The Tilsons

It’s been said that Japan is a land that is strangely familiar and foreign.  I’ve mostly heard familiarity described by things like “they like baseball!” or “they sell hot dogs like in NYC!”  Last weekend, during our long weekend exploring the Japanese Alps, I discovered the baseball and the hot dog things to be true [...]

After huddling around the bright flames for some delicious teppanyaki and some Tsing Dao at Itsuki…     …we headed to the other bright  lights of our favorite local DVD store, aptly named Big DVD      

Thankful for hot yoga, keeps me warm on these bitterly cold days.

“I would say to housewives, be not daunted by one failure, nor by twenty. Resolve that you will have good bread, and never cease striving after this result till you have effected it. If persons without brains can accomplish this, why cannot you?”           ‘Housekeeping In Old Virginia’ (1878)

Up there is heaven, on earth there is HangZhou. – Chinese Proverb Until a few weeks ago, I’d never heard of West Lake. We had already booked our trip to the bamboo forests of Moganshan and picked out books to read by the fire in our cozy little cabin, when we discovered that one of [...]

There is a China that we hoped existed somewhere besides our imaginations and old Chinese paintings.  After a 45 minute train ride, an hour long car ride, and a 15 minute hike up stone steps, Bryan and I found ourselves far from the bustle of Shanghai in a little cottage on a mountain near Hangzhou. [...]

It’s the year of the Dragon, folks! We’ve been celebrating all week at the W+K Shanghai office and I had the privilege of participating in the festivities for our Chinese New Year party last night. I got to be part of the dragon dance and I even tried my hand at Chinese calligraphy! Probably not [...]

One of my favorite things about Shanghai are the endless mazes of quaint little lanes. When we first visited, we had no idea this other world existed. Shanghai was a megalopolis, a feverish, sprawling, Bladerunner set. Dizzying lights, piercing sounds, impending death at every intersection–the world’s worst place for a migraine headache. But on every [...]

It’s no secret: we love food. We’ve been cooking at home a lot lately, so we treated ourselves to a brunch at the Jean Georges restaurant on the Bund. The view of the Pudong skyline was like a postcard and the food was over-the-top good. We’ll definitely be going back on special occasions.

Tonight I joined some classmates and instructors from Mandarin Tree Language School for a lesson in dumpling making. Having already learned from dumpling making pro Dr. Jen Li, this was a bit of a review for me.  My favorite part of the cooking lesson was getting a tour of the local Chinese market. Highlight: Meeting the [...]

We already bought ours.  Love the design and that it goes to support a great cause, 100cameras.  Kari Ann recently joined the 100cameras team as their Field Coordinator.  Check it out (buy one!). http://www.selflesstee.com/100cameras

We’re trying out a new theme! There are some glitches that we’re trying to work out, so check back soon.

Our second week in Shanghai, I enrolled in language classes.  Monday through Friday, 10am-noon every day, I am in language class.  Jinna, my instructor, is from a small town (of 2 million) about 3 hours from Shanghai.  It’s been interesting to hear her perception of “westerners.”  One example – all westerners love xiaolongbao (Shanghainese soup [...]

I must say, I’m very excited for this.

We’re starting to get the hang of taxis, especially Kari Ann!

To say this Christmas was a little different than the usual would be a bit of an understatement. Surprisingly, perhaps because of western influence, the Shanghainese celebrate Christmas in their own way. Toy soldiers that tower over a 4-story shopping center, a giant fairyland of neon lights and music outside of Jing’An Temple, and of [...]

City Beat Awards Show @ Mao Livehouse Booshkabash Music Festival @ The Mixing Room