Thursday, April 27, 2006

My Mistake

Well once again I did not do quite enough research.
The last post about the size of Shanghai was slightly inaccurate because the figure of 6300 square kilometers covers the whole municipality of Shanghai and not just the mostly urban areas of the city. For instance there is a long drive from the Puxi side of the Huangpu to the international airport at Pudong, but most of it is agricultural once you get out of the industrial area south of Jinqiao. We are not familiar with the northern part of the city but it may be similar. The outskirts are where you are finding more of the single family dwellings rather than the multistory buildings further into the core.
Anyway the long and short of it is that the urban area is roughly 2057 square kms.
So with this in mind we find these results as follows:
Shanghai's urban area is 14.28 times larger than Saskatoon's (for my Sask wife :) )
Shanghai is actually 18.04 times bigger than Vancouver (no this does not include Delta, Richmond, North Van, blah blah blah)
Shanghai's urban area is smaller than Vancouver metropolitan area, but with 3 times denser a population. (It sure did not look this way flying over it. It just went on and on while Vancouver seemed small by comparison. That's web stats for ya)
I could go on, but you get the picture......right??

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Big Enough I Guess

Cris was wondering today exactly how big Shanghai, China is and so I found the Wikipedia site which says that it covers roughly 6300 square kilometers. This did not quite do it though because it gave no real reference. So we did some calculations and compared it to an area in Saskatchewan. First off we found that it actually covers substantially more area than Prince Albert National Park, but this also didn't do it. So think of this the next time you drive from Saskatoon to Duck Lake, when you arrive you will have just traveled across the city of Shanghai. The distance of 88 kilometers would represent the diameter of Shanghai if it were in a perfect circle.
Hmmm
Being from B.C. myself I had to find that it would also be like (well somewhat considering the curviness of the roads compared to the big SK). So from downtown Vancouver start driving and go till you get somewhere around the Vedder Bridge (Wow, eh Ma). Or go as the crow flies from Penticton to Vernon.
Cool.
Thought y'all might be interested.

Friday, April 21, 2006

The Dangers Of Mixed Marriages...:)

My wife showed me this after she had been checking out a Shanghai expat community blog.LOL.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

The Beat(ting) Goes On


So it continues unabated in China. The PSB (Public Security Bureau) breaks up a meeting of our brothers and sisters and drags them off to detention, prison and torture. We don't hear much about this in the flood of news stories coming from mainland China. The economic boom and rising power of the awakened 'Dragon' makes up the bulk of the front pages, not the daily plight of Christians and others seeking religious freedom under an atheistic government.

The interesting thing this time is that there were Americans detained and interrogated as well. Perhaps this will bring the suffering into sharper focus for us.
The daily challenge to faith in China is markedly different from here and it isn't. In their case they must try to avoid detection by hostile forces and we must try to be detected by largely apathetic forces. In this we differ, but in the sense of conflict we do not. We are all under attack in this world, whether it is the sinister anesthetic gas attacks of the spirit we deal with here or the heavy blows of electrified police batons there.
Please join us in praying for our brothers and sisters who suffer abroad in conditions we do not understand. Please join us in praying for the leaders of China that their eyes would be open to the light of Christ. Pray for President Hu Jin Tao as he visits the U.S. on a trade mission that he would be confronted with these injustices by the right voices.
Please pray for China.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Our Little Oasis

So we finally made it for a night out on our own. It has been a while, but well worth the wait. Cris found this great B&B in Peachland called Okanagan Oasis. We would totally recommend this place to anyone, it was so relaxing. Of course we would also recommend getting married in early April because you get better rates and there are fewer people around. We got the whole place to ourselves and it was great.
The view was amazing wherever we looked and the amenities were very tasteful. The first thing we did was just crash on the bed and relax. It was so good to not be wondering when the kids were going to come in and jump on us or when we would have to go and mediate a fight.
The house had been reno'ed for the B&B just 3 years ago and the back yard is still in progress. The deck they have built is multilevel and at night it is set off with rope lights which add a great atmosphere.In this picture you can also see the palm tree by the hottub which was lit up at night too and just added to the ambiance. We sat and talked in the tub for 2 hours. This is another benefit of the April anniversary, the air was cool enough to let us sit in the tub for as long as we liked.
Going into the weekend planning a month previous we both had to let go of any huge expectations. We found that this was just putting too much pressure on us to have the 'perfect' weekend. We have found that when we do this we just find ourselves going from thing to thing trying to find that 'perfection' and it just eludes us and we are totally spent by the end of it. This was the perfect opposite.

So all in all this was a fantastic weekend getaway, and a great 10 year celebration. We can't wait for #20!!
Apr 9,06 (6)

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Ten Years Ago Today...


Wow, it has been ten years since I wed this gorgeous lass and not a minute of it has been a regret. She has made me a better man in so many ways. This isn't some wined up anniversary toast either. Her perserverance and patience has challenged me to rise up on more occasions than I can count. I shudder to think who I would be without her.
Her beauty is truly radiant. It will always be, because it is the reflection of her heart on her whole being. She is lit by God's love which guides her through our family like a thread. If I am the covering over this family, she is assuredly the walls. She holds me with love and respect and shelters our wee ones with great care. I see in their smiles the comfort they draw from her daily. Their confidence in the face of life's trials is a testament to her nuture.
I love this lady and always will.
If as you read this you have a glass in hand, please raise it and toast this, my great love.
Happy anniversary Sweetness.