First iPad2 Post From Shanghai Update

Fairly excited about this premiere posting from my iPad2 while sitting in a Starbucks in Shanghai! Dare I try to upload a short movie? Nope.

Update Thursday Night Shanghai Dispatch

I am at a Korean restaurant tonight near the Pudong Metro stop eating kimchee and blaring Ray's "New York City Is Killing Me" although I am in Shanghai. It's the first time I have used metal chopsticks even though I predict that they will last much longer than their wooden cousins.

I have been a full-fledged tourist during my first trip to China's Oriental Pearl, which architecturally competes for the skyline with the Big Apple, and my feet are tired. Tomorrow, on day three and final, I plan to finish the trip with visits to the Shanghai Museum, the Shanghai Art Museum and the Grand Theatre on People's Square. Renmin Park might be a green oasis from the concrete, an ideal place to rest my feet in the sun! But that's tomorrow.

Today, I met an adorable couple on the street corner outside the Yuyuan Garden. They were coming from the garden and I was going. Later in the day, after I had accepted their invitation to a tea ceremony in the old part of the city, I discovered that both Kayla and her traveling companion study and teach ancient Chinese language and culture in Xian. Their friend Jimmy, and my translator during the ceremony, was charmingly gifted in explaining the complexities of the ceremony including a short bio on the father of tea and the proper etiquette needed for social harmony and enjoyment while tasting each variety of leaf, fruit and flower with my heart.

Jimmy works in China's commodities sector, as did Ken- a graduate of Changzhou Senior High School- whom I met on the train to Shanghai Wednesday. Ken writes software for investment banks on Wallstreet.

I realize that when I am not traveling with my guy pals, I meet more men. It must be easier for men to approach ladies when we are solo. Ken's opening line and hello was quite original given that we were on a train platform in Changzhou, China.

"What are you doing here in the middle of nowhere?"

We talked on the train, and I was sad to hear that Ken is only in China for two more weeks. Note: Those meetings were an upside to this trip.

Returning to my guy pals- I helped Joe, my downstairs neighbor, pack for his holiday on Monday and thought to myself at one point during the preparation:

"What am I doing rolling his boxer shorts and trousers into efficient space-saving balls for him? He's not a helpless boy."

Yet, I am an expert packer, and he was under tight time constraints. We are quite close friends, but I must admit that I relished my time away from my male neighbors. I am a big believer that when people respect the need for space and freedom, their intimate bonds with friends, family, and romantic companions are strengthened passionately.