Away

September 28, 2006 at 5:22 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

As you may have guessed, I will be away from my computer for the next 10-12 days. But I promise great new pictures and stories when I return. I’m also brainstorming new topics. So keep reading and writing me emails or comments. I may not respond for the next few days, but I will read them all at some point.

In the meantime, a story…Last night my boss hosted a somewhat formal Chinese dinner with lots of food and lots of toasts and lots of rounds of gan bei. It was mostly foreigners but there were enough Chinese speakers there to necessitate speaking both languages. So I told a story in Chinese. It was funny. And people laughed! … I made a joke in Chinese! How fantastic is that! I think that means my Chinese is progressing.

中秋节快乐！

月饼节快乐！(yes, I know you can’t really say that in Chinese, but it sounds funny)

And Happy October National Day! (sorry don’t know how to type that in Chinese)

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Encounters with Entrepreneurship

September 28, 2006 at 8:54 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Entrepreneurship & Business, Entrepreneurship

Last night I went to a meeting of the Shanghai Entrepreneurs Group (SEG), so thought today I’d write my first post about Entrepreneurship. But first let me comment on that group. It is a rather eclectic group of both entrepreneurs and people interested in entrepreneurship. Although the majority of the fields were something related to the internet there were some diverse industries as well, from agriculture to coffin export. As I predicted, there were only 5 women there (out of ~35people), including myself. And one was there simply for ‘entertainment’ as she put it, so clearly not an entrepreneur. Which makes it less than 5 women attending for the actual entrepreneur group. Not surprising. Fairly good mix of locals and expats, though.

Anyway, on to today’s topic:

My Encounters with Entrepreneurship

Prior to college, I had never even thought of entrepreneurship, didn’t know what an entrepreneur was, wasn’t even aware of the concept. This is a bit strange, though, since my mom had co-founded a construction company when I was in high school and my newly acquired step-father is a serial entrepreneur. But I apparently didn’t put their efforts in beginning those companies together with the term ‘entrepreneur’ and had never really thought of that as an option for myself.

Freshman year at USC I dated a guy who had a concentration in entrepreneurship through the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurship. During this relationship I started to understand the concept. As he struggled to write a business plan and come up with as accurate as possible financials, I thought this is not for me. (I wasn’t even a business major at this time.) I thought, I definitely won’t take that class, I’m meant to be in the corporate world, not starting my own business, let him have that and deal with the seemingly overwhelming task of writing projected financials.

Then freshman year was over, he graduated, and I moved on to my interests in promoting women’s advancement in business, conducting business in cross-cultural settings, etc. So sophomore passed and I never again thought about it. After my summer in Europe or sometime during my junior year, my mom contemplated retiring from the law firm and questioned whether to start another business. I gave her advice on the aspects of her proposed business that I was familiar with. And we kind of joked well after I graduate we can start a business together. But I still felt so removed from the actual concept of being an entrepreneur that I thought, yea funny, it’ll never happen.

After junior year and my internship in Hong Kong, I returned to USC for my last year. Partly because of my excitement in returning from my exchange program and due to my ever-lasting interest in cross-cultural interaction, I volunteered to be a host for exchange students. And I asked them why they chose to come to USC and many said for the entrepreneurship program. I was surprised. We have an entrepreneurship department? Is it any good? (Well, yes, actually it is. That was the main reason my boyfriend freshman year attended USC). Ok, whatever, still not interested. And they asked me, ‘can you recommend any entrepreneurs I can interview for my class?’ No, I thought, I don’t know any entrepreneurs.

Spring break of senior year I had the choice of 2 different business trips: one to Tokyo or one to Rio de Janeiro. It was a difficult decision, but I chose Rio and that seemingly fun decision could prove to be one of the most pivotal decisions of my life.

The unique thing about the trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is that is was co-sponsored by the USC Entrepreneur Club. I never would have had any interest or any reason to join this club. But since they did much of the planning for the trip and had a professor of entrepreneurship as a chaperone, much of the trip was focused on entrepreneurship. We listened to social entrepreneurs and very successful heads of now some of the world’s largest corporations that started out as mere entrepreneurship ventures a few decades ago. And especially beneficial for me is that I learned about entrepreneurship in a cross-cultural setting. I also found out many of the students in the group had their own (successful) businesses and they were younger than I! Wow! Suddenly entrepreneurship didn’t seem so remote anymore. Finally, it was a concept I understood, and a name attached to a specific concept. And there were people my age doing it successfully. From that standpoint, it was truly an eye-opening experience.

After that trip, I started to look back over my family and my life and wonder why I hadn’t been exposed to this before. Well, actually I have. My uncle is an entrepreneur, my step-father is a serial entrepreneur, and now my mom is a two-time entrepreneur. Some how I just didn’t put their businesses together with the name and the concept and definitely never thought I’d be in their shoes.

About this time I also started exploring the option of moving to Shanghai after graduation, so I started talking to my friend Ian, who had recently moved to Beijing, asking him for advice and whatnot on moving to such a foreign country. And besides giving me great advice he told me he and a partner started their own business in Beijing. I was shocked! Here was another person my age that had started his own business, and in the country I was moving to! Amazing! Slowly, I started to put the pieces together. I could be an entrepreneur and start my own business in Shanghai.

When I look back now, I wonder why I never put all the pieces together. I apparently have a family history of it and therefore have been exposed to it for years. In fact, my mom has become my most important personal and business mentor. Despite all the signs, it was definitely Brazil trip that put it all together for me and made it all clear. So, now when USC business majors ask me for advice, I tell them to take an entrepreneurship class. You just never know how close you may actually be to becoming an entrepreneur and even if you don’t ever become one, you’ll still learn valuable business lessons in that class. Not taking such a class is now my biggest regret from college. I don’t have any formal training in entrepreneurship and I missed the opportunity to be taught by some of the best entrepreneurship professors in the country.

So my advice, look around you. My bet is that you know far more entrepreneurs than you ever imagined. Entrepreneurship is a global reality, without it the world would be a far less efficient place. You, too, just may be destined to be the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.

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Hong Kong–things I love and am excited to return to

September 27, 2006 at 9:16 am · Filed under Tourism, Traveling

Having lived the majority of 2005 in Hong Kong for my exchange program and internship, I am very familiar with the city and grew rather attached to some aspects of it. Therefore, I am very happy to being going back to Hong Kong late next week.

So this post is

All the Things I Love about Hong Kong
&
All the Things I’m Excited to Return to in Hong Kong

• Friends! I get to see many, many friends from university study abroad programs and college, as well as former colleagues. Can’t wait to see you guys again! Hope that you will show me your version of the city so I can see it from the eyes of a native.
• Transportation! Hong Kong has one of the cleanest, safest, and most efficient urban public transportation systems anywhere in the world. You won’t find any food, gum, or bums here. Gotta love the MTR, KCR, and the widely accepted Octopus Card.
• Esprit Outlet! That’s right girls. Hong Kong has the only Esprit outlet in the world (that I know of) and its very close to TST MTR station. Its only 1 block west of Nathan Road on Kowloon Peninsula. Its 2 stories and not only has clothes (girls & guys), but makeup, perfume, shoes, bags, etc. And the clothes are cheaper than the regular retail stores in China.
• Lan Kwai Fong! About 3 blocks of solid bars, restaurants, clubs, and people drinking on the streets. Need I say more? Models at Volar, getting hit on by a USC parent, drinking in front of club 7-11, watching your friends look for you and laughing that they can’t find you, getting hit by rubber balls, walking up narrow stairs in high heels, seeing random friends you didn’t even know were in HK, and at the end of the night a line of 50 taxis waiting to take you home safely. Great times at LKF!
• Chun King Mansions & Indian Food! An entire building of companies run by indians. This means some of the best, most reasonably priced Indian food outside of India. And you don’t just go for the food, you go for the experience. Imagine: 20 Indian men running up to you with menus and cards for their restaurants say ‘you hungry, miss?, you want Indian food, miss?, my restaurant’s the best, I give you good price, I give you a discount, try my resturant, miss.’ All the while a security guard tries to beat them back so you can make a decision which fabulous restaurant to eat at. Ah, then comes the best part, riding up a rickety elevator thinking ‘oh god, where is this man taking me?’ Then ending up in a authentically decorated, rich spiced-scented restaurant, with a table of Indian people just finishing their meal. By this you know its a good restuarant but because they are leaving you won’t be distracted from enjoying your gloriously rich chicken vindaloo or curry by their loud chattering. Indian food, here I come.
• Victoria Harbor! One of the most gorgeous and recognizable skylines anywhere in the world. With a light show at 8pm choreographed to music, the view of HK Island from the tip of Kowloon Peninsula is a show not to be missed. Bring your tripod because with a pitch black sky and some of the most colorful buildings you’ve ever seen, this is a photo opportunity not to be ruined by an unsteady hand. Though I’ve seen the light show a few times and seen the buildings’ lights tens of times from many different angles, I’m still seeking the perfect photo. What a romantic way to spend a balmy Hong Kong evening.
• Food! Hong Kong has some of the world’s best cuisine and most diverse collection of restaurants (can’t say their Mexican food is anything to rave about tho). Nonetheless, I have managed to select a few favorites.
• Pho Saigon! First time I had Vietnamese food and despite having tried it many locations since then, its still my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Noodles, lemongrass chicken, drinks, dessert, they do it all well. And its a very good value, too. Authentic, home style, & the owner chatted with my Vietnamese friend in Vietnamese. Suitable for loud meals with friends or if you’re a single diner and don’t want a high-pressure solitary dining experience. 2 Locations: Hong Kong Island b/t WanChai MTR & Causeway Bay MTR, and Kowloon b/t Mongkok and the stop north of there. (Can’t remember the exact addresses but you can google it.)
• Hui Lau Shan! Mango drinks, mango drinks, and more mango drinks. So good. And even mango drinks with sago (little white tapioca). So good. Location: Various stands and shops throughout the city, including many in Causeway Bay and 1 in the Kowloon-Macau ferry terminal.
• Crystal Jade! One of my favorite Chinese restaurants because they have all my Chinese favorites: xiao long bao (soup filled dumplings), dan dan mian (peanut sauce noodles), spicy noodles, and many other wonderful choices that basically make up my favorite Chinese foods. Their desserts are even reasonably tasty for Chinese desserts. Many locations, including Causeway Bay subway station and Harbour Centre (TST).

Wow! This has really gotten me excited to return to Hong Kong! Yay! Anyway, I hope I’ve inspired you to check out some of the unique delights Hong Kong has to offer.

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Death-Defying Traffic in China

September 26, 2006 at 5:52 am · Filed under Knowledge and Experiences

Traffic in Shanghai and Beijing, and presumably in all overcrowded megacities in China, is dangerous, maddening, frightening, bordering on death- defying. Due to lax enforcement, traffic laws are little more than suggestions and lanes no more than distracting lines on the street. The only regulator of traffic seems to be stop lights but motorscooters, bicycles, and right-hand turners don’t even seem to heed the lights. And honestly, I often walk when the ‘Don’t Walk’ sign is lit.

With scooters and bikes swerving in and out of traffic and taxis stopping without warning, one begins to develop respect for the drivers who avoid crashes and become awed by their awareness and responsiveness. Though seeing accidents is Shanghai seems rare, China actually has a very high accident rate as a whole. The rate sounds low when compared with the US; however, when compared with the US’s rate as a per car ratio, China actually has a serious accident rate that is 10-times(!) that of the U.S.

For pedestrians, it isn’t any easier. As bikes and motorscooters come around the corner at full speed, even though they have a red light, with the only warning being another loud noise, its pedestrians beware. Sidewalks aren’t safe either as bikes and motorscooters and 3-wheeled carts often think the sidewalk is there highway. They also zip in and out of seemingly abandoned driveways and alleyways that cut across sidewalks. Though most major intersections have crosswalks and indicator signals, again, these are merely suggestions.

When, as a pedestrian, facing the onslaught of vehicles, I asked my Shanghainese friend, how do you tell whose turn it is? Her perfectly serious response, “Whoever has more power.” I laughed, thinking that’s a scary way to decide, not to mention if that’s seriously true, pedestrians would never get anywhere (which, of course, is not the case). So we discuss it and eventually decide whoever goes is whoever dares to go. Of course, taxis can’t purposely run down pedestrians and pedestrians don’t willingly walk in front of a speeding taxi. So ultimately it comes down to whoever dares to go in the expectation the other is less aggressive and so will avoid a collision. It took me about 2 weeks of being in Shanghai before I was able to leave my apartment without expecting to die every time I crossed the street. Needless to say, the fear of Shanghai traffic is not easily overcome.

In many ways the traffic (at least in SH & BJ) is a microcosm of Chinese culture itself. Its selfish, aggressive, impatient, high-pressure, and defiant of laws and regulations in the absence of enforcement. Is this an adolescent phase in Chinese culture (transitional period in China’s traffic/driving development) or this a permanent characteristic of Chinese society (destiny of China’s driving conditions due to lack of planning)? ?

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欢迎光临,中国的朋友们

September 25, 2006 at 5:14 am · Filed under Uncategorized

中国的朋友们,大家好！ 欢迎光临！ 我来自美国，现居住在上海。2006年5月， 我毕 业于坐落在洛杉矶的南加州大学（University of Southern California） 国际 商务专业。 2006年7月我来到上海居住。 我在上海开办了自己的公司，成为了一名企业家。此外，我还教授英文。 我希望你们能够对我的网站发表评论，以帮助我了解你们的想法和观点。你们的任何意见对我来说都非常重要，因为我想要通过自己的blog向世界展现一个真实 的中国。 我希望你们会看英文，并每天关注我的blog.

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Always so much to do in Shanghai: events & activities

September 25, 2006 at 3:34 am · Filed under Knowledge and Experiences, Tourism

More and more friends and acquaintances are asking me what’s going on, what can we do this week, where to eat, and where to buy something (at least this one makes sense, given my company). I’m not sure why, maybe its because I’ve been here longer than many of them (shocking isn’t it, considering I’ve been here a little over 2 months, but that just shows the turnover of expats–or half-pats–in China) or maybe its just because I make a point of being ‘in the know.’ Its definitely flattering to have people ask me for advice and I’ve always been one to enjoy being knowledgeable about something, so I shall have to try to keep up this role. Just to show my knowledge of and involvement in the city, I’ll tell you a few highlights of what I’ve done in the last week: I’ve been to 2 art/photography shows, I went out drinking 5 of the last 7 nights, I went to 2 networking events, and I’ve tried 4 new restaurants. If this isn’t enough for you, here’s the schedule I made for Rola to show her all the events we could go to last week:

Monday: Swing dancing at Tanghui Bar. No cover. 9:30pm til late. Also, Zapatas–free Margaritas for ladies

Tuesday: I Love Shanghai (on the Bund) Tuesday night, b/c ladies drink free all night.

Wed: California club for ladies night. Also, Zapatas–free Margaritas for ladies

Thursday: Oriented Happy Hour is Thursday this week, so register online. There’s also Fabrique (for after, maybe) with Latin, Arabic, & African music and RMB15 vodka martinis. Or alternatively, movie night at the US Consulate on Nanjing Road. Or, EPWS networking and membership renewal night at Sasha’s.

Friday: Watch the USC football game on Friday from 6:30-9:30 at Big Bamboo (I think its just north of Nanjing Rd, 132 Nanyang Road, near Tongren Rd).

Saturday: Macy Gray is in concert at the F1 opening ceremony on Saturday, Sept 23 at 9p. tickets from RMB168-1588. tel: 6212-2929

Of course, I don’t find all these events & activities by myself and neither are they listed all in 1 place. The main way I find out about them is by reading That’s Shanghai, City Weekend-Shanghai, and SH (see Blogroll. Yes, I know blogroll is for blogs, not magazine websites, but they update their content, so it works). I also hear about them through email listserves I’ve subscribed to since being in Shanghai.

Anyway, whether you’re a tourist coming to Shanghai or newly arrived expat/half-pat, the magazines are great resources. They are mostly free and are available in bars and restaurants, or checkout their website.

P.S. Half-pat (a term I picked up from City Weekend) is derived from the term expat (expatriate). An expat is someone who is sent overseas by their employer with full benefits including housing, extra compensation, children’s private school tuition, and in China, car, driver, maid/nanny, etc. A half-pat is someone who goes overseas and then finds a job. City Weekend defines ‘”half-pats” as the new foreigners coming to China with half the luxuries (or less, in my case) of a traditional ex-pat. Half-pats left their home countries looking for something and found it in China. They’ve started careers here (instead of being sent over by a company), are generally more interested in Chinese culture and language and have a deeper connection to the Chinese community.’ Of course, I am one example; other examples include Ian, Andrew, & Jeffrey. Best of luck to all the half-pats out there.

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Qibao — a Shanghai water town

September 24, 2006 at 5:29 am · Filed under Knowledge and Experiences, Tourism

Since Shanghai is situated in a delta (the Yangtze Delta, to be exact) the natural landscape is extremely flat. Also because of its location on a delta and because people have been living in the region for hundreds of years, there are small ‘water towns’ in Shanghai’s suburbs and in the surrounding region. These water towns vary in size, popularity, and familiarity to Westerners. Today, Elva and I visited one of the smaller, lesser known water towns. We went to Qibao, which is mostly south and a little east of the Hongqiao airport, already itself way in the southern part of the city. Nonetheless, the water town wasn’t too far away as we were able to take a standard city bus almost all the way there and it took less than 45min.

The town itself has been largely reconstructed in old Chinese style to be more appealing to tourists. Nonetheless, it is fairly charming despite the crowds. There are about 3 or 4 bridges spanning the river, also in the old Chinese style and a few boats were taking people up or down the very short river. It seems like a win-win situation: the town can attract day visitors and generate revenue from people who go there to lunch, shop, and appreciate the old Chinese architecture, while the people can step into their past and leave the modern city without actually traveling very far. The government has done a good job making it into a special tourist spot.

Hopefully in the next few months I shall be able to take longer day trips to the other surrounding water towns such as Songjiang and Zhouzhuang.

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How I’ve benefitted from going abroad

September 23, 2006 at 1:48 am · Filed under Knowledge and Experiences, Learning through Foreign Cultures

Ways that I’ve benefitted from spending time abroad:

• Independence: Spending significant time in time-zones vastly different from that of my parents’ has allowed me to develop into my own person. Without their nearness, I have become more independent, resourceful, and capable. I also now have my own aspirations, hopes, dreams, views, and opinions.
• Name Brands: I’ve become far less concerned with which brand of clothing, shoes, handbag, etc, I or anyone else is wearing. Though as Americans we may think our brands have a global presence (and many do), American clothing brands mean far less overseas than they do at home. Like any young girl in the US, I used to care who was sporting which designer brand but after spending time in Europe and realizing that brands can and do change their image across countries, the whole concept seemed far more fluid. Especially in Asia, where the same factory can produce for multiple labels and there is such a proliferation of brands and knock-offs of brands its nearly impossible to tell what’s real and what’s fake, it doesn’t seem to matter to me or anyone else. As long as you’re smartly dressed, in quality clothes, that fit you properly, it doesn’t matter to me. Its actually quite a relief to not be a brand whore and instead just enjoy shopping for clothes because of their style and affordability.
• Calmed mind: As someone who always had 50 things running around in her mind telling her to keep busy and do the next thing, before going abroad, I could never relax. However, with the change of pace I encountered in Europe, particularly the lifestyle of the Spanish, I slowly was able to calm my mind and just enjoy being. Lazy afternoons at a cafe, people watching and enjoying the setting used to be painful as my mind kept telling me, ‘you’re wasting time, get busy.’ However, now I feel this is one of the most enjoyable ways to spend an afternoon. The appreciative nature of traveling also helped this as my sole purpose was to see, enjoy, and appreciate the sites, people, culture, and cuisine.
• English: In going abroad and learning about global business, I’ve learned that English is the language of commerce and beyond that, it is fundamentally important to traveling. English is the common language between people from Japan and South America or between the Thais and the Europeans. No other language is as widely spoken as a second language. For example, there are more people studying English in China than in Great Britain. I believe this random fact speaks to the importance of English as the accepted global language. Therefore, I’m glad to have mastered English.
• Languages: While English may be the accepted 2nd language on a global scale and ensure basic communication between diverse groups of people, its nothing like the sincere appreciation a native has for a foreigner who genuinely attempts to speak their language. Learning a second language offers a far more profound experience than simply ‘getting by’ with English. In speaking both Spanish and Chinese in countries who call these their native languages, I’ve been appreciated more, treated better, and altogether had a better experience in the country. Because of this I know the experience can only get better by becoming completely fluent in a second language. As such, I hope during my time in China I will become fluent, as there’s no better way to learn a language than to live in the country and speaking everyday with native speakers. Already my Chinese has improved significantly since arriving.
• Cosmopolitan: Through going abroad, I’ve become more sophisticated, educated, and worldly. My geographical knowledge has improved immensely, I have a much broader understanding of various issues, I’ve learnt from diverse perspectives, and I’m more conscious of living in a global society. My roommate from Suzhou enlightened me to many preferences of the Chinese (worth another post entirely). A conversation I had with Spanish soccer players made me realize the disgust they had for President Bush, especially in the aftermath of the 2004 Madrid subway bombings. It was really an eye-opener to find out how deeply Americans were disliked at every level of society (at least in northern Spain).
• Friendships: By spending time in other countries and as others have come from far away countries to the US, we have all built friendships that span the globe. I am trule grateful to have friends in as far away places as Ireland, Brazil, Qatar, the Netherlands, Singapore, and many more countries and locales. Its an amazing thing to be able to call such a diverse group of people my friends.
• Aesthetics: Through seeing so many different places, I’ve come to appreciate nature, architecture, and other beautiful things. Seeing the diverse forms of architecture worldwide, I have fallen in love with architecture. Seeing nature in its many diverse forms has led me to appreciate nature in its infinite, timeless beauty. And by seeing some of the most picturesque places on earth, I can truly say I can appreciate beauty. Instead of thinking everything looks the same, I appreciate diversity and diverse forms of beauty and these I seek to capture on my camera. In seeing many things and places, I’ve come to understand aesthetics, which brings joy to my world, and through the more appealing photographs I’m able to take canalso inspire others to seek out beauty in their own world.

Well, initially I sought to write about some of the more surprising ways I’ve benefitted from going abroad, but the list turned very conventional, so I’ll stop and just let you imagine the many ways I have and anyone else could also benefit from going beyond the borders of their own country.

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Establishing a New Blog

September 22, 2006 at 12:39 am · Filed under Uncategorized

Well although this website was much easier to setup than my other one (www.ShopMyShanghai.com), it has been utterly time consuming, and obviously I still have some kinks to work out. Nonetheless, here we go…

When I first mentioned the idea of going independent and severing ties to xanga, my friend Luke told me, if you’re going to do that and have decent traffic, you need a theme. And no, your life is not interesting enough to be a theme–thanks Luke. Well, I’ve done my best to figure out a compromise between Luke’s sound advice and my and my readers’ interests. As such, I’ve come up with three overriding themes that will also be divided into subcategories. Therefore, if only one theme appeals to you, you may sort by that category and read only those posts. Anyway, they are:

1) Knowledge and experiences from living in a different city, ie Life in Shanghai, or whichever city I happen to be living in

2) Entrepreneurship and Business

3) Tourism: a) Learning through Foreign Cultural Immersion; b) Travelling; c) Peace through Tourism

I hope these topics will be suitable and I look forward to your readership and your comments.

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