In which I earn my keep: Woke up half an hour before my alarm this morning, and did my best to convince my body that the sunlight seeping through the cracks in the curtains didn’t mean “daytime,” to no avail. Otherwise, no major jet lag yet. I speak with baited breath, waiting for the brutal retribution to strike.
Took a mid-length walk this evening around my hotel. Wandered past street merchants and restaurants, women carrying babies and young people on dates. I’m still struck by the fact that so much more is familiar than not. It’s a city with an industrial past…and I’ve seen those before. The drivers don’t give an inch, and pedestrians stick together for safety from the cars.
Excellent dim sum for dinner. When you sit down at a restaurant, the hostess comes over immediately and chats with the person in charge of your party, and they agree on a dinner. There is no casual perusal of the menu, drink order, appetizer order, and then the meal order. On the other hand, people expect to be guided through the menu. Tea is the drink of choice.
Training all day today. I gave an hour presentation on how to sell our software, and about five or six hours of hands on technical training to the engineers who will be installing it at customer sites. Nobody was able to build a cluster to completion, but they all seemed to learn a lot and stay engaged. The groups kept working after we officially called for breaks and quitting, which is always a good sign. On the other hand, if the hardware works okay, and the students don’t get it…it’s the teacher who needs to change.
There are many soldiers in Beijing. They stand very firmly at attention, and display their weapons very clearly. I am on my best behavior. Tomorrow I go to Singapore, where there is caning for misdemeanors. I will continue on my best behavior there.
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