Waikiki

We've been in Waikiki for 5 days now. Boy how time flies by!! We are having a great time, spending lots of time at the beach. We have also been able to eat out (Taco Bell, Subway, Panda Express, Maui Taco, Cheeseburger, California Pizza Kitchen) and shop nearby. In the evenings we watch the Olympics. Good times!

Here are some highlight pictures. Double click on the album to view all the pictures.

Waikiki

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Chinese New Year

It's the Year of the Tiger!

We wanted to share with you some images of Chinese New Year around town. There are red decorations and tigers everywhere!! We will miss the actual New Year celebration, but ironically, we can go to Chinatown in Honolulu to get a taste of home.

Our driver gave the kids these tigers

At the entrance to the supermarket I use

Outside the supermarket

Decorations for sale

New clothes to celebrate

Even new red bras!

Lots of people buying food and beer - even the Teletubbies are celebrating

On the road to our house

Lights in downtown KaiFaQu

Lots of cute tigers

And Tigger too?

Living without the Hype

Super Bowl Monday - we were able to watch the game via the internet at 7:30am on our Monday morning. It has come and gone without much fanfare in our house. It's amazing how different this was from last year. I didn't feel any need to run out and buy Doritos and Pepsi. Nor did I want to order pizza. The kids wouldn't have known the game was on this morning if we didn't tell them. They didn't beg to stay home to watch it.

So, of course, I had to think...why?? I'm sure it's because we weren't surrounded by the hype regarding "Super Bowl Sunday" - get your friends and family together, buy that new big screen TV, eat lots of junk food. In the US you have all the ads, the displays at the supermarket, the expectation that this is an event that needs to be celebrated.

Same with Valentine's Day. We saw an ad on TV last night for "Romance Week" on National Geographic Channel. I didn't think much about it until Mike said - oh, yeah, it's Valentine's Day on Sunday. We have had NO reminders about this in our day to day life. I'm sure those of you in the US have seen the ads, the boxes of candy, the cards, the diamond commercials...

Oh, how influenced we are by marketing. How much of what we do and what we buy is influenced not by our family culture, but by what smart marketing reps think we should do? I know that they certainly have had a hold on us.

For me, this is one of the most pleasant parts about living in China. Getting away from the hype. Getting away from the ads. Getting away...

Yes, there is marketing in China, but thankfully, I don't understand it! China right now looks like Christmas in America. Chinese New Year appears to be a big buying opportunity. Special baskets of food, decorations, special clothes, etc. But I can just walk right by it. No need to buy for this holiday.

Living without the hype - yup, I love it.
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A Not So Bad Shopping Day

OK, so you know that I complain a lot about the inconvenience of shopping. Today was Thursday - which means it was shopping day. Because it takes an hour to get to Dalian, there are only certain days of the week that I have enough time to go while the kids are in school. I've been trying really hard to buy more things locally, but sometimes it is just easier to drive to Dalian because I know that I'll find what I need and I don't have to bargain on the price.

Often I go shopping with a friend - this makes it more fun because there is someone I can talk to. Otherwise, I just spend the day listening to the mutterings inside my head.

So here's what super shopping Thursday looked like today:

6:45 - Up and shower
7:20 - Wake the kids and make breakfast
8:30 - Kids off to school
8:45 - Ayi (maid) arrives (this is the good!)
9:00 - Pick up junk and clutter
9:30 - Leave for Dalian
10:30 - Shop at Decathlon (sporting goods) for snorkeling gear and birthday presents
11:00 - Shop at IKEA for birthday presents and chocolate
11:30 - Eat a hot dog at IKEA (more good!....only a part-time vegetarian!)
11:45 - Shop at Metro (like Costco, but they run over you with forklifts here...but only if you're not looking...)
12:45 - Leave for KaiFaQu (smaller town between our house and Dalian)
1:45 - Stop at Eddies to pay for bread order (more good!)
2:00 - Park on sidewalk to go to local market (needed juice boxes for Kiana's ski trip)
2:45 - Arrive home. House is clean thanks to the ayi.
2:45 - Three trips up the elevator to bring in the groceries (good it was working!)
3:00 - Done putting away stuff. Sit at computer and relax until 3:45 when school is out.

So the good - house is clean, hot dog was good, found everything I need, made it home safely. :) For a shopping day, it wasn't so bad.
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