heading home (tbt)

I’ve been back in the United States for about six months now, and although I find myself reminiscing about China, I have no regrets about leaving. Sure I’ll complain about how expensive things are in New York and how I’m much busier with work here, but it is so nice to feel like you’re at home.

For me, being back in the US means feeling like I belong, like I’m not an outsider. Not having to alter my speech into that dreaded Chinglish or hide my accent so people could understand me easier. It also means having access to great healthcare, and not worrying so much about food safety, or product safety, or water safety. It means being able to establish a routine, and not having to continually make friends. In Shanghai it was actually much easier to make friends, but only because people were constantly coming and going, so everyone was more open to meeting new people. But it got tedious. No one really lasts in Shanghai. Heck the city itself is in a state of constant flux/evolution.

I was recounting to a friend how I love flying, because I generally just fall asleep, so long hauls usually aren’t a big deal. But remember that one time I flew to Shanghai and got sick? I think that was mostly because of nerves. Because I was so terrified that I had just made a huge mistake by moving to China, and since I was already on the plane headed to China, it was too late and I was screwing myself over. With the benefit of hindsight, it was a good thing I ended up going to China. I learned a lot about myself, and I feel like I grew up a lot as well. I gained valuable work experience, made great friends, traveled to amazing places, and learned what I really wanted out of life. So even though I was pretty much convinced that moving to China was the wrong decision, I don’t regret any of it.

On my flight back to the US (or rather to Vancouver first, then the US), I slept like a baby. Well, I slept like a baby after the turbulence died down and they moved me from a squished window seat to a free row, but I probably would’ve slept like a baby regardless. No nerves or mini freak-outs whatsoever. Moving back to the US? Definitely the right decision. No questions about it.

hei/hey there!

When I was living in China, I met a ton of non-native English speakers. Not only Chinese people, but also a lot of European foreigners, many of whom had a very tenuous grasp of the English language. Some of their English was near-native. Some of their English downright sucked. But even if their speech was flawless, spelling and written grammar often proved massive hurdles.

I’m not disparaging them in the least. Goodness knows my Mandarin is merely decent and my French is just a step above abysmal. To even know (or attempt) a second language is a massive feat—one that many, many Americans don’t even bother trying. So when I got a letter from A, a French woman who has lived in China for a really long time, I couldn’t help but smile at her opening: Hei.

I’m guessing she was going for “Hey.” The funny thing is that in China, “Hei” that would actually be somewhat correct. “Hey” is a loanword that many young people use, and when written in Chinese, the character 嘿 (hēi) is used. The character is basically just a sound word/interjection that places a 口 (mouth symbol) next to 黑 (word for the color black), visually representing the sound (but not meaning) of the word for black. And when written in pinyin (romanized), it’s h-e-i.

So basically, it’s kinda like playing telephone. From English to Chinese to Chinese-tinged Franglais, hey becomes 嘿 which becomes hei.

brooklyn glass (in gowanus)

Somehow I keep ending up in Gowanus, which is a somewhat icky/industrial area of Brooklyn that is super cool these days. But still … it’s Brooklyn. And I’m a Manhattanite. I had lived in Astoria and Flushing for a bit, but I far prefer Manhattan. To me, Brooklyn is a faraway land, although it is pretty cool.

Case in point, Brooklyn Glass. Went there with some friends last night, and 25 dollars got you a handmade glass and free-flow wine or beer, which is a pretty decent price. It wasn’t so much an “event” as a fun time to drink, chat with friends, and watch people making things out of glass. It was super cool to see them pull and warp the hot glass, while trying to guess what they were making. Apparently it was supposed to be a high-heeled shoe, but it didn’t turn out all that great. And weirdly there were quite a few people wearing tie-dye (see the tie-dye shirt/toga in the above picture) … definitely a sign you’re no longer in Manhattan!

The place also holds classes, which sounds pretty neat, but probably not something I’d actually do. There are just too many other fun things to do in this city! That aren’t all the way out in Brooklyn! The only downsides of the evening were that the trains routes were weird (as they are often on the weekend), which meant a super long trek to get there, and there was some smoking, which (combined with the heat and alcohol) caused me to feel faint and we left a bit early. But yeah, still very fun.

Brooklyn Glass
brooklynglass.com
142 13th Street
Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY

battery park’s seaglass carousel

I have a thing for carousels.Ever since I had back surgery in high school, I can’t ride roller coasters. I was never that fond of roller coasters to begin with, but once that option was taken from me, I just really want to ride a roller coaster. It was even more Tantalus-like because I lived about five minutes from Kings Island (I could see their fireworks from my backyard), and when my high school physics class took a field trip to Cedar Point, guess who rode the merry-go-round again and again and again?

Anyhow, I learned to love merry-go-rounds and carousels and have made peace with the fact that I will never ride a roller coaster ever again. No matter. While roller coasters rely on screams and thrills, carousels are works of art. Take for example the SeaGlass Carousel in Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan. It was built while I was in Shanghai, so I hadn’t heard of it until I was interviewing for jobs. The firm I was interviewing at (but who didn’t get back to me until I had been at my current job for a month already – what’s up with that?!) had worked on the project and they showed me a video of it … and I was mesmerized. So when my sister was in town, I dragged her down there and we rode the carousel.

Totally awesome. Lights, colors, trippy music, and fun for all ages. It was a bit pricey at $5 for a 3.5-minute ride, so it’s not something you could ride on repeat without going broke, but I’d definitely go again.

SeaGlass Carousel
seaglasscarousel.nyc
Battery Park (entrance at State and Water Streets)
New York, NY
Open Daily, 7 AM – 7 PM

the danger of sample sales … to your wallet

Do I need a bracelet? No.
Do I need a dress? No.
Do I need a ring? No.
Did I get them anyway? Yes.

One thing I love about New York is all the sample sales. You think a normal sale is a good deal? A sample sale is an amazing deal. But since these are often high-end brands, an amazing deal can still be somewhat expensive.

Last month a friend dragged me to a House of Harlow 1960 sample sale, and I ended up purchasing a pair of earrings, a ring, and a bracelet. Last week, I was almost late for brunch because I happened to pass by a Pinkyotto sample sale in SoHo and bought a dress for $55 (a great price in my opinion). Then a few days ago, I went to a Joomi Lim sample sale and walked out ten minutes later with a ring and my wallet $50 lighter. Sigh. I really shouldn’t have spent 50 dollars on a ring. It’s really quite ridiculous. It was less than half of retail, but I keep beating myself up for it because I’m supposed to be saving money – heck, I’ve even been bringing my lunch to work! But oy, I love jewelry! And I love unique pieces. And every time I look at the ring, I think it was worth it.

Sigh.

izakaya mew – the pride of midtown

Midtown Manhattan has horrible food options. Ask any local and they’ll tell you. Midtown Manhattan is full of quick sandwich lunch options and crappy bars with decent happy hour specials. In other words, food options are usually geared towards the working masses. But since I live in Midtown Manhattan, I know three things: The food options really do suck. But they’re great if you’re looking for Korean. And if you’re not, there’s always Izakaya MEW.

32nd Street is known as “Korea Way” according to the street sign, but no one calls it that. It’s Koreatown, pure and simple. There’s a host of great Korean food in the area: Jongro (fantastic Korean barbecue), Miss Korea (not that great, but decent enough), and Food Gallery 32 (food court with good options but limited seating) all on 32nd Street, and Turntable Chicken Jazz (fried chicken!), KyoChon (more fried chicken!), and Cho Dang Gol (standard Korean) not too far away. In other words, I’ve had a lot of Korean food since I moved to Midtown. But otherwise? There’s Izakaya MEW, which I have been to waaayyy too often.

In basic, Izakaya MEW is a decently-priced restaurant with good drinks, good Japanese food, and a great environment. Its entrance is a fairly nondescript staircase leading down to its basement level, located right next door to Cho Dang Gol. The ramen isn’t too great, but I highly recommend their drinks, sushi, fried baby octopus, and potato croquettes. Wait times can vary from no wait to an hour, but they stay open quite late and in all honesty, there ain’t much else!

So yay for Izakaya MEW, you make Midtown less horrible!

Izakaya MEW
53 West 35th Street, Basement
(between 5th and 6th Avenues)
Midtown, New York, NY