Cashmere and Cupcakes Event @ Divalife!

Cupcake Contact Information

If you're interested in ordering cupcakes from Emily's Cupcakes, please send an e-mail to: info@emilyscupcakes.com. Our website will be up soon with more information!!

Happy eating. :-)

Dance your heart out.

This video is awesome. Check it out:


BOOMBOX from Ely Kim on Vimeo.

China's new fleet of mobile execution chambers. No, Seriously.

I know, I was totally thrown off guard when I read this article earlier in USA Today.

Check it out here:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-14-death-van_x.htm

Chinese New Year - Welcome the Ox

Chinese New Year has come and gone in a flurry of fireworks, ox caricatures, European vacations and hazy weather. This is the year of the Ox and depending you who you ask will bring in more of the same economic woes or an upswing for the Chinese economy.

A and I spent our Chinese new year vacation in Italy and Germany, it was a wonderful trip and we ate our weight in cheese, cured meats and shnitzel. Italy in January, while not at it's best as far as the weather is concerned, is still breathtaking. Germany even with snow on the ground runs efficiently and makes eating a warm pretzel in the afternoon the best snack ever.

We are off to Hong Kong this weekend, and I'll be sure to post photos of our eating escapades, we can't wait to indulge in a weekend of fresh seafood!

Emily's Cupcakes coming soon....

I haven't posted in awhile, many apologies!

Currently, I'm in the final stages of opening a small business here in Shanghai - "Emily's Cupcakes" will be open soon and I'll let you know as soon as our website goes live and you can order online or over the phone!

Ever since I moved here a little over a year ago, I've been thinking about starting my own cupcake business. With my culinary background in catering and as a personal chef as well as my background in Marketing and Advertising it seemed like a great idea! Plus, I love cupcakes - they're adorable and bring back so many childhood memories. We aim to be open for business in 2 weeks, so keep your eyes open for some new delicious treats on the Shanghai scene!

Ring in the new year with homemade yogurt!

I love yogurt, and I'm on a constant search for truly good think tart yogurt that isn't sweetened with sugar here in Shanghai. There is a lovely homemade yogurt called Bebamine, made by another expat that you can have delivered to your home, but you must commit to something like 10 - 120g jars per week. That's something a family could consume, but little old me can't eat that much no matter how much I love the stuff.

So, I was really excited when I ran across an article in City Weekend magazine written by food writer Crystal Mo who tells of how she bought her own yogurt making machine from taobao.com for only 28RMB. That's only US$4! Woo hoo! She also explains exactly how she makes it from fresh milk, I'm pretty pumped to try this homemade yogurt making experiment out myself!

Chinese touring the US to buy up properties.

This is so totally interesting, and smart. Whoever came up with the tour group idea had a great idea. The jist of the article from the LA Times is that cash rich Chinese are coming to the US in groups (tour groups) to tour homes all over the US that have heavily depreciated in value or are in foreclosure.

http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/rentals/commercial/la-fi-chinahomes7-2008dec07,0,2730503,full.story?ref=patrick.net

More Layoffs in China

The backlash has begun for Chinese companies laying off workers.

Read this article from the San Francisco Chronicle to learn about the riot at a plant in the South China city of Dongguan.

"Workers riot at Chinese toy factory"

German Bread in Shanghai

I was pleased to discover a German Bakery in Shanghai that takes online orders and delivers!
Woo hoo!!

Abendbrot German Bakery

They have a shop out in the Hongqiao area near the German, French, British and American Schools but they do daily delivery to different areas of Shanghai. Looks like I'll be able to get my whole grain bread fix every Friday!

China's Ecomony Slowing?

In comparison with what has happened across Europe and the United States, China's economy is doing well but there are signs of a slowdown. Lay offs in the blue collar sector (factories mainly) are happening in many areas of China, including Shanghai. There are even rumors flying all over the expat community of expats being sent back home, or laid off because the costs are too high to keep them here. It's becoming easier to find a local person to fill the shoes of the expats.

Here's another example I ran across in the New York Times this morning.

"China's Great Engine Slows"

A new neighbor

Just saw this article in a local newspaper online. Looks like this new "monster substation" will be less than 2km from me. Great.

Downtown to be powered by monster substation by -- THE world's biggest underground substation is expected to be put into operation in Shanghai next year, local power authorities said yesterday.

The substation will satisfy power requirements for the downtown area...

Kanye West

I went to the Kanye West Concert here in Shanghai a few weeks ago (sorry for the slow posting!) and I've been meaning to blog about it. So, here we go - finally!

Musically it was great - he sounded fantastic, his band was awesome and his backup singers were really freaking cool. Everyone was clad in these all black outfits, some with these funky helmets and glasses. It all went with his "Glow in the dark tour" theme.

A note on concerts in China:

1. They are short. Typically no more than 1 hour. I think Kanye was actually on stage for 1hour 15 min.

2. Stage theatrics are at a minimum. I had heard that the Kanye show was supposed to be amazing - lots of theatrics, lights, etc. What I saw was just kind of average. He had lights and some smoke but nothing really amazing.

3. Nothing controversial allowed. A song like Jesus walks wouldn't be performed. From what I understand all performers have to show their set list and lyrics to some sort of government official who checks it all and then gives approval.

So, based on those "stipulations" all in all the Kanye Show was entertaining and a good time! I was lucky to have great seats way down in front and I got some decent video of the show. Unfortauntely due to the slow internet connection I'm not able to upload any of the video.

Give a proper Christmas Gift

I recently learned that Oxfam has set up a fantastic online store selling sustainable items for farmers and the poverty strucken all over the world. We can all go and buy something in just about any price range in our loved ones name. What a perfect present, especially in these economic times.

http://www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com/home.php

Some examples are:

Plant 500 Trees for $250

Buy a Farmers Flock of Animals for $150

Buy a Pair of Sheep for $90

Provide HIV Testing and Education for $35

Hong Kong is AMAZING!

Last week we took a short trip to Hong Kong. It was my first trip there so I was pretty excited after hearing everything my friends here in SH have told me about HK. And I wasn't disappointed! The weather was fantastic, and I spent my first day shopping in Central. When people say the shopping in Hong Kong is great, they aren't lying. It is fantastic!!

Everything about Hong Kong is fantastic. It's small enough that getting around is very easy, all modes of transportation are great. Taxi, Subway, Walking, Ferries, Tram or Bus, you name it and it's pretty simple to navigate. The landscape is beautiful - water, decently clean air, many many tress and lots of outdoor activities. Hiking trails are abundant. The seafood is fantastic - we ventured out to a seafood market one night for dinner. You can see some of our photos below. Delicious! I can't not mention the great Dim Sum! Yum. It was nice to also have a brief respite from struggling with speaking Chinese everyday. The majority of the population in HK speaks english so daily interactions are much simpler and easier.

The people are still just as friendly as the majority of people in mainland China and I can't wait to go back for my next Hiking/Shopping trip!