New platform?

With the rain ruining my Saturday night, I've spent the past few hours trying to figure out how I can continually update and check my own blog, a luxury that I have taken for granted Stateside.

I've tentatively started trying to learn how to blog on a new website, but nothing's for sure until I'm back in Beijing. Go here: eccentriciqi.onsugar.com to take a look and vote to tell me if you like it!

It's frustrating to not be able to blog as I like to but I know regardless that I can proxy email blog on this bad boy if I had to... but wouldn't you like to continuously see pictures and funny little treats, as opposed to ill-formatted emails and posts that have pictures that don't match. A pity. I'm trying to prevent that.

Here's a small taste of what I've been up to:

It is amazing how that beer is so prominently featured...But my friend Nick and I took a food odyssey on Friday night in Ximending, the Times Square of Taipei.

Japan: Lounge Livin'

Speaking of Japan though, I did want to share the airport lifestyle that I've been living these past few days. The lounge in Tokyo-Narita...not. half. bad. 


:) and by not 1/2bad, I mean...... AWESOME.


First, where I was sitting when blogging about Beijing...

Then there was the buffet of foods:

Open bar? Why oui!

Congee? My fav snack!

Noodles? Sandwiches? Fruitcup? Cakes? I had a bite of each.


and then....

I had drinks from each fountain, with just a baby sample courtesy of the Asahi keggerator.


I lalaloved! the lounge and I'll probably be seeing it on the way back to China! Join me in Japan and you'll see this for sure!

Love Letter to Taiwan

"From the west to the east I have flown to be near you, I have come all this way, to be close, to be here with you.. and now all my heart, I will lay down precisely at your feet..." The song may be called Love Letter to Japan, but the beginning is also true to me for Taiwan.


The weather may be humid, it has rained every day that I've been here and my skin is permanently damp but Taiwan just has a certain smell that I love. It's a combination of BO, sulfur, mildew, stinky tofu, and delicious delicious food. Damn, the food is good. I'm here now until after the 4th of July and I'm seriously trying not to feast on everything in sight.

Although I did eat this.

Then there's the hair washing. Anyone who is Taiwanese will tell you that getting your hair washed is a complete NECESSITY. Why pay for it when you can do it yourself? Please, fool.
If you're in that sort of frame of mind then you don't need to come to Taipei. Hair-washing, scalp massaging and cheap blow outs are exactly my style. 


Taiwan also specializes in cute things. So far I've only taken food pictures, but I also need to diversify back to cute things. I'll keep that in the back of my mind!


The only drawback of Taiwan is the most annoying of all things, mosquitoes. But seriously, beware of the mosquitoes. Taiwanese mosquitoes are persevering creatures that are beasts of the first order. Their bites are not like those of their American cousins. If you get bitten, it starts as a familiar nip, a rise of the skin, but if you touch, then you're in trouble. Where you touch, the poison of the sucker will spread and before you know it, what started as a needle prick has become an unforgiving quarter welt proudly displayed on your forearm that will not fade for weeks on it. Forget about it if you are careless enough to scratch it. Jesus. Game over.

RE: Chinese Malls

Those sculptures reminded me of these, but less happy and blue. Hence, maybe why they're blue.

You're Luggage

Nothing tells me that I'm in Asia like an excessive play of bad 90s movies. This morning, I woke up to Eraser.

My God, the glory of Vanessa Williams before she had to play cougars on TV and Arnold with his accent still pretty much intact.


You know it's the 90s when Arnold is playing an agent gone rogue in protecting V. Williams, and in the process, with one bullet, shoots an alligator tank that holds wildly hungry and aggressive gators who don't hesitate in killing the guys from the other side. He encounters a close call with one who almost chomps down on his leg before BAM, he shoots it in the head with the gun strapped to his ank. "You're lugguge."

Beauty

I don't know why. But this is definitely a sight for sore eyes.

Bless you, D&G.

Chinese malls have the strangest things

Chinese malls are mostly empty. Most of the local people can hardly afford to pay standard Western prices for clothes that they might otherwise score cheaply elsewhere. Strangely, Chinese malls are stocked with random pieces of art, for lack of a better word.

These are two random freaky looking Western kids dressed in soccer gear, in honor of the World Cup, I'm assuming.

But if those things are in honor of the World Cup, I'm not quite sure what these are.

They kind of look like the aliens in the arcade from Toy Story? Maybe in honor of Toy Story 3? Who knows? Very strange indeed.If you can place them, do post!

Even Coke looks cuter in Asia

I don't know how they do it, I think it's called having a sound PR and Marketing firm that knows their public... but this Fanta - so cute.

.

I even like this Diet Coke because in places outside of America, the World Cup matters!

Damn door knob

I love my cousin's apartment in Beijing. He lives extremely close to the bar street, almost TOO close. He has centralized air conditioning, which is amazing. Almost 180 degrees of window, maybe more, maybe less and a refrigerator stocked full of beer. PERFECTION, with the exception of ONE thing, this:

This damn door knob and I have had 4 altercations, all of which I have lost. I now have three purple and yellow bruises on my left arm and one purple bruise on my right. Can you imagine slamming into the same place multiple times? Killer.

Blogging in and out of China

Now that I'm out of China, it's so refreshing to be able to look at Youtube and Facebook whenever I want. I'm on my way to Taipei now, with a short layover in Japan, just short enough for me to blog about a few of the things that I've seen while traveling.

While I'm in China, until i can get a VPN, I'll be blogging via email, which means that I will have no power to format any of my pictures into my blog. But, for the next two weeks, I'm going to go nuts!

First of all, this is true in all of Asia - if it's something is delicious, if you add a cute cartoon on top of it, it'll be more delicious.

Exhibit A:

 

Does it even matter what this bad boy is selling? It's so fucking cute!

But I bet you're curious, aren't you?

Have a look!

They're freshly blended smoothies! .. and on the other side

and at the same cafe apparently was this happylemon's little friend,

Weird cloud baby with antennae on the head. SO CUTE!

Things that I bought today

1. A legit hairdryer to make sure my locks are luscious and ionized. 200 rmb = 30 USD.... which if I do say so, is more than I paid for mine at home. Ah, the price of beauty.

2. 3 DVDs for the hard prices of 24 rmb = 3.5 USD. I don't watch movies in the States for this reason.

PS. Yesterday I bought another rolling duffel bag. I will be reorganizing my bags into.. maybe more bags? PRAY FOR ME.

Beijing 2010

Yes, I'm in Beijing and completely reachable. Scroll all the way down and click on the call me link, type in your phone number and it will connect you to me. Don't you absolutely love technology?

Things I've discovered while in China. I love it. I can't believe I'm back and it frightens me to death that this isn't just a vaca. Today I lunched at DingTaiFeng, then did a little bit of shopping. My jetlag isn't so bad but I confess, right now.. I think I might have given myself a mini microderm abrasion this morning drying my face from the shower JUST ON THE LEFT SIDE OF MY FACE-- therefore I will not be going out. I look like Phantom of the fucking Opera. WHAT THE HELL!!!!!! I spent like 30 mins looking online to see whether or not I had contracted a fungus on the plane and was freaking out but I think I just scraped off layers of skin with a dry ass towel.

The flight was nice. ATL - SEA - PEK. Seattle was fun again! I never imaged that I would be back after going in April but... again, the dimsum was good and the people friendly! The Beijing flight was 11 hours long but I managed to score a business class seat, which means I slept in a 180 bed and I got to watch Valentine's Day and Sherlock Holmes on demand. V-day, ok. Sherlock Holmes -= LOVED IT.

Three course meal and unlimited red wine. Why thank you. Will do. 

Vat else? Well.. the smog is terrible. It's hot but not too hot.... the people are less than friendly and the traffic is not a little bad.

I'm staying at my cousin's for the moment, and I will be in Taiwan in about 3 or 4 days. AND, I might have already bought this watch.

I miss you, my friends. Please comment and visit often!

Less than 12 hours remaining in America

God Bless,World Cup. HOT, SO MUCH HOT. (Warning: Link is not about sports, just the men...)

Kaka!

I've packed it in. Sort of. Tomorrow I'm leaving on a jet plane.. with a 48 lber, 49 lber, 32 lber, two computers in a bag, and another tote.

STUFF, so much stuff. Tired. So tired. Am I excited, yes! When I'm in China, you should call me. You can by scrolling aaaaaaaaaaall the way down and hitting the Call Me! Link. It won't work until I have high speed internet, but it will work!

Text me as well. After tomorrow, my cell phone will no longer be in use. It may be in service, but don't call it anymore!

If you want my numbers, leave a post!

Look for emails in your inbox soon!

Less than 36 hours remaining in America

Ok. I have officially finished nothing.

24 hours remaining and I have finished packing ONE suitcases. 50 lbs. No more, no less.

The other remaining duffel weighs 43 lbs and must hold oh.... 6 more pairs of shoes... and a TON of other stuff.

How do you move your life in 100 lbs?

Things that I'm not happy about leaving behind: 
pack of 64 Crayola crayons
ALL of my BOOKS
Beautiful Anthropologie plates that I lovingly purchased
my car

Less than 100 hours left in America

With less than 100 hours remaining, I believe I can now start my list of things to do and things that I will miss. This is an ongoing list and will continue to change. Feel free to check back at any time.

Things that I need to do:

Finish scanning picture books to be taught to my kids
Print photos of friends and family!

Figure out the weight of my suitcases and make sure that they do not exceed 20 kilos each. If they do... then make sure they don't exceed 50 lbs each. OVERWEIGHT BAGGAGE charges here I come!

As of 9p Monday:
Duffel: 26 lbs.. now 33
Suitcase: 47 lbs.. now 43
Total of 73 lbs... somehow that's now 76 lbs

Send emails to friends and family on how to contact me.

PACK:
Dictionary
Nail polish
Headphones
Old electronics that I haven't used in forever but I think will actually be useful: aka, tape recorder and cd player.
Stickers, Temp Tats for the kids
Makeup
Belts, Scarves, Headbands
Notebooks
Jewelry
ONE TOWEL, SHEET
ALL OF MY UNDERWEAR/SOCKS
shoes: pumps, flats, tennies
Shampoo, conditioner, straightener, curling iron
Cutting knife, sandwich bags
sailor hat? (this is probably not useful but... my god, I can do whatever I want with this sailor hat)

BUY:

The prints of photos of my friends and fam
Saline solution
BUG SPRAY

Things that I will miss:

The idea that drinks should be cold. Ice cubes, I will miss you so much. Warm beer? Why yes, I'll still drink you.
The over usage of air conditioning.. everywhere. Hello muggy heat and sweating right out of the shower.
Middle Eastern food. Japanese, Thai, Hamburgers, Cheese, Malbecs, Blueberries, COKE ZERO, Chickfila
Hulu
my CHI
baking cupcakes
use of a dryer
Target
all of these things.

Things I can't wait to do: 

See my friends in Asia: Keiko, Greg, Auggie, Yasu, Fei, Nick

Watch World Cup in the middle of the night

Eat disgustingly yummy things and post pictures of it for your enjoyment.

Get my hair washed in Taiwan

Eat deliciously fresh Japanese food.
Ramen.

Not feel ashamed about taking food photos because EVERYONE does it in Asia. That's a billion people, fools.

Liquid yogurt

Cheap DVDs, shoes, purses

WORLD CUP TODAY

Beginning today, for a month, I pledge to watch as much soccer as humanly possible. Since I am without ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPN 3, I will be watching most of it on Univision. YAY COPA MUNDIAL!

Here is a schedule of World Cup matches being played. Let me know if you're watching any games. I am always game! THIS is actually a cooler schedule.. but the same.

Who says no to this?

The End of a Cupcake Era!

...which from this instance and beyond will be known as the Cupcakera. Don't smirk. It was either the Cupcakera or Christine's Cupcake Kingdom, to be shortened into Cupkingdom... which sounds like a fun place to be if you ask me.



From September 24th of 2009 to today, June 10, 2010, I have baked cupcakes with reverence and love. I have worshiped at the altar of Wilton and created, in my mind, at least, - amateur masterpieces of confection. (Does that sentence even make sense?... sorry over-caffeination has rendered me a bumbling idiot.)

It started as a gift to myself, Hello Kitty cupcakes for my birthday when I knew that no one else would bake me one. Then....  it became a small treat for my kids, which later progressed into cupcakes for all occasions!

As far as I could tell everyone loved them. My only pet peeve was when people called them muffins. Muffins are similar but are seemingly healthy and not iced. The icing of my cupcakes was the best part!

Enjoy! (Is it sad that I just discovered Picasa slideshow.. only to have it taken away when I'm no longer in America! China has this baby blocked!)

Cycling Hipsters Beware

Look you fucking hipster. If you think that you deserve to ride your bike in between a truck with 8+ wheels and my 3k pound ride and survive, you're sadly mistaken. The rules of the road still apply. The fact that I almost ran you down today because I was riding on a shopping high means that a) you almost died, b) you're counting on the mercy factor and the fact that killing someone would ruin my high. I hate you as I braked to 5 miles an hour to look at you pedal in your too damn tight hipster jeans as I wonder how you could have any muscles in order to cycle. Maybe if you had more developed calves we wouldn't be in this situation!

Just so I never forget

When I told a woman at my office that I was moving to China, she promptly asked me...

"You're not moving to China to learn how to do nails, are you?"

You've gotta be fucking kidding me right?

She was NOT, I repeat. WAS NOT kidding. She seriously wanted to know if I was quitting my salaried job to learn to paint nails. in China.

I love that on my first and last days at the VA, two different grown 40+ year old women asked me if I did nails.

Wow. Asian American Appreciation month TOTALLY worked.

On a totally related sequitur, my friend introduced me to some really cool nail polish, which I would have otherwise purchased already, but you know I'll be moving to China to learn how to do nails, so why bother with Western prices? I won't really go into the details but basically it's like 50 nail polish bases with different coatings on top that you can do to drastically alter the color. It's like mix and match or some sort of awesome art project that you can accomplish.. all on your nails.

If you like what you see, you should totally check it out here.

New Directions

If you thought this might be a post about my leaving.. not yet my darling. All in good time.

This is about GLEE. This is NOT about the finale; this is about how New Directions sounds just like Nude Erections.

Say it aloud. New Directions. Nude Erections. New Directions. Nude Erections. New Directions. Nude Erections. Mwahahahaha. You might have just said Erections 3x.

After a quick Google search, I have come to find that there is a New Direction Hair salon and  New Direction Counseling Center in the metro Atlanta area. HOW mortifying would it be for either one of their patrons to realize that they were actually attending Nude Erections Hair (ha!) and Nude Erections Counseling Center (perhaps this is a problem that they are addressing).

Oh Glee, how I loved your finale, I won't spoil anything because I'm afraid some people haven't watched it and are waiting until after work...let's just say that I'm sure season 2 will be rife with drams and I can't wait to see Uncle Jesse, John Stamos act as the counselor's new love interest.

... and just because I want people to love on the poetry that is Bust Your Windows, I've posted this song that you should click to enjoy.

Now playing: Spice World

SPICE WORLD, a totally appropriate movie to watch at all times.... is playing in its entirety on hulu.com. The last time I saw Spice World was freshman year at Georgia during finals. I needed to be studying but instead I was forced by the Spice Girls to enjoy life.

I'm only 15 mins in but did you know:

1. Spice Girls play chess
2. Roger Moore has a cameo?

Definitely worth another view, wouldn't you say? CLICK HERE TO SEE!

(210/365) ~ (215/365) June Joy

(210/365) Let's get a spoon so we can spoon

 

Thursday after work at the VA. My last Thursday and Leana bought dessert for us at Zaya. Oo Sugar Mama! Three spoons for me, JPalm and Leandra! I miss you ya'll already!

(211/365) It's OVER!

Shopping spree receipt. Spot the savings, yo! Happy last day of work!

(212/365) Theme Party!

I can only hope that when I grow older, I'll constantly be willing to dress up in bell bottoms and tie dye. Strangers on the rooftop of Mike's swank apartment lounge area.

(213/365) Meghan's

Meghan at Meghan's. This was after midnight, so it counts.

(214/365) SPICY CHICKEN SANDWICH

The Spicy Chicken Sandwich has arrived at Chickfila. It was surprisingly spicy, in a pure non greasy covered in sludge way. It's spicy from spices. Delicious! I will miss you!

 (215/365) China things that I bought today

Hello Target brand drugs! I think they're so cute! Is it sad that I'm happy that they'll all match?

Note to World

FYI, Sobe lifewater... the vitamin enhanced water beverage in mango melon: c-boost does not taste good. Not even when it's ice cold, freed from the refrigerator when I'm super thirsty. Oh god! I'm drinking some sort of light perfume or dish washing detergent!

 

Consider this your warning! and.. btw, it's Tuesday, I woke up at 9:40 am. I am officially unemployed.

I'm assuming you already know about this!

Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Beiber

Baby, baby, baby oOOooOOo!

I'm FREE: Shopping Spree

Yesterday was my last day at work at the VA. Not my last day of work forever – which is a relief because I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if it was. I’d have to find my own work… which is exactly how this blog got started. In another blog, I’d probably share my feelings with you about that… but too bad I’m just not that sort of girl and this isn’t that sort of blog.

What’s the first thing I did when I left work? I went to Wal-mart. Specifically, this one.
I loathe this place.
I loathe the fact that I almost tripped walking in, I loathe Tamika, the bitch at the optometrist’s who hates me just as much. Sometimes these things just have to be done. What was I doing? Running my health insurance to the ground!  I was informed that I have 31 days left on my health insurance, so from now until June 16, it’s going to be a drug grab! FYI, Wal-mart has $15.99 Acuvue 2 contacts. The $130 deductible on my supplemental eye health insurance… gone. Hello 7 boxes of contacts that I’ve been slowly paying for the past six months.

After a Wal-mart Fail, I lunched at Café Bombay before happening across a Rite Aid with a peculiar banner.


75% off everything in the entire store!!!

This one goes completely to Stepperroo who doesn’t read this blog and will never know of her part in the sick pleasures that were about to occur. It all started a few weekends ago at the Supper Club when she told me that she got her watch at a local chain of giftshops, Limetree… I was driving past her casa and saw that Limetree, which made me stop – and what was next door but the Rite Aid.

I tend to not trust bright yellow banners hung hastily over formally made signs… but this time I decided to push my perceptions aside and go for it. I took a breathe and walked in.

OH. MY. GOD. Everything in the store was 75% off. I’m talking.. cosmetics, all new, not old clearance shit. Cosmetics were new. Everything in a drug store.. 75% off.. I headed straight to the drugs.

No drugs.
Wait.
No drugs?

Oh well, I went back to the cosmetics and bought several randomly marked up and then 75% off lip moisturizers. Then, I bought several mascaras, then I bought random packing things that I am going to need in China. Fortunately, I had my list in my purse! Womp womp, yes.. I might have created a 100+ itemized list of all the things I’m going to need in China – which might have been a crazy endeavor but I’m a lot, LOT saner for doing it.

 MINE NOW.

Hello, random tubes of cold medication, DVD-Rs, gum, travel converter, swankass toothbrushes that I would never ever normally buy because I know that I can have travel toothbrushes for free. A box of hairdye for my maman.

I had so much stuff in my hands. There were no baskets. Fortunately, Lindsey found two pumpkins that we could fill with our druggie treats.

OMG, I was on a shopping HIGH. Shopping sprees and near death experiences trigger the same sort of emotion from within.

Nail polish? Hair ties? Colgate wisps? Tampons? Headphones? Yes, yes, YES, YES YES!!!


I paid $40 for 25 things.

I left on a cloud of shopping bargains. To think, if I hadn’t left early from work today, I wouldn’t have been in this place, at this time.

Some things are meant to be!

(206/365) ~ (209/365)

(206/365) Living Large on the Lobstah

Pre-fried with onions and ginger. I love my father.

(207/365) Friendlies in America

In case you were wondering, Tasty China, really tasty. Second of all, suck that China Intellectual Property Rights! You just got powned by a Chinese resto in Amurrica.

(208/365) Work Sketch

I've been relegated to answering phones for an hour a day at work. In that time, I'm not allowed to surf on the computer. Since I forgot my copy of the Economist... I decided to fold stars and draw Hello Kitty. Here is one. Hello.

(209/365) The Rage

I found out today that these Silly Bandz, are just as their website says, the hottest fashion accessory in today's high schools! They're simply rubber bands shaped like animals that you can't use as a real rubber band, you wear it like a bracelet... and when you take it off your wrist, it's shaped like an animal, dinosaur, western or pet. I like them. My friend and I agree, we wish they were shaped like countries. I would like to wear America around my wrist!

Cake matters!

Ya'll, it's summer in the South... and you know what that means! WEDDINGS. With every wedding, there must be a cake, or CAKES, because there's the bride's cake and the groom's cake. This is just how it's done.

The taste of the cake must be divine. I don't care what flavor it is, if the buttercream somehow simultaneously melts in my mouth and has a light sweet lingering creamy sensation that swirls around my tongue..... your wedding will have been a hit.

Obviously I'll be judging your colors, flowers, dress fitting, appetizers, meal: sit down or buffet, open bar, cash bar, wine bar, wine and beer bar, coffee bar, and parting gifts.... but those things aside.. the cake, let it be gorgeous.

This is one that I saw online that I fell in love with. I would also like this pattern on any dress or shoes at this point, but on a cake. So whimsical! Let's not lie, the entire point of this article was to be able to post this wedding cake photo.  My biggest regret was missing the cake at two of the weddings that I've attended. Tequila will taste the same the next day... the cake will not.

The Ginger Fox

Not to be confused with the Silver Fox (who is Anderson Cooper, and this one man at my office who wears pants amazingly well. Gentlemen, please be advised, well fitting pants = the bee's knees!), Prince Harry's imminent arrival stateside to some sort of polo match June 26 in NYC has allowed me to review my thoughts on a well worn comparison of William vs. Harry. Heir vs. Spare.... and obvi as of like.. 2008, William < Harry.

When William went from THIS

 oh la!

to a sad receding THIS

My eyes turned past the heir and settled on the spare. My, my. With that come hither pose, Prince Harry took from William the throne of hotness.

That's some serious rawrrrr. What girl hasn't thought about how awesome it would be to be a royal and to be married to this?

Yeah.. Just forget about that one instance where the Hot Ginger Fox decided to dress up as a Nazi for Halloween (for my purposes, photo not available) and think of only the good times.... when he's wearing blue.

The fact that Harry can hold his own next to the sizzling hotness that is Nacho Figueras.. incredible. Although it may be nice to dream of being a royal, when I look too deeply into Nacho's eyes, I melt. Then, I remember his name is Nacho.