2008 In Retrospect

As I stood at the threshold of the new year 2009, feeling compelled to give a look back to the year that was, I felt a bit... ambivalent. For some reason, I could not remember the things that happened earlier in the year, or how it felt. I knew I have had new experiences, undergone changes, had some achievements and failures and, from all of these, picked up lessons along the way. But it seemed to have been overshadowed by a single event in late 2008 that showed me that good things come to those who wait – but that event deserves a totally separate entry, so let me leave it at that, for now. :) So onto other things...

In 2008 I seemed to have developed a better appreciation for this city I live in. My eyes were opened to just how vibrant Beijing is, and to a certain extent, I fell in love with it; I found new friends, explored new places, even witnessed some once-in-a-lifetime events during the 2008 Olympics. When I came here a couple of years ago, all I could think about was how much I was looking forward to 2009 and going back home. Now I know when that time comes, it's not going to be so easy saying goodbye to the Jing.

2008 was also a year of traveling to cities I've never been to – Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Macau, Hong Kong, Xi'an, Qingdao, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles; and indulging in the occasional luxuries – my Macbook, that helicopter ride, that photography course, DSLR’s, shopping sprees... Though I do realize how big of a dent all those have made on my savings, I do not regret any of them. Papa taught me that as long as you are willing to work, money can be earned. On the other hand, we don't have unlimited chances and opportunities to do the things we want to do or get the things we want. (Did that sound like an excuse? Haha! Anyway...)

2008 for me was also about letting go of baggage, of realizing differences that are irreconcilable, and calling things off when enough is enough. I have made decisions which I feel were some of my wisest, decisions which allowed a whole new light to come into my life and it felt like I have woken up from an extended nap.

So what then do I expect of 2009?

If you remember my 25th birthday post, from then I have learned that expecting nothing is a good plan – you will always be pleasantly surprised. But if I do look ahead and set some expectations, I just need to make sure they are managed so as not to disappoint myself or anyone else.

Not having expectations, though, does not mean I am not hopeful, because I am. Hopeful that this time next year I will still be able to smile and say with a straight face that I have had a good, if not exceptional, year.

Cheers, friends, and all the best for 2009!

Want some cheese with that WHINE?

[drafted 30 Dec 2008]

The past couple of days, it has been a conscious effort to not be whiny. We moved offices and it was our first couple of days in our new 'home', in an area just a couple of kilometers south of our former office building. Things are not THAT bad after all, and with the recession hitting everyone where it hurts, I should be thankful that my company is cutting down on office rent instead of jobs and people.

Therefore I will not complain, despite the fact that it takes more than 5 times my usual travel time and 5 times as much walking from my apartment to the new office. I will not complain that half the lobby is not yet functional and is covered in a foot of dust, or that the area near the bank of elevators reeks of smoke. I will also not complain that it takes forever for the elevator to come, that it crawls up the building at a snail's pace and that it takes, on average, 5 stops before I get to the 16th floor. I will not complain that we've lost our beautiful 30th floor west-facing view that shows us snow-capped mountains on certain days, and stunning sunsets everyday.

I will not complain that the automatic flush starts working WHILE you are on the seat and that it has been a couple of days that I have been washing my hands with freezing cold water -- word around the office is that it's always been that way and always will be. I will also not complain about losing the prestige we once had at the mere mention of our office address; our old building, the China World Trade Towers (which we lovingly call Guomao), were among the most photographed and celebrated modern buildings in Beijing, more so now with the construction of Tower 3 which is slated to be the tallest building in the city. Now we are housed in an obscure area that three out of the four cabbies I have asked are not quite familiar with.

It did make me think how much being in Guomao has gotten into my head; we have been spoiled by the comforts of being attached to a mall, despite not buying anything from 50% of the shops (the likes of LV, Cartier, Montblanc, Ferragamo, Samsonite Black Label - but who cares, it's still nice to look!). In Guomao there were places to get healthy food (Schlotzky's, Subway, good Jap food complete with a rotating sushi bar) and UNhealthy food (Thai, Taiwanese, Steak Factory, Cold Stone Ice Cream, Haagen Dazs, oh just thinking about it!) -- whhatever you feel like. There's a supermarket where you can get foreign stuff, a Watson's, a Sephora, a Bank of China, an ICBC (a bank which lets me pay my bills through the ATM)... yeah basically anything you need to do anything.

I know, I know. I'm just gonna have to wait a while for me to get used to my new surroundings. In the meantime... I will not complain!

P.S. In my defense, the above entry is for your amusement only and is not a reflection of my general level of whiny-ness which I always keep at a minimum. Haha. I really do try not to complain... except to certain people, who do not have much choice but to listen to my whine. :)

My love affair... with shoes

For someone who complains that her feet are too big, I realized just this weekend that I do have a lot of shoes. As I was unpacking from my recent trip, I laid out all my footwear purchases which at final tally went up to 10 pairs. Yes, I know.
I looked around my apartment to find a place for my new shoes. For the record, each one of them was necessary. (Haha defensive!) I took advantage of the fact that size 9-10 shoes were readlily available in the US -- cannot say as much here in China, where I feel like a giant in the land of small feet. On second thought, I feel that when shoe shopping all around Asia, where women are generally more petite hence have smaller feet.
With a little bit of trepidation I counted just how many pairs of shoes I owned -- at least the ones in China; I had to leave some pairs in the Philippines, thanks to the 30-kg weight limit on travel luggage. I was surprised to have quite a good variety -- flats, heels, boots, slippers, cute ones, ugly ones, rubber, leather, suede, Dunks, Shox's, Air Max's, Crocs, Havs, Uggs -- but all of them in relatively conservative colors. (Believe me I've had my impulsive hot-pink-and-yellow-heels moments, but could never quite convince myself that I can pull them off.) In the end, I said to myself, "No wonder I'm running out of space." I suddenly remembered Carrie and Big, and wished for a moment that someone would build me a closet with a whole wall just for shoes. Sigh. Big sigh. (Haha)
This morning when I woke up not feeling too happy, I put together my outfit in my head, and resolved to wear my favorite heels, which never fail to make me feel better. It does not magically solve my problems nor does it bring world peace, but to me it makes a difference. Maybe it's the height boost, or maybe it's all in my head, or maybe it's the comfort I find in the thought that whoever pisses me off, I can kill with my 3-inch stilettos. Whichever of those it is, these shoes make a shitty day a bit easier to go through.
I have always seen myself as low-maintenance and to a certain extent, sort of a cowboy. But as I went through my shoe racks and all the other cabinets that I have forced to double as shoe cabinets, I realized that there was no reason for a low-maintenance person like me to go through life in bad footwear. In my head there are still countless pairs I'd like to buy, and who knows in the future maybe hot pink or yellow won't be such a bad idea after all. Well I guess it is true, what they say... A girl can never have enough shoes.

California Here We Come

Having hopped from one cold city (Beijing) to another (Chicago) at the outset of my vacation, you can imagine my extreme delight as I stepped out to a beautiful sunny day after landing in San Diego. Fluffy white clouds and a clear blue sky, the sun beating down on me with just the right amount of heat. Ahhh perfection.

My extremely short stay in San Diego (barely 24 hours) included a quick stop at Seaport Village next to the famous USS Midway and a drive by the US-Mexico border to spot the twinkling lights of Tijuana, Mexico, only separated from American land by a concrete wall and of course some very alert border patrols. That evening, Jaim's family was so kind to welcome me to join their Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey was good, the salmon was great and the pumpkin pie was the best!

The next day we left for Las Vegas (see separate entry) and went back to Anaheim, CA four days later. I then met up with my family and spent the next few days doing the usual tourist round: Disneyland Park, Disney's California Adventure, Universal Studios Hollywood and a night tour of LA which included a quick walk down Hollywood Blvd, Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills. I also got to see Sta. Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade, and the best theme park of all, Six Flags Magic Mountain. The roller coasters were to die for, and if only for the coasters I got to ride there, my trip to the US was well worth it!

Although we probably spent half our time driving on freeways, I loved California. Of course I only have few other US cities to compare it with, but feel that I wouldn't mind working and living there. There's just a feeling, you know, that tells you it's highly possible that you can belong to a place. And California... with its weather, piers, beaches, celebrities, museums, theme parks, distinct cities, shopping streets, people... it's by far not perfect, quite the contrary, but it seemed like a place that's got everything I need. :)

P.S. My apologies to Lali and Anne for not being able to meet up with you! It was just too packed a schedule. No worries though... I'm already penciling in my next US trip... and we'll definitely make plans in advance! :)

P.P.S. Photos to be uploaded over the weekend!

Sin City

Vegas, oh Vegas. So many things have been written about this city, most of them glorifying the release of inhibitions as people wallow in its seemingly intoxicating atmosphere. The city lives in the middle of boulders, mountains and desert a.k.a. nowhere -- I felt surrounded by an imaginary mountainous fence -- it almost lent some truth to that old saying... what happens in Vegas can very possibly just stay there.

Having spent roughly 4 days there, it seemed like there was nothing else to do in Vegas but entertain yourself. It's the only city in America where you can drink on the streets (which we barely took advantage of; we just had a giant 3-foot strawberry daiquiri from Flamingo - that was it). Perhaps also the only city with a choice of almost 6 Cirque du Soleil shows all happening every night; the only city where it's perfectly ok to gawk at the marvelous hotels and take photos in the lobby without being judged; the city where I saw about 5 brides in one night, some followed by her bridesmaids in matchy-matchy dresses; a city where I can go by foot from a Treasure Island to Caesar's Palace to Venice to Paris to New York, all lying in a magnificently lighted strip of street, complete with a dancing fountain show every 15 minutes.

Vegas has a certain charm to it, like it really is an escape. You'd want to lose yourself in this city... As in take on whatever persona you want to, have loads of fun, then come back relatively unscathed into your old, boring life (haha!). But really, I can imagine just having Vegas close by and going there for the weekend to blow off some steam and have some fun with friends just to reenergize. Besides you'd never run out of things to do in Vegas, and even if you do, parking your bum in one of the slot machines and feeding your life savings into the little twinkly contraption is, well, still a rather entertaining option.

So the big question is - did I gamble? Yes. Did I win? Yes! How much? From $38 it grew to $120 - not bad huh? But I stopped before it became addicting. I didn't want to have Jaim drag me away from the slot machines with arms flailing. What else did I do? We walked the Strip at night, and a little bit in the morning. Went to M&M's Chocolate Factory, saw the city from 1,000 feet above at the Stratosphere, caught "O", a Cirque du Soleil show at the Bellagio and went on a sunset helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon - hands down the highlight of my trip. Absolutely beautiful and such an amazing experience. I have no words.

I honestly cannot wait for my next trip to Sin City.

P.S. Special thanks to Jaim for being the designated driver and more importantly her GPS which got us to all the places we needed to go to!

P.P.S. Photos to follow.