More on green smoothies

So, I did a post a while back about green smoothies and for the past 2 weeks I have been having at least one but usually 2-3 a day (until this week…because I’ve been lazy). We buy spinach, parsley, red cabbage, celery, avocado, broccoli and whatever other veggies look good and frozen berries, oranges, apples, bananas for fruit and blend it together. The fruit to veggies ratio was about 60/40 to start and is now more like 40/60 or even 30/70.

The best one so far is called the cinnamon role smoothie. 1 big bunch of spinach, 1 avocado, 1 banana and a spoonful of cinnamon, then blend it all together and the result is amazing. Some of the other mixes have been more “this is healthy so slam it down” type drinks but most are actually really good. Adding ginger to it obliterates all other taste, adding banana or avocado makes it creamy and spinach is the easiest taste on earth to cover up...red cabbage…not so much.  I also recently acquired some wheatgrass powder so I am using that as well.

Anyway, we have been doing these shakes more and more and we both feel better already. Being away from home, on our second day we were both craving one. We are using this as a gateway to a better, healthier diet where we have more energy and the food we eat makes us feel better. A lot of my cravings for junk and processed food have gone away and I even have an untouched sleeve of salt and vinegar chips here (a first for me). The side benefit of getting rid of those few extra waistline pounds doesn’t hurt either…especially with summer vacation season right around the corner. 

Some good websites to check out would be:

Incredible Smoothies 

and

Smoothie Handbook

Any recipes you find and really like, please share with me! I need new ones!

Shanghai

This post is two weeks old, but better late than never...

I am a bad blogger. I love to read other peoples blogs and I love to write mine but it is getting harder and harder to find the time. Right now we are on a little mini vacation and I am sick, with hubs out and about with some friends of ours. So... now seems like a good a time as any to write. We are in Shanghai for the Tombs Sweeping holiday, here to visit our friends who recently moved from Beijing to Shanghai. You get conflicting information about Shanghai depending on who you ask…its great or it’s not so great and the people are snobs. That is mostly from Beijingers though as apparently the Shanghaineze have quite the superiority complex with regards to the rest of the mainland. After exploring for a few days I can say that while the sites to see are quite different, most things are similar. Shanghai is warmer and less dry and instead of Tiananmen, the Summer Palace and Great Wall they have...

The Bund

The French Concession

The cutest little café area called Food Street

Yu (Fish) Garden

I have found slightly more English spoken here, although still not to the degree that we found in Tianjin. The buildings in certain areas are very European looking and that has been a change. Yet, for the most part, when you leave the Western areas, the only difference between Shanghai and Beijing is proximity to a body of water. We are staying at the Courtyard Marriot and the hotel is very nice. The rooms are pretty and the bed is comfortable. Unfortunately, our aircon is a little broken so to keep the room even a little cool, you have to blast the AC all night making the room SUPER dry. Neither one of us has gotten a full nights sleep yet without a 2am/4am/6am wakeup pattern. That and something in bloom here that I seem to be allergic to equals….I have a cold/ The flu and finally have the opportunity to blog. Silver lining. 

View from our hotel

 The view of the ghetto 

On that note, I hope everyone had a great Easter! We went to church here for the first time in China and had awesome warm weather!

The End

Four of my top watched TV shows are in their last season this year. I was on a scale from sad to shocked when I heard that these shows were in their final season or had been cancelled.

One Tree Hill

I started watching this show in about its second season, when I got back to the US in high school. A super dramatic show all about high school drama that I loved at the time. Then I went to college and for the most part stopped watching it. Then after moving to China I picked up where I had left off and became quite attached. When I watched last nights episode I remembered that this was the last season and slowly realized that this was the final season. I was pretty sad considering that this is just a TV show, but we will blame it on that time of the month. 

In Plain Sight

Another show which I love. The main character, Mary, is very dry and sarcastic and I love her. It's a show all about Witness Protection and I guess they decided that after 5 seasons, they might have to recycle material or start desperately grabbing for headline news as many other type shows do. I guess it's better to end on a high...but still...bittersweet. 

United States of Tara

Awesome show that they cancelled! They kept on Nurse Jacky but cancelled this awesome show. I am shocked and I am angry. What the hell people. A show about a mom with multiple personalities...how is that not better than a show about a junkie nurse!
and finally...

Desperate Housewives

You have had a good run but I will miss you. Enough said.
Anyone else have a beloved show that is ending or was cancelled recently?

Epilator! I bought one!

I wrote 3 postings last week when I was in Shanghai while I was sick and then I was so sick I forgot to post them. So...in completely the wrong order, here is one of them (sorry for the delay).

I did it! I bought an epilator. Specifically the new Silk-epil by Braun, usable underwater epilator. 

I had my first experience the other night and I love the result. It is 40 tweezers at once plucking hairs so its not a pleasant sensation but I can see how you and your hair would get used to it. It’s a little machine I can take anywhere, that plucks my hair leaving me with a few weeks of no hair and less hair when it grows back. Waxing means you get it done elsewhere and its not cheap, even in China and you have to wait until it gets to a certain length (which you don’t with this). Shaving leaves your hair smooth for what…a few hours and it needs to be done constantly. I spent 100 dollars up front and most people say their epilator lasts for 6-8 years. I did my arms, underarms, bikini and legs…in the US, that in and of itself costs a hundred dollars to wax. Razors are ridiculously priced now and in 6 months you easily spent that. I am happy with the purchase and would advocate for this as a cost and time effective alternative to shaving. Take a pain killer 30 minutes before hand, do it right after you shower and just get past the pain the first few times. 

My husband was amazed watching this process and even took a video (no, I am not posting it) to show my parents since they sent it to me. I swear several times in this video and it is not pretty. See the video of the first exposure to it wouldn't make you want to try it out...especially since I forgot to take a pain killer first. Ooops. 

Anyway, sorry my blog has been the most boring thing in the world recently and I promise to change that soon! I have 3 more posts just waiting for me to polish up and post (plus find the accompanying pictures) like my trip to Shanghai and my new health kick!

Happy Weekend! Spring is finally here!

Singapore

I arrived home from Singapore on Thursday night. The return flight was easy enough but the departure flight...good Lord. My boss picked me up Friday night at 9pm for our midnight flight to Singapore and we headed to the airport. We settled in, got something to eat at 1 of 2 places that was still open at 11pm and then stood at the gate waiting. The flight was delayed about 30 minutes but soon enough we were boarding. The air quality was so bad that when you looked out of the window, you couldn't even see the wings. So we sat...and we waited...and then it was 3am and people were royally peaved. At 4am the captain came on the intercom and told us that they wanted to let us off the plane but unfortunately every other plane had been delayed as well so there were 1000 people waiting to check back through customs and only 2 people were working those counters. Then it was 5 am and we were finally able to get off the plane. At this point all I wanted to do was to get off the plane and get back into bed with hubs. 1.5 hours later I was able to do that.

This is not my picture, but this is just t give you a visual of the air quality

Then it was Saturday, the air was still horrible and it was starting to get really cold outside. 9pm comes around again and my boss picks me up for round 2...when we arrive at the airport (in the middle of MARCH) it starts snowing. By the time we are boarding the bus that takes us to our plane at midnight, it is a full blown snow storm outside. Sitting...waiting...getting frustrated...and then we take off...4 hours later.

Singapore airport garden

After the biggest airport hassle I have ever been through was behind me, I arrived in Singapore on Sunday morning at around 10am. It was absolutely the best feeling to step off the plane where we had boarded in a snow storm and step into 85 degree weather with amazingly high humidity. I immediately felt at home. Everything was so green! Everyone was speaking English! The air was so clean!

Yes, this is in the Singapore airport

I actually did not end up staying at Marina Bay Sands (except for the last night), the hotel with the awesome pool, but instead stayed at the Pan Pacific. That was a blessing. MBS's pool is amazing, the rooms on the other hand...not so much. Luckily for me I got the best of both worlds with a copy of my boss's key I could go up to the pool but not have to stay in the musty room with no tub and Chinese cable TV shows. My room at the Pan Pacific on the other hand had a wonderful bed, a great tub, a glassed in shower and American TV shows.

So, Sunday I spent at the pool, Monday I spent at the office, then the pool, then the cocktail hour for the conference. Tuesday and Wednesday were conference and work dinners and then the pool and Thursday I returned home. All in all, I loved Singapore and I would move there in a second...except for the cost of living. That is enough information for a whole new post but let's just say that it is OUTRAGEOUS.

Area across from Marina Bay where we had dinner the lastnight

Convention in Singapore

     Work trip #2 is right around the corner. This time I am going to Singapore for 6 days. Sadly, with not enough notice, I won't be able to bring hubs with me, but I plan to bring him back some gifts instead. Singapore is said to have the cleanest air in Asia and is from my memory most definitely one of the cleanest places on earth. I haven't been to Singapore since I was 14 or 15 years old, so I can't wait to go back.
     I am excited for all of those reasons plus the fact that I am staying here...

The Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino! The most amazing pool in Singapore overlooking the city! Yay! 

Should I Stay or Should I Go

1 day = Normal
2 days = Still pretty normal
3 days =Sadly yes, still normal
4 days = Starting to wear on me
5 days= Really?


...After 2 weeks of no sun and constant Unhealthy-Hazardous level air you feel like shit. No way to sugar coat it. You feel physically weak and mentally exhausted. At first you just ask yourself "Why do I live hear by choice again?" and then as you feel out the situation, you begin to ask your spouse. As a couple you are right on the edge of depressed and finding it harder and harder to get out of bed. Singapore is starting to sound really nice and New Zealand doesn't even seem real. On husbands day off this week he worked on his resume and is going to prefect it this weekend. My husband looked at me over dinner and told me he loved me too much not to try to at least look for jobs elsewhere. He says this because I am a weakling and I wear my emotions clearly on my face. After two weeks I felt worn out and mentally beaten down. Looks like our time in China will be more like 1.5 years and less like 3. 


And then you wake up to the sun on your face and all is right in the world. It starts to get warmer outside and you feel a little more able to handle what comes at you. I wouldn't say no if hubs decided we were moving tomorrow but I don't feel quite so desperate. The hard truth of it is that financially we are doing well here. Sending more and more back every month and that is before my substantial raise next month (yay!) so as much as neither one of us loves it here, it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to leave yet. We are constantly going back and forth though...stay or go...stay or go. 


I know there are other expats out there that go through the exact same feeling and it really takes it tole. 


I strategize where it would make the most since to move next and this is what I am face with:


Singapore: I could keep my job BUT the cost of living is ungodly so basically my salary would cover rent


New Zealand: Will and I would both be looking for new jobs BUT the cost of living is better and we could potentially put down roots there...buy a house, buy cars and have babies 


Anyway, add new health issues to that in the form of a massive hormone imbalance and this household needs some sun. Spring...please hurry.