earth to Earth Day.

hug a tree.

of course, in shanghai, finding one will be a challenge.

marissa n aaron

saying goodbye..

to people you like sucks.
makes me sad.
but i always believed that if it's destiny
your roads will one day cross
and you will always meet again.

see you in EUR my friend.

follow me..

to sweden. (blog to follow)

but first,
an indefinite stop-over...
in new zealand...
weeeee..

see ya soon sunshine.

naked retreats..

was heaven in a forest of bamboo. i will never forget walking quietly in the bamboo forest, hearing nothing but my own footsteps, looking up at the tips of the shoots, looking down at the thick sturdy segmented stalks on the ground, all the while inhaling the fresh, cool, moist air that you only get after rainfall, deep into my lungs.

oh Moganshan, how i miss you so. and your 3 legged dogs and cat.

Oh, the places you'll go!

We're trying to figure where we want our last Asia travel destination to be before we leave shanghai. But i am coming to realize there are just too many to choose from! Angkor, Cambodia really caught my eye. I always remember seeing pictures of the temples in mags and on TV but when I did a search online of Must-see places in Asia, i was pretty blown away by Angkor Wat. So Siem Reap is probably one of my first picks. Then there's Vietnam. Of all SE Asia destinations, airfare is the cheapest there. So cheap, that I know two people who purchased tickets and went there alone this week! (it's a chinese/easter holiday week) I thought Halong bay would be a great place to chill and soak in nature, so I pick Hanoi over the busy Ho Chi Minh City. Then there's Bali Island. My coworker went there last year and LOVED it. She said the people were the most gracious and hospitable that she's ever met! Plus, how can i resist an island in Indonesia? Kuala Lampur in Malaysia is a pretty cheap flight but my fear is it will be too busy and crowded and give me claustrophobic flashbacks of SH, except with nice and friendly folk.

We have to leave by May 1 due to dkf's visa. We may not be able to move to Sweden just yet so will need to stall somewhere, hopefully idyllic. Originally I thought Thailand would be a great, relaxing cheap place to hang out, but with all the civil unrest, that might be a bad idea.

Oh where to go, where to go? Dr. Seuss, please tell me!

thought of the day

whenever i get emails and read blogs about others, and i hear all about retirements, divorces, deaths, health declines, and job changes, i always think to myself, "wow, my life is pretty boring. nothing changes a whole lot from year to year." but then again, i would rather have no bad news to report than any news at all.

i can't tell you how much better it's been since the landlord thing blew over. i can finally breathe again. my chi, although over-worked and exhausted, is on its way to getting pure again...

so it ends up i will stay in SH til at least the end of april. i promised my bosses i would even stay til june if needed. hopefully it won't be needed. at least my rent is free. soon, i hope i will be too. :)

babies

i really enjoy playing with babies:
watching how 5 micro-expressions flash on their faces in 5 seconds
their pudgy fingers and thighs
how they lay there peacefully as they are bathed
how their arms and legs are always in motion
how they are so proud when they discover a new skill, like rolling over
how they stare at you endlessly because your face is so interesting to them
how watchful they are of the things around them
how they drink from the bottle but are still looking around the room
how they are fussy if they are in one position only because they are not in another position
how they giggle so much and their smiles are so wide
their unmistakable baby smell
their soft body parts
how they barely have toenails
how pink and white they are.

i love spending time with hannah mae. she makes me love babies oh so much.

what will i miss most about china?

~sichuan food-the shiznit is pretty sweeeeeet. especially the numbing water-cooked beef, my fave.
~gokohai shabu shabu. the best shabu ever.
~my awesome, kind and loyal local friends.
~cheap and accessible public transport.
~cheapness in general.
~its air accessibility to many asian countries.
~the interesting expat kids i meet and get to spend time with each week. and their gnarly names.
~my coworkers and bosses are really good people. the company has its heart in the right place.
~contract work. contract work. contract work.
~lots of opportunities you don't get elsewhere due to loose regulations of sorts. u can do all sorts of diverse stuff here. and i have, and i loved it.

what won't i miss:
everything else.