Bubble fun

Yesterday was our first warm weekend day after what seems to have been the eternal winter and grey sky. The days are gradually lengthening. The sun shined all day. The wind was not cold. The sky was almost blue. We enjoyed being outside without crazy amounts of clothing.

And in the late afternoon, before dinner and baths the kids and I went downstairs and blew bubbles just outside our front door.  

Didi poured nearly as much bubble mix out as that which he turned into bubbles, see the angle of his bottle... it's a bit hard to coordinate for a 3 year old!

 Double bubble trouble                            Through the bubble

 

 This is fun!!

 Can we catch them again?

As our neighbours walked by they commented on how lovely the evening was and what a joyous way to spend our first night of the start of summer.  I hope for many more long evenings in the next few months, where we can enjoy the kids being kids.

Supermarkets and reward coupons

A trip to the supermarket is an exhausting and draining experience.  Not only is the supermarket enormous, but in addition to the regular grocery items you need to walk through a superstore selling widescreen TVs, whitegoods, mobile phones, cameras, books and magazines, kitchen ware, crockery, bedding, clothes, shoes, furniture, luggage and so on.  Once in the grocery section, it is difficult sometimes to work out what is where, as frequently the supermarket staff reorganise the entire layout, so just as you have got used to going to a specific spot for say, sugar, they up and move them to somewhere completely different.  So visiting the supermarket can also be a bit of a treasure hunt.

This is in the meat room, which has a definite aroma...
Yes, this is a pile of skinned chickens.
Yes, their heads and feet are still attached.
No, there are no tongs to pick them up, inspect and look for a juicy one before putting them into a bag.
Yes, it is a good idea to always have hand sanitiser in your bag.
Yes, it is a very good idea to wash your fruit and veg very well - why? well because people who have handled these chickens could very well have then handled your apples!

This is part of the live fish market in the supermarket.
You can buy frogs, eels, fish, mussels, turtles, prawns and other stuff alive, by the jin, or half kilo.  I have seen fish still flapping around when they are scanned at the register.
You can also buy fillets and frozen items like prawns or squid.
It is often a bit like a trip to the aquarium and the kids like to look at the huge tanks of fish, and the crabs, frogs and turtles.

This is the check out area... it looks much like any supermarket anywhere else, but the queues are more aggressive and impatient than in other countries, and there is not yet a self serve line.  

Often when you buy your groceries you are given a little coupon which you can redeem by showing your receipt and handing over the coupon, and sometimes paying a nominal amount, for a number of little giveaways, but frequently the queues to get these items are just as insane as those inside the store, and on days that I've already dragged one or both kids around the supermarket I would rather just get home.  At the bottom of the escalator, near this stand, there are often people asking for your coupons and receipts.  If the line is too long I don't claim my free / reduced item, but I also can't hand over my receipt as we need them to claim as a living expense, much to the chagrin of the people asking.

This week, there was no queue and I'd already shook my head to say I wasn't giving away my coupon and receipt, and for the price of 1RMB (15c) I got this gorgeous new non-stick pan with thermospot!!  And the best news is that I was in the market for this as my old non-stick pan is decidedly non-non-stick.  And at first they gave me a yellow one, but I  exchanged it for this lovely red one!!

Sunshine finally...

Despite spending 6 weeks in summery Australia over Christmas, we have come back and I have had a serious case of the SADS (Seasonal Affected Disorder) due to lack of blue sky and sunshine, and excessive amounts of rain and freezing temperatures since Chinese New Year.

Finally this week the sun shone warm through my coat.  I was able to dispense with my cozy winter hat and gloves (actually I lost them, which is fine for now, but will be a pain next winter!) and just wear a scarf.

I have taken the bunny rugs out of the buggy because although the kids are still bundled up in winter jackets, they no longer need the extra insulation.  Finally the playgrounds are starting to dry up, and we can start getting some exercise after school.

Despite complaining now of the cold, I am looking forward to what is hopefully a nice long crisp spring before I start whinging about the summer humidity and heat.

People touching me...

This most likely isn't what you are thinking... naughty!!

About 10 years ago, health insurance in Australia pretty much became compulsory.  To make it compulsory, if you earned a certain amount (which in my opinion wasn't very much) you either had to buy health insurance or you got taxed pretty much the same amount health insurance cost... lucky for me I worked for a bank which had an excellent health insurance offering, and suddenly I was about 25 (super fit and healthy) with this ridiculous level of health cover, including one of "Extra or Lifestyle Benefits" - this meant that I could claim up to $400 a year on things like gym membership, acupuncture, chiropractors or massage (but it had to be therapeutic massage).

Anyway, me being me, always thought that I needed to claim on these things to get the benefit of the premiums I was paying on the health insurance.  I was claiming the maximum amount on my gym membership which was lets say $200.  There was no way people were going to stick needles in me, and so one of the other benefits I could claim was massage, and so with holding telephones and using computers all day long muscle spasms in my neck and shoulders were frequent.

I think back now to my masseuses in Sydney and compare them to massages in China.  In Sydney, I lived with a girl for a while who was studying massage, and every now and again, well twice, she'd 'practise' on me. We actually weren't great flatmates, as we were at opposite ends of our twenties and had different home priorities. I didn't actually pay her either for her massages.

My first real masseuse had been vaguely recommended to me via the intranet at work. She worked from her apartment in Bondi Junction. Her front room was where she practised, overlooking a huge leafy tree and she usually had the balcony door open and the salty sea breeze would waft in.  At the time I lived just down the road in sunny Coogee, so she wasn't too far away.  I went to her for about 3 years, the whole time I lived nearby.

My second masseuse was a lady called Tanya. One day at work I cramped my neck so severely that I had to find someone who could sort it out straight away.  One of my colleagues recommended Tanya and warned that I should say that I like quiet massages, minimal chat. She was able to see me virtually straight away, and was in the super convenient spot of being just in the next block up from work. She was strong and her deep tissue massage was excellent. I visited her about every three months for about 5 years.  But she could talk the leg off a table! She even gave me a massage when I was pregnant with Jie Jie.

In Sydney, I used to see the Chinese Massage in places I thought were really odd - for example in the Centrepoint food court or just outside Wynyard Train Station - acknowledging they were cheap (comparatively) but couldn't see the attraction of having a massage with your clothes on or in such a public spot.

So in Sydney, I was largely exclusive with my masseuses!  Except for the one time when I was given for a birthday a super special massage voucher, for a massage by the sea, literally on the rocks at Bondi Icebergs... the salt spray, the waves and the seagulls making it super relaxing and amazing. It is also the only time I was massaged by a masseur.

Now in China, there's no health insurance incentive for having massages but it is affordable!  A Chinese massage costs about 75RMB for one hour... this is insane, as I used to pay $75 (AUD) for the same, and would only get about $15 back per session (so yes, a bit of false economy) from health insurance..... so in China, a massage costs about $11(AUD).  And there is a massage place on nearly every corner. And in each spa (fancier name for massage place) there are a number of masseurs and masseuses. And as seems to be tradition here, they only give you their employee number if you ask, not their name - so they will answer "I'm Seventeen, thank you" except in Chinese. Because I struggle with that procedure, I am unlikely to come in again and ask if twenty six is free, and so here in China, most every time I have a massage I have a different practitioner.

Chinese massage is different though, because you stay fully dressed - usually I will wear something comfortable, like tracky daks, and you are not necessarily in a private room.  The place I go to most often has rooms with four massage tables in them, and while you might start alone, other people may come in during your massage.  Sometimes they even chat throughout the whole thing, with their friend on the next table!

But, in Expat-ville, which is where I live in Shanghai, there is also a proliferation of Western style day spas.  I have a massage here every now and again too - and even this (with private rooms, near naked, relaxing music and oil) is half the price of Australia... but again, you are unlikely to ask for your therapist, because there are still too many there!

So in Australia, I had a total of four people massaging me, and here in China I have completely lost count.

And for the record, I am not one of those people always indulging themselves - it is still a treat, but one which is less out of reach than it used to be.

The Benefit of Illiteracy

I never, ever, thought I would write a title like that above... but I have to say that one of the benefits of living in China, and in particular, grocery shopping in China means I buy what I need, and use it, and then buy it again.

At the moment I am on holidays in Wales.  Wales is a bilingual country, and everything is written in English and Welsh.  I am not (obviously) illiterate in English, but I am illiterate and non-comprehending of Welsh. Fortunately, as a by-law of being bilingual everything in Wales is written in duplicate.

Where am I going with this?  I am going to target Sainsburys - the big supermarket chain here, and tell them that they are driving me crazy with 'multibuys'.  Why do I have to buy 3 cartons of juice, when I only want ONE.  Why is it such a bargain to buy meat or fruit 'Any 3 for L4'?  I get angry when I see that I'm paying 30p more per item if I only buy one pack, but it's no good for me, or my kids, if when I want one pack of 'crisps' it is significantly cheaper for me to buy THREE.

Yes, do multibuys on things like tinned tomatoes, packets of pasta, pantry staples that you can hoard (if you live here and ultimately will need them), but don't do it on packets of biscuits, crisps, pizzas, and other junk food.  Don't do it on fresh food that you can't possibly get through before it expires or crowds out your fridge.

I reflect though, on times when I've picked something up in China that I want/need, put it in my trolley and then start to leave, only to be chased along by a shop assistant carrying a second item and a roll of sticky tape, which she sticks to the first item, sometimes the same as the first item or the same brand, and sometimes completely different, and sometimes to my eye, unrelated - eg toilet paper and a food storage box.


I love a bargain, but I hate the pressure and angst I feel when I have to multibuy.

The Power of Persistence

Today we were out walking in Lujiazui, pushing our double decker pram with two screaming kids strapped in, screaming because neither wanted to be in there.  Truth be told, Didi is really a bit too big now for the bottom seat and doesn't like it in there any more, but Jie Jie isn't a reliable enough long distance walker for us to have no pram, or only a single seater.  So for local trips we recently bought a bike trailer which also can be pushed as a buggy, but I digress...

Coming out of the Shanghai World Financial Centre, where we had been to pick up some photos, a friendly happy man came racing up to us and asked if we wanted to buy a 'Rolex' for 100RMB, when we declined with barely a glance and kept walking he pulled out another Rolex and said 'Two for 100'.  We looked at each other and nodded, but again declined with barely a glance and continued on our way.

With no positive feedback from us, at all, there were 'Four for 100', so bear in mind the cost of the watches that we didn't want anyway, had just gone from 100RMB to 25RMB each in less than 2 minutes!  Still no interest, but we were now smiling.

We then crossed the road, and he crossed with us, and in the middle of the road he pulled out a 'his and hers' set... well, now the odds got better - all six for 100RMB!!  Now, secretly, I have long harboured a his and hers watches set fantasy, all the way back to the Sale of the Century giftshop days!  And these watches had black dials, with a diamond at each hour.  And they are Rolexes.

I glanced at Mike and without further inspection, the man said "Two for 30" - to be honest I couldn't even be bothered pushing harder.  So turned to him and had a look at the his and hers set, and then he pulled out a white face set, but I took the black ones, and he helped me put it on, then gave Mike his, and took his 30RMB or AUD$4.30.

We walked off quite chuffed with our new bargain matching watches, only to read the small print on the watch face... both are Rolex Oyster Perpetual Watches, and both are "Superlative Chrcnometer Offictally Certified"... but you have to get up close!!   You even have to be quite observant to see it here - right?

Happy New Year

We are in Melbourne.  We have been here since mid-December.  We will be here until the end of January, but Mike is going back to China for 3 weeks before coming back for Chinese New Year.  The kids and I came over 4 days before Mike to save a bit on airfares. Compared to my first solo flights with two kids this was a breeze - the kids did what they were told, stayed with me and most importantly slept for about 6 hours in flight!!

We had a lovely Christmas, with delicious foods and super spoiled with lots of presents.  It has been fantastic catching up with everyone.  The kids have loved living in a house, and being able to just step outside onto the plush lawn.  They spend all day running around, getting dirty and playing.  They are being well looked after by grandparents, who love having them around.

It is summer in Melbourne, so we are supposed to be escaping the winter chill of Shanghai.  Unfortunately though we have been averaging only about 6 degrees warmer than Shanghai... the other night it was 7 degrees in Shanghai, and only 10 degrees here...  of course last night it was 40 ish until the wee hours. So lucky that was the night we chose to spend with friends drinking cocktails, slapping mozzies and seeing in the new year!!

Happy New Year!!  Hope 2011 is everything you want it to be!!

It's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas...

Because we are leaving Shanghai to have Christmas in Melbourne in about 3 weeks, I decided that we needed to get our Christmas decorations up early, so we could enjoy a bit of festivity in our own home!  So last weekend, yes mid-November, the decorations went up in our house!  It's lovely to have our wreath on the front door and the stockings hung.  I have added Santa and snowman cushions to our lounge, much to the kids delight.

And Didi is wearing these delightful warm and toasty handmedown pyjamas - I just want to cuddle him every time I see him in them.  And the first time he wore them, he kept looking at his arms and saying 'Wow'.  I especially liked it when he teamed them with my pink ugg boots, even though it made walking a bit tricky!!

It wasn't quite so spontaneous though, as last week with my aunt and some friends we visited a Christmas market stall in the Yu Yuan Bazaar. I know it shouldn't surprise me anymore, but the amount of STUFF is incredible!!  I bought 2 cute little glittery twiggy Christmas trees (about 40cm tall), 4 Christmas pictures - cardboard cutouts and one mantle decoration (above stockings in top picture), all for less than 100RMB (AUD15).

The best bit about the decorations is we now have Santa looking down on us from a number of different spots around the house... and let me tell you - he knows when you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!!

Little Girls' Dream Store

So just who are these glamorous girls?  You'd be forgiven for thinking it was a line up for some supermodel shoot, but these girls are Barbies showing off the LBD, or little black dress line!

Only in Shanghai, is there a Barbie store.  Five glorious levels of Barbie - you wouldn't think it was possible, but hey.  Top floor starts with the Barbie Cafe, a retro 50s style diner, with exquisite chocolates as well, and reasonable milkshakes.  As you work your way down, there is the spa (yes for you and your Barbie), adult sized Barbie style clothes, then down a spiral staircase lined with showcases each housing one Barbie, all dressed in pink - just like this one, and you can see how many others there are surrounding her:

Then there is the toy store, where little girls (and big girls) can ooh and aah over all the Barbies they could possibly desire - Dr Barbie, Hairdresser Barbie, Dolphin Trainer Barbie and the list goes on and on and on.  

Why were we there?  Well, remember the recent Daddy Daughter Dance, well the Shanghai Barbie Flagship Store gave all the daughters a voucher to pick up one of the Shanghai Flagship Barbies each, valued at 249RMB - pretty generous really.  So we were there to cash in!  And we were in the area to visit the French Concession with my aunt (Mum's little sister) who is visiting this week.

It really is overwhelming how many Barbies there were, and how much accessorisation is possible, both for your doll and yourself, adult or child.  I wondered whether for the next Daddy Daughter Dance we should splash out and buy Jie Jie an evening dress with a sash from the Barbie range.

Jie Jie was pretty excited by her new Shanghai Barbie - who does look a bit Chinese, with long black hair, dark eyes and carries a chihuahua in a patent silver bag, and came with a change of clothes with an I Heart Shanghai shirt!

She carried her proudly the full length of Huaihai Zhong Lu, all the way to lunch at Di Shui Dong - hot and spicy Hunan cuisine, and here is showing her off at the table!

Just to confirm that Shanghai isn't only over the top for children, the following picture is a building sized Louis Vuitton suitcase housing, you guessed it, the Louis Vuitton (originals) store!!

Daddy Daughter Dance

On Saturday night, my little Jie Jie had her first ever school dance and I was such a proud Mum! I thought she looked beautiful, and I thoroughly approved of her date, sworn protector and guardian forever - dearest Daddy!  Given that she's only three and a half, a fairy princess dress was perfect choice of couture.  She loved the little feathery butterflies on the headband and wand, and while you can't see it, she was also very excited to have glitter on her face, and LIPSTICK!!!

Now, this Dance wasn't just in the school gym... it was at the Pudong Inter Continental Hotel.  It wasn't just hot dogs and punch either, it was a full buffet dinner!  Of course Jie Jie ate nothing, and subsequently also prevented Daddy from eating by running amok.

The Daddies could all stand around and talk about sport or computers, or chase their girls to ensure good behaviour!!

There were loads of activities for all the girls to do... painting nails, temporary tattoos and of course making masks...

This is one of Jie Jie's good friends from school - don't they look cute??  And so grown up??