100 deviled eggs!

50 mini BLTs!

For the first time this weekend, we made appetizers for a farewell party. There was going to be about 50 people, so I planned for 50 of each- my first time doing a large quantity!


So I miscalculated and had Timon buy 50 eggs, which meant we had 100 egg halves = 100 deviled eggs. I put the yolk filling in a ziplock bag, and piped it into the eggs- which seems easy, but actually required a lot more handstrength! So Timon worked on that part. Oh well, They all got eaten except for a handful. Some even got leftover bacon bits from the BLTS! yum yum!

I also made peanut butter cookies/cakes, which I didn't take a photo of, since they are just lumpy things. I originally was going to half dip them in chocolate, but the Shanghai heat woulda made them a mess. I made little flags and glued them onto toothpicks, with our friend's name and theme of the party, ("THIS is your LIFE!"

We had a blast, listening to stories and memories, of their long 30 some odd year journey in China- which was amazing. Jia you, Crosbys, and have fun in North Carolina!

How to use a toilet

From the bathroom at the Shanghai Symphony Hall:



Get it? I didn't.

Me: Why is the cat wrong?
Timon: What is the cat doing?
Me: It's using the toilet...?
Timon: Yes, but more specific-
Me: It's sitting on the toilet- but so is the elephant!
Timon: The difference...
Me: The cat has its FEET on the toilet??? NO WAY. People do NOT...
Timon: YES! Yes they do.
Me: People trying to squat on a western toilet...

see you at the touchsceen!

After visiting the Urbanity project at a friend's studio on Maoming Rd, we saw these big touchscreens for reading the newspaper. A lot of apt complexes have big board where they post the newspaper and announcements.



In the top left hand corner is a regular sized newspaper, and you tap the article, and it pops up super big, and you can click thru it.



Pretty cool.

Home Sweet Home Inc.

"I love Shanghai" bag, including, World financial building, Jinmao Tower, and Pearl tower.

Home Sweet Home is a business/social venture here in Shanghai:

Loving and caring for those with special needs by building their character in a loving home environment and developing their skills through education and training, and assisting their integration by being the bridge between the community and the needy ones.

I volunteered with them as a product designer since ending the Toy company internship, and Timon, I, and a bunch of friends rallied together to head up a fundraiser for HSH. We just went to another very fun event at a restaurant/bar/movie place where they had performances by the workers, crafts for kids, and an entire kitchen made of cardboard. The cardboard projects were part of a program with high schools, where students get hands on experience of product development all the way to marketing and selling the goods (and HSH's products) on their campus.


Street food: Yang rou tran, mushrooms, greenbeans, meatballs, octpus, fish

Tote bags are now on sale for 40 rmb.

grocery store

Who is singing??

The city has street sweepers on nearly every block picking up trash, planting flowers, and trimming plants. They all don light blue uniforms with plentiful reflective stripes, and matching hats. Except for one fellow I saw, who had on a sombrero, colorful embroidery and rim flipped up and was happily singing as he went his way! How admirable to have no shame.

My office is on the 17th floor not too much of a commute from street level, but enough to see what people are doing on their roofs. (Laundry and storage, mostly) My desk faces the open window, and in comes the sounds of car horns, squeaky brakes, and singing. Singing? It wasn't just one person either- it was a group, sounding like a choir, maybe on their first day. After 5 minutes, they didn't stop; my curiosity got the best of me as I peered out the window to a hair salon below with 8-10 people in uniform standing in formation, and doing exercises(?) in unison while singing! They didn't look like they were enjoying it, but was kinda a cool way to start your workday, I suppose!

photo collecting

Here are some intriguing pics that I've been holding on to for a while.

From our weekly trek to the fruit store:


Pedaling hard, the recyclers on tricycles pick up cardboard and/or bottles. When we were in thailand, it was late evening and impossible to be seen/get a taxi back to our hotel. The only person who stopped for us was a recycle lady like this one. She was really sweet, (and also had a motor powered bike to pull her load) We rode for about 20 minutes on top of stacks of cardboard in open air. It was amazing.



This is my green onion plant. My friend's mom used to do this in Oakland, so I thought I'd try it, so I'd have green onions all the time. But they are soooo tiny I can hardly taste them.



Guess what these are! Candy. Chinese Candy, yes. Timon kept saying, "Ooh, these are so good! You should have one!" And I couldn't figure out how Shrimp flavored candy could ever taste "good"- I had a shrimp waffle before and it was g-r-o-s-s. And when you open the paper wrapper, the candy inside is a beige log with brown/grey stripes, like a shrimp- I guess. Well, contrary to its packaging, it IS delicious!!! It's actually a Butterfinger!!!! Score 1 for Chinese candy! We just have to figure out how to buy more.