So, China definitely has been an experience for me, this is a summary of my best and worst bits!
My best bits:
Final Performance- on our last performance at robocup it was a great feeling - everything worked and we had many people supporting us, the music was blasting out of the speakers and we just had to dance along and smile sweetly at the judges!
Egg fried rice - mmmmm, breakfast, lunch and dinner all the way!
Starbucks - Venti Iced Hot Chocolate, very near to the competition was the Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre was starbucks. For that reason, whenever we needed a break off to Starbucks we went and just sat in a lovely air conditioned building :)
Park & Ice Cream Shop Visits - The name says it all, yummy, very good fun.
Bad bits:
Number 178 Buses - cramped, hot!
Mosquitos - yes, i've been bitten to pieces.
So...not many bad bits, Overall I really have loved China :)
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Monday, 21 July 2008
Mr Hughes' Blog - Day 9
Day nine:
Everyone is a lot more relaxed now and a little tiredness is starting to show in everyone. After breakfast and with everyone in good spirits we caught the 128 bus in to Suzhou city. Although still very cheap at 3 Yuan for a 20 – 25 minute bus ride (including congestion in the city centre) this bus became very full after we had all got on, and the ride was not a comfortable one. We got off in the city centre and headed for the Gardens of the Humble Administrator. This is one of the World Heritage Sites like Stonehenge, and is an intricate maze of designed gardens. It was a honey trap for tourists, full of Chinese with their compact digital cameras snapping away at everything they could see. It was a beautiful location, but their were far too many people for us to cope with given the rigours of the previous 7 days, and the heat and humidity.
Dr Hughes quickly found us a quieter, air-conditioned and far more pleasant place in the Suzhou museum. We settled into their tea shop and enjoyed a variety of fruit juices, coffees and green tea; the last served in the most amazingly delicate glass teapot. Dr Hughes and I both had dried plums which had an intense flavour hit, but which took quite a lot of enamel off your teeth as you prised the fruit from the stone. Then we went into the shop where there was a wide selection of good quality Chinese gifts to buy and where I spent quite a lot of money. I can’t tell you what I spent it on as my family read this blog.
We then went to a temple which rose up about 6 levels. The views were great although visibility was poor due to the very high humidity and the pollution. This was followed by a trip to the nearby Silk Museum where we spent more money.
Finally after a hot and dusty wait for a number 128 bus we journeyed home. In the congestion it took a lot longer and it was even more packed. We had our evening meal in the hotel and went to bed thinking about an early breakfast before we visited Shanghai the following day.
Everyone is a lot more relaxed now and a little tiredness is starting to show in everyone. After breakfast and with everyone in good spirits we caught the 128 bus in to Suzhou city. Although still very cheap at 3 Yuan for a 20 – 25 minute bus ride (including congestion in the city centre) this bus became very full after we had all got on, and the ride was not a comfortable one. We got off in the city centre and headed for the Gardens of the Humble Administrator. This is one of the World Heritage Sites like Stonehenge, and is an intricate maze of designed gardens. It was a honey trap for tourists, full of Chinese with their compact digital cameras snapping away at everything they could see. It was a beautiful location, but their were far too many people for us to cope with given the rigours of the previous 7 days, and the heat and humidity.
Dr Hughes quickly found us a quieter, air-conditioned and far more pleasant place in the Suzhou museum. We settled into their tea shop and enjoyed a variety of fruit juices, coffees and green tea; the last served in the most amazingly delicate glass teapot. Dr Hughes and I both had dried plums which had an intense flavour hit, but which took quite a lot of enamel off your teeth as you prised the fruit from the stone. Then we went into the shop where there was a wide selection of good quality Chinese gifts to buy and where I spent quite a lot of money. I can’t tell you what I spent it on as my family read this blog.
We then went to a temple which rose up about 6 levels. The views were great although visibility was poor due to the very high humidity and the pollution. This was followed by a trip to the nearby Silk Museum where we spent more money.
Finally after a hot and dusty wait for a number 128 bus we journeyed home. In the congestion it took a lot longer and it was even more packed. We had our evening meal in the hotel and went to bed thinking about an early breakfast before we visited Shanghai the following day.
Sunday, 20 July 2008
Mr. Hughes' Blog - Day 8
Day eight:
Fantastic news! Between the two teams of St Trininans and Rock ‘n’ Roar we have won 3 trophies!
St Trinians won the Secondary dance prize and a Superteams trophy; Rock ‘n’ Roar won a Superteams trophy. The trophies look spectacular and are made of heavy glass. There may be weight limit issues on the flight home.
The day began with a rather subdued group of youngsters getting up early to get to the venue by 9.00 a.m. to compete in the Superteams event. Expectations of success were low. In this part of the competition every team is put together with 2 other teams to create a choreographed dance routine based upon everyone’s robotic experience, expertise and hardware. The huge challenge was to blend everyone’s ideas through cooperation despite language and cultural barriers.
Rock ‘n’ Roar had been partnered with a German team who had used Bollywood as a theme for their performance and a Hong Kong Chinese team who had based their show on the Beijing Olympic mascots. Lily, Abbie and Emily were soon working enthusiastically with the different teams. St Trinians were partnered with another German team who had based their routine on a game of chess, and another Chinese team whose performance was based around an old magician’s trick of “find the lady”. International relations blossomed for one of our groups and they set to organising a combined PowerPoint presentation, dance routine for the group members and a robot dance including robots from all groups. In the other group communication and cooperation was not quite so easy. Nevertheless they did create a combined routine based on the theme of “a picnic in the park”. Bothe groups’ performances were strong enough to get them a Superteams trophy.
As by its very nature there is a subjective element to marking dance routines the way the competition works is to award trophies to the first 3 places in each competition. Effectively the top 3 teams become joint winners and each receives an award.
To be brief, we didn’t think that St Trinians had won. The first we knew about it was that there was a designated seat for one team member for the awards ceremony: we had won. Later we found out that we had won two Superteams trophies too. It was very exciting. The ceremony was great and lots of photos of the different groups were taken. There was a huge Chinese banquet which we all enjoyed.
On finishing we had to go back and pack up the robots in our 11 suitcases and then get them back to the hotel. There had been torrential rain, but this eased almost completely as we found 3 taxis quickly and returned to the hotel. Well done to both teams!
Mr. Hughes' Blog - Day 7
Day seven:
I woke late at 7.45 a.m. and struggled into the shower. In school term time I am usually awake by 5.30 a.m. so the rigours of the visit were taking its toll. There was an insistent knocking on the door: St Trinians wanted their laptop back which I had been using to email my family. St Trinians appeared to have been awake for several hours: the energy of youth! The team were on stage at 11.00 for their final appearance and were keen to get to the venue. Rock ‘n’ Roar were still in bed and wanted a lie in. The plan was to join St Trinians to support them for their 11.00 a.m. set.
I set off for breakfast by myself just after 8.00 a.m. The dining area was almost deserted as most of the guests had finished breakfast long ago. I helped myself to bacon, sausages, fried egg, fried bread (a treat) and baked beans. For the first time on our visit I didn’t have a strong Chinese aspect to the meal such sesame balls, fried dough sticks or noodles. I had lots of black tea for which I am acquiring a taste and plenty of fruit juice. Following on from this I had plenty of melon and some sweet bread.
Following breakfast I returned to my room to continue writing my pieces for the blog. I am aiming for 1000 words a day and hope that they may be informative, and just a little entertaining (?). I also have to process my photographs which I shoot in RAW format, but have to transform them into something which can go onto the blog.
At 10.10 a.m. I got a phone call from Pat (mentor of the St Trinians team). Josie had left her white shirt in her hotel room: could I please bring it? I knocked on the doors to wake up Rock ‘n’ Roar, and then went to find someone from housekeeping to open Josie’s room to get the shirt. At my second attempt I found someone who could understand English and was able to help. Retrieving Josie’s shirt I then returned to knock on the doors of Rock ‘n’ Roar to make sure they were stirring. I got a sleepy response from Lily and Abbie, but nothing from Emily. My knocking became louder and I was shouting to wake her up: no success. Then I tried phoning her room. I could hear her telephone ringing from my room (about 25 metres away, through a thick door), but still no success. Starting to get a little concerned I found a housekeeper and got the door open. Abbie went in and woke Emily. She was very tired, but got up quickly. We were in a taxi by 10.35 a.m. and at the venue in good time to give Josie her shirt.
We watched St Trinians perform their routine. It looked and sounded good. There were no technical hitches, and the dance went well. The team acquitted itself very well: it is now all in the hands of the judges.
Following the performance everyone went to Starbucks: a hot and stuffy walk, blessed with icy cold air-conditioning at the end; as well as chilled frappucinoes (milk-shakes) and familiar food.
The rest of the group returned for the super teams competition where teams of different nationalities join together to compete. I returned to the hotel in a taxi with Genna and Lily who were a little tired and under the weather: they would benefit from resting in their rooms.
Travelling by taxi is quite an experience in Suzhou. Taxi drivers don’t speak English (but why should they?), and we use the hotel’s business card to get us back to the hotel. Apart from this we rely on the hotel staff to tell the drivers where we want to go, and trust that they understand us in the first place. Still apart from Dr Hughes being taken to the wrong hotel last night, despite using the hotel’s card we generally get to the right place.
It appears that you can turn right against a red light a long as you don’t hit anything. Also taxi drivers use their horns a great deal. I think that this is mainly as a friendly “I am here signal”. I have rarely seen it used in anger or irritation. Given that many of the local people (on foot, cycles or mopeds) appear to have scant regard for the personal safety when crossing the roads, I think that this is an eminently sensible idea. Most of the taxi drivers I have used have been polite and considerate. The fare to the venue from our hotel is only 15 Yuan; that is about £1. Given that most taxis are icy from the air-conditioning I cannot understand how they can afford to charge these prices give the global oil price. I also have not seen any petrol stations in our entire visit.
In the evening we took a short walk to a public open space by the lakeside. There was going to be a light show with fountains. I borrowed Dr Hughes cheaper tripod for my camera as I was keen to try out night time photography. The walk to the lakeside as spectacularly lit by various buildings. We settled in some way from the lakeshore and waited for the show to start. With musical accompaniment a curtain of water rose and fell with ever-changing coloured lights, lasers and holographic images projected into the water of the fountains. It was an amazing sight. On the lake itself great gouts of flame danced just above the waves. The crowd filled the spaces near the lake itself, but there was plenty of room.
At the end we picked our way through the dispersing crowds and ended up at the hotel with instructions to order room service. After several attempts to get through to someone who spoke English Josie was told “Cook go home”, and we settled for bread, fruit and cheese from the local supermarket.
Competition Results
Rock 'n' Roar:
Superteams champion award
St Trinians:
- 1st place in RCJ robotic dance, along with 2 Israeli teams
- Superteams champion award
- Presentation award
Superteams champion award
St Trinians:
- 1st place in RCJ robotic dance, along with 2 Israeli teams
- Superteams champion award
- Presentation award
Friday, 18 July 2008
Mr. Hughes' Blog - Day 6
Day six:
This was the second day of competition. Rock ‘n’ Roar would have difficulty improving on their performance, but St Trinians would have a chance to get the DVD working as a backdrop to their performance and sort out a few minor technical glitches. In a reversal of order Rock ‘n; Roar were going first at about 3.00 p.m. and St Trinians were following on at 6.00 p.m.
Dr Hughes was judging the Primary section in the morning so she set of early. The rest of the group set off for the venue at about 11.30 a.m. It was very hot and humid as we walked to the bus stop. I commented to Josie about the lack of rain. She replied that there had been a thunderstorm the day before. I had been completely oblivious to this as in the giant halls of the venue there are no windows, and with all of the buzz of the competition you are unaware of the outside world.
The teams went off to check that their robots were in good working order. Then I took Rock ‘n; Roar to the Food Hall for lunch. Emily and I sat down for the Chinese buffet and Lily and Abbie settled for a Western-style snack. I have to say that the Chinese buffet was excellent. There were about 20 different dishes and the ones I chose tasted delicious. However I have to say that I steered clear of the Onions and Intestines dish. After the main course there was the dessert. This consisted of a variety of mildly spiced cakes and plenty of fruit. During the meal we were joined by the rest of the group.
After eating we returned to the Competition Hall and both teams started their preparations for the performance. While this was happening I wandered around the rest of the Hall to see what else was happening. There was plenty going on in the Rescue section where robots have to find and rescue people. Whooping and cheering came from the some of the nearby football table (about the same size as a pool table). Saudi Arabia had one of the biggest and most enthusiastic teams, and much of the noise and commotion was coming from their table. Incidentally the Chinese organisers had provided a prayer room and alternative eating arrangements for Muslim nations.
I settled down to watch the performances having found a very good spot for the video camera. Rock ‘n’ Roar came on and did a great set. As they were towards the beginning of the Secondary performances there was a bigger audience and a better crowd. The atmosphere was helped by a vocal group from Portugal who clapped, cheered and sang to Rock ‘n’ Roar. The girls did very well: all they could do now is to wait for the decision of the judges.
St Trinians came on after the break. The DVD extract from the recent film played in the background, all of the technical bits worked well and the girls produced an excellent performance. This was the better of their two performances: now it was down to the judges. They would decide who was going to be in the last eight and these would perform again on the morning of the following day to decide the winners.
Shortly after the end of the competition we all traipsed down to the Food Hall for dinner and most of us had Spaghetti Bolognese (macaroni shaped pasta with beef or tomato sauce). I had far too much of this Western dish and consequently suffered from a Western ailment, namely indigestion.
We returned to the Competition Hall to tidy up and await the results to see which 8 teams had got through to the final. I expected St Trinians to get through and I had high hopes for Rock ‘n’ Roar. It was a very tense hour. We suggested that I take Rock ‘n’ Roar back to the hotel, but they wanted to wait for the result. The judges convened for a long time before announcing that because the marks were so close they would allow 9 teams (rather than 8) to go through to the Finals on the following day. Judging this event has an element of subjectivity in it and it would be unfair to exclude a team if the marks were very close. An excited crowd followed the judge as he posted the list of Finalists on the official board. St Trinians were through, but unfortunately Rock ‘n’ Roar were not.
At about 9.30 p.m. and with mixed feelings we walked down to the bus stop. We split and some of us returned to the hotel by bus while the rest of us started out walking back. The walkers were rewarded by spectacular lights on the Science and Cultural Arts building which continually changed colour. Our path was well lit by many spectacular light structures.
Following Dr Hughes’ unerring nose for adventure we struck out along a scenic lakeside boardwalk. A cooling offshore lakeside breeze had begun and this was very refreshing. As we walked by the lake we encountered a number of local people curled up on the boardwalk taking advantage of the cool breeze. Unfortunately Dr Hughes’ sense of adventure had led us underneath the bridge over the lake instead of on to it. After an undignified scramble back on to the bridge we continued our brisk walk to the hotel.
After about a mile and a half and with energy levels falling we hailed taxis and returned to the hotel. Everyone quickly turned in for the night in preparation for the following day.
This was the second day of competition. Rock ‘n’ Roar would have difficulty improving on their performance, but St Trinians would have a chance to get the DVD working as a backdrop to their performance and sort out a few minor technical glitches. In a reversal of order Rock ‘n; Roar were going first at about 3.00 p.m. and St Trinians were following on at 6.00 p.m.
Dr Hughes was judging the Primary section in the morning so she set of early. The rest of the group set off for the venue at about 11.30 a.m. It was very hot and humid as we walked to the bus stop. I commented to Josie about the lack of rain. She replied that there had been a thunderstorm the day before. I had been completely oblivious to this as in the giant halls of the venue there are no windows, and with all of the buzz of the competition you are unaware of the outside world.
The teams went off to check that their robots were in good working order. Then I took Rock ‘n; Roar to the Food Hall for lunch. Emily and I sat down for the Chinese buffet and Lily and Abbie settled for a Western-style snack. I have to say that the Chinese buffet was excellent. There were about 20 different dishes and the ones I chose tasted delicious. However I have to say that I steered clear of the Onions and Intestines dish. After the main course there was the dessert. This consisted of a variety of mildly spiced cakes and plenty of fruit. During the meal we were joined by the rest of the group.
After eating we returned to the Competition Hall and both teams started their preparations for the performance. While this was happening I wandered around the rest of the Hall to see what else was happening. There was plenty going on in the Rescue section where robots have to find and rescue people. Whooping and cheering came from the some of the nearby football table (about the same size as a pool table). Saudi Arabia had one of the biggest and most enthusiastic teams, and much of the noise and commotion was coming from their table. Incidentally the Chinese organisers had provided a prayer room and alternative eating arrangements for Muslim nations.
I settled down to watch the performances having found a very good spot for the video camera. Rock ‘n’ Roar came on and did a great set. As they were towards the beginning of the Secondary performances there was a bigger audience and a better crowd. The atmosphere was helped by a vocal group from Portugal who clapped, cheered and sang to Rock ‘n’ Roar. The girls did very well: all they could do now is to wait for the decision of the judges.
St Trinians came on after the break. The DVD extract from the recent film played in the background, all of the technical bits worked well and the girls produced an excellent performance. This was the better of their two performances: now it was down to the judges. They would decide who was going to be in the last eight and these would perform again on the morning of the following day to decide the winners.
Shortly after the end of the competition we all traipsed down to the Food Hall for dinner and most of us had Spaghetti Bolognese (macaroni shaped pasta with beef or tomato sauce). I had far too much of this Western dish and consequently suffered from a Western ailment, namely indigestion.
We returned to the Competition Hall to tidy up and await the results to see which 8 teams had got through to the final. I expected St Trinians to get through and I had high hopes for Rock ‘n’ Roar. It was a very tense hour. We suggested that I take Rock ‘n’ Roar back to the hotel, but they wanted to wait for the result. The judges convened for a long time before announcing that because the marks were so close they would allow 9 teams (rather than 8) to go through to the Finals on the following day. Judging this event has an element of subjectivity in it and it would be unfair to exclude a team if the marks were very close. An excited crowd followed the judge as he posted the list of Finalists on the official board. St Trinians were through, but unfortunately Rock ‘n’ Roar were not.
At about 9.30 p.m. and with mixed feelings we walked down to the bus stop. We split and some of us returned to the hotel by bus while the rest of us started out walking back. The walkers were rewarded by spectacular lights on the Science and Cultural Arts building which continually changed colour. Our path was well lit by many spectacular light structures.
Following Dr Hughes’ unerring nose for adventure we struck out along a scenic lakeside boardwalk. A cooling offshore lakeside breeze had begun and this was very refreshing. As we walked by the lake we encountered a number of local people curled up on the boardwalk taking advantage of the cool breeze. Unfortunately Dr Hughes’ sense of adventure had led us underneath the bridge over the lake instead of on to it. After an undignified scramble back on to the bridge we continued our brisk walk to the hotel.
After about a mile and a half and with energy levels falling we hailed taxis and returned to the hotel. Everyone quickly turned in for the night in preparation for the following day.
Day five:
What a day! This was the first day of competition so everything had to be ready for the performances. St Trinians was scheduled for 6.00 p.m. and Rock ‘n’ Roar for 9.00 p.m. Rock ‘n’ Roar were almost the last act on the main stage: it was going to be a long day for everyone. The technical judging when the teams were asked questions on their robots was to be held in the afternoon for both teams.
Both teams spent the morning preparing their robots before setting of for the competition venue before lunch. I was sent into Suzhou city to find DV tapes for the camcorder and the elusive SIM cards to get our phones working in China. We have been trying to get these ever since we arrived, but with no success.
Stephen the hotel doorman gave instructions to my taxi driver as to where to drop me off in the city. The taxi driver appeared to be quite an irascible, impatient sort of a person. This was borne out by his driving; it was an interesting 15 minute ride. I saw a lot more bicycles on this journey and a lot more elderly people. In our stay in the hotel and in the short trips we have made from it everyone we saw was young (in their late teens and twenties). The very few elderly people we saw appeared to work for the local council keeping the street clean and doing gardening. There were also comparatively few children to be seen; evidence of the success of China’s one child per family policy?
As the taxi came closer to the centre of the city I saw a lot more elderly people walking and cycling through the streets. I saw a lot more bicycles too, and the buildings and streets looked older and more dilapidated in places. This was the China which I had expected.
After several twists and turns in the taxi which successfully disorientated me we stopped and I got out into the heat of the city. The air-conditioning in the taxi had been icy and refreshing; the heat hit me like a wall as I left it.
I walked into the shop to which I had been directed. I smiled at the staff and they smiled at me, and each other. We all knew that I didn’t speak a word of Chinese and that the next few minutes were going to be interesting. As it transpired they didn’t sell DV tapes or SIM cards, but they pointed to a nearby China Mobile shop. In here they wouldn’t sell me a SIM card without a passport, left in the hotel. Never mind, I went in search of DV tapes, having been directed by China Mobile staff to the People’s Store. This was a huge department store whose 5 floors I searched in vain for camera equipment. I showed various staff my camera and they nodded or shook their heads and pointed in various different directions. All were keen to help and a few tried out basic English. I ended up out on the streets again before finding a shop that had the Canon sign. This was another part of the People’s Store and where I got the DV tapes.
Having achieved (albeit) limited success I started to explore the local area (whilst keeping an eye on the main road I had entered from. A huge area was pedestrianised and full of an eclectic mix of shops. It was fantastic and fascinating. I could have spent all day there, but I had to get back to the hotel. After a quick purchase of gifts for my 2 girls I taxied back to the hotel and then caught the number 28 bus to the venue.
When I arrived Dr Hughes was judging the Primary section of the robot dance and both teams were getting prepared for the competition. I took Rock ‘n’ Roar to eat in the food area downstairs. Despite the obvious attractions of the Chinese buffet which looked delicious we settled for Western styled chips, beef burgers, etc. It was adequate, if uninspiring, but we all returned to the competition area refreshed.
The girls returned the pit area (robot preparation area) to get ready for the technical interviews. In these each team is asked about how the had engineered their robots and solved problems along the way. This is to identify teams who clearly know what they have been doing with their robots, compared to those who have had someone do it for them. Later in the day Dr Hughes told me of one team whose robot was at least 10 years old, discoloured and rusty. The team had clearly not worked on it themselves and the technical interviews highlighted this.
When I asked the teams how they did in their interviews they were both quite reserved. I think that the fact that they didn’t have English speaking judges may have been an issue.
I had settled to watch the performances trying to find a space where it was possible to video from. I did finally get into a good place.
The first of our teams to come on were St Trinians. The team before them had pulled out so they were unexpectedly called on to the stage. There were problems with the music and the DVD, and setting up all of their equipment. However when the music started everyone was in place and the robots worked well. The life sized robot which is the central dance character was fantastic with some very life-like “finessed” movements. Apparently one or two things did go wrong with the performance, but I was not aware of them as I was swept up in the show.
Then came Rock ‘n’ Roar as the penultimate act of the evening. They set up their robots quickly, and tidied away quickly too; this is important because each team only has 5 minutes to enter and leave the stage. After a quick set up Emily introduced the team, the music started and Rock ‘n; Roar went straight into their routine. The robots behaved impeccably. This was impressive because many of the competitors had problems with their robots and had to adjust them mid-routine, or just give up because they failed. It is not easy to get everything working without fault at the prescribed time. Lily, Abbie and Emily all danced well and with confidence. Everything worked very well and the team was very happy with the whole performance: fantastic.
After lengthy deliberations about how things could be improved for the repeat performance on the following day from the St Trinians technical team we all left the venue after 9.00 p.m. and taxied to the hotel. Dr Hughes stopped off at a supermarket to pick up some food for us and we had a good meal in our rooms. Everyone had had an exhausting day and went to bed as early as possible.
What a day! This was the first day of competition so everything had to be ready for the performances. St Trinians was scheduled for 6.00 p.m. and Rock ‘n’ Roar for 9.00 p.m. Rock ‘n’ Roar were almost the last act on the main stage: it was going to be a long day for everyone. The technical judging when the teams were asked questions on their robots was to be held in the afternoon for both teams.
Both teams spent the morning preparing their robots before setting of for the competition venue before lunch. I was sent into Suzhou city to find DV tapes for the camcorder and the elusive SIM cards to get our phones working in China. We have been trying to get these ever since we arrived, but with no success.
Stephen the hotel doorman gave instructions to my taxi driver as to where to drop me off in the city. The taxi driver appeared to be quite an irascible, impatient sort of a person. This was borne out by his driving; it was an interesting 15 minute ride. I saw a lot more bicycles on this journey and a lot more elderly people. In our stay in the hotel and in the short trips we have made from it everyone we saw was young (in their late teens and twenties). The very few elderly people we saw appeared to work for the local council keeping the street clean and doing gardening. There were also comparatively few children to be seen; evidence of the success of China’s one child per family policy?
As the taxi came closer to the centre of the city I saw a lot more elderly people walking and cycling through the streets. I saw a lot more bicycles too, and the buildings and streets looked older and more dilapidated in places. This was the China which I had expected.
After several twists and turns in the taxi which successfully disorientated me we stopped and I got out into the heat of the city. The air-conditioning in the taxi had been icy and refreshing; the heat hit me like a wall as I left it.
I walked into the shop to which I had been directed. I smiled at the staff and they smiled at me, and each other. We all knew that I didn’t speak a word of Chinese and that the next few minutes were going to be interesting. As it transpired they didn’t sell DV tapes or SIM cards, but they pointed to a nearby China Mobile shop. In here they wouldn’t sell me a SIM card without a passport, left in the hotel. Never mind, I went in search of DV tapes, having been directed by China Mobile staff to the People’s Store. This was a huge department store whose 5 floors I searched in vain for camera equipment. I showed various staff my camera and they nodded or shook their heads and pointed in various different directions. All were keen to help and a few tried out basic English. I ended up out on the streets again before finding a shop that had the Canon sign. This was another part of the People’s Store and where I got the DV tapes.
Having achieved (albeit) limited success I started to explore the local area (whilst keeping an eye on the main road I had entered from. A huge area was pedestrianised and full of an eclectic mix of shops. It was fantastic and fascinating. I could have spent all day there, but I had to get back to the hotel. After a quick purchase of gifts for my 2 girls I taxied back to the hotel and then caught the number 28 bus to the venue.
When I arrived Dr Hughes was judging the Primary section of the robot dance and both teams were getting prepared for the competition. I took Rock ‘n’ Roar to eat in the food area downstairs. Despite the obvious attractions of the Chinese buffet which looked delicious we settled for Western styled chips, beef burgers, etc. It was adequate, if uninspiring, but we all returned to the competition area refreshed.
The girls returned the pit area (robot preparation area) to get ready for the technical interviews. In these each team is asked about how the had engineered their robots and solved problems along the way. This is to identify teams who clearly know what they have been doing with their robots, compared to those who have had someone do it for them. Later in the day Dr Hughes told me of one team whose robot was at least 10 years old, discoloured and rusty. The team had clearly not worked on it themselves and the technical interviews highlighted this.
When I asked the teams how they did in their interviews they were both quite reserved. I think that the fact that they didn’t have English speaking judges may have been an issue.
I had settled to watch the performances trying to find a space where it was possible to video from. I did finally get into a good place.
The first of our teams to come on were St Trinians. The team before them had pulled out so they were unexpectedly called on to the stage. There were problems with the music and the DVD, and setting up all of their equipment. However when the music started everyone was in place and the robots worked well. The life sized robot which is the central dance character was fantastic with some very life-like “finessed” movements. Apparently one or two things did go wrong with the performance, but I was not aware of them as I was swept up in the show.
Then came Rock ‘n’ Roar as the penultimate act of the evening. They set up their robots quickly, and tidied away quickly too; this is important because each team only has 5 minutes to enter and leave the stage. After a quick set up Emily introduced the team, the music started and Rock ‘n; Roar went straight into their routine. The robots behaved impeccably. This was impressive because many of the competitors had problems with their robots and had to adjust them mid-routine, or just give up because they failed. It is not easy to get everything working without fault at the prescribed time. Lily, Abbie and Emily all danced well and with confidence. Everything worked very well and the team was very happy with the whole performance: fantastic.
After lengthy deliberations about how things could be improved for the repeat performance on the following day from the St Trinians technical team we all left the venue after 9.00 p.m. and taxied to the hotel. Dr Hughes stopped off at a supermarket to pick up some food for us and we had a good meal in our rooms. Everyone had had an exhausting day and went to bed as early as possible.
Thursday, 17 July 2008
Tris & Lizzy's Blog
Tris: Lizzy has just finished a pillow fight with a mosquito. What is this team degenerating into.....?
Onto more important things, our performance yesterday went well. With Maudy, the Aussie organiser, commenting on how well we performed. We are currently sitting in a room, listening to High School Musical, Lizzy's fault again....
The tigger team also did similarly as well. They crowd were very motivated into signing along with only Dr. Hughes joining in now and again. Maybe they should have translated in into Chinese characters.... (or not).
Lizzy: Well, I have had great fun getting worrying looks from chinese people whilst in my St Trinians uniform...oh the joy! I'm loving the food here, egg fried rice for breakfast lunch and dinner, yum yum.
I have also discovered a love of play areas, only chinese ones though. They are brilliant, half play area, half exercise equipment. So every morning at 7am, yes 7am, I have been having lots of fun, getting lost is also a regular occurrence for me.
Tris: again.. now i have got my computer back off lizzy i can continue where i left off, but lizzy has broken my 'U' key, typical... (only joking). We are off shortly to do our second preformance, hopefully more will sing along to the tiggers song and our robot will do the same as it did yesterday. We will post back tonight when we know who has made it through to the finals :D
Tris (lizzy is chasing a mosquito with a pen... when will she learn)
Onto more important things, our performance yesterday went well. With Maudy, the Aussie organiser, commenting on how well we performed. We are currently sitting in a room, listening to High School Musical, Lizzy's fault again....
The tigger team also did similarly as well. They crowd were very motivated into signing along with only Dr. Hughes joining in now and again. Maybe they should have translated in into Chinese characters.... (or not).
Lizzy: Well, I have had great fun getting worrying looks from chinese people whilst in my St Trinians uniform...oh the joy! I'm loving the food here, egg fried rice for breakfast lunch and dinner, yum yum.
I have also discovered a love of play areas, only chinese ones though. They are brilliant, half play area, half exercise equipment. So every morning at 7am, yes 7am, I have been having lots of fun, getting lost is also a regular occurrence for me.
Tris: again.. now i have got my computer back off lizzy i can continue where i left off, but lizzy has broken my 'U' key, typical... (only joking). We are off shortly to do our second preformance, hopefully more will sing along to the tiggers song and our robot will do the same as it did yesterday. We will post back tonight when we know who has made it through to the finals :D
Tris (lizzy is chasing a mosquito with a pen... when will she learn)
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
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