Sandy

We are so lucky.  My husband and I have not been affected by the terrible superstorm Sandy.  So, so many lives have been turned upside down.  It could have been us instead.  All I can say is that I feel SO lucky.  I can't explain why were we untouched, but my heart goes out to those who have been impacted.  Our home remains open to friends who need a warm shower, a homemade meal, power to recharge, or somewhere to lay their head.  The problem is so many of them can't even get here.

These are the images we saw on the news as we battened down the hatches.  A 1,000 mile wide storm headed right towards us during a full moon and high tide...

Everything shut down preparing for the worst.  Grand Central is always bustling with a blur of people.  Here you only see a couple of security guards standing in the terminal.

We didn't get much rain.  We heard intense gusts of wind whistling through the streets right outside our window.  Then we started to see images on the news and facebook of the impact of the storm.  A building facade ripped off.  Yes, those are radiators, dressers, beds, etc. now exposed to the street. 

And a nearby crane dangling 90 stories in the air.  Again, I felt lucky.  I felt just out of harms way of the crane.  It is only three blocks north and about five avenues west of where we live.  I used to work only two blocks away from where this is located.

We heard a lot of sirens in the distance.  Then, we could see flashing lights through the closed drapes.  We peered out and saw police line tape closing off Lexington Avenue right outside our window.  We didn't know what it was for until daylight the next day.  We could look out our windows and see six-foot glass windows had blown out of neighboring skyscrapers.  Once I again I felt lucky.

We saw images online that a transformer had blown downtown and below 39th Street was now without power.  Our lights flickered once but stayed on, and I felt so lucky.

Late into the night and the next day the images kept pouring in.  Just like how Sandy poured into the streets, subways, homes, and businesses along the east coast.

And if all of the flooding wasn't enough, then we heard the story of Breezy Point, Queens where a fire left the neighborhood looking like a war zone.  I feel lucky to be alive.  I feel lucky to have a warm shower and food.  So many others are not as lucky as us.  To help those in need, you may donate to the Red Cross.

Homecoming

There is no place like home Stillwater, OK.  Last weekend was homecoming at Oklahoma State.  And there really is nothing else on Earth like it.  It's even hard to describe - a week full of activities and competitions concluding with "Walk Arounds" where a ton of people fill the streets and walk around to the fraternity houses looking at the house decks - sororities and fraternities pair up and create monstrous displays out of tissue paper that is pomped into chicken wire.  Like I said, it's hard to explain.  And really there isn't a good explanation for the amount of money and time that goes into the grandiose decorations.  But it's always a really good time walking around looking at them and running into old college buddies.

Hopefully above and below give you an idea for the scale.  Do you see the guy posing in the above pic next to "Here comes bullet"?  And look at the masses of people that come to town to view at all...

I think campus is beautiful.  I'm not biased or anything.

 Oklahoma has some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  I got to see several while I was there.  Since we had to awake early Saturday for the 11am kickoff, I awoke to this view out the hotel window.  Not a bad way to start the day. 

It's hard to beat this stadium...

  Go Pokes!

I filled up on all of my favorite unhealthy foods - Joe's cheese fries, Coney onion burger, Hideaway pizza, Braum's ice cream, and a few adult beverages to wash it all down.  Now it's time to get back to the gym!

I think my husband won the best dressed award.  He got quite a few looks in these pants.  And several people stopped him to ask where he got his I (Pistol Pete) NY t-shirt.  By the way, they are for sale through the NYC Cowboys alumni association chapter.  And all of the money goes towards a scholarship!

The early kick off made tailgating and the bar scene more tame than usual, but we still enjoyed visiting the drive-thru Barn, jello shots in syringes, and a shot with military guys on the Strip.

I can't wait to do it all again soon!  Hopefully Bedlam next year?

Catching Up

Catching up on posts, while enjoying the company of Hurricane Sandy and I see that I left off in China.  This is a draft that I never finished, so I'll give you what I have and then start on current happenings.

I left NYC Monday afternoon, connected through Seoul, and landed in Hong Kong Tuesday night.  My birthday started by crossing the border into China at midnight.  I checked into the hotel exhausted.  Before crashing into bed, I set four alarms - worried I would oversleep as work started early the next morning.  There actually wasn't a need for any of the alarms as I awoke several times throughout the night.

I started my time in China by meeting the people I work with on a daily basis.  I finally got to put faces with names.  This is my counterpart Shirley.  She is one of the happiest and healthiest people I know.  I think she and my sister would be best buds.

Then we went to visit suppliers and factories.  I got to see our local hardware supplier, mill, and four shoe factories.  When we pulled into our hardware supplier, the red carpet was rolled out and employees lined the front steps with giant bouquets of flowers!  (Who knew I would get birthday flowers?)  :)  They were so welcoming!  We met with the owner and he took us on a tour.

Bars of metal that get melted down and the formed into eyelets.

  

I saw how prints are transferred to fabric on an extremely hot roller.  This is the process we use for samples.

Making outsoles. 

I only had one day off from work to enjoy for myself.  I thought I would relax and enjoy the pool.  Shortly after I got there it started to rain.  Instead I headed to "Wal-mart" and stocked up on dvd's.

There was a huge, beautiful park on the hotel property.  I didn't go out and explore it until my last day there.  I wish I had more time to see it all. 

Then I headed to Hong Kong before the long flight back to NYC.  I barely made it to Al Molo in time to be seated before they closed.  It was a good meal but not as impressive as I was hoping for.  Maybe they were rushing it out?

The next morning I really, really, really wanted to go see the Big Buddha, Tian Tan, but I didn't have enough time to get there and back before needing to head to the airport.  Instead I walked around the Avenue of the Stars where a tour bus was trying to take pictures of me!  And they were going beserk for Jackie Chan.

Happy Independence Day!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Fourth of July!  I love the gigantic flag that hangs from the George Washington Bridge.

Ni hao

I spent two weeks in southeast China on business.  I've been to Dongguan once before, but it was over 4 years ago and times are always changing.  I always think it is such a great experience and so eye-opening to see different cultures.  That's why I love to travel, even though it is not nearly as fun when you have to work!  I still have a lot to learn, but that comes with time.  Only speaking English, I always feel so "dumb" in other countries.

A few observations:

A lot of people smoke.

You can smoke virtually anywhere, including the mall and probably your desk at work.

No traffic safety.

People walk through main traffic roads wherever and whenever.  

Bikes, rickshaws, vans, large trucks, and mopeds all use the same lanes.  Or lack of lanes.

No one wears a helmet.

Forget child seats, kids aren't even buckled in.  They often climb to the windows and stick their head out.

I saw several bad accidents (after they happened).

You can fit your family of four on a single bike.

Landscaping along the main roads is beautiful - probably better than most people's private home landscaping in the US.

Noticed improvement since the last visit - better roads, more luxury cars, new border patrol.

It is so humid!  I was wearing sneakers taking a walking in the morning and almost fell because of the moisture in the air/ on the ground.

Billiards is very popular - driving to the factories, I saw pool tables sitting outside.

Soccer and baseball seem to be growing in popularity.

Watermelon is an after meal treat.

They cook with a lot of oil.

Had an amazing Taiwanese lunch and Japanese dinner but didn't venture very far into the food world on my own.  Surprisingly, didn't have much Chinese food but a lot of Italian!

Western toilets are not always available.  Reference picture below of what is commonly available...  yes, a flushing hole.  (or sometimes non-flushing!)

Chinese manners are different from ours - spitting is common.

Very respectful in the workplace - always stand when you walk up to them, always "present" things to you with two hands (handing you their business card, giving back a credit card, etc).

Buddhism is the most common religion.

Stayed tuned, more to come....