Showing posts with label the spice doc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the spice doc. Show all posts
Friday, October 14, 2011
Writing in Shanghai
This week I've been whiling away the days writing to get my Spice Doc site finished and up, currently it's still only functioning as a blog (it has been a year+++ since the comprehensive site idea manifested, 6 months since it began with my fabulous designer, and finally 2 months with my awesome programmer). I'm dying for this to be done! But it's going to take more time than expected, I need to dig in, write, then write some more, and then write again! Revise. Write. Regroup. This blog helps to fill in the moments of blank staring and procrastination when I don't know where to begin.
I have a nice view from the hotel here. Truth be told there are few blue sky days, though the air is pretty crisp and the streets in the French concession district are spectacular. I'll post pix of those soon when I go for a walk today. Besides the Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung, we've only gone on one other adventurous meal to Shintori, a new fab Japanese restaurant off a little hidden path in the French concession, leading you down a bamboo lined path with dim lights, through two large beautiful wooden automated sliding doors, into a humongous loft-like space with sexy lighting, bare concrete walls, an open kitchen, etc etc - food was great, service was spotty, crowd was fun to watch (sake cup selection in below picture).
Boy has Shanghai changed! It's only been a week that we've been here and the last time I was here was 5 years ago but it hardly feels like being in China, whatever that may mean. It's more like an amalgam of all the major international cities (New York, Hong Kong, London...) where you could be anywhere and if you wake up from a dream it's hard to remember where exactly. Which I've been doing consistently for a week now. Add to that incessant nightmares about packing and always finding another cupboard or drawer or whole entire room that hasn't been packed and shipped! Argh. Who knew stuff could occupy your brain in such a profound way. Chuck it all out! Anyhow, today my goal besides working hard on Spice Doc biz is to find a proper medical foot massage. I checked out Dragonfly Spa and while the setting is gorgeous and the service is great, it's not a real medical foot massage in my opinion. I would rather have less frills and more medicine.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Appreciation
When you're in the middle of an (insanely) stressful move, you must always find a way to remember A) why the h---#$%! am I doing this again?! and B) good things about where you're moving to.
Maybe I can read this myself to remind me. A) Because change is good and adventure is even better! Ah, let's hope that one sticks. And B) I am going to be studying yao shan (medicinal cooking); we have a great view of the Jialing River from our apartment; there is a beautiful entirely graffiti'd/muraled part of Chongqing to get lost in and maybe even take an art class at the Sichuan Fine Art Institute (one of the best art schools in China); the kitsch toy culture in Asia (can't be beat) ...
...red shoe appreciation; winding mountain roads ... and I'm sure the list will continue to grow.
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