Whether working, studying, or just plain living abroad, it’s the type of experience I think everyone should try at least once. I’ve done them all, like visiting family in China for summer break (and going to school for that year when I was 9), doing an exchange program in England, and working overseas in Singapore. This was from my last night in Singapore, as I packed up my desk and bid farewell to my coworkers. It had been quite an immersion into their culture, completely unlike anything I was used to yet familiar in many areas. It’s amazing what you learn in a few weeks of entering a different society. It’s easy to stay closed-mind in a bubble if you never leave your home country, but normal travel doesn’t quite change you the way living abroad does (even if it’s only for a few months). I really value all of my time abroad in the various capacities that I was there for. Spending extended time in any other country opens your eyes to other ways to view the world and it’s a great learning opportunity for all.
365great Day 363: living abroad
Julep March 2014: The Riviera Collection review
This time when the selection period began, I was ready. A quick look at the profiles revealed that I much preferred the beauty products over the nail polishes, so I opted for the Modern Beauty option that includes two beauty items, with no polish. I then browsed the add-on options and decided to get a polish in Princess Grace. I was fascinated by the lip products that came with this month’s box, so I just couldn’t pass them up.
Julep is just under $20 per box and comes with 2 nail polish colors and a beauty product, 3 nail polish colors, or 2 beauty products (depending on your style profile choice). They offer plenty of upgrade and add-on options too. Boxes are sent monthly unless you choose to skip (skips are earned every six months for subscribers Dec 18th, 2013 and later). You also have the option of gifting your box to a friend. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free boxes.
March’s Modern Beauty Riviera Collection box
The info card with details on the lip scrub and conditioning treatment.
Back of the info card with a discount offer on lip products.
The Luxe Lip Conditioning Treatment is hydrating and smells kind of coconuty. The metal tip is cooling and soothing.
The Buff Lip Scrub Pen is a lightly sweet smelling scrub with tiny crystals. I actually liked keeping in on after use to keep lips soft and moist.
I chose this as an add-on because it looked more vibrant orange than the corals I have, which are slightly more peachy/pink.
I do like the products, but I’m not sure about the price. I mean, $20 for two lip products? That’s pretty steep and actual prices if you buy them separately are even higher. In a way, I guess it’s good I got them in my Maven box, since that’s one of the better deals, but I probably wouldn’t repurchase unless they were heavily discounted. I do like both products and will use them.
Join as a Julep Maven to get polishes and/or beauty products sent to you monthly! Use code FREEBOX or FREEMAVEN to get the first box free (you pay shipping).
[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]
365great Day 362: bargains
It feels great when you can get a product or service for a steal. My mom has always gotten a certain rush from buying items at steep discounts and I’ve learned a little along the way. While I don’t like to negotiate prices, I can certainly do it and generally get a good deal. At markets where bargaining is expected, you can get huge price differentials, but even in some stores where negotiating isn’t the norm, you can get a bargain. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking what promotions and deals they’re offering. Sometimes sales associates do have a little leeway in discounts they can offer, like when you’re vying for home appliances. At the least, most retailers offer price match guarantees, so you can find the best price and combine that with other offers (like 0% financing, bonus gift cards, etc.) to get a better deal. Oh, and don’t forget coupons for more common household items. Or maybe you just love to haggle for a good price at a market or bazaar, like my mom. Whatever the case, it feels great to get a bargain on something!
The one I didn’t know
It came as quite a shock to me.
My grandmother had given me a stack of photos to share with my mom and as I flipped through the oldest ones, I found myself staring face to face with a joyous man. Earlier pictures had shown him as a young man in black and white, but this picture… it was thirty years later, just months after I was born. And suddenly it struck me that this was my grandfather, the grandfather I had one vague (possibly fake) memory of. The one who saw me off when I was three and a half, headed to a great new world to join my parents in Pennsylvania, and never saw me again.
Hi gramps. That’s grandma holding me and grandpa holding onto my cousin.
I sat there absorbing the shock as I realized… I never really knew what he looked like. Here I am 28 years old; how did I get to this age without ever knowing his face? Of course I must have known him briefly when I was a baby, but I have no memories of that. The one fleeting memory I think I have was when I was leaving. He sent down a basket from the second floor, I think with something we had forgotten. He was alive when I was born and still alive when I left China for America as a toddler. Maybe I could have known him then. Now that I think of it, was the reason that my grandmother was the only one who came to visit us at Penn State because he had already died? I had no impression of time back then. I vaguely remember watching my parents receiving the news when I was around 5 or 6. Phone calls to and from China were a rare commodity. We couldn’t afford long distance, so it was a pretty big deal. The news wasn’t good – a heart attack. And just like that, any hope of knowing grandpa was gone.
What happened after that? It’s all a blur to me. All I know is that when I was almost too young to remember, my grandfather passed away and I never got a chance to really build memories with him. It was about four years later that I first returned to China again, long after he was gone. In my family, we don’t really talk about the past, so I never asked about him. I didn’t even know who to talk to and I figured I’d learn more over time. Many years ago, my mother took me to his grave. I remember taking a bus far away from the city, to a neat cemetery lined with headstones. I don’t know how my mom made her way to his headstone through the long rows, but I think she had a map. Since then, I haven’t been back. Next time I’m taking notes so I can find it again (though I think that year I actually wrote down some notes in my journal, if I can dig it up).
My maternal grandparents in 1956, probably soon after they got married.
Now that I actually think of it, it’s so very sad that I let all this time go by without trying to know him. I had no idea there were any pictures of him. We don’t have many pictures from the 80’s and earlier, so I thought I’d seen them all. But now that these have surfaced, I’m realizing that I could have known his face all this time. This smiling man who looks so kind, so amicable. I wish I knew what his personality was like, what he sounded like. I know that he was an excellent student and accomplished professional, but what about home life? Was he a good cook? Did he enjoy playing chess? Did he love animals too? I wonder if I got my smile from him, and perhaps my penchant for reading as a child. Now that I have a face to put with this fuzzy idea of my grandfather, his death seems so much more real. I’ll have to figure out when the 30th anniversary of his death is, so I can make it out to see him.
365great Day 361: roasted chestnuts
Every time I see one of my cousins, she knows exactly what to get me: freshly roasted chestnuts. She’ll stop by a street vendor roasting by the side of the road and buy me a bag or two of the treats. They come out so perfectly that way – a cut in the skin allows me to easily peel it and eat the chestnut whole. The exterior layer of the meat is a little glossy, providing sort of a glazed feel. The rest of it is just the kind of mealiness that I like and a nice sweetness that isn’t overwhelming. When I was young, I remember going to pick chestnuts with my parents – I was amazed by the spiky green ball that they grow in, which we had to step on with our feet to break. We then carefully pried them open to pick out the chestnuts inside. They’re one of my favorite foods and I never really considered them a nut. I guess I do like nuts after all! At least I think chestnuts taste great.
Bargaining at Silk Street Market
Visitors to Beijing will probably all be familiar with the Silk and Pearl Market known as the Silk Street Market. It has six floors of shopping, grouped into types. Towards the very top you’ll find the nice fancy jewelers with precious stones and metals. There’s the electronics floor, filled with phone and tablet accessories, headphones, etc. Then are the softer goods, like blankets, cloth, and clothing. Continuing on down you’ll find purses, wallets, and shoes. Somewhere along the way you’ll encounter luggage stalls too. And of course there are plenty of fun little Chinese trinkets and gift items.
Bargaining at the Silk Street Market is pretty much expected (except for food you eat while there). I went there today with the goal of getting Panda a new wallet (or two) and checking out anything I might want for myself. You can get to the market from subway line number 1 (the red line). Go to exit A and up the escalators to find yourself in one corner of the building that houses the market. I like to start at the top and work my way down, so I strolled through some nicer stalls first. Eventually I made my way down to my real goal on level B1: the purses and wallets. The majority were for women, but I found a stall with mostly men’s leather goods and got to work.
My style of bargaining starts with first seeing how much I actually like what they have. After all, it’s no use to bargain for something I don’t really want and won’t be pleased with. So the stall attendant stares at me while I browse through a ton of their items. If I’m not seeing what I like, I’ll ask them if they have it. In this case, none of the wallets I was looking at had a little pouch for coins, so I asked and one of the ladies went to the back to find me some. She came back with four designs, of which two were to my liking. I asked how they were sold and was told ¥460 for one. Err, what?! That’s about $75!! I mean, I can go to Marshall’s or TJ Maxx and get a nice wallet for less than a third of that price.
These attendants like to ask you what your price is. I like to go lower than I’d actually want it for to leave some room, and also remain as vague as possible at first. I said I came out only expecting to spend in the 10’s (as in not going into triple-digit territory). I kept looking and when I found blemishes, the attendant cleaned them off. There was one corner that was missing a piece, so she went to get a replacement one, but I didn’t like it as much (no more identical ones left). At these places you can usually get an item for less than 20-25% of the original asking price (often as low as 8-10%). So I figured, maybe I can get both for less than ¥100. I started by saying I only wanted to spend ¥50. She lowered the price into the 200’s. Still not good enough – I thought a bit, looked a bit, and decided I’d go with ¥80 (though I was considering saying ¥60). As she protested, I told her nevermind and walked away. As I walked off, she hollered at me to come back to talk and eventually (about two stalls away), I heard her say ok. I promptly turned around and I got my two wallets for ¥80 total – just $13!! If my mom was there, she could probably get both for ¥50, but alas, I’m still happy with my purchase.
Did I get the best deal? Probably not, but I certainly did pretty well. I think part of it might have been because the attendant could tell I’m a “??” (overseas Chinese). I never actually confirmed with her (once again, remaining vague with these people is usually a good strategy), but she could tell from my mannerisms, presence, and/or skin. She said she had a feeling and that my skin was different (presumably not white enough, since mainland Chinese women like to lighten their skin tone). I’m still amazed at how they know, but those people at the Silk Street Market… they always know. After all that interaction with people, I’m sure they’re excellent at reading us all.
I then continued on to another stall, where I saw another men’s wallet, a women’s wallet clutch, and a toiletry bag I liked. When I tried to get all three for ¥100, the attendant started to put everything back in its place. That’s when I knew I was too low for them to even bother with me. No biggie, I didn’t want or need any of those three items anyway. So I kept going and eventually made my way to another floor to explore. When I came across a frozen yogurt stand, I couldn’t resist. I was thirsty anyway and wanted something refreshing. I got chocolate chips, watermelon, cantaloupe, kiwi, and peach jam drizzle on it. I like the Chinese version of frozen yogurt, which is more tart and dense. Some of the American ones are too sweet and soft for my taste.
As I carried my food, I continued on and went through a couple more purse/wallet stalls. In one of the larger ones, I saw some that I liked. They were a material resembling patent leather and had a fun, bold Asian-inspired logo on them. Unfortunately the attendant bargaining with me lost interest after I said ¥50 and she came down to ¥200. I guess I was too low again, so I walked away, hoping to find the design in another stall. I didn’t see it anywhere else and my back had started to hurt, so I decided to come home. I did get the one thing I absolutely wanted from there, but I’m considering asking my mom to go back before she leaves Beijing to get that wallet for me.
Oh, and according to the bag, apparently the three things to do in Beijing are: 1. Climb the Great Wall, 2. Eat Peking duck, and 3. Do shopping at Silk Market. I’ve done them all, so I must be properly acquainted with the city then!
365great Day 360: fresh produce
Walking through an open-air market with stalls and stalls of farmers selling their produce is a refreshing experience. Back in the day, it used to be the norm to go grocery shopping multiple times a week to get the fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. that you needed to cook with. Since many of those things wouldn’t keep, it was a constant cycle of getting food to cook it within a few days. Nowadays with all sorts of foods with preservatives and fridges and freezers to keep them suspended in time for a bit longer, the experience is totally different. But even just going to a supermarket and getting produce from their aisles is far more refreshing than grabbing a box of something pre-made. I like connecting with my food in its original form and have been buying more produce lately. Taking a bite of a fruit or vegetable in its actual form is pretty great.
365great Day 359: hot pot
There’s something fun about cooking food right at the table and eating it fresh like that. Hot pot offers a variety of broths, sauces, meats, and vegetables in whatever combinations you like. Sometimes you can cook in a giant pot as a table and sometimes you can cook in your own individual pot like this one. You can eat at your own pace and not worry about your food getting cold. It gives you control over the flavors, portions, and timing of your meal. I also like how it’s nice and toasty so I never get cold. It’s quite entertaining to go fishing for your food among all the things tumbling around and the whole experience is sort of an adventure. You can explore all sorts of cooking strategies and mix and match that with the seasonings to go on a culinary exploration. Eating hot pot is a great experience!
Plated review
Awhile back I mentioned that I wanted to try Plated and then I got a comment from them offering a first-time discount. By the time I was ready to go for the offer, I had seen a Facebook promo for a “free” box (you pay shipping). Since I didn’t hear back from them when I asked what they could offer me beyond that, I decided to just try the box at that discount.
Plated is $15 per plate (serving) or $12 per plate with a monthly $10 membership fee (or as discounted as $96 for an entire year). Boxes are sent weekly unless you choose to skip (which is very easy to do) and require a minimum of 4 plates. They offer a referral link that gives 2 free plates to both the person you referred and for your next order.
Inside the box is thick insulation.
First up are the spinach and cauliflower empanadas with spinach salad.
The result were some lovely empanadas!
I really enjoyed this dish and ended up gobbling up way more than I thought I could in one night. They’re kind of like an oversized dumpling and I love both cauliflower and spinach, so the filling was just to my taste. It was nice to have a little bit of fresh spinach on the side too, tossed in a tart dressing. It made a wonderful lunch the next day and I’d totally make them again. I might even try putting a little bit of meat in there for some more substance.
This one was Panda’s pick.
The green pepper was moldy.
A very South American looking dish.
I liked this dish, but I don’t think I’d crave it. The green pepper I got was moldy and I contacted Plated’s support with no response. I used a little bit of it from the fresh parts that were still ok. This was the first time I’d ever cooked rice this way, first heating it on the stove and then sticking it in the oven. I definitely could have added more seasoning to the rice since it was rather bland.
While I did enjoy the dishes I tried, I find Plated to be higher priced without the better ingredients, recipes, or service I’d be willing to pay for. I don’t like the monthly membership fee, which inflates the price of the already more expensive dishes. I cancelled my membership before they charged me for it and don’t plan on reordering with them for the time being.
I was also put off by their poor service – at first things looked promising when they got back to me saying they’d send me a box for free to give me a little extra beyond the Facebook offer. But when I replied with my meal choices, I never heard back. And on the moldy pepper front, still not a peep from their customer service. They could have really impressed me by sending me a free box to review and being responsive to my delivery issue. If that was the case, I might have kept ordering from them.
[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]
365great Day 358: hotels
After a long day out, my weary legs were so happy to arrive at the hotel. A nice hotel is wonderful to stay in, with comfy beds, lush towels, and all sorts of amenities. Hotels generally mean you’ve been traveling, so a hot shower and clean sheets are probably the best thing to happen for you at the end of the day. I enjoy staying at hotels because I don’t have to worry about cleaning and I get to stay in a city I normally wouldn’t. If I have more time, I like to make use of their pool, spa, or other amenities. Why not take advantage of all those features, right? It’s certainly a welcome reprieve from a tiring day out, where I can get a little peace and rest up. Waking up the next day feeling refreshed can’t be beat! Hotels are a great place to stay away from home.
