Lite Reading

It occurred to me over the weekend that I have a random pile of books I am reading simultaneously. Normally I hold by the policy of finishing one book before I start a new book.

I brought back Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project" from America this summer. It came recommended by my awesome sister-in-law after we were talking about being happier, letting go and Brene Brown.  This book has helped me reframe my mindset to live a more meaningful life.  It sounds hokie but really I have found went I focus more on being and enjoying and less worried about feelings and what I should be doing I end up doing what I really SHOULD be doing, what I want and it makes me happier.

Lauren Hillenbrand's "Unbroken" has been in my night table drawer since my husband finished the book and recommended I read it. When we were dating my husband re-read my favorite book, "The Count of Monte Cristo".  I feel, in turn, if he liked a book (and put it on my night table) I should read it as well.  I started it and it's supposed to be a page turner. But I seem to be turning pages in other books.

Sam Heilman and Menachem  Friedman's  "The Rebbe" is a re-read for me. Living in Shanghai and having Chabad here so much apart of our lives I figured I could brush up on my Rebbe history.

The latest New York Magazine, while being mediocre for months, we still subscribe to because I used to love this magazine. Our mail from the States gets express shipped to us every other week so it's nice to have current reading.

Traveling Tourist

Shabbat in Shanghai can always be interesting because you never know what visitors, travelers or businessmen are coming through town.  80% of the time I'd say it's businessmen (50% of those men are shtreimel wearers) from Israel and New York.  10% might be senior groups and the other 10% are misc travelers.  

I've learned that just as fascinated at me that I love in Shanghai I am fascinated about where they are visiting from and where they are sight-seeing while in China.  The top 3 questions they ask me are:

1. Where do you get kosher food?

2. Where do your kids go to school?

3. Where does your husband work?

I've got the visitor script down pat.  This past shabbat I saw a friendly looking woman who came over to me while my son was enjoying the children's shabbat program.  I asked her where she was from and she replied, "a small town in New York, New Rochelle." I'm plotzing.  A small town, New Rochelle?? For those readers who don't know, when we are not in Shanghai, Manhattan, Cherry Hill, or Stamford we are in New Rochelle.  I felt in an instant like I was near family.  We started talking and found about 5 other ways our lives have overlapped. It was such an unexpected shabbat acquaintance.   

A few weeks ago a dear friend traveled to Shanghai with her brother, family business brought them out this way.  We were lucky enough to enjoy a delicious dinner together and catch up on our lives.  For those 2 hours I felt so much closer to my friends in New York.  It was a touch of home and felt much more than 2 hours together.  

Who knows what next shabbat visitors will bring but I'm happy to meet you and wish you well on your travels.  And to my new friend in New Rochelle, look forward to seeing you in the summer.  

Legoland

This is how we spent our Shabbat this week.  We have recently discovered Lego's at home and have created our own legoland.  We have been to Legoland in West Chester a number of times.  But I think we have finally reached the ripe age for building and crafting lego's at home, 4.5 years old.  We (we meaning with the help of my son) built this house, ghosts, truck, train and caboose, dinosaur and a beach. Guess which one was my idea?  Our beach comes with seaweed, crabs, a sandbar and jellyfish too.  There is a pool on the side and a playground.  I am not sure who had more fun.

We can't wait for Legoland to Shanghai, sometime next year.

A true sign that if you built, they will play.  Literally hours and hours of play for all ages.

Bicycle Built for... Three???

FOMO

I am feeling gluttonous without having eaten of your delicious captured side dishes of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, apple pie, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie.  Thank you Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for that.  I officially suffering from fomo (fear of missing out).

I missed the traffic headache, I miss the sitting around all day Thursday watching the parade, avoiding football (I hate football) and the shopping.  I don't even know where to begin on where I would shop online if I were State side. I don't need anything but finding a good deal is always pleasing.  I am trolling my favorite stores to make sure I am not missing anything but who can tell without trying it on.

To counter my fomo of shopping I have been shopping in my closet.  I am purging clothes, again, so I can see what I really have, what I really wear and what I really want to wear.  So when we return for our visit next summer I'll have a Black Friday Summer Spending I guess.  I purged my clothes as we packed up our apartment before we moved to China.  What would the benefit of putting clothes in storage for 2 years if I wasn't going to wear it?  So I either packed or donated it.  I did go to the fabric market on Thursday to get measured and fitted for a cashmere coat for $160.  We'll see in 10 days when I go back for a fitting how it measures up.  Picture update to come.

In short, I guess I am better off without the calorie intake but it sure looked delicious when I facetimed with my family around the table this morning (your Thursday night).

Gobble Gobble.

Junk in the Trunk

I am constantly amazed at how people get around here and now I my new amazement: how people transport things around town. From furniture and garbage to styrofoam and packages. In the spirit of traveling and transportation enjoy these photo's I've been collecting on our walks.  One person's junk is in fact another person's treasure.

Please forgive me for formatting issues. That I have yet to master.

    

Gobble Gobble

A dear friend just whatsapp'ed me "Curious-Thanksgiving. Just another day or special dinner or mixed feelings?"

I responded, "Just another day." To which she commented, " When I was in Ireland, I missed it.  But I was young and single."

Another friend just asked me with a mountain of envy, "Your kids have a full week of school, right?" To which I responded, "of course, why wouldn't they?"  Right Thanksgiving.  The 2.5 day work week, loads of traffic on the NJ Turnpike, lots of "last minute" sales and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Thanksgiving, as all of you know, is in two short days.  Here in Shanghai I had no idea until last Saturday that it was already the end of November and Thanksgiving was so soon. I am off.  I may have a distorted sense of time or the lack of the holiday here, but I am so off.  Chinese celebrate Halloween, Valentine's Day, Christmas even, but not Thanksgiving.  I've seen a handful, literally 3 or 4 ads, for Thanksgiving meals at restaurants.  No we can not get kosher Turkey here.  No there are no Black Friday sales that was November 11 here (see previous post).

Yes I miss Thanksgiving.  Yes I am glad my son has a full week of school.  It feels strange not to get caught up in the "holiday season" and I am certainly missing being with my family.  My wallet is probably better off not cyber shopping but I am having some family FOMO (fear of missing out) because I am missing out.

A special Happy Birthday shout out to all my family and friends who have birthday's this wonderful week (Rachel H., Greg M., Lexi M., Elana F., Naomi R.,  Lexi B., Melanie F. and best of all MOM)

Gobble, Gobble.

Loose Change

In the spirit of  my natural nature of decluttering and Marie Kondo's book Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  I've been making an effort to keep the piece of furniture in our entry way clean and useful.  We have four drawers.  One true holds pens, paint brushes, markers.  Two holds business cards, important information for getting around Shanghai and shops and receipts as they accumulate thru the week. Three has hats and kippahs for the kids (all handmade by my mom; we are ready for cold weather).  Four has sunglasses.  We have quiet the sunglasses collection.

A sandwich bag full of small change had accumulated in our entry way drawer.  I have not seen any penny arcade machines at the local stores or banks.  Clearly TD Bank may have the edge on this machine.  That might be the only edge up TD Bank has as it is the most inconvenient bank but that is another post for another time.

Meanwhile I had taken my sandwich bag of change to a bank near our apartment that I knew had a receptionist who spoke English.  She thought I wanted to deposit the change into my account which I did not want to do. She then directed me to either Lawson's or 7-Eleven.  She said they could help me.  Conveniently the 7-Eleven was just a few stores away.  The woman at 7-Eleven was more than happy to help me. My total was 30 RMB, which seems like alot in dollars but really was $4 but now I don't have the loose change in my drawers.

Milestones

My daughter learned how to walk in China. My son learned how to ride a bike in China. I got to celebrate my birthday in China.  In a million years did I think I'd ever be travel to China let alone live here? It's a milestone for me.

When I think of birthdays and turning older my how it's changed from when I was younger.  It's not about the gifts or the parties or the cake. Ok yes it can still be about the cake.  I had a delicious vanilla cake with purple frosting made by Chabad in Shanghai.  If you know me then you know how much I luv purple.

I have a cousin whose birthday is 1 year and 6 days after mine.  For 6 days every year we are the same exact age.  Every year we cherish this time; we call it our identical time.  I find it beyond amusing because we are very close but we are opposite in so many ways.  Growing up she was very quiet and reserved (still is) and I was the opposite.  She loved to read and I hated to read (as an adult I have grown to love reading).  My cousin is 5' feet tall and I am 5'9.  I lived in the Upper West Side, she lived in Alphabet City (the geographic opposite of the UWS).  Her first child was a girl and her second was a boy; my first child was a boy and my second a girl. These are just a few of the many opposites that we have found brought us closer together as young adults.  The 6 days every year we joke that we are finally the same and we can share our wisdom with each other because we are the same age.  I am really hoping she can share sage advice and warn me of the challenges to come.

I am thankful to have such an understanding cousin. Even though we have so many differences, we can still connect and empathize with each other.  She has shared much sage advice and support as we have entered adulthood and parenthood that I am grateful for our cousinship.  And as much as we reminisce of our families getting together and our mothers gabbing away and laughing and shopping when we were young and how we wish we had those days back (because we did not have the responsibilities today as grown-ups) I am happy we have each other to gab together. Not shop because I know, she still hates shopping.

Seeing Thru the Weeds

Trying to be optimistic about the world in these upsetting, sad and crazy times. We have to keep moving and doing the best we can.  I went to the flower market to try and lighten up our day, also because it has been raining since Monday.  The flowers are always a plenty and stay fresh for so long.

Lucky me to have gotten a cab home in the rain and with 4 stars!!!!

Homework and Other Rumminations

I helped a 7th grader with her homework tonight.  She said two things I never could have said when I was in 7th grade.

"I tried googling it in and nothing came up"

"Because it's a British school they spell things funny (says the girl born in France and raised in Israel and China)."

I used to have to use the encyclopedia to look up anything I needed.  We used computers to type reports. And when we finally got internet it we had to wait all night for it to connect to be disconnected by call waiting.

On a side note: I just paid $1 for a laffy taffy which in the States and advertised on the laffy taffy I bought today 3 for 99 cents.

My kid is a choco-holic.  We need a serious intervention/detox.

My daughter agrees, Chinese drives are crazy.  She can't even watch!

Feeling a World Away

I feel like I am a bit in a news warp. Yes I have access to all the news sites and we have satellite TV but I think I actually miss the news inundation that you get at home.  I was on the phone with my mom Sunday and we were discussing the terrible news coming out of France and she said "I had to turn the TV off, I can't watch it anymore".  I remember that feeling at home a myriad of current events and weather updates.  

Here in China, I have not had that feeling.  In fact, my father-in-law is visiting and he wanted to watch the news.  That night was the longest our TV was on adult content since we arrived. We mostly watch DVD's for the kids or Disney Channel but we read our news online and stream our TV shows.  Still, watching CNN I didn't have the same grasp for the intensity of what was happening that I felt if I were watching at our apartment in NY.  I feel detached from the magnitude of what happened.  Maybe people are talking about it in Chinese and I simply don't understand.  But I don't know any buildings or Great Walls that were lit up the color of France's flag like I had seen around the world via facebook.  

Meanwhile, I am staying current and not being inundated with news.  I guess I have leaf fishing and army walks in Shanghai to watch out for in the meantime.

Costa Coffee Cups

I think Costa Coffee has one upped Starbucks with their take on the holiday cups!

Get Well Soon Challah

I love that I still get asked to be included in baking refuah shalema challah (get well soon), as we call it in our home.  When you use a certain amount of flour (more than 2.2 pounds) while baking challah, we are then eligible to make a special bracha that allows us to ask for special blessings or requests to Hashem.  It is a custom to have 40 women make challah and make the bracha to "take challah" for a speedy recovery for the ill person.  Hence why we call it refuah shalema challah.

I like baking challah and if it might help someone get better why not make more?  Below are pictures from our attempt without a Kitchen-aid and a new recipe to me from the Spice and Spirit cookbook. I need (no pun intended) to work on rolling it out smoother so the braids are smoother.

While we had our hands mucky we decided to try another of our pinterest Hannukah ideas. While we were in America I imported here 20 bags of my favorite marshmallows.  Marshmallows we can NOT get in China.  I ration them, no joke. And I love my son but I love him a lot to share them with him for this project.  

Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov Kislev from Shanghai

Behind the Times

In my need to feel connected to the States and the World, we recently began a subscription to the Shanghai Daily News print edition.  For about 30 cents an issue we get current events in China, cultural happenings and world news.  For all that it really is...controlled news, it is still refreshing to turn the page.  

This morning while my son was playing at a playspace burning off energy I was able to read the paper and came across this photo snipit about a Curves franchise opening in Shanghai. I mean really? Is it 1997? I feel like Curves has come and gone as a quick workout AND a woman's only gym.  Apparently not?  

Sentimentality Deleted?

I know, mostly from all my experience watching CSI, NCIS and Law and Order and from common sense, when you delete an email it is not really deleted forever.

My son is off from school and all he wants to do, most of the time, is stay in the apartment.  Much like my daughter, most of the time I like to be out.  Meeting friends, running errands, exercise, exploring, whatever.  Don't get me wrong, some days it's great to be cozy at home and have a lazy day. But a lazy day with 2 kids is not the same as a lazy 5 years ago for me.  Also staying in all day with an active 4.5 year old get's a bit much after 3 days...

While staying in we have been enjoying my "top rated" and "most frequently played" songs on itunes as background music.  While reading emails at home I ended up looking at my storage space in my gmail.  I had 9GB of 15 GB used of storage. Over the 15GB gmail offers an extended storage at a cost.  So I started deleting my junk mail "permanently".  Spam, store sales, classes offered for my kids, classes ordered for me.  Deleted   My available storage started being freed up.   While my kid is playing spiderman-magnatiles against Darth Vadar-Hot Wheels I have been deleting my emails "for good".

By just deleting the shopping and shul emails I was down to 6GB used.  Do I need my UPS tracking for packages already delivered, 5 years ago? Or Amazon or Google Express tracking?  Those websites for sure track my purchases AND I have my credit card statements if I really needed a reference.

Then I started coming across emails that I had exchanged with people that had key words like "music class" "library" or "diapers" and I started deleting the emails with my friends not just from the Music Together, NY Public library, Diapers.com.  Then I hesitated, I am deleting emails from friends that mark a period in time of what was happening with me.  Then I continued to delete.  Am I not being sentimental? I do have some emails starred and I used to print out emails that I needed but now I feel I am deleting these emails from ever coming up in my "All Mail" search.  I haven't been looking for information in them and there are certainly emails I do not want to recall or re-experience that period in my life. So I wonder what is the big deal?

Yes, right now I have time on my hands to do this right now but I am enjoying deleting the emails and not thinking about looking back. I am now down 6 GB used of 15GB.

Kislev is Coming

I think I might have out Martha Stewart'ed myself and out pinned myself.  A week of mid-term school break for my 4.5 year old and trying to keep busy and festive for the Hanukkah holiday, also my FAVORITE of all the holidays.  See our projects below. Impressed with myself more so because I have yet to find a craft store here and am using whatever I have imported during our initial relocation here. Marshmallow dreidels' to come...

Got Rain?

My son doesn't have school this week, mid-term break.  I had to teach him the term stay-cation this morning.  When I told him that he was on school vacation, he asked "why aren't we going on an airplane then?" So with him home I am trying to take advantage of exploring Shanghai with him.

Last year in New York there was an exhibit at the MoMA call the Rain Room.  Based on a group called the Random International created the experience for people to feel rain. As if walking outside without an umbrella weren't enough? And cheaper!

People camped out overnight to make sure they had a spot in line to see this exhibit.  People waited 8 hours in line to get to experience the exhibit for 20 minutes at max, crowd control.  Enjoy this article from Gothamist and this article from Huffington Post about the lines.  Reading in the paper the buzz about the exhibit but I was in no way interested in waiting in any line to feel rain, no matter how cool people said it was.

Well if you are interested in a 15 hour plane ride, come to Shanghai to the Yuz Museum.  The Rain Room is here and there was no line!  We walked right in and got to stay as long as we wanted.  The rain is controlled by sensors that sense us and the rain stops in the area of our body.  You have to move slowly through the room otherwise you will get wet.  Below are some pictures of our experience.  My son was so scared to walk through so it's just me.  It was definitely cool to experience and I'd recommend the exhibit to anybody visiting Shanghai but I would NOT wait in any line to see it.

See, no line!

Rain selfie

Singles Are You Ready?

Come one, come all....there is still time to board a flight to China and arrive in time for Wednesday November 11, Singles Day. I've heard it's like the Black Friday or Cyber Monday equivalent in America.  Double Eleven ,as the day is also known (11/11),  started in 1993 at Nanjing University as a day for single men to party with other single men but has since morphed into a day for both genders to party together.  In November 11, 2011 (11/11/11) the cyber madness kicked into gear as it was thought to be extra special to have six elevens rather than the normal four elevens.

Better off that I have not figured out how to navigate the Chinese shopping sites nor linked our bank card up to them.  I stick with my summer shopping sprees in the meantime.  But if you do decide to come visit us for Singles Day, Taylor Swift is preforming in Shanghai that night.  Or you could come to China to celebrate Veteran's Days'

Here are some other notable events courtesy of OnThisDay.com

2014 - The leaders of China and Japan meet for formal talks after more than two years of severe tension over a territorial dispute
2011 - 25th Soul Train Music Awards: Cee-Lo Green, Jill Scott win
2008 - The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) set sail on her final voyage to Dubai.
2009 - 43rd Country Music Association Award: Taylor Swift & Brad Paisley wins
2004 - The death of Yasser Arafat is confirmed by the Palestine Liberation Organization, of unidentified causes.
1999 - Last upside down date until January 1, 6000
1994 - Bill Gates buys Leonardo da Vinci's "Codex" for $30,800,000
1968 - John Lennon & Yoko Ono appear nude on cover of "2 Virgins" album
1963 - Gordie Howe ties Rocket Richard's lifetime 544 goal record
1946 - NY Knicks' 1st game at Madison Sq Garden loses 78-68 to Chic Stags
1938 - Kristallnacht; Jews forced to wear Star of David
1939 - Kate Smith first sings Irving Berlin's "God Bless America"
1926 - U.S. Route 66 is established
1925 - Louis Armstrong records 1st of Hot Five & Hot Seven recordings
1923 - Eternal flame lit for tomb of unknown solder, Arc de Triumph
1924 - Martin Beck Theater opens at 302 W 45th St NYC
1909 - Construction of US navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, begins

In the Meantime

I am still amazed about day to day cultural nuances living in this cultural. For example, in a city of 24 million people and almost a taxi for every person, it's still hard sometimes to hail a taxi.

I'm amazed that, I, can get around not knowing a lick of directions/driving vocabulary. I've learned to use a maps app that shows where I'm going and where I am so I can make sure the driver isn't taking me a more expensive route.

I can cross a street in under 10 seconds. That's pretty good. I'm telling you.

How are so many Chinese sooooo thin when most of their diet is noodles, eggs and soy sauce. Not a stereotype at all. They put egg in anything. As an omelette (obviously), soup, rice, chicken. Is their cholesterol thru the roof?

How much I've learned to pantomime to communicate with those I see everyday. When I came home this morning there 5 men who seemed to be police circled around one of the doormen in our building. I was VERY curious but clearly had no clue what was going on. I go up to our apartment and our Ayi starts asking me did I see the men downstairs and we proceeded to pantomime what we each witnessed and what we thought happened. What I interpreted from my Ayi is that the doorman punched someone in the nose, blood was everywhere out his nostrils and the police slapped him back and forth in front of everyone. Now I have to wait for the English speaking door woman to see which us wins this round of charades.

In the meantime.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Got Chicken?

Got chicken? Lucky you! It's 2015 and I have not been able to buy chicken at the market in 2 weeks.  No it's not 1915 but 2015 and I am clearly not in the United States.  Really when was the last time you went food shopping and were not able to buy a staple to your diet?? I feel like I am living in the old country.

In June I bought about $100 worth of chicken breast.  Don't ask me how many pounds/kilograms that is because I didn't figure it out since it is what it is and there is only one place to buy kosher chicken in Shanghai.  I have no idea of it's a "good price".  It's not like I'll be going to Costco for better pricing.  The June Supply lasted us until about mid September.  We generally rotate between, noodles, fish and chicken.  Rinse and repeat.

Discussing the shortage with my sister-in-law this morning, she started to say well make pizza or mac and cheese....right not really dairy either.  We have cheese in the freezer but we are not big cheese eaters.  We've been fine, don't worry we are not wasting away. But I do feel bad for the kids as I like to make sure they get some hardy protein in during the day.  Chicken-with ketchup is my sons favorite meal.  I'd even try tofu but my husband will not touch it.

Basically I am waiting for the chickens to be "prepared" in Beijing and then they have to be delivered to Shanghai, separated and packaged and then frozen.  Hopefully tomorrow our next batch of chicken will be ready and I won't be making the mistake again and will be getting $200 worth of chicken breast this time.

Yes we have a spare freezer.