Cut Throat Pollyanna

It is amazing how time flies and that Christmas is right around the corner. I have not felt this type of excitement since....well I don’t remember. The whole experience this year is really pretty different and cool.

Starting next week, the holiday/goodbye parties begin. Yes, goodbye parties! It is time to celebrate and say a short goodbye to the new “family” I have acquired over the last 6 months and no offense New York but I am a bit emotional about the whole thing. Friends have equated this experience to the freshman year at college when you say goodbye to all of your new friends and return home a slightly different person, more worldly, more mature, with new catch phrases and in my case perhaps a little bit of an accent (its unintentional I swear!). It’s a strange thought to envision all of my new friends boarding planes to Ireland, Australia, London, South Africa, New Zealand….to get back to their “real lives” Yes, real lives…it all seems fake and surreal here in a good and slightly unnerving way.

So as I mentioned the parties start next week and despite our different places of origin some games just seem to work in every culture. Here is an excerpt from a Christmas dinner email I received today:

Gifts should go something like this: Everyone brings a wrapped gift worth SGD15 Upon arrival everyone picks a number out of a hat The highest number (call it 12 for now) unwraps whatever present they like in the pile. #11 can either steal the present that #12 just opened or pick another wrapped present. This goes on until #1 can choose any present in the room or take the last remaining wrapped present.

Brooklyn/Philly New Years Eve crowd… say it together CUT-THROAT POLLYANNA!!!!! I highly doubt this evening’s version will be anything compared to our very spirited games over the last…what is it…8 years!!! So much fun and laughs have resulted from CTP that I would like to highlight some for your enjoyment:

1 . The decorative (empty) M&M tin.
2. Kook’s thong which he proceeded to wear for the rest of the night
3. The stink bomb that was left in my apt (Kelly!)
4. Rita’s porn which Fallone seem to get at the PJ party circa 2001
5. The guy with the gold coins and the vest from Prudential…he wasn’t a gift but he sure was funny! Turkey..didn’t you extend the invite in the copy room?
6. The underwear that Ivy and I almost had a fist fight over
7. Was the "momma's special girl pic taken during CTP?"
9. AND MY ALL TIME FAVORITE…Mr. Potato Head!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He better be at the party this year wearing his tux sans pants!

Can’t wait to ring in 2008. Ok not sad anymore cant wait to see you guys!

XOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Facebook

I never thought I would say this but I am obsessed with Facebook! As some of you know, I am not one to "hangout" on the computer. I get to work, check my email, linger on select blogs and check celebrity gossip but that is the end of it...ok so maybe I hangout a little bit but Facebook has brought me to a new level.

So I am asking you to support my habit and join www.facebook.com. Good times!

Love,

[sorry already at facebook]

Shanghai Thanksgiving

Hello. Its Thanksgiving (well here anyway) and I wanted to wish you all a very happy day filled with turkey, stuffing, pies and many, many glasses of wine.

A VERY SPECIAL Happy Birthday wish to Kelly! Happy Birthday girl! I know you will not disappoint my many, many glasses of wine wish!

Its about 4am Thanksgiving eve for your NYer’s and I have a feeling that my mom is still up cooking and Mel most likely just went to bed, both preparing their Thanksgiving feasts. I am missing you guys! Do me a favor and give the people you are spending this day with a huge hug and kiss.

Ok so before I launch into my Shanghai trip. I am sticking with the family tradition of saying a few things that I am thankful for this year:

Wonderful friends and family. God its so amazing to wake up and know that I have all of you in my life (cheesy I know) but I really can’t explain it. Both here and there….I AM A LUCKY,
1. LUCKY person.
2. This amazing opportunity I am experiencing
3. That I didn’t die scuba diving
4. Singapore Airlines
5. This Blog (thanks Jeff).

Ok on to the trip. Shanghai is my new favorite Asian city. What a great place. Unlike Hong Kong and Singapore, where you can feel that you are just in the Chinatown section of any American city, Shanghai feels like Asia. Not one of my cab drivers spoke English so it was an adventure every trip I took. Can’t really put it into words but there was such a vibe and energy to just being there. And the buildings and different neighborhoods are really unique. I didn’t get to explore as much as I wanted to but on my next trip which I will make sure is soon.

I was staying at the Grand Hyatt which I came to find out is in, what was once, the tallest building in the world. The lobby of the hotel is on the 54th floor of the building! My room was on the 74th floor. This struck me as very odd…don’t you think?? That being said the view was AMAZING! My one complaint was the room was so “wired” and technically advanced that it literally took me ½ hour to turn the lights off before going to bed. Imagine my annoyance and grumbling at 1:30am my first night! I was literally saying out loud “I HATE TECHNOLOGY” .

So I had another “first” during this trip. I conducted my first meeting with someone who did not speak English. I had to bring an assistant with me to translate. It was strange and I am not entirely sure they were not talking about me behind…well I guess in front…of my face. I felt like I should have had those United Nations earphones on! It was funny but by the end of the 2 hour meeting..I felt like I could understand and was actually answering in English before Vivi translated. He was using his hands a lot so I guess that helped. It was pretty cool though.

Ok I just realized that this entry is pretty long already and I may be losing some of you so I will wrap it up (sorry I am on the plane so could type for hours). So here are some highlights from my favorite business trip so far:

* Lost in translation: Out to lunch with one of the girls from the office who speaks English well but this went totally wrong: [she was complaining about her workload] Me: The day must fly by! Her: Nope I really don’t travel for my job. I guess the word fly threw her.

* At the dinner I was looking for my first speaker who is Chinese. I was looking and looking and realized he was right in front of me Me: oh wow there you are: Him: Its hard to spot me in a room full of Chinese people huh? NOT AGAIN (remember the pantry scene). I was like haha..no, no!! Do I have “I think all Asian people look alike stamped on my forehead??

* At the restaurant, I went to the bathroom and there was a funny, stale water smell so I asked Vivi to ask the manager in Chinese for a candle or air freshener. She was looking at me really strange, turned red and started to giggle….I then realized that she thought I took a big #2 and need to cover the smell! Now I was the one turning red and giggling!! I was like oh no, no, not me!!!!

* I ate jellyfish for the first time and loved it and spotted turtle ovary on a menu!!! Come to think of it that could be just like a whole bunch of cavier!! Humm…could be tasty!

Alright I will stop now!

Love you lots.

Go Shorty!

From the moment I first sat my fat ass in his chair..my Singapore hairstylist has been asking me to cut my hair short a la Posh Spice well kids I finally gave in. JenniB is once again rockin’ some short hair. I was a bit nervous but am happy that I decided to do it! So far everyone (to my face) has commented on how much they like it but you all can be the judge when I return for Christmas.

So hope you all had a nice weekend. Mine was great but as always way too short. I am headed to Shanghai for some business this afternoon. I am really excited!! I have heard great things from everyone who has been and just take a look at the skyline…how could it not be cool! Speaking of cool…its 55 degrees there now so I am actually going to be able to wear sweaters and a coat…it’s the little things in life that get me excited! I am organizing a dinner/wine tasting on Wednesday night. I had to seek the advice from a collegue in the Shanghai office since I didn’t recognize ½ the things on the menu so I am certainly in for some new culinary experiences.

Hope you are all gearing up for turkey day!!

LOVE JB

Story Look Familiar????

The following was posted on Perez Hilton.com today! Look familiar? Is Perez a Stupid Ho Fan or has Adam from Reuters scooped (no pun intended) me???

We see a trend here!
According to Reuters:
“Ice-cream shaped like faeces is ready to be served at the Modern Toilet diner in the Shilin district in Taipei November 9, 2007. All 100 seats in the crowded diner are made from toilet bowls, not chairs. Sink faucets and gender-coded “WC” signs appear throughout the three-storey facility, one of 12 in an island-wide chain of eateries with a toilet theme.”
Eat up!

Happy Weekend!

The Package

The longer I am here, the more little things seem to get on my nerves. One thing that has really started to bug me is that there is a package for every service you can image, nails, waxing, salad bars, coffee..everything! By package I mean like you pay $500 up front for a let’s say…manicures. I don’t know what I am doing tomorrow much less if I’ll even be around for $500 worth of manicures so why would I pay up front!! The mere existence of these packages is really not what bothers me but the fact that they are pushed on you everywhere…”You got Package?” “You want package?” “Package good!” to which I vehemently respond “no…no thanks no package!” and then they roll their eyes and ring up my order. I have considered making a shirt with the words NO PACKAGE written across but thought that may look like I am a recent transsexual (get it..no package heheh).

Ok so I think you got the idea that I am not a regular package purchaser but I had decided to break my own rule and purchase a 20 class package at the new yoga studio near work since the yoga classes offered at my gym stink. So I sit down with the sales lady and the following ensues:

Me: Hi, I would like to buy a 20 class package please
Saleslady: You want 3 month package…sign here
Me: No, I don’t want 3 month package, just the 20 classes
Saleslady: 3 month better for you.
Me: No, not really since I travel quite a bit and I am heading back to NY for the holidays so I would be wasting a couple weeks of the 3 month package. Plus I belong to another gym so will only be here once a week. (why am I justifying myself to this lady?).
Saleslady: You can suspend the 3 month membership when you go away for $42
Me: (now I am starting to lose it a little bit) why would I want to pay an additional $42 when all I want is the 20 classes?????
Saleslady: It work better for you.
Me: (voice raised) no really it doesn’t! I then outline on a piece of paper the benefits of me just doing the 20 class package
Saleslady: Ok you get the 20 classes. Can I have your work permit and your credit card?
Me: here you go. I couldn’t believe how hard that was!!
Saleslady: Oh! we have the same birthday!….but I am so much younger than you. I am only 25.
Me: OH NO SHE DIDN’T!! “oh….that’s nice 25’s a good age (good one Jenn…good come back)
Saleslady: How long have you been here?
Me: (now my patience is totally gone) 5 months!
Saleslady: (not so discreetly) looks at my finger…are you here with someone?
Me: Nope I am here by myself.
Saleslady: (Look of totally pity on her face) “Oh I am so sorry”
Me: Of all the clever things I have thought to say in response to this and the age incident after I left this is what I came up with “I have lots of friends!” Who says that??

After signing for the 20 class package I collected my “free” water bottle and stormed off leaving all the positive energy I had from my yoga class behind!

Serenity Now!

Team Britney....

Here are a couple of fans showing their support for poor Britney.

Enough said!

Holiday (Its time to get together)

Tomorrow is another new public holiday for me Deepavali. I feel kind of bad enjoying a relaxing day off and not knowing exactly why I can enjoy such luxury (well, not really). So here you go:

Deepavali also known as Diwali, literally means "row or garland of lights". Locally, it has been called "The Festival of Lights". It is symbolic of victory of good over evil, celebrated by most Hindus the world over. It highlights the victory of Lord Krishna, one of the deities of the Hindu pantheon, over the Demon King, Narakasura. It usually falls around late October or early November on the new moon day.

Legend has it that Narakasura, the king of demons, had tortured the common folk. After many years of hardship, the people, unable to bear the suffering, appealed to Lord Krishna who then declared war against the demon king. As he lay dying, the demon king begged for mercy from Lord Krishna and he asked that the people rejoice and be merry at the anniversary of his death as a reminder that ultimately evil will never triumph. Little clay lamps were then lighted as a sign of gratitude to Lord Krishna.Some Hindus believe that Deepavali is celebrated to mark the return of Rama, his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana after being banished from Ayodhya by his stepmother for a period of 14 years. An important reminder is that Deepavali is not the Indian or Hindu new year. The Tamil New Year falls on either 13 or 14 April every year.

Deepavali Preparations start weeks before with the spring cleaning of the home. New clothes are bought and women take great pains to make cakes, sweetmeats and other tidbits, the favourite being murukku. Hindus also believe that departed souls return during this time. So, favourite foods of the departed along with new clothes are placed on banana leaves before the photographs of the departed and prayers done.

Early in the morning, the Hindus will have the traditional oil bath. The body is rubbed and massaged from head to toe with gingelly oil that is extracted from fermented sesame seeds. When all the members have had their bath and don their new clothes, special prayers are held at the family altar. Decorative designs or rice flour paintings with intricate designs usually done by womenfolk on the floor at the entrances of homes. Hindus also make it a point to visit temples early in the morning to receive the blessings of Lord Krishna and the Goddess of Wealth. Then it is time for either visiting friends or receiving them. At night, children play with sparklers and are allowed to light clay lamps and display them along the window ledges or doorways.

Even after reading this info, I am not really sure why this warrants a holiday but who am I to question??? In observance of Deepavali I will spending the day tomorrow getting massaged from head to toe at Spa Botanica followed by some happy hour drinks with the girls. I feel like a regular Hindu.

Namaste,

Jenni “Shanti” B

Tag!

Jeff aka pop-o-matic "tagged" me and here is what I have to do. I am only doing A&B since Jeff tagged all my blogger friends already:

A). Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog...
B). Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself...
C). Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs...
D). Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I danced on Broadway
2. I sleep with a “spit shirt”
3. Nothing is better than sitting on the beach at 5pm…when the sun is going down
4. I think I am addicted to exercise
5. I am obsessed with ingrown hairs.
6. I am terrible at video games…with the exception of WII Boxing (this may be a result of #4)
7. I dislike animation and sci-fi movies…I hate sci-fi movies that are animated!

New York State of Mind

Hope everyone is as ready as I am for the weekend. This is one of those times that I truly miss New York..Why??? This weekend is one of my all time favorite events…marathon Sunday. Aww..I love it. I am especially bummed to miss it this year since Mich S is running!! You go girl! I remember how proud I was of you during the Philly one and know you are going to rock it out.

Mel, I am going to miss cheering with you on 5th avenue then going to watch the Saints play!!

I hope every New York reader truly enjoys the day…have a bloody mary for me!

XOXOXOX