Last day of being 39.

Just got back from putting Nick and Sung A into a cab to the airport. It was sad to see them leave. I am so fortunate to have Nick as a friend. He is the definition of a good man. It meant so much to me with their visit. It was a priceless gift for my 40th.
Last night, we had a small dinner party at Xindalu in the Hyatt Hotel, then drinks at the Vue bar. Xindalu is famous for their Peking Duck, while Vue bar has the best view of Shanghai seeing both the Bund and the Pudong high rise buildings.
The great thing is that the group are mainly old friends. We could easily be in New York and dine with the same group of people. It is surreal to think that I actually celebrated my 40th in Shanghai. In late 2009, right before I returned from my 3-month assignment in Tianjin, Julia asked me to stop by Shanghai to attend a meeting with her. It was then I discovered Vue bar by staying at the hotel. I was impressed by the view. I thought to myself that this place would be so fabulous to have my 40th birthday celebration. At that time, it was a thought of organizing a tour with close friends to visit China. Well, 2 years later, I am actually living here and Jim hosted an evening at Vue bar for me. And Julia was actually one of the guest last night! How surreal and serendipitous!
Thank you to Bronwen, Eric, Julia, Serina, Thomas, Mark, Sun, Nick and Sung A for being there to celebrate. And big kisses to Jim for being by my side.