So today is my birthday. Yippeee! Another year older and none the wiser. It’s kind of anticlimactic having a birthday so close to the spring festival (which is on Tuesday), because everyone is leaving. I made sure to schedule a little pre-bday celebration on Saturday so that I would for sure have some kind of tribute to my 25th year of life. If I were to describe it in one word I would have to say: Wow.
But today was nothing overly special at the office. In fact, I made my own birthday cake – which was totally worth it. I haven’t eaten a cake-from-a-box in a long time. Chinese people don’t really like super sweet things (their loss) and so that majority of the cakes here are pretty unappetizing. But this cake? Another wowzer. And luckily not everyone wanted a peice. More for me at home!
So I brought the cake to the office and it was a big hit. Except when I told my psudo boss that is was my birthday he goes “Are you going to treat everyone to a special meal?” It’s strange, but that’s the custom: you buy on your birthday. Luckily It’s week four of a crazy busy week and I didn’t have time to treat everyone to a big lunch. Hopefully they won’t remind me on Friday.
Jan 27, 2011
Jan 25, 2011
Forced fun
So, back when I posted about winning my iPad, I neglected to mention just how fun exciting lame the New Year’s party was. The best part of the party was that I had the afternoon off. And since I technically don’t need to be to the office until 10 am (love me some Chinese working hours) I really didn’t have much of a workday.
The girl planning this thing was the same one who planned our stellar trip to Qiandao Lake, which I still haven’t blogged about. For our CNY deal, she basically she rented out this like private recreation area that was part of an apartment complex. To give her some credit, it was really nice. They had a really nice pool, workout area, area to play cards and probably a slew of other things I didn’t notice. The only problem was that nothing was organized – we just showed up and did whatever we wanted.
Not that having an afternoon to just mess around this place was worse than being in an office, but when I think of “company events” I tend to think that they should be something you to together, like with your coworkers. My colleagues, although very nice, can be painfully cliquey. So not organizing an activity for everyone to do together only reinforced this cliquiness.
I was talking about it with the other laowais and we were all in agreement that there are a lot of cool things to do in Shanghai as a group – bowling, paint balling, go-karting, roller skating, etc. Hanging out at this oddly located apartment clubhouse was not on our list of “cool.” It would have at least been nice to do something together with all the coworkers. A scavenger hunt, perhaps, where you actually get to meet with people from the other departments.
Side note: There is little to no mixing between the different departments, at least in editorial. And I don’t think it’s because editorial and advertising/marketing have the same kind of strained relationships as they do in “real” publications – you know when the advertising department wants the writer to write about this instead of that because this is a potential/current advertiser.
Anyway, it was a nice treat to get out of the office, but I thought it would have been a little more of bonding with the staff rather than “forced fun.” But I guess I like forced fun. I mean, they’re forcing me to have fun, so I have to have fun, right?
The girl planning this thing was the same one who planned our stellar trip to Qiandao Lake, which I still haven’t blogged about. For our CNY deal, she basically she rented out this like private recreation area that was part of an apartment complex. To give her some credit, it was really nice. They had a really nice pool, workout area, area to play cards and probably a slew of other things I didn’t notice. The only problem was that nothing was organized – we just showed up and did whatever we wanted.
Not that having an afternoon to just mess around this place was worse than being in an office, but when I think of “company events” I tend to think that they should be something you to together, like with your coworkers. My colleagues, although very nice, can be painfully cliquey. So not organizing an activity for everyone to do together only reinforced this cliquiness.
I was talking about it with the other laowais and we were all in agreement that there are a lot of cool things to do in Shanghai as a group – bowling, paint balling, go-karting, roller skating, etc. Hanging out at this oddly located apartment clubhouse was not on our list of “cool.” It would have at least been nice to do something together with all the coworkers. A scavenger hunt, perhaps, where you actually get to meet with people from the other departments.
Side note: There is little to no mixing between the different departments, at least in editorial. And I don’t think it’s because editorial and advertising/marketing have the same kind of strained relationships as they do in “real” publications – you know when the advertising department wants the writer to write about this instead of that because this is a potential/current advertiser.
Anyway, it was a nice treat to get out of the office, but I thought it would have been a little more of bonding with the staff rather than “forced fun.” But I guess I like forced fun. I mean, they’re forcing me to have fun, so I have to have fun, right?
Jan 24, 2011
Mama Hu Hu in America
This will be my only commentary about Prez Hu’s visit to America, and I'm sharing China Daily’s front pages on Thursday and Friday. Great headlines, eh? No, I was not the mastermind behind those, unfortunately. I also like the the picture choices. Obama admiring the great Hu. And then a friendly handshake between the leaders of the two biggest economies in the world. This is not a fashion blog, but I do have to say I loveee the first lady’s gown. Red was a good choice.
Update: For you non-Chinese speakers, I guess I should have explained the title. There’s a famous Chinese idiom/word “mama huhu” to which the literal translation is “horse horse tiger tiger.” Basically it means “so-so”
A: How to you like your fried rice?
B: It’s “mama huhu” (so-so)
The title was meant to be funny – although I don’t know how funny it is if I have to explain it.
Jan 20, 2011
Lucky, Lucky Draw
Overall I would say I’m a lucky person. Yeah, I have great family and friends, have a stable job, like my stable job, etc.. But I mean I am abnormally, randomly lucky. When I was like 6 I won a $50 gift card to K Mart because I guessed the right number of legos in the display. I’ve won free bottles of wine from a Shanghai-based website. I was even on Wheel of Fortune and made out pretty good. Now I can add the winner of an iPad at the company’s Chinese New Year party to my lucky streak list.
Yes, that’s right. I won an iPad. At the company Chinese New Year’s party no less. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it seems how I don’t have wifi in my apartment, but now I have an iPad.
This New Year’s party has been the talk of the office almost ever since I got back. Everyone was talking about the iPad that would be the top prize of the office “lucky draw,” and everyone wanted it (Chinese people LOVE apple products). While I love my MacBook and my iPhone, I saw little need for an iPad, but still tried to get in the excited spirit of the office. I even said half jokingly “If I win it, I’d probably sell it,”
So Friday night comes around and we have our Chinese New Year party (which is worth a separate blog post in itself) and the lucky draw. They get rid of the cheap prizes - the towels, bath soaps, gift cards, phone cards - and we get to the good stuff - the coffee maker, the video cameras, the iPods and finally the coveted iPad. My number remains undrawn and my fellow foreign coworker looks at me and says “I bet your going to win it.”
Well as my obvious luck would have it, my number was drawn. Honestly I felt kind of guilty about it because, well, what am I going to do with an iPad? I also felt guilty because I’m the foreigner and one of the newest staff and I shouldn’t be winning the coveted iPad. I couldn’t tell if the Chinese reporters were annoyed that the “laowai” got the iPad, but seems as how all of them either have one or could get mom and dad to buy them one, I wasn’t too worried.
So now I have an iPad. If you have any suggestions on what to do with said iPad I’m all ears. Any cool apps I should try? Do they have scoops for the iPad? Anything that will help me with my Chinese? Oh and can someone get an wireless router? That would also be helpful.
Yes, that’s right. I won an iPad. At the company Chinese New Year’s party no less. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it seems how I don’t have wifi in my apartment, but now I have an iPad.
This New Year’s party has been the talk of the office almost ever since I got back. Everyone was talking about the iPad that would be the top prize of the office “lucky draw,” and everyone wanted it (Chinese people LOVE apple products). While I love my MacBook and my iPhone, I saw little need for an iPad, but still tried to get in the excited spirit of the office. I even said half jokingly “If I win it, I’d probably sell it,”
So Friday night comes around and we have our Chinese New Year party (which is worth a separate blog post in itself) and the lucky draw. They get rid of the cheap prizes - the towels, bath soaps, gift cards, phone cards - and we get to the good stuff - the coffee maker, the video cameras, the iPods and finally the coveted iPad. My number remains undrawn and my fellow foreign coworker looks at me and says “I bet your going to win it.”
Well as my obvious luck would have it, my number was drawn. Honestly I felt kind of guilty about it because, well, what am I going to do with an iPad? I also felt guilty because I’m the foreigner and one of the newest staff and I shouldn’t be winning the coveted iPad. I couldn’t tell if the Chinese reporters were annoyed that the “laowai” got the iPad, but seems as how all of them either have one or could get mom and dad to buy them one, I wasn’t too worried.
So now I have an iPad. If you have any suggestions on what to do with said iPad I’m all ears. Any cool apps I should try? Do they have scoops for the iPad? Anything that will help me with my Chinese? Oh and can someone get an wireless router? That would also be helpful.
Jan 12, 2011
Chinesey food
One interesting aspect of living in China is observing how others adapt to it. The common response from people I know is that their English has worsened or that they slowly start thinking that Chinese fashion isn’t quite as bizarre as they once thought it was. There’s some people who turn a lot more Chinese than just wearing glasses with no lenses or mess up an English word here or there. Then there are others who start commenting on other people’s eating habits – a very Chinesey thing to do.
Over the course of several lunches with some of my foreign colleagues, I’ve come to realize just how easy it is to turn “Chinese” about food. One time I was at lunch with some male colleagues (one Chinese and one foreign) and after the meal the English guy remarks “Is that all you’re going to eat… it doesn’t seem like a lot” to my tofu dish and rice. I sheepishly said something along the lines of it was enough for me.
Then on a separate occasion with the other foreigner in the office I had the opposite experience. We were at a popular vegetarian restaurant seemed to order just a little too much food for two (keep in mind it was like some stir fried tofu, mixed veggies and some dumplings… not like we were eating steaks and potatoes). Afterward he goes “You really have an appetite.” I will never forget the look of annoyance I shot him after that and probably said something snide back.
Seriously though. Isn’t there like a written rule somewhere where a guy NEVER comments on how much a girl eats? To both experiences I just thought, “You are so Chinese” because I’ve only ever known Chinese people to make comments about peoples eating habits.
But then I had my own Chinesey “judge you about food” moment a while back in Beijing. I was visiting my brother with my dad, and he (Dad) treated my brother, some of brother’s friends and me to a nice dinner. As the other three and I were loading up our plates from the all-you-can-eat Teppenyaki, one of my brother’s friends, who I am also friends with, was barely eating. I knew he was a vegetarian but he was barely eating anything. On more than one occasion I said something about it. “Are you not hungry?” “Are you sure you’ve had enough?” and finally, the doozey, “You should eat more.”
Finally I realized what I was doing – being a typical Chinese person buggering him about eating. I quickly apologized and left him to his half eaten plate.
Over the course of several lunches with some of my foreign colleagues, I’ve come to realize just how easy it is to turn “Chinese” about food. One time I was at lunch with some male colleagues (one Chinese and one foreign) and after the meal the English guy remarks “Is that all you’re going to eat… it doesn’t seem like a lot” to my tofu dish and rice. I sheepishly said something along the lines of it was enough for me.
Then on a separate occasion with the other foreigner in the office I had the opposite experience. We were at a popular vegetarian restaurant seemed to order just a little too much food for two (keep in mind it was like some stir fried tofu, mixed veggies and some dumplings… not like we were eating steaks and potatoes). Afterward he goes “You really have an appetite.” I will never forget the look of annoyance I shot him after that and probably said something snide back.
Seriously though. Isn’t there like a written rule somewhere where a guy NEVER comments on how much a girl eats? To both experiences I just thought, “You are so Chinese” because I’ve only ever known Chinese people to make comments about peoples eating habits.
But then I had my own Chinesey “judge you about food” moment a while back in Beijing. I was visiting my brother with my dad, and he (Dad) treated my brother, some of brother’s friends and me to a nice dinner. As the other three and I were loading up our plates from the all-you-can-eat Teppenyaki, one of my brother’s friends, who I am also friends with, was barely eating. I knew he was a vegetarian but he was barely eating anything. On more than one occasion I said something about it. “Are you not hungry?” “Are you sure you’ve had enough?” and finally, the doozey, “You should eat more.”
Finally I realized what I was doing – being a typical Chinese person buggering him about eating. I quickly apologized and left him to his half eaten plate.
Jan 10, 2011
The Chinese Mom
There’s been a big hubbub on the Internet over this article from the WSJ. I don’t know if it was a publicity stunt for her new book, but it’s shocking in a borderline physically/verbally abusive kind of way. The stories she cites in the column make you wonder how her children came out not troubled or depressed or serious rebel against “mean mom”.
Oh wait, it appears one did. This thread on Quora eludes to the bigger picture of what her book is about – and its not that her parenting methods are indeed superior.
My two issues with this column are 1) the xenophobia of it all (read the comments if you want validation) and 2) that this type of parenting style should not be put on a pedestal. One Shanghaiist blogger writes about her own experiences and its not pretty.
Mrs. Chua’s styles are not limited to ABCs, or American born Chinese. Children in China are more often subjected to such parenting styles. I’ve never heard a Chinese person say that he or she enjoyed his or her childhood. There is little talk of any other memories besides studying or playing musical instruments for hours on end.
While working in Nanjing, something I considered a bonus was getting to know some of the students in the programs. On more than one occasion I remember some of these students saying, I have little time for free time. Or cited merely “playing piano” as their “hobbies.” It was also eye-opening reading their essays of their weeklong exchange in a US high school. Many students remarked that they were envious of the students’ shorter school days, the plethora of extracurricular activities, the opportunities for students to have part time jobs and the more relaxed nature of these students’ parents.
One clear example I can give is Ellen, who at 17 seems completely burned out of school. She’s dropped out of traditional Chinese high school in order to focus on her English so she can go to school abroad. When she told me about this over text message, she spelled Engnish wrong.
There are a lot of things about Chinese/Asian culture that I admire, like the strong sense of family (when not borderline abusing a child) and the filial piety they exhibit for their elders. But this is one aspect of the culture that doesn’t deserve praise.
Oh wait, it appears one did. This thread on Quora eludes to the bigger picture of what her book is about – and its not that her parenting methods are indeed superior.
My two issues with this column are 1) the xenophobia of it all (read the comments if you want validation) and 2) that this type of parenting style should not be put on a pedestal. One Shanghaiist blogger writes about her own experiences and its not pretty.
Mrs. Chua’s styles are not limited to ABCs, or American born Chinese. Children in China are more often subjected to such parenting styles. I’ve never heard a Chinese person say that he or she enjoyed his or her childhood. There is little talk of any other memories besides studying or playing musical instruments for hours on end.
While working in Nanjing, something I considered a bonus was getting to know some of the students in the programs. On more than one occasion I remember some of these students saying, I have little time for free time. Or cited merely “playing piano” as their “hobbies.” It was also eye-opening reading their essays of their weeklong exchange in a US high school. Many students remarked that they were envious of the students’ shorter school days, the plethora of extracurricular activities, the opportunities for students to have part time jobs and the more relaxed nature of these students’ parents.
One clear example I can give is Ellen, who at 17 seems completely burned out of school. She’s dropped out of traditional Chinese high school in order to focus on her English so she can go to school abroad. When she told me about this over text message, she spelled Engnish wrong.
There are a lot of things about Chinese/Asian culture that I admire, like the strong sense of family (when not borderline abusing a child) and the filial piety they exhibit for their elders. But this is one aspect of the culture that doesn’t deserve praise.
Jan 9, 2011
Black Out
It’s been a chilly winter here in Shanghai ever since I got back about 10 days ago. My apartment was a refrigerator when I got back last Tuesday. I’m not sure why, but Eva thought it would be a good idea to open the bathroom window, which was a little bit of an angering surprise after what was already a long, arduous flight back home. Maybe she thought I would like some fresh air? At below freezing lows at night I don’t think so.
After leaving my close-to-worthless air conditioners on for two days straight and not feeling any warmer I decided it was time to bite the bullet and get me some space heaters. Luckily I remembered the $100 gift cards to some department store the newspaper gave us (in lieu of a bonus, I assume). So on New Years Day I pried myself off the sofa and out from under the four blankets I was wrapped in and set off to buy my heaters. I arrived home two heaters richer and my apt was finally warming up. I wasn’t really too concerned with how much electricity I might be using and just let everything go.
Everything was fine for the first two days. But then on Monday night I made a fateful mistake. I wasn’t really thinking as I had the two heaters, all air conditioning units and most of the lights on in my apartment when I decided it would be a good idea to dry a pair of socks with the ultra high-powered hair dryer I had recently acquired.
After about 10 seconds my entire apartment (all 50 square meters of it) went black. Uh oh!
I knew exactly what I had done. And luckily I knew what to do. I keep up with a good friend’s blog and she had a similar experience, although I don’t think it was in sub-zero weather. Dressed in my finest PJs I went down to talk to the (almost worthless) guard/I-sit-here-because-they-pay-me person. In my limited Chinese I explain that I have no electricity and she says I need to call an electrician. Electrician? I just need to know where the fuse box is (or so I thought). Who knew how long it would take for an electrician to show up … and I was sure it wasn’t going to be that night.
After a frantic phone call to Eva, some bickering with the guard/I-sit-here-because-they-pay-me person and after a few more phone calls, we wake the electrician, who emerges from some underground cave-like place under the apartment complex. Unfortunately it was not as easy as flipping a fuse box switch… or maybe it was and he just made it look like it was harder than it appeared to earn his 20 RMB reward. Either way, 20 minutes after I had foolishly turned on every possible appliance in my apartment, I was up and running again.
And now I’ve learned my lesson about the hairdryer... but those heaters will stay on!
After leaving my close-to-worthless air conditioners on for two days straight and not feeling any warmer I decided it was time to bite the bullet and get me some space heaters. Luckily I remembered the $100 gift cards to some department store the newspaper gave us (in lieu of a bonus, I assume). So on New Years Day I pried myself off the sofa and out from under the four blankets I was wrapped in and set off to buy my heaters. I arrived home two heaters richer and my apt was finally warming up. I wasn’t really too concerned with how much electricity I might be using and just let everything go.
Everything was fine for the first two days. But then on Monday night I made a fateful mistake. I wasn’t really thinking as I had the two heaters, all air conditioning units and most of the lights on in my apartment when I decided it would be a good idea to dry a pair of socks with the ultra high-powered hair dryer I had recently acquired.
After about 10 seconds my entire apartment (all 50 square meters of it) went black. Uh oh!
I knew exactly what I had done. And luckily I knew what to do. I keep up with a good friend’s blog and she had a similar experience, although I don’t think it was in sub-zero weather. Dressed in my finest PJs I went down to talk to the (almost worthless) guard/I-sit-here-because-they-pay-me person. In my limited Chinese I explain that I have no electricity and she says I need to call an electrician. Electrician? I just need to know where the fuse box is (or so I thought). Who knew how long it would take for an electrician to show up … and I was sure it wasn’t going to be that night.
After a frantic phone call to Eva, some bickering with the guard/I-sit-here-because-they-pay-me person and after a few more phone calls, we wake the electrician, who emerges from some underground cave-like place under the apartment complex. Unfortunately it was not as easy as flipping a fuse box switch… or maybe it was and he just made it look like it was harder than it appeared to earn his 20 RMB reward. Either way, 20 minutes after I had foolishly turned on every possible appliance in my apartment, I was up and running again.
And now I’ve learned my lesson about the hairdryer... but those heaters will stay on!
Jan 3, 2011
Hello 2011!
Happy 2011 NYAFC readers. I hope you all have had a wonderful, restful holiday season and a great start to 2011. My holiday – ok, more like the last three months – have been wonderful but not so restful. After a weeklong holiday in Hungary over Thanksgiving and a two-week trip home during Christmas (my first trip home in more than 16 months), I’m really excited to be back in Shanghai.
I was sad to say goodbye to 2010; it was a good year. But I think 2011 is going to be a even better – I’m rejuvenated and excited for a new of working, improving my Chinese and blogging.
I do have one worry, a very Chinesey worry, actually. So my birthday falls almost directly in between the new year on the Chinese lunar calendar (even though the actual date of the new year changes from year to year). Some say I am a tiger (the year we’re about to finish up) and some say I’m a rabbit. Contrary to what you might think, the year of whatever animal you are is not supposed to be good. It’s actually supposed to be pretty rough The year of the tiger, as mentioned, was good for yours truly and I’m anxious for what the year of the rabbit has in store. If it’s bad then I’ll know what animal I really am; if its good then I’ll know I’m just a lucky tigget.
Then again, there are still four weeks left in the year of the tiger, so I guess I’m worrying a little too early.
I was sad to say goodbye to 2010; it was a good year. But I think 2011 is going to be a even better – I’m rejuvenated and excited for a new of working, improving my Chinese and blogging.
I do have one worry, a very Chinesey worry, actually. So my birthday falls almost directly in between the new year on the Chinese lunar calendar (even though the actual date of the new year changes from year to year). Some say I am a tiger (the year we’re about to finish up) and some say I’m a rabbit. Contrary to what you might think, the year of whatever animal you are is not supposed to be good. It’s actually supposed to be pretty rough The year of the tiger, as mentioned, was good for yours truly and I’m anxious for what the year of the rabbit has in store. If it’s bad then I’ll know what animal I really am; if its good then I’ll know I’m just a lucky tigget.
Then again, there are still four weeks left in the year of the tiger, so I guess I’m worrying a little too early.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
