Ulanqab

Before this year, I do not believe I have heard of the city Ulanqab in Inner Mongolia in northern China. Now I do.  And I believe many more people across the world will, soon enough. Particularly for people interested in sustainable energy generation, information technology, and artificial intelligence. 

Ulanqab is flat, cold and close to Beijing.  It has been designated for the installation of wind farms and solar farms, to generate electricity for Beijing, a short distance to the east. Wind farms are every where.  Gigantic wind vanes are common sights in and around Ulanqab. 

Because of the availability of electricity, it is now designated for the installation of data centres and artificial intelligence centers.  A data center can be constructed in 9 months. Thousands of workers work frantically inside and outside the building.  Powering, cooling, managing, developing these AI centres is big business.  

For this reason, we are keen to explore the possibility of bringing our students here.  We want them to install solar panels in the small scale in Mongolia and also see how wind and solar farms can be installed in a gigantic scale in China.  We want them to teach the basics of AI to children but also see cutting edge AI in action.  We want them to cross the border on foot, to immerse themselves in the community for a while. 

We want them to see the contrasting culture and economics between Mongolia and China.  We want them to see the commonalities between the Mongolians in Mongolia and those in Inner Mongolia in China.  We want them to learn to understand and respect different cultures, while maximising the shared commonalities for mutual benefit. 

Commencement Pageantry

November is Commencement Season in Hong Kong. Many universities hold their commencement ceremonies around this time.

The timing is quite different from that of many universities in the USA.  University of Rochester, where I got my bachelor and PhD, hold their commencement ceremonies right after the examinations of the Spring (second) semester, in early May.  

In the USA, it is believed that many students are from out of the city, state, or even country.  They are likely to leave the city soon after the school year is finished. Hence commencement has to be held before too many have left.  

In Hong Kong, most of the students tended to be local.  But the situation has been changing.  More and more students are from Mainland China and beyond.  Will that after the timing of the commencement?

In the mean time, the ceremonies and processions are becoming more and more elaborate.  At least for some of the schools/faculties.  Such as our School of Hotel and Tourism Management.  And they seem to be enjoying themselves.  Fun for spectators as well.  

Congratulations to graduates and families.  

My Cantonese Test (Fan)

Cantonese is said to be spoken by roughly 80-83 million people across the world.  That ranks it around number 23 among the most spoken languages in the world.  

Very often, however, we find it difficult to write down some of the words or expressions that we can speak easily.  I have hence been trying to collect some of the ones I am familiar with.  From books and the Internet.  In the process, I found that there is often disagreement on how some words should be written, or pronounced. 

I selected some of those and put them on a blank folding paper fan.  It is now my own version of a simple Cantonese corpus.  If one knows and is able to pronounce all/most of these, perhaps one can claim to be a reasonably good Cantonese speaker?  But don’t take it too seriously.  It is just for fun. Enjoy.

Xiamen kudos

I like Xiamen. Had an excellent first impression just a few days ago. Flew to Xiamen from HK to speak at a conference on service-learning at Jimei University, together with 2 other colleagues. Our plane departed and landed without incident. Passed through immigration quickly. We had no checked-in luggage. So we came out quickly. The host university sent a young lady professor and a car to pick us up. So far so good. 

As soon as we got into the car, before we even exit the carpark, I felt something was not right. I was missing my small (airplane) bag! A bag I use to carry things that I need in a plane: a book, a tiny pencil case-sized bag containing SIM cards, USB flash memory, some cash, pens, earphones, a copy of my passport, … which I place in the seat pocket in front of me. When we landed, I must have left it in the seat pocket in the rush to get off the plane. 

I alerted my companions. They acted very quickly. The driver turned around and within minutes, dropped us off at the entrance to the airport, where he picked us up. The lady professor called the airport. She must have the relevant phone number at hand.  As we re-entered the airport, she had apparently already established contact with the right people who had the information.  I was greatly surprised that they seemed to have found it. They were asking about the contents in the bag: cash? What currency? Any IDs? … 

Just about 50 meters inside the terminal, we found the Lost and Found. And they had my bag. They quickly verified that I was the owner - I could name everything in it, and my name matched the IDs in it. Within minutes, we were back in the car and on our way to the university.  

I am, and we all are, so impressed. By the airline staff that found it and quickly turned it in, the airport system that transferred it to Lost and Found so quickly, the lady professor who had the relevant numbers at hand and connected to the Lost and Found so quickly, the driver who delivered us back at the entrance so quickly, the staff at the Lost and Found who handled things so professionally, my colleagues who were so calm and reassuring throughout. The quick action. The professionalism. The efficiency. The cheerfulness throughout. 

I like Xiamen already!

Audubon Zoo

Some people feel animals should not be locked up. Hence the zoo should be abolished. But a zoo is one way where ordinary people can come to see and study exotic animals in person.  Without it only a small number of rich and privileged people would be able to do so.  It is not a back and white issue, but a balance between a number of honourable objectives.  The Audubon Zoo is one of those [;aces where the animals seem to be treated reasonably well, housed in fairly large spaces that resemble to some degree to their natural habitat.  

Upon entering Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, visitors are entertained by these dancing flamingoes.  They seem to be moving, posing continually, in close proximity.  Sometimes it is not easy to figure out which legs form a pair, or which head and neck belongs to which body and legs. Are they being awkward?  Or actually elegant?  Should I learn to dance from them?

A siamang turns his head to look at us, without bothering to turn his body around.  Perhaps because we are far away across the pond. Is he interested in us?  Or just being alert to potential danger?

A low-land gorilla lies in a hanging, swing bed.  Contemplating a twig in its hand.  Many of us probably have done something similar.  Or would love to do the same.  Now another gorilla approaches.  The first one quickly vacates the swing bed, which the approaching gorilla takes over immediately in one move, without hesitation.  The second gorilla presumably ranks higher in their social hierarchy.  This behaviour is so familiar among humans, isn’t it?

A leopard states at us, through the wire mesh fence.  What would happen if there were no fence?

The yawning tiger, on the other hand, is definitely bored.  He is probably thinking: When will I be able to jump across the moat, and climb that wall, to reach those people who are staring at me all the time?

The lions - father, mother, and almost-fully-grown children, - are right there in your face. Separated only by a piece of glass.  The lions know it.  We also know it.  We can pretend to touch them, comparing paws.

A giraffe and a zebra stroll past each other, seemingly imitating each other, except that they are in opposite directions.  Do they do that on purpose?  Perhaps, being fed well and not having to look out for predators, this is how they pass the time and entertain themselves?

Those wild boars, with everybody calling them “pumba”, have very nice brown coats.  Quite different from the more common grey, fierce-looking ones  These almost look cuddly.  Probably not in reality?

A tortoise tries to escape from an enclosure.  But it seems hopeless.  It should know it too.  Why is it still trying?  Maybe it is not so impossible after all?  Perhaps it is just forgetful?

The racoon seems busy, scanning the ground seemingly looking for something to steal.  It looks sneaky, ready to pounce anytime, slim fingers eager in waiting..  Funny to watch though.  

Alligators seemingly just float in the pond, randomly.  As soon as someone drops a morsel that could be food, everybody springs into action.  We are not supposed to feed the animals. Perhaps nobody told the child who dropped it.  Perhaps he doesn’t care?

The animals here seem healthy, well-fed, fairly happy, and ready to engage.  If there has to be a zoo, it should look somewhat like this.  

IARSLCE 2026 New Orleans

The international conference on Service-Learning is the reason why I am in New Orleans at this time.  IARSLCE is International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement, which runs a flagship international conference each year, since 2001.  The majority of the annual conferences are in the USA.  In recent years, they have also been held in other countries, including Ireland and South Africa. 

The majority of the participants this year, similar to past conferences held in the USA, are from the USA.  Approximately 15 countries and regions are represented.  A dozen coming from Asia-Pacific, a handful each from Europe, Africa and South America.  The financial and time costs associated with the long distance travel is likely a major reason why there are few international participants.  

Social justice and participatory research have been receiving quite a bit of attention in the IARSLCE community.  Others are continuously working hard to raise the quality of the research, and the participation of science and engineering disciplines. 

In the past several years, significant efforts are being made to internationalise IARSLCE.  To that end, there is now an Asia-Pacific Community of Practice (APCoP) as a group under the umbrella of IARSLCE.  APCoP has been organising its own regional conferences.  The IARSLCE main conference itself will also be in Hong Kong in 2027.  

New Orleans

I am here to attend a conference.  On service-learning.  Hence there isn’t much opportunity to do touristy things. Yet, a lot of interesting scenes present themselves.

Street cars, of course.  I can take the street car to and from the conference at Loyola University. 

Even watched a wedding parade from the street car!  What a pleasant surprise. And such fun. We cheered them from the street car.  They cheered back.  

Pumpkins and more pumpkins. 

Halloween decorations and the people who admire them. 

Big big oak trees.  

The city has character.