Couple of confessions to make

I've been a bad boy.  I've been meaning to tell you, really I have, but things have been so insanely busy, I haven't had time.  Although a few of you are no doubt aware of it, I have not told most of you that I moved.  It's true, Shenzhen is no longer my zip code.  For the time being, I'm stuck in Beijing.  Don't get me wrong, Beijing is a great place to visit, but for someone who loves the countryside and is small town at heart, Beijing is cryptonite.   This place is so big, it makes Shenzhen feel quaint and Shenzhen is huge.  To me anyway.  What am I saying, 14 million people is massive.

Still, I've not much choice in the matter.  Savvy got a job with Microsoft here in Beijing and that was that.  We've been here for 5 days and have already found the perfect community for Reina to be in - the property has five play grounds, tennis courts, basketball, soccer, an incredible indoor swimming pool and the rent is reasonable too.  Okay, maybe tennis and basketball are premature, but 5 playgrounds is considerable.  All conveniently located in the middle of what currently looks like a war zone.  That should change quickly though as construction projects finish.  Besides, it is only two blocks from the subway and a short cab ride to Savvy's office.  I Already met someone who does marketing stuff for skaters and snow boarders, so maybe it won't be so bad after all. 

But the really big news, I've been holding out waiting for actual confirmation via an airline ticket, is that the trip to Uganda is a go!  Next month, I will be in Uganda for about three weeks filming a documentary and doing a mess of still photography too.  There may even be a layover for a day or two in Dubai, but I've not seen the itinerary yet.  Actually, I've not seen much yet, but they told me to get my visa, so it's a go.  This is in conjunction with my work for the Foundation for Global Leadership (FGL).  If you want to know more, click the link.  Basically, we help those with the means to support the work of local and international non governmental organizations (NGOs) in developing countries.  It should be a challenging and exciting project to work on and this will be my first trip to continental Africa.  I visited the Seychelles for a week in 2001.  Amazing place.  Beautiful.  You should go.  What are you waiting for?

So there it is. I've still got a studio in Shenzhen to sort out this summer, I'm living out of a cheap hotel in the Lido, my computer is in storage in Guangzhou (I need to buy a laptop), I only know 3 people in Beijing and already I'm missing Shenzhen.  Ironic since I absolutely couldn't stand the place the first two years or so that I lived there.  In less than a month, I'm off to Uganda and then back here for a few weeks before taking off for the USA again.  Boy, are my arms gonna be tired.

Okay, here's your Reina fix. No, I did not cause the bruise on her forehead.  Baby fall down go boom.