MSRA 2005 Theme Seminar

May 26th and 27th. Went to Beijing for Microsoft Research Asia’s 2005 Theme Seminar. Met Dave Probert, the architect of Windows CE and Windows.

This trip was also my first time flying on an airplane. Tried to take photos of the flight attendants with my camera, but was warned against it — could only shoot outside. The flight there was fine, but my ears hurt badly on the way back — hurt so much I never want to fly again.

On the 26th, MS treated us to dinner at Baijia Da Zhai Men restaurant. Rumor has it the standard was very high — 5000 yuan per table. The surroundings were all antique-style. I even taught a foreigner from the University of Queensland how to make a bow and say “Nin ji xiang” (may you be blessed) in Chinese. Hehe.

Stayed at a five-star hotel — one person per room. Pretty awesome. Could even receive foreign channels like CNN. Felt way too luxurious.