M50 Art District

I wanted to go to the M50 Art District ever since I stepped foot into Shanghai -- was finally able to explore the area with my cousin Sunny last Sunday! Definitely a satisfying adventure, but better done when it's not unbearably hot b/c many of the galleries DO NOT have air conditioning (and there are no elevators to effortlessly lift you to the top floors).

If you're going to M50 my advice is that the more interesting galleries are not on the ground floor.... they're all rather inaccessible and tucked away in these warehouses, so do some research on their building/room numbers beforehand so you don't wander around aimlessly like we did. I loved Island6 (liu4 dao3) bit was not so hot on the kitchy wannabe "art" on the street level. Snotty? I think not... just discretionary. :)

Yea that's what I feel about China too, Shanghainese pajama man.

One of my goals in life is to shoot a giant weapon (preferably a bazooka).

And YES that is the exact bad-ass expression I would make while doing that.

In a light tunnel that had a sloping ceiling into a tiny door, just like Alice in Wonderland.

After M50, Sunny and I went to Tianzifang (田子坊) for shopping/dinner. Ate at New York Steakhouse for a juicy cheeseburger. I really can't remember the last time I had a burger in China that wasn't from McDonalds...

Haha lens-less glasses are all the rage here in China.

Beyond tacky, I know... if you can't beat them, join (mock) them!

I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have her here with me in Shanghai.

Love you Sunny. :)

P.S. She's single.

PROFighting Mania

I went to PROFighting in Taipei last weekend @ Luxy -- it was an amazing show with exciting match-ups with local talent. There is a real hope that MMA will only get bigger and better in Taiwan! Props to all the fighters and people who help put together this excellent event. Can't wait until next time!

Pudong Pool Party

Finally checked off the box: day at the pool!!!

Wish I could go to the beach, but this is a good urban substitute.

Purple Mountain Hotel (紫金山大酒店) has a pool on the 5th floor. Hung out with the Shanghai BJJ guys, a cool group of cats. :) Excellent way to pass a hot Saturday. Next weekend I want to go to Dino Beach Waterpark!

Zug Zug, A Normal Summer Workday.

7:00 Wake up to my super retro Nokia's piercing alarm. Shanghai’s rainy season claimed my iPod, which puttered out a few weeks ago to my great dismay. I was distressed because it had been my constant (albeit not reliable) companion, but it’s been surprisingly easy to adjust to life sans Alarm/Pleco/Mail/AngryBirds/TouchFrogs. iPod mini circa 2007 is now my run buddy.

7:10 Okay no more snoozing. Check my email and send out a few quick replies. Procrastinate getting ready.

7:25 After drinking a glass of water, putting on my contacts, and brushing my teeth, I open Rodney Yee’s 50 Min Accelerated Yoga on my laptop and skip 1/3 of the first part. I can’t do the whole thing because then I’ll be late to work. Note to self: set alarm to 6:30 tomorrow. My new German flatmate comes out of his room just as I’m doing downward dog. I say “Good morning” upside down. He kind of grunts and scampers into the bathroom, a shy pudgy guy. I have little patience to try to be this 20 year old boy's friend right now, Shanghai is just too transitory.

8:00 Put my yoga mat away (40 RMB on Taobao! But it is quite slippery, definitely not bringing it back with me to the States) and pop into the shower. I had gotten used to having the bathroom all to myself this week, so I’m a little annoyed to see his “Hugo Boss” shower gel on the counter. I guess it’s the male version of Bath and Body Works. If anyone ever gives me something from BaBW for any occasion I will throw it back at their face – it is the ultimate thoughtless gift, unless you’re trying to tell me that I really do smell? :(

8:45 Get dressed, slap on some makeup, and run out of the door. I’ve been late a lot recently (past 9:30am), and although I still get to the office before my boss it's still terrible to have to worry about this sort of stuff. Morning commutes are stressful enough as they are! Traffic in Shanghai is a nightmare in the mornings, and it doesn’t help when buses break down and kick you off (like what happened to me yesterday). Today I mix it up and take the Metro on the 3/4 line, which is faster but I have to walk 15 minutes in the already-sweltering heat.

There's a lot of Chinese Dilberts on this train.

9:15 Pop out Yan An West Road station and walk towards work. I let my mind wander during this part, which is quite refreshing. Stop by an “All Days” (好德) and buy my daily morning fresh juice and yogurt. I usually choose between the grapefruit and the carrot/fruit juice. Grapefruit when I’m feeling tired and gross. But today is a Vitamin A carrot day! ^_^

9:30 At the office, the first thing I do is grab a glass of water. I am a water fiend ever since I trained for the Great Wall Marathon, probably because it upped my metabolism and now I sweat (or “sparkle”) like a pig.

9:31 My boss arrives. I got there a minute before she did, FTW!!!

9:35 Immediately pulled into a meeting and conference call with the boss + relevant people from the New York office. We’re expanding to China and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various company formation structures (WFOE vs Branch offices). Interesting stuff for me to learn, especially if I were to consider operating my own business in China one day.

I spend a few hours in my boss' office each day listening to what's going on and taking notes.

10:45 Yikes, there’s a job candidate here that I’m supposed to interview who has been waiting for 15 minutes in the conference room. I excuse myself from the meeting and chat with the girl. I’m leaving Shanghai mid-August for SAIS DC and my boss has been looking for my replacement. We have a very nice conversation and I think that she would definitely meet my boss’ needs. It's important not to hire someone under or over-qualified. Am I overqualified for this summer job? It depends on how you look at it -- I've never had experience working from an operational or managerial POV, so no. My main criterion for a summer job is to learn something new and useful. There will be other considerations once we get into the full-time territory.

11:30 Catch up on emails. Issues with Quality Control and Production abound… I find people to get agitated easily here, which makes them rush around (like headless chickens?). Sometimes they literally sprint around with their arms in the air. Oftentimes I feel they turn problems with simple solutions into a multi-step process, but I think a lot of it has to do more with management vs. individual ability. Some people don't need to be managed much, but I realize now that the vast majority do. Everyone has their own talents and unique personality, so a business’ success lies recognizing this and using it to their advantage via good management. I store these experiences into my mental archive.

The merchandising team. Making beautiful clothes, close to you.

12:45 In lieu of lunch, decide to go for a 50-minute massage (68RMB) at the place next door. My shoulders are killing me. I’ve probably had less than 10 massages in my entire life so far, I don’t particularly enjoy random people touching my body, especially unskilled ones (ha ha ha). But when I first got to Shanghai my back was killing me after all that heavy moving so I needed someone to un-Quasimodo me. The masseuse told me that some parts of my backbone were getting twisted or some BS, so I freaked out and bought their massage package. Haha I always do this, like the time my hair stylist told me my hair seemed like it was thinning so I bought a set of hair treatments that I never used. But this place is right next to the office, so I should be able to exhaust the package before going back to the States.

2:00 I’m back and feel pretty good. My back and shoulders are still really tight, I should really take care of myself better. The lady tried her best to ease out the knots but they’re still there. I sit at my desk nursing a double shot coffee, still groggy after the mid-day relaxation. Still have over 800 RMB left on my membership, which means I need to go there 2-3x a week for the next month. I usually go afterwork anyway, but lately there's been a lot on my plate so I haven't had time. There’s a clear forehead crease where I stuck my head into the massage bed’s face hole. I try my best not to interact with anyone for awhile because I look like a 90-year old.

2:15 Break open a packet of Pejoy, which is like a reverse Pocky. It’s a crispy hollow tube cookie with filling inside. The chocolate one is divine, but I bought the “red wine” version this time and I must say that it underperformed. Speaking of underperform – Goldman. I'm long GS and BAC at this level, here’s to hoping the banking sector will get hyped up again in the next year or two! I need some money to pay off my student loans. :p

2:30 Things are slow now that my boss has left the office to attend a few meetings. Normally I get to tag along but today I’m a bit grateful that I don’t have to this time (we had a very long meeting the day before). I have narcoleptic tendencies, especially in the afternoons. Instead I spend time Googling a luxury brand consultant for a retail project we may work on.

2:45 Go to the bathroom and notice my post-massage forehead crease is still there. Bleh!

4:15 I’m starting to regret skipping lunch for a massage. Growl growl.

5:15 Determined I’m done data-mining this Mr. Debell de Montby fancy consultant dude and work on a write-up on the PROFighting event that I went to last weekend. My business partner and I are in the habit of writing these comprehensive reports, which are a bit of a pain to type up but are actually really useful in organizing our thoughts in a constructive manner. What business are we in, you ask? Wouldn’t you like to know! (But yes it does have to do with MMA… maybe I’m an aspiring ring girl! Rawr.)

The computer is a girl's best friend.

6:00 Help a friend analyze a 10-K on listing out illiquid investments. I can’t escape my past. Leave the office and promise her I'll take a look at it at home. [Ah, it can wait until tomorrow!]

6:45 Arrive at Zhongtan Station and pick up a watermelon for 13.5 RMB on the way home. The trick is to slap the melon and choose one with a lower resonance. The ones with higher tones often times aren't as sweet. Don't know how this works but it does.

7:30 My student arrives and we begin our 2 hour tutorial on International Economics. I only get paid 75 RMB/hr, which is way below market, but I have her come to my apartment so I rationalize with myself that this is time I would have wasted on Facebook or The Daily Beast anyway. Plus she’s a sweet girl and I get an Econ refresher.

9:30 We finish going over Chapter 3 of her textbook, which covered isoquants, cost constraints, H-O Theorem, and Edgesworth Box. Her eyes light up when I explain to her the relationship between the contract curve and PPF, which is very satisfying. Her textbook is a diluted version of the Trade Theory class I took 2 semesters ago, but I can’t believe that she has to learn this stuff in college when she’s only had a Principles course thus far. All I can say is she’s a smart girl for hiring a tutor this summer.

10:00 Check my work mail through Gmail. I get asked by the COO why I hadn’t started drafting up new hires’ contract. Someone dropped the ball here and it's not me -- I tell them that they should be asking HR that question and I will follow up with them tomorrow.

10:30 Flatmates are watching The Big Bang Theory on pirated DVD… sad thing is that I get ALL their humor to the tee. Ok not sad, I am so cool. Hahaha, I do miss WoW… we go through at least 3-4 episodes in one pop.

11:30 Tired. Get ready for bed, check my email one final time and browse Cityweekend for stuff to do this weekend. MC Hotdog will be performing in town tomorrow, tempted to go but have to go to a friend’s birthday dinner party. Can’t believe it’s Friday already!!! Where did the week go?!

11:40 Change the image size on my photos and update my blog. :)

12:15 Good night moon!

Window Shopping

My apartment community - 中潭路两湾城

Well, I don't THINK I'm a pervert or a voyeur, but I really like to look into people's windows. That's normal, right? Here they definitely like to air their dirty laundry, har har har......... I did see a naked man once, makes you more careful yourself while changing!

Right now I'm in a transitory period of my life, but I'd like to think that when I actually settle down I won't be living in yet another apartment. I've been living in apartments ever since Freshman year of college (John Jay, baby!) and quite honestly the novelty of sharing a communal space with a bunch of randoms has worn off. Living in an apartment certainly is very convenient, but as someone said to me once, people are meant to live with two feet on the ground. I never realized that perhaps that is why I always felt a little disconnected living in apartments, it is such a different feeling from living in a house. I think I'd much rather live in a modest yet cozy home than a really fancy apartment encased with marble. I really want to have a backyard (balcony is a poor substitute) with a vegetable garden and a big shady tree! I don't know how I'm going to get that here in Asia though... but at the very least I want a rooftop apartment then, which I will then cover with dirt and plant a vegetable garden and a big shady tree. :) There you go. All I need to do now is make a ton of money.

Taipei for a Dei

Went to Taipei last weekend. It was splendid. :)

Scootin' around town on Natalie's tin can on two wheels (it died the next day, no joke).

Natalie's adorable stray kitten -- Monita (little monkey!) WUV JOO!!!

At the MRT -- Another reason why women have it more rough than guys. :p

Manuel looking pretty pleased with himself, haha.

Gongguan (公館) Night Market.

My favorite picture of the trip.

Ximen Ding (西門町).

Shida (師大) Night Market ...with Angry Birds mules?!!.

Hahahaha, someone call the Dog Whisperer!

All-you-can-eat Mala Hotpot for 450 TWD!

I can seriously eat 6 pans of beef/lamb by myself. I held back this time to save space for a few cones of Haagen Daz and Movenpick, heh.

Thank you for being such a wonderful friend and host, Nat!

Your couch was super comfy and I loved cuddling with Monita (and all that sugar plum action). :)

Lost and Found

A beautiful introspective post taken from my close friend Karissa's blog, Karis Means Grace.

I'm the one who told her to toss that damn watch, hahaha!

----------------------
Lost things.

July 12, 2011 by Karissa

In 2008, a Hawaiian wave sucked my trinity ring right off my finger. I’d had that ring since I was 12, and though other rings came and went, I’d held on to that ring for 14 years. In vain, I searched through the surf, digging beneath the sand. Later, my friends jumped off a 25 foot rock. One came out with a bloody face. I comforted myself with the old Chinese superstition — that when you lose a small item of worth, the Universe has bargained for you. Something larger has been spared.

In 2010, a watch I’d been given in 2003 stopped for something like the 6th time since I’d owned it. Unlike the past instances, I did not take it in for repair. I took the watch off and placed it in a drawer. My skin was smooth and white underneath. For days I circled my wrist with my fingers, feeling for its nakedness. I could not get used to looking at my phone for the time. A friend asked me why I didn’t just throw the thing away. It was, she argued, representative of a past that I was trying to detach myself from. I couldn’t, I said. I was far too sentimental, despite everything. I would feel worse knowing that it lay in a landfill somewhere.

I am a sentimental person, and objects take on significance for me that make it hard for me to part with them. The routine of wearing the same articles everyday in itself makes these items precious to me — add on a particular symbolism, and the loss of these items are difficult indeed.

After I lost the ring, I didn’t try to replace it. I wore it on my left index finger, my thumb used to rolling it up and down my knuckle. To this day, I catch myself rubbing my index finger, searching for that roll. A fourteen year habit is hard to break. Nonetheless, I told myself that one day I would want to get married, and I would have to bare that finger eventually, to make way for a different type of ring. I mused that a man who cared about me, who paid attention, would replace it for my other finger.

I also mused, long before the watch went into the drawer, that a man who understood the significance of the watch would also seek to replace it.

I am a silly girl.

In the end, my father bought me a watch for Christmas, not knowing anything about the significance of a watch. That same Christmas, my sister bought me a replacement ring — too big for my fingers — but I was touched nonetheless. Yesterday my aunt presented me with two versions of the ring she had once given me, one too big for any of my fingers but my thumb, the other too small for any fingers but my pinky.

There is some sort of moral in here, about family and about items and irreplaceable history and about letting go. About the people you dream about loving you one day versus the people that already do. It is so easy to want to reserve a small part of you for later, to save a portion of yourself for somebody who you haven’t yet met, hoping that they will love you better than those already around you. But good people are already paying attention, already loving you, already making note of the small things that leave a big mark when they leave your world.

==

I can apologize for the things I am, that I am still trying to change. But at the end, I can only be the best version of myself. Maybe I’m still far away from that, maybe I still have a ways to go. But I am a sincere person, I try to remain faithful to my conscience and my heart, to love the people I care for to the best of my ability, and I can only do the best I can do to fix the mistakes I have made. I forgive easily, and so I want to be forgiven. But it’s been hard for me to learn to forgive myself.

The worst thing I have ever done, by far, is not to love myself better.

Macy Gray @ MINT

So I'm not even a Macy Gray fan, but I try my best to broaden my horizons and do new stuff whenever possible. Last Thursday my Italian roommate Ronnie and his Polish friend Aga and I went to MINT to watch Macy Gray perform live. One key takeaway:

CLUB PERFORMANCES <<<<<<<<<<<<<< REAL CONCERTS.

ALWAYS!!!

We paid 200 RMB ($30+ USD) to get in after the club let in all the "models" and members. Then we shoved our way to the front of the stage and waited and waited and waited. Macy Gray was supposed to perform at midnight but didn't start until nearly 2am completely stoned out of her mind, swaying and grabbing her dress, smushing her own face around... I totally thought she was going to fall deadweight right on my head. I stood first row separated by only the pudgy (but very serious) Chinese bouncers. Macy Gray is actually a really amazing singer and it would have been an amazing performance... if she were actually on stage for more than 10 minutes. That's right, the lady only performed for 10 minutes (3 songs at most) and then stumbled back to her booth. Then she stumbled back out and pretended to DJ for the rest of the night. Wtf. I did not come to listen to your iTunes playlist.

Anyways, I've learned my lesson -- much rather pay a hundred bucks to see someone sing an actual full show where I can sit down (yes, stood on my 4 inchers all night). I still had fun though, and now I'm going to download her music on Baidu to get my money back. HA! :)

How much longer

... until you see the light?

... until you face the truth?

... until you put yourself first?

... until you pull the band-aid off?

... until you wake up from this dream?

... until you realize that you do deserve better?

How much longer until you say Enough?

How much longer until it's time to surrender?

I can see the light now.

Mr. Pancake

Luke Nukem and my cousin Sunny.

Just wanted to make a physical juxtaposition!

Mr. Pancake is my go-to weekend brunch place, wonderful homey food that is only slightly dampened by the ridiculous wait. Been there once a week now, addicted to their... you guessed it, pancakes. :) WONDERFULLY SOFT AND FRAGRANT PANCAKES DRENCHED IN MAPLE SYRUP!!!! (Take that, Nanjing... you void of culinary delights.)

The View From Up Here

In case anyone was curious about where I rest my head at night. :)

Snapshots from my apartment in 两湾城, a complex of buildings surrounded by generous pieces of greenery the middle of Shanghai. Love it.

I'm right next to Suzhou Creek. I had planned to do runs here but the riverside park is still under construction. I love being by this small slice of nature.

Saturday morning, 10:30am. In the living room, armed with a heavy dose of coffee and a gallon of spring water. Just topped off toast with cream cheese. Attempted to reintroduce myself with traditional Chinese, which lasted only 20 minutes before I was distracted by another "thing to do".