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Hubby and I had the opportunity to travel to Shanghai for business in October. What an amazing city!!!!

Our trip got off to a slow start after we boarded the plane. Storms hit Sydney so we sat on the plane for 2 hours before we could go anywhere. This along with delays landing in China turned a 9.5 hour flight into a 12 hour flight. Ugh, not a fun way to start a trip overseas. By the time we arrived at the hotel and checked into our room it was about 1am Sydney time so we were both exhausted. Thankfully, the service at the hotel was excellent and the staff took us straight to our room and checked us in there, rather than reception which was wonderful.

Before we left I finally bought myself one of these

I had been trying to decide on a new camera for a while and I wasn’t sure whether to go for a point and shoot or a DSLR. Seeing as I hadn’t done a lot of photography before now, I struggled to justify the extra cost of a DSLR so the G11 is a great compromise. It has lots of flexbility and most of the settings that a DSLR has but its smaller and not quite as expensive as most of the DSLRs. I love it, it’s easy to use and I have managed to take most photos so far without using the auto.

So, here are some of the photos that I took while we were away – starting with Shanghai. The rest will follow soon. Hubby took some great ones with his camera so I will try and download some of them too to share them here.

Chasing the sunset

Clouds that look like you could walk on them

Looking forward over the leading edge of the wing

Sunrise over Shanghai - that is more of a heat haze than straight pollution, although there is some pollution. What you see here is about as good as it got while we were there.

Afternoon Tea for one at the Hotel, after spending our first day at an industry exhibition. And it tasted as good as it looks.

Our second day we went on a factory tour. Unfortunately for my knees, this was the only toilet there

A rice field near the factory, about an hours drive from the centre of Shanghai. The landscape completely changed from highrise buildings, mainly apartments, to rice fields and smaller houses dotted around. Once you get out of the highrise its really beautiful.

On our third day there Hubby and R went on another factory tour and R's wife M and I went walking and exploring Shanghai. It was great to walk around and really get a better feel of what the city is like. We spent hours at the Shanghai Museum and could have spent even more time there. It was wonderful to see some snippets of the history of China. Behind the Museum is The People's Park. There was lots of people feeding the birds in this oasis of green in the middle of the city. This is one of my favourite photos from the whole trip.

Bird feeding in the People's Park

Men working on a building - I'm so glad it wasn't me suspended up there

Shangahi Theatre, just so you can see how high those men are.

No explanation necessary

This is the western end of East Nanjing Road, where the pedestrian mall starts. The whole mall was a sea of people.We were warned that pickpockets target Westerners and to be very aware of people around you and not to wear handbags on your side, to keep them at the front and zipped or closed up. The guys were told not to leave their wallets in the back pockets or they would lose them for sure. It was a bit unnerving to walk around with this many people and be on your guard.

Shanghai's Communication Tower, also known as the Pearl and other buildings on the Eastern side of the Huangpu River

There are so many more photos that I took, these are just a selection. I will be uploading them to Flickr soon, so I will post a link to them and you can look at the rest if you're interested. And a disclaimer - all of these photos are straight out of the camera and the night ones were taken without a tripod which made it difficult, but I managed to get a few good ones. Also, a lot of them were taken from inside and there is reflections off the windows - I tried to edit it out in Photoshop but it looked worse.

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It’s that time of the week again. Time to start the week off with a laugh and hopefully set the tone for the rest of the week. I doubt that will work, but it has to be worth a try doesn’t it??? Check out what my fellow Malarkers have on offer too – Moe, Mark, Michael and Grimm.

So this week, as well as making you smile, I would like to help you look after your wellbeing whilst sitting in front of the computer. I guarantee if you read this at least once a day, you will not suffer from a sore neck after spending too long in front of the screen. Well, either that or your muscles will seize up completely and you won’t be able to move for about a month.

OK now you’ve done your exercises, here is a link to check out on how to get rid of “stuff” – its probably not what you think so click on that and have a look – I guarantee at least one of them will make you laugh.

Enjoy your week and I hope that at least one of them has made you smile, and preferably laugh.

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This week’s offering is something quick due to me being slightly distracted by exams. I received this via email this week and, just to prove my weird sense of humour, it made me laugh. Make sure you have the sound turned up when you watch it. Enjoy  and have a great week – hopefully if you can start it with a smile and maybe a laugh, it will continue that way.
Once you’re done here, visit my fellow malarkers in ~m, Moe and Mark

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It’s been said that you don’t know someone, or know their life, until you walk a mile in their shoes. And until we do that, we really have no idea what goes on in another person’s life, every day. Sure, for those of us who blog, Twitter and have Facebook accounts, we do reveal parts of our lives. But only part, not the whole. To judge someone from what we know of them from their blog, their tweets and what they put on Facebook is misguided at best and at worst, potentially very hurtful for the person concerned.

What if we decide to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes? What if the day we decide to do that isn’t a day that they have to contend with cleaning fecal murals off walls, meltdown week before an IVIG infusion, visiting a dear friend every day to support them in their health battle, bendy wrists and other joints which make everything difficult, coping with grief that leaves them speechless, coping with the challenges that single parenting brings and many other challenges that each of us face each and every day – the big things, things that can make us stop in our tracks, draw breath and wonder how we will cope for even another 5 minutes, let alone another day, week, month or year. If none of those big things happen while we walk in someone else’s shoes, do we really know them? I don’t think so.

We are all individuals and we all have had different lives and experiences that make us who we are. For many of us, previous circumstances shape how we respond in certain situations. For me, if either of my kids have problems at school I may seem quick to jump in but only because I know that sitting back and waiting as I have done before only makes situations worse. You may judge me on how quickly I act, but you don’t know the heartache I have watched my kids endure because I waited. Similarly, we don’t know what shapes others and their lives so none of us should judge. Sadly though, some do and when those thoughts are voiced it can have a huge impact on the person that they are aimed at.

Each of us is entitled to our opinions and to make decisions which affect our lives and our families the way we want. Others may not agree with those decisions or opinions, but that doesn’t mean that what we do is “wrong”. To judge others without really knowing and understanding them is wrong.

Next time you sit in judgement of someone, remember they did not appoint you as their jury. Unless they have asked for your opinion, then please keep it to yourself. Chances are, even when you are asked for your opinion, you don’t have all the facts, you aren’t that person and you weren’t living their life so your opinion will most probably be biased based on your experience.

Maybe I’m a dreamer, but wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to worry so much about what people think of us and whether they will voice those opinions or not, especially the negative ones. It seems that generally we are all much quicker to voice the negatives rather than the positives. Instead of kicking someone when they’re down, try and offer them a hand to pull them up. It might just make their day.

I have one exam on Tuesday and two on Wednesday (exam timetable from hell!!!) I know there are lots of you waiting to see photos from our trip, I promise I will post them as soon as I can after the exam on Wednesday. Sorry to keep you waiting.

Edit – A few of you have asked if this post is in response to a comment or something that I have received – it isn’t. It is in response to many comments I have read on other blogs that are very judgmental and also posts by other bloggers about comments and emails that they have received. Thank you for your concern for me though

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3 countries in 7 days will do that to me.

Hubby and I had the opportunity to travel to China for work, so we jumped at it. We also managed to squeeze in some time in Hong Kong and Macau.

Three amazing countries, but really one. Hong Kong and Macau are both Chinese territories but they are run as Special Administrative Regions (SAR). Despite being Chinese territories, travel between them is still international, with customs and immigration to be cleared each time.

They all have so much in common, but so many differences at the same time.

We started off in Shanghai – what an amazing city that is. Words really don’t do it justice. It’s big, its loud, it’s busy and the people. OMG the people. There are 18 million people registered as living in Shanghai but there are a lot of people who work there that are registered as living elsewhere in China, which means the population can be as high as 21-2 million. That’s the whole population of Australia in one city. I struggle to really grasp the concept of so many people in one place. It is also beautiful and I am still feeling entranced by it. I would go back there in a moment if the opportunity arose again. Fingers crossed it will.

We then travelled to Hong Kong which is another amazing place. Still busy, but not nearly as many people as Shanghai and being a passenger in a taxi there isn’t nearly as scary as in Shanghai. The traffic is a little more “disciplined”. There is so much there to see and do that there is no way we could cram enough in in the time that we had there. Again, I would go back in a heartbeat. There is an amazing mix of Chinese and English culture and architecture. And possibly one of the most beautiful cities at night.

Macau is different again. It has a lot of Portugese influence, in the food (Portugese tarts to die for) and the architecture in the old part. It is also aiming to become the next Las Vegas. The casinos are amazing. Think of Las Vegas and that is what the Cotai Strip in Macau is becoming. The buildings are huge, the lighting on the building and inside is amazing and the sounds of a very flamboyant city was something to behold.

The 7 days went too fast, with so much to discover. We were busy every day and the pace was hectic. But I wouldn’t have had it any other way. On top of the exhaustion from the busy schedule, we flew home overnight from Hong Kong and sleeping on planes is not something I am good at. Never have been, and I’m sure I never will be. This is where the struggling comes in. I have been feeling like a stunned mullet from the time we got off the plane on Monday and trying desperately to catch up on missed sleep and overcome the 3 hour time difference. After my first decent night’s sleep last night, I have been feeling a little better today but still struggling and very foggy-brained.

I have so many photos to share and I haven’t been able to concentrate enough to download them from the camera and upload them. I have just over 600 to go through and sort the good from the bad and the just plain ugly ones. I promise I will post them soon and more about what we did and what we saw whilst away. I can’t wait to share the photos that I took with my new toy.

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Its the dreaded Monday again and time to start the week off with a laugh in the hope that maybe that smiles and laughing will set the tone for the rest of the week. Fingers crossed, that’s the plan anyway.

Sorry I missed last week’s installment but the long weekend in NSW (combined with the start of daylight saving) really threw me out of routine.

So today I have a couple of videos to share with you, both of which were emailed to me by my brother. I hope they make you at least smile. The first one is definitely straight out of the “what were they thinking” files and the second, well that’s pretty much the same. I hope you enjoy them both. After you have watched these, hop on over to Moe, Mark and Michael and see what they have posted for laughs this week.

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It’s that time of the week again – time to start the week off with a few laughs to ease the pain of a new week.

First of all some quotes for you, then a video, because laughter really is contagious. And make sure you turn the sound up.

Enjoy and have a great week. After you have had a laugh here, be sure to check out Moe, Mark and Michael to see what they’ve got on offer this week.

I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: – ‘No good in a bed, but fine against a wall.’
- Eleanor Roosevelt

The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible
- George Burns

Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.
- Victor Borge

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
- Mark Twain

By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.
- Socrates

I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.
- Groucho Marx

My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
- Jimmy Durante

I have never  hated a man enough to give his diamonds back.
- Zsa Zsa Gabor

Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
- Alex Levine

My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying.
- Rodney Dangerfield

Money can’t buy you happiness … But it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.
- Spike Milligan

Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was SHUT UP .
- Joe Namath

I don’t feel old. I don’t feel anything until noon. Then it’s time for my nap.
- Bob Hope

I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it..
- W. C. Fields

We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.
- Will Rogers

Don’t worry about avoiding temptation.   As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill

Maybe it’s true that life begins at fifty .. But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out..
- Phyllis Diller

By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he’s too old to go anywhere.
- Billy Crystal

And the cardiologist’s diet: -  If it tastes good spit it out.

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It’s that day again. The one where we struggle out of bed and back to the reality of work, and or getting the kids ready for school. So, to ease the pain at least a little, a few of us thought that we would give you a laugh to start the week. Lets face it, there is nothing like a bit of humour to get the week started off on a better track.

I have been doing some research and found some videos promoting some “have to have” products. I’m off to order mine cause I know that I can get them online, or at least on the TV shopping channel. Hope you enjoy the videos and have a great week

Check out what Moe, Mark and Michael have on offer for Malarky Monday too.

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OK so its been ages between posts. Too much happening, too little time. I will post an update on what’s being going on very soon, I promise.

Maureen, Mark, Michael and I thought that we would all start the week off with some laughs for everyone. So here is my contribution to Malarky Monday.

Its the episode they never showed on TV. Enjoy

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10 years ago today I was about 34 weeks pregnant with Daisy, Tiger was just 2 years old and we set off on a whole new path, a journey that we had know idea of the direction we would take.

It was the first day of trading for our business.

I remember the feelings on that day as though they were yesterday. Excitement, nerves, uncertainty, trepidation and wondering what on earth we were doing but so excited about it that it somehow cancelled out the nerves, well some of them anyway.

That first day was strange. We had sub-leased some warehouse space and a reception desk from another company. We had bought ourselves a computer and on the way in on that first day I bought 2 second hand office chairs for $30 each. What made it strange was that every other job I had ever started I had been taking over from someone who had resigned or an existing job had been split up because it had become too much for one person.

This time was different though, there was no-one to take over from, no pre-defined jobs that needed doing, just phones to answer and that was about it.

As the days went on, the phones started to ring more, people wanted quotes done and then placed orders. We started to invoice people for jobs and then get paid. Then we had to pay our suppliers. And I learnt to use MYOB, one step at a time. Until then, I had never used anything like it and I had no idea about anything at all accounts related. We started with nothing other than a small amount of money. We bought our first forklift after 1 year of trading and moved into our own premises.

So, now 10 years down the track, Hubby and I are still working together, the business continues to go from strength to strength,  we now have 4 staff plus Hubby and I. We have a freestanding building so we don’t need to share the driveway, especially on the few occasions that we have to load semi-trailers. We have a forklift that isn’t the same age as me

It has been an amazing journey so far and one that I hope will continue for a long time to come. Part of me can’t believe that we have come this far, but I know that we wouldn’t have set out to do this if we knew that there was no chance of us making it this far.

For me its a huge achievement, I guess because of the other things going on at the same time as so much uncertainty about the future – little things like having your second child. For us, its a huge achievement too. Hubby and I have been working together for 10 years and we are still together and still happy.

To my husband – thank you for taking the leap of faith, thank you for taking me with you while you took that leap and congratulations for everything that you have achieved over the last 10 years. You are amazing and I love you.

For me, this milestone comes hot on the heels of starting to realise another dream – to study accounting. A dream that 10 years ago I didn’t know I had.

For anyone wondering whether to take a leap of faith and live your dreams, I say go for it. But go for it with your eyes open and you will succeed if you really want to.

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