Thursday, May 31, 2007

Let's Get Comfortable

For Chinese people, their nap is sacred and you often see them taking a short snooze after their lunch either on their desk, three-wheeler, a bench, etc…

Siesta time!!

This one got smart and made the most of it by getting a bed right next to his small business (probably a bike repairman)

Smarty one!!

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Another Hard Day At Work...


This is the back side of Jeff’s badge when he goes to the sites. It’s a long list of recommendation of what to do and not to do…



Please read carefully

A few hand picked “rules”:
  • Love our motherland
  • Love our crew and comply with disciplines
  • Love our jobs and career
  • Greatly devoted, dedicated and conscientious
  • Mutual respect
  • Energetic
  • In high spirits
  • Warm-hearted and earnest
  • Healthy life style
  • Hygienic
  • Safety first
  • Abide by laws and regulations
  • Protect environments
  • Pursue excellence
  • Honest and credible
  • Quality service
  • Convenient and timely
  • Satisfy needs

Saturday, May 26, 2007

What Are YOU Up to Today?

When I take a look at my agenda it looks like I’m a spy because it’s full of codes; which makes me laugh because when I started to work in PR (public relations for the profane) in Paris we used to make fun of ourselves because we always talked in acronyms. I guess I’ve come full circle since nowadays my days are full of them!!


Thank goodness for Google Calendar!!

I finally know what to put on those nice Business Cards I made when we first arrived: VP of PA, Member of INN and BCB, Founder of LDL and let’s not forget CEO of Suiter Inc.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Vote For Me!!!

Today is a really important day since the 250+ members of Pekin Accueil (Association of French Speakers; aimed at expats living in Beijing) get a chance to vote for their new representatives!!!!

After much begging (and a nice email that convinced me) I decided to get on the list as future Vice President of Pekin Accueil (P.A). There was not much of suspense since we were the only candidates and everyone was relieved that we decided to sacrifice our life for the future of the Association. They still can vote no to our list….

Update - The results are in:
Only 68 people came to vote (that's an impressive 73% abstention!!) 67 votes OUI and 1 vote NON… Christie, Magalie, Hui Ying, Valerie and Myself are the new face of Pekin Accueil. Now if I could get an hold of the one who voted NON!!

Monday, May 21, 2007

Peace Sign

...You Mean PeacH Sign

My peaches are trying to tell me something… Smile, be Happy!




Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Can I Borrow Some Arm And Hammer

...You Mean Hammer Noodle.

My cakes are so fluffy when I use Arm and Hammer Hammer Noodles

They'll copy anything

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Happy Mother's Day

...Two Down, Two to Go.

You see I’ve got 4 Mother’s days to celebrate every year.

Chloe was born in Argentina and they celebrate Mother’s Day on the third Sunday in October (It’s spring there…so it’s easier/cheaper (?) for the flowers), Jeremy was born in Scotland and there it’s on the 4th Sunday of the Lent or 3 weeks before Easter Sunday. Then we have the US one (same as China by the way) for Jeffrey which is on the second Sunday in May while the French celebrate their Mother on the last Sunday in May… But really isn’t it every day Mother’s day?


Good thing I’ve got Google calendar to keep all the dates straight

Mother’s Day
Fête des Mères
Día de la Madre
母亲节 Mu3 Qin1 Jie2

Hot Under Mao's Collar

Because they say it better than me:
http://www.china.org.cn/english/government/210587.htm
Man Detained for Damage Chairman Mao Portrait
Beijing police has detained a man who attempted to burn the portrait of late Chinese leader Chairman Mao Zedong that hangs above the gate to the Forbidden City across the street from Tian'anmen Square.

Gu Haiou, 35, a jobless man from Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, hurled a self-made burning object to the portrait around 5:46 PM Saturday, which caused a slight burnt mark in the lower left part of the portrait, said the Beijing Public Security Bureau. […]The Tian'anmen Administration Committee will replace the damaged portrait with a new one of the same version Saturday night, the bureau said. Armed police are guarding the area and visitors are forbidden to enter the Forbidden City. […]

The portrait, six meters high, five meters wide and weighing about two tons, is a reproduction of the fourth edition of Mao's portrait that has hung at the historic spot since the Republic of China was founded in 1949.
The first edition painted in 1949 showed Mao wearing a military uniform and a cap. The second edition, hung between 1950 and 1952, showed Mao in a green suit. The third edition, painted in the 1950s by portraitist Zhang Zhenshi, was put up between 1953 and 1968. (Xinhua News Agency May 13, 2007)



Friday, May 11, 2007

To Turn Left...

...Go To The Right Lane

No Comments



Not at all confusing!!

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

The In-LAws Have A Question...

...Where Are The Fortune Cookies?

I bet many American presume that Fortune Cookies were invented by the Chinese and that they were steeped in some ancient tradition…. Well not really. The Chinese Fortune Cookie is not even Chinese. The cookie's origin has long been a source of contention. It was most likely invented in San Francisco -- by a Japanese American. In 1914, Makoto Hagiwara introduced cookies bearing thank-you notes at his Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park and served them at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition, San Francisco's world's fair. David Jung, founder of Los Angeles' Hong Kong Noodle Co., also claimed to have invented the cookies in 1918 as an encouraging treat for the post-World War I unemployed who gathered in the street. Chinese restaurant owners in both cities quickly saw an opportunity to attract white American customers who routinely expected desert after a meal, a concept alien to the Chinese.
The Wonton Food Company produces almost 2.5 million of the bow-shaped, crispy sugar cookies a day and is the world's largest producer, supplier and exporter.[…] Fortune cookies were virtually unknown in Asia until 1993 when the Wonton Food Co. opened a factory in China. The project, however, was short-lived. "It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it just didn't pan out," said Leung. "Fortune cookies are too American a concept." (by Kerry Burke)


Monday, May 7, 2007

Sarkozy...

...Chirac

Just to let you know that the French were voting this weekend (second round) and Sarkozy is the new president of the French republic.

再见希拉克, 你好萨科奇
Zai jian Xi La Ke, Ni Hao Sa Ke Qi
(Good bye Chirac, Hello Sarkozy)



How I learned about France new president!!

Friday, May 4, 2007

Xing Ba Ke

...Bu Xing Ba Ke?*

A few months ago there was a controversy about the Starbucks that is located inside the Forbidden City.
It all started with a Blog article written by Rui Chenggang an anchorman on CCTV’s English Channel and it sparked a debate on whether the American coffee chain should be removed from the most important landmarks of Chinese civilization. Starbucks opened the Forbidden City branch on September 18, 2000. The mini-cafe is at the southeastern corner of the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohedian), one of the three most impressive buildings in the complex, which used to be the venue for feasts of the emperors on the eve of the Lunar New Year. Starbucks was soon forced to remove its trademark green sign in favor of the Chinese characters for Xing Ba Ke, which now adorns the window.


We really had to look hard to find it!!!

* Starbucks or Not Starbucks

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Wu Yi Jie

...May 1st or Labor Day

May 1st is International Workers’ Day (except for the United States, Canada and South Africa!!) and in China it marks the 2nd of their three Golden Week Holidays (Spring Festival/Chinese New Year, May Day and National Day in October) which means millions of people will travel across the country. For info, the three Golden Weeks were inaugurated in 1999 by the government to increase consumer spending.

So we’ve decided to go and visit the Forbidden City with the in-laws… We wanted to make sure they got the feeling of leaving in a country with 1.3 billion people (or at least a city with 15 million) and they saw what it looks like when 150 million people are expected to travel across country!!!

The Forbidden City

Forbidden City and Tian'an man square on May 1st
Tian'An Men Square

But apparently we got there before the big rush:
The Forbidden City (Photo by Reuters)