SHANGHAI!

Best day in Shanghai after the longest saddest cab ride there ever! Enjoyed so much - quick recap: bought great pearls for silly cheap, ate in a revolving restaurant at the Radisson, and hung out at the Glamor Bar, the #1 hot spot in Shanghai. I can't wait for more adventurous fun! FAME opens tomorrow!

So Long Suzhou!

My Last day in Suzhou was quite eventful! Michael, Mark, Motique, and I (a name not starting with M) went to the silk factory and museum. Saw with my own eyes how they make our silk and quilts - it makes the "made in China" marking feel closer to home. I purchased some fun silk items for myself and family and wish I had the money to get more things. Lots of cute stuff and so silky smooth but NOT cheap. This was some high quality, all natural silk. After our final show, the presenter wanted to take everyone out for a "quick drink". A few of us planned a quick walk in and walk out, however we did not go to a little bar but a nice restaurant with tables prepared for us covered with food and drink. So clearly we all stayed as now this would be rude to leave. SO GLAD I stayed. What an experience. Almost every 15 minutes or less more food was brought to the table. We had everything from appetizer seaweed salads to squid, chicken, lamb, bok choy, broccoli, srhimp, soup, and many other strange and wonderful dishes with a finale of spicy potato chips. I tried more Chinese delicacies in that one sitting than I had in my first two weeks in China. It was quite an experience. Not to much mention the entertainment of watching our hosts get tanked and take a million pictures of us. They were so pleased we were there and it was one of the first times we really felt like rock stars (besides that time we ate in the hotel restaurant and signed a bunch of autographs!). Now I am in Shanghai at the Fortune Forever Hotel which resembles a nice suite Residence Inn - oh but without the HEAT. It's freezing in here! That is no fun. Hopefully it will warm up, but I just heard the heat kick off, not a good sign. We are pretty far away from downtown Shanghai (like 40 minutes) but as we are here for two weeks I know that we will be checking it out as much as possible.Let's see- went to a mall/ Walmart time place today. Got some food, since we have fridges! (no microwaves though) sinks, a non working burner, and the standard hot pot/tea kettle. Ok - time for bed. New adventures to come soon!

SUN!!!!!!!!!!

I just opened the window and... and.... and.... ITS SUNNY!!!! A cloudless sky! OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!! China has been gross,cold, and rainy thus far and today is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!! Of course I have rehearsal :( but still! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sorry - you have no idea how exciting this is. We all thought for sure that nice weather didnt happen here!

china update

sooo i thought i should explain that yes! i finally had a delicious meal in China! We went to a hibachi type restaurant (so japanese food haha) and it was amazing and we were treated like royalty! We enjoyed several courses of delectable mixed fried rice and beef fried rice, honey chicken, steak, asparagus (sooo good), mushrooms, and broccoli. So far this is the only restaurant that I have fallen in love with here in Suzhou. The staff is amazing and adorable ( we went back on another quick visit and the restaurant was closed for an occasion but they served us next door and brought everything over to us!) - helping us with our Mandarin and laughing at our blunders. Other than that food wise has been a pretty decent dumpling house around the corner where i get their fried dumplings which aren't really fried just seared on one side and laid out longways - tasty; served with a tasty plum like sauce.I"m getting pretty good with my chopsticks! I've also had KFC and Subway - odd but not horrible. It's been tough with the tech schedule - breaking at odd hours during which most good restaurants are closed. luckily with the little local convenience stores everywhere and ! oh my goodness I almost forgot about the FANTASTIC bakery on the corner called Holiland. ridiculous. so good. and cheeeeap! Also ps - the dumpling house costs 4 rb for an order which equals about 60 cents. (7rb = $1) so thats a fun math game - and we all know i'm super awesome at math! so anyways moral of the story is I'm here - surviving not quite enjoying (YET) the sights, sounds, smells of China (the Oreos taste the same yum!). More news and adventures to come. Please check out dionysiawilliamspics@shutterfly.com for some videos and pics to come! :)

first meal

so finally went out exploring in search of an ATM and food. dark and dreary here, but walking around feeling like a celebrity with all the stares was kind of fun. However, BIG DISAPPOINTMENT for my first meal here. EVERYWHERE (including our hotel which has several restaurants) was not serving food at this time. Apparently it's tea and coffee time. Something no one mentioned from the company, ya know that it may be tricky to get food at these times. SO we finally had to walk to a KFC - YUUUUUUCK! The fries were good but everything else was eh. That's right kids my first meal in China was crappy American fast food. Not happy!! Hopefully you will hear tales of some fabulous meals to come. (ya know the ones we were promised by everyone else that has been here before us.) off to rehearsal...

china!

So it does appear that this site is blocked but I am using the awesome gmail application to write this. So China is lovely! I mean we haven't left the hotel room yet haha but it seems nice here. The bed is very hard but I wasn't that uncomfortable. Fun lighting - all censored so as you move throughout the room lights go on and off on their own. We are going to explore and get some lunch before rehearsal at 4pm today. More to come! bye fore now!

quick update

so i would love to be able to do this more graciously and with much more gusto, but i'm currently in rehearsals for the International Tour of FAME and am leaving the states in less than a week for.... CHINA! crazy! Rehearsals are coming along nicely. I'm enjoying Lambchops and am excited to see where she goes over the next few months. Also I'm really enjoying rocking out on the drums! I had no idea "jamming" could be so much fun. I'm learning lots of new things as challenges present themselves and once again find myself being forced to examine my thinking. Always a good thing I believe - positive outcomes! more to follow I'm sure.... (unless China blocks this site :( ) :)