China Apartments- What is this?

Looking at Apartments online in China I found these two view: 

Help What are these items?

So far my sister Carol has the funniest best answer, particularly for the foyer:

Picture 1 is a hair dryer.  (old outdated-ok maybe you have never been in establishments with this upgrade!)

Picture 2 shows the accoutrements for a little known chinese ritual involving tea kettles, giant bird baths, potted trees, plastic tubs and spray bottles.  First, you take the spray bottle and coat the tree with water.  You then collect the drippings using the plastic tub.  Transfer the drippings from the plastic tub to the tea kettle.  Heat the water to boiling.  Fill the bird bath.  Repeat until bird bath is full of hot water.  (TIP:  Act quickly or the water will cool.)  Buy a freshly slaughtered chicken, head still attached.  Holding the chicken by its head, dip it repeatedly into the bird bath full of hot water.  This will loosen the feathers.  Lay the chicken on the table and pluck the feathers, which have been loosened by the hot water.  (Save the feathers for another ritual, one that also involves the tree, a chinese opera singer and the theme song from the original three stooges movies -- more on this in a future email.)  Cook the chicken using flavorings and sauces of your choice.  Be careful of the feathers you were unable to pluck - they tend to stick in your throat.  DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use the water in the bird bath for chicken soup --  unless of course you have access to the giant strainer that sits inside the giant bird bath.  PS, the giant birdbath also serves as a footbath, which is why it is common in the foyers of chinese apartments.  Skip the chicken and heat the water just short of boiling.  This explains why the chinese are so fond of chicken feet.

 

That should make you laugh and be happy for the new experience I can look forward to in the near future.

SMILES Diane

What's your interpretation?

Lost (&Confused) Horizon-China Update

China always takes a long term view. They have been around over 5,000 years. 

Keep this in mind as you read my attempt at making a stressful situation humorous.

Getting a "Z" Visa in China has become getting an F&Z Visa.  

Here is the process.

a medical exam

a letter from someone in china inviting you to come over

a employment letter from a company in China

apply for z visa

Doesn't this (above) sound so simple!

An update(or as much as "we", aka Paul and I, the confused, can tell you)!

Call all, Chinese Embassy(s)  in USA numbers to get the prerecorded message(s) then leave messages which will go unanswered. There appear to be  no live people in these mystery places just recordings.

Now save yourself some worry(hahahaha)and get a relocation agency to assist you in the process.

They are trying to help but the email messages are so tricky. 

Does a "we" mean me and Paul or does it mean "we" as in Paul, Me and the relocation company or "we" the relocation company only? 

Does "I will start the process" mean while you work on your end? I think not!!!!

Yes I am ranting.

Medical Exam to get into China to work-- it is harder than becoming a Navy Seal-- blood, hiv, hep B\A , Aids test, EKG,Chest xray, physical etc. Get an "approved by China" doctor to do all the tests, bring all films, originals of all tests, with signed Chinese Medical Form, and send it all to China.

Invite Letter- takes 15-20 days, mas o menas, but not until you get all medical exam completed.

Employment Letter- takes 4-5 days, and I think it is a letter from Paul's company(China division) saying they want him to work in China, so it must be issued and stamped-Chinese like their "Stamps".  Again Not until you complete the medical exam.

Apply for Z visa- get all (we think as our inquiry to embassy is awaiting tranlation -including xray and ekg etc)of the originals of everything you had done above  sent to you in USA then get it to the Chinese embassy and they might get you the visa in 3-5 days.

IF you get the "F&Z Visa" go to China and repeat all the steps plus a few more, including registering with the Police so you can get another permit to reside here!

So you ask when are you leaving? 

We can't tell you, it is in God's and the rulers of Middle Kingdoms hands

How long will you be there (if you get through the process)? 

As long as it takes to get through the next set of hoops...

 it could  be 10 -12 months in which case Paul will be done with his project.

with humor, SMILES DI

Lastly, Swine FLU may prevent entry or exit....Ugh!

Staycation?

Hi all,

I haven't gone anywhere so I guess I am on a staycation!  A friend recently used this and explained it was staying in your home town and doing stuff you normally do when company comes from out of town.

This got me thinking; What do I do now that I do when company comes to town?  

I clean more, Yes I have been doing that since I am not working (outside the HOME!!!).  

I  go out eat, Yes, I am doing that but not really more we must always be staycationers.

I hike and go for walks on beach, Yes, But again we live in San Diego -We do this for exercise.

Ok, I have not gone to Disney since the  "last company" but we have zoo passes and seaworld so we stop in for an hour about once a month. 

 Side Note: Sick as it is....Why don't we ever see crazy ladies jump into the polar bear exhibit -----during feeding time?

Nick gave the perspective of the polar bears.   "Hey, feeding time and they just chucked in a crazed overgrown seal!! WeeHa".  The bear was just excited like getting easter candy to little kids.  

Sorry, my mind wanders back to staycations.

I don't think I like "staycations". I  don't like the word or the ?meaning?  I am confused.  It is ugly to mix vacation and staycation. I don't want the "stay" I want the "VACATION"  as defined by websters:

Main Entry:1va·ca·tion
Pronunciation:\vā-ˈkā-shən, və-\
Function:noun
Usage:often attributive
Etymology:
Middle English vacacioun, from Anglo-French vacacion, from Latin vacation-, vacatio freedom, exemption, from vacare
Date:
14th century
1: a respite or a time of respite from something : intermission
2 a: a scheduled period during which activity (as of a court or school) is suspended b: a period of exemption from work granted to an employee
3: a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation
4: an act or an instance of vacating

Now according to "Urban Dictionary" (as this is a made up word Webster doesn't even recognize it!)

staycation: 
A vacation that is spent at one's home enjoying all that home and one's home environs have to offer.

Let me just finish by saying: Excuse me but isn't that what we should be doing everyday?

regular day:

A regular day(removed vacation) that is spent at one's home enjoying all that home and one's home environs have to offer.

Lastly, while living in China I think I will do both "staycation and vacation" depending on my mood on that particular day...I hope you will keep  up with me. 

Smiles to all Have a pleasant stayca...oops I mean day!

 Diane

Disneyland-Is it still the happiest place on earth?

Just visited Disneyland, even though they are always upgrading: It is the same! 

Did my niece love it ?Yes! 

Was it crowded? Not like the summertime.

What was good? Lack of long waits, sit down lunch in new orleans square, staying at local hotel outside gate,eating dinner offsite of disney. 

What was bad? 1 long wait, broken down (again-like my last visit) Indiana Jones ride, No parade!, No fireworks!, was initially told closing at 9pm,(instead of midnight) but at 7ish, they announced they would stay open until 10 pm.

cost: for 3 people- admission 200.00( lucky us- we got California resident special), food about 150.00, hotel 150.00,gas etc another 80-100 so about 500.00 for a day

Smiles: Priceless

What is your next theme park adventure?

Battle Sloth

Do you have a "repeat visit" photo? We have the "Battle of the Sloth", as of you who have come to visit and have gone to La Brea Tarpits with us know the battle. Each person must fight the sloth which of course we photograph!

Let me know if you have goofy photos and can I post a few of yours--yes it will embarrassment of your family and friends.

2009 Ladies trip Tankah Bay, Mexico

This may be  a bit long and a few things are "under the dome" and bear not repeating..OK, actually nothing that exciting, lots of laughing, eating , walking, mucho tequila and vino.

Saturday Arrival, perfect flights arrive to cooked meal, Jackie, Pam ,stocked kitchen, and a cook!. The house is great sleeps 16 but we were only 9 .

Sunday was Superbowl so we went between sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, television, walking to eating and drinking.

Monday was all about "Sue's Birthday", her and her best-est friend(s).  We all decided to go to Tulum. Now many took the 'tour' but myself, Roz, Pam and Jackie decided to do our own tour.  Two of our group found their ADD kick in and then things went south.  The laughter was so tear jerking that as we passed  our peers on  the 'tour' Carolina wished to jump ship but feared the wrath of her fellow tourist.  We found our interpretation of the  piles of rocks(Pam) to be very imaginative and the book we purchased gave us all the information on the history. IE Yum Kaac is the god of corn, it was a commercial trading town and no live virgins (or dead) were sacrificed to the gods . We ended the day in Tulum at a great Thai restaurant on the beach- Sue had more birthday shots!

Tuesday was Massage Day. Daniel the local massage/shaman came to bless us and we all agreed he was a blessing. The massages were great and while never crossing the line being conservative folks from the USA made each of us nervous.BUT not that nervous we scheduled him to come back a second day. Relax-Go Daniel. Oh yeah speaking of conservative ladies on our beach walk we came upon a small hotel with naked people, two men, one woman lay naked on beach chairs. Yes, they could get away with it, yes, we looked, and YES he was well endowed.

(Now my view is if you lie naked on a public beach you want to be looked at, so I looked)

Wednesday is Cenote and Gary's bar. For those from New England this is a deep mixed fresh water and seawater, all right its a clear water marsh and you all know what a bar is!

A note on Gary, He is a middle age guy who I thought was the waiter but found out he is the "owner and owns 5 Million dollars worth of beach front, lives in the adjoining shack,needs dental work, has blue eyes" which was 6 things more than we needed to know, on the positive it was the only place with a glass of decent wine.

Thursday off to Coba. This time Jayne, Sherry and I took 'the tour" while the other ladies jumped on bikes and rode off into the jungle.  Coba (yes Pam, more pile of rocks) is the largest city, we got to walk up to the top  of the largest pyramid and biking through the woods was fun.

Shopping and Local beer while we waited ride. It was hot!

Friday MORE massage(s), more Gary's bar, more kayaking---I don't know who won but is wasn't Jackie and Roz, they just laughed until they floated back to civilization.

Every day we had a delicious breakfast and terrific dinner prepared by Lily and Serena. Each beautiful sunrise and sunset made this location absolutely beautiful.  We found the house on VRBO.com.

If you have a group and want a relaxing fun place this would be it!