Jay Chou: The Era 2010 World Tour

During the summer Haike and I joined some of his friends for a concert by "the most popular Chinese singer," as my students say. His name is Jay Chou and he is known for writing lyrics that are barely understandable...everyone loves the mystery of trying to figure out what he is singing about.

Jay Chou came to Tianjin on his 'world tour' and we decided to go...I thought it would likely be my only chance to see a Chinese superstar in action.

The concert was at Tianjin's Olympic Stadium and was "eh...okay." It was mostly a big display of lights and onstage sets with an array of special effects. Cool, but no cooler than "eh." The most entertaining part for me was measuring the size of Jay, as seen from our nosebleed section (approximately the size of a peanut) and trying to keep track of where he was on stage.



The other noteworthy part is that going to a Chinese concert is basically like a grandiose karaoke party. They stream all the words to every song on the large side screens so that the entire audience can sing along. In addition to the singing nearly every person has a glow stick which they wave back and forth to the beat of EVERY song. I'm serious, in 2 and 1/2 hours there was not one break from the waving! They must have an ice pack waiting to numb their arm after they return home.

My summary: Jay Chou's concert was a limb-oscillating, ballad-bursting, lyric-decoding, stage-scanning, luminous event!

Or something like that...

The Most Married

Would you believe that just 2 weeks after returning from our wedding extravaganza in Thailand we held a THIRD wedding reception? It's beginning to get a little excessive, don't you think? ;) We had little choice, though, as we wanted to celebrate with all of our friends and colleagues in Tianjin. This was especially important to Haike...he has lived in Tianjin, studying and working, for 12 years now and he has a lot of great friends and connections here. We talked about it and decided that we just couldn't pass on this celebration.

So, with 2 weeks to plan and arrange everything, we got to work! We first chose a restaurant nearby our apartment and reserved 8 tables - enough to seat 80 people. We carefully ordered the dishes (what dishes and how many to order is actually a real art here) and we sent out the invitiations - yep, just a little more than a week in advance. That'd never work in the States! We both had our Chinese wedding attire from our Hunan reception so that was no issue. We printed out a bunch of pictures from our Thailand wedding and made a huge collage so that everyone could have a look. Haike and his friend, Dabi, went to buy all of the drinks and alcohol the day before - in China it's okay (and preferred because it's cheaper) to take any drinks or additional food into a restuarant so we loaded up on the soft drinks, beer, wine and Chinese baijiu (hard liquor used for toasting) for the dinner. We also bought pounds and pounds of candy to pass out at the dinner. This is another Chinese custom - when a couple gets married they are expected to pass out candy to everyone they know! We put candy on all the tables and we also each took huge bags of candy to work the next day to hand out to all of our co-workers.

We held the reception on Sunday, July 4th at 6:00 pm. That day I invited two of my good friends, Joyce and Jane, from my old school to come early from Beijing to help me get ready. They arrived around noon and at 2:00 pm we went to a salon to get my hair done. They loved watching me get all fixed up and fought over who got to hold the bobby pins...haha! We went back to my apartment and they observed carefully while I did my make-up. Neither of them wear make-up but they're definitely interested in it! They were so fascinated and I taught them a few tricks so that they can do it themselves later. Then, I had them help me get into my qipao (Chinese dress) which ended up being no easy task...after lots of tugging, one of them standing on a chair and careful consideration to my hair and make-up, we were finally set to go!

Waiting to go to the restaurant...



We went over to the restaurant about an hour early and, let me tell you, I was like the main attraction in a parade! When I'm out and about everyday in Tianjin, I get a ton of stares...everyone wants to look. So, when I was all done up and wearing a Chinese dress this phenomena was escalated. As we walked to the restaurant I tried my best to blend in...ha! What a joke!

After arriving at the restaurant and finding our private room, we put some flowers for decoration and also the drinks and candy out on each table. We then went back to the entrance to greet our guests, take pictures with them and guide them to the room. They sat down and chatted with each other until we came back and both Haike and I gave short speeches to welcome everyone. Let the eating begin!

As custom during a Chinese wedding reception, we ordered WAY more food than the guests could possibly eat...we have to do this to show that we respect our guests by feeding them too much and not letting them leave with even the possibility of still being hungry. Haike said that we also do this to symbolize that we will have more than enough throughout our lives. It's a custom that I don't necessarily agree with but one that cannot be ignored. Another custom from a Chinese reception is that the bride and groom do not get to eat anything! The entire time we spent going from one table to the next, toasting our friends and colleagues and, in return, they gave us a hong bao (red envelope) with money. As the food began to layer into a pyramid shape on the lazy susan, the guests commented on how good the food was and how MUCH there was. Good for us!

At the party...Jane and Joyce.



Jasmine, a student from my new school.



After a few hours everyone started to drift away, saying goodbye to Haike or I as they went. Another custom...only the bride and groom's best friends stick around until the very end of the party...they are also the ones to help carry any gifts or extra drinks back to the apartment. So, at the end of the night when we finally got to sit down we were joined by Haike's good friends - those who had also joined us in Thailand. And since we didn't allow them the tradition of "playing jokes" on us in Thailand, they insisted that they help us take our things home and that they stay for a while once we got there. So, that's what we did! We trudged home and about 8 good friends stayed for another hour or so. It is tradition for the couple's best friends to play games with the new couple after the reception. Sometimes they have to yell things out the window...sometimes the woman lays down on her back and the man does push-ups over her...I don't know what else! Haike had to do 5 push-ups with me sitting on his back...and he did it! Strong husband! ;)

After those friends left at about 10:30 pm, our final visitors of the night showed up. I am sure you all remember my good friend Echo from Hangzhou...she came to Tianjin for the party! She brought her boyfriend along, too, so they came to chat with us for a while after everything else had settled down. It meant so much to me that she came - she flew for 2 hours just to stay in Tianjin for one night, then left the next morning. What a great friend!!

The night was a blast and it was so fun to celebrate with everyone here in Tianjin. Above all, it was such an amazing reminder to me that I have met so many wonderful Chinese people here in Tianjin...and when I remember this night I will remember that I got to share it with all of them!

A Slice of Heaven

If you ever make it to Krabi, Thailand and you want to stay in a place that is the best of the best, I have the greatest recommendation. Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas - THE MOST amazing resort I've ever stayed in! http://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/ckbr/ckbr_default.asp

Centara is located on a private beach, only accessible by boat or 'monkey trail.' When you arrive by boat they take you to a floating dock...it is not anchored to the ground. Imagine walking on an inflatable air mattress. Then imagine throwing that air mattress into the ocean and trying to stabilize yourself as the waves come. Imagine wobbling across 300 air mattresses tied together until you reach the sand. The dock was something like that. It was so fun! Kristi laughed and laughed the whole way in. :)



The monkey trail is a 10 minute hike over some low foothills, climbing on very narrow and uneven steps. Haike and I took the trail into the city a few times and I realized that it really freaks me out at night! Unfortunately, my family also had the experience of taking the monkey trail on the day they left. It was raining and the sea was too rough for a boat to come in so they had no choice but to go over the monkey trail. It was a real sight to see the resort workers hoist the suitcases onto their shoulders - up and over they went (some of them barefoot!) The really nerve-racking part was that even my grandma had to do this. We worried about her but later heard the report that she tackled that trail with no problems! GO Grandma!!! :)

Our room at Centara was the Spa Ocean-Facing room. Gorgeous! We had a clear view of the ocean from our jacuzzi-adorned balcony and I spent a lot of time out there reading, enjoying the sunshine and the view. We were both so sad to leave.



This resort is seriously the greatest if you want a relaxing get-away...there's no reason to even go into the city! With a huge pool, several restaurants and bars, happy hour, a private beach, tons of places to walk around and observe the foliage and a private jacuzzi - not to mention the HUGE, mouth-watering breakfast buffet and 5-star service; why would we want to leave?? We spent several of our days just staying at the resort eating, drinking and watching the real crabs scurry along the beach.







The first day in Krabi, though, we did go on a day-long boat trip with our family and friends. We saw several different islands and did some snorkeling (my first time!) One of the areas where we snorkeled was stunning...I've never seen anything like that coral and some of the fish. It's such a cool feeling to snorkel - you are interacting with and observing nature in its natural habitat, but just as an on-looker - it kind of reminded me of the safari I went on in Tanzania. At one point my dad had some bread that he was feeding to the fish and they were everywhere, surrounding us - it was so surreal!



That night, after the boat trip, Haike and I went into Krabi with our friends from Tianjin - they were only staying one night and we wanted to enjoy some authentic Thai seafood with them. We feasted! We ate pad thai, oysters, king prawns, Thai-curry crab, and lemon-pepper fish. I never use this phrase but OMG!!!! It was to die for and Haike and I readily enjoyed a very similar meal for the next several nights in Krabi.

I suppose I am leaving one of the best stories from Krabi for last...the monkeys! So...we knew there were monkeys around...there was a note in our room saying, "please do not leave your balcony doors open as monkeys may enter your room." We saw a monkey run into my uncle's room on the morning they were leaving - going straight for the complimentary fruit basket. We knew they were there. But what did we do? We left our doors wide open, of course!

Our room had two balconies...one facing the ocean and one on the side which had a small table and couch. One day for lunch we decided to order room service and eat our pizza on the side balcony. We were enjoying the sound of the ocean, the laziness of the day and the unique flavors from our pizza when Haike heard one of the neighbors yelling and gesturing. Haike replied quickly, "What? Monkeys??" He went sprinting into the room through the side door with me close behind. When we got there we met a monkey sitting on a chair, right inside the door of the front balcony. As I stared down the monkey, I shouted to Haike, "Get the banana!" and at that exact moment they both took off - a race to the only remaining banana and our key to getting the monkey out of the room. Haike went around the bed...the monkey went over the bed. Ewww. Haike made it first and threw the banana out the door to the front balcony and I quickly ran and closed the door behind the monkey. HA! Gotcha! You think you're smarter than us, huh?? With our big heads and egos in full bloom, we triumphantly marched back to the side balcony and our waiting lunch. As I turned the corner, I yelped at the sight. Monkey #2 gulping down our pizza, Monkey #1 enjoying the banana that we just gift-wrapped for him. I quickly closed the side door and we both watched as our lunch disappeared before our eyes. We were suckered. Our only comfort came in knowing that many had been suckered, tag-teamed before us. How else could the monkey know to dip the crust into the sauce? How else could he know how to use his teeth to open the ketchup packet? From that moment on, the doors remained closed...



Several days later, we returned to Tianjin - a bit more relaxed, a little more refreshed and, if possible, even more grateful for this incredible experience.