This past weekend, my friend Pedro from Houston visited me! We took a mini trip to Tianjin, a coastal city south of Beijing. Tianjin is one of the cities in China going through dramatic change. The major of Tianjin ordered to have part of the ocean filled in order to have condos or mixed use building built. I was expecting fresh seafood in a restaurant on the beach, instead, I found construction site filled with dirt.
We also visited the Cultural District and Food District where we had delicious Chinese hotpot. Tianjin is known for its special dumplings. They are called "Dumplings that dogs hate". The original store is in Tianjin and it is a beautiful 5 star restaurant. We didn't get a chance to eat there because we were in a hurry to catch the train.
This weekend, I will be traveling to Shanghai and Xi'an. Xi'an is famous for their Terra Cota Warriors and Shanghai of course is for its lively night life and beautiful skylight.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
7/9/08-7/10/08
7.09.08
The area where work is located is a TRAP. My office building is in the World Trade Center. Upstairs are office buildings and downstairs and undergrounds are full with name brand shops, Christian Dior, Gucci, LV, Todd, Prada, you name it they have it. I circle all the shops once everyday during my lunch break. I think I even licked Dior’s glass windows couple times. Lol.
It is a nice area and working there is a treat. Thanks for cheap labor. My office has housekeepers 24/7. They bring you water, dump your trash, wash your glasses. I have fresh fruits and Chinese snacks every morning, yum…. There are so many people in the office and none except the Head of China has an office to himself. My boos, SVP of China Hotel stays in a cubicle next to me…. Lol.
People here work so hard. My co-workers stay at work till 9:00pm almost every night and all nighters are normal. Most of the people work here are American or European educated Chinese nationals. So they pay 1/3 of the money they would pay for an American or a European but still get the stuff done. No wonder they can hire around the clock housekeepers.
Beijing has changed a lot. I haven’t had much time to go around but I can’t recognize any part of the town. There are so many malls! And all of them are huuuuuge. Just imagine Saks Fifth Ave. in NYC but 100 of them scattered around 1 city and 100 times of its size. People here buy so much.
So guess how many times have I eaten dumplings? How about 5 already and I’ve only been here for a little over 1 week?? Mom knows dumplings are among my favorite foods, so she’s been fixing dumplings almost every night. I love it! But it is a lot of work.
7.10.08
The ladies here dress like cartoon characters. Beijing ladies are fashionable and fashion here is very different. Bright colors, busy lines, and lots of ruffles. It’s not my cup of tea but whatever it’s in, right?!
I think I’m the only Chinese girl with straight black hair. I know it sounds funny but most of the girls here have perms and have died their hair yellow or red. Working out and tanning are not normal here either. So people do give me that look when I’m in the subway.
AC is still not in every public buildings and not all subway cars are equipped with AC either, well all lines except the line that I take everyday to and from work..... At least not until August 1st. Thank God for the Olympic Games, all public buildings will have AC and all old busses, subway cars, trains will be replaced with new ones with AC. WOOHOO!
I start liking using public transportation. It is very convenient. I can do work or sleep when I ride on a bus or subway.
Anyhow, my friend Pedro is visiting tomorrow. I am so excited. I shall keep you guys posted.
The area where work is located is a TRAP. My office building is in the World Trade Center. Upstairs are office buildings and downstairs and undergrounds are full with name brand shops, Christian Dior, Gucci, LV, Todd, Prada, you name it they have it. I circle all the shops once everyday during my lunch break. I think I even licked Dior’s glass windows couple times. Lol.
It is a nice area and working there is a treat. Thanks for cheap labor. My office has housekeepers 24/7. They bring you water, dump your trash, wash your glasses. I have fresh fruits and Chinese snacks every morning, yum…. There are so many people in the office and none except the Head of China has an office to himself. My boos, SVP of China Hotel stays in a cubicle next to me…. Lol.
People here work so hard. My co-workers stay at work till 9:00pm almost every night and all nighters are normal. Most of the people work here are American or European educated Chinese nationals. So they pay 1/3 of the money they would pay for an American or a European but still get the stuff done. No wonder they can hire around the clock housekeepers.
Beijing has changed a lot. I haven’t had much time to go around but I can’t recognize any part of the town. There are so many malls! And all of them are huuuuuge. Just imagine Saks Fifth Ave. in NYC but 100 of them scattered around 1 city and 100 times of its size. People here buy so much.
So guess how many times have I eaten dumplings? How about 5 already and I’ve only been here for a little over 1 week?? Mom knows dumplings are among my favorite foods, so she’s been fixing dumplings almost every night. I love it! But it is a lot of work.
7.10.08
The ladies here dress like cartoon characters. Beijing ladies are fashionable and fashion here is very different. Bright colors, busy lines, and lots of ruffles. It’s not my cup of tea but whatever it’s in, right?!
I think I’m the only Chinese girl with straight black hair. I know it sounds funny but most of the girls here have perms and have died their hair yellow or red. Working out and tanning are not normal here either. So people do give me that look when I’m in the subway.
AC is still not in every public buildings and not all subway cars are equipped with AC either, well all lines except the line that I take everyday to and from work..... At least not until August 1st. Thank God for the Olympic Games, all public buildings will have AC and all old busses, subway cars, trains will be replaced with new ones with AC. WOOHOO!
I start liking using public transportation. It is very convenient. I can do work or sleep when I ride on a bus or subway.
Anyhow, my friend Pedro is visiting tomorrow. I am so excited. I shall keep you guys posted.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
7.2-7.6.2008
7.3.08
Well, I am a tourist in my hometown. Everything has changed. My parents have aged a lot. Both lost a lot of weight. Dad is sick. He has lost mobility in his left leg and arm. Mom has been the caretaker for him.. I feel like crying every time I look at them. It has been a tough 9 years.
My mother and I went to the temple next to my parents’ apartment today. My mother told me the Gods and Goddesses in those temples has granted her wishes and we need to go back to the temples to thank the Gods and Goddesses. We bought incants, fruits, and yellow silk covers for the temple. We prayed, thanked, and kneeled in front of the Gods. Everything was so peaceful. The statues in the temples were beautiful. Some made of solid gold. All of them were beautiful and every one of them not only is for spiritual purposes but also forms of art. There was one particular statue was unique. It was made completely out of white jade. It is a 20 feet statue. When I visited her, there were a group of monks chiming and praying for her.
One of my best childhood memories was listening to the monks sing in my parents’ apartment. I could hear them from far away. I never understood what they were singing, but always enjoyed the rhythm and admired the lead singing monk. He sometimes would have a solo and his voice was always so pure and high.
I am still in shock of all the change has happened. There are much to think about and much to see and I shall keep all of you posted.
7.4.08
There are the people EVERYWHERE. It starts making me wonder where do all the people go at night because it sure doesn’t seem like Beijing wouldn’t fit all those people in despite of its size. Went to a super market with at least 20 check out counters and there were still long lines.
When I first got to Beijing, I was amazed by the fashionable ladies. Everyone wears Channel. Then I discovered “the markets”. There are buildings and buildings of either knocked off brand named products and replicas. It is heaven! Dolce, Prada, BCBG, shoes, clothes, bags…. you name it, they have it. You never know it’s real or fake. Usually the real ones do not have logos on them or have logos cut off. There are outfits I saw in the states and sold for half of the price or cheaper in those buildings.
7.5.08
I think my parents want to fatten me up. Lol. I constantly have to fight food off, and at least 5 times a day. They don’t understand my eating habits and quite frankly not whole a lot of my friends understand them either. My dad considers my morning salads inefficient and keep telling me to eat all the fatty and salty things he likes to eat. Mom always looks at me puzzled whenever I eat breakfasts and lunches. (mom fixes dinners and I’ve pigged out couple times already). I really can get used to mother’s cooking. It is just soo damn good. And it’s nice to have dinner with my parents rather than by myself.
It’s been so humid in Beijing, even more so than in Houston. I think the heat beats Houston too. But today and thank God for this. Beijingers can actually see the blue sky!! And yes, the rumors are true, the sky here in Beijing is gray and we don’t usually see the blue sky very often. I can’t really feel the pollution. I still run the same distance almost everyday and I don’t have problem breathing. On a side note, people look at me really weird when I’m out there running. And since I’m living on a military base, all the little soldiers always laugh at me whenever I pass them by. Hopefully nobody will file any complaints.
I haven’t had any chance to tour around. Will keep all your guys posted when I go out!!
Well, I am a tourist in my hometown. Everything has changed. My parents have aged a lot. Both lost a lot of weight. Dad is sick. He has lost mobility in his left leg and arm. Mom has been the caretaker for him.. I feel like crying every time I look at them. It has been a tough 9 years.
My mother and I went to the temple next to my parents’ apartment today. My mother told me the Gods and Goddesses in those temples has granted her wishes and we need to go back to the temples to thank the Gods and Goddesses. We bought incants, fruits, and yellow silk covers for the temple. We prayed, thanked, and kneeled in front of the Gods. Everything was so peaceful. The statues in the temples were beautiful. Some made of solid gold. All of them were beautiful and every one of them not only is for spiritual purposes but also forms of art. There was one particular statue was unique. It was made completely out of white jade. It is a 20 feet statue. When I visited her, there were a group of monks chiming and praying for her.
One of my best childhood memories was listening to the monks sing in my parents’ apartment. I could hear them from far away. I never understood what they were singing, but always enjoyed the rhythm and admired the lead singing monk. He sometimes would have a solo and his voice was always so pure and high.
I am still in shock of all the change has happened. There are much to think about and much to see and I shall keep all of you posted.
7.4.08
There are the people EVERYWHERE. It starts making me wonder where do all the people go at night because it sure doesn’t seem like Beijing wouldn’t fit all those people in despite of its size. Went to a super market with at least 20 check out counters and there were still long lines.
When I first got to Beijing, I was amazed by the fashionable ladies. Everyone wears Channel. Then I discovered “the markets”. There are buildings and buildings of either knocked off brand named products and replicas. It is heaven! Dolce, Prada, BCBG, shoes, clothes, bags…. you name it, they have it. You never know it’s real or fake. Usually the real ones do not have logos on them or have logos cut off. There are outfits I saw in the states and sold for half of the price or cheaper in those buildings.
7.5.08
I think my parents want to fatten me up. Lol. I constantly have to fight food off, and at least 5 times a day. They don’t understand my eating habits and quite frankly not whole a lot of my friends understand them either. My dad considers my morning salads inefficient and keep telling me to eat all the fatty and salty things he likes to eat. Mom always looks at me puzzled whenever I eat breakfasts and lunches. (mom fixes dinners and I’ve pigged out couple times already). I really can get used to mother’s cooking. It is just soo damn good. And it’s nice to have dinner with my parents rather than by myself.
It’s been so humid in Beijing, even more so than in Houston. I think the heat beats Houston too. But today and thank God for this. Beijingers can actually see the blue sky!! And yes, the rumors are true, the sky here in Beijing is gray and we don’t usually see the blue sky very often. I can’t really feel the pollution. I still run the same distance almost everyday and I don’t have problem breathing. On a side note, people look at me really weird when I’m out there running. And since I’m living on a military base, all the little soldiers always laugh at me whenever I pass them by. Hopefully nobody will file any complaints.
I haven’t had any chance to tour around. Will keep all your guys posted when I go out!!
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