Celebrity?

Sunday, August 22, 2010

One of my friends is in Shanghai now and she was looking through Enjoy Shanghai, a magazine about Shanghai’s dining/nightlife/etc. She came across this photo of me and Nancy at M1NT in the Society pages! Wow I feel like a celebrity :)

World Expo 2010

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Yesterday I (finally!) went to the World Expo. I’ve really been dragging my feet about going because I’ve heard how long (aka miserable) the lines are. Obviously, when Peter (a friend from Chinese class) told me that he was volunteering at the USA pavilion and we could use his badge for VIP entrance to the pavilions, the Expo started looking a whole lot better.
The Expo campus was only a short metro ride away, and when I arrived a bit before 1, the entrance was completely deserted! This was a very promising sign. (Or so I thought… it turns out that there are only lines to enter in the morning. People queue up in the wee morning hours to get in right at 9:30)

Deserted entrance to the Expo.

I met up with Peter at the USA pavilion, and we went right to the front of the line and were immediately ushered in for the start of the first of three movies. I’ve heard from lots and lots of people that the USA pavilion was abysmal and it’s all just a bunch of sponsorship stuff, but I have to disagree. I think that the three videos were enjoyable to watch, and they did a good job showcasing the country. (However, I will admit that there WAS a lot of product placement. Oh and there’s a room at the end that’s a bunch of high-tech promotional displays. But still…)

Anyway the three videos:
While waiting for a full crowd to file into the first theater, one of the pavilion’s volunteers (a white college-aged guy) entertained us with jokes. In Chinese. For example, “Shenme ‘ma’ ni bu keyi qi” (“What ‘ma’ (horse) can you not ride?) … “O-ba-ma!” I thought the jokes were amusing, but wow the Chinese audience just ate it up! They absolutely loved it!
Then the show began. When the first video opened with Kobe Bryant saying ‘Ni hao,’ I have to admit that I was a bit worried. The rest of the video was a series of clips of various Americans from all walks of life trying to learn how to say “Welcome to the USA pavilion” in Chinese. The awful accents were humorously self-deprecating, while the attempts were sincere and admirable. And the whole thing, once again, had the Chinese in stitches. A great opening video.

Inside the first section of the USA Pavilion

We were shepherded into a second room to watch the next video, which was a bit more serious. It was all about core American values: creativity and innovation and basically just saving the world. It focused mainly on efforts (mainly the sponsor GE’s) to save the planet: lots of wind turbines, cute kids drawing futuristic new cars and whatnot powered by the sun, new agriculture methods that use less water, etc. For good measure, they included a clip about Habitat for Humanity. Hilary Clinton and Obama each gave brief talks. Hilary looked incredibly old, and Obama’s words were as reassuring and inspiring as ever.
The last video was… interesting. I guess it can be loosely related somehow to more American values or something, but it seemed somewhat random (but I still liked it). Basically it was about a little girl living in a run-down urban neighborhood. There’s a junkyard across the street from her apartment and she has the dream of turning it into a beautiful garden. She keeps going and planting a flower, but a punk kid always stomps it into the ground. Her watchful neighbors are at first dismissive of her efforts, but one by one they join her cause and soon they all work together to start a beautiful garden. Then a massive storm comes and destroys much of their hard work. Girl is sad. Gives up her dream. Cries in her bed. But wait! The next day the neighbors are out once again, rebuilding the garden. Everyone is happy, and two of the neighbors even fall in love during this process. In the closing scene, we see her lovely little garden spread to the sidewalks, then the roofs and homes of other buildings and soon the whole city is bright and beautiful and everyone suddenly seems to be in love with each other.
Some people have made fun of this video, but it’s uplifting. And it really does exemplify one aspect of the Expo theme: “Better City, Better Life”

Okay, enough about the USA. Onto the rest of the pavilions: Overall, I saw nine pavilions in three hours. (I don’t know if this is meaningful to all of you reading this, but to put things in perspective, most lines are over an hour long, with the popular pavilions having waits of about 2.5-3 hours and the most popular being impossible to get into without waiting in line at 5am to enter the Expo.) Anyway, I saw: the USA, Brazil, Angola, Luxembourg, Serbia, Switzerland, the UK, Africa, and Peru.
A bit about each:
• Brazil: the first room you enter had a huge net holding up a bunch of soccer balls covering the ceiling. The outside of the pavilion was also pretty cool. I think it was designed to look like grass. The futbol obsession isn’t obvious or anything.


• Angola: Nothing too spectacular… I think that a lot of the pavilions would be more impressive to me if I hadn’t been previously exposed to the cultures they contain. Since I’ve had so much access to museums, National Geographic, the Discovery Chanel, etc. the majority of the pavilions didn’t blow me away (because they were about the culture in a way that wasn’t new to me). BUT… Angola did have a really cool 4-D movie. On top of being 3-D, there was a fourth dimension that included actual mist during the waterfall scenes, vibrating chairs during the rumbling elephant stampede, and something slithering around our legs as we ‘ran’ through the savannah grasses. Not bad!

• Luxembourg: I honestly don’t remember anything about the interior, but the exterior was very cool. The architecture was extremely geometric and asymmetrical (reminiscent of MIT’s new campus buildings), made out of rust-colored copper material.

• Serbia: Opposite of Luxembourg in that I totally forget the exterior, but DO remember the interior. It was all about Time. I don’t fully understand (some things were, I think, lost in translation), but it seemed to be promoting this new Serbian calendar that results in less time lost. (As in, now each year we ‘lose’ time and then need to have a leap year to make up for it.) Interesting, if a bit strange.
• Switzerland: Featured a chair lift! Considering how much I’ve been skiing, this probably shouldn’t be so cool to me, but I mean… in the middle of the Expo?!?! Anyway, this chairlift took me on a corkscrew-like path up the middle of the pavilion, and then for a ride along the rooftop. For a while I actually felt like I was in a Swiss meadow, among all the Swiss(?) grass and wildflowers they had planted on the roof. Then all of the sudden I’d get views of the whole Expo campus with the rest of Shanghai in the background. Very very VERY cool!


• The UK: the UK had a really cool pavilion! From the outside it looked like a giant porcupine. On the inside there were seeds embedded in each of the spikes. (Oh, did I mention that I didn’t wait in line? My friend Peter had to go back to work, but I managed to sweet talk the Chinese guy guarding the exit and he let me in. Glad that my Mandarin is coming in so handy! Although I do feel a bit bad about fibbing… I supposedly used to live in England and had to catch a plane home so couldn’t wait in line… I guess I stooped to the level of people stuffing pillows under their shirts to feign pregnancy and cut the lines.)


• Africa: There was a big African pavilion; since some of the countries couldn’t afford their own pavilion, they pooled their money and made one huge one. It was pretty cool. I saw a really interesting performance of Angolan songs and dances. (Once again used Mandarin to get the lady to smuggle me in when no one was looking)

There was no line for the Africa pavilion (it was so big you could just walk around, but sometimes you had to wait for access to certain sections of the pavilion), so some people used it as a resting place.

• Peru: No line! I literally just walked right in. The pavilion was alright… you just walk through a pathway and they show video shots of Peru all around you.

To recap: I got to see 9 pavilions in a mere 3 or 4 hours! Woo hoo!!!! VIP is definitely the way to do things in Shanghai… After a few hours I was definitely finished. The Expo is surprisingly tiring.

Last weekend in Shanghai

Sunday, August 1, 2010

My last weekend in Shanghai has blown by! Yesterday I slept in and then went for a run. I definitely understand why running is such a rarity in Shanghai… it is SO HOT! And the air quality is SO BAD! It was unpleasant, but I survived. Along the way, though, I saw the danger of China’s crazy drivers rearing its ugly head. While the Wild West-style driving is often joked about, sometimes we’re forced to take a more serious look. As I neared my apartment at the end of my run, I saw someone lying in the road surrounded by a couple of other pedestrians, apparently having just been hit by a car. No more cavalier attitudes about Shanghai street crossing!
After a long cool shower, I headed back out to meet Sam, Shilpali, and Mengmeng (all co-workers) at an Indian place for dinner. The change of cuisine was nice, and Shilpali seemed to think it was pretty authentic, but I have to say it still didn’t hold a match to Super 88 Food Court.



Filled up with chicken tikka masala, naan bread, and the likes, we headed to Yuyuan garden for the annual Matt & Flo party. It turns out there is a strong German/Swiss contingent in Shanghai, led by Matt and Flo. (I thought they were a married couple, but it turns out they’re both men… and they’re not gay.) Each year they host a party at some club or other and encourage guests of ‘all ages – young and old!’ to come in ‘Shanghai chic’ attire. So we went.
Maybe things have changed since the first annual Matt & Flo party, but now the partygoer demographic is heavy on the old and light on the young. Still being in the prime of my youth, I left to join friends at M1NT. Now M1NT (“mint”) is basically the epitome of the Shanghai dream. It’s an intersection of wealth, exclusivity and extravagance. Apparently right now invitation-only clubs, like M1NT, are on the rise in Shanghai. Although there is no cover charge to get in, there is a list. (Seriously! A list… apparently they’re taking a page from Harvard’s final clubs.)
Anyway, to get on this list you have to be a ‘member’ (and membership is EXPENSIVE! Someone told me it was 6000RMB/year) or you have to know somebody who can put you on The List. Over the past couple of months I’ve heard so much about this “M1NT” thing that I decided I wanted to go see it for myself. (Did I mention it’s known for having a shark tank at the entrance?) Since I’m living on a student-budget, the only option for me was the “know somebody” option. Luckily I know people who know people, and one of them gave me a phone number for “Danny” and said to text him. Well, “Danny” pulled through and I was on the list for last night with 5 guests.

The members' card/pass

I didn’t end up staying long. We had fun dancing for a while, but soon decided to head home. M1NT, for all of its exclusivity and ostentatious-ness, was really not much different from other clubs. Oh, and also… those sharks I mentioned? I was picturing full-sized sharks you’d see at the New England Aquarium. Needless to say, I was not blown away by the half dozen two-footers.

End of Internship

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Yesterday was the final day of my 8-week internship. While there were definitely times at work when I had a lack of things to do, overall it was a great learning experience. Here’s a list (that is by no means comprehensive) of some things I learned.

• Audio books are a godsend during long daily commutes on overcrowded metro cars.
• Wearing comfortable shoes like flip-flops to and from work and changing into work-appropriate footwear while at the office is definitely the way to go! (Especially during Shanghai’s rainy season…)
• Sometimes technology can be a pain, but Google is an AMAZING resource for Exel, Powerpoint, etc. “How To’s”
• Offices seem to be chronically over air conditioned, so always have a cardigan/sweater/pashmina scarf to bundle up.
• Don’t drink coffee in the afternoon. Just don’t do it.
• Making friends with co-workers makes going to work every day MUCH more enjoyable! Bonus points for making office friends who work in a different department, thereby maintaining some distance between personal and professional spheres. (Extra bonus points if they're cute Swiss guys.)
• Like everything else in life, taking personal initiative will really always pay off.
• Loving one’s job is truly, truly key! Imagine how awful it would be to work all day, every day in a career that doesn’t inspire and engage!

My badge (which I had to hand in Friday)

For lunch, the head of HR took the whole department (still less than 10 people total…) out for a farewell lunch. Everyone wrote very sweet notes in a card for me (the entire department is women, and they’re all very cute). I also was given a nicely gift-wrapped box. Imagine my shock when I opened it and it was a brand new PSP (personal play station). I think that they’re fairly expensive, so I was awfully surprised to get one. They’re really popular here, though – like ipods in the US. I always see loads of people using them on the subway to watch movies, play games, etc.
On my way home from work, I stopped at a shopping center in Shanghai to buy a dress that I saw on sale. The mall was huge and (like most everything in Shanghai) overwhelmingly crowded. While waiting in line for a fitting room, I overheard the Chinese girl behind me telling her friend that she liked the dress I had and wanted to try it on, so I offered to show her where it was and we chatted for a while. It was really fun to be able to use Mandarin in this instance. Mostly I’ve been using it when ordering food, asking directions, etc., so it was nice to see that I know enough to even carry on random conversations that aren’t about something I learned about specifically in class. (Another random observation: I’ve noticed that I have much more difficulty understanding Mandarin when I can’t see the person’s face. Seeing them form the words is helpful, as are facial expressions.)

In the spirit of bringing things full circle, I went back to Mr. & Mrs. Bund with Henry and some of our other friends again, just like when I first arrived in Shanghai. Once again the food was great, although this night it was a bit balmy to enjoy the outdoor patio. We ate really late (11pm!), and stayed there until the wee morning hours (around 2:30am!) before going home to rest up for Saturday.

The Bund (street view)

Panpan and I on the patio at Mr. & Mrs. Bund. (Note the qipao I got from the fabric market)

Truffle risotto and delicious fresh tomato salad. YUM

Recap of the week

Friday, July 30, 2010

Quick recap of the week’s highlights:

Tuesday – After work I met friends on the Bund at Vue Bar, which has become a favorite Tuesday evening hangout because of the great views and promotional deals. After enjoying some food and drinks, we took in the gorgeous view, which is still by far my favorite. This was the first time I’d stayed up there until after dark, and it was definitely worth it! From the 92nd floor we had great views of both Pudong and the Bund, with the buildings in all of their lit up glory. The lights really do look spectacular. I think Shanghai is so much more enjoyable at night. (During the day it usually just seems kind of dirty, because the sky is so rarely blue.)

I love walking to Vue Bar from the metro station because you have to go down the whole length of the Bund. The architecture is so nice :)

We stopped on the bridge over the Huangpu river to take some touristy photos.

Me and Henry at Vue Bar

The view at night (Bund is on the right; Pudong is out of the frame to the left)

Pudong (left side of the river) at night.

Wednesday – I went to Barbarossa with a bunch of friends. My friend Henry is always raving about Barbarossa, so we just had to check it out! Barbarossa is a restaurant/bar/lounge nestled in Jing’an Park. It’s in the middle of a lake, so to get there you have to walk across bridges. We spent the night hanging out on the rooftop. Luckily there was a nice breeze and noticeable lack of humidity to make the outdoors very enjoyable.

Thursday – Sam, one of my Swiss coworkers, invited me and a couple other people over for dinner. The company really does give employees on international assignment lots of perks to sweeten the deal. Sam’s apartment was HUGE and from the 21st floor he had a great view of the newly developing areas of Pudong. In true European fashion, we ate raclette cheese over potatoes, pickles, and little pickled onions. One thing I learned from eating with Europeans is that apparently you’re supposed to drink white wine or tea with raclette to prevent a cheese ball from forming in your stomach.

Haircut

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

After our delicious meal at the Nanxiang Xiaolongbao place in Old Town, I stopped at J. Eleven, a Chinese hair salon recommended to me by a friend from Harvard. If a British man with picky tastes can get his hair cut there for a whole semester abroad, I figured it was good enough for me to get a simple trim at.
The salon was pretty fancy (they used expensive Western shampoos and conditioners and the hairdresser definitely knew what he was doing), but still just a fraction of the price of what I would have to pay in the US! A few random observations: first of all, the hair washing experience is much nicer than in most American salons. Instead of a simple chair, they have you sit in a La-Z-Boy-esque recliner and there’s no hard sink edge to make your neck hurt.
I have to admit, though, I was nervous throughout the actual cutting process. I’m generally pretty nervous during all haircuts, so the added language barrier made me even more anxious. My hairdresser was a tall skinny Asian man with long man-bangs sweeping across his forehead (his hair put Justin Bieber to shame!) wearing a deep black V-neck t-shirt with a long man necklace. He was basically a quintessential Asian hipster, which made me fear he would give me some ‘alternative’ style haircut instead of something nice and classic. However, with a combination of Mandarin and hand gestures, I was able to convey what I wanted, and under my watchful eye things seemed to be going very well. After partially blow-drying my hair, though, he starting telling me “Ni you hen duo tofa” (“You have so much hair!”). I kept replying that I want to have a lot hair, but he insisted that it wouldn’t look good. Instead of using standard Western-style thinning shears, though, he just used a normal pair of scissors and starting cutting high up along the hair shafts and thinning out big locks of hair, nearly giving me a heart attack! (Women reading this can probably understand what I mean…) After what seemed like an eternity, the whole ordeal was over and although he angled my hair a bit higher than I’d like (giving me a few really short pieces of hair that stubbornly refuse to stay put when wear my hair up), the haircut came out really nice.

Back to the Olden Days at Old Town

Monday, July 26, 2010

On Sunday Panpan and I ventured off to Old Town. Like every tourist attraction in Shanghai (and China in general), Old Town was PACKED. Despite the strong aversion to crowds that I’ve developed over the past months, I still really like Old Town. I remember really enjoying it the first time I came to Shanghai during high school, as well. There’s something about how modern commerce is juxtaposed against the historic old-fashioned architecture that really embodies today’s Shanghai. (For example, a Starbucks or McDonalds housed in an old style building.)

Old Town

Me & Panpan at Old Town

Old Town

Old Town

Yuyuan Garden (in Old Town). I loved visiting Yuyuan last time we were in Shanghai, but decided not to go this summer because from this line it looks like it was way too crowded to be at all pleasant.

We of course had to go to the famous Nanxiang xiaolongbao restaurant in Old Town. Trying to get a table is quite the ordeal. The first (and possibly the most difficult) step is figuring out which line to wait in. The restaurant has 4 levels: take-out, fast-food style dining area (with only one menu option), a sit-down restaurant, and a more expensive sit-down part. Once you figure out which line belongs to which level and what the difference between the levels is, then comes the wait. And it can be a longggggg wait.
We were in line, but then stepped out of line to join our friends at another section of the restaurant. We were disappointed to find that they were in the section with only one menu option, and even more upset that we’d given up our place in the line we were originally in. Both aggravated with the situation, Panpan and I were getting on each others nerves a bit. Luckily the lady behind us in the original line recognized us and kindly let us resume our place in line. Once we finally got seated and ate the delicious soup-filled dumplings, we felt much better.
The little xiaolongbao did not disappoint. We tried both veggie-filled and crab-filled, plus one of those big buns filled with only soup. That was the highlight: drinking out of the bun from a straw! (photo below)