ERAr.

So we went to see ERA tonight. I had high expectations which was probably why i was disappointed. well, it's not the only reason i was disappointed but one of them. the other one was because i saw the Wuhan acrobats and they were AMAZING. i wanted to see something just as spectacular but these acrobats just weren't. they were also older than the Wuhan acrobats, which featured really young kids. dkf saw cirque du soleil many times and of course felt ERA just wasn't impressive. but it was his first chinese acrobat show. i think it's partly because these particular acrobats perform daily and may not rotate with other acrobats. therefore, they may lose their "freshness." the props and themes seemed outdated and cliche and just not cutting edge enough. but still, i admired their ability to do pretty unhumanly things that i could never do, so i still marveled. but the finale was by far the most impressive: acrobats on motorcycles circling in a large cage, going reeeeeeeeeal fast. they kept adding the quantity of cyclists, one by one. at one point, there were 5 of them! to be honest, it seemed more dangerous than it was worth. but all were safe. i had not seen that act at the other acrobats show. that was the clincher.

ERA's slogan was Miss it and you Miss Shanghai. i disagree. you're not missing much.

seeing ERA was an ERAr.

where

to

next...

the nature of life is change. and the nature of change is life. i believe everything happens for a reason. with time, that reason becomes clear. i believe in fate, destiny, reason, circumstance and coincidence.

let us now see what's in store.

when in china...KTV!

can't get enough of these KTVs, even if we are singing the same english songs over and over again.. we need to seriously learn some chinese.

a single rose..

dave says giving a bouquet of flowers is like buying someone's love, but a single rose is an expression of it...he better not be saying that as part of his budget plan!

thanks baby. it was beautiful even if it never bloomed.

Anhui restaurant performers and SH x'mas decorations

don't know what they were singing about but it was caustic to my ears!

ERA

i wanna go i wanna go i wanna go... to chinese cirque du soleil! let's hope they're not sold out! i am so craving performing arts!

ERA - Intersection of Time
The Multimedia Theatrical Spectacular

As a multimillion-dollar stunning acrobatic extravaganza, the first of its kind in China , ERA is a multimedia odyssey whose inspiration is a direct result of the combination of traditional Chinese acrobatic arts and modern technology. Just like Shanghai , ERA evolves through a constant collision between the past and future.

ERA is a love story, yet it is also a contemplation across the millennia, a fascination with that other dimension man has yet to conquer: time. ERA's acrobats are on a quest to find that tenuous point of balance, the intersection between X, Y and Z.

Not only will the audience be amazed by the acrobats' control and precision, they will be enchanted by the world that is created through the use of multimedia, technology, lighting and sound effects, elaborate costumes, original live music and a lot more.

As such, ERA can remain universal, without language or cultural barriers. A thousand-year-old gesture is worth a thousand emotions, a thousand images, a thousand words ……

Allow us to feed your imagination and bring your dreams back to the present

Highlights of ERA
* Dream Mirror Cage
* Magic Water
* Compass
* Parachute
* Orbital Station
* Zero Gravity
* Forever
* Spanning Earth

Latina

makin funny faces

our placards were usually facing this way :) it means MORE meat for me!

happy and full, usually synonymous w us!

Jingjing and her lebanese teacher buddy!

although she looks full, she only ate half a burger. made us look like serious oinkers.

since we were on a pig-out roll, we also ate at a Brazilian BBQ called Latina. sad to say, but this meal was better than the one that took place the previous day at Lawry's (see previous post). the meat was well flavored, there was quite a variety (beef, pork, chicken, lamb) and made in different ways, and all you can eat salad, soup, fruit, and other entrees. it was really good and cheaper than Lawry's. i would so go back. between turkey day and the day after, we must have eaten 20lbs of meat. i didn't regret it one bit! i mean, look how happy we are!

Lawry's: where you find a perfect over-rated, over-priced turkey day meal!

bread n butta

full and happy, except when the bill came out.

apple tart with vanilla ice cream for dessert

about to chomp into his dessert

apple tart w ice cream dessert

prime rib and turkey

the prime rib freshly cut from the moving table with turkey on the side

mmm..prime rib

pumpkin soup--not bad

mediocre salad but at least it was cold

the chilled fork

spinning salad

dressing is poured as bowl spins

enjoying his glass of house wine. it might have been as impressive as the prime rib.

i sure missed the traditional chinese style hot pot thanksgiving back home. ah well, there's always next year.

hannah mae.

sometimes i just want one cuz they're so darn cute! i wanted to play with her so bad but she was busy sleeping, like all babies do. what an angel!

The Halloween "Red Party " photos

photos from the Halloween "Red Party" at a nice chic bar in Xintiandi. it was so memorable, i forgot the name of the club. full of expats and smoke. but basically you're supposed to wear something red to get in for no cover and free bad drinks. dave didn't get the memo. :)

an x'mas wish.

today i saw my little orphans again. it seems that despite the shanghai cold, they are snuggled up warm in their bundles of foreign knock off jackets and coats. they were happy as ever. i wonder if they anticipate us coming to see them every month. they do seem to recognize us. and us them. their happy smiles just light up the dark corridors of the orphanage. oh how they clamour for love and attention. they fight to hold our hands, to hug them and to carry them. and when we do, they have the biggest grins. sometimes they even get feisty and rough with their little friends. i always remind them to be nice to their brothers and sisters and to praise them when they look after each other. because that is all they've got. there is a sad story today. a little girl, about 9 or 10 years of age was an unfamiliar face. she looked mature, serious and smart. i asked her how long she had been there. 1 month. did she like it there? it's OK. where did she come from? i did not understand what she said b/c my chinese stinks. (i later learned she came from the police department). and after we left the orphanage, the coordinator told us her story. her mother is in prison for embezzlement. has a 10 year sentence, has finished just 1 year. her father just passed away. her grandparents would not take her in. and her mother refused to sign papers allowing her to be adopted. so the police department took her in, let her sleep and live there for the past year. her job was to guard the gate at the P.D. this was of course against regulations. so the P.D. had to relocate but at the new site the head person decided she could not stay with them anymore, so they sent her to the orphanage. should he feel guilty that he just sent her to this sad little place? i sure hope so. the little girl's complaint was that at the orphanage, she could not get schooling and read her books because the other orphans destroyed her books, which was true b/c they are tear-happy. and here she was, stuck in this place, a brave yet scared little girl. and when the volunteer asked if any of these kids could get adopted, the worker said, "who the hell would want THESE kids?" so sad. and a volunteer who went up the 3rd fl where the infants stayed said that the room where kids are usually tied to their beds was locked shut, with the sound of many many children in there, and there was a foul odor emanating. there has been a h1n1 scare lately and my guess is they quarantine any sick little ones in there. she said there were alot fewer kids in the room that they were allowed to visit.

to the children there, may your x'mas and new year's be joyous. i will remember the grasp of your little hands around my fingers, as i twirl and dance with you, causing giggles of delight and smiles on your face, as you sing the songs from old dvd's that you've heard oh so many times. may love and peace be with you..til i see you again.

white dreams...

snowy lands
so far far away
how i wish i could visit
then forever stay.
to feel the powder
betwixt my fingers
oh how i wish
the magic would linger...

dear santa,
this christmas, please let me see snow. it just makes my insides all warm and fuzzy.