Blog Posts

Tiki Time

9/4/2010

When I asked my good friend Michelle about her new job as a liquor rep. for Montanya Rum she told me it was going well and that she was going to San Diego to promote the rum at Tiki Oasis. Now I was not entirely sure what Tiki Oasis was but it sounded fun, so when she told me she had an extra ticket and invited me to come help her and check it out I was intrigued. I emailed my cousins who live in Carlsbad, just north of San Diego (BTW not the Carlsbad with the caverns, that is in New Mexico) to see if I could stay with them and I was in luck! So I booked a trip with Priceline and totally lucked out there too because I bid on a ticket and got a direct ticket with relatively good flight times for a great deal. I booked an economy car and I was ready to go!

So with all my trip details all figured out, I set out to find out more about Tiki Oasis. Turns out it’s a sort of tiki-themed conference and party. For four days, people with interest and business in all things tiki descend to the old Hanalei hotel, now the Crowne Plaza. For four days, people of all ages, eat, drink and live in tiki themed goodness. Think pool party meets, Polynesian, throw in a bit of 50’s and 60’s kitschy nostalgia, and pinch of spice and you have got Tiki Oasis. There are rum and chocolate tastings, ukulele jams, a pin-up safari, hula girls, burlesque and shriner culture (lots of fezzes made an appearance), room parties, Marina the mermaid, a costume contest, vintage swimming suits, and most importantly, lots of laid back and crazy fun.

If you want to get an idea of the actual events and symposiums (these people are serious about their tiki!) then check out the official Tiki Oasis website: http://tikioasis.org/
You might also enjoy the Marina the mermaid video; I did:
http://www.youtube.com/tikioasistv#p/u/0/tUeHmYoWkhg

As a side comment, Tiki Oasis is huge! I had no idea that tiki culture is so big until this event. The event entry tickets and the Crowne Plaza sells out and overflow goes to the Holiday Inn next door. The whole convention center and hotel for four days is all about tiki.

Tiki Oasis kicks off at Bali Hai, an old Polynesian themed restaurant on the water. It was my introduction into the event and I was impressed by how into it people were. The first evening was a casual meet and greet type event but with Mai Tai’s and people in tiki wear with burlesque and tiki themed entertainment. I had this photo taken with one of the other attendees because his headdress was so cool, with glowing eyes and everything!

By the second day, Tiki Oasis was in full swing. I pulled into the parking lot and saw this car right away; a jeep adorned with tiki torches and skulls, with custom plates that said Tiki Al. Pretty hard core. As I was taking a photo, Tiki Al happened to come up and so we chatted a bit before I went inside. We ended up chatting later when he was showing some tiki mugs he’d had manufactured in China. I asked if he went there to have them manufactured and turns out he lives there – just like me! Kind of cool or creepy that we ran into each other – I’m not sure. Seriously what are the odds off running to a person that lives in Shanghai in a party in another state?

Paragraph.

The first order of the day was the Sip and Shop cocktail giveaway that I was doing with Michelle. We were at the Tiki Bongo shop and giving out the Free-style, a rum drink made with clove and basil infused simple syrup, pineapple juice, and soda. A tasty treat that was very popular given that it was free and inside a cool shop! Michelle and I were busy handing out drinks and chatting with attendees and dressed in vintage swimsuits to suit the occasion ; )

Here’s a photo of us after it was over and when we’d had a chance to partake in a cocktail ourselves as well. Oh and the best part was eating rum infused pineapple. Yummmmy!

After changing and treating ourselves to sushi courtesy of tips we got serving drinks, we watched some of the entertainment on stage and then did the rounds in the room parties. These room parties are wild – sometimes they have lines to get in and they are very organized with sponsors for drinks, live bands, burlesque and cool decorations. Some of the rooms were unrecognizable after all of the decorations. In between the room parties, we went in the elevator parties. That’s right a party in the elevator. At first I thought this was silly but then I realized it was fun! There were two elevators and each one had a band in it and sometimes a hostess serving drinks. If you really wanted to get somewhere fast though you took the stairs because the elevator was otherwise occupied with a party. Here is a pic of one of the elevator parties.

After a long day of serving and consuming drinks, plus lots of entertainment and socializing, I decided to call it a night so that I’d have energy for the party the next day.

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Denver

8/4/2010

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I decided to write a blog post about Denver because I have been hanging out in Denver but also because it is such a cool place and a lot of people don’t realize it. Coming back after being in China and also after my European Adventure last year – I have realized that Denver (and Colorado in general) is like a touch stone for me. I love going other places but I love coming back too. I think that for awhile anyway I will be coming and going from here because Denver is a special place. A lot of people still think of it as a cow town so I thought I’d share some of the specific reasons that Denver is so cool.

Here are some nifty facts about Denver :

·         Denver gets over 300 days of Sunshine a years (this is amazing considering the ski industry is so big here and that there is still snow in the mountains in the heat of the summer).

·         It is one of the most educated cities in the nation with almost 36% of the population having a bachelor’s degree (It ranks in the top 20 of the country).

·         As I once heard comedian John Oliver say – we have least obese population in the USA; in other words Denverites are thin in an obese country and Colorado ties with Hawaii for the title of thinnest state in the country. Woo-hoo!

·         Denver is a mile-high. Seriously that is high! People come here to train for the Olympics because of that.

·         Denverites love their art and it shows – they have one of the highest rates of per capita funding for arts in the nation plus lots of cool art museums and galleries. That cow I am riding - it is art. Generally I don't recommend climbing art but in this case I made an exception.

Okay so those are some of the stats but there is also this cool energy about Denver. There are still elements of the wild-west culture found here (the gold rush put Denver on the map so to speak) but it is also a very modern city that’s green and young. Also we have some amazing natural resources around –our beautiful mountains and our adventure sports that come with it - amazing skiing, mountain climbing, hiking or mountain biking in your own back yard.

People here are friendly and will smile and say hello when you walk by. I still remember a time when my cousins were visiting from California and some people walked by and said “hello and how are you?” and my sister and I responded and we had a short conversation. Afterwards our cousins asked who they were and course we didn’t know them but it didn’t matter!

Ok that should do it for my love-fest on Colorado but I am lucky to have grown up in such a great place. Here is a photo of I took at Red Rocks – the outdoor amphitheatre in the mountains (U2 filmed their famous live Sunday Bloody Sunday video there).

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Dragon Boats

8/3/2010

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Ever since I had learned about the Dragon Boat Festival and Dragon Boats in general, I have been fascinated with the idea and wanted to see them firsthand. When Dragon Boat Festival arrived and I was in Southern China – I was a little sad that I wasn’t going to see Dragon Boat racing but I had such a fantastic time in Kunming that it seemed pointless to be disappointed. So when I was at a family barbeque and my cousin’s hubby mentioned that the dragon boat races were in Denver tomorrow I got excited. I also laughed (out loud I think) that I had to come all the way back to Denver, Colorado in order to participate in a Dragon Boat celebration. Well life is nothing if not funny!

Since I had plans to spend with my good friends Sean and Sara the next day, I asked if they would be interested and so our plans were set. As we arrived I was impressed with just how many people there were there. It is a huge festival on Sloan’s Lake with over 100,000 visitors annually. We managed to find parking without too much difficulty and as we were walking in ran into my cousin Jeremy (pretty impressive since I didn’t know he was going to be there and there were a ton of people).

As we got closer to the Sloan’s Lake, I saw some of the dragon boats. While they were not as impressive as some of the boats I had seen on TV in China they were beautiful and I thought how fun it would be to row in one of them. I have always found the idea of rowing and boats very appealing. But I am like a cat, I like to look at the water but I do not want to get in!

Since the festival is so big and the races were happening periodically, we wandered around and looked at the food vendors, and checked out the scene. Wow and was it hot that day! I bought a parasol because the sun was soo intense. I don’t think I’ve gotten any significant sun exposure in Shanghai because it is so overcast but it only takes about an hour in the sun in Colorado for me to really get burned. Luckily for me I found a beautiful parasol which helped cool me off and then I bought some sugar cane juice which was really good and not nearly as sweet as I would have expected. Here is a photo of the sugarcane juicer – pretty wild looking!

After watching some races and walking around, we watched some dragon dancing and some kung fu on the performance stage. That is always impressive to me. Someday I will practice martial arts.

All in all it was a very fun day and I am glad I got to experience live dragon boat races in person this year – even if it was in the good old USA.

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Home

7/13/2010

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Lately I have found myself asking, “where is home?” I have always had a bit of the wandering gypsy in my soul and this year that aspect of me has certainly surfaced. When I look back on the last year I have come to the realization that I have lived or spent a considerable amount of time in Seattle, Barcelona, Denver/Lafayette, and Shanghai. Depending on whether I am in Shanghai or Colorado, I might refer to China as home or Colorado as home. Is home where you lay your head at night? Where your family and friends are? Where you grew up? Where you receive mail? Can you have two homes (or more) at the same time?

As I have travelled in this past year I have also come to the realization that I am not sure if I am not going to have a traditional home based lifestyle for awhile and this is something that excites me and is a teeny bit terrifying at the same time. Luckily, I have also learned to be increasingly out of my former comfort zone. This last year I have also learned that how you live your life is largely up to you.

One thing I also know is that my friends and family are very important to me so even if it seems impractical to visit; I need to make the time and do it. So I find myself coming and going from one place to another. I also encourage people to visit me – really! I like to see people and there is something whimsical and magical about seeing people you know and love in a completely different context and environment. When I studied abroad in London several of my friends and family members managed to visit and then many of us went to Paris and had an amazing time there. I will always cherish that time and remember frolicking with my stepfather in the gardens of Versailles; wandering around in Paris during the July heat with my cousin Laura while the sun beat down on us as we struggled to carry our luggage; taking photos with my friend Ron on a rainy day in Hyde Park; and eating dinner with my grandparents and family at L’Amouse Bouche and walking outside just in time to see a parade of rollerbladers in wild costumes go by. I am so glad that we were all able to share those unique and memorable moments.

So I hope for those kinds of moments in China and in my future travels because if there is anything I have learned in the last year, it is that life is flux so I am going to seize the day. I will live a life filled with joy, adventure, and whimsy and since people are important to me, I hope to share it with those that I love and am close to. So if you are thinking about a trip to come and see me, carpe diem.

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Down South

7/4/2010

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I was just thinking that I wanted to see another part of China when I got an email from my Mandarin teacher in the states with an invitation to come meet her in the Yunnan province where she is from. Even though I only had one day off that week, I decided why not? So I said yes at noon and by the time I got off of work at 6:30, my teacher had booked a flight for me that evening at 8:30. I rushed home, threw some things in my suitcase and before I had a chance to think twice, I was in a taxi on my way to the airport. The timing worked out perfectly and there was no line for the ticket, I sailed though security and I was in Kunming at around 11 pm.

Part of the whole experience of living in China for me has been to explore China so this was a great opportunity for me to go to a part of China I didn’t know much about. It turns out that Kunming is one of the southern-most provinces that borders Vietnam. The weather can be tropical and it is also not far from Tibet so culture is quite different from Shanghai which is in the eastern part of China. After landing I was greeted by Yali, my short-term Mandarin teacher and her old friend who is a business man in Kunming. Because it was late and I hadn’t eaten dinner, we went to a local restaurant and watched the rest of one of the world cup matches that was on TV. People here are really into the world cup and the matches can be watched at restaurants, bars or on TV at local mini marts. Many of the cab drivers also listen to the matches at full blast while they take you from here to there.

So after some local food and a bit of conversation, I checked in at the Golden Dragon hotel and some much needed sleep. I slept very heavily and woke up to meet my teacher and her friend for breakfast. I ate some noodles and rice and had some coffee and we were off to see a bit of the city.

Kunming is small by China city standards with about 5 million permanent residents. A subway is being built and it has a lot of the trappings of a very modern city. I went with Yali and her friend Ken to see his business office before heading to international ethnic village which is a popular tourist destination in the city. The village featured a separate village with artisans and architecture from the different ethnicities that are found in the province. It is quite large so we were only able to scratch the surface of the place. I’ll have to go back! From the village there was an amazing view of the Western hills, also known as Green Peacock Mountains which are home to the famous Dragon Gate, a beautiful man-made gate overlooking the lake below. There is a local saying about the lake, “Once on the Dragon Gate, your fortune will be made.” So for that reason alone, I need to go back! Everything here has a mysterious and mystical quality. While I have never believed in dragons before, sometimes in China I feel like I could.

It proved to be an interesting day – the village was wonderful and I spent my time shopping from small shops, trying various foods, and looking at the beautiful sights and finished off the experience with a brief but wonderful ride on an elephant’s nose. I have always had a great respect for these great animals and I am always in awe of them in their presence. I will never forget the first time I got close to an elephant as a child when a circus came to town. Being in the presence of these animals is nothing like seeing them in photos or on TV. There is something about elephants which produces in me a feeling of tenderness and I know that I am in the presence of something great, and I don’t mean greatness in terms of size. So when I saw that there was an elephant at this park, I immediately had the desire to get close to it. I had ridden on an elephants back before but never had I been so close to an elephants face and trunk. It was amazing, in a moment, I was on the ground and in the next, I was lifted several feet in the air with the elephant’s trunk gently wrapped around me. I felt very safe and also felt that I could get used to being close to an elephant very easily. After a few moments, I was set down and I thanked the elephant for the experience and departed the village.

The next stop in Kunming was the local golf course so that Ken could pick up his clubs. Incidentally, Ken is very interested in golf; it is one of his passions. Then we stopped at his home and I got a quick tour. Here they call houses villas and he had a very nice villa decorated with beautiful photos that he has taken on Western Hills. In the front room of his house he also had a very large Buddha and several Tibetan bibles which I found quite intriguing.

The last stop of the day was for a family dinner in honor of Dragon Boat festival which was that day. The Dragon Boat festival is an annual holiday in honor of the ancient poet Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan was a great poet who lived during the time when China was being fought over by warring states. It was a time of corruption and strife and rather than serve a master he did not agree with, in 278 Qu Yuan committed suicide by jumping into a river. Because he was so beloved, the people threw rice e and food into the river so that his body would not be eaten. Somehow this translated into boats being decorated like dragons and raced – it is still a little unclear to me how this evolved. Today people still have dragon boat races and still throw food river into the river. It is amazing what one person can inspire!

The family I had dinner with was very gracious and no one seemed to mind that there was an unexpected American who didn’t speak their language and their traditional dinner. Indeed they were all quite impressed that I could eat with chopsticks – thanks Grandma and Grandpa for teaching me when I was little! It was a lovely dinner and my favorite dish was cooked goat cheese – yummy! At the end of the dinner we sang happy birthday for Ken’s lunar birthday (his solar calendar birthday had already been celebrated : ). I was pleased to be able to sing along in Chinese as it is the only song I know.

After leaving the family dinner we went for a foot massage – something I have loved to indulge in since I moved to China. We booked an hour and a half for each of us in a shared room. The environment for massages is quite different in China – there are some western style spas but most massage places offer shared rooms with lounger-like chairs that recline and a flat screen tv. People will regularly talk on their mobile phones or to each other. In china, quiet is not necessarily required for relaxation. So we watched one of the soccer matches as we all got our rubdowns. I think I have already mentioned that in China a foot massage is pretty much a regular massage but with all clothes on and pants rolled up to the knees . At my “foot massage” my back, neck, shoulders, legs, arms, head and of course feet were massaged. We got so wrapped up into watching the match that our one and a half hour massage turned into a two and a half massage. I could get used to that and boy did I need a massage!

Thoroughly relaxed after a busy and fascinating day, I went back to the hotel for a short sleep before catching my plane in the morning. It was a whirlwind as I was on a plane by 8 am the next day, landed by 11 am and at work by 1 pm for a busy workweek. This is how my life has been ever since I have been in China. A wild mix of intense work, play and relaxation with unexpected adventures and experience and I don’t think I’d have it any other way!

The next stop in Kunming was the local golf course so that Ken could pick up his clubs. Incidentally, Ken is very interested in golf; it is one of his passions. Then we stopped at his home and I got a quick tour. Here they call houses villas and he had a very nice villa decorated with beautiful photos that he has taken on Western Hills. In the front room of his house he also had a very large Buddha and several Tibetan bibles which I found quite intriguing.

The last stop of the day was for a family dinner in honor of Dragon Boat festival which was that day. The Dragon Boat festival is an annual holiday in honor of the ancient poet Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan was a great poet who lived during the time when China was being fought over by warring states. It was a time of corruption and strife and rather than serve a master he did not agree with, in 278 Qu Yuan committed suicide by jumping into a river. Because he was so beloved, the people threw rice e and food into the river so that his body would not be eaten. Somehow this translated into boats being decorated like dragons and raced – it is still a little unclear to me how this evolved. Today people still have dragon boat races and still throw food river into the river. It is amazing what one person can inspire!

The family I had dinner with was very gracious and no one seemed to mind that there was an unexpected American who didn’t speak their language and their traditional dinner. Indeed they were all quite impressed that I could eat with chopsticks – thanks Grandma and Grandpa for teaching me when I was little! It was a lovely dinner and my favorite dish was cooked goat cheese – yummy! At the end of the dinner we sang happy birthday for Ken’s lunar birthday (his solar calendar birthday had already been celebrated : ). I was pleased to be able to sing along in Chinese as it is the only song I know.

After leaving the family dinner we went for a foot massage – something I have loved to indulge in since I moved to China. We booked an hour and a half for each of us in a shared room. The environment for massages is quite different in China – there are some western style spas but most massage places offer shared rooms with lounger-like chairs that recline and a flat screen tv. People will regularly talk on their mobile phones or to each other. In china, quiet is not necessarily required for relaxation. So we watched one of the soccer matches as we all got our rubdowns. I think I have already mentioned that in China a foot massage is pretty much a regular massage but with all clothes on and pants rolled up to the knees . At my “foot massage” my back, neck, shoulders, legs, arms, head and of course feet were massaged. We got so wrapped up into watching the match that our one and a half hour massage turned into a two and a half massage. I could get used to that and boy did I need a massage!

Thoroughly relaxed after a busy and fascinating day, I went back to the hotel for a short sleep before catching my plane in the morning. It was a whirlwind as I was on a plane by 8 am the next day, landed by 11 am and at work by 1 pm for a busy workweek. This is how my life has been ever since I have been in China. A wild mix of intense work, play and relaxation with unexpected adventures and experience and I don’t think I’d have it any other way!

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The Ball

6/12/2010

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There are many times when my life lately has felt like a fairy tale or a dream and last weekend was certainly one of those times. I had the pleasure of attending a costume ball hosted by the British Chamber of Commerce with A Midsummer Night’s Dream theme! Since I love dressing up, costumes, and Shakespeare; it was perfect for me. The evening consisted of an auction, silent auction (one of the items was a Paul McCartney signed guitar!), several scenes from the Shakespeare play, wonderful food and drink and a costume contest.

I heard about the event through friends and knew one of the performers. It was a wonderful excuse to dress up in whimsical outfits, eat, drink and be merry!

Anita, a friend and expat here in Shanghai designed some wonderful costume dresses which were reminiscent of Moulin Rouge but with more of a fairy flair. We found a lovely dressmaker and went shopping for fabric in the fabric market and with a fitting and some tweaks we had some fabulous custom dresses with coordinating corsets. After a trip to a local fake flower market and another to a costume shop for wings and wigs, we were set!

The day of the ball I worked all day and then made a mad dash for home to change, do my make-up and complete the transformation. I did this remarkably quickly and then managed to change in about 30 minutes which was quite amazing. Since the ball had already started, I decided to put on my corset in the taxi which is no easy feat but somehow I managed it! I got quite a few stairs as I was trying to hail a cab. I get looks enough when I am just wearing a t-shirt and jeans but now I was wearing a ball gown, wings, and a Marie Antoinette style wig with peacock feathers – not exactly an everyday sight in the local Shanghai district of Minhang! It was especially funny to see people catch a glimpse of me and then do a double take.

So after putting on my corset in the taxi, I arrived at the ball just in time for dinner, drinks and the program. Everyone looked amazing and the ballroom was filled with about 1000 revelers. When the time for the costume contest arrived, our table was nominated for best costumes and we were called up on stage with two other best dressed table nominees. The competition was fierce but we ended of losing to a table full of queen themed costumes (some of the queens on display included Michael Jackson and Elton John). The other table consisted of a man with a horse’s head, and an almost nude glittery tattooed man. We didn’t win but it was quite an honor to be called on stage and we got a fabulous photo as a result.

There were also raffle drawings and while I didn’t win anything, two people at our table did and this is pretty incredible considering the number of people there!

After dinner there was a live band followed by a DJ and I thoroughly enjoyed dancing the rest of the night away. As I caught a cab home, I felt a bit like Cinderella. As a teacher, I wear plain clothes and have to be very practical but for one night at least, I had a night of pure fun and decadence. The evening definitely had an air of magic. I had the nicest cab driver I’ve ever had as my driver on the way home. He practiced his English with me and was very sweet and when he dropped me off at my apartment, he didn’t even charge me the full fare!

It was a night I will never forget and now I know a great dress maker – so I can get started on my Halloween costume already!

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Lost in Translation

6/6/2010

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So there are many times when I see things that are written in English when I just have to have a laugh at the translation. At times the translation is so bad that I can’t even tell what the translation is supposed to mean! These translations can be anywhere: on signs, on clothing, and on maps but the worst translations I have seen are on menus or on signage at restaurants (even at American chains like KFC). It just so happened that we had a team building dinner at a restaurant nearby and there were so many bad examples of Chinglish that I decided to write a blog post about it with pictures.

With descriptions for dishes like Paragraph Big Meat Slide, Iced-black mooden ear, Bottom of the potboil for a short time, Grandpa’s pa Big Face Soto, who wouldn’t want to dig in? Of course these translations are poor but some of the foods are equally strange for a westerner so I think the photos will be particularly enlightening so you can see just how different the eating habits are for people from China compared with the US. I really had no idea before I came here what to expect and boy was I surprised because there is nothing like Panda Express here.

Some other favorites I saw on the menu were sauerkraut monolithic (I think this is just supposed to be aged sauerkraut), nausea sauce pork (I have no idea what they are trying to get at here), sesame large lap (this is a salad so again?), mix vinegar fungus (hmmm yummy fungus!), complete the entire substeaming (????), and then and of course the deep fried silk warm (I am so glad it is not cold!).

Also here every part of the animal is eaten and in a way this makes a lot of sense and is not wasteful but I have a hard time eating certain things even if it makes sense to do so. Here are some things I don’t like to eat but have eaten here: fish mouth, beef spine, chicken joints, stomach, and bones and more bones from chicken to beef to fish. Here are some things I will not eat: spiders, silk worms, cat (civet cat was on the menu at the restaurant), dog, creepy crawlies of any kind, and things I can’t recognize. Luckily there are plenty of safe things for me too like dumplings, ramen, pizza, hamburgers, and many other western foods that have been imported.

I do have to tell a story about this last photo. There is a big difference between what the local (Chinese) and foreign (expat) staff like to eat as could be expected. Many of the local staff decided they wanted to order deep fried silk worms. While even the photo of the silk worms was enough to turn off the westerners when they came, some felt that they smelled unappetizing as well. Simon, a teacher from Australia was particularly vocal about this and described them as, “smelling like dirty socks”. I didn’t think they smelled that badly but didn’t want to eat one. Upon hearing his reaction, our school’s Center Director offered 100 Yuan if he would eat one and then another teacher put in another 100. That was enough to entice Simon and he did eat it. He made quite a scene chewing very quickly and drinking beer to rid the taste as quickly as he could but when asked if it was worth it he said, “I’d do it again.”

All in all it was an interesting, memorable and funny dinner. Cheers!

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China Town

5/27/2010

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Okay so I know you are probably thinking, “there is a china town in China?” and that is exactly what I would think too except China Town is not a part of the city but rather it is a burlesque club in Shanghai. I was pleasantly surprised to discover this as anyone who knows me well knows I love me some burlesque! Even though I have only been in Shanghai for 4 months, I was lucky to have a wonderful reason to go after two weeks and liked it so much I decided to go back for my birthday party.

Only my second Saturday in Shanghai, I was invited to a going away part for some expats I was introduced to through email via a friend (thanks Rachel). This proved to be very fortuitous for me because I was able to get helpful tips before I left for Shanghai and then after I arrived, I met up and hung out a few times before going to the going away party as Joe (a cousin’s cousin of a friend of mine or something like that) was heading back to the states after a two year stint in Shanghai. It just so happened that this going away party was at China town and it also happened that it was a costume party – probably my favorite kind of party! Also at this party I met lots of fabulous people. It was perfect.

So having just moved to Shanghai and having started working full time, moving into an apartment and trying to get settled, I decided to go as Marlene Dietrich which turned out to be an easy thing for me to pull together. I initially stayed at the South Bund Fabric Market so I easily found a faux fur jacket and a black beret as well as some vintage looking jewelry to give me at least a Marlene Dietrich impression. I do love shopping in China – you can find almost anything you want if you know where to look.

Paragraph.

So the evening of the party arrived and I was dazzled by the lovely burlesque ladies and the partygoers I was with. Those at the party included Princess Leia, the Swedish Chef, not one but two Supergirls, a superman, Cindy Lauper, George Bush, Barney and Betty Rubble and others. We ate, we drank, we laughed and enjoyed the show and wished Joe and LaRiena off on their new adventure. We even heard Joe serenade Princess Leia on stage as his costume was Justin Timberlake for one of his SNL performances involving a strategically placed box. If you want to see the video, google JT, SNL, and box and have a good laugh. It was memorable, and hilarious!

The show was high quality and was a clean show with more emphasis on the tease than the strip and vintage style costumes intertwined with nice vocal performances and belly dancing. I particularly liked the Frank Sinatra style performer who had a great singing voice.

The show was high quality and was a clean show with more emphasis on the tease than the strip and vintage style costumes intertwined with nice vocal performances and belly dancing. I particularly liked the Frank Sinatra style performer who had a great singing voice.

A few months later when I heard that Lions of Puxi, a sort of Reggae Funk band was playing there on my birthday I decided to go back. It has a nice atmosphere and I even got called on stage for an embarrassing but fun birthday song. I also had to get my photo taken with some of the burly girls. Here is a pic.

So it is nice that even in China, I can go to a high quality burlesque club and feel at home. Like I said, you can find almost anything you want in China if you know where to look ; )

Here is a link to their website if you are curious and want to check it out. http://www.chinatownshanghai.com/

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Hanggai

5/19/2010

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Last Friday I went to see a band my friend Tracey described as Mongolian folk punk. While I had no idea what that would be like, Tracey never has a bad suggestion as far as I can tell so I told her I was in. After getting some preshow munchies and drinks at Blue Frog, an expat burger joint; we arrived at Mao Livehouse a live music venue that opened about 6 months ago in Shanghai.

I was impressed by the atmosphere in the space and imagined that if didn’t look at anything too closely and didn’t know I was in China, it could have been a bar at a hip college town in the states. It was dark with no real seating to speak of, a bar along the back wall, a large sunken area in front of the stage and an elevated section towards the back and the side of the venue.

As people trickled in; a lone man started to play mellow Mongolian music with a guitar and then as the crowd grew bigger you could feel the anticipation for the upcoming band. While I waited, I went to the washroom and saw these funny signs so I just had to take a photo. I waited until no one was in there and then sneakily snapped away .

When the band came out I noticed that they were dressed in Mongolian clothing or at least had Mongolian elements to their dress. It made me want some Mongolian style boots- they looked amazing. As the band took their places on stage; the first thing I heard was singing that sounded a lot like Tibetan Buddhist throat singing that I heard at Mackey auditorium at CU-Boulder several years ago. It was a deep sound that reverberates through the space so much that you can not only hear it but feel it as well. I could probably have listened to that in a blissed-out, Zen state for hours but then on top of the throat singing, instruments and more modern style vocals were intermingled. If I could compare this band to another band, I would say they are like the Mongolian version of Gogol Bordello but more mellow at times. In other words, Hanggai is a really great, energetic band with an unusual flair.

At the start of the show, I stayed towards the back with friends and listened but as the show continued, I had to move and ended up working my way to just in front of the stage with friends. The crowd was so into it and I noticed that the music made everyone really friendly and smiley. The audience was filled with laowais (foreigners) and locals of all ages which added to the experience and demonstrated that this is a band that I think can be liked by all. There are some bands that are definitely worth it to see live and this is one of them. They had two encores because the crowd was so into it. It was one of those shows that left you energized and content when it was over. They were selling cd’s at the beginning of the show and I didn’t see many people buying them but at the end of the show, they were mobbed with people trying to buy cd’s. They sold out of their regular cd’s and then someone with the band went to get some other cd’s they had. It turned out it was a live concert recording and the guy I was standing next to in line and I got the last two cd’s they had. I felt lucky! I’ve already arranged to meet up with a friend who got one of the first cd’s so we can copy each others’.

All in all an amazing experience. I loved this band – check em out if you have time – it looks like they are on itunes. Oh and below is a link to a short video I took at the show (pardon the shaky camera) and there are some other photos of the concert too.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauramichellepowers/4608391951/
Cheers!

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Turning Japanese

5/6/2010

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Okay so I’m not really turning Japanese but after visiting Tokyo, I can certainly see the appeal and fascination of Tokyo. While I was there I had an amazing dragon roll, realized that Japanese addresses make no sense for actually finding a place, and that cartoons and toys are not always for kids. I also decided that Japanese people are obsessed with pachinko – there are pachinko arcades everywhere! For those like me who are unaware of the pachinko phenomenon, it is a game which looks vaguely like a slot machine combined with a pinball machine which you play with the aim of collecting little metal balls that you weigh and then turn in for prizes. Apparently you used to be able to play for money but then people became addicted so that is no longer allowed. These places used to be open 24 hours but now are mandated to shut down by around midnight.

I also learned that Harajuku is not just the name of one of my favorite perfume lines but also the name of a street. I am constantly surprised by the things I am learning on this trip! The Harajuku neighborhood is full of shops from high end to little street shops specializing in platform shoes to club clothes, sneakers, and jewels to decorate your phone.

One thing I noticed is that it was actually shocking how polite everyone is in Tokyo! Even people handing out fliers on the street were amazingly polite and gracious. Everything happens so fast in Shanghai that manners are frequently left at the door. I hadn’t really been aware of that until I was in a place that was just the opposite. At the airport, I was approached when I was looking around and asked with a smile how I could be helped. All the people in the shops were equally polite and when asked if you need help, the genuinely seem to want to help you; it is not just a greeting.

I am also starting to get used to the look of constant surprise that greets me almost everywhere I go. I incorrectly assumed that I would not be noticed as much in Tokyo as in Shanghai but that proved to be an incorrect assumption. Upon arriving at a club, almost every single face I walked by registered the look of surprise at my presence. I am thankful that it is usually followed by a smile but it is still strange to have people look at me with surprise all of the time. I have also gotten used to people wanting to practice their English at any opportunity with me. I am happy to oblige if I have the time and they are nice about it : )

One of my favorite places was Asakusa with its Buddhist temple and old fashioned shopping arcade and street food vendors. I had fish cakes, Asahi beer, and yummy custard flavored ice cream which was delicious after paying for a self service fortune where you roll a tube with various sticks in it and then pull out a box with your paper fortune written on it. It was in English which was nice – it seems to be pretty true! Here is what it said:

“The moon rises in the sky and gradually getting bright. You will get household goods and your life will be prosperous. Something you’ve left behind will be completed in the end. Then you will be able to be successful. Your wishes will be realized. *a sick person will recover * the lost article will be found * the person you are waiting for will come *building a new house and removal are good *marriage and employment are all good *making a trip is good”

I am not sure if the asterisks mean that the all of those things are supposed to come through or some of them? At any rate it was fun and I liked the last one since I was on a trip when I read the fortune. Also it was a full moon when I got the fortune so the first sentence about the moon being bright was right on. I will see as the year progresses if these things come true! I wonder who is the person I am waiting for and what the New Year will bring? All I know is that this year has brought so many unexpected events that I can scarcely imagine what the next one will bring but I know that whatever happens, it is pretty much guaranteed to be exciting; let the adventure continue!

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