Dancing queen

We are not sure if it is because of school or just because she's a girl and has reached a certain time in her development, but Olivia is quite a dancer. She even bops away to the BBC news jingle on the TV! It is really very cute, and I'm trying to catch it on video. In the meantime, here are some photo shots of her dancing last night. The favourite dancing locations are (a) three inches from the TV screen or (b) on the back of the sofa - ayi would have a fit, although her balance is pretty good. Here she is trying to dance like Henry the Octopus from The Wiggles while Daddy is trying to work. How cute is she?

Pink princess

On Sunday we went furniture shopping (again) but didn't find what we were looking for (again). Need to try harder. We had our driver take us around which is always interesting because we're trying to explain where to go and we don't speak any mandarin, and he can't speak or read English. Can you imagine how much fun that makes getting things accomplished? We've definitely had quite a few 'lost in translation' issues.
Anyway, after visiting far too many overpriced, hideous furniture stores, we decided to head to the Toy Market. We purchased a nasty pink plastic bike thing for Olivia which she adores. It makes very annoying sounds, which means that the batteries might go missing soon! As soon as we got home, we took the bike out for a spin into the neighbouring housing complex. We're not supposed to be in there, as it is only for residents, however they just smile nicely and let us in (and we weren't exactly inconspicuous with our pink bike!). They have a very nice kids playground, Olivia likes the slide.

Dining out

So for those of you who know her well, you probably realise that madam is quite a handful. When we go out for dinner (which is in fact cheaper than cooking at home), we need to make sure that we not only bring food and drink for Olivia, but we also have something to entertain her while we finish our meal. Now a dog would be the perfect distraction but since we were worried about bringing Monty to China (note that I haven't actually seen dog on a menu!), the next best thing is a DVD. We still use Baby Einstein, 'On the move' is the current fave. Here she is watching while mummy and daddy eat at a very nice Thai restaurant. Very grown up here sitting on her own adult seat and with a big cushion.
What we often find is that when we whip out the computer and put on the DVD, the wait staff tend to congregate behind Olivia and like to watch the show with her. I am sure that service to other diners suffers as a result but they seem to think it very funny.

Party at Eton school

Olivia's school held a party on Saturday morning. We were very excited to attend because we wanted to see Olivia interact with her teachers and other students. We think that the party was actually an open day to encourage new students and parents to enroll at the school - however we weren't actually sure and have quickly realised that asking questions here doesn't necessarily clarify the situation. We turned up anyway.
Olivia was the only white kid in attendance, which of course meant that the photographers crowded round to get shots of her; not only is she super cute, but they are probably trying to show how 'international' the school is.
Unfortunately Olivia didn't really want to play with the other kids or the teachers, she was unusually shy and clingy. She was interested in the paints and crayons but kept missing the cloth and was drawing on the floor (hastily wiped up by mummy).
Don't fret grandparents - at the moment Olivia isn't showing signs of following in her "disruptive" mothers' footsteps, the teachers love her and say that she is a pleasure to have in the classroom!

Face bar in Beijing

Last Thursday we went to a very cool bar and restaurant in Beijing called Face. A group of about 25 of us went there to celebrate David's birthday. It isn't far from the office and is one of the best places to take visitors; the decor and ambiance (plus food and drink!) are excellent. Jane and I had previously gone to the Silk Market and bought David some kitchy Chinese gifts. We did check with some Chinese friends that it wouldn't be offensive go give these to David as a joke and apparently it was OK. The gifts included a gold plastic cat with a waving paw that apparently brings good fortune, a very nice Chinese hat, and the perfect T-shirt for David. This T shirt was battery powered, and showed a picture of the Great Wall which lit up in nice flashing lights. What was funny to us was that when we bought the shirt was that the vendor really thought it was a very nice Tshirt and that Jane must really love David. I'll see if I can post a photo of it later - send in your orders and we can start shipping!



This is the outside of the bar (too hot for us to sit outside though).



Cool design of lamps inside.










David (before we made him wear his new gift), posing in the classic Chinese pose.
Plus some ideas for home decorating for us. How would this fit into El Granada?

Quack quack quack

The last two posts were about Apple, so here's a brief one for the family, who never seem to tire of Olivia photos and stories.
Living out here definitely has its ups and downs, but in the minds of people we've left behind, I think that there are only downs. Friends and coworkers back home have been so good about calling us up and asking what we need that they can bring with them. And as people have come out here for the store opening, we have been inundated with gifts and necessities. We've had the entire infant shelf of the pharmacy delivered, but without a doubt, the most popular gift with Olivia is her new inflatable bath which quacks.
Carl had happened to mention to a coworker that Olivia doesn't like the big bath, and our small plastic baby bath is with our personal goods shipment which isn't due to arrive until mid October at the earliest (five months after we packed it!) Anyway, when she was flying out here she really sweetly bought us an inflatable duck bath. The only issue is that Olivia doesn't like keeping it in the bathroom and carries it around the apartment with her to sit in, and to put her things in. I really hope it doesn't burst.
Enjoy!

Opening day

The opening of the store was always going to be a bit of an unknown. No-one really knew how many people were going to turn up. We wanted a crowd because that shows how much excitement there is for Apple but we weren't officially allowed any more than 300 people to gather in one place. Government regulations because of the Olympics. People actually started lining up yesterday around 2pm, which was a good sign.
Carl went to the store around 8am this morning, and I walked down with Olivia around 9:30. There were hundreds of people, and Apple had rented the conference center next door and was hiding a few hundred fans inside and only allowing 200 or so to stand outside the store. It was hot but Apple handed out free water and umbrellas to give some shade. Many many photographers and journalists. I could see Carl and some coworkers up on the second floor looking out at the crowd, I just watched from outside and enjoyed the cheering, whistling and the iPod ads playing on the giant jumbotrons in the courtyard.
10 minutes after the store opened Carl came outside, had a quick word with security and whisked me and Olivia up to the front of the line and we got to walk in the main entrance with all the clapping, and whooping welcoming us (which is how store employees welcome every customer at a store opening). Olivia had her photo taken a hundred time (again!), she really is quite a celebrity.
I didn't stay too long because there were so many people and it wasn't like I hadn't seen the product or store before. But I left Carl there for the day, and Olivia and I went home out of the heat to have a nap.
We hosted a few big cheeses here at our apartment this afternoon, they wanted to get out of the heat and crowds, plus see where we live and have a cold beer. Latest news is that there is still a line outside the store waiting to get in and sales look good. I am very pleased for Carl (and Apple!) and, as I wrote before, can't wait to get him back.

T minus one

It is amazing how much goes into opening an Apple store, particularly in a place like China where there are a few extra layers of bureaucracy to deal with. I wasn't going into the office on Friday but I offered to help Carl with a 'stickering party' where he and a few colleagues had to place hundreds of stickers on product to comply with Chinese law. It wasn't ideal as I needed close monitoring; the stickers were in Chinese and every product needed a unique sticker. It was exciting to be at the retail store before the opening though. The store employees were going through "graduation", which you can see in the photos involved lots of cheers, singing and hand clapping. Corporate employees were a little more stressed as so many last minute things needed doing. Opening day is Saturday 10am. I am looking forward to seeing Carl again once all the Cupertino bods have gone home.

Lazy Sunday

Finally it has been announced, the first China Apple Store will open next Saturday. This means that Carl will be super busy this week as this is the reason that we're in China. He is working hard and in fact, he worked Friday night (until 4am), and all day today (Sunday). I got to spend the day with Olivia. She has a stinking cold, probably caught from school. We had a nice day: brunch with a friend, swimming, swings in the park, and finally I persuaded her to have a bath! The first one in China; that is one month today. Yuk, hate to think what the ayi thinks. Those dirty Americans!
Anyway, here she is being super helpful around the house.

Blue sky, finally.

So it actually happened. To fog/smog cleared up and we have blue sky for the first time in a whole month of being here. I looked out the windows this morning and realised that you can see the hills in the distance (north). The Great Wall is out there only an hour or so from Beijing.
The problem with the sky being blue was that it was too hot to do anything outside. Grrr.
Note that the black blobs on the photos are the dirt on the windows. Nice.




These photos are all different direction views from our apartment. It shows that we're not overlooked much which is good. But it also shows how built up Beijing is. There are high rise buildings all over the city with no clear centre. In fact the centre is Tiananmen Square which is of course, flat!

Update from school

I dropped Olivia off at school this morning; she still isn't that thrilled to be left and clings to us and cries (a lot). It is very hard to leave her but i hear that she stops crying as soon as we leave.

The teacher told me very proudly that Olivia said "bubble" yesterday. Yup, she's been saying that for about 2 months now, usually with a definitive point to a small bottle of bubble mixture. At least she is making herself understood at school.

Teacher also told me that Olivia has figured out how to turn the taps in the sink on in order to play with the water. Apparently another girl likes to do it too, and Olivia learned from her. Smart girl.

The final bit of scoop that I got is that she has a boyfriend!!!!! He is called Joshua, and is half Chinese and wasn't in class yet when I dropped her off so I couldn't see him. I hear that she likes to follow him around. This is unusual for her, because typically she doesn't like to follow, she likes to lead. We'll have to keep an eye on this to see if it is an appropriate relationship. I guarantee that he is older than she is.

Sunday in BJ

We were craving western food so we went to Grandma's Kitchen for a Sunday brunch. Olivia was very impressed with the elephants outside the spa next door.










So impressed in fact that she couldn't decide if she wanted to kiss them or ride them.












It is hot and very humid here even though we never see the sun. We went to a shoppping center in central Beijing which has a kiddie play zone. ALL of the other kids were asian, and most were older and bigger than Olivia but there were a few things that she liked A LOT.








Balloons are always a good start. There is a mesh room with fans which blow all these balloons around. It takes a few minutes for her to warm up but then it is very exciting. There were so many balloons and she was moving so much, that I couldn't get many good shots. The balloons kept getting in the way.







The slide was another big hit. Cute bottom and rolls of flab!

A date in Houhai

So we decided to take advantage of the fact that we have an ayi to look after Olivia and gave her the day off on the 4th July and asked her to work on the 5th instead.
Carl and I went out afternoon window shopping and for an early dinner.
This is Houhai, a central part of Beijing which has lots of karaoke bars, restaurants, and a lake!







You can hire pedal boats or kayaks to go out on the water. There isn't too much to see but they do have a 'water lilly appreciation area" which is not to be missed!
We had a very nice beer with a view up on the 4th floor (no lift) of a Vietnamese restaurant called Nuage.









A Chinese hutong. 700 year old alleys and courtyards, this one happens to have a tourist shopping street through the middle of it.










This is the old bell tower. No idea of the history of it but it looks cool (and old!).
Edit: I just looked it up and these are the Bell and Drum towers, built in 1272 and used to sound out the time. Bell during the day and drum at night.

A very wet 4th July

We thought that we should celebrate 4th July even through Apple China was in the office. We went out to Shunyi district (about 30k outside Beijing) where lots of expats live and all the International schools are.
We went to the American Chamber of Commerce celebration at the International school of Beijing.
Here is Olivia with one of the Olympic mascots (fuwa). This one is HuanHuan and represents the Olympic flame and passion of sports. Olivia isn't too impressed.



Here she is in a nice outfit from Hong Kong bought by Grandparents. At this point it is at least trying to be sunny.


















One of the Chinese gates at the school (still not raining).












It started to get a little cloudy, and looked ominous. We had no idea how much it could rain. Not only did it dump down, serious monsoon rain, but then the wind picked up and blew the two bouncy castles over into the next housing estate. All the outside food vendors' stalls and food blew away. EVERYTHING outside was a wash out; basically it was a mini tornado. Luckily we weren't hurt, just got very very very wet.


Here we are inside. We had to change Olivia (lluckily I had bought a change of clothes for her, not for us though). Her trousers had leaked dye onto Carl's white shirt and I was looking like I should have entered a wet t-shirt competition. Olivia wasn't too perturbed because she managed to nab some balloons - always a favourite!

We didn't bother to stay for the fireworks.

First day of school

So we decided to send Olivia to preschool. Yes cruel parents. It is Montessori though so if she feels like being a tree, then she can be a tree! Mornings only. She is one week shy of the age at which school takes kids so she'll be the youngest but she is the size of most Chinese 3 year olds so we don't think that they'll notice.
Bless her, she looks so happy here right before we take her to school. She has no idea how mean her parents are!