Gongs In China

1

2012-02-13T01:49:00.001-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

14 months ago Janie was born. She's been strong willed since the start and is full of personality. The way she puts a smile on people's faces, from her grandparents to a stranger on the street, I hope will never change. Watching her develop and grow has been nothing but amazing and we're so thankful she's in our lives.We held a small party here for her with a bunch of her little baby friends. Daisy regularly holds playgroups with other expat moms here in Shanghai.

Click here to see more pictures from Janie's Birthday Party: Janie's Party

Chinese New Year also came a bit early this year. It's one of the two most insane travel times of the year here in China. Because we only got back from the US a couple of weeks before, we decided to make it more of a stay-cation and went with a few friends to a hotel not far from the city to just relax and hang out. We were home at midnight on New Year's Eve though, and because we live on a pretty big street in a central area, we were treated to some insane fireworks right outside of our bedroom window. Janie LOVES the fireworks, but unfortunately, midnight is a bit too late for her. See below for video of actual Chinese New Year fireworks in China:
Chinese New Year 2012 - Shanghai

And We're Back

2012-01-20T02:56:00.000-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Taken by Daisy on the way to Brooklyn

Back and almost recovered from our bi(tri?)annual trip back to America. As we discovered in July, flying from Shanghai to California is much shorter and easier on jetlag than flying directly back to New York. It also gives us a mini-vacation in the process. So I think that's what we'll be doing now whenever we visit home....actually, Hawaii is on the way too....hmmmm....

Click here to see more pictures from the Bay Area: Bay Area

As I told my friend Pat, it's not weird coming back to New York anymore. It no longer feels like we're visiting one place or the other. It more just feels like we have two homes now. It's actually a great and liberating feeling. But I do believe that wherever you're supposed to be, you'll feel and know purpose there. It's not something you have to convince yourself, it's something you'll know. And at that time, that's where you belong. Chew on that one for a bit.

Click here to see more pictures from NYC: Christmas in NYC

Our trip was purposeful, fun and completely exhausting. It's always a blessing to be able to go back, because proper perspective is really hard to see until you step outside of where you're at. But it's also when you learn not to compare and just embrace different. I think only then you can really appreciate both.

Events

2011-12-06T01:38:00.001-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Gongs in America
Dec 17 - 20: San Fransisco
Dec 21 - Jan 6: NYC

It seems like the Shanghai calendar runs based on events. Out here it's not a matter of having nothing to do, it's deciding which things you can actually make it to. And in the close knit community of expats in Shanghai, you're always bound to know someone who is involved with each thing, if it's not you yourself.Three weeks ago, I was the event manager for the Shanghai 2011 Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference that takes place in over 200 cities and 80 countries all over the world. Built on the vision of Pastor Bill Hybels at Willow Creek Church in Chicago, it has grown into the premier leadership event of it's kind, welcoming over 150,000 attendees worldwide. Last year was my first as an attendee and I was blown away by how inspiring and impressive it was. This was the third year the Summit was held in Shanghai and we had over 600 attendees. I absolutely recommend attending one if you can in your city. They take place at a few sites in and around NYC. You will learn and grow as a leader whether you're in ministry, business, education or even just socially. Click here for more info.

The weekend after, the NFL Experience came to Shanghai. The NFL is constantly promoting American football to the Chinese market and they set up a weekend event to promote the sport and the brand. Lots of interactive stations and American football teams competing. It was Daddy and Janie day as I begin her education of American sports. Sadly, her Jose Reyes T-shirt will only educate her on the heartache of being a Mets fan. And yes, her Daddy also went to Penn State. (sigh)

Janie doing the Heisman

Thanksgiving 3x (+ Uncle Steven)

2011-11-29T03:33:00.001-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Almost a month since the last entry. Ouch. I'll try harder. For those of you who miss talking to me, if you call (516)360-3375, it comes right to my phone here in China. Just remember there's a time difference. Oh, and does anyone use WhatsApp?

Thanksgiving came early in Shanghai for us this year. In order to bring a little bit of home to China, Americans all over Shanghai put on huge Thanksgiving dinners. Turkey is hard to come by over here, but for the holiday, dozens of hotels and caterers ship them in and prepare Thanksgiving packages to order. We were invited to about six different dinners and had to whittle it down to just three during the week. See below:
#1

#2

#3

Just prior to that was my 30-something-th birthday, which my brother Steven flew halfway around the world for. For someone not big into celebrating his birthday and not a fan of cake, I'd say the 4 different cakes were a bit overkill. I don't even know how anyone knew it was my birthday. But one cake stood out above the rest. Our favorite Canadian chef, Andrew, was cooking dinner for us and he asked Daisy what my favorite kind of cake was. Knowing me better than anyone else, Daisy jokingly said "uh...a meat cake?" Not fully getting the joke, the most delicious cake I've ever tasted was born.

Thanks Steven for visiting, Daisy for the Doritos, Mint Choc Chip ice cream and being my wife, and mom for the Video Baby Monitor(must see TV in Janie's room) and all of Janie's new clothes.

Janie turns 1 on Friday! (whoa...)

Play Date

2011-11-01T22:16:00.000-04:00

*posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Please stay Jose!
Janie has an abundance of friends (although she doesn't know they're friends yet) around her age here. And that's just within the expat community. She also has plenty of local friends in our neighborhood that she sees on a regular basis too. Since Daisy is full time momming it now, she's been organizing playgroups with a bunch of the other new moms throughout the week. With such a diverse community, it's like a baby United Nations. I also went to my first children's birthday party the other week. Over here, the Chinese have their own special brand of children's entertainment. By special I mean impossibly high-pitched voices and awkward clappy dancing. But I don't think it matters where you go, one thing remains true: cute babies will never fail to make grown ups act like fools to entertain them (myself included). Janie is still at the stage where she just stares with a blank look at them. That's my girl.

Daisy and I also recently attended the wedding of our friends Sandro and Stella. It was probably the highest wedding we'll ever go to, on the 96th floor of the Shanghai IFC Tower in the Park Hyatt Hotel. I was unexpectedly asked to semi-officiate the ceremony which was a first, as I have no powers vested in me, but it was nice to be able to pray for their marriage at the wedding. Sandro is Italian and Stella is Korean-American, which combines to form an awesome dinner menu. Congrats guys, have some really good looking mixed babies!

Still 70 degrees and sunny in Shanghai. Sorry New York!

Apartment 3

2011-10-21T05:07:00.000-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

2.5 years, 3 apartments, 1 corner. Those are our stats so far. I guess it doesn't sound so strange to expats in Shanghai, where things are constantly changing, but that's alot of moving. Where we live is just so convenient that we can't bring ourselves to leave the intersection of Hengshan Rd and Gao An Rd.

With Janie being much more mobile now (she's a bumper car in her walker. Pretty lazy when it comes to crawling, although she can) we needed more space. We found it across the street. It's still two bedrooms, but the bedrooms are much bigger and the living area has it's own door (crucial for sleeping babies) and is also much bigger. More space for Uncle Steven to sprawl out when he comes to visit in November.

Check it out:
Living RoomView from Living Room
Kitchen; Janie's RoomOur BedroomLiving Room at Night
We're still accepting all visitors! But more likely, we'll see you in December.

Moganshan & Singapore

2011-09-18T08:51:00.008-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

About once a year, our Bble study group takes a retreat somewhere out of the city to get away for a few days, spend time with each other and spend more time with G0d. This year, we went to the famed Mogan Mountain (shan means mountain in mandarin). We came to Moganshan about one month after Daisy and I first arrived in Shanghai. You can check out that post here: Moganshan 2009

About 3 hours outside of Shanghai, Moganshan is a mountain covered in bamboo forest, like in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. There are numerous little houses and hotels dotted around the peak and makes for a great getaway with its fresh air and quietness.

Click here to see more pictures from our retreat to Moganshan: Moganshan retreat

Two days before the retreat, I flew down to Singapore for leadership training. For the third time, Shanghai will be one of the many hosts worldwide of The Global Leadership Summit, where I'm serving as event manager. I'll write more about the actual Summit when it happens in November, but it was an inspiring and awesome three days and I'm excited to be a part of it. Singapore is just so....nice. Everything there is nice and clean and orderly and nice. Not sure how else to describe it. Even the airport feels like a 5 star hotel, not like an airport. And the food. Singaporeans take great pride in their food. I can understand why.

Click here to see more pictures from Singapore: Singapore 2011

Just Did It

2011-08-29T02:18:00.021-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Earthquake, hurricane and tornadoes? In one week? Poor NYC. I'm trusting that you're all ok.

I'm sure many of you have heard of or seen "Georgetown vs. China" by now. It's disappointing but not surprising. With Yao Ming retiring, Chinese basketball is back in the cellar. In a nation that's all about "face," losing against foreigners isn't a good look. Chinese basketball teams have had a few memorable fights with other foreign teams in the not-so-distant past as well. Fights in the heat of battle during a game, ok, it happens. But I really wish they'd stop picking up chairs. C'mon China, that just make you look like a sissy.

Mercedes Benz Area, Shanghai (not my picture)

That same evening I was at the awesome Mercedes Benz Arena here in Shanghai watching Duke play the junior men's national team. It was a well fought game, without the stupidness of the one above. The stadium itself was built for the Expo last year and is world-class amazing. Duke beat the China team pretty easily, despite not playing too well. Duke basketball live. Another "American" thing I've done here in China that I probably wouldn't get to do in America.

Those games culminated in the Nike Festival of Sport here in Shanghai. A four day Swoosh-fest put on by Nike to strengthen their brand here in the world's largest market. They built 10 new basketball courts around the 80,000 seat Shanghai Stadium and created stations for nearly every sport. Even MMA. They made products available for people to wear, skills challenges and brought in pro athletes to conduct clinics. NBA players like Lebron, Amare Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, Chris Bosh and Kyrie Irving were all here. Along with Duke and the now China-infamous Georgetown basketball teams. All FREE to the public. A couple of my friends work for Nike China, so we got the insiders tour. A really cool event. Nike knows marketing.

Nike Festival of Sport - 2011 Shanghai

LaMarcus Aldridge

Chris Bosh; me with former Knick, Othella Harrington (aka Biz Markie)

Georgetown warming up behind us; NBAer's at closing ceremony

If you're not into sports, sorry. Here's Janie:

Janie & Anna-Sophie (1 mo younger..confirming that Germans are huge); Janie and Daisy in our new apt

Response to comments:
Elyse - Yup, that's Katie. It's funny how the more you go out into the world, the smaller it becomes. See you on this side sometime soon!

Sichuan

2011-08-20T11:38:00.002-04:00

posted by Alan
click on the pictures to see them full size

At the end of June, just before our trip to the US (two days before our flight), I joined the SCF Youth Group on their annual trip with Habitat for Humanity. We went to help rebuild homes in areas that were affected by the devastating 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province (or as out-dated Chinese take-out joints call it, Szechuan). A team of 18 of us spent 9 days diligently working our butts off to try to get these apartment buildings ready for people to move in. This wasn't a typical HfH build, in that we weren't really building homes, we were pretty much working a construction site. But nevertheless, all that mattered was that people needed homes.

Two of the major things that stood out from this trip was once again, incredible community and simplicity of life. Our schedules were pretty constant. Wake up, group devotion time, work, lunch, work, shower, dinner, sharing/fellowship/games. It sounds repetitive, but simplifying life that way really was enjoyable. And everything we did was together. There was no complaining or whining, despite the grueling work we were doing. Team building at its finest.

We also visited an earthquake memorial site and temporary housing shelters for the people who were waiting to move into the homes we worked on. The memorial site really showed the magnitude of the devastation the earthquake caused, while the shelters and meeting the people reflected devastation of a deeper level. The shelters were basically tin boxes. One man had me come inside and told me to touch the wall. It was almost to hot to put my hand on. These people have been living like this for three years. Motivation to work was not a problem.

It was an unforgettable trip. The region we were in was in a mountain valley with blue skies and rivers. The bonds and relationships formed with the kids were lasting. But the most impactful memory I will have is the one below:

I straggled into the shelters behind the rest of the group. As I was walking, this woman came out with her baby. I spoke with her and showed her pictures of Janie and it just felt like nice parent-talk stuff. But then it hit me. We're constantly adjusting Janie's AC to make it comfortable for her. Letting her try different foods and different toys. These parents can't do any of that for their baby. Janie has trouble sleeping when she's hot. This one doesn't have a choice. Disasters happen and it's big news for awhile...and then it's not. It's so easy to forget. I look forward to the day I can bring Janie on a trip like this one.

Click here to see a full album of our trip to NYC: Habitat for Humanity - Sichuan 2011

oh, and no trip to Sichuan is complete without hot pot and pandas.

San Diego 2011

2011-07-28T10:09:00.011-04:00

Before we made it to NYC, we flew directly to San Diego to attend the wedding of our good friends, Jeff and Helen. San Diego itself is amazing. It's like the whole city is a resort. As our Brazilian sister Su kept saying, "This isn't real life!"

About the wedding, Jeff is Chinese-American, Helen is Chinese-Brazilian and they met and fell in love here in Shanghai. About 30 of us from Shanghai were there for the wedding and made a weeklong vacation out of it. It was one of the most enjoyable vacations we’ve ever had, really enjoying the sense of community we shared with our friends. Jeff’s parents hosted a July 4th BBQ at their awesome house overlooking Rancho Bernardo. It was a perfect way to end a great week and send Jeff and Helen off as newlyweds.

Shoutout to Rachel and endless Chick-Fil-A!

Click here to see a full album of our San Diego trip

NYC JULY 2011

2011-07-28T09:25:00.013-04:00

posted by Alan
Click on pictures to see them full size

It amazes me how as life progresses and things change, we constantly learn and grow with it. We just returned to Shanghai from our sixth (seventh for me) visit home to New York since we first moved out here in 2008. After every trip, Daisy and I usually reflect on what we experienced, and each time we learn/see/realize something new. I won’t go into the specifics here, but we’ve learned to appreciate the process and it certainly keeps life exciting. One thing I DID learn is how many people actually read this thing (despite what the number of comments might suggest), so here goes another post.

Grandpa Chan and Grandma Gong

Even without the growing experience, this trip was easily justifiable with two weddings (congrats Bum and Wendy!) and the birth of Janie’s first cousin, Hayden. It also marked Janie’s first time at the beach, in a pool and lots of quality time with her grandparents, uncles, aunts and friends. And compared to the usual Shanghai summer, the NYC heatwave felt like nothing. We hope to be back yet again during Christmas, but can somebody please do something about those NYC gas prices before we get back?

Great Grandma Gong, Uncle Steven, Great Grandma Yuen

Click here to see a full album of our trip to NYC: NYC July 2011

California - NYC

2011-06-28T21:21:00.007-04:00

posted by Alan
Click on pictures to see them full size

As is usual in Shanghai, life never stops moving. As was the case two years ago when we first came here, we never know what's going to happen next here, but we know it's not going to be boring.

Shanghaifellowship.org

About 6 months ago, I was presented with a couple of job opportunities. One of which was presented by my good friend Jeff, who at the time was the Community Life Director at Shanghai Community Fellowship, the largest international church in Shanghai. Since then, he has moved back to California where we will attend his wedding on Saturday and I am now the full time Community Life Director at SCF. My job is to look after over 50 small groups and a community of over 1000 foreigners here in Shanghai that attend our church. Training leaders, coordinating events and building community. This job allows me the flexibility to spend time with Daisy and Janie, affords for Daisy to not have to work, and me to utilize certain gifts that I was blessed with. I'm never less than amazed with how God works things out when we trust Him.

Tonight we leave Shanghai for sunny San Diego for the wedding of our good friends Jeff(Cali) and Helen(Brazil), who met here in Shanghai. It will be a mini-reunion of sorts with over 40 Shanghai people flying over there. On July 5th, we'll head back east to NYC until the 25th to see you all again and so you can play with Janie. Also Daisy's sister giving birth, my cousin Wendy's wedding and picking up new visas. Send either of us an email to make plans. We'd love to see as many of you as possible.

agong029@gmail.com
daisydaze@gmail.com
(if you don't know which email belongs to whom, you probably don't know us well enough to see us anyway)

See you soon!

Summer Plans

2011-06-05T23:25:00.007-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Expat life in Shanghai kind of mirrors the school year. During the summer, most people take time to travel or visit home for an extended amount of time. Then in the fall, everyone returns and a new batch of people arrive and settle in for awhile until Christmastime.

Our summer travel plans are booked. In two weeks, I’ll be travelling to Sichuan province with our church youth group to work with Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild homes in places that were decimated by the 2008 earthquake. A step out of comfy Shanghai and back into real China.

A few days after that, we head to San Diego for the wedding of our friends Jeff and Helen. He’s Chinese-American from Cali and she’s Chinese-Brazilian from Sao Paolo. They met and fell in love in Shanghai. That stuff happens here.

Then on July 5th, it’s back to NYC for a few weeks. Daisy’s sister Cecilia is going to pop out Janie’s first cousin and we’ll also be able to go to my cousin Wendy’s wedding. Lots going on in July and it’s going to be an exhaustingly good time. See you all soon!

Lots of Janie:

=)

2011-06-01T03:02:00.006-04:00

posted by Alan

Dear God,

Thank you for summertime. =)

Love, Alan

Macho

2011-05-15T11:32:00.011-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Before you read this post, just note that I am not confused, nor wavering on my manliness…

vs.

After watching Fast 5 yesterday (which I enjoyed very much), it got me wondering. Girls in Shanghai see girls in western movies and seem to be influenced by the way they look, act, etc. Guys on the other hand.... I was once told ‘In Shanghai, girls aren’t attracted to guys with muscles because it means you have to spend time in the gym, which means you’re not focused on making money.’ This is a city where it’s common to see skinny guys with tousled hair, wearing capris and carrying man purses. Shanghai women have the stereotype of being “li hai” which means fierce, while the men are stereotyped to be submissive. It’s hard to argue when you see guys holding the girls hand on one side and her purse or frilly umbrella in the other. It’s weird to say this, but I try to exude a sense of masculinity. I think as Americans, we’re conditioned as men to be big, tough and assertive. Most of you reading this are from there, so you know what a picture of masculinity looks like. It makes me wonder what they think of when they see that here. Do they not recognize it? Do they see it, but dismiss it? Or do they say ‘Ew, who would want to be like that?’

What I’m about to say is merely my personal opinion. Feel free to disagree with me. We can still be friends.

I’ve wondered if I should concede to the different culture and accept that this is what manhood means here, but I can’t do it. I believe it’s not a cultural thing, it’s an inherent thing. I believe that men SHOULD be masculine. Men and women are different and it’s meant to be that way. There is room in masculinity for patience, sensitivity and compassion. But we should also be bold and firm in what we believe and not be afraid to make tough decisions and assume responsibility for them. We should command respect.

Of course, these are stereotypes and not ALL men here fit the description. I know some local chinese guys that are as manly as any red-blooded, meat-eating American. But I feel that in general, the guys in Shanghai need to man up. I will now step down from my soapbox.

Modern Family

2011-05-02T09:23:00.002-04:00

Posted by Alan
Click on pictures to see them full sized

Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren (minus Daisy and Janie)
In 1911, Chen Fung Yeu was born in Tai Shan, China. 100 years, 6 children, 18 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren later, on April 24, 2011, 120 of us gathered in Queens, New York to celebrate the matriarch of our large and awesome family.

Family portraits; Granddaughters

While much of the family is based in New York, dozens more came in from Canada, Boston, California, Hong Kong, Georgia and me from Shanghai for this reunion, hosted by her grandchildren, headed up by my cousins Shirley and Jennifer. It was years in the making and when it happened, it was pretty incredible that everyone was actually together in one place.

Granddaughers and Grandsons

Restaurant Takeover

I always knew our family was pretty special. I’ve always appreciated how we truly enjoy being with each other and no matter how far or how long it has been since we’ve seen each other, we still feel close. This weekend gave me a new appreciation for the gift of family. Thanks to all of my cousins for making it happen.

The Grandchildren

"A yute? What is a yute?"

2011-04-19T07:46:00.005-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

A free pat on the back for anyone that can tell me what movie that quote is from.

Just five days after we got back from our NY trip, we left Shanghai for the Shanghai Community Fellowship Youth retreat for the second year in a row. Over two hundred international middle and high school students, one weekend, ICBC Bank corporate retreat site and guest speaker, Pastor Jeff Pratt. I served again as a counselor and workshop leader, while Daisy was mostly there for support and Janie duty.

There is a term for kids who are born and grew up overseas. They're called Third Culture Kids (TCK's). They're citizens of one culture, but grew up in another, sometimes leaving them not feeling like they belong to either, thus forming their own. It's not good or bad, it's just different (cue ABC afterschool special music.) It can lead to some identity and social struggles, especially as TCK's are in their high school/college years and try to assimilate to one culture. But it also takes away the sense of entitlement and self-centered thinking that you see in many American teens today. These kids seem to understand that the world doesn't exist to cater to them.

Nobody knows the future, but there is a real chance that Janie will be a TCK. While I do think about the adjustments and challenges that she might have to deal with, part of me is kind of glad she won't be bombarded with the Jersey Shore, the Kardashians and the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Either way, if she grows up with the maturity, passion and broad view of the world of these teens we spent the weekend with, I'll be a happy daddy.

American Football

2011-04-13T09:27:00.005-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Yes, outside of the USA, it must be referred to as "American football," with "football" actually meaning "soccer." Why couldn't we have just called our version of football "soccer" and avoided this entire mess?

Semantics aside, a friend asked me to be a coach for an American football clinic last month sponsored by NFL China and Under Armour. The main draw was Ed Wang, rookie offensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills and the first NFL player of full Chinese descent. His parents were both Chinese Olympic athletes before moving to Virginia, where Ed grew up and became an All-American at Virginia Tech. If you don't know American football, the offensive line is made up of giant freaks of nature, whose job is to protect the quarterback and make room for running backs. Ed is about 6'5 315lbs and has hands the size of baseball gloves.

The clinics themselves were alot of fun. It was with the first full-pad, full-contact peewee league Chinese football team in the country. They were put together and coached by an American guy and they play against the other international teams in Shanghai. The Chinese parents really like that it makes their kids tougher and it was fun being around that little league atmosphere again. And the kids love it as well. Especially during the Oklahoma drill. One kid with the ball, one kid tries to tackle him head on. They totally went at each other and it was awesome.

Click here to see the full album: NFL China Clinic with Ed Wang

I don't know if any of those kids are going to be the Yao Ming of the NFL one day, but it's definitely a start and was alot of fun to be a part of.

March

2011-04-07T21:43:00.005-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

What a crazy past month it's been for our little family. As mentioned last post, we made a last second decision to visit home for almost the whole month of March. There was just too much going on during April/May, which is when we originally planned to bring Janie back for her first visit to New York. That's the real reason, not because the NCAA Tournament was going on. Honest...

It was an awesome trip. I'll sum it up in a few words: food, family, friends, football, basketball, food. But as always, pictures say much more:

Click here to see the full album: Janie in NY

Thanks to everyone for making the effort and time to visit and arrange get-togethers. Especially to the Grandparents for hosting us and taking such good care of Janie. It took a little effort to un-spoil her, but I'm sure she's looking forward to more of it soon. It was a joy to see how much everyone loved her.

P.S. Baby jetlag sucks.

Gongs in America

2011-03-04T01:08:00.003-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

So Tuesday night in Shanghai, Daisy and I realized that the most possible time we would have to bring Janie back to New York to visit was RIGHT NOW. Wednesday was a mad scramble, and Thursday we arrived at JFK. Spontaneous and kinda crazy, but you get used to that sort of thing living in China.

Everything is OK, it was just such a sudden decision because we wanted to be able to spend as much time here as possible. No other reason. Because it was so quick, we had no time to bring back gifts or make many plans with anyone, so get in touch! We're excited to see everyone and eat food that we missed... not necessarily in that order.

We'll be in NY/NJ until Sunday, March 27th. To reach us, send an email to me or Daisy. We'd love for you all to meet Janie.

Children Beware

2011-02-26T08:06:00.011-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Someone once told me that during baby raising time, the years go by fast but the days go by slow. Since it's true that the days are pretty long, id assume that soon the months will turn into years and Janie will be reading and watching and listening to all types of child-friendly entertainment. We've already collected a decent amount of material in preparation and have been previewing some of it. Maybe my decades of living in this morally corrupt world has robbed me of my innocent way of appreciating things, but I had a few issues with some of what I saw.

Let's start with a classic Disney tale of love, lobsters and red hair. I already can hear some of your reactions. "i LOVE the Little Mermaid!" I'm sure you do, but I doubt she loves you back. She doesn't even love HERSELF! The heroine of this fairy tale is a beautiful princess who is obsessed with changing her body so that she could be with a boy. Sorry to dump on your favorite movie, but what message is this sending to our little girls??? Why couldn't she remain a mermaid and demand that he love her for who she is? The happy ending came when she finally got what she wanted and magically became something that she wasn't born to be. In today's world, we don't have magic, we have plastic surgery and Ariel wouldn't have a movie, she'd have a reality show on VH1.

If this is Janie in 15 years, we did something wrong.
Next on the chopping block is a book that we received as a gift. Daisy actually pointed this one out as she was reading it to Janie. Yes, I see the sweet, intended message of the story, but it's still odd. I'll let you decide for yourself:

Starts off innocent. A mother loves her baby and rocks him to sleep. When he's 2 years old, she sneaks into his room and if he's asleep, she picks him up and rocks him as well.

But then, when he's a teenager, she crawls into his room and if he's asleep and doesn't know it, she rocks that "great big boy back and forth." Then after he grows up and moves out on "dark nights, she got in a car and drove across town."

"If the lights were out, she opened his bedroom window, crawled across the floor and if he was really asleep, she rocked that great big man back and forth." In the end, the son rocked his mother back and forth. Funny, no mention of a wife.

Forgive the cynicism of this post. In today's age of psychological instability, image problems, sexual predators and political correctness overload, maybe some things just don't translate as well over time. Shoot, have you ever seen the classic movie Breakfast at Tiffany's? If you have, I don't even have to explain what parts of that movie would cause race riots today. Nevertheless, to make up for my sometimes overly-analytic mind, Janie has Daisy, who can enjoy just about anything that she watches or reads. I guess I'll just take her outside to play.

Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-04T09:05:00.012-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Happy Chinese New Year! As most of you know, the Chinese Lunar New Year is upon us and we're now in the Year of the Rabbit. Back at home, it's a time where the family meets in Chinatown for dinner, exchanges red envelopes and Google changes their logo for a day. But here in the Middle Kingdom, this holiday takes on a whole new meaning. Think Thanksgiving, Christmas and Black Friday Shopping combined... plus 700 million people. CNY holiday travelling has been unofficially recognized as the largest human migration in the world. The country shuts down for a week, as people travel to wherever their families are to make dumplings, eat a feast, watch the CCTV CNY variety show marathon and light fireworks at midnight.

We've heard stories about what it's like in Shanghai. Mainly about the fireworks. "Good luck sleeping" was the general message we got. We were just hoping it wouldn't bother Janie.

CNY morning was actually quite pleasant. The weather was an uncharacteristic 55 degrees and sunny. I organized a game of football on New Years morning for those of us not travelling. Shanghai was a ghost town. After football, we packed up and headed over the river to Pudong to a friends place where we played games and had dinner. We came home about an hour before midnight, where the streets were still quiet and empty. After feeding and changing Janie, it was close to twelve... and then it began.

Shanghai Fireworks from our apartment

The residents of Shanghai seemed to spill out from wherever they were holed up during the day into the streets and simultaneously light the sky on fire. The entire city seemed to be lit up with fireworks for a good hour straight. Very impressive. Janie actually LOVED watching the fireworks. Day 4 of the holiday week is supposed to be an even bigger night for fireworks, so we're looking forward to that for sure.

Janie mesmerized by fireworks

Here are some random pictures:
Yunan Bug Restaurant

Homemade Daisy PIzza

And more of Miss Janie:

Marbury Year 2

2011-01-24T01:01:00.005-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

As the 2010-2011 NBA season is reaching it's halfway point, so is the equally exciting Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Ok, so it's not equa....ok, so it's not very exciting at all. As an avid reader of this website, I'm sure you remember my post last year about former NBA All-Star, Stephon Marbury, taking his talents overseas to the Middle Kingdom, instantly becoming the best and highest-profile athlete ever to grace the courts of the CBA. He embraced the culture and the people and was embraced right back. Marbury's success last season led the CBA to do away with salary caps on foreign players in the hopes of luring other big name stars to China to play. More-than-casual NBA fans will recognize names like Steve Francis, Ricky Davis, Mike James, Fred Jones, Josh Boone, Antoine Wright, Javaris Crittenton, Quincy Douby, Stromile Swift, Randolph Morris and Rafer Alston. Unfortunately, half of those guys started out here, but were cut by their teams within weeks. But Marbury has thrived and here's an excellent article from New York Magazine that explains how he's made it and why he WANTS to be here.
New York Magazine - Marbury

The part about the food and English add to my confusion as to why every player doesn't want to play for Shanghai. It's by far the most foreign friendly city in China, possibly all of Asia (Singapore and HK, I didn't forget you). Add the fact that we have an American coach and strength and conditioning trainer, plus Yao Ming owns the team.

Can you spot the NBA All-Star?

Anyway, we went to see Marbury's new team, the Fo Shan Dralions (yes, seriously) as they visited the Shanghai Sharks yesterday. Marbury dominated his way to 43 points, but his sorry team was no help at all. He's still got the quickness, strength and body control. I'm obviously rooting for more big names to come play in China. Watching world class athletes in person from the 5th row is a different experience than seeing them on TV. If Carmelo Anthony really can't find a place to play.....
Not-quite-balanced scoring attack from Fo Shan
To make up for this testosterone-filled post, heeeeerrreee's JANIE!
6-7 weeks

Entertainment

2011-01-11T10:21:00.008-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Before I get started, as I was gently rocking Janie back and forth in her bassinet today, I realized that "Rock-A-Bye Baby" is a horrific song.
-------------------------------
The cold has come in Shanghai. The temperature here during the winter isn't as low as New York, but the cold is different. In New York, it's a dry, bitter, painful cold. In Shanghai, it's more like a damp, creepy, nagging cold. Fortunately, we've been blessed with a cozy apartment that stays much warmer than our last one. That plus the little one, have been the perfect excuses for staying inside over the past month. Not to mention the endless stream of friends who keep bringing us food so we don't even have to go out for that.

So, since Janie is pretty good and spends most of her time sleeping, so I'll fill you in on what we do to keep amused.

Books
When my mom came to visit, she brought me The Book of Basketball by ESPN.com writer Bill Simmons. I'm also reading The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel and have Tony Dungy's book The Mentor Leader on deck. It's not too easy to find hard copies of American books here in Shanghai, but they can be found. There are even book carts that roam the expat neighborhoods that sell more popular titles for only a few dollars each, but to find new and unique titles, you gotta import.

TV/Movies
In China, the internet is a different animal than it is in the US. Yes, the restrictions are annoying, but the lack of copyright infringement laws almost makes us forget all about it. Allow me to introduce you my good friends, Youku, Tudou and PPTV. These are the Youtubes of China, only with no time limits and no restrictions. Daisy and I just finished Season 1 of Modern Family and are now on Season 1 of Community, both of which we find hilarious. I just finished the HBO documentary series, 24/7 about two NHL hockey teams and it was awesome. I never thought I'd use hockey and awesome in the same sentence. HBO produces shows like no other. I just got started on Boardwalk Empire and I love it so far. After The Wire, The Sopranos, Band of Brothers and Rome, I have extremely high hopes for this one. Friday Night Lights, How to Make It In America and Entourage are also on the list to see next. I like to wait until the entire season is finished and then watch it all. PPTV is my answer for all live sporting events. Every game at the click of a mouse. Even past games are streamed, so I can go back and watch.
Youku.com; Split screen NBA games!

127 Hours on PPTV; UFC 125 on demand

Shopping
Yes, I said shopping. This one, I saved for last. China is widely known for easy access to cheap goods. I don't know if they're fake, stolen or just mass produced, but you can find almost anything in China. And there is ONE place find it all. A magical land called TaoBao.com. It is Ebay on steroids. In fact, it is the reason that Ebay won't make it here in China. ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is available on Taobao. Things you would never imagine you could find in China. At incredible prices. And for about $3 USD shipping, it arrives at your door within 2 - 3 days. A short list of a few things we've purchased from Taobao in the past few months:
- Fire Extinguisher and Smoke Alarm
- Air Jordan 1 Retros/Nike Lebron Zoom Soldier III
- Huggies Diapers (our main source)
- MMA fighting gloves
- Motorcycle Helmets
- Snuggies
- Baking supplies
- Dr. Seuss Books (in English and Chinese!)
It is an online shoppers dream. I'm not sure if you can access it in the US, but give it a try and let me know. The site is in Chinese, but you can search using English brand names. Google translate also is a great help. The standard answer when one of us says "I want to get ______." is "Check Taobao."
Taobao.com and some of the purchases we've made

Sorry if this post seemed mundane. But as this blog is about what we're doing out here in China, that's what I shared. Caring for a newborn is tiring, so it gives us an excuse to unwind when we can. If you guys have any recommendations on books, shows or movies that you like, let us know, I'd love to hear them.

1 Month Old (Finally)

2011-01-03T10:08:00.008-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

The many faces of Janie
2011 is here and Janie turned one month old yesterday. I'm counting on the first month of baby being the hardest one, which is what most people have claimed. I'm ready for her to put on a baseball glove and start playing catch already.

Yesterday, a friend asked "So after one month, what is the best thing about being a father?" I had no answer at first. As I said in the last post, there wasn't much to enjoy about that first month. So my answer came out raw and real, with no preconceived planning: "Watching the effect that she has on other people." As I thought about it more and more, I think that will be the answer for the rest of my life. There will be nothing that can make me more proud of my daughter than to watch her bring joy to other people's lives. That is and will always be the best thing about being a father to me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, Daisy and I have been missing NYC lately. I think it's a combination of my mom being here, seeing and hearing from everyone over the holidays, and most of our friends here in Shanghai being away from the holidays also. I'm also in the middle of watching Wall Street 2. There is no replacing Christmas at home with your family and friends. Even when we played A Christmas Story on TV the whole day.

Janie's first Christmas

That being said, it was great to have my mom and my cousin George over here last month. Home felt that much closer.

Testing Testing

2010-12-28T00:27:00.002-05:00

posted by Alan

This is a test of the video broadcasting system. This is just a test.

Janie gets out a much needed yawn and grunt...then passes out.

A Woman's Worth

2010-12-23T21:09:00.017-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

'A real man, knows a real woman when he sees her...
...and a real man just can't deny a woman's worth.'- Alicia Keys
A Woman's Worth

My Mom, My Wife, My Daughter

The Female Trifecta
I knew it would be hard to adjust to playing a supporting role during this first month of Janie. At this point in her life, she really doesn't need me the way she needs Daisy. There are times when it seems that Daisy instinctively knows exactly what Janie wants and I'm like 'how in the world did you know that?' It's humbling and its challenging. My job is to basically wait around to do whatever I can so that Daisy doesn't have to do it. It's a tiring and thankless job. This isn't meant as a complaint, but it's meant as honesty. Guys, the first month of parenthood isn't much fun. At least not for me. I think if it were up to Daisy, Janie would stay this age forever. I absolutely love my daughter, but I don't think a man can ever fully understand the bond between a mother and her child.

But again, I knew it would be a rough first few months. I even asked Daisy if she could keep Janie inside until she was 3 months old. I know it's just for now that she needs to be cared for and waited on like this, but I can't wait until she starts responding. I really look forward to teaching her and growing her and encouraging her and even disciplining her. I can't wait to see how she responds and reacts to things and to see her learn. I know it's coming, just not yet. Like my mom told me last night, 'Be patient with Janie, the first month is hard'

My mom should be boarding her plane at the airport in a few minutes. I'm just now coming to understand how loved I am to have had the most influential women in my life in the same house for the past two weeks. An even bigger understanding is how loved I am to have women in my life that love me as much as these women do at all. Behind every great man really is a great woman. Even Jesus himself needed the love and help of women in his life. It's amazing that I have more than one. I'm thankful for the responsibility of raising another.

Father Hood

2010-12-13T05:24:00.007-05:00

posted by Alan
*click on the pictures to see them full size

The title of this post is also the title of Snoop Dogg's reality TV show on the E! Channel. Not that I watched it or anything. Nor do I actually get the meaning of the title. I guess it's because he came from the 'Hood and now he's a father. I came from a neighborhood too, so I guess it still applies.

True because most of your dads are over 55 years old
Anyway, the first 10 days of Janie have been an adjusting period for sure, but overall, not too bad. She's been a good baby so far. Sleeps alot and isn't too hard to please. I think we've learned the tricks to calming her down. These include her pacifier, the magic exercise ball that I mentioned in the last post, her favorite place in the whole world (my left shoulder) and all while watching Season 12 of the Ultimate Fighter, which I just downloaded from the internet.

Christmas season is hitting Shanghai. It's a bit different here than in the US obviously, but you can definitely feel it around the city. Most of the major hotels, streets and malls have decorated with lights and ornaments. But there isn't the insane retail bombardment that most of us are used to, which is very nice. In the expat community, most celebrations are in full swing already. This is because on and around the actual Christmas Day, most people travel home for the holidays.

Thanksgiving was awesome here. We rented out a clubhouse in an apartment complex and had everyone invite their friends and bring food. There were 60 people total. People were talking about how many people there were. Funny thing is, my family back in NY is so big, they had to rent out a clubhouse to do Thanksgiving too. We had awesome food over here, but I don't think anything can top the feasts at my family Thanksgiving/Christmas dinners. Wish we could have been there and can't wait to join again in the future. But we definitely appreciate the family we've found here in Shanghai.

Up next for us, a 2 week visit from Janie's Grandma Gong. After raising three sports loving boys, Janie is the granddaughter she's been waiting for. Updates and pictures from her visit soon.

Janie

2010-12-05T07:59:00.003-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Ok, so this was a pretty big week. I made a big trade for my fantasy basketball team (I actually traded away Blake Griffin), Lebron played in Cleveland for the first time since he left for Miami and my cousin George also came to visit us in Shanghai for the first time. Oh yeah, and also the birth of our first child.

Jane Nancy Gong

20 inches, 7.1 lbs - December 2, 2010
Thursday morning (China time) at about 8:30AM, Daisy casually woke me up and told me her water broke. She went to shower, I kept sleeping and about an hour later, we were on our way to the hospital. We were actually going to take the subway, but there was a taxi right outside, so we just jumped in it instead. Our room was all set up for us, so we made ourselves comfortable and basically waited for 8 hours. The calm before the storm.

We have international insurance, which allows us to go to an international hospital. Really nice facilities, only about 10 minutes away from our apartment. Its called Parkway Health and they have branches all around Shanghai. Our doctor is American, as are many of the doctors there. We had our own room, where Daisy would deliver and the baby would stay with us for three nights until we check out.

11 hours from when we checked in, we had our little baby daughter (6:40AM New York time). Daisy opted for natural childbirth, which meant no pain numbing drugs and there was some serious pain. I asked her if it was as bad as when I stubbed my toe really hard the other day. She didn't seem to find that funny. I think I'm never allowed to complain about any kind of pain in front of her for the rest of our lives.

A few notes from my first three days of fatherhood:
- I'm freakin exhausted. But you knew that already.
- My wife is tougher than I am. Some of you knew that already too.
- Invest in one of those yoga/exercise balls immediately. Strengthen your core and quiet your baby.
- Yes, she did all the work, but hospitals seem to ignore the fact that men need to eat too. Where are OUR complimentary meals?
- That being said, awesome, loving visitors (25 in 2 days!) is good. Awesome, loving visitors with food is even better.
- Pick a hospital with wifi. Seems insignificant, but you'll appreciate it.
- My thought process once Janie falls asleep: "Do I check espn.com, read emails, check Facebook, go to the bathroom or get some much needed sleep myself? How can I do that all at once? HOW!?"

Anyway, Janie is starting to get used to being outside of Daisy. I'll keep updating on here for sure, but I'll try not to make it a Baby Blog. But naturally, this website is about our life here and that life just got a little bit bigger.

Response to comments:
Corinna - Yeah, I go to the Will's at Shanghai Stadium. I have no complaints about it at all actually. It's less crowded than Zhongshan Park though.
Cheryl - Yeah, GAP seems to be doing well here. Most of Daisy's maternity clothes came from home in the US. But taobao does have everything...
Kevin - Three weeks became two weeks. There are plenty of mirrors at the gym. But I don't need to check out my glutes, I can just feel them.
Angela - THANKS!

Pumping Iron

2010-11-16T21:40:00.006-05:00

posted by Alan
*click on pictures to see them full sized

Whenever I'm back in New York, people always seem to be surprised that I haven't shrunken down to 5'7 and 120 lbs after living in China. It's not completely unwarranted, as I did lose 10 lbs back when I lived in Henan province for a couple of years. The main reason was the lack of protein from meat. Tofu and eggs are NO substitute for some delicious, hearty meat. But we live in Shanghai now, and meat is plentiful.

Fitness is also becoming more and more a part of everyday life here in China. It's not at the level that it should be, but it's slowly getting there. In the US, most people try to maintain some sort of physical fitness level. Over here, it's sort of a niche thing. The select group of people that are into fitness are REALLY into it. The rest just aren't. Gyms mostly rely on attracting this select group, foreigners and people that like yoga and/or swimming. I go to a gym called Will's, which is a nice chain that is probably at the level of NYSC in New York. There are cheaper ones (Bally's level) and much nicer ones as well (Equinox). The standard price at my gym is $300 for a 1-year membership. I negotiated $300 for 17 months. It can get crowded in the evening, just like gyms back in New York, but I'm able to go during the day. I also do yoga class there once a week. Check it out below. Aside from the endless loop of Taylor Swift and korean pop music playing in the background, I can't complain.

In less masculine news, the first GAP store in Shanghai opened last week. Daisy was really excited because it's one of her favorite brands. She likes it enough for us to actually go there on our date night. She's easy to please. It looks and smells just like GAP back at home. It's US designs, but Asia sizing, so everything runs about one size smaller. The prices are about the same as the US. There was alot of hype about the opening, so it seems that it will be pretty popular here.

Latest pictures of Daisy. 3 weeks to go.
36 weeks and Toy Story 3

Response to comments:
Corey - Yup, it's baby season. They're popping out everywhere.
Cheryl - You guys gotta come back and visit! Although we still haven't made a trip to where you are yet. Its too cold. haha.
Corinna - We've just started playing rugby on Sunday mornings. You guys should learn it down under and come back to play.
Coolspotting - ....?
Artee - Last vacation for a few months at least. We do plan on taking her travelling though. Come with us!

4 weeks to go

2010-11-07T09:16:00.003-05:00

posted by Alan
*click on pictures to see them full size

Lack of updates. Been busy with the closing of the Expo and getting ready for the baby to come. We had to give up a Saturday of beautiful weather last weekend to sit through a SIX HOUR prenatal class. Let's just say I learned alot of science. Much of which I could do without knowing. But we're just about ready for her to come. Here are some recent pictures of Daisy. She carries it well doesn't she? This blog is interactive. You can put your finger over her belly and she doesn't even look pregnant. Try it.
29 weeks; 30 weeks; 33 weeks

It's the beginning of November and the weather is a comfortable 65 degrees in Shanghai these days. We're trying to enjoy it while it lasts. I played rugby for the first time today and loved it. But man, it's incredibly tiring. We also made a trip out to play paintball a couple of weeks ago. Pretty standard stuff, but much cheaper than back in the US. For about $30 USD, we each got 2 hours of playing time, mask, camouflage and gun rentals and 200 paintballs. Really fun field with lots of moats, towers and obstacles too.

Click here to see the full album of pictures: Paintball Shanghai

Really looking forward to my cousin George comin to see us on his way to Thailand at the end of the month, and then my mom being here to help us with the baby and see what life is like out here for us.

Philippines

2010-10-16T23:58:00.005-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Every first week in October is a huge national holiday here in China. The ENTIRE country is on holiday. Keeping with our tradition of escaping to a remote, tropical island in the South Pacific, this year we went to Siargao Island in the Philippines. It's known as their surfing island, with the famous Cloud 9 break where there is a big international surf competition every year. It's a really small and undeveloped island and we figured that this will be our last "roughing" it trip before the baby comes.

To save you from paragraphs of reading, I'll try to summarize the trip in bullet points(and pictures):
- Most beautiful natural beaches and water I've ever seen (better than Hawaii, Malaysia, Jones Beach, etc.)
- The local people on the island were SO friendly and happy. Especially our new family at our guest house.
- Fresh seafood and BBQ right on the beach
- Island hopping, surfing, kayaking, snorkeling, massages on the beach and motorbiking. And Daisy did everything except for surfing at 7 months pregnant. I got a good wife.
- Fresh tropical fruits for breakfast
- Karaoke and basketball with the locals. Two Philippines national activities.

Click here to see a full album of our trip to the Philippines: Philippines 2010

In other news, the 2010 World Expo is coming to a close on October 31st. It's a relief to many in Shanghai, but it is kind of sad to see the end of such an epic event. Just this Saturday, there was an unbelievable 1.03 million visitors to the Expo. On Saturday, the Expo was the 9th largest city in America. I'm not sure if I will ever see an event so grand again in my life. It was a huge blessing and adventure to be a part of and I'm going to really miss the people that I've worked with that are leaving. But it's time for Shanghai to get back to normal.

Here are some pictures from the craziness that is/was the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai:

Greetings

2010-10-09T22:59:00.008-04:00

posted by Alan
*click on pictures to see them full sized

One of the most confusing things about living in such an international city is simply greeting someone. The word 'Hello' seems to be pretty universal and understood in many countries around the world, but it's the accompanying actions that are so hard to keep up with. When meeting or seeing someone in Shanghai, you don't know whether you're about to get a handshake, a hug, the handshake-one-arm-manhug, a kiss on one cheek or a kiss on two cheeks. It all depends on where the person is from. The result is many awkward hesitant lean-ins and pull-aways where you have to come back in for a hug or a kiss. I have yet to find a solution to this dilemma, but if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to let me know.

We've just hit Autumn in Shanghai...which pretty much consists of the month of October. We get 4 weeks of beautiful, sunny, 75 degree, no-humidity weather before the dreaded, humid Shanghai winter starts to creep in. It's making me count down the days to when riding my scooter no longer becomes enjoyable. So, before then, allow me to show off my favorite summer joyride machine.

We were also able to get out and enjoy a little late summer retreat with our small group a few weeks ago. They're some of our closest friends in Shanghai and when moving to another place, community like this is so important. It was a two night, three day getaway at a beautiful resort-like place about an hour outside of Shanghai at a place named Oriental Land. No, that's not a joke. Despite the unfortunate name, it was a really great time of getting away from the city, growing closer with our friends and growing closer to G0d.

Click here to see a full album of pictures from the Retreat: Retreat 2010

Stay tuned for the next update which will come much quicker than this one did. I'm just itching to post about our October holiday trip to the Philippines.

Year Two

2010-09-13T05:11:00.007-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

What does it mean when something feels like it's been a long time, but also like it's happened really fast? That's what our two years of marriage have felt like. Today marks our two year anniversary, yet it feels like we've been married for many more than that. But then again, it feels like our wedding was just last month. We've been through alot our first two years of marriage and all the years after this promise to be even crazier (and there won't only be just the two of us anymore after this one). So Happy Anniversary to my awesome wife Daisy. She may not write on this blog much, but she reads every posting.

This past weekend, our friends here in Shanghai threw a baby shower for Daisy. It almost feels like we're cheating by having two of them (one in new york and one in shanghai). Special thanks to Corine, Bonita and Stella for organizing and to Suzana for planning the delivery of the gifts.
Click here to see the full album of pictures: Baby Shower Shanghai

The Organizers (Corine, Stella, Bonita)

A couple of weeks ago, our friend Dorothy was here visiting. She specializes in Eastern medicine, so I placed my trust in her hands and had my first acupuncture treatment here in China. Of course, I waited for an American to come here to do it. I had sprained my ankle a couple of weeks before and it wasn't fully healed. The treatment definitely helped the swelling go down and bit and loosen up the ankle. She even stuck a needle in my forehead which is supposed to relax you and make you drowsy. I felt drowsy, but I'm not sure if it was the needle or I was just drowsy. My final verdict: if you have a friend that is staying at your house and will treat you for free, I highly recommend it.

Response to comments:
Angela - No upcoming trips to HK planned...but you're welcome in Shanghai anytime!
Corinna - Checked ur pics on Facebook. Way to rub beautiful weather in our faces.

Gong Bed & Breakfast

2010-09-06T03:39:00.003-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see the full size

This summer has been the summer of visitors. My brother Steven and his friend Mike kicked it off. Since then it's been an endless stream of people passing through Shanghai, which has been great. I'll say it again, when living abroad, it's GREAT to see people from back home. Tiring too, but totally worth it. We specifically chose an apartment with an extra room so that people could use our place as refuge when they come visit. After the baby comes, we might need to start apartment hunting again though.

Pictures of some of our guests:
Genevieve and Laureen (and friends)

Dorothy and Grace

We went on a grape picking trip last week. Right up Daisy's alley. The girl loves her grapes. Not exactly exciting for me, but I'm always up for hanging out with people.

Next up (after Grace leaves) is a retreat with our small grp, a visit from Aunt Lois and then the Philippines for October holiday. Oh yes.

I hate...

2010-08-25T01:37:00.014-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Spoiler Alert: We typically try to keep this blog light and fun to read with things we think and do here in Shanghai. Today's post is not so typical. If you read this blog because you enjoy the playful, entertaining aspect of it, i present you with a clip from my favorite cartoon of all time, Calvin & Hobbes. Read it, be entertained and please enjoy the rest of your day.

If you are prepared for something deeper, read on...and then enjoy the rest of your day.
------------------------------------------------------------
This post is mildly inspired by my friend Mike C. and his own blog in which he had a post that was a venting of things that he hated. A common misconception people often refer to is "you're a christian, you're not supposed to hate anything." This would be incorrect. This post is not about or directed towards any one person. I love every person who is reading this. This post is about something I hate.

I hate the selfishness that leads to pride, that leads to envy, that leads to greed. I call it sin, some call it human nature. Call it what you want, it's real and it's there. I hate it in other people, and even more in myself. I hate what it does to people and I hate what it does to relationships. I hate the destructive things it makes people feel like they need to say, even though they don't really want to say them. Selfish, hurtful, scarring things that can be apologized for, but never taken back. I hate Satan and the lies he places in people's minds. The way he twists things that were meant for good into something so ugly.

Life is not a competition between people. We were created with enough of what we each need. Taking away from you is of no gain to me. It is isolating and exhausting to live life based on 'How Much Can I Get?' 'How much can I get?' becomes 'Where can I get it from?' 'Where can I get it from?' becomes 'Who is keeping me from getting it?' No matter how much we get, where will we put all it when we're done here?

Stop comparing. Stop competing. Allow yourself to be free. Start living.

Summertime

2010-08-06T02:37:00.009-04:00

posted by Alan
*click on pictures to see them full size

I miss the New York City heatwave. 100 degree temperatures are no problem compared to 100 degree temperatures with humidity. Shanghai feels like a sauna these days and there don't seem to be signs of letting up. Although, coming from me, this isn't a complaint, it's just letting you know what it's like out here these days. I LOVE summer. Even more than Spring or Autumn. I would take this weather over cold, winter weather ANY day.

What I love about this weather is that it provides ample opportunity to do outdoor activities. It's not too hard to find a great outdoor pool either at a friends apartment complex or a hotel out here. The beach isn't too far from Shanghai either, which we've already been to once this year and will be going to again next week. The first time we went, there wasn't much sun, but with all the humidity, we don't need sun for it to be hot. And of course, there's always Ultimate Frisbee. For those of u who are planning to come visit, if you don't like this kind of weather, you know when NOT to come.

When we left Shanghai for our trip back to New York, it was hard to tell that Daisy was pregnant. Her baby bump mutated while we were home and now that we're back, people are like "whoa, NOW you're pregnant!"

3 Months, 4 months, 5 months

we've been back less than two weeks, but have already had a few visitors from home. Megan, Gen and Laureen, it was great having you guys in Shanghai. Hope you enjoyed the heat.

My Top-3 Summer Songs:
3. Summertime - Ghostface Killa feat. Beyonce
2. Fantastic Voyage - Coolio
1. Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince

Response to comments:
Corinna - Glad you made it down there safe. Man, with the warm weather and all the outdoor stuff to do in Australia, I wouldn't mind ending up there someday. We miss you at Ultimate. Thank them for Crocodile Dundee for me. Oh, and its a GIRL.

NYC

2010-07-28T21:07:00.007-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size
click on link at bottom of the post to see full album

It's been about a month since the last post on here. The main reason being that we weren't in China for the past three weeks. We were blessed with a nice, long, restful vacation BACK home in NYC. I thought about posting while we were in New York, but I realized that people in China can't see the blog and we'll see everyone at home anyway. We just arrived back in Shanghai two nights ago. It's great being back, but jetlag is a butt-kicker.

One of the great joys of living abroad is coming home. Relationships just seem that much more special and you realize that closeness has nothing to do with distance. Loved seeing the family, all the babies (born and not yet born), playin ball with my boys, going back to CEMCQ (my home church), going to a Mets game and enjoying the heatwave. Coming from the humidity of Shanghai, the NYC heatwave felt wonderful.

The second best part about living abroad is coming home and binge eating guilt-free because you're on "vacation." Both my dad and dad-in-law can work the grill, so we had BBQ galore. Steak, chicken, ribs, oh yes. I already miss it. Also NY pizza, Taco Bell, White Castle, Shake Shack, Arby's, Crif Dog, Rutger's Grease Trucks, deli sandwiches, Chinese take-out (not the same as here) and good old home cooking. I ate so much that even my dad remarked at how much I was eating. He's used to my monstrous appetite and even this impressed (or maybe disgusted) him.

Fat Darrell at Rutgers Grease Trucks; BBQ at the Chan House; BBQ at the Gong House

Mom's Chicken Parm; NYC Hot Dogs

Special thanks to my mom and cousins Jennifer and Shirley for putting together an awesome baby shower for Daisy. And thanks to everyone for coming and all the generous gifts. Afterwards, Daisy just kept mentioning to me (more than once) that she felt so loved.

Click here to see more pictures from Daisy's NYC Baby Shower: Daisy's Baby Shower

This last trip home was different than any other before it. It felt like we never left New York. It instantly felt like home, still knew where everything was, how everything worked and things were just really easy and comfortable. Although I've lived in China for extended periods before, it now feels like both Shanghai AND New York are home. It feels like we belong in both places. No awkward transition periods. It was a peculiar and very welcoming feeling.

The kicker was watching the New York skyline out of the window of the airplane at JFK and the Shanghai skyline out of the window of the airport bus just hours later. They're both incredible and both felt so familiar. This world is an incredible place, with so much out there to see and do. But when it comes down to it, it's not so big at all.

$20 BILL

2010-06-21T03:45:00.018-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size
click on link at the bottom to see the full picture album

We've hit jackpot on our last two China trips. The small river town of Yangshuo is easily one of the coolest places in China. As tacky and overdone as many popular tourist destinations in China can be, Yangshuo manages to be low-key and casual, but still very tourist oriented and comfortable. Daisy and I went down there with three of our friends for a five day trip of river rafting, cave exploring and hiking and biking in the amazing countryside of Southern China.

YuLong River and Mud Cave in Yangshuo
On top of Moon Hill; at the entrance to the Water Caves

The normal trip to the region is between the cities of Guilin and Yangshuo, with the Li River running from one city to the other. What makes it such a popular destination are the crazy looking limestone karsts that are jutting out of the ground like mini, individual mountains. They are literally EVERYWHERE you look. And they're amazing to look at. They've become such an iconic part of natural China that an image of the Li River and karsts is on the back of the 20 Chinese RMB bill.
The famous Li River

The city of Yangshuo itself is nestled into a small valley in between these karsts and along the Li River. There is a section of the town that is completely built for foreigners, with Western and Chinese style restaurants, cafes and hostels lining the cobblestone no-cars-allowed streets. Most of the local Chinese places have also adapted with English menus and English speaking waiters and waitresses. But like I said, just a really relaxed atmosphere. And because it's in Southern China, near GuangZhou and Hong Kong, the cantonese food is really good too. The mountains are lit up at night and the rooftop bars are awesome places to hang out. I totally recommend a trip to Yangshuo for anyone that is coming through China.

The city of YangshuoYao Mountain in Guilin; scooters in Yangshuo
Hot Springs Cave; Claypot spot in Yangshuo

Highlights from Yangshuo:
- My favorite part was the Mud Caves. Natural caves that had a "natural" pool of mud and "natural" hot springs inside of the cavernous caves. The mud was disgustingly fun.
- Climbing Moon Hill. Although the mosquitos were a lowlight. But the use of electric mosquito racket zappers is not only useful, but oddly enjoyable. Another invention the US needs to import.
- Bamboo rafts along the Li River.
- Renting bikes and scooters and taking them out into the countryside to explore.
- Awesome food.
- Browsing Chinese saying Tshirts. Bought a few as gifts....i'll show you mine on here.
- Talladega Nights in the middle of the day.
- Giant spiders in hostel rooms.
- Awesome food.
- NBA Finals and WORLD CUP watching.

Yangshuo at night from the rooftop bar of our hostel

Reflecting in Yangshuo brought this quote to my mind:
"We stand in awe of the ocean,
the thunderstorm,
the sunset, the mountains,
but we pass by a human being
without notice
even though the person is God's most magnificent creation"
- St. Augustine

My prayer after this trip is to allow people to amaze me even more than these incredible landscapes. I do believe that if we give them a chance, they really will.

Click here to see some more pictures of our trip to Yangshuo: Yangshuo 2010 Picture Album
----------------------------------
What a great few weeks for sports. Waking up and watching one of the most memorable NBA Finals in years at the hostel flatscreen and all of the bars, cafes and restaurants in Yangshuo setting up flatscreens and projectors outside to watch the World Cup games. Not to mention the awesome Mets' win streak. I was in Shanghai during the last World Cup in 2006. Watching the World Cup out here is SO much fun. And that USA vs Algeria game was possibly the most dramatic sports moment I've ever seen (surpassing Endy Chavez' catch because the Mets lost that game). Not because I'm so into soccer (which i'm slowly warming up to and starting to appreciate), but because everyone is just so into it. The city is made up of internationals from all over the world, so our community is all rooting for their respective countries. But what I've also noticed is that the US audience is starting to get into it as well. How is it back at home? We gonna have some World Cup watching parties while we're back in July? Mid-summer baseball isn't much to get excited over.. GO USA.

Response to comments:
No love for Steven? How discouraging for future guest bloggers.

A Guest Blog

2010-06-15T21:49:00.011-04:00

written by Steven Gong
click on the pictures to see them full size

“Don’t let a grain of sand in your shoe distract you from the beautiful beach…” (said by someone at small group)… Humidity, bugs, dirtiness, weird food, and a social culture that we Americans cringe at… but living the day-to-day with Alan and Daisy made me realize how much more there is to a “life in China” versus a “visit to China”.

I used to tell NYC visitors, “after your exhausting trip to the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty etc, come stay for a week and be a local.” I visited Shanghai four years ago and saw all the sights and sounds in a span of 2 days, but this time was a different experience. After getting a glimpse of the ex-pat life, I’d compare it to going away versus staying home for college. Sure, it is fine to stay in one place, but starting a chapter somewhere else is a whole new and fun experience.

Seeing young non-Chinese people walking to work with their iPods and coffee made me do double takes, but I was the only one staring. Shanghai is such a modern and diverse city yet so rich in culture. Alan and Daisy’s church friends include Americans, a Korean, a German, a Canadian, and many more… Again, it felt like the college experience on overdrive. It was refreshing to be surrounded by diverse, open minded adventurous people. Their zest and passion for their community was obvious.

It took me a few days to adjust, but I was driven by my insatiable desire for Xiao Long Baos aka Soup Dumplings from the corner shop (70cents/order, sure beats Joe’s Shanghai in nyc!). Being a Chinese person with zero Mandarin skills was frustrating: I think I said ‘May-gaw” or “ABC” about a hundred times.

We also got a glimpse of the legendary night-life thanks to our friend (also named Alan) and let’s just say there’s something for everyone here! Note: Green Tea and Whiskey is delicious, except for when it comes back up the next day during Ultimate Frisbee!

“It’s a small-world” has a whole new meaning when you're half-way around the globe as everyone seemed to be connected by just a few degrees of separation. The people you meet and the commonalities are astounding. Not to mention all the new relationships formed because of it.

Getting to experience the evolution and growth of China firsthand was awesome and if Shanghai is what the rest of China is supposed to be in 20 years – we better start paying attention (I’ll spare the business school analysis). An example in a recent gizmodo.com post - http://gizmodo.com/5558350/shanghai-skyline-before-and-after

Other Highlights: McDonald’s 24/7 delivery, Shopping, Meat Knuckles (including the bone marrow through a straw!), Scooter/biking, Ultimate Frisbee, World Expo, Daisy Prego…

Click here to see Steven's facebook photo album of his trip to Shanghai: Steven in Shanghai

Baby Gong

2010-06-05T21:58:00.007-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full sized

So, my brother Steve(n)* has come and gone. We had a really good time with him and his friend Mike while they were here. It meant alot to us for him to want to come and see our lives here and the things we do out here. I think we gave him a pretty good feel of what life is like out here for us. He was supposed to do a guest blog while he was here, but we were just too busy. Then he planned on writing it on the plane ride home, but he got sick and remains curled up in a fetal position. His guest blog is coming soon though, so I'll let him update you on what we did and his perspectives on Shanghai.

Two lines means positive. Guess which one is mine and which is Daisy's.
But for now, we have our own update for you all. There will soon be another Gong in China. One of the things that Steven got to do while he was here was to come with us to see our first pictures of Baby Gong. Yup yup, Daisy has a future professional athlete already working out inside of her. We're both really thankful and excited.

Just to answer some questions that we know are coming:
- We don't know the sex yet and we probably won't until AFTER we come back in July. But yes, we're going to find out.
- I don't care if it's a boy or a girl, as long as it's a boy. I'm too protective, having a girl is gonna drive me crazy. Daisy thinks that we'll get a girl for that reason.
- As of this post, Daisy is 13 weeks. When we get home, she'll be 16 weeks.
- Yes, we're going to have the baby here in Shanghai. We have an American doctor in an international hospital. They even have running water!
- The baby will still be an American citizen. But it can't ever be US President (sorry baby).

We can't wait to see everyone in a few weeks! Give her big hugs, but not too hard.

*Side note: How come everyone calls my brother Steve? Me and my family have, and always will call him Steven, but it's even to the point where I start to introduce him now as 'my brother Steve.' But it feels weird, because my brother is Steven. Did he just start introducing himself as Steve to everyone? Did he tell everyone to just call him that? If so, then when? How did this happen? And how did my younger brother Robbie's name stick with him so long? It's just a nickname, but it usually goes away, right? You don't hear of many Robbie's these days. He could just as easily be known now as Bob Gong. Strange.

Travel

2010-05-21T22:15:00.006-04:00

posted by Alan
click on the pictures to see them full size

One of the great perks about living in China is how easy it is to travel. Most Asian countries are only a two to four hour flight away for a few hundred dollars. It's typical to hear of someone making a weekend trip to places like Bali, Thailand, Vietnam or some other exotic location that looks like the Lost island (is that show over yet??). And China itself is so huge and there are so many places within the country to see. We have a long list of places to visit and things we'd love to do just here in China alone. If you're the adventurous type, you can travel anywhere by train for under $100 USD. Daisy made her first long distance train journey back in February. I think she's ready for more.

Moganshan, China; on the train to Zhang Jia Jie; Tioman Island, Malaysia

Our only international trips thus far have been to Malaysia and back home to the US. Within the country, we've been to Hong Kong, Zhang Jia Jie, Beijing, Henan, De Hang, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuyi, Moganshan and Zhejiang. Without Daisy, I've been to Xi'an, various cities in Henan and Singapore. If you're interested in any of those places, feel free to ask. We're hoping to hit Inner Mongolia in August and the Philippines in October.

ZheJiang (we miss you Zoie!); De Hang, Henan; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This week, we just booked two flights. In two weeks, we'll be flying to the famous cities of Guilin and Yangshuo. They are connected by the Li Jiang River, which features ridiculous looking limestone karsts jutting out of the ground. A picture of them is featured on the back of the Chinese 20 RMB bill. Take a guess as to who's face is on the front?

The other tickets we booked are to the ancient city of New York. Yup, in July we'll be visiting home again. We had planned on coming home for another Christmas visit this year, but we found out we won't be able to, so we decided to make a summer trip instead. Things worked out perfectly where we'd both be able to have the time to come. So from July 6 - 26th, we're looking forward to some BBQ, softball, Jacob's 4th birthday party, NY Pizza, Taco Bell and enjoying the NYC summer heat with you guys. We also chose this time because by then, the Mets should be in first place.

But right now, my brother Steven is probably somewhere over the Pacific Ocean on his way here for an 11 day trip to hang out with us and see how we live. I'll see if I can convince him to do a guest blog...

Picture Blog

2010-05-13T22:55:00.008-04:00

posted by Alan
click on the pictures to see them full sized.

I’m writing this as I’m watching Game 6 of the Cavs vs. Celtics playoff series, aka, Lebron Watch. As Daisy can attest to, I love sports. If ESPN.com ever got blocked in China, I think I’d have to leave. In my travels around this world, I’ve seen that there are a few things that transcend culture and boundaries. They are love, music, art and sports. You can go anywhere in the world, get on a basketall court (or any other mutual sport) and language and cultural barriers disappear and communication, respect and understanding begin (there were way too many "and's" in that run-on sentence). Anyway, I’m pullin for Lebron here. One more quarter to go. *edit* By the time I finished this blog, game over. 27, 19 and 10 and Lebron didn't have it tonight? Wow.
coming soon?

I try to always carry my camera around with me here in Shanghai. There is always something interesting going on in this city. I often take pictures with the intention of putting them on this blog, but often forget to even post them. So, I think I’ll periodically just do a picture blog of these random photos.

Badminton and cooking afternoon with our co-workers

Fei Yue local brand hi-tops

In a country where they love Kobe and Lebron, this is brand name is genius

First BBQ of 2010 out in MinHang; Chick-Fil-A in Shanghai

Dinner night with Su and Stephanie; Daisy's birthday orchids from my mom

Response to comments:
Steven - The US pavilion is really corporate. Mainly because America didn't have enough money (yes, really) to fund it, so it's all private sponsors.
Wendy - Thanks. We're still waiting for you.
Megan - The US pavilion is definitely less spectacular, but I heard it really focuses on family values and hospitality and they do it really well. You'll have to see for yourself when you get here.
Yuan - I thought it would be crazy in a bad way here this summer, but so far, it's just crazy in a fun way.

Expo Time

2010-04-21T11:45:00.013-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full sized

Last post exposed how many people DON'T actually read this blog, but they only see the update status on Facebook or Google buzz. Thanks for all the birthday wishes, although you're 6 months late. However, feel free to say happy belated to Daisy, who actually wrote the last blog entry.

So I got a new job. My contract ended with my previous company and shortly after, I was offered the position of Community Coordinator for the 2010 World Expo. It's an INCREDIBLE opportunity to be working on the biggest event in the world. I've already met with business owners, pavilion directors and just people from around the world, and the Expo has barely begun. This summer is going to be a memorable one, for sure.

I've posted about the Expo in a previous post, but until I started working on it, I had no idea of how big of an event this really is. Seventy MILLION visitors are projected to be coming over the six month span. Think about how many people that is. It's like the number of Yankees NOT on Performance Enhancing Drugs times seventy million. Over 200 countries built multi-million dollar Pavilions to showcase themselves to the rest of the world, daily performances, foods from all over the world. It's going to be a non-stop party atmosphere and was described to me as "the place everyone is going to want to be for the next six months." I know many people in America aren't quite as excited over World Expo's, but if you have this blog on your Google Reader (as you should by now), prepare to be given a glimpse of the excitement this thing brings.

Me & Dominic at the China Pavilion; Shanghai Expo Performance Center

Australia and Germany Pavilions

Suzanna and her Brazilian Pavilion; the insane looking England Pavilion

The Expo officially opened last night with a 35 minute fireworks and laser show over the Huang Pu River that was unlike anything I've ever seen. How they coordinated the fireworks, music, fountains, lasers, spotlights and everything else is incredible. If there's one thing China knows how to do, it's Opening Ceremonies. Check it out on Youtube:Shanghai Expo Opening Ceremony. Last week, there was an Expo test opening, with about 100,000 tickets passed out to the public. Through some connections, I got my golden ticket.

Quick impressions:
- It's HUGE World Event. I've heard of World's Fair's(now called Expo) before, but like many Americans, I never had any real idea of how big they really are. Ironically, a majority of past World's Fair's have taken place IN America. It's a massive cultural exchange fair that is bigger in scale than the Olympics. Among landmarks that are left-over from past World's Fair's are the Eiffel Tower, the Space Needle in Seattle and the globe and that weird Star Wars looking thing in Flushing Meadows Park.
- The Expo itself is huge in size. It's like a small, surreal (the pavilions are crazy looking) city. Almost like a movie set. We were there for 8 hours and only saw about 65% of it. And this is without going into most of the pavilions.
- I can already anticipate the fooood. Not everything was open because it was a pre-launch, but just seeing the food pavilions and restaurants from all the different countries got me excited.
- There really ARE 1 billion people in China. I think they were all at the Expo when I was there.
- When I saw the USA pavilion, i felt a surge of patriotism that I wasn't really aware was there before.

USA! USA!; The massive Africa Pavilion (the different countries have pavilions inside)

Canada & Spain Pavilions

Thailand Pavilion; giant optical ball in the German Pavilion that moves towards the loudest sounds

Thai food pavilion and Belgian Fries. Just a sampling of the foods that are going to be here. MMmmmMmmm.

You can check out an extensive, interactive 3D virtual model of the entire Expo and all of the Pavilions at www.expo.cn.
Check out the official Expo trailer here.

Looking forward to Steven, Gen, Laureen, Jimmy, Megan and whoever else also plans on coming this summer. Summertime in Shanghai is always fun, but this summer is going to be even better.

Let's Go Mets.

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-04-14T10:41:00.002-04:00

posted by Daisy
Click on pictures to see them full sized

Yay another post and it's still before 2011. :þ <---- that's for Alan for making fun of me. I thought I'd be better at posting if I told people I'd post. Wrong again! No shame. haha

Happy belated to me. Birthdays keep happening faster and sometimes I forget how old I am - yes I'm serious. But I don't think my friends here know just how old I am either. For my last birthday I remembering sauna-hopping at Spa Castle in NY. I enjoyed a memorable nap on the heated flooring.

For the 7th anniversary of my 23rd birthday, Alan surprised me with with a 2-day (1-night) trip to the hot springs! We took a 4.5-hour bus ride south to a small town called Wuyi. It's not as far as that sounds -- especially if you're really good at sleeping in moving vehicles like I am! We arrived earlier than our room was ready so we got the chance to explore Wuyi. It's super small compared to Shanghai. I guess you can gage whether a town is large, medium or small by seeing if they have a (1) KFC & McD's, (2) KFC, or (3) none of the above. Wuyi falls between mid- and small-sized: there's a KFC a 10-minute cab ride away. [We only know that because for my birthday dinner we contemplated eating McD's haha No, we didn't have KFC either!]

Tang Feng Hot Springs Resort in WuYi, Zhejiang Province

After grabbing some noodles for lunch, we headed back to our Japanese-style room. The bed was on the floor and so were the chairs - I mean way low on the floor. I'm not used to being so close to the floor in China but it was clean and comfy : ) We settled in and broke our food-coma-like trance to get ready for the hot springs!
Outside, the Japanese-inspired layout continued. Under shingled roofs, pool after pool was filled with steaming hot bath water. We hopped from coffee to milk to who knows what. We even climbed into a pool with mini fish [okay this is gross but cool] -- the fish eat the dead skin from your body. Imagine this: a large circular pool with shallow water and people immersed from the shoulders down as if they're trying to lay down on their backs with their heads resting on the edge of the pool. The locals looked calm and really STILL so as to not to scare the fish away.
We get in and try to mimic the locals. Then Alan starts CRACKING UP. If I didn't know Alan, I would have tried harder not to laugh at him but I couldn't help it - his laugh is contagious. I saw the lady next to him wanted to laugh too because it was just THAT funny watching Alan crack up by himself. hahaha I laugh just thinking about it... ahh so funny.

Sorry, no pictures allowed IN the hot springs. Our Japanese-style room, Tang Feng driveway at night

The closer to dinnertime (5pm) it got, the less people there were. In the evening we got massages on the outdoor heated floor! Note to self, if I ever have heated flooring, I’ll seriously consider getting rid of our bed. So after the massage we fell asleep on the floor for an hour… dipped in another pool…and headed out to dinner. We enjoyed the hot springs for 5+ hours! What a super nice birthday : )

The next morning we woke up and joined the rest of our bus for a side-trip to a local village. It was nice to sit on a bridge and watch the locals do their thing. There has to be 40+ dogs just in this one village – everywhere we looked there was a dog. Same breed, same face, same color... it was the village of the dogs. Wonder if they serve dog to keep the population down???

Speaking of food, we stayed at this village for lunch. While we examined the menu at a local Chinese restaurant, the chef/owner came out to tell us his recommendations. So I asked him what kind of meat he recommended. He started listing them off and then all of a sudden he got really excited as he remembered the RABBIT. It was the "catch-of-the-day" from the way he was describing it. He practically ran into the kitchen so he could show us. It was dim in there but we saw him lift up something that resembled the shape of a large squirrel minus the fur. I looked at Alan and gave him a "what do you think" shrug… He's game for almost anything so we got the rabbit. Of course we took a picture for you, don’t worry – Alan was on it. The chef was more than happy to let Alan into the kitchen to take a picture of the ugly thing. Haha Despite the way it looked before we ate it, it was pretty good : )
After lunch we made it back on the bus for the 4.5 hour ride home. It was like we were gone for an entire week… What a nice birthday…

Rabbit, the before and after

Some other highlights:
- I got a HUGE Ding Dong lolly pop
- Ricky and I turned 23
- I look... act? ...seem? AM young but I got a few stunned looks when 2 girl-friends asked me "how old are you now?" :þ Their eyes got real big, and as if there was sudden breeze coming by, their heads went back slightly in surprise : ) hee hee hee

Youth of the Nations

2010-04-09T21:39:00.011-04:00

posted by Alan
Click on pictures to see them full size

Our good friend, Suzanna(Brazil), leads the Youth Group at the Shanghai Community Fellowship (www.scfenglish.com). It's the largest international Christian church in Shanghai, with two services and roughly a thousand people each week. We've been attending SCF since we've arrived in Shanghai and we're really love the community we've found there. I worked with youth at home in NYC for years and I had been wanting to do stuff with Su and the youth group here, but just never had the chance to in the past year. Until this weekend.

The pristine Silver Pearl Garden conference site

Every year, SCF holds two Youth Retreats at conference centers near Shanghai. The retreat center happened to be REALLY nice (have you ever been to a retreat with a bowling alley?) This year, I committed to be a counselor and teach some workshops at the April retreat and Daisy helped to organize and do set-up before and at the retreat. I was definitely looking forward to getting away from the city and to finally hang out with and get to know some of the teens. Since I'm pretty energetic, I'm comfortable with youth and I'm only 22 years old, I figured that I'd have alot to offer in helping out this weekend. What I wasn't planning for was how much I was going to receive instead.

How to feed 250 teenagers

The high school kids here have a maturity that I haven't seen before in kids their age. They're all international students, so their experiences in living and traveling abroad seems to have given them a wide perspective on the world and how they see it. They all seem so prepared to adapt to changes in life and know that the world doesn't revolve around them. Combine that with their youthful energy, excitement and faith, and you get a pretty amazing combination. These are the type of kids that you meet and think "wow, this kid is going to make a difference in the world with his/her life."

The retreat itself was all fun. A great, hip-hop loving pastor from Chicago named David Choi flew out to be the speaker. We had good weather, good food and great workshops and activities. As much as I do love China, that kind of mental vacation from living here is necessary every few months. Although, once the Miley Cyrus "Pop It, Lock It" dance came out, it made me start to miss China life again. Maybe it's because it was the adult counselors that were doing it. It was really touching to see kids' lives changed by something bigger than themselves and such a blessing to be a part of it. I can't speak for everyone else, but I came back exhausted, refreshed, energized and with 40 new Facebook friends.

Quote of the weekend from one of the kids in my group on being socially awkward:
"I don't feel I am, but I think I am from the way others react to me. *shrugs* I don't care."
And he really doesn't. Keep being who you are dude.

An Ode to Ze Germans

2010-03-28T11:07:00.004-04:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full sized

Last weekend was Daisy's birthday. I took her on a surprise trip outside of Shanghai, which she will be blogging about sometime in the near (meaning hopefully before 2011) future. Daisy's birthday also always coincides with the first weekend of March Madness basketball. The Madness is no less appreciated over here in China (by me at least). That Kansas St/Xavier game was unreal. It had me giving Daisy gchat play-by-plays of what was happening that she most probably ignored. Anyway, TAKE THAT to everyone who questioned me picking Butler in the Final Four (oh, the rest of the brackets count too?)

Now, on to the subject of this post...Yesterday evening as we sat in a restaurant with some friends for dinner, I started doing a mental headcount. It turned out that there were an astounding nine different country passports among the eleven people at the table. Shanghai is the definition of an international city. As diverse as New York is, the different nationalities don't typically mix on more than a surface level. A nations culture really is made up of it's people and here in Shanghai, you get to know people from different backgrounds on a really personal level. This is a phenomenon that I wasn't fully aware of, but now appreciate and enjoy. My estimation (which in now way represents any official census) of population in Shanghai by country looks like this (not counting Chinese):

1. American
2. Canadian
3. German
4. Singapore/Malaysia/Indonesia
5. Korean/Japanese
4. Italian
6. British
7. South American (mainly Brazil)
8. French (I've heard that there are tons of French here, but I haven't met quite so many)

Of all the different nationalities that make up our many friends, I don't think any has been as revealing to us as the Germans. We have a bunch of good friends here that are from Germany, and have met countless others. When I went to the China vs. Germany soccer match last year, thousands of Germans showed up in full force. My impressions of Germany from our friends here are that the people are really easy to make friends with, ask tons of questions, love to laugh and smile and don't take themselves too seriously. German is also a crazy sounding language. So Danke to Andreas, Yvonne, Mirjam, Dominic, Nina, Chris, Daniel, Seoul, Hannah and the rest of our German friends for sharing your lives and culture with us. You're giving your country a good name in my book.

In Malaysia with Dominic and Mirjam; a group of many nationalities

Andreas and Yvonne; German takeover of Shanghai Stadium; everyone's German friend Dirk Nowitzki (no, i don't know him personally)

We also recently went on a double date with our friends Grayson and Jessica (non-Germans from America). We went indoor Go-Karting up here in Shanghai. Whoever built this place must have just watched The Legend of Ricky Bobby because this place was more decked out than Talladega Nights. They went all out with the decorations, from genuine NASCAR racing suits to winners podiums and F1 cars. Really fun and really fast go-karts too. But the 70RMB ($10 USD) per 8-minute run price was a little steep.

In other news, Daisy's birthday also marks the first day of Spring. Meaning Scooter Riding Season (cheaper, but equally as much fun as Go-Karting) begins....

Response to comments:
Julia - You're welcome to come over anytime. XuHui is cooler than Jing'An anyway.
Johnny - It's gone by fast, but we've gone through and done so much in the past year, it feels like we've been here for ages.
Kristen - Thanks! By the way, I had some Thin Mints a couple weeks ago. Yes, in China. mmmm.
Corey - Rent is about $730 USD per month. Why, looking for a place?
Kev - No makeshift door this time. This apartment comes with a real one. We're moving on up.

Our New Apartment

2010-03-14T11:46:00.007-04:00

posted by Alan
click on the pictures to see them full sized

As we come up on 1 year (April 16th) in Shanghai, the lease on our apartment was also coming to an end. It was a great starter apartment. We liked that the building was pretty old and has alot of old, local Shanghainese people that have been living here for a long time and all know each other and has a very community-like feel to it. It's also in an AWESOME location, very convenient and central to the rest of the city. But it was also a little small. Because of the location, alot of our friends liked to come over to hang out and it wasn't suitable to fit too many people at once.

So we let our real estate lady know we were interested in finding something bigger but in the SAME location. If it wasn't on the same corner that we lived on, we didn't want to move. She said she had some places to show us the next night in the building right next to ours. Well, here we are 2.5 weeks later all moved in to our new apartment. It's pretty amazing how spontaneous things can happen in China. This keeps life here pretty exciting.

Our new apartment now has an open dining/living room area which makes it much more comfortable for people to gather. It also has a true separate guestroom/study. In our old apartment, our living room doubled as our guestroom. It also comes with some really good furniture. Most rental apartments in Shanghai come furnished, but you're often stuck with the furniture that's in there, whether you like it or not. Our new landlord even let us pick out a new dining room table. The only thing I'll miss about the old place is the view. We were on the top floor (25) there and had an amazing view of the city. Now we're on the 8th floor and the view is far less spectacular. But at least we have a shorter elevator ride.

Thanks to our friends who helped us move, it went pretty easily. We wasted no time in using the new apartment, as my boy from high school, Jonlin, was in town and staying with us AS we moved. So our first night in the new apartment also featured our first houseguest.

110 in Shanghai. Jenny, Me, Daisy, Jonlin, Mike and Melissa
We're really thankful for the new apartment. Our hope and vision for this place is to provide a comfortable and warm place for our friends here in Shanghai who are all away from home. It's also to provide a great place to stay for all of you who come visit. We're ready to start taking reservations.

Click here to see some more pictures of our New Apartment: Pictures of New Apartment

Ma Bu Li = 马布里 = Marbury

2010-03-08T04:30:00.010-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full sized

Some of you sports fans might know that former Olympian and NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury has joined the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association. He's had some off the court issues that has derailed his NBA career and signed to play in China in order to market his sneaker brand. He came about 3 weeks ago and instantly became the best player in the league and probably the best player to ever play in China.

The CBA is China's version of the NBA. Yao Ming got his start in the CBA playing for his hometown Shanghai Sharks. Each CBA team is allowed 2 foreigners and they are only allowed to play a maximum of 3 quarters per game. Europe is the most common destination for players who aren't good enough to make the NBA, because players can still make ALOT of money and live like superstars. BUT, there are some brave souls (or just less-skilled ones) that come to make a living playing basketball here in China. The level of basketball is VERY low here and the most a foreign player can make is only about $400K USD per year (still alot, but not for a pro baller). But the NBA IS wildly popular in China and the people here do appreciate having a player of that stature coming here to play.

Anyway, when my friends and I heard, we immediately looked up the Shanghai Sharks' schedule and got tickets for when Marbury was coming to town. 150RMB (about $21 USD) for court level seats. Marbury was definitely the main draw, but it turned out to be a good game as well. The skill and athleticism of the foreigners (Marbury and former-NBAer, Maurice Taylor for Shanxi vs. former college star, John Lucas Jr. and some 7-foot beast named Garret Silar for Shanghai) was way above the level of the Chinese players as you can see from the box scores below. Especially the ridiculous first quarter scores. Take a guess as to which numbers the foreigners are.

#33 Stephon Marbury & #2 Maurice Taylor

In the end, it ended up being a pretty close game, which means the last 6 minutes of the game became 2-on-2. It was really cool to see an NBA superstar playing up close and all the way over here in China. He's still really quick and his body control and strength were still there. The Chinese guys guarding him didn't stand a chance.I can't imagine he'll be playing here for very long. He's always been a bit of an outside the box thinker and more open to less conventional ways of doing things, but it can't be easy playing here after playing among the best in the world.

Click here to see some more pictures of Marbury in China and his game in Shanghai: Marbury Album

Response to comments:
E-Shyh - Glad ur comin back to China, but come back to Shanghai! Anna needs someone to crack up at her insanity.
Angela - I've tried the "special meat" before. Twice. And it's delicious.
Jen - Kids fly for free before 2 years old. Take advantage. haha. congrats to you and Will by the way if we didn't mention it before.
Uncle Willie and Aunt Ellen - Thanks for checking out the blog! The movie makers were really accurate with those mountains. We're ready for you guys to come visit anytime!
Calvin - China has incredible landscapes. We can't wait to see and share more of it.

The Most Beautiful Village in China

2010-02-22T02:30:00.008-05:00

posted by Alan
click on the pictures to see them full-sized
click on the link at the bottom to see a full photo album

So our goal for this trip was adventure, rugged travelling and incredible scenery and that's exactly what we got. The 20 hour train ride to Hunan was brightened by some good conversation, new Chinese friends and a constant barrage of New Years Eve firework displays in the countryside as we rode by. It was a pretty unique experience. It was Myself, Daisy and our friends Beverly(NJ) and Nikita(Clifton, NJ by way of Jamaica).

Part 1 - Pandora

We took the train directly to the city of Zhang Jia Jie (张家界), a mid sized city in Western Hunan province that is surrounded by mountain ranges and is host to the famous Zhang Jia Jie National Forest Park. Our plan was to find our hostel tucked away inside the park and spend two days exploring the trails and ridiculously shaped mountains. Yes, these are the mountains that the Hallelujah Mountains of Pandora from the movie Avatar were inspired by. Looking at the peaks from above with a layer of fog and mist, it really did look like the mountains were floating just like in the movie. It was a great few days of extreme cold, no running water and mountain hiking.

Part 2 - The Village
After two nights on the mountain, we packed our bags and made the journey from ZJJ to a place that we found only mentioned on a few online travel blogs. Described as "the most beautiful village in china" and "a scene from a fairy tale," the scenery just became more and more amazing as our bus made its way through the Hunan countryside. Buildings and people gave way to distant mountains and layers of green farming terraces. The village of De Hang(德夯)is a Miao minority village built into a mountain valley and is a true hidden treasure of China. It's a farming town of about 500 people and numerous cows, chickens, ducks and pigs roaming around. Without a doubt, the most quaint, beautiful and peaceful place I've been to in China.

We checked into our family run guest house and spent four days trekking mountain trails, eating local Hunanese food, enjoying the quaintness of the village and getting to know the locals. Daisy couldn't stop saying how much she loved being there while playing with the local children and their fireworks, dodging cows and their droppings and really relaxing. We were even "treated" to the annual Chinese New Year festival that brought 10,000 people from all over Hunan to the village for the day to eat, play games and celebrate their traditional Miao culture.

On our final night in De Hang, we went to our favorite little restaurant for dinner where we were now friends with the owners. As we were eating, we heard what sounded like a movie playing from the village square. We were also wondering why there we no kids running around. We finished eating and walked over to the square, where someone had set up a large screen and the locals were watching the new movie 'Confucious' starring Chow Yun Fat. Of the incredible things we saw on this trip, the scene in the picture below was my favorite. I realized that while the natural wonders of this earth are awe-inspiring, its the people of and the communities that we build that are the most lasting. What the people in that village have is true community and it was beautiful and heartwarming to see.

So, we're back in the Hai after a tiring, cold, dirty (none of us showered the entire trip) and totally satisfying trip. As Beverly put it, it made her "fall in love all over again with rural China, reading, and train travel."

If you'd like to hear more about our trip, feel free to ask us anytime, or you can just take a look at the pictures (fully captioned!) here: HUNAN 2010 PICTURE ALBUM

Response to comments:
Lin - Pictures are there for ur viewing pleasure. Why live vicariously? Come back to Asia.
Eric - which eric is this? And yes, we were in Pandora.

Hunan for the Holidays

2010-02-12T08:55:00.010-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

So you might have seen Daisy's gmail status this past week, which read "like the week before Christmas." Chinese New Year is easily the biggest holiday of the year here. For the past week, people have been busy preparing to travel back to their hometowns to spend the week with their families. For those of us that don't have family out here, this week means travel time. For the last Golden Week (there are three in China) in October, we went international to Malaysia. And just a few weeks ago, we made a trip overseas back home to New York. For this Golden Week, we wanted to do something IN China. We were looking for something not too touristy and a little off the beaten path. When outsiders think of China, it seems that people tend to think of pollution, crowds and chaos. Unfortunately, the natural beauty of this country is often overlooked. And there is ALOT of it.
DeHang, "The Most Beautiful Village in China"

We decided on a trip to Hunan province, located towards the southern coast of central China. Our first stop will be to Zhang Jia Jie National Forest Park, famous for its jagged, scenic mountains. So scenic, that one of the peaks was officially renamed after the mountains in Avatar. We'll spend a few days hiking and backpacking around the park before we head to the mountain village of DeHang, described by one travel blog as 'the most beautiful village in China.' It's been described as the real life version of those Chinese scroll paintings. We'll stay in guesthouses with the locals and eat spicy Hunanese food. I can't wait to get back to rural China. All it will take is a 20 hour train ride. Check back next week for pictures and stories.

Zhang Jia Jie National Forest Park

i DO wish that we could be here for the opening night's festivities of Chinese New Year. We've been told that the entire city is impressively lit up with fireworks until 4 or 5 AM and the streets are covered in the red fireworks paper. And if you refer back to this or this blog post, you'll remember that we have an ideal view for the spectacle. Even as I type this, I can hear and see fireworks exploding and its the night BEFORE Chinese New Years Eve. All around the city there are tables set up with massive fireworks for sale. It is truly a pyromaniacs dream.

This guy has some big plans; fireworks and DVD's (right downstairs from our apartment too)

Well, whatever you're celebrating this weekend (Chinese New Year, Valentine's, NBA All Star Weekend, birthday (Happy Birthday Kaitlyn!), Winter Olympics) we wish we could celebrate it with you wherever you are. One thing I learned in all of my travels is that building relationships, family and sharing joy with people you love is universal.

SHANGHAI SNOWBOARDING

2010-02-06T23:20:00.004-05:00

posted by Alan
click on pictures to see them full size

Daisy left her board and gear back in the States because she figured she wouldn't get a chance to use it over here in China. They have snowboarding in China in a few select places up north, but it's not even close to a regular activity over here. So imagine our surprise to learn about the Indoor Ski/Snowboard Slope that is in Shanghai.

An outside and inside view of "Mount Shanghai"

We met up with our friends Zach, Krystle(Arizona) and Rachel(ATL)and headed 45 minutes south of the center of the city to a 14-story structure called the YinQiXing Indoor Skiing Site. For about $22 USD, you get boots, board and snowsuit rental and all u can board for 2 hours. This includes the "lift." We all opted to skip the teletubbie-like snow suits and just go in our regular clothes.

We were warned about the grossness of the boots, which were confirmed when we walked into the rental area and u just pick your own boots off the shelf. This means that when people are finished, they just take them off and put them back ON the shelf. So ur boots might have just been worn and put back on the shelf. In a stroke of genius, we came prepared with garbage bags, which we wrapped around our feet before sticking them in the boots. U also just select ur own board off the rack. It slowly went from trying to find a good one, to finding an acceptable one, to just finding one that fits ur boots and finally, just finding one that fits and isn't broken. A process that took about 45 minutes. Thank goodness our time card doesn't start until we get on the slope.

Walking into the slope area is quite the revelation. There was so much to take in that it was hard to process all at once. From the fake christmas trees, to the salt-like fake snow, to the dozens of people decked out in yellow and purple snowsuits at the bottom of the hill, it was definitely a thrilling experience. And THEN we get to "The Lift."

The lift was a revolving string of long retractable poles that went straight up the slope. It never stops and you have to grab one as it passes, hitch it between your legs and let it drag you up to the top of the slope. All you need to do is keep your balance. I went first, and after a few seconds of flopping around on the floor like a dying fish while holding onto the pole as it dragged me up the slope, i managed to get on my feet and got the hang of the lift. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of us. Rachel and her low center of gravity and Daisy both managed to figure it out after awhile, but The Lift still owns Zach. High comedy watching Zach try to get on the lift.

DZ giving up on the lift and just walking up the slope; Top of the Mountain; Rachel on the "lift"

Overall, it was fun just being on a board with friends. The boarding itself is just ok. The "snow" was soft and sandlike, but did simulate the feeling of boarding. Falling was painless because the snow didn't pack. The run took about 8 seconds to get down the slope and about 4 minutes to get back up. There WAS one jump that looks kind of fun. But like i said, overall, it was a fun experience and I'd go again just to hang out and have some fun with friends.

Response to comments:
Kristen - Don't get me wrong, I don't mind Five Guys at all. They just opened a Carl's Jr. here in Shanghai though. That'll have to do for now.

We're BACK

2010-01-31T09:34:00.007-05:00

posted by Alan
click on the pictures to see them full sized

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Birthday MLK and soon to be Happy Chinese New Year! That's alot of holidays since we've last posted. Had an awesome visit home to NYC for the holidays and it really does seem like a new chapter is beginning here in Shanghai. It feels like the first 8 months were an orientation period. It took time to adjust to a new culture and language, to find the rhythm of the city and find our way around. Now that we've done all of that, I'm personally excited to really dig in and start to make an impact in what is slowly starting to feel like our city.

It was really really good to see everyone at home. Three weeks was just about enough time to spend catching up with people and doing some of the things that we missed:
- Kids getting bigger, but are still the same kids.
- Family Christmas dinner with the same insane amount of food.
- Since when were there so many Five Guys' Burger chains everywhere?
- Avatar in IMAX 3D. Thank goodness we saw it at home because it's a phenomenon in China and impossible to get tix.
- CEMCQ Winter Retreat.
- The bitter cold NYC winter makes Shanghai's winter much easier to bear.
- Sour Patch Kids, Amy Ruth's, Hot Dogs, NYC Pizza, parents home cooking, Taco Bell, I could go on....
- ...I will, White Castle, Twizzlers, gyros, big fat STEAKS. Just a list of what not to expect if you come visit.
- Did u know that the internet is blazing fast in the US?

Yep, a great trip home. In many ways, it felt like we never left, which was very comforting. Home will always be home. But after three weeks, we were ready to get back. We're here for a reason and it was time to get back to that. We didn't like leaving, but we came back recharged and refreshed. With the winter about to break, the World Expo and the World Cup a few months away and Chinese New Year just around the corner, this is an exciting place to be. As big as this world is, we have the capacity to appreciate all of it. That's a blessing if I ever heard one.

More frequent updates to come!!!

Random pictures from the past month:
Actual video played at Shanghai Int'l Airport (click on it and see what it says); "Avatarrrr"

Daisy makin Mochi; Henry and Grace...soon to be in Shanghai?

Christmas dinner with the cousins; Amy Ruth's soul food in Harlem

Happy Holidays

2009-12-09T08:30:00.005-05:00

posted by Alan
(click on the pictures to see them full size)

I guess everyone is in full holiday mode right now back in the US. Being over here, it's easy to forget things like black friday shopping and Thanksgiving morning football. While the 'holiday season' isn't as boisterous as it is back in the States, China (I guess I can only speak for Shanghai) is beginning to take on it's own way of celebrating the seasons.

It felt strange to work on Thanksgiving Day. This made it easy to forget that it was actually Thanksgiving. But the large expat community here in Shanghai goes a long way in helping you feel a little slice of Home while you're overseas. We embrace the Chinese culture and really do cherish the local lifestyle, but Shanghai really is that international of a city where this mix of Western and Eastern lifestyles IS the local culture in this city.

Daisy and the Feast; "Happy T-Dry"

Thanksgiving Dinner for us was hosted by our friend Jeff(california). Turkey is pretty non-existent out here, but a few hotels ship them in and for a substantial price, a full Thanksgiving meal can be ordered. This, along with the pot luck dishes that everyone brought (Daisy did Mac and Cheese) made up a ThanksG dinner that rivals most at home. Although my family ThanksG dinners are pretty hard to top. We topped the night off with a few rounds of MAFIA. Thanks Jeff, Matt and our friends here for helping us feel closer to home. The only thing that killed the feeling was knowing we had to work the next day. We had another ThanksG dinner on Saturday night, but this time we skipped the turkey and just had three different kinds of chicken.

Helen(Sao Paolo, Brazil) and Daisy tearing apart the turkey

The city has really taken on the Christmas spirit since then. Christmas lights and decorations can be seen everywhere you go in Shanghai. Almost all of the hotels have Christmas music playing and fake trees are all over the place. It's very exciting to see China open it's doors to the world in this way. Part of me would like to be here for Christmas to celebrate with my company and local friends and get to share with them the joy of what Christmas is all about. This week I took a clothing donation at my company for some of the needy people here in Shanghai and the response so far has been awesome. I have to empty the donation box every day after work because it's always full! A few of my coworkers have asked me about what we're doing and why and some have even expressed a desire to come along. As great as it would be to be here with them during this time, I can't deny that Daisy and I are both definitely looking forward to coming back to New York to spend Christmas at home.

Decorations in my office; street decor in Shanghai

We'll be getting in on December 18th and will come back to Shanghai on January 8th. We don't have cell phones yet, but we're always reachable by email:
agong029@gmail.com
daisydaze@gmail.com
We definitely would love to see as many of you as possible while we're home, so get in touch!

Response to comments:
The answers to last post:
1. FAKE - almost any DVD you find here will be fake.
2. REAL - real Kellogs Frosted Flakes. Why they changed the name? I have no idea.
3. REAL - Coca Cola is EVERYWHERE. I saw Coke ads on some of the most desolate roads in Africa. Amazing.
4. REAL - Oreos also available with chocolate, strawberry and mint green frosting. None are as good as the original.
5. FAKE - it's a safe assumption that anything Crocs here is also fake.
6. REAL - As much as North Face is faked here, this is a real one. I only know because I bought it in the US. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to tell.
Glennis - I should've put a disclaimer that anyone who has lived in China before is not eligible to participate. And yes, your pinyin is correct, but I had to adjust it for American pronunciation's sake.
Libby - If you come visit, I think I should hold your wallet. Like a designated driver.
Corey - We'll see if you're able to figure out what shoes I wear when I'm back are real or fake.
Brendon - You got em all right except for the Coke. Thought too hard about it. I wear everything around in the States. I'll keep you guys guessing.

Zhen de, Jia de? (Real or fake?)

2009-11-17T02:09:00.008-05:00

posted by Alan
*click on the pictures to see them full sized

Most people know that China is the counterfeit capitol of the world(unofficially). Everything from DVD's, sneakers, bags, watches, clothing, food and even Tylenol have been copied and sold here.

Now, I'm not here to debate the moral issue of using these goods (over here, sometimes there just is no alternative). In fact, the quality of the duplicates have gotten SO good, that oftentimes the only way to tell that they're fake at all is where you're buying them and how much you're getting them for. And even then, you wonder if they're real but just stolen or defective in some way.

Since coming here in April, i'd say the most faked brands have to be Crocs and UGG's. They are both EVERYWHERE. You can buy them in stores, at fake markets, off a blanket or a cart on the street in any style and color you could ever want on your feet. UGG's just started popping up because winter is coming, and Daisy and I were completely at a loss as to whether they were real or fake. Thats how good the quality is. There's actually debate about whether they're fake or are they somehow factory surplus or something. But it's clear that fake UGG's rule the Shanghai winter, while Crocs own the summer. UGG's can usually be bargained down to about $18 USD and Crocs could usually be had for about $3-$5 USD.

Now, because I've lived here before, many of my friends automatically assumed that things I was wearing or using were fake. I DO have some fakes, but I also lived in America for 90% of my life and occasionally purchased some genuine products over that time. But it actually amused me, having people ask "Is that real?" To keep people guessing, my usual response would be something along the lines of "If you have to ask, then it doesn't matter." For some reason, certain people pride themselves on being able to differentiate between real and fake goods. So, here's the contest. Check out the items below, listed by number and see if you can guess if they're real or fake.

1. Battlestar Galactica Season 4 Box Set (for nerdy Daisy)

2. a.k.a Frosted Flakes

3. in Chinese phonetics, this says "Kuh Kou Kuh La"

4. "Ow Li Ow (Oreo)

5. Croc slippers

6. North Fake?

Response to comments:
How does one type an awkward silence?

Halloween in China

2009-11-09T04:27:00.007-05:00

posted by Alan
*click on pictures to see them full sized

As mentioned in the last post, Halloween is slowly gaining steam as a holiday to celebrate here in China. As with most Western holidays, foreigners celebrate it on their own, but the concept of dressing up and scaring each other was just too much fun for the local Chinese to resist.

Our company is very forward thinking(especially for a Chinese company), and one of the reasons I was brought here was to introduce a Western way of thinking to the company culture. Like the rest of China, our company is trying to adopt a more global mindset and that's part of the reason why we decided to have a big Halloween party to which we invited our clients, families and friends.

Haunted House construction took 3 days and 2 weeks of planning; I taught them how to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

The party included a costume contest, raffle prizes, food, games and a photo station. But the centerpiece of the party was our Haunted House. It was my job to come up with a concept for a Haunted House that we could build inside one of our meeting rooms. It was actually pretty elaborate, taking three days to build and used over 180 yards of black curtain, cardboard, mannequins, a fog machine, blacklights and sound system. I also recruited 8 of my friends to come and help me run the House from the inside. It turned out to be a HUGE success and was actually pretty creepy. People were genuinely frightened and we even made a little girl cry. The measure of any good Haunted House.

The party and Haunted House went really well and I know it went a LONG way in showing my co-workers why I'm here, helping them to recognize the effort and time that I'm investing in them and I can see it's reaching them. They're starting to realize that I'm not here just to get a job and make some money in China. Enthusiasm has been even higher for my classes and one-on-one lessons since then.

Daisy and I; my awesome Haunted House crew; the Hall of Hands

Halloween Night in Shanghai seemed like one big party. We live in a popular area with bars and restaurants all around, and it seemed like each one of them was having a Halloween party. While it was still mostly foreigners out and in costume, there was definitely a good number of Chinese locals out in full costume as well. It was really cool to see that blend of Chinese and Western culture come to life. What made it even more fun was that many places in Shanghai don't have cover charges, so we were just able to party hop and walk from one party to the next. For some reason, the trick-or-treating tradition seems to have gotten lost in the Halloween festivities here. We made it home in time for 3:30AM kickoff of the Florida vs. Georgia football game and ordered in some 24/7 McDonald's delivery. Halloween is a fun time in Shanghai.

Best costumes seen that night: A guy dressed up as a Rubber Duckie (he got the costume from Japan), the Thriller Michael Jackson (I don't know WHERE he got the jacket), and a "Gold Digger" (they're notorious here in Shanghai, so one girl went with it and dressed in all gold with construction gear and money sticking out of her costume.)

Up next: Thanksgiving. Although I don't think that's a holiday that China will be adopting anytime soon...or ever.

Response to comments:
Johnny - That camcorder was classic. Possibly the best $150 I ever spent. It even knew not to record our performance of H-Town's 'Knockin Da Boots.' Lets Go Mets.
Kent - I'm surprised it's not more celebrated Down Under. Isn't everything a party down there? It's not even really an "American" holiday, although I guess we kind of took it over and totally commercialized it.
Eric - .....
Robbie - Uh oh, who's gonna use the car?

Malaysia 09

2009-10-26T03:43:00.010-04:00

posted by Alan
(click on the pictures to see them fullsize and the link below to see a full picture album)

Two posts with ZERO comments? Ouch. Well, we'll assume people are still reading this site and post anyway. We'll try to update more often too. This way everyone can not-comment more frequently. =)

Every first week of October in China is National Day. One of the three golden weeks in China where the entire country has a holiday from work. There aren't many personal vacation days in the Chinese work culture, so these Golden Weeks are the time to travel for EVERYONE.

We (Me, Daisy and 6 other friends) decided on a hidden treasure of an island off the eastern coast of Malaysia called "Tioman Island." It is listed by Time Magazine as one of the ten most beautiful islands in the world. One of the reasons it can preserve its beauty is because it takes some real travel and determination to get there. For us, that meant a 6 hour flight (connecting) to Kuala Lumpur(KL), the capitol city of Malaysia, a 5 hour sleep in a hotel, a 6 hour, early morning busride from KL to the port city of Mersing, where we would catch a 2 hour ferry ride to Tioman Island. It took over 24 hours from the time we left Shanghai to the time we finally stepped foot on the Island.

Our plan for the week was to get away from the hectic city life and spend time just resting and relaxing while appreciating all of this natural beauty. Tioman is a small island that is mostly jungle. There are about 8 beach areas along the shore, which is where small, family owned chalets and restaurants have been set up to host visitors. The only real way to travel from beach to beach is via boat. The island is known for its Scuba and snorkeling. Many areas of live coral, crazy looking fish, reef sharks, sea turtles, etc. Monkeys and Komodo Dragons roam the island as well. We all had our share of fresh fish on the beach, soaking in the warm ocean waters and really had an amazing time.

One of the biggest impressions I have from our trip was the attitude of the local island people towards money. Coming from China, we're conditioned to always be on guard for people trying to take advantage or scam us out of some money. On Tioman, it was the total opposite. Because there really wasn't much on the island, there was almost no point in becoming rich. This resulted in a very relaxed attitude towards money there. They made what they needed to in order to maintain their lifestyle, and they were satisfied with that. We were in a few situations where we asked if there was a charge for something and the answer was "It's up to you. If you want to pay, you can pay, if not, its ok." Then we'd ask "How much?" and again, they'd shrug and smile and say "It's up to you." Even when there WAS a price on something, it was never asked for or negotiated up front. They just said, "Go ahead, take it, pay us whenever." Granted, we were staying at the chalet on a secluded island so we weren't going anywhere, but there wasn't an urgency to guard or hoard money. It was such a pleasant and comforting feeling to be around.

If you'd like to hear more about our trip, feel free to ask us anytime, or you can just take a look at the pictures here: MALAYSIA '09

As I type this, plans are underway for a big Halloween party at my company. I'm setting up a Haunted House in one of our meeting rooms and we're inviting friends, family and clients to come the night before Halloween. Halloween hasn't reached the status that it has in America yet, but every year, it's being embraced more and more by the Chinese as a time to dress up and just have fun. I'll be sure to update you next on what Halloween is like in China.

Daisy and I have also begun our plans for our trip home for the holidays. We'll be coming home a week before Christmas and plan on staying until about a week after New Year, so we hope to have plenty of time to see everyone. We love living out here in Shanghai, but we definitely miss everyone back home and we're both really looking forward to coming back for bit.

Hmm, Yankees and Phillies? What's a Met fan to do? I think I'm actually leaning towards the Phillies. Few things are more annoying than a gloating Yankee fan. hahaha. I know I'm inviting the Mets fan abuse. BRING IT ON. (besides, we were injured all year, not our fault.)

Response to comments:
....let the silence be deafening....

last month...or so

2009-10-10T13:00:00.054-04:00

posted by Daisy
(click on pictures to see them full size)

I've had a month and a half to recover from my last entry so sorry in advance for the mega long monologue.

HK: I went to HK the last week of August to apply for my Z visa. When I wasn't at the visa office, I was exploring the city, eating, and window shopping. It's an interesting city where EVERYTHING is on top of each other, more so than any other city I've visited - with serious signage and space overload. The double-decker buses and the intense signage were overwhelmingly amazing. I was wondering if the double-decker buses don't crash into the signs above then if the signage ever falls off the buildings because there are just THAT many.

signage in HK; can't read but I think there's a sale at this store...

I've been there a handful of times over the last 10 years but it was a completely different feeling coming from Shanghai. It made me realize how different Shanghai's dynamic is compared to both HK and NY. The allure of ads and shops in HK and NY screams YOU NEED TO BUY THIS IF YOU WANT TO BE SOMEONE but in Shanghai I really don't get this feeling (or maybe the ads and shops aren't doing a good job attracting me). But I've noticed people around me could care less what I'm wearing, what designer, and where I go eat my meals, shop, etc. Of course when I dress better or go to pricey-er establishments, I receive more attention like anywhere else... but the pressure to be a certain way, dress a certain way, shop a certain place isn't here -- or I haven't felt it calling me. (Don't worry, I haven't become totally reckless to the point where I put on same unwashed clothes day after day...although the thought appeals to my laziness right now...) It's a liberating feeling and it made me miss Shanghai for the first time. After three days in HK, I was ready to return “home" with my Z visa in hand. And for you guys who go through this visa process periodically, you know my joy when I say I got my Residence Permit! No visa paperwork to deal with for a while!)

yummy Japanese honey lemon tea;
back in SH I was greeted by men covered head to toe ready zap me with their fever gun

TR: ...stands for Test Rite Group. That's the trading company I work for now... I've been here just over 1 month. The people on my team are cool. They're all really nice and Chinesey. I'm the only native English speaker on my team but their English is good and my boss is originally HK-nese so he speaks English (and Cantonese). But there’s always something comforting about meeting another native English speaker. About a month ago I recognized a girl walking out of our building. I met her briefly through a friend at ch'ch. Turns out she works here too! Yay! When she found out I worked here, it seemed like she was excited but at first in disbelief that I worked at TR too. There aren't many Americans here – there was her and now there's me. TWO! Nice... haha.

Every team has a different category so I'm in the Gardening Department. My team finds factories that make gardening tools and various sundry items and exports them to retailers all over the world – kind of like a middleman. I used to be on the buying end and now I'm on the sourcing/exporting end. Should be interesting! I came in at the end of the summer so it’s been slower than usual and people are still getting in last minute vacations – a good time for me to slowly transition into my new role.

And last week I got my first Chinese paycheck. Pretty normal but in my mind I wasn’t sure I was actually going to get paid until I got paid. My China mentality… expect nothing and deal with it when it does or doesn’t happen… Seems to work most of the time. When things work out, I am pleasantly surprised and slightly amazed with how things work out here. When things don't work out, I had no expectations in the first place. Doesn't work for everything but it keeps me rolling with the punches and from expecting America in China... all while trying to enjoy the China way.

a sea of cubicles...

+1 year: Thanks to those that sent emails and FB messages to wish us a happy anniversary! Feels like Alan and I met just a couple years ago…but that’s nearly eight years ago. Looking back on the last year, so many things have happened and it’s incredible seeing where we were and where we are now in a year's time -- and we did it together. I'm so thankful and I'm looking forward to more years together like our first : ) For our anniversary we spent the day riding bikes, walking through the park, and enjoying a Mexican dinner together.

With the help of some friends I helped throw two showers to celebrate the arrival of our friends Lizzy and Daniel's baby boy ~ Houston! It was tough planning something traditionally American IN China but totally worth it!

Baby Shower foods, pin-the-baby-on-Lizzy, and baby's most needed item ~ Huggies!" p.s. Lizzy baked the cake in the shape of a yellow school bus herself -- it was delicious!

Bye China, Hi Malaysia

2009-10-01T23:37:00.000-04:00

posted by Alan
(click on pictures to see them full size)

So, after the post about our Slingbox, I kind of take it back. First big Penn State game, get up nice and early to see ESPN's college gameday at my old campus and Iowa knocks us out of the championship picture for the second year in a row. To all my fellow combination Penn State/Mets fans, why do we do this to ourselves? At least I'm not a Knicks fan too.

I forgot where I heard it, but I remember hearing the realization that how much you actually use your camera is a good indication of the activity level going on in your life. I know it's been true for me, as when I'm doing things that are new, fun and interesting, I have plenty of pictures during these times. But there have been times when I don't touch my camera for weeks and it's because things just have been pretty routine and there's been nothing really worthy of picture-taking. I know this isn't true for EVERYone as there are some who never take pictures of anything (Daisy) and some who insist on pictures for everything ('let's take a picture together even though we're in a dark bar and the entire background is indistinguishable and we do this every weekend, and we're roommates/best friends, making every single picture look almost identical!')

As I was saying, this statement is pretty accurate for me, so I try to keep my life full of camera-worthy events and activities. There's hardly a boring moment out here in Shanghai, as EVERYTHING is new and different and interesting, but i think anywhere you live, its easy to fall into the comfort of routine. But if you know me, I don't like being bored, so I'll be doing my best to keep my daily life picture worthy..

Pizza and Game Night (Detective, head up....)

2009 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix. NO Usain Bolt, but featuring Tyson Gay and the return of Chinese National Hero, Liu Xiang. Go USA.

Dinner and bowling for my cousin Nick's birthday

A visit to the Hai from Cheryl and Brian

October 1st marks the start of one of the three golden weeks here in China. This year, it's the 60th Anniversary of the Communist Party taking power in China. The entire country has off and EVERYONE travels. We have a group of 8, headed down to Tioman Island off the Eastern coast of Malaysia for a week. It's supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in the world, known for its seclusion, scuba diving and just overall natural beauty. We're absolutely looking forward to getting out of the city and relaxing on pristine beaches for a few days. Pictures for sure when we return...

One year (+ 2 weeks) later...

2009-09-27T09:31:00.003-04:00

(click on pictures to see them full size)

Two weeks ago marked the one year anniversary of our wedding. Seems like just a few months ago that we were all up at Woodloch Pines Resort in northeast Pennsylvania for the wedding, but then when we think of all that has happened since then, it feels it has been years.

We've been told that the first year of marriage is the hardest and it only gets easier from here. I find that hard to believe. First, this year hasn't been too hard in terms of marriage. It definitely has been an adjustment and a period of learning about each other, ourselves and what marriage means, but hard isn't a word that comes to mind. Second, I feel like marriage is going to be a constant learning experience. Our lives will be constantly changing, bringing new situations that we'll need to figure out together. Maybe the figuring out process will be easier because we'll become more adept at working together?

Maybe what they meant to say that marriage only gets BETTER from here. That I can see happening. Unlocking the secrets of marriage and what it was fully intended for is an exciting prospect. At the same time, I think we've both learned that marriage takes a committed effort from both sides to make it work. I don't believe it's supposed to be easy, but I do believe that it is every bit worth it.

Thanks for all of the pr8yers and love that everyone has shown us this past year. They have been vital in our relationship and our transition to living in China. Our friends and family have made it impossible to not know how much we've been blessed. Our hope is that our marriage will reflect the blessings in our lives and bless the lives of those that we love in return, no matter where our address happens to be.

Love, Alan and Daisy

Click here for our wedding pictures: THE WEDDING ALBUM

Free Music...and its legal!

2009-09-11T04:52:00.009-04:00

posted by Alan
(click on pictures to see them full size)

One of the awesome perks of living in China is Google Music. Because free music is available in China on various websites, Google has gotten into the game in order to compete and as of early this year, launched their free music downloads. It has a catalog of over 1 million songs of artists from China and abroad. The site is all in chinese, but all you have to do is type is what you're looking for in the search bar and the results pop up in english. You can make a playlist right there on your computer and it'll save and play from the web whenever you open it. Great because Pandora doesn't offer service outside of the US. Eat it Pandora. Next to each song is an arrow pointing down(load). Click on the arrow if you're feelin the song and thats it. The MP3 is on your computer 10 seconds later. Easier than Geico. So if you're coming over to China, clear up some space on your hard drive and get ready to gorge on free MP3's.

Don't let the Chinese scare you, just type what you're looking for in the search bar. Double click the song and it's added to your online playlist.

Scroll over the arrow pointing down and click to 'xia zai' the song. Downloads right onto your computer.

But all the free music in the world doesn't make up for the loss of just being able to flick on the TV and catch live American sports. That might have been a good thing this summer, with the ridiculous season the Mets have had. It's like they're trying to think of ways to make each season more unbearable than the last. Although you can't fault them for the injuries. But anyway, there were essentially no sports to watch this summer, but the #5 Penn State Nittany Lions have come calling and with basketball season just around the corner, ESPN.com will become my second best (inanimate) friend. Number 1 being..... SLINGBOXXXXXX(I added five x's.)

Our slingbox setup. Connected the laptop to our TV and speakers. Notice the time on the clock. Thats opposite of NY time. SEC(U of Georgia) Superfan, Rachel, enjoying a game.

Slingbox is truly a sports loving expat's best friend. Hook the box up to any cable back in the US, configure your computer to the box and that's it, you can watch whatever channels that cable gets on your computer wherever you are in the world, LIVE (provided you have internet connection). The fact that it's live does present some time difference problems, but it's fine for noon kickoffs (midnight here) and night games (8AM Sunday morning here). It's just those annoying 3:30PM kickoffs that are a pain. But if you're a sports fan and living overseas for an extended amount of time, invest in a Slingbox for sure.

Janet Jackson re-creating the Scream video at the MTV VMA's was awesome.

Response to comments:
Johnny - Hahaha, dude, I GOT pegs. Not only pegs, but a seat cushion for the back of the bike too. I'll update you guys on my pimped out bike soon...
Gary - Yeah, the BBQ was on the roof of our friends apartment building. There's a hottub up there, kitchen (with utensils) and outdoor BBQ grill set up for whoever lives there to use. And the complex even provides FREE CLEAN UP. Downstairs there's a movie theater/rec room for them to use too. Expats live large over here man.
Lin - We're waiting for you to come back. If these make you miss it out here, just wait until you see the pics we're gonna take in Malaysia.

Worth a thousand words...

2009-09-07T21:55:00.009-04:00

posted by Alan
(click on the pictures to see them full size)

Man, time has been going by FAST here. We've managed to busy ourselves with so much here in Shanghai. I guess we should have been ready for it, but the way things work here in the expat community is that the summer is generally a slow time in the city, as many people are travelling or visiting home for the summer and once fall hits, people come back to the city and there are just a ton of activities going on. Couple that with Daisy and I both starting full time jobs during this time and that leaves for very little rest time. Something we're both working on making more of. But busy is a good thing, as long as there's purpose behind the busy-ness.

Today is going to be a photo blog, more than a written one. Photos are the best parts about blogs anyway, aren't they?

One hour bike ride to rooftop BBQ in Hongqiao district of Shanghai with Anna

New Mayfair Hotel rooftop pool. A confident stride can get you anywhere (especially in China with two blondes)

Saturday morning Ultimate Frisbee (that's Daisy in the blue shirt)

Bday party for Jeff at Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse (yes, thats a mechanical bull); street fried chicken. it is GOOD; lunch with my boy Miro(NJ) and his gf Monica(Phillipines)

Finally, here are pictures from our second trip to Jin Shan Beach. This time we knew what to expect, had perfect beach weather and got a group of 17 people to go with us and spent the whole day there. Beach volleyball, frisbee, football, lounging and eating, great time. I heard that summer sprinted away from New York this year and it's already cold back home. Well, I'll let you guys enjoy these pictures of us frolicking in the sunshine on the east coast of China.

Click here for a full album of the beach trip: PICTURES OF JIN SHAN BEACH Part 2

Response to comments:
Gary - Thanks for helping us avoid the first posting to get ZERO comments. I get the hint, no more movie reviews.

Shanghai Kiss

2009-08-24T22:12:00.012-04:00

posted by Alan
(click on pictures to see them full size)

Movie Review - Shanghai Kiss
I watched this movie before we left for China. My brother Robbie had it on his computer and I took it based on the name, but had no idea what it was about, who was in it or what to expect. That's probably a good thing, because had I seen the DVD cover, I probably wouldn't have given it a chance. Turns out, it "stars" Hayden Panetierre (cheerleader from Heroes), before she was The Cheerleader from Heroes and Ken Leung (the Asian guy from LOST -not Jin-.) Also stars the miscast (but always welcome) Kelly Hu, who is way too good looking for the role.

Without revealing too much, the plot centers around Leung, being forced to confront his identity as an Asian-American. being both connected to, but not really a part of American or Chinese culture, he finds himself in the middle of both, trying to figure out where he belongs. In LA, as an actor, he's "the Chinese guy" and in Shanghai, as a visitor, he's "the American." It also involves some bizarre love stories between the characters, especially Hayden Panetierre, over-acting as a 16 year-old who has this awkward relationship with Leung (30 something). Every single scene that she's involved with made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. In fact, the first 24 minutes of this movie is uncomfortable, but after that, becomes unexpectedly interesting. It's a straight to DVD movie with no rating and although it seems like a romantic teen-type movie (because of Panetierre), it's really not. They only featured her on the DVD cover after Heroes blew up. In fact, I'm still wondering why she's in the movie at all.

Overall, I'd say it's worth watching. It's not a great movie by any stretch, but what I like about it is that it doesn't follow any typical Hollywood pattern of storytelling. It's kind of weird actually. It's also actually filmed IN Shanghai, really capturing the vibrancy and beauty of the city in a pretty authentic way. They even have a bunch of Shanghainese thrown in there if you wanna hear how crazy that language is. I think the movie will especially resonate with anyone that has ever visited Shanghai and especially for those who have spent some time here. Ken Leung is also pretty decent at his role, which he had to be because he really had to carry the movie by himself. Again, don't expect to be blown away by some great achievement in filmmaking, but if you're up for something different and wanna check out Shanghai a bit more, or just feast on some Kelly Hu eye candy, give this movie a try.

Here is a plot summary from the press release:
Liam Liu ( Ken Leung, HBO's THE SOPRANOS) is a likeable, struggling L.A. actor who inadvertently finds himself as the object of affection for a pretty Beverly Hills teen (Hayden Panettiere, NBC's HEROES). When Liam inherits his grandmother’s home in Shanghai, his visit to China and introduction to Micky (Kelly Hu, THE SCORPION KING, XMEN 2)--a woman who captures his imagination like no other—force him to reconsider his Chinese roots. Caught between two worlds (and two women), Liam must now sort out the complicated desires of his heart, and find out who he really is.

Response to comments:
Corey - Linkin Park puts on a good show, but nope, no moshing over here. In a smaller venue and if it's encouraged, then maybe, but this was a big production in Shanghai Stadium with rows of plastic chairs set up. But they were definitely into it and were up on their feet the whole time, but no choas. And I'm thinking that's a good thing...

I Miss China

2009-08-20T23:29:00.014-04:00

posted by Alan
(click on pictures to see them full sized)

Yes, we're still in Shanghai and yes, Shanghai is still part of China. By China, I mean what i call CHINA China. There are maybe 5 major cities in China that are modern, international, touristy and bustling. These are the cities that China likes to broadcast and show to the world and Shanghai may be the most prominent of all of them. The other 90% of China is underdeveloped, old school and somewhat neglected. That is where I lived from 2003 - 2005 and yes, I miss it.

There was such simplicity to life out in a small town like Xin Zheng. Its a town so small that the local Chinese people here in Shanghai have never heard of it. Life there was amazing because you adapt to the simplicity. You reach a point where you expect things not to work right, things won't be available and many things won't go as planned, but you're just ready to roll with the punches, no matter how unexpected. You lose that sense of entitlement and accept that things are out of your control.

The street I lived on in Xin Zheng vs. the street we now live on in Shanghai

Here in Shanghai, things are so modern and forward thinking, that you expect things to work the way you want them to. It's very easy to forget that you're in China here. Instead of knowing that you can't get something like cheese or ipods or doritos and being ok with it, you realize that things are available here, and we start to get consumed with desires. Accessibility breeds desire, which leads to coveting, which leads to uneccesarily complicated lives. I think it happens in any place with an abundance of wealth. I think all my New York people can understand.

I do realize that this is an internal issue and circumstances shouldn't determine character, but man, does it make it harder to maintain character. But how much is our character really worth until its proven under fire, right?

However, living in a city like Shanghai presents opportunities that you would NEVER have living in CHINA China, such as seeing Linkin Park live in concert at Shanghai Stadium. It was a short, but awesome show. I'm thoroughly impressed at how Chester Bennington can sing/scream like that for so long. I'm also impressed at how many Chinese kids know all the words to their songs.

I also get to see Usain Bolt race in person on September 20th at the 2009 Golden Grand Prix which is in Shanghai this year. $12 USD to see the fastest human being alive run for a total of about 30 seconds....totally worth it. (Its a whole track meet competition thing, but who's NOT going because of Usain Bolt?)

LINKIN PARK @ SHANGHAI STADIUM

Response to comments(by daisy):
Kristen - Thanks for the encouragement :) The locals are also amazed with Alan's eating habits. When it's time to order lunch his coworkers say, "Get this one, it has a lot of meat!" But afterwards Alan messages me, "I just ate lunch but I have to go out and get more food." 8th Wonder of the World...Alan Gong.
Glennis - I'm getting used to the idea of writing and cooking. Two things I barely did in NY! I'm getting cool tips from friends here about how to make things like sour cream and cottage cheese! We have it so easy back home! Even if we can find certain ingredients here, they're relatively expensive. Like cheese. I do love it though... Funny thing is I'm lactose intolerant in the States but not here ~ one thing I love about China: I can eat ice cream, cheese, and cheesecake whenever I want! :) YAY!
Artemis(Prime): - Did you know Alan calls you Artemis Prime? Thought you'd like to know. I think it's kind of cute :) He calls me Cobra Commander when I wear my puffy collared coat. But yea, it's good to hear from you too! If you'd like to bring yourself over here, I'd be super happy!!! hehe No luck on the baking sheet but our friend Cheryl gave me a good tip! I can foil the rack in the mini oven! YAY! So when you coming huh? ;)
Angela - Thanks for being so persistent with commenting! hehe Shanghai has a lot of foods imported from all over so it's relatively easy to find most things. BUT...it's not as cheap. It'll cost what it costs in the States. For slightly less than 1 cup (200ml) of heavy cream it's about $4USD. That's a rip off... Know how to make heavy whipping cream without buying the prepackaged stuff in the supermarket??? If you know, tell me :p p.s. I have updates about my job in my next blog! Are you done with culinary?
Cheryl - Thank you for the tips! I can use whatever you can give me... Cooking here is like thinking outside of the box or problem solving. It's quite rewarding when I figure out or find out how to get around making "homestyle" cooking :)

Daisy Who?

2009-08-10T00:05:00.008-04:00

posted by Daisy
* click on pictures to see them full size

I’m the world’s worst blogger and Alan likes to taunt me by saying, “someone commented on MY blog.” My response is always, “can I see?” I admit I enjoy reading his blogs so much sometimes I’m afraid my musings won’t be as interesting… but I’ll try to have fun writing this : )

What have I been doing? Well I stopped tutoring. The little girl moved to Singapore and the university student is on summer holiday. Since then I’ve been volunteering with a local designer name NuoMi (which translates to a type of Brown Rice). I do the same stuff I did for my previous employer so if you know my last job…you know I love it : ) The label is cool because it’s a mesh of a lot of things I love… fashion, retail, renewable resources, charities, children, and good people. So they design, make, and sell women’s and children’s clothing using eco-friendly fabrics like silk, organic cotton, bamboo and soya. And some of the merch brought in is made by Pilipino women in jail for illegal things like drug trafficking to support their families. So NuoMi sells the products they make so these women can support their families legally. And another thing that NuoMi does is raise money for children with Spina Bifida for surgery. Yay.

Little girl I tutored -- only picture I could take before she grabbed my camera

I’m still waiting on the other job with the Taiwanese trading company that I “accepted.” I say accepted in quotes because I didn’t receive the written offer or sign a contract yet -- although they’ve already started the working visa application process (???). Still working on it… will let you know how that pans out : ) I’m just enjoying my time volunteering for now!

As Alan mentioned in one of his blogs, I’ve been playing housewife. Trying to cook more often and make sure he gets enough meat. I still haven’t completely figured out how much meat that really means. Cooking’s more fun than I thought. I’ve transitioned from sneaking up to the stove to making real food. For a while, I was turning on the stove incorrectly so it would make these loud snapping sounds (oops)… another time I was afraid the oil was too hot and would pop…so I had to sneak up to it then too. Alan’s been patient with me…like when his steak ended up well done :p Spaghetti was my best meal for a while but chicken parm (minus the cheese) made it to #1 in the last 2 weeks. Yay.

Baking brownies (batch #1); #1 dish: Chicken parm (minus the parm)

Some of you at home are probably used to having an oven but locals don’t have ovens here. Most homes just have two burners unless you’re in a fairly fancy apartment building. About a month or so ago we bought a second hand oven. It’s like a large toaster oven that could fit an entire chicken but not nearly as big as the ones at home. So far I’ve baked brownies twice … three times counting the one I burnt (oops). I finally have all the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies (thanks to Alan’s mom!) but I’m missing a baking tray that will fit this oddly sized oven. Because people don’t bake here it’s hard to find baking trays. I went all the way to the HEC (Hotel Equipment Corp) only to be amazed at the industrial sized baking trays they had. It was a pretty cool store, but the baking trays were as big as two of my ovens put together. I eyed another one at the local expat grocery store (City Shop)…but when I returned to get it, it was GONE! So the search is on again! Once I get that baking tray, I want to bake some yummy chocolate chip cookies : )

It’s been so long that I almost forgot, I went to Suzhou for a day trip with some friends about a month ago! Suzhou’s known as China’s Venice and about 45 minutes away from Shanghai on the express train. There’s a manmade canal that goes throughout the city. We got to go to the Suzhou Museum which has some awesome architecture : ) And there was this man there with this hat – I told him I liked his hat and he tried to give it to me. Haha. Here are some pictures:

Yuan Yuan, Jessica, and Jennifer canal-side in Suzhou; Probably the 6th picture attempt I took of this guy -- he was so nice; Pagoda behind the Suzhou Museum

Response to comments:
Kristen - HK seems sturdy despite the numerous tall buildings. Pudong, Shanghai on the other hand is sinking from the number of huge skyscrapers being built. The Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center sit right next to each other…and China’s planning to build the Shanghai Tower not too far from the first two. It’s supposed to be taller than the first two. So as crowded as it is in HK…at least HK isn’t sinking?
Joyce - Joyce – thanks for your pr8yers :D You guessed right! “Oh the Places You’ll Go!” haha Alan owes you 2 rmb. I think there are only a few things you can buy …for 2 rmb you can ride the bus, for 1.5 rmb you could get a rice cracker snack, and…for 0.8 rmb each you could have 2 steamed buns.

HONG KONG (not to be confused with China)

2009-08-05T09:24:00.016-04:00

posted by Alan
*click on pictures to see them full size and click the link below for a full photo album

After weeks of research, it has been determined that in order to get a work visa in China, one must leave the country to do it. The most common place for those in China who need a new visa to go is Hong Kong. American passport holders are allowed 90 days free in Hong Kong without any type of visa. FREE. That word gains more and more meaning to it everyday that we live here.

Hui Lau Shan drink shop , my boy Mike and his gf Evelyn, with Nicole at Tsim Sha Tsui

So I take a 3 day, 2 night trip down to the City That Doesn't Belong to get the visa I will need to live and work in China. For those that don't know, HK was under British control for over 100 years and was only returned to China recently in 1997. In that time, it has flourished as one of the major port-cities in the world and is light years ahead of China in many areas (just kidding Chinese govt, if you're reading this.) I suppose this explains why most of the Chinese in New York and other parts of North America are cantonese speaking. It takes money to go abroad. This trend is starting to change as mainland China is growing. Since the handover, HK virtually has been untouched by China, with it's own government, laws, money, flag, quarter-pounders with cheese, etc. It's basically autonomous.

Please, Shanghai, Please?!?!

Quick impressions of Hong Kong:
(It's worth noting that i've been here before 5 years ago, but had an oddly-timed, culturally confusing, strange experience here. If you really want to know, I'll explain it to you, but not in this post.)
- Ok, maybe the US can agree to disagree on using things like the metric system, calling soccer football and using Celcius temperatures, but this left-hand driving thing is ridiculous. Can't we all just agree on one side of the road before someone gets killed? I was so confused that I just looked in every direction when crossing the street in case a car was coming from somewhere.
- Hong Kong feels extremely claustrophobic and cramped. Coming from New York and Shanghai, that's saying alot. It's physical area is very small and split up by mountains and rivers, which leaves the only direction in which to build being UP. As a result, it feels like the buildings and people are all on top of each other. Not enjoyable.
- People speak better English in Hong Kong than people in New York Chinatown. That made things slightly disorienting, but pleasantly easy to get around.
- The food and food choices in Hong Kong beat Shanghai. The mango drinks at Hui Lau Shan alone beat all the drinks in Shanghai combined.

Good eats - Beef Noodles, Won Ton Noodles and Mango Jelly, Coconut Juice and Mango perfection at Hui Lau Shan

Apparently someone kept swiping my camera as I was eating and took pictures of me.

Caught up with some old friends, made a couple of new ones, ate some famous stuff (most notably, the scrambled egg, noodle soup, milk pudding set meal at Australia Dairy Co.) Almost got stuck in a typhoon 8, got carsick on top of a double-decker bus, got alot of reading done and came back to Shanghai with a shiny new work visa.

The famous Australia Dairy Company. Constantly packed, make new friends at your tiny table, simple set menus.

Milk tea (or coffee), noodle or macaroni with roast pork soup, the famous scrambled eggs with soft bread toast and equally famous milk pudding. Awesome meal..and I don't even like scrambled eggs. 28 HKD ($4 USD).

Click here for pictures: PICTURES OF HONG KONG VISA TRIP

Response to comments:
Angela - All these dialects are such a pain. My cantonese (what little there was) is destroyed from trying to learn Mandarin. When I was in HK, everytime I tried to say something, it came out in Mandarin. The ability to speak many languages is truly a gift.
Kev - Chicken parm IS mad good. I could go for some right now. Oh, and you're wrong. I said a FAMOUS author, not some unknown comic book writer. By famous, I mean EVERYBODY has heard of this person. Even children....
Lina - Hey Texas! Much is always going on over here. When should we mark down your arrival date? Next week? Week after? Be sure to bring over some ribs and beef brisket.

CSL (Chinese as a Second Language)

2009-07-29T04:57:00.008-04:00

posted by Alan
*click on pictures to see them full size

It's been two weeks since I've started working. It has been a challenge to say the least. It's already difficult to figure out the way a new workplace works, but imagine trying to do that while learning a new culture and in a language you can barely speak. But I must say, it was a challenge I was expecting and one that I was ready for. I'll talk about the culture another time (i can write a book about how much i've learned about it already), but let's just start with the language thing.

It would take some major convincing for me to believe that there is any language harder to learn than Mandarin. It's not a superficial language that was developed simply as a way of communicating, but there are levels of complexity, history, art and culture all mixed into it. I distinctly remember back to my first stint in China. There was a point at which I had somewhat of a revelation and realized that I was starting to get a grasp of the language. Let's call it the "Grasping Point." Its a strange feeling to express. It's as if a light bulb turned on and i felt this confidence that i was beginning to understand and what i didnt understand, i could figure out. Has anyone else experienced this? Back then, coming from a background of ZERO mandarin, I hit that point about 3 months in.

This time, it's a whole different situation. In XinZheng, I was sheltered by the University Campus and to some extent, the small town in which I lived. We were foreigners in a small Chinese town that was NOT built for foreigners and expected nothing more from us. We were treated like oddities (in an innocent and loving way.) Everyday speech was simple. How to get around, order food, just the basics. If you were able to say "Hi, I don't speak Chinese" to one of the locals there, the reaction would be "WOW, THAT'S SO GREAT! YOU SPEAK CHINESE!"

Seriously, who came up with this stuff?

Here in Shanghai, nobody is impressed. First of all, it's a city filled with foreigners and these days, its alot of foreigners that CAN speak chinese. It's almost expected here. Second, I had most of my basic everyday needs taken care of for me back in XinZheng. I didn't have to deal with bills, rent, repairs, etc. Living on our own now in Shanghai has resulted in alot of scrambling to learn new words for everyday situations that we completely overlook while living in the comfort of our native country. To get a feel for what I'm talking about, try joining a gym or getting exactly what you want from Pinkberry without speaking any words. Third, Shanghai is extremely modern and very Westernized. It is completely possible and very tempting to get through life here without actually speaking any Chinese. Most anybody here under the age of 25 can speak pretty decent english and many stores and shops have English menus and options. Some stores are marketed COMPLETELY to english speaking customers. So speaking Chinese as practice here is a bit embarassing. Its hard not to feel dumb trying to communicate in Chinese at the level of a 3 year-old, when the person you're talking to is probably thinking "just say it in english and stop wasting my time."

This reason alone is one of the primary reasons I'm glad to be working at this company. Yes, many of the employees here are young and want to improve their English, but while working, in the interest of just getting things done, they usually just speak Chinese. I get ample amounts of free Chinese practice and have about 50 willing teachers all around me. I'm learning new words by the minute and am constantly being forced to put them to use. I can already tell that it has been helping and I can't wait to see where my speaking level is at a few months from now. I'm anxiously waiting to hit The Grasping Point again.

But I'm happy to accept this challenge and I firmly believe we weren't meant to just coast through life. We were made with the capacity to grow, and growth is a direct result of persevering through challenges. A life without challenge is a life of complacency, or as one famous author puts it "The Waiting Place." TWO WHOLE Chinese RMB to anyone that can tell me who that author is. The Waiting Place is a place that will lull you to sleep, and before you know it, you have passed through life having accomplished nothing. I guess the moral of this entry is: Get off your butt, embrace challenges in your life and hold on for the ride. You'll probably like where you end up.

As always, pictures. While I've been at work, Daisy has been playing housewife and cooking everyday. Pictures of her creations are below:

Chicken Parm & Spaghetti; Betty Crocker Brownies

Over the stove; working the oven while Rachel cleans the mixing bowl; goodies from home (thanks mom)

Actually, she's also been working with some clothing design label thing too. Be sure to ask her to update this blog and tell you all about it.

Response to comments:
Mayho - I guess it's normal to think an eclipse can be seen from everywhere. The sun is just up there, right? But yes, we're actually on the other side of the world, so it wouldnt make sense.
Sung - I read that in India, they had ALOT of supserstitions about the eclipse. They did alot of wacky stuff during it. I'm sure you can look some up. There were some in China too, but I think thats more in the past generations. Everyone here just thought it was really cool. And it was. So you'll visit us in Hawaii, but not in Shanghai?