Shanghai Junk

Thursday, January 14, 2010

JANUARY 15, 2010

Last weekend, we made arrangements with the recently returned Larry & Therese to meet for lunch and then a trip to the Fabric Market. We decided to include our friend, Tom, as well who is "batching it" while Mimi finishes her holiday vacation in Texas. We agreed to meet at Pier 39 for what is known to be the "best clam chowder in Shanghai" which is served in a giant bread bowl. Sounded good on a cold winter's Saturday.

Randy and I decided to take the subway to Jing An Temple station and walk the remainder of the distance to Pier 39 as is our habit when we can ascertain where an establishment is located from the nearest subway stop. As we were waiting for the train to arrive at our station here on Weining Lu, we noticed one of Shanghai's more "finely" dressed women waiting there too. The style on the street lately is rather unique (and maybe this is what everyone is wearing in other parts of the world but we just haven't read the latest fashion mags) .... leather hip boots (or else those ugly Ugh boots ... I hate those things .... they look like over sized slippers to me) with either hot pants or a very short skirt, dark tights, a puffy, quilted jacket (usually metallic or at the very least, VERY shiny), and a garish hat and bag (the more garish, the better). OK, maybe we're getting old but we do stifle a giggle or two sometimes about what passes for fashion in this city .... it's usually a Chinese twist on something that might indeed be straight off the runways of Milan. We don't know, obviously. But it's a good source of entertainment.

Anyway, this particular gal had the requisite "uniform" of the day ... black leather hip boots, tights, short skirt, I think her jacket might have been fake fur. But the thing that really caught our eye was her shoulder bag. It appeared to made out of a dog!!! No lie ... the bag portion looked just like a medium sized Pekingese with the legs lopped off. But the REALLY disturbing thing about it was that the flap closure of the shoulder bag was actually the DOG'S HEAD!!!! When I decided that my eyes were not literally going to pop out of my head, I started to laugh. And then I couldn't stop laughing (having what our friends Judy and Neal call a "tut" attack). We really chuckled as we speculated about the possibilities on the theme of the "doggy bag." A Chihuahua would make a lovely wallet, a Bull Mastiff could be a very handy piece of luggage!! If you can't bring yourself to completely dispose of dear, old Spot, he could certainly become your next accessory to be cherished for a lifetime (or until Vogue decides that that particular fashion statement is now "out")!! Oh, gosh ... PETA would have a field day with this situation!!!!

Well, we shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. After all, this is the country that has an actual "dog" exhibit at the zoo (living ones, not stuffed). And we won't even go into the culinary possibilities! Yikes!!

Pier 39 turned out to be a VERY small cafe (I think we have closets bigger than this place) where the clam chowder was pretty good but not stupendous. Randy and I later commented that it does seem a waste in this day and age where people are starving to death to throw out an entire loaf of bread after you eat the soup it once contained. And maybe the point is that you would eat the bowl yourself but none of us did.

Tom begged out of the Fabric Market for a conference call but promised to join us later for dinner at a destination that had yet to be decided. We agreed to call him. So we piled into Larry & Therese's van to head to Luijiabang to the Fabric Market. Mr. Ji remembered us and we exchanged, "Ni hao's."

I guess I hadn't been to the Fabric Market on the weekend much because it was crazy busy and jammed with people. I had a remote idea of where we wanted to go because we'd ordered a cashmere coat for Randy there a couple of years ago (has it been THAT long?). Larry & Therese had a particular vendor in mind for some jackets for Larry so we temporarily parted company for our particular stalls. Randy and I found the cashmere vendor and I picked out a charcoal grey trench coat to be made for me. Got measured, paid a deposit, and went off in search of L & T.

We had fun at L & T's vendor where Larry was trying to decide upon a coat for himself. I'd seen a color that I thought would look terrific on him (sort of maple syrup-ish) as Larry is a blue-eyed, redhead. He tried on the sample coat in that fabric and we started telling him how great he looked. We decided that color should be dubbed "cinnamon." Larry ordered his coat, and we wandered out sort of window shopping at that point.

Randy had twice gone over to a shop where they specialized in leather goods. They did indeed have some beautiful leather coats and jackets. We were speculating about the source of the leather as it was absolutely "buttery" in terms of the texture. We were informed that this was lambs leather. I tried not to think too much about that. Larry and Therese started trying on jackets. I wasn't all that interested until I spotted a matte silver leather bomber-type jacket displayed in the corner. I decided I'd try it on just for grins. The proprietor slipped the jacket over my shoulders and it actually fit pretty well. I turned around to face Larry and Randy who were watching me from the opening of the store. They both were staring at me with jaws agape. Randy told me to turn around. I did. Larry told me to turn around again ... slowly. I did. I have to say that I was very much enjoying this moment. I don't think a man has looked at me like that since I was 28 (a very long time ago)!! Finally, Therese said, "You absolutely MUST have that jacket ... it was MADE for you!!" Well, we hadn't planned to spend that money but I glanced at Randy and he was nodding approvingly. By the time we left the leather stall, Larry, Therese, and I had all ordered jackets (our apologies to PETA again). And Randy, the guy who'd started it all by wandering over there in the first place, decided he really didn't want one.

I have to say that this is one of the nicer features of living in Shanghai ... the Fabric Market. You can get anything made, tailored to fit YOUR body perfectly, for VERY reasonable prices. I have taken items that I particularly liked from the states there to be copied in other fabrics. They normally do a very nice job. Randy has mentioned taking some blazers there when we go back to pick up our orders to have them taken in because of his weight loss since we've been in China (around 20 pounds). And we've also thought about having some Chinese specialty items made for us before we move back to the states. Maybe a mandarin dress or jacket for me, and a mandarin jacket for Randy ... just some mementos of our stay in the Orient.

After drinks and cards with Larry and Therese at their place, the four of us met Tom at Element Fresh for some dinner. After dinner, we walked across to the Hard Day's Night bar, a Beatles-themed establishment that had a pretty decent band playing, and had a few drinks. Mimi returns this week and we'll all be meeting again for dinner on Saturday evening as Larry and Therese have guests coming into town and want to show them a traditional Chinese dinner. So the destination is South Beauty on the Bund.

Tonight, we are scheduled for dinner at 1221 with our dear Australian friends, Michael and Ali. After 16 years in China, Ali has decided that she needs to spend more time at home with her kids and grandkids. So Michael has taken a studio apartment here in Shanghai, and Ali has shipped home most of their furniture to a larger apartment in Sydney where they will do the "long distance" relationship for the foreseeable future as Michael's work will not allow him to leave Shanghai. I'm sure they will both be back and forth as often as finances allow. Ali leaves this Sunday, and as she is the first good friend that I made in Shanghai (and you may remember, mother of Ralphy, my sweet doggy companion), I am saddened by her departure. But Randy and I certainly understand missing home, and friends and family there. We wish her and Mike all the best and hope with our entire hearts that this works out for them.

Just a final thought about the current events of this week ... the Haiti earthquake. What a tremendous tragedy! Randy and I have been somewhat glued to the TV this week watching the events unfold. Of course, this brought back all the memories of my very scary experience during the Sichuan earthquake in May of 2008. But of course, my fright pales in comparison to what these folks must be going through. No one is less prepared for a catastrophe than the people of Haiti who have not only dealt with unsettled governments, poverty, and devastating hurricanes in the last few years, but now this. Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti. Angelie would say, "Keep thinking good thought .... good will come."

ANGELIE

When I first contemplated an entire post devoted to Angelie, I worried I might not have enough information on the subject. Well, the longer we know Angelie, the less that is an issue. She certainly is a marvel of a person of ANY nationality!!

Where should I start in my accolades of Angelie. First off, Angelie took it upon herself to take on additional duties while I was away in the states with very little prompting. That is to say, some of things I normally do that are not part of her weekly routine were accomplished. We only had brief discussions about this before I left for the Thanksgiving holiday but she is so smart and quick that I really needn't have worried. Bed linens were laundered and changed, Randy's laundry was washed, ironed (I hate ironing!!), and put away in the correct places. Plants were watered, turned, trimmed, and given loving care. But best of all, nothing was missing!!! For me, this was the true test of character. It does seem normal practice to discover items missing after having an ayi for a certain period of time. But no worries with Angelie. She is about as honest a person as I've met.

Shortly after Christmas, Angelie presented me with a grocery list. "Please obtain items, and I will make dumpling for you and boss." OK. This piqued my interest because Angelie's dumplings are legendary among her clients. And we had yet to experience this culinary delight. She'd even gone to the trouble of writing down some of the ingredients in Chinese (both characters AND Pin yang) so we would be sure to get the correct items in the correct quantity.

Randy and I took off on foot on a Saturday morning to the wet market across the street. Other than the meat (which CAN be obtained at the wet market but we're a little leery of the open tables of meat that are pawed through by people and pooped on by flies all day), we could get everything we needed there (carrot, mushroom, cilantro, leek, chives). Picked up the meat later (dumplings can be made with chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp ... or can be meatless too) at the City Shop and we were good to go. Angelie had left instructions that I should let her know when the ingredients were obtained because maybe she'd come sooner than her normal Tuesday morning to make the dumplings. So I sent a text message. She said she'd come an hour early on Tuesday. I started thinking, "Gosh, she already comes at 7:15 AM." And given the fact that she comes from a great distance, she'd have to get up in the middle of the night to get here that early.

So I sent her a message to come on Monday evening after work and just spend the night in our guest room. OK, this would be fine. Around 7:30 on Monday, I received a text that she would be later than expected because her bike was stolen. Oh, I was SO mad!! Angelie is such a good person, works so hard, and is MOST honest, and of course SHE is the one to have her bike nabbed. After Angelie arrived, we chatted about the bike situation. She said she always locks her bike by the guard shack at this particular location where she works three days a week, feeling that this is probably the most safe area. Of course, she asked the guards if they knew of the whereabouts of her bike. The answer was that it was NOT their responsibility to look after her bike! Of course.

To be honest, it seemed I was more distressed about this than Angelie. She is just the most pleasant, serene, and caring person I have ever met. I kept going on and on about how unpleasant this situation was for her, and she was completely calm about the entire thing. Randy and I discussed helping her out with another bike which was rejected entirely. No, Angelie had an old bike that might need some repair, and that would have to do. I told her we'd pay to have the old bike repaired. "We'll see," was the reply.

On Tuesday morning, about 8 boxed servings of dumplings were sitting in our freezer after about an hour's work. Again, I offered extra money for her efforts .... NO WAY!! "I love making dumpling!! I love for you enjoy them!!" Randy fried them with some rice and vegetables later for dinner .... as Rachel Ray would say, "YUMMO!!!" They were certainly up to the hype! We had them again a few days later as part of the chicken vegetable soup Randy made that weekend.

The next Tuesday, Angelie arrived promptly as usual bundled up so as to look like the Pillsbury Doughboy or the Michelin Man. It's been brutally cold here lately (two nights ago, the low was 17 which is the lowest I've seen it since being in Shanghai). But Angelie's sunny disposition warmed the room immediately. Her first announcement warmed us even further .... the bike was returned to her!! Apparently, it was found in the garden area of the compound from whence it was stolen. She figures that the thieves couldn't finagle a way past the guard shack so decided to abandon it. In the meantime, she HAD gotten the old bike repaired, so now she has back-up. Great news!!

Well, I'd had a rough night. Not sleeping well, up and down, finally taking a sleeping pill which did the trick. But of course, waking up in the morning was an issue. Angelie watched me pad around the apartment a bit, and when I came past her to get a cup of coffee, she removed her hands from the sink full of suds and dried them off. She then took the cup from me and took one of MY hands, and led me to the sofa where she instructed me to sit down. I sat. She then proceeded to start massaging my neck, shoulders, and back. Oh .... groan!! I mean groan in a GOOD way!! I asked Angelie where she learned to do this. She said, "I read books. I even take test." I think to myself why isn't she working as a masseuse but then realize that taking care of people she loves (and Angelie always seems to grow to love her employers) is what SHE loves, bless her heart. And speaking of her heart, Angelie has also told me that she carries extra food around with her to give to the beggars on the street that have children with them (many carry babies in their arms or tied to their backs to enhance their neediness factor). Said she can't stand the thought of kids going hungry. Amazing!

Anyway, I digress. She then asked me to lay down so I again complied. She massaged my head and face at that point. I felt my body became warm and relaxed, just taking in her gentle care. Finally, she stood me up, and firmly, but gently, started pounding my body from head to toe ("Must get Chi moving!!"). I do not exaggerate when I say she spent over a half hour tending to my physical body in the most lovely way. Finally, she sat me back down on the sofa and handed me my coffee cup .... I didn't even mind that it had grown cold. "You sit. You relax. Maybe sleep again." What an angel. I immediately had the thought that I wonder how I could take her to come home with us!

And Angelie has the most amazing attitude. It does seem that no matter what we talk about, we come to a point in the conversation where she declares, "Make no sense to think about bad things. Only think good thoughts. Think good thoughts, more good comes. Think bad thoughts, bad comes!" Now there, my friends, is a wise woman. And when you think about what Angelie has been through, it's even more incredible.

Angelie is a divorced woman which is indeed a rare thing in Shanghai. I do not know the particulars of her divorce but I know her husband took their young son with him and left Angelie to move in with his parents (probably intimidated by her intelligence but that's just speculation on my part). Now China is still very much a patriarchal society, and that means if you are a woman, you still have very few rights. It's getting better but by only baby steps. As soon as Angelie's husband moved in with his parents, HIS father became the boss. Angelie was then refused all rights to have a relationship with her son. All her attempts to visit him were spurned and there is literally nothing she can do about it.

Recently, Angelie was contacted by her child's grandmother and teacher to say that the boy was having some problems in school, both with learning and behavior. The teacher felt quite certain that it had something to do with the fact that he missed his mother (Andrew is 11 or 12 now). So between the teacher and the grandmother, they were able to arrange some short visits (30 minutes) for Angelie. The grandfather has not been happy about this situation but the effect was immediate. Andrew has been doing much better. Of course, when Angelie went this last Sunday for her visit with Andrew, the grandfather met her at the door to say that "Boy is doing better so you no need to visit again." But a fragile truce has been arranged between Angelie and the grandmother. If Grandpa is not home, Angelie is allowed a visit.

But in her typical Buddhist philosophy, Angelie refuses to see this as a problem. "Only look at good. Not think about bad. Cannot change bad, so no think about." I wish we could bottle her attitude and give it to the world as a tonic. She is happy to have a good job, happy about having even sporadic short visits with her son, happy to have employers she loves and who return that love. Happy to make dumplings!! And we're happy to eat them .... and drink in her goodness. Bless her beautiful heart and her talented hands. And we're so blessed to have her in our lives and her light shining on us for even a short time.

Sunday, January 03, 2010

2009/2010 HOLIDAY SEASON

I did my usual trip back to the states just prior to Thanksgiving. Randy had made the choice to not join me as he likes to save his vacation time to be utilized in the summer when he can take an entire month back home. This is, unfortunately, NOT a popular choice with the family but it IS understandable. One arrives and must deal with eight to ten days of jet lag, only to turn around and head back to deal with it again on the other side. And the trip really cannot be accomplished very well in less than two weeks, especially when dealing with holiday activities.

I had decided (either wisely or stupidly depending on your perspective) to have the big Thanksgiving feed at our house in Frankenmuth. It turned out to be a lovely day with around 20 family in attendance. Everyone brought a dish to pass, and I set up a buffet in the basement. Worked out very nicely! Thanks everyone for all your help!

So I had what felt like a whirlwind trip back to Michigan. I retrieved my precious Mattie for a few weeks (which meant two trips to Grand Rapids), got her groomed, got in my doctor's and dentist appointments (even the dreaded mammogram!), managed to get the Christmas shopping purchased, wrapped, and delivered. I opted OUT of Christmas cards this year. I purchased and delivered a gift for the new baby girl next door, and also managed to pop in on the other next door neighbor, Esther, who at 90 is pretty much a "shut in." There were a couple of trips to Millington to accomplish some business there. There was a quick trip to the hospital with my folks for a scare involving my mother's blood pressure. She's on meds now and seems to be doing fine after a day in emergency and another day of tests. Both my sons took time to visit in Frankenmuth including my daughter-in-law, Melissa, and the grandkids, Aria, Layla, and Stuart (bless you, kids). The BIG news is that the 4th grandbaby is due in April!!! I even managed a few days in Ypsilanti with my dearest friend, Judy, and her husband, Neal, just prior to my return to Shanghai. Whew!! I shoved a LOT into a relatively short trip this time.

Anyway, suffice it to say that the trip went by SO fast, I hardly had time to catch my breath, and I regretfully didn't see everyone that I'd planned. I have to admit that by the end of the month, I was sort of looking forward to getting back to the MUCH slower pace of life in Shanghai (and of course, I missed my beloved hubby).

Shanghai seemed gray and quiet upon my return. Oh, there were a few signs of the holiday but not many. Most expats travel home for the holiday. Randy had put up the tree and hung the stockings to try to capture the spirit. But I wasn't really feeling it. Of course, jet lag is often accompanied by depression for me so I probably wasn't looking at everything with the proper cheery attitude of the season. Anyway, one evening Randy was flipping through one of the local expat magazines and asked me as I was surfing the net, "What would put you in the holiday spirit?" I answered, "Oh, some kind of performance ... maybe something with some holiday music?" He asked, "How would you feel about The Nutcracker as performed by the Russian Ballet on Christmas Eve?" "PERFECT!!!" was my response.

So my thoughtful husband purchased us lovely seats (center section, 13 rows from the stage) for a truly delightful performance of The Nutcracker. It was choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich, and the orchestra was conducted by Valery Platanov. Beautiful!!! We got all dressed up (me in HEELS even ... ouch!) and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. I have to mention one thing though. At one point, the prima ballerina actually fell flat on her face. The entire theatre gasped!! I leaned over and said to Randy, "THAT'S gonna leave a mark!" We chatted later and agreed that what had happened was that she performed a leap and came down upon a piece of fallen "snow" that had not been swept up from an earlier scene. Her partner picked her up, she lifted her head, smiled, and they danced on brilliantly (I'd have run off stage crying .... guess that's why SHE is the professional!!). It was truly a most memorable way to spend Christmas Eve!

Of course, our New Year's Eve was also MOST memorable but not in the same positive aspect of the ballet. When Randall purchased our tickets for the ballet, he noticed a production of the musical Fame playing at a new theatre in the Minghang district in the southern part of Shanghai. As most of our friends were in their respective homelands for the holiday, we decided to get tickets for the musical and that would be our New Year's Eve activity this year (back home, we usually go bowling).

We got ready to go to the theater a little early because we needed to hit the ATM across the street first (I wore flats this time). Randy had arranged to meet the driver near the ATM machine which is across the street in the next compound. Got our cash and we're standing on the corner exactly at 6:00 when the driver was due to meet us. Waited and waited. I wondered aloud if he would be coming to our building instead of where we were standing because that is where he always fetches us but Randy said no, he was very clear about being out at the gate (I was doubtful .... you don't change the routine with the Chinese because it just throws them for a loop). About 6:10, Randy's phone rang and it was the driver .... "Where are you?" Of course ... at our building. Randy told him, "Shuicheng gate, Shuicheng gate!!" We waited a few more minutes .... more than enough time for the driver to come from our building to the gate. Finally, I said to Randy, "We weren't where he expected us to be. NOW he's confused and has driven off (exactly what I'd feared ... once they are thrown for a loop, they simply give up completely). After another five minutes, I feared the holiday traffic would thwart us so I suggested we simply hail a cab.

Just about that time, a "black" taxi pulled up and the driver leaned out and offered us a ride (so called "black" taxi because it's usually just a guy who owns his own vehicle looking to make some cash, or a driver of an expat that utilizes the vehicle for making a little on the side when the expats don't need him). Randy showed him our tickets which he examined quite thoroughly, and finally he motioned for us to get in. I told Randy to get the price before we go because that is sometimes a problem with the "black" taxis .... get where you need to go and then they want an arm and a leg for the ride, especially from Westerners (and by then you're out in the middle of nowhere). Driver said 100 RMB (a little more than $14) which seemed a little steep but Randall said no, it's OK. So OK, we go. Nice car .... black sedan, no smoke smell, leather seats, driver wasn't TOO crazy (or so we thought).

We got on the expressway and the traffic was stop and go .... mostly stop. But we had over an hour so I didn't worry about it too much. Supposedly, the theatre was about half hour away under normal conditions but this was New Year's Eve and holiday traffic in Shanghai is UNBELIEVABLE!!! We had a laugh about our conversations with the Chinese who happen to own vehicles because we will ask them, "WHY on earth do you feel the need to own a vehicle when cheap public transportation is all around you?" They always reply that it provides them FREEDOM. And then we laugh thinking, "YES, freedom to sit in traffic jams in your own vehicle!!!" And of course, the more money that is made in China, the more vehicles are on the road, and the MORE TRAFFIC JAMS there are. The road system is sorely underdeveloped here and the longer we are here, the worse it gets due to more and more people owning vehicles (and no fewer buses and taxis to share the road with them). And they all drive like flipping idiots ... which I know I've already mentioned ad nauseum!!

So after moving very slowly on the expressway, the driver decides this is crap and gets off to try his luck wending our way through the city streets .... BAD idea!! Those streets are virtually gridlock. At one point, we go down a bike path which has me a little concerned because you might get trapped there with no way out if the other end is blocked. Every time we got into another jam, he tried to head west to go around it (our destination was primarily SOUTH) and then we'd hit another jam, and so he'd head west to try to circumvent that one, etc, etc.

This went on for what seemed like forever .... over an hour. It was getting close to 7:30, the start time of the musical, and we were worried we'd miss the beginning. Eventually, we thought we were close .... the street names were the same as those on the directions Randy had received via cell phone from Guanxi. But of course, having never been there, we weren't sure either exactly where the theatre was located. We drove around the area for a few minutes, and then the driver turned the car abruptly around a corner only to discover that we'd accidentally gotten on the ramp to the expressway. The driver tried to back down the ramp (of course!!) but the traffic was simply too thick for that. So plan B (or were we at C or D at this point?) was drive down the expressway until we hit an off ramp where we could turn around. Expressway is, of course, stop and go, and nearest ramp is about 4 miles down the road!!!!

By now, I'm all but giving up on the musical. It's past 7:30 and we're headed in the WRONG direction. Finally, we got off the expressway, and brilliant driver (who has made several calls to someone to try to figure out exactly WHERE we were supposed to be going) decided to take a short cut through an industrial park where we too late realized there is NO WAY OUT!!! About that time, I mentioned to Randy that I could see in the near distance the streaks of spotlights sweeping the night sky and wonder aloud if that is the new Shanghai City Theatre where we are supposed to see the musical.

What seems like FOREVER later, we are finally back in the neighborhood where we THINK the theatre is located. We got on the correct street and started trying to check building numbers which was difficult. Big brand new buildings all decorated for the holidays .... but no address numbers anywhere!!! Driver rolled down his window several times to ask folks where the theatre was located. They all pointed at a big new mall area with a huge department store on one end and a Carrefour (the Chinese equivalent of Walmart) on the other. Looks nice but surely is not the theatre. Randy and I insisted that this is NOT the place. But driver insisted it was and kept pointing up .... like it's at the top of this building. So OK, we'll go. We paid the driver and jumped out. We asked a couple other folks in the area .... same answer, the pointing UP!! So we went into the mall and took several escalators to the 5th floor where we found ...... are you ready for this????? THE CINEMA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, they saw nothing but the word "theater" on the tickets and indeed that IS the "theater" in this neighborhood (at least in their "informed" opinion). If it weren't for the fact that the movie would be in Chinese, we'd have ripped up our tickets and purchased seats for "Avatar!!!!" We could NOT believe it!!!

So by now (if you're still with me), it's nearly 8:00. Not to be daunted (by now, we just want to see if we can even FIND the City Theatre), Randy asked a lady about our tickets, and she ran over and grabbed her husband who spoke excellent English. "No," he told us, "we're not in the correct place." (ya think????) but he wasn't exactly sure where the City Theatre was located. Give him a second and he'll ask somebody. He went to a ticket counter and reported back that we were only a couple of blocks away and across the street ...... from whence the spotlights were coming!!! Of course!!! By now, it's like it's a test and we're determined to NOT fail it!! We started walking. FINALLY, we arrived. Yes, beautiful new theatre very nicely decorated for Christmas. Door man let us in and a nice Chinese woman seated us in our lovely seats about 7 rows back from the stage. We sat down just in time for the curtain to fall for intermission. Sigh!!!

Well, the second half of Fame was VERY nice. The theatre had only about 200 folks in it (I would say it holds nearly 1,000) but the performance (what we SAW anyway) was excellent! Good singing and dancing, high energy. I told Randy that it must be difficult to put that much energy into a performance when there are so few in the audience but they did it nonetheless. I'm glad we persevered.

We hailed a taxi after the show to head to Hongmei Lu and, believe it or not, that driver got us there is less than 15 minutes!!!! I said to Randy that the driver of the "black" taxi just didn't know where the heck he was going at all. And the Chinese are loathe to admit they don't know something or that they are wrong. So then they "lose face" by getting us lost and taking us to the wrong place!!

Anyway, had a nice bottle of wine, a Caesar salad, and a beautiful pizza at Porto Novo (best pizza we've had in Shanghai). And then we went to Big Bamboo for a drink. Rang in the New Year at El Cubano where they had a pretty good party going on. They shot off a BAZILLION fireworks in the street at midnight (this is China after all .... fireworks for EVERY occasion!). We had a mojito (the house specialty) and went home around 12:30.

That was our 2010 New Year!! And Happy New Year to all of YOU, near or far!!

MORE FUN WITH LARRY & THERESE

Since having met Larry & Therese, I have to say that we sort of feel like we've found our soul mates in Shanghai. They are about our age, have similar working backgrounds (automotive), similar life style (they live on an inland lake in Michigan in the Detroit area, we have our place on Lake Huron in Grindstone), we love playing cards (especially Euchre ... OUR favorite), enjoy a nice meal and a nice glass of wine or a couple of beers. Also, their love of travel and exploring whatever surroundings in which they find themselves is quite similar to our attitude about living overseas. Of course, we also lament together the shortcomings and frustrations about living in a foreign land too. But having someone that you know understands EXACTLY how you feel (including the homesickness) goes a LONG way toward making it all so much more enjoyable.

We have fallen into an easy pattern of spending most of our Saturdays (and often a few Sunday afternoons as well) with Larry & Therese. One of those adventures happened to be the eyeglass market. The eyeglass market is a five story building in a rather shabby part of town (well, only shabby because it appears to be in a permanent state of construction .... the thought of going into that part of town makes me want to run for a surgical mask due to the excessive dust and pollution). Each floor is chockablock (to borrow a phrase from our British friends) full of stalls selling eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, eyeglass cases, absolutely ANYTHING pertaining to eyes and eye care. They will copy your current prescription into any frame (and trust me, there are a MILLION frames available), or they will test your eyes right on the spot for your current vision requirements (not sure I trust the Chinese eye test but if one's vision isn't too bad, I suppose it's OK).

Larry and Therese had been there several times and were keen on showing us this resource for optical delights. An entire pair of glasses can be had for around $40 US or even less sometimes, a little more if you want bifocals or tinted lenses. A lot of my lady friends here in our compound have a pair to go with every outfit due to the cheap pricing.

Larry needed to get a pair of glasses repaired. While we were in Hangzhou, he'd broken a bow. As an engineer, he cleverly McGyvered a bow out of either a swizzle stick or a chop stick (I can't remember which now) to get him through the weekend. We'd teased him about starting a new fashion trend ... glasses made out of chop sticks and swizzle sticks. There's probably a patent to be had there somewhere! Anyway, we went to the stall on the 3rd floor of the market building where Larry & Therese had purchased the glasses for the repair. It is great fun to wander the aisles of the market trying on glasses and sunglasses. At Therese's suggestion, I'd brought my glasses along just in case I found some frames I liked (I normally wear contact lenses ... although lately with the addition of reading glasses as needed ... sigh). Well, there was no need to worry about finding something I liked. The problem was finding only ONE thing I liked!

So we left the eyeglass market with a pair of regular glasses for me, a pair of readers for Randy, and a pair of sunglasses for me. I won't tell you what we paid for them because you'll hate us. The regular glasses I had made (they copied the script from the old ones) were spot on in terms of the prescription so I can vouch for the quality. Anyway, if they are not correct, they will fix them until they are right.

Other events shared with Larry & Therese include trying many new restaurants .... Otto (Italian), Coconut Paradise (Thai), Bacaro (Italian), Maya (trendy Mexican),Taikang Lu area as well as frequenting some of our great stand-bys like Peter's Tex Mex and Bubba's Texas BBQ for some tastes of home. Often, we end up at either their house or our apartment to play cards ... always the ladies versus the men. We've been chased out of a couple of bars for playing cards too. Apparently there is some law against playing cards in a bar in China .... might have something to do with gambling (which is done on every street corner ... mah jong or other card games are always in progress here in the streets and parks with LOTS of money changing hands). But more than once, we've been asked to put the cards away while enjoying a beverage in an establishment serving alcohol.

Also, it seems the four of us often end up shopping at the Pearl Market, our favorite "knock off" market in our neighborhood. The Pearl Market is just across the street from the Hongmei Lu pedestrian street which I am quite sure I have mentioned previously. Every kind of ethnic food imaginable is available on this street (no, we haven't tried the Iranian yet) so it's a terrific part of town where we spend a lot of time. Also, the grocery store that carries many imported items is in this neighborhood as well as the Dragonfly where we get our massages. So we find ourselves on Hongmei Lu at least once a week. It's only about a 45 minute walk or a 10 minute taxi ride depending upon our energy level at the time.

Last night, we met with Larry & Therese at Bubba's for BBQ and to watch the Michigan State Spartans play in the Alamo Bowl (tape delayed, of course). They had just flown back into Shanghai after having been home for the holidays, and as they are big Spartan fans (they have a daughter attending there), we knew a meal while watching the game would be a great way to reconnect with them.

So we cherish our friendship with Larry & Therese, and hope that we can remain close subsequent to our respective moves back to Michigan. They live about an hour from our home in Frankenmuth so it's not like they are too far away for this to be an obstacle. Heck, if the traffic is bad, they are that far away from us NOW in Shanghai!! I think more adventures will definitely be had in Michigan by the four of us upon our returns to the states.