|
|
|
Here's another one. Can you guess what the picture is? [Click Read More to see the answer]  The Colosseum is elliptical, long 188 meters, 156 meters about axis; central is 86:58. The circumference of 527 meters, 57 meters high, covers an area of 20000 square metres, can accommodate 80000 spectators.
0 Comments
I saw a couple of barmy pictures in a restaurant the other day. Here is the writing which went with the picture. Can you guess what the picture was of? [Click Read More to see the answer]  Vintage car this concept began in 1973, appeared in the "celebrity and vintage car" magazine, despite its literal translation should be "the Cadillac T10 code ancient car" but because the word "vintage car" strong personification colours so....
 Mix the words around and it might just make sense!
 JD seems much happier at school these days. Never a tear as I leave him there anymore - barely a hug these days! JiaJia attended a parent-teacher meeting the other day. They said that JD is academically just above average, but he is much-loved and his "personality" is "top of the class" - he cares, shares and has a strong sense of right and wrong. I'll settle for that. Facts and figures can come later and, after all, he does study in what is, effectively, his second language. This is his last year at Kindergarten and we are already looking at ways to get him into a decent Primary School (not easy when the rules keep changing and everybody wants a backhander!).
 Apparently I'm an Uncle again, and JiaJia is an Aunt for the first time (by blood) ...not that she appears particularly bothered. We heard today that Jiajia's brother and his Laos wife had a baby boy a couple of weeks ago. They had told Ma-in-law, but not the rest of us. Ma showed us a couple of photos today. No name yet, but we believe mother and baby are doing well.
Well, after an unusually difficult start to the new term, a little bonus was finding out I have been awarded "University Teacher of the Year 2017", only tempered by the fact that it was only in the "Foreign Teacher" category and it was a joint win with another teacher (there are only ten foreign teachers!). In total 154 staff won the same award... BUT I STILL WANT A TROPHY!!  For those of you with limited Chinese, it says:
In accordance with the "Notice on the Selection of 2017 Excellent Teachers and Excellent Educators " (School Party Office [2018] No. 54), recommended by the grassroots party committee (party branch, directly affiliated party branch), the school review team review, the following 154 Comrades are commended for the "Excellent Teacher, Excellent Education Worker" in 2017 and are now publicized. List of 69 Excellent teachers to be commended..... [...68 names plus...] Paul John Hider  Happy half-Birthday to my 5½ year old son!
Half a card and half a birthday pancake for you!
I was playing around with Google's "Find similar images" function today in the hope I could find a long-lost twin somewhere out there. This is what it came back with. Really??
 My first week back at University ended with a strange sight yesterday - literally hundreds of students wandering about the teaching block wearing identical headphones. At first I wondered if they were Freshmen having a guided tour of the University as you might do in a museum or art gallery. But, when I asked them, they said it was for an English test. Why they would be having a test in the first week of term, and why I had not heard of about it despite being an English teacher there, I have no idea. Never seen it before!
 This was the picture above an animal story on the BBC website. I initially assumed it was a piece about an owl, until I looked closer and read the article ...about drug-sniffing dogs!
 When our gatekeepers started clearing out an empty room by the neighbourhood entrance the other day, I assumed they were setting themselves up a new office. Apparently not. It is actually a designated "State Propaganda Area" filled with patriotic displays and slogans urging us to work hard, love our country and respect our leaders and the law. The painted sign on the outside wall [left] says, "Work hard and you will get promotion. Be lazy and you will lose your job". Profound!
 Wet outside? Make a Star Wars "X-wing" with JD from card and straws!
One of the few disappointments of our time in the UK was getting notice of a traffic fine in the final week from when we had hired a car. I have no idea of what it's for as I thought I'd been very careful to keep below speed limits and park correctly. As yet, no paperwork has come through to our UK address, but I fear it's just a matter of time.  Then today, my Chinese driving license also got blemished. JiaJia received a parking fine yesterday dating back to June and persuaded me to take the points, as my license is (was) clean while hers is, let's say, cluttered! She also needs the car more than me. Our trip to the traffic police office today did at least provide some amusing Chinglish.
|
 About the authorPaul Hider lives and works in Kunming (SW China) and updates this blog about his life there every other day. Past blog entries
September 2018
Tags
All
|
