May 22 : Change

Alright, husband.
It is HIGH TIME you trade
your dirty old Made-in-China Fei Yues
for a more decent pair of kicks.




Can you believe they sell this same pair on Urban Outfitters for USD$60?
We got it in good ol' Shanghai for less that USD$10!
I think I shall get my friend to bring a few pairs when she comes to visit,
but for now J can make do with his new Vans!

One reason why I miss Shanghai

Oh looky here! That's Owen in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead!!!
I think this was one of the first productions I watched as a theatre student in junior college. I don't remember much of it, only that it was an absurdist production, and was heavily adapted and Jonathan Lim and Brendan Fernandez were in it. hmm.


Aww wish I could go watch! Break a leg Mr Bell! It will NOT be bu hao! Now you gotta learn how to say hen hao!!!

H&M Spring Sale

Just got this in my email.

H&M was my favouritest store when I lived in Shanghai. Their flagship store ran 5 storeys high. The basement was for menswear, ground floor for the younger crowd of boys and girls, 2nd and 3rd floor for the working ladies + more formal wear and the top floor for kids. Because of my petite frame, I fit into both womenswear as well as clothes for the kids. So in fact, 4 out of 5 floors of clothing and accessories were readily available to me!! Plus, I was earning a bigger paycheck, and the prices were always so affordable, H&M was pure heaven.



The most super comfy pair of $30 H&M boots that i ever owned and wear everywhere. Very scuffed, but well worn! I was almost tempted to buy another pair in brown 3 months after I had worn the black. They were on sale, and to this day I still kick myself for not buying them when I had the chance to.

There are a lot of petitions for H&M to open up in Charlotte, NC, but to no avail. The closest outlet is in Raleigh. A friend had told me it was nothing like the one in Shanghai, and was afraid I would be sorely disappointed if I went there. Nevertheless, going to Raleigh sounds like a promise of adventure, even if it was just to visit museums, galleries and get lost wandering around. I must plan a trip one weekend.

Check out Gisele Bundchen in the newest H&M Spring/summer 2011 collection - Bohemian Deluxe, with their Seventies-inspired assortment of maxi dresses and jumpsuits. I love all the soft pastel colours!!!

H&M Shanghai Flagship Store
Jialidu Building, 645-659 Huaihai Middle Road,
near Sinan Road
淮海中路645-659号嘉丽都大厦
Phone: +86-021-5383-8866

Thrifting: Bai Sher 摆什

1945 Wind-up Clock
Bought for 300RMB

Bought this baby to sit in our cosy one bedroom apartment back in Shanghai. We loved that it was like owning a piece of Chinese history, but when we had to move to the US, we couldn't take it with us because of the costs of shipping. So we gave it away to a dear friend, whom we know would treasure it as much as we did. The only thing about it was that we had to wind it up every day. Once, our part time housekeeper misplaced the key, and so it sat there on the shelf, feeling old and useless for about a month. I missed the chimes and the tick-tick-ticking. But then we found the key and all was good.

Bai Sher 摆什
(Vintage Furniture & Ceramics)
1/F, 886 Yan'an Zhong Lu, 
near Shanxi Bei Lu 
延安中路866号， 
近陕西北路
Phone: +86 138 1777 8455

City girl cries for her city bicycle

If only i could still ride to work every day, or ride just about anywhere.
I remember riding all around the streets of Shanghai, especially on weekends, to the Bund, to Changfeng (?) Park, to the Old town which was miles and miles away. What adventures!

Suit Over Brooklyn Bike Lane Challenges City Initiative

Even though i must agree, a two-way bike lane sounds a little extravagant, especially if they have to share it with cars. So how about we eradicate traffic lanes altogether and surrender completely to bicycles? i don't see the downside of workout-inducing, non-polluting transportation in a city. Eliminate private cars and install only public transportation 好吗？Ok so then we get exposed to the weather conditions. But then how do the 3/4 of a billion other Chinese do it?

Ride in style! Like this




and embrace the elements of nature. Even the Helsinki men do it!




All images via Riding Pretty

Oishii ne!

We miss our Japanese food!

Back in Shanghai, there was a nice little hole-in-the-wall eatery called 有马 (i guess that must be kanji) that is within walking distance from our apartment and from my school. princesszhing  do you know how to say that in japanese?

We would spend our Sunday /Monday lunch money there just because it was such great food at great prices. For about 50RMB (which is about SGD$10) you get a salmon don bento box set which includes a miso soup, a potato salad, 2 small appetizers and a great big bowl of salmon don. It's best to go during lunch because of the set lunches. Dinner is a la carte, and prices are a little steeper, but once in a while J and I will indulge ourselves in pure sashimi heaven. It was so good i could almost eat it every day! My work mates and I would go there on Saturdays (again!) for lunch before our afternoon classes. They have an upstairs section where you sit on tatami mats, but can cheat a little if your legs got tired / numb (they have a hollow under the table for you to stretch your legs out).

Best of all, you know that the food is authentic and Oishii! when the owner is 1) Japanese , 2) his customers are Japanese, and 3) they get super busy during dinner time even with the prices.

So everyone was sorely disappointed when the owners decided to up and move to another location, out of our walking range. We were happy that they were expanding their business and opening a bigger restaurant, but we really did want to keep our little Japanese delight close at heart (and at hand).

Here is a tribute to the owners of 有马 and to their awesome food:


Home-made oyakodon


And premix miso soup (sans shellfish)