Weather

Had a first cousin once removed stay this week - Briar Smith who's going to varsity in Hangzhou. She's the daughter of Noel Smith my first cousin. It is great to talk with family and make connections with people and events and places you are both familiar with.

Wow! We can blog again! - well, we could before, but we couldn't read the blogs - nor could anyone in this part of the world. And now we can read the news on the BBC web site. Things are looking good!

Learning 2.0 Conference - my head hurts! My brain is full! Great sessions lead by stimuating people with fresh and up-to-date ideas. Great food too!

What's the difference - is there a difference - between 'intelligent', 'educated', 'wise' and 'academic'? Are there intelligent people sweeping the streets or recyling on their cycles in Shanghai? There are educated people who are not intelligent - look at all the doctors that smoke - and there are academic people who are not wise for sure. The western world equates 'educated' with both 'wise' and 'intelligent' - quite wrongly in many cases I think.

Nothing like rockin' with friends with good gear and an appreciative audience. Hours of rehearsal getting things right, chords, words, licks, riffs and tempos - then we've got a gig! Setup, sound check and tune-up - we're on!

Barry and us at the 'big' intersection (Hong Qiao, Yanan and Gubei Roads) with the amazing flower sculpture. It represents apparently, the many diverse cultures and people in Shanghai, all living in close proximity and happily.