Up to Shanghai (as an expat) - November 17th 2009 and onward

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December 2009


Page 3 of 4.
Click on images below to enlarge:
Holiday Party atop Le Meridien on December 21, 2009
My company had its holiday party atop Le Meridien, a hotel a few blocks from our office. I took some pictures of the view. Looking south-east toward the Huangpu River and Pudong. The building in the center with the crown is the Bund Center. The Oriental Pearl (TV) Tower is in the top-left.
Ibid. Notice how the spotlights coming from the Bund Center have moved and how the giant screens across the river are now displaying something different.
Looking east straight down East Nanjing Road toward the Oriental Pearl Tower.
The same scene yet again, trying to get all the distinctive buildings and the well-lit strip of East Nanjing Road. I think this is somewhat excellent if you don't look at the full-sized image.
My company had its holiday party atop Le Meridien, a hotel a few blocks from our office. I took some pictures of the view.
Looking south-east toward the Huangpu River and Pudong. The building in the center with the crown is the Bund Center. The Oriental Pearl (TV) Tower is in the top-left.
Ibid. Notice how the spotlights coming from the Bund Center have moved and how the giant screens across the river are now displaying something different.
Looking east straight down East Nanjing Road toward the Oriental Pearl Tower.
The same scene yet again, trying to get all the distinctive buildings and the well-lit strip of East Nanjing Road. I think this is somewhat excellent if you don't look at the full-sized image.
Ditto. Ignore the odd reflections in the upper-right.
Looking west, the tall building is Tomorrow Square; the black area in the bottom-left is People's Park; the curved road is the beginning of Nanjing West Road.
Ibid. Notice how the top of Tomorrow Square color. If this picture didn't have the reflection, I might rate it excellent because it has such good exposure/lighting (view the full-sized image to see what I mean).
Another attempt at the same scene.
Ditto. Ignore the odd reflections in the upper-right.
Looking west, the tall building is Tomorrow Square; the black area in the bottom-left is People's Park; the curved road is the beginning of Nanjing West Road.
Ibid. Notice how the top of Tomorrow Square color.
If this picture didn't have the reflection, I might rate it excellent because it has such good exposure/lighting (view the full-sized image to see what I mean).
Another attempt at the same scene.
Looking south-west over People's Square and the Shanghai Museum.
Focusing closely on the pedestrian Nanjing East Road.
Di Yin and I as seen via reflection, with night-time Shanghai in the background. Probably the best of my attempted self-portraits, and the first attempt.
Try two: more of us, faces not obscured by a camera, but now we block the company logo, and there's less of the skyline to see.
Looking south-west over People's Square and the Shanghai Museum.
Focusing closely on the pedestrian Nanjing East Road.
Di Yin and I as seen via reflection, with night-time Shanghai in the background. Probably the best of my attempted self-portraits, and the first attempt.
Try two: more of us, faces not obscured by a camera, but now we block the company logo, and there's less of the skyline to see.
Try three was okay. All other tries I didn't bother uploading.
An alright picture of me and Di Yin.
Try three was okay. All other tries I didn't bother uploading.
An alright picture of me and Di Yin.
Dinner at Japanese BBQ Restaurant on December 24, 2009
Our terrific salad. Di Yin thinks the dressing was made tempura sauce, olive oil, and sesame oil. We ordered replacement plates a few times, and could've eaten still more.
B and K.
B and Di Yin grilling meat.
All the booths had grills and large overhead fans (which weren't powerful enough--the restaurant was smoky). Also in this picture, you can see many of our plates of meat.
Our terrific salad. Di Yin thinks the dressing was made tempura sauce, olive oil, and sesame oil. We ordered replacement plates a few times, and could've eaten still more.
B and K.
B and Di Yin grilling meat.
All the booths had grills and large overhead fans (which weren't powerful enough--the restaurant was smoky). Also in this picture, you can see many of our plates of meat.
More grilling, plus salad and salmon sashimi in the background.
More grilling, plus salad and salmon sashimi in the background.
Dinner at A Different Japanese BBQ Restaurant on December 25, 2009
A good egg salad atop a green salad with pretty good dressing.
A meat platter including ox tongue, marinated chicken, thinly sliced (flank?) steak, and more.
Some kind of short rib, or as Di Yin called it, "fatty goodness."
Another kind of short rib, more "fatty goodness."
A good egg salad atop a green salad with pretty good dressing.
A meat platter including ox tongue, marinated chicken, thinly sliced (flank?) steak, and more.
Some kind of short rib, or as Di Yin called it, "fatty goodness."
Another kind of short rib, more "fatty goodness."
Grilling meat in our private room.
Another picture of the private room, to show the flat-screen television mounted on the wall. I hypothesized that it was for karaoke.
Pickled cabbage, cucumbers, and daikon.
Mixed vegetables, rice, and egg in a stone pot. It definitely reminded me of Korean food such as bibimbap.
Grilling meat in our private room.
Another picture of the private room, to show the flat-screen television mounted on the wall. I hypothesized that it was for karaoke.
Pickled cabbage, cucumbers, and daikon.
Mixed vegetables, rice, and egg in a stone pot. It definitely reminded me of Korean food such as bibimbap.
Dessert at Charmant on December 25, 2009
A tall (18 inches) Taiwanese shaved ice dessert, much like ice kacang / ABC, which I saw often in Singapore and Malaysia. We split it four ways. Good (in spite of the cold weather!).
A tall (18 inches) Taiwanese shaved ice dessert, much like ice kacang / ABC, which I saw often in Singapore and Malaysia. We split it four ways. Good (in spite of the cold weather!).
Dinner at Lost Heaven on December 26, 2009
Lost Heaven, a Yunnanese restaurant, is in a clean and stylish three story building. We sat on the highest level, overlooking this interior two-floor courtyard. (The first floor is mostly the bar.)
Another perspective.
More dark, stylish lighting.
Yunnan wild vegetable cakes. Fine. They were like delicate green onion pancakes. Di Yin loved the tomato dipping sauce: a basic Italian one (tomatoes, olive oil, sugar). Di Yin complained the pancakes were oily, though I thought they were less oily than most green onion pancakes.
Lost Heaven, a Yunnanese restaurant, is in a clean and stylish three story building. We sat on the highest level, overlooking this interior two-floor courtyard. (The first floor is mostly the bar.)
Another perspective.
More dark, stylish lighting.
Yunnan wild vegetable cakes. Fine. They were like delicate green onion pancakes. Di Yin loved the tomato dipping sauce: a basic Italian one (tomatoes, olive oil, sugar). Di Yin complained the pancakes were oily, though I thought they were less oily than most green onion pancakes.