Life, Down Under. The digital diary of Vera & Alex Olah

Friday, 30 June 2017

Post #144 30 June 2017

Gentlefolk,

This post covers events / activities in which we were involved during June 2017.

Winter definitely arrived, with night temperatures consistently below zero; unpleasant fog sometimes spoil mornings, but afternoons are usually nice.

Luckily the apartment has a northerly orientation, so is normally comfortable during the day; at night the temperature drops and we need heating. But overall it's been quite manageable.

It's been another busy month. We bought display cabinets and finally unpacked our Chinese blue & white porcelain. Hung photos and awards on study walls; still a few photos to go, but almost there.

It has taken about 9 months to properly 'settle in' to the apartment and our new lifestyle; friends who cautioned that it takes time, "don't rush, be patient", were right.

We are just back from six days in Brisbane - caught up with Jen & Tom & boys - the weather is much warmer up there, that's for sure.

We went to several classical music concerts, free, in the foyer of the High Court of Australia building on Sunday afternoons. A very pleasant way to spend an hour or so.

Attended various talks, at the National Library of Australia (Hugh Mackay; Karen Middleton), at the China Centre at the Australian National University (launch of 2017 China Story Yearbook), and at the Australian Institute of International Affairs (Dr Peter McCawley on the Asia Development Bank).

On 8 June I gave a presentation at the University of the Third Age (U3A) titled "The nuts & bolts of teaching English in China". Another talk on Chinese Culture is scheduled for 4 July.

Notable events in June 2017 included:

The UK general election resulted in a hung Parliament.
The terrible Grenfell Tower fire in London (80+ died).
Australian TV Channel 10 went into receivership.
Testimony by James Comey, ex-FBI Director, to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 to win the NBA; Kevin Durant MVP.
10th anniversary of the Apple iPhone; 1.3 billion have been sold for an estimated $800 billion.
10th anniversary of the start of the Global Financial Crisis (Bear Stearns in trouble).
20th anniversary of the start of the Asian Financial Crisis (floating of the Thai baht).
20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.
and coming up on 1 July: 20th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to China.

Here are some photos taken during June 2017.

On 5 June 2017 I went to the China Centre at the ANU for the launch of the 2017 China Story Yearbook. This was the fifth Yearbook. There is a theme each year. Previous themes have been: Red rising; Civilising China; Shared destiny; Pollution; and Control in 2017. The proposed theme for next year is Prosperity. The 2017 Yearbook comprises 7 chapters, contributed by different scholars. Subjects covered include: Population control (loosening of the one-child policy); Anti-corruption drive; Various govt bans (such as the banning of April Fools Day which is seen as appropriate only to Western societies). The full Contents are shown on the following two photos. An electronic copy can be found on the ANU website.

Alex Sloan interviewed Hugh Mackay on the publication of his satirical novel "Selling the dream" about the advertising industry. Hugh is better known in Australia as a writer and commentator on society and social issues, but he also writes fiction. Clever guy. They recently moved from Sydney to Canberra (his wife is at the ANU's School of Medicine).

Three of the attendees to my U3A talk on "The nuts & bolts of teaching English in China", based on our six years teaching at the China University of Petroleum (www.upc.edu.cn). The Q & A session after the talk was very lively! I will do another presentation, on Aspects of Chinese Culture, next week.

John Bakker and I were having a coffee at "Deeks Cafe & Healthfoods" in Pearce, Canberra and we met Robert (Deek) de Castella. He shot to fame in 1981 when he won the Fukuoka Marathon in (then) world record time of 2 hours 8 min 18 sec (his best time was 2.07.51 when he won the 1986 Boston Marathon). In the photo Deek is between John and me - we look like "3 Amigos" - go to the same barber - Deek is 60, I am 70 and John is a sprightly 80.

Photo of Deek in full stride. He was world marathon champion 1981-4. Now a businessman, married, 4 kids.

A typical clear, bright winter's day in Canberra. Vera at Regatta Point lookout.

I had my first game of golf in a long time. Good to get out on a course again, even though I lost 3 balls in 9 holes ... have now signed up for golf lessons!

The 'trophy wall' in my study featuring photos and awards from the China University of Petroleum. Good memories.

The Canberra Glassworks sponsored a "Winter Glass Market" on 17 June. Interesting to see the artists at work. The Glassworks are located about 200 metres from our apartment in Kingston.

One of the unusual glass art objects on display.

Victor Isaacs runs a U3A course titled "Unusual Borders" 2 - 4pm on Monday afternoons. We've covered countries such as India / Pakistan; Belgium / Germany; Hungary after WW1; Some USA States; NSW / Queensland; etc. Fascinating. We are fortunate in Canberra to have many well-qualified retired people who are willing and able to run a great variety of interesting courses.

We had 6 days in Brisbane to see Jen & Tom and the boys. We went to a Japanese restaurant; here is Nate (10 years old) demonstrating his skills with chopsticks as we wait for the food.

Tom and Ketut (their Rhodesian Ridgeback) watching TV while Nate is on his iPad.

Ketut keeping Jen company while she is reading in the sun on the verandah.

Kurt (12 years old) made the District Team in a big rugby tournament. His team, the Maroons, did well; they got into the Finals but lost in extra time. Unfortunately Kurt injured his ankle and is now in a 'moon boot'.

Tom watching Kurt receive medical help for his injured ankle.

Nate and Sid at a skate & scooter park. Many kids are very skillful, impressive.

Their swimming pool is covered for the winter months. The weather was great during our visit: down to about 12C at night, and beautiful warm days (low 20s). We were wearing T-shirts and shorts in day time, sweaters at night.

It might be winter (never gets very cold in Brisbane), but this plant had an abundance of flowers.

Jen serving dinner. Yes, she has a bright blue streak in her hair! Nate pulled a face when he saw me take the picture. It was great to see the 3 boys thriving.

...

Andrew and Caroline with Eddie and Jay have relocated from Hong Kong back to Sydney. They were away for 9 years, in New York, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. We're delighted to have them much closer to home.

Their online furniture business, reddie.com.au, had a stand at the Denfair Exhibition in Melbourne in early June and attracted strong interest.

We haven't seen Vera's brothers and sisters for a few years, so will soon visit Indonesia; two weeks in Bali and four weeks exploring Java. Looking forward to that trip.

...

That's all for this post.

The next two days will range from +13 to minus 7C. That's cold, brrrrr.

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

Canberra, Australia

Friday, 30 June 2017

Sunday, 4 June 2017

Post #143 4 June 2017

Gentlefolk,

This post covers events we experienced during May 2017.

Boy, where did May go? Time sure flies when you are having fun ...

I managed to read two books during May. I thought that I would do a lot of reading now that I am fully retired, but there never seems to be enough time. This month was different - I actually finished two books! The first was "I stand corrected" by Eden Collinsworth. She spent some time teaching English in China and I was able to identify with many of her experiences.

The second book was "Comrade Ambassador" by Stephen FitzGerald. In 1973, at the age of 34, he was appointed Australia's first Ambassador to the People's Republic of China. An interesting autobiography. On completing university Stephen joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra. He was taken aback when assigned to learn Chinese, as he had no interest in Asia, but that turn of events changed his life: he became fascinated by the language and culture, and became, in turn: diplomat, university lecturer, Ambassador, business consultant, govt adviser.

Dr FitzGerald recently gave the 2017 "Whitlam Oration" at the University of Western Sydney - to listen or read click HERE.

A quick word about the weather. The last 2 months have seen perfect autumn weather in Canberra: cool nights, but lovely sunny days with maximums from 15 to 20C. Last week saw the first snow in the mountains (about 150 km south-west of Canberra) which heralded the real start of winter. The nights are colder (last night's minimum was -4C) but the days are still pleasant with maximums of 10 - 14C ... long may it last!

President Donald Trump continues to dominate the news virtually every day. Were there any headlines BT (Before Trump)? In May he undertook his first overseas trip: to Saudi Arabia, Israel, The Vatican, and NATO in Belgium - to me, a strange mix of (religious) destinations.

A few days ago President Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Accord, a decision which has been widely criticised by many Americans and others. The irony is that the Accord is basically voluntary, but the symbolism of the US withdrawal is very damaging.

Another big event in May was the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' fabulous album "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" featuring songs such as With a little help from my friends, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, and When I'm 64. Timeless classics.

Here are some photos taken in May:

Lunch with ex-AUSTRADE colleagues, from left: John Bush, Jim Enright, me, Peter Kane, Geoff McKie, and Dick Wilson.

We attended Brian Tink's funeral - sad day. We met Brian and Jan in the Canberra Old Time Dance Club. Brian was also a keen member of the Triumph Car Club and loved baseball. A man of many talents, he suffered for years from a rare form of cancer which got him in the end.

At the Asia Book Room we attended an author's talk by Jenevieve Chang. The family moved from Taiwan to Sydney when she was 4 years old. Her father couldn't handle the huge cultural change and returned to Taiwan, but her mother and kids stayed on. At 20 Jenevieve ran away to London where she studied dance. Later she and her husband opened a dance studio in Shanghai, where she also performed in a burlesque show. Wow! It took the authorities a few months to realise how risque Burlesque is, and then they shut it down.

Jenevieve Chang addressing the crowd at the Asia Bookroom in Jamison, Canberra. What an interesting life; she was quite a rebel. She parted ways with her husband in Shanghai and returned to Australia. She is still dancing professionally and has just published her first book "The good girl of Chinatown" (could easily have been titled "The bad girl ...").

We attended a concert by the Brindabella Orchestra held in a church in Queanbeyan.

Our friends June and Craig Pearson gave us tickets to a concert by Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt. Mainly Bach and Beethoven. She was wonderful, world-class.

Angela Hewitt performing at the Llewellyn Hall.

After the concert Angela signed CDs and then participated in and interview for the audience.

We finally figured out how to display our collection of Chinese Blue & White porcelain - which we acquired during our posting to the Australian Embassy Beijing 1984-86. Most were said to be100 - 200 years old (Qing Dynasty). Many of the pieces had been in storage for years - it was a thrill opening the boxes and finding this treasure trove again, We bought two large display cabinets, and installed lights. Came up very well.

Our best pieces are displayed in the living room. The craftsmanship is just amazing.

We oiled the wooden statues and krises from Bali. Several are cracking in Canberra's dry atmosphere.

We have hung the scrolls presented to us on our departure from Qingdao in July 2016. The Chinese character is Fu, meaning good luck or good fortune. It was given to us by Professor Shan Hong Hong, President of China University of Petroleum.

This scroll was presented to us by Mr Jiang Da Sen, Deputy Director of the International Affairs Office of UPC.

This is a scroll we bought back in 1986 when we lived in Beijing.

Our living room is pretty well set up now. After a disheartening start, when we thought we would never adjust to this apartment, we are now much more settled. The living room windows (and balcony) face East and North - the room is full of light and warmth during the day.

We have been going to lectures and movies at the ANU's China Centre.

We saw this Chinese movie, about the impact on residents of the huge rise in the water level caused by the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River. Over 2 million people had to be relocated. It was a lovely, quiet, humane film. In the discussion afterwards it transpired that one of the audience grew up in the town of Feng Jie which featured in the movie.

Luminescence Choir gave a performance in the National Portrait Gallery. The Gallery provided drawing materials for any budding artists in the audience who were inspired by the music.The harmony of the vocals was just incredible.

Well, that's it for May highlights.

Can't conclude without mentioning the unexpected election of 39 year old Emmanuel Macron as President of France. Obviously a remarkable man (and his wife who is 24 years his senior!).

...

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
Canberra, Australia
Sunday 4 June 2017

Saturday, 29 April 2017

Post #142 29 April 2017

Gentlefolk,

This post is about Time's 100 Most Influential, and a couple of other events.

Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential

On 20 April 2017 Time Magazine published its list of the 100 Most Influential People in the world.

Time Magazine emphasises that this list is about influence, not just physical power.

The list is divided into 5 categories: Pioneers; Artists; Leaders; Titans; and Icons.

I must admit that I recognised only a few of the names on the List. Here are some I recognised:

Pioneers	Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner; Samantha Bee (Satirist); Conor McGregor (UFC fighter)
Artists	Alicia Keys; Emma Stone; Margot Robbie; Ryan Reynolds
Leaders	Theresa May; Donald Trump; Vladimir Putin; Xi Jin Ping; Julian Assange (Wikileaks); Pope Francis
Titans	Evan Spiegel (Snapchat); Tom Brady (NFL); Janet Yellen (Federal Reserve); Jeff Bezos (Amazon)’ LeBron James (NBA)
Icons	Margaret Atwood (poet); Viola Davis (actress); Colin Kaepernick (American Footballer); Fan Bing Bing (actress); Neymar (Brazilian soccer)

As usual the Times List is dominated by Americans, with 56% born in the USA. The List by Region of Birth:

Region of Birth	Number	% of total

North America	58 (USA 56, Canada 2)	58%
Latin America	7 (Brazil 2)	7%
Europe (including Russia)	14 (UK 5; Belgium 2)	14%
Middle East and Africa	8 (ME 4; Africa 4)	8%
Asia & Australia	13 (China 4; India 2; Philippines 2; Australia 2)	13%

This year 40% of the List are female. The youngest person is 17 (Gavin Grimm); the oldest 87 (Sandra Day O’Connor).

The two Aussies on the List were both born in Queensland: Julian Assange (Wikileaks) and Margot Robbie (actress). Wasn't Robbie marvellous as Leonardo Di Caprio's love interest in The Wolf of Wall Street?

The four Chinese are: Xi Jin Ping (Chairman & President); Wang Qishan (Member of Politburo); Fan Bing Bing (actress); and Liu Qing (CEO of Didi Chuxing). Xi and Liu were born in Beijing, while Wang and Fan were born in Qingdao, the city where Vera & I lived for 5 years.

Liu Qing (English name Jean) did an MBA at Harvard and then worked for Goldman Sachs. At just 34 she became Managing Director of Goldman Sachs China - amazing. Then she left to run a start-up, Didi Kuaidi, which came to dominate the car-hailing business in China. Two years ago Uber China gave up the fight in exchange for 20% of Didi. Liu is married and reported to have 3 children. She had breast cancer and is now in remission. Not yet 40 and she beat Uber and cancer - what a gal!

Liu Qing, one of China's top business women

In the 2017 List, one of the Artists was Ryan Reynolds. We actually knew Ryan when he was just a lad, in Vancouver, Canada. We were good friends with his parents, Jim and Tammy Reynolds. Ryan has matured into a fine actor.

Time Magazine started publishing this List in 1998. The people who have appeared most often are: Barack Obama (11 times); Hillary Clinton (10 times); Oprah Winfrey (9 times); Angela Merkel (8 times); and Xi Jin Ping (8 times). Of these, only Xi Jin Ping made the 2017 list.

...

My niece, Britt, has a 12 year old daughter, Lelani, who is very much into dance. Her group participated in a dance competition and Vera & I went along to watch and give support.