rolled in to work today wearing - gasp! - jeans both because it had been cooler yesterday (like, 92 with 64% humidity instead of 99 with 76% humidity) and because i didn't think i'd make it through the entire day. luckily advil cold & sinus sits in the kitchen cabinet, a double box i bought at costco during xmas (liquigels... the bomb). the only cold medication that doesn't crack me out and give me tunnel vision or make me sleep on my desk.
cyn and i went to stupid new heights for lunch - working on the bund is like, working on the champs elysees or 5th avenue. all well and good if you're a billionaire, but kinda lame if you're not. i paid 150 rmb (about $23) for a cheeseburger that arrived with a dollop of papaya puree on top (EW. that was scraped off immediately) and sneaky pineapple mustard on the bottom. extra gross. i did not ask for the extra-sweet cheeseburger. and a non-refillable iced tea. bastards.
we then went downstairs to hugo boss and i dropped a small fortune on shoes. hey! what can i say - i need work shoes and everything was 50% off. i'm a big believer in expensive footwear - cheap shoes suck ass. (you know... having run the gamut from target shoes to manolos, it's funny how you can start believing in wearing only couture shoes when you can afford the motherfuckers. i never said shit like that in college.) at any rate, my shoe options for work have been my extremely worn pairs of havaiana flip flops or my manolos. being extremely reluctant to ruin my wallet-achingly expensive handmade shoes, the flip flops tend to win a lot, and my shoes confuse my colleagues. flip flops in china are reserved for people who absolutely cannot afford anything else, or for house footwear. the majority of shanghainese women wear strappy high heel sandals, along with the ankle-stocking (and a skirt. we ABCs are baffled by this trend. do they think we don't see the cuff of the stocking cutting off their circulation at the ankle? the obvious shift in color and texture of stocking to skin?). even the migrant workers who crowd the public transportation with their refugee bags full of all their worldly belongings and their dusty-ass hair wear dress loafers and cheap suits to their construction jobs. the flip flop is a puzzling and overly casual assertion of western style.
i have started a shawl trend in the office. my first days in the office i would marvel at how the girls waltz around all day in short sleeves with skirts or whatever in the freezing, air-conditioned office and without seeming to be bothered. i brought a pashmina my third day which i sling over the back of my desk chair when not in use. there are now 3-4 other chairs with shawls hanging on the back of them. were the girls secretly cold and reluctant to show it? now it's ok since the weirdo halfbreed no-mandarin speaking foreigner does it? i'm baffled and curious.
july-august also seems to be the month that everyone takes a trip back home. most of our staff is local, but some are not and they've all taken annual leave to go back to their home province and see the fams. i can't tell what the motivation is for that - there's no festival, no national holiday. maybe the fact that it's hot as hell? i have no clue.
my sister comes out end-september and i'm rubbing my hands together in anticipation of what i'll be asking her to bring. i'm shameless in this department. she better bring one of those super-sized ones to accomodate.
acidopholus
non-chinese toothpaste (colgate total whitening)
my chris rock 'bigger and blacker' dvd
two boxes of trident gum, original flavor
all-natural deodorant
allergy eyedrops
saline nasal spray with eucalyptus (so addicting)
glide dental floss
more havaianas in black and brown
benefit pressed powder in medium
couple boxes of optimum power breakfast cereal
i'll be keeping a running list.
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