Travel Life

 I recently (this year), was chatting with my brother when he mentioned playing Chess through an APP togther, the whole turn-based waiting and anticipating a turn that would never come was not something I was dying to experience, but certainly reminded me of the hilarious feats I attempted when I was younger and a lot less busy-"Risk", "Words With Friends", "Battleship", and many others. At one point in University I was trying not to let those games that I grew up with, just dissipate into nostalgic experiences. I wanted to remember how those games worked and try to apply them to my classroom activites-to arying degress of success, but I managed in more cases than not.  Anyways, I had COVID in December, just around the time I was chatting with my brother when I decided, well, heck I am quaratined in an apartment, might as well give "Words with Friends" a shot, see if anyone I know still plays-spoiler alert, they don't. I did however have some...

 Greetings!  If there is nothing else you can think of doing ANYWHERE in China, there is ALWAYS eating. Yes, eating. Consider this time you have here in this hige country that is full of ethnic diversity as a great time to put on some weight with many opportunities to either walk it out or sweat it out! Today, we are revisiting a culinary experience I had with my family (my toddler son and wife-who is Chinese). We went out to Beijing Lu, although I have been a couple times, I agreed that on this particular weekend I could alright with going back in the company of my family-I wasn't really a big fan of "Beijing Lu", too rich and crowded for me. I certainly prefer a BBQ area, quiet(-ish)..for drunks, maybe a little dirty, or just generally not around so many people who are staring at my son and I/ttaking pictures etc. Not that I'd prefer to take my son to a place like that, but in generalities, I am not one for the whole crowded restuarant scene. I like good food, and s...

 Tim Horton's, historically an iconic Canadian coffee. No very much just a painful reminder of how in this world, money can buy nearly everything including one's nostalgic blue collar upbringing.  Being born in Hamilton, there is still a yearning for the smell of coffee and cigarettes that will forever make me think of Saturday mornings on the construction site with my Dad. I know how that may come across as strange and unfortaunte, but I mean, the 90's.  Fast forward to Tim Horton's in China (specifically GZ), I mean, being here in China for their first debut in Shanghai and Beijing, it was interesting to hear and see. The iconic Tim Horton's vibe did not make it through the focus groups though, Tim Horton's very much became an upscale competitor with Starbucks, being featured in the fancy malls of cities and in some airports, its not too far off from what someone coming from Canada might expect, then again I am speaking from the expectation that in Canada ther...