Pre Travel Post

Hey, I know you think I'm in China and I'm kinda sorta already on a vacation of sorts, but guess what? I'm going on f'real vacay tonight to Beijing then later Xi'an. I'm ecstatic. No really, its taking all my self control to not overuse my !!!!!!'s. I could probably just post one word and the rest of the page be just !!! So instead, I'll calmly inform you of my impending trip, and the excitement I'm feeling about it.
We're flying out tonight around 9/10pm, getting into Beijing a few hours later at which time I'll surely try to alert my general 'need to know list' of my arrival status. I'm leaving behind my ninja suit and having a hey day in China with all its glory of shopping, eating and tourist-ing. Most likely you'll be kept up-to-date about our goings on, but if you begin to burn with curiosity please feel free to shoot me an email and or message! Also, warm gushy feelings towards family and friends :)

Until I post again.

Yi La Xi Me Yi Ma Se!!

 Our Japanese restaurant is a typical set up with two rooms of traditional seating, meaning the tables very low to the floor, with floor seating. I knew we had a couple rooms like this, with straw mats, and tables over a sunken pit...but the taking of shoes off, and kneeling to serve gets tricky...and dangerous. I'm not what you could call a graceful Gretchen anyway, but add in a tiny tray with easily tip-able dishes containing all matter of foods that spill and stain and you have me: a ninja appareled bull in the proverbial china shop.
Tee hee.
I spent most of the day in and out of the private rooms trying not to kill the guests with trays of food, or burn them horribly with molten tea. The trays are a joke, only two or three dishes fit comfortably on them, and compared to iCafe, they are the puny and laughable. One of the trays is only a couple inches wider than my whole hand. Its a hand sized tray---why don't I just pick it up!  I glared at its glossy surface and asked, "Whats the point of you???"
Another great way of exercising is dribbling water all the way from the kitchen to the station on the other side of the restaurant. Someone will notice, and they will ask you to clean it, and they won't have a mop, which means you will clean it by hand and do it by lunging awkwardly across the entire span of the restaurant in your black pajamas and white socks. This might make you a little disgruntled, but at least you're not standing around awkwardly!

Whenever someone enters we all say, (usually halfheartedly), "Yi la xi ya, ya yi ma se!" (eelah shee yeah, ee ma say) which means "welcome", in Japanese. We also say goodbye but its much more complicated so I just say "domo arugato". I kinda mumble it after everyone else then smile 'real' big, hoping that makes up for the mush of words that just came out. The staff there is incredibly sweet, and I'm making friends with the servers and the sushi chef. Once they discovered I can speak enough Chinese to mash a sentence together, they let forth the flood of questions about me and America. I really enjoy when people ask me about America...it's all so generalized! I get questions like, "Do Americans like Chinese food?" I'm like...well maybe a good portion of them do, but it's not really Chinese food, so I can't actually say they do, but if they count our Chinese food as the same then yes...a good amount of people do." Then I get that smile and nod that means nothing I've said sunk in, but they wouldn't dream of asking me to explain myself. It's both comforting and mildly infuriating. The mixture of the two kinda phase each other out though, and I end up just being kinda neutral about it.

Every white person I saw at work (and by white I mean non-Chinese/ Japanese) told me I look like a ninja . I just shrug nonchalantly and say comfort is sneaky, or something that involves lounge wear and being ninja like. Taking off the shoes is a breeze, which is great when I have to quickly slip them on or off. I only do this when I muster up the courage to go into the rooms that  have the traditional seating, and usually I slide around on the mats and look generally uncomfortable as I collect or deliver dishes.
I am not a delicate person...and I've decided working in a Japanese style restaurant has firmly placed me in the "stout and capable" category, and not "petite and graceful" where I might faint with overexertion. (and by overexertion, I mean stacking more than five plates and bowls on one tray) Maybe this rotation will teach me how to float around, and seem like a collection of light fluffy clouds instead of a tribe of sumo wrestlers learning to river dance.

 Also, because they're starting construction on our floor, they're moving us up to the 20th floor. It is amazing! Wood floors, new appliances and of course more tvs!! We are so spoiled.

Chapter 2: IRD

Well, two weeks flew by and I ended my rotation with room service yesterday. Turning in my poop coat, and skirt was way less exciting than trying on my new outfit for Nishimura. Our Japanese restaurant has a smaller staff, less tables and very traditional costumes...I say costumes because it's pj's or someone heard my silent need to become A Ninja! I'm wearing a black button down with your basic lounge pants and white socks...with flip flops. I'm committing so many fashion crimes all at once: pj's at work, and socks with sandals. Good thing this is a "fashion city" and there is no such thing as bad taste.

Today I shuffled into Nishimura and had a quick orientation of the place. I will do the same job as I did in iCafe, only the trays are about twice as small and if I try to carry more than two or three plates at a time- they stop me and tell me its too heavy. Oh please! I was picking up trays half my weight while wearing a metallic shirt without one dish dropped! But so far I'm appreciative of the pace. Plus its not normally incredibly busy...not that I could walk around fast enough to keep up if it was.
Tomorrow I'll go back in for my split shift and do that until Friday. I cannot wait to see other parts of China now. Also I want to see the most touristy spots I can, just because hey...when will that happen again!

Also, the progression of posts since first being here is rather dizzying, and sorry for the whirlwind of my mind! Maybe recording my growing pains is not a good idea, since it displays my evolving ignorance...but its kinda nice to put this experience out into the void. Plus I get to tell all my funny jokes to everyone so I can tell them over again when I get home...that way everyone is sure to hear the same jokes and have synchronized eye rolls :)

Chapter 2: I learned room service is not just for delivering food, oh no, its a call transfer operators office, napkin folding support team for iCafe, delivery of catering to airports and a small room filled with close friends. In room dining chapter: closed.

Winter Eyes.

You know that moment in the winter when its so cold, it makes your vision razor sharp? The cold creates a crisp clarity and a stunning focus. What other times is our sight so piercingly effected?

Walking down the lonely hallway after completing my shift brought on such clarity of my position, that tears sprang up instantaneously. I am thousands of miles away from home. Thousands.
 I clocked out and headed back to my apartment,  and started walking down the hallway I have been traversing through for three months. Its just an innocuous hallway of half yellow half white walls, with posters and signs in Chinese that I've seen over and over, but suddenly looking down that long corridor made me incredibly aware of exactly where I am.
I am in China, working in a 5 star hotel experiencing my first internship ever, and I am thousands of miles from home.
That kind of icy clarity can simply take one's breath away.

I'll wipe my winter eyes, and hope for a hazy summer day tomorrow...

Canteen. Canting.

I was struck today with lightening and puff of napkin lint, with a thought about the similarity of English and Chinese that I had never noticed before. The word "canteen" meaning a large gathering place to eat is remarkably similar to the Chinese "canting" (pronounced tsanting) which means dining hall!!

Ok, sorry. I thought it was really cool, and my exclamation mid folding alarmed my fellow linen mates to my obvious thrill and was probably a little over dramatic in their eyes. They gave me the look of support they do so well, without the understanding I so desperately need. Oh well, you can't win em all, kid.^

Today I worked--haha ok ok, just kidding, I mean I arrived at IRD, stood awkwardly like I do, and had a nice chat with our F&B manager Ruby. By nice I mean she stood there and I felt compelled to make small talk, and when I feel compelled to do that I babbled about anything I can think of. That would fly normally, but since Ruby understands about ever other word I say...it basically went like this:
Me: Ahh, yes I love room service...the people are so laid back, (hurriedly) but they know how to get the job done!
Ruby: Nod, little smile.
Me:............Do you think it'll rain today? Not that I mind, I like rain actually. It makes the garden look really pretty. Like when I worked in iCafe, it always looked...nice...
Ruby: Blinks. Have you made up the days for your time off?
Me: *cough* Uh, I have one now. I was so tired from working at iCafe that I needed the two days...but I'll start working six days....*blah blah babble babble*.
Ruby: Indiscernible nod. No smile.
Me: *Weak smile- frantic search for reason to leave- twiddle thumbs and hum "Call Me Maybe" instead*.

Later on I did get to help arrange for the offsite catering to the airport for a client who was flying in a private jet. We were given a stack of dishes, the menu and set loose to make it happen. I helped translate what oval and rectangular meant, and organize the dishes and silverware, and made up the menu folders with Rela and Juicy (yes, her name is Juicy). The food won't be prepared til tomorrow morning, but I called and confirmed with the client about miscellaneous details like packaging for the ice, or time of delivery etc. Let me tell you, I felt extremely professional while on the phone confirming and clarifying. Heck just saying those words makes me feel like a boss. And despite my Mocha Poop colored coat, and pantyhose with a little run happening on my foot, I felt accomplished and useful.

 And really...that's where it's at for me. I need a job that has crisp edges, neat interactions, and purposeful events. Laughter and teasing well ok... I need that too.
Unfortunately, I don't think any jobs come along in a pretty package like that. If they did...someone else already has it, and it'll be a while before I can earn it I think. So here's to working toward whatever job will give me the same feeling I had today of gettin stuff done right, and gettin it done well!

 Today I worked the full shift, which is unusual since I started IRD. I actually start making plans for the day like I'm going to get out early everyday and count on the fact I'll have daylight hours to do other stuff before bed. Tonight I was gonna go to the gym, and have a light dinner before bed. Instead I worked til 9.30 and ate dumplings.
This gym thing is just obviously too much of a hassle, and I think its a sign that I can't go so often! I mean hey, I'm in China! Sometimes I think...why shouldn't I get fat? When's the next time I can eat all this kind of food? I should enjoy it while I can, to its fullest extent, right?? Right!? Then I see my wispy Chinese colleagues that disappear when turned sideways and I sigh with a heavy heart. If I get fat(ter) I'll just be another American casualty...plus the traditional Chinese dress definitely won't fit and I kinda want to wear it for lobby lounge. I could go on and on and about the Chinese and their maddening genes...but I'll save that for another ridiculously long winded blog post.

^ I taught this phrase to Clark in iCafe. He then went on to practice using it in every non applicable way possible.
Can't win em all!!

Splinters and Planks and Eyes 'n Stuff

 I fold napkins now, and yes it makes rethink my career move of forgoing graduating on time, pursuing a degree in Hospitality and choice of rather thin and cheap un-supportive flats I wear, but really its amount of lint I breathe in (which might rival those of England's cotton mill in days of yore) that makes me wonder...do I have that fresh linen scent permanently embedded in my lungs? It also makes me wonder how I'll ever see another cloth napkin and not feel the urge to fold it into a pouch for silverware.

There are valuable life lessons in even the most simple happenings in your day. I'm of course referring to judging others unfairly. It is incredibly easy to look at other people and find all their flaws and micro issues that normally, as a whole, add up to that particular wonderful human being who is amazingly able to walk around and (occasionally) reason with that mystical experience known as Life. What's more amazing is my ability to leap over my own short comings and focus rather narrowly, and rather meanly upon a particular personality quirk, or beauty misstep. Yes, this is one of my character flaws...and I sheepishly admit to being one of the most judgmental people I know.
You're not shocked.
I'm just trying to make the point that quickly assuming you have room to judge others might lead to some alarming, yet poignant moments...
Ok what I'm trying to say is...don't judge others moles for having a huge hair growing out it until you check your shoulder and find a bigger and more disgusting mole, with a longer and more luscious hank present.

IRD: I Really Don't (Do Anything)

IRD actually means In-room Dining, but for this post purposes it means, "I really don't (do anything)". My first few days in room service set the tone and pace of my new rotation in a laid back and pleasing manner. I am extraneous in every sense of the word there. This translates to: I get in the way, and the training I receive is for my checklist, not really for practicing. So far I've helped clear dirty trays, which takes a whopping ten seconds, set up new trolleys/trays and maybe even follow the runners to the rooms (but I can't go in with them because "it makes the guest nervous".) Yeah, I don't know what that means either.
I fold napkins, chat with my colleagues and learn more about the culture and opinions of my Chinese peers. When the napkins are done, and everything seems settled they send me home. Sometimes I work for five hours, sometimes less...compared to iCafe this place is "da bomb". (I'm bringing it back) *
I'm not complaining!! I love room service, the atmosphere and the people there. Everything is so light hearted, they don't get upset with each other or argue pettishly. My manager Rela, is a real stickler but in an admirable and efficient way that gets the job done right and done well. I also like our assistant manager Josie very much, because she is so open to any questions I have. Literally I can ask anything, and she remains friendly and unfazed. Whether or not she understands me is a different story haha, but she never shoots me down. We talk about movies, music, standard operating procedures, the hotel's standing in comparison to our competitors, training and of course Chinese dating. This is actually becoming one of my favorite topics. I'll hold on the juicy details til I get back... We gotta have something to talk about, right?
I've thought about this a lot actually, (not Chinese dating..Well a little, but more on that later.) When I get back, you'll have known so many of my best stories, and I'll be that girl repeating herself and recounting tales of mundane inanity over and over. So in advance...I apologize. This has been an all consuming experience so far, and I don't think I'll much else material to cover upon my return. Plus also, you can just tell me you remember my blog and I'll immediately shut up..or try to think of another story. (Which is more likely)
I also apologize for the posts that contain embarrassing grammatical and punctuation mistakes. I cringed a little as I reread some posts, and I hope you can forgive me for making basic errors that I haven't made since I was in the fifth grade. Sometimes my brain is way ahead of my typing capabilities, and my editing skills lessen the more pumped up I am about the post.

This week I will finish out my rotation with IRD on Sunday and begin a new chapter with Nishimura, our Japanese Restaurant (on the second floor! SO MUCH CHANGE!) Plus I'll have a new uniform, but unfortunately it's the manager's suit. I say unfortunately because I'll be the 23 year old intern, that's been at Shangri-La for three months, wearing a suit it takes some people 6-8 years to earn. Yep. Official poophead status achieved. I did learn that I am not actually making more than my fellow colleagues, in fact I'm making a substantial amount less than them. This is oddly comforting.
I will only have a week at Nishimura and then we are hopping on a plane and taking off to Beijing for five days, then on to Xi'an for about three more. I can't believe it's already time for vacation!
You are probably saying, "Uh, Ann...haven't you basically been on vacation for these three months?" Well...I can't really argue with you, its been less than a job, but more than a summer off gallivanting around China. We need a break from the hotel, from the struggle of learning and being trained by people who have difficulties spelling "diligent" or "foreigners" while filling out our evaluation forms.
Also, I feel like going to these cities will actually expose me to real Chinese culture. Dalian is a bubble city. There are too many people we are able to hang out with who speak passable English, and I eat Western food on a normal basis, and Chinese for special occasions. Beijing , and Xi'an are thousands of years old ...Dalian is a baby city in comparison, so it's hard to wrap my head around the fact I'm in China sometimes. It's too modern to make me feel like I'm not in America anymore...the only reminder is the fact that Chinese people are everywhere and speaking English may or may not be received well. So, with that said, I'm looking forward to seeing a different perspective on China.
By the time we get back, it'll be September. October our projects are due, and we will present to our  Executive Committee, or Excom members, about our findings. Then November will roll in, and we'll be flying home before we know it!

I crave  news from home, and I think about campus and my hometown all the time. I know that if I was there, more than likely we'd being doing the same thing we did last year: work, go out occasionally but spend a copious amount of time watching tv and sleeping...(which sounds faintly familiar :S) It's weird being cut off from the local goings on, and I miss being in the know about everything. Communication is a bit spotty because of our vengeful internet. I feel like I should start supplying our modem with hormone therapy...maybe that'll make it stay in a more stable mood and I can call my mom for more than five minutes without the stupid thing getting fussy and kicking me off.

We have come a long way from the first few weeks here barely able to work up the nerve to go out on our own, to takin taxis to restaurants we drove past once. I'm happy with where we are:)

*Actually there are tons of phrases, actions and stupid faces I'm bringing back thanks to my crazy roommates and our strangely addictive tendencies to imitate each other- then accidental absorption of each others antics, until we are a meld of one person's sounds and goofy poses.
Again...sorry.

Floaties and Proud!

Going to a beach means fun in the sun, splashing in cool waters, eating great food and enjoying each others company. In China, its not much different...its just how they do it.
The beach I saw today were rocky, with large gravel in place of sand, the water was murky and speckled with seaweed and various plastic bottles/garbage items. I walked along the concrete barriers, watching waves hurl themselves against the structure in a futile fashion, dousing people with it's fury then rushing back out to the sea. The awesome power of the ocean has yet to ebb for me...I will always wonder at it's changing nature. One minute very gentle and rolling, then next pushing people down and dragging them back to the ocean's dangerous embrace. I only say that because I laughed hysterically at one of my friends who tumbled over in an inner tube and couldn't  run away as the next wave came crashing down on them. Yeah ok, judge me, see if I care!! It was funny...
The group I went went took up a large section of tables shaded by the sun with green tent tops. I walked up and  saw the huge feast of junk food, and people sat around chatting and eating, which is becoming a normal sight. They asked me if I was going to swim and if I wanted to change. First off I wore my swimsuit (or in their giggly and breathless words "a bikini") under my clothes, but after one look of the questionable waters, I decided to excuse myself from swimming. Honestly I just wanted to be in the sun for a change.
Towards six o'clock, all of the sudden people started bringing platters of food out and our tables were covered in dishes of fish, seafood, vegetables and beer.
Did I mention the proclivity towards drinking warm beer here? I don't mind if its accidentally warm, or just left out a little too long on the beach...but they drink it that way on purpose. Yeah...think about it. Just imagine drinking a Bud that's never seen a hint of ice in its life... because you like it that way. Something is wrong with that picture.
I ate shrimp with faces, some kinda tongue looking seafood thing I freaked out over but ate anyway, and maybe 6-15 skewers of lamb/pork stuff...which was mostly fat and entirely delicious. (Or as my cowokers say, deliciours). Also, seaweed, tofu, table onions, peaches, potato chips, peanuts and miniature puff pastries. (I might be a little fat) So if I suddenly take ill...you are well informed of the possible contaminants; seafood, meat and most likely unwashed produce.
Fingers crossed for tomorrow!
I should also mention the fact that I watched my boss, a very intimidating person to my colleagues and who is known for going on rants for half an hour about...well I don't really know, but he rants like crazy...I watched him put on bright, orange arm floaties. Literally the kind I wore when I was five. And then splash around in the ocean giggling gleefully. This sight is not unusual as many grown men ran around proudly in such devices for flotation with nary a thought toward embarrassment.
 Also the shorts the boys wore rivaled those of any 6 year old I've seen. Let's also just throw out any obscuration of the junkular region and you'll have the 8 fully grown men walking around with no shame, that I was so blessed to be in company with. The general public has no rules of attire either, nor any bashful glances are seen. I'm amazed at the amount of Buddah bellies hanging out, and the the lack of self consciousness people possess. I saw scrawny, I saw beefy, I saw skinny and I saw...just things I hesitate to share with you...in case you get nightmares. In the end, my "fat belly" just didn't seem like the biggest deal anymore. I gave up trying to look skinny, relaxed and ate. And also drank. A little. Ok..more than a little....but when else can you go to a work party and get tipsy at a beach?
It was a long and exhausting day, the bus ride took a lifetime to get me back but I'm glad I went and I'm happy I had the chance to go out and experience just another moment in China.

Also...I'm just never gonna eat chicken feet. I informed my colleagues that when they stop resembling feet, I'll try them. The concept was not transferred well and my humor was, once again, lost. Can't wait to be in America again, where I'm funny. (er)

Chapter 1: iCafe

Looking back, I never knew how much this rotation would influence the rest of my time here. I mean, all the Chinese I've picked up from my friends has been integrated into my daily interactions, and my friends are people I know and can look forward to other outings and shenanigans. If my other rotations don't prompt new friendships...I'll always have iCafe.

With that said, audios iCafe! It's been a treat, buuut I'm gonna go to in-room dining and maybe "have a rest" for a couple weeks. I'm excited for a change of pace, maybe see new faces (and by new, I just mean ones I don't have much conversation with because in-room dining is literally in the same kitchen as iCafe and I see everyone all the time).

This weekend Heather, Tricia, Sarah, Dennis and I went to the beach for a little sunshine. Xinhai square is very big, and right next to it is a stretch of beaches. We strolled down the boardwalk-ish sidewalk and carefully made our way done to the shoreline past gravel and rocks. The beaches here are not quite the smooth sand that I'm used to, but the closer you get to the water, the finer the grain gets. We played a game the Chinese people made up involving- surprise- a chopstick. We made a mound of sand around the chopstick, and then you scrape the sand away until the stick falls down. Loser goes into the water...which trust me...is a huge punishment in itself. The water near that area is none too clean and the harbor contains quite a few ships, that I'm certain leaks various icky things and probably extra limb inducing  chemicals.
Other than that, we had a lovely time sitting in the sand, soaking up some rays and enjoying the mild temperatures. After that, we came back to the apartment and I went to a going away party for me at a friend's apartment. A very nice big group showed up and we had a great time learning and playing new card games. I taught them Go Fish, Speed, Kings and a little Poker until the group was too confused to want to play anymore. They taught me a couple Chinese games, and I'll be honest I don't really have any idea how the one game is played. It involved "rock paper scissors", some kinda hand gesture and a lot of hilarity. They also had a feast there of all things I don't normally consume. It's amazing how a beer or two will create courage where courage has never been. I tried chicken liver, beef dried into cubes that's wrapped like candy- but isn't and is very disappointing when discovered. There was also all flavors possible of potato chips, pocky sticks, and chicken feet out the wazoo. Chicken feet resemble feet too much to be edible. Plus they're vacuumed sealed, and really what looks delicious while vacuumed sealed? I didn't eat a chicken foot though because...well I chickened out.

Chapter 1: Two months at iCafe and we have three and a half months left.
Chaper closed.

Joy to Rage in .3 seconds

My productivity has suffered a bit. I can't say I've worked super hard in iCafe this past week, nor can I say I've been really lazy. I will say however, that I spent a good half hour try to open a drawer that some genius stuffed with too many trays and I'm not even sorry. It was a problem I couldn't leave be. If the scenario was in the woods, I would've been the proverbial fox in a trap- chewing my own foot off. I scraped and pinched my hands trying to get that darn drawer to unjam, whilst keeping my temper in check. I'll admit a few choice words quietly escaped my gritted teeth, and the server who laughed at my predicament got a rather cold look. Eventually I worked some magic and got a couple knives stuck too. Terry came over, jiggled a couple things around and  the drawer opened about as anticlimactically as when you see a small rock sink into a puddle. I sighed and thanked him, because let's be honest...I would've stood there all day, hands bleeding, pride stinging before walking away.
Is this a character flaw, or virtue? We could call it pigheadedness, or perseverance.
Thursday, Friday, Sunday. Three days left in my beloved iCafe. Amazing how quickly the honeymoon period ends on new and exciting things, amirite? I'll be relieved to walk away from the hustle and bustle of that place, but again, I will miss the people.

Sometimes the guilt of my life here rears its ugly head, and just makes me feel ten inches tall. I really have it great. Our apartment is spacious, clean, mostly quiet,the A/C works, and has occasionally reliable internet. We are able to go out to eat, see shows, find new places to hang out and not really worry about how much it costs. My schedule is strict in the sense where overtime is unthinkable, and I come and go when the clock says so. According to the hours I log, I get paid my full stipend, which I am fairly certain is twice as much as my fellow iCafe colleagues make (if not even more), and we get to eat a free meal at iCafe everyday. My schedule is flexible, and I can walk to work without setting one foot outside. I talk to my coworkers and they tell me how tired they are from working varied shift times, never just morning shifts like me. Or how one girl lives an hour bus ride away, but they still schedule her to come in at 6.45am. A lot of the people my age don't go out much, and just stay at home with their parents after work. They work until the job is done, sit through very long "briefings" (which I might add, is an unjust word that creates an illusion that a meeting will indeed be brief, and is always, it seems, never brief) have to listen and be careful around Robbie and still maintain a good attitude.
I really have it great. Then why do I feel so wrong about it?
This almost sounds like a complaint, and in a way it sort of is. How come I can go to college, then study abroad and get paid a lot when these people are here for real, work more, and get paid so little? It's the little unfair nuances in life that weave together to form one blanket of discontent and unhappiness. Well I'm overheating. Maybe its time for some 300 thread-count sheets of fairness and equality!
Maybe that is why I rarely see Chinese people smiling. Don't think they don't smile, its just never an expression they carry around naturally, unless prompted. I smile all day long, at guests, my colleagues, kid's antics heck, I smile at anything. I've smiled at a hot water heater. (It gets all fussy if you take too much hot water from it, and starts grumbling like an old man). The difference in culture between Americans and Chinese is that Chinese don't smile if they don't recognize you. I smile at strangers, and they stare back, at first startled or bewildered and sometimes I get a full on staring contest, but then others a delayed yet bemused smile. Oh, and they don't say smile. It's always "smell". It makes me giggle.




The best part of my day is when I get asked where I'm from, and I get to talk to that person for however long they want. I'm a curiosity, and being white is an excellent ice breaker. (Maybe its because I look like snow...? I'm sorry. That was a horrible stretch. I'll do better).





Its moon cake time here at Shangri-La. Guess I'm gonna get fat.
Also, never watch Julia & Julie whilst living in a country you're afraid to buy fruit, vegetables, and meat from. You will feel like an underachiever that would burn salad, and resort to eating pasta and canned corn for lunch everyday. (Not me, a friend does that)