Spanking the monkey

At the end of my entry on Oct.7, I posted a video of a guy hitting a top with a whip. It was intriguing, and another teacher, Ryan, also saw someone doing it. We decided we'd each get one and try it out. So last weekend we found a stall where a guy sells them and we got one. I thought it'd be really difficult to get it going, but we discovered it only took a few tries. Sky informs us it's called 'spanking the monkey' , probably after the monkey in the Chinese classic Journey to the West. They also make one that lights up when you spin it at night and I'm thinking of trying that out too. I just love the sound of that whip when it snaps!
It's been pretty cold here lately - usually in the 30's or 40's in the morning and then getting up to the 50's or low 60's in the afternoon. When there's no heat, you definitely feel it! I can't wait until Saturday when they turn the heat on. I was informed that they will turn the heat on earlier than Nov. 15 if there are at least 5 consecutive days of really cold weather. I guess the weather we've been having doesn't classify as cold enough!
I hear Obama is going to be in China this week. They've instituted all kinds of restrictions in Beijing to cut down on the pollution while he's here. It's all a big show and the people have to suffer... We've been moderately polluted lately after we had a few days in a row of really clear weather.
We are in the midst of mid-term exams at school now. I've got a boatload of exams to grade now - the downer is that they really don't count anything for their grades. It's a mystery to us how their grades are arrived at... If you want to read a quick little review of a book about Chinese education, check this out - he nails it on the head:  http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2014/nov/20/myth-chinese-super-schools/
The weekend of Nov.22 I signed up to be a judge for a debate competition (it's in English). They put a lot of pressure on us to do it and are actually giving a little monetary compensation. The topic they're debating is 'Should nations have nuclear weapons?'
We went downtown to a bar last weekend to hear a Chinese rock n roll band. It was a small place and the band had to really squeeze into a little area. They played about 4 songs, then said they were taking a break, and then never came back! They were ok, but nothing stood out about their music.
We've found a few places around here where they have pool tables and have been doing that a few times on the weekend. One place even has tables outdoors - not sure how that works in the rain. The balls don't seem to roll very straight there... We're still looking for a bowling alley - figure there must be one in this city somewhere - and maybe found one to explore this weekend.
We are located somewhat on the outskirts of the city and have to take a bus or taxi to get anywhere exciting. The buses are super cheap but also super crowded, and sometimes it can take a LONG time to get a taxi at night. Gets kind of frustrating sometimes...
A few of us started a Movember campaign at school - growing moustaches for the month of November. Sky wanted to join in and we said sure! He was informed today by the Chinese principal that he must shave. It makes no sense... So I'm shaving mine off tomorrow in support of him...
Here's a pic of the Bell Tower at night. It really is impressive...

And then, of course, some more signage -

That's it for today!