Like home organization stuff?
Flip through my company's New Collection: http://web.me.com/Most of it designed by me with guidance from my boss and others. My favorite is the packing pouches that hang up in the closet.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
painting party!
got together with canvas and our imaginations to create something
along the theme of "journey" for her and her husbands house. It was
very impressive.
Timon and I did a painting together : )
There were abstract paintings, scenes from Yunnan, scenes of special
events, family foot print one (two and adults and one baby hopping
around with paint on one foot to the bathroom!) and one of Honduras-
like a map aerial view.
Ours was inspired by a scenic tapestry I saw in Japan(airport) and
then I turned more into my life- Oakland hills, San Francisco bay,
Redwood forests where I ran, to apt high rises, the shanghai
waterfront, and barges in the huangpu. And a bowl of la mien. At the
end of the day, there's always la mien. (Spicy noodles in soup)
I was discouraged because I had too many ideas and not so much time-
the others were eating all the food- Timon was encouraging and we
worked together to make it come together. I keep thinking I wanted to
touch up areas, but in the end I'm pretty satisfied. Since I have a
history of not finishing projects, I am happy to practice being
content with projects that in the basically-finished-forever-can be
touched up phase. Woo!
We learned this weekend that when preparing small green chilies, to
wear gloves and not bare hands. Ouchy.
cell phone upgrade
Think of the oldest cell phone you can imagine. Candy bar style with the two color pixely screen. Thats what I've been using for the past 2 years until the "yes/delete" button broke and it had a finicky connection and would only charge at a very specific angle. (Mom, this is the phone you guys can use when your here....)
I really like my candy bar phone. It was simple, to-the-point and all I needed. I could drop it 20 times, toss it in my purse with melted candy bars and not have a worry. Timon finally convinced me to get a smart phone- with the advantages of a Chinese dictionary, map capability, and wifi for checking my email when traveling. Other pluses would be ability to read eBooks, listen to mp3s, and take photos, record voice (chinese lessons).
So after much research (Thanks Timon!) We found several phone available in China that had english interfaces available, android operating systems, and in our price range. I asked a partner-staff what she had, and HTC hero. It was slim, good looking and had all the abilities I needed. But a bit out of our price range, even though an older model. We we headed to the used tech goods market off line 4. The first market was clean, like any mall. The second market was dingy and smokey- more like a flea market. Tarps and puddles of water. There were plenty of knock-off phones, plethora of Chinese brands, and several bedazzled Louis vuitton/Gucci-fied phones covered in glitters and gems like a Christmas tree ornament.
After asking around, we are introduced to a outdoor shop, under the freeway, off a small lane. Behind us there's street vendors BBQing and roasting Chestnuts. A lady is hawking fishing poles while chatting to another vendor selling mop-ringer-outers and multi screwdrivers. He's demonstrating every minute to a new person, who is also dodging the dangling fishing pole things. AND a motorcycle is trying to pass as an elderly man is being pushed by a wheelchair behind me, so I'm trying to make myself smaller and running out of space to put my feet. I'm grasping onto the cell phone table on my toes stepping around the wheels and holding my breath. (Am I holding my breath to make myself smaller or because all the BBQ smoke happens to be blowing in our direction??)
We were in local territory- Timon was the only white guy the whole time we were there, and people were starting to crowd around us to hear our conversation (both english and chinese) The cell phone salesman was really nice, and allowed us to try out different phones form inside his glass case. We deliberated between a really old chunky motorola, which I can only describe as resembling a rusty jeep and the Black HTC hero, whose interface was in english already. The Motorola had a slide out keyboard which is handy- since I mostly text with people. But the HTC hero was half as heavy. So we went with that.
So far, so good.
I really like my candy bar phone. It was simple, to-the-point and all I needed. I could drop it 20 times, toss it in my purse with melted candy bars and not have a worry. Timon finally convinced me to get a smart phone- with the advantages of a Chinese dictionary, map capability, and wifi for checking my email when traveling. Other pluses would be ability to read eBooks, listen to mp3s, and take photos, record voice (chinese lessons).
So after much research (Thanks Timon!) We found several phone available in China that had english interfaces available, android operating systems, and in our price range. I asked a partner-staff what she had, and HTC hero. It was slim, good looking and had all the abilities I needed. But a bit out of our price range, even though an older model. We we headed to the used tech goods market off line 4. The first market was clean, like any mall. The second market was dingy and smokey- more like a flea market. Tarps and puddles of water. There were plenty of knock-off phones, plethora of Chinese brands, and several bedazzled Louis vuitton/Gucci-fied phones covered in glitters and gems like a Christmas tree ornament.
After asking around, we are introduced to a outdoor shop, under the freeway, off a small lane. Behind us there's street vendors BBQing and roasting Chestnuts. A lady is hawking fishing poles while chatting to another vendor selling mop-ringer-outers and multi screwdrivers. He's demonstrating every minute to a new person, who is also dodging the dangling fishing pole things. AND a motorcycle is trying to pass as an elderly man is being pushed by a wheelchair behind me, so I'm trying to make myself smaller and running out of space to put my feet. I'm grasping onto the cell phone table on my toes stepping around the wheels and holding my breath. (Am I holding my breath to make myself smaller or because all the BBQ smoke happens to be blowing in our direction??)
We were in local territory- Timon was the only white guy the whole time we were there, and people were starting to crowd around us to hear our conversation (both english and chinese) The cell phone salesman was really nice, and allowed us to try out different phones form inside his glass case. We deliberated between a really old chunky motorola, which I can only describe as resembling a rusty jeep and the Black HTC hero, whose interface was in english already. The Motorola had a slide out keyboard which is handy- since I mostly text with people. But the HTC hero was half as heavy. So we went with that.
So far, so good.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Goodbye summer, hello fall
> Summer flew by, with business trips, trips to the pool, and walk/jog/
> biking around the city.
>
> I started painting again, inspired by all the art I've been seeing-
> the quaintness of Virginia, Layover in Narita, Japan(below image)
> and wonderful galleries here in Shanghai. Having creative friends
> helps too! I had been wanting to make stuff, but never had time or
> materials at hand. I went to the craft-doodad market for work stuff,
> and a friend tagged along to buy beads. Soon the creative juices
> were flowing and we were excitedly designing and planning brilliant
> jewelry pieces and crafts!
>
> Most of which are in a bag under my bed... though I did manage two
> necklaces, which blogger won't let me post?? I will check on it later.
>
> The weather has done its annual flip from dreadful hot to perfect
> October weather, or as my friend says, "Summer in Canada!" (or
> Oregon, or the Bay Area)
>
> During my chinese lesson this weekend, our house helper was working
> and heard me "speaking" Chinese. I read from the book, and translate
> some to english, and then the teacher says a bunch of stuff in
> Mandarin and "Do you understand?" in English, and I grunt/nod. Which
> I feel bad about, considering I could understand what the words
> were, but not fully clear what they meant assembled in sentences.
> The lesson ended, and she's really excited and says, "Xiaojie! I
> didn't know you could speak Chinese so well! I always though you
> didn't understand me when I talked to you in Chinese!" I look at
> her, being so happy, and am thinking "Well I don't understand
> everything..." but say, "Xie xie, Wo bu chi dao zen me shuo ne wo
> juede." (Thank you. I dont' know how to say what I am thinking.)
> Which I'm sure does even equate to my engrish intentions! I have a
> loooooong way to go.
>
>
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