HAPYP 2014 EVERYONE! New Years in Shanghai was out of this world!
To start off New Year’s Eve, Kevin took me on a date to a 5-star vegetarian Chinese restaurant overlooking The Bund. It was a very chic, modern restaurant with superb food and very elegant presentation. There was an extensive menu with the most interesting and creative dishes...Kevin gets an A+. The menu consisted of many variations of tofu, mushrooms, bok choy, lotus, bamboo, nori, beets, quinoa…I was in heaven! We were both stuffed and even Kevin, a carnivore, was also very satisfied. I will definitely be going back to Wu Jie after my next paycheck.
After we finished our dinner, we strolled along The Bund, which was all lit up at night. The Pearl Tower was changing neon colors, the Bottle-Opener building sparkled with glittery lights, and nighttime cruise boats were circling the Huangpu River. As you can see from the photos, it was packed! You can get a glimpse of China’s population crisis; we could barely move. We followed The Bund all the way to New Heights, the location of our Great Gatsby themed New Year’s bash.
The Great Gatsby party was out-of-this-world. I felt like I was in a movie. Everyone was dripping in pearls and white-feathery boas. There was a free flow of champagne and martinis. Despite the free flow of alcohol, it was a classy affair and nobody was out of control. We all felt like royalty. We had the best view of the city in all of Shanghai – standing on the rooftop of New Heights, which overlooked The Bund. The pollution was only at 110 (still “unhealthy pollution” but pretty good for China), so I could see far off into the distance. Although it was freezing out, the entire rooftop was lined with heat lamps to keep us warm. Fireworks lit up the entire skyline and as the clock struck midnight, gold confetti filled the sky.
We stayed at New Heights until about 1:30, and then it came time for the impossible task of finding a cab. Although it was not the New Year for the Chinese, all the trendy restaurants and bars hosted New Years celebrations for all the foreigners, so the city was still hopping with New Years festivities. Kevin and I waited for a cab for about 3 hours. We finally bribed a black cab (the illegal ones) to take us home and paid him 300 RMB for a cab ride that would typically cost 60 RMB. At that point, we were desperate for any cab that would get us home. I could not walk in my red heels for another second! We got home at 5am and crashed.
New Year’s day, I accomplished every one of my New Year’s resolutions! It is already January 5th, and as of today, I have kept up all my resolutions! Good start to a new year!
Resolutions:
1. Read or watch the news everyday.
2. Run at least 30 minutes 5 days a week.
3. Let my room be a little messy…don’t obsess. (My closet is no longer color-coded…that’s the first step)
4. Only live off of my tutoring money and save my paycheck (except for Japan).
5. Cook 2 meals a week (learn lots of new vegetarian recipes).
6. Do one interesting Shanghai excursion every weekend.
7. Read at least one book for pleasure every two weeks.
8. Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
9. Watch Chinese television and practice characters every night before I go to bed.
10. Be sure to talk to my family and friends back home at least once a week.
Have a fabulous 2014 everyone! Stay healthy, happy and busy! Thinking of you all and sending hugs and kisses to everyone I love! XO
To start off New Year’s Eve, Kevin took me on a date to a 5-star vegetarian Chinese restaurant overlooking The Bund. It was a very chic, modern restaurant with superb food and very elegant presentation. There was an extensive menu with the most interesting and creative dishes...Kevin gets an A+. The menu consisted of many variations of tofu, mushrooms, bok choy, lotus, bamboo, nori, beets, quinoa…I was in heaven! We were both stuffed and even Kevin, a carnivore, was also very satisfied. I will definitely be going back to Wu Jie after my next paycheck.
After we finished our dinner, we strolled along The Bund, which was all lit up at night. The Pearl Tower was changing neon colors, the Bottle-Opener building sparkled with glittery lights, and nighttime cruise boats were circling the Huangpu River. As you can see from the photos, it was packed! You can get a glimpse of China’s population crisis; we could barely move. We followed The Bund all the way to New Heights, the location of our Great Gatsby themed New Year’s bash.
The Great Gatsby party was out-of-this-world. I felt like I was in a movie. Everyone was dripping in pearls and white-feathery boas. There was a free flow of champagne and martinis. Despite the free flow of alcohol, it was a classy affair and nobody was out of control. We all felt like royalty. We had the best view of the city in all of Shanghai – standing on the rooftop of New Heights, which overlooked The Bund. The pollution was only at 110 (still “unhealthy pollution” but pretty good for China), so I could see far off into the distance. Although it was freezing out, the entire rooftop was lined with heat lamps to keep us warm. Fireworks lit up the entire skyline and as the clock struck midnight, gold confetti filled the sky.
We stayed at New Heights until about 1:30, and then it came time for the impossible task of finding a cab. Although it was not the New Year for the Chinese, all the trendy restaurants and bars hosted New Years celebrations for all the foreigners, so the city was still hopping with New Years festivities. Kevin and I waited for a cab for about 3 hours. We finally bribed a black cab (the illegal ones) to take us home and paid him 300 RMB for a cab ride that would typically cost 60 RMB. At that point, we were desperate for any cab that would get us home. I could not walk in my red heels for another second! We got home at 5am and crashed.
New Year’s day, I accomplished every one of my New Year’s resolutions! It is already January 5th, and as of today, I have kept up all my resolutions! Good start to a new year!
Resolutions:
1. Read or watch the news everyday.
2. Run at least 30 minutes 5 days a week.
3. Let my room be a little messy…don’t obsess. (My closet is no longer color-coded…that’s the first step)
4. Only live off of my tutoring money and save my paycheck (except for Japan).
5. Cook 2 meals a week (learn lots of new vegetarian recipes).
6. Do one interesting Shanghai excursion every weekend.
7. Read at least one book for pleasure every two weeks.
8. Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
9. Watch Chinese television and practice characters every night before I go to bed.
10. Be sure to talk to my family and friends back home at least once a week.
Have a fabulous 2014 everyone! Stay healthy, happy and busy! Thinking of you all and sending hugs and kisses to everyone I love! XO
