ding dong!

it's been too long to even try to catch you up. but i guess i can try. here are a few bullets.

1. hangzhou - for labor day, sophia, jenny and i took a little day trip on the most fabulously sunny day to hangzhou. just a quick 40 min bullet train ride and we were whisked away to greenery, lakes and tea farms. glorious little break where we enjoyed some sun, fresh air, nice people and delicious tea.

2. ding dong - girl! this bii is on the up and up...winner of taiwan's version of american idol, she's got a great voice and had some pretty decent moves. her covers of beyonce and whitney had me going. we won these sweet box seat tickets from the monthly draw at gap. yes and her real stage name is ding dong!

3. my bestie charisse decided to up and leave shanghai a few weeks early so we had to get our party/eat/drink/dance on in a matter of days. we had our share of tasty chinese food, dancing up a storm, hitting up our top spots (grumpy pig, see ramen photo), watching bootleg dvds and trying weird things together. the latter photo is us trying weird things. charisse acquired this 'candy' that basically blocks your taste buds and tricks them into tasting different flavors. we were able to eat 3 entire lemons and limes without a single pucker. it was one of the craziest things ive ever done. haha. upon her heart-wrenching departure, she gifted me (among many things), the rest of these little pellets for future adventures.

4. lastly ive been trying to home-ify my apartment with some new decor and fun furniture. with a lot of help from the small boutique in jing'an villas on nanjing xi lu "cute stuff," it was a little easier to accessorize my humble abode. little milk jar turned vases ($3), mini flowers ($.80) and vintage wood card catalog ($18). rainbow sharpies (free), bucket flower vase ($3). chinese style light fixtures (free with rent), postcard and photo string ($4). still work in progress: 5 canvases with neon paints. tbd what will come from those.

i anticipate the next four weeks to be the busiest yet! firstly, ill be moving into women's (from kids and baby) starting in a week or so. exciting yet busy change. second, my dad, hao, ish and bri get here all in the next three weeks! so stoked...but also means no blogging envy while im jetsetting and chowing down on xiao long bao and hai di lao. sigh. til next time :)

Work, warmth and waimai

been awhile since my trip to NY and it feels like a blink of an eye. work is insane and taking over my life and my wit! sad face. 

haha yeah...right. luckily i still have most of the weekends and every week night to explore the city (aka eat). however all this eating has finally gotten to me and this weekend i finally got a stomach bug and was out of commission for the entire weekend and most of this week. this is legit the most depressing thing ever. 

not to mention the weather here is amazing. it's turning summer quickly, but these few weeks have been a warm 65-75 during the day with the occasional but not disruptive shower. unfortunately, with my 'stay close to a bathroom' strategy this weekend, i was only able to enjoy the sun through my mini balcony. 

before my bathroom sentence, i had the pleasure of enjoying a few great eats

1. grumpy pig. if i could live here i would. it is the restaurant behind a hipster sneaker store. as per the name, it serves tasty pork dishes, has a dj at night and a soul play list during the day. its sunny dining area and kind staff are a plus. last weekend they had open face banh mi sammies: crispy pork belly on a french baguette, smeared with pate and some pickled veggies + jalapeno on top. yum.

now i must admit this was no fair opponent to my usual grumpy pig sammie: beer braised pork, spicy aioli, bacon relish on ciabatta. that shit is poppin. or the pork ramen. damn. im hungry. this cracker diet is depressing.

2. mr and mrs bund. a popular terrace spot for visiting friends (aka parents), this place is on the bund, facing pudong with a great view. may that be smog? perhaps. however the weather was perf at a mild high 60s and no sun. perf. enjoy the outdoors without tainting my silky fairness. haha!

sophia invited me to join her friends from beijing for what turned out to be a hilarious, slightly rambunctious 3 course meal brunch. 

my first course aka the breakfast course, which i quickly devoured before photographing, was a plate of blueberry pancakes, butter and a thick slab of bacon, smothered with a rich maple syrup. delish. then the second course, which i might equate to lunch or even an aggressive first course at dinner, was a beautiful plate of pumpkin and ricotta stuffed tortelli in a brown butter sage sauce. i mean really who doesn't like that. 

i know, it's not fair. it's not fair that i live this life. i tell myself that every day that i dont have a stomach virus. haha seriously. ok my last picture is what may or may not have caused my stomach virus. i cant imagine it because it was so freaking good and had no immediate side effects and thus i will consume this again. yes, it's banana milk. omg. amazing. it's a bit pricey (8.5 kuai per mini carton) but man is that a pick-me-up if i ever saw it. 

in other news, my zhongwen is progressing. last week was a MONUMENTAL week. i ordered my own waimai (delivery)!! it was spotty and i did it on speakerphone with my tutor but the food came and it was awesome. every time i think about it, i want to cry. hahahahaha there is nothing worse than a simple communication barrier between you and your most desired meal. now that is (kind of) gone! im so happy. 

ok that's enough for now. this weekend is labor day so we have a 4-day weekend; my friends and i are going to ningbo (a really random city in china). it is near a large lake and a mountain so we are staying at a nice resort near there. it's a 3 hour train ride there so should be a good venture outside of shanghai. weather should be in high 70s low 80s and they have a huge pool so im hoping for a nice relaxing, sun filled, room service weekend. it will also be the first weekend i bust out my summer wardrobe. even though it was 77 today, people were still rocking the fleece jackets. enough of that. flip flops out!

lwb & cranium parties

every weekend here seems to be cray but this weekend was especially up my alley. it consisted of a. good food, b. modern family, c. board games, d. booze, e. endless moet brunch. 

a. the theme of most weekends is usually 'good food' and this weekend was no exception. to start it off, friday night joanne and i went to pasha followed by a mellow beer at lune (or zune?) for some live music, had some tasty turkish food that reminded me of my mom's obsession of turkish food! very tasty. 

b. modern family. it pretty much plays at all times while im at home. but it makes me laugh so hard im obesssed. 

c & d. board games. vanessa helped me buy cranium on taobao last week so i had a few friends over to play. it was also a good excuse to order peking duck pizza and motivation to clean my apartment. i might have 'accidentally' ordered family cranium which includes interesting physical activities like...interlocking arms and squatting to pick things up off the floor, drawing clues using someone else's hand and balancing dice on your nose while performing spy-like poses. awesome night. after drinking a lot of beer and guessing many humdingers, we tore up the dance floor at apartment. not my apartment but apartment the nightclub. luckily i did not have an injury. 

e. lwb. ladies who brunch. tina and aimee (my 2 coworkers and friends) have a group of girls who brunch. this weekend i infiltrated. obsessed. we trekked to the pudong shangri la to have all you can drink champer/eat buffet brunch. at first i was a bit disappointed with the salad/seafood array for a whopping 700 kuai but then...we asked the waiter and he said we could just go into the kitchen to order more food.

so...we warily went into the kitchen and realized there was a full spread of made to order food options, including but not limited to roasted beef, lamb chops, scalloped potatoes, ratatouille, roasted pumpkin with goat cheese, seared cod, roasted lobster and truffle risotto...shaved truffle just a minor detail. my pics dont really do it justice mainly bc i was enjoying eating too much.

of course there was endless moet which went well with my slight hangover and a wine cellar full of dessert options. here's us indulging in profiteroles, mousse, ice creams, cheese cakes, tiramisu, macarons, chocolates and cakes.

one of the girls i met there writes a pretty interesting blog about the dating lives of shanghai's elite (aka the lwb). perhaps my stories will be published in the next few weeks ;) check it out here:

http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai/articles/blogs-shanghai/expat-affairs/introducing-brunch-tiffanys/

i imagine i wont be posting much in the next three weeks mostly because im heading to nyc friday. but rest assured i will be eating and drinking plenty and shall rub it in your face upon my return!

suzhou saturday

last saturday my coworker and friend vanessa played our tour guide to her hometown suzhou, just 1 1/2 hours outside shanghai. it was great to get out of the city for a day and check out this famous water village.

we saw some beautiful gongyuans (park), small walking streets, canals and waterways and of course had some tasty food.

on the boat ride through town

watching another boat go through town

later next week im heading back to nyc. cant believe my first trip back is already here. very excited to show off my new clothes and buy a ton of trader joe snacks to bring back with me! here is my abbreviated list of things to buy:

1. dried cherries
2. granola
3. make up (yes they sell make up here but the darkest shade is 'creamy ivory', ha)
4. fitted sheets from sam's club. seriously that thread count is a deal, even for china!
5. bisquik mix
6. nail polish (cheapest 'name brand' one is like 40 kuai and the others are apparently made of paint thinner)
7. popcorn
8. deodorant (yeah)
9. kraft mac n cheese - special request from my zhongwen laoshi (my teacher); she also asked for string cheese but i told her it would might be difficult.

also did you guys know that the chinese govt can control the weather here? ok my naivete/mao pride got the best of me with this one. but now im fascinated and obsessed with how smart these people are. magic.

ooooookkkkkk this was a quick one but i had to prove i was alive for those of you who don't like to email or gchat. will post after the weekend, when i receive my taobao purchase of my new hello kitty bathroom set! small wins! #jeremylinisnttheonlyasianthingtobeobsessedwith

feichang mang!

very very busy. that is my life in shanghai. work is crazy + life is crazy. today marks the 2 month 'anniversary' of my arrival to shanghai. it's pretty nuts; sometimes it feels like way longer and sometimes it feels like such a flash. here's what i've learned so far:

-kfc is amazing (see my breakfast below)

-hai di lao is amazing.

-qipu lu is amazing. i went again this past weekend and i got these fleece lined tights. they are insane, im so confused a. why they dont sell them in the states and b. how i can wear my three pairs every day for the rest of winter.

-dont take the subway during rush hour. it is the only time you will ever realize that shanghai is one the most populated cities in the world.

-eating the way i do does result in fat growth. exercising in shanghai is quite the feat so walking has been my best bet. and for those who know me, i dont really do gyms. but my walk to work (equivalent to two NY avenues) hasn't conquered my kfc breakie, greasy shanghainese lunch, pizza/mexican/extravagant french dinners and long days sitting in a desk chair. sigh. the world will have to live with my new physique.

-learning chinese takes loads of practice. luckily i sit in an office with 5 native chinese speakers. every day i spend 10-30 minutes just practicing my chinese lessons with them. of course, this is in addition to my daily chinese banter:

Production colleague: can you help to update this by 12?
Me: keyi.
Production colleague: WAH?! you can speak chinese?!
Me: keyi.
Production colleague: hen hao!

Other merchant: what do you guys want for lunch
Me: xiao long bao
Other merchant: wah!! you speak chinese?!

Me (to anyone): ni hui shuo yingwen ma? (can you speak english)
Person: bu hui. (no)
[silence]

as i've learned, a little goes a long way. but i try to speak as much as possible whenever possible. soon enough my coworkers will have to find a new language to gossip in!

yesterday i coerced my friend/coworker vanessa to go to dinner with me for my 2 month anniversary. vanessa (the girl in the photo below) is my new bestie - she helps me with EVERYTHING and we have a great time together! e.g. she recently acquired a sonic care electric tooth brush on tao bao for me.

so far, life is good in shanghai. much to see and do but have some great company doing it. now, i am waiting for visitors!!! hit me up with your plans :)

p.s. i'm headed to ny for my first work trip later this month. mar 24 - apr 5. see some of you then!

hai di lao

i dedicate this post to hai di lao. the best hot pot restaurant of all time. i take that back. the best restaurant of all time. wild claim huh? see for yourself.

1. hai di lao is conveniently located in many high traffic areas, some of which walking distance from my house and my office. plus.

2. it is clean and comfortable (though the menu is not in english nor are there pictures to point to). the bathroom is clean and normal with abundance of toliet paper and for those more old school, a couple of throwback toliets in the mix aka holes in the ground. my judgement of an establishment often relies on the bathroom experience. i approve.

3. the service. omg the service. they even try to speak english to me though i try to order in chinese. and they attend to your EVERY need...sometimes you don't even realize it's a need until they tend to it.
-you need a refill, they sense it before you take your last sip and run over to fill it
-you have your jacket on the back of your seat, they will cover it for you so it doesnt get dirty or smell too much from all the spurting hot pot juices
-you wear a nice shirt and don't want to get it dirty, they bring you an apron (that appropriately says something a bit funnier than 'i hope you're hungry')
-you wear your hair down, they bring you a hair tie without asking
-you have dirty hands when bringing said hair tie, they will put your hair up for you
-you wear glasses, they bring you a piece of cloth to clean your glasses when they get foggy due to hot pot steam
-you are chinese and keep your cell phone out everywhere, they bring you a mini plastic bag for your cell phone...which still allows you to use your touch screen technology while protected
-you express liking something a lot, they bring you more or some to take home

4. they have noodle homeboys. they wear track suits. and they make homemade noodles. and they dance. like break dance. with your noodles. amazing art form. i do not have any photos bc i was drooling a little too much and then the plastic on my cell phone case got wet and it just didnt happen.

5. the sauce bar. i have only known the sauce 'bar' aka table of basic sauces at quickly in nyc but this is beyond.

6. large facilities. the place is huge and seats many many people. somehow it is still crowded. times like these you are reminded of shanghai's population. HOWEVER, i come to point 7, last but certainly not least.

7. while you wait for your table, you may watch a movie, get your shoes shined and/or get a manicure!!!! oh yeah and you get popcorn and oranges while you do all that!

im sorry...did you read point 7?! this bad boy french mani was all done in my 20 minute wait for our table. amaze!!

ok so you might be asking 'how much is this all?' cheap i tell you!! both times ive gone and only spent 100 kuai!! yes, including the mani. dealiiooooooooo. joy is the only emotion on this face of mine. see you later this week hai di lao.

yi bei re doujiang ye yige sweet dough stick

man it's been awhile since my last post and a lot has changed. my chinese vocab has increased so much that i can now half order things at restaurants (reference the blog title)! except it REALLY confuses people when i combine english and chinese. either they dont expect me to know chinese or im just plain confusing...like at the dry cleaner today when i confidently said 'monday...keyi ma?' (monday, can you?). noted the operative word is 'monday' in this request so yeah. im still learning.

but OK. on to bigger things. BIG NEWS: i now LIVE in shanghai. as in...have my own place, pay my own bills, take out my own trash, change my own sheets, make my own dinner (i.e. order my own delivery). cray. my place is pretty much set up so i fully intended to take pics and put them in this post but then i decided to do laundry sans dryer. sooooo now all my clothes are hanging on every solid surface. aka the post won't happen til later this week

on to more interesting happenings. ive been mia for the past two weeks for some really good reasons. see below:

before i moved, i had the pleasure of hosting our resident carmen sandiegos, laurel and emil wolmut. in my cozy loft studio in the boonies (ah the memories), we three had a blast, plotting new shanghai adventures and re-living old sf ones. we explored the city, ate some fab food, witnessed young chinese children do amazing acrobatics and had some hearty intellectual convo. they also helped me move into my modest new place. i owe them a lifetime of thanks for making me feel like a hostess and actually looking like i had friends in this city!! here's us taking a break from the full-on chinese life we led, at the frenchie bar.

after laurel and emil left (sad face), hao came to visit. as most know, hao is a foodie so it was definite fun (read: gluttony). his first few hours in, we went to this teppanyaki place in the jing'an reel food court. firing up some fresh foie (see front left corner). deeeeeelicious.

we had many many many culinary delights which i failed to capture via camera but i captured with my belly. so good. we did din tai x 2 (goose liver chicken xlb was a new one!), di shui dong (yummy fried whole fish with hunan fried garlic, chili and spices nom nom nom), pichuan sichuan food, a lot of 15 kuai shanghainese xiao long bao (aka the sweetest soup dumplings you will ever eat...and it's not dessert), grumpy pig (braised pork w bacon onion compote sammies), mr and mrs bund lunch set (XL asparagus with ancient ev olive oil and shaved parm, teriyaki glazed long short ribs (omg this warrants a parantheses within parentheses)), madison (shout out to austin - seared foie with strawberries, kamachi tartare, pork belly and green apple, pumpkin brown butter ravioli, ricotta tagliatelle with duck ragu), table no 1 (spiked apple cider, salt&pepper prawns, classic tuna tartare with avocado, seared scallop with corn puree), etc etc etc

it wasnt just all amazing french-inspired cuisine...we also managed a trip to qimin - the organic hot pot spot

(yes jessica, get excited). the meat was amazing and the broth was spicier than spicy. and did i mention we went to din tai twice? that counts.

it happened to be valentine's day while hao was here, so we went to dinner at issimo (a very tasty italian restaurant). in china, a lot of couples like to dress similarly on vday. seriously, i was born to be chinese. i would coordinate even if it wasnt a holiday. luckily my entire wardrobe had just arrived from customs (flown in from US) so i could wear my gold jeans and navy blazer while hao sported his yellow billy reid sweat shirt and denim. granted no one really noticed unless i was like 'HEY LOOK WE'RE DRESSED THE SAME' (which i did three times that night...to strangers).

our last dinner was at lost heaven near the bund - really tasty yunnan food that uses a lot of cilantro. i recently found out hao is mildly allergic to cilantro so this didn't bode very well...but i still enjoyed it so...yeah. haha. sorry hao! right before we got to lost heaven, we saw 6 cool hipster chicks on the subway wearing lens-free geek glasses. so envious. as we walked out of the subway, we found a little stand where i purchased these bad boys for 20 kuai. yes yes i know i overpaid. whatever. my negotiating skills are childish at best (a lot of whining and pouting and no actual chinese spoken) but id say $3.50 is a small price to pay for infinite coolness.

ok so this post doesnt really cover all the cool things ive been doing the past couple weeks like: getting fat, unpacking, chinese class, working, not exercising, meeting a ton of new people and slightly stalking them to be my friend, downloading a ton of american tv shows, getting deathly sick...again, drinking fake liquor (this is so dangerous and unavoidable!), etc etc. but the one amazing thing that happened this weekend - my trip to qipu lu.

OMG brace yourselves ladies. qipu lu is full of these malls where a bunch of clothing, accessory, shoe wholesalers have stalls. yes. i have found my haven. my budget was 1200 kuai or about $200 (i havent really spent much since ive been here minus the week of foie splurging and two large trips to ikea) and i only ended up spending $150 and getting SO MUCH STUFF. granted we got there a little late and so we only had 4 hours there BUT next time i will spend the entire budget. some stalls are just random trendy shit, some are knock off big brands, some are the real thing but just 'fell off the truck'. all are cheap. im obsessed to the point that ive made two separate 'dates' with two separate groups of chinese american friends so i can go twice in the next two weeks with chinese speakers. omg im addicted. eff paying the rent, i will live here.

here's just a preview of what i got (mainly because most of it is at the dry cleaners, hence the need to have everything back by monday).

 two house of harlow necklaces 50 kuai

 silk chiffon (might have some poly in there) maxi dress 110 kuai (yes ish, i will get you one)

 pair of menswear inspired slip-ons with studded spikes 35 kuai (omg im so cool), slim lace up loafers 35 kuai, and yes you guessed it, fur uggs (or as my coworker called them, uglies) 100 kuai.

 silk polka dot dress with peter pan collar (ugh love that peter is back!) 80 kuai
 not to brag...but i also got a pleated plaid skirt 50 kuai, a high waisted foil jacquard mini 50 kuai, pleated paper bag waist black shorts with leopard belt 60 kuai, red leather skinny belt 20 kuai, iphone case 40 kuai and ALMOST got my nails intricately done for 30 kuai but we were a bit tired by then. :P

luckily in my shipment that came in from NY i had a ton of hangers so fear not, there is space in my closet. i think my dry cleaning bill might be more than most of the clothes. haha. dangit.

this week work will be a bit insane and i start my twice a week chinese class. balancing all that plus quizzo and ladies night will be difficult. hopefully by thursday my clothes will dry and i can snap some pics of my humble abode. til then my friends!