In the past week I have:
1. Been found on Facebook by someone I worked with more than 10 years ago
2. Been told that my blog was found through a Google search
3. Received an email from a college friend I hadn't spoken to in years
4. Fallen on my butt, resulting in a stair-step shaped series of bruises (but that is neither here nor there).
Apparently, cyber-stalking season is here and I am flattered. I find it odd that people are interested enough to seek out my little rantings, but it's also quite nice. And a reminder that I haven't posted in ages. Here's a quick recap...
Work.
School.
Boyfriend.
House.
iPhone Obsession.
Friends.
Birthday & Bruises on the Butt**
That's about it really, life is full of fun.
**I turned 31 last month and as part of his 3-part birthday-surprise-extravaganza, R took me to wine country for a nice weekend escape that was just what I needed. Unfortunately, a day full of booze and slippery stairs were not.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Day Twelve Hong Kong
Our last day in HK is a free day and we take a trolley, a subway and a tram out to Lantau Island to see the giant bronze Buddha. The tram is about 30 minutes and goes over two small mountains, with views of the ocean and surrounding jungles. We can see the Buddha from about a mile away before we reach the village. We climb about 100 steps to the base of this giant sculpture and can see for miles. The statue was built just a few decades ago but is still a very impressive site.
We have lunch in the tourist village and then head back to the city. We were hoping to head to the beach but the trip to the island took nearly 4 hours and we are short on daylight. We opt to grab some beers and head to the rooftop pool for some much needed downtime. We spend several hours drinking beers, chatting and sunbathing before heading to a nearby Thai restaurant for dinner. The service was terrible, but the food was excellence and the night was a great ending to an amazing trip.
We have lunch in the tourist village and then head back to the city. We were hoping to head to the beach but the trip to the island took nearly 4 hours and we are short on daylight. We opt to grab some beers and head to the rooftop pool for some much needed downtime. We spend several hours drinking beers, chatting and sunbathing before heading to a nearby Thai restaurant for dinner. The service was terrible, but the food was excellence and the night was a great ending to an amazing trip.
Day Eleven Hong Kong
On our way to Victoria Peak Calvin gives us some history about Hong Kong, it's British roots and the changes since the handover. We learn that the one child policy is not effective in HK and that they still have alternate form of governments – they call it a one government, two rule system. The property prices and taxes in HK are very low, making it a very appealing place for expats. The max income tax is 15%, and that is for people that make millions.
Hong Kong is the financial hub of the country, but is quickly being gained on by Shanghai. Currently BofA, HSBC, AIG and JP Morgan all have headquarters there, among others. There is also no sales tax in HK, but there are very extreme luxury taxes on items such as booze, cars and cigarettes. The tax for an automobile is more than 40% making it very hard for people to own, leading to a much better public transportation systems and cleaner air. Gas also runs about $13US per gallon.
Calvin tells us that a 20 year mortgage on $200kUS runs about $800US per month, as the interest rate is about 2% and there is no real estate tax. There are no pension plans offered by the companies in HK but because the income tax is so low, it's easy to sock money away into plans.
Victoria Peak gives us a bird’s eye view of the entire city and the quay. It's nestled up in the mountain in a lush forest area. HK is surrounded by parks, with 100's of acres dedicated as city parks – it's really quite incredible. We head next for Aberdeen harbor where we take a boat tour and see the world's largest floating restaurant and are able to take some photos of the fishing boats.
Afterwards we make a quick stop at Stanley Beach and Market where we have a few moments to stick our toes in the South China Sea. In the evening we head across the harbor and watch a laser light show before doing more wandering in the night market. The area is packed full of people but is much more multi-cultural than all the other areas we've visited.
Hong Kong is the financial hub of the country, but is quickly being gained on by Shanghai. Currently BofA, HSBC, AIG and JP Morgan all have headquarters there, among others. There is also no sales tax in HK, but there are very extreme luxury taxes on items such as booze, cars and cigarettes. The tax for an automobile is more than 40% making it very hard for people to own, leading to a much better public transportation systems and cleaner air. Gas also runs about $13US per gallon.
Calvin tells us that a 20 year mortgage on $200kUS runs about $800US per month, as the interest rate is about 2% and there is no real estate tax. There are no pension plans offered by the companies in HK but because the income tax is so low, it's easy to sock money away into plans.
Victoria Peak gives us a bird’s eye view of the entire city and the quay. It's nestled up in the mountain in a lush forest area. HK is surrounded by parks, with 100's of acres dedicated as city parks – it's really quite incredible. We head next for Aberdeen harbor where we take a boat tour and see the world's largest floating restaurant and are able to take some photos of the fishing boats.
Afterwards we make a quick stop at Stanley Beach and Market where we have a few moments to stick our toes in the South China Sea. In the evening we head across the harbor and watch a laser light show before doing more wandering in the night market. The area is packed full of people but is much more multi-cultural than all the other areas we've visited.
Day Ten Hong Kong
We get to sleep in until 830, which is so awesome!! Shawn takes us to the airport and 7 of us head to Hong Kong, where we meet our new guide, Calvin. He is wearing a face mask and explains that his wife is 5 months pregnant so he is very careful about germs and wears it at all times. After the SARS epidemic, the Chinese are very worried about any sort of virus and the swine flu has the country nervous.
The drive into the city is so beautiful and very different. All of the sudden, signs are in English and the traffic is completely smooth. They drive on the left hand side, a throwback to English days, and the giant metropolitan city is surrounded by lush green hills. I am instantly smitten. During hotel check-in Calvin teaches a few Cantonese words to get us by, and breaks them into simple American words which is so helpful for our pronunciation. "Joe Sun" is good morning and "Door Chair" is thank you, etc.
We take a trolley out to “Times Square” where we have Sushi for dinner. It was nice to be part of a small group and to have a relaxed time. We walked through the markets afterwards, seeing more merchants, checking out the fashions and eating gelato. We stop on the way back in the central district, a popular drinking area. It seems to be mostly expats, so we are a little disappointed.
The drive into the city is so beautiful and very different. All of the sudden, signs are in English and the traffic is completely smooth. They drive on the left hand side, a throwback to English days, and the giant metropolitan city is surrounded by lush green hills. I am instantly smitten. During hotel check-in Calvin teaches a few Cantonese words to get us by, and breaks them into simple American words which is so helpful for our pronunciation. "Joe Sun" is good morning and "Door Chair" is thank you, etc.
We take a trolley out to “Times Square” where we have Sushi for dinner. It was nice to be part of a small group and to have a relaxed time. We walked through the markets afterwards, seeing more merchants, checking out the fashions and eating gelato. We stop on the way back in the central district, a popular drinking area. It seems to be mostly expats, so we are a little disappointed.
Day Nine Shanghai
We have our first free morning, but only a few hours. We go to a local market to do some shopping and have a quick lunch before reconvening at the hotel to head to Jin Mao tower. We meet a few junior high boys that help us to find the market we were looking for, and they were very cute with their giggling and trying to speak English. It was nice that people seemed to go out of their way to help us.
At the tower a group of kids come marching out of the building on some sort of tour, and they wave and yell “Hello” to us all. Beyond cute! We take the 30 second ride to the 88th floor of the tower and have 360 degree views of the city. It's pretty smoggy so hard to see but it's clearly a huge sprawling city full of high-rises. The tops of the residential areas are painted red and blue, but I don't get a clear answer why from Simon. We get a free pearl at the gift shop.
Next we are shuttled to the EF / English First offices as a substitute for our scheduled visit with an auto manufacturing firm. At this point, everyone is cranky and the joke of the day is that they are going to try to sell us another trip. Instead, they give us a presentation that ends with a slide that says “Buy a Franchise” and I think the entire room groaned. After this we are encouraged to speak with some of the students at the office, and I feel like we are simply there to offer free English practices to the students which is frustrating. After being scolded for being too loud, a couple of us escape and wander across the street to the mall. I feel guilty for not being more interested in the students, but I am thrilled to have a moment in the real city.
The mall is not anything like the markets, and is a huge commercial place completely packed with people. It's literally difficult to move around the giant mall through the throngs of people. Near the food court there is a bottle neck at a row of computer screens. We discovered that it's an automated ordering kiosk for the food court shops – the customers select their meals and snacks and pay there, then pick up their food at the counter. Very efficient.
We have a very short break after this trip for free time, which we use to get foot massages at a small parlor. The proprietors do not speak of lick of English so it’s comical to communicate. The woman asks us if we are French and when we tell her we are American she exclaims “Obama!” and then points to one of the guys and says “Chinese Obama.” On the way out she shakes my hand and says “Thank you very, very much.” Again, I am delighted by the warmth of the locals.
We meet with Alain's friend Tim who discusses life in Shanghai. He seems to genuinely love the country and the city of Shanghai and talks a little about the daily life, the political challenges and the challenges as a manager. I wish that we had more time for this visit and had not wasted time at EF – I felt like I actually learned something about the business culture in China. All the business visits were basic at best and offered little in the way of learning. Listening to Tim actually made me want to move to China!! It’s unfortunate that the most relevant learning experiences we had were on our own and not part of our tour.
At the tower a group of kids come marching out of the building on some sort of tour, and they wave and yell “Hello” to us all. Beyond cute! We take the 30 second ride to the 88th floor of the tower and have 360 degree views of the city. It's pretty smoggy so hard to see but it's clearly a huge sprawling city full of high-rises. The tops of the residential areas are painted red and blue, but I don't get a clear answer why from Simon. We get a free pearl at the gift shop.
Next we are shuttled to the EF / English First offices as a substitute for our scheduled visit with an auto manufacturing firm. At this point, everyone is cranky and the joke of the day is that they are going to try to sell us another trip. Instead, they give us a presentation that ends with a slide that says “Buy a Franchise” and I think the entire room groaned. After this we are encouraged to speak with some of the students at the office, and I feel like we are simply there to offer free English practices to the students which is frustrating. After being scolded for being too loud, a couple of us escape and wander across the street to the mall. I feel guilty for not being more interested in the students, but I am thrilled to have a moment in the real city.
The mall is not anything like the markets, and is a huge commercial place completely packed with people. It's literally difficult to move around the giant mall through the throngs of people. Near the food court there is a bottle neck at a row of computer screens. We discovered that it's an automated ordering kiosk for the food court shops – the customers select their meals and snacks and pay there, then pick up their food at the counter. Very efficient.
We have a very short break after this trip for free time, which we use to get foot massages at a small parlor. The proprietors do not speak of lick of English so it’s comical to communicate. The woman asks us if we are French and when we tell her we are American she exclaims “Obama!” and then points to one of the guys and says “Chinese Obama.” On the way out she shakes my hand and says “Thank you very, very much.” Again, I am delighted by the warmth of the locals.
We meet with Alain's friend Tim who discusses life in Shanghai. He seems to genuinely love the country and the city of Shanghai and talks a little about the daily life, the political challenges and the challenges as a manager. I wish that we had more time for this visit and had not wasted time at EF – I felt like I actually learned something about the business culture in China. All the business visits were basic at best and offered little in the way of learning. Listening to Tim actually made me want to move to China!! It’s unfortunate that the most relevant learning experiences we had were on our own and not part of our tour.
Day Seven
In the morning we went to the Reed Flute Caves, a large cave with lots of interesting rock formations. The rocks are back lit with neon, making a very unique experience. It felt pretty touristy but was a nice break from the heat and humidity. The group took a very long time going through the cave, and I went ahead with a few of the others rather than listening to the guide talk about every rock formation – I was just getting tired of the constant stopping and talking and needed some freedom. The tiny lake at the bottom was the most spectacular part about the cave.
From there we went directly to the airport and flew to Shanghai. The flight was horrifyingly bumpy and I thought I might use my “clean bag.” Because the weather is poor we postpone our trip to the Jin Mao tower and go directly to dinner. We have a small amount of free time in the evening and we walk to The Bund before heading to Nanjing road, a large shopping street close to the hotel. We end up having a glass of wine and a small pizza in the sit down Pizza Hut restaurant, which is very different than the ones at home with high-end service and décor. A stop at Family Mart for rice wine, pea snacks and bottled water completes the night. Jeg Lag seems to be cyclycle.
From there we went directly to the airport and flew to Shanghai. The flight was horrifyingly bumpy and I thought I might use my “clean bag.” Because the weather is poor we postpone our trip to the Jin Mao tower and go directly to dinner. We have a small amount of free time in the evening and we walk to The Bund before heading to Nanjing road, a large shopping street close to the hotel. We end up having a glass of wine and a small pizza in the sit down Pizza Hut restaurant, which is very different than the ones at home with high-end service and décor. A stop at Family Mart for rice wine, pea snacks and bottled water completes the night. Jeg Lag seems to be cyclycle.
Day Six - Yangshao
We board a rickety boat for a four hour cruise down the Li River. During the trip we pass through incredible lush green areas, with amazing rock formations that are printed on Chinese paper money. The scenery is spectacular, even if the humid weather makes it difficult to move. We are served a motley assortment of food, most of which is bland and deep fried. Vendors on bamboo rafts launch from the docks and latch on to the boat in order to hawk their wares. We pass several small fishing villages, with laundry hung outside and see water buffaloes and other wildlife. A man on the boat is carrying around a bottle of alcohol full of snakes, many of us have a small sip and it's better tasting than a lot of the other liquors we had on the trip!
We have a short walk to the bus after we arrive in Yangshao and I am in love. The small town is part European town and part traditional China, a very unique blend of cultures. After checking in at the beautiful hotel we take a golf cart out to the countryside with our tour guide, Joe. We drive out into the middle of nowhere and are let off in a remote section of rice paddies, one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen. Even in this remote area, there are people trying to sell us postcards, fans and trinkets. Many of the vendors chased our carts as we slowed down, and they followed us throughout or walk. One woman even had a motorcycle that she used to follow us from stop to stop.
We had a short demonstration of how the farmers use the water buffalo to prep the fields and Joe tells about the planting and harvesting process. A toothless old lady latches on to me, trying to sell me a fan – she is perhaps one of the cutest things I have ever seen but she will not take no for an answer! She just keeps poking me with the fan and saying “okay, okay, okay.' When I giggle, she giggles. The locals will also pose for photos for a small fee. I pay several Yuan to take photos of two ladies with babies in baskets, and a man standing on a water buffalo. I manage to capture a photo of a farmer from the back, overlooking her field.
We hop back in the carts and head into the local village, a small collection of ramshackle houses. We are allowed to visit one of the local homes, and the owner offers us oranges and peanuts – it was a nice treat. The house was simple but functional, with a separate kitchen, a flush toilet but no shower, and a pen with cuddling pigs. The woman is very proud of her grandson’s art, which is posted all over the walls. She also has photos of other visitors including a movie crew, as this is the way she makes money – inviting people in to her home for a tour.
Behind the house a man was butchering a dog for dinner. It was a startling site for an American, and several in the group were pretty upset by it. Although I don't like the idea of butchering a domesticated animal, I understand that meat is meat and there is little difference between killing a pig, a chicken, a cow or a dog when you are hungry and poor.
On the way back into town, we stop at a roadside stand to take a photo and there is a man with a monkey wearing a yellow polyester suit. I felt bad for the monkey, as it was at least 90 degree out, but it was kind of an interesting site to see a man with a trained monkey on the side of the road. After the tour, a few of us took a dip in the pool, which was such a nice break after the constant go of the last few weeks. We went into town after dinner to do some shopping and drank some rice wine while we walked in the rain. We ended up having a snack at McDonald's a little after midnight, before heading back to the hotel on our golf cart.
We have a short walk to the bus after we arrive in Yangshao and I am in love. The small town is part European town and part traditional China, a very unique blend of cultures. After checking in at the beautiful hotel we take a golf cart out to the countryside with our tour guide, Joe. We drive out into the middle of nowhere and are let off in a remote section of rice paddies, one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen. Even in this remote area, there are people trying to sell us postcards, fans and trinkets. Many of the vendors chased our carts as we slowed down, and they followed us throughout or walk. One woman even had a motorcycle that she used to follow us from stop to stop.
We had a short demonstration of how the farmers use the water buffalo to prep the fields and Joe tells about the planting and harvesting process. A toothless old lady latches on to me, trying to sell me a fan – she is perhaps one of the cutest things I have ever seen but she will not take no for an answer! She just keeps poking me with the fan and saying “okay, okay, okay.' When I giggle, she giggles. The locals will also pose for photos for a small fee. I pay several Yuan to take photos of two ladies with babies in baskets, and a man standing on a water buffalo. I manage to capture a photo of a farmer from the back, overlooking her field.
We hop back in the carts and head into the local village, a small collection of ramshackle houses. We are allowed to visit one of the local homes, and the owner offers us oranges and peanuts – it was a nice treat. The house was simple but functional, with a separate kitchen, a flush toilet but no shower, and a pen with cuddling pigs. The woman is very proud of her grandson’s art, which is posted all over the walls. She also has photos of other visitors including a movie crew, as this is the way she makes money – inviting people in to her home for a tour.
Behind the house a man was butchering a dog for dinner. It was a startling site for an American, and several in the group were pretty upset by it. Although I don't like the idea of butchering a domesticated animal, I understand that meat is meat and there is little difference between killing a pig, a chicken, a cow or a dog when you are hungry and poor.
On the way back into town, we stop at a roadside stand to take a photo and there is a man with a monkey wearing a yellow polyester suit. I felt bad for the monkey, as it was at least 90 degree out, but it was kind of an interesting site to see a man with a trained monkey on the side of the road. After the tour, a few of us took a dip in the pool, which was such a nice break after the constant go of the last few weeks. We went into town after dinner to do some shopping and drank some rice wine while we walked in the rain. We ended up having a snack at McDonald's a little after midnight, before heading back to the hotel on our golf cart.
Day Five Xi'an
The morning begins with another business visit, this time to Kami Detergent Co. We receive a brief on the products made by the company and brief tour of the facilities, viewing the production line. Again, not very relevant from a business standpoint but fun to see.
Next we go to the Wild Goose Pagoda, a “fairly young” pagoda according to Bryan, at only 700 years old. There is a shrine to Buddha and a place to light candles and incense, with people donating money to purchase long sets of incense that are then burned in a communal pot outside the temple. We do not have enough time to climb to the top of the tower, so I take a quick walk around the grounds to view the smaller pagodas and make a trip to the gift shop. I overpay for some prayer beads, as I wrongly assumed that the available gifts were purchases made to support the temple. Sadly, they were just more vendors looking to take advantage of tourist dollars.
Bryan tells us that we are pressed for time, so after 30 minutes at the temple we go to KFC for lunch. The restaurant is right around the corner from the pagoda and is in the ancient Chinese style architecture, but inside is a standard KFC fast food restaurant. We order in record time and board the bus for a ride to the museum of the terracotta army.
The warriors were discovered in the 1970's when a family farmer was drilling for water and discovered a piece of pottery. He alerted the government who came in and discovered underground tombs full of warriors. Over 4000 warriors have been uncovered in full battle dress, as well as several horses. There are three separate buildings that are still being excavated. The warriors were commissioned to guard the tomb of the emperor, who is buried in a nearby hill. The most fascinating thing to me is that all 4000 warriors have different faces, which were fashioned from the faces of the army. After the chamber was sealed, there were a series of wars and the tombs were raided, warriors smashed and weapons stolen.
In the exhibition hall there was a giant marionette of a warrior holding hands with a creepy little girl, and I did not understand that at all. Apparently there was some sort of tie in with Johnson & Johnson, but it was not clear how the little girl represented this. There was also a stunning photography exhibit featuring world heritage sites. It made me realized how much more of the world there is too see, and I started planning my next trip. We had more than 3 hours at the site, which was really a lot more than was necessary, a source of frustration considering the rushed morning at the pagoda and the lunch as KFC. We easily could have split the time better.
After the warriors, we flew to Guilin and departed into the most unbearably humid city I've ever experienced. We checked into our hotel and were pretty disappointed with the accommodations. Up until this point, the hotels had been great but the hotel in Guilin was abysmal, with black mold on the walls and incredibly unclean bathrooms. The AC barely worked and made the room smell moldy and fishy. A few of us took a walk around the neighborhood to get some air and grab some water, then off to bed.
Next we go to the Wild Goose Pagoda, a “fairly young” pagoda according to Bryan, at only 700 years old. There is a shrine to Buddha and a place to light candles and incense, with people donating money to purchase long sets of incense that are then burned in a communal pot outside the temple. We do not have enough time to climb to the top of the tower, so I take a quick walk around the grounds to view the smaller pagodas and make a trip to the gift shop. I overpay for some prayer beads, as I wrongly assumed that the available gifts were purchases made to support the temple. Sadly, they were just more vendors looking to take advantage of tourist dollars.
Bryan tells us that we are pressed for time, so after 30 minutes at the temple we go to KFC for lunch. The restaurant is right around the corner from the pagoda and is in the ancient Chinese style architecture, but inside is a standard KFC fast food restaurant. We order in record time and board the bus for a ride to the museum of the terracotta army.
The warriors were discovered in the 1970's when a family farmer was drilling for water and discovered a piece of pottery. He alerted the government who came in and discovered underground tombs full of warriors. Over 4000 warriors have been uncovered in full battle dress, as well as several horses. There are three separate buildings that are still being excavated. The warriors were commissioned to guard the tomb of the emperor, who is buried in a nearby hill. The most fascinating thing to me is that all 4000 warriors have different faces, which were fashioned from the faces of the army. After the chamber was sealed, there were a series of wars and the tombs were raided, warriors smashed and weapons stolen.
In the exhibition hall there was a giant marionette of a warrior holding hands with a creepy little girl, and I did not understand that at all. Apparently there was some sort of tie in with Johnson & Johnson, but it was not clear how the little girl represented this. There was also a stunning photography exhibit featuring world heritage sites. It made me realized how much more of the world there is too see, and I started planning my next trip. We had more than 3 hours at the site, which was really a lot more than was necessary, a source of frustration considering the rushed morning at the pagoda and the lunch as KFC. We easily could have split the time better.
After the warriors, we flew to Guilin and departed into the most unbearably humid city I've ever experienced. We checked into our hotel and were pretty disappointed with the accommodations. Up until this point, the hotels had been great but the hotel in Guilin was abysmal, with black mold on the walls and incredibly unclean bathrooms. The AC barely worked and made the room smell moldy and fishy. A few of us took a walk around the neighborhood to get some air and grab some water, then off to bed.
Day Four Xi'an
We take a short bumpy flight to Xi'an (pronounced like She On)I and meet our city guide, Bryan. He gives us some history about the city and the region. We are all a little confused and frustrated as to why we have a second tour guide, for which we must tip in addition to Simon. I think by this point in the trip most of the graduate students had figured out that EF is not a great way to travel for adults – it is probably great when you are 18 but at 30 I like to have time to explore and choose my own adventures. The constant sales pitches and additional charges also begin to irritate me.
Bryan tells us that Xi'an is a melting pot city of Chinese, Buddhist and Muslims with rich, fertile soil for farming and the yellow river running through. The city is laid out in feng shui and is considered a middle size city at 8.3 million, which is pretty telling of the dense population. At this point, I have actually been surprised that China is not more crowded – it's certainly more densely populated than Portland but it doesn't feel that bad. After time in Seoul, it seemed downright roomy. I am reminded of what my Korean boss once said – he told me to not be offended by the lack of a personal bubble. He said that we do not mean to be rude, we have just always lived in such tight quarters that we don't have any sense of space!
We go to the National Museum, which house 18 of the major national treasures from the 13 dynasties that reigned in Xi'an. I had a hard time distinguishing or relating to many of the pieces. It seemed that the iron pots all looked the same and I knew they were ancient and important but really didn't get enough time to discover why they were considered national treasures. We also visit a Painting Museum and get the chance to practice some Chinese calligraphy, which is nice. Then we are given the sales pitch again and we spend over an hour waiting for people to make purchases, and further decreasing our free time. After a simple dinner I go strait to bed.
Bryan tells us that Xi'an is a melting pot city of Chinese, Buddhist and Muslims with rich, fertile soil for farming and the yellow river running through. The city is laid out in feng shui and is considered a middle size city at 8.3 million, which is pretty telling of the dense population. At this point, I have actually been surprised that China is not more crowded – it's certainly more densely populated than Portland but it doesn't feel that bad. After time in Seoul, it seemed downright roomy. I am reminded of what my Korean boss once said – he told me to not be offended by the lack of a personal bubble. He said that we do not mean to be rude, we have just always lived in such tight quarters that we don't have any sense of space!
We go to the National Museum, which house 18 of the major national treasures from the 13 dynasties that reigned in Xi'an. I had a hard time distinguishing or relating to many of the pieces. It seemed that the iron pots all looked the same and I knew they were ancient and important but really didn't get enough time to discover why they were considered national treasures. We also visit a Painting Museum and get the chance to practice some Chinese calligraphy, which is nice. Then we are given the sales pitch again and we spend over an hour waiting for people to make purchases, and further decreasing our free time. After a simple dinner I go strait to bed.
Day One - Mao Now
Day 2 Beijing – Mao Now
We meet for breakfast around 730 in the hotel lobby – food is a mix of continental breakfast and “Muslim” items, including eggs, greasy bacon, some fruit and breads, a few local dishes like fried rice and steamed veg. I try to keep it simple for day one as I'm not sure how my stomach will react the first day after a long plane ride. I'm tired but excited, a little stuffy headed.
We take a short bus ride to Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. We pass run down areas near the hotel, with roofs that are practically collapsing after years of neglect. Men are huddled on the sidewalk playing Mahjong and smoking cigarettes. Everything is somewhat dirty, but not gross – it just feels like we have travelled back in time. Arriving at the square, things are much different – modern, clean and bustling. The square itself is huge, stretching on for several city blocks, flanked by parliament and other official buildings.
There is a line at least a block long stretching around Mao's tomb, waiting to go in and pay respects. Simon tells us that the line is short today, and that often time it will stretch around the building several times. Mao is still very well respected, but it has been stated that the Chinese now acknowledge that he did do a few bad things. The saying is Mao did 70% right, 30% wrong.
In the square, we are accosted by vendors hawking fake Rolexes, fans, umbrellas and souvenirs. They will literally block your path and follow you around. Surprisingly few beggars, just hawkers. The group from South Carolina is a very exciting site for the locals – it is rare for African American's to be seen in China and many people ask for photos or stare. They do not seem animus in any way, just curious and excited to tell their friends.
The ladies in the square are all decked out in cute dresses with heels and all have parasols to protect from the sun. I'm struck by how fashion conscious the culture is, especially with the limited funds that many people have in China.
We arrive at the Heavenly Gate – it's huge and looks exactly like the photos but is somehow less impressive. With all the tourists around snapping photos and eating ice cream it just loses that sense of power and control. We cross the moat, which smells like sewage and dead fish, into the Forbidden City. Simon explains some of the symbolism of the decoration and tells us about Feng Shui and Yin / Yang.
Yin and Yang are the heaven and the earth, the even and the odd, the black and the white, the man and the women. The Forbidden City consists of 8700 rooms. If one were to spend 1 night in each room it would take more than 27 years. It was built in the 1200's (?) and housed the Emperor and about 100 of his concubines and children. We are told that #9 is the luckiest number and that multiples of nine are used through the structure, as in 45 buildings or 45 dragons to symbolize importance. The tour ends in a nice quiet garden. I am too thirsty to truly enjoy it, instead opting to sit in the shade.
We take the bus to lunch, and I am unimpressed by the clearly “Americanized” food. Nearly everything in the buffet was fried or sautéed in heavy oil and very little was offered in terms of nourishment. Nearly everyone on the tour heads for the gelato after, probably the most popular item (I skipped).
Next door is the pearl shop. We are greeted by Rainbow, who talks to us about the differences between fresh and salt water pearls. Fresh water oysters yield more pearls, up to 30 each. She tells us that were you to eat the fresh water oyster and have a beer you will “go to the bathroom many, many times.” David also earns the nickname “Fish man” after digging around in the tank to choose our example oyster.
We are shuffled into the gift shop afterwards and encouraged to buy pearls, with a “student discount.” Many of us felt pressured and were frustrated by the forced shopping excursion. We spent well over an hour there, time that could have better been spent. On the way out we are accosted by the “watch guy” as we walk to the summer palace. Beggars on the street collect our water bottles to re-use or sell.
The summer palace is incredible – a large scale reproduction of gardens all over China. The emperor was a traveler and wanted to share the splendors of the country with the city of Beijing so commissioned this park to house all the wonders he had seen. Included are a manmade lake, a Buddhist and Taoist temple, the world's longest covered corridor (800 meters, all hand painted) and a stone boat.
The final building was commissioned by The Dragon Lady, the first Empress, after her husband’s death. There are a phoenix and a dragon at the entrance – the phoenix represents the woman, the dragon the man. It's important to note that the phoenix is closer to the door, elevating the woman’s status – something unheard of before the Dragon Lady’s reign.
We head back to the hotel for a quick shower, then off to dinner. Food still feels Americanized, but is much better than lunch. Everyone is exhausted and it's an early night to bed. First Day impressions – China is clearly not the cold, communist country of yesterday. It is rapidly changing, youthful and energetic, but still developing and still not wealthy. A country divided by the haves and the have-nots leads to conflict.
We meet for breakfast around 730 in the hotel lobby – food is a mix of continental breakfast and “Muslim” items, including eggs, greasy bacon, some fruit and breads, a few local dishes like fried rice and steamed veg. I try to keep it simple for day one as I'm not sure how my stomach will react the first day after a long plane ride. I'm tired but excited, a little stuffy headed.
We take a short bus ride to Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. We pass run down areas near the hotel, with roofs that are practically collapsing after years of neglect. Men are huddled on the sidewalk playing Mahjong and smoking cigarettes. Everything is somewhat dirty, but not gross – it just feels like we have travelled back in time. Arriving at the square, things are much different – modern, clean and bustling. The square itself is huge, stretching on for several city blocks, flanked by parliament and other official buildings.
There is a line at least a block long stretching around Mao's tomb, waiting to go in and pay respects. Simon tells us that the line is short today, and that often time it will stretch around the building several times. Mao is still very well respected, but it has been stated that the Chinese now acknowledge that he did do a few bad things. The saying is Mao did 70% right, 30% wrong.
In the square, we are accosted by vendors hawking fake Rolexes, fans, umbrellas and souvenirs. They will literally block your path and follow you around. Surprisingly few beggars, just hawkers. The group from South Carolina is a very exciting site for the locals – it is rare for African American's to be seen in China and many people ask for photos or stare. They do not seem animus in any way, just curious and excited to tell their friends.
The ladies in the square are all decked out in cute dresses with heels and all have parasols to protect from the sun. I'm struck by how fashion conscious the culture is, especially with the limited funds that many people have in China.
We arrive at the Heavenly Gate – it's huge and looks exactly like the photos but is somehow less impressive. With all the tourists around snapping photos and eating ice cream it just loses that sense of power and control. We cross the moat, which smells like sewage and dead fish, into the Forbidden City. Simon explains some of the symbolism of the decoration and tells us about Feng Shui and Yin / Yang.
Yin and Yang are the heaven and the earth, the even and the odd, the black and the white, the man and the women. The Forbidden City consists of 8700 rooms. If one were to spend 1 night in each room it would take more than 27 years. It was built in the 1200's (?) and housed the Emperor and about 100 of his concubines and children. We are told that #9 is the luckiest number and that multiples of nine are used through the structure, as in 45 buildings or 45 dragons to symbolize importance. The tour ends in a nice quiet garden. I am too thirsty to truly enjoy it, instead opting to sit in the shade.
We take the bus to lunch, and I am unimpressed by the clearly “Americanized” food. Nearly everything in the buffet was fried or sautéed in heavy oil and very little was offered in terms of nourishment. Nearly everyone on the tour heads for the gelato after, probably the most popular item (I skipped).
Next door is the pearl shop. We are greeted by Rainbow, who talks to us about the differences between fresh and salt water pearls. Fresh water oysters yield more pearls, up to 30 each. She tells us that were you to eat the fresh water oyster and have a beer you will “go to the bathroom many, many times.” David also earns the nickname “Fish man” after digging around in the tank to choose our example oyster.
We are shuffled into the gift shop afterwards and encouraged to buy pearls, with a “student discount.” Many of us felt pressured and were frustrated by the forced shopping excursion. We spent well over an hour there, time that could have better been spent. On the way out we are accosted by the “watch guy” as we walk to the summer palace. Beggars on the street collect our water bottles to re-use or sell.
The summer palace is incredible – a large scale reproduction of gardens all over China. The emperor was a traveler and wanted to share the splendors of the country with the city of Beijing so commissioned this park to house all the wonders he had seen. Included are a manmade lake, a Buddhist and Taoist temple, the world's longest covered corridor (800 meters, all hand painted) and a stone boat.
The final building was commissioned by The Dragon Lady, the first Empress, after her husband’s death. There are a phoenix and a dragon at the entrance – the phoenix represents the woman, the dragon the man. It's important to note that the phoenix is closer to the door, elevating the woman’s status – something unheard of before the Dragon Lady’s reign.
We head back to the hotel for a quick shower, then off to dinner. Food still feels Americanized, but is much better than lunch. Everyone is exhausted and it's an early night to bed. First Day impressions – China is clearly not the cold, communist country of yesterday. It is rapidly changing, youthful and energetic, but still developing and still not wealthy. A country divided by the haves and the have-nots leads to conflict.
Chiiina
So, it appears that those pesky communists have Blogger blocked in China, hence the lack of posting. I've also been home for two weeks and haven't posted, because I'm lazy. It seems these days that my thoughts average about 140 characters (for those of you that arn't so technically saavy - that's the max for a tweet). Hoodle, I've added my Twitter feed to the site so if you are coming by regularly at least you'll see that.
I was planning on doing a really nice post on China, and was even going to add pictures and make it all snazzy. But, again, I'm lazy. I also have a very swollen eyeball due to some sort of allergy so I'm taking the easy way out. I'm posting the link to my album on Flickr and I will be pasting the notes I took on the trip for class credit. It's not my usual funny stuff because it was written for school, but it will do. I'm going to post each day as a separate entry, so you can pretend that you are reading this while I was there. But, I am not. I am laying in bed. Let the blogging commence.
I was planning on doing a really nice post on China, and was even going to add pictures and make it all snazzy. But, again, I'm lazy. I also have a very swollen eyeball due to some sort of allergy so I'm taking the easy way out. I'm posting the link to my album on Flickr and I will be pasting the notes I took on the trip for class credit. It's not my usual funny stuff because it was written for school, but it will do. I'm going to post each day as a separate entry, so you can pretend that you are reading this while I was there. But, I am not. I am laying in bed. Let the blogging commence.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
26 hours, 10 minutes
Just over 1-day from now I will be boarding a plane on my way to China. Actually, the plane is going to Narita Japan, where we grab another plane to Beijing. But you get the picture.
I'm pretty much packed, just need to do the last minute stuff, download some movies to watch on the iPod during the flight and relax. I've got nearly all my work projects tied up and I am looking forward to two.whole.weeks. of vacation. I don't think I've had this much time away since 2004. Unless you count unemployment, but I don't.
Point is, I'm off for another adventure. Watch here for updates - I will post as often as I can. And keep your fingers crossed that Swine Flu and Nuclear war do not break out while I'm overseas.
I'm pretty much packed, just need to do the last minute stuff, download some movies to watch on the iPod during the flight and relax. I've got nearly all my work projects tied up and I am looking forward to two.whole.weeks. of vacation. I don't think I've had this much time away since 2004. Unless you count unemployment, but I don't.
Point is, I'm off for another adventure. Watch here for updates - I will post as often as I can. And keep your fingers crossed that Swine Flu and Nuclear war do not break out while I'm overseas.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The Year in Blog
2008 has probably been the most interesting and favorite of the last few years. In January I was honored to be one of the lucky few attendees at Sara Lou & Stew's fabulous Timberline wedding. I'm not sure I had ever had so much fun at a wedding before, and I'm not sure I've ever been so cold in a hot tub! Soon after, in February, I was asked to take a big trip for work and started the long preparation & freak out process. I started blogging, and so did Sabine. Sadly, Sabinedog's blog seems to have been removed from the internet - too bad, because her posts were hella funny!
On March 7th, I departed for my two month adventure in Seoul. Flying to Korea in 1st class was the last easy thing about the trip, but I had a lot of fun and learned many things about the country, the culture, my job and myself. Highlights for March include staying at The Dormy, seeing Jason Mraz, learning about the layoffs at home and drinking Soju with friends.By April I had started to get a little homesick but was still trying to make the best of the trip. I got to see the entire city from Namsan Tower, along with the amazing cherry blossoms. I went shopping in Insadong and had the best night of my trip at Lotte World!
When I landed in California the first thing I did was send a text message to all my friends that said "I love this Country!" Being home had never felt better and I spent most of May enjoying the company of my friends and my dog. I bought my lovely little mac and started making plans to leave my employer.
BeansandNuts was born in July, I hired little Russian men to work on my kitchen, signed up for a great diet program and I attended my second wedding for the year. X and I took a little camping trip to Ft. Stevens State Park with the dogs in August. When I returned, I gave my notice at work and willingly became unemployed for the first time in five years.
The MBA program at Marylhurst seemed like a great fit, so I started classes in September and began making friends. I was down 30 lbs on my diet and I turned 30 years old! Jayna and Eric came to visit for the Miss White Trash Pageant, I attended a pub crawl, and I met the man. I think September might have been my favorite month. After just one (amazing!) month of freedom, I accepted a job in October. I went to see Matt Nathanson with a hot date and attended two more weddings - a small courthouse ceremony and a charming beach wedding that ended at the Sportsman Pub and Grub.
Obama won the election by a surprising (to me) landslide in November and I had an absolute blast with my date for Denim & Diamonds. For Thanksgiving, I traveled to Tucson for my fifth (& Final!) wedding of 2008 and reconnected with some amazing friends that I missed more than I ever realized. December brought the tragic loss of my Sabine but also a great, joy filled White Christmas and the birth of a close friends baby boy. I spent about 7 days strait lying on my butt and playing on the internet because I could not leave the house - the snow was beautiful but I'm glad to be mobile again.
As amazing as 2008 was, I think 2009 is going to be even better. I don't think there will be five weddings this year, but you never know.. in the meantime, I'm looking forward to continuing school, learning to snowboard, spending more time with my friends and my guy, meeting the new babies that have arrived or will be arriving soon, attending the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival and going to China. I hope each of you had a great 08 and have an even better 09!!
XOXO
On March 7th, I departed for my two month adventure in Seoul. Flying to Korea in 1st class was the last easy thing about the trip, but I had a lot of fun and learned many things about the country, the culture, my job and myself. Highlights for March include staying at The Dormy, seeing Jason Mraz, learning about the layoffs at home and drinking Soju with friends.By April I had started to get a little homesick but was still trying to make the best of the trip. I got to see the entire city from Namsan Tower, along with the amazing cherry blossoms. I went shopping in Insadong and had the best night of my trip at Lotte World!
When I landed in California the first thing I did was send a text message to all my friends that said "I love this Country!" Being home had never felt better and I spent most of May enjoying the company of my friends and my dog. I bought my lovely little mac and started making plans to leave my employer.
BeansandNuts was born in July, I hired little Russian men to work on my kitchen, signed up for a great diet program and I attended my second wedding for the year. X and I took a little camping trip to Ft. Stevens State Park with the dogs in August. When I returned, I gave my notice at work and willingly became unemployed for the first time in five years.
The MBA program at Marylhurst seemed like a great fit, so I started classes in September and began making friends. I was down 30 lbs on my diet and I turned 30 years old! Jayna and Eric came to visit for the Miss White Trash Pageant, I attended a pub crawl, and I met the man. I think September might have been my favorite month. After just one (amazing!) month of freedom, I accepted a job in October. I went to see Matt Nathanson with a hot date and attended two more weddings - a small courthouse ceremony and a charming beach wedding that ended at the Sportsman Pub and Grub.
Obama won the election by a surprising (to me) landslide in November and I had an absolute blast with my date for Denim & Diamonds. For Thanksgiving, I traveled to Tucson for my fifth (& Final!) wedding of 2008 and reconnected with some amazing friends that I missed more than I ever realized. December brought the tragic loss of my Sabine but also a great, joy filled White Christmas and the birth of a close friends baby boy. I spent about 7 days strait lying on my butt and playing on the internet because I could not leave the house - the snow was beautiful but I'm glad to be mobile again.
As amazing as 2008 was, I think 2009 is going to be even better. I don't think there will be five weddings this year, but you never know.. in the meantime, I'm looking forward to continuing school, learning to snowboard, spending more time with my friends and my guy, meeting the new babies that have arrived or will be arriving soon, attending the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival and going to China. I hope each of you had a great 08 and have an even better 09!!
XOXO
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Observations
I hate flying over the holidays. Here are a few things that have crossed my mind today.
If you have an early morning flight, your gate will always be the furthest one away. You will pass 700 empty gates before you reach the one open gate in the entire airport. I am pretty sure that it is a social experiment and that some scientist is studying the security footage of the three mile trek to the gate.
For the price of a $500 ticket, you would think the airline could provide a soda or a cup of water (I refuse to give these asshats any more money out of spite). I envision a lot of dehydrated people in the future of US Airways. Also, for that price you should have a smile on your face, Stew.
Can some engineer out there explain the difference it makes if my seat is reclined two inches? Would a 747 really crash because a passenger was only minutely more comfortable? If the craftmanship is that shoddy I think we've got bigger fish to fry.
Speaking of craftmanship... Why do airplanes still have ashtrays? I don't know of a single airline that has allowed smoking for at least 15 years. How much extra money do you think it cost for Boeing to put those on every seat?
I would think that over the years someone would have figured out that people have luggage when they travel and that it would be much easier to maneuver into a bathroom stall if the doors opened outward. Also, it would be helpful if there was more than two inches of space to fit your suitcase and purse.
I have some more, but I gotta go, my plane is boarding! Yeah!
If you have an early morning flight, your gate will always be the furthest one away. You will pass 700 empty gates before you reach the one open gate in the entire airport. I am pretty sure that it is a social experiment and that some scientist is studying the security footage of the three mile trek to the gate.
For the price of a $500 ticket, you would think the airline could provide a soda or a cup of water (I refuse to give these asshats any more money out of spite). I envision a lot of dehydrated people in the future of US Airways. Also, for that price you should have a smile on your face, Stew.
Can some engineer out there explain the difference it makes if my seat is reclined two inches? Would a 747 really crash because a passenger was only minutely more comfortable? If the craftmanship is that shoddy I think we've got bigger fish to fry.
Speaking of craftmanship... Why do airplanes still have ashtrays? I don't know of a single airline that has allowed smoking for at least 15 years. How much extra money do you think it cost for Boeing to put those on every seat?
I would think that over the years someone would have figured out that people have luggage when they travel and that it would be much easier to maneuver into a bathroom stall if the doors opened outward. Also, it would be helpful if there was more than two inches of space to fit your suitcase and purse.
I have some more, but I gotta go, my plane is boarding! Yeah!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
So little time
I keep meaning to post but then I get distracted. It's been a good week... here is a little recap, in case you've missed it:
• We completed our team project and received a perfect score on both the paper and the presentation
• I signed up for a two week trip to China. Two of my teammates have signed up as well so I already have friends
• I spent 8 hours catching up on my graphic design freelance projects and can *almost* breathe now
• I designed a 16 page booklet for work, manually printed 400 double sided copies and then had to throw it out due to poor printer quality. I'll be reprinting all day Tuesday but on a (hopefully) better machine
• My awesome mom bought me a plane ticket home so I can go to B's wedding and have Thanksgiving with the folks. I'm also looking forward to meeting little Paiger while I'm there and catching up with old friends
• My dad has been sending me little checks in the mail and I'm so incredibly thankful
• I've been on more than a few successful dates with a lovely man that is not an asshole, which is a totally new thing for me
• The girls and I went to see Disney's High School Musical on Ice, which was a complete disaster, but X let me wear her purple hat that almost made up for it (see below) and there was a yummy Crow Bar salmon plate involved too
• I had happy hour with Steddles, at the Crow Bar, again. I love that place!
• Snowpatrol release a new album and I just downloaded it - squeeeee.
• I'm going to see Matt Nathanson on Sunday so I downloaded that too - I don't want to be the only one that doesn't know the lyrics!
• I lost another 2.5 lbs this week bringing my total up to 30 lbs since June!
And that's about it... I am going to try harder to blog, I'm tired of ya'll pestering me. ;)
• We completed our team project and received a perfect score on both the paper and the presentation
• I signed up for a two week trip to China. Two of my teammates have signed up as well so I already have friends
• I spent 8 hours catching up on my graphic design freelance projects and can *almost* breathe now
• I designed a 16 page booklet for work, manually printed 400 double sided copies and then had to throw it out due to poor printer quality. I'll be reprinting all day Tuesday but on a (hopefully) better machine
• My awesome mom bought me a plane ticket home so I can go to B's wedding and have Thanksgiving with the folks. I'm also looking forward to meeting little Paiger while I'm there and catching up with old friends
• My dad has been sending me little checks in the mail and I'm so incredibly thankful
• I've been on more than a few successful dates with a lovely man that is not an asshole, which is a totally new thing for me
• The girls and I went to see Disney's High School Musical on Ice, which was a complete disaster, but X let me wear her purple hat that almost made up for it (see below) and there was a yummy Crow Bar salmon plate involved too
• I had happy hour with Steddles, at the Crow Bar, again. I love that place!
• Snowpatrol release a new album and I just downloaded it - squeeeee.
• I'm going to see Matt Nathanson on Sunday so I downloaded that too - I don't want to be the only one that doesn't know the lyrics!
• I lost another 2.5 lbs this week bringing my total up to 30 lbs since June!
And that's about it... I am going to try harder to blog, I'm tired of ya'll pestering me. ;)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
I'm doing it
I just put down a fat deposit on a trip to China. Yeah! And today should be a fun filled day of Disney's High School Musical on Ice. That's wrong on so many levels, isn't it?
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Shhhh
So, for the last few months I've been working on an idea for an e-cards website. X and I dreamed it up over a bottle of wine and we just started playing around with it. Since then I've recruited my genius web friend to build the bones of the site and I've been planning to get it up and running. The only thing we need is some inventory, which is really just a matter of me sitting down to design the cards. The layout is simple but I decided to add these cute little illustrations and it's sucking up way more time than expected. Unfortunately, it's also been pushed to the back burned after work, school, and freelance (paying) work.
On Monday night I had a few minutes before class so I started throwing a card together. My classmate came in and sat beside me and couldn't help but comment on what I was doing how funny he thought it was. Last night it was brought up again by R, and he believes in it so much that he volunteered to promote the site when it goes live. I guess I need to get off my butt and prioritize this project because it seems to be a pretty hot commodity. Who knows, it could be the new someecards. Maybe I should just scrap the illustrations and go for simple? But I think that might not be as funny.
Other than that little dilemma, things are going well. My team got a perfect score on our presentation on Thursday and we went out to celebrate at Manzana. All of us are seriously considering going on a study trip to China next summer. It's a big cost but actually very affordable for what is included and would be an AMAZING opportunity. 14 days in China visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Hong Kong. Included in the proce is visiting 3 major places of business as well as trips to the Great Wall, a cruise on the Li river and viewing the Terra cotta Army. How cool would that be?
On Monday night I had a few minutes before class so I started throwing a card together. My classmate came in and sat beside me and couldn't help but comment on what I was doing how funny he thought it was. Last night it was brought up again by R, and he believes in it so much that he volunteered to promote the site when it goes live. I guess I need to get off my butt and prioritize this project because it seems to be a pretty hot commodity. Who knows, it could be the new someecards. Maybe I should just scrap the illustrations and go for simple? But I think that might not be as funny.
Other than that little dilemma, things are going well. My team got a perfect score on our presentation on Thursday and we went out to celebrate at Manzana. All of us are seriously considering going on a study trip to China next summer. It's a big cost but actually very affordable for what is included and would be an AMAZING opportunity. 14 days in China visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Hong Kong. Included in the proce is visiting 3 major places of business as well as trips to the Great Wall, a cruise on the Li river and viewing the Terra cotta Army. How cool would that be?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Too Awake
I should be sleeping. But I made the unfortunate error of having caffeine tonight and am now jazzed. I haven't had much of the jittery stuff since I started the diet so now I'm losing my mind. All I had was a diet soda but man, I'm wired. I indulged because I figured I'd need it to stay up to pack and prepare for this weekend. My friend L is getting married Saturday, so, tomorrow after work, I'm heading to the coast for two nights. I'm very excited about getting out of town, but also nervous because:
A. It's a beach wedding. In October. In Oregon. I'm going to freeze my ass off.
B. I have a paper due on Monday that is less than 1/2 written
C. I will probably be the only one there without a date. I hate that.
D. Did I mention that I am going to freeze my ass off?
Anyway, a big group of people went in on a house that is in stumbling distance of the beach and the reception. It is bound to be a total blast! I'm taking my laptop so I can do a little work on Saturday morning before the ceremony. Then, I drive home on Sunday to hopefully have lunch with X and her visiting friend J with an H. Sunday night I have a meeting with my classmates to go over our powerpoint presentation for Thursday.
We had to write and present an executive summary on a case study. It's not as bad as it sounds. The article (about layoffs) was actually interesting and it's been one of the smoothest group projects I've been involved in. I'm not sure if it's just dumb luck or if things change in grad school, but I was dreading the team project based on past experience. But for once, I'm not completely stressed out and pissed because I'm doing extra work. Sweet!
Work is going better too. My boss is still a bit scattered and that's rough. I think he has just been doing the job so long that it's all in his head and downloading that to me is difficult... but it's coming along. Once I have a little more ownership of my projects it'll be smooth sailing. I spent most of today designing collateral, so that's not a bad deal.
To top a good week off, I got a check in the mail today from my dad - what an awesome surprise! It's amazing how blessings have a way of showing up right when you least expect them or when you need them. Thanks Daddy!
A. It's a beach wedding. In October. In Oregon. I'm going to freeze my ass off.
B. I have a paper due on Monday that is less than 1/2 written
C. I will probably be the only one there without a date. I hate that.
D. Did I mention that I am going to freeze my ass off?
Anyway, a big group of people went in on a house that is in stumbling distance of the beach and the reception. It is bound to be a total blast! I'm taking my laptop so I can do a little work on Saturday morning before the ceremony. Then, I drive home on Sunday to hopefully have lunch with X and her visiting friend J with an H. Sunday night I have a meeting with my classmates to go over our powerpoint presentation for Thursday.
We had to write and present an executive summary on a case study. It's not as bad as it sounds. The article (about layoffs) was actually interesting and it's been one of the smoothest group projects I've been involved in. I'm not sure if it's just dumb luck or if things change in grad school, but I was dreading the team project based on past experience. But for once, I'm not completely stressed out and pissed because I'm doing extra work. Sweet!
Work is going better too. My boss is still a bit scattered and that's rough. I think he has just been doing the job so long that it's all in his head and downloading that to me is difficult... but it's coming along. Once I have a little more ownership of my projects it'll be smooth sailing. I spent most of today designing collateral, so that's not a bad deal.
To top a good week off, I got a check in the mail today from my dad - what an awesome surprise! It's amazing how blessings have a way of showing up right when you least expect them or when you need them. Thanks Daddy!
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