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
Mr. Hughes' Blog - Day 4
Day four:
It is 11.00 a.m. Both teams have spent the morning preparing the robots and practising their dances. We are now packing the robots and sorting out the logistics of getting them to the venue in one piece. I have been to the venue to book the practise times for both teams on the dance stage ands to pick up the security passes. The adult passes were not ready so we will have to pick these up this afternoon. The rest of the passes were ready, but it was a bit of a melee to sort them out with various Chinese helpers busily sorting out the slips we gave them to find the right pass. The Chinese are very keen to help, but the language barrier is quite a big issue, however I muddled through.
Language is a real problem for me. I have O level French and German (only just), but the Chinese language and speech cadence is so very different that I cannot understand a word. English is understood by few and spoken by even fewer. Under these circumstances I usually resort to mime and basic charades which gets me through. Unfortunately in
The pool was small and irregular in shape, designed for relaxation and conversation rather than swimming. There was also a smaller Jacuzzi shaped pool where you could relax while hundreds of tiny (minnow sized) fish swam around you. There were very modern power showers, a sauna, shaving area and a massage area. I could spend the whole day there with a massage for under £20, although working out the tariff took several conversations and one phone call.
The Chinese are very keen to understand and to please. In fact they will happily nod their heads in understanding and bring you their interpretation of what you have asked for because they don’t want to embarrass you by not understanding what you have said. As I re-read this it sounds complicated, but I think that it is true. I have found this when ordering meals, and when talking to hotel staff.
In the hotel the Reception staff do not really understand English. When I talk to them they often call over one of the door attendants who has good English. Interestingly his name is Stephen, although he is native Chinese. He is a college student who is doing holiday work in the hotel; he is a very useful person to know.
It is now 7.45 p.m. We have just got back from the venue. Today was setup day where we took all of the robots to the venue, set them up, tested them and had a run through on the main stage. All of the girls worked very well throughout the day preparing their robots and practising their dance routine.
It was a logistical challenge to get all of the teams’ kit to the venue, and it took four taxis to get us there. Our taxi cost 14 Yuan, or about £1. It was a little disconcerting to see our taxi driving on the wrong side of the road to avoid the potholes, and to be greeted by team members at the venue who had left after us, but it was quick.
We were quickly unpacked and assembling the robots. Each team had been allocated a small space to work in among the rest of the teams. It was quite an experience working next to teams from
There were issues of space for the posters and getting the music right, but everything was resolved and both teams had successful practices. Rock ‘n’ Roar were so keen that they had 4 run-throughs on the day.
We had a late lunch with a take-out from Starbucks which refreshed everyone, and spent the afternoon watching other teams, doing our practises and getting ready for the real thing. There is a lot for the teams to think about in terms of checking equipment and getting everything to the main stage without damage. We discussed who should carry what, and how to carry everything while also having someone looking after equipment so that it did not get interfered with. Sabotage is a real issue in this competition and I heard tales from previous years of robot parts being tied up with cable tidies so they could not function properly and infrared interference. The whole spirit of the competition is one of meeting different teams and sharing ideas, so the notion of winning at all costs is a strange one.
As the darkness grew we left the venue and caught the 28 bus. The lights on the Science and Cultural Centre were starting to glow in the gathering dusk, a myriad of lights continually changing colours: it was beautiful and spectacular. Back in the hotel everyone collapsed after the effort of the day. There was a competition reception at a local school, but no-one felt up to it. We had a small DIY meal in our rooms before getting to bed. I fell asleep after trawling through the offerings of Chinese TV. It seems very similar to our own in many respects: news, soaps, reality TV, competitions, etc. I watched some incredible acrobatics on a circus performance and tried to watch Chinese opera; but as with European opera I found it difficult going.
Tuesday, 15 July 2008
Mr. Hughes' Blog - Day 3
Katie Melua sang about there being “5 million bicycles in Beijing”. There may well be that number in Beijing, but I think that I can count the number of basic bicycles that I have seen on the fingers of my hands. Yesterday was Monday, and I presume a normal business day. There were quite a few cars, many of which you could buy on forecourts in the UK: a mixture of Japanese, German and American. Buses were a popular option, and many people used scooters or electric bicycles. However, there did not appear to be many people around. Given the fact that there are very many very tall apartment buildings and that you have very wide roads capable of taking lots of vehicles there very few people about. I cannot remember seeing many commercial vehicles at all, apart from a few small lorries involved in local business.
We had a simple lunch bought from a local supermarket: bread, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, etc. Before lunch the teams sorted out the robots as far as they were able and practiced their dance routines.
Following lunch we set out for the Expo centre where the Robocup 2008 competition was being held. We found successfully the route of the number 28 bus which quickly took us to the centre. This bus did not have the snowflake symbol indicating air-conditioning, but with open windows and a short ride it was not a problem. We observed that whenever the bus stopped the engine cut out. The more cynical among us (myself included) thought that it was probably due to the age of the buses and that the engines were starting to fail; however a far more likely conclusion is that it is an anti pollution measure. Pollution is a problem with a fairly permanent light haze / smog reducing visibility a little, and I have seen 2 people with anti pollution masks. This is disappointing for an aspiring photographer such as myself. One innovation that is was interested to see was a timed countdown at the traffic lights to indicate how much longer you had to wait before they changed.
The Expo centre is huge with massive halls; I hope that the photographs give some indication of the scale. We registered after lunch having gone through airport type security checks on our belongings as we entered. We then had a good look around the main Hall where all of the competitions were being held. The different competitions include robotic football played at a variety of scales from something the size of a pool table to a tennis court. Particularly endearing are the IBOs (no-one can tell me what this means by the way). These are cute robot dogs which are programmed to play football. They track a small orange ball, move towards it and capture the ball between their front paws, then orient themselves towards the goal and with a flick of their head send the ball towards the goal. Other IBOs are programmed as goal keepers. I am told that these robots can be sent off for aggressive behaviour. Another competition involves robot rescue where a robot has to act autonomously to navigate itself through a ruined building to find and rescue people. There are also competitions involving humanoid robots as well as computer simulations based entirely on screens.
After a good look around we investigated the food hall on the Ground Floor. This is a massive hangar-scaled room with a large eating area. The menu include sit-down and buffet Western and Chinese meals.
Following this we walked across to nearby Cultural Centre. This looks amazing from the outside appearing to be built from a regular pattern of large metal strips beautifully interwoven. A feature of its lake-side aspect is a number of colourful parts of the building which look fantastic. We stepped inside the building and were swallowed up into a blissfully cool and spacious marbled environment. The atrium area was vast and fronted by a spectacular and massive coloured glass façade. We walked up the huge marbled staircase to explore the building and to find out about the iMax cinema found there. We decided to see a film at another time then tried to find the outlet of Starbucks which we knew was there. After a number of forays in the lift and unsuccessful explorations we did find someone who understood a little English and was able to help us find the café. We followed a Chinese attendant across wide stretches of marble before being ushered outside and shown how to get to Starbucks. The air-conditioning was so cold that it was a real shock to be outside again, but we regained similarly icy conditions in Starbucks where we found staff who understood English: a most welcome change. After free samples of cheesecake and frappacinoes (a new experience for me) we each settled for a variety of refreshments. The food and drink were excellent and may very well provide a more palatable alternative for our teams during the competition.
At about 5.00 p.m. we returned to the hotel on the bus. After some time to relax we went to dinner. We had planned a much simpler meal in the main restaurant rather than a formal Chinese meal in a private dining room. However we were directed to the private dining area again, although we were reassured that we were dining from the more simple menu. I don’t know whether our hosts are being extremely polite in doing this, or whether they are just trying to keep those crazy English people (who wash their fingers in our tea) away from the rest of the guests in the hotel. Once again the meal was delicious, and although the food still kept on coming, we managed to get to the end without feeling too overwhelmed. One thing that I did notice is that the hostess seemed keen that we finish each individual dish as it arrived before serving the next one; very different from our convention of having everything on the table at once.
Following the meal the majority of the group went out to investigate the night time city. I didn’t go, but I gather the heat and humidity, both still very high, and the local supermarket defeated their night-time stroll.
John Hughes
We had a simple lunch bought from a local supermarket: bread, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, etc. Before lunch the teams sorted out the robots as far as they were able and practiced their dance routines.
Following lunch we set out for the Expo centre where the Robocup 2008 competition was being held. We found successfully the route of the number 28 bus which quickly took us to the centre. This bus did not have the snowflake symbol indicating air-conditioning, but with open windows and a short ride it was not a problem. We observed that whenever the bus stopped the engine cut out. The more cynical among us (myself included) thought that it was probably due to the age of the buses and that the engines were starting to fail; however a far more likely conclusion is that it is an anti pollution measure. Pollution is a problem with a fairly permanent light haze / smog reducing visibility a little, and I have seen 2 people with anti pollution masks. This is disappointing for an aspiring photographer such as myself. One innovation that is was interested to see was a timed countdown at the traffic lights to indicate how much longer you had to wait before they changed.
The Expo centre is huge with massive halls; I hope that the photographs give some indication of the scale. We registered after lunch having gone through airport type security checks on our belongings as we entered. We then had a good look around the main Hall where all of the competitions were being held. The different competitions include robotic football played at a variety of scales from something the size of a pool table to a tennis court. Particularly endearing are the IBOs (no-one can tell me what this means by the way). These are cute robot dogs which are programmed to play football. They track a small orange ball, move towards it and capture the ball between their front paws, then orient themselves towards the goal and with a flick of their head send the ball towards the goal. Other IBOs are programmed as goal keepers. I am told that these robots can be sent off for aggressive behaviour. Another competition involves robot rescue where a robot has to act autonomously to navigate itself through a ruined building to find and rescue people. There are also competitions involving humanoid robots as well as computer simulations based entirely on screens.
After a good look around we investigated the food hall on the Ground Floor. This is a massive hangar-scaled room with a large eating area. The menu include sit-down and buffet Western and Chinese meals.
Following this we walked across to nearby Cultural Centre. This looks amazing from the outside appearing to be built from a regular pattern of large metal strips beautifully interwoven. A feature of its lake-side aspect is a number of colourful parts of the building which look fantastic. We stepped inside the building and were swallowed up into a blissfully cool and spacious marbled environment. The atrium area was vast and fronted by a spectacular and massive coloured glass façade. We walked up the huge marbled staircase to explore the building and to find out about the iMax cinema found there. We decided to see a film at another time then tried to find the outlet of Starbucks which we knew was there. After a number of forays in the lift and unsuccessful explorations we did find someone who understood a little English and was able to help us find the café. We followed a Chinese attendant across wide stretches of marble before being ushered outside and shown how to get to Starbucks. The air-conditioning was so cold that it was a real shock to be outside again, but we regained similarly icy conditions in Starbucks where we found staff who understood English: a most welcome change. After free samples of cheesecake and frappacinoes (a new experience for me) we each settled for a variety of refreshments. The food and drink were excellent and may very well provide a more palatable alternative for our teams during the competition.
At about 5.00 p.m. we returned to the hotel on the bus. After some time to relax we went to dinner. We had planned a much simpler meal in the main restaurant rather than a formal Chinese meal in a private dining room. However we were directed to the private dining area again, although we were reassured that we were dining from the more simple menu. I don’t know whether our hosts are being extremely polite in doing this, or whether they are just trying to keep those crazy English people (who wash their fingers in our tea) away from the rest of the guests in the hotel. Once again the meal was delicious, and although the food still kept on coming, we managed to get to the end without feeling too overwhelmed. One thing that I did notice is that the hostess seemed keen that we finish each individual dish as it arrived before serving the next one; very different from our convention of having everything on the table at once.
Following the meal the majority of the group went out to investigate the night time city. I didn’t go, but I gather the heat and humidity, both still very high, and the local supermarket defeated their night-time stroll.
John Hughes
Monday, 14 July 2008
Abi & Lily in the park, where it was already extremely hot at 9:30 am!
Abi... deep in conversation!
The hotel lobby ceiling mirror, which reflects everything below - including us!
Mr. Hughes' Blog Entry
We left promptly from Amberfield and had an easy trip to Heathrow with Gilpatrick’s. As we left the comfort of the minibus we complained about the cold. We would be unprepared for the heat and humidity of Shanghai. Our flight to Paris was uneventful, albeit delayed. This put pressure on our transfer to the Shanghai flight, however Air France personnel whisked us from our plane to the Shanghai flight by car: very efficient and helpful. Unfortunately although we made the flight very comfortably not all of entire luggage did. On arrival at Pudong we were told that 2 suitcases had not made the trip with us. Unfortunately this included Genna’s clothes and critical parts of the robots! We were nevertheless still impressed with the speed at which the error had been identified and as I type (now midday) the suitcases are being delivered to the hotel.
Our passage through customs, passport control, etc. were a formality and everyone was very helpful and friendly. Our journey to the hotel was uneventful, but everyone was glad to arrive and settled in. We visited the Robocup venue which is a splendid building less than 10 minutes by bus and 25 minutes to walk, although the humidity and heat are an obstacle. The number 28 bus goes from almost outside our hotel directly to the venue; It is air-conditioned and costs a massive 7p a ride.
I cannot end without mentioning the meal we had last night. We wanted something quite simple to introduce our palates to China. We had ordered a mixture of Chinese and Western food. We got back from the venue and we ushered into a private room. I was a little in awe of the formality, but quickly settled to the meal. The waitress was meticulous in the way she started to lay the dishes on the lazy susan on the table. We were each given a bowl of yellow liquid at the begging which we assumed was for washing our fingers in. We were later asked why we didn’t like our tea! We all helped ourselves to plates of food that just kept on coming. Not only were there too many dishes for the table, but every so often everyone was served with soup, or a meat dish or something else. There was a massive selection of food to suit everyone’s tastes. After everyone was full and satisfied they then brought a whole fish to the table followed by a mountain of broccoli, peppers and other vegetables. Then we were served with pork fritters (which were delicious). It was a superb meal and quite unlike anything I have experienced before.
To continue . .
It is now midmorning on Monday (I think). We have been for a short walk around the hotel; founds a supermarket (bought a simple lunch) and walked back through a small park. In the process we have found a Starbucks and an ice cream parlour: good work everyone. Breakfast consisted of the familiar and the unfamiliar. We had cereals, tea, coffee, toast, sausages, bacon, baked beans, fruit, etc. as well as noodles, deep fried doughnuts, mysterious vegetables and things that were only labelled in Chinese: fantastic!
Day Two: morning
Well, what can I say? A thousand thoughts swim through my mind as I try to organise how to begin. I look around my hotel room which is typical of many of the business hotels I have used in Britain. It has a comfortable, if firm (good for my back), double bed. It has an ensuite bathroom I would like to take home and a huge television with 57 channels, 50 of which are in Chinese, with no Sky Sports I note so I cannot find out the Test cricket score against South Africa. The room also has plenty of storage, although curiously few drawers; most of it is is wardrobe hanging space.
I am sitting at my desk as I type, noting the blue cable for my Internet connection in my room and drinking the bitter green leaved Chinese tea. All of my carefully held preconceptions about China are fast eroding. I should say that as a Geography teacher in my past I know a little bit about China; or at least I thought I knew . . .
As a “Less Economically Developed Country” (more PC than “Third World”) China faces huge problems of poverty, disease, population growth, etc. I saw none of these on my first day in this country. I tell a lie as I saw 2 men hawking melons outside our hotel. Apart from this all I saw was a modern industrial nation showing signs of great economic power and growth. Pudong (Shanghai) airport is huge, modern, shows strong elements of modern architectural design and is very clean. To be honest it put Heathrow to shame, although it is not half as busy as Heathrow.
On the 2 hour journey (air-conditioned thankfully) from the airport to the hotel almost all I saw were modern transport routes (including the high speed maglev railway) modern high-rise flats, and modern industrial developments. One building stretched to almost 1 kilometre in length! To continue . . It is now midmorning on Monday (I think). We have been for a short walk around the hotel; founds a supermarket (bought a simple lunch) and walked back through a small park. In the process we have found a Starbucks and an ice cream parlour: good work everyone. Breakfast consisted of the familiar and the unfamiliar. We had cereals, tea, coffee, toast, sausages, bacon, baked beans, fruit, etc. as well as noodles, deep fried doughnuts, mysterious vegetables and things that were only labelled in Chinese: fantastic!
China!
Well, arriving in China, after a 30 hour day of travelling, we arrived at our hotel - minus two bags, which didn't manage to get on our flight, oh well...only robots?!
So at the hotel we explored a bit and then I fell asleep, and then got forced to wake up :( We then went to register our teams, but couldn't because we have to wait until tomorrow. We then returned to the hotel, after nearly being run over at least 100 times, cars and lorries tend not to stop at crossings, regardless of red lights. Once returning to the hotel, it was dinner time; and, as most of you know, I am awkward and have a nut allergy, communicating this was great fun! But the food we had was amazing, more and more kept coming out, we had no idea what was what, but most of it tasted good.
Now we have come back to our rooms and sorted out our stuff and hopefully the missing bags are returning tomorrow!
Hope you're all missing us!
Lizzy & the rest of the St Trinians lot :)
So at the hotel we explored a bit and then I fell asleep, and then got forced to wake up :( We then went to register our teams, but couldn't because we have to wait until tomorrow. We then returned to the hotel, after nearly being run over at least 100 times, cars and lorries tend not to stop at crossings, regardless of red lights. Once returning to the hotel, it was dinner time; and, as most of you know, I am awkward and have a nut allergy, communicating this was great fun! But the food we had was amazing, more and more kept coming out, we had no idea what was what, but most of it tasted good.
Now we have come back to our rooms and sorted out our stuff and hopefully the missing bags are returning tomorrow!
Hope you're all missing us!
Lizzy & the rest of the St Trinians lot :)
Sunday, 13 July 2008
At the Airport
We were off to a good start, except for the fact that Nicky Hughes was not allowed to go through customs with a pair of scissors, a pair of wire cutters and a metal skewer! Lily (being her usual self) had to throw away a bottle of PowerAde and a bottle of water, which again was not allowed through customs. We waited for our flight for about 2 to 3 hours in this time everyone went off to look around some shops that were there, but most of us were entertained by the flying pigs in the Hamley’s shop!Thankfully the wine shop was not so popular.When the gates for our flight finally opened, everyone gathered together their belongings (flying pigs included) and headed to the waiting area. Abi and Lily managed to clamber over the chairs and got onto a ledge near the windows and stayed there for the duration, watching planes.
Saturday, 12 July 2008
At the airport!
It is now 11:30, and we have managed to make it through security reasonably successfully apart from the metal skewer, wire clippers, scissors and bottled water (& the gun, aka. water pistol) that some seemed determined to take through!
We are now waiting in the departure lounge, waiting for our first flight to CDG.
We are now waiting in the departure lounge, waiting for our first flight to CDG.
Sunday, 6 July 2008
6 days to go....
With only 6 days left the tigers are chasing the ducks, who are eating the flowers...
Now the tigers are restrained and the ducks returned to their ultra-sound pond, normality is returned and we can finally concentrate on getting everything working :-D.
Now the tigers are restrained and the ducks returned to their ultra-sound pond, normality is returned and we can finally concentrate on getting everything working :-D.
Saturday, 5 July 2008
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