A couple of days ago, I took a few pictures of my favorite park in Calgary. Here they are…

While our friends in Houston appreciate the relief that comes with the fall and the drop in temperatures, we enjoy mother Nature colors and the sun whenever it is out. Obviously, it is getting colder in Calgary and we even had a couple a snow storms, a few inches of snow that lasted for a few days.

Yesterday was exceptionnaly gorgeous and our star was kind enough to radiate its warmth all over the house. The cats are craving such attention and they were following the rays like well programmed phototropic robots.

By sunset, we went for a walk into Nose Hill park, which is one of the largest municipal parks in North America. To my surprise, you can find solitude there. The snow capped mountains block the western horizon  and downtown lays at its feet to the south.

In Calgary, Fall marks the beginning of the new season for many clubs and associations. It seems that we leave the outdoors to focus again on social activities and other human beings. For example, CAMUG and APLN local chapter seasons have begun. I was privileged to present my department work during CAMUG October session and I was pleased to share the result of our work with like-minded individuals. If you live in Calgary and are into software engineering and project management, I strongly encourage you to have a look at those two organizations.

Sunday was a fine day. The temperature was cool (around 18C) and even though it was slightly raining, this was a good day for a hike near Canmore. Enjoy the pictures.

Last month, we went to Spain for a week. It was nice to warm up our old bones to the sun before returning to Calgary and get ready for the frigid winter. We had a lot of sun and a lot of fun. I even had a tan for a few days after our return.

I was really impressed by this country unknown to me even though it is only one hour away by car from where I grew up. I had to live in Canada before getting an opportunity to visit Madrid. Life is strange…

We drank a lot of Sangria and I had to find a recipe as soon as we landed back in Calgary.

There is nothing like new adventures to keep you going. This is what staying young means to me.

Right now, I am writing from my hotel room in Beijing. I arrived here on Sunday after a 20 hours journey. This is my first trip to Asia.

I am here to visit my colleagues and for now, I have only commuted from the hotel room to the office (a whooping five minutes walk).

At this point, I don’t know how much I am going to blog about this experience but I thought that I would celebrate my arrival by listing my first impressions.

I am due for a post anyway.

1. Nothing beats face to face time with colleagues on the other side of the world. You can get so much accomplished and you plan so much more effectively. Phones are really a poor substitute for real human contact.
2. The food is excellent and Chinese food has nothing to do with the stuff (I’d rather not use the word crap) that you usually find in North America or Europe. The lamb is exquisite and so is the duck. The beer is great. Of course, you also have dishes that North Americans consider more exotic such as pork lungs, pork stomach or donkey. This is not that unusual in Europe.
3. I am glad that I have started to practice using chop sticks eight months ago. It saved a lot of frustration.
4. It takes about one hour to negotiate for a new room with an Internet connection that actually work. As one of my colleague puts it, since the hotel is named E-House and is located in a Software Park north of downtown Beijing, you would expect a decent Internet connection.
5. Like anywhere else in the world, Windows Vista is frown upon.
6. The jet lag is not so bad once you realize that flying from Calgary to Beijing is similar to flying from Paris to Los Angeles.
7. It is fun to be ahead of Europe (time wise) for a change. Family, and friends don’t usually expect a phone call from me in the morning (Europe time).
8. I need to polish my Mandarin. For some reasons, I have trouble communicating.
9. Thanks the FSM for Internet.
10. Having lived in Europe and North American means that I am not as surprised as my North American colleagues with the cultural differences.
11. You are not going to escape snow by flying around the world. At least here, the temperature is above freezing

I will be doing the touristy things on week-ends — I am here for three weeks — and I will post some photos.