A PLA officer explained, the 2 meter high fence with barbed wire along the border with the DPRK “was erected to prevent people and livestock from crossing the border by mistake” (China Daily 19 Oct). Oh boy, I would like to see those high-jumping livestock. Our Belgian cows don’t need that high fences. The PLA did not provide pics of the jumpy cows or sheep.
Now the question remains: are those fences in the Beijing embassy area set up to keep the live stock in or out of the embassies? Are embassies afraid the flying cattle would enter and graze on their lovely lawns? I can understand the cows, not much grass around there except in the embassy gardens. Also, I will not by mistake enter the Belgian embassy when visiting the small Friendship Supermarket across the street.
Grandfather again!
Sunday 22 October 2006: a call on my mobile…
Gilbert is grandfather again and Danny has a small brother – “Mikey”!
Marianne called me from Washington DC when I was in the middle of a seminar where I was a speaker and was just having Q&A. She told me the great news, she just had her second son – two days earlier than planned. What a surprise… I got pretty emotional and needed a stiff drink to recover (Jack Daniels to be American).
Name: Michael Ivis Cardwell, weight 3.37 kg and 50.8 cm long, or “Mikey”.
After some false starts on Saturday morning, a very hectic Sunday morning. At 5:30 am Marianne woke up having contractions and her water broke at 6:00. Marianne and Mike (or Michael) got to the hospital at 6:30, barely made it through registration, with contractions coming every minute or so. There was no time for an epidural and “Mikey” was born at 7:11 AM (local time in USA).
Mother and son are both doing great. Here are a few pictures taken by the Dad who also survived the experience without complications.
Marianne, Mikey trying the make the V-sign but then getting tired.
For more info see the blog of “The Cardwell Kids” – my two grandsons.
The ANA Beijing International Marathon 2006
Finally the much feared day – 15 October – is history and I finished my 4th marathon in a row, all in Beijing. First one was in 2003, les than two years after starting to do some sports and … running. I remember one day in 2002 I came home and proudly announced I had managed to run 1 Km on the treadmill. That machine looked so menacing to me and I could not imagine I could actually RUN. Here we are now and also 6 to 7 Kg lighter:
Year Official Time
2003 4h 48m 21s
2004 4h 45m 40s
2005 4h 39m 40s
2006 4h 31m 24s – real time 4h 30m
This year the weather and organization were both OK. Not like that horrible 2004 one when it was unusually warm and water was not available after Km 30. And you could drop dead also after Km 35 without anybody in sight to help you. Unfortunately two runners did drop dead, not to speak the over 100 others who needed to go to the hospital (of course official figures were lower…).
still strong – still positive
We had a grey sky, around 18C, low wind and pollution level (API) between 105 and 125 (not that great but for Beijing already “good”).
The good point:
Lots of volunteers, water stands, pickup buses all the way till the finish. This time, little nuisance from passing traffic.
The weak points were at the start – too chaotic – and the finish: impossible to get the certificate (at least 200 runners waiting), so I left without. Nobody could come to watch the arrival nor pick up the runners so other confusion of lost runners and friends. Especially foreigners who came to cheer were very unhappy. Somehow my family managed to shout a cryptic message before I entered the Asian Games complex (National Olympic Sports Center) so I knew I had to look for them at the East Gate.
My new training program did help me and I gained again several minutes. My time was 4 Hours and 30 minutes for the 42.195 Km. And it took exactly 41,000 steps – the reason why my leg muscles were all banana for the rest of the day. But on Monday I was “running” around to the usual busy meetings. Staircases were a bit tough to handle tough.
second thoughts or just nervous? – Carl (waiving) all cheerful
That pales of course compared to my friend Carl-Ludwig Doerwald who was close to me at the starting point and finished in 3H 40M real time.
the huge crowd
The Marathon is getting a bit too crowded – about 25,000 runners packed on Tiananmen in the morning, for the 4K, 8K, half marathon and full marathon. As usual in China, messy, disorganized and easy to get hurt at the start as nobody really cares to follow orders.
But I am not going to miss the next chaos and I will again see how to improve my training schedule. As for now, salvation! Back to my cigar, a good wine, my whisky and all the stuff that I am not supposed to do. Santé!
This is CRI, Easy FM! Let’s talk to Gilbert!
I am not a big fan of Chinese radio, they talk and blabla all the time, even when they call themselves “Music box” (the only English in the conversation).
Exception made for two FM channels in Beijing: 88.7 and 91.5 – CRI. They are mostly on when I work unless some mysterious interference in Julong wrecks (both) their transmission.
China Radio International is cool and news comes in several languages. Of course they are really cool coz they regularly interview me, and better, their journalist is friendly (and cute, look yourself).
Yan Yinan of CRI bugging me again but she is convincing. For once, in a relaxed environment just before I went to the gym. Yinan took over from Chris Verril who left CRI.
Every Thursday between 11 and 12 am and between 5 and 6 pm I give a small talk about Beijing, the preparation for the Olympics (or lack of), the pollution, the disregard for disabled people, doping, even corruption (and it was NOT censored), etc. I must admit one thing: I hate to listen to my own voice, I think it’s “bu hao ting”, on the other hand I am curious to know what went through (or not). Mostly I … forget to listen anyway or I am out for meetings.
So, keep your ears to CRI EASY FM, at 91.5 FM from Beijing for China!
A new book about China! – and about Gilbert for once!
For a change, a book is coming out right now in Belgium about China:
“Made in China – Meningen van daar”
van Ng Sauw Tjhoi & Marc Vandepitte
[Co-editie met Radio 1]
[Met de steun van het Fonds Pascal Decroos]
van Ng Sauw Tjhoi & Marc Vandepitte
[Co-editie met Radio 1]
[Met de steun van het Fonds Pascal Decroos]
And, more curiously, with a whole chapter (no. 42) about myself – result of a couple of interviews by the authors. And, once again sorry guys, it’s all in Dutch.
For a full introduction to the book, click here: Made in China intro.pdf
Some journalists are a pain in the butt, some can be really nice. Ng Sauw Tjhoi, one of the two authors is a charming guy to meet but he has the exceptional touch to send a copy of what he wrote. It’s always interesting to read what people think you told them, or how to find out they have been putting words in your mouth with the most unlikely results. At least I don’t have a boss who could yell at me and ask what the hell went on in my mind to talk all that nonsense to journalists. Lately I have become philosophical about it. As Sun says, never mind, it makes you famous and if nobody complains within a week, just ignore the nonsense they wrote.
So, what I can say about the new book? Well, I am in a soft spot here. Tjhoi has more or less faithfully recorded my ramblings, spiced it up a bit but the end result is kinda interesting. If you wanna know more, learn Dutch and buy the book. Can’t say no more folks. But next time Tjhoi comes over in Beijing, I’ll buy him more than one nice drink.
I think the biggest creativity I ever experienced with journalists was in January of this year. I was interviewed by Chinese journalists when listening to the presentation of Beijing’s Eleventh Five Year Plan (very few foreigners were invited…).
15 Jan. 06: Sun and Gilbert in the Beijing People’s Congress to listen to Mayor Wang Qishan; the journalists asking questions and hearing different things – I knew there was something spooky with that photographer.
Explaining a bit the work I had just done for the Beijing Government they turned it around and the headlines blasted something like “Gilbert is happy to learn that Beijing has followed his proposals for the new Plan” (Beijing Youth Daily – 16 Jan. 06). Yeah, of course. Good boy, Mayor Wang Qishan, you listened sooo well. Oops. Well, nobody seemed upset and the police did not come knocking on my door so I guess it was all fine after all.
As a result, I am now starting to report and comment on journalists. Turn the tables. So, next time you interview me – you have been warned. As for Tjhoi, he passed the test.