Finally, DTbH Putian is opened.

Finally, after a month of preparation, struggle, screaming and yelling, late night of meetings, the hotel can open tomorrow.

December in Shanghai again

I haven't been in Shanghai much. I spent most of my time in Putian this month for the preparation of the hotel opening. Let's just say it has put frustration to a new benchmark. The construction and fitout was delayed by the contractor's supplies. The Mechanical and fire life safety system are not properly commissioned. It has been a mess. My engineering colleague assumed the PM position on site. We tested emergency power and light ourselves! Crazy!
Adding to the stress, i got pulled into a bit of office politics. The end result is that I got a promotion to take over the luxury projects team. This is advanced level and I am not at all ready for it. But my bosses think that I can help bridging the management and design. I felt that I have finally mastered the necessary skills of my current job. This move caught me unexpected.
After all, it is still a promotion. It is going to be an interesting year for 2013.
Christmas is coming. One can only wish upon the star and hope for the best. :-)

Some more Thanksgiving

A 2nd dinner at Jenny and Andy. It is absolutely strange to be spending Thanksgiving with Jenny and Andy in Shanghai. Total fun night.
And massage after dinner... for the kids!!! The fancy life in China.

My first hotel opening in China - Doubletree by Hilton in Putian

Here for simulation and Pre opening check. Lets see if it can be opened by mid December.

Putian specialty

Putian is my first hotel opening in China. I have been visiting this 2 million population 3rd tier city regularly. It will be a weekly visit next 3 weeks. It is famous for its shoes manufacturing. Your Nike and Michael Kors are likely originated from Putian. They also have good longyan, lychee, and pomelo. Seafood is the majority of the dishes on any dining table.
Yet the best part is their noodle! A braised noodle call Loh Mein. Their vermicelli is thin as needle thread. They are must have in Putian. I gain weight because I eat we'll there.

Thanksgiving again

It was touching to attend my 2nd Thanksgiving dinner at PT and Neil's again. Breaking bread with 30 people that I don't know much, but had a great time. A year of Shanghai and still miss the Thanksgiving festivities. I miss waking up then headed out for a Starbucks before watching the big cartoon balloons of the Macy's parade passing between the buildings from my street.
It has been a stressful month. It is only going to get worst in December. My first hotel opening is becoming messier as it progresses. The construction and fitout are subpar, timing for operation set up is reduced to none, the mechanical system equipments are the lowest quality and keep breaking apart, and the Mr Chairman is still insisting on opening in mid December. So, I will be spend my next 3 weeks flying back and fro to the site and try to finish what I have to do. The fact is, I don't even know what I have to do!
This year, I have to be thankful for: (1) Jim is here; (2) Jim will help me to complete my continue education in December; (3) a great boss, who BTW thanked me for my work this year yesterday; (4) actually "completing" my first hotel opening soon enough before I go postal; (5) everyone around me is health and well.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Exhausting life in a fast country

It has been a crazy couple of months.
Between almost stepping on human feces at a site in Shijiazhuang, and hugging a client trying to calm him down in Putian, I felt I have broken some unidentifiable records. The only way to explain the craziness is to chalk it up to this chance of living in the great country of China.
But what is it leading to? I have no idea! Is it really making my career?
Last week, Rod and Pat visited from LA. They were fascinated with Shanghai. But my life in China is not all Shanghai. Outside of Shanghai, you encounters a lot more.
Heading to HK again this weekend for a little dermatologist visit. Excuses, excuses, excuses... Just for some civilization.

And back in China

Exactly 2 hours after I posted about my mini vacation in HK, I am waiting in line for taxi at the Xiamen airport.
What tells China apart from HK? Number One, people yell and have no manners. Number Two, the cigarette smokes. I am still waiting for the spitting to round up the Number Three.
It took any countries decades to catch up with the unspoken rules of etiquette. China needs a few more years.

Golden Week Oct 2012

Golden week is a week crowned by the Chinese government when a week long holiday can be granted for Oct 1 National Day or May 1 Labor Day every year. It was to promote tourism and allow the chinese nationals to travel and spend money.
This year, the National Day also coincided with the Mid Autumn Festival, we again had a week long holiday. Long story short, Jim were going to meet me in Seoul. But we decided that he should spend more time in NY before returning. I was going to sit at home and catch up on work. But after some persuasions from my colleagues Serina and Michael, as well as having secured a dermatologist appointment, I arrived in HK on Wednesday.
After 5 days in HK, I believe I had a good rest. It turned out the trip was well timed. On Wed morning, my parents rang me at 5.50am, yelling at me about my update on facebook. Well, I decided to let them know that I don't think they really love me, and hung up on them... twice! I am glad I wasn't sitting at home sulking. If I were going to feel sad, I should do it in HK!
It was great to have my colleagues distracting me for a couple of days. I also made a point to catch up with a few of my favorite friends in HK. I had a few relaxing days. I went for a run on Bowen Road; I sat by the pool; I ran some errands; I had good meals with friends. Hey! I deserved them!
Now, I am sitting at my favorite Cathay Pacific lounge, drink my free champagne, and trying to pull myself together to get back to reality.
Reality is harsh. I was tempted many times this week by the idea of jumping on the next flight to a mysterious place and start all over again. Don't you think it can be nice to have a new name, new life, new beginning?
A picture of me with Michael and Serina at the Peak overlooking HK. It is a beautiful place.

1 year

There was no anniversary to remember my 1st year in Shanghai. I left NYC on Sept 11 last year. I traveled with my boss on Sept 11 this year. My first day at work was Sept 13 last year. I was in Xiamen seeing a model room on Sept 13 this year. I don't think it calls for any celebration. It, however, reminds me of how much one's life evolves in a short time.
Sept was always a hard month since 2001. I am almost grateful that I am not exposed to excessive TV coverage. This Sept, I was overly overwhelmed with work. I spent a total of 2 days in the office in the entire month. Between work travel, leadership training boot camp, department annual workshop, and the struggles with the 2 opening hotels, I was just utterly spent. I am glad that Jim didn't return to Shanghai with me. He would have been totally left on his own.
Best part of the month was the leadership training. 5 days of behavior scrutiny. Nothing harder than facing video review every evening. The truth all came out!!! I was pleasantly surprised by how well behaved I was. But my controlling personality, passive aggressiveness, manipulation through kindness, and avoidance of confrontation were all on display. Good news is that people still love me. :-)
October's National Day 1-week holiday is a welcome break from this crazy schedule. Still have a lot to catch up on. But the luxury of waking up according to my own physical need is priceless.
I am very torn between looking forward to the opening of the 2 hotels in next 4 months and the actual work I have to do to get them open! I can't wait to get them over and done with. But it is such a long drawn out process. Even after their opening, there are all these follow ups that will go on for another 12 months plus. It is just never ending!
It was a beautiful September in Shanghai. I am dragging the arrival of winter. It is probably because I didn't get to enjoy one bit of the summer.
How to actually get that work-life balance? How to make sure your family and your work are harmonious? How to have a life without regrets?
I think Sept can help putting the perspective in place. Remember the thousands of causalities and their families had their lives ripped out under them. We just need to match on with heads up high.

Hotel Breakfast

Back in Shanghai and sick

As soon as I return to Shanghai, the stomach pain that started in NY got worse. I guess it was not stress induced. In the middle of the night, it got unbearable. Missed my first day back to work, cancelled a business trip, went to the doctor who gave me some Cipro. The diarrhea is still happen, but it is all liquid now. (Sorry for the detail.)
I don't know... Sucks.

NYC.

Time flies. People used to say happy time goes by faster. I don't agree with that. I think happiness, or unhappiness, doesn't not affect the speed of time. Time just slips by us with every tick. Tick, tick, tick.
Almost a year since I left NYC for Shanghai. Let me tell you I miss NYC more than ever. I missed her so much that I even proclaim my love of the NYC subway. I know I went too far on that love. But the dirty old stairs leading down to NYC subway system just comforts me.
There are the normal movies and guns shooting while I am here. Obama was on the UWS causing traffic jam. Restaurant visits were planned for every meals to remind me how expensive it is to dine in NYC. It is also my fault to select the best of the best such as Le Bernardin and Gramercy Tavern. They worked my credit card!
The cultural institutes in NYC are probably one of my top 3 favorites. Yayoi Kusama's exhibition in the Whitney, the Cloud City on the roof top and Ellsworth Kelly's Plant Drawings in the MET, are the few I got to see this time. They are truly inspiring.
I ran in Central Park a couple of times. It is such a luxury to have access to such a beautiful park. CP must be the 2nd of my top 3.
The architecture that lines every street and avenue makes this city. The streets of brownstone buildings are picturesque and charming with the sprinkles of trees along the curb. The old institutes gives the streets a presence with their detail and size.
I am leaving today. It is so hard to leave the city behind. Until next time...

A beautiful Sunday in Shanghai

It is hot...

It is a week-long stretch of beautiful, pollution free, sunny days in Shanghai. The sky is blue, the cloud is fluffy, and the breeze keeps the pollution away.
But the sun is pretty intense. I think I got a tan yesterday just by walking outside for a couple of blocks.
Last weekend we walked into the long anticipated LV flagship store in Plaza 66, just a stone flow away from my apartment. It is BEAUTIFULLY done. It is the type of design that our Chinese developers hope to see in our hotels. Designs should take notes. The counters were all packed with people making purchases. I realized the bags, briefcases, and the suitcases we now see on the streets of Shanghai are no longer fake. Shanghai people use the real ones! This is not limited to the ladies. There was this guy walked out from the shop carrying a Hermes briefcase in one hand and a shopping bag containing a new LV briefcase in the other hand. So jealous! I bought a fabulous Mandarina Duck from Japan and that was a big deal for me. I may faint if I ever throw down my credit and to buy a Hermes briefcase.

Osaka, Kyoto, Nara

We went to Japan for 5 days with Serina, Thomas, Ivy and Michael. It was a fun trip.
Food was absolutely fabulous. The real sushi and sashimi were just not the same. The sushi we had at the restaurant by the Osaka Central Market was just the most authentic. The toro sushi at Sun Kitchen and Bar restaurant was out of this world. Gion Emon in Kyoto is equally wonderful.
Then there were some nice sight seeing. Japan is still the clean and tidy place, packed with many pretty things in department stores. Unfortunately, all clothes are cut so small that I practically burst the seams.
I finally found the bag I have been looking for. It was like the sky parted for me.

Snake

I didn't see one live. I just ate some the other day.
It was served broiled. The snake was butterflied, and then chopped into 4" sections. So each piece is about 4"x4". It was served with the skin up. So it was a bit like fish, except for the black scales sprinkled with some golden scales. It actually can be a nice carpet pattern. But it is not so nice on my food. It tasted like eel. But the part that put me off is that it came with bones.
It was a week of traveling with a Senior director of Brand to see both my opening projects. It was a successful trip, yet tiring.
Friday night, I went straight to a restaurant from the airport, with luggage in toll, to meet some friends for dinner at the Cool Dock. It really is the Old Dock. But the Shanghainese developer smartly calls it the Cool Dock instead. A fun night indeed. It is also nice to have real friends that we social with.

Beijing visit last week.

Last weekend we went to Beijing with Serina and Thomas. It is Jim's first time, and so was Serina and Thomas's first. We had a great time touring the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. We also had Peking ducks at Dadong and Duck de Chine. We had feasts every meal. Serina is dangerous with the menu. I don't think she should ever meet my dad at a dining table. But we had a GREAT time. I put on 3 pounds from the weekend.
Lunch after the Great Wall involved Jim picking out the fish from the pond. That was some fun seeing him do that. :-)
Some pictures to share.

Rainy June in Shanghai.

Today marked the 10th anniversary with Jim. Who knew when we met 10 years ago we would be on the other side of the world in Shanghai. How progressive!
June is the rainy season in Shanghai. But this year is not that bad. We had a beautiful gorgeous summer day yesterday. Definitely feeling the heat.
Last night we had dinner with my interior design friend Stephanie and a couple of her friends at Da Marco, a veteran Italian restaurant in Shanghai. Stephanie is an Interior Designer working on a couple of my projects we connected instantly when we met. She is a fun, bigger-than-life, Texas woman. Who doesn't like a Dallas girl?!? Her 2 friends at dinner were both from the hotel industry. One of them even has connection with my work, so we have common topics instantly. The other one is a veteran General Manager of gaming hotels. He is having the luxury of taking 3 months off to be in Shanghai to learn Chinese. How novel of an idea! My dream is to one day having 3 months off in Buenos Aires learning Spanish and Tango. It is nice to know people can actually do just that.
We had such a great time. It is funny how foreigners connect when we are in foreign land. I found it fascinating with people from the hotel world. They have all lived in 10+ cities and countries, and connect immediately. It makes my 4 cities life looks juvenile.

利群Peking Duck in a Hutong

But not worth waiting in line. I just don't do lines.

Greetings from Shenzhen

Arrived at Shenzhen tonight. The trip came up last minute. My fabulous assistant changed my flight, I popped into a shop for a clean shirt and socks (happened to have brought along an extra pair of undies,) and here I am eating nuts at the lobby lounge.
My parents were visiting Shanghai and Beijing last couple of weeks. It was nice to see them and we had a nice time catching up. Last weekend we went to Beijing to surprise my uncle's family. It was fun. Dad's mission of eating didn't pan out as well as he wished. But they enjoyed the hotels. I believe they likes the room of Hilton Shanghai Hongqiao, surprised by the suite upgrade at Hilton Wangfujing, and enjoyed the Chinese Restaurant at Doubletree Beijing. They enjoyed the restaurant so much that they ate there 5 times in 4 days.
We had a nice Peking duck at Made in China in the Grand Hyatt. It is not news that Made In China has been making the best ducks. The famous local places has not been keeping up. Quanjuda is a bit disappointing when the duck arrives the moment we finished ordering. It is faster than any McDonalds. We originally booked at 利群, which is supposedly most authentic. Here is a picture of it. It is located in a Hutong. But when we got there, with a reservation, they made us wait in queue of 20 tables ahead of us! We are too non-tourist to deal with that! We left!
Beijing traffic has gone from bad to worst. It is impossible to get taxi, even at the hotel!!! WTF with that?!?!
So, I left my parents in BJ on Sunday, and went on with my work life. I definitely has deserted Jim a bit on his own past 2 weeks. I started traveling again only after 2 nights in Shanghai. Last night, I took the train from Shijiazhuang to Beijing after my meeting to spend the last night with them. We left Beijing at the same time just different flights. :-) I am quite sure they enjoyed the part that I paid for all the hotels and meals. :-) ... Oh well... Not always that you get to pay for your parents' trip.
Can't wait to be home and have a nice weekend to catch up.

Beijing

Snap shot while the taxi is stuck in the traffic.

Mom and Dad with my Uncle's great grand son.

Great little baby. He laughs all the time!

Observations

It hits me as a surprise how we take things for granted. 3 weeks in a row I have to show people how to use the room card to active the elevator in the hotel. During my last visit to Shijiazhuang, I walked around the Intercontinental Hotel checking out the spaces. Coming out from the ballroom floor, the elevator door opened with a cab full of people. They looked drunk and stunted. I let the door close and waited for the next cab to come. I got into the next one, and the door opened on me on the next floor. This time I was surprised to see the same group waiting to get into my cab. This group of drunk Chinese came into my can and tried every buttons on the panel. It was then I realized they had been riding the other elevator up and down for a little while. I piped up and instructed them to use the card key by sticking it in and pulling it out quickly. That took a few tries since they were also under the influence of alcohol.
Subsequently, I encountered similar situation in a Hilton last week, and a Westin tonight. Ah ah! It is a pattern.
Come to think about it, it is not the most intuitive idea. Who knows what to do with a card to begin with? You insert it, and swiftly pull it out. Or in other occasion you swipe it, or tab it, or rub it, or lick it... I mean who knows?!?
And the elevator call button panel is always in that polished shiny metal and the slot disappear into the lowest section. Who can see it anyway?!??
A couple of weeks ago when i visited Conrad Macao, I was told that the card reader was de-actived. The reason is that it is frankly inconvenient if you are traveling with you wife and your mistress(es). Or your regular local paid companion cannot just appear at your door. This totally makes sense!
Anyhow, just a thought...

May in Shanghai

This is probably the best time in Shanghai. The weather over the weekend was glorious, and it looks like it is going to stay for a few more days.
After last 2 weeks of crazy travel, I can take a breather this week. My parents are visiting this weekend. The planning is adding a bit of stress. Oh well, what can I do but embrace it with patience.
The other day I had a revelation of some sort. I realized I actually "love" my job. Despise all the traveling and paperwork struggle, I actually love the job. I had never loved my job. I loved some part or some project phases, but never once I said to myself that I love the job itself.
That's bad... Does it mean there is no returning to architecture?

Exhausted

Really exhausted from a week of traveling, and I am only half way through this 2-week craziness. I was in Xiamen Monday, Putian on Wednesday, back home for an evening and off to Haikou on Thursday, back home later Friday evening.
I am leaving again on Sunday to Shijiazhuang and return in Monday night. Tuesday, I am going to Macau for 2 days then Guangzhou on Thursday.
I feel like a traveling salesman.
The tiring part is talking. It is almost on par with rushing through the airports.

Best View I Have Woken Up to...

in all my business trip traveling in China. This is from the new Indigo Hotel in Xiamen. I have been to Xiamen several times. But never get to experience what the city actually is like. Across the water is a little island of tourist attraction. Nice, eh?

Life

I think moving from country to country is a great experience. It uproots your life, tosses it into the air, and really tests you on every aspect of your life. This test has no pass or fail, because it is just not right to judge.

Ask me 5 years ago, I would never predict that I would spending my Saturday night in Shanghai staying at home watching double feature interviews of Architect Wang Shu on CNN, and Damien Hurst on BBC.

The day to day problems also surface from the move. It magnifies them. At the same time, one's perspective on the problems also changed. It doesn't give solution, NO! It just gives you more boundaries.

And there is no google map to help navigate through this forest of life issues. I admire one of my new colleagues here in Shanghai. He has this absolute clarity on how to go about life. Most people will think that he is a slack ass. But I see him as inspiration. Why worry yourself when things are not in your control.

Yet, there is always easier said than done.

Right this moment, I just want to go see the Hangzhou History Museum and Damien Hurst Retrospective at the Tate Modern in London. That's all. Arts help!

New things.

Hi everyone! It has been a couple of weeks since I last posted. There aren't much special to post, on one hand. On the other hand, there are so much that I can share.
Life is just fine. It is stable and routine. The traveling is keeping up. Jim is settling back well. He is making dinner, looking after the household, taking care of whatever he can do without speaking Chinese. Apparently, the maids communicate with him every time with hands gesture and noises that they cannot understand.
With 2 properties moving into Pre Opening stage, I am exposed to a new spectrum of the hotel world. I have to say I am shocked by the complication of opening a hotel. There are 450 steps for the general manager. The GM has to hire hundreds of people in a few months. He/She got moved to middle of no where with 2 suitcases. And they immediately start working 7 days a week. First job is to develop relationship with owning company, which is imaginably difficult.
And the fun part of all that is most of them don't speak Chinese! These guys are stuck in some middle of nowhere, knowing no one, and just suck it in and start that huge task. I seriously don't think I can do it. I won't survive a day.
Now it explains why hotel GM are charming, but can be uncompromisingly firm at the same time. What a personality skill!
There are more from work I will share in the next post. We are heading to Hong Kong for a few days of R&R. I am quite looking forward to it. I'm hoping the delayed flight is the only hurdle on this trip.

Ups and downs.

And that's life! Work has been very busy. Between the planning of 2 hotels' opening, other projects' on-going commitment, internal documentations and new initiatives, I can barely breathe during the day.
Jim has been back for almost 2 weeks. While I was busy at work and with my traveling, he is bored out of him mind at home. I found him half asleep when I come home most nights. Sad! I was worried that he was slipping into depression. He is better this weekend when we spend time exploring and dining out. I hope he can soon get a pattern into his life here. But it is going to be hard.
It was a fun weekend, nonetheless. We explored the Jing An Sculpture Garden, dined at a hot pot restaurant, attended Shanghai Fashion Week. We missed the F1 race. But I don't really care for it. So, it was a nice weekend as the "up" of this week.
A few pictures from the Jing An Sculpture Park to share.

April in Shanghai

After a long wet and cold winter, spring has arrived in Shanghai. It has been sunny, clear and fair temperature. We get to enjoy the balcony. Breakfast on the balcony is such a luxury!

Work

It is hard!
Busy work, busy working people, busy dealing with waves of issues.
Sigh!

Latrine

I think the title said it all. I thought for a few days before I decided to post this.
Last Thursday while visiting a site, 2 lady Interior Designers and I were looking forward to our bathroom break before lunch. The 2 ladies were ahead of me and walked into the restroom. Promptly, one came out with the other one's bag. I walked into the men's with a very wet floor. All I saw was 3 workers squatted over a latrine. There were partitions, but only 30" high.
When the 3 of us met up outside the restrooms, we bursted into laughters. I pulled out wet wipes from my pocket for everyone.
That's all!

Hello from Xiamen

Came down to Xiamen last night to confirm a model room design with the owner. Tomorrow, Jim is coming back to Shanghai. Yeah!!!
The traveling is keeping up with no sight of slowing down. We have lately rearranged some projects. Next 3 months, we have project swaps. That added to the amount of work and traveling. We can't wait to have this period over so that we can concentrate on what we need to do.
I have 2 projects for opening this year. This is all new experience for me. The 2 openings can beat all 10 projects. I am amazed how a colleague opened 9 projects last year. Need to learn from him. :-)
Weather is great lately. The smell of Spring/Early Summer is in the air. It is a long weekend in China. Hope to catch up, relax and do some exploration in Shanghai.

...

It has been awhile.
A lot of work and a lot of traveling. This week, I was in Shijiazhuang and Guangzhou for meetings. After Guangzhou, Serina and I went over to Hong Kong and met up with Rachel for a weekend. We stayed at the Conrad, coffee at the Executive lounge, went shopping for books in the afternoon. Dinner at Madame Sixty 8 with David joining us. Breakfast in the morning before Serina and I came back to Shanghai via Guangzhou. It was a nice break. It is always weird when I leave HK. It is a home, but not. It is just strange.
A week of busy work is coming up. Jim is returning on Friday. I am excited to have him back by my side.
Couple of photos from Hong Kong.

Wow... Another Sunday.

Time flies! I have officially been here 6 months. Finally I feel settled in. A sort of routine has developed. Travel during the week, rush around for a couple of days in the office, then look forward to the weekend.
Tonny and Jenny left finally. They had a great presentation for their project in Shanghai. But Jenny on her last day had her Mac stolen at a trade show. :-)
Last night, Julie arranged for a dinner with Greg Cranford. It was a lot of fun to see him and met some new people. Julie is a great social connection in Shanghai. My years at BBG-BBGM gave me not only opportunities and knowledge. It gave me some really wonderful friends.

Sunday in Shanghai

And all we can do is to stuff our faces at the Puli Hotel's Sunday brunch. Tonny and Jenny are here on business and staying with me. It is nice to have them around. It is rare opportunity to spend time together.
Before brunch, I worked. After brunch, I worked, with TV in the background.
And after awhile, it is just depressing.
But TV programs are actually quite good this afternoon. There was The Voice, then the Big C. I should peel myself off the couch and go to the gym.

End of a vacation

I stopped in HK for a couple of days before heading back to Shanghai. It was a good trip to unwind from the vacation... a vacation after the vacation.
Well, actually, it was for a concert and some personal stuff. Great concert by Sandy Lam. She is certainly my favorite HK singer. I am glad that I can now check off my list of concerts to see. After Kylie and Sandy, next stop Madonna.
It was also great to stay with David and Ron. It is always great to see David, especially. And Rachel came from Zhongshan just to have tea with me. It was a long trip for her. We also made a mistake with where she was supposed to arrive. I was on the HK side and she ended up on the Kowloon side. What to do if mobile phone doesn't exist?!? She made it to meet David and I at Landmark Mandarin Oriental, only 1.5 hour delay. Not so bad.
I also ran into an old BF in HK. He has just moved to HK 8 months ago. What a strange coincident to run into him on the other side of the world.
Grabbing lunch at the Pawn Shop by myself. David had to go into work and Ron is not feeling well. I am going to relax and savor my last hour of my vacation.

New York after a week...

Time sure flies. A week went by in a flash. A year only has 52 weeks. That's how we grow old.
A busy week. But it is also a sad week. Tax, bank, doctor and dentist... None of these are fun stuff. Dealing with them takes a lot of energy. On top of that, saying good bye to a dog I knew for 9.5 years dying of cancer and visiting the 9-11 Memorial just overwhelmed me with sadness. Oscar the St. Bernard and I entered the Bott's family around the same time. I met him when he was this huge puppy. Seeing him couldn't get up from the floor just hurts me.
Two of my closest friends were also not in town. At a time when I really wish they are by my side, it is disappointing. I got to talk to them over the phone a few times. Yet, it is still comforting to know that even Charlene is miles away living a completely different life as a mother, she is still the one I can turn to for comfort.
NYC is still NYC. Fascinating at times; just dirty and nasty in a charming way. I got to see the Cindy Sherman exhibition at MOMA. It is just so fitting for a NYC visit.
Be back in 6 months!

New York New York

It is nice to be back on a familiar ground. It is a luxury to have an apartment in NY. Coming home feels natural and comfortable.
Almost 6 months have passed since I left for Shanghai. It is fascinating how much we can go through, learn and grow in 180 days. Coming back to old environment makes me realize how much I have grown (old). I am no longer taking crap from people. It is interesting how 13 years of NYC didn't teach me that, but 6 months of Shanghai trained me up.
Maybe it was the milestone birthday reminded me that life is short and I need to look after myself.
It is my life after all. When no one is asking for your opinion, why say anything. If communication is about expressing your opinion only, it has no purpose at all. Just because you are older, it doesn't make you see things with more clarity.
Moving to a new place is a great blessing. You can start your life fresh. You can meet new friends. You can have a new adventure. All the old habits, old baggages and old issues can be looked at with a different lens. They are not going away. They can just be dealt with differently.

Coming home... Going home... What do you call it?

I was supposed to fly out last night from Pudong to HKG, to stay a night, go to the bank in the morning, and then fly from HKG to EWR today. Due to heavy fog and rain, most flights of China Eastern airline were grounded yesterday in Shanghai. The strange thing was that they didn't just cancel the flight and let people go home. They made people wait all day. By the time I arrived at the airport at 7pm for my 9.20pm flight, people had been waiting for 12 hours. Finally a flight landed and ready to go out, but they have to take care of the people from the morning first. The made us wait. They can't even find out if any flight will coming in to take us. It was such a mess at the airport. After 5 hours of waiting, I aborted the mission. I called Continental and changed my flight to EWR to depart from Shanghai today. I got home by 1am, and spent ¥400 on taxi and US$400 to change my flight. Then I went online and requested refund on my China Eastern ticket. I went ahead and refunded the whole ticket, and booked my return from HK to Shanghai flying Dragon Air instead.
NEVER flying China Eastern to HK, or any international again. They can't manage when there is situation.
The situation also made me reschedule my global entry appointment, missed my chance to do banking in HK and now I can't go to Macau on my way back because I have to stay in HK to go to the bank!
So, I am sitting here waiting for my flight to EWR. At least I am going to be back home. I am so looking forward to it. So excited.
It is going to be a short trip. I know it is going to go by quickly.

A Sunny Saturday.

Finally, a really sunny Saturday. I am happy that I get to enjoy it. Work can wait until tomorrow.
And finally, I visited 2 tourist attractions today. I stopped by People Square for some banking stuff. Emerged into the park from the subway underground at a different exit this time, and found myself in the middle of the famous match making Saturday. People put up A4 size paper listing Male/Female, age, qualifications, job, hobbies and what they are looking for. Some stalls are professional match maker, some are just eager parents. And it was packed. Parents, mostly, were checking out the listings, just like when we look at real estate listings. Some are pulling out passports and ID cards to show the prospective interest. It was quite a scene. I am so sorry that I didn't discover that earlier for my visitors over last couple of months.
I also stopped by the Museum of Modern Art in Shanghai. A small venue, but just started a new exhibition, which is titled 'Nostalgia'. It was quite interesting to see some talented Chinese, Korean and Japanese young artists' work.
Off to an overnight trip on Monday. Then Wednesday night, I am leaving for my favorite NYC for a week. I can't wait to be home for some nostalgia.

February is disappearing fast

It has been awhile since I posted. Since Jim left, I was just busy working. Last weekend was spent catching up at work and little stuff. Highlight of last weekend was meeting a grad school friend from Europe, who is now a partner at UN Studio doing big jobs in China and around the world. I am so proud of her. The cool thing is that she is actually working on a Hilton project. Even though I am not involved in that particular project, I feel that we are reconnected on a different level.
Valentine's day was spent working late and dining by myself at my local favorite French restaurant. I was seated next to a young couple on their first date. It was just fun eavesdropping on their conversation.
On a trip tomorrow night, then another on Monday. I am so looking forward to my little trip back to NY on Thursday. I needed the little break to re-focus.

Lost Heaven

A picture from Saturday night before Jim left for NYC. He was not in the picture not because he was taking the picture. It was because he was so sick that he left early to go home.

I want to post... But not feeling up to talking about it

This has taken me a few attempts to write.
Brandon and David came last week. It is really nice to see them. Brandon has always been the most patient and generous person I know. He was a great friend when Jim was feeling sick. He offered a lot of time to chat with Jim and gave us a lot of support. David supported me in a very different way. He provided me with beautiful shoes to help my emotional imbalance.
Then there is work. A lot of work. I just returned from a 3 day trip to Xiamen and Quanzhou. It was productive, but psychologically draining. Just the talking and communicating exhausted me.
2 more trips before leaving for my week back in US.

Fireworks and fire crackers

Last night we joined our friends for some fire action to welcome the God of Fortune. The whole city was in a firework crazy.

It is hard going back to work after 8 days of staycation

Chinese NY holidays came to an end. We all went back to work this week... and it is HARD!
Luckily, I have some off site meetings to keep me excited. But not being in the office also delays some of the other work. *Sigh*
Brandon and David are visiting. Jim is leaving on Sunday for NY. I am looking forward to my visit to NY in the last week of Feb!

Chinese New Year

It is actually quite low key here. Most people have gone home. Shops are mostly closed. Only some restaurants stay open. We had dinner at Serina and Thomas's place for New Year eve. Serina aunt's from KL made a Chinese/Malaysian dinner.
I just came home from dinner. We had hot pot. One feature is their noodle making performance. I hope this video works on this link.
Happy Year of Dragon!

Almost Chinese New Year!

I have nothing planned for Chinese New Year, except for 9 days off. Brandon and David are visiting towards the later part of the holidays. I want to just relax!
This week was just as busy as last week. A record was broken on the longest stretch of meetings in 1 day. On Tuesday, I woke up at 5.30am for an 8 am flight to Fuzhou. That day, my colleague and tackled 3 projects in 1 day. Derek worked just on the mechanical, while I dealt with the design. By 10.30pm, I sent Derek back to the hotel. He could barely keep his eyes open at that point. I stayed and continued with the meetings. By 12.40am, I stood up and said to the Chairman, "I can't take this any more." They finally sent me back to the hotel in a taxi. This is planning and organization in China. It revolves around 1 person. There is no plans, reason, and logic.
Meanwhile, Jim is still battling the sage of replacement cards. Apparently, when DHL is sent to my building and received by the building mail room, it takes 2 days before they bring it up to the office. So much for express mail! What kind of system is that?
Meanwhile the global bank managed to screw up the instruction and proceed to send his cards to NY instead of SH. He is about to have a nervous breakdown. I can tell!
I wish the year of Dragon is all good luck for us! Happy New Year, everyone!

A week of traveling

I have not been in the office this week at all!
Monday was my BD. we had an off-site department meeting. It is also the first time I arranged the training portion of the meeting. It turned out quite successful. I hope to keep that up.
Tuesday, I went to Shenyang on a day trip. Shenyang is in the northern part of China. It is closer to Seoul than to Shanghai. The high of its January temperature is around -15C (5F). The city was covered in a thick layer of winter smog. All construction stopped for winter back in Nov. My meeting ended a bit early, so I decided to stop by the construction site to check out the location. The guy who escorted me suggested we walk to the site, which is only 10 blocks away. It was fine when we walk in the -19C (-2F) weather. Once I jumped into a taxi after the walk, I then realized how frozen my toes were under 2 pair of socks and boots.
Day trip is tricky. The reason for doing a day trip is that my Wednesday destination, even though, is in the northern part of China again, has no direct flight from Shenyang. In fact, it is easiest to just come back to Shanghai first and fly back up the next day.
I made the trip a lot more interesting by waking up an hour later than I should in the morning. For an 8am flight from Pudong Airport, I should have woken up at 5am. Instead, my alarm was set wrongly and I got up at 6. I quickly got ready and jumped into a cab. I told the taxi driver I was late, and please drive faster. He immediately turned into a F1 driver. He managed a trip that usually take 50 minutes in 35 minutes. And when I arrived at the airport, I was lucky with the queues and made it through check in and security in 15 minutes. I was sitting at the boarding lounge as if I was never late to begin with. Taxi drivers in Shanghai are great at speeding. The drive I took was heart racing, especially when he weaved between other cars. I didn't need coffee that day.
Wednesday, my colleagues and I went to Shijiazhuang. As mentioned, it is also in the northern part of China. I was told a story once my boss and a few people were heading to Shijiazhuang via Beijing by train. They were hit by a major snow storm and were stuck in the train for hours! That was why I was discouraged from going there from Shenyang via Beijing by train. The meetings were painless. But we ended up in a local hotel arranged by the client. It was a subpar place. They have the heat on so high that my room was like a sauna. It has to be in the 40C (100F) range. The thermostat was just plain broken. So, I turned it off and opened a window in the -10C night. Yet, I was sweating through the night.
We returned on Thursday pm at a decent time. But I started immediately preparing for our Friday trip.
Friday, my company has decided to have the annual dinner at a resort hotel in Hangzhou Qiandao Lake. This is a 4.5 hour drive from Shanghai. A 9 hour trip for a dinner! It is a new hotel that we opening in the fall. They had better have given us a great deal.
Lucky draw of the evening was actually quite fun. Our department practically got 70% of the prizes. I won a 2 night stay and 2 return tickets to Guangzhou Tianhe Hotel. It is a great prize. I was excited. It is a reward for putting up with 9 hour of bus ride. :-)
More has happened this week. But it is about Jim. Wednesday night he got pick pocketed. He was approached by 2 young girls propositioning for sex. They touched him and proceed to take his money clip, card case, and his mobile phone. This is very common, but you only believe it when it happens to you. Jim was pissed. He was most upset about loosing his phone. Phone provide the comfort of connection, especially when I am away. Luckily, we have a spare sim card from our Internet service, and a friend has a spare phone for his use temporarily.
Off to the gym and breakfast before heading back to Shanghai for the remaining weekend. One more week to go before Chinese New Year. How exciting! 1 more trip next week and I am ready to close the stove (an old Cantonese saying referring to ending the year as families do not cook for the first few of days of Chinese New Year.)

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.

Nick and Sung A are visiting

It was so nice to have Nick and Sung A visit us over the New Year eve and for my birthday. We didn't plan specially for any sightseeing or big meals. We just went to a few places and go to where we usually go for dinners. They also went to HK for a few days and they thoroughly enjoyed that part of the trip. I hope Shanghai left them a good impression.
It is just so great to see familiar faces. Last night Nick and I went out drinking with my new friend Serina after dinner. We had a great time having architecture and design talk. It was just so cool to have my oldest colleague from NY and my newest colleague from SH hanging out at a bar and chatting about stuff. It was priceless.
Anyway, we are off to celebrate my birthday. Even though it is not the exact day, we figured we should just do it when Nick and Sung A are here. More about the birthday later.

First work day of 2012

After 2 vacation and 3 public holidays later, it is like pulling teeth
to get back to work.
A lot to do this month. Chinese New Year comes early this year. We
only have 2.5 weeks before our 9 days long Chinese New Year holidays.
Every things are packed into these 2.5 weeks. I am traveling and
attending meetings 9 days out of the 13 work days. There will be no
time to prepare for CNY.

Happy New Year.

Happy New Year to everyone.
We had a great time on NY eve. Dinner with old (Nick and Sung A) and new friends (Serina, Thomas, Rachel, Mark, Charles.) Drinks afterwards at Charles's home. Unfortunately, even with the fab view of the Bund, we didn't see the fireworks. It is on the other side blocked by some buildings.
Still, it was fun. Nick and Sung A visit has been really fun. We walked around and enjoyed some good food.
New Year... Let's hope it will be a peaceful and healthy 2012.