Ni Hao~ Part Six!

June 13, 2010

Part One:

After grabbing Korean BBQ with my sister and her friends, we went to a HEAVILY ex-pat populated tavern where… at 2:30 AM… they were showing the UK vs US FIFA match (football for you UK people, soccer for my US peeps, and futbol for my inner Portuguese-loving persona~)!

The place was SO crowded, and had two large projecting screens on both sides of the outdoor-covered-area that we were in… and was basically divided between the British and American fans! It was SO much fun, since everyone was being so patriotically loyal, singing (well, more like YELLING, haha!) their own national anthems before the match – by the way, I never knew before how similar/copied the UK and US anthems’ tunes are!!

The match was very exciting and fun, especially since the UK scored within the first FOUR minutes of them game (VERY worrisome, indeed!) and the UK fans were yelling out their fun British calls to their team (‘Come on, BOYS!’, ‘What the BLOODY HELL!’, ‘STEVIE G!!!’, ‘ROOOO-NAAY!’, ‘EEN-GA-LAND EEN-GA-LAND EEN-GA-LAND!!’, ‘You’re not singing anymore! [when the US side was being very quiet after the UK scored, haha!]’).

But, thank goodness we scored in the second half, eh? HAZAH!

Anyhow, that was a thrilling night, especially since, hands-down… watching soccer/football/futbol with foreigners is just SO much more vocal and fun! Seriously, I wish the US were more passionate about soccer just how other countries are! I know that the US already has American-football, basketball, and baseball, but… come on! Soccer’s great!! I look forward to watching other matches in both China and Thailand over the coming month!

Ni Hao~ Part Five!

June 11th, 2010

I started off today by taking a 20 or so minute walk to a Propaganda Poster Museum, which... is exactly as the name entails! It's a collection of posters from about the 1940's to 1980's China! This turned out to be a REALLY cool museum, since.. it was just so random what some of the themes/images on the posters were!

I was unfortunately unable to get many good photos of the posters, since... I was trying to be a good person and follow the museum's rule of no photography, but... here were some highlights, so, just, please try to VISUALIZE! yeah!

1. A strong, buff looking Chinese man strangling the arm of a pretty puny, grotesque looking general holding a U.S. flag and a pirate skull symbol on his helmet
2. A happy looking Chinese girl with a chubby pig, trying to promote people to grow pigs in order to produce more fertilizer and support Chinese agriculture!
3. An image of black people next to the Washington D.C. Capitol, to support the civil rights movement in the U.S. (i.e., anything to support a group that is against any form of U.S. or white imperialism)
4. Images of women working in agriculture, weaving, studying, and other professional jobs.. with a bigger image of a woman in the center with a bottle of pills - advocating Birth Control.
   
5. And of course, a poster of Mao, Lenin, and Marx standing next to each other...

Anyhow!

What was also fun, was that I bumped into this Canadian guy (from Vancouver) at the museum, who happened to be taking 2 months off from work by travelling around in China! Noon was approaching, so we decided to grab some lunch together, and... he was a pretty nice guy, so we agreed to just roam the streets and find out whatever there was to be found in Shanghai!

We ended up taking the metro to Xintiandi, a part of Shanghai that still has some old, 1920's era buildings (brick style, in the British/French concession style).




For example, we saw this old 1920's era renovated mansion that was uber-nice.




This area of Shanghai also is home to a LOT of reaaaally nice and high-end stores (think Hermes, Louis Vuitton... etc..).







I thought this was funny... I can't believe how unavoidable these types of places have become... my friends (IB? AH? hehe...) would feel at home! [and yes, there ARE Starbucks here as well... groan...]



Still in the neighborhood of Xintiandi is the Site of the First National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. In other words, Mao and all those other masterminds of Chinese Communism gathered in this building, in secret... beginning China's Revolution. CRAZY!


Anyways! It was a really fun day, and I enjoyed learning not only things about Shanghai, but also about Canadian customs, as well!

Oh, the perks of being in a metropolis that is filled with ex-pats, people who love traveling, discovering new cultures, and sharing life experiences ~ love it. :D

Ni hao~ Part Four!

June 8th, 2010

So, my 'babysitter' (ahha!) for Shanghai, Brian, has the whole week off from work, since they're still setting up things for the new Apple stores in Shanghai! So, he was nice enough to give me a tour of Shanghai!
This photo is from the Bund, which is basically where the new (Pudong side) and old parts of Shanghai are both visible right on the Huangpu River. Brian and I are standing on the old side, with the Pudong side (notable by the TALL skyscrapers, as well as the Pearl TV Tower).

Some highlights from the day...

1. Yuyuan Gardens - really, it's a tourist trap, but, it's nice for pictures anyway~

2. Some things never change... including creepy birds that you find in alleys that say 'hi' to you, Well... this one said "Ni Hao!"

3. A tribute for my fortune-cookie-loving boyfriend~

4. This LG Washing Machine advertisement that I found in the metro station...

SO! I'm guessing... that this washing machine is:
1. User friendly for women, woo hoo!
2. SO calm, that you can balance a tower of cards on it (haha, ALEX!)
3. SO effective, that... see that lady, how she's just so carelessly drinking a cup of coffee/tea in a WHITE dress? She's not worried about spilling, since... (hoho!) if that were to happen, the washing machine's got her back, right?

oh... Advertising... :)

Ni Hao~ part three

June 7th, 2010

So! One of the things that is going on in Shanghai is....

These World Expo-related topiaries are seriously.... EVERYWHERE in the city!

My friend Brian (fun, patient, trusted, assigned 'caretaker' of me, haha!) and I took the metro to the Expo, arriving on the North side at 9:30 am or so, since we had been hearing tips on getting to the Expo not only on a Monday (Mondays and Tuesdays are supposedly the least crowded days), but also on the side of the river that has less-popular pavilions so we could tackle them in the morning, then head over to the more popular-pavilions on the other side of the river in the afternoon (hoping that it'd be less crowded, then).
This turned out to be NOT true... since... Even though it was a Monday, it was STILL so crowded (yes, Thursdays-Saturdays have more recorded numbers of people, but... I can't even imagine more people being there! wah!), and the less-popular pavilions are less-popular for a reason, the reason being that they're government-sponsored pavilions, related to corporate stuff, i.e. BORING.

So, we ended up grabbing a ferry across the river, anyway, to the South/Pudong side basically right after entering the Expo~!

Here is a summary of the day...

Pavilions I went to:

• Tajikistan
• Serbia – watch/time theme
• EU/Belgium – really good food at the Belgium one!!
• Sweden
• Hungary
• Caribbean pavilion…
• Peru – bad pavilion, but…really good food!
• UK – truly amazing at night!
• Poland – very pretty

Things I noticed:

• CUCUMBER EATERS!
• Men with not only popped collars, but popped collars with various brand-name logos on the back of the them...
  
• Couples with not only matching, but identical shirts!
• People bringing their own stools to sit on, while in line, or eating wherever!
• PUSHY old women! – As Brian put it, “There are 4 types of beings in China: the man, the woman, the Chinese aunty, and the soldier.” – You gotta mentally and physically prepare yourself for those lines…
• Asian poses in photos!!!

Photo's:
1. Exhibit A: Distasteful Popped Collar Syndrome

2. Exhibit B: I should seriously consider going to Belgium. How PERFECT is this?? It's just calling me!

3. Exhibit C: The cool-as-a-cucumber ladies! I know that cucumbers are really good, but... EVERYONE was eating them, just straight up, since there's so... cooling! :)

Tips for Expo Travelers: Bring a reusable water bottle, and.. go at night-time!
Por que....?

1. Slightly cheaper tickets
2. Cooler temperatures
3. Less people - i.e. less aggressive Chinese aunties pushing! :)
4. Illuminations of the pavilions at night are just, gorgeous!

Ni hao~ part two

June 5th, 2010

The oh-so-wise things that I’ve learned so far in Shanghai:

1. Like Brasil, put your toilet paper in the small garbage bin next to the toilet
2. Don’t drink tap water in Shanghai
3. Cross the street with a consistent/predictable speed – this will lessen the chance of you being run over by cars
4. A ‘kwak’ is a type of beer glass (looks like a half yard glass), and is bulbous on the bottom so that people could drink while riding horses without the beer spilling out
5. To drift, a good technique to use is to speed into the turn, then take your foot off the gas and quickly turn your wheels in the opposite direction of the curve…. Then go through the turn and resume ‘normal’ driving :)

Ni hao~ Part One

So... due to the fact that websites that have "blog" in the URL or anything related to blogging/expressing your own opinion are blocked in China... I have been unable to contribute anything to my blog for the past week! And there's SOOO much that has been happening that I want to share! Fortunately, my sister was able to purchase a VPN, so.... I shall be sneaky and use this to FINALLY put some shtuff on my blog! Please excuse the fact that some of these things occurred several days ago...

For example, take this one post that I was hoping to put up on my blog, the minute I arrived in Shanghai. Woops~! I realize how cheesy it is, but... it was definitely how I was feeling in the moment.

June 3^rd, 2010

I’m currently waiting for my flight, boarding in 40 min., just writing down my thoughts before I actually take off, even though the limited WiFi access at SFO poses as a problem, so I probably won’t even ‘publish’ this post until I reach my next destination…. SHANGHAI!

Leaving for another country has always been such an adventure for me, explaining the reason why I love traveling so much. I’ve probably commented on this, before, so… please pardon my redundancies, but, traveling’s not only a physical journey, but, definitely an emotional one for me as well.

I find it truer and truer every single time, but, the saying “Distance makes the heart grow fonder,” definitely describes my emotions before even traveling.

After my final exams, I went straight home to LA for two weeks in order to hang out with my family and high school/college friends, and was able to really strengthen my bond with each of them and realize that they really are significant figures in my life that I couldn’t live without.

Although I know that my parents still view me as their baby daughter, I’m grateful that they have seen my growth into an independent, responsible person – and, I don’t know if this is a good thing or not (haha), but, are not worried at all about my going to a country that has just endured political protests/destruction, while parents of my friends would never allow it. I definitely have to give my parents credit here, since they’ve not only given me a passion for exploring unfamiliar cultures, but have given me such great advice and support, at the same time. I love you guys.

The few days before I left LA to go back to the Bay Area, I spent every day with my two closest high school friends, going to our beloved SoCal beach, attending music festivals, eating our much cherished Salvadoran pupusas, karaoke-ing (sp?) our hearts away, and having our never-ending awkward moments not only in our company but in clear, public view as well…. I loved it. Despite the fact that I spent SO much time with them, I still felt as I was leaving… a wish that I could always be with them.

One of my friends, KL, loves to hold her breath while driving through tunnels, making wishes that someday might come true. Cheesy, I know, but… as we drove those crazy LA freeways, jetting through the tunnels, I found myself wishing every time, for our friendship to never end.

Coming back to Berkeley was not only a goodbye for me from my friends, boyfriend, and labmates/professors, but to the university that I love and has grown to become a new home. I’m not really religious in any way, but I truly feel blessed to have all these great friends that I’ve formed in college, relationships in my major department that I know will assist me in my future aspirations, and options for me to follow my greatest passions: travel, food, friends, and science.

To my friends: I hope you know through my words and actions that I love you guys so much. In no particular order, just letting you know that I’m thinking of you (for privacy reasons, let’s just use first and last initials, shall we?)… KL, MS, AL, IB, AH, MD, TC, MG, LV, GI, SB, HY, KS, SH, EL…

Miss you already, but… the plane’s calling (literally, now! Ahha!)! You guys have yourself a great summer!

Places affected by protests

Sorry!

As seen by my last post, I haven't been able to write too much in depth, especially since I'm trying to make the most of my last few days in the states...

Just for interest, here's a link to a list of the places in Bangkok damaged by the protests.