Sip'n'Paint: Take 1

I know they have these in many cities now, and I've been wanting to go for a long time, but couldn't find any suckers to go with me. Luckily, Julia & Camilla are always up for fun! We were off to "Sip'n'Paint" in celebration of Julia's bday. Little did I fully realize what I'd gotten myself in to. I knew these ladies were talented but man they can paint!

Sip'n'Paint Shanghai is a tiny little studio down a back alley, but the people are friendly and the instructor was pretty great. I think normally you all paint the same photo, but for this one, they asked us to bring our own pic and he'd help us bring whatever we want. I've never painted with oils before and was lucky for the instruction. I've had my eye on some lanterns recently so this was my inspiration. 

My inspiration: (a pic stolen from Getty Images)

Soon we were off to work!

The "semi-finished" products. Mine is 75% done? Julia's is 97% done (her inspiration is a stunning pic she took of a sunset in Maine.)  Camilla's is 100% done (not sure the pic does Camilla's justice. Blow it up and you can see it's a skull made out of butterflies. Awesome).

Not sure why they gave us these silly props ;)

 The close-ups

I'm bummed I didn't get a close up of Camilla's for you to see. We're headed back next week to finish & potentially start another. 

Stay tuned for Take 2! :)

Trimester China CheckIn

Right before we moved out to China my, I mean OUR, awesome & hilarious friend, Raman, sent us this list from another blog of all the wacky things that we would experience in China. You can see the full list here.  My original plan was to do a quarterly check in on status, but I got behind so here's our "trimester" check-in. (I've filtered on only the ones I could comment about. The full list is 301 different crazies and apparently we haven't been here long enough)

THE CRAZY	MY THOUGHTS
2- You’re at an expensive western restaurant and don’t even notice the guy at the next table yelling into his cell phone	Oh, yes I do!
3- A June 2001 Great Wall Cabernet (mixed with Sprite) is your vintage of choice	Still haven't tried it, but I need to!
12- You have grown used to the picture quality of pirated VCDs.	Absolutely!
18- You like the smell of the bus.	Absolutely not!
26- You throw your used toilet paper in the basket (as a courtesy to the next person).	seriously, I do this. But it's so weird!
29- Your body no longer accepts dairy products.	I will never let this happen
36- You can’t put a proper sentence together in your native language.	this is already starting to happen to me. I talk simpler now.
43- You believe that pressing the lift button 63 times will make it move faster.	while this seems crazy, I actually think this works… only in China
47- You aren’t aware that one is supposed to pay for software.	hahaha. So true. Even companies "find software" (Not J&J. they are by the book)
53- You are not surprised to see your tap water run dark brown.	nope. Just smells like bacon
55- You are not surprised to see 85-year old ladies pushing tons of garbage up the streets of the financial district.	it's true
57- You believe you are really tall when you are only 5’8″.	I AM really tall. The proof is my ability to see over everyone in the subway. For which I am incredibly grateful
58- You finally decide to eat at McDonalds to put some solids into your body.	hahaha. I already did this..
61- You eat a kebab on the street and call it “Cat on a stick” and keep eating.	we laugh about this now… but you never know…
62- You see a stray cat on the street and say “Hmmm… Lunch!”	same as above…
68. You think you should wear nylon sox with your Nikes, stilettos or sandals in the summer, instead of a cotton one.	I haven't yet, but this is a common sight!
74. You are no longer flinching every few seconds in a Taxi ride.	now it's just relaxing
78. You start reaching for a piece of fish with your chop sticks and not even notice the fish looking back at you.	happened just yesterday
80. Your brand new bicycle only cost you $20.	that's false! If you're white, you pay more.
87. You think it’s silly to buy a new bike when it’ll get stolen soon and stolen bikes are half the price.	I've heard MANY bike theft stories…
90. You get up early for a backwards walk and thrust your hand at a 45 degree angle into the sky over and over for balanced excercise.	not yet, but I enjoy the people-watching aspect of this activity
98. When you take a cab, you give play-by-play driving directions to the driver	if I could, I would
101. When you go to the toilet you start bringing your own toilet paper	always in my purse. For sure
102. You can pick up any type of food using just your chopsticks… even peanuts.	I've been practicing!
103. You blow your nose or spit on the restaurant floor (of course after making a loud hocking noise)	still disgusting.
104. The footprints on the toilet seat are your own.	hahahaha. The footprints are common but not my own
110. You no longer wonder how someone who earns US$ 400.00 per month can drive a Mercedes.	true story
111. You accept the fact that you have to queue to get a number for the next queue.	yep
113. You find that it saves time to stand and retrieve your hand luggage while the plane is on final approach.	still annoys me, but I think matt is joining in this habit
114. You can shake your hands almost perfectly dry before wiping them on your trousers, or you have your suits made with terrycloth pockets.	matt needs this
120. You regard it as part of the adventure when the waiter correctly repeats your order and the cook makes something completely different.	"adventures" abound!
126. You look over people’s shoulder to see what they are reading	I do! But I obviously can't read whatever it is
132. You regularly fumble for five minutes to find 10 jiao despite 10 people waiting in line behind you	still annoying. But this happens everywhere
142. You have a pinky fingernail an inch long	everybody does, especially the men
157. You see people outside wearing shower caps in the rain, and instead of thinking what a freak, you actually understand the practicality behind it. The same with clipping pegs on your trousers when riding a bike	I saw my first shower cap lady just last week! Too slow to snap a pic though
164. Before asking someone’s age, you ask what animal they are.	no way, asking someone's age comes right after their name
178. You ask how much people are making and expect people to answer.	Everyone asks this
182. Chinese fashion starts looking hip.	Some of the time!
184. You start cutting off large vehicles on your bicycle.	It's the only way
195. You go to the local shop in pajamas.	China actually "outlawed" the pajama wearing in prep for the 2010 World Expo. Luckily, you still seem some pajama rebels :)
198. You see some real cleavage and think WOW!	haha true!
199. You ask fellow foreigners the all-important question “How long have you been here?” in order to be able to properly categorize them.	oh for sure. Matt & I are still judged as newbies
214. You develop a liking for corn flavored ice cream.	not ice cream, but they have these corn funnel cakes! Yum!
222. You see three people on a motorcycle and figure there’s room for two more.	the motorcycle is like the new station wagon
226. Firecrackers don’t wake you up.	We became immune after CNY (Chinese New Year)
241. The shortest distance between two points involves going through an alley.	True but I'm not quite adventurous enough yet
258. After being in an accident, you tell the ambulance driver which hospital to take you to.	Haven't been in an accident yet, but will DEFINITELY specify hospital… the expat one
286. You get offended when people admire your chopsticks skills.	no way, I relish the moment every new person comments on my "impressive" chopstick skills
291. You and a friend get on a bus, sit at opposite ends of the bus, and continue your conversation by yelling from one end to the other.	insert [subway] for [bus] and yes.
295. You cannot say “Call me.” without making a pretend phone with your fingers and sticking to your ear.	so true. How else would I communicate without the use of my hands?

#itsforthechildren

As some of you may have seen from my Facebook photos, Matt & I went to our first Gala this weekend. Apparently, such events are commonplace in the world of expats in Shanghai. However, this was absolutely our first and potentially we won't be invited back again. (just kidding! but you'll see what I mean from the pics)

Our friend Nick volunteers with the organization called Shanghai Sunrise, which sponsors education of Chinese students who otherwise would not be able to go to high school or college. Like most charitable organizations in Shanghai, they hold an annual gala as one of the primary vehicles for raising money (by getting all the expats drunk and to open their wallets). Pretty smart actually.

We took advantage of the occassion and Camilla (the gorgeous Dane) & I went and got our hair done. Hilarious.

Then we arrived at the event in full gala attire. The food was absolutely delicious: salmon sashimi appetizer and rack of lamb entree. Yum! Matt won 3 raffle prizes: spa gift certificate, Vietnam hotel stay (which will come in handy) and tickets to a wine tasting event. Technically, they weren't all on Matt's tickets but rather also the tickets of some friends who stepped out for a smoke... We are sharing our winnings. However, when Matt went up to claim his 3rd prize of the evening he was boo'ed off the stage. Hilarious.

After the event we went out for some more dancing. We capped the night off with a FaceTime chat with 3 of my besties! (where the kindly ooh'd & aah'd as I made them check out my outfit) ... 3pm EST... I'll let you do the math. ;)  

Before:

After! 

 The Zellers

just part of the happy crew.

 then Matt walked into the banquet room carrying this little guy.

Get ready. Be cool.... And they're off!... so is security...

don't worry, the little guy just needed to use the restroom.

What a fun night! ...but see why we might not be invited back?

Shanghai Weekends

It's spring time in Shanghai and we've been exploring!

Two weekends ago we headed out to (translation: I forced Matt to go to) "Art on the Bund"! It's a free monthly walking tour hitting up 6 different art galleries all along the Bund. Our tour guides led us to the different boutique galleries and at each we met the owner / curator / etc who explained all the exhibitions. All of the art was contemporary which is not totally my cup of tea, but I'm a sucker for a good art exhibit. This is even less up Matt's alley, but he was a serious trooper and didn't complain a bit as I dragged him on to each next stop. Honestly, 6 galleries is too many, so after 4 galleries I decided to call it quits and Matt jumped with appreciation. Then we were off for some drinks on the Bund. Haha.

Here's some pics from the galleries:

Gallery #1: Shanghai Gallery of Art (surprisingly small for the gallery with the city's namesake)  The current exhibit was "Some Like it Hot"

Here, the artist encouraged viewers to take use of the red ink pad and create their own art on the wall. close-up of my little red heart. (Although it felt like a trick after because I was the only one in our group to partake and the red ink stayed on my finger for the entire tour. but I still like me little heart. :) )

Opening day there was a stack of plates about where we are standing and everyone was asked to take a plate and throw it at the wall in the direction of the word that causes you the most anger / stress / pain / etc. On the wall where the plates were thrown (that you see here) are written words such as "self", "government", "institution", "media", "religion", etc. "Self" was in the center and no one is sure if the center has the most destruction because that is where people were aiming and need relief, or if they all just had horrible aim...

a wall of baby pickles

yep, baby pickles

Gallery #2: AroundSpace Gallery. Small gallery with an exhibition. This piece was cool with the crepe paper made into the fields. There was also other pieces using some leather / fabric / horse hair to make indistinguishable animals. Pass...

Gallery #3: Pearl Lam Gallery. This was our favorite featuring an exhibition by Michael Wilkinson. His work featured a variety of techniques and mediums, but some of the coolest pieces were the way he used the reflection of the mirrors. My favorite is the old photo from a Paris student protest blown up so that the faces are pixelated and distorted up close but then you can see the individual faces from far back. Then he uses the mirrors so that you can see yourself reflected in each face. Additionally, he created each one by etching off the mirror from behind the glass rather than painting the reflectiveness on the front. 

Here's also an interesting article about the exhibition. It open the day of the Boston Marathon bombings and the author tried to draw some parallels, but I'm not sure about that... But the rest is interesting. Article Here.

 

  

that's my trooper!

Pink Floyd's "The Wall" in LEGOs and chalk paint. What a playful guy! 

Gallery #4: Studio Rouge. This is supposedly one of the first galleries to bring contemporary art to Shanghai and housed in supposedly one of the oldest original buildings on the Bund. We also met the owner who was very cool, in his obviously artsy way... This particular exhibition wasn't my personal cup of tea.

lots of this...

Photo Op! I LOVE The Bund!

Grandmother, I keep checking up on Ai Wei Wei, the Chinese artist you mentioned, but I get the feeling he won't be exhibiting in China any time soon, if ever again as I'm pretty sure he's now exiled from the country and his studio demolished... While this day was a fun little adventure into contemporary art, I think I would really enjoy his work, as you did! 



Since Matt was such a trooper on the art tour, this most recent weekend, I arranged a day that would be right up his alley. BBQ-fest!!! (Well, Bubba's BBQ arranged it but I rallied the troops! ;) 

The event started at 11am and we arrived promptly at 11:05am. Guess who was anxious to be on time for this one? Some of our awesome friends, Camilla & Andreas (gorgeous Danes!) joined us and the boys were in pure heaven with meat in one hand and beers in the other. 

After the BBQ-fest, we headed out to watch another of our friends, Steve, play Aussie rules football. Julia, Steve's girlfriend and also one of my favorites, gave us the heads up that it was "Ladies' Day" meaning free champagne for all the ladies! Obviously, I wasn't passing this up and what meat-fest isn't best washed down with a couple glasses of champange?

Talk about a great little Shanghai Saturday!

oh, and Matt cut his hair!

My First Campaign in China

Sorry for the delay in posting, but it's been a busy work week and we launched our first o.b. tampon campaign today!!!!

You may recall the woes of the Chinese women and their lack of interest in tampons? Here's a refresher  Well, o.b. is trying to save them all! haha, just kidding.... but if I could I would.  

Basically, here is my new campaign. It's all digital (no TV or print this time). We're using Weibo (the Chinese Twitter) to get the word out about how much more "free" your life can be when you use a tampon instead of a pad. We are using popular dancers / athletes / travelers / etc to "tweet" about their own moments of "freedom" and then entice people through a contest to join our WeChat (think texting or "WhatsApp") communication. The WeChat is a private convo so that once people join they can ask personal questions, since not everyone wants to discuss that publicly. Unlike me! This has become my favorite party topic. But seriously, I talk about this more than you'd think and more than a normal person should.

I know none of you have Weibo accounts, WeChat accounts or speak Mandarin so I thought I'd include a couple pics! Wish us luck!

One of the dancers from "So You Think You Can Dance" China

A famous "cartoonist" who write silly comics about life as a young woman (her kitties are quite famous too)

I think this one is the most famous... she's an Olympic gymnast and now coach.

Here's our "Weibo" / Twitter account page. 

you may be inclined to conclude, "wow, her Mandarin is pretty great!"  Don't be fooled. Let's just say Google Translate became my new best friend. ;)

Bespoke Clothing

Give the people what they want!!!!

And so I will. Here is the update on my custom Chinese clothing. The real delay for this post is my compulsive shopping behavior. Every time I went to pick something up, I also had a new idea and dropped a new idea off! I kept wanting to post everything at once but I have since learned that's impossible, so here's what I have so far! (Please excuse my self-timed photos)

Just a fun jersey dress (250RMB ~ $40)

Some casual work or play jersey dresses (I also bought in purple. no inspiration pic) (250RMB ~ $40)

i also picked up this "Hermes" scarf that I love ($5)

the original pieces...

you may remember the Dolce & Gabbana dress I was after but in pink... 

 

here's where I learned that I am NOT a supermodel and do not fit into D&G dresses! this photo shoot prompted me to quickly head to the gym and then I think I will try it on again in a month or so. Also, I think it definitely looks better in a pattern... (350RMB ~$57)

now this is the Vince leather jacket. inspiration...

and I LOVE it! pictures don't do it justice, but it fits perfectly! (1,000RMB ~$160)

 scarf also purchased at fabric market for a whopping $3

Here's what I've learned. You need to be SUPER specific. If you want a zipper, a pocket, a seam, etc somewhere, you need to say so. Otherwise, it'll just be what's easiest for them. 

Also, I don't necessarily think this is the cheapest place to get just normal clothes. The other possibility is that I'm just not bargaining enough. The problem is I'm too tall for Chinese clothes and the US/European brands are SOOO expensive. Things that may go for $30 in the US (H&M, Zara, etc) go for at least $60 here. It's annoying. 

Basically, my purchases have been hit or miss but I think I'm getting better! Also, some things aren't perfect the first time, but they can adjust pretty quickly (a day or 2) once you try it on.

I'll continue to go back for more purchases! :)

The "news" in China

I've been thinking for awhile about writing this post, but I wasn't fully educated enough on the subject to know what to say. Today, while I'm still not fully educated on the subject, I just couldn't resist and you'll see why when at the end of the post.

Obviously, "freedom of press" and "freedom of speech" do not exist in China. The government owns/operates/has a controlling interested in all the major news outlets. As such, the government often "shields" the public from the realities of life in China or “spins the truth” in a positive light to reflect achievements by society and the government alike. Knowing all this, I wondered how local Chinese both feel about the press/journalism, and if not cool with it, what do they do about it?

To sum up public opinion, everyone is skeptical. When a news story breaks and the government is quoted, I don't think anyone believes what they say. i.e. when the Shanghai government responded to the 6,000 dead pigs in the river saying that there was absolutely no affected on the drinking water... Not to mention that it seems to take quite awhile for newspapers to release a story about anything wrong. While in China, I don't have (nor do local Chinese) access to many outside news sources without my private VPN, which allows me to get around the government internet laws and actually get on facebook & this blog!

Where do people get their "news" you ask? The younger generations are getting all of their “real” news from blogs, not unlike the younger generation in the states. The most common one is Weibo, like Twitter in the US. This site is allowed by the government, however, is also censored. I read an article about how quickly posts can be shut down/removed and it's pretty impressive. However, news stories spread quickly and once it's read, even though you may not be able to find it again, you know about it. Additionally, there is another similarity to some news outlets in the states, in that I’m not quite sure all of these “blogs” should be considered “news,” but rather "opinion" and sensationalized opinion at that. Now, I am definitely someone who has become a bit cynical of American journalism and the need to sensationalize the "real news" to get public attention. (Anyone else watch the Newsroom on HBO?) I personally think as an educated person even watching the news in the US, you need to take it with a grain of salt, which I get the impression is how people here thing about both the official news & "social media news" like on Weibo. Regardless, I do still believe in these freedoms as awarded to us in the constitution and as people.

There are also quite a few sites that you can access if you have VPN access. i.e. chinahush.com , chinasmack.com (this one can have some pretty gruesome content), and my personal favorite Shanghaiist.com. Which brings me to the awesome stories as of today.

Here are just a few of the gems on Shanghiist.com. (I've also subscribed to their facebook updates. Big mistake if you want to feel comfortable living in China.) I will also admit I hesitated posting this, because some things are just outrageous and I still want everyone to come visit us!!!!! Luckily, mom, dad, Kimberly, Alex & Lesley already bought their tickets! No turning back now! ;)

gross.
Rat head in canteen food

this story, relfects my point above
China news satire of US backfires

Matt's favorite
Woman alive after public toilet explodes

The saddest story of them all:
Police destroy counterfeit wine

...seriously, all of these are from today. you can't make this stuff up...

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur

We were down to our last vacation stop... As you saw with the Langkawi portion, we ran into a couple hiccups the 2nd half of our trip and we did again in Kuala Lumpur mainly due to the evening downpours. Unfortunately  we missed our Food Tour for the first night, but this meant we went to bed early to get up for our hike.

Let's just say Matt was addicted to the leisurely part of our tour in Langkawi and when the 5:30am wake-up call happened, he was less than thrilled. But I'd read so many great things about this hike online that I didn't want to miss it! So he was a trooper and we headed to breakfast and then the car picked us up. When we hopped in we were greeted by our incredibly friendly tour guide, Amos, and an ANOTHER American couple living in Shanghai! Too hilarious! Obviously, we all planned our trips using TripAdvisor. :)

It was a quick 20min drive out to the edge of Kuala Lumpur. All of a sudden we were parked on a random suburb street corner and hopping on top of pipes to start our hike! The tour website was direct in suggesting that everyone trekking was of at least average physical fitness but Matt & I have been on enough hikes/treks to know that "average" really is just an insurance policy type warning and normally the trek isn't that difficult. On this occasion we could not be more wrong. I'd highly suggest being of above average athletic ability, but we made it! We were no joke rock climbing, scaling quartz covered jutting cliffs and swinging down up and down ropes tied to "natural ladders" Haha. No way would this trek fly without some serious, serious harnesses in the US. It was AWESOME! While everything was a little scary, Amos, our guide was fabulous at talking us through it all and making sure we were all laughing and having a great time. Every single scratch, bruise and inevitable mosquito bite was worth it once we got our first peek of the horizons through the trees. 

this pipe walk was unexpected...

"natural ladders"

these are our buddies really demonstrating the type of terrain we were dealing with. ropes were available, but we who needs ropes!

don't look down

the amazing Amos. used to be an iBanker, but loved the outdoors so 2 years ago we started OpenSky Unlimited!

The view was unreal. We were literally on the edge of the city. At the peak we looked one way and saw the skyline of the Kuala Lumpur city and on the other side was the pure nature of the fog rolling over the lake and the jungle. STUNNING. 

our first peek of the city. (don't I look tan?!?!?!)

oh yeah, we hiked that.

pretty proud of ourselves

the jungle side

 

my personal favorite. that's a keeper!

we reached the end of our journey. as demonstrated by the huge cliff

After some crucial photo ops at all the death-defying cliffsides, we climbed back down and headed out to brunch at "an authentic local restaurant". We ordered a sampling of all sorts of traditional roti, curries, etc. Everything was incredibly tasty. Amos told us that most people actually eat out every meal because at cafes like this it's just so cheap! Each dish was about $1 and we had probably 15 different dishes between the 5 of us, about $3 a piece for a seriously tasty & satisfying meal.

first we paused for some photos with the monkey :)

Amos popped up this little changing tent! Talk about customer service. Hehe!

oh yeah, we hiked from left to right

lunch!

roti & curries!

We headed back to the glorious Westin for a nap. :) Then we were out to do some sight seeing at some temples  / churches / mosques nearby. One thing I had read about Malaysia before coming is how much they embrace and encourage the diversity of their population. Of the population 60% are Malays, which are Muslim by definition, (Amos made it seem like that was a law? Not sure), 30% are Chinese and predominantly Buddhist, the remaining 10% are Indian and predominantly Hindu. Malaysia Link. (This, again, is an over-simplification on my part as there are various other religions and ethnicities represented as well.) We were off to see an area where there was a Mosque, Buddhist Temple & Hindu Temple all in a row... unfortunately, we got rained out...

So it was back to food adventures! Amos our guide had mentioned this amazing food court. Sounds silly, right? Apparently the developer of the mall near our hotel, called Lot 10, was a huge foodie and he loved street food (hawker food). He rounded up all his favorite street hawkers that were famous in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding areas that have been around for decades. All of those that were on their 2nd or 3rd generation he suggested that they let the next generation test out by running another stall location in his food court. Basically, it's a huge basement stocked full of delicious street food stalls. We tried 4 stalls and they were DELICIOUS! Actually, a decent amount of Chinese food represented here.

 

Not surprising our last stop in Kuala Lumpur focused again on Food & Friends! We met up with one of Matt's old co-workers from BCG, Rahul, who moved out to KL to work for a start-up airline. (what?!?!) He suggested we check out a different part of the city and we met him at a "Banana Leaf" restaurant. Again, delicious! Not to mention the great company!  I actually think KL is another city that would make for great Expat living. :)

Rahul & my husband with incredibly long hair

this one's for the Hancock clan... imagine my disappointment when I learned this is not an actual Butter Factory but a night club.

Unfortunately, the vacation had come to an end. The weirdest part about coming back from a vacation is coming "home" to a place that still kind feels like a "vacation spot." We're back in Shanghai!