Living in Shanghai

Visa trip to Korea

2009-08-09T23:18:00.007+08:00

I was lucky to come back to Korea for a week

for visa issues, but this trip was really sweet

I was happy to see my family & old friends

Time to go back to Shanghai..........

Seoul really spoiled me with great icecream waffles!!

Blogger Blocked in China

2009-08-09T23:14:00.002+08:00

Blogger's been blocked in China since May - so I couldn't really update my blog!
I'm in Korea for visa issues, but will return to Shanghai tomorrow.
You can still keep in touch with me via email hanul.k@gmail.com

Since May, I got a job and I'm working full time in a semiconductor firm in Shanghai
I'm happy that I can stay here in a more stable way, now that I have a job
:)

Shanghai Aquarium 05-04

2009-05-05T01:57:00.003+08:00

Bonus: Jay Chou & Edison Chen on a outdated Pepsi ad! BTW, the Aquarium is partially sponsored by Pepsi.

On a sunny afternoon, Erik & I went to the Shanghai Aquarium.

It was peaceful, quiet, not a lot of people (which Erik absolutely loves) and so many fish!

There were big ugly fish, fish with huge eyes, small eyes, we also saw sharks, spotted sea otters, penguins, deep sea crabs............

I'm actually scared of fish. I don't mind eating them but I don't like looking at them. I didn't tell Erik that I didnt like fish, because he REALLY wanted to go to the Aquarium. I later apologized for rushing Erik to skip all the fish to watch the feeding time of the penguins. I later told him it was because I wanted to get out of the aquarium as soon as possible!

Unfortunately, my secret plan didn't work too well. We ended up saying hello to most of the fish in the Aquarium. We didn't get to see the feeding time for the penguins. I got really scared several times in the underwater tunnel because I didn't realize some fish were swimming towards me and staring at me.

Aquarium was fun! We went shopping afterwards, which was even more fun! :D

Tickets:
120 RMB per person
No student discounts
Veterans /over 70 yrs old w/ ID: 70 RMB per person
Try to go on a weekday (less people)

Labor's Day Weekend at Zhu Jia Jiao (朱家角)

2009-05-05T01:09:00.008+08:00

freshwater eel and the crayfish

cotton candy man and the bicycle man

Group pic w. Rhea who's hugging her bag

Rhea's old grandma is the only believer in her family. She displayed her Christian calendars in a row, dating back 5 yrs ago. So sweet!

line drying baby pants with holes. in China toddlers wear these pants instead of diapers. when they need to go potty, the mother/grandma conveniently sqats the baby in the right position, and it's all theirs. i dont know why, but my only guess is they do it so it's better for the baby's bottom since it has air ventilation.?! this is one custom that took me by surprise. anyways, this is a priceless picture of the actual bottomless baby pants! woo hoo!

Rhea's parents raise fish, shells & other edible water creatures here. We had a lot of freshwater fish for lunch!

Rhea's "Old House"

Rhea's pets - three hamsters in a tub. (the third one is not in the picture). Their names are 老黄Lao Huang (Yellow), 老白Lao Bai (White) and 老灰 Lao Hui (Gray). Very creative!

Rhea's "new house" - we're so exhausted.

yay! I mastered the perfect Asian "V" pose! We love this red couch!!!

Zhu Jia Jiao (朱家角)

also commonly known as the Suzhou Creek to foreigners

is famous for its "Water Village" because a whole village was built around the canals where people used boats to transport goods and people. Imagine the gondollas in Venice, Italy. Yeah, this is the Venice of China.

Our lovely friend, Rhea, invited a bunch of us to her hometown, which happened to be Zhu Jia Jiao (朱家角). We had lunch at her "old house", (because she recently moved to a "new house" and her "new house" has no kitchen stuff so they can't cook there yet) and "old house" in Chinese is synonymous with "hometown" (老家). If you know Chinese you'll get the pun :p

After lunch we headed out to the Creek Zhu Jia Jiao (朱家角), and we got on the boat, had cotton candy, walked around the village. It was FUN! :D

Then we came back to Rhea's "new house" and chilled - we were so exhausted. We explored her "new house" which, by the way, is BEAUTIFUL and modern - it has a 2 storey loft, a sun room, 5 rooms and super sweet red sofa bed! We almost didnt want to leave...

Thanks Rhea for your kind hospitality! :D

HSK test & Subway Lunch 04-18

2009-05-05T00:54:00.003+08:00

Last month - Erik & I both took the HSK test at Jiang Zhang Gao Ke (Jiang Zhang Technology Park). This was the most eastern part of Shanghai that we've ever been to. This station is the last station of Pudong. After the test, we were looking for places to grab lunch and we found this small yet pleasant outdoor mall area (with nice gardens). Erik and I agreed to treat ourselves to Subway (the American NY deli place). I ordered a 1/2 chicken teriyaki sub on italian bread with dijon mustard (you never find this anywhere else in SH). The sub cost me 15 rmb (approx$2.20US) since it was part of the daily special. And I wanted something to drink so I got a bottle of Peach Snapple. I asked how much it was and the cashier said it was 15 rmb. My drink and my sub cost me the same amount of money....*sniff* but I bought it and drank it anyway since it was the HSK.

(BTW, in SH you can buy a bottle of juice for approx 3RMB so a bottle of imported Snapple was like 5 times more expensive. And I stopped thinking stuff in American dollars otherwise I'll use up everything in my savings account in no time! )

Shanghainese Dinner @ Jing An Si

2009-04-18T18:24:00.003+08:00

Hmmmm. It seems pretty obvious that I've been living my life around the HSK test these days. Well, this post is also related to the HSK. I've been attending a HSK prep course on top of the language classes I'm taking at ECNU. To cut to the chase, this HSK prep course was literally like a HSK boot camp! (No surprise, it's run by Koreans) They really work you HARD and people end up getting "miracle" results. Well, our HSK teacher promised to treat students to a nice meal if we never missed class. My lovely friend Sun Joo & I were the only 2 students who never missed class for the past 1mth & half. So our teacher took us to a REALLY fancy REALLY yummy Shanghainese restaurant, located neart Jing An Si.

The highlights:

Stuffed Lotus Roots: Some Asian countries (like Japan, Korea & China) eat lotus roots and if you haven't tried it, it's SO yummy! It has a chewy sweet taste to it, and the one we had was stuffed with glutinous rice, with glazed syrup poured over.

Green Pea Soup : this was absolutely DELICIOUS!!! it's a little bit different from the 'American' style green pea soup - it's served warm and it's sweet. They garnish the soup with peanut bits. It's SOOOO good! The texture is so smooth and I think they added some special broth or something. I really want to know the receipe!
L'escargots aka the SNAIL : I don't think this is a traditional Chinese dish, but who knows! At first I thought they were some sort of sea shells with baked cheese stuffing (sounds delicious already), but after my first bite, my HSK teacher told me it was snail. To be honest, this was my first experience eating snails. But like they all say, "it tastes like chicken". HEHE! It was actually really good -

This restaurant is fancy and can be super expensive （some dishes priced at 1388元), but if you order smartly（there are 10元 appetizers too) you can actually have a really nice meal with somewhat of a reasonable price. Highly recommend to make reservations before you go.

Shang Hai Ren Jia 上海人家
(6 locations in Shanghai)
We were at:
1600 Nanjing Rd W. 南京西路1600号（机场航站楼4F - the bldg next to 久光)

HSK studying @ Wagas

2009-04-18T18:09:00.006+08:00

Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, aka HSK! aka THE Chinese language proficiency test, aka the MONSTER that has been consuming my life for the past 2 months!

Yes, I really hate you HSK! You have caused me so much grief!

But on Thurs, Michi & Ying & Erik & moi made a trip to a coffee shop called Wagas and we had a spendid time sipping iced drinks and studying together! hehe

Thanks HSK for providing us such strong commeraderie among our friends.

Michi tried to hide from the sun by attempting to position himself just under the shadow of a lamp post. He's hillarious.

BTW, Wagas ice coffee is the way to go on a warmer-than-usual spring day! YUM! :D

Wagas (12 locations in Shanghai)

We were at:

Hongqiao Maxdo Building

86 Xianxia Lu. Rm108 (Near Zunyi Lu)

Mika's Bday - Bali Bistro

2009-04-18T17:57:00.004+08:00

Last Sunday, it was Mika's birthday & she invited friends to Bali Bistro at Jing An Si to celebrate her early bday!

Indonesian food was soooooo awesome! *droool*

I loved everything! My favorite was their Beef curry and their Jasmine rice! Mmmmm :D

As Mika's bday present, Erik & I gave her a plant! haha:) A herb plant to be exact - we gave her a mint.

I wanted to get her something environmentally friendly or something natural - I was wondering around aimlessly for 2 hours in a mall and I found nothing. On my way home, I found a plant seller on the street selling small plants, and I found the perfect gift! I hope Mika takes good care of it and consume it tooo!!

Bali Bistro

Exit 1 at Jing An Si Staion (line 2)

from the exit, walk straight for 3 mins and you'll see it on your right.

万航渡路75号 (近北京西路)

They're open till 11pm!

Introducing my roommate!

2009-04-13T00:03:00.005+08:00

Hi everyone!

This is my current roommate, Erina, from Ishikawa, Japan :D She's a 2nd year in college - studying at East China Normal University. She's the sweetest girl ever! Her mom sent me a small Japanese pouch from Japan :)

The 2nd bubbly girl in the picture is her hometown friend Shiori, when she visited Shanghai for the first time (back in March).

天目湖 Tian Mu Hu Trip : Apr 4th-6th

2009-04-12T23:03:00.016+08:00

Day1: it all started on a rainy day...

D1: our extremely addictive bus snack - sunflower seeds!

D1: Bamboo!! Yay!! (we're still unaware of the 2000m hiking at this point)

D1: Bamboo forest - it reminded me of "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"

D1: the deadly 2000m bamboo forest hiking w/ umbrellas starts.

D1: bamboo boat water wars!

D1: row, row, row the bamboo boat!

Day 2: overlooking the lake

D2: Reads "小心碰头 - Meets Carefully” (while it's supposed to be sth like - watch out for your head)

D2: 莲花，嫁给我把！Will you marry me?!

D2: look ma! i'm engaged :)

D2: the boys!

D2: the ladies!

D2: the couples!

D2: a view of 天目湖

D2: water ball walking thingy?! 水上行步求

D3: THE paintball day! losers do pushups!

D3: the US Army (*grin*)

D3: ready to roll!

Location: Tian Mu Hu at the city of Li Yang (2hr 1/2 from Shanghai, next to Wuxi

The group: all my fav ppl from chch

Day 1 : 2000m hiking at the bamboo forest in the RAIN! it took us 3-4hours to climb up and come down. definitely an achievement to remember! Riding the Bamboo boat on the lake was really memorable too.

Day 2: Tian Mu Hu (lake). A bEAUtiful day. On day 2, Alex proposed to Lian Hua and they got engaged!!!!! <3>

Day 3: Paintball!!! (w/o the paint). It works w/ censors on the jacket and the gun shoots laser beams so you physically do not get hit! They call it the CS (counter strike) game here. It was so FUN! I was dead really quickly though. hehe :)

Exploring the unexplored Heng Shan Lu

2009-03-31T18:00:00.005+08:00

Probably someone's heart was broken...... I wonder what happened in this picture.

I had a chance to explore a different part of the city - I went to a place called "THE LOFT" - Near Jian Guo Xi Lu (建国西路 ) Jia Shan Lu (嘉善路).

Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of The Loft itself - because to me it wasn't that interesting. It's the newest addition to the SH expat joint where a bunch of over-rated coffee shops, wine shops, kids apparell and restaurants gather in a modern-hip-cool courtyard-ish area.

I had a coffee meeting with someone that I envied for her job. Not surprisingly, the meeting couldn't last very long due to her busy schedule. I spent almost 2 hours and a half in travelling for a 20 minute meeting. So for some reason, the coffee at Wagas didn't taste so sweet today.

However, my trip was not in vain because I truly enjoyed the walk back to the Heng Shan Lu metro station from Loft. It was about a 3-4 block walk, and I took pictures of the old streets. This moment couldn't haven been sweeter.

(And I am procrastinating. I have a HSK exam coming up in less than a month. Sweet.)

Luxun Park

2009-03-21T22:40:00.003+08:00

Main entrance - the park closes at 6pm. Some people refuse to exit so they have to jump over the gate!

Beautiful glimpse of spring

Water calligraphy on the sidewalk

Eric & Erik

Me getting my workout!

Luxun - the builder of modern China's backbone - is a celebrated scholar and writer of modern China. His work is read and memorized by almost every student in China. He used to reside in Shanghai for many years to create his materpieces. So Shanghai has a park dedicated to Luxun!

We were there with our good friend Eric D. He's an extremely smart & talented man of faith. He's finishing up his MA in Middle Eastern Foreign Affairs and moving to Dubai for work. His parents, who are from a small town in Henan, are exteremly proud of him - but they will miss him a lot. We'll miss Eric a lot too!

Can't wait to see what next for Eric!

Dunkin Donuts Arrived in SH!!

2009-03-09T00:51:00.003+08:00

I'm so happy that DD finally opened in SH :)
YAY!
I was never a big fan of donuts...

BUT

I'm so happy to find donuts in SH
haha!

So I organized a "field trip" to DD w/ a couple of my friends
mmmmmmmm
sugar glazed donuts w/ American style coffee (as they call it 美式咖啡 in China)

yummy - (and not so healthy)
too bad DD's too far away from where I live.......

DD locations in SH:
Fu Zhou Lu (Near Ren Min Guang Chang Bookstore Street Exit 14)
Huai Hai Lu
Nan Jing Dong Lu (inside the mall that's connected to the metro)

Things I miss about Korea

2009-03-01T21:54:00.004+08:00

Things I miss about Korea....

Really WARM (sometimes hot) indoor heating: One thing I dread about winter in Shanghai is that its lack of indoor central heating system. Actually, there's none. It feels icy indoors - sometimes it's warmer to be out, than to stay indoors. Although Korea is cloder in terms of lower temperature than SH, it did not seem that cold because of its awesome heating.

Service: Believe it or not, we had an awesome experience at Pizza Hut in Korea - the decor was really nice, service was absolutely adorable, and the place was like 3 stories high. It's not one of those dinky pizza delivery places that you think of. I like how the servers kneel down to match your eyes so the customers dont have to look up to the server when they order - how considerate!

Awesome haircuts: I will always miss getting my hair done in Korea. They did such a good job just blow drying my hair - it looks like I had a new hairdo.

Waffles: *droooool* I really miss how you can get DE-licious waffles at almost any coffee shop you go into. I especially miss the coffee shop infront of my house called "Tea Class" and their yummy waffles, and creative (and yummy) smoothies. Also they were one of the few coffee shops that offered soy milk as a milk alternative... I miss you Tea Class!! :(

2/14 情人节 150RMB sandwiches in the park

2009-03-01T21:40:00.006+08:00

Erik & I spent Feb 14, also known as Qing Ren Jie (Valentine's Day) here,

by having a picnic at Century Park.

Century Park (世纪公园）is the largest park in Shanghai, with its artificial lake in the middle, it has eastern oriental style gardens and western North American trees, green grass and also Chinese cherry blossoms (which is a little bit different from the Japanese ones).

Packing ham and swiss sandwiches sound really simplistic, but in order to make 2 baguette and croissant sandwiches, it cost us almost 150RMB - (considering you can get a bowl of noodles for 5 RMB here, with 150RMB you can afford a nice 4 course meal at a sit-down restaurant). Ironically deli hams, cheese and things like iceburg lettuce cost a lot in Shanghai. (Iceburg lettuce can only be found in large grocery stores and they're so much more expensive than cabbage!)

Anyways, it was a very cloudy, cold day to have a picnic, and yes, we were freezing but we had a lot of fun.

A Visit to Yu Yuan (豫园)

2009-02-12T23:33:00.002+08:00

Absolutely stunning! The Yu Gardens or Yu Yuan (豫园) was built in 1559 during the Ming dynasty, located at the center of the Old City. It's a beautiful garden with serene Ting Zi (gazebos) and skillfully crafted stones. We tried to avoid the crowd by going on a weekday afternoon, but there were STILL a lot of people trying to cross the nine zigzag bridge (Jiu Qu Qiao 九曲桥).

2009-02-12T23:05:00.000+08:00

Korean New Year 구정

2009-02-12T23:00:00.002+08:00

It's been 13 years since I celebrated 구정(Korean New Year) in Korea. It was really neat doing the Sae Bae (새배) to my relatives and getting money! Sae Bae is when you take a bow to your elders during the New Year, and they give you blessings and also give you money! Almost the same as the Chinese Hong Bao :)

I had a lovely time with my Grandma and my relatives!

Christmas Play 2008

2009-02-12T22:57:00.002+08:00

I know this is late, but this was from last Christmas 08 when I was part of the play :)

Thanksgiving with the Kings

2008-12-04T23:47:00.003+08:00

Erik & I had an absolutely fabulous Thanksgiving dinner with the King family. Jungrok, Jon and Jon's mom very kindly invited us for Thanksgiving. The food was AMAZING and the conversation was so insightful and encouraging. It's truly amazing how our Father leads His children together in Shanghai. What a blessing!

Christmas is coming to Shanghai

2008-12-01T21:17:00.002+08:00

It's amazing how quickly time flies. Christmas is coming to Shanghai too!

I was in various parts of the city this weekend (Huai Hai Zhong Lu, Xin Tian Di, Tai Kang Lu), and you can see Christmas decorations everywhere!

It's very interesting to see how elaborate these decorations are, but Christmas in China is celebrated totally in a secular way. It's more like Santa Day-

I'll be part of a Christmas play on December 20th organized by my church.

I hope this will help them realize Christmas is more than just Santa and Christmas gifts!

Ningbo Trip Nov 19-20

2008-11-20T22:37:00.004+08:00

Class trip to Ningbo

Xikou city in Ningbo is the old hometown of Jiang Jie shi (Chiang Kai-Shek), the generalissimo of the Nationalist party from 1928 to 1948, opposite to Mao's communist party.

We went to see his old house, his family & relatives houses and we saw 'Mi Lo Da Fo' (The giant gold big Buddha in the picture. Mi Lo Fo in Chinese is the Buddha to come, 'the kindly one', who is a principal figure in all Buddhism)

We also crossed the World's Longest Sea Bridge in China - which connects Shanghai and Ningbo. The bridge runs 32.4 km (20.1 miles). It took more than 3 years to complete this bridge and it opened last year.

It was so cold on the first day......... on top of the mountain...but beautiful scenery of the moutains and the waterfall though.

The second day was quite warm... :) but I was so tired so no pictures today.

French Fly and Flied Chicken

2008-11-16T16:25:00.002+08:00

I went to a Japanese restaurant in Shanghai

and it said:

French Fly

and

Flied Chicken

right next to each other...

mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Michiaki's Place

2008-11-16T16:11:00.006+08:00

New friends from Shanghai

We hung out at Michiaki's place because his parents went to Australia for a business trip.

4 of us are classmates, and others were friends from Australia, Scottland, Columbia and Korea, Japan. Erik was the only "official" American. hehe

We ate dinner and played Wii, darts etc. I had sushi for dinner and I came down with a bad stomachache.......... :(

Chinese Jamaican Raggae Rapper at Church

2008-11-02T23:34:00.004+08:00

Some pictures I took this morning on our way to Church!

I met a Chinese Raggae Rapper and his girlfriend (who is a great singer) at small group today.

ahhh the picture is too small..........

but apparantly he told me he is the ONLY Chinese rapper who does the Jamaican style raggae rapping. He has his own CD and all that. He tells me his music is underground. Really neat!

I love meeting people from different backgrounds. They are so interesting. Really unique brother and sister! I wonder if he will compose music for His glory. That'll be super cool.

IKEA!!!

2008-11-02T23:24:00.004+08:00

Erik and I went to IKEA yesterday evening - because I had to buy a french press (sadly I left mine back in the States............sniff)

And while we were there, we went to their dining area and ordered Swedish meat balls (mmm the gravy and the lingonberry sauce taste the same whichever IKEA you go - not sure about the meatballs though...)

SO MUCH FUN at Ikea... I never knew IKEA was so much fun...

It's scary sometimes what MNCs and big corporations can do to your brain... because I have happy family memories associated with IKEA while growing up in Singapore.

Our family used to go there to shop, or to eat their Swedish meatballs and Salmon puddings, and on our way home mom & dad bought me and my sister a bag of DAIM (chocolate covered caramel noughats).

I found the exact same things in Shanghai that I remember growing up with. AHHH -

Shanghai has everything! I love this city.

Japanese Food and No Halloween

2008-11-02T23:05:00.007+08:00

Our Chinese language class had a dinner this Friday (on Halloween)

My class has 2 French, 2 Americans, 2 Vietnamese, 2 Mongolians (who I rarely see them in class) and 1 Australian (I see this guy sometimes) and 1 Spanish guy (who's Chinese is really good)

and everyone else is Korean and Japanese! (we have 28 students)

We went to a Japanese restaurant and if you pay 158RMB (about 22~23 US dollars) you order unlimited food and drinks! It's kind of like a buffet but you order it from the a la carte menu! Anything! Until you can't eat no more. The food was really good! Not bad/cheap buffet food.

It was fun to interact with them outside of the classroom

I got to get to know them better too!

(one Japanese guy brought a milk cow suit! haha -)

Reflections in Shanghai

2008-10-17T00:12:00.003+08:00

1. God already promised our inheritance
2. He wants to bring you comfort when you don't have it
3. He brings you sanctification
4. He brings us personal satisfaction and joy
5. God is calling us for a global awakening

Received some great encouragements from the ministry organized by our Canadian friends. It's nice to know that we're not alone.
We had someone flown in from Indiana to speak to us. There were people from America, Canada, New Zealand, Austrailia, South Africa, the Philippines , Indonesia, Taiwan (and me representing Korea). The place was definitely filled with the H.S. today. Shanghai is a city of 22.5 million people in need of His love.

5th Year Anniversary

2008-10-15T22:13:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday was the 5th year anniversary for Erik and me.

Never thought we would end up in Shanghai for our 5th year. Thank God for the blessings He poured in our lives and protecting our relationship for the past 5 years.

We had a fancy organic hot pot for dinner (very healthy) at Qimin,

and then we checked out the bund at lounge 18,

and ended our day with a relaxing foot massage at ShenQi.

Tai Kang Lu & Soymilk Latte

2008-10-14T13:29:00.001+08:00

We found a really neat area called "Tai Kang Lu".

The buildings are renovated from old Shanghai houses but it retains its architecture and some old residents too. The place has many little European-style coffee shops and stores selling arts and crafts. It's like a little getaway place where East meets West.

We met a friendly American friend, Kerin, from VA/CA and had coffee with her here. I had soymilk latte - it was kind of a treat for me, since I don't find it so often from where I live. She gave us tips about living in Shanghai and meeting the right people.

Wow, I've met so many different people ever since I came here. I think that's one of the beauties of Shanghai.

Suzhou Retreat Chinese Fellowship

2008-10-08T22:06:00.000+08:00

I was so blessed to spend the 4 days of the "Golden Week" with my fellow brothers and sisters of a Chinese fellowship. We went to an island located in Tai Hu (Tai Lake) in Suzhou. Tai Hu is the third largest freshwater lake in China, covering an area of 2,338 square kilometers (about 902 square miles). It's so big, it looks more like sea than a lake!

I was the only non-Chinese person there, so I had some struggles in terms of understanding and expressing myself in Chinese.

But at the end of the day, I was so happy to be a child of God because I have family where ever I go. It's truly a blessing.

National Day 国境节 Guo Jing Jie

2008-10-08T21:43:00.000+08:00

The first week of Oct is Chinese National Day and it is called the "Golden Week" because it is a national holiday celebrated for the whole entire week!

We went to Ren Min Guang Chang (People's Park) on the actual day of Guo Jing Jie (National Day) and it was absolutely packed with people. The street was very festive and crowded with people selling mini PRC flags and neon lights etc.

I really wanted to take a picture of the "sea" of people, but Erik and I were already stressed out and hungry so I didn't get a chance to capture the "peak" moment.

We experienced the power of the 1.3 billion Chinese citizens...on this very day.

So we went to Huai Hai Lu and we retreated to a quiet cafe called "Deli France" and hand our ham and swiss panini. haha!

Anti-Theft Starbucks in Shanghai

2008-09-26T16:46:00.001+08:00

Before I came to China, I've heard stories of how women's bags and purses get stolen so frequently at coffee shops. I am a victim of having my 4-day-old COACH bag stolen in China, so I knew very well of this danger.

We went to starbucks with a friend (but I did not drink coffee because I boycott starbucks coffee, sorry) I noticed that there is a chain hanging down from the table.

I asked the Canadian friend (who's been in China longer than us) what the chain was for. He said, "OH, you don't know what this is?"

The purpose of the chain is for you to hook your bag to it, so when someone tries to snatch your bag, BAM! it will be stopped because it's chained to the table.

I find this facinating! Yes, women do have the tendancy to place their bag on the chair next to them, or put it behind their back. This is a big NO NO in China. Unless you want someone to take away your bag.

Halal Restaurant in Shanghai

2008-09-25T23:45:00.001+08:00

On Tuesday, we met a lovely Canadian couple who was introduced to us by a friend from America. They are believers like us, and they really gave us strength.

They invited Erik and I to their home for dinner although it was not planned. It was so kind of them!

I had mint tea and lemon squares for dessert! (Oh, I SO missed having home made desserts). Erik had Swiss Miss hot chocolate!! YAY! We were so delighted to see Swiss Miss again!

So we went outside to buy some noodles and veggie dishes for dinner and we stopped by this "hole-in-the-wall" Chinese-Muslim restaurant on the side of the street. Their noodles are hand made and the man just churns out thin noodles by beating the dough and kneading it and just stretching it and folding it 9 times! And amazingly the fat dough magically shreds down into thin noodles!

We HAD to take a picture of him like a tourist...

hehe

Nanjing Xi Lu

2008-09-25T23:41:00.000+08:00

A view of the skyscrapers from the overpass near Nanjing Xi Lu

American Steak & Eggs

2008-09-25T23:38:00.000+08:00

Nanjing Xi lu

American Steak & Eggs!

updates! updates! and updates!

2008-09-24T20:40:00.000+08:00

Well, my beloved camera that I had for many years finally broke...

so I've been taking pictures with my camera phone, and I didn't have time to upload all the pictures.

now that I downloaded the software, I can upload pictures onto my computer! yay!

hence, so many updates all at once! hehe

more exciting stories/pictures to come -

the ORIGINAL General Tso's Chicken!!!!

2008-09-24T20:31:00.000+08:00

Oh yes, one of the beauties of China is definitely FOOD from all different provinces.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, Erik and I had the privilege of having the ORIGINAL version of the beloved General Tso's Chicken!!

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH it was so good.

We went to a Henan restaurant recommended by a fellow WAHOO that we met in Shanghai.

and we saw General Tso's Chicken, and we immediated ordered... mmmmm

my mouth is watering when i see these pictures. Shown in the picture; General Tso's Chicken, qing cai (baby Kailan) with mushrooms in oyster sauce (OHHHHHH!!) and the building shown in the picture is a Mongolian style villa. Very interesting!

seriously, Chinese-food in America is so bad.

...

Shanghai version of Georgetown ?

2008-09-24T20:26:00.000+08:00

Last weekend, Erik and I visited "Nanjing Xi Lu" on FRI, SAT, SUN (three days in a row!)

we've kinda become experts of this place.. hehe

the impression I had when I saw the shops on renovated old two-story buildings was that it reminded me a little bit of Georgetown...

Thai Friday

2008-09-24T20:14:00.000+08:00

Oh the wonderful Friday!

Last Friday, Erik found a Thai restaurant online, so we went to check it out -

because we were desperately craving THAI FOOD!

We went to a place called "Thai House" which Erik found good review on the internet.

When we arrived, we double checked and triple checked the address because we could not see a restaurant anywhere! We were at the right place, but no restaurant! Zenme ban (what to do!)! We saw a really ghetto looking back alley, with some cars parked on the side and the restaurant workers were squatting, hanging out, smoking on what seemed like a back door of a restaurant...

well, we asked where the Thai restaurant was, and the lady pointed us to the direction which was even more sketchy...

finally, we found the restaurant! which was located inside a building which supposedly is like an office building and randomly on the 2nd floor was the restaurant! (no signs outside though!)

but thankfully, the inside of the restaurant looked very normal and decent. How strange!

The food we had was kinda expensive (in Shanghai standards) but so AMAZING!!!!!

Happy stomach, happy face!

A Walk in the Park

2008-09-24T20:09:00.000+08:00

Chang Feng Park

长风公园

this park is literally right next to our school. So Erik and i decided to check it out.

It was a sweet little park with a lake in the middle.

Some people were practicing rowing for the dragon boat racing (coming up next month!)

Discovering "Candied Yam" in China!

2008-09-24T20:02:00.000+08:00

Do you know this Korean dish called "Mat Tang"?

Erik and I found something similar in a restaurant that serves Heilongjiang food.

I saw the description and it said "candied yam" and I was so happy! because, again, I was imagining candied yams that you would see with your thanksgiving dinner....

but instead, something else came out, which was still very delightful!

the "candied" part was different because it was more like glue-ish candied coat.

It really sticks in your mouth and it stretches so long and it hardens very quickly...

If you ever had Korean "Mat Tang" (which is the Korean version of candied yams) you will find it similar to this...

Chinese "candied yam" ! So sweet, crispy and Delicioso!!

Shanghainese Food w/ ZOEY!

2008-09-16T22:45:00.000+08:00

The first week I was here, I was lucky enough to meet my UVA friend ZOEY!!! >_<

We had AWESOME Shanghainese food at Lu Jia Zui - So good!

and we had an beautiful night view of the Huang Pu river and the tall sky scrapers... with glittering lights...

I was surprised to find out that some of the apartments in the Pudong disctrict can cost a fortune!

So much disparity of wealth in Shanghai... Zoey was right: you can live as poor as you want or as rich as you want! you can still live....

I miss Zoey...............

Best XIAO LONG BAO ever!

2008-09-09T23:04:00.000+08:00

droool....

the best xiao long bao (steamed dumpling) i've ever tasted!

i've ate so many xiao long baos but this one was by far the BEST ever!

and yes, ginger vinegar is so gooood!

location:

Huang He Lu near Ren Min Guang Chang

Jia Jia Tang Bao

Hiding from the Rain - at a cost!

2008-09-09T22:55:00.000+08:00

Last friday, it rained...

and when it rains in Shanghai, the road becomes really wet and gross... black puddles you have to watch out!

i let my feet get dirty because I can just wash them and I would rather get my feet dirty than my shoes dirty..

so Erik and I go into this "Coffee shop" - kind of thinking in American terms.. like a local coffee place.. to hide from the rain...

BUT

we got on the elevator that led us to "U.B.C. Coffee" and the door opens and we see a red lighted fish tank with big red fish swimming inside and we hear a high pitched female voice, "huan ying guang ling, ji wei?"

Hmmm... we hear some oldie "trot" music and some middle aged person smoking...

and we sat at a booth with nice sofas..

it was kind of dark inside..not too much lighting.. hmmmmmm!

very different from a "coffee place" that we expected..

To our dismay, the coffee was really expensive (Chinese standard) and we had to order 2 orders..

So I ordered "mocha coffee" and Erik ordered "banana boat"

It was the most elaborate and intricately decorated banana boat I've ever seen!

But I will never return to U.B.C Coffee!

AND it didn't stop raining that day.. so we walked home in the rain...

I'm starting a BLOG?!

2008-09-09T22:48:00.000+08:00

Hello friends & family!

Yes, I am starting a blog! wow -

I have arrived in Shanghai more than a week ago and I just want to keep my friends and family updated on where I go, what I do, what I eat and especially the special people I meet while I am here!

I'm taking language courses at East China Normal University (Hua Dong Shi Fan Da xue) in Shanghai and it's been the first week of class.

Facebook takes way too long to load anything, so I have decided to start a blog instead...

I'll keep you posted and hopefully this will help us keep in touch! :)