Floorwalking in the Global Village

The Beautiful Mt Fuji

2005-07-13T15:20:00.000+10:00

Well, I am so excited to share a small episode of my
latest adventure to the top of Mt Fuji.

They call Mt Fuji "The heart of the Japanese people"
with numerous poetry, paintings and photographs
written and composed about Mt Fuji. It is the most
photographed mountain on earth and it is easy to see
why cause of its appealing connical shape and it's
stature towering above the Japanese Alps at 3776m asl.
It is towering cause the average height of the
mountains around it is 1500m.

The round trek took us 12 hours to complete staggered
over a 2 day period, the first day we started at the
5th Station (2500m asl) and walked to the mountain hut
at 3250m. THis took 4-5 hours depending upon weather
and at 7pm at night it is not fun walking in 200km/hr
winds and horizontal rain with a flappy raincoat
acting like a sailing boat! People have been known to
have liturally blown off Mt Fuji and I can see why
cause a few times I nearly flew off with them.

It is a nice feeling reaching the warmth and
hospitality of a mountain hut, with fires burning and
a hot Japanese curry waiting with steamed rice. The
plan was to sleep for 6 hours and wake again at 2am
for the summit climb to see sunrise.

Waking up the next morning I have this terrible
throbbing headache, i thought i better drink some
water and then I realised I only brought a 300mL water
bottle from a vending machine yesterday and I had
already drank it all. Its pitch  black outside and
pouring rain, about 3 degrees and windy as a flying
sheep. I also remembered I forgot a torch!! Teiko
seemed quieter than usual and tired, climbing this mountain
together was a special event for us! I was going to
support her in every way that I could and be with
her every step of the way! If it needed I would carry
her as far as I could. I could see that she was
determined to do it and this was very impressive
cause she was really trying! I was amazed!! Something
very special happened between us on that mountain and
I will never forget what it was on the 6th of July!

We set out, the fog is thick, you can see
approximately to the end of your nose at best, plus we
had no torch! So we stumble on into oblivion, every 5
mintues stopping and catching our breath, the air is
noticably thinner.

Suddenly we meet a japanese sports university of about
100 people climbing, they are making good progress and
we tag on the end of their line, I also noticed about
half of them were using oxygen. THis is not nessesary
but i can see the appeal and would not mind a wiff
myself but naturally we are here to do it the original
way!
The sun quickly rises and everything becomes quiet,
dead quiet! There is no wind, no noise, just white
fog, its peaceful! How long has it been since you have
heard dead quiet??? I think mountains are spiritual
places and this experience of dead quiet and an
presence really surprised me. It made me feel more
connected to my surroundings and respected the
mountain as if it were personified. No wonder this
mountain is so special in the hearts of the Japanese
psyche, it is pure, simple, yet powerful!

Suddenly the clouds break, the fog lifts and we are
left we the most unforgettable view out across the
oceans of clouds, each cloud level has a different
texture and direction, colour and pattern, we are
nearing the summit well above 3600 m now and well
above any clouds. It looks like the view out of an
aeroplane but we are on land? It is just too difficult
to describe in its full magnitude.
We reach the top and everyone is celebrating, hugging,
singing, dancing and a cool japanese guy comes up to
me says "Congratulations and says give me five man!" I
was pleased, i smiled and said, yeah man!! Thanks!!!
How wonderful!!!
There are various snow drifts around, a large crater
filled with snow elusively sticking to the shaddows...

There it was, something i will always treasure. And I
will leave you with a thought I had at the top,

Like the fast flowing stream
Water is together
Then a rock
Splits it's path
However water
Does not worry
Cause it knows that
It will join back
Together again
Somewhere down the path

The Floorwalker Returns

2005-04-26T21:30:00.000+10:00

Well ,
I have been quite a busy chap the last month, negotitating deals, contracts, salaries, scholarships but after all i am returning to my home country! I have been away now the longest time I have ever been out of the country, verging on 10 months. It's been an adventure like every day!
I have managed to get a pHD offer back at ANU and it's on a very exciting topic! It's top secret, sorry dudes :). I will be back in Germany twice per year on Business and hopefully we can make some great progress on this promising technology...

So see you all in this wonderful world, somewhere, sometime, somehow!

Adios

Floorwalker!

Travel

2005-03-24T00:40:00.000+11:00

Travel is not a place that your looking for,

It's a feeling that you may discover inside you,

It's a moment,

If you find this moment,

This wonderful feeling will be with you,

Forever,

This moment makes time stand still,

But only for a moment.

A slight Setback to being a Global Citizen

2005-03-23T02:23:00.000+11:00

Well, this is a slightly annoying phenominen that I have been experiencing lately. I need to book a series of flights from Germany back to Australia and my travels to India, Japan and Thailand.

This requires the need of a credit card which I do not have quite yet, I thought that this would be a minor setback and I will be able to get a credit card easily seeing that I am an Engineer working here in Germany. However....after applying to Kardstat, (A major German Bank and Shopping chain) 22 days later I got a mail back asking me to come in and talk to them, show my passport (again), my work visa, my living registration documents and my salary documents. Two days later I recieved a letter in German telling me that I have failed to meet their selection criteria and I cannot apply again. They did not give me any reason at all?

So then I went online and tried applying for the Virgin Credit card in Australia. This was easy until they asked where I lived. Germany, being an Australian living in Germany I do not fit their selection criteria, however on the website I fit all other criteria including being an Australian Citizen (since birth) and a permanent resident.

Now I am thinking, holly cow dude I am living in a loophole here or something? Come on so many other people must have this problem right?

Extreme Toursim

2005-03-22T18:15:00.000+11:00

Well I just got back from Munich and I have this wonderful idea now! It's a new thing spreading across Europe! EXTREME TOURISM!

The idea is you only have a 45 day Eurail Pass, yet you have unlimited usage! So you got to get your money's worth! I met these two funny Korean guys and they were fully into it! They had hydration back packs, protective high performance clothing, I-rivers, Digi cameras, man they were fully kitted out. They were at Euro Youth Hotel in Munich. They told me that there aim was to see every country on the Eurail pass in 45 days...so they eat power bars, get up at 6am, go to bed at 3am go to the site, take 500 photos and then download them to their I-rivers. They also have those Hdration back packs for drinking on the move.
Extreme man, I was an extreme tourist for a weekend with them and we went to two castles, a soccer match and a beer festival, I missed my train at 6pm from Munich to Leipzig so I had to get the next one at 0:01 am, I got in to Leipzig at 5:37am and then had a shower and went straight to work!! Extreme dude!

Have an EXTREEEME DAY!

Lately work has been Extreme also, I made 2 million Euro profit for the company so they are EXTREMELY happy! And we all get an Extreme bonas! Wooooooooooo

Everyone is Irish on St Patricks Day!!!

2005-03-17T20:12:00.000+11:00

Well my laddy's, a good ol day up to ya all! St Patty's day, ahre, me ol Irish Lepriconish accent is getting a wee but tested!

Today is one of those special celebratory days of the year! One must oblige and drink a wee Guiness! Wear something green and have a jolly time!

My second name being Patrick names me, I am named after the old patrant st of Ireland, I must uphold my Irish heritage and celbrate! So put down your pen, clap your hands out louad and yell, we are all Irish on St Patricks day!

U2 says it with the Song, 'A beautiful Day' So naturally I must play this song for you today!
Cheers my friends!

Goodbyes

2005-03-15T23:56:00.000+11:00

Well today was one of those horrible days where you have to say goodbye to a loved one.... You don't know how long till you see them again, where you will see them....someone who has been there everyday for you for the last 4 months....someone you can talk to and someone you can listen to....someone who laughs at your jokes and has an everlasting smile..suddenly, there is emptiness, that someone is not going to be there anymore. They are gone! This is very hard to think about and upsetting and it hurts too. I can't wait again to see her!

Just got back from Austria---Salzburg

2005-03-07T20:56:00.000+11:00

The mountains rise vertically 2000m right next to the city, the city is covered in 50cm fresh snow and the wind is cold...
Being in Austria does not feel different to being in Germany other than the scenery, language and money are the same and they don't check your passport..

Holly Grail in Solar Energy Breakthrough

2005-03-02T02:07:00.000+11:00

THE HOLY Grail of researchers in the field of solar photovoltaic (SPV) electricity is to generate it at a lower cost than that of grid electricity. The goal now seems to be within reach.

A Palo Alto (California ) start-up, named Nanosolar Inc., founded in 2002, claims that it has developed a commercial scale technology that can deliver solar electricity at 5 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Molecular self-assembly

The breakthrough has come through the application of nanotechnology to create components via molecular self-assembly, including quantum dots (10nm large nanoparticles) as well as nanotemplates with structural order extending through all three dimensions.

In addition, Nanosolar has demonstrated that the three dimensionally engineered nanotemplates can be conformally coated or solidly filled with semiconductor paint to create ultra-thin solar cells with layers that are yet another factor 100x thinner than conventional thin-film amorphous silicon solar cells.

This allows a 10x larger surface area of these structures to be used to achieve a 10x increase in efficiency for such thin layers, thus making it possible to use even less material for similarly efficient cells. Conventional inorganic semiconductors tend to require intricate processing to ensure large grains of crystallinity (in the extreme case: mono-crystallinity) so that charges can travel hundreds of nanometres without getting trapped and lost (at internal crystal boundaries).

The 3D nanocomposite architecture of the ultra-thin-absorber cells makes possible absorption of a substantial fraction of the incoming sunlight despite the ultra-thin layers since the charges need to be transported only several nanometres without much opportunity for a loss.

This means the requirements on the semiconductor material can be relaxed and low cost materials such as inorganic semiconductors of the IIb/VIa and Ib/IIIa/VIa families as well as solution-coatable organic semiconductors can be used.

Lower cost

According to the CEO, Martin Roscheisen, the conversion efficiency (percentage of incident light energy converted to electrical energy) of the Nanosolar SPV cell is above 12 per cent for its first product prototypes. He claims that the Nanosolar SPV cell costs only $ 0.36 per peak watt.

The semiconductor paint can be applied to a flexible substrate , such as a polymer sheet , through a simple web printing process, to create an array of ultra-thin solar cells.

Nanosolar has developed proprietary substrate technology that keeps the substrate cost within a smaller fraction of the overall product cost than any other state-of-the-art thin-film solar cell technology. The company has also developed a powerful new way of interconnecting individual solar cells into larger modules and large-area sheets and allows high-throughput module assembly at high yield.

The flagship product, Nanosolar SolarPly, is a 14 feet x 10 feet solar electricity module delivering 120 watts per square inch at 110V. The company is now offering solar panels at below $1 per peak watt.

The Nanosolar team, headed by CEO Martin Roscheisen (listed by Fortune in 2003 among the top ten U.S. entrepreneurs below 40 years of age), has some top-notch Indian technologists assisting it.

Among them are Dr. Siva Sivaram (ex-Intel) and Dr. Arati Prabhakar , former Director of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.

N.N. Sachitanand

Exactly

2005-03-01T23:44:00.000+11:00

Recently I have started to notice a really funny thing about german culture. It has not occured to me before and I guess it's just another slight difference between German culture and the Australian/Anglo Irish/English culture that I am used to...

I have noticed it lately in meetings with the use of the word, 'Genau', Germans love this word, it is used on the telphone, when talking to each other, in meetings, by itself. It's a sentence, it's a statement! No you are starting to wonder, what can this word possibly mean? Well if you are not entirely familiar with the German language then it translates to exactly 'Exact'. Exactly.

Usually germans love using this word to create an impression that everything is running to exact specifications, exact dimensions and exactly on time exactly. Well to tell you the truth exactly, not everything is running exactly to exact specifications, exact dimensions and exactly on time exactly. In actual fact this is far from the truth. It seems to me they just like reassuring themselves that this is happening.

I have one example, In a recent meeting with colleagues about a problem, something was going wrong. But at the end of the meeting, we did not really come closer to a solution. However amazingly at the end, everyone was saying, well, all is on track, everything is exactly exact, everything is fine and amazing. This liturally goes on for 13.3 seconds exactly.

It's Confirmed

2005-02-28T21:12:00.000+11:00

Well after applying for some holidays I have confirmed these travel arrangements:

1. Pampalona, Barcelona, Bilbao (July 7th-14th)
Spain in the height of the European summer! Not sure if I will go overland through France or Fly there yet.
Highlights include Running with the Bulls in Pampalona and my long awaited visit to Barcelona.

2. India with Mathatanma Cote (A Hindu guide and Bombay taxi Driver) (Spetmeber 24th-October 6th)

Well this will be an adventure running through Rahjistan, Marharshma from Dehli to Bombay .
Adventures here might include the remake of the famous Peugeot 206 add, taking unuasual forms of transport including camels, ambasador cars, elephants and Indian sleeper trains.

Ah I think I am starting to miss Sydney

2005-02-22T21:24:00.000+11:00

Sydneysiders love to strut their stuff. They head for the newest really good restaurant, cafe or bar, the grooviest new promenade, or the smartest, nearest beach. They love to meet friends to eat, drink and be merry. There's an energy and boldness here that is irrepressible and uplifting. It's urbane, but fresh and curious.
With its wonderful climate and carefree lifestyle, Sydney has inspired some stunning young designers who have taken the multi-layered cultural influences and translated them into fashion.
The Mercedes Australian Fashion Week in Sydney sets the stage and has proved to be a highly successful venture, marketing Australian fashion to the world. Designers such as Collette Dinnigan and Akira Isogawa have become globally acclaimed.
Stroll up and down Oxford Street, Paddington, to see the funkiest designers. For more formal fashion, Double Bay is the place to shop. A trawl through the city arcades and streets - Skygarden, the MLC Centre, Chifley Square, Martin Place, the new Grace Bros fashion floor - should bedazzle the
shopper with alternatives.
Down at Bondi, view the best of Australian surf and beach wear that has blazed new trend trails internationally. If you can't find a 'cossie' (swimming costume) in Campbell Parade, there's something wrong. Don't miss the Mambo store for the ultimate in surf chic.
Sydney is a also an architectural dream. Many homes overlook the water or nestle in the bush, and are cantilevered over cliffs or dug back into the scenery (featuring light and space, layers of texture and looking outwards to the environment). This Australian architectural idiom was pioneered by Sydney architect Glenn Murcutt. It has been translated and adapted by many who have followed him.

Ah why did I leave Sydney! It got voted best city in the world yet again :)

2005-02-22T20:06:00.000+11:00

Simply the best
Islands, hotels, airlines, cruise ships ... travellers rate their top destinations. By Geoffrey Williams
February 11, 2005
PLENTY is happening on the widening paths of travel. The world is still in love with Sydney; independent travellers from across the globe pick Australia as the next place they would most like to visit; there's a developing taste for strange meals and an around-the-world cruise is the ultimate holiday.
Sunset from Santorini, Greece
The younger generation – that's the 18-to-35 Contiki age bracket – wants a "weird experience" such as witnessing a black magic exorcism in Malawi as part of their travels, while a much older group, now defined as "bloomers", just want to travel and spend their money.
It's also come to pass that emerging travel hot spots are Africa, Alaska, Antarctica, Bhutan, Borneo, Cambodia, Central America, Cuba, Iceland and Mongolia.
Travel food for thought is that cultural culinary delights now available, with some adventure touring, include barbecued lamb skulls, pot-cooked goat innards and balut, which is a raw, developing baby duck still in the egg.
But here, we rate the barbecue as our favourite Australian speciality followed closely by Vegemite – now in a 145g easy-squeeze travel pack – but we're really not keen on damper.
How do I know this? It's because of the plethora of travel industry surveys which the good people at Lonely Planet, STA Travel, AAT Kings, Zuji and a welter of travel magazines and journals all conduct through their websites and then provide the results.
Some of the results are not surprising – as one of the top travel writers in the US, Gary Warner, sounded off after Sydney was again voted best 2004 city in the world by Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure.
His response to his readers: "Sydney, Sydney, Sydney. Yawn, yawn, yawn.
"Come on! Anybody have any creativity out there? OK, the Australian metropolis is drop-dead gorgeous and a great place to visit. The people are friendly, the prices are reasonable and the beaches are among the best in the world.

"But this `best city in the world' title year after year after year in the major travel magazines is getting beyond monotonous. It's irritating. It's sending hordes of tourists Down Under in search of some kind of urban Shangri-la. OK, it is, but that's beside the point. Let's rally 'round Rome. Paris. San Francisco. Shanghai. Anywhere but Sydney." Gary is writing in jest, because he says he is returning as soon as he can.
It was the release this week of Lonely Planet's Travellers' Pulse Survey at www.lonelyplanet.com which shows Australia is still the world favourite.
Almost 20,000 respondents from 167 countries hit the survey site and rate Australia the destination they would most like to visit next.
Then come Chile and Brazil – echoing recent trends towards South American destinations – with New Zealand and India rounding out the top five.
Australia also is tops in favourite destinations that travellers have visited, followed by Italy, Thailand, NZ and France.
While travellers from all over the world want to come here, Australians are itching to head to South America, with Peru as the country Aussies most want to visit, followed by Chile, Italy, Brazil and Canada.
Globally, the Lonely Planet vote shows Europe is the world's favourite region, with a 28 per cent vote just shading Asia at 24, then South/Central America at 16 and Australia/Pacific at 15 per cent. This doesn't leave much support for Great Britain, North America or Scandinavia or Africa, although plenty of individuals are looking at the Dark Continent.
In its worldwide survey of more than 20,000 travellers, STA Travel had 10 of its world divisions – Australia/NZ, Austria, Germany, Japan, Nordic, North America, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland and the United Kingdom team up to tap the feelings of regular world travellers.
A quick snapshot of Australia/NZ shows that 59 per cent of them spend between $1400 and $4520 a year on travel; 45 per cent plan to go to Europe this year; and 18 per cent have woken up next to a total stranger while travelling.
It's Singapore-based ZUJI, the Asia/Pacific's high-profile online travel company, which has found the "cruising wish list".
Interesting in that ZUJI is a joint venture between Travelocity, an international leader in online travel and 15 leading Asia/Pacific airlines – All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, EVA Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Hong Kong Dragon Airlines, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Qantas Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines, SilkAir, Singapore Airlines and United Airlines.
The survey hits by Australians showed that if money was no object, more than half would circumnavigate the globe on a luxury cruise; far fewer are interested in seeing whales and icebergs on an Antarctic cruise and under 1 per cent want to cross the Atlantic in style on a London-to-New York cruise.
Perhaps the cruising voters were the "bloomers". That's the name British specialist holiday company Journeys of Distinction has given to those people over 60 who have the time, inclination and the money to travel. There are plenty of them in Australia and they are major players in all sections of tourism, from hiking and biking to coach, rail and air travel, and especially cruising.
A survey by the company asked people whether they were boomers – people with grown-up kids seeking adventurous travel holidays, or bloomers – people aged 60 or more who were retired and whose holiday patterns were determined by destination and accommodation.
The survey had 5000 responses, with 89 per cent describing themselves as bloomers and aged over 61. More than one-third take six or more weeks of holiday a year, spending up to $24,200.
Journeys of Distinction says: "The bloomers market is potentially lucrative and the travel industry should be taking it seriously because it is growing in number and spending power."
But its a survey by coach holiday company AAT Kings which is the last word and shows that even Aussies like Sydney best. The ratings for Australia's favourite city resulted: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart, Adelaide and Darwin.
Compiled by Travel Editor Geoffrey Williams from online survey results submitted and AAP.
VOTED NO. 1
Apart from Sydney, here are the tops of the top around the world, and who votes them so.
Best island: Bali – Travel & Leisure magazine.
Best European island: Mykonos and the Cyclades, Greece – Conde Nast Traveler.
Best destination: Norway's fjords – National Geographic Traveller.
Best hotel in Europe: Four Seasons Milan, Italy – Conde Naste Traveler
Best US hotel: Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills – Travel & Leisure and Harper's Hideaway Report.
Best international hotel: Four Seasons George V, Paris – Harper's Hideaway Report.
Best international airline: Singapore Airlines – Travel & Leisure.
Best value for money cruise line: Carnival.
Best megaship: Queen Mary 2 – Porthole Magazine.
Best large ship cruise line: Crystal Cruises – Travel & Leisure.
Best small-ship cruise line: Silversea Cruises – Conde Nast Traveler.

Ticket Inspector

2005-02-12T00:45:00.000+11:00

Ticket Inspector
After happening to be in Prague for the weekend with my old pal Ben (who was visiting from Australia) we went to 3 Disco's within 72 hours and slept for only 10 of those. The rest of the time was spent wandering the streets of this beautiful city and admiring it's beautiful dewls.
We were standing on a platform at the metro when Ticket Inspector man sprung us! This dude came out of nowehere! He was undercover and it was 12pm on a saturday!

A short plumpish man with a smug smile on his face walked up to us, he said in a thick czech accent 'Ticket Inspector' and then showed me this cool badge that looked very official. I thought to myself "oh shit..."My ticket ran out 1 hour ago. I proceeded to fumble around in my pocket for my ticket and then I thought, mmmm the ticket is written in both Czech and English, maybee I should pretend that I don't speak english and act dumb and speak only French. Nah, it won't work, I will just try acting liek a dumb foreigner.

He looked at both of our tickets and it was plain obvious we knew that we had done something wrong. So he said, "Passports!", Ben and I reluctantly handed them over. He proceeded to write us out a ticket for 400 K. I had this strange feeling by the way he was pushing what we got for our 400 k. Like, yeah you can ride the metro for 1 whole hour! And the trams as well. It was like he was trying to sell it to us. Afterwoods, I thought it would be a great idea if I got a photo with him, (This would be great, I have done this before with some unknown security personel in China after they caught me trespassing....)

A list of Funnies

2005-02-11T22:37:00.000+11:00

Disco Man- A cool dude from Prague who is eternally searching for a disco
“I am Disco Man” is what he told me.
Four Foot Tall, Jolly, hyperactive, like a child.

Hamster Man- The funny man from China who does not speak English, for some reason he was travelling around Europe with his pet hamster and one night it escaped from the cardboard box he was keeping it in, in the hostel room. I woke up and a hamster was running around the room terrorising people. Eventually the next day he recaptured it four stories below.

Laundry Man- A Japanese fellow who lives inside his bunk bed with a laundry.

Fat Blackout Man- We went to rent an apartment from him and he wanted two months commission. “Yeah it’s normal” he said, then suddenly his computer blew up in his office and caused a blackout and we ran out…

“You know” Man- From Berlin, this guy could talk under wet cement! Each sentence had at least 5 of the phrase “You know”, he spoke really fast, hyperactive and had been to 15o countries, apparently had discovered god in Israel on a mountain top and been shot at several times in west Africa. Quite an entertaining fellow!

What is the real definition of "Cooool"?

2005-02-09T02:30:00.000+11:00

Dust off your dial telephone and move to the suburbs - everything old and daggy is cool again.

Eytan Messiah, 22, has been a poet for four years. With spoken-word shows swelling up in pubs and popping up on youth radio stations such as FBi and 2SER, Messiah's once-fringe hobby has gone from wanky to swanky. His early gigs were attended only by other performers, but this year Messiah was one of six poets to take the stage in Slamming, a spoken-word extravaganza funded by the Riverside Theatre as part of the Sydney Festival. "It's funny how fads enter cultures and help us along a bit," he says. It's not just poetry that's doing a 180. When Huey Lewis sang, "It's hip to be square," in 1986, who would have thought people would take his word for it? Today, things that were traditionally the domain of the dork, dag and nerd have made it to the cutting edge of pop culture. Uncool is the new cool.

Ugh boots and thongs are staples in any Hollywood fashionista's wardrobe. Models knit to pass the time backstage at catwalk shows and funky youngsters go lawn bowling of a Sunday afternoon. Even Australia's bowls representatives are becoming cooler. Five of 11 players on the national men's and women's teams are under 30. And no pseudo-intellectual, artiste or wanker would be seen dead without chunky framed spectacles - just like the ones Colonel Sanders used to wear. Pubs are being "renovated" with worn-out couches like the junk people leave on footpaths for students to pick up. We used to laugh at the geeks who loved electronics like girlfriend substitutes, but now all we talk about is the iPod we have or the iPod we want.

And where fruit was once something we tried to avoid, these days it's so tasty when blended with a weird low-fat yoghurt substance, we'll pay $5 at a juice bar for it. The word "cool" was coined by black jazz musicians in the 1940s and became part of the popular vernacular with the birth of the teenager in the 1950s. From the 1960s, advertisers have used cool to try to get young people to spend money and since the 1990s it has been a "major factor in popular society and consumer culture", says Seamus Byrne, a media and tech journalist writing a PhD at the University of NSW on "How Cool Works". The Cambridge Dictionaries Online define "cool" as "fashionable or attractive", but outside the confines of a dictionary, the meaning of cool is not so clear. Byrne says: "That's the million-dollar question. If you could nail that one down in a nutshell, you'd make a lot of money." In a consumer society that tells us that image is everything but coolness is elusive ("if you're trying to be cool, then you're not," Byrne says), the whole "uncool is cool" phenomenon seems as disorientating as a broken compass. But, according to the experts, the fact that "uncool is the new cool" makes perfect sense. "Cool is defined as being special, out of the ordinary in some way," says Irma Zandl, the president of Zandl Group, a boutique trend research agency in SoHo, New York. Most trends start on the edge of society with "indies" or "creative hipsters", before moving into the mainstream, Zandl says. "Indies value being different and have an aversion to the mainstream," she says. "For example, if hotties like Ashton Kutcher or Paris Hilton are driving sexier fashion trends, indies will go for the chunky glasses look. The 'old man geezer' look is quite popular here [in the US] with young guys." Harry Blatterer, a social researcher at the University of NSW, sees the "uncool is cool" phenomenon as a reaction to the "merchants of cool" - the marketers and advertising executives who try to dictate what young consumers should want and buy. "If that means that they [young people] are engaging in practices that were once defined as uncool, then that's cool," he says. But rebellious consumers are not just cutting cultural products from the past and pasting them into 2005. Annalise Brown, director of the youth marketing agency Spin, says: "I don't think it's necessarily that they're coming back in the same format, it's using elements of the past and putting a different spin on it." "In the '90s and through to now there's certainly [been] a big retro phenomenon," says Byrne, "it's a mark of the noughties that people are finding more and more traditional, conservative entertainment forms and updating them." That's why our ugh boots now come in a range of colours and we go lawn bowling in bare feet while drinking beer. The rise of uncoolness is also due to a more relaxed breed of young consumer: "I think young people are much more open-minded about what counts as cool, so that's a definite shift; they're less worried about what is actually trendy," Blatterer says. The phenomenon is being helped by the nature of today's trend cycles. It's certainly not new that things move in and out of fashion (knickerbockers, anyone?) but the progression from cool to uncool and back again is much quicker today. This means more things are trendier but for shorter periods of time. That speed is due to our "huge appetite for novelty", Zandl says. "There do seem to be more fads than at any time in the past. We have a more fragmented consumer base and increasing media focus on trends and fads." There might be another reason for it - there is a comfort factor involved with uncoolness. Even though modern society is highly fragmented, everyone is affected by the unpredictable nature of the labour market, Blatterer says: "Life for young people is very, very uncertain now. I think it's very much about getting back to a time where everything was much more certain. I think it's a meaning-making exercise [and] about young people trying to find an anchor." So, while Messiah is enjoying the financial benefits of the boom in poetry appreciation, he hasn't given up his "thousand" day jobs just yet. "I'd like to see how long it'll last," he says. "I don't care if it's cool. I remember when it wasn't cool and I was still having just as much fun."

WHAT'S COMING BACK NEXT?
+ Spin Marketing's Annalise Brown says rollerskating and roller discos will soon be back, as will telephones with dials. Slow food that you've prepared from scratch will be cool again. And from a fashion perspective: "I think ultra-conservative will come back, the preppy, nerdy, almost computer-geek look."

+ Irma Zandl, of Zandl Group, predicts that the suburbs, pot-luck dinners and gaming will soon be seriously cool. + Seamus Byrne from UNSW agrees that old '80s table-top arcade games are "definitely on the way back", as are old gadgets that "people have managed to hold onto and not throw away". Nintendo's Game & Watch hand-held console from the '80s is set to be cool once more because it looks similar to the new Nintendo DS (Dual Screen). But keep your old Game Boy in the garage. Byrne says it won't be revived any time soon, as it's "too uncomfortable and unwieldy" compared with newer, smaller products.

Judith Ireland

I have found the Dream Backpack!

2005-02-04T01:29:00.000+11:00

It's a photovoltaic backpack to charge your devices! Great, only $229 USD!

http://www.voltaicsystems.com/solarpanels.shtml#chargingtimes

42

2005-02-04T01:17:00.000+11:00

After thinking deeply for a long time, this number popped into the head......42! Yes!!

FLASHBACK "Khao San Road, Bangkok, Februray 2004"

2005-02-01T22:46:00.000+11:00

Episode 1-A walk down Khao San

It's been a year since Khao San, yet the memories of this peculiar place are still vived in the mind.

It's February, it's humid, mild, warm. A nice change after spending the last three months in Wuxi China. I thought I would takea taxi from the Airport down to Khao San Road after being tipped off by a friend.

I got out of the taxi, straight in front of me lay a dirt road with people milling around everywhere, more taxi drivers, Tuk Tuk drivers, hippy's, travellers, wandering salesman, streetside stalls selling everything that a backpacker might need in Thailand from traditional thongs, trendy tee shirts, shoes, CD's, Ninja stars, Hand guns, knives of all sorts and of course, BEER!Wandering along this short strech, I could not happen but notice some of the street vendors were not Thai at all, in fact quite a few of them looked like European travellers who had gone localised Hippyish with Long Dreadlocks and nose rings. "Alternatives", my mother would say in a polite manner. Wow, I thought, this must be an interesting place for these people to stay here that long and live here becoming like weird locals.Further along this dirt road are laid back drinking establishments, Al-fresco drinking under the tropical trees. These establishments seem to be eternally packed out with English tourists wearing no tee shirts and thongs or if they were wearing a tee shirt, it would be a trendy one they bought for 200 Bahrt just around the corner yesterday saying "I love Osama" or something of similar political incorrectlyness...Walking into an internet cafe I sat down to check my email, for god knows what reasons I chose to do this but it seemed like a good idea at the time...maybee it was the external influences of all these English Backpackers around. Above my head was a lazy fan, slowly rotating through the tropical heat, mesmorising in its dance of futility as the heat and humidity rose up all around it and smothered it. The building was of traditional Thai wooden design, multiple floors with wide wooden stair cases as as I sat there checking my yahoo mail, I could not help but over hear a conversation takiking place right next to me....

FLASHBACK "My thoughts after 3 months in China"

2005-02-01T22:08:00.000+11:00

Until next time. Goodbye China. I will be back many many times on many more adventures and business.On the train ride home, for some reason after learning the language a little, I noticed that people are very accommodating of others when they have to be. I fell into a dreamy like sleep in contorted position centimeters away from a middle aged relative looking after his little 4ish year old. We both moved so that the 4ish year old could stretch out. Children should be treasured and happy. I couldn’t communicate effectively with him however we knew the common goal was to sleep as comfortably as possible while accommodating the little one. Every moment I feel welcomed here, but at this precise moment I felt like I was a part of the culture for a moment, on this train that was powering through the cold winter winds and mists.China is powering through the winter mists into its own light at tremendous pace…but where is this train going? Experience it if you get a chance. And if you want someone to hold your bag, I will really endeavor to find time and resources for a moment just for the adventure…

Luke's New List of Holiday Possibilities in 2005

2005-02-01T20:40:00.000+11:00

Well due to the outstanding response for my List of Holiday Possibilities this year I have chosen!

1. Running With the Bulls in Pampalona (July 7-14th)

This is the classic, you have not lived yet if you have not done this. In my family this has a history, with my Aunt being the first ever women to run with the Bulls back in 1968...After asking her, she suggested I have to do it before they ban it.

So this is an invitation to anyone who wants to join in the great fun and have a life changing exhilarating experience with me and run with the Bulls in Pampalona Spain.

2. Adventure through India (Two unforgettable weeks in October with my old Pal Manish)

This one is still being planned in the works, however my good Hindu friend, MANISH and I are going to take a tour from Delhi to Bombay trying to be as sacreligous as possible and getting into generalised mischeif. So if you want to join the party, send an email to lfloorwalker@yahoo.com

By the way, you can still vote for other far out holiday possibilities (being the seasoned Floorwalker I am, nothing is out of the ordinary, nothing is too far out!), I am still open to crazy ideas. Any good ones I will seriously have a look at, and if you still want me to do some of the other possibilties i mentioned back in december then give them a vote on my chatterbox!

Cookies With Uncle Sam

2005-01-31T20:46:00.000+11:00

I was hungary, I wanted a cookie...where could I find a cookie? Well look no further, I found the cookie bar. Every style, type, shape, size, side cookies, cookie meals, value cookies, low fat cookies, extra-fat cookies. Man I was in freakin cookie heaven.

If you want to find this cookie heaven and get some extra fat into you..
Location: Coronado Springs Resort Pepper Market, Orlando, Florida
Price: 2 Dollars to 20 Dollars

Now the funny thing about cookie heaven was they wrapped a small cookie in a box 10 times bigger than needed, Greenies would get very upset...

Gospel FM Radio Man

2005-01-29T01:14:00.000+11:00

'Hey guys, have you seen much of the disney parks? Yeah I think they are really neat. ' Ask's our friendly Taxi Driver.
In the background is the sound of Gospel 24hr radio, Orlando's 24hour gospel radio station.Gospel FM Radio Man-Our taxi driver on first impressions looks like a good christian deep south Happy clapper Pentecostal fellow. Friendly, musical, cool...and praise the lord.

I explained
'No, not yet, we did not really get time cause we are here for a conference..'

'All the way to Disneyworld Orlando Florida and you have not seen a Disney Park! Ah come on man! Just take it easy for the weekend and take a ride out to Animal Kingdom or if you like the water, Why not take a dip at Blizzard Beach!' Explains 24hour Gospel man...

suddenly a huge Uncle Sam people mover (i.e. a people mover that is three times the size it needs to be) swerves directly in front of us.

'ahh, Fuck man! Come on! This duuudes taking up two lanes, come on, these people nowdays driving in two lanes when really duuude, there is only one lane..'

What a cool character, a happy clappy 24hour gospel dude who suffers from road rage..Well I thought to myself, what a surprise.

'So where are you folks from?'

'well i am from Australia and my friends here, they are from Germany.'

'That's neat, Germany! Man you guys have a good soccer team, yeah man, I watch the soccer on ESPN Euroports live. Whats that name of that player,

Pause,

Longer Pause

Ahhh craaap, I can't think of his name...you know, short, no one likes him..Ah crap...I'll think of his name in a minute...Anyway, I will see you guys next time, have a good flight...'

An accomodating and a friendly fellow, I managed to reach deeper into my pocket and give him a bit of a tip...its not like he needed it too much. But he was friendly so I thought it would be nice to give him one....See you next time, Uncle SAM 24hour Gospel Radio Man!...

Solar Energy Global Politics

2005-01-28T01:52:00.000+11:00

Well, where can I start...
Solar Cell manufactuing is being increasingly dominated by its traditionally strong markets of Japan and Germany because not long ago the governments of these countries poured heaps of money into stabilising the subsidies for these markets. It seems now with these markets are well supported and leading the way. Recently some more countries have started these subsidy programs for solar energy like Spain, Croatia and Korea. So future growth in these countries is expected if they follow the same trajectory that Germany and Japan have. It seems now that in Germany and Japan, Solar Energy installations on grid connected homes and buildings is becoming mainstream. Recent investments into manufacturing in Germany are supported by mainstream venture capitalists including the big banks like Deutche Bank.At this moment in time the demand for solar cells outstrips supply, this is causing phenominal growth in the manufacturing sector. So much so that companies will hire people who know about solar cells from anywhere in the world.
I was lucky enough to study at a world leading research institute in Solar Energy so therefore it was easy for me to get a job overseas in the industry.
Australia has always been good at research. Our history shows this. The institute where I studied is one of the best in the world at research into solar cells. However Australia has never really been a good place to do large scale manufacturing (i.e. what they are good at doing in germany). This happens due to a multitude of reasons, mainly culture. Germans are renowned for their Engineering prowess. Therefore the actual possibility for engineering jobs in Australia for Solar Engineers to 'make' solar cells is very very limited.People always ask the question, why can't a Solar Engineer get a job in Australia? They always seem perplexed? Australia has so much sun. Well the answer is a solar engineer that specialises in some stand alone installations may have the possibility to get a job, however the stand alone market for telecommunications became saturated 20 years ago. The growth areas include building integrated grid connected photovoltaics. However, jobs in these areas are very rare and I estimate the current market is about 2 jobs int he whole of Australia. If the government of Australia was to support some higher cost grid buybacks then they could support the growth of this industry in Australia and that 2 jobs may turn into something more like 1000. Personally I am waiting for this day, however why I am waiting, I must do something and work overseas to get some great experience and when the window of opportunity does grow in Australia i will be one of the first back there.
One reason Australia does not support these subsidised buybacks of photovoltaics like germany has to do with our current governments alliance to the Bush government and not rattifying the Koto protocol. Also Australia has an abundance of Coal supplies. Something to last for another 200 years. So there is no great need to 'innovate' in terms of our energy production compared to countries like Japan where they don't have this luxory. However it seems that a variety of push and pull factors may force Australia to rethink there energy supply solutions within the next 20 years...

18:36 pm Berlin Time 08/01/05

2005-01-13T04:37:00.000+11:00

18:36 pm Berlin Time 08/01/05
First Entry for the year....
At the moment I am halucinating, I have been awake for 24 hours and in three countries. I have taken 2 taxis, 1 tram, 1 train and 3 planes.I have been in multiple time zones and the current time zone is wooooooeeee I freakin am confused zone. So far this year has been great. I have swam in tropical waters, chased tigers, been lost in Airports, taken dodgy flights and met many people from all over the world.
A few things I want to say about the big Uncle Sam, the USA..after just coiming back from my first trip to this fat country. Number one, not everything is bad! There are people who are very friendly, helpful and nice. Yet I still met a few kranks. Number two, everything is three times the size that it needs to be! The cars, the roads, the houses, the cookies, the hotel beds, the hotel rooms, the large meal at McDonalds.....absolutely everything...ummm including one third of the people!!Number three, on free TV they have 60 chanels. However I could not find one interesting chanel. Huge amounts of quantity but no quality!Number four, in Orlando there is 24 hour gospel music FM radio!
Ok not too much can be said about US other than that I had fun!

Floorwalker says Adios for a week

2004-12-30T23:50:00.000+11:00

I am saying Adios for a week as I am readying myself to Journey to the US, the purpose of such a journey is to learn more about my chosen feild. I really do love what I am working in and I hope I can learn many more things to enable me to contribute to this industry some more....In the future I want my own business and I want to be able to work with people closely installing electricity for them in some remote location in the global village so some more people have access to more education :)

Tsunami Tragedy

2004-12-30T23:36:00.000+11:00

It seems the true scale of such a disaster is now unfolding. Families torn apart, children gone forever, subsistence fishermens means of supporting themselves gone. Millions of peoples lives have been affected. It is ok for the tourists, they can leave. But for the people left behind they have to rebuild from the beginning....

It takes a disaster of such scale for the world to co-operate and being generous with relief programs. THis shows true human spirit and character. However why do people have to wait until a thing such as this has to happen. I guess in general we are short sighted, selfish and á jolt to the compassionate places in our hearts needs to take place for us to be somnewhat compassionate.

Some images stay with you, seeing the expression of pure grief on a man's face as he held his dead baby in his arms and crying...I will not forget this image for a long time...

I can count myself lucky to have escape such, terror, tragedy in my short existance being raised in somewhat lucky Australia, educated and now living and working as a proffessional in Germany as part of the global village. I don't think I could ever imagine the hurt and pain that someone who has been effected goes through because I have never experienced this myself. I think that people in this new world should always think about others and place themselves in the other persons shoes and have some kind of empathy if anything is going to improve. Yet agian history repeats due to greed stubborness and envy...have we as a developed human race really come anywhere or is it just a helpless cycle?

I hurt for those people who are confused, worried, shocked and devistated right now, I wish I could be there to hug them and comfort them.

Floorwalker

Comment About the Tsunami

2004-12-30T01:43:00.000+11:00

Well I feel deeply sorry for the hunderds of thousands of peoples lives this has destroyed. Every month I donate some of my salary to CCF, I hope some money can go to help the people that have been affected.

Another note, maaaan I wish I was there to SURF it!!! Seriously, I would try! I reakon its so worth dieing doing something extreme and far out! Hopefully some day I wish to go heliskiing down some glacier in the french alps or something and jump out of the helicopter at the top like on the MILO add!
In the past I have tried to do some extreme things, like I went snow shoeing in 2002 becuase that yeah I had a knee reconstruction and was not able to ski so I decided to try snow shoeing. Thats cool when you run really fast towards a cliff, plant your poles (ski poles) and then do a front flip, usually you land on your feet and keep running.

Voting Results for Holiday Possibilities in 2005

2004-12-30T01:37:00.000+11:00

1. Climb Mt Blanc

Currently 3 Votes, most people seem enthusiastic about this one

2. Inventing New Sport and Getting Arrested

Currently 1 vote, a comment about my attempt to get arrested last time I was in China.

3. Buy a cheap Car and Drive from India to Germany whichever way possible. (Winning)

4 votes, this seems the most dangerous, far out and challenging. So so far I choose this one unless anyone else has more suggestions.

4. Surf a Tsunami..

yeah this woulf be great if I was able to predict them and I think a lot of fellow adventure seekers would have the same idea.

Floorwalkers List of Holiday Possibilities in 2005

2004-12-24T03:10:00.000+11:00

1. Climb Mt Blanc (June/July 2005)
Comment: Once met a crazy Frenchman who told me he climbed it accidently, so I figured it can’t be too hard.

2. Try to get arrested in Japan/ Korea,
Still dreaming this one up, maybe by promoting a new sport that I invented, Urban Golf. Go to a large city and hit golf balls around.

3. Fly to India, buy a cheap car then try to drive back to Germany whichever way possible...

by following road signs. This may take 1 week. The other week I can spend in Australia.

Please send me your suggestions for my next adventure or vote for one above?

Researchers use pentacene to develop next-generation solar power

2004-12-17T22:25:00.000+11:00

I had an idea about this in 2002 after thinking, man wouldn't it be cool for us to have solar powered clothing for our mp3 players and wearable computers and so on.

Tech Developing Efficient Organic Solar Cell

Atlanta (December 13, 2004) — As the price of energy continues to rise, businesses are looking to renewable energy for cheaper sources of power. Making electricity from the most plentiful of these sources - the sun -can be expensive due to the high price of producing traditional silicon-based solar cells. Enter organic solar cells. Made from cheaper materials, their flexibility and feather-weight construction promise to open up new markets for solar energy, potentially powering everything from Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to iPods and laptop computers. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new approach to creating lightweight organic solar cells. By using pentacene, researchers have been able to convert sunlight to electricity with high efficiency. The research appears in the November 29, 2004 issue of the journal Applied Physics Letters.

Professor Bernard Kippelen and research scientists Benoit Domercq and Seunghyup Yoo show off their organic solar cell in front of an array of silicon solar cells on the roof of Tech’s Campus Recreation Center.300 dpi JPG = 1.24 MB
“We’ve demonstrated that using a crystalline organic film, pentacene, is a promising new approach to developing organic solar cells,” said Bernard Kippelen, professor in the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech. “In our paper, we show that we’ve been able to convert solar energy into electricity with 2.7 percent efficiency. Since then, we’ve been able to demonstrate power conversion efficiencies of 3.4 percent and believe that we should reach 5 percent in the near future.” What makes pentacene such a good material for organic solar cells, Kippelen explained, is that, unlike many of the other materials being studied for use in these cells, it’s a crystal. The crystal structure of atoms joined together in a regular pattern makes it easier for electricity to move through it than some other organic materials, which are more amorphous. The research group, made up of Kippelen and research scientists Seunghyup Yoo and Benoit Domercq, used pentacene and C60, a form of carbon more popularly known as “buckyballs,” in the cells. Previous attempts by other groups using pentacene in solar cells combined the material with metals, rather than an organic molecule like C60. “The metal-pentacene cells had very low efficiencies,” said Kippelen. “We decided we would pair out pentacene with an organic molecule because such a combination could generate larger currents.”

The flexibility of organic solar cells will allow them to power a wide variety of products.300 dpi JPG = 1.04 MB
Once fully developed, organic solar cells could revolutionize the power industry. Their flexibility and minimal weight will allow them to be placed on almost anything from tents that would provide power to those inside, to clothing that would power personal electronic devices. The solar cells are still at least five years away from residential applications, said Kippelen. But he estimates that they’ll be ready to use in smaller devices, such as RFID tags, used by some retailers to control inventory, within two years. Kippelen and other professors at the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics started LumoFlex, a spin-off company based at Georgia Tech, to capitalize on the commercial applications of the research. Tech founded the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics in 2003, when Kippelen along with chemistry professors Seth Marder, Joe Perry and Jean-Luc Bredas came to Tech from the University of Arizona. The center teams up with the silicon-based research of the University Center for Excellence in Photovoltaics (UCEP) in Tech’s commitment to producing ground-breaking research and training in both organic and silicon solar cells. “The silicon and organic photovoltaic groups are working together at Georgia Tech to accelerate the development of cost-effective solar cells to solve the energy and environmental problems simultaneously and reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” said Ajeet Rohatgi, director of UCEP and regent’s professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. This year Tech began the Strategic Energy Initiative to carry out scientific and economic research and development on renewable energies like solar and wind power.

Monkey's in the Furnace

2004-12-16T19:40:00.000+11:00

Yesterday some funny things happened. Being only in Germany three months, my German is still a tad rusty and I think people really don't understand me when I chat to them.
I was at the Diffusion furnace when I asked the operator, "Die Ofen ist gut? Alle ist clau mit die Ofen?" However when I said this to the operator he looked at me and burst out laughing. At the moment I did not have a clue why but I thought it was cool and laughed as well. The guys there think that I am very funny and whenever I go there I shake there hands for 5 minutes smile and say something funny. They are probably thinking, man here comes the crazy Australian!
Later on I was explaining this to a friend and they aked me what I had said, well apparently "Ofen", the word for "furnace" is very similar to the word "Affe" meaning "Monkey". So apparently what I said to the guy was "Good day, how is the Monkey? Everthing is ok with the Monkey?"

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

2004-12-15T22:16:00.000+11:00

At the moment I am really wanting to read this book, I can't find it anywhere, I found it on Amazon but I have lost my credit card pin number...

Anyway a quote to cheer anyone up...
"
Anything that happens, happens.Anything that, in happening, causes something else to happen, causes something else to happen.Anything that, in happening, causes itself to happen again, happens again It doesn't necessarily do it in chronological order, though.

" Douglas Adams

Clean Energy in China?

2004-12-13T19:23:00.000+11:00

It seems to me that the Chinese Government supports renewable energies more than the Australian Government....I think that this shows more foresight on their behalf, even more than the U.S....I think that the next 30-50 years with be incredibly interesting in the balance shift between wealth, R &D and progress from U.S, Australia, and Europe to places like China and India....
"
In China, the government provides low-interest loans (i,e.6%) and tax incentives for New and Renewable Energy (NRE) projects. The projects also get local autonomy in the special economic zone if they cost less than 50 million RMB. Some of these incentives are presently supporting wind turbine manufacturing and market development in china. The government has also prioritized the development of small hydropower (SHP) through regulation and improvement of a series of policies in SHP development. The main thrust of the government in this direction is to encourage local population under the scheme of 'self-reliance' , 'self-construction', 'self-management' and 'self-consumption'.
Three state agencies, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the State Development and Planning Commission (SDPC), and the State Economic and Trade Commission (SETC) have jointly set up a 'Program on New and Renewable Energy Development in China (1996-2010)'. The major targets of this program include 13.4 million hectares of fuel wood plantation,4 billion cubic meters of biogas supply to 12.35 million households ,117GWh electricity from small hydro ,4.67 mtce of solar energy,1000-1100MW of wind power capacity and 50 MW of tidal power capacity. The same three organizations have also launched a photovoltaic program, which is known as the 'sunlight Program??. The program, which will run up to 2010 is expected to upgrade country's manufacturing capacity of polycrystalline and other advanced silicon technologies; to establish large scale PV and PV/hybrid village power demonstration systems, home-PV projects for remote areas; and to initiate grid-connected PV projects. Other notable programs include the 'Brightness Program' and the 'Ride the Wind Program??. The first has been instituted by the SDPC through the bilateral and multilateral assistance aiming to install several solar and wind power systems in the northwest part of China .The second (also know as Chengfeng Program) is a bilateral co-operation program, which has already installed a total of 110 MW wind turbines in the various parts of the country by the end of 1998. Besides these programs, a GEF/World Bank renewable energy development program is also in the pipeline. This program will support the installation of 200MW of wind farms by IPPs; installation of 200,000 PV solar home system by private firms and strengthening of institutional capacity, business skills and project management in the field of renewable energy in china. "

Dream

2004-12-10T23:05:00.000+11:00

I better write this down before I forget:
I woke up this morning after one hell of a hilarious dream, I don't dream all that often, however when it happens, wooooo, they are really funny and detailed!
I was helping out my Dad who owned a brand new convienience store in US in a large city somewhere. It was spacious, organised and clean. It had everything for a convienience store. It was a bit like a Seven-11 or something. Well lit with Flourescent lights and Candies placed around the counter. Anyway after work I came down and helped out packing the cheezels on the shelf. A man walked in and apparently I knew him, but this bit is getting a little vague. I chatted with him for a bit and then the main event of the dream happened. I remembered looking down at my feet and noticing I was wearing some bown leather boat shoes, the dressy type that you wear. THese were my favouite and most comfortable shoes and I wore them all the time.
Anyways suddenly a lot of people walked into our store at once, I mean a lot, like hundreds, I mean it was a big store but man seriously you could not move and it was terribly busy. They were with a school from Scotland, however for some reason they spoke with Australian Accents and my father and myself being Australians living in America could communicate perfectly.
Anyways I was packing the shelf and I noticed one particular girl was wearing shoes that looked remarkably like my own, then I realised the same scratch in the same position of my left shoe. Wait a minute she is wearing my shoes!! They were some black skater shoes with a white sole and Vans written in white writing down the sides and on the tongue. They were slightly worn, approximately 100km on there odometer.
I quietly went up to her and asked, 'Hey dudess! Why are you wearing my shoes? They are mine, can I have them back now? Hey look I will swap you with mine.' She kept walking looking a little frightened but trying to completely ignore me and hiding her emotion. Man I got annoyed, there she was walking around in my shoes! My shoes!I let her walk off. I will deal with her later, after I have packed the Cheezels. Anyway later on, after 5 minutes, the teacher or headmistress came and talked to me. She said ‘Are you bothering my students? I said ‘ No, they are my shoes that one of your has stolen from me!’ ‘How can that be possible?!’ she retorted. ‘I dun know but they are my Vans, I am sure of it! They have the same wearing marks and I bet you if you let me wear them I will prove it to you, they will fit my feat perfectly.’ >Dream ends. >…..
I think that the detail in this dream was quite remarkable, usually I get dreams that are vague and I can’t remember but this one, abnormal. Maybee it has something to do with the fact what happened to me the night before. I went to Teiko’s and ate some ice cream, looked at her pictures and showed her mine and chatted by the fire. Eventually we made out and it was lovely and Romantic. When she walked to the Bus stop with me, it was freezing cold so I had to hug her tightly to keep her warm. She was wearing one of those Eskimo Jackets and I think she enjoyed being held by someone. I know I did!

Floorwalker is Ready for the US

2004-12-08T20:09:00.000+11:00

Yesterday they were booking flights for our technology departments trip to Florida. There are ten going and booking the flights was quite a sophisticated procedure. Anyway making my story less boring and easier to read, I managed to receive the only flight that had business class booked. Obviously it was a mistake, but when they tried to cancel the business class booking, they couldn’t! So unfortunately I am stuck with a business class flight from Amsterdam to Orlando, well you do get lucky sometimes :)

Benefits of Solar Power

2004-12-03T01:00:00.000+11:00

The use of PV energy is a very important socially acceptable method of producing sustainable clean energy and increasing the use and up-take of this technology requires coordinated support and attention. PV arrays can be built ranging from a few milli-watts up to a multi-megawatt range. PV modules can be part of a consumer product, mounted on roofs of houses, integrated in a building skin or disseminated as large power stations on the ground. Due to system modularity, it is easy to serve energy needs in dispersed and isolated communities making PV power a very desirable, flexible and valuable source of energy. Solar energy is a decisive renewable energy source. Solar energy will help secure genuine levels of protection for the environment. Every kWh of generated solar power prevents the release of around 0.7kg of harmful CO2 into the environment. It is expected that the demand for installed PV power will grow exponentially within two decades, illustrating the need to ensure supply of feedstock material which is capable of meeting: increasing demand, the cost of material does not limit PV as a sustainable energy option and that quality and technology align with the sectors expectations.....
Thats why I am a Solar Engineer :)

A Story that explains my time in China

2004-11-26T19:15:00.000+11:00

I was recently having a look through the depths of my computer and found this email. I really does explain my time that I spent in China. So many new friends and new experiences…I also managed to make it into the Chinese Newspapers with an article entitled ‘Luke Floorwalker’!! hehehehe

¶«·½Ôç±¨ ê°Ãù ß--------------@etang.com> wrote:

Luke Johnson£¬ÄúºÃ£¡(hello!)

¡¡¡¡hello,im glad to receive ur mail & read ur thought of china & ur experience in china. "luke floorwalker"has been printed in our oriental morning post last friday & i'll send the piece of news to ur mail this afternoon,coz i haven't go to my office. my english is poor,so maybe u could let ur chinese friends help u read that chinese article. i think u've many friends in china,what's more,u've a friend in shanghai!! it's me,haha:)
welcome u come shanghai again! wish u have a good time in china everyday! good luck!

= = = = 2004-01-03 17:34:00 ÄúÔÚÀ´ÐÅÖÐÐ´µÀ£º= = = =
Hello Everyone,

This is the first of my emails regarding funny things in china.
If you like, you can read it.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
China is a place that helps you understand the world. Ok i went to this YHA in Shanghai and talked to Hiroshi and Takishaki, they were round jolly Japanese fellows, they drank Chinese beer and told me about the AK-47s they were firing in Cambodia 4 years ago, they couldn't hold them straight so the chickens they were trying to shoot flew off, 10USD. They were very entertaining, apparently a rocket lancher is only 200USD to shoot a cow.
They told me about what they called the 'hand bombs' (hand grenades). Hiroshi did the action and threw an imaginary 'hand bomb' , he seemed very excited.He said, "mmm a little dangerous me think"
This pair of jolly japanese fellows I found out later, had been to 35 countries. They got lost on a camel in Morrocco, with lots of water!, it was yummy water said Hiroshi.

Everywhere I walk a little dude jumps out and says Rolex, Mont Blanc Pen, DVD, today a little dude wanted to shine my shoes (they are runners) I agreed cause they looked a tad shabby, then he instantly pulled a chair out and shined them, then he wanted 50 RMB,ahhhh, rip off, I gave him 20 and ran like the wind. He yelled something, I smiled and said New Zealand in chinese.

I ran up the Oriental Pearl Tower twice and talked to CCTV and Oriental Post, halfway up whilst qualifying, I really needed a W.C cause I had drank too much chinese gatorade, and asked a little fellow who looked official and who had popped out of nowhere
"WHERE IS W.C!??" I pointed to the nether regions
'ahhhh W.C' he said

"NOOOOO" and pointed up!

There was only one way to go, up! To the finish! Ahhhh, I ran like the wind to find this sky W.C and managed to have a little lady give me a ticket all in chinese when I came to the end, it said 12 on it in arabic numerals, only later did I find out that was the finish and I had qualifed for the big run. I guess it was a great run just for the fun as all the chinese dudes running with me were helping each other and I helped them, one notable fellow was very polite and wasn't feeling too well himself, I said, don't worry superman! Too the top, lets do it! He smiled and said, Superman and we sprinted up the next flight.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Until Next time

May the Floor be with you always
Luke Floorwalker

Yahoo! Personals- New people, new possibilities. FREE for a limited time!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ÖÂÀñ£¡

Oriental Moning Post Maggie Zang
2004-01-04

Episode 0: Luke Floorwalkers Adventure to Japan (Tamagochi, vending machine and Hello Kitty Land)

2004-11-25T21:39:00.000+11:00

July 31st 2004

Well dudes, starting a whirlwind tour of tomagochi and vending machine land, naturally before any overseas travel, I was very excited. Sometimes I can get overly excited and forget many things but luckily on this occation it did not happen. Ah well, it only happened once when I lost a camera.This is a story about my first impressions of places and of people becuase when one enters a new place for a first time their impressions are added to a new space in that persons brain where more physical memory has become available, now they can chuck out any garbarge that was having a holiday in that place before like a new puppy stretched out on your parents queen bed.I remember i needed to clean my shoes becuase one must always clean their shoes before any multi-continent journey. However i could not find any shoe cleaning material, therefore i used a shirt to give them a whipe over.Bording any trans continental flight is exciting. As I lined up to catch JAL from Sydney to Toyko, i remembered a theory of mine. People are very excited to catch a plane and line up much earlier than needed. They are like little puppy dogs. And then when they get on the plane their seat is assigned and they have to sit there for some long time anyway, so what is the point of being so eager. Then when people get off planes it is like a mad rush anyway. I call it mad plane theory.So there i was waiting for the remainder of people to get onto the flight. We took off above the oceans across the Pacific over Guam where i noticed some turbulance and then to the finish , Narita Airport. We flew over 196 hole golf courses and small pockets of densely vegetated forests, rolling hills and separated satellite settlements. Japan is a very clean place with lots of modern cars and people. They seemed to have evolved to a culture with endless talent for finding new and interesting ways to dress themselves.I checked into my modern hotel suite after visting the talking lifts and vending machines. In the hotel lobby I noticed a multitude of young Japanese dudes really trying to dress like surfer dudes. They were wearing board shorts sixty sizes to big, thongs and either frizzy long hair or trucker hats turned sideways. I think I noticed them on their way to a BBQ in the hotel courtyard. A Japanese style outdoor BBQ. I was attracted to the laughter and smell of beef. I went and had a look, it was a pleasant sight with large groups of Japanese dining outdoor in the garden with the background sounds of cicadas and frizzling BBQ sounds. A picture of my friendly vending machines, after chatting with them a little I decided to try a multitude of cool and refreshing Kirin drinks.

Drink Up! Enjoy refreshing time. Well I certainly had a go at this.. In my spaceship room it was an excellent room. Quite small but comforatble. As soon as I turned on the televison i was overwhelmed by the Japanese love for game shows where the objective of the game show was entirely questionable. I noticed one fellow had to run 100km through rivers along roads and forests, at one point he was running with a picture of his wife and family on his tee shirt and he looked like he was in agony, at 12km he was consulted by a doctor and for some strange reason they showed an x-ray of his upper thy, carefully and meticulusly examining this while he waited nearby.

I had a go of the traditional dressing gown in the room, it was great. I felt like Ninja or Samuri.After my exploits through the cupboards of my room and the interesting television programs i managed to go on another adventure throughout the jungles outside the hotel to a shopping mall via the USA because I was very hungry by this moment.I ran out of the front of the hotel clasping my Kirin refreshing time drink, I picked a direction and ran in that way. Into total darkness. At this moment in time I did not care where I was running, it was a wonderful feeling, running into the darkness in another country, an unfamiliar place. I soon came across a sign. It said USA, this way. Wait a minute I am in Japan, not the USA? This sign intreged me. So I followed it and after some 5 minte of running i came across another. A full moon rose out of the darkness leading me. It was a barmy, warm and pleasant smelling evening as jogged through the bushes near Narita Airport. Out of the midsts popped up a mini mart. Wow I exclaimed as I rushed into the mini mart.

Inside this mini mart were all sorts of wierd and wonderful treats. I spent about 1 hour in this shop looking at almost everything. Most things were different to an Australian store or an American store. Hello Kitty, Tamagotchi, every little plastic dangly thing one could imagine. There were a few things that I could not work out at all, little these battery powered slots for your mobile phone SIM card. Like for your keyring? I seriously do not have any idea what these were used for.I took some pictures of the SAKE on the shelf because the dude in front of me took some pictures of it, puzzled was I by his intentions, but it was ok as I waved at him and laughed. He gave me a funny look and laughed. Well that was some cool cultural exchange as I was just interested in his intetions of photographing the SAKE on the shelf with his digital camera.

Life In Germany for an Aussie

2004-11-25T02:30:00.000+11:00

Well peoples,

If you do not know already I have recently moved countries again. This time I managed to find my way to the 'farterland'. Well thats what they call it here.

In general moving countries is quite an eventful experience. Before I left Australia and all my friends, relatives, history and home, I felt a touch of excitement coupled with a drop of Sadness. Hey man, i felt sad, but on the other side of the coin I felt excited and really I think I would have it no other way. It is a chance, a chance to gain some valuable experience overseas. Stretching my boundaries to the absolute maximum. Something in my head told me that it might be a little hard when I first arrive in Germany because I did not speak any german, I had no accomodation sorted out and I was new in a job. But it made me feel like its another new adventure, something to be treasured and enjoyed even if times were to get tough.

Now I have managed to survive here 2.5 months and I am settling in. The first few weeks were wierd as I lived in a hostel and went to work. I lived there a grand total of three weeks while I was looking for accomodation. Man it was hard to find, I remember ringing many people and they could not speak english so I was basically stuffed. But no worries, I decided to try a new approach, the Luke approach and just chill out and have fun. Well that led top making some new friends in the hostel that were in the same position as me and we searched together to find an appartment. Eventually it worked out and we found this maaad appartment.

Now all I need is a bed, I thought, yeah i will try to be minimalistic and sleep on the floor and have no furniture. Yeah that will be cool. So for the last 2 months I have slept on the floor chilling out. Eventually I think that I better find myself a bed, but after a few more months I reakon cause someone told me that sleeping on the floor is good for your back?

Man I can't work out how I can upload my pictures for free to my blog, I have so many cool pics. If anyone reads this can they suggest where I can upload my pictures? I tried that Hello thing but it does not seem to work.

A friends Blog

2004-11-17T23:26:00.000+11:00

Here is a link to one of my friends blogs, now this dude is an individual as I remember once he started singing all of a sudden in a resturant, he is a talented photographer and a great person.

bohan.blogspot.com

The Arctican Rennaissance

2004-11-16T02:16:00.000+11:00

Dreams
"We are all arcticans by night
inside us is the power
the power to inspire
to beliveto love
and to desire

Some hearts are cold
These hearts sleep alone
Some bleed with warmth
These hearts are the angels

Sometimes my heart
Still dreams of you
You feel me too

Let the rennaissance take you
Take you across the savannahs of your desire
Floating above the reality you once loved
Escaping

we are all arcticans by night
inside us is the power
the power to inspire
to beliveto love and to desire

Wake and you will be new
Your clouds will clear and
it will be seen
What you truely believe
this is you
renewed"

Eternal Summer Evenings

2004-11-15T23:24:00.000+11:00

A Poem I wrote last september

Mellow Moonlight
Sparkling Starlight
In a mesmerising trance,
Dance amongst the whispering leaves,
Eyes drowning in the timeless ocean.

Light, indulge in the magnificence
Of your adventure
Fracture in every direction
Injecting hope into my barren eyes

Trees, Glide through the summer heat
Gently with the slightest whisper
Watch as clouds slip through the sky
And teasingly reveal the heavens.

Heavens metamorphose as my
Imagination gazes through your
Infinite brilliance turbulent without
Time

Sparkling eyes, smile never to fade
Your glowing aura

Ears, listen to the infinite sounds
Of the rhythmic percussion,
Envelope my senses

Senses, become enchanted
As our captivated hearts unite
Enveloped and entangled as one
Together lets
Dream
This summer evening lasts eternity…

Luke Johnson-Sept 03

46 Past 10

2004-11-10T22:49:00.000+11:00

Its 46 past 10

This weekend I am planning a trip to Frankfurt. If any funnies happen like last weekend then the trip will be great. Last weekend Dresden was the destination. The things that were included in this trip were being chased by a museam attendant, seeing many flying people paintings and being bitterly cold.

Well now its 48 past 10 and I better go and write my experiment out in German

I have many adventures to share

2004-10-29T18:30:00.000+10:00

It is 6pm, i am in a small underground internet cafe in the former East Germany. Last weekend I went and claimed my own piece of the Berlin Wall. I kicked it and kicked it. A funny American told me to stop kicking the wall!
This year I have travelled to 6 countries and been through many cities. I wish to share some experiences via photos I will upload. Some notable places include Khao San Road in Bangkok, A vending machine experience in Tokyo, the LGM's in Leipzig and a marathon run up to the very top of the Oriental Pearl Tower on the 1st of January in Shanghai.

Met many funny peoples have I, and had many laughs. I like to laugh most of the time and one of lifes simple, yet greatest enjoyments is making other people laugh....

2004-10-22T17:14:00.000+10:00

Introducing Luke Floorwalker....

The name was transported to my presence at an early age as I dragged myself across the Floors of my first residence and drooled on the carpet, a friend of my fathers said, wow its 'Luke Floorwalker', and since then I have walked over many floors

Adventures of Luke Floorwalker in China Part Two, -Toilets, Ladies and Little Green Men (LGMs)

2004-01-25T23:10:00.000+11:00

Chinese Toilets Instruction Manual (Luke Floorwalker)

This is a little long so read it if you like at your own speed if you want….
Firstly let me just say one thing, China is like a planet. I am just learning the surface topology and the very beginnings of a match inside a matchbox sitting in a draw in another planet….

Well upon entering china we found that toilets here are very different.
The first toilet I experienced in China was at a highway stopping point and I remember it vividly. I walked in and the troughs were low but vast. They stretched as far as the eye could see. I went woooooooooow, like Neo says in the matrix.

The next toilet that was encountered on this toilet adventure was at my apartment. I managed to figure out how to sit on the low seat. I broke it! Oh well. I felt really bad. The next week the toilet seat was magically replaced by our little land lady.

Instruction manual:

1. The flushing system is a complex one; it has many more variables than in Australia. You have to carefully give the flushing device more power or less. Sometimes you can give too much water and this will flood the whole bathroom. Once after a few drinks a friend of mine managed to flood a whole hotel lobby with this later method.
2. BYOTP sometimes- I have been personally caught out in a few situations and regretted the fact that one had to BYOTP
3. There are many styles of toilets- pits, holes, weird looking trough systems with taps and cloths hanging everywhere
4. A lot of water runs in many directions- just a little squirt on the tap and the water fly’s everywhere in many directions, it rains toilet water upwards
5. Privacy is an option- At a KFC I walked into the male bathroom and realized as I was just about to go to the trough that there was a direct line of sight between the troughs and the outside world, about 5 Chinese women were using the shared hand basin and looking around the corner. It was a terrible fright and I decided to use the cubicles.
At work a similar situation happened at the end of the day when I was going to the ‘trough’ and the bus that takes most of the employee’s home from work waits right out the front of the toilets with the window wide open in front of the toilets.

John and I thought that it would be an adventure to go and stay at a YHA in Shanghai around the Chinese New Year Spring Festival time period.

It was maaaaaaaaaad! The Chinese Firework Operators sometimes have no concept of safety. It’s cool. Outside the front of our Hotel they let off seriously big fireworks in the middle of the street. VW Santana Taxis and other cars happily drove past trying to avoid explosions sometimes only cm away from their fuel tanks.

The atmosphere of YHA’s anywhere is excellent for young travelers, lots of young people and travelers. However it was very hard to find a bed. When trying to book the place on Chinese New Years Eve (Maybee we should have thought about it earlier) the rude dude on the phone just told me that they were full and hung up.

I talked to Bei Bei and she said, no don’t worry and made a few calls. Her friend used to work here and still knows the people. After her friend helped us, we asked for a ladies name behind the desk. This was the secret code and then she was really helpful and we had two beds. The place was full.

I am really going to miss Bei Bei. She is really one of the happiest yet mature people I have ever met. She has helped us so much in this country and her family has welcomed us like we were part of it. She has been the universal translator and we would have been so lost without her at work and in the Chinese real world if she had not been there. She is a really good friend now who I will keep updated about my adventures.

I told her to go on adventures with Dan around China and just sometimes chill out. It makes you feel better.

We met these funny American teachers and Engineers who were in Shanghai just for the Chinese New Year celebration. They had flown in from Korea. They had been working there for the last 11 months. They love it. They said that “it is sweet; however we still hardly speak the language.”

The civil engineer is a funny dude. He told me about Korean toilets.
Paraphrasing his story…

Once I went to a tent, it was a big one of the canvas sort. Inside was this cool construction. A Toilet.
At one end was a pit. At the other end was there is an elevated construction and piping system, troughs. It was leaky. You peed in one end and it all flowed to the pit at the other end. It worked on gravity. It was wood. And it was a square spiraling system, on a hill.

I went in and peed and realized mine is mixing up with all the other dudes pee and running off to the pit. Everything goes to the pit. It was maaaaaaaaaad.

The next day on the toilet instruction manual tour:

The next day in Shanghai, John and the funny Korean army dudes walked around shanghai. Now Korean army dudes have seen many things and John tells me being in the Korean Army is good for the body but not good mentally. They told us all about the craziness of the Korean army and their experiences in it, getting beaten up, and beating dudes with iron bars. They told me, via John, my trusted good friend and universal Aussie Korean Chef and translator that they were getting ready to climb a mountain in Korea. I think John misses his homeland. I think John should go there and adventure by himself or maybe with a friend. We walked around went to the markets and ate some food,

We came to Hangzhou and the taxi driver dropped us off in the middle of nowhere. It was a tad cold, about -2 degrees and blowing a strong westerly gale that had flown on its own adventure through past millions of others on there own little adventures in Russia, Western China and to us. Therefore we looked around and found the way to our hostel via the maps that were in Chinese and the map given to us.
The Hostel is different, from the outside it looks like an excellent hotel and then when you go inside it still looks like an excellent hotel, it is clean and the sheets are nice and fresh. However there are some strange things about it. For instance, you never get your own key to your room and there is an awful lot of paper work just to check in. The toilets are only on certain floors and the showers are made for lepricorns.

Oh yeah speaking about things made for lepricorns, the beds in the hostel we stayed at last night were made for lepricorns, I sat down and nearly broke my bed, I ended up getting up a few times to readjust the settings past their default levels to maximum tension on the springs underneath the bed .

Yeah LGMS, (little green men) at the traffic lights are very different here. In other countries I think there are set country standards for LGMs telling you to cross the road.

Here Chinese are very creative. I have noticed that LGMs are in different positions in different cities. In Wuxi they have the Charlie Chapman Stance and in Hangzhou they are doing some weird type of break dance walking. It looks very entertaining, however I must remember to walk over the streets and pray to the road goddess and watch out. I cannot get distracted by the LGMs.

Let me see, Hangzhou, a small unpolluted beautiful city of approximately 10 million Yet a city of contrasts split by mountains.
I went voluntary Rock Climbing here without ropes with the Chinese dudes and a plastic bag and a digital camera. Let me see. My digital camera is now broken. My plastic bag is gone, it’s very holy. And the memories are magnificent. It was a real adventure with John, Kiet and Ly. We also went with some new Korean friends of ours. I think they thought I was a little crazy. Oh well. Kiet also kicked a water bottle off a cliff and I said, no worries I will get it.

After skiing down some mud and leaves. I got it! Wow. Went to chuck it to the top but kept falling over.
After this day Ly tells me, Luke for a moment there we thought we had lost you. For a moment when I slipped I came very close. The water bottle is now in oblivion somewhere. I don’t think I will do that again.

This is what I wrote about Hangzhou after my second day in the city…

Let me see,
Today was one of those days you can only experience a few times in a lifetime. Or maybe just once.

I was with my dear friends on an adventure, this time we were in Hangzhou, one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to in the world. It must compare with Paris, Venice, Melbourne, Dublin and Sydney.

Mountains spring out of a lake; an icy wind blows maple leaves to catch. Everywhere people enjoy one of China’s jewels. This city is affluent. A beautiful city with a long history that attracts beautiful people. After visiting Shanghai and Wuxi; this city has a little more decorum for a city in China. If one smiles and is happy the response is wonderful in China, happy polite people. However in Hangzhou sometimes one could say that people are not as arrogant as Shanghai, if one were to generalize.

We were walking in the city near the west lake admiring the beauty. We were with our new Korean friends, John was the translator and we were free to see the city. It was icy cold. Layers of ice as thick as folded socks were abound around little corners, if your mind let you find them. ..

Not every now and then do you see a person in their country after knowing them from another country that is so special to you near the lovely fountain. I saw a fountain, it was like a snake, it jumped up and down and disappeared. Children played. I walked to it. I wanted a closer look to see how it works? It is a fountain that plays with the observer. Amazing.

A familiar voice echoed “Luke?” For an instant I thought it was Ly. I turned around… it was Grace.

On the way back from this city walking near trains makes me a different person that I do not like. In many places small children beg. I just have to say “No”, and keep walking. Bei Bei and her relatives have told me about the stories. Some of these people controlling these little ones are well off. So in essence giving to these children is feeding their greed, however this is a generalization. One really wishes to instantly see that individual’s story at that moment to see if they really need it, I have given them food before. They took it. I never give money, I just give food. Once I was eating a pizza. A lady asked me for money I gave her the rest of the pizza. She seemed dumbfounded and disappointed. I smiled and ran off like the wind.

Until next time. Goodbye China. I will be back many many times on many more adventures and business.On the train ride home, for some reason after learning the language a little, I noticed that people are very accommodating of others when they have to be. I fell into a dreamy like sleep in contorted position centimeters away from a middle aged relative looking after his little 4ish year old. We both moved so that the 4ish year old could stretch out. Children should be treasured and happy. I couldn’t communicate effectively with him however we knew the common goal was to sleep as comfortably as possible while accommodating the little one. Every moment I feel welcomed here, but at this precise moment I felt like I was a part of the culture for a moment, on this train that was powering through the cold winter winds and mists.
China is powering through the winter mists into its own light at tremendous pace…but where is this train going? Experience it if you get a chance. And if you want someone to hold your bag, I will really endeavor to find time and resources for a moment just for the adventure…

Now I must go for there are decisions to be made…

Where Hearts and Fate Meet

2003-12-30T23:15:00.000+11:00

One day away from home
I walked across a square
Flat stone everywhere
I greeted a gentleman,
Happy was he to see me,
Up the steps did I rise…

At a place where hearts and fate
Meet
A gentleman said
Of all the places we meet,
We meet here

Happy was I to hear
Such a wonderful verse
And uplifted in awe,
I talked to him.

Welcomed to his land I was
For he said he was free to roam without
Prejudice
I realized I had met
A quiet gentleman

Pointed in concerned
Quiet peace did he
Go must you
For there is not much time,
Yet so much to see…

I realized I had metA nobleman

Eternal Summer Evenings

2003-09-15T23:17:00.000+10:00

Eternal Summer Evenings

Mellow Moonlight
Sparkling Starlight
In a mesmerising trance,
Dance amongst the whispering leaves,
Eyes drowning in the timeless ocean.

Light, indulge in the magnificence
Of your adventure
Fracture in every direction
Injecting hope into my barren eyes

Trees, Glide through the summer heat
Gently with the slightest whisper
Watch as clouds slip through the sky
And teasingly reveal the heavens.

Heavens metamorphose as my
Imagination gazes through your
Infinite brilliance turbulent without
Time

Sparkling eyes, smile never to fade
Your glowing aura

Ears, listen to the infinite sounds
Of the rhythmic percussion,
Envelope my senses

Senses, become enchanted
As our captivated hearts unite
Enveloped and entangled as one
Together lets
Dream
This summer evening lasts eternity…