Company 10th Year Party

And I was there... It was pretty evident that food wasn't fantastic, but for those of you who know the company that I worked for, it was considered a spread. My colleagues and I had lots of "children" boozes - Yan Jing Beer at 3.6% alchohol concentration. 3.6%! That's why children's beer.

But we got high anyway, on quirky performances and on the fact that I won something at the lucky draw! Yiippee! I hope, though, I am not using up my last ditch of good luck before the Year of Ox rushes in.

1224

Nej, this is not a fanciful play of numbers like Wong Kar-wai's 2046 movie. This is the name of a threadmill running competition that is going on at the gym chain that we frequent.

Without a doubt, it is a marketing gimmick of a sport brand that is introducing its NEW running shoes, whose model number runs by the name of the competition, and is purported to give better BALANCE to you when you run. *I hope you have already guessed the name of the brand*.

So, the gist of the competition is to stretch your cardio limit on the threadmill, by measuring how far you can run within 12 minute 24 seconds. There will be ONE winner each from the male and female categories, who then get sponsorships to fly off to Seoul to participate in a real marathon.

Yes, you might have guessed it already. Olof and I took part in the competition. I ran 2230meters, and he ran 2980meters. *We pray for bad weather, so that little people will venture to the gym. If anybody should go to the gym, we pray for more Chinese-illiterate foreigners, because the competition promoter speaks no English. Ha!* Only THEN, we probably stand any chances of winning.

BUT, for two packs of nearly 30-year-old bones, I think we did not bad. Events as such really adds fun to training in the gym, especially in a city like Beijing, where outdoors sports are not very possible.

AND, kudos to us for not getting any muscle aches the next day.

Wedding Wonderful!

One of my best friends got married in November, and I was extremely honored to be able to participate in her wedding as one of the wedding sisters. Her wedding jerked back alot of memories of my own. The anxiety, sleepness nights, countless visits to the beauty salons, and of course the sudden, "excruciating" attentiveness to details like pens on every dinner table, all seemed so familiar. Ha! But as all who had been-there-done-that know, all will turn out fine in the end. And it did indeed!

What else is there left to eat?!

Milk powder - cross.
Liquid milk - cross.
Milk chocolate - cross.
Yogurt - cross.
Ice cream - cross.

Now comes eggs and chicken! The discovery of excessive levels of melamine in eggs in Hongkong is prompting authorities to now begin checks on chicken meat as well. We knew for a long time that chickens in China are probably injected with loads of steriods. But MELAMINE?! Apparently, experts suspect that the melamine originates from chicken feed. I am REALLY paranoid now. Because it seems any foods that "should" contain proteins are prone to manipulation.

Before we moved to China, I told Olof that my biggest concern in Beijing is food safety and it is a shame that I was proven right. Since months ago, we started buying organic foods and imported products. But there are limitations and inconveniences. We can't find organic beef, for example. Plus, we often have to go to different places to buy different things. Carrefour and Wal-mart don't sell organic poultry. Lohao City charges exhorbitant prices. The local food market from which we buy fruits from is not stone's throw away.

PLUS, who can be 100% sure that the so-called "organic" foods that are selling off the shelves are REALLY organic?

I am not being over paranoid, but I totally anticipate this possibility that unscrupulous businessmen will find ways loopholes getting the "organic-certified" sticker and happily paste it on his toxic vegetables.

No way out? Grow your own vegetables. Rear your own chickens and cows. But then again. What are we going to water the vegetables with? What are we going to feed the animals with? Should they, also like us, eat only organic feed? But how to ensure that the feed is really organic...

How pathetic are we as human beings! We poison the food cycle "river" that we drink from.

We leave behind a legacy that we have nothing to be proud of and which our offsprings will lambast us for.

A trip to the mountains

Hi,


Sunday and a good opportunity to go for hiking. Together with two of our friends (also Singaporean and Swedish), we headed towards Tiger Valley for more than 2 hours of walk along the river. The one hour car drive to get there (or to one of the other mountain spots) is worth doing again!


Olof

View over Tiger Valley
















Sam, Jacqueline and Stefan (photographer Olof)

Paralympics

Hi!

Last night was the closing ceremony of the Paralympics. The big Olympic "party" has now come to an end. Will life in Beijing go back to normal? I think yes, gradually business and life will continue as usual.

On Saturday, all cars are allowed on the roads again. No more special traffic regulations and other regulations for construction work and so forth, at least nothing that we know of today.

Regarding the sport events, we saw some of them live. Wheelchair basketball quarterfinals at the National Indoor stadium and swimming finals at the Watercube. Take a look at the photos.

Bye, bye!

Bird's Nest - the National Stadium

Swimming ticket - Paralympic finals

Watercube - the swimming stadium

Huixin's Birthday Party

It was Huixin's birthday on Friday and she had invited us to dinner at Grandma's Kitchen located on Xiushui South Street. I wanted to bake her a birthday cake but ended up buying one at Kempinski Deli. But I compensated my laziness for probably the best Black Forest Cake in town and a doggy softtoy. *oh, yanqing has a share in the presents too*

We drove to Grandma's Kitchen. I realised that with driving on our own, we became never punctual for appointments - partly due to our unfamiliarity with directions yet. But I must say then we usually underestimate the time we need to drive to a destination. Hhhmm, this is bad. Because having a car is suppose to shorten our commute time. *perplex*

Back to the topic, it was great fun at her party. We haven't been seeing each other alot since I moved here. Things do change after one is married and has his or her own family to take care of. I feel that I am a friend who is guilty of neglecting her friends. I'll try to change that.

Grandma's Kitchen was filled with laughter and loud talking on Friday night, thanks to us. But they also got a big check to cash in, because the birthday girl ordered ALOT of food. We were stuffed, happy, and satisfied. Olof and I left earlier since he got a flight to catch the next day.