So a lot of stuff is happening! I have spent a bunch of my blogs talking about the great and magnificent things that I love about China, but must take a minute to speak otherwise. There is a panic happening in China right now as the Olympics get closer. We can get CNN in our house because it is Filipino cable, so I have been watching closely what is happening and have heard the real death tolls etc. The cable at the gym though is not and while CNN is available as soon as footage or commentary come on it goes to black. The newspapers barely cover it. The headline in the Shanghai Daily says, "Tbet Capital returns to normal after Violence, " going on to say only ten were killed (when it was over a hundred), and said they did not enforce martial law, which is a well known lie. I don't even want to spell out the word right now.
Then, thanks to Bjork and her lovely comments about the place declaring independence, every musician coming here is getting the full treatment. Harry Connick Jr. just played here and an hour before his set the authorities "Offered advice" about what he could and couldn't perform, meaning half his songs were out and he had to instead perform the ones they requested on a list, which he hadn't even brought the music for. I mean, Harry Connick Jr.? THEN! Incubus was here the other night and while one member was in the hospital there were 2 members supposedly asked not to perform. Two members played a short acoustic set and it wasn't until the last song and the encore that the turntable-st (the sound they are known for) and the drummer went onstage to perform. The word hasn't gotten out about what the heck happened, but everyone was really upset and disappointed, with tics costing 500 rmb ($70) which is expensive by Shanghai standards.
Then the final frustrating straw for me today was reading a Hong Kong expat magazine which had a whole article referring to young ladies as 'Future tai tais" (wives).
Anyways.... In other news....
One of our Chinese partners for the club got us a meeting with THE man. The head of the whole Hongkou district in which the site we want is in. Basically, our woman is best friends with China's biggest sports star, a retired soccer player, who is best friends with THE man, and together they brought in Norm, they had a meeting for two hours and it couldn't have gone better! Our woman said we accomplished in 2 hours what normally takes 6 months! This guy exuded power and snapped and people would run. He made some phone calls, talked and listened and basically assured us the place was ours as soon as he could get the other people out. (it's vacant but the previous lease holders still have some rights, but he said if they aren't out nicely in 2 weeks he'd put the cops on them!) He used to be head of police and is a secretary of something in The Party. Assured us it would all be good, giving him a translated version of the proposal tomorrow. Just an example of this guys power, he said "You know there isn't a lot of parking near there etc" and Norm explained: not a problem, and he said, "No, you don't understand, I rearrange traffic for you." Apparently he is also traffic commissioner!
So that is great and we are getting together everything we can to be ready to go as soon as the keys are in our hands! In other news, our really great friends here, Sophie and Peter, just had their first baby, a little doll named China Clementine! She is so cute and little! Apparently the Chinese are giving Sophie jip for having her out this early. I just found out that in the Chinese culture the babies and mothers aren't outside of the house for the first month and both mother and baby are not allowed to wash during that time either. She has now learned the phrase in Chinese "Foreigners are not the same." Because she was early, she got to attend her own baby shower! A group of 6 of us went to a spa! I had a facial (I'm still glowing!) and an hour of yoga, and catered lunch out on the roof. It was really lovely!
Went to the antique market the other day and practiced my Chinese. I bought 2 little Chinese Comic books, one of Charlie Chaplin and one of 'Zolou" (Zorro!) that use the images from the tv show (That's for you mom!) for 5rmbs each and then I bought a sexy lady figurine for my vanity. I talked the woman down from a hundred rmbs to 25! I can now say things like, "Beautiful? (because everything is 'Peyouliung') That's not beautiful!" "I have that and I bought it for way less!" "That guy was only asking .... for that!" "He's crazy!" (About Norm!) I like it, but my boyfriend doesn't like it and says No!" It's good fun! I also got lost the other day and was able to ask people for directions and understand their reply! This might sound provincial, but these are very big leaps for me! I even knew the first guy was full of it when he told me 'Go six blocks that way!" You got to watch them! One thing about the Chinese is they will never admit they don't know directions someplace! The next guy told me right though!
On Saturday night a group of ten of us got all dressed up and went to a friend's for drinks and then to dinner, and then to JZ Club where our friend JQ was playing trumpet in The Big Band! It was spectacular and very encouraging! 16 piece jazz band, 2 singers, and the place was rammed! We had a great time! Then last night a friend of friends came over for dinner and it turns out Norman, Joey, and me all have people and places in common with him. He used to be the singer of the group The Toasters and now is a creative director and deejay here in Shanghai. The first time I met Cavo Joey, him and I were dishing out ideas about things to do here, ideas etc, and he said, "I left NY because no one was having These conversations anymore." We all agreed. Funny, the first time I met him I said to Joey, "I'm impressed how polite he is." And Joey said, "You mean for a Rude Boy?" That Rude Boy reference completely went over head at the time, but now I see the humor in that comment! I also had to bite my tongue a bit when they were all talking about clubs in '83 from saying, "You mean the year I was born!?" haha, I saved that one for you guys! :)
Joey leaves tomorrow and I have to say, we are really going to miss him! The house has been so lively and we have all been joking, laughing, and singing stupid songs constantly! He'll be back though! Norm and I are gearing up for a fast, and by gearing up I mean I think we are going to Blue Frog tonight for 2-for-1 burgers and drinks! :) The timing is right and we are doing it safely. One thing that I wanted to comment on was how healthy I feel both physically and mentally. I find myself eating great, exercising everyday, meditating and yoga-ing, taking advantage of the steams and jacuzzi, and going to bed and waking up early. My skin is looking great, I spend most of my days not in make-up or ever thinking about appearances. I feel really solid and good for the most part, happy with Norm, new friends and life here. Wish I wasn't so far away from old friends and my family, and wish a few people understood me better, but I'm really happy with where myself and things are at, and that is really what matters. Other things I miss: My Britney mags! I used to use those to get through my workouts and now I'm forced to read grown up mags like the New Yorker! My IQ is redeeming itself I guess! Manga-Tac glue. The radio. Being around people who are always playing me new music! (Sigh!)
Oh! Also, I started a new blog for the Chinatown (The name we like for the club!) It is: http://ameliakallman.expat-blog.net/ I chose this site because it is international blogging, meaning I can read my own (it's not blocked) and so can others here in China. I'll put some new pic up now! Thanks for reading!
Monday, 17 March 2008
Monday, 10 March 2008
The latest....
Today I have been slightly traumatized because a girl riding her bike in front of me went down. I'm not sure what happened, but the poor thing! I stopped and traffic stopped and there was blood. When I left she was up and it looked like some nice people were going to get her to a doctors or something, but it left a terrible feeling with me. It looked like her leg got caught maybe, because her feet never came out to help break the fall. Whoa. Glad it wasn't me, but definitely makes you think!
So Bjork was here in Shanghai the other night! Put on a good show, all female horn-section, but she seemed tired. She did a song called 'Declare Independence' and used those lines along with 'Tibet' and is now being investigated by the government for 'upsetting' so many people etc.
One of our backers has gotten us the hook up at the location we want and tomorrow is a big meeting with her and the head guy of the building, so keep your fingers crossed, but it looks promising!!!!
I've been writing a lot lately, doing the whole 'morning pages' again, which is great. Joey's teaching me guitar, and I am calculating my next strategic moves. Everything is coming along nicely though!
This last weekend we went to 5 parties over 4 days and 2 art openings! Pretty crazy! Lots of fun, and very refreshing the friendships we've made here. Though I do have the occasional bad day when I seriously miss my parents and a few particular people from the states. Norm and some friends threw a "International Gentleman Douchebag's" party at a small Japanese whiskey bar on Thursday which was a big success. I've been making a lot of clothes and hats lately. Just made a second trip to the fabric market and got a dress made, bra made, blouse taken in, and a purse made for less than $50 US dollars! I'll put up some new pics on my flickr site soon!
So Bjork was here in Shanghai the other night! Put on a good show, all female horn-section, but she seemed tired. She did a song called 'Declare Independence' and used those lines along with 'Tibet' and is now being investigated by the government for 'upsetting' so many people etc.
One of our backers has gotten us the hook up at the location we want and tomorrow is a big meeting with her and the head guy of the building, so keep your fingers crossed, but it looks promising!!!!
I've been writing a lot lately, doing the whole 'morning pages' again, which is great. Joey's teaching me guitar, and I am calculating my next strategic moves. Everything is coming along nicely though!
This last weekend we went to 5 parties over 4 days and 2 art openings! Pretty crazy! Lots of fun, and very refreshing the friendships we've made here. Though I do have the occasional bad day when I seriously miss my parents and a few particular people from the states. Norm and some friends threw a "International Gentleman Douchebag's" party at a small Japanese whiskey bar on Thursday which was a big success. I've been making a lot of clothes and hats lately. Just made a second trip to the fabric market and got a dress made, bra made, blouse taken in, and a purse made for less than $50 US dollars! I'll put up some new pics on my flickr site soon!
Friday, 29 February 2008
Check out my new pics!
I put up a bunch of pictures on my flickr site taken around Shanghai! There are some very funny ones! Can't take credit for them, got them off a local website, but they show Shanghai very well! The winter, the new year, etc. Also putting up pics I took from the balcony yesterday as the men cut the trees back. A real site! Also! The outfits we had made from the fabric market. I take no responsibility for Norman's 'Remarkable' outfit! (You'll see!) Happy with the way mine turned out, but will have to take better pics when I haven't just rolled out of bed! So I am being tested as a host for an online show here in Shanghai, basically I go to events and interview people etc. Could be a great job! Hanging out with more Chinese these days and really working hard on the language. One of our Chinese partners came over the other day and I impressed her! It felt great! Hanging with Chinese girls is becoming more fun now that I understand them a bit more. They are in the position my mom's generation was, as in, for the first time ever they can go to college and get jobs and make their own money and don't just have to get married and have babies. This is an allowance they are taking very seriously and many are determined to get ahead and compete with men. Also, it supports their attraction to Western men because many of the Chinese guys feel a bit threatened by this and feel it goes against traditional values. Interesting! Went to the Jinmao tower the other day. Was on the 85th floor looking out over the city! It was spectacular! We were right next to the tallest building in the world that is still under construction! Wow! Meeting people and contacts left and right. The expat community is vast, yet small, and 3 times yesterday, in 3 completely different situations I mentioned someone I know to a new person I met and all three times we had that person in common. Everyone is very excited about the club and say it is perfect timing! Oh! It looks like I will be performing here during the Olympics! Don't want to say too much until it is finalized, but looking very likely! Have had a string of people through the house, Joey, Daphne, Sonya. This is actually the first time I've been alone in a long time here! Going to practice Chinese now... A few facts I just recently learned: It takes an english speaking person 3 times as long to learn Chinese as it does to learn German or French or Russian (I have some catching up to do then!), and this is very random, but i find it very amusing for some reason: The Bible is the best-selling book ever, but it is also the most shoplifted book ever! Go figure! By the way, the weather is beautiful here, I think it is safe to say winter is over! Apparently, according to some friends who know, mercury is in retrograde which means this break, you can lose things, appliances fail etc. In the last week: my jacket broke, my bag broke, Joey broke my bike, screwed up the tv/dvd player 3 times!, I left my ATM card at the bank (freaked out, but got it back!), and My phone went Chinese on me! Hope it's out of retrograde soon! That's it for now! Lots of love, Amelia
Monday, 25 February 2008
Hi there!
So much has been happening, it's hard to know where to begin! The Spring Festival/Chinese New Years just ended. It was quite an experience! I know there are rumors out there that it is a bad time to go to China, but I would strongly disagree! What an experience! Firecrackers and fireworks going off EVERYWHERE! First of all, anyone can buy the big boxes of fireworks, the kind that 'They' set off on the 4th of July. The huge spectacular ones, we set off 2 boxes right in the street and they were going off on every street, right over your heads! The boys became possessed! Setting off small ones and firecrackers like it was the end of the world! The cops were setting them off. It was complete anarchy! As dangerous as it might sound, I couldn't help but think that in the US or England this time would be seen as an opportunity for mayhem and an excuse for bad (illegal) behavior, but here is was very social and sweet. Everyone on the street really excited and having good clean fun! It lasted for weeks too! The last night was just the other night!
Our friends Joey Altruda and his girlfriend Daphne are in town from Hollywood, so we had a big 'Hollywood' theme house party the other night. It was very fun, of course there was a dress code, but Of Course, this is Shanghai and besides us four about 2 other people dressed up! We did have Paris Hilton at the party though, so you know it was a success!
The club is really moving forward! We have found the site that is a dream come true! It is located on a famous CHinese food street, which is really fun and beautiful. The feel of it is New Orleans-ish, tall, french-type (Almost brothel-looking- and there's a few of those too!), old buildings with balconies and lots of big, colorful neon signs that they love so much here! The building we want was built in the 30's by a Japanese designer, back when it was the Japanese part of town, before communism took over, and the top is like an inverted conk shell, the bottom with intricate medallions. We are working on securing it, but still looking in the meantime. Got one Very powerful Chinese family backing us for sure, the other family is holding out to see the venue, but we think they are on board as well. If you see this building (I'll post pics on my flickr site) you will totally get it too!
Recent observations: Number one, I have realized that there have been about 5 times cabs wouldn't stop for me, but would take the Chinese people down the road. Weirs to be on that side of prejudiced!! My friends got grifted the other day! So funny, this is the safest town in the world, i mean no one will rob you, rape you, murder you, but you still have to watch out for the swindler because they are definitely around! This one was in People's Square (big tourist area) and we sent the kids thee on there on (bad idea!) Opps! Well, so you know when you come: The cute, teenage Chinese, usually in a couple will come up to you and say "Where you from? YOu so beautiful! You speak English" They are 'just visiting too,' but their friend told them about this tea house and they are about to go and have a Traditional Chinese Tea ceremony. YOu want to join us?" It only cost 35 kuai! Well they go, there are 6 teas each at 35 kuai each! They end up spending 450 kuai (ridiculous for Anything in Shanghai! That's about $65), then exchange emails, and that's it. Well, now you know for when you come! My Chinese is coming along big-time! We went into a restaurant the other day where there was no English spoken or on menus, and no pictures either. I was able to order us chicken noodles, and pork and vegetable dumplings, all in Chinese! Yea! I went shopping today and it was such a pleasant experience with the sales people. I speak enough Chinese for them to not treat me like a 'targeted tourist,' and also to joke with them about being too big for al the clothes, telling them that's 'cute' or 'beautiful,' or 'my boyfriend wouldn't like that!' I am better at speaking it than hearing it and often say 'Please repeat slow, I only know a bit of Chinese.' I'm planning on doing some Chinese dinners with friends though in which none of us will speak English! A good test for us! Norman has finally realized he needs to start learning! I respect his stance on it ("They get the idea") but some of the pronunciations he comes up totally go against what he is trying to say! It is a tough language because the letters used in 'ping' (how they teach it in English) are not the sounds you think they should be. Like 'Wulrumqi," is pronounced ohhl-rjum-chi", Wool-rum-kwai!
As we get more versed in this town we keep finding new places and things that keep making this place an incredible city! Went to the fabric market the other day which is floors and floors of material and seamstress's and tailors. Norm bought this material (Anyone who's ever seen one of Norman's stages can picture it: burgundy and gold, swirly material that would be perfect for one of his curtains on a stage!) and is getting a 3 piece suit made out of it (for about $70 US). I am getting a traditional-like, Chinese dress made, tailored to fit, pastel green and violet, very sleek and sexy, made for me for about $50! Then we have also discovered the antiques market! This is very fun! Norm has found some original paintings and paper treasures that would resale at a heck of a lot more than what we paid! I bought a green ceramics piece for the living room that is exquisite! YOu are supposed to put a candle in the bottom and incense in the top (I'll have to post a pic of that too!).
We have discovered several bars here too, types that you might only find in Amsterdam! Strange how this place is more liberal than NY and LA in some ways!
Anyways, dinner just got served, must go! Will post pics up tonight!
Love
Our friends Joey Altruda and his girlfriend Daphne are in town from Hollywood, so we had a big 'Hollywood' theme house party the other night. It was very fun, of course there was a dress code, but Of Course, this is Shanghai and besides us four about 2 other people dressed up! We did have Paris Hilton at the party though, so you know it was a success!
The club is really moving forward! We have found the site that is a dream come true! It is located on a famous CHinese food street, which is really fun and beautiful. The feel of it is New Orleans-ish, tall, french-type (Almost brothel-looking- and there's a few of those too!), old buildings with balconies and lots of big, colorful neon signs that they love so much here! The building we want was built in the 30's by a Japanese designer, back when it was the Japanese part of town, before communism took over, and the top is like an inverted conk shell, the bottom with intricate medallions. We are working on securing it, but still looking in the meantime. Got one Very powerful Chinese family backing us for sure, the other family is holding out to see the venue, but we think they are on board as well. If you see this building (I'll post pics on my flickr site) you will totally get it too!
Recent observations: Number one, I have realized that there have been about 5 times cabs wouldn't stop for me, but would take the Chinese people down the road. Weirs to be on that side of prejudiced!! My friends got grifted the other day! So funny, this is the safest town in the world, i mean no one will rob you, rape you, murder you, but you still have to watch out for the swindler because they are definitely around! This one was in People's Square (big tourist area) and we sent the kids thee on there on (bad idea!) Opps! Well, so you know when you come: The cute, teenage Chinese, usually in a couple will come up to you and say "Where you from? YOu so beautiful! You speak English" They are 'just visiting too,' but their friend told them about this tea house and they are about to go and have a Traditional Chinese Tea ceremony. YOu want to join us?" It only cost 35 kuai! Well they go, there are 6 teas each at 35 kuai each! They end up spending 450 kuai (ridiculous for Anything in Shanghai! That's about $65), then exchange emails, and that's it. Well, now you know for when you come! My Chinese is coming along big-time! We went into a restaurant the other day where there was no English spoken or on menus, and no pictures either. I was able to order us chicken noodles, and pork and vegetable dumplings, all in Chinese! Yea! I went shopping today and it was such a pleasant experience with the sales people. I speak enough Chinese for them to not treat me like a 'targeted tourist,' and also to joke with them about being too big for al the clothes, telling them that's 'cute' or 'beautiful,' or 'my boyfriend wouldn't like that!' I am better at speaking it than hearing it and often say 'Please repeat slow, I only know a bit of Chinese.' I'm planning on doing some Chinese dinners with friends though in which none of us will speak English! A good test for us! Norman has finally realized he needs to start learning! I respect his stance on it ("They get the idea") but some of the pronunciations he comes up totally go against what he is trying to say! It is a tough language because the letters used in 'ping' (how they teach it in English) are not the sounds you think they should be. Like 'Wulrumqi," is pronounced ohhl-rjum-chi", Wool-rum-kwai!
As we get more versed in this town we keep finding new places and things that keep making this place an incredible city! Went to the fabric market the other day which is floors and floors of material and seamstress's and tailors. Norm bought this material (Anyone who's ever seen one of Norman's stages can picture it: burgundy and gold, swirly material that would be perfect for one of his curtains on a stage!) and is getting a 3 piece suit made out of it (for about $70 US). I am getting a traditional-like, Chinese dress made, tailored to fit, pastel green and violet, very sleek and sexy, made for me for about $50! Then we have also discovered the antiques market! This is very fun! Norm has found some original paintings and paper treasures that would resale at a heck of a lot more than what we paid! I bought a green ceramics piece for the living room that is exquisite! YOu are supposed to put a candle in the bottom and incense in the top (I'll have to post a pic of that too!).
We have discovered several bars here too, types that you might only find in Amsterdam! Strange how this place is more liberal than NY and LA in some ways!
Anyways, dinner just got served, must go! Will post pics up tonight!
Love
Thursday, 7 February 2008
Wow!
New Years Eve was Unreal! Totally nuts! I had 3 girlfriends over to make dumplings, which is supposed to bring you good luck for the next year! They turned out great, and Norm was happy to bring in the new year with 4 girls cooking for him! We had a very pleasant fun evening, except that from about 4pm on there was continues noise of firecrackers and fireworks going off! We went outside around Midnight and there was firecrackers set up in a line going from our side of the lane all the (long) ways over to the other side! I took a bit of video, just to show you what the sound was like, it went on for about 5 minutes! Well something weird is happening with youtube, so I guess you won't get to see the video! (I mean hear it!) It was like being in a war zone with fire and smoke surrounding you and loud noises! It was pretty spectacular! I've never seen anything like it! And I heard my first firecrackers today at 9am! This will go on for another week, every night, and the tenth is a big night too! My friend had been given this elaborately packaged 'fish' that we were supposed to eat for good luck, but told "Don't eat the whole thing, or you will have eaten all your luck!" There was no worries there, it was not eatable and completely gross! We were trying to see if it worked as skin cream even (It was a lot like what you might expect cocoa butter to taste like, but a weird consistency! Our good luck fish ended up in the trash! (See pics on my flickr site!) It was Really insane!
On another note, Norm and I are working hard on the show and club, getting very excited! As soon as the new year is over we will secure the location, our partners etc (No one would do business before Chinese New Year-it's bad luck.) I'm really getting excited! Never thought I'd be saying this but I can't wait to get to work! I'm a little homesick for my mom today, will try to call my folks tonight! (I think it's all the fireworks and firecrackers!) Also, this is big Chinese family holiday and wish my fam was here! Maybe next year!
On another note, Norm and I are working hard on the show and club, getting very excited! As soon as the new year is over we will secure the location, our partners etc (No one would do business before Chinese New Year-it's bad luck.) I'm really getting excited! Never thought I'd be saying this but I can't wait to get to work! I'm a little homesick for my mom today, will try to call my folks tonight! (I think it's all the fireworks and firecrackers!) Also, this is big Chinese family holiday and wish my fam was here! Maybe next year!
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
Xi Nian Kuai Le!
(Happy NEw YEar!)
HEy there everyone! Sorry I've been MIA, been very busy! The weather here has been unbelievable! I was in Va and NY for 2 weeks telling everyone 'The weather's about the same in Shanghai, except it doesn't really snow." When I came back there was a bout 5 inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing! The Chinese were not prepared for this, and being Chinese New Year (It's the one week a year when the migrant workers get off work and get to travel back to see their families) everyone is packed in like sardines and Very unhappy at the train and bus stations, and people will be lucky if they actually get anywhere. Cars have been in gridlocks for days, the trains keep freezing. A few hundred people have died, roofs have collapsed, there are whole cities without power and water. They have one million troops out on the streets trying to keep the peace. Makes me feel really blessed to be in Shanghai, where it is a lot more modern than many parts of China, and we have plenty of heat and water. So this is my first Chinese New Year! It starts tomorrow and we are having some friends over to make dumplings and then go out on the street to witness the firecrackers and pandemonium that this week is famous for. And it is supposed to be like this (nonstop fireworks and firecrackers) for about ten days! Can't wear black or white, can't wash your hair for 3 days, can't say the number 4, but 6 and 8 are good luck. They have these fish candy things that are good luck to eat, but you can't eat the whole thing or else you've eaten all your luck! Must wear red, must buy new pants (but no shoes), must not break anything, must not sweep.
Last week two of our bikes got stolen, Mine (which was very unique and pretty, I had taped it up and made it look different from all the rest) and the spare. That is 3 out of four bikes stolen in 5 months! Our landlord was really sweet though and bought us 2 second-hand bikes that basically don't look new and shiny and therefore are less likely to be stolen.
Things with the club are coming along swimmingly, a lot of the business stuff is working out and I had a great meeting with our choreographer in NY and am just so excited about the whole thing! I don't want to say too much because it's bad luck to talk business until after the new year, so that's enough about that! (I sound so Chinese huh?) :)
Funny, when I was back in New York I got caught and ridiculed a few times because discussing politics or what have you, I'd say, "Well, see, YOU guys...." (Like I'm Chinese now!) So funny!
Speaking of my trip home, had a great time! SO great to see my folks, they are so much fun and so cool! Got to hang with my sister a bit, she's doing really great. Saw the grandparents (not doing so great), and then saw some old high school friends, which was also extremely nice! NEw York was a crazy time, I saw 50+ friends in 5 days! Stayed with Scotty and Sylvia in a great apartment on 55th street, had my own key, and they were so kind to have me! Worked out very well and they are now looking at moving to Shanghai! My friend Sonya that was here for a visit before is here now, scoping it out some more before she goes to Thailand for a few weeks. Joey Altruda will be out here again shortly. Have heard some interesting rumors about a few famous people we might be entertaining in a few weeks, but I won't say anything else about that, cause I'm cool like that! :) It was really great to spend some quality times with friends and family, but after the whirlwind that was/is NY, I felt like my choices had been confirmed and it felt great to get back here in Shanghai, though it took me Days to adjust! When I was back in Va I was waking up at 4am, 7am, my parents have never seen me voluntarily wake up that early EVER!
Have had a nice welcome back, seeing friends etc. Afraid I might be coming down with the cold Norm had when I got back though. Will post the pics from my trip home soon, been meaning to do that. We're curling up and watching DVD's for a few days because literally everything is closed during the New Year!
Bought a piece of art in New York, which I am SOO excited about! It is by the artist David Combs who paints the Chelsea Hotel. Norm and I both fell in love the original, which David Bard bought before it was even done, but we got that painting in a 3-D version, which compliments his style and vision amazingly! I'll put a pic of it up as well!
That's about all I got in me right now. We are about to have homemade Chicken soup that has been on the stove for 5 hours now!
xi Nian Kuai Le! Happy New YEar!
xxoo
PS. The next blog is the same as this, I just added more, so you can ignore that one! Thanks! xx
HEy there everyone! Sorry I've been MIA, been very busy! The weather here has been unbelievable! I was in Va and NY for 2 weeks telling everyone 'The weather's about the same in Shanghai, except it doesn't really snow." When I came back there was a bout 5 inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing! The Chinese were not prepared for this, and being Chinese New Year (It's the one week a year when the migrant workers get off work and get to travel back to see their families) everyone is packed in like sardines and Very unhappy at the train and bus stations, and people will be lucky if they actually get anywhere. Cars have been in gridlocks for days, the trains keep freezing. A few hundred people have died, roofs have collapsed, there are whole cities without power and water. They have one million troops out on the streets trying to keep the peace. Makes me feel really blessed to be in Shanghai, where it is a lot more modern than many parts of China, and we have plenty of heat and water. So this is my first Chinese New Year! It starts tomorrow and we are having some friends over to make dumplings and then go out on the street to witness the firecrackers and pandemonium that this week is famous for. And it is supposed to be like this (nonstop fireworks and firecrackers) for about ten days! Can't wear black or white, can't wash your hair for 3 days, can't say the number 4, but 6 and 8 are good luck. They have these fish candy things that are good luck to eat, but you can't eat the whole thing or else you've eaten all your luck! Must wear red, must buy new pants (but no shoes), must not break anything, must not sweep.
Last week two of our bikes got stolen, Mine (which was very unique and pretty, I had taped it up and made it look different from all the rest) and the spare. That is 3 out of four bikes stolen in 5 months! Our landlord was really sweet though and bought us 2 second-hand bikes that basically don't look new and shiny and therefore are less likely to be stolen.
Things with the club are coming along swimmingly, a lot of the business stuff is working out and I had a great meeting with our choreographer in NY and am just so excited about the whole thing! I don't want to say too much because it's bad luck to talk business until after the new year, so that's enough about that! (I sound so Chinese huh?) :)
Funny, when I was back in New York I got caught and ridiculed a few times because discussing politics or what have you, I'd say, "Well, see, YOU guys...." (Like I'm Chinese now!) So funny!
Speaking of my trip home, had a great time! SO great to see my folks, they are so much fun and so cool! Got to hang with my sister a bit, she's doing really great. Saw the grandparents (not doing so great), and then saw some old high school friends, which was also extremely nice! NEw York was a crazy time, I saw 50+ friends in 5 days! Stayed with Scotty and Sylvia in a great apartment on 55th street, had my own key, and they were so kind to have me! Worked out very well and they are now looking at moving to Shanghai! My friend Sonya that was here for a visit before is here now, scoping it out some more before she goes to Thailand for a few weeks. Joey Altruda will be out here again shortly. Have heard some interesting rumors about a few famous people we might be entertaining in a few weeks, but I won't say anything else about that, cause I'm cool like that! :) It was really great to spend some quality times with friends and family, but after the whirlwind that was/is NY, I felt like my choices had been confirmed and it felt great to get back here in Shanghai, though it took me Days to adjust! When I was back in Va I was waking up at 4am, 7am, my parents have never seen me voluntarily wake up that early EVER!
Have had a nice welcome back, seeing friends etc. Afraid I might be coming down with the cold Norm had when I got back though. Will post the pics from my trip home soon, been meaning to do that. We're curling up and watching DVD's for a few days because literally everything is closed during the New Year!
Bought a piece of art in New York, which I am SOO excited about! It is by the artist David Combs who paints the Chelsea Hotel. Norm and I both fell in love the original, which David Bard bought before it was even done, but we got that painting in a 3-D version, which compliments his style and vision amazingly! I'll put a pic of it up as well!
That's about all I got in me right now. We are about to have homemade Chicken soup that has been on the stove for 5 hours now!
xi Nian Kuai Le! Happy New YEar!
xxoo
PS. The next blog is the same as this, I just added more, so you can ignore that one! Thanks! xx
I'm back!
HEy there everyone! Sorry I've been MIA, been very busy! So I have no idea what I wrote last, and seeing as I can't read it myself you'll have to bare with me! The weather here has been unbelievable! I was in Va and NY for 2 weeks telling everyone 'The weather's about the same in Shanghai, except it doesn't really snow." When I came back there was a bout 5 inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing! The Chinese were not prepared for this, and being Chinese New Year (It's the one week a year when the migrant workers get off work and get to travel back to see their families) everyone is packed in like sardines and Very unhappy at the train and bus stations. Cars have been in gridlocks for days, the trains keep freezing. A few hundred people have died, roofs have collapsed, there are whole cities without power and water. They have one million troops out on the streets trying to keep the peace. Makes me feel really blessed to be in Shanghai, where it is a lot more modern than many parts of Shanghai, and we have plenty of heat and water. So this is my first Chinese New Year! It starts tomorrow and we are having some friends over to make dumplings and then go out on the street to witness the firecrackers and pandemonium that this week is famous for. And it is supposed to be like this (nonstop fireworks and firecrackers) for about ten days! Last week two of our bikes got stolen, Mine (which was very unique and pretty, I had taped it up and made it look different from all the rest) and the spare. That is 3 out of four bikes stolen in 5 months! Our landlord was really sweet though and bought us 2 second-hand bikes that basically don't look new and shiny and therefore are less likely to be stolen.
Things with the club are coming along swimmingly, a lot of the business stuff is working out and I had a great meeting with our choreographer in NY and am just so excited about the whole thing! I don't want to say too much because it's bad luck to talk business until after the new year, so that's enough about that! (I sound so Chinese huh?) :)
Funny, when I was back in New York I got caught and ridiculed a few times because discussing politics or what have you, I'd say, "Well, see, YOU guys...." (Like I'm Chinese now!) So funny!
Speaking of my trip home, had a great time! SO great to see my folks, they are so much fun and so cool! Got to hang with my sister a bit, she's doing really great. Saw the grandparents (not doing so great), and then saw some old high school friends, which was also extremely nice! NEw York was a crazy time, I saw 50+ friends in 5 days! Stayed with Scotty and Sylvia in a great apartment on 55th street, had my own key, and they were so kind to have me! Worked out very well and they are now looking at moving to Shanghai! My friend Sonya that was here for a visit before is here now, scoping it out some more before she goes to Thailand for a few weeks. Joey Altruda will be out here again shortly. Have heard some interesting rumors about a few famous people we might be entertaining in a few weeks, but I won't say anything else about that, cause I'm cool like that! :) It was really great to spend some quality times with friends and family, but after the whirlwind that was/is NY, I felt like my choices had been confirmed and it felt great to get back here in Shanghai, though it took me Days to adjust! When I was back in Va I was waking up at 4am, 7am, my parents have never seen me voluntarily wake up that early EVER!
Have had a nice welcome back, seeing friends etc. Afraid I might be coming down with the cold Norm had when I got back though. Will post the pics from my trip home soon, been meaning to do that. We're curling up and watching DVD's for a few days because literally everything is closed during the New Year!
Bought a piece of art in New York, which I am SOO excited about! It is by the artist David Combs who paints the Chelsea Hotel. Norm and I both fell in love the original, which David Bard bought before it was even done, but we got that painting in a 3-D version, which compliments his style and vision amazingly! I'll put a pic of it up as well!
That's about all I got in me right now. We are about to have homemade Chicken soup that has been on the stove for 5 hours now!
Shenang Kuile! Happy New YEar!
xxoo
Things with the club are coming along swimmingly, a lot of the business stuff is working out and I had a great meeting with our choreographer in NY and am just so excited about the whole thing! I don't want to say too much because it's bad luck to talk business until after the new year, so that's enough about that! (I sound so Chinese huh?) :)
Funny, when I was back in New York I got caught and ridiculed a few times because discussing politics or what have you, I'd say, "Well, see, YOU guys...." (Like I'm Chinese now!) So funny!
Speaking of my trip home, had a great time! SO great to see my folks, they are so much fun and so cool! Got to hang with my sister a bit, she's doing really great. Saw the grandparents (not doing so great), and then saw some old high school friends, which was also extremely nice! NEw York was a crazy time, I saw 50+ friends in 5 days! Stayed with Scotty and Sylvia in a great apartment on 55th street, had my own key, and they were so kind to have me! Worked out very well and they are now looking at moving to Shanghai! My friend Sonya that was here for a visit before is here now, scoping it out some more before she goes to Thailand for a few weeks. Joey Altruda will be out here again shortly. Have heard some interesting rumors about a few famous people we might be entertaining in a few weeks, but I won't say anything else about that, cause I'm cool like that! :) It was really great to spend some quality times with friends and family, but after the whirlwind that was/is NY, I felt like my choices had been confirmed and it felt great to get back here in Shanghai, though it took me Days to adjust! When I was back in Va I was waking up at 4am, 7am, my parents have never seen me voluntarily wake up that early EVER!
Have had a nice welcome back, seeing friends etc. Afraid I might be coming down with the cold Norm had when I got back though. Will post the pics from my trip home soon, been meaning to do that. We're curling up and watching DVD's for a few days because literally everything is closed during the New Year!
Bought a piece of art in New York, which I am SOO excited about! It is by the artist David Combs who paints the Chelsea Hotel. Norm and I both fell in love the original, which David Bard bought before it was even done, but we got that painting in a 3-D version, which compliments his style and vision amazingly! I'll put a pic of it up as well!
That's about all I got in me right now. We are about to have homemade Chicken soup that has been on the stove for 5 hours now!
Shenang Kuile! Happy New YEar!
xxoo
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