Can you believe it's now August? It really doesn't seem all that long ago that I was still gearing up in anticipation for the scorch of summer sun - now I am splashing through the random rainstorms and waves of humidity that befall my great city up by the sea. I've had a busy few months at work and after a brief reign of tyranny as an acting manager, am now content to return to my perch as a lowly peon on the line with no worries of the troubles of "being responsible for others."
(No, but really, it was the best of times and I am thankful for the opportunity.)
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| Seriously. No really. I mean it. Totes. |
To top it off, there's been a theme as of late of people being disillusioned by this idea that I am a decent person worthy of being invited in for a
(gasp) home cooked meal! Occasionally eaten with utensils
(and yet more cloth napkins! Honestly, this is something I must search on Crate & Barrel about.) I have had the luck of enjoying a ladies' night in
(absolutely no nails, hair curling, or sexy pillow fights were had, but possibly, a generous dose of women's suffrage), a very delicious rendition of home baked nachos, egg frittata, fancy cheese and wine, some splendid tikka masala, and of course, the occasional ice cream on the couch while competing over who stays later at work with K.
This being said, please hold me to the promise that my next entry will speak at some length regarding my return to the gym given the growing discomfort my jeans are giving me. (Which goes with the saying, you can't have your cake and eat it too, but you can bloody well try.)
I have tried exploring a bit more this last month, but given the humidity and my aversion to being active in climates that plaster every inch of my clothing to my physical form, I have limited such explorations to a variety of malls.
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| Biggest bouquet I've ever seen. Someone must really be in the doghouse... |
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| Street art, yo. |
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| Need powerlines tied up? On it. |
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| Noodle break. |
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| You know you want a flower car. |
The great thing with malls in China (and Shanghai in particular) is there are a plethora of them and a great number of random restaurants, coffee shops with wifi, and pop up weekend events.
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| I have a weakness for fancy cafes with AC. |
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| Seasalt and hazelnut encrusted brim? Yes, please. |
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| Aw, so flattering. |
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| Who wanna Van Gogh? |
I did manage to get my dose of culture in. The
National Youth Orchestra of the United States (MURICA!) popped on over to our lovely city on its trek across China and a few of my colleagues and I enjoyed their very wonderful performance. My favorite was their rendition of Hector Berlioz's tragic and yet powerful
Symphonie Fantastique. Sponsored by Carnegie Hall
(it's their 3rd year), they are a wonderful group, with auditions done sent in remotely so they can collect participants that are avocational as well as aspiring professionals. You can read about their adventures through the chronicles of one of their harpists
here. It must be quite an experience for these 16 to 19 year olds!
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| Crowd favorite, the guest pianist Yundi, who was the youngest (and only Chinese) winner of the Chopin competition back in 2000. Tiny but great playing! Conducting was the famous Charles Dutoit, currently of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. |
As for travels, H claims I am trying for the award for most A-100 classmates visited, although to be honest, I've just been rather lucky in being in places where my beloved companions have been assigned to post. I recently made a weekend trek out to the Philippines where I managed to tick five off the list at once.
(My new goal for this career is to visit all the members of my class at some point while they are at post. Much more meaningful than the 'all the countries of the world', dare I claim. And cheaper.)
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| Aw, Manny welcoming me to his homeland. |
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| Yes, I know I didn't do a good job with this photo, but the view is still pretty! (Minus me.) |
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| I asked for a local beer... |
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| Mini renunion dinner at Korean BBQ! |
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| Oh chicken...you so sexy. |
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| Mickey D: Real Public Diplomacy |
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| Chicken and pork, they do it right. |
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| I LOVE ENSAYMADA CHEESE ROLLS onmomnom |
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| My cousin fell in love for some reason. Can someone find me some brochures to mail her for her scrapbook? |
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| Randomly, the tiny human throwing a temper tantrum while I waited to board. |
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| Part of my hotel's fancy breakfast brunch... |
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| And the neighborhood down the street. |
Manila was a whirlwind experience with an abundance of American-ization, sharp contrasts between social-economic classes, and dear lord, the traffic. Also, surprising lack of humdity despite the massive downpours that would appear and disappear after an hour
(that reminded me of Hawaii.) My cousin was in town for a convention so I enjoyed her wonderful company
(and hotel room) for the first leg before spending the night at H's place with his lovely wife and two kids
(I'm sorry I was so terrible at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wii Edition, I promise I'll be better next time.)
Picture overload follows as usual, so clicky for the cut.
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| St. Agustin Church, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beautiful woodwork. |
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| The baroque architecture is gorgeous, as is the painting style that makes the ceilings look 3D. |
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| The panes of the window were crafted out of shells. |
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| Bamboo bikes. |
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| The former presidents. |
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| The fort walls of Intramuros with the golf course that now occupies where the old moat was. |
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| A visit to the Jose Rizal museum. |
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| A board where people could leave their thoughts after the museum. |
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| You can spot the old dungeon on the right, built right by the water. |
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| Old bullet holes are still obvious in the walls. |
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| Cat invasion! |
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| Rain rain rain and bus stops. |
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| Burial spots for those who don't have family plots. |
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| There was a bbq pork street...with lots of ...pork. |
I wish you all well and may your waistlines be ever as blessed as mine. (You can always try
Fitbit, I'm a fan. )
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