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Transitions9 December Yongjia Lu -- Changing without me!I learned this week that one of my favorite places in Shanghai -- the Jingwen Flower Market inside 文化广场 -- finally fell victim so Shanghai's latest modernization effort. Living right across from the market, looking down from my apartment on the expansive old canidrome that housed the best and most beautiful fresh flowers, stopping by the market on a weekend afternoon or on my way home from work to pick up an 8 kuai bundle of 夜来香...those days will be missed.
And the city isn't wasting any time. Not only have all the flower vendors been moved out to what is marketed as a bigger and "better" location, but the wrecking ball has already taken down one of the large buildings that composed the complex. According to reports, and as I learned on other blogs, the city plans to build a music square. I don't trust city planning too much (I had heard many a different version of their plans for this land), but I hope whatever they decide on they do smartly and swiftly. It is on occasions like this that I wish there were neighborhood reviews of new planned developments. I can only hope that they keep the flavor and soul of the area intact...and that no high rise buildings are allowed!
Are the glory days of Maoming Lu now truly gone? Shanghaiist posted a recent interview with entrepreneur Bob Boyce, and I can only hope that as one side of Maoming slowly falls, that neighborhood favorites Blue Frog, and Tapas Bar will live on to keep the feel alive.
A few shots from my apartment...let nothing block my view!! 20 November The GameJust got back from Harvard Yale weekend, at Yale. Was so excited to drive down (despite having to ride in the car with a guy who did his undergrad at Harvard) and see some old friends, hit our old favorite hangouts, and do some silly reminiscing.
Went to Atticus, Pad Thai, Anchor, Yorkside, Koffee(?), and even peeked in Toads on Saturday night. The only thing we didn't drop in on was the actual "game". But who does? The tailgates kept us busy enough.
The Yale administration had tried to scare us with new regulations that sounded way to complicated for Yale football, or New Haven police enforcement for that matter. As a Yale alum interviewed in a more recent New York Times article put it, "Tailgate rules? What new tailgate rules?" And to no one's surprise, the parties continued way past half time, and things seemed as raucous as ever.
And while Yale lost, my Harvard friend admitted that, well, the partying was better at Yale. I had promised him that it would be. Regardless of this year's loss, or losses of years past, I still enjoy looking at a photo that illustrates our ability to always be more clever than the other side. For all of you wondering what this picture truly means, the full story of The Game 2004 is still available for reading on www.harvardsucks.org.
Yes, Harvard Business School, my loyalties will always be with Yale.
I also had a more somber realization at the game -- that I'm getting old! The undergrads that were partying were born in the late 80's, when shoulderpads and stretch pants were in the height of style! And somehow it felt like they were partying harder than we ever did. Were we that drunk and unruly back in 1995? This generation just feels really different than ours...
31 October Snow, Sunlight (less of it!), and Section LoveAfter a long week of midterms and feeling under-the-weather, Friday was a gift. And HBS students celebrated by dressing for Halloween and drinking at the SA Halloween Party. Some folks stayed in the spirit of the recent Priscilla ball (maybe for lack of other costumes?), mainly some ladies who loved another excuse to dress like sex kittens. I, on the other hand, went as a lady bug. Not exactly sexy, more like cute. More like...I have less than an hour to pick something out to wear at the costume store and this is gonna have to be it. Section A turned out in force, and the dancing went late...
...and then it snowed. All the next day.
It looked beautiful falling from the sky, but I couldn't get past the fact that it was October 29th. Is this a sign of a long winter to come?
And then, if that wasn't enough. Daylight savings time.
"An extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an extra snooze one night in the autumn is all that we ask in return for dazzling gifts. We borrow an hour one night in April; we pay it back with golden interest five months later." -Winston Churchill
Churchill makes it sound so poetic. While I did appreciate the extra snooze, it's a terrible thing when the sun sets at 4:30PM. Winter is long enough. In all my fussing about this these two days, I did learn thanks to some google action that daylight savings time will increase another month in 2007. Of course this is AFTER I graduate and leave Boston, where of course I care the most about the toils of the dark winter months. Who knew that there was so much to know about daylight saving time. I liked that China didn't ever change their time. Anywhere in the country. Ok maybe that is a bit extreme to not have any time zones at all for a landmass as large as the US, but it certainly made life easy. And in Shanghai it was never dark at 4:30! 16 October Post Priscilla RecoverySo every year at HBS there is a bash organized by -- no surprise -- the Australia New Zealand Club. The Priscilla Ball. In preparation I had visions of Shanghai Aussie balls past, with flamboyant costumes and accessories so creatively thrown together on renmin lu. Yes, the Aussies usually know how to throw a party.
And I wasn't disappointed.
Though in this case, the "priscilla" theme was played out in true character. Yes girls, your one chance to see future CEOs in full drag. Future politicians need not attend. The guys were troopers, and while finding a costume was a little harder than in Shanghai, they did pretty well. Cambridge conveniently has a number of stores that carry the perfect dresses for men. I can't say it was a pretty sight, but there were some surprises...some men that certainly got into their roles quite comfortably albeit with the help of Jack, or Jim. I actually think it was the Burbon that ran out first if that tells you how severe the need was to loosen up.
The catch, of course, to incentivise the men to go to great lengths to attend this event was that the girls needed to not dress like men, but like prositutes. A much more reasonable task for us (some even had ready outfits waiting in the closet...hmmmm), and certainly the true carrot for these HBS guys.
The result, however, was an awesome dance party, many a good laugh, and some classic photos that some I'm sure would rather not have released to the general public. And so in proper fashion I plan to post them here.
And once again I return to the foot massage issue. Post priscilla, damn I needed a foot massage for all that dancin. Not to mention the 400 men who spent their first fabulous evening in high heels. Business idea number one...
9 October Another Three Day WeekendI could get used to this...only four days of cases, cold calls, and activity upon activity. Unfortunately the Boston weather couldn't make it a sunshine weekend to let me truly savor my free time. They jury's still out on this town. Gorgeous in the fall, winter destined to be hellish--
Finally went to Chinatown, and missed Shanghai even more. It just ain't the same. And where in the world can you get a foot massage around this place? I don't need a fancy spa -- where are the blindmen? There's nothing like a relaxing late night footie on fuxing lu with a good friend, a couple of beers, and a pineapple.
You can take the girl out of Shanghai, but you can't take Shanghai out of the girl.
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