for me. It wasn't actually that hard. It was math and English. When I started to do the English one I thought that I might have to write a story. WRONGO! All of the questions were like this:
"I ________ the movies"
a) has been toe my
b) have been to the
c) to go the
d) have been to
Choose which one is the correct answer. This was for the entire English test. The school was called Dubai International Academy. That school does 13 grades. So K5 is Year one. That means that I will be going into Year 7. There's is also another school called Uptown High that I might be going to. That school runs to a 12 grade level and guess what? The High/middle school is on a different campus to the Uptown Primary school where my brother might be going. So now I'll tell you anything worth listening to.
I got nothing.

DAY 4
We looked at houses today. We also went to have dinner by the beach with my dad's new boss. It was fun. We started by walking through a Souk. That is like a market I saw lots of great stuff that I wanted to buy but dad said that I could go shopping on Friday. I stayed up REALLY late.

DAY 5
I'm so tiredzzzzzzzzzz. We had to wake up at 5:30 am this morning for my test at Uptown high. I like Uptown High better than DIA. It took me 1 hour and 45 minutes to do the test because I kept losing focus. I had a nap later. Now I feel much better. We looked at more houses today, tomorrow Ack will have his test at the Uptown Primary school. At the Primary school there is a bus that takes the high schoolers to the high school. So Mum can just drop me off at the primary school and I'll be good. Tomorrow we get to go to Wild Wadi which is a water theme park. Tomorrow will also be our last day looking for houses.

DAY 6
We're d-one! I don't know why but it's alway's the last house on the last day that you end up liking. I just got back from Wild Wadi! IT WAS AWESOME!!!!! There were lots of slides and other stuff tomorrow we're going to the Souk for 5 HOURS OF SHOPPING!

DAY 7

We slept in today and then went shopping. It is Friday here and so is like Sunday elsewhere and the Souk did not open until 2pm. We went to Dubai Mall which was HUGE and included an aquarium and lot's of great shops, including one with very cool magic and electronic gadgets. We then went back to the souk and I bought some great gifts for myself and my friends. It was then off to the airport for the night flight back to Hong Kong. I didn't get much sleep but at least I am in my own bed now. That's all from me.

Tiger Talk -- Thinking of Friends

Lyrics from a favourite song of mine:

Bright light almost blinding
Black night still there shining
I can't stop keep on climbing
Looking for what I knew.

Had a friend she once told me
"You got love you ain't lonely"
Now she's gone and left me only
Looking for what I knew.

Mmm I'm telling you now
The greatest thing you ever can do now
Is trade a smile with someone who's blue now
It's very easy just.

Met a man on the roadside crying,
Without a friend, there's no denying,
You're incomplete, they'll be no finding
Looking for what you knew.

So anytime somebody needs you,
Don't let them down, altho' it grieves you,
Some day you'll need someone like they do,
Looking for what you knew.

Mmm, I'm telling you now,
The greatest thing you ever can do now,
Is trade a smile with someone who's blue now,
It's very easy just...ooh, yeah

"Friends" from Led Zeppelin III (Page, Plant)

Tiger Talk: Fun at Ocean Park

Presently we are hosting a visitor from Downunder: Jessica Willingham. We had grand plans today to take her to one of the home grown adventure park here in Hong Kong called Ocean Park. However we awoke today to fog in Hong Kong and low cloud that looked particularly miserable, so we went anyway. Glad we did as the weather on the other side of the island was sunny, cloudless and almost perfect. The added bonus was that most folks in HK thought the weather was lousy and so they didn't come and we had the park to ourselves and overseas tourists!

This being Jessica's first trip to Honkers, we started with the tourist bit and visited the Giant Panda Habitat. Those Panda's have a great gig, just lay around all day and then chomp on some bamboo shoots. We then visited caught up with some Hollywood stars (see picture), before catching the cable car to the far side of the park.

Then the action really started, with rides on the Flying Swing, the Dragon roller coaster, the Crazy Galleon, and finally: THE ABYSS! (a turbo drop from 20 floors up -- bring it on).

Lunch and time for the stomach to settle, before it was time for more rides: the Eagle, the Mine Train roller coaster, the Raging River rapids, and finally (so we could dry off) the Space Wheel.

Ocean Park is actually a not-for-profit with a mission to provide visitors with experiences that combine entertainment and education. To the latter, they have many fine animal exhibits, and we closed out our afternoon by visiting the aviaries. I would try to describe the behavior of the Flamingos, but they really are a little too weird for words.

So we left Ocean Park and the sun, and headed back to our apartment (about 5kms as the flamingo flies) to find it still shrouded in cloud. So the fine people of Hong Kong suffered through what looked like a miserable day, and we found out why the folks that founded Ocean Park built it where they did!

Bear's Blog -- Poetry Time

The Key

A magical breath of wind stirs
It rustles the trees
Along the way it wakes the King of Fairies
He knows it's time

A little girl is looking
She finds a golden key
So beautiful it shines
A shadow moves behind here

The Fairy King moves out from behind the bushes
"Young girl, you have been chosen.
The key has chosen you.
Now you must come
There is work to be done."

The little girl looked around
The wind blowing her hair
The forest is below her
She loves flying with fairies

When they get to the palace
Shimmering in the heat
She lands

There is an iron gate
A massive padlock secures the gate
The king points to the key
Slowly the little girl puts the key in the lock

She turns it once
A million griffons flying high come soaring in
She turns it twice
The trees grow massive fruit
She turns it a last time
The gates dissolve into a beautiful grove

"Little girl,
You are now the Queen of Utopia.
For a million years that gate has been locked.
Now you have unlocked it."

The griffons pick her up
She soars into the sky
Queen of Utopia

Tiger Talk -- 20 Years On

Happy New Year to one and all. A year of which we have high expectations: (1) the economic madness has to hit bottom and start to turn; (2) the lunar year of the Rat changes to the more auspicious Ox; and (3) Dubya departs and Barack (himself an Ox) inherits one hell of a mess. As they say it is better to be living in interesting times.

And as we look forward to 2009, today I wanted to also look back as it is the twentieth anniversary of my joining The Dow Chemical Company. These days twenty years seems like, and is, a long time to be with one company, and I wonder whether it will be possible or even desirable to do so in the future.

As I look back, these are years that are filled with great memories: good friends, wonderful experiences, hard work, achievements, disappointments, lots of fun, departed colleagues, but always a sense of personal and professional development. Dow is a company I specifically selected to join, and I'm glad I did and I trust that Dow is glad too.

Of course those twenty years coincided with the courtship and marriage to my wonderful partner Monkey. Frankly this is also the anniversary of her twenty years with Dow, and this journey has been a shared one and any success I have had along the way could not have happened without her unwavering support.

And then there are our terrific kids Bear and Dragon -- born "on the road" as we moved from location to location, and who have had the benefits of seeing the world but have had to balance that with not always seeing enough of their Dad and their extended family. They are growing to become wonderful people and we are very proud of them.


So twenty years has passed oh so quickly. We look forward in a crazy world to the certainty that what's really important are our family and friends and the time we have together. This wasn't meant to read like a farewell speech (it isn't) but it is perhaps an appreciation speech for all of you have made this past twenty years one that I look back on happily. It also reflects me missing my family as I sit in a hotel room on the wrong side of the planet on a business trip (again). So onwards towards an exciting 2009 -- let's make the most of it!