Hello!
We made it to Newark yesterday evening and were one of the last flights to land before the snow started coming in. If we were an hour late we would have probably been rerouted and that would have been disasterous. So we have enjoyed hanging out at Kirk and Allyson's new house. We had a great dinner they prepared last night. The risotto was voted as the highlight. Today Chase and I slept in until noon because of jet lag and awoke to a blanketed winter wonderland! It's beautiful and calm and the air is fresh and wintery. I would love to live in a climate where there was snow several times a winter.
We had lunch at Evolution burger and I had a great veggie burger. It's been a long while and it was tasty. I spent most of the day packing Christmas presents while Chase and Kirk did some last minute shopping. Allyson braved the cold and shoveled some leftover snow in the driveway. I was told that I should have been helping the pregnant woman and not letting her be out there in the cold but I asked her and she declined help. Sometimes I think fussing over pregnant women can make them feel to pampered. So I let her be her own woman and she seemed content.
Now, I'm watching some football while Kirk prepares another great meal. We're having Mushroom Lasagna for dinner.
Our flight is tomorrow and I'm hoping that the Newark Airport is clear for flights and that we are not too delayed getting into Austin.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Gastronomical Adventures
So the past few days have been a feeding frenzy in our household. Chase went to Guangzhou for a business trip for a day and a half. Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province, the province that borders Hong Kong which we Americans have slurred into saying.... Canton. Well, that's what the rest of the world calls it as well, so I won't put all the blame on us Americans!
So Guangdong province is also famous for their diet. They are the Chinese that you hear about eating seahorses, sea cucumbers, shark fin, baby fetus and placenta (promise, they eat it), monkey brains, etc. I kid you not.... they eat anything that moves.... ants (it's a well known snack food), worms, rats, etc. No shame they just are adventurous when it comes to their palette. And thank goodness Chase is as well. He really enjoys trying everything served up in restaurants and this coming from someone who when I first met him, was a vegetarian, and then pescetarian. He is just so good at adapting and being flexible. So I was curious to see what would end up on his plate when he was at a business dinner there!
I can not tell you what "delicacies" he ate.... you will have to ask him yourself. All I will say is that the rumors are in fact true about Guangdong.
On Friday, I took the train into Shanghai and met with Chase at our friend, Lisa's apartment. He flew in and the timing was great. We went for a late dinner at a so-so thai food restaurant that I had heard of before and Lisa recommended. I had a brief honeymoon phase of how cool Shanghai is during my first few hours there. I kept saying that I can not wait to move there! It's much more cosmopolitan than New York City, more bustling than Hong Kong, more fashionable than Paris. The saying is that it's the "Pearl of the Orient", but I say it's the Pearl of the World!
Last year, I also mentioned how cool I think Shanghai is. That was how I felt coming from Beijing, which is a great city in itself. Love that place. But coming from sleepy Hangzhou, it felt like I fast-forwarded into the future! Hangzhou is like taking a few steps back into the 80s as far as culture, infrastructure of the city, etc. So we really enjoyed being back in modern society.
The only down-side to Shanghai is that it's a bit too westernized. Beijing has done a great job of still keeping a China-focused identity. Shanghai has left that in the dust and has put on a new veil of money and fashion.
On Saturday we enjoyed another sumptuous feast at our favorite French restaurant in China, Jean Georges. Our food was just as delicious as last time, but the wine pairings were not quite on. I really enjoyed my dessert of an almond souffle cake with strawberries, creme fraiche, and a seaweed nut ensemble. Chase enjoyed venison, red snapper, foie gras, the whole-sha-bang.
And this afternoon before we took our train back to Hangzhou, we stopped by my favorite dumpling place, Din Tai Fung. Originating from Taiwan this increasingly popular eatery serves the most delicate, light, and healthy dumplings. They've even got a location in LA now. We would eat at the Beijing branch almost every month until our Ayi came to cook. I always order the vegetarian dumplings which hit the spot every time. Great bok choy and tofu bits and they have a great dipping sauce which is quite simple: freshly thinly sliced ginger, garlic and red chili paste, vinegar, and soy sauce which you mix to your liking. Chase and I love to load up on the sauces and make ours very vinegary.
If you don't know, Chase is a vinegar lover; he eats vinegar with everything. At the restaurant he used the soup bowl they provide for his dipping sauce instead of the regular dish. So you can imagine how his dumplings are drenched by the time they hit his mouth. He sampled a black truffle dumpling in addition to his pork xiaolongbao. That means dumplings with sauce inside.
So Chase started his culinary journey late last week and we continued in Shanghai and ate our way through the weekend. Needless to say I hopped off the p90x train for one day. I missed my Saturday cardio workout and my Friday workout was a little condensed. But I am looking forward to a big workout tomorrow evening. It feels great to be getting back into shape. Even if I don't look different, I feel stronger and happier.
So Guangdong province is also famous for their diet. They are the Chinese that you hear about eating seahorses, sea cucumbers, shark fin, baby fetus and placenta (promise, they eat it), monkey brains, etc. I kid you not.... they eat anything that moves.... ants (it's a well known snack food), worms, rats, etc. No shame they just are adventurous when it comes to their palette. And thank goodness Chase is as well. He really enjoys trying everything served up in restaurants and this coming from someone who when I first met him, was a vegetarian, and then pescetarian. He is just so good at adapting and being flexible. So I was curious to see what would end up on his plate when he was at a business dinner there!
I can not tell you what "delicacies" he ate.... you will have to ask him yourself. All I will say is that the rumors are in fact true about Guangdong.
On Friday, I took the train into Shanghai and met with Chase at our friend, Lisa's apartment. He flew in and the timing was great. We went for a late dinner at a so-so thai food restaurant that I had heard of before and Lisa recommended. I had a brief honeymoon phase of how cool Shanghai is during my first few hours there. I kept saying that I can not wait to move there! It's much more cosmopolitan than New York City, more bustling than Hong Kong, more fashionable than Paris. The saying is that it's the "Pearl of the Orient", but I say it's the Pearl of the World!
Last year, I also mentioned how cool I think Shanghai is. That was how I felt coming from Beijing, which is a great city in itself. Love that place. But coming from sleepy Hangzhou, it felt like I fast-forwarded into the future! Hangzhou is like taking a few steps back into the 80s as far as culture, infrastructure of the city, etc. So we really enjoyed being back in modern society.
The only down-side to Shanghai is that it's a bit too westernized. Beijing has done a great job of still keeping a China-focused identity. Shanghai has left that in the dust and has put on a new veil of money and fashion.
On Saturday we enjoyed another sumptuous feast at our favorite French restaurant in China, Jean Georges. Our food was just as delicious as last time, but the wine pairings were not quite on. I really enjoyed my dessert of an almond souffle cake with strawberries, creme fraiche, and a seaweed nut ensemble. Chase enjoyed venison, red snapper, foie gras, the whole-sha-bang.
And this afternoon before we took our train back to Hangzhou, we stopped by my favorite dumpling place, Din Tai Fung. Originating from Taiwan this increasingly popular eatery serves the most delicate, light, and healthy dumplings. They've even got a location in LA now. We would eat at the Beijing branch almost every month until our Ayi came to cook. I always order the vegetarian dumplings which hit the spot every time. Great bok choy and tofu bits and they have a great dipping sauce which is quite simple: freshly thinly sliced ginger, garlic and red chili paste, vinegar, and soy sauce which you mix to your liking. Chase and I love to load up on the sauces and make ours very vinegary.
If you don't know, Chase is a vinegar lover; he eats vinegar with everything. At the restaurant he used the soup bowl they provide for his dipping sauce instead of the regular dish. So you can imagine how his dumplings are drenched by the time they hit his mouth. He sampled a black truffle dumpling in addition to his pork xiaolongbao. That means dumplings with sauce inside.
So Chase started his culinary journey late last week and we continued in Shanghai and ate our way through the weekend. Needless to say I hopped off the p90x train for one day. I missed my Saturday cardio workout and my Friday workout was a little condensed. But I am looking forward to a big workout tomorrow evening. It feels great to be getting back into shape. Even if I don't look different, I feel stronger and happier.
Friday, December 4, 2009
New Beginnings
After my realization last week that my work here in China will not ever be a source of happiness, I needed to turn over a new leaf, and remember and find the things in my life that do make me happy. The past year or so I've given all my efforts to try and make my career work in China. I've been passionate as always, done the right thing in all situations, and stayed late, done work beyond what I was hired to do, etc. Still, I have not made much progress in helping the children at the schools because the people I have been working for are not in education to do the right thing for children.
So I have to just let go. I go into work, do what's asked of me, and get out when it's time to go. I feel strange not have motivation at work, but when I started to see the other parts of my life take a back seat, I knew that I needed to regain myself.
Last week I began doing p90x. It's a workout system which they say works because of "muscle confusion." That's just another term for cross training. It's a 90 day program that has various activities for cardio along with the strength training including a yoga workout that's pretty good I must say. The sequencing is a bit off, but they do a good job of teaching and demonstrating good yoga asana for the masses. Anyways, my workout routine for the past one year has been just bare minimum and so my body has been showing that. I've lost so much muscle tone and am bigger than I've ever been. So I'm taking back my body. And it feels good. I'm sore almost every single day but one thing I've learned from yoga is to remember my limits. So my soreness is not debilitating. I'm walking a little weird this morning because my legs are sore, but it's a good feeling. My legs feel strong and like they have worked ... hard.
Basically, this program is just changing it up for me. It's different exercises that's shaking up my muscles. The videos are motivating and the absolute best part is that it's all free! In America, if you buy the dvds, nutrition plan, workout charts, etc. it costs about $200. But thanks to youku.com and the fact that there are no copyright laws in China that are enforced, all the videos are posted and I can just stream them on my laptop. Which is good because I take my laptop to the gym and use the free weights and benches when I need them during the workouts. p90x is also available on Youtube.com for all of you in America, but I think because of youtube's rules, you can't post the entire video at once so it's broken up and that would not be the best when you are trying to workout to have to keep switching and loading different videos. Still, it's better than paying full price.
I also found the p90x+ in the dvd shop while we were in Beijing so I've got that for after I finish the p90x program. These five dvds are even harder workouts for when you have gotten through the first program.
Now I've just got to work on my diet which will be difficult knowing that Christmas is just around the corner. And not to mention that Chase joined me yesterday to do the Legs and Back workout and we went to dinner famished after and had cheese fondue. YIKES. I know, not the best idea if you're trying to get into shape.. hahhah. Anyways, it's been years since I've had fondue of any sort. I will just try and keep it lean for the next couple of weeks. I have noticed I'm eating smaller meals, and more of them and when I do that it's easier to choose healthy food to eat because I'm not gorging on bad food (salty or sweet) because I'm starving. So that's good.
The other new thing I started to do recently was eat peanut butter! I used to eat so many PB&J sandwiches when I was a kid that one day in elementary school, I just couldn't eat peanut butter anymore. It would just make me sick. So I've avoided anything with peanut butter in it for my whole life except for peanut sauces, peanut dressings, and actual roasted peanuts. So now I've gotten back to eating peanut butter. I still can't eat peanut cookies, peanut ice cream, or anything else, but I'm enjoying eatin PB&Js for lunch again. I think it was a mental obstacle for me so I'm glad to be over that hurdle.
So a lot of change over here and it's good to have a different focus in my life and not worry so much about my work. Chase and I are going hiking these weekend on Baochu hill, going to dinner with friends, bowling, getting massages, and putting up Christmas lights.
So I have to just let go. I go into work, do what's asked of me, and get out when it's time to go. I feel strange not have motivation at work, but when I started to see the other parts of my life take a back seat, I knew that I needed to regain myself.
Last week I began doing p90x. It's a workout system which they say works because of "muscle confusion." That's just another term for cross training. It's a 90 day program that has various activities for cardio along with the strength training including a yoga workout that's pretty good I must say. The sequencing is a bit off, but they do a good job of teaching and demonstrating good yoga asana for the masses. Anyways, my workout routine for the past one year has been just bare minimum and so my body has been showing that. I've lost so much muscle tone and am bigger than I've ever been. So I'm taking back my body. And it feels good. I'm sore almost every single day but one thing I've learned from yoga is to remember my limits. So my soreness is not debilitating. I'm walking a little weird this morning because my legs are sore, but it's a good feeling. My legs feel strong and like they have worked ... hard.
Basically, this program is just changing it up for me. It's different exercises that's shaking up my muscles. The videos are motivating and the absolute best part is that it's all free! In America, if you buy the dvds, nutrition plan, workout charts, etc. it costs about $200. But thanks to youku.com and the fact that there are no copyright laws in China that are enforced, all the videos are posted and I can just stream them on my laptop. Which is good because I take my laptop to the gym and use the free weights and benches when I need them during the workouts. p90x is also available on Youtube.com for all of you in America, but I think because of youtube's rules, you can't post the entire video at once so it's broken up and that would not be the best when you are trying to workout to have to keep switching and loading different videos. Still, it's better than paying full price.
I also found the p90x+ in the dvd shop while we were in Beijing so I've got that for after I finish the p90x program. These five dvds are even harder workouts for when you have gotten through the first program.
Now I've just got to work on my diet which will be difficult knowing that Christmas is just around the corner. And not to mention that Chase joined me yesterday to do the Legs and Back workout and we went to dinner famished after and had cheese fondue. YIKES. I know, not the best idea if you're trying to get into shape.. hahhah. Anyways, it's been years since I've had fondue of any sort. I will just try and keep it lean for the next couple of weeks. I have noticed I'm eating smaller meals, and more of them and when I do that it's easier to choose healthy food to eat because I'm not gorging on bad food (salty or sweet) because I'm starving. So that's good.
The other new thing I started to do recently was eat peanut butter! I used to eat so many PB&J sandwiches when I was a kid that one day in elementary school, I just couldn't eat peanut butter anymore. It would just make me sick. So I've avoided anything with peanut butter in it for my whole life except for peanut sauces, peanut dressings, and actual roasted peanuts. So now I've gotten back to eating peanut butter. I still can't eat peanut cookies, peanut ice cream, or anything else, but I'm enjoying eatin PB&Js for lunch again. I think it was a mental obstacle for me so I'm glad to be over that hurdle.
So a lot of change over here and it's good to have a different focus in my life and not worry so much about my work. Chase and I are going hiking these weekend on Baochu hill, going to dinner with friends, bowling, getting massages, and putting up Christmas lights.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Walking to Work
So, if you haven't heard, my work situation in Hangzhou has been quite..... Chinese. Can't say more than that, but I will say that I do hope we have seen the worst and there will only be improvement. I am hopeful.
However, it's when I'm walking to work that I fall into a vicious downward spiral. The walk is about 25 minutes and every morning I wake up chirpy and happy as can be. But as I start the walk to work, my mood descends with every step. I start thinking about everything, my situation, what needs to be done, etc. and by the time I get to work, I'm pouty, unmotivated, and apathetic to it all.
So two days ago I tried actively reversing that downward spiral by thinking happy thoughts and wishes for everyone I passed. I began this without thinking how many people are in Asia and that it would be... too many. I gave them each a happy vibe, a good thought, prayer, or just smiled. Within a few minutes I was feeling lighter myself, the muscles on my face totally relaxed. In fact, they underwent this transformation and my eyes became wider and more clear. It was amazing to me how much tension I hold in my face. Perhaps that's why we all get wrinkles so easily these days. By the end of the walk I was a bit exhausted because of the creative energies I had to spend to think of new things for every person I passed. So tomorrow I will try just thinking the same happy prayer to each person. A blanket prayer for all. We'll see if that helps my attitude for when I go to work each day.
However, it's when I'm walking to work that I fall into a vicious downward spiral. The walk is about 25 minutes and every morning I wake up chirpy and happy as can be. But as I start the walk to work, my mood descends with every step. I start thinking about everything, my situation, what needs to be done, etc. and by the time I get to work, I'm pouty, unmotivated, and apathetic to it all.
So two days ago I tried actively reversing that downward spiral by thinking happy thoughts and wishes for everyone I passed. I began this without thinking how many people are in Asia and that it would be... too many. I gave them each a happy vibe, a good thought, prayer, or just smiled. Within a few minutes I was feeling lighter myself, the muscles on my face totally relaxed. In fact, they underwent this transformation and my eyes became wider and more clear. It was amazing to me how much tension I hold in my face. Perhaps that's why we all get wrinkles so easily these days. By the end of the walk I was a bit exhausted because of the creative energies I had to spend to think of new things for every person I passed. So tomorrow I will try just thinking the same happy prayer to each person. A blanket prayer for all. We'll see if that helps my attitude for when I go to work each day.
Beijing Part 2
Saturday: We decided to go to karaoke after our big meal and we picked a pretty well known chain called "Melody"... in English at least. It's a massive four story KTV venue and there are only private rooms as is the custom in Asia. So we booked a room with a minimum alcohol requirement, which was a bottle and a mystery drink and several mixers. The room we got had a leather sectional, huge coffee table and big plasma. Once I shook off the nerves, I was belting out some tunes. I had fun, but would fall asleep on the couch every few songs and wake back up for one I liked. Jim, our French friend, was alive! He had dance moves for every song he sang and he kept us entertained. At one point, we went out in the hallway with the mic and serenaded a few guests that were on their way in, or out, not sure.
Sunday: I was anxious to wake up because there was talk of going to one of my favorite restaurants in Beijing, Maison Boulud by Daniel Boulud for brunch. But that was quickly squashed when no one else seemed to stir before 11am and I had another appointment at 2pm. Ben even made reservations, but no one in the Fernando household was prepared. Anyways, we had a great cozy brunch in a little hutong in Nanlouguxiang instead. Fernando recommended this place after he had walked in and seen "egg, bacon, and mayonnaise sandwich" written on the chalkboard. And there it was so Chase and him ordered one each and then split another with twice the bacon and twice the eggs. Nothing screams, "gimme comfort food" than that. I had a tasty asparagus sandwich (sounds strange, but it was good and garlicky) and shared a pot of tea with BeiBei. Next, Chase and I headed over to Costa Coffee in the Raffles City mall to meet some of my old co-workers for tea. The mall is quite nice and it was opening the week we left Beijing so we didn't get a chance to visit. But it's a great space with middle-range stores that I can afford. Most of the other western malls in the city are top-end luxury brands only. I had a great time chatting and catching up on my friends' lives in Beijing since we've been gone. They both have children who were in my class so I always like to hear about their progress because with teaching I literally form huge bonds with children in my class like they are my own so it's good to know how they are doing.
We fit in a quick appointment at the tanning salon and then I was off to the airport. So that's the end of the Beijing trip. What I liked the most was that I got to relax. There's something about going to a different city. You can't check email or get sucked into surfing the internet for a couple hours. We slept soundly, woke up, read our books in bed, and did what we wanted all day and spent times with friends.
Sunday: I was anxious to wake up because there was talk of going to one of my favorite restaurants in Beijing, Maison Boulud by Daniel Boulud for brunch. But that was quickly squashed when no one else seemed to stir before 11am and I had another appointment at 2pm. Ben even made reservations, but no one in the Fernando household was prepared. Anyways, we had a great cozy brunch in a little hutong in Nanlouguxiang instead. Fernando recommended this place after he had walked in and seen "egg, bacon, and mayonnaise sandwich" written on the chalkboard. And there it was so Chase and him ordered one each and then split another with twice the bacon and twice the eggs. Nothing screams, "gimme comfort food" than that. I had a tasty asparagus sandwich (sounds strange, but it was good and garlicky) and shared a pot of tea with BeiBei. Next, Chase and I headed over to Costa Coffee in the Raffles City mall to meet some of my old co-workers for tea. The mall is quite nice and it was opening the week we left Beijing so we didn't get a chance to visit. But it's a great space with middle-range stores that I can afford. Most of the other western malls in the city are top-end luxury brands only. I had a great time chatting and catching up on my friends' lives in Beijing since we've been gone. They both have children who were in my class so I always like to hear about their progress because with teaching I literally form huge bonds with children in my class like they are my own so it's good to know how they are doing.
We fit in a quick appointment at the tanning salon and then I was off to the airport. So that's the end of the Beijing trip. What I liked the most was that I got to relax. There's something about going to a different city. You can't check email or get sucked into surfing the internet for a couple hours. We slept soundly, woke up, read our books in bed, and did what we wanted all day and spent times with friends.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Beijing and Back
It's 10:30pm on Monday night and I should be going to bed but I know that if I don't post about our weekend, I will not get it done for another week. Not that I'm terribly busy at work (as some of you may know with my awesome half-days), but I have fine tuned the art of procrastination.
So no pics as promised from Beijing. The camera was the one thing we forgot to pack. I did pack a checked bag because I knew I would be doing a good amount of shopping and bringing home a full bag. I went to the Indian store and brought back some spices (although they confiscated the pickle I bought because I forgot and packed it in my hand luggage, arg) and dhals. So hopefully I will gain some courage in the next week and try to cook some Indian food.
So maybe a better way is to outline the weekend for you:
Friday: We were running late and trying to catch a cab during the time of day that the shift change occurs. Get this, Hangzhou has decided that shift change for cab drivers should be normal work rush hour... That is from 4-5pm. So you are out of luck if you want to go anywhere during that time and that's usually when I'm commuting. So we found a cab who was in the middle of his shift change but took pity on us foreigners. He mumbled something about how we would just have to pay 100RMB, he wasn't going to run the meter because it was shift change time, etc. I thought I understood everything until we started winding down some narrow streets just off the highway that we were supposed to be on. Finally, we get to a bridge where the driver stops gets out and starts talking to another man. Turns out we got to witness our very first Hangzhou taxi cab driver shift change because we were part of it! So, new driver gets in and settles in to his 12 hour shift and we were off to the airport.
Friday evening we got into Beijing, put our bags down at Fernando and BeiBei's apartment and headed to a late dinner at Purple Haze. We don't get good thai food in Hangzhou (a hint to our new-found Thai friends in Hangzhou, maybe they'll invite us over some time if they read this) so Purple Haze hit the spot. We couldn't finish a lot of the food which was a pity, but it was already close to 1am. We (Ben, Fernando, BeiBei included) went to a friends 30th birthday party. Yes, we are all getting older and it's right around the corner for Chase actually. Then we went to a house party in a hutong. This apartment was great, spacious, stained glass windows, etc. We met some fun french people and danced a bit.
Saturday: We woke up and got breakfast/brunch at our favorite bakery in Beijing, Comptoirs de France. They now have six locations and when were there they only had two. So I am quite amazed and happy they have grown. Our favorite location is in China Central Place. Everything about their food, service, and baked goods, is top-notch. We always come home with a treat bag of something yummy afterwards. This time it was two meringue cookies and Christmas cookies- star, tree, reindeer, and snowman. The tree and snowman went to Fernando and BeiBei in thanks for letting us stay with them this weekend. Next Chase and I went to our hair appointments. My hair had a big chunky layer in it from several years ago when I had an awful hair cut and so it was time to finally get my hair to all one length like a normal human. So it was a bit more hair than I'd like to part with but you can still call my hair "long" which is what I want. I can't wait for it to grow out more. Chase is also planning on keeping his hair long and opted to just get it trimmed and some volume taken out of the top and sides where it seems to grow the fastest. Our hair salon in Beijing gives the best head massages. They literally have you in the shampoo chair for about half an hour. Can't get that sort of treatment in the US anywhere I've seen. Other than that, we shopped for DVDs, I got Indian groceries, and we bought a couple of gifts from the market near by. We had lunch at our favorite Middle-Eastern restaurant, Turkish Mum. It was light, healthy, the hummus was so creamy, the tea flavorful, and we just had a great time relaxing. Yes, I really was in relax-mode this weekend. It was great to get out of Hangzhou.
Saturday evening, we read some books, and then made our way to have Thanksgiving Dinner at a local NY style restaurant called Chef Too. The owner is American and they even make their own ice cream. So the meal was a traditional one with all the sides and I even had some turkey to join in the spirit. We arrived late, so the staff was hurrying us through the meal, but I savored every bite.
Alright, my eyes are drooping, so I am stopping here and will recount the story of our trip after I wake up.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
I just got back from trivia night at a place called Vineyard Cafe in Hangzhou. It's not the same as the one in Beijing. That Vineyard is a beautiful restaurant with a great weekend brunch in the middle of some hutongs. I hear that part of Beijing is getting totally revitalized, at least the hutongs are, and that's a good thing because then those structures are saved from demolition and just the construction of modern buildings everywhere.
So our team didn't win at trivia. We have won the last two weeks in a row and we were hoping to make it a hat trick, but lost by half a point. I wasn't quite on my game this evening. I am a bit tired, not just from work, but that after work I regulary work out and then cook dinner. There are times where I don't sit down until about 8:30 at night. So I'm usually up at 6am, so are talking regular 14 hour days.
Tomorrow, Chase and I fly to Beijing to do some shopping, visiting friends, and enjoying some time away from Hangzhou. I think it's going to be great- busy and fun. I will try and take pictures.
So our team didn't win at trivia. We have won the last two weeks in a row and we were hoping to make it a hat trick, but lost by half a point. I wasn't quite on my game this evening. I am a bit tired, not just from work, but that after work I regulary work out and then cook dinner. There are times where I don't sit down until about 8:30 at night. So I'm usually up at 6am, so are talking regular 14 hour days.
Tomorrow, Chase and I fly to Beijing to do some shopping, visiting friends, and enjoying some time away from Hangzhou. I think it's going to be great- busy and fun. I will try and take pictures.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Mysterious Ways
This morning I woke up and had a pity party for myself. I didn't leave the apartment all day yesterday and so the lack of Vitamin D mixed with the noise of people remodeling next door and being sick this past week compounded on top of everything and I just wallowed for about three hours. Chase tried a couple of times to reassure me and I wasn't exactly consolable. I am just plain homesick. I miss my dog, friends, family, familiarity, and the comforts of American life (we are so spoiled in the USA I can't even explain).
This time of year, being away from America and family is also tough. Thanksgiving is around the corner and it is my favorite celebration of the year. The air is crisp, the seasonal food available is hearty and flavorful, and everyone comes together. Chase and I are going up to Beijing this weekend to see friends so I hope that it will cheer me up. Besides that we just have to wait less than one month before we'll be back home for a visit.
In the afternoon, our school hosted a Harvest Party at school and I think that it came together very well. All the staff was helpful and pitched in where ever help was needed. We had games and activities for the children to do and I think that the families of our school had a good time getting to meet. There was tons of food which everyone enjoyed. A couple of people in a family of vegetarians had to leave early as there was nothing for them to eat besides fruit and bread. It's hard to plan the menu when it's potluck. We tried to have a sign-up list, but in China even if someone brings a vegetable side dish it will always have chunks of meat in it. So we will have to plan that better for next time. All in all, though everyone was relaxed and seemed to enjoy our first official school event! So I think I can pat myself on the back for putting that together.
I got some good leftovers to take home for Chase and as I was walking home I noticed a young teen on the sidewalk sitting up against a gated fence to one of the apartment buildings. Chase and I have a rule that we do not donate or give to beggars who have all four limbs and who seem to have a stable mind. It sounds crude, but I believe that if they have all those necessary requirements, then they can join the work force like the rest of us and that any amount of charity will not be what brings them out of their troubles. However, this child was not begging. His arms were wrapped so tightly around his bent legs, his eyes were worried, and I could tell that he was truly lost in this world. I reached into my bag and pulled out some food I was carrying home and gave it to him. He thanked me twice looking deeply into my eyes and I felt the thankfulness from his heart as I passed by. I hope that he is ok. I hope I gave him enough food. It was a protein, so I think that it should have nourished him for at least a day and I hope that he is able to make it in this world and have a peaceful life ahead of him.
It certainly took the spotlight off my troubles of this morning. I was whining and crying and I know I have problems like everyone else, but I've got it pretty good in the end. I have people around me who love me, a way to earn a living, and hobbies and interests that I am pretty proficient at. It is just that somewhere down the line, I have forgotten how strong I am. I have forgotten me since we came to China 15 months ago and it's time to find that inner strength again. I am coming up with a plan on how to do this as I currently work full time so rededicating my efforts to my personal growth is going to take some tricky scheduling and maneuvering so stay tuned.
This time of year, being away from America and family is also tough. Thanksgiving is around the corner and it is my favorite celebration of the year. The air is crisp, the seasonal food available is hearty and flavorful, and everyone comes together. Chase and I are going up to Beijing this weekend to see friends so I hope that it will cheer me up. Besides that we just have to wait less than one month before we'll be back home for a visit.
In the afternoon, our school hosted a Harvest Party at school and I think that it came together very well. All the staff was helpful and pitched in where ever help was needed. We had games and activities for the children to do and I think that the families of our school had a good time getting to meet. There was tons of food which everyone enjoyed. A couple of people in a family of vegetarians had to leave early as there was nothing for them to eat besides fruit and bread. It's hard to plan the menu when it's potluck. We tried to have a sign-up list, but in China even if someone brings a vegetable side dish it will always have chunks of meat in it. So we will have to plan that better for next time. All in all, though everyone was relaxed and seemed to enjoy our first official school event! So I think I can pat myself on the back for putting that together.
I got some good leftovers to take home for Chase and as I was walking home I noticed a young teen on the sidewalk sitting up against a gated fence to one of the apartment buildings. Chase and I have a rule that we do not donate or give to beggars who have all four limbs and who seem to have a stable mind. It sounds crude, but I believe that if they have all those necessary requirements, then they can join the work force like the rest of us and that any amount of charity will not be what brings them out of their troubles. However, this child was not begging. His arms were wrapped so tightly around his bent legs, his eyes were worried, and I could tell that he was truly lost in this world. I reached into my bag and pulled out some food I was carrying home and gave it to him. He thanked me twice looking deeply into my eyes and I felt the thankfulness from his heart as I passed by. I hope that he is ok. I hope I gave him enough food. It was a protein, so I think that it should have nourished him for at least a day and I hope that he is able to make it in this world and have a peaceful life ahead of him.
It certainly took the spotlight off my troubles of this morning. I was whining and crying and I know I have problems like everyone else, but I've got it pretty good in the end. I have people around me who love me, a way to earn a living, and hobbies and interests that I am pretty proficient at. It is just that somewhere down the line, I have forgotten how strong I am. I have forgotten me since we came to China 15 months ago and it's time to find that inner strength again. I am coming up with a plan on how to do this as I currently work full time so rededicating my efforts to my personal growth is going to take some tricky scheduling and maneuvering so stay tuned.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
at home
So it's dreadfully freezing in Hangzhou today. It has been for the past few days and they are predicting snow tonight which is rare for this time of year. It's a result of the cloud seeding that was done over Beijing a few weeks ago that produced the huge snow storm they had up there. And now the weather system is still continuing to produce unseasonable snow in northern China and might reach us tonight. I read on forums that snow was up in the mountains of Zhejiang province last night, but since we are in the city, I'm not sure, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
As for the cloud-seeding, I sincerely hope that karma will get the people who tried to alter Mother Earth's path. Wait, that's wrong of me to think but I am appalled when people try to play God. I know there are people in China that need to be fed and so cloud-seeding will provide rain for crops, but maybe in places like Beijing, which are such an anomaly in why people ever decided to build a city in the middle of a desert, we shouldn't be living. But I did live there last year and loved the city so I'm sounding hypocritical but I stand by my statement.
I came home early because of all the weather change I came down with a bug. It's not horrible, but bad enough that I just want to lay down. So no yoga today which I was looking forward to. I hope Chase will make me some Chinese noodle soup. And I hope it will snow.
As for the cloud-seeding, I sincerely hope that karma will get the people who tried to alter Mother Earth's path. Wait, that's wrong of me to think but I am appalled when people try to play God. I know there are people in China that need to be fed and so cloud-seeding will provide rain for crops, but maybe in places like Beijing, which are such an anomaly in why people ever decided to build a city in the middle of a desert, we shouldn't be living. But I did live there last year and loved the city so I'm sounding hypocritical but I stand by my statement.
I came home early because of all the weather change I came down with a bug. It's not horrible, but bad enough that I just want to lay down. So no yoga today which I was looking forward to. I hope Chase will make me some Chinese noodle soup. And I hope it will snow.
Being Real Americans
So the Patriots played the Colts a day or two ago. Wait, don't tell me who won because we still haven't seen the game, but this is the story of how we hoped and wanted to see the game like every good American did.
I found out about a forum where by users can post NFL games for other to download. Chase and I have tried just about every other means to watch NFL and college football online, but we have not been successful. Well, last year in Beijing, we did have pirated Satellite TV and ESPN did put some.... just some games so we had a fair amount that satiated our football needs. This year, we don't even have Chinese TV so everything we watch is a DVD from the pirated DVD place across our street or online. We have several great sites we like to use including youku.com, tudou.com, and others.
So Chase and I had the great idea to go for a workout and order in pizza and watch the game off my laptop using this new forum. A perfect date-night idea. We went to the gym first and on their pirated ESPN satellite channel (yes, even five-star gyms have to pirate their TV in China) was the broadcast of the Real Madrid v. Milan match-up and so Chase got hooked watching that. So we ended up sticking around the bar that's on the same floor as the gym and I had my pizza while Chase had a burger. So it wasn't so American after all. We tried the site when we got home but we're still stuck on this side of the world without our American football fix until we get home for the holidays.
So we'll be back in Texas for Christmas with his family and the rest of the time through New Year's in Austin. So I am looking forward to that.
Today we are going to the climbing gym this evening and Chase says I'm going to be using my harness. Haha. I don't enjoy sport climbing nearly as much as the safety of bouldering. Bouldering just makes me feel like a monkey and that's basically why I like to climb anyways.
Other than that, we 'll check out a new restaurant for dinner and come back home for early rest. I've got a scratchy throat.
Oh, and we are going to Beijing in a few weeks; the weekend after Thanksgiving to be exact. Really excited to see old friends and be back in the Jing.
I found out about a forum where by users can post NFL games for other to download. Chase and I have tried just about every other means to watch NFL and college football online, but we have not been successful. Well, last year in Beijing, we did have pirated Satellite TV and ESPN did put some.... just some games so we had a fair amount that satiated our football needs. This year, we don't even have Chinese TV so everything we watch is a DVD from the pirated DVD place across our street or online. We have several great sites we like to use including youku.com, tudou.com, and others.
So Chase and I had the great idea to go for a workout and order in pizza and watch the game off my laptop using this new forum. A perfect date-night idea. We went to the gym first and on their pirated ESPN satellite channel (yes, even five-star gyms have to pirate their TV in China) was the broadcast of the Real Madrid v. Milan match-up and so Chase got hooked watching that. So we ended up sticking around the bar that's on the same floor as the gym and I had my pizza while Chase had a burger. So it wasn't so American after all. We tried the site when we got home but we're still stuck on this side of the world without our American football fix until we get home for the holidays.
So we'll be back in Texas for Christmas with his family and the rest of the time through New Year's in Austin. So I am looking forward to that.
Today we are going to the climbing gym this evening and Chase says I'm going to be using my harness. Haha. I don't enjoy sport climbing nearly as much as the safety of bouldering. Bouldering just makes me feel like a monkey and that's basically why I like to climb anyways.
Other than that, we 'll check out a new restaurant for dinner and come back home for early rest. I've got a scratchy throat.
Oh, and we are going to Beijing in a few weeks; the weekend after Thanksgiving to be exact. Really excited to see old friends and be back in the Jing.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Hanghzou International Marathon
Dear All,
Well, I wanted to post last weekend because Chase and I went on a long hike around the West Lake and saw some wonderful sights. We hiked around the western half and down the Su Causeway and found some interesting and beautiful spots. I took plenty of pictures but Chase has pretty much hijacked the camera and I don't have those pictures at the moment.
Well, I wanted to post last weekend because Chase and I went on a long hike around the West Lake and saw some wonderful sights. We hiked around the western half and down the Su Causeway and found some interesting and beautiful spots. I took plenty of pictures but Chase has pretty much hijacked the camera and I don't have those pictures at the moment.
But I can tell you about this weekend. Our friend, Lisa, from Shanghai came on Saturday morning to stay in Hangzhou because she ran the Hangzhou 1/2 Marathon this morning. We spent most of the morning tidying up and I shopped for a few breakfast foods such as bread, honey, coffee, etc. so she could have something to eat before the run. She has run the Great Wall Marathon a couple of times as well as some other long races, so she's definitely in shape, but we just wanted to be good hosts. So when she arrived, we went to lunch and then got her registration packet. At the same time, I hoped to register, but unfortunately, it was all full or since I didn't already register online, I couldn't. I didn't understand the chinese they were speaking well enough.
So we went to an extremely long dinner at a restaurant called Valentino's last night. The food was well-prepared and I would go back, but by the time we got out, I was was falling asleep in the cab.
We woke up this morning and Chase and I decided to run the 6.8 km (mini-marathon, they called it) even though we weren't legally registered. Mind you, anything is possible in China. Sometimes you just play the "wai guo ren" card (foreigner card) and you have the rights to pretty much do anything. So we ran. Chase kept pace with me for the first 15 minutes and then took off at his speed for the rest of the 5kms or so. I had a great time running and I am proud that I didn't stop for the whole 6.8 kms. That is certainly a great accomplishment as I am not built to be a runner.
Lisa also finished the half-marathon in good time and we met up with her new guy who also lives in Shanghai. He just came in for the day. So we went to brunch. Going to brunch is a big deal in the ex-pat world of China and people make a huge fuss over it. But I'm ok with a little bit of gorging once a month especially when there's free-flow champagne (in our case, Proseco). We feasted and then took a stroll over to the banks of the West Lake before they had to catch their train back.
We hope to go to Shanghai during the Thanksgiving weekend and really eat at the Mother of all Brunches at the Westin-Shanghai. It's supposed to be intense. I can't hardly wait. We also might to go to Beijing to visit our friends there, so we'll keep you updated on what we decide to do.
Monday, October 26, 2009
October
This is the first city I have lived in that I have actually experienced a Fall. The mornings are mild and the sun just barely burns up all the vapor in the air by noon. The afternoons are bright, airy, and you can take off your sweater and replace it with sunglasses. By three or four, the wind kicks back up and the evenings are cool. I know Lola would love this weather. I really am enjoying it and in Hangzhou, the osmanthus blooms. The entire city smells so sweet as you are walking down the streets. The streets are lined with osmanthus trees and their yellow buds are captivating. Wish you all we here with me!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Happy Diwali
I hope everyone had a great Diwali. I ended up meeting a friend for dinner at a local Indian restaurant in Hangzhou. We then stopped into a chinese bar for him to have another drink and I was happy to watch CCTV 5 which was showing the World Gymnastics championships. The Aussie's had an Indian on their team so naturally I was rooting for him.
But now this morning I have woken up with a sore throat, drainage, and just feeling bleh. I think it's that I'm not used to cigarette smoke and in bars in China you are bombarded with it. The ill-effects of smoking are simply not talked about, the people aren't educated. I have thought several times of opening up a quit-smoking group similar to ones in America as there are no support structures educating people or helping them through the process once they have made the decision to quit.
Anyways, I am paying the price of my few minutes of tv bliss.
So even though I'm not feeling a 100% I'm still going to the Yoga Summit today to take some classes. It's their anniversary so there are a bunch of free classes. I'm taking three. Well, we'll see. I just can't pass this up when a normal class costs $40. Yes, 40USD.... and we are in China. Who can afford that!??! Well, the rich in Communism get richer, that's who.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Dream Theory
I woke up the other day and what happened next might have been the turning point in deciding that I need to get back into writing a blog. Not because I think I'm an excellent writer and everyone out there should know all about my life, but more so because my blog last year was definitely an outlet, a processing zone, a space to journal and get all the thoughts out. It also helped that friends do like to know what I'm doing over here. But there are so many thoughts in my head that it helped to let them have their space.... far away on the internet. You might wonder why choose such a public forum to detail these thoughts, but in fact I find the internet to be a wall rather than a web. The thoughts bounce on the wall and as I read and reread my work they slowly bounce back to me and allow me to see myself and my life.... gain perspective if you will.
So I'm off the soapbox now. Anyways, I woke up and incase you didn't know this little factoid about me, I have my best thoughts in the first few moments of waking. The saying, "sleep on it" is definitely (now underline that 100 times) how I make the decisions in my life. My mind speaks clearly after my subconscious and my heart have made the decision over a night's sleep. It's that simple. So I do my best to wake up slowly so I can hear what my heart feels before the rest of the days chaos takes over. And this Sunday morning it spoke:
Prana is a Healing Energy.
Deep deep within my gut this message was sent to me and I was in denial that I heard it. Did I make that up? Did I put that together? I've never heard that sentence spoken to me but somehow my subconscious new it and needed me to hear it again that morning. There was nothing wrong with me. What did I need to heal? But it is the truth. The pranic feeling after a sweaty session of yoga doesn't make you feel tired, instead you feel uplifted. I'm usually springier, brighter, happier, lighter, fuller. Even the flow of prana after you come out of certain poses are like a euphoric feeling that you want to hold on to, recreate in your life, and sustain. Not that I'm attached and clingy to the actual feeling. But I am privy to the fact that it is an energy that is like a gift that we humans have within us. So I treasure that gift. So long as we can practice letting prana come into the whole of our body and reside in its home we can never be broken.
Monday, October 12, 2009
First Things First
Well, I am so excited to be able to blog once again that I just had to post some pictures. Our wedding pictures are up on www.katemeffordblog.com. These are just a selection of what our photographer chose to put on her blog and I encourage you to check them out. The whole selection will be on another website in the near future.
Anyways, she wasn't there to take pictures at the Rehearsal Dinner hosted by Chase's parents at the Four Seasons, so I thought that you could have a look at some shot from our camera.
My parents looking fabulous. They don't look stressed about the next 48 hours at all, don't you think?
A close-up of the gorgeous centerpieces Chase's mom, Donna, put together.
\This is after the dinner. I thought it was really great that almost everyone wore black and white that evening! Even my cousins who aren't pictured were in sync! Which brings me to my next point that my bridesmaids pictured below showed up to the reception in purple dresses without consulting each other.... that was one of the wedding colors. I had asked them to wear what they pleased and how cool is it that they matched!
Facionable
So I have entered the world of the fashionably encrypted! So far, my computer thinks I am surfing the internet from Italy rather than China and all my toolbars for blogger.com are in Italian. Makes it quite fun really. Who knows, maybe I'll be in Vietnam next time I log in!
So I must say it took me so long to "break the rules." I am such a by-the-book kind of person that I felt an sense of guilt just looking into the bending the cyberwaves.
But I took the plunge and now I am free! It feels ...well, freeing... I can now connect with all my friends within all that freedom, wouldn't you know?
So if there is anybody out there still wanting to know what's going on in little chinatown over here... here I am... And I promise to not let that Great Wall get in the way of being fashionable in cyberspace.
Monday, August 24, 2009
The wedding is over and now we have switched gears to getting ready to go back to China. I have been sad about Lola for the last 48 hours and while I was sorting out which jewelry to take to China and so on, she came over, placed both her paws on my leg and buried her head between her two front legs. Love. That is pure love.
I can't stop the tears from streaming for the last 45 minutes now. She knows we are leaving her and although I know she will be taken care of, played with, and loved here on Circleview Drive, I selfishly will wish she was with me in China.
The love I have for her is a different kind of love that I have with nothing else in the world. She is my first dog. She's not perfect. She barks too much. She doesn't know how to roll over and she's possessive with her toys and food. But in my eyes, all I see is the best dog in the world. The only dog that will be in my heart always. She's perfect to me.
I can't stop the tears from streaming for the last 45 minutes now. She knows we are leaving her and although I know she will be taken care of, played with, and loved here on Circleview Drive, I selfishly will wish she was with me in China.
The love I have for her is a different kind of love that I have with nothing else in the world. She is my first dog. She's not perfect. She barks too much. She doesn't know how to roll over and she's possessive with her toys and food. But in my eyes, all I see is the best dog in the world. The only dog that will be in my heart always. She's perfect to me.
Friday, July 31, 2009
The Countdown
Today is August 1st, 2009. I am officially starting a countdown until the wedding. We've got two weeks before the first event which is the Rehearsal. We have one week before our first guest arrives. And we've got three and a half weeks before Chase and I leave for China again.
There is so much to do and I have made a half a dozen "to-do" lists for each vendor. I hope we can get it all done this week because I truly want to relax that last week and really spend time with the people I love who have come from all over the world really.
Last night a few of my "bridesmaids"and friends- I put that in quotes because we really don't have bridesmaids in Indian weddings, but I wanted to incorporate that idea into our wedding (even though their role is minimal) and honor my friends- came over and tried on saris for the weekend that they are going to borrow. I am so happy that my friends are willing to get into the spirit of things and get dressed up like that. Saris really do make every woman look so beautiful and the fabric and draping is always figure-flattering.
I was beat after that so I went to bed. Today we've got a lot to work on and hopefully we can get things crossed off this list here.
There is so much to do and I have made a half a dozen "to-do" lists for each vendor. I hope we can get it all done this week because I truly want to relax that last week and really spend time with the people I love who have come from all over the world really.
Last night a few of my "bridesmaids"and friends- I put that in quotes because we really don't have bridesmaids in Indian weddings, but I wanted to incorporate that idea into our wedding (even though their role is minimal) and honor my friends- came over and tried on saris for the weekend that they are going to borrow. I am so happy that my friends are willing to get into the spirit of things and get dressed up like that. Saris really do make every woman look so beautiful and the fabric and draping is always figure-flattering.
I was beat after that so I went to bed. Today we've got a lot to work on and hopefully we can get things crossed off this list here.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
And we're back
Well, I'm back in the blogging world being that I am back in the US. If you didn't know, the Chinese government banned usage of blogging sites associated with blogger.com. Funny because that's owned by gmail which is still allowable.
Anyways, we arrived in Austin about two weeks ago and they have flown by so fast. We, well, I, not Chase, have been fully immersed in wedding planning and today I have been "ordered" to take a day off. I really don't want to as the wedding is now less than one month away. There is so much to do but yesterday I had a mini breakdown so I must relax today. Let's just say it is so difficult to make everyone happy and I always want to make everyone else associated with the wedding happy before myself and I have been unsuccessful at both. No one's happy.
Today, I woke up brushed Honey's teeth and her hair, fed her, and now am eating yummy Central Market granola with milk. I am going to take her to the dog park. Later I want to take a yoga class except that my left inner hamstring, right were it attaches to the glute is really straining after my run yesterday. This is an injury that has plagued me to varying degrees the past two years and for the first time I can say it's inflamed. I certainly do not practice enough yoga anymore and that is really changing my body. I can tell I am not as strong, don't have good enough balance, and my mind is unable to cope with the swings of life. I really hope that the next few weeks will allow me to have time and energy to practice. I really miss yoga more than I can explain. So hopefully by actually writing these thoughts down they will penetrate my subconcious and help me really make the effort to bring yoga back in my life.
It's getting hot out and in an hour it will be too hot for Lola. So I better get going to the dog park.
Anyways, we arrived in Austin about two weeks ago and they have flown by so fast. We, well, I, not Chase, have been fully immersed in wedding planning and today I have been "ordered" to take a day off. I really don't want to as the wedding is now less than one month away. There is so much to do but yesterday I had a mini breakdown so I must relax today. Let's just say it is so difficult to make everyone happy and I always want to make everyone else associated with the wedding happy before myself and I have been unsuccessful at both. No one's happy.
Today, I woke up brushed Honey's teeth and her hair, fed her, and now am eating yummy Central Market granola with milk. I am going to take her to the dog park. Later I want to take a yoga class except that my left inner hamstring, right were it attaches to the glute is really straining after my run yesterday. This is an injury that has plagued me to varying degrees the past two years and for the first time I can say it's inflamed. I certainly do not practice enough yoga anymore and that is really changing my body. I can tell I am not as strong, don't have good enough balance, and my mind is unable to cope with the swings of life. I really hope that the next few weeks will allow me to have time and energy to practice. I really miss yoga more than I can explain. So hopefully by actually writing these thoughts down they will penetrate my subconcious and help me really make the effort to bring yoga back in my life.
It's getting hot out and in an hour it will be too hot for Lola. So I better get going to the dog park.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Shanghai
It's been a week since we got back from Shanghai and I am finally getting a chance to post about it. Before going to Shanghai, many Beijingers warned me about how Shanghainese are not so nice and friendly, they try and cheat you, and their city was just not as beautiful as Beijing. And in many ways, they are right, it's very crowded and I noticed that from taxi drivers to people on the streeet, the Shanghainese were not as friendly. They have been exposed to the west for a longer period of time and I suppose you can say they have lost their innocence. People in Beijing are just some of the most friendly people I have met. They go out of their way to make you feel welcome in restaurants to seeing you on the street.
However, Shanghai is so beautiful and there are parks everywhere. My eyes were so happy because the green looked greener, the trees were taller and older, and the skyline is beautiful. We ate at The Kitchen (based off restaurant in Tokyo by Salvatore Cuomo) which is across from the Bund and had some of the best pumpkin gnocchi while watching the skyline of Shanghai.
Here's a view of the three most famous buildings in Shanghai right from our riverside table. First, the spindly structure is the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The one on the lower left is the JinMao Tower which used to be the tallest building in China before the next one was built, Shanghai World Financial Center which is behind that.
We had a great tour guide with us, Chase's friend Lisa from his Trek America days. And she took us around most of Shanghai on Friday afternoon. After lunch we went to the Shanghai One World Financial Center's rooftop bar. Well, actually, after we got to the lobby of the hotel on the 86th floor we found out that the bar we wanted to go to wasn't open so settled for another bar on the 92nd floor. The views were ok only because I was expecting this spectacular view. And it was starting to get foggy because of Saturday a storm was forecasted and the clouds were coming in. Nevertheless, a great experience and amazing how Shanghai is such a sprawling yet condensed metropolis.
Here we are before we went up to the viewing area.
I love sleep. I can sleep almost anywhere. So here I am taking a cat nap on Lisa's windowsill. Notice the great skyline view that she has up on the 34th floor.
The next night we went to eat at Jean George's in the city. Chase has been to the one in NYC and was excited to go back for about 1/3 the price (Thank you China). I broke my vegetarianism and went for a four course meal with chicken as the entree and wine pairings. I felt ok being that it was an organic chicken that I was eating and it was deliciously prepared. I felt that the whole meal was so tasty. Every single bite. I can't forget an artichoke mousse that was served as an intermezzo. Yum. Chase seemed just as pleased with his meal. The service was attentive. Jean Georges when compared to Beijing's best restaurant, Maison Boulud by Daniel Boulud, was light years better....
So after dinner we went around to some of Shanghai's late night hotspots on the Bund and had a great time. Life for foreigners in China and most of Asia is always exciting and we are so glad we can experience all of this while we are still in our 20s. Not that we couldn't later in life, but just that I know we will have different priorities.
So a week has gone by. It's Friday and tomorrow morning we are on a flight to Hangzhou, the city that Chinese people call "heaven". It's one of the biggest tourist destinations in the country and I have an interview for a job there. So we will see how it goes. I am hopeful. After the interview, we will have a good look around. Hangzhou is famous for a place called, West Lake (haha for all you Austin people) which is a beautiful lake lined with pagodas and rich flora. Hangzhou is also famous for tea, Longjing tea. So I am excited to try it out.
However, Shanghai is so beautiful and there are parks everywhere. My eyes were so happy because the green looked greener, the trees were taller and older, and the skyline is beautiful. We ate at The Kitchen (based off restaurant in Tokyo by Salvatore Cuomo) which is across from the Bund and had some of the best pumpkin gnocchi while watching the skyline of Shanghai.
Here's a view of the three most famous buildings in Shanghai right from our riverside table. First, the spindly structure is the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The one on the lower left is the JinMao Tower which used to be the tallest building in China before the next one was built, Shanghai World Financial Center which is behind that.
We had a great tour guide with us, Chase's friend Lisa from his Trek America days. And she took us around most of Shanghai on Friday afternoon. After lunch we went to the Shanghai One World Financial Center's rooftop bar. Well, actually, after we got to the lobby of the hotel on the 86th floor we found out that the bar we wanted to go to wasn't open so settled for another bar on the 92nd floor. The views were ok only because I was expecting this spectacular view. And it was starting to get foggy because of Saturday a storm was forecasted and the clouds were coming in. Nevertheless, a great experience and amazing how Shanghai is such a sprawling yet condensed metropolis.
Here we are before we went up to the viewing area.
I love sleep. I can sleep almost anywhere. So here I am taking a cat nap on Lisa's windowsill. Notice the great skyline view that she has up on the 34th floor.
The next night we went to eat at Jean George's in the city. Chase has been to the one in NYC and was excited to go back for about 1/3 the price (Thank you China). I broke my vegetarianism and went for a four course meal with chicken as the entree and wine pairings. I felt ok being that it was an organic chicken that I was eating and it was deliciously prepared. I felt that the whole meal was so tasty. Every single bite. I can't forget an artichoke mousse that was served as an intermezzo. Yum. Chase seemed just as pleased with his meal. The service was attentive. Jean Georges when compared to Beijing's best restaurant, Maison Boulud by Daniel Boulud, was light years better....
So after dinner we went around to some of Shanghai's late night hotspots on the Bund and had a great time. Life for foreigners in China and most of Asia is always exciting and we are so glad we can experience all of this while we are still in our 20s. Not that we couldn't later in life, but just that I know we will have different priorities.
So a week has gone by. It's Friday and tomorrow morning we are on a flight to Hangzhou, the city that Chinese people call "heaven". It's one of the biggest tourist destinations in the country and I have an interview for a job there. So we will see how it goes. I am hopeful. After the interview, we will have a good look around. Hangzhou is famous for a place called, West Lake (haha for all you Austin people) which is a beautiful lake lined with pagodas and rich flora. Hangzhou is also famous for tea, Longjing tea. So I am excited to try it out.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Our Weekend
This weekend started with Chinese tutoring make up class on Saturday morning. Here are the characters I was writing on the board while my tutor dictated them to me....
Chinese is written with a specific stroke order. I like to shortcut that order a lot of times because it's easier for me to remember the characters then. But Chinese people call you out on it as my teacher was doing. Once again, a reflection of how they are taught to stay inside the box... don't question the stroke order!
We went out with Ben and Kate (from Russia) to Lan. It's a restaurant that has the craziest atmosphere ever. I would say it's decor is a bit like the MadHatter's Tea Party in Alice in Wonderland.
Chase sitting in one of the chairs in the hallway of the restaurant. No piece of furniture is a like throughout the whole restaurant and club that it attached.
There's tons of art on the ceiling and gorgeous light fixtures. This one I thought was great.
On Sunday we went to the train station to buy tickets to Shanghai for next weekend. It's Labor Day on Friday and I have the day off. So we are going to Shanghai, except it will be by plane.
We walked around to a grassy area near the station which is close to Temple of Heaven park and flew our kite! It was great fun and the new kite looks so beautiful in the air.
All the Chinese people walking around there would stop and look at the laowais fumbling around with their kite.
We made it over to San Li Tun for some food and a massage. While we were in the Village (shopping/restaurant center) we noticed three cranes working on a Sunday afternoon. Labor in this country doesn't rest except when it's raining.
In the middle of the Village, there were some djs playing electronic music with visual effects up on the big screen. And we thought it was interesting how parents would just allow their children to be around the blasting techno music. I wonder what those children will turn out to be.
So we didn't get a chance to go to the Botanical Garden. We both have come down with some sort of head cold and are lacking energy. So hopefully we can make it through this week chomping down lots of multivitamins and C. Four more days and then a vacation to Shanghai!
Chinese is written with a specific stroke order. I like to shortcut that order a lot of times because it's easier for me to remember the characters then. But Chinese people call you out on it as my teacher was doing. Once again, a reflection of how they are taught to stay inside the box... don't question the stroke order!
We went out with Ben and Kate (from Russia) to Lan. It's a restaurant that has the craziest atmosphere ever. I would say it's decor is a bit like the MadHatter's Tea Party in Alice in Wonderland.
Chase sitting in one of the chairs in the hallway of the restaurant. No piece of furniture is a like throughout the whole restaurant and club that it attached.
There's tons of art on the ceiling and gorgeous light fixtures. This one I thought was great.
On Sunday we went to the train station to buy tickets to Shanghai for next weekend. It's Labor Day on Friday and I have the day off. So we are going to Shanghai, except it will be by plane.
We walked around to a grassy area near the station which is close to Temple of Heaven park and flew our kite! It was great fun and the new kite looks so beautiful in the air.
All the Chinese people walking around there would stop and look at the laowais fumbling around with their kite.
We made it over to San Li Tun for some food and a massage. While we were in the Village (shopping/restaurant center) we noticed three cranes working on a Sunday afternoon. Labor in this country doesn't rest except when it's raining.
In the middle of the Village, there were some djs playing electronic music with visual effects up on the big screen. And we thought it was interesting how parents would just allow their children to be around the blasting techno music. I wonder what those children will turn out to be.
So we didn't get a chance to go to the Botanical Garden. We both have come down with some sort of head cold and are lacking energy. So hopefully we can make it through this week chomping down lots of multivitamins and C. Four more days and then a vacation to Shanghai!
Friday, April 24, 2009
This week...
Wow. I am sitting down on my couch for the first time in a few days (well, ok, yesterday I laid on it half asleep) with my my legs up on the "L" part of the couch. And I've got a bottle of Italian Toscana wine at my side. Let me tell you that the wine in China is sub-par even for my amateur tastes. But nevertheless, I broke down, and hoped for the best. And I'm watching this show called Californication that we have on DVD. It's on Showtime and I'm catching up with last season's episodes on recommendation via Chase via Denton.
Chase is out with a friend who is hosting a networking event. We are meeting up for dinner and then tomorrow we have many things to do before a picnic to the Beijing Botanical Gardens on Sunday.
This week my Dad stopped by on a surprise visit on his way back to America. So that was fun to spend a few hours with him. I got to see some of my wedding jewelry as he was bringing it from the jewelers in India. And I must say that the gems are exquisite! I know. I'm bragging. But I just want to get excited about the wedding and it seems that everything is coming together in tiny little pieces and the events are getting closer so it's on my mind every day.
I really wish that I could have been that bride that lived and dreamed for her wedding for the whole year before it actually happened. Like actually visit and talk with the vendors, cake designers, have multiple fittings for my dresses, etc. But I'm so far away that it's all done remotely through my family. So that's my only wish for my time in Austin this summer- to think and breathe wedding, workout a lot, play with Lola, and read.
Anyways, I hear Chase at the door so it's time for dinner!
Chase is out with a friend who is hosting a networking event. We are meeting up for dinner and then tomorrow we have many things to do before a picnic to the Beijing Botanical Gardens on Sunday.
This week my Dad stopped by on a surprise visit on his way back to America. So that was fun to spend a few hours with him. I got to see some of my wedding jewelry as he was bringing it from the jewelers in India. And I must say that the gems are exquisite! I know. I'm bragging. But I just want to get excited about the wedding and it seems that everything is coming together in tiny little pieces and the events are getting closer so it's on my mind every day.
I really wish that I could have been that bride that lived and dreamed for her wedding for the whole year before it actually happened. Like actually visit and talk with the vendors, cake designers, have multiple fittings for my dresses, etc. But I'm so far away that it's all done remotely through my family. So that's my only wish for my time in Austin this summer- to think and breathe wedding, workout a lot, play with Lola, and read.
Anyways, I hear Chase at the door so it's time for dinner!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Joey Negro
Yeah, we like music and a legendary house dj, Joey Negro, was going to be in town. So even though we were pretty tuckered out from our hike. We went out for a night of dancing.
The bar we went to was called Zeta Bar, a sister bar of the Zeta Bars in London and Sydney.
Roma and I.
Almost all the clubs in Beijing have entertainment- dancers, fire twirlers, laser shows, etc.
WhAT?!?!
The bar we went to was called Zeta Bar, a sister bar of the Zeta Bars in London and Sydney.
Roma and I.
Almost all the clubs in Beijing have entertainment- dancers, fire twirlers, laser shows, etc.
WhAT?!?!
Our Day WIth Roma
We faltered all morning long on whether or not we should go out to Fragrant Hills to hike. The sky was looking cloudier by the minute. But after realizing that on Sunday it was going to be worse and rain, we headed out on the Subway to the end of Line 10 (that's our line) to Bagou to meet up with our friend Roma. Roma's from Australia where she grew up but her family is from the Phillipines. Here's Chase striking a pose on the platform.
Bagou is still in Beijing. But it feels more like a village after living in the CBD for so long. Everything here in the CBD is well lit, signed, and civilized. But out there even though there were still multistory buildings within sight, it felt like a different world- no running water, delapidated homes, trash everywhere, open sewage.
So we took a cab the rest of the way and started our hike up to Xianglu Peak. After about half way up, the path became just a series of staircases because it was so steep. We climbed nearly 500 steps before we had to sit down and take a rest.
After we got up, Roma noticed her butt sweat left a mark on the ground. So while Chase held her back and out of the picture, I snapped this one.
Here we are at the top. We ended up climbing over 1000 steps.
Part of the reason why Fragrant Hills is so fragrant this time of year is because of the blossoms.
There were many pagodas you could hike to and here is one in the distance.
We started our hike down on another more circuitous route that followed a wall like structure on the side of the ridge that has some sort of historical significance. Doesn't ask me for more details. Ask the expert tour guide, Chase.
Hmmmm, I wonder where I could put my trash???
On the way down I met this family that had twins. There aren't many twins in China because of the one-child policy. Well, I suppose the won't make you give a baby away or something if you have twins, but I guess genetically, they are not common. These little ones climbed all the way up to this point by themselves. I had a great time chatting with the Mom. She doesn't look very Chinese in her features and mentioned that a lot of people take her for an Indian. I thought so as well.
Here's that famous wall I told you about. No, I know it's not the Great Wall. So Chase found a spot that he wanted to climb on. He mentioned that was the first outdoor climbing he had done since moving to China.
And here's Roma in Natarajasana (dancer's pose) at the end of our hike.
Our entire hike took nearly 4 hours. Afterwards we went to a cafe called Sculpting in Time where I had some of the best Earl Grey I've had in China. The tea was made by an Indian company, Roma told me, called Dilmah. Never even heard of it! It was smooth, velvety, and rich. Just the way I like my tea. We went through nearly two pots of it! We decided to sit outside on the back patio where we were visited by a stray cat who came and sat next to us hoping to be petted or fed. It was good to hang out with Roma because most of the time we are with a big group of people and don't really get much of a chance to talk and get to know the people we hang out with so often. Roma's really cool and fun and easy-going. So after some good conversation around 7 we headed our separate ways to go home, shower, and get ready for a night out in Beijing. That will be my next post.
Bagou is still in Beijing. But it feels more like a village after living in the CBD for so long. Everything here in the CBD is well lit, signed, and civilized. But out there even though there were still multistory buildings within sight, it felt like a different world- no running water, delapidated homes, trash everywhere, open sewage.
So we took a cab the rest of the way and started our hike up to Xianglu Peak. After about half way up, the path became just a series of staircases because it was so steep. We climbed nearly 500 steps before we had to sit down and take a rest.
After we got up, Roma noticed her butt sweat left a mark on the ground. So while Chase held her back and out of the picture, I snapped this one.
Here we are at the top. We ended up climbing over 1000 steps.
Part of the reason why Fragrant Hills is so fragrant this time of year is because of the blossoms.
There were many pagodas you could hike to and here is one in the distance.
We started our hike down on another more circuitous route that followed a wall like structure on the side of the ridge that has some sort of historical significance. Doesn't ask me for more details. Ask the expert tour guide, Chase.
Hmmmm, I wonder where I could put my trash???
On the way down I met this family that had twins. There aren't many twins in China because of the one-child policy. Well, I suppose the won't make you give a baby away or something if you have twins, but I guess genetically, they are not common. These little ones climbed all the way up to this point by themselves. I had a great time chatting with the Mom. She doesn't look very Chinese in her features and mentioned that a lot of people take her for an Indian. I thought so as well.
Here's that famous wall I told you about. No, I know it's not the Great Wall. So Chase found a spot that he wanted to climb on. He mentioned that was the first outdoor climbing he had done since moving to China.
And here's Roma in Natarajasana (dancer's pose) at the end of our hike.
Our entire hike took nearly 4 hours. Afterwards we went to a cafe called Sculpting in Time where I had some of the best Earl Grey I've had in China. The tea was made by an Indian company, Roma told me, called Dilmah. Never even heard of it! It was smooth, velvety, and rich. Just the way I like my tea. We went through nearly two pots of it! We decided to sit outside on the back patio where we were visited by a stray cat who came and sat next to us hoping to be petted or fed. It was good to hang out with Roma because most of the time we are with a big group of people and don't really get much of a chance to talk and get to know the people we hang out with so often. Roma's really cool and fun and easy-going. So after some good conversation around 7 we headed our separate ways to go home, shower, and get ready for a night out in Beijing. That will be my next post.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
What's Happening
It is Thursday morning here. Easter has come and gone. It was more like we didn't even notice it over here. I am up this morning as usually catching up with wedding related emails. It's taking up my free time at this point, which is not a lot.
I can't not express how difficult it has been to plan a wedding, of the size that we are having, from a country on the other side of the world. What were we thinking!??!?!
In a few minutes I have a call with our wedding coordinator to just catch up and see how everything is going. I am glad that I have a team of helpers and family members who are willing to make my wedding extraordinary, but it also means managing everyone's feelings. Which has proven to be really difficult when it's over the phone, over email, etc.
We have barely gotten off the ground with the wedding, but I know it will come together and I am so glad I have six weeks in Austin to really manage it all this July and August.
Update on the work situation: It's either Beijing or move to Hangzhou at this point. I go back and forth each day on which situation would be better. Oh and there's also the possibility of moving to Hong Kong. So that's in the mix. I think I should have it figured out in the next three weeks though.
Tonight we go out to dinner with friends. So finally, after living in the Jing for about 8 months we are having the first wave of our friends go back to their countries. Last week it was Morgan. But he should be back in China, just not in Beijing. And then, Fabio, who is from Germany but he's Italian. I guess that is what happens when you live in an international city. There is a constant flux of people coming and going so friends are pretty transitory. Unless you start making Chinese friends, then they are for the long term.
Alright, gonna go make this phone call and head out to work.
I can't not express how difficult it has been to plan a wedding, of the size that we are having, from a country on the other side of the world. What were we thinking!??!?!
In a few minutes I have a call with our wedding coordinator to just catch up and see how everything is going. I am glad that I have a team of helpers and family members who are willing to make my wedding extraordinary, but it also means managing everyone's feelings. Which has proven to be really difficult when it's over the phone, over email, etc.
We have barely gotten off the ground with the wedding, but I know it will come together and I am so glad I have six weeks in Austin to really manage it all this July and August.
Update on the work situation: It's either Beijing or move to Hangzhou at this point. I go back and forth each day on which situation would be better. Oh and there's also the possibility of moving to Hong Kong. So that's in the mix. I think I should have it figured out in the next three weeks though.
Tonight we go out to dinner with friends. So finally, after living in the Jing for about 8 months we are having the first wave of our friends go back to their countries. Last week it was Morgan. But he should be back in China, just not in Beijing. And then, Fabio, who is from Germany but he's Italian. I guess that is what happens when you live in an international city. There is a constant flux of people coming and going so friends are pretty transitory. Unless you start making Chinese friends, then they are for the long term.
Alright, gonna go make this phone call and head out to work.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Dad Visits Beijing
So we had our first visitor to Beijing. My Dad! He came this past week to spend some time with us on his way to India. He had never been to Beijing and it has been his dream to visit mainland China since he was a young boy, he later told us. So it was an honor to share with him our life here for the past several months.
The first day, Chase picked him up from the airport and we decided to go out to dinner at a HotPot restaurant. We were hurting the next day because the food was so spicy.
The next day, we sent him off using the subway to see TianAnMen Square and the Forbidden City. He managed on his own which I thought was great that he had that adventurous attitude. I know my first few days in Beijing were holed up in the Robarts' home just adjusting to my new work. I didn't dare do anything touristy for a week or so.
On Wednesday, Chase and I took the day off to go to the Great Wall with Dad. We chose to do a grueling 12km hike along the Great Wall. We started on the JingShanLing Section and traversed the ridgetops until the SiMaTai section.
As usual, I am having trouble putting the pictures in order. So they are backwards from the end of the trip to the beginning.
Here is Chase at the edge of SiMaTai East on a suspension bridge we crossed. I don't know what used to be there in terms of a wall, but nowadays you pay 45 Kuai to cross over to the other section.
Here's Dad at the end. His quadricep was cramping up but he managed. What a trooper!
Here are Dad and I climbing a section. Dad bought a walking stick to help him along the way.
Here's a view from the JingShanLing section. It was a really great day to hike. The air was crisp, the sun was out, and there was very little wind.
]Here is one of the many sets of steps we had to climb. Can you imagine that guards used to run up and down these one a daily basis to get to their posts in the watchtowers? Much of these two sections of the Great Wall are being redone but there are sections where you can see crumbling stones that are original.
Thursday was a recuperation day as we were sore. We treated him out to a delicious Buddhist vegetarian meal at Pure Lotus (remember we ate there a couple of weeks ago and loved it). He left early Friday morning. We had a great time with my Dad and can't wait for him to return in a couple of weeks. He's staying just for one night on his way back to the US.
We love being hosts so please come visit us in Beijing!
Bayby Does Yoga
Bayby came to visit us the other day. We had a blast with her as always and are very fortunate to have the chance to play and look after her. It really makes my absence away from Lola more manageable.
While I was doing yoga, she was running circles around me- up, down, across the sofa, in between my legs. Finally she began to do some yoga of her own.
Here she is in Eka Hasta Bhujasana prep. (Really, she's scratching herself with her leg behind her head.)
We Have So Much Fun in Beijing
Living in Beijing means going out more to meet people we know. Otherwise, we would never see them. We don't really see our neighbors. Actually, we just have one neighbor currently. The other two apartments on our floor are under heavy renovation. Go figure. Beijing is basically one big construction project.
So in Austin, we used to always have something to do on the weekend that was social, at least one night of the week. Here in the Jing, it revolves around going to bars and clubs and events throughout the city. We try and make it cultural as much as we can, though.
Last weekend, we skipped any cultural outing and just went for the good old stand-by: Ladies drink free at Tun. That's short for SanLiTun, where most of the bar crowd hangs out. I only managed to drink one Long Island Iced Tea that night (technically, before 12am).
Here are some Californians by way of Colorado that we know. Ryan and Briton. They attend the same language school that we do.
Ryan and a girl named Lilian from NYC.
Our good friends from Monday night dinner club Ben and Roma. Note that Chase is pre-hair cut. We have had a tumultuous time with Chase's hair over the past few years. You may remember him giving himself a mohawk when we lived in Austin. And then he proceeded to buzz his own hair for about two years. And finally he began to grow it out last summer in preparation for the wedding. So this picture was taken about one week day before his last haircut which he has received many compliments on lately, by the way.
*Svetha pats herself on the back for persuading Chase to get a "mop" haircut.... quoted by a recently admirer "totally trendy, but worth it"
Me and the girls from the language school.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Post from Macau 3/21-25
Well, it seems that I've been pretty much out of touch lately. After starting Chinese lessons at my new language school and having a change in my weekly schedule, Chase and I are booked 24-7. We are tired all the time, but really enjoying getting better at Chinese. My class is review mostly, but I have forgotten so many characters (hanzi) so it's useful for me to be there just so I can get better at my reading and writing.
So we decided to take a vacation. This weekend we are in Macau! We made a few last minute changes to what was supposed to be a yoga vacation to Shenzhen to take the Anusara intensive. It became too expensive (as most yoga is these days for me) and I think at this point I am just more ready to take an Immersion or something that will further my studies. I know that even Intensives are going to be "useful". I am not saying that I know enough, but given that it was going to cost almost half of a year long membership to a Beijing yoga studio, I thought I would pass and save for the Immersion. Look at me, I am trying to justify my reason, but I am fine with it. I know there will be yoga in my future.
Here are some pictures from the weekend. I am having trouble loading them so they are out of order.
Here we are at the MGM, then a Chinese hotel called the Star World hotel had dancers in front of it which intrigued us to say the least, a light show including a dragon and a lotus flower at The Wynn, and the Grand Lisboa Hotel which I write about below.
So back to the narration:
So we arrived yesterday in the afternoon and after we got checked into our hotel, Chase made it just in time for a poker tournament going on at the largest and most glamorous hotel in Macau, The Grand Lisboa. It was built by Stanley Ho, the founder of gambling in Macau and it really is a glitzy, golden, structure sticking out for all to see. I can't really explain the Chinese version of opulence... maybe gaudy, wild, over-the-top, comes to mind. So while he played poker, I went back to the hotel room. I watched non-Chinese television. By that I mean I watched Sumo wrestling. The Chinese would never broadcast a national sport of Japan, are you kidding?! And then I took a shower. A long shower. In our apartment in Beijing, we rarely get hot water for more than 5 minutes per person. We have talked to our landlords about this but somehow we just don't know to get it to work. So I sat in the shower for 30 minutes. It was great! I got all dressed up and sat at the bar while Chase was in his tournament.
When he busted out I was pretty lit up on my one apertif and two glasses of wine. So we had another and then walked around the hotel and out to the Lisboa Hotel which is the old version of the Grand Lisboa. My high heels were carving holes into my heels so I was walking barefoot around the hotel. We were in the search for food and ended up on the lower levels of the hotel underground where there are many stores, restaurants, and high end shopping. So it was like a shopping arcade just for the hotel. Low and behold, the shopping arcade was just a place for prostitutes to prowl. It was so obvious because they just walked from one end of the shopping arcade to the other making eyes at anyone who would notice. It seemed so sad to me to see them sell themselves in that way. Chase thought it was amazing to see how they paraded themselves in such an organized fashion and in public so easily- in China. Remember, porn is banned here.
So the rest of the time we were in Macau, we relaxed, ate good food at a restaurant that is the sister restaurant to Southern Italy's most Michelin starred restaurant. It was called Don Alfonso.
We made it to Hong Kong the next day where I had a job interview. And now I must break the news. I am actively looking for another job because my current situation did not turn out as I wanted it to. I had a good interview at a school that I have had contact with over the past few years and then we went to Discovery Bay to spend time with Aruna and Ruchita (my cousin Venkatesh's wife and their daughter). We treated them out to a meal on the island and then had to leave the next morning to have another meeting with a fellow Montessorian I have had contact with in Hong Kong (this time it wasn't an interview, it was an inspiring session to talk about Montessori in China and Asia and its future) and then make it back to Macau.
Our flight was pretty uneventful except that when we got home to Beijing, it really felt for the first time that we were returning home! What a great feeling that was. After so many months in Beijing we feel that we have a place to return to that's ours once again. We really hope that because of my current job situation, we won't have to move again. We really do like our life in Beijing. So I will keep you updated in the next few blog posts, which will be in quick succession because I have been behind on posting.
I look forward to you reading my blog and thank you for you continued support. It's nice to have readers who enjoy a glimpse into my life.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Today
I was going to go to dance class today but find myself glued to the couch. I was so motivated. I came home made dinner real quick and then couldn't move.
I really wanted to practice yoga today so I think that after my food digests, that's just what I am going to do.
Chase and I practiced together on Sunday and I think he did great. It was just hard for him to get going because he has to accept instruction from me and that's difficult for him to swallow. (He's used to being better at most everything we do together- biking, running, climbing, etc.) And I can't say that I'm the most forgiving teacher. He's a beginner so I just forget how beginner my instruction needs to be. But once I helped him over the hump and we got going, it was great.
Well, it's time to study some characters and then practice.
I really wanted to practice yoga today so I think that after my food digests, that's just what I am going to do.
Chase and I practiced together on Sunday and I think he did great. It was just hard for him to get going because he has to accept instruction from me and that's difficult for him to swallow. (He's used to being better at most everything we do together- biking, running, climbing, etc.) And I can't say that I'm the most forgiving teacher. He's a beginner so I just forget how beginner my instruction needs to be. But once I helped him over the hump and we got going, it was great.
Well, it's time to study some characters and then practice.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Ode to the San Lun Che (Pedicab)
On dreary winter mornings,
I've put my faith in you
My three wheeling dynamic buggy
Usually have been late to work,
But you work the cold streets
Weaving in and out of traffic
Going the wrong way, sideways,
Just to get 2km to SOHO
What a relief to get there on time
My five kuai well spent
But my conscience is heavy
As I smell the dirty fumes
From the noisy three stroke engine
And remember my poor bike
Collecting Beijing dust inside
So from this day forward I say goodbye
Happy days they were, my san lun che
Spring is coming- have no excuse
But to use my own two feet
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