Commies Rule, Cappies Drool

That's right folks... the world's biggest communist country just hit top of the charts as biggest consumer. According to a CBC.ca article China just beat out America as the top consumer...

Oh, and for anyone that might have heard about that big coal mine explosion that has killed like 200-some-odd people... it was in the same province I am in, Liaoning, but is about 7 or 8 hours away.



If you drew a line straight down from Fuxin to the peninsula between Korea and Beijing, that's where I am.

Anyhow... as you might have guessed by all my reading of news back in Canada (boo hoo NHL) not much has really been happening to me since I got back to school earlier this week. I am hopeful for the weekend though, as I'm going to Shenyang with some friends. I hear it's a real shit-hole of a city, but well.. it's fifth biggest in China, and we've got bugger all else to do.

Alright - I've finally pulled some Spring Festival photos off my camera... nothing overly exciting (how do you top cold dead dog in your fridge?), but here they are:



[1] Serena outside a park near Victory Square. [2] There were four of these giant balls in Xinghai Park, spelling out Happy New Year I think.


[1] Victory Square Shopping Centre... loads of everything you need, and even more of everything you don't. [2] Ah, that's a firework. ;-)


[1] Annie's family and the Matthews, along with what's left of the lunch she had for us. [2] Later that night, we went to Kai Fa Qu for some drinks, met up with Lao Paul (old Paul) and Brandon, two English teacher's there.


[1] When will Canadian bartenders pick up on this trend? [2] These two girls were great, I mean I've seen chipper bartenders before, but they really looked like they were having fun.

NOTE: By the way! I got a program called Skype that will let me talk to you all over the Internet, virtually like it's a phone line. You just need speakers and a microphone. My username is thehumanaught.