naps from the passenger seat

notes from a summer of architecture in shanghai (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-42358956-1', 'tumblr.com'); ga('send', 'pageview');

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shanghai (science) saturday

another whirlwind xian dai saturday tour, this time, mostly science. 

first stop,

shanghai science and technology museum.

probably the largest science museum i've ever been into. they had pretty intense ecosystem replicas with these hilarious bugs. note: they're not to scale

shanghai ocean aquarium boasts one of the longest (120m) underwater tunnels in the world. 

these fish were actually a little terrifying. note: these are definitely to scale.

how did i go my entire life without seeing this guy?

this one's for you dad. 

zendai himalayas center, is a multi-functional cultural complex in pudong designed by japanese architect, arata isozaki. 

[soft curves of an "organic forest" contained within the hard, symmetrical lines of "crystalline cubes"] 

http://www.aasarchitecture.com/2013/02/Himalayas-Center-Arata-Isozaki.html

looking for crowds of people in shanghai? they're probably at east nanjing,

... at the food markets,

or eating xialongbao (soup dumplings!),

..which is surprisingly hard to do, everytime.

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instacity: shanghai 1987 - 2013

http://gizmodo.com/shanghais-insane-26-year-transformation-summed-up-in-1041901244

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even the locals were impressed!

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just different: part 1

after about 5 weeks in china, you come to realize that the overwhelming craziness of shanghai is just an accumulation of little moments that are embedded in significant cultural differences. for instance, 

elevators:  the no. 4 is considered unlucky in china. it is homophonous with the chinese word for 'death' or 'die' hence avoided in most instances, elevators especially.

floor 4, 13, 14? doesn't exist. 

green roofs: "wearing a green hat" is a chinese expression used for a women who cheats on her husband or boyfriend. hence, wearing a green hat or putting a green roof on a building is not really acceptable, since roofs are like hats for buildings, right?  

http://randomwire.com/green-hat-a-no-no

cargo transportation: all the creative ways i've seen people  cart large masses of produce and materials have been epic. 

particularly this guy inside this cave of styrofoam. we had to film it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRoq54TRtVM&feature=youtu.be

even the toys are carting things

oreo fillings: erica went all out at this oreo promotion at our grocery store. green tea, mango and cream, and birthday cake are just a few of filling options 

laundry: while you can wash your clothes, there are no dryers ... anywhere. everyone, including the dry cleaners pretty much uses laundry lines

mostly mixed results for me

but if there is one thing that is universal, it would be rollerblading. i hope everyone's enjoying summer as much as these kids. 

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zhujiajiao, 1700 years and counting

one pink bus and an hour later we were in zhujiajiao, a well preserved ancient water town on the outskirts of shanghai

albeit a bit touristy, the scale of zhujiajiao was perfect for a saturday daytrip trying to imagine what it would have been like to live in the village many, many years ago

fengsheng bridge

some fun new foods!

xialongbao - soup dumplings. so much soup, you get to drink it with a straw

stinky tofu - holy hell does this smell bad... it tastes pretty much like tofu with a hint of flavor but smells like eggs inside a wet sock.  

quail eggs cooked in an igloo of salt

a pretty big beer glass, a rare find in shanghai

ain't that the truth. 

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a daytrip to suzhou: venice of the east

from shanghai, we took a 20 minute bullet train west to suzhou, a city founded in 514 BC, famous for its classical garden designs.

the train station is epic and huge

on our way into the city, i became fascinated with these limestone rocks called taihu rocks

first stop, i.m. pei's suzhou museum

tim and tina pondered beautifully lit art

intricate tusk carving is definitely a lost art

a street vendor selling a fruit i've never seen before

it felt like a koosh ball, tasted like a bean, and had the color of strawberry jam ..

any ideas?

sanitation is a big issue so many restaurants we've been to have this dinner set all sealed in plastic

  lion's grove garden, famous for it's elaborate mazes made from taihu rock 

beautiful stones sculpted by wind and water arranged to depict aspects of chinese geography

pagodas and waterfalls created an surprisingly serene and awe inspiring environment despite the hoards of tourist clamoring about

taihu rocks are also known as chinese scholar's rocks, inspiring artists, poets, and scholars of the time

with the creation of the grand canal and the moat that encloses suzhou, smaller water passageways run the length of the city. many boats are often found along these paths, giving suzhou the nickname, "venice of the east"

not quite sure why there are so many openings in a variety of shapes but these portals are often found in older complexes and i think they're great

walking down the small street adjacent to one of the canals, we stopped for these dessert dumplings

and saw many houses showing the marks of time passed

humble administrator's garden, considered to be the finest garden in all of southern china. i don't disagree

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first week of work: ambiguous expectations

my first week at xian dai has been pretty varied.

sometimes i'm given time to research and sketch concept ideas for a museum proposal...

where they give me chinese copic markers to do some basic site planning (good thing i took that college level coloring course this past spring!) 

and other times i sit in on 4 hour client meetings entirely in mandarin followed by a 15-course lunch at the fancy adjoining hotel. i ate all the things. maybe even sea urchin, if it was a sea urchin...

after lunch, it is an acceptable option to nap

most people do. i have yet to try but i'm sure i'll join in soon

speaking of napping, here's a photo of the illustrious chinese elite hotel apartments. note: the window actually just looks into another hallway

while the language barrier has been more difficult than expected, my supervisor dr. tong has been doing a really wonderful job including me on his projects. as vague as my assignments are, i hope i can be helpful over the next coming weeks.

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first impressions: shanghai

landing in pvg - pudong airport, i could already feel the heat

while trying to figure out internet at our hotel, the postman brought in a santa claus-esque bag of packages and sorted through the pile one by one

our first restaurant in shanghai had a grease fire while we were eating dinner and everyone but us ran for the door

we made it out with plenty of time but the restaurant was completely smoked out in less than 5 minutes

a typical load of styrofoam being carried down the terrifying streets of shanghai

we found a morning breakfast joint that's on the way to work. currently, it is 6 rmb to $1 so at 1.2 rmb, each of these buns break the bank at about $ 0.20

business development team 2 offices at xian dai 

we all celebrated our first work day with a schezuan dinner seafood hotpot. it was absurdly large and the entire meal including beers costed about $6 each

apart from being incredibly hot and humid, i'm looking forward to the next 8 weeks 

[napsfromthepassengerseat]

sayonara mrs. kackleman: a week in tokyo

hello tokyo,

even you're trees are cute.

(notice the golden sweet potato, how darling)

here are some fun things i've learned from my week in tokyo.

there's a vending machine for everything. for instance, beer.

second instance, ramen. 

thank you vending machines for making this happen, thrice

look who it is! we got up bright and early to make it to the famous tsukiji fish market ...

where they drove lots of cartons around in these pretty silly vehicles that moved really fast ...

and sold who knows what. 

i definitely ate it though. so fresh!

cause and effect?

the shrines in the parks of tokyo are absolutely magical

and sometimes colorful.

japanese school children are the cutest and always wear matching hats

everyone carries and uses an umbrella for both sun and rain

no seriously, umbrella etiquette is crucial. 

the architecture around ginza can be structurally intense ..

.. or a bit excessive on the finishings.

however, this fan installation at muji was perfect ..

much like japanese toilets are delightful.

another vending machine! 

the entrance of the studio ghibli museum, also known as, where dreams are made

TOTORO! i'm very pleased.

only kids were allowed on the neko bus, which was tragic

visiting starchitect kengo kuma's office was absolutely surreal

so great! the visitor's center is asakusa is absolutely stunning. good job kengo kuma

tyler came to visit for a night and we taught him all about chu hi. i'd describe it as a hybrid between a mike's hard lemonade and a colt 45: fruity and efficient 

followed by genki sushi, a restaurant that delivers sushi to you on conveyor belt.

on you're birthday, you must get publicly cheesecak-ed by your friends in heels. maybe this was an exception

the police stations, or kobans, are all tiny and architecturally different.

scarlett and bill both agree, tokyo is best viewed from the top.

tokyo definitely has my vote for the 2020 olympic games.