A very special post for a very special girl. Ang is half-a-year old today!!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
A new stamp in the passport
A quick recap of our recent trip to Malaysia...with lots of pictures because I'm feeling short on words tonight.
We left Shanghai Wednesday morning on a Malaysian Air flight - 5 hours direct to Kuala Lumpur. I have to say, two adults and one baby for 5 hours is a breeze compared to one adult with one baby for 13 hours! As usual, everybody just adored Angela. I buckled her into Rich's seat for a quick picture and the flight attendant jumped in for the photo.
Angela actually had her own 'bassinet' on this flight and just barely fit in it (length-wise of course)! She didn't like it very much but we found it a great place to store all of the baby stuff (wipes, diapers, toys, etc) during the flight!! It also meant more leg room for mom & dad since the bassinet's only attach to the bulk head rows.
The hotel we were at for Wednesday and Thursday nights was connected to a shopping mall and to IBM's offices. We did some browsing at the mall on Thursday and Friday while Rich was at work and then spent some time relaxing by the pool. We also enjoyed some nice dinners with Rich's co-workers. Ang was such a trooper considering we kept her out past her bedtime three nights in a row!
On Friday afternoon we moved to a hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur. The highlight of downtown is the Petronas Towers. These are two massive towers that are connected by a pedestrian bridge at the middle. There is a mall attached to the towers and a very nice park just outside the towers. The park has a running path, a giant playground and a public swimming pool for children. On Saturday afternoon we went up to the 41st floor of tower 1 and walked across the skybridge.
After our trip up the towers, I spotted a Dunkin Donuts!! We stopped for a donut and iced coffee which weren't quite what we are used to. The donuts were more cake-like and the coffee came pre-loaded with an insane amount of sugar. But, it was a nice reminder of home in a far-away place.
The rest of our day was spent relaxing by the pool at our hotel. The pool was on the 22nd floor and offered some really nice views of the city.
Overall, it was a really great trip and it was nice to get out of Shanghai for a few days. We can now say that Ang has visited another one of the World's Tallest Buildings (yes, we are keeping track). Hopefully the next time we go to Malaysia we will be able to take more time and visit one of the nearby beach towns. From what we have heard, there are some amazing beaches only a few hours from where we were.
We left Shanghai Wednesday morning on a Malaysian Air flight - 5 hours direct to Kuala Lumpur. I have to say, two adults and one baby for 5 hours is a breeze compared to one adult with one baby for 13 hours! As usual, everybody just adored Angela. I buckled her into Rich's seat for a quick picture and the flight attendant jumped in for the photo.
Angela actually had her own 'bassinet' on this flight and just barely fit in it (length-wise of course)! She didn't like it very much but we found it a great place to store all of the baby stuff (wipes, diapers, toys, etc) during the flight!! It also meant more leg room for mom & dad since the bassinet's only attach to the bulk head rows.
The hotel we were at for Wednesday and Thursday nights was connected to a shopping mall and to IBM's offices. We did some browsing at the mall on Thursday and Friday while Rich was at work and then spent some time relaxing by the pool. We also enjoyed some nice dinners with Rich's co-workers. Ang was such a trooper considering we kept her out past her bedtime three nights in a row!
On Friday afternoon we moved to a hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur. The highlight of downtown is the Petronas Towers. These are two massive towers that are connected by a pedestrian bridge at the middle. There is a mall attached to the towers and a very nice park just outside the towers. The park has a running path, a giant playground and a public swimming pool for children. On Saturday afternoon we went up to the 41st floor of tower 1 and walked across the skybridge.
After our trip up the towers, I spotted a Dunkin Donuts!! We stopped for a donut and iced coffee which weren't quite what we are used to. The donuts were more cake-like and the coffee came pre-loaded with an insane amount of sugar. But, it was a nice reminder of home in a far-away place.
The rest of our day was spent relaxing by the pool at our hotel. The pool was on the 22nd floor and offered some really nice views of the city.
Overall, it was a really great trip and it was nice to get out of Shanghai for a few days. We can now say that Ang has visited another one of the World's Tallest Buildings (yes, we are keeping track). Hopefully the next time we go to Malaysia we will be able to take more time and visit one of the nearby beach towns. From what we have heard, there are some amazing beaches only a few hours from where we were.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Residency obtained, play dates found
It certainly has been a busy week for us...
Ang and I are officially temporary residents of China. I finally received my Passport back from the government this week with my residency permit enclosed. My permit took at little longer to obtain after realizing that we needed an official translation of our marriage certificate (it is in Spanish). The residency permit application process is interesting. IBM contracts with a firm in Shanghai that takes care of the paperwork and basically escorts you to the various agencies for a health check and interview. The health check includes a series of tests - blood work, chest x-ray, EKG, vision test, and ultrasound are the ones I recall. You then have to go for an interview where they review your forms, take your picture and then process the visa (they call it an interview but I didn't have to answer a single question). I was denied at my first interview because they couldn't read our marriage certificate. I returned a week later with an 'official' translation and there were no problems. I have no idea where this translation came from or what made it 'official' but it worked so I guess that is all that matters. Luckily children are automatically granted a visa based on a birth certificate so there was no need to bring Ang for a health check or interview.
Angela and I have started to get out of the house more and more and have made quite a few friends here in Shanghai. This week we joined Pam and Kyle for a playgroup in the clubhouse at the complex where they live. Most of the kids were older than Ang and were walking / crawling but it was nice to sit and visit with other moms and Ang was very entertained by the other children. She seems to enjoying the stimulation of being around people - I think I have started to bore her, she gets so cranky if we stay home all day. We also went to our first baby music class this week. There were about ten other babies with their moms. The class is about 45 minutes and is a lot of singing, listening to music and a little bit of dancing. She has always loved when we sing to her and I think this class will be really great.
Wednesday night was date night for me and Rich - Bonnie stayed a little late to watch Ang (we always wait until Ang is asleep). We went to the Kitchen which is an Italian restaurant not far from where we live. The reviews were very mixed so we weren't sure what to expect. We had a table outside overlooking the Bund which was great. The food was decent but didn't blow me away. I had lobster risotto and Rich enjoyed a sausage and broccoli wood fired pizza. As we were sitting there enjoying our meal we both commented that it didn't really feel like we were in China. At times (most times), you are very aware of being in a foreign country where you don't know the language and need to divide every price by 7 to determine how much something costs. However, there are times when you feel like you could be in any city in America even though you are really hundreds of miles away. It is great to know of a few places to go when we are feeling a little home sick!
Next week we are off on another adventure. Rich has to travel to Malaysia for a few meetings so Ang and I will tag along for the trip. It is a 5 hour flight; same time zone just further south. It will be nice to get away from Shanghai for a few days and I've never been to Malaysia so I'm excited for a new stamp in my passport. Unfortunately we won't have long enough to visit any of the really nice beaches, but we will get a chance to explore the city and meet some of Rich's coworkers.
This is the result of play dates - a very sleepy baby!!
Not so happy about the teeth - if you look very closely you can see the white on the bottom gums.
A little grin...
We had a little taste of oatmeal...it was fun and she seemed to enjoy it!
Ang and I are officially temporary residents of China. I finally received my Passport back from the government this week with my residency permit enclosed. My permit took at little longer to obtain after realizing that we needed an official translation of our marriage certificate (it is in Spanish). The residency permit application process is interesting. IBM contracts with a firm in Shanghai that takes care of the paperwork and basically escorts you to the various agencies for a health check and interview. The health check includes a series of tests - blood work, chest x-ray, EKG, vision test, and ultrasound are the ones I recall. You then have to go for an interview where they review your forms, take your picture and then process the visa (they call it an interview but I didn't have to answer a single question). I was denied at my first interview because they couldn't read our marriage certificate. I returned a week later with an 'official' translation and there were no problems. I have no idea where this translation came from or what made it 'official' but it worked so I guess that is all that matters. Luckily children are automatically granted a visa based on a birth certificate so there was no need to bring Ang for a health check or interview.
Angela and I have started to get out of the house more and more and have made quite a few friends here in Shanghai. This week we joined Pam and Kyle for a playgroup in the clubhouse at the complex where they live. Most of the kids were older than Ang and were walking / crawling but it was nice to sit and visit with other moms and Ang was very entertained by the other children. She seems to enjoying the stimulation of being around people - I think I have started to bore her, she gets so cranky if we stay home all day. We also went to our first baby music class this week. There were about ten other babies with their moms. The class is about 45 minutes and is a lot of singing, listening to music and a little bit of dancing. She has always loved when we sing to her and I think this class will be really great. Wednesday night was date night for me and Rich - Bonnie stayed a little late to watch Ang (we always wait until Ang is asleep). We went to the Kitchen which is an Italian restaurant not far from where we live. The reviews were very mixed so we weren't sure what to expect. We had a table outside overlooking the Bund which was great. The food was decent but didn't blow me away. I had lobster risotto and Rich enjoyed a sausage and broccoli wood fired pizza. As we were sitting there enjoying our meal we both commented that it didn't really feel like we were in China. At times (most times), you are very aware of being in a foreign country where you don't know the language and need to divide every price by 7 to determine how much something costs. However, there are times when you feel like you could be in any city in America even though you are really hundreds of miles away. It is great to know of a few places to go when we are feeling a little home sick!
Next week we are off on another adventure. Rich has to travel to Malaysia for a few meetings so Ang and I will tag along for the trip. It is a 5 hour flight; same time zone just further south. It will be nice to get away from Shanghai for a few days and I've never been to Malaysia so I'm excited for a new stamp in my passport. Unfortunately we won't have long enough to visit any of the really nice beaches, but we will get a chance to explore the city and meet some of Rich's coworkers.
This is the result of play dates - a very sleepy baby!!
Not so happy about the teeth - if you look very closely you can see the white on the bottom gums.
A little grin...
We had a little taste of oatmeal...it was fun and she seemed to enjoy it!Monday, August 31, 2009
Problem Solved!!
I know you were all worried, so I figured an update was needed. Thanks to Electrolux, our coffee issues at home have been solved. I should have elaborated a bit in my last post about the selection of coffee at the local supermarket. There is a huge variety of coffee beans and plenty of brands that we will do just fine with. However, the selection of ground coffee is very limited. We hadn't been able to find a coffee grinder and therefore were stuck buying ground coffee. Well, yesterday I searched around a few stores at the mall and found a coffee grinder. So now we are back to being happy morning people without having to leave the house to visit a nearby Starbucks. Whew!!
Since I know you are more interested in Angela than our coffee issues, I have posted a new video. Angela has started blowing raspberries (or trying to anyways) and I was able to capture it this morning. If you turn the volume up high enough you can hear it in between the noises from the toy she is playing with. Too cute!
Since I know you are more interested in Angela than our coffee issues, I have posted a new video. Angela has started blowing raspberries (or trying to anyways) and I was able to capture it this morning. If you turn the volume up high enough you can hear it in between the noises from the toy she is playing with. Too cute!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Better City, Better Life
We had a very quiet and relaxed weekend at home and definitely enjoyed it. Rich surprised me with an appointment for a massage on Saturday morning which was fantastic. It was a combo foot / head, neck & shoulder massage that was done by two people at the same time. I can't believe I have been here over a month and am just now getting around to a massage. The prices are incredible compared to the US and I think this may become a weekly habit for me!
When Rich was in New York last month he picked up a couple bags of Dunkin' Donuts coffee so that we could make it at home. Sadly we brewed the last pot yesterday and today we had to resort to using coffee that I bought at the market nearby. After only a few sips we decided to head to Starbucks for something stronger. This week I am going to go searching for better coffee beans and if I don't find anything we may be calling home for a care package!!! We can buy beans at Starbucks but neither of us enjoy their coffee as much as Dunkin'....
It seems that almost everywhere we go in Shanghai there is construction. There are new buildings going up, subway entrances being re-designed and sidewalks being ripped up and then re-paved. The construction workers work non-stop, all hours of the day, all days of the week. Fortunately for us, the majority of this work should be finished by May 1, 2010. That is when the 2010 World Expo opens in Shanghai!!
The motto for the Expo is 'Better City, Better Life' and they have appointed this funny looking blue guy as the Expo mascot. The little blue guy (Haibao) is plastered all over the city. You can find key chains, stuffed animals, post cards and any other souvenir item with his picture on it. There is a giant statue of him outside the mall and all of the visitors are constantly stopping to take a picture with him.
While we were out and about today we were looking at some of the signs advertising the Expo. The translation from Chinese to English isn't always accurate and can be a little entertaining!
And finally, a few pictures of Ang...
She has gotten quite good at the rolling - I walked into the kitchen to refill my coffee cup and returned 30 seconds later to find her here (she was on the mat when I left her)!!
Goofy faces
Sitting like a big girl at lunch - not quite sitting on her own but getting very close!
When Rich was in New York last month he picked up a couple bags of Dunkin' Donuts coffee so that we could make it at home. Sadly we brewed the last pot yesterday and today we had to resort to using coffee that I bought at the market nearby. After only a few sips we decided to head to Starbucks for something stronger. This week I am going to go searching for better coffee beans and if I don't find anything we may be calling home for a care package!!! We can buy beans at Starbucks but neither of us enjoy their coffee as much as Dunkin'....
It seems that almost everywhere we go in Shanghai there is construction. There are new buildings going up, subway entrances being re-designed and sidewalks being ripped up and then re-paved. The construction workers work non-stop, all hours of the day, all days of the week. Fortunately for us, the majority of this work should be finished by May 1, 2010. That is when the 2010 World Expo opens in Shanghai!!
The motto for the Expo is 'Better City, Better Life' and they have appointed this funny looking blue guy as the Expo mascot. The little blue guy (Haibao) is plastered all over the city. You can find key chains, stuffed animals, post cards and any other souvenir item with his picture on it. There is a giant statue of him outside the mall and all of the visitors are constantly stopping to take a picture with him.While we were out and about today we were looking at some of the signs advertising the Expo. The translation from Chinese to English isn't always accurate and can be a little entertaining!
And finally, a few pictures of Ang...
She has gotten quite good at the rolling - I walked into the kitchen to refill my coffee cup and returned 30 seconds later to find her here (she was on the mat when I left her)!!
Goofy faces
Sitting like a big girl at lunch - not quite sitting on her own but getting very close!Tuesday, August 25, 2009
How much do plants cost?
I feel like I got a good deal yesterday - but those that know plants better than me (mom) could probably tell me for sure. Even if I didn't such a great deal I definitely hit the shopping jackpot. Ang, Bonnie, and I headed to the plant market yesterday. I had heard of this place through a few online forums and was told that its "the place to go" to find plants for our house. There was also mention of a baby store in the same area but I didn't pay much attention to that, I was going for the plants.
We found our way into the market which seemed to be mostly fake plants and flowers - not quite what I was thinking. But, then we happened upon a little corner where they had all sorts of live plants and pots. I selected 4 potted plants and Bonnie spoke to the shop owner in Chinese and got them to throw in a hose, plant sprayer and three stems of a flower that we liked. The woman typed a bunch of stuff into the calculator and showed the total to Bonnie - 675RMB. We ended up paying 600RMB (about 85USD - and I should also mention that this price included delivery and setup). There are pictures included below - you can decide if you agree about this being a good deal or not. Maybe we should wait a month to see if they are all still alive before deciding?
The shopping adventure story doesn't end there. Of course we had to check out the baby store - its hard to find decent baby stuff in Shanghai so I'll always stop to look when I see baby gear. JACKPOT!!! We made our way up to the third floor of this market to find a very clean, well organized, quiet baby store that had EVERYTHING you could possibly need for a baby. Ok, maybe saying EVERYTHING is a bit of an overstatement. Baby toys in America are way cooler than the toys you find here (even though it is very likely that the toys back home were actually made in China). In addition to baby toys, diapers, formula, clothing, shoes, baby food, cribs and more toys they had a baby gym and a baby spa (where they let babies float in little bath-like pools of water and give them massage afterward - don't worry, I will never let Ang near these as I'm sure I'm not the only person who's first thought had to do with worrying about how sanitary this could possibly be). We looked around and bought a few toys but decided to head home because it was time to try to get Ang down for a nap. I am so happy to know about this store though - it definitely beats going to the over-crowded crazy Toys R Us down the street from us!
In Ang news...
We have teeth!! I feel like these have been a long time coming but noticed an insane increase in the amount of drool, chewing and crankiness in the past week. Sure enough, yesterday she got ahold of my finger and bit me!! I immediately opened her mouth to find two white edges peeping through her gums. Yesterday I found that she had moved herself into a position on her playmat so that she could get the bar on the side into her mouth (its foam on the inside and I bet it felt great for her to chew on!)
Ok, I'm off to the kitchen to help Bonnie cook. She is making us her famous dumplings tonight so I'm helping so that I can try to learn how to make them myself!! We have been so impressed with all of the Chinese meals she had made us in our home, but her dumplings are definitely our favorite!!
We found our way into the market which seemed to be mostly fake plants and flowers - not quite what I was thinking. But, then we happened upon a little corner where they had all sorts of live plants and pots. I selected 4 potted plants and Bonnie spoke to the shop owner in Chinese and got them to throw in a hose, plant sprayer and three stems of a flower that we liked. The woman typed a bunch of stuff into the calculator and showed the total to Bonnie - 675RMB. We ended up paying 600RMB (about 85USD - and I should also mention that this price included delivery and setup). There are pictures included below - you can decide if you agree about this being a good deal or not. Maybe we should wait a month to see if they are all still alive before deciding?
The shopping adventure story doesn't end there. Of course we had to check out the baby store - its hard to find decent baby stuff in Shanghai so I'll always stop to look when I see baby gear. JACKPOT!!! We made our way up to the third floor of this market to find a very clean, well organized, quiet baby store that had EVERYTHING you could possibly need for a baby. Ok, maybe saying EVERYTHING is a bit of an overstatement. Baby toys in America are way cooler than the toys you find here (even though it is very likely that the toys back home were actually made in China). In addition to baby toys, diapers, formula, clothing, shoes, baby food, cribs and more toys they had a baby gym and a baby spa (where they let babies float in little bath-like pools of water and give them massage afterward - don't worry, I will never let Ang near these as I'm sure I'm not the only person who's first thought had to do with worrying about how sanitary this could possibly be). We looked around and bought a few toys but decided to head home because it was time to try to get Ang down for a nap. I am so happy to know about this store though - it definitely beats going to the over-crowded crazy Toys R Us down the street from us!
In Ang news...
We have teeth!! I feel like these have been a long time coming but noticed an insane increase in the amount of drool, chewing and crankiness in the past week. Sure enough, yesterday she got ahold of my finger and bit me!! I immediately opened her mouth to find two white edges peeping through her gums. Yesterday I found that she had moved herself into a position on her playmat so that she could get the bar on the side into her mouth (its foam on the inside and I bet it felt great for her to chew on!)
Ok, I'm off to the kitchen to help Bonnie cook. She is making us her famous dumplings tonight so I'm helping so that I can try to learn how to make them myself!! We have been so impressed with all of the Chinese meals she had made us in our home, but her dumplings are definitely our favorite!!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Take me out to the ball game!
We are very fortunate to have two satellite tv boxes in our house - one is Chinese and only broadcasts Chinese programs and the other is Phillipino and broadcasts all American programs. During the day I am able to watch re-plays of Ellen and the Today Show (taped the prior day). Last night I watched Flip This House and America's Got Talent. Rich is excited that we get CNBC so he can catch up on all the market news during the night. This is a bit dangerous considering the market at home is open during the evening here so he can 'day trade' all night long if he wants. Ang apparently loves CNBC - every time it is on she stares at the screen (I think she likes the ticker that constantly moves along the bottom of the screen). She will also be a very happy child here as we get Nickolodeon and Cartoon Network.
This morning we received the ultimate surprise with our Phillipino Satellite - we are watching the Yankees / Red Sox game that is currently being played in Boston. Unfortunately Boston is losing and Rich is using this as a chance to encourage Ang to cheer for the Yankees. Even though we are watching the game with coffee and bagels instead of beer and nachos, it definitely makes it feel like we aren't so far away from America.
Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning - watching good ol' American baseball!
Ang was more into trying to get this block into her mouth than watching the game.
This morning we received the ultimate surprise with our Phillipino Satellite - we are watching the Yankees / Red Sox game that is currently being played in Boston. Unfortunately Boston is losing and Rich is using this as a chance to encourage Ang to cheer for the Yankees. Even though we are watching the game with coffee and bagels instead of beer and nachos, it definitely makes it feel like we aren't so far away from America.
Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning - watching good ol' American baseball! 
Ang was more into trying to get this block into her mouth than watching the game.
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