The Office

[Well, almost. We were in 21, this is (obviously) building 20. However, everyone rode into work, so there were a lot of bicycles around anyway.]

In August of 2009 I started working for some friends who had founded their own start-up; of the many reasons why this new job was awesome and rocked (working with friends, working with iPhones...), the office was definitely one of them:

A renovated first-floor lanehouse in the heart of the French Concession, located in this cozy little alley in a cozy little neighborhood. Nepali Kitchen was directly across the street and Cantina Agave was only a block away (!). Lunch time was always the best time, with all the choices surrounding us.

Also, the walk to the office was pretty cool:

To the normal person, it was about five blocks and took about 20 minutes to walk. But to me, having just turned 20, it was the biggest ego trip: every morning and every evening, I would swing on my laptop bag, pop in my headphones, and walk (or, in my mind, 'commute') from my full-time job (ooo) to my kick-ass apartment (oooo), in the heart of one of the greatest metropolises in the world.

You better believe I walked the streets like I owned those bad boys, cause I felt awesome.

Tie A Red Ribbon

As I climbed Mount Tai last May, I found red ribbons tied everywhere, mostly in the temples and especially on trees like these.

I suppose they're for prayers and/or luck, but I personally love the bright contrast of the red ribbons on the green trees. I also wonder how well they hold up under intense weather conditions....?

(More Mount Tai photos here)

Three 太太s

Holy three-week hiatus, Batman. Who knew there was life outside the internet? I kid. Ireland and holidays are fun while they last, but now I'm back at school and have returned to the swing of things, so let the pictures resume!

Here we have three strapping gals, obviously very full of life, taking a break from their Shanghai escapades on a bench in Taikang Lu.

Their feet look 'normal', as in unbound, which most likely means they were born sometime after the 1920s and puts them somwhere around 70 years old.

Really, this photo could have been taken at any point in the last ten or fifteen years, but that Starbucks mug on the table really adds that perfect anachronistic touch that so many pictures of Shanghai now hold, doesn't it?

Xin Nian Kuai Le

Happy New Year, written in Chinese on a window at Abashi's in Dalian. Where it is doesn't matter, all that matters is there's pretty lights.

Happy New Year!

Last look

My last day in Dalian. My good friend Sigma was over from Taiyuan for New Year's, so I took her to the marvelous Xinghai Square.

Lunch break

Workers on Sun Island, where all the snow sculptures are located. This is open during the day, so you go here for a few hours, and then after you have your fill of snowy Santas, you head to the Ice Festival for the real fun.