This post contains Indexes of my blog posts in 2014, 2015, and 2016 (1 - 18 January 2016).
The blog is a good record of our lives in China from February 2014 until January 2016; while the focus is on living and teaching in Qingdao, other subjects are covered as well.
Favorite posts
My favorite posts are:
Post #13 Olah Family history - a snapshot
Post #14 The world's most prolific inventor, Australian Kia Silverbrook
Post #30 Memories of the Australian Embassy Beijing, 1984-86
Post #34 Love poems with an international trade theme
Post #58 Have World Expos reached their use-by date?
Post #79 Why have so few Chinese been awarded the Nobel prize?
Visits
I consciously tried to keep the focus on teaching and students, and not make the blog a "travelogue". But of course it has descriptions of places we visited, such as:2014: Beijing (April); Chengdu (May); Dalian (October).
2015: Qufu (April); Xian (May); Nanjing (May); Shanghai (July); Suzhou (July); Zoucheng (October); Rizhao (November).
We usually visit Australia twice a year (via Hong Kong), in the long university breaks: "winter" (mainly February) and "summer" (mainly August).
TV program
In December 2014 Qingdao TV produced a series of programs describing foreigners living and working in Qingdao. One of the programs was about two foreign teachers at universities in Huangdao, Dr Laxmisha Rai and me; it goes for about 25 minutes, alternating between the two of us. To view on YouTube click HERE
Index of Posts
Alex Olah’s blog: alexolah.blogspot.com
Describing
the lives of Alex & Vera Olah as English teachers at the China University
of Petroleum, Qingdao, Shandong Province.
Table 1: Index for 2014 (Post # 01 – Post #39)
Post number & date
|
Events described
|
Post #1
15 February 2014
In Kuala Lumpur
|
Andrew helped me set up this
blog when we visited Caroline and him in Kuala Lumpur in February 2014. He convinced me that a blog is the best way
to keep family and friends informed of our activities teaching in China.
The first post includes:
· photos
of our family holiday in Hawaii in January 2014
·
photos
of the cruise of the Hawaiian Islands by Vera and me
·
photos
with Caroline and Andrew in KL (Caroline was 8 months pregnant)
|
Post #2
8 March 2014
In Qingdao
|
Teaching at China University
of Petroleum, Qingdao (UPC)
Terrorist attack in Kunming
Ukraine crisis
Kevin Rudd’s new position
Meeting of the National
People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing
Assessing students
Missing flight MH370
|
Post #3
16 Mar 2014
|
About Fu Ying, China’s
ambassador to Australia 10 years ago
Student ‘news’
Welcome to Eddie, our new
grandson, born 14 March 2014
Medical & dental issues
The mystery of MH370
Ukraine crisis
|
Post #4
23 Mar 2014
|
Mystery of flight MH370
Visit to China by Michelle
Obama, her daughters and mother
Grandkids – photos of Eddie
in KL and Kurt, Nate & Sid in Brisbane
World’s most expensive cities
World’s biggest economies
Doctor – patient stress in
China
Has Spring arrived?
|
Post #5
28 Mar 2014
|
Description of China University
of Petroleum, Qingdao www.upc.edu.cn
My teaching schedule this
semester (March – July 2014)
Summaries of my classes
Weekly class timetable for
Double Major students
My teaching approach
|
Post #6
30 Mar 2014
|
News summary for March 2014
(from China Daily)
PM Abbott’s re-introduction
of British honours
Flight MH370
Paul Bulcke, CEO of Nestle
Vanessa Mae, renowned
violinist and now Olympic skier
|
Post #7
6 April 2014
|
Flight MH370
Changes in the Cuban economy
The Qing Ming Festival
Poetry
Student opinions on recent
issues
Fast Eddie
|
Post #8
13 April 2014
|
Sun, where art thou?
Award for ‘favorite foreign
teacher’
Coming of age – new 5 star
hotels in Huangdao
A mystery – China’s property
market
Student comments on high
school and university
|
Post #9
20 April 2014
|
Student comments about
college
The F-word dilemma
Australia comes to town –
huge business delegation
My public lecture; and question "were
you a spy"?
Visit to Ling Shan Island
Shandong Educational TV
Flash Eddie
|
Post #10
29 April 2014
|
Trip to Beijing for the Favorite
Teacher Award
Building activity around
Huangdao
Ranking of cities
|
Post #11
6 May 2014
|
News summary for April 2014
Operations of China’s 4
biggest banks
Time Magazine’s 2014 List of
100 Most Influential People
The Wen Zhang affair
Disappearance of Flight MH370
Crisis in Ukraine
|
Post #12
8 May 2014
|
Our visit to Chengdu, Sichuan
Province
|
Post #13
18 May 2014
|
Olah Family history
·
Photos
of my mother
·
Messages
from Angie and Aniko
Blast from the past – Burton
& Garran Hall’s 50th anniversary celebrations
Student ‘Super One’
|
Post #14
25 May 2014
|
Compiling exam papers
Model teacher
Five year rule for foreign
teachers in Shandong
My new phone
APEC comes to town (Heath
McMichael)
Nobel Prize
List of Prolific Inventors; Kia
Silverbrook and Paul
Lapstun
Photo with UPC President
Peter’s Ice Cream goes French
Vale, Reg Gasnier
|
Post #15
2 June 2014
|
Duan Wu (Dragon Boat)
Festival
Footy
Adventurer extraordinaire
Fedor Konyukhov
The China – Vietnam dispute
Jack Brabham, RIP
News summary for May 2014
|
Post #16
7 June 2014
|
Graduating class
Steve’s birthday
Student opinions on recent
events
Feedback on the semester from
Double Major students
China’s leading ladies: Peng
Li Yuan and Cheng
Hong
Eddie goes to Paris
|
Post #17
14 June 2014
|
Big month of Sport: World
Cup starts in Brazil; NBA
Championships won by San Antonio Spurs; French
Open won by Nadal and Sharapova
Which part of American
Culture did you find most interesting?
Teaching the CNOOC group
Students selling belongings
Our seniors bus passes
The dreaded Gao Kao
The world’s most popular
woman (Yao Chen)
Grandkids
|
Post #18
22 June 2014
|
Campus news:
·
CCTV
English News channel
·
The
godfather of UPC
·
Culture
exam
·
Farewell
to Mashine
·
Homeward
bound
The Queen meets the Premier
One of the best World Cup
goals ever?
Spurs beat Heat to win NBA
Championships
News summary for first half
of June 2014
A bit of nostalgia (Jakarta
1972)
Photo of Caroline and Eddie
|
Post #19
27 June 2014
|
In Kuala Lumpur
Index of Posts #1 to #18
Disappearance of Flight MH370
Ukraine crisis
Angie & Rotary Club of Narooma
|
Post #20
14 September 2014
|
Mid Autumn Festival
In Kuala Lumpur, photos with Eddie
Time with the Roberts family in Brisbane
Robertstour2014.wordpress.com
Photos of our stay in Australia (July & August 2014)
2014-15 Academic Year: key dates
|
Post #21
21 Sept 2014
|
Photos of Kuala Lumpur
UPC students: living
conditions
Military training for Freshmen students
Bill Clinton’s book “My life:
the Presidential Years”
|
Post #22
27 Sept 2014
|
Move to our new apartment
Military training – photos of final parade
Qingdao Golden Beach Hilton Hotel
|
Post #23
1 October 2014
|
China’s National Day
Photos of new apartment
Meeting with Qingdao TV
Vera with former student Zhang Ya Xuan
Han Han (possibly the world’s most popular male blogger)
|
Post # 24
7 Oct 2014
|
Visit to Dalian and Lushun (Port Arthur), 2 – 6 October during the
National Day holiday.
Photos of Dalian and Lushun
|
Post #25
20 Oct 2014
|
Photos of bicycling
Qingdao TV interviews and videos
Our 41st wedding anniversary
17th Asian Games, Incheon, South Korea
News summary for September 2014
|
Post #26
24 Oct 2014
|
My teaching schedule this semester, September to December 2014
Class summaries & explanations
Weekly workload of class EM1301
Vale, Gough Whitlam
|
Post #27
31 Oct 2014
|
Photos of new apartment & Tang Dao Wan Bay
An explanation of Chinese names
Photo of Papa Andy with Hinamoana
|
Post #28
1 November 2014
|
House of Cards TV series
Great Wall Drilling Company
News summary for October 2014
|
Post #29
8 Nov 2014
|
Whitlam’s Memorial Service
Western Sydney Wanderers win Asian Champions League
Visit to Bin Hai University
Photo with Fu Xiao
Robertstour2014
Photos of Andrew, Caz & Eddie in Hong Kong
|
Post #30
16 Nov 2014
|
APEC & Bob Hawke
Working at the Australian Embassy Beijing 1983-86, and memories of Beijing
30 years ago
Pictures related to Channar Project
Main actors: Paul Barratt; Kevin Rudd; Ross Garnaut; Richard Rigby;
Denis Gastin; Jocelyn Chey.
|
Post #31
24 Nov 2014
|
Left-handedness in China
Postscript
|
Post #32
1 December 2014
|
Recent photos (including visit to Qingdao Naval Museum)
Breaking Bad TV series
Turn-out rate at US elections
|
Post #33
4 Dec 2014
|
News summary for November 2014
|
Post #34
6 Dec 2014
|
Love poems with International Trade theme
Students’ questions during the
Western Culture course
Some suggested changes to the US political system
The intrepid travellers – the Roberts family ‘turn left’
|
Post #35
11 Dec 2014
|
About Omi (3rd anniversary of her death)
|
Post #36
14 Dec 2014
|
Analysis of the Forbes 2014 “List of 72 Most Powerful People”
|
Post #37
24 Dec 2014
|
About UPC students:
|
Post #38
27 Dec 2014
|
China’s development
Comparison of college China/USA
|
Post #39
29 Dec 2014
|
Robin Williams, RIP
|
Table 2: Index for 2015 (Post # 40 - Post #84)
Post number & date
|
Events described
|
Post #40
2 January 2015
|
Olah family highlights of 2014
The South-North Water Diversion Project
|
Post #41
10 Jan 2015
|
News summary for December 2014
|
Post #42
13 Jan 2015
|
Description of Western Culture exam held 4 January 2015
|
Post #43
14 Jan 2015
|
Photos of last 3 weeks of semester (classes, dinners)
|
Post #44
15 Jan 2015
In Hong Kong
|
Comments on Hong Kong
YouTube link to Qingdao TV program about Rai and me
Index of blog posts #19 - #43
|
Post #45
23 Jan 2015
|
The billion dollar house (No. 75 Peak Road, Hong Kong)
|
Post #46
4 March 2015
|
Photos of our time in Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Hong Kong
|
Post #47
21 March 2015
|
Teaching: British Culture;
English News
Weather
Our sojourn in China
Brumbies Super Rugby team
|
Post #48
28 March 2015
|
Gym
English News class
Cricket World Cup
Craigengower Cricket Club in HK
|
Post # 49
3 April 2015
|
News summary for March 2015
|
Post #50
12 April 2015
|
Visit to Qufu, Shandong Province (home town of Confucius)
|
Post #51
21 April 2015
|
Recent photos
The fall of Bi Fu Jian (Lao Bi)
|
Post #52
30 April 2015
|
News summary for April 2015
|
Post #53
11 May 2015
|
Visit to Xian, Shaanxi Province
(terracotta warriors, etc)
|
Post #54
14 May 2015
|
Format of ‘English News’ class
Examples of articles discussed in News class
|
Post #55
24 May 2015
|
Trip to Nanjing, Jiangsu Province
|
Post #56
3 June 2015
|
News summary for May 2015
|
Post #57
7 June 2015
|
Contract for 2015-16 academic year
Gym
Accident
Exams
Upcoming travel
Recent photos
|
Post #58
8 June 2015
|
About the Bureau of International Expositions and World Expos
|
Post #59
28 June 2015
|
Recent photos:
|
Post #60
28 June 2015
|
Photos of classes & students in the March – June 2015 semester
Photos of campus; student market; graduating students
|
Post #61
6 July 2015
|
News summary for June 2015
|
Post #62
20 July 2015
|
Describes two written exams from this semester:
|
Post #63
21 July 2015
|
Our visit to Shanghai, 8 – 17 July 2015
|
Post #64
23 July 2015
|
Our visit to Suzhou, 14 – 15 July 2015
|
Post #65
24 July 2015
|
Photos of our stay in Hong Kong, 17 – 24 July 2015
|
Post #66
2 September 2015
|
Photos of Sid & Nate playing rugby, and end-of-season
presentations
Hilder Road Primary School weekly assembly
Brisbane’s South Bank
|
Post #67
3 Sept 2015
|
Photos of our visit to Australia in July & August 2015:
|
Post #68
3 Sept 2015
|
Photos of UPC graduation ceremonies in July 2015 (in the UPC gymnasium
and in the Yi Fu Center)
Lunch with students
|
Post #69
3 October 2015
|
My teaching schedule for semester Sept – Dec 2015
New contract – increased salary
Recent photos:
|
Post #70
10 Oct 2015
|
News summary for September 2015
|
Post #71
14 Oct 2015
|
Visit to Zoucheng, 28 Sept – 1 October 2015
|
Post #72
24 Oct 2015
|
Weather
Swimming at Silver Beach
Our 42nd wedding anniversary
Trudeau, father & son
Jung Chang’s book on Mao
|
Post #73
28 Oct 2015
|
Class schedules for EM1502 & IT1403 this semester
Student comments on College life
Student recollections of doing the Gao Kao (National College Entrance
Exam)
|
Post #74
3 November 2015
|
News summary for October 2015
|
Post #75
8 Nov 2015
|
Weather
Trip to Rizhao
Carol Zhang Qi
Sunday Fu Xiao
Speech contest
|
Post #76
15 Nov 2015
|
Background on China University of Petroleum (UPC)
Photos of Shandong, Qingdao, and UPC
|
Post #77
3 December 2015
|
English is crazy
The little word UP
A typical Tuesday Middle School day for Scarlett Liu Si Qi
|
Post #78
6 Dec 2015
|
News summary for November 2015
|
Post #79
13 Dec 2015
|
Tu You You, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize for Medicine
Student comments on “Why have
so few Chinese won the Nobel Prize”?
List of “Most Prolific Inventors”
|
Post #80
14 Dec 2015
|
Analysis of Forbes magazine’s 2015 List of 73 Most Powerful People
|
Post #81
16 Dec 2015
|
Our membership of the Gold Coast Gym
Photos:
|
Post #82
22 Dec 2015
|
Tribute to Kobe Bryant
|
Post #83
23 Dec 2015
|
Our swimming pool
Charles Yu Zhi Chao and Jessica Hinde
First birthday of Zhang Zhi Jie
Presenting book to Cristina Zhang Jia Min
|
Post #84
29 Dec 2015
|
How we spent Xmas Week 21 – 28 December 2015
Photos:
|
Table 3: Index for 2016 (Post #85 - Post #90)
Post number & date
|
Events described
|
Post #85
5 January 2016
|
Dispute about my Culture exam
How we spent New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
Recent photos (Tamara & Felix; Award for Outstanding
Contribution; lunch at Blue Horizon; visit to Daniel and Hayley)
|
Post #86
7 Jan 2016
|
A comment on the Chinese stock market
News summary for December 2015
|
Post #87
9 Jan 2016
|
Description of the Western Culture exam
|
Post #88
11 Jan 2016
|
English, with a twist:
|
Post #89
17 Jan 2016
|
Freshman comments on College life and future job aspirations
Non Major students feedback on my Oral English course
|
Post #90
18 Jan 2016
|
Index of blog posts:
(Number of visits to my blog
from 16 Feb 2014 to 18 Jan 2016: 8,720. Last three months quite a few from France
and Russia - the Russian ones are probably fake!)
|