The Ritzzz

Just in case you were wondering, here is what the living room of the Presidential Suite at the Ritz in Shanghai looks like. It was a lot of fun to be toured through all of the suites in the hotel. But, this particular one is tad bit our of our budget. 60000 RMB/night, in fact. We have settled with a bit more modest suite on a different floor. The director of sales at the Ritz is this very colorful, flamboyant Chinese man named Michael. He has a little bit of a prance in his step, which was evident as he towed me in jolly wake from suite to suite. A giggle here, a bounce there. Really entertaining!! 

September 24th, 2009

Tomorrow is a very busy day for me. I have more appointments with the directors of marketing for the top five-star hotels in the city. I begin my day in Pudong at 9 AM Grand Hyatt in the famous Jin Mao tower (google it!). Afterwards I visit its even more famous (and taller) neighbor the Park Hyatt in the newly completed World Financial Center (google it!). Then back to Puxi at 12:30 to check out suites and meeting rooms in the Hilton, and lastly I top it all off with an appointment at the Ritz at 2:30. I better not wear heels!

After my appointments are over, I will rush back to Pudong to meet Vivian for her tutoring. It is going well; except for yesterday when she did not bring any of text books with her. Without a reference I found it difficult to remain on track. Feeling uneasy, I decided to switch gears and run some diagnostics. I quickly jotted down math problems, vocabulary words and science terms we’ve previously covered for her to try. Based on her performance I chose the discussion topics on which to focus. Although it can be frustrating at times when her lightbulb simply refuses to turn on, I try not to stress about it too much because my main job is simple: to encourage her to speak English.

From my prompts and prying questions, I am learning a lot about the life of a 12 year old girl! I am also very fortunate because Vivian’s mother is very relaxed. According to the agency who set me up with Vivian, most parents of students are controlling monsters with ridiculous expectations. On the contrary, Vivian’s mother is sweet and even feeds me oranges when I “look hungry,” whatever that means. Speaking of hunger, Sarah Adams said that I look like I have lost ten pounds since this summer. My clothes are looser....I guess it’s because I’ve been so busy and don’t go out as much as I used to! I am literally working my butt off :)

Vivian has her first round of tests coming back next week. I hope she does well and that I can take a little credit.

September 23rd

This week I have been in some sort of a funk. I feel like I am just going through the motions, doing what I am supposed to do, somewhat robotic.

The national holiday, Golden Week, is celebrated the first week in October. During this week most businesses are closed and everyone travels back home to be with family and friends. Most of my own friends are leaving town....going back to the US or to places like Cambodia and Vietnam. A lot of them have already left actually. At first I tried to convince myself that I could simply entertain myself in Shanghai for a week; however, after my last taste of spontaneity I have an appetite for more. I woke up this morning going through the usual routine...reading the news online, eating cereal...buying an airline ticket to Qingdao.

I leave next Wednesday, Sept. 30th and will stay six days. I plan on staying in Qingdao for two days and then spending the rest of the time seeing as much of Shandong province as I can.

I really am looking forward to traveling by myself. I have never done anything like this before. I have already booked a hostel for Qingdao and will be staying in a dorm-style room with three other girls. Besides the typical tourist itinerary, I don’t have any concrete plans, and I like it!

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As for work....my work week this week has lacked structure because I been working outside of the office in Pudong. My task this week to is to find a venue for the IP Scoping Session in January. Initially we were going to host it at the Shanghai Intellectual Property Service Center, which I went to check out in person last week for Jay’s seal of approval. The SIPSC is on the tenth floor of a large building. Guess what is on the the bottom floors? One of Shanghai’s most famous FAKE MARKETS. The irony in this kills me. This government-funded center which serves to assist foreign and local enterprises with their patent, trademarks, and copyrights is located directly above a market that sells only counterfeit goods. Needless to say, I reported to Jay that the famous IP lawyers will not be impressed when they vendors peddle fake Rolexes and Gucci bags on their way to the Scoping Session. He advised me to compare venues at the top hotels in Shanghai where we can host our conference.

So, today and Friday I am meeting with the marketing directors for the Ritz and Grand Hyatt. About as far away as the black market as one can get.....

Sept. 19th; Spontenaity

This kind of stuff always happens to me! I think it happens to me more than the next person...little coincidences. Today I was visiting boutiques in the French Concession to meet with their owners and scout out potential subjects to include in the Shanghai Style File. As I walking out of a small shoe store, strolling down the street and basking in the sunlight, I heard a voice calling my name. Disoriented, and utterly in disbelief at the possibility of bumping into someone I know in a city of 20 million people, I kept walking, only to keep hearing my name continued to be shouted in a French accent. It was Cedric, a man I met at the fashion networking event on Thursday. He works for a fashion market research firm in DC and comes to Shanghai often for business. I had chatted him up for networking purposes and didn’t really expect to see him again, especially in such a casual way. With a big smile he shouted from across the street, “Get innnn! Get innnn!” So of course I did!

Sorry Mom, at the moment all of the warnings about not getting in cars with strangers flew out the window...

So off we go in the taxi. I learn he is heading to HuaiHai Lu to walk around and he asks me to show him that area of town. We ended up having a great afternoon walking around the French Concession. He is 33, handsome, very cool guy. I am glad that I took the risk and just went with it. Spontaneity pays off sometimes I guess.

Sarah Adams is on her way to my apartment right now. She lives in Hangzhou working in finance. Before her job, the last place she expected to live was China. Needless to say she has adjusted really well. I haven’t seen her since early summer in Charleston, so I am excited to spend time with her on Shanghai turf! We are going to get hot-pot for dinner. I better pick up my room before she arrives!

P.S. here are a couple of photos from the meat pie-eating contest. Zach is in the blue jersey!

September 16th: 努力工作

I have been so incredibly busy these past few weeks! As you may or may not know, my internship with KITO will end after three months in November, which will be here before I know it. Although I feel somewhat guilty about looking for other jobs while Mr. Kamen needs my assistance so much, I am not banking on the possibility that he will hire me after this stint of work. Besides, I am not even sure if I would want to work for KITO full time. But that is not to say that my experience here so far has not been rewarding. Everyday I learn something new about doing business in China: whether it’s a minimal thing, such as interpersonal communication and office culture in China, or something much bigger, like developing an understanding for the nature of the Venture Capital industry here, each day brings plenty of learning opportunities.

That said, I terribly miss working in fashion, which is why I am looking forward to attending a Fashion Networking Event at a bar in Shanghai tomorrow night. These events (which are for nearly every industry that falls within the China spectrum) are very frequent. I get invitations on Facebook or via email every week inviting me to attend the latest mixer for Head Hunters, Advertising, Consulting Professionals, etc. In order to take full advantage of this opportunity to expand my fashion network here (which is pretty much non-existent!), I made a spur of the moment decision to get business cards made. Some online research uncovered that most expats get cards made at these high-end places which charge about ten cents per card, not within my entrepreneurial budget. But, luck was on my side. Yesterday I wanted to buy notebook for the little girl I tutor. I rode my bike to this dilapidated, dirty, dark and dingy store about the size of a pantry. When purchasing the the notebook, I casually asked if they made business cards, and sure enough they did. After some squabbling over layout and rudimentary design, I paid 36 RMB (five dollars) for 200 cards. Considering the price and the condition of the store, I am not expecting top-quality, but at least I have something to hand out at the event.

I also spent several hours yesterday sprucing up my fashion blog, Shanghai Style File. I am a little embarrassed that there is so little content on it so far. I have been so busy that I’ve barely had enough time or energy to write about Shanghai fashion. I am disappointed in myself, especially because writing about fashion and documenting and analyzing trends in foreign cultures is my passion! But, now that I feel like I am fully settled into my new schedule and responsibilities here, I feel it will be a whole lot easier to allot time for my blog. I am so excited to start collecting content! It’s a great way for me to meet industry professionals in SH.

In addition to the hours spent on my resume, writing emails to contacts and preparing for the networking event, I tutor a 12 yr-old girl named Vivian Monday through Friday, 5-7pm. I make very good money for a fairly easy job. I usually leave KITO around 3:45 to get to her Mom’s office (the City Bank skyscraper in PuDong). The job is convenient because it is on the same subway line between KITO and my apartment. But, because I leave work a little early, I have to begin work at little early....which means looooong days.

Even though I am exhausted, I am so happy with all of these things I am doing! Last night as I was walking out of the City Bank building, the Pearl Tower shone brightly right in front me. The night was cool and windy, and the Tower’s colorful lights were flashing wildly in some orchestrated dance. Usually I think of the Pearl Tower as some tacky, monstrous phallic copy of the Eiffel Tower, but last night the sight stopped me in my tracks. As I stared in awe, I felt a huge wave of gratitude surge over me, filling me with appreciation for all that I have now and excitement for whatever is to come. Continuing to marvel at the structure, I kept very still, but I was transported back to my desk at Vandy, where the picture of the Pearl Tower was tacked in between my To-Do list and my list of life goals, the first one being:
“1. Get a job and move back to Shanghai....”

September 14th, 2009

Another fantastic weekend in Shanghai! Highlights...

Friday: While stepping on the train on my way to meet my roommates at TaiKang Lu to watch Zack eat the meatpies, I thumbed through the contacts in my phone to call Clement. I had not talked to him all day, and was still unsure if he wanted to come to the contest. To my dismay, I realized that I did not have his cell phone number! I quickly popped into a Starbucks to use their free-wifi and shoot him an email from iPod telling him that I didn’t have his number.

The eating contest began promptly at 8:30. The venue was this charming outdoor pub with chairs and tables underneath big leafy trees and pretty twinkling lights. The atmosphere of the bar stood in stark contrast with the aura of the competition: HUGE, burly men donning their rugby and soccer jerseys. Most of the contestants had already competed with one-another on the sports fields. These guys were massive, and not mention very sweaty from a day of heavy drinking. Beefy guys eating beefy cakes. Zack finished third (quite impressive), retaining his dignity. The guy I stood behind retained little: he puked everywhere after the winning team jumped out of their seats in potbellied triumph.

After the contest ended, we hung around and drank some great Australian beer with the rest of various Rugby and Soccer league teams of SH. But, I still had not heard from Clement! I was puzzled about being blown-off. We returned to our apartment when I got a phone call from an unknown number. It was Clement; I had given him the wrong number by accident (typing on the iPod is tricky!). We met up later in the evening at a very noisy and crowded bar with mutual friends. By that time it was three AM and were both hazy with fatigue...back to square one and still no info about SIPO.

Saturday:
I spent the day at Wagas, a wonderful chain of cafes in Shanghai with fast wireless and good food. I worked on tailoring my resume and contacting (my extremely limited) my fashion network in Shanghai. After my internship ends at KITO in November, I want to have as many options as possible. I terribly miss working in fashion....but, I am learning a lot working for KITO and I am grateful for this opportunity. But, November will be here before I know it, and I don’t want to be left scrambling. It can’t hurt to get my resume circulating here.


Sunday:

A gorgeous day! I rode my bike to Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair. FANTASTIC. I spent two hours looking at all of the works. Although I don’t have a trained artistic eye or the authority/background to legitimize artwork as “good,” I was quite impressed by the quality of the art and the ingenuity. A popular theme I noticed that carried through most of the exhibition was a concentration on brands, particularly established western brands like Cambell’s (Dad, these Cambell soup paintings don’t hold a candle to your own Cambell soup rendition), Disney, and Coca Cola. Although the artists didn’t outright defile the logos in their artwork, there was an essence of some harsh criticism or disdain for these foreign brands which have strong commercial appeal over here.

lean with it

Here is a photo I snapped while stopped at an intersection on my bike the other day. Don't let the slinky posture fool you! The traffic guards here are pretty feisty and will chirp their whistles if I am not in line!