Sunday, August 17: Carl Lewis, and trip to the Alps

Today, BICF had a special event with ex-Olympic athletes giving their testimonies. Carl Lewis headlined the event: 

With an ex-Harlem Globetrotter

Afternoon at 798.. going the Swiss House, open just for the Olympics

Daniel P. dancing away.

August 16, 2008: Olympics Women's Weightlifting +75Kg

Attended my first ever Olympics event, women's weightlifting finals held at the BUAA Gymnasium out in Hadian. Miran Jang of Korea wins gold with a world record performance. She was in a class of her own, with everyone else more than 50kg below her.

Korean fans outside posing.

Inside the gym.

The press center.

The Olympics theme: One World. One Dream.

Kiel posing with the volunteers.

This is the world record:

World record!

August 9, 2008

Last night I hopped from a small-group event out in Sihui, where we watched the Olympic ceremonies on a big screen TV in an apartment, to Houhai, where a hundred people gathered on a rooftop with a gigantic screen, lots of food, chanting "zhong guo jia you!" as the Chinese team came out at last, and fireworks exploded in the distance. 

The opening ceremonies have been hailed with rave reviews. A was a breathtaking light and sound spectacle that in terms of technology, emotion, and sheer ambition, surpasses, by far, any show that I've seen. And the architecture helped- alot. Of all the things I've read online, ESPN, in fact, has a the best commentary. And the Times also has a great panorama.

August 8, 2008

All the streets are decorated.

The sun is still just a small circle in the sky.

Unusually quiet streets just hours before the opening ceremonies.

At a Houhai rooftop taking in the ceremonies with 50 others.

Fireworks after..