Between lazy days of Pearls and Swine

Well it has been a busy week and a bit for me in Beijing, with Amy being away for most of that time with work. We were lucky to have her back for a few days in between which coincided with her birthday, so we managed to head out for some family time before Amy was off again on Monday afternoon for a course.

For her birthday I managed to finally hit the mark on the gift front, guaranteeing me at least a few brownie points that I can cash in later on. With the help of my Mandarin lesson 'partner in crime' I managed to get firm specs on what Amy wanted to add to her jewellery collection, and pearls were the order of the day. More specifically Amy was keen to have something to match her necklace that she had picked up from Broome a few years ago - a set of earings would be nice, and if it were possible a nice ring to go with it. A few weeks ago we decided to go to the Pearl and Toy Market for our language lesson, and while there I found a very good shop that has got the thumbs up from other expats in Beijing. The person we were dealing with was the owner of the shop, making her alot easier to deal with than the clowns manning the shop around the corner (and who annoyed my after only 2 minutes by telling me what I was asking for wasn't what I really wanted). Our final choice was (in the end) a very good recommendation, and I managed to get not only the earings that Amy wanted but also a nice ring done up to Amy's specs. As with many things here in China I was able to select the pearls to go into the jewellery, and then the type of metal it was all going to hook up to, and all made in the 20min it took us to go and have a coffee. Safe to say Amy was super impressed, which is WAY different to her response when I gave her that new Mountain Bike in my size a few years ago.

Amy's new Birthday bling.

In addition to the most excellent present pick (yep, I'm milking it) I also managed to get us into the very popular "Bubbalicious Brunch" at the Westin Hotel around the corner, which is run every Sunday. It was a close call though, as it appears that this is the place to be on Sunday morning in Beijing. Even though I rang the Monday before I was told that all inside tables were booked, and we were sitting in the corridor section (where, as we found out, alot of other people were as well). A strategically good battle position as luck would have it, because this was half way between the main serving area (seafood, Indian, Chinese, Western) and the 2nd area serving the signature Chinese dishes (Beijing Duck, BBQ Swine and more skewered meat than Kebabastan). From here Amy and I waged war on the various cuisines they had on offer. The package also included all the softdrink, wine, cocktails and Verve champagne we could drink, as well as a selection of four types of shooters (the Bloody Mary Oyster Shots were addictive, but I couldn't say the thought of a 2nd Baijiu and jellyfish was high on my to-do list). What was really interesting was not so much the effort they put into the product on offer (food and drinks quality), but the whole branding campaign that they had wrapped around it. When we walked into the hotel foyer we were greated by two young Chinese women dancing inside 6ft diameter "Bubbalicious" beach balls, and wandering aroung the restaurant was the resident juggler/child entertainer kitted out in the Bubbalicious clown suit and hat. Everthing was colour coordinated, and everything was branded). Whether this had anything to do with it by subcontiously programming the temptation synapses of my brain I'm not sure, but Amy and I spent the entire 3hrs there in total relaxation (or maybe it had to do with the 5 shooters, 2 cocktails and three glasses of wine I had). And while I did try and keep a steady pace on the food tasting front there was too much good stuff to not have tasted so the walk home afterwards was more of a shuffle for me.

The rest of my time either side of our relaxing weekend has been spent taking care of the odds and ends that have built up over the last month, including organising a party for Madeline and also helping her prepare for her 'BSB Idol' performance that she is doing with her friend on Friday (preliminary show only - Round 1 is early next month. Can't wait). On top of this my bar manager role is about to get busy for a few weeks as I go about restocking the wine and beer supplies for the displaced Aussie natives.

I have though managed to get out and about for a bit of aimless wandering, and it's on these trips that I usually find those Kodak moments that are worth sharing (or as is the case below, get to visit ones that friends have found).

Don't want to have consumer organisations testing your claims? Just insert a one word disclaimer at the start. (this compliments the restaurant down near my darts home pub, which claims to have "Probably the finest steak in Beijing").



No comment needed here.

Finally, there has been a few people who have asked when the 2nd part of 'Knuckle Sandwich" is going to make an appearance. It hasn't been forgotten about, and should be posted up by the end of the weekend all things going to plan (knowing that nothing ever seems to go as planned). And if it requires a few late nights to get it done then there is always this litttle beauty I found at a local supermarket - Coffee Gum. It's Caffebate for Espresso addicts, and soon to be available in skin patches at a pharmacy near you (or from the guy I saw on the stairs of McDonalds today selling prescription-only medicines from a plastic bag).

Coffee Gum. Soon to be available in "McDonalds Dripulator Coffee" flavour (Warning: New gum flavour may contain high levels of ash).