American in Shanghai

Shanghai Farm Dream

2011-11-12T10:28:00.000+08:00

A week ago this morning my neighbors graciously allowed me to go to their farm in the field across from our complex. I have watched the evolution of farms here for over a year. Before that, it was a field of about 30 acres which will inevitably be developed someday. And unfortunately I can see some changes already happening. But as for now, less than a quarter of this land is now small gardens. This land was all farms not too long ago and the people who live in my "community" as it's called were the farmers who were given properties here. I had been curious about who the farmers were: the little farms are just far enough away it's hard to make out the people very well. Now I know that the farm closest to my view is my next door neighbors'!

One day several weeks back I found out my next door neighbors were some of the people farming here, growing many kinds of vegetables like winter melon, bok choi, cabbage, garlic, cilantro, radishes, chillis and sweet potatoes. They gave me some boiled sweet potatoes and I unceremoniously invited myself to go with them to see their garden soon.

So last Saturday after some loud bangs on my door to let me know it was time (around 7:30 a.m.) I put on my hikers, climbed over a fence and followed the lady along Suzhou creek to the opening in the fence to the trail through the gardens.

In a way it was a bit unnerving to connect to the earth with my feet and watch the sky being decorated by super-cranes and jumbo jets coming and going with my eyes. Still it felt great to breathe the autumn air, pull some weeds before the neighbors thinned some green vegetables, and meet some of the other neighbors in our community.

Tianjingshan, Zhejiang Province

2011-10-08T10:13:00.001+08:00

Mountain tofu

Twenty four hours on a mountain in Zhejiang, about 2 hours' drive outside of Hangzhou, my friend and I stayed in a cabin at an organic farm. We watched tofu being made from soybeans grown there, soaked overnight. Then, we drank the soymilk for breakfast and had some of the tofu during lunch. It was incredible to breathe some fresh mountain air and to experience the serenity & tranquility that only a mountain can provide. Thank you to the FC Club of Shanghai for organizing the excursion.

The top bit inside the cheesecloth gets thrown out. Underneath it became the hot soymilk we had for breakfast. There is a wood fire beneath the tofu. There is another kind of bumpy liquid in the wooden vat on the floor which is put into a box and cooked over the fire after the milk is removed. This finally becomes the tofu.

yogurt

2011-09-04T20:14:00.000+08:00

Ok, it has taken me 39 years and 51 weeks to figure out that I can make yogurt at home and wow am I excited about that! I read several recipes for it on the internet and was not too sure about using Paul's milk imported from Australia, the boxed irradiated variety with no preservatives, coupled with an oven that lets me set it at about 42 degrees C but is hard to maintain for 6 hours. Wow wow wow - so happy that it actually worked! If you like yogurt I would encourage you to try it at home. The taste is very nice & they say you can incubate it longer if you like it more tart. A lot of what I do in the kitchen in Shanghai is an experiment of one kind or another and many things get thrown out instead of eaten, but this is not one of those mistakes!!! It is actually quite similar to the fresh yogurt we tried in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province. I am totally sold on this now, except that it takes a lot of hours to incubate properly. At least it can last a few weeks in the fridge!

Qinghai, June 2011

2011-08-22T21:36:00.000+08:00

T!bet

2011-06-09T18:32:00.001+08:00

The plot thickens. Some days ago the tour agent called me to say that because of the coming "celebration" our tour would have to end on July 25, when all non-Chinese are kicked out of the region. A few days after that, another call, "I'm sorry. We have to cancel your tour because no more travel permits are being issued." After months of planning, sucking it up to go on an "official tour" and a sizeable deposit made...THAT'S CHINA. Always a little ugly reminder rears up to let you know in no uncertain terms you are never in control. (To be fair it is probably a much worse situation for all those tour operators trying to obtain permits for their foreign customers...how lovely it would be to be working there and suddenly, officially, most of your tours are cancelled due to human-forces out of your hands.) The plan now is to go to the Kham and Amdo regions of T!bet which do not require foreigners to carry permits and be "guided" to only official tourist stops. I suspect that this will turn into a fantastic trip anyway, despite the inconvenience generated by *domestic* politics! I went to the train ticket office nearby today, where the agent told me to come by at 3:00 when the tickets for trains ten days out would come available. So, I did. Two parties were already ahead of me, at 2:55 trying to book on the same westward train I wanted, all sold out before anyone could buy any tickets for soft-sleeper. Go figure.

A Whopper

2011-05-01T07:13:00.001+08:00

Last week I heard this gem from a student in fifth grade. "Rock and roll guitar is dirty music. There are many scientific studies that have proven this."

Chinglish

2011-04-30T09:56:00.001+08:00

Something tells me they don't really mean 'ass' manager and probably it isn't donkey either. Not quite sure what it is supposed to mean.

/ Hospitality

Tea Village

2011-04-23T21:30:00.000+08:00

This is one of the small streets of Meijiawu Village near Hangzhou.

These are the local free-range chickens. Hey, they look healthy and act like they are happy.

Picking the tea leaves.

Not Funny

2011-03-25T16:46:00.000+08:00

I used to have a student named Kyung Sik. He was fond of saying "Not funny," mimicking a teacher I am sure. Well the following three *posts* if they could be called that, caused me to laugh out loud. I hope one or two or all of them will do the same for you. A good laugh counts for a lot. [Disclaimer: These first two come from the cheeky Shanghai community-ish website 'smartshanghai' - I had nothing to do with their composition. I am shamelessly ripping these off and reposting them here. The last comes from shanghaiexpat.com]

>>>>>
A shy gentleman was preparing to board a plane when he heard that the Pope was on the same flight.

"This is exciting," thought the gentleman. I've always been a big fan of the Pope. Perhaps I'll be able to see him in person. Imagine his surprise when the Pope sat down in the seat next to him for the flight. Still, the gentleman was too shy to speak to the Pontiff.

Shortly after take-off, the Pope began a crossword puzzle. This is fantastic, thought the gentleman. I'm really good at crosswords. Perhaps, if the Pope gets stuck, he'll ask me for assistance.

Almost immediately, the Pope turned to the gentleman and said, "Excuse me, but do you know a four letter word referring to a woman that ends in 'u-n-t'?"

Only one word leapt to mind ... my goodness, thought the gentleman, I can't tell the Pope that. There must be another. The gentleman thought for quite a while, then it hit him.

Turning to the pope, the gentleman said, "I think you're looking for the word 'aunt'."

"Ah. Of course," said the Pope. "Do you have an eraser?"
>>>>>>>>>
Hey Shanghai,

Whenever I'm stopped on the streets, the thing I get more than anything is, "Oh Admiral, Admiral... you're so knowledgeable and good looking and insightful about Shanghai life and society -- I bet you speak perfect Mandarin!"

My friends, I'll let you in on a little secret:

The opposite couldn't be more true! I don't speak Chinese for shit!

And then it occurred to me... Why don't I take my eight-years-plus experience in not speaking Chinese and share it with others? For money?
So I'm opening a Mandarin Un-Learning School.

As a sort of compliment to "Mandarin Garden" or whatever it is, I'm calling it "Da Admiral's Mandarin Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland" and we're accepting students at all skill levels, whether you want us to rip perfect fluency in Chinese from your brain, or even if you're looking for something a little more part-time --maybe you'd just like to reduce your vocab a bit and un-learn a few key Chinese phrases -- we can help.

Here's the pitch:
"Through the sweat off his brow and sheer determination, Da Admiral has maintained a near perfect and unassailable wall of incommunicability with 99% of Chinese society. Dude is still pointing at shit on the menus like a nutsack who just got off the plane, like, yesterday.

And now he's willing to share his secrets with you.

For a small enrolment fee, you'll have access to our proven tools of whittling down knowledge of Chinese to basically nil. Whether you want to take a special, personal, one-on-one, 24 hour intensive course -- basically this involves about seven pounds of weed and the Complete Filmography of Nicolas Cage -- or are looking to un-learn Chinese in a group setting with our special "Dog Bloopers and Various Shit on the Internet" group classes, we'll have you not speaking Chinese in no time."

Are you a Mandarin un-learner on the go? Subscribe to our special Un-ChinesePod, which is basically just me screaming nonsensical phrases in made-up French to you, intermixed with the latest news on the Batman sequel. Mind-numbing stuff. Just try to retain knowledge after a few of these.

What I'm saying here is nothing about my time in Shanghai has been more rewarding -- more spiritually fulfilling -- than not learning Chinese, and I feel it's a duty at this point to share my non-knowledge with others for money.

I'm an educator at heart. I care about my students. They're like my family for money. And when we're in cabs together and I see them struggling with that last -- "Zho-gw-ai" or "Yoh-gw-ai" or "Ting" or whatever the fuck it is, I don't know, you know what I mean -- I feel like my job is done.

My job is done... and a tear comes to my eye.
This weekend I recommend events that allow you to step back inside the box, not experience new cultures, and make yourself a worse person. You'll thank me for it.

Kickin' in the front seat, kickin' in the back seat,

Da Admiral

Quote of the Week: "I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it." - Anonymous
>>>>>>>>>>>>
This one is another proudly ripped link. It comes with its own disclaimer:
Warning: this article contains inappropriate and, frankly, immature euphemisms and innuendo. It should not be read by anyone. You've been warned.

Sweet, Sweet Love Hotel by Dennis Ming Nichols
http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/article/sweet-sweet-love-hotel-12649.html

Happy Friday everyone!

What I Did Today

2011-03-23T20:24:00.000+08:00

Wake up. The light is earlier and earlier, helping me rise with it.

Make a cup of coffee. Wash some spinach and create a ten minute breakfast of a spinach and cheddar omelette, a piece of toasted walnut bread and a sip or two of grapejuice to wash down some extra vitamin B complex and cod liver oil. Morning Popeye power.

Take the bike to work. About 5 near misses with people who cut me off or drive the wrong way in the oncoming lane, someone stopping in the middle of a lane with no warning and no apparent reason.

Homeroom: 14 energetic middle school students playing guitars and hand drums, some doing homework and getting measurements for an upcoming fashion show assembly.

Block One: plan for the Piano Class, First grade and Band Class today. Decide an appropriate piece for upper school students to transition to listening and musical thinking. Today: Piazzolla's "Autumn" for piano trio. Hopefully it loads correctly for listening. Students are preparing for a performance in class on Tuesday morning. Fourteen students now need to share 6 pianos. Luckily about three are pursuing violin and guitar, freeing up a few keyboards. First graders - the plan was to have them glue their wooden beads onto chopsticks for homemade rhythm sticks today. I go down to their room to bring the new chopsticks, hopefully the right size this week, to their teaching assistant so she can check it before class. Band Class can also listen to the Piazzolla. Band Class will also prepare for their in-class performance on Tuesday. Two students are working on a pop piece for vocal and piano; six are working up pieces for guitar; a quartet substituting clarinet for viola is working up a Mozart Quartet. I go to the art room to ask to borrow white glue for first graders. My colleague asks me if I can check over the frames in English for comics which will be published. I start this but I do not have much time to give it. Another colleague writes to me from abroad and asks for me to pick up a letter from the school to help her in her quest for her own next job. I let myself read one news article - the NY Times story about four journalists who were kidnapped in Libya and lived to tell about it. I forward it to my colleagues because it kind of puts things into perspective. A colleague comes in to give me flyers for the talent show coming up next month. My assistant and I also put together the beginnings of hand-made panpipes that the fifth graders will make on Monday. It is only semi-successful as we need to make a few modifications for it to work well. This is why we prepare in advance. I am learning about fruit scented modeling clay. It DOES harden over time. A full day is in store.

Block Three: Piano Class arrives, all ahead of the bell. Students are generally not tardy to this block. In fact they arrive and begin to practice long before the bell rings. My classroom is filled up with bright, eager young minds. They are all in uniform today. Even the student with the least English skill is exuberantly practicing her language skills with me. I guess she has forgiven me for disciplining her for not following the school rules last class. The students quietly and carefully listen and write their thoughts and reflections about the music and begin to work on their pieces. About half of them stay at their desks until pianos become available about 35 minutes later. We talk about their pieces and about World History. I get around to most of the students while they are practicing to work on individual needs and development. I have a conference with a Japanese teacher who has a field trip and will take one of the students out of the class after a while.

Lunch time. Class is dismissed. A boy forgets his lunch in the classroom. A few moments later he appears again to retrieve it. He never eats school lunch. I guess I would not either if I lived in a five star hotel. I go downstairs and into the cafeteria. With some food on my tray I am waylaid by a staff member who is still planning a special event for tomorrow afternoon. Apparently it has not been given enough planning and preparation to take into account students leaving on school buses and a home soccer game. After about five minutes I glance down at the cold food remaining on my tray. Not sure I will eat this after all. In the faculty lunch area, teachers are complaining and discussing a rule our school has about not giving zeros but a score of 50 on the report card even if the student has a zero. There is also an undercurrent of annoyance that a handfull of teachers have not recorded grades on time. I walk outside and enjoy the sunshine for a while. I sit with a colleague for a few minutes on the outdoor stage and we talk about the fashion show and flea market on Friday.

First graders will be coming soon. I set up the tables and put newspapers all over them to minimize glue damage. Noisy fifth graders in the hallway - I step out to remind them of hallway behavior. First graders coming in ... they are so excited to have a project to do! Their classroom assistant, my assistant and I help the kids to make their beaded rhythm sticks which require a lot of glue. The kids carefully thread their beads on in alternating colors. All kids are successful. This is not the easiest task and first graders did very well, even following the directions to "try to keep the glue on the sticks." We had some time for songs so we sang their favorite song-games: London Bridges (making a huge bridge with each student having a partner) and making a kind of dance out of it. Next was Acka Backa Soda Cracker, which they love. Then, "Reduce Re-Use Recycle" to the tune of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and last was "Love Me Tender." The kids were so excited by the project I think they needed to expel more energy with the active songs.

Not much time...Band is coming in. Another full classroom including two boys who only come for this class as they are otherwise home-schooled. Today we set up a bit differently after the listening as some art students need to use my adjoining room and its mirror. We have 6 practice rooms, my classroom, the auditorium piano space and the drama room. All were being utilised. Wow I really need to use the restroom as I have not had a chance since my plan period. Where is my assistant ... another colleague is out and about so I ask her to stay with my class for a few moments. I am very grateful! Back in the room I play violin for the Mozart Mirror Duet as the second player was enjoying piano playing for a few minutes before turning back to violin. Next students work hard on a baroque Trio Sonata. I check on our clarinetist and a tricky rhythm in one piece. We talk about how to smooth out the notes. I check on the vocalist and pianist and they are intently focused on their rehearsal, totally engrossed. Good: there is no trace of smoke like last class. Sometimes it works well to quietly indicate the rules to a student instead of making a public case of it. I will hear the song later. Time, time, time is rushing by. I don't get to all of the guitar students in the class today. The bell is ringing.

After school - I need to get to the post office but I also feel like responding to a discussion about the scoring using 50 on the report cards. I am a little irritated with some teachers who were late in entering grades for report cards and I let everyone know it because these teachers inconvenience everyone else and seem to not be aware of that. It is a part of our regular duties and I feel fed up with people not putting the effort out everyone else had to to get this done on time. We have an early deadline for a simple reason - so that the administrative assistant has the time to proof and produce report cards before students take them home. Another colleague comes by to hand me a letter that will go from his hands, through mine, to another friend who will send it to Malaysia to some mutual friends. No time for the post office today. It closes at 4:30. I swing by on my bike anyway but it is closed.

Home again finnegan jiggedy jig. Very cold wind blowing today. Not good for biking! Whew. Time for a strong cup of Earl Grey and a piece of dark chocolate cake. Hehe one teacher takes my email rant about grades very personally - not my intent exactly - but interesting nonetheless. I make a reply. I turn on tv and listen to some rerun Funniest Home Video that still makes me laugh about pigs acting like people and people acting like pigs. I am reheating some spaghetti.

Time to actually put the effort into my colleague's request for checking the English for the comic frames. I am tired but I am glad to help out on this.

A friend texts me to say hi and how is my day ... again glad to have friends in this sometimes hostile environment. I am about to take a long, hot shower and read in bed.
;-)

March 1, 2011

2011-03-01T07:48:00.001+08:00

Szechuan Spicy Wontons
Makes about 50 wontons (Feeds 6)

Filling:
1.5 lbs ground pork (half fatty/half lean)
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Large pieces Woodear Fungus, soaked and chopped finely
1/4 cup green onion, chopped finely
Soy Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Sesame Oil
Sugar

2 packs Shanghai Style dumpling wrappers, square kind
(they are white, as opposed to the yellow Cantonese-style wrappers)

Dressing:
Chili Oil
Vinegar
Garlic, finely minced
1/4 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
2 stalks scallions, rougly chopped

Combine your pork, shrimp, green onion and woodear fungus. I find that the best way to mix your filling is to lay it all out on large cutting board and mince it up with a cleaver. Incorporate the soy, hoisin, sesame oil, and sugar to taste. Mince until you have a fine paste.

Place a quarter-size amount of meat in the center of the wrapper. Dip your finger in a cup of water and trace the water around half the dumpling, it will act as glue when you press all the edges of the wrapper together. Voila – a wonton!

Boil wontons in hot water until they float. Don't overcrowd the pot or the wrappers will tear. Drain, and serve in a single layer in a low dish. Dress with chili oil, vinegar, and fresh herbs. Toss and serve!

(Note: we didn't have hoisin sauce and still it was delicious! I think it would be fine without the muer (wood ear) but it is really nice if you can have it.)

And people think Americans like it "big"

2011-02-13T21:03:00.000+08:00

This is another famous dish from China's northwest Xinjiang. This is the "small pan of chicken" or Xiao Pan Ji. It would feed about 4 people. I decided to take some "to go" boxes for most of it. It is made from hand cut noodles, potatoes, chicken, peppers, onion, carrot and various spices and sauce. It is not a fast food. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare.

Next Door Neighbors

2011-02-04T20:17:00.000+08:00

Fourteen people squeezed in around the table for another round of Chinese New Year feasting. See what a basket of fruit can do to open doors? In short, my neighbors know how to cook. The eldest at the dinner were his brother and his brother's wife; 76 and 75 years old. Good thing I like jellyfish. It was both fun and torture simultaneously as 95% of what was said was in Shanghainese. Once in a while they would take pity on me and translate into Putonghua or the common Mandarin. And fortunately I was spared from the baijiu commonly drunk at such affairs as this family prefers red wine. They seemed pretty happy with a bottle of Australian Shiraz I provided, calling it "the good French wine" which to them was what they were drinking. I did not try the special dish of "small cat."

New Year Holidays

2011-02-01T09:42:00.001+08:00

The end of another round of holidays looms in the very near future. I am off work for one week, but my vacation includes two weekends, so I am very grateful. Chinese New Year begins on Thursday, February third, ushering in the Year of the Rabbit. I am enjoying friends, parties, practicing, replacing strings, spa, hot springs, biking, cleaning, reading, reflecting, planning and taking my time: the perfect holiday to stay home and enjoy life at leisure.

On another positive note, my father who had pancreatic cancer, has undergone chemotherapy and the Whipple surgery and is now home recovering and eating like a horse. It bothers me that an oncologist prescribes more rounds of that detrimental poison for him when no trace of cancer can now be found. I guess if it were me, I would say to the doc, "Well doc, since we can't visibly see cancer in you either, if you take the same treatment as you are prescribing to me, I would consider it." The problem is statistics and numbers do not take into account an individual's overall health. Dad's health is quite good and has always been a very active and energetic man. The treatments for the cancer have been far more deliterious than the disease itself. Another thing the statistics do not consider is the fact that dad has never had any pain from the disease, which is normally quite excruciating.

It is promising that his surgeon told him he was healing up perfectly and that he probably would not need to see him again. I am so proud of dad and my family for fighting this ugly disease, for the support and help of his doctor team, for friends who have prayed for him all over the world and many who went way out of their way to help out. The stress accompanying this disease is as bad or worse than the disease itself in my opinion, and learning to deal with that is a great life lesson.

Tom yam steamboat hot pot...Malaysian Chinese and one Chinese and I...one friend could not "curry the snake" which means get off work early to come to the party in Malay-English.

Yesterday was a baking day with two American gals and I. My contribution was the invention of pepper and cheese tiny tarts. I should write down the recipe before I forget it. They made cranberry oatmeal cookies and cranberry scones.

My dear friends tied the knot a few nights ago. Yes those are fireworks. Yes, it is indoors. The fireworks are so accurate that these fountains reached all the way to the ceiling, exactly 1 mm short of it, so as not to leave burn marks up there.

Welcome the new year! And let us celebrate right now! Welcome the new day!

Water

2011-01-15T09:33:00.000+08:00

I just ordered a water delivery and the conversation went like this:

"Hello."
"Hi. I would like to have a delivery of water, please."
"Oh, you're the foreigner up there on Beidi Road?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Ok, sure, no problem.
"OK, thanks."

I may be this distributor's only customer where I live, and certainly I am the only foreign customer they have out here. Water that is drinking/cooking water comes in large plastic water bottles such as for water coolers. I have about three kinds of water. Water from the tap, which I only use to wash dishes, clothes and for bathing; water in the plastic big bottle that comes via delivery for cooking and tea, and finally bottled mineral water which I prefer for drinking.

2011-01-02T08:02:00.000+08:00

Gingerbread Cookies

2010-12-24T07:55:00.000+08:00

Fun With Gingerbread Cookies (via www.sidsavara.com) THANK YOU, SID!

“The end of childhood is when things cease to astonish us.

When the world seems familiar,

When one has got used to existence,

One has become an adult. “

– Eugene Ionesco

Just some fun with gingerbread cookies today. Happy holidays!

P.S. Today is the last day to get a discount on the advance galley copy of How To Stop Wasting Your Time and Start Accomplishing Your Goals. You’ll get the full, updated version once I incorporate all your feedback – and by acting now, you’ll get it for less than everyone else =). Enjoy your weekend! http://www.sidsavara.com/

Happy Trails To You

2010-12-23T10:41:00.000+08:00

Dale Evans and Roy Rogers. They are my kind of people. I love the comments with this song as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcYsO890YJY (The link to the song.)

"They created memories that have roots in eternity. They were special on and off camera. I miss what they gave to all of us. A simpler time; a simpler way to live. And faith that we will all find a "Happy Trail"."

"At Roy's memorial service they released doves. His son Dusty turned to his brother and said "What do you think Dad would say about this?" The other replied "You take the ones on the right, I've got the ones on the left" :-)"

Sculpture Park on N side of Suzhou Creek near tourist boat launch

2010-12-19T10:58:00.000+08:00

My Musical Life

2010-12-19T10:28:00.003+08:00

Today I played the cello with some friends I play chamber music with. We played piano trios of famous tunes from a number of Asian countries.

Some colleagues and I were fortunate to have been able to buy tickets to hear Yo Yo Ma perform a Dvorak Cello concerto Friday night. We had a quick dinner beforehand and barely made it to the theater in time - every single seat was occupied and we were the final 4 seats as a man gave the final 10 seconds of a speech to dedicate a performance of Barber's Adagio for Strings to the victims of the terrible apartment building fire last week. It was a stunning concert, passing by in what felt like the twinkle of an eye. We all looked at our watches at the end of the night thinking how on earth 2 hours could possibly have passed, but they had.

Saturday night a friend and I went to a fantastic quintet of winds plus french horn playing a number of lovely single movement pieces in Shanghai Concert Hall. The performers were really at the top of their game and we loved them very much, but it was one of those China moments when we could just kill some uneducated people who actually talked throughout the entire concert. I am not sure what was worse - their talking or the attendants not taking care of the issue.

I will be playing viola in the Schubert Quintet in A (The Trout) as well as some other pieces with the Shanghai Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra in a brunch concert on December 25, then get on a plane to go to the US a few hours later, making it back on December 25. I guess I want to make the most out of Christmas! With the concerts over the weekend and several fantastic dinners with friends last week it feels as though the holidays started earlier than ever this year, and will extend again through the lunar new year.

The weather here these days is unbelievably perfect for bike riding and walking outside. I have made a few picnics lately and took them to the school for lunch! This week the temp should be still in the 50s and sunny. Merry Christmas and happy Holidays!

composed by Dennis Ming Nichols

2010-11-17T09:11:00.001+08:00

Letter to the Boss: Thanksgiving Day "Work from Home"

Dear Laoban,

Thursday, November 25th is Thanksgiving Day, a very special holiday for Americans. Even though I am (insert nationality), Thanksgiving still represents a time of gathering among friends and families and celebrating what's important, the food in our bellies and the people we share it with. As you may not celebrate this holiday in your Glorious Nation, you might be unaware of its importance thus not understanding why granting my request to "work from home" a significant gift. Please, allow me to share the history of this important holiday.

In 1620, some religious separatists ("The Pilgrims") left England in search for new land and religious freedom. They found themselves in present-day Massachusetts where they set up a town called Plymouth. However due to lack of experience with the foreign soil and a bad growing season, they spent the first year in hardship and malnourishment. But one day, a friendly native named Squanto approached the new settlers with the intention of assisting them in their time of trouble. Now Squanto was a chill dude. Earlier in his life, he had been captured by a British fleet and sold into slavery. He eventually escaped and made his way back to his native land while learning English on the way. Rather than give a big "Screw You" to the new British settlers, he decided to help them learn how to grow certain vegetables, fish and hunt indigenous game. The following harvest season (around this time 400 years ago), the British settlers along with some Natives shared a huge feast together. This is now known as the First Thanksgiving.

Years later Squanto would be poisoned by his own tribe, while the Pilgrims would move on to witch-burning and stifling creativity, but at least in that moment, something beautiful happened. Man helped man in time of need. When the world looks grim and sad, there is always something to be thankful for whether it is a friend, a family, memorable experiences, a roof over your head, a big, juicy turkey, or a feast of Cheap Chinese Food! Thanksgiving Day is a day to put away thoughts about what you DON'T have and appreciate what you DO have.

So, I would like to take next Thursday (cooking and eating) and Friday (Slingboxing American Football in a tryptophan comatose) off from work…with pay.

XieXie,

(insert name)

Conversation

2010-11-15T09:28:00.001+08:00

I was recently a fly on the wall listening to a conversation between three men from three foreign countries. It went something like this...

"How about all the company dinner banquets we have to deal with; how do you stand the constant toasting of 'baijiu' that horrible stuff!"

"Oh that stuff is so nasty! It's not only bad to drink its bad effect stays with you the next day and it stinks too!"

"I have found a way to get by and it works for me: I will take a sip of the baijiu for one drink, and then take only red wine after that. I inform my hosts at the beginning that I will only have one drink of baijiu. This gets me through many nights of this torture!"

just lucky I guess

2010-10-21T16:54:00.001+08:00

Two very nice things happened today--I actually received the tickets to Yo Yo Ma's "Bohemian" show that I ordered, with the price only gouged a little, and a friend offered me a ticket to Mass Ensemble concert tomorrow night. =-) http://massensemble.com/

Another For Real Place...

2010-10-17T12:17:00.001+08:00

Luckily, so far I have not needed to visit here. And I hope to keep it this way.

PanPuckingTastic...

2010-10-17T12:12:00.001+08:00

This is a real, paid advert I keep seeing. Just every time I see it I think, man, for real? But yup, that's China! :)

music for Austrians

2010-10-04T07:12:00.000+08:00

I just played a weird gig last week but I have never played worse in my life...still I think it came off pretty well.

The job was through Sam Matthews, a colleague across town who has an instrument sales business and he makes bows as well as plays cello. It was for an Austrian firm who rented the restaurant of the Austrian Pavilion of the World Expo to entertain its Chinese clients from hither and yon all across China.

There are a number of steps to completing a successful job such as this. First of all, Sam had to find the players and then come up with the music we would need. Then we had to find a rehearsal time which wound up being the night before the job—this is not only about checking musical arrangements but solving logistics and in Shanghai this is a crucial step as getting to places is kind of like being in the Amazing Race. Next we had to get to the job, which entailed meeting outside an Expo entrance so we could all go in together with our stuff and instruments through the security check much like at an airport. Then we took the Expo subway line under the Huangpu river 2 stops into the Pudong side of the Expo. Luckily we had a guide to show us where we needed to go as the enormity of the Expo is kind of hard to convey here.

We had about 3 hours to play Strauss and Mozart; one rehearsal for about an hour and half the night before so I was completely zonked from my regular teaching and then being short on sleep from the night before (took an hour to get home from the rehearsal) ... but the Chinese seemed to love crowding in to have their pictures taken with us up close, even into our performing space. It was so bad I was sometimes poking them with my bow because they were so inconsiderate of our playing! It was one of those China moments where I have never felt more like a monkey in a zoo exhibit being used for my foreignness; on the other hand the players were fantastic and remained professional as well.

Another odd part of this job is that the Austrian Pavilion already has a team of musicians employed to play chamber music throughout the day on a special stage. Indeed that is the main feature of the Pavilion, but they apparently were off duty and not required to play for extra services such as this in the second floor restaurant. So in a way we were posing as Austrians. One foreign gentleman approached us speaking German and asking about one of the Fledermaus Waltzes we were playing; luckily Sam was able to respond in German but burst his bubble a bit by telling him we were Americans.

On the other hand one of the Austrian managers told me what a great job we did and he could say it because his customers were so happy (…and drunk). I have to say that the Austrian buffet was top notch. Although there was not enough time to really sit down and enjoy the meal, I was able to enjoy a few delicacies and even a slice of baked Alaska. And it was nice to play with professionals again. It helps me to get practicing more to keep up my playing. Maybe the best part is meeting and getting to know the other musicians. Sam is from the US, Patrick, not sure maybe New Zealand and he and his wife were expecting any day, JinXin is from Lanzhou, very far away from Shanghai and another distinct culture in China, teaches violin at Shanghai Normal University.

During the last hour of our performance, about 20 or so people gathered around to actually listen to our playing and enjoy the musical ambiance. That is the kind of job I like best when you can kind of come to know your audience; some children were there as well and seemed to be fascinated and even very well behaved. That is a first here in China as usually kids are running wild climbing into anywhere and everywhere they please even while supervised.

50 reasons to love SH

2010-09-21T10:15:00.001+08:00

Someone else did the work...great thoughts on this city of everything!

http://http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/play/worlds-greatest-city-50-reasons-why-shanghai-no-1-590704

2010-09-20T06:54:00.001+08:00

The kitchen will never be the same...I have made a new discovery...and perhaps
will never need to leave China again....(just kidding!!!)

Whilst thawing some cooked frozen rice in the micro, I smelled something odd
like something burning. I thought to myself, ok fine, these appliances never
last very long in China anyway, not a big deal and to be expected, right?
Well...not! Actually this is a special microwave which came with a little metal
rack and one of the settings is for "grill." Never tried it; at least I never
meant to; but tonight I accidentally put the setting to grill after I finished
using the "thaw" setting...and the thing was doing its grilling! Really there is a grill
in the top of it! So weird! I always thought this microwave was a little
different and now I realize the inside is a special kind of enameled surface;
apparently this can withstand the (small) amounts of fire that the grill
produces. I was so shocked at this feature I turned it off immediately because
I just could not stomach the idea of little flames inside the top of my
microwave but apparently that is how it works.

The picture of the papers on the wall is of a place for people in school to
sign if the statement on the paper applies to them. Second pink one from the left: now
that's how I want to make new friends! ;-)

the kitchen

2010-09-19T21:06:00.001+08:00

a post birthday weekend

2010-09-19T18:15:00.003+08:00

I was so tired from the week (and riding for a couple of hours to dinner and back on Friday night) that I stayed in bed most of Saturday. But it was also to get my energy up for today; I went and met a gal who's leaving China today and she sold me her viola for a great price - it has a nice sound and looks nice too. Then I had to race back to the hospital to complete my health exam - I still needed the ultrasound test as here it is a routine part of the checkup. The hospital's clinical areas close at noon. I did that and then they said everything's fine--whew. Then went home and had some soup from last night - corn and bean - it's really yummy - and took a rest.

I went out and ordered a dress to be made for $11. It will be a strapless formal that I'm hoping will be fit for playing at the Austrian Pavilion when we play quartets for a special event in a couple of weeks. I have had this beautiful black dragon silk for about 5 years. I finally decided it's going to turn into something I can actually get some use out of. New instrument, new dress...I predict more string quartet playing in the coming year! Stay tuned for future pictures.

We are expecting another typhoon; it's about number 11 of this season and could be a doozy. It's already slammed into Taiwan and should be hitting the mainland soon. They say it may be the strongest one of the season to date. Last one didn't do much here but apparently wreaked havoc in N. Korea killing dozens of people.

Corn and Bean Soup
(this came from a rustic Italian cookbook that belonged to a classmate of mine in college)

1 can of corn
1 can of baked beans
several slices of raw bacon, chopped into small pieces
2 T olive oil
1 chopped onion
1 large diced tomato or a can of tomatoes
3 cups of water
spices (such as basil, pepper, curry...as you like)

You just need to cook the onion and bacon in the olive oil over medium to medium low heat for several minutes, then add everything else and simmer for about 25 minutes.

weather

2010-08-31T22:29:00.001+08:00

Well it's that time of year again - a typhoon is headed this way. From a satellite image I just saw it looks like Taiwan and Okinawa are getting slammed. We're off from school tomorrow. The ministry of education called all the schools to tell us to have parents keep their kids at home tomorrow. Fine by me as we have parent nights tonight and Thursday which is equivalent to an extra day anyhow!

back in the USA

2010-06-25T14:55:00.000+08:00

Once again I got to time-travel from Shanghai back to the states, arriving earlier the same day I left. That makes for a long day.

I truly appreciate the air quality up in the mountains of Washington state where my dad and I spent the day yesterday up on Rimrock Lake. It took us a while to catch on to the day's game but after a few hours we mastered the fish and limited out with 16 Kokanee Salmon apiece. The lake was nearly glass, the sun was mostly out, the pine smell from the forest wafted across the clean lake below. A water-soaked log floated down the lake and nearly slammed us but at the last moment it went to our left and stopped against the island we tied up to. Eventually it started working its way out and we merely lifted up our rope and slid it back out into the lake, avoiding our boat and anchor ties. Otherwise it could have been a disaster. It is so very pleasant to see the hawks soaring above, wild flowers sparkling in the sunshine and bullfrogs swimming around while fish dance and jump out of the water as they chase flying insects which alit on the surface.

Livingston American School

2010-06-12T12:31:00.001+08:00

Someone recently made a condescending remark to me about why I teach at Livingston American School of Shanghai. First of all I have to say I was very surprised that the person would say something so unprofessional, considering he is in about the same position of another school, and considering his school was trying to recruit me. This person actually put stock in some false rumors which have circulated around the expat community. It's too bad this person holds the attitude that he does because I was actually considering working alongside him to help build his program.

There are a number of reasons I choose to continue to teach and to direct the music program at Livingston American School.

Number one is we have a very close, family-like atmosphere where every student is known and appreciated for who they are. This allows students to shine and for the students to really have close relationships with their teachers and staff. In an age of increasing technology and electronic communications I believe in teaching students the value of personal interaction and real face time, not to mention real live music! I don't know about you but when I went to college and paid a pretty penny for every credit, I appreciated having small classes where I could really get all I could out of a course and really know the instructor.

Secondly we have a wonderful Fine Arts Wing with a large music classroom, a drama classroom, 4 practice rooms, several pianos, a pottery studio and art classroom. Just above our wing is our auditorium, library and media classroom. I often hear the birds singing outside my windows and enjoy seeing the planes ascending and descending to Hongqiao Airport. The facilities are very adequate and we enjoy a very nice campus and garden outside.

Last but by no means least, the arts and music are supported by our staff, principal and management as integral parts of our curriculum. In fact LAS has achieved accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges of the United States this year. I know this because I was a part of our preparation and the accrediting team's visit as chairperson for our China Context section. When the committee was summarizing their experience at LAS they said they have never been in a school where children seemed so relaxed, happy and at ease. They also commented that our school is like a fine arts school!

These are just a few reasons that come to mind why I work at LAS. We are a hard-working team that truly values students and international education, minus the snotty attitude.

chamber music life

2010-06-06T08:45:00.001+08:00

Sometimes I feel I lead a wonderfully wacky yet great life. I can't play all of the wonderful quartet jobs that crop up during the gorgeous autumns of Central Washington but I don't mind helping connect event planners and couples getting married with players who are available. Even from Shanghai. Last summer I remember fishing with my dad on the Columbia river, discussing arranging "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey with a client for later in the summer. I don't think I mentioned to her where I was when she called! On the other hand maybe that was just not right to take a call on that beautiful, serene place; yet as I told dad it's hard not to take a call when someone is planning their wedding and we'd been playing phone tag already from all over the planet! As an entrepeneur himself he understood very well.

Lately I have been playing quartets with flute, violin, viola and cello here in Shanghai. Everything from Bach, to Piazzolla to Turkey in the Straw, with a little Cherubini thrown in. We are from four countries: England, Germany, US and Australia. It's a great combination that we plan to continue after the cellist and I return from overseas this summer.

2010-05-26T07:54:00.001+08:00

An actual conversation with a sixth grader...

"My fish died"

"Oh, really? Did you have to flush it?"

"Nahh. My turtle ate it."

"How is your turtle?"

"Well I don't have it any more. It grew up and got big so my mom released it to the pond by our house."

Cost of Groceries

2010-05-21T18:37:00.001+08:00

Here's a rundown of what things still cost...local and international. Today I bought: a package of scrubber sponges, produce bags for the fridge, 2 boxes of 5-pack facials (rose and cucumber), 2 cans of Sprite, 2 boxes of liquid orangeate, a bottle of coconut yogurt, a bag of brown sugar and a bottle of hair conditioner for about $8.

Tomorrow I'll fork out about $40 for a bunch of organic and imported groceries to be delivered right to my apartment: a can of refried beans, extra sharp Land O Lakes cheddar, Kraft parmesan cheese, organic red potatoes, organic carrots, organic purple onion, globe artichokes, beetroot, parsley, basil, canned salmon, organic cauliflower, organic green onion and fresh mozarella cheese.

My groceries are a mixture of imported luxuries and very reasonable local ingredients. If I never bought the import stuff and only ate at home, I could eat extremely well on about $50 a week. But I'm in Shanghai...where there's yomocoffee.com and http://www.cityshop.com.cn/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategories1_10601_10551_-1 and smartdirect.com - all of which deliver...making it all too easy to shop from home! And well, I can't help eating out often too...when there's every cuisine imaginable around! We may have pollution and many environmental and social issues, but we have definitely a culture of eating!

Shanghai Spring

2010-05-08T12:22:00.000+08:00

It has turned into the wonderful period of about 3 weeks of gorgeous, comfortable weeks of weather when finally we don't need the heat on and don't yet need air conditioning. It's a very short spring but beautiful while it lasts.

Here are a few pictures from last weekend. My friend was visiting and it always seems I take a mini vacation myself when friends visit and see all the cool things I'd like to see but never get around to. So the first few photos are from Qibao Old Street, one of my favorite places early in the morning; the last are of inside the Expo. We went on the third day of it and I do recommend this experience. It is truly amazing and extremely educational. I plan to buy a multiday pass because it is just too big to see in a day; we saw maybe 20% or less walking for about 6 hours.

endearments

2010-04-24T08:14:00.001+08:00

Here are a few photos from my life as of late...couldn't resist posting these two postcards from Casino, NSW Australia that Kevin gave me. Below them is my students' rock paintings; then a special octopus soup noodles new to the Ajisen Ramen restaurant's menu. I felt it was my lucky day also because I happened across a repairman and had one of my favorite purses with me that needed some things stitched up; then I went to a cobbler I'm trying who's on the final stage of a pair of shoes for me. It's my first try at custom shoes! I'm planning to go back again to him to copy a pair of sandals I wore for about 12 years which finally broke in half after how many years of repairs...haha that's one thing I love in China is that I feel I can get shoes and bags easily repaired instead of just tossing them to the Goodwill.

2010-04-15T21:42:00.000+08:00

A diverson from Shanghai...I went to Australia for one week! Here are a few pictures from down under...the land of the Southern Cross which was clear as a bell, as was the milky way from our backyard. I loved it. I could live there, no question. So many butterflies!

Last Day of Lunar New Year

2010-02-28T19:51:00.001+08:00

Almost everyone I know has been back to work for at least a week, but since today marks the last day of the spring festival it sounds like war out again...shotguns, cannons, mortar...but really it's fabulous fireworks, everywhere, between buildings, over the traffic, SO FUN! I love it!

Went out for tea with friends this afternoon...also enjoying a mountain of fluffy ice covered by sweet red beans! :)

Spring Festival

2010-02-17T22:45:00.001+08:00

I have mentioned before how we have nonstop holidays starting around Thanksgiving...well, the holidays are about to conclude with the end of Chunjie, or Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year. Tonight at midnight is the festival to welcome the return of wealth.

Zoe, Jennifer, Ryan and I had dinner together just for fun; I made my own version of Hongxiao Rou or braised pork in a clay pot; roasted root vegetables with rosemary, mushroom brown rice and a fresh salad with my dressing. I cheated a little on dessert and went with a chocolate mousse cake from Croissants de France; Zoe enhanced the dessert offerings by tartlets from Ichido.

I had been a little nervous to prepare this food as Ryan is a pastry chef having worked in the Phillipine presidential kitchen...knowing his president personally...but he was very down to earth and fun to talk with about his experiences, including his being guarded while on duty in the kitchen! Turns out they all acted like one big family, the guards even tasting the food and sometimes playing around with the chefs.

Monday to Tuesday my colleague Siobhan and I went with a group to Deqing, Zhejiang province, to another hot springs. We were 11 singles: 2 Americans, 2 Phillipinas, 2 Germans, 2 Chinese, 2 Spanish and 1 Indian. It was a lot of fun; the second day we went to the mountain waterfall hiking area called Anji. It snowed quite a bit Monday night so we had some pretty spectacular scenery courtesy of Mother Nature.

My First Dinner Party Hosting of 2010

2010-01-31T12:53:00.000+08:00

Enter Joo, Ivy, Zoe and Jin. First thing...restroom and water. Ah, Zoe darling needed a cup of coffee. Next we break open a bottle of Jacob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet to go with an appetizer of pumpkin pizza. Yeah I know it sounds weird. Just go along for now. Next course...no next course. I give the tour of my apartment and point out Suzhou Creek, Ctrip headquarters and Songhong Road. We argue about my plants releasing carbon dioxide while I sleep...then go into the kitchen to finish up the rice dish. I sauteed some mushrooms and zucchini, adding a bit of salt and instant chicken granules, then about 4 cups of cooked brown rice. This is the side to slow cooked bbq pork ribs which the butcher proudly chopped exactly opposite of what I was looking for...never mind. And made 1 clay crock of medicinal chicken, slowly baked in huangjiu, olive oil, carrot and celery with some dates and wolfberries added in for flavor. One big salad with homemade dressing and voila...dinner was finally served over candlelight at my table. After dinner, special cake from Ichido...see the picture. All I can say is it is based on green tea and contains a lot of fruit and whipped cream too. mmmm. Next course: mandarins. Sweet, tiny, tasty. Next course: ice wine from Canada...wow! Add a small piece of dark chocolate, & a cuppa Earl Grey tea. That about does it! After this we decided to make this at least a monthly affair in each other's homes since Joo and Ivy can cook their native Malaysian foods too, from the south and north respectively. My tummy awaits the next food-fest!

Eating Adventures

2010-01-18T10:53:00.001+08:00

Once again I ate my way through a memorable culinary weekend. Lunch on Saturday was going to be at Element Fresh, but when my friend and I arrived it was already full so we made the executive decision to go to the French restaurant Salaya nearby instead. First came pieces of fresh baguette with an olive tapenade. Next came a lovely leek and potato soup to continue to whet my appetite. Finally my grilled seabass arrived with some sautéed carrot and green beans. It was so delicious my only regret was not to have enough room for the brilliant chocolate cakes freshly baked that all of the other customers were receiving.

The next event came at dinner as my Malaysian Chinese friend Joo decided to host a dinner party. She had been cooking up a storm for 3 ½ hours for 9 friends. We greedily tucked into her fresh panko prawns, herbal soup with pork, braised huangjiu chicken, curry vegetables with tofu and lady fingers (okra in American English), and a braised lettuce dish; and for dessert were brownies, champagne and layer cake. Superb.

Finally on Sunday night I was fortunate to share a platter of German meats and imbibe a German dark beer at Papa's Bierstubbe. The plate consisted of meatloaf, smoked ham, sausages, spatzle, mashed potato, sauerkraut and red cabbage. It felt great to consume plenty of foreign meat and visit leisurely over about 4 hours. Why does time fly in Shanghai like nothing, in particular over a fine meal with a friend? It was a much-needed experience, whatever the cosmic reasons behind it are. I will cook for the Malaysian Chinese friends 2 weekends in the future. Next weekend I will partake an overnight trip to a hotsprings resort with friends.

Year in Review

2010-01-09T18:07:00.003+08:00

I finally have come up for air - sometimes it helps just to remember to breathe once in a while. Wow does it feel good! I really did appreciate that crisp air of the northwest for a few weeks over the holidays. That was a good little recharge. Now we'll see how long it lasts...

Now, this is not in any particular order, but a short list of some things I am proud to have accomplished in the past year. I need to keep this list handy because I tend to forget the past quickly.

-made it to Okinawa and snorkelled for the first time with my brother

-played some fantastic jobs this year including my parents' 50th wedding anniversary party and some outstanding weddings and parties, even here in Shanghai

-arranged Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " for the quartet

-got to play with a wonderful young cellist who lives in my home region

-caught a wild steelhead (and turned it loose) with my dad

-spent a couple of quality days with my dad

-experienced a great personal loss which has benefitted me by prompting me to remember to pray, especially to pray for others, and hopefully is now helping me to grow

-have had the honor to meet and play a bit with a fellow American who also loves chamber music and is a wonderful pianist and person

-have had the joy to teach some kids with extraordinary talent and also to learn from them

-now own and have updated the quartet's site www.aardvarkstringquartet.com (any feedback more than welcome!)

-continue to profit by cd and digital distribution sales of the CD Tranquillo, A Northwest Celebration which is still available via cdbaby.com

-had the nerve to go to the Zhoushan area islands by myself

-saw the wild horses on Toppenish ridge

-obtained my motorcycle rider endorsement from WA state despite crashing spectacularly in front of the whole class--a moment to remember

-hiked with friends on Snipes' Mountain in their backyard

EXPO 2010 PAVILIONS

2010-01-09T08:24:00.001+08:00

Now the Shanghai World Expo internet site is updated with icons of all of the pavilions.

http://www.echinacities.com/special/shanghai-expo-2010/county-pavilions-list.aspx?TypeID=268&p=1

lunch

2009-12-19T10:09:00.001+08:00

This was my lunch a few days ago when I was out and about. I stopped into a Xinjiang lunch spot and enjoyed my dish of some peppers and a bit of spicy beef over rice. The soup is complimentary. Xinjiang is the northwestern-most province in China: a gigantic, underdeveloped and wild but beautiful part of the world. There are numerous non-Chinese local languages spoken there, predominantly Uighur but many others as well. Also the native people from this region are caucasians. This region borders on Tibet and the Stans as well as other far western areas of China. Kashgar on the Silk Road is a major city in Xinjiang; the capital is Urumqi.

> Two Months of Holidays

2009-12-16T08:07:00.001+08:00

Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. —Peg Bracken.

What do we do when it gets cold in Shanghai? We bake, drink tea and go out for hot pot. Hot pot is a steaming vat of broth, sometimes divided into two sections with one very spicy and one more mild, that you add ingredients into to cook at your table. Then you take out the food and dip it into a sauce that you created.

Did I mention that we play on the internet and I like to use Skype...when it works! Lately it seems like my connection crashes over and over.

This holiday season I am getting on a plane and going to my home in the states. I have many people in my life I am grateful for and will get to see some of them during this vacation. This week I have only to go to work and prepare mentally for that long flight and the mental cultural shift of life for 2 weeks in the states.

The twelve days of Christmas from the west is more like the two months of holidays in Shanghai. It started with Thanksgiving, continues through Christmas and all the way until Chinese New Year in February 2010.
It's getting colder in Shanghai this week. Some friends and I will again visit the wonderful Haidi Lao Hot Pot restaurant on Thursday. I might even visit the hot springs the morning of my flight to get relaxed for that long, dry, cramped experience.

All my best for a love-filled and generous Season of Light,

Bonny

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You know you've been in China for a while when...

2009-12-05T20:00:00.001+08:00

-everyone you know has had some kind of major digestive problem that seemed life-threatening at the time

-you no longer ask why, you just go on with a WTF sigh

-it's an ordinary thing to see someone walking backwards clapping their hands on the sidewalk

-you get on the elevator and there is you, a family of 3, a bike, and a stroller and it doesn't seem crowded

-you are used to getting your salary in cash

-your taxi swiped your refillable pay card and switched it on you to one with a zero balance

-you live in local housing and have no heat source in your kitchen or bathroom, but that's ok because why do we heat them anyway?

-receiving international personal mail is a cause for celebration

-you regularly take motorcycle taxis...

Waterfalls

2009-11-29T12:11:00.001+08:00

Lately I have fallen for music composed by the living artist Yann Tiersen, a Brit living in France. He wrote the score for the movie Amelie, perhaps most famous for the piano piece Comptine d'un autre ete L'apres but I just love Sur le fil which is for viola, as well. I love the emotional intensity in his work. He has some other cool stuff, like Le Train and Rue de Cascades, which made me think about the meaning of the word 'cascades' as we have the Cascade mountain range in the western part of the U.S. and crossing them is a rite of passage for me, a wintery routine we must pray that the weather gives us passage through during the winter. Cascades literally means "waterfalls."

2009-11-27T16:50:00.001+08:00

First photo shows a bit of pollution at ground level a few days ago. The second is looking out my window today.

2009-11-27T16:45:00.001+08:00

On Nov 27 2009

Air quality in is Good, index II (index max: V).
In , same air would be considered as Bad, index 8 (index max :10).

This is not just my imagination...the air is BAD.

2009-11-22T11:19:00.001+08:00

2009-11-22T11:08:00.000+08:00

I think we were in the Hankou area of Shanghai on a walking tour of the former Jewish ghetto, where thousands of Jews took refuge during the holocaust. Then we moved on to a former slaughterhouse, now called "1933" which is trying to be a fashionable, upscale consumer destination for the rich and is well on its way to doing so. Personally I felt horrible fengshui in it and I had to force myself to remain with my 8 friends when I felt like getting far away from there.  Ironically it's a hot spot for fashion and photo shoots but no amount of money and glitz is going to erase what that place once was.

Later I went with another group of friends to have 'hot pot' in a restaurant that specializes in fish hot pot.  After we chose our ingredients and flavors, they showed me the fish. I'd say it was about 8 pounds. The taste was actually really delicious - only it was served with the bones in, like every Chinese restaurant.  Still I would return there because we also had the yingyang hot pot, with one side spicy and one side plain and it was great.

It's feeling a bit like Christmas already with the cheap, seedless Satsumas available everywhere. We have the fruit sales truck selling in front of my complex until the police show up and it drives off. So last night I managed to get a bag of about 3 pounds for about $1.25.

It's one of the joys of living in Shanghai to have year-round holidays. Thanksgiving is next week and soon will be the Christmas vacation when I get to go home for the holidays, soon followed by the Chinese New Year, another week off in February. Throw in multiple international customs and we have lots of fun parties to attend to.

Bonny Buckley

2009-11-20T11:43:00.001+08:00

It's like using an outhouse during the winter. You get used to it. Oh there is indoor plumbing alright. But most bathrooms are NOT heated in China, including mine and my school's. The ice water to wash your hands is even more exciting! Well, I was commiserating with myself over this situation recently but got around to covering my toilet seat with a cushy, tacky, red but WARM soft cloth cover. And it's hard to believe but my ayi (my wing's custodian lady) just now showed me there is a hot water heater to wash our hands with warm water on the fourth floor where I teach...TCB (That's China Baby)

At home it's not that bad. I just turn on the heat lamps and leave them on for a while. But I also turn them off. Really, why do we waste so much energy on heating bathrooms in the west anyway when it's a room we hardly spend much time in overall!

2009-11-18T07:55:00.001+08:00

Oh, it is cooooooooold now. Thirty three degrees F and a breeze makes it feel below freezing...this is brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr on a bike!!!! Glad for my hat and gloves and warm coat! I knew I should have brought my ski goggles this time.

2009-11-07T09:57:00.001+08:00

I think prayer is not a hot, cool or sexy topic for most blogs. Especially for most party-going Shanghaiers (which if you know me, is NOT me.) But I think prayer is important and wanted to refresh my ideas about it. So I looked at Guideposts' link http://www.ourprayer.org/learntopray and I particularly agree with number six--praying for someone who gives you trouble, who is in trouble, or is in some way a problem for you. I also think it is not selfish to pray for yourself in this way when you are your own worst problem! In a general sense I believe our nation and many nations need both prayer and action, starting in our own backyards. In a personal sense I have neglected prayer somewhat but I am utterly thankful for the people and experiences that God graces my life with.

2009-11-06T07:04:00.001+08:00

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-11/05/content_8917186.htm

This links to a story about the internet situation in Xinjiang, the huge northwestern province in China where there has been fighting that left about 200 dead in July. Since then the internet has been shut down there. Although on the page it says there are (0) comments, there are a lot of comments there if you click on comments. It is an interesting time and situation which affects the rest of China and should be a question for the world at large when our so-called innocent social networking becomes a tool of darkness and terrorism. It does make me rethink how important those online tools are in the bigger picture, though one would think that the government would be able to track the situation very readily following electronic footprints.

2009-11-03T14:31:00.000+08:00

On odd days I teach a lot of violin and some guitar. On even days I teach piano, choir and guitar. On really odd days I'm in charge of field trips like this one to the zoo. If you go I suggest skipping the elephant pen but wander around everywhere else. Just go to the elephant show and be prepared to get some serious exercise. If you have decent weather like we have during October, maybe even November, pack a lunch and have a picnic.

2009-11-02T09:17:00.001+08:00

Normally this is my favorite season, cool and dry. Today the temperature is 71 degrees Farenheit or 22 degrees Celsius. But with a strong wind off the sea it feels chilly! I wore sunglasses, a fleece jacket, a windbreaker with my hood on, a 3/4 length overcoat and gloves and I was still a bit cold on the ride to work. There were a few moments when I was pressing with all my weight on the pedals into a head wind and made only a little progress.

Bonny Buckley
Tel. 86 136 4194 6784
bonnybuckley@yahoo.com

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/aardvarksq

http://www.aardvarkstringquartet.com

"I never painted dreams...I painted my own reality."

--Frida Khalo

2009-10-31T20:03:00.000+08:00

A few art-day photos from Brilliance West Mall and Moganshan area.

2009-10-31T10:54:00.001+08:00

I was fortunate to attend the "Soul of Shaolin" kungfu masters show at the Shanghai Theater Academy last night. It was a delightful show of contortions, fast motions, drama and jumps. One of the most fun moments was when a fellow in the next row shared his popcorn with my colleague!

2009-10-28T09:14:00.001+08:00

I took on a small translating job for a friend who wants to send a container of some souped up refurbished motorcycles to the US so we visited a couple of shops to check it out. One of the shops also offers some 1 day or weekend tours.

2009-10-25T16:10:00.001+08:00

A couple of photos from October 24, 2009.

Fw: e-post check

2009-10-22T20:16:00.001+08:00

This is only a test of sending a post via email; here are a few photos near my apartment. The blue and green ones are where I live.

The water is Suzhou Creek, just over the bridge around sunset.

2009-10-18T07:02:00.002+08:00

Don't forget where you parked it

Reading

2009-10-09T06:53:00.001+08:00

I have a problem with reading. I love to read. The better the book, though, the more in-depth it is, the slower I go. Like I've been reading Sidney Rittenberg's "The Man Who Stayed Behind" and it is taking over a month. I cannot read it every day. It is so much. And so great. It is the history of his life and the birth of modern China. He was there. He lived it and fluently -- not a little -- extremely fluently in Mandarin, participated. I cannot rush this reading. I am fascinated by it. Everyone who is interested in how the current China came to be should read that.

I am also reading Derek Sivers' ebook -- I love it but I need to re-read several things. The drawings are really funny, too. This is about how to succeed in the music business, in particular if you are an independent musician. An interesting and thought-provoking read.

Shanghai Quiet

2009-10-09T05:57:00.001+08:00

Some friends and I gathered for teppanyaki last night. Teppanyaki is a Japanese style of grilling your food right in front of you while you watch the chef's cooking style. This was a charming restaurant scarily devoid of people, not because it wasn't good, but because most of the local population had returned to work from the long vacation yesterday. This place had the air conditioning just right, an exhaust fan that was not loud but did the job of removing the oil-smoke, and "old" Chinese brick walls. Teppanyaki is not something I eat very often because it is like a gastronomical exercise. You order whatever you like and you can eat as long as you like. It sounds kind of sick but over a couple of hours and matching meat with vegetables is actually very delicious. I'm partial to mushrooms. We had beef, lamb, ox tongue and some kind of clam; green pepper, two kinds of mushrooms, asparagus and eggplant. We kept reordering the green pepper and mushrooms. This was at Uminosache at 123 Nanyang Lu near Xikang Lu in Jing An area of Shanghai. I give this place a thumbs up. Now, 8 hours later, I don't feel sick; my stomach just feels, hmmm, busy. We did sit there and eat and talk for more than 2 hours.

What I loved though, later, were a couple of things. I loved the colored balls in the trees along Nanjing Lu. So playful! By the way it struck me as funny how Beijing Lu, the parallel street to the north of Nanjing Lu, is somewhat devoid of thriving business. That strikes me as odd how 'Nanjing' lu is flourishing here yet 'Beijing' lu is floundering.

I took the subway to my neighborhood where I had parked my bike. At a little past 10:00 p.m. my bike was fine, along with a thousand others' bikes, where I always park it. I rode home through the cool, comfortable air, to my building's complex 4 minutes away. I passed the guardsman who was dozing but he did prop up his head to see me pass by. What I noticed as I entered the complex where I live, where thousands of people live in mostly 6 story buildings, was the sound of the breeze and the crickets. Not any other sound. It's like 90% of the lights in apartments were already out. My own little country neck of the woods in Shanghai. I love it!

Copying a Social Application

2009-10-04T18:07:00.001+08:00

OK, it is not an exact replication. But there are the same colors, similar layout, and creepy feel that it is an imitation nonetheless. If this is big brother's answer to the American-owned international Facebook I am not buying it. I seriously advocate for Facebook founders to sue these makers in international copyright court. www.niwota.com - use google translator if you need to. I guess the joke is on me, since I actually enjoyed using Facebook to keep up with family and friends back home.

Paradigm Shift

2009-10-01T09:31:00.000+08:00

par·a·digm (pār'ə-dīm', -dĭm')
n.
One that serves as a pattern or model.

A set or list of all the inflectional forms of a word or of one of its grammatical categories: the paradigm of an irregular verb.

A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline. [Dictionary.com]

>>>Yesterday I had dinner with a new friend and musician. We were discussing all sorts of personal life choices, dreams and hopes. I love music and I love being a musician; providing a source of joy to others as well as teaching that is very important to me. But during this conversation when he kept saying he hoped I could get back to the states, it suddenly occured to me that music, while I intensely enjoy that it fuels my livelihood, is not my goal. Strange. But I felt a distinct shift -- momentary, yes, but it was there -- that I have a goal. One overriding life goal. It could take a lifetime to achieve and even then may not be achieved. It's been percolating in my life for many years. Only why did it take this long to surface to my conscious level? And why am I so attached to it? Everything is a blessing of experience leading to this goal. This one is going to take a while.

I have a personal hero that I would like to emulate although being who I am of course my life is different. Music is a player in this life; so is helping others on their ways. I am grateful for all the people who help me on the way too.

Happy National Day!

Maps

2009-09-27T11:26:00.001+08:00

Finding a good map of Shanghai has not been easy.

The best ones I have seen so far are on http://www.travelchinaguide.com/map/shanghai/shanghai.htm
and the latest English subway map (same site)
is http://www.travelchinaguide.com/images/map/shanghai/subway-map.jpg

Here is a link to Shanghai bus routes in English and are pretty much up to date
http://msittig.wubi.org/bus/

Sorry I cannot hypertext these links at the moment -- I am limited posting only text for now.
Ditto for adding any pictures.

just a post

2009-09-27T08:34:00.000+08:00

The good thing about China's internet blockers is that it trains many of us on new ways to use the internet if we are determined to do so. Hence I am able to post now.

I believe that helping pave the way for others' success is one of life's important meanings. If you are someone in China that needs a way to your blog, email me.

Zhoushan Trip No. 1

2009-09-20T15:09:00.002+08:00

Friday at 4:00 I took off from work, backpack in tow, for the subway on my trek to find a way to go fishing in clean water somewhere near Shanghai. I was looking for a good place to fish in water where the catch can be safely eaten. My search took me to Zhoushan, where there is a series of islands to the southeast of Shanghai.

I do not own a private car in Shanghai so I opted to take line 2 of the subway, then changed to line 4 to the Luwan Bridge station where I bought a bus/ferry combination ticket to Shenjiamen, one of the main ferry ports of Zhoushan.

Luckily I was in time to get a bus leaving at 5:30 for the 4-5 hour trip (which actually ended up taking 6 hours.) Unluckily I had to change my seat because some families with babies had got the tickets for the front of the bus. I got seat 25, which was sandwiched between a mom and her 18-or-so month old girl in front and the husband/father seated behind me. This was the most talkative and energetic 18 month old I’ve ever seen. She was up bouncing around singing, talking and playing the whole time. It took about an hour to get to the edge of Shanghai. Then, freeway for a few hours until a rest stop. I had brought sugared walnuts, Japanese crackers and water to snack on for dinner.

On the final leg of the trip down there the bus drove onto a ferry. I was standing near the rail outside, enjoying the comfortable evening breeze and fresh sea air. A lady began a conversation with me, “You travel alone?” she asked. At first I did not understand her but I asked her to repeat herself. We began to make small talk. I found out she and some friends were getting together to go pray to Guanyin on Putuoshan as it was the first day of August in the lunar new year. She is from Malaysia and works in Shanghai too. Then we realized we were going to the same town to embark from in the morning and she invited me to share her room since she already had one reserved and it came with two beds. I said sure, I would just be looking for one by myself anyway. Then it was decided I would leave from the bus and go with her and her business friend who was driving a nice 700 series BMW. When we got to the town we decided to eat some fresh seafood at one of the night restaurants. There’s nothing like a fresh seafood snack at midnight in a seaport of China! Only the first dish that came to the table was what used to be one of my favorite things and now is one of my most feared things: oysters. I took a nibble and took some pictures. I will probably never forget the hurt look on our host’s face when I told him I was sorry I couldn’t eat that. He seemed happier when I was eating everything else though: razor clams, fish and crab.

Later in bed I lay there, hearing my tummy make a few sounds, scared of getting sick in my new friend’s nice room. But eventually I fell asleep and I did not get sick! Still, in the morning, I was a little nervous. Everything seems fine though. We grabbed some small breakfast items and soon parted ways.

I went to Mayi (ant) Island which is known for its fishing. After taking the ferry there and walking along through the town a moped carrying a gentleman named Pradeep joined me and seemed starved for conversation. Pradeep is working for a shipbuilder and apparently only he and a German and an Rumanian are the only English speaking people living there. I saw a lot of boats and miles and miles of net for commercial fish-taking but that is not my cup of tea so I just decided to go to the next island, “Peach Blossom” or Taohua Dao.

Taohua is a very clean, pretty and green place. The ferry terminal was almost finished. It was open but construction is still going. I got the feeling these 2 days I was away that Zhoushan is being developed as a tourist destination to be marketed heavily during the coming World Expo. When I arrived I just suddenly decided to book the return ferry but only gave myself a couple of hours on this island.

Just outside the terminal I saw a vendor with a lot of color photos of young people and fishing poles in boats with fish so I asked him where I could go fishing. He showed me a beach area on his map and told me which bus to take. I caught the bus and got out near the beach but I was really hungry by then and I decided to stop at one of the outside restaurants touting the fresh seafood. So I picked out some kind of crawly-creature and had it cooked up along with a dish of young bamboo. Really both dishes were delicious although I was not sure about how to de-shell the fish and eat it gracefully without wasting too much meat. I resorted to picking it with my fingers and sucking out the meat. This was fine until a tour group descended upon this small place and a group of about 12 hungry tourists at the table next to mine decided I would be their pre-lunch entertainment. One man gestured to me to use my chopsticks…duh. When the whole table was laughing (at him) and me I decided to turn away so that they could not so easily discuss and stare at my attempt to eat my lunch. Staring, by the way, is not considered rude in China. Perhaps I was rude in return but I felt better, anyway.

With my belly refueled I hopped back on the bus after learning that this restaurant also serves as a guest house. I would like to go there again and bring a few friends along. This island has a lot of things to do and see. Okinawa it is not but it definitely has an island feel and laid back way of being. All I need is more time to hang out there and relax.

On the ferry back to Shenjiamen I was sitting in the sun, enjoying the breeze once again and this time found myself slipping into blissful oblivion from the vibration and rocking motions of the boat. My eyes started to pop back open as we entered the docking area. Much in need of a nap after only having about 2-4 hours of sleep, I decided to just get the next ferry to Putuoshan where I could catch a slow boat back to Shanghai. I love the slow boat because you can get a bed and just rest. Or walk around. Another thing about the overnight ferry that I love is you can use the bathroom whenever you need to, unlike a bus. It’s also a gentle motion, you can breathe in the glorious sea air, and enjoy the mountains as you pass them by. This trip I was able to catch a great sunset. I ate some of my noodles and to be honest they were about the worst fangbianmian I’ve ever had and I couldn’t finish them. I hate to waste food but if I’m full it’s kind of a waste to keep on eating anyway so I threw the rest out. Then I went to wander around the decks for a while, finding a karaoke parlor, the café area and a party deck for after 8:00 p.m. If I wasn’t totally wiped out I would have gone to the party deck for a while but as it was I went to bed at about 7:00. I woke up once at about midnight but went back to bed. I slept a lot and could feel quite a pitch during the night. Quite exciting, really, to feel thrown around your bed because of the waves. But mostly it was a gentle rocking. Then at 6:00 a.m. we docked.

I started up the road thinking I was walking toward the subway line that connects to my neighborhood. I saw some Expo construction going on. Then suddenly I realized I was lost. Nothing was familiar. There were no Bund landmarks around. So I gave up and hailed a taxi to take me to the nearest subway station. It turned out that the terminal had been moved when I wasn’t paying attention during the last 10 years and now it about 10 miles from where it used to be. I got to see a little more of Shanghai. Or a lot depending on how you view it. Sometimes it all looks the same. But I know there are many defining characteristics to those neighborhoods that you just can’t see from a train. What was so weird was I couldn’t even tell whether I was in Puxi or Pudong.

I had some grocery needs so I decided to get off at Zhongshan Park station and go to the hypermarket Carrefour as it was still only about 7:00 a.m. Suddenly I was starving and McDonalds was there, empty and a McMuffin was calling out my name…I think that is the only time of day McDonalds has few or no customers.

Then I braved Carrefour which was already gathering crowds. I like to be there at that hour because all the bakery items are being stocked and all the day’s fresh deli foods have just been prepared too. It was a maze but I managed to get what I needed. At the end I decided I would go for my fapiao which I found out the normal service desk was not staffed then so I had to go 2 flights back up escalators to another desk to get it. Fapiao is definitely one of the annoying pieces of dealing with living in China. I could just forget them and let China keep the tax but I feel morally opposed to paying extra tax here when I already pay plenty in tax into a system that I doubt I will see retirement from.

Finally I hailed a taxi to my home. On the way I passed by a new riverfront park not too far from where I live which is now being stocked with potted flowers to get ready for National Day holidays coming up in a few weeks. What struck me was this wavy art fence that goes for what seemed like miles. It is art, it is a fence and it is also benches to sit on in one design. One day I will get by there with my camera and snap a few photos.
Cheers!

Creative Copying

2009-09-02T07:06:00.003+08:00

Be careful how you copy an idea. When something is a cute gimmick for one organization, for another to take the exact same idea is pretty obvious. Take Cleveland Opera, whose blog I follow. It has its 'chicken' spokesman. It's cute, it works, it's fun. Now my local Yakima Symphony has suddenly out of the mysterious blue taken on its own ugly "Teddy's Tales," by a spoiled looking doggy. I am not amused and I think it is entirely unclever.

On the home front I have a new recipe to add to my cookbook project: Fiery Pasta Verde! Perhaps this project will be my impetus for inspiration throughout the year. I am still shying away from another writing project although I did get one lonely little idea for working on that too.

I am in the middle of reading Sydney Rittenberg's "The Man Who Stayed Behind" of his personal accounts of his work in China, working with Mao Ze Dong, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De and colleagues during the revolution. It is pretty amazing...I really recommend this book if you want to know a first hand account published in English about the communist rise to power.

Smoov Latte

2009-08-28T09:18:00.003+08:00

Nestle has a new drink on the market in convenience stores here called "Smoov Latte." T-shirts I saw people wearing on the street "Well Trained" and "Lick Me" -- not sure that the wearers exactly got the meaning, but then who knows.

temperatures are falling

2009-08-24T08:45:00.001+08:00

Wow, it is like one degree Celsius cooler today, and you can actually feel the blessed difference!!!

Back on, LIVE!

2009-08-20T14:41:00.005+08:00

Holy moly macaroli. The powers that be are pretty fearsome these days in the land of the non-free press. Fortunately there are ways to deal with it and so I hope with all my heart that this fix will last me until I am not a resident in Shanghai any more. If you are living in China and need a way to your beloved sites, just drop me a line and I will give you free advice that works for me and others. Knowledge, now more than ever, is power!

Numbers seem a bit down for enrollment in the school I teach in but that just means a smaller student to teacher ratio and a better deal for those kids. Every day of work in this institution I feel grateful to have a job and that it is an important part of this international community. It's about the first job I have ever been in where I feel all my colleagues are pretty much team players and even have a good working relationship with all my superiors. So despite missing family and friends back home I am very happy. And Skype is a beautiful thing. So is 1stphonecard.com.

Summer was a blast and a half although it passed faster than the speed of light. Saturday the good old Aardvark String Quartet managed to perform for two spectacular weddings at two of the most scenic spots in eastern WA: CaveB Inn http://www.cavebinn.com and Bella Fiori Gardens http://www.bellafiorigarden.com/gallery/. The spot we played from at CaveB gave us a spectacular view of the mighty Columbia River from the top of the gorge looking over a pond; Bella Fiori was also stunningly well manicured near some lovely fountains. In all it was a wonderful end to a fast and furious summer in my good home state of

WA.

blogging again

2009-05-21T19:09:00.002+08:00

Finally I learned how to get around that firewall in the sky again...life keeps moving right along. Anyone who needs help, just holler. Here are a few things I designed and had tailored. More to come.

Charme

2009-04-13T16:38:00.002+08:00

Yummy eating at Charme, a classy and clean restaurant at Brilliance West Mall.

Persian Dining

2009-03-26T09:12:00.001+08:00

Japan vs Korea Baseball

2009-03-24T13:41:00.002+08:00

After 2 games won by Korea and 2 games won by Japan, today was a big day for our students with the final tie-breaker game. At 3-3 at the end of the 9th inning, more innings were added! Finally Japan scored 2 points to win 5-3.

street Meat

2009-03-17T13:38:00.002+08:00

A dinner well spent at Amy's restaurant with Zeeb, Stephanie, Siobhan, Naomi and me.
This is how the chickens come in my nearby hypermarket, after everyone who wants to touches them.

Strawberry layers, anyone?

Yummy-looking meat shavings on Jiangsu Lu.

Please Follow!

2009-03-10T13:35:00.001+08:00

Did you know you can follow my blog? I don't post every day so you won't be inundated, I promise. But you would get a notice when it is updated. Just click on the button below and to the left "follow."

A Day in the Life

2009-03-10T13:12:00.002+08:00

6:00. I wake up early, ready to get out of bed and entertain the day. Take a shower, make some coffee and get dressed.
7:00. Grade some papers
7:30. Going to put some coins in my wallet, but what, no wallet! What has happened? I had it last night to buy groceries...I text my TA to ask for her help to call that store and say a quick prayer, not expecting that the wallet will be returned.
7:50. Go to work by bicycle
8:05. At my desk, I check email. A Taiwanese friend has written from Toronto--we have not been in touch for over a year but are checking in with each other and keeping up on our lives. I receive a call as I write that my wallet was found! I can pick it up at 10:30.
8:30. Students are arriving for their connections period with me; middle school students who come before their first class. We talk about how each is doing and I tell them my wallet story.
9:00. Period 2 (even day classes) arrives for Piano Class. We listen to a 1930s jazz arrangement of Mary Had A Little Lamb and they write about this. Then they are practicing piano and guitar. I continue to arrange a violin part for the piece "Truth" by Arashi, the pop Japanese artist. A student watches a few music videos on my computer with me.
10:25 My colleague Naomi waves from the sand pit with her 2 year old students as I head to check out of school to go pick up the wallet.
10:30. My wallet is returned to me. The person who found it works for a logistics company that is on the same street where I live. I ride my bike back and on the way pick up 2 vegetable baozi. Back at work I do some catch-up reading on professional development that my boss sent over a week ago. I also begin to work on aligning my fall semester course topics with their numbered CA learning standards, a project I have put off for a while because of mid terms, meetings and other professional obligations yanking at my time.
11:50. Lunch time, but there are a few disobedient students who refuse to go outside at lunch. I leave them alone and go after one of our best lunches: dumplings, both boiled and fried.
12:30. Period 4 Piano. A large class which also listens to the earlier piece and writes about it. I return graded papers. Students are practicing and studying.
2:00. Choir class. Oops. Forgot to print and copy a word search I had made...maybe I can send my TA to help out on that! ---to be continued

This is the current Shanghai pollution index.

2009-03-10T13:07:00.001+08:00

http://www.envir.gov.cn/eng/Airep/index.asp

weekend is over

2009-03-09T17:11:00.003+08:00

Strawberries are in season now so that made a sweet dinner a few nights ago! The picture below is a cross stitch done in a shop at Qibao Old Street. On the bottom Naomi is posing on a boat.

Saturday

2009-02-28T16:41:00.003+08:00

Slept in today while waiting for the heating unit on my wall to warm my room. I enjoy my remote control heating and my bed hot pad that I sleep on. Kind of a boring day but the tailor called to say the dresses that Naomi and I had made were ready to be picked up. So we met there at 3:00 pm and the dresses looked nice. She even had used a beautiful thin silk lining in Naomi's items. I'll try mine on at home and return if I need any small adjustments. After that I went to my classroom to do some work, downloading some articles and worksheets for the choir. I am vowing to do better teaching in March than I did in February. It's been so dank and rainy and cold I feel like my head is a bit in the sand. More rain is predicted. I hope this is the long stretch of ugly weather before the months of beautiful spring.

Just read someone else's blog who lives in Anting new town in Jiading District. His called something like "Becoming a Chinaman." Besides a lot of empty housing in Anting, there is the Formula One site or International Circuit, as well as an ancient town. I intend to go out there when the weather improves a bit.

Today I have a pork roast awaiting me in the slow cooker at home. I'm going to make some fresh tomato sauce and boil some organic noodles tonight. I look forward to a hot, delicious meal on this cold, miserable day.

What would you do?

2009-02-26T14:12:00.003+08:00

A new school on the international school scene begins to participate in the regional soccer association. At one game, the opposing and more established team's coach happens to referee the game. Fouls are not being called for his team, as his players continue kicking the new school's players, again and again and again. Yet the score is tied 3 - 3. Finally the newer school's star player is kicked for like the 11th time and he screams "F - - K!!!" To which the crowd falls silent. The student is suspended for the rest of the game, embarrassed by his outburst. If you were the new school's coach, what, if anything would you do? Nothing? Call the game off due to obviously unsportsmanlike refereeing? Reprimand the student despite the student being justly indignant? Demand to coach the second half of the game? In the end the opposing team won, 4 - 0, with no consequenses for the lack of sportsmanship and bad refereeing. I think doing nothing set a bad example for the kids, almost as bad as the lack of calls on fouls.

don't smoke

2009-02-26T14:06:00.002+08:00

survival

2009-02-17T12:39:00.002+08:00

I survived food poisoning, again. So did my friend Naomi. The whole time my body was getting rid of the junk I had visions of Glen ill on his trip back to the states, plane ride from hell. But it turns out he was fine. Lucky him. Took my stomach ten days to reach normal after that ordeal. Watch out for the Hilton brunch buffet where the eggs were undercooked, twice. Naomi ate the same thing. She even went to the hospital. I suffered it out, only falling asleep at my desk once the next day. It's funny. In Shanghai, I have no allergies and no coughing, despite the severity of pollution at times. In the states at home I just can't stop coughing, ever. But this food poisoning, I can't be 100% sure it was from the Hilton, as we had had a lot of sushi at another 5 star hotel the day before. But the other friends who ate a lot of oysters there were fine. The other time I got this ill in Shanghai also occured about 2 days after consuming an oyster...sad because I really do love the slimy little critters. Just maybe not in Shangers ever again.

Qibao Visit

2009-02-17T12:37:00.002+08:00

temp drops

2009-01-23T17:16:00.002+08:00

Really, zero degrees celsius is not a very cold number. But when it's coupled with a strong wind -- yowza now that is cold enough!!!! Not good for bicycling fingers or fiddles on the back! I am bracing for Sunday when my significant other rolls into town on a big jet. Hopefully the weather will tame up a bit for him.

ride of pig parts

2009-01-21T14:56:00.003+08:00

Picture is of me cleaning up my car for the first of many times when I was on vacation at home.
I discovered that a local market street connects to a main street I use on the way to my tailor's last weekend. On the route I was thinking about all the local people getting their foodstuffs ready to prepare feasts for their families, and wondering which restaurants, if any, will be open for us laowai with little or no family with us here. And on the street I saw all sorts of things we don't have in our markets in the US, including live chickens and ducks, pig ears and pig stomachs. And I thought to myself the stomach is one of the most under-appreciated organs in the body. We only seem to notice it if we have abused it or it is taking care of an illness for us, in which case we still don't appreciate it enough. But it works so hard, day in and day out, every single time we eat and drink, it starts the process of caring for the rest of our whole bodies with the nutrients we have ingested. If I were a doctor I would want to specialize in the care and health of the stomach.

Obama's half bro lives in China

2009-01-18T15:36:00.001+08:00

Not sure if this made news in the US but I find this quite interesting Obama's half brother lives in Shenzhen and is a musician to boot. See the full article on http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-01/17/content_7406564.htm

Eating my way through Shanghai

2008-12-15T16:36:00.004+08:00

Saturday was a day for eating. It started out a little scarily, though, being out on my bike in a cold wind doing errands. I got really hungry and succumbed to a street vendor's late morning remnants. I asked for the pancakey thing to be heated up but the seller insisted it was already hot so I bought it, goo and all. But when I took the first bite I knew that I had headed into dangerous waters because it was sort of luke warm at best. I was so hungry though I just ate the whole thing. Then worried that it was a bad idea...luckily everything stayed in.

Later after checking out a new children's book store, Naomi and I headed for the chocolate buffet at the Swissotel, but we had arrived too early. Next heading for a venue where I'd left my hat last weekend, the wait staff seemed unpleasant and unhelpful at the Velvet Lounge, like it was a major inconvenience for her to even take my request to look for my hat. But upstairs was Casanova, a Spanish restaurant, where we aimed ourselves for lunch over white linens and a basket of freshly baked bread, butter and olive oil with balsamic vinegar. Afterward, we caroused around the Portman Ritz Carleton and enjoyed some live Chinese music. Outside we stopped into Element Fresh, an Aussie chain specializing in delicious organic fare where we had real berry smoothies and a very large herb-grilled chicken salad. We decided this was the right alternative to missing the chocolate buffet and also being unable to find a slice of pumpkin pie! Later we rounded up two more friends and headed for Di Shui Dong, a chain of Hunanese style food where we again indulged a nice dinner including spicy barbecued prawns, potato shreds, broccoli, spinach, mapo tofu, kungpao chicken and caramelized banana. Again this wasn't quite enough to satisfy our gastronomic necessities so we walked along Shuicheng lu in search of dessert. We stumbled upon a Japanese restaurant where we were able to have our own room and sit tatami style, ordering gelatos and hot sake. I love Shanghai!

a day...today

2008-11-21T08:32:00.002+08:00

5:30 am - I awaken with a cramp in my back surprised to have slept all night with a pulled muscle in my back from coughing too hard yesterday. Ease my way to the bathroom and swallow a gel Advil with a piece of dark chocolate to aid in absorption. Back to bed.
6:30 am - I awaken again knowing this time I have to get out of bed for real. Into the shower and time to get dressed. I turn on heat this morning in the living room.
6:58 - grab a cup of coffee and check for online connectivity and I'm in...need to check email for a pianist I'm in search of and reload money to my phone card for calling the US from my mobile phone
7:02 - run a load of laundry in hopes it will be by the time my parents arrive on Sunday
7:10 - finish drying hair
7:30 - it is 36 degrees fahrenheight outside... former viola student opens a chat online from Seattle
7:40 - down some vitamins and medicine for this nagging cough
7:45 - turn off all the heat, put on shoes and load up
8:00 - I am out the door and the elevator gets crammed with about 8 people including my neighbor and his bike
8:05 - I am in line for a jianbing, on my bike, a great breakfast on the go like a crepe with an egg and herbs and chopped pickled vegetables rolled up with a kind of fried long dough and some sauce. I ride faster than usual through the cold and burning garbage smells
8:20 I am in my classroom; ayi is cleaning and students will arrive any minute now
......tonight I have plans and tickets to go hear Eva Meier in concert

Sweet Potato Festival

2008-11-18T16:08:00.003+08:00

Today the Japanese kindergarten celebrates...

It's the sweet potato roasting day. Yes, we are still in Shanghai!

Beautiful Bottoms

2008-11-18T15:44:00.001+08:00

I kid you not, this link came from China Daily news.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/photo/2008-11/13/content_7204146.htm
What is just as funny is the link to the Chinglish commentary.

Is your child or student using drugs? Just take a quick x-ray...

2008-11-18T09:47:00.001+08:00

feeling juicy?

2008-11-17T16:57:00.002+08:00

Naomi and I went shopping a few weeks ago and afterward decided to get some tea and some early dinner at a teahouse across from the market. We went to the second floor, looking for a view, and apparently there weren't any booths open. Well, there would have been if about 6 staff members hadn't been sitting around in one, so I said where's the boss? Would he approve of this? So they quickly cleared out and we took the booth. We had a laugh at the menu, because not only was it funny but the couple in a rather secluded booth behind ours seemed to have literally taken some 'love juice!'

Brown Cloud Findings

2008-11-14T08:39:00.000+08:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081113/ap_on_sc/as_china_brown_clouds