Celebrating the Celebra-Hound

Saturday, August 29, 2009

My second day back in Hong Kong fell on a Saturday, and while my sleep pattern was a bit wacky (10pm to 2am; 7am to 11am), surprisingly, I actually woke up while there was still daylight. I wasn’t sure what to do – stay in and “work”, camp out at a café and “work”, or forget about “working” and just go out and play. I opted for playing, and hit up my go-to “what to do” website for Hong Kong, Time Out Hong Kong (http://www.timeout.com.hk) to see what the cool kids were doing this weekend. Several things sounded interesting, but required money, and as I am still in starving student mode, I had to regretfully reject those options. One event looked promising, however: The Torch Relay for the 2009 East Asian Games, which Hong Kong is hosting in December. I attended the one year countdown for the event in 2008, where a bunch of local Hong Kong pop stars made an appearance to promote the Games with performances that culminated in a group-sing of the theme song. Hey, it was free, and there was a promise of celebrity spotting. So of course I was going! Unfortunately, the only celebrity worth seeing, Alan Tam, made a too-brief appearance, only joining in to sing the theme song during the finale. However, it was interesting to see Hong Kong fangrrls in action, though. They brought some handmade signs, and did some light screaming for their pop idols, but it felt half-hearted, especially after I witnessed the power of Japanese fangrrls at the Arashi concert in November. Arashi! Squee!

But I digress. Back to the Torch Relay. I hopped online to see the roster of torch bearers, and where they would be on the relay route, and was pleasantly surprised to see that Hacken Lee, one of my favorite Canto-pop singers, would be participating, along with Alan Tam, and other pop singers like Eason Chan, Richie Jen and Joey Yung. The singers were spaced out along different points on the relay, so I had to make a tactical decision as to where to camp out. Naturally, I picked the area where Hacken would be, which was along the lovely Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, near the HK Cultural Centre. It was near the latter end of the relay route, so that gave me a little time to get there.

I arrived at the waterfront at about the time the relay was commencing at the starting point in Kowloon Park. I thought I’d walk along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront until I found the Hacken fangrrls, but that plan was thwarted by the presence of police officers and security barriers that cut off chunks of the waterfront, so there was basically no way to smoothly walk along the waterfront promenade. Instead, peeps had to weave in and out among the buildings along the waterfront to get to different points along the promenade. On the waterfront, there were designated “cheering” areas where little uniformed school children waving HK flags and various paraphernalia stood, but members of the public would have to stand along the metal barriers lining the route.

I was not able to locate the presence of any sign-toting Hacken fans (dudes, where were you?!!!), so I camped out where I thought he was supposed to be based on the route map…and well, you know me and maps. However, the presence of sign-toting fangrrls for some other celebrity (some dude I didn’t know, so as far I as I was concerned, not a celeb!) alerted me that I was in the wrong place. So I backtracked along the route, and noticed a cluster of peeps clamoring over each other to take pictures of…Hacken!!! Whee! I pushed my way in and started snapping pics with my crappy cell cam, too. I also shamelessly squeezed into a tiny open spot on the barrier between a little girl and this older dude, so I had a clear, unobstructed view of Hacken…A metal police barrier, a cop, and ten feet separated me from dearest Hacken.

Now I must admit, generally, I’m the sort fan who doesn’t make a fuss – I won’t scream to try to get an idol’s attention. I admire, with silent dignity, and much respect – I won’t do anything crazy just for a split second of eye contact, a smile, a wave, a nod, basically ANY form of idol acknowledgment. The one exception would be for my beloved Arashi. I would scream my head off for them, cluck like a chicken, moo like a cow, flash ‘em (and yes, risk indecency charges), anything, if I was within ten feet, heck, a hundred feet, of them. Oh, the magic of pretty boy bands… Arashi instills within me an unreasonable, inexplicable fangrrl obsessiveness, while Hacken, unfortunately, does not. For Hacken, I have great admiration, but not of the squeally fangrrl variety.

All that aside, Hacken was looking pretty damn good considering that he’s pushing into his 40s – he had on the standard torch-bearer uniform of East Asian Games t-shirt and shorts with sneakers. He looked quite fit, almost as fit as when he and Alan did their February 2009 concert (read my con report here).

Here are the pics of Hacken, and the surrounding area, that I snapped while waiting for the torch to arrive. Click slideshow player to zoom in a new window:



While the day was sunny, thunderstorms were a-rumbling, and it even started to rain lightly while we waited for the torch. Hacken didn’t have a whole lot of spectator interaction, despite some of the peeps screaming his name, or yelling “Go for it, Hacken!” in Cantonese. He smiled occasionally when spectators yelled, but other than that, he avoided eye contact with the spectators while waiting for the torch, probably because of the blatant celebra-hounding picture snapping. Really, it must kinda suck to have peeps always rabidly snapping pics of you like you were an object, and I felt kinda bad about being such a celebra-hound myself…but I guess it is all part and parcel of being a public figure.

The torch arrived, preceded first by a cop car (a Prius!) then the camera truck, which went slowly in front of the runner . I have no idea who the runner before Hacken was (the website list says he was Wong Fai, an athlete in the shooting/marksmanship category), but Hacken began running ahead before the torch was officially passed to him, so my view was obstructed as he ran away from where I was located. So yeah, I was a little bummed that I did not get to see him running with the lit torch. It was funny how the second the torch passed us, all the spectators, me included, began running alongside the barriers, trying to follow Hacken as he ran. It was pretty crazy and chaotic. His torch bearing run was very short, maybe a three-minute sprint of 100 meters or so. Then he passed the torch on to the next bearer and hopped onto the support mini-van that carried all the “finished” torch bearers, and disappeared from our sight.

All in all, it was a nice little interlude, and definitely a bit of a thrill to see a singer I admired up close, in a different light, and of course, it was lovely to revel in the shared celebra-hounding that seems intrinsic in HK and Chinese people. You know the stereotype of how Chinese people love taking pictures of things and people? (And perhaps to the detriment of being able to fully enjoy an experience?) There’s a lot of that going on here…though I think we all certainly experienced the excitement of the moment, too. It’s hard to explain why we get so excited when we see celebrities and why we start snapping pics wildly…a lot of it is bragging rights, yes. And of course, the picture not only helps substantiate the bragging rights (Look, I really did see him!), but also, at its very fundamental core, helps us remember an exciting memorable event. We all perhaps have the desire to capture that moment in time forever, in a tangible form…this desire is a little greedy perhaps, but definitely human, relatable, and understandable. Kinda like how I want and keep copies of everything and anything (ticket stubs, programs, pics, video, audio), in order to help me remember, to prove that dammit, I did things and experienced things beyond Tivo and couch-potato-dom. So what is the takeaway from all of this? Well, try to remember to fully experience and enjoy every moment, and not just focus on recording or documenting these moments. I mean, what’s the point of having a picture of something if all you remember is how frustrating it was to take the picture rather than how awesome the moment was? Also, celebrate your inner celebra-hound – it’s ok to be one, really. Just remember that celebrities are peeps, too, and respect their boundaries. Unless of course, it’s Arashi, in which case, all bets are off, and I’m rushing the police barriers and bulldozing security in my crazy, rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth, fangrrl, obsessive mania to get me some Arashi. Yes, they are that awesome, dammit.

I Want My Grasshopper Now!

In early April 2009, I relived my youth by attending a couple of concerts for Grasshopper, a Cantopop boyband that I was insanely crazy about when I was a teeny-bopper. A live concert report will follow soon, but in the meantime, here are a few pics courtesy of my crappy cellphone cam. Click slideshow player to zoom in new window:

Viva la Coldplay!

On March 25, 2009, Coldplay played to a sold-out crowd at the 10,000 crazed fan capacity AsiaWorld Expo Arena in Hong Kong. Now I can't say I am a die hard Coldplay fan, but I am completely enamored with their song "Viva la Vida", and love it so much that I actually made it a life goal to hear them play that song live. So with that in mind, I talked myself into buying a rather pricey ticket to the concert. It was twice what I'd pay for a HK Cantopop concert, but about what I would pay if I were in the states, so I was able to rationalize it all in my addled brain.

So on the blessed evening, I hopped the E22 bus, which makes the 45 minute trek from my dorm to the airport, and the adjacent AsiaWorld Expo Arena, and made it to the venue with time to spare. There were a few of the usual glowstick vendors, but they weren't doing much bid-ness, as, come on, Coldplay is not a glowstick type of band.

The arena is huge, and was not a central, open-face stage. That is, the stage was at one end of the space, and there was a definite front and back of the room, so to speak. I had managed to grab a top tier (cost-wise) ticket that was near the front of the room, and that was basically stage adjacent. That wasn't too bad, though let's face it, we would only be treated to the side view at all times, and we couldn't see the huge screen behind the band...nonetheless, I wasn't too bummed, because I was close enough to see the performers' faces, and that's always cool.

The concert-goers were a good mix of non-Chinese (and Chinese) expats, as well as local hipsters. This was the first time I saw booze allowed in a concert venue, and peeps were bringing in plastic cups of foamy concession stand beer and wine by the four-pack (i.e. paper carriers that held four cups.)

I was generally feeling aok about things until about 10 minutes before the concert started, when an expat couple, she of average height, he a giant of at least 6 feet, planted themselves in the seats in front of me. Ruht roh. This did not bode well.

The opening band, Mercury Rev, was pretty cool. They had some mad guitar skillz, and played for 30 minutes. Then there was a brief intermission, with random high-energy background music playing. Then a roadie in t-shirt and jeans came out, sweeping up the stage, but moved by the hip-hop song playing in the arena, began busting some impressive moves, much to the audience's delight. The music then changed to Strauss' Blue Danube, and the dancin' roadie began a lovely waltz, with his broom as a dance partner. The crowd was much appreciative, clapping along with the familiar rhythm, as the song sped up, reached a crescendo, and the roadie disappeared behind the curtain.

Then the arena went dark, the crowd went wild, and the curtain raised to reveal semi-sheer panels of fabric back lit dramatically, showing the silhouette of the band. Heeeeere's Coldplay!

I wish I could give a blow-by-blow description of every song and every moment, but alas, I was too caught up in the moment, alternating between rocking out and screaming, and being annoyed at Giant Dork in front of me who insisted on standing up and dancing goofily in the aisle for nearly every song. Sidebar: I love a lively audience. I appreciate an audience who can let loose. I can even appreciate a Giant Dork who mimics Chris Martin's wacky dancing. Just not in such a manner in which you are obstructing my view and enjoyment of the show, dammit!!!

Aside from that hiccup, which was resolved when I carved out a spot whose view was not obstructed by Giant Dancing Dork, the show was awesome. The staging was very simple, with the huge video screen behind the band showing gorgeous, striking imagery (i.e. video footage, or images of the album cover, or abstract paintings, etc), as well as the usual jumbotrons hanging from the ceiling so that peeps in the boonies could actually see the band, there were several "video orbs", huge spheres which were able to have images projected on them. I loved the orbs, as they mirrored what was being shown on the video screens, creating a very cool, surreal look, as well as different colors and patterns. The band was in their element, playing strong, and of course, Chris Martin is da bomb. His high energy, moving from his trademark hoppy-dancing, to pounding on his piano, all the while singing strong vocals, is amazing. One of many highlights in the show was when the band played "Yellow", when suddenly, dozens of huge yellow, confetti-filled balloons fell from the ceiling, and the audience kept them on the move, batting them about like kittens with balls of yarn. The song ended with Chris Martin popping one of the balloons, unleashing a rain of confetti on the lucky fans in the choice seats.

Another highlight was when the band, after playing for about 45 minutes, suddenly left the stage, and walked the length of the arena, guarded by burly security, of course, to the BACK of the room, where four mikes and a few acoustic guitars were set up. The band then played a few lovely acoustic numbers, including a cover of the Monkees' "I'm a Believer". The band's percussionist is so very talented...he could play the guitar, and had a great voice, too. The fans in that section, who had occupied nosebleed seats for most of the show, were suddenly in possession of the best seats in the house. (Sidebar: I thought it was nice that the band did that, but dangit, it's kinda not cool for the peeps who did pay for prime seats and were suddenly thrust in "nosebleed seats", even for a few minutes. Still, the band is so awesome, the performance and enthusiasm so engaging and contagious, that I don't think peeps really minded.)

Then, the moment of truth came, when the band played THE SONG, "Viva la Vida". What can I say? It was brilliant, and felt unreal and like a dream. I adore the song, love love love it, and sang, along with my fellow acolytes, the whole song at the top of my lungs. Yes, it is the only Coldplay song that I know all the lyrics to. Chris Martin led the audience in a sing-along near the end of the song, and he and the rest of the band seemed really touched by the love.

While that was the climax, for me, the band did continue to play a few more songs from the new album, before disappearing behind the stage amidst yells of "Thank you!" and "Goodbye!" The crowd wouldn't budge, and instead of screaming "Encore!", we opted to sing the "Whoah oh oh oh" refrain from Viva la Vida, which went on for a good minute or so before the band reappeared for their encore, in which they played a few more classics, such as "The Scientist".

The band left the stage, waving and yelling "Thanks!" and "Cheers!" and "Goodbye!" again, to an arena full of peeps giving them a standing ovation. The crowd was finally satisfied, and we all left, in a fairly orderly fashion, considering all the liquor and adrenaline in the air, many still humming the melody from various Coldplay songs...I, of course, hummed "Viva la Vida"...

Here are a few pics from the show:

Getting My Culture on in Hong Kong...

Yes, there is culture beyond poppy Canto-pop concerts, as blessed, numerous, and awesome as they are.

Hong Kong has its own ballet company, philharmonic orchestra, Chinese orchestra, opera, and active Academy for the Performing Arts, which hosts various cultural events such as plays, musicals, modern dance, as well as free recitals featuring Academy students.

Hong Kong is also host to various arts, literary, and film festivals, so there is quite a bit of horizon-enhancing cultural events. There are many museums in Hong Kong, and they offer free days every month. Speaking of free stuff, many of the aforementioned cultural events are free, or usually fairly affordable, especially for students and seniors, who often get up to 50% off the ticket prices.

So of course, I have been taking full advantage of this. These past couple of weeks, I have attended:

- On March 14: A HK Arts Festival performance by Modified Toy Orchestra, a totally awesome UK electronica group that plays instruments that are, well, modified toys. In essence, they troll garage sales, buy old electronic toys (i.e. toy keyboards, talking toys, learning toys, etc -- basically anything with a circuit board), and do something called "circuit bending" in order to make the toys play new, different sounds. These guys took things like Speak N' Spells, Casio mini keyboards, talking Barbie-like dolls, and other electronic toys, and made some kick ass music. They even altered a toy rocket that teaches kids how to count in Mandarin. One of the funnest moments was when they rocked out on toy guitars and toy saxophones. They even had a toy double guitar....rock on, dude. Check them out online: http://www.myspace.com/toyorch

I thoroughly enjoyed this performance. If I had to gripe (oh, who am I kidding, I LOVE to gripe), it would be about the annoying dude behind me who kept screaming "Whoo-Hoo" every other minute. Normally, I love audience enthusiasm...just not directly in my ear.

- On March 28: A lovely performance by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, which consists of all-Chinese instruments, such as the Erhu, the Pi-pa, etc. The theme of the performance was "Shanghai", which, as you all know, has a special place in my heart. The orchestra played a wonderful mix of Shanghai-themed music, including the theme of "ShanghaiBund", developed for the 1980s TV series starring Chow Yun -Fat, set in 1930s Shanghai. They also played Western music, such as polka pieces from Strauss, as well as a suite from Carmen. They also played the entire "Butterfly Lovers" suite, from the well-known Chinese opera. Hearing ancient Chinese instruments play these familiar pieces was quite a treat. The instruments have a special sound and power to them, and the sound (and sight) of the orchestra was quite magical. The instruments were interesting, and seeing the orchestra, resplendent in their royal purple Chinese-style robes, playing in perfect unison, was amazing. My favorite piece was one of the Strauss polkas, in which the strings were played, not using the traditionally bows, but plucked by hand. Utterly lovely, and an utterly new sound. The conductor, who turned out to be a Shanghai native whose father wrote many of the lyrics for the classic Shanghai songs played that evening, was an absolute delight to watch. I normally don't pay very much attention to conductors, but this man was like an extension of the music...he moved, nay danced, vividly, as he conducted. I normally roll my eyes when diva conductors leave the stage after a piece only to return minutes later for the next piece, in order, in my view, to garner more applause, but for this guy, I think he totally deserved every clap. The orchestra was a delight, and have some other interesting upcoming events (like a global erhu relay!)...check them out at: http://www.hkco.org/index_eng.asp

I thoroughly enjoyed this performance. If I had to gripe (oh, who am I kidding, I LOVE to gripe), it would be about the annoying lady behind me who sang along with the orchestra. Normally, I love audience enthusiasm, but when you're at an orchestral performance, and not a sing-along, pipe down so others can appreciate the music! This is an orchestra, not bloody karaoke! And like all good Asian citizens, the surrounding audience members all shot her disapproving looks, rather than telling her to shut the eff up, and she eventually got the message. Viva la passive aggressive, threat of society shunning pressures of the Chinese culture! But despite that blip, the orchestra was wonderful, and truly deserved their standing ovation at the end of the night.

- On March 27 and March 29: The Hong Kong Dancesport Festival and International Dancesport Competition, in all its spray-tanned, flesh-baring, garishly sequinned, ruffled, spandexed glory. But why, you ask? Well, as a fan of Dancing with the Stars, I admit to having a great admiration for ballroom dancing, and all of its funny, fodder-producing quirks. All of the glitz aside, it truly is a sport and an art to perform such intricate, beautiful dances, and is a true celebration of music and the grace of the human form. And the glitz is fun. The over-the-topness of everything makes things fun. The Mar. 27 daytime session was the quarter-finals for various competitions (i.e. amateur ballroom/latin, junior ballroom/latin, professional ballroom/latin, etc.) There were multiple heats for each competition, with multiple dances for each competition. Each heat danced the same dances to the same music, and it was quite a frenzy watching 12 couples storm the floor at a time. I don't know how the judges are able to judge appropriately, what with so many couple whirling around...I wanted to watch everyone, but ended up focusing on one or two who may have had the flashiest costumes, or the most striking moves. I prefer ballroom (or "standard") to latin, as it evokes mellow, elegant, Fred and Ginger-esque grace, which I adore. Plus I love the music they play, classic, old school stuff you'd hear from the Fred and Ginger era. Since it was the quarter-finals, not a whole lot of people showed uptp watch, so I got cheap tix for decent seats, and also got to see competitors up close, in their full on sequinned, hairsprayed , made up, spray-tanned glory. And this applies to both men and women! Speaking of spray-tans, I think this is the one aspect of Chinese culture that shuns the lily-white, porcelain, tofu skin complexions...all competitors, regardless of age, were tanned a dark, golden color. It was quite jarring to see so many Chinese girls tanned so dark...it felt odd indeed...

The costumes for ballroom are the usual foofy swirly gowns, often in bold, bright colors, with lots of sequin or ruffly detailing. The fluorescent greens and oranges were hard to take, so I often cheered for the gals with more simpler gowns, in less flashy colors like white or pale pinks. The latin costumes were, of course, much flashier and sexier...and that includes the men's costumes...across the board, latin -dancing men had shirts slashed open to reveal spray-tanned, waxed chests...and similarly, the ladies showed as much skin as possible, too, with short skirts, low necklines with lots of cutouts, or simply bandeau tops with some sheer fabric draped strategically. I did appreciate one couple, where the girl opted to dance in a strapless dress with a much longer, form-fitting skirt (think pencil skirt, knee length)...granted, it was super tight, and sequinned all over, but she was going for something different, and I think it helped them stand out. The juniors had much more modest costumes (and dance moves), but I still got the impression of little girls playing grown-up, ala child beauty queens, with the heavy makeup, overdone hair, and spray tans, etc....they danced very well, though, and I estimate the youngest were probably 11 or 12 years old, so that makes it less eeky, I guess.

If I had to gripe (oh, who am I kidding, I LOVE to gripe), it would be that the people from the different dance schools/associations cheered obnoxiously during the actual dancing...Picture all these unruly hoots of "jia you" (yep, they were a mainland China dance school) drowning out Sinatra singing "Just the Way You Look Tonight" (one of my fave Sinatra songs ever), as the competitors gracefully dance a waltz. Not cool, dude. Cheering boisterously during a more upbeat latin song is cool, since it further fires up the dancers and the atmosphere, but just seems wrong for quieter, more elegant dances.

The March 29 evening session was the finals for the competition, and also included exhibition performances from world-ranked professionals. The finals came down to six couples in each category, and they were truly the cream of the crop, dancing quite amazingly. The professional performers were awesome, too, and funnily enough, were names I recognized from Dancing with the Stars (i.e. Victor Fung from America). Great stuff. One of my faves was the tango performed to Beethoven's 5th...the professional latin couple from Poland was wonderful too, sharp sharp moves and innovative choreography. And the guy shunned sequins and stayed in a simple black turtleneck for all of his performances, so word up. I also liked how during intermission, they actually invited audience members to dance on the dance floor. And couples actually did! Dance culture is huge there, especially for the more mature set...I can easily see my Mom attending something like this, and being the first one on the dance floor...

If I had to gripe (oh, who am I kidding, I LOVE to gripe), it would be that the language issues in the MC-ing (they had to MC in English, Mandarin and Cantonese) seemed to inhibit audience applause...for example, the English MC would say "Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for...", and there would be silence as performers entered the dance floor, because the majority of the audience didn't understand English. When they finally realized that they should announce things like that in both English and Chinese, the audience began clapping accordingly, and the atmosphere became less awkward and more welcoming for the performers, so that worked out much better...

Overall though, it is very easy to get your culture on in Hong Kong. If you still have energy after all the eating and shopping, you will find lots of great events to go to...aside from the few I mentioned above, I also went to a couple of literary festival events and film talks, all free, and all quite interesting...so while Canto-pop concerts are the bomb, you should also consider balancing out the bubblegum poppiness with other cultural events...and Hong Kong, thankfully, makes it easy to do so.

Alcken or Hacklan Concert? Either Way...Legendary!

Verbose, verbal detailing of my memories is below, but I did manage to sneak some non-verbal memories in the form of:

- Crappy cell-phone pics: (Click slideshow for larger pics)

- Short, crappy cell-video (before security yelled!) (Youtube Playlist)
- Really crappy cell-mp3s (Imeem Playlist)

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You should have heard my squee of delight when I heard that two of my most favorite HK Cantopop singers, Alan Tam (譚詠麟) and Hacken Lee (李克勤), were reuniting to do a series of concerts in February 2009. (Their popular 左鄰右李 concert, which is a play on words using a Chinese character from each of the singer's names. The concert title sounds like the four-character Chinese phrase "左鄰右里", and is meant to denote a close community with good neighbors and friends nearby.)

The squee got louder and more shrill when I found out the concert was being held at the legendary Hong Kong Coliseum (or the Hung Hom Coliseum, which is named after the district in which it is located.) The Coliseum is a wonderful venue with a cool open stage with lots of interesting lighting and effects capabilities, but had been undergoing renovations for the past year. The inaugural event at the newly renovated coliseum would be "Neighbors 2009". Yay!

Tickets were available a full month before public release for patrons of the Bank of East Asia. (By the way, this is evidently a common practice, giving special early access to particular sponsors' patrons.) And yes, I considered opening a BEA account just to get a chance to get tix early. Funds limitations and minimum deposit restrictions put the kibosh on that plan, so I, like the rest of the plebeians, waited until tickets were released to the public, which is roughly a month before the first show. I bought one "top tier" ticket for HK$480, which is a pretty good price, considering how much tickets to a show like this would cost in the States. (Easily double the price, probably more.) They had originally scheduled 10 shows, starting in the beginning of February, but then added a few more, bringing the total to 14. After some thought, I talked myself into getting another ticket for another show. Some of my internal rationalizations: The tickets are a steal, I heart Alan and Hacken, and when will I get to see them perform here again? Suitably convinced, I now possessed two tickets (one for Wed., Feb. 4, and one for Sun., Feb. 8) without any qualms or guilt.

Getting to the concert arena was a breeze. It has its own MTR station, which is located only 2 stops away from my location. By the way, this MTR line (the East Rail) was formerly operated by the Kowloon-Canton Railway, which was a separate longer haul train operator that recently merged with the HK MTR. The former KCR line took passengers to parts of Southern China, and even now, Hung Hum Station is one of the hubs for trains into China.

I arrived to the venue about 40 minutes before the official listed start time of 8:15pm, and walked around the arena, which is this cool, huge, diamond-cube-trapezoid? (guess it depends on how you look at it)-shaped building. Seating areas are divided into four colors, and the admission gates corresponded to the colors. I was a Red on Feb 4, and a Yellow on Feb 8. People were lining up at the admission gates about 30 minutes before, so I hopped in line, too. I was surprised at the wide variation in audience demographics: I saw cool hipsters, yuppies, middle-aged "see nais", elderly peeps, middle-aged couples who brought kids...the snarky overseas student demographic was limited to just me, as best as I could see.

We were finally allowed entry at 8pm, and it was pretty painless, considering how pushy Hong Kongers in a crowd tend to be! And especially when free schwag (in the form of inflatable thundersticks) is concerned. I found my seat, which was in the front row of the raised area beyond the cream of the crop, stage-side seats. (As an open, four-sided stage, this meant there are four front rows on the main floor. Then there are about 9 rows on the main floor behind them, then we get to the raised stadium seating, which is where I was sitting. So to be technical, I was in the 11th row of the "top tier seats".) The seats were still good, though of course I wished I were a BEA customer who had snagged one of the main floor seats...

The stage didn't look super different from what I remember seeing in the past concerts on DVD, but I did notice the lighting rig above the stage and around the huge 4-sided jumbo-trons, looked much fancier than before. I guess the renovations must have been mostly structural, with some cosmetic improvements. I amused myself for the next 15 minutes or so by watching the PSAs on loop on the jumbo-tron (Cantopop stars like Kelly Chen extolling the awesome public facilities like the HK library and museums), as well as the antics of snap-happy concert patrons. Aside from taking pictures of the stage, themselves, and themselves in front of the stage, I noticed many people posing with their inflated thundersticks and lightsticks, or making their poor kids do the same.

Let me take a second here to discuss thundersticks. To put it simply and rationally, I hate them. I wish I could righteously say it were due to the negative environmental impact (though there's that), but to be honest, it's because they annoy the crap out of me. The way they sound, the way they block people's views and also invade people's personal space. Hate 'em. And for this concert, the way they look was also annoying. They were shaped to look like microphones, but for me, whichever angle you held them, they looked phallic. So watching peeps pose with large, inflated, yellow, phallic-looking thundersticks, though annoying, was admittedly a hoot. Especially the annoying chick in the front-row seat who was holding it in an innocent (but not to my juvenile mind!) manner: she was hugging it and pretending to kiss it. I'm sure it was innocent. Only I have such a dirty mind. But I digress. Back to the concert.

At around 8:25pm, the venue went dark, and an announcer began reading off tragic events that occurred in the past couple years (i.e. the coldfreeze in January 2008, the May 2008 earthquake, the milk powder crisis, the financial crisis, economic downturn.), finally ending with the statement that people were beginning to worry and be scared...at which point, you could hear Alan and Hacken say firmly "Mm Sai Loot", which is Canto-country-slang for "No need to be scared!" Then upbeat music started, and the pair, resplendent in flashy, sequined costumes, rose to the center stage via a trapdoor and elevator rig. Their opening medley consisted of happy, upbeat songs from both singers as they jogged around the stage waving at the audience and shaking the hands of the lucky bastids who scored main floor front row tix. After the medley, they welcomed the audience by commenting on the unlucky events of the past year, and then made an optimistic statement saying they hoped their concert would bring the audience happiness and cheer to last them through the year.

Just as a brief historical note, when they did their first Neighbors concerts in 2003, it was amidst the post-SARS economic downturn in Hong Kong, and both Alan and Hacken wanted their concerts to cheer up Hong Kong. And hey, it seemed to work...

They then traded in their impossibly heavy, long sequined tailcoats for lighter, more dignified ballad jackets. (Note: Dignified is relative. The jackets were cut more like tailored blazers, but they were still in impossibly flashy colors and trimmed with sequins and sparkly bits!) Then a lovely interlude of them singing a couple of popular ballads commenced. I wished they could have just done that for the rest of the night! I was in seventh heaven, the awesome songs, beautiful voices, and the excitement of hearing it all live, in person.

Next was a gag that they did in the past, where they collected lai see or red envelopes, which are customarily given out to children during Chinese New Year (which was a week prior, and lasts for a couple weeks.) Alan called it "Kay Fook", or basically, asking for blessings of happiness by giving an offering (i.e. the red envelopes). Hacken commented that he didn't feel right collecting lai see now that he was married, at which point Alan advised him that if he wouldn't collect for himself, then at least collect for his son as it is expensive to raise a child. Hacken then sassed back that Alan would know, which was a not-so-hidden dig at Alan's personal life (he has a son, but not with his wife.) Alan laughed good-naturedly, then asked his assistant to bring his special lai see bag, which was a sling bag sequined in gold to match his outfit. Music started, the houselights went up, and hordes of people lucky enough to be in the front main floor section dashed stage-side waving red packets. The guys split up and went around the stage, shaking hands receiving lai see, and singing Alan's "Love is This Sweet". Near the end of the song, there was a commotion on Hacken's side, and he disappeared from our sight, and I actually thought something had happened to him (i.e. an overly enthusiastic fan pulled on him and he fell or something). But then Alan finished singing, thanked the fans, said that all the collected envelopes would be donated to the Sichuan Rebuilding Fund, and announced that Hacken would perform next. Oh! Hacken left the stage to prepare for his next song, and was not writhing in pain backstage! Whew.

So houselights dim, and Hacken, in a suit studded with white Christmas lights and adorned with a HUGE flower-esque silvery fabric sculpture on his back, rose from center stage as the first few notes of his "Flying Flower" played. In time with the music, background dancers, dressed as silvery flowers, also rose from hidden trapdoors. A lovely sequence with mellow dancing and lovely use of lighting commenced. In addition to "Flying Flower" Hacken also sang a new song, which was written by a young Cantopop singer named Justin. I wish I knew the song name. After a dazzling end to that song (think flares from the four corners of the stage, as well as a neon palm tree), Alan hit the stage. Or more precisely, a huge prop designed to look like a chaise lounge chair rose center stage, and on it, a background dancer dressed in a flowy, wispy red robe, hit the stage as the opening notes of Alan's "Fantasy" started. Alan rose to the stage via another trapdoor, and performed a rather dramatic rendition of the song, with great use of lighting and the sheer red fabric of the dancer's costume.

Next, two poles were raised in opposite corners of the stage, and two sexy dancers with identical bobbed wigs did a suggestive striptease. Then, clad in purple satin bra and skivvies, they did some impressive pole dance work. Hacken ascended the stage and began singing a really trancey version of "My Shirley", while performing rather suggestive and racy dance moves with the two dancers. One of the moves involved her pulling down his leather vest to show off his surprisingly well-toned chest. Yes, I said it, Hacken Lee, he of the skinny, bony, "love him for his personality and talent, not his looks", category, has a tanned, well-toned chest. Now, he will never be on Aaron Kwok's level of tanned, well-toned chest-ness, but Hacken had a respectable-looking physique. Truly, I think he is in the best shape of his life...no wonder he made sure to thank his personal trainer. But back to the performance. He ended "My Shirley" with a rather S&M-esque touch, being tied with purple ribbon to one of the poles.

At that moment, Alan and a scad of dancers popped up via the scads of trapdoors around the stage. They all had on black leathery costumes. Both singers performed some song of Alan's (sorry, it wasn't that memorable) while dancing. Then Alan did a solo performance of one of his songs with a jazzy feel (sorry, again, the song wasn't super memorable.)

Next was a blur. I think they reverted to ballads (yay!), in which they mashed up versions of each other's songs. For example, Hacken would sing half of an Alan song, then Alan would sing half of a Hacken song, without the music stopping or transitioning. That is, the musical director composed a way of mashing the two songs to sound as if they were part of the same song. Really cool, and of course, it's always nice when they sing ballads.

Then we moved on to one of my favorite performances...when a huge wooden mountainesque sculpture appeared, with Hacken atop it, dressed in another sleeveless vest-leather-pants ensemble. He began singing one of Alan's ballads, and then was joined atop the wooden sculpture by Alan, also in a similar black sleeveless leather ensemble. Then as they continued to sing the serious ballad, with similarly serious faces, the wooden sculpture began to rotate slowly, and the guys started to, and I kid you not, do bodybuilder poses. They continued with this, faces deadpan, singing perfectly, and doing wacky bodybuilder poses on the revolving wooden sculpture. I laughed my arse off, it was so perfectly goofy and "them". They did the "bend on one knee and extend arms like an arrow towards the sky pose", the classic "look at these guns, ladies" double bicep pose, and many variations in between. Genius. Brilliant. Loved it.

Next was the "talky" segment, where a local actor (Chien Ka Lok) came out to banter and gossip with them about local entertainment news. It was amusing. The actor then helped get the crowd worked up to do the wave, then sang Alan's "Lorelai" with them.

The next performance was athletics-related, since another one of the sponsors was the East Asian Games, which are being hosted by Hong Kong this year. In addition to singing the theme to the games, on Sunday, they brought a bunch of the athletes on stage with them. Then was a dancey segment where the guys sang a couple of their less memorable, thus newer, up-tempo songs while dressed in sequined tracksuit-esque costumes.

The finale was the best part, when they sang a school band version of Hacken's "Hope", then the guys, on raised daises, did some wacky ribbon dance choreography in time with the speeding up of the song. On Wednesday's show, Hacken's ribbon flew off the stick. You could hear his "Aiya!" of frustration, then he tossed the ribbon stick into the audience, and picked up the ribbon and tried to continue on, but the ribbon wouldn't cooperate, so you could hear Alan stifling laughter as they both continued to sing the song. When they finished the song, they both busted up laughing, and Hacken referred to the ribbon curse...evidently on an earlier show, he stepped on the ribbon and the ribbon snapped. It was a funny interlude that seemed so genuine and real, and I enjoyed it immensely. On Sunday, there were no ribbon mishaps, though they both did comment on the ribbon curse after the performance.

Next was the official "finale" sequence, where they did some more fast songs, then a few ballads. The most memorable bits were them singing ballads on the edges of the stage, then those edges rising, illuminating in soft light, then rotating. That was kinda cool, and must be part of the new stage improvements. They also did a few "get up and dance" sing-along songs, most notably, a fast Alan song with the chorus of "Wildly Scream 'I'm Lonely'" (i.e. Kwong Foo Ngo Hoong Hui! Hoong Hui!), as well as Hacken's soccer song (Qi lai, qi lai, qi lai, qi lai....).

They ended with the official "Neighbors" song, and descended under the stage with Alan hinting that they'd play longer in the encore if the audience showed them more love. The encore curtain calling began, with the drummer helping to set the applause rhythm. Then the guys finally ascended amidst lots of fanfare, and performed a couple more upbeat songs (i.e. Alan's "Love Trap"), then took audience requests. They sang a few lovely ballads (i.e. Alan's "The Source of Love", Hacken's "Crescent Moon Song"), and on Sunday, even brought a few celebrity audience members on stage to sing with them. They were a couple of married actors whose heyday was the 1980s, as well as Anita Yuen and Julian Cheung, who were celebrating their eighth wedding anniversary. The quartet and the singers then sang Alan's "Who Can Change", which was very sweet. A note on other famous guests. On Wednesday, Alan pulled Wing Yee, a relatively young and new singer onstage to sing the same song. On Sunday, the chief executive of HK, Donald Tsang, was in the hizzy, along with a tycoon whose wife is a gorgeous former Miss Hong Kong. It was kinda cool to see these guys there.

But back to the concert. They ended on Hacken's iconic "Red Day", which is a fabulous, "get up and sing along" song. After that rousing performance, while yelling "thank you", they descended the stage, as the announcer politely informed the audience that the show was over. This normally wouldn't deter me, especially after the Arashi concert where the announcer said three times the show was over, yet the boys still came back for encores...but things be different here. Arashi fangrrls are way different and more unified than the diverse, ragtag audience of this concert. All in all though, it was a very satisfying, awesome, legen...wait for it...dary concert. Hacklan/Alcken Forever!

Addendum: Just a quick note about photos and recording. Officially, all photography and recording is off-limits, but the security peeps seemed to tolerate photography, even flash photography. They were totally strict about video recording though, which explains why I got yelled at by security while video-recording with my dinky cellcam, yet he left the chick beside me, with a huge professional quality camera and telephoto lens setup, alone! On Sunday, they even started confiscating cameras from peeps caught video recording. (Darn that tell-tale red light...) But anyway, while I much prefer enjoying the concert experience in person, the sentimental peep inside me always want some reminder of the concert, which is why I do try with the photos and recording...unfortunately, it's always with my crappy cellcam, so the end result is always terrible! Oh well.

Viva La Disney

Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth...HK Disneyland is the happiest place in HK...I will elaborate more soon. In the meantime, here are some pics, as well as a couple of poor quality videos. Click on the slideshows for larger, captioned versions.

Disney, January 2009:


- Video of Disney Lion Dancing, Jan. 2009

- Video of Chinese New Year Floats, Jan. 2009

- Video of Dumbo Ride, Jan. 2009

Disney, December 2008:


- Video of "It's a Small World" ride, Dec. 2008

Me Heart Macau

Good food, bright lights, casinos, tackiness, European architecture. What's not to love? I spent a night in Macau recently, and will wax poetic about that experience soon...Here are some pics for now....from both my January 2009 and December 2008 jaunts. Click on the slideshows below for larger versions with captions.

January 2009:


December 2008:


And here is a video I took of the awesome Golden Dragon that popped out of the Wynn Rotunda. A Golden Prosperity Tree usually pops up, but for Chinese New Year, this dragon popped up. Totally cool. Please excuse the poor video quality...Click to see Video of Golden Dragon under the Wynn Rotunda.

Playing Tourist in Hong Kong

The Peak, Sha Tin Racetrack, Star Ferry, Big Buddha, Wong Dai Sin Temple, Temple Street...I didn't hit too many sights my first four months here, but managed a few...Here are a waaay too many pics; click on the slideshows below for larger captioned versions.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, 2008:


Ocean Park, Halloween 2008:


Sha Tin Racetrack, Oct. 2008:


Hong Kong Temples:


Big Buddha, Sept. 2008:


Central, 2008:


Peak, Wax Museum, Lantern Fest, Sept. 2008:


Paralympics, Miscellaneous, Sept. 2008:

Cantopop Concerts, Part 1: Leon Lai

So one of the main things I was looking forward to during my stay in Hong Kong was the abundance of Cantopop concerts...yet for some strange reason, they were surprisingly lacking during the fall of 2008. I later found out this was partially due to the renovation of the quintessential HK concert venue, HK Coliseum (affectionately called Hung Hom, where it is located). Nonetheless, I managed to attend a few Canto-pop concerts in my first few months in Hong Kong...Here's a recap of the first one...

Click here for some crappy pics, courtesy of my crappy cell-cam.

And here's a crappy video, courtesy of my crappy cell-cam:


Leon Lai Charity Concert, November 10, 2008.
This was a one-night only affair held at the HITEC Star Hall in Kowloon Bay, which is a fairly new exhibition center. Leon Lai is best known as the "Pretty One" of the HK Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings (along with Jacky Cheung, "the Voice", Andy Lau, "the Nice Guy", Aaron Kwok, "the Dancer"), whose heyday was the 1992 - 1999. At his peak, Leon sported a tall, slim physique that looked good in nearly anything he wore (though the denim shortalls he sported in 1992 sorely tested that statement...), glossy lustrous hair, clean-cut good looks, and eyes that are teasingly called "electric". Fast forward to 2008. Currently in his early 40s, Leon is still quite attractive, but he shows a little wear and tear. Still tall, perhaps not as slim. Hair still glossy, perhaps with a sliiiightly receding hairline? Still pretty, but with more laugh lines. Eyes? Still electric, baby! I swear, the man has the talent of being able to make his audience feel he is singing directly to each individual...making electric eye contact with thousands of people.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me set the stage, so to speak. The venue was large, but felt surprisingly intimate...I think due to the length of the stage, which jutted out in a very wide catwalk. This allowed the performer to move back and forth along the length of the catwalk, and this gave more opportunities for people to see better. Seats were placed around the catwalk, with the pricier seats on the ground, and the budget seats behind them, raised and staggered in your standard stadium-style. I had a pricey ticket (HK$400, or approx. US$50), so was on the ground, but unfortunately, near the back of the section. I still had a good view, though, so wasn't too bummed.

What did bum me out, though, was that on every seat there was a packet containing those hellish plastic inflatable thundersticks. I'm not even going to pretend to be an outraged tree hugger. I hate those sticks because they are bloody annoying. Besides being obnoxiously loud, they are also obnoxiously shaped. No, I don't care about the slightly phallic connotations...I am referring to the fact that they disturb one's visual enjoyment of the concert when waved enthusiastically in front of one. Which brings me to another gripe. WHY DO PEOPLE WAVE THOSE BLOODY STICKS IN THE DARK? They aren't lit, like glowsticks or neon signs. The performer doesn't actually see them being waved in the pitch black. So why disturb fellow concert goers, especially those with short fuses due to a fever and stomach flu, by not only obstructing their view (glaring at idiots waving thundersticks in front of me), but invading their personal space and causing an uncomfortable breeze to an already chilly venue? (Glaring at idiot waving thunderstick next to me.) Sidebar: The peeps in front of me stopped waving their thundersticks when they pulled out their glowsticks. The chick next to me though...kept waving. And waving. And waving. Not making noise, mind you. Waving. Like the thing was an illuminated light sabre. So yeah, when the stick came dangerously close to smacking me in the head, I grabbed her bony wrist and said "Dude, please." Or the equivalent in Cantonese. But at least she stopped. And this allowed me to enjoy the Magic of Mr. Lai in peace.

He was very mellow, came out in an immaculately cut charcoal suit (hmmm, tall, slim men in suits...), and was very congenial with the audience. His voice, while not the best, was still good, and he went through most of his greatest hits. As he excels in ballads, those were the bulk of the songs he did, and here he sparkled, making all the ladies in the house feel all tingly, I suspect, since he has that uncanny ability of making it seem like he is singing directly to you. He did do a few upbeat songs, but he did not attempt any dancing in his dignified suit. Since it was a concert for charity, he did not have the usual HK concert accoutrement of theatrical choreography, costumes, etc. It was just Leon in his suit, a set list, and a couple of celebrity stars dropping by to croon with him. Speaking of his guests, they included a Taiwan star named Michael Wong who had a concert benefiting the same charity the night before, and a new pop princess named Janice, who is one of Leon's proteges, and who will do concert benefiting the same charity the next night. Michael gave a lovely, low-key performance of a popular ballad that he wrote, while Janice....she performed a highly stylized fast song in a sexy fur get up, accompanied by gorgeous male models dressed in fabulous ladies lingerie. Yep, gorgeous, cross-dressing men. Fabulous.

The one surprise guest was the gorgeous Vivian Chow, the "good girl" iconic pop princess of the 1990s. (Picture a 1990s era, Chinese Hillary Duff). She has been out of the limelight, performance-wise, at least, for quite a while, but she still looks lovely, and innocent, even while pushing 40. She performed a duet she recorded with Leon in the '90s, and managed to not suck. (Her voice has always been woefully weak...) She was gracious, and confessed to being terrified at performing after so long an absence, and was generally adorable. Leon doted on her, escorting her backstage, etc, etc.

The audience loved Leon, generally squealing his name, singing long, applauding enthusiastically. Many also wanted to show their love by giving him presents. They would sidle up the stage, and present flowers, stuffies, home-made collages of devotion, etc, and he would graciously accept them, then shake their hand. The pattern became so apparent, that soon, peeps started presenting him with packets of tissue, packets of candy, wallet photos, bottles of water...basically stuff from their purses...just for the chance to shake his hand! This scam lasted for a few minutes until the straw that broke Leon's patience: Someone presented him with a glowstick. Um yeah. While he laughed at that, he did put a stop to the "gift" accepting. Another example of the audience's Leon Love (or celebra-whoring) is the fact that they completely rushed the stage when he attempted to leave the stage to press the flesh with the lucky front-row peeps. It got so chaotic that an elderly lady (who was part of the crowd rushing the stage to get her a piece of the Leon) actually got knocked over, and had to be escorted out by medics. (They later reported that she was ok, and felt better after getting water and fresh air.)

All in all, the concert was enjoyable, and certainly worth the price of the ticket and all the annoying thunderstick-related aggravation!

HK School Life

My first semester in Hong Kong has ended...and I am still a little shell-shocked. I will post my thoughts on school life in HK soon, this I vow...

Hong Kong Eats!

While it is difficult to identify one signature Hong Kong dish, what is easy to agree upon is that Hong Kong people love good food. Hong Kong, due to its proximity to Guangzhou (Canton), shows a Cantonese influence and sensibility when it comes to food. There is a saying that the Cantonese will "eat anything with four legs except a table, and anything with wings except an airplane"! Some menu items (like chicken feet, jellyfish, snake) sound bizarre, but they reflect a culinary wisdom and history that dates back to imperial times, and you can be assured that they have stood the test of time because of their yumminess! I will share my Hong Kong food love soon. I promise....In the meantime, here are a few pics; click on the slideshow for a larger captioned version.

HK Eats, Version 1:

Weekend in Shanghai: A Fan Girl’s Odyssey

Shanghai: Nov. 16 to 18, 2008

A Weekend in Shanghai: A Fan Girl’s Odyssey

Here are some pics, click slideshow for a larger captioned version:


Prelude
As a child growing up in the 1980s, my adolescence included boy band idol worship of...wait for it...the New Kids on the Block (NKOTB). (Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, just hangin' tough...Not my proudest moment, I know.) So you can imagine the volume of my girlish squeal when I learned of the NKOTB reunion tour this year...and then the volume of my cry of despair when I realized that I would not be in the United States during said reunion tour...

But I digress. Long story short, I was determined to get a boy band fix...so the second I caught wind that the Japanese boy band Arashi would be on a special Asia tour in the fall, with stops in Shanghai, I knew I had to go. (By the way, "boy band" is very a generous phrase...the youngest "boy" is 25...so they are all legal, and all perfectly age appropriate for me to squeal over...). By the way, I got into Arashi solely due to the power of the Japanese drama “Hana Yori Dango”, which features Arashi theme songs, as well as an Arashi member (Matsumoto Jun! Eeeee!) in the starring role.

Getting my hands on an Arashi concert ticket was a challenge. Sales dates were muddled, various sketchy-looking websites claimed to have tickets in stock, and if you called the official arena box office, like I did, using Skype, you had to muddle your way in explaining your call in Mandarin, refrain from screaming “Arashi! Pretty Japanese boys!”, and patiently ask if you could buy tickets over the phone with a credit card. (You couldn’t). The most helpful piece of information I got from the customer service rep was that I should find a friend in Shanghai to buy the tickets for me in person. OK, sure.

So as I was despairing and searching eBay and fan forums for tickets, I ran across a website that seemed fairly legit, and that, miracles of miracles, had tickets. Granted, they were not good tickets, but they were tickets. So I took a leap of faith and ordered from the site, paying a ridiculous amount to have the tickets DHL-ed to my residence in Hong Kong. I was a little alarmed by the confirmation email (“Hi, Ur order is being processed. Thx.”), but the ticket arrived one week later…so whee! I moved quickly at that point, getting my visa from China Travel Service (relatively painless, they had it ready in a week), booking a plane ticket from CTS (again, relatively painless, and surprisingly, cheaper than I could find online), as well as a hotel (I found a reasonable Chinese hotel online, the Jin Jiang East Asia Hotel, located on the “No. 1 Pedestrian Shopping Street in China”, East Nanjing Road, which is a superb location for touristy activities.)

En Route
After a harrowing ride on a double-decker Hong Kong bus that would take me to the airport (harrowing because the bus stops at the tram station to Big Buddha on HK’s Lantau Island (awesome, by the way…highly recommended…see my blog entry about that, coming sometime this decade), and wouldn’t you know it, it was “free tram ride” Sunday, so the bus was packed, and the bus driver was, cavalierly reckless, to put it nicely…) I arrived at the airport with an hour to spare before boarding time. And what do I spy in the restaurant area but a Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits sign. I kid you not, but angels were singing, full on with harps and triangles and bells and everything. Hallelujah…I haven’t had a decent biscuit in months. Nor a decent piece of fried chicken. (Note: KFCs in Hong Kong, at least the one in the mall that I frequent, do not have biscuits. Plus, and this is key, the chicken is not crispy….Blasphemy!) So I made a beeline to Popeye’s, waited patiently in line, and ordered a value meal that had two pieces of lovely fried bokbok, yummy seasoned fries, and a heavenly, flaky biscuit. And for a buck more, wait for it…POPCORN SHRIMP!!!! People must have thought I was insane, because when I sat down to enjoy that bounty, my eyes misted up, and I looked up into the heavens because the angels were at it again…and I might have yelped “Itadakemasu…Hallelujah…Praise all that is good and just in this world for fried chicken and biscuits!” I dunno. It’s all a blur. I only remember fried crispy goodness and buttery, flaky bliss.

So Popeye’s put me in a very happy mood for nearly an hour of taxi-ing on the runway before lift-off. The two-hour flight to Shanghai would probably been okay without the Popeye’s glow, but the chicken ‘n biscuits made it feel like I was in first-class. China Eastern Airlines actually served us lunch for such a short flight, which was nice. The meal was ok, standard plane food, but the highlight was the fruit cup with fresh melon (and a lovely slice of dragon fruit, which is magenta, horned, and a little scary-looking on the outside; white, with black specks on the inside; and tastes like kiwi crack candy)…and get this, mini cups of Haagen Daaz Ice Cream…I think I heard some harps again…

Hi, Shanghai!
Upon arrival in Shanghai, I got a blast of chilly air, which was a refreshing change from the mild, though thankfully less humid, Hong Kong air of late. This is the first time I had to break out my windbreaker and scarf. Immigration was painless, though the lady kept looking back and forth between my face and my passport…my passport pic is awful, but it still looks like me. She probably doesn’t believe that I am as old as I look. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Or vice versa. I had no luggage (I packed very light…one backpack with two days’ provisions) so was outta the terminal less than 40 minutes after landing.

I was excited about how I was going to get from the airport to my hotel. Now, I could have taken an airport bus, or a pricey taxi, but I opted for the third alternative, which time-wise, is probably slightly faster than both the bus and the taxi, and cost-wise, right between the two: Maglev Train + Underground Metro. My nephews’ love of trains, tractors, lawnmowers and generally, big loud fast vehicles with big rugged wheels, have ignited my interest in such things, so I was SUPER excited about the Maglev train. It was built about ten years ago, goes super fast (400 km/hr) and is powered by, and levitates over the tracks, via magnetic forces. Isn’t that cool?!!! The ride itself is very short, less than ten minutes, but it is a very cool ten minutes. There’s a digital indicator showing the speed of the train, and while the scenery isn’t very exciting, it is still a fun ride, because the train goes very fast, with a couple of hairpin curves. A roundtrip ticket (return trip must be within 7 days) on the train is 80RMB, or about $12, which isn’t bad when compared to the bus ($4 for one-way), and certainly cheap compared to a taxi, which can run up to $30 or more depending on traffic. Time-wise, the train + Metro is probably fastest during rush hour, getting you from the airport to downtown Shanghai (Puxi) in about 40 minutes. Of course, this method is only feasible if you have minimal luggage, as you will be schlepping your stuff from the airport terminal to the Maglev station, and then from the Long Yang Maglev stop to the Long Yang Metro Station. The distances for these transfers are not bad (probably 5-10 minutes), but can be troublesome if you have lots of luggage. If I had a big piece of luggage, I’d probably opt for the airport bus (if the bus stopped near my hotel), or a taxi, or a combination of both. The Metro station took a little getting used to. It has been a year, you know. All the characters are in simplified Chinese, and all the people were chattering in Mandarin…I had a Metro card from my last trip to Shanghai, and I tried to add-value to it at a machine, but the machine wouldn’t take my card. The customer service agent very kindly pointed out that the machine I was at was an add-value machine for a new type of multi-transit card which was clearly different from my card. (Look at the pretty pictures, Mable…) He directed me to the service desk, which was able to add 40RMB (all the small bills I had) to the card, and then I was good to go. The Metro ride was a direct one, lasting about 25 minutes, and I arrived at People’s Square Station in good time and spirits. (Though it got a little crowded at one point…people just kept pushing their way into an already packed train…and you have to basically push your way out when you arrive at your stop.)

The hotel is a brisk 5-minute walk from the Metro station, and I was able to check in at 5pm. The East Asia Hotel is in a very old and historic building on East Nanjing Road, and is actually located inside a department store. So I needed to walk past an area selling men’s suits (I saw a really cool wool coat that I wanted…) and take an elevator to the second floor, where the hotel registration is located. I’ll tell it like it is: The hotel is cheap ($35/night), with an awesome location, and that is that. The place is clean enough, with all the basics: Bed, bathroom, TV, toothbrush, shampoo, hot water pot, slippers. And it has some unexpected perks, like the in-room computer with free Internet access. The walls are wafer thin, though. (I swear I heard someone next door snoring when I went to bed that evening!) It’s a Chinese hotel serving Chinese, not foreigners, so I wasn’t unduly surprised or disappointed. I unpacked my backpack, checked online for the Metro route to the concert arena, and took a power nap before taking off for a snack and the concert.

I felt such a kinship with several riders on the Metro train en route to the concert arena. One girl had an Arashi song as a ringtone, another had on an Arashi T-shirt, and I eavesdropped on two girls having a spirited debate on which boy was the better dancer. The ride to the Shanghai Grand Stage (aka Shanghai Indoor Stadium) was about 20 minutes from my hotel, and is actually right next to the Shanghai Stadium, which is an outdoor stadium. This confused the heck out of me the first time I went there, which I believe was for the ill-fated Andy Lau concert. (See my Sept 2007 entry.)

Anyway, I arrived there about 45 minutes before the show was to start. Believe me, I wasn’t the first to arrive. Hoardes, and I mean swarm-like hoardes, of girls were already here, ranging in age from teeny boppers to somewhat more dignified 30-somethings. And yes, there were tour groups from Japan and Korea. I would say 90% of these girls had some form of concert accoutrement (i.e. dazzling glowsticks, or flashing light sticks with the “A” (for Arashi) logo, glossy round fans with a sultry picture of a band member on one side, and his name on the other, neon signs, hand lettered signs, banners, binoculars.) Those who did not have such accoutrements could purchase them from the various vendors on site. It was pandemonium. The fangrrl hormone levels were palpably thick…you could cut through the excitement with a knife, or a lighted glowstick topped with a pointy-A (for Arashi).

The lines by the entrance gates were insanely long, and a bunch of girls surrounded the staff entrance, probably hoping for a glimpse of the boys arriving. I think they waited in vain, though, since I suspect the boys were already in the arena.

I gamely walked around the arena, checking out the vendors’ Arashi schwag, as well as scoping out the entrance with the shortest line. Door number 4 seemed shortest, so I hopped in line and waited patiently, waving off vendors trying to sell binoculars, tickets, and glowsticks with a polite “Bu yao le” (“Don’t need it”). There were two ticket checks before they let us in, both with handheld blacklights.

Once inside, I found my terrible nosebleed seat (you know where the spotlight control area is in the balcony? I was one row in front of them) conducted a visibility assessment, and returned outside to the concession stand to buy a pair of 10RMB ($1.50) binoculars. Yes, it was that bad! One girl who later joined my row couldn’t believe how bad her seat was. I agreed with her, especially for the price we paid (we had the “mid-range price” seats). We actually compared our tickets, and even confirmed with an usher, and yes, those crappy seats were ours. Ah well.

I took a couple of pictures of the arena and the stage, got yelled at by the usher, who was more of a security dude/camera cop, and then waited with my fangrrl sisters for the blessed moment when the concert would begin. One note about demographics. Not surprisingly, it was 99% female. The 1% males I saw in the audience appeared to be there not by choice; dragged there by their female significant others. Also, while the majority of the audience were Chinese and spoke Mandarin, there was a significant Japanese presence, due primarily, I suspect to the tour groups. The row behind me was almost all Japanese, and they appeared to be die-hard fans, well-suited up with glowsticks, fans, and neon signs.

Various recorded messages, in three languages (Mandarin, English, Japanese) played on a loop, warning us against unauthorized photography and recording…the threat of being thrown out, as well as the burly camera cops, is the reason why I don’t have ANY pictures or video of the concert…sorry!

And then, a hush filled the arena. Lights went dark, the screen showed a countdown clock….and then BOOM! Almost simultaneously, 10,000 fangrrls shrieked as Arashi members popped up onto the stage from hidden trapdoors. I refrained from squealing, as I wanted to pace myself. Must conserve the voice for truly squeal-worthy moments.

I wish I could present a detailed, blow-by-blow, song-by-song, booty shake-by-booty shake, description of the concert, but I confess to A) being so fangrrl excited, that I can’t remember every deet; and B) Having a crappy seat, for which cheap binoculars and the jumbo monitors couldn’t compensate for. I do remember certain moments, of course. They opened with “Love So Sweet”, which is the theme from HYD2, a fluffy, poppy ditty, which, I love but can’t sing except for, the English bits. They wore very costumey outfits, usually all in the same color scheme, but not identical. For example, some of the boys may be self-conscious about their scrawny arms, so opt to not wear sleeveless shirts. They would then wear shirts with different sleeve lengths and detailing. If the boys’ costumes are constructed identically (i.e. all tailored suits, or all leather jackets), then they would opt for different colors each. The matchy-match chick in me likes the thread of consistency that ties the looks together.

Arashi is known for their upbeat songs, and their matching dance routines. They opened the concert with upbeat, fast-paced songs, and as I review a fellow fangrrl’s faithful documentation of the songlist, I see that of the first 14 songs, which included three member solo performances, all group songs were fast-paced and required some form of dancing. Now I am not the best judge of dancing (I usually choose the wrong dancer on “So You Think You Can Dance” and such), but I like how Arashi dances. They look good when they perform, and I think they move very well. Five good-looking young men dancing/gyrating and singing – what more can you ask for?!

The production value of the concert was quite good, effective, impactful use of lights, pyrotechnics, costumes, and gyrating boys. While there was no live band, the concert did have an army of backup dancers, who turned out to be two up and coming boy bands from Arashi’s management company, Johnny’s Entertainment. That was a nice stroke of cross-promotion/free backup dancer resources.

I really liked how each member had a solo song to perform that “fit” them. Nino, who was in Letters of Iwo Jima, sang a ballad while playing the piano, which fits his low-key personality. Ohno, the adorably clueless group “leader”, who is probably the best dancer in the group, did an R&B number with lots of Justin/Usher-esque dancing using a chair as a prop. Aiba, the cute, emotional space cadet of the group sang a happy summery tune about friendship, and which featured a harmonica solo. Sho, the smart one who likes playing dumb and useless, and who moonlights as a newscaster, performed a rap-heavy R&B tune, which was appropriate, as he is the “rapper” of the group. And then there was Jun. My dear, dear Jun. He is my favorite. How to describe him? Not classically pretty, with seemingly “wrong” features (outrageously disproportionately sharp cheekbones, full lips, bold eyebrows, long wavy hair, slim-bordering-on-scrawny body) that somehow, when put together, are so right. I find him very pleasing to the eye. There’s just a way about him…he carries himself in such a self-assured manner…charismatic. Attractive. Sigh. Swoon. Melt. Excuse my fangrrl moment. Anyway, Jun sang “Yabai! Yabai! Yabai!” which loosely translates to “Uh-oh! Oh no! Awful!” and is this unbelievably upbeat and ridiculously addictive song. Jun is dressed in an “on anyone else, this would be terrible and would make you question my sexuality” sequined tracksuit with his initials (MJ) embroidered on the chest of the jacket and “Yabai Yabai Yabai” on the back. He preceded the song with an amazing wired aerial routine where he walks upside down on a catwalk at least 25 feet above the stage, and does a series of tumbling dives in mid-air that should disorient him…but instead, he goes directly into an intricately cute dance routine (that involves a “moonwalk” move, eee!) while singing live, sporting a huge, adorable smile and kawaii facial expressions the whole time. I heart Jun. He can anything.

Then there was the “MC” portion, where they talk. This portion seems very natural and spontaneous. They just seem like a bunch of super-close, loveably dorky friends shooting the breeze. They started out with a translator, as the boys cannot speak Mandarin. Though they did each learn a Mandarin phrase, which they all recited to the audience. Jun’s was “I love you.” Sigh. Swoon. Melt. Um yeah. I also thought it was cute that they also said their names in Mandarin. So they talked about things like going to eat the famous Shanghai hairy crab, and then Ohno, with his expressive body and expressionless face, did a crab impression, which was so dead on that the rest of the members pretended to fight over his crab legs. Yeah, sounds silly, but so cute.

Then they brought out the boy bands that were backup dancing for them, and introduced them and thanked them for their hard work. One of the bands had a member who is famous for doing an imitation of Jun’s dance moves. Jun, who claims to have never seen the imitations, wanted to see, and then settled back comfortably in a prime seat on stage to do so. The upstart wannabe did a funny (but dead-on) imitation, and then one of the other band members suggested that the wannabe and Jun should do the same routine at the same time in order to do a comparison. So to loud applause, they did so (Jun was better)…and then the fangrrls started screaming “One more” in Japanese, so then they two did another dance in unison (Jun was better). It was cute. Jun was awesome. I heart Jun. He can do anything.

Arashi sang all the songs I wanted them to sing, though one song, “Wish”, they sang during an encore, so they did not do their intricate dance routine to go with it. Darn. That one had some fluffy, cute gyrating.

Speaking of encores, the band did four multi-song encores. Four! I dunno about you, but that seems like a lot. I mean, they did a full-length, high-energy concert, 28 songs in 2.5 hours, plus cute MC conversation time, no intermission or breaks. Then four encores where the sang an additional 8 full songs…pretty amazing. During the encores, the boys wore jeans and their concert T-shirts, which features an A (for Arashi). It seems that’s a tradition. (I’ve done my research since the concert, watching nearly every concert they’ve done thanks to YouTube and accessible Hong Kong DVDs.) They also tend to be very casual (no intricate dance routines) and do lots of audience participation, pandering and interaction (i.e. waving, winking, “thank you”s, etc.) Oh, and they like leading the audience in, for lack of a better term, “cheers”. You know, leading them in moments in the song where the audience sings along and does some sort of arm movement.

Oh, did I not mention the cheers and arm movements? The fangrrl arm movements – let’s call it “hand-dancing” -- in perfect unison to the songs? My bad. Oh my goodness, I have never seen an audience like this before. They stayed on their feet THE WHOLE TIME. Well, not the whole time. They sat down when the boys asked them to during the MC segment. But basically, if the boys were singing, the fans were on their feet. Yeah, me too. Only because I couldn’t see if I didn’t. Nothing to do with my needing to bob and bop in time with the music. Nope.

Then there were the glowsticks. I swear, the whole arena was a sea of glowstick lights, at least one per seat…and usually, several clustered together because the person couldn’t stop at one. And if you forgot your glowstick, there were enterprising entrepreneurs who, unable to scalp their surplus tickets, entered the concert with a backpack full of glowsticks and started selling them by moving row by row, methodically, making people with no sticks (like me) feel like an unworthy fangrrl, and thus, guilt-tripped them into buying one (or more) for 10RMB a pop.

But back to the hand dancing. Arashi has fairly iconic “hand dancing” for nearly every song, and they are actually quite consistent across videos, live promotional appearances, and concert performances. So it is quite easy for fan grrls to learn these hand dances, and do them at concerts to show their undying devotion. Now, I’m ecstatic that I actually went to an Asian concert where the audience was so enthusiastic and participative. I’m used to Asian concerts where you’re lucky if the audience deigns to applaud, though recent concerts have shown me that the younguns are getting more “into” the concert experience…and this has, of course, has single-handedly saved the glowstick industry. But back to this particular concert. It was so surreal. Yes, there were the “normal” fangrrls, who were waving, well, fans, as well as glowsticks, in time with the music…and then there were the hand dancers. It was dark, so I couldn’t say this was something lots of fangrrls were doing, but I witnessed a bunch of them first-hand (two next to me, a gaggle behind me), and based on this close encounter observation, I can only say that there is an Arashi cult, and they may just take over the world. The two hand dancing chicks next to me stretched their arms delicately before they began, and then just started doing the same hand dance moves the boys were doing, only these gals were doing them in a robotic, “I just had the Kool-Aid” sorta way…I wish I could say their faces showed pure bliss, but for some odd reason, I felt awfully scairt when I spied them in their full-on blank-faced, serenely hand dancing glory.

But back to happier things. The boys even sang a couple of their songs partly in Mandarin, which was really cool. Their accents were so-so, but I thought it was a nice touch, and nod to the fact that they have fans outside of Japan…it also gives me hope that they will conquer the Chinese market, and then subsequently take over the world with their army of robotic hand dancers.

The boys sang a bunch of popular songs for their first few encores, and also did one song where they entered a wired basket-eque platform that was raised high into the air, and allowed the boys to get closer to the audience in the balcony. That was a lovely gesture, though I was so far away, the levitating basket didn’t exactly improve my visibility. But it was nice that they wanted to get closer to the fans, and also allowed the daredevil Jun to show that he’s not afraid of heights by crouching casually on the platform in mid-air (and under the safety gate) to wave at fans below him. Jun was also the only member to jump down from the stage and sing “on the ground” so to speak, amidst the audience. Yeah, he had security around him to keep the rabid fangrrls at bay, but still, I’m sure he made quite a few fangrrls’ night when he did that. By the way, I adore Jun, but I am the first to admit that during live performances, he’s an attention whore who knows how to play to the camera (pouts, winks, etc.), and to the fans. This is probably due to the fact that he has been in the biz since he was a pre-teen…I also find it interesting that outside of live music performances (i.e. during talk shows and variety shows), he is actually very smart, low-key, blunt and sarcastic who has a rep for being someone you don’t want to have mad at you. (Evidently he is also a Type-A obsessive who gets annoyed very easily. That does it; we’re perfect for each other.) I heart Jun. He can do anything.

The fangrrls, for all the jabs I have taken at them, really are wonderful. They sang along, they chanted “Arashi” enthusiastically before every encore, and they even sang “Happy Birthday” to Ohno, whose birthday was in a week or so. I thought the concert was amazing, and an experience I would very much like to have again, perhaps in Japan, and perhaps with much better seats. Let me get working on that…

After the concert, true to form, I got to the MTR station when it just closed (Dammit, why does the Shanghai MTR close so early (before 11pm!), especially on a night when 10,000 fans might need public transportation?!) So I hailed a cab, and butchered my hotel’s name in Mandarin to the driver. I think he asked me if it was ok if he took the expressway, rather than the surface streets, and me, in my geographic cluelessness, just said “whatever you think is faster”. I was probably being taken on a ride (ooh, a lame pun!) by the cabbie, but was in such a state of post-Arashi bliss, that I really didn’t care. The cabfare came to 26RMB, which is about $4, so really, how bad a ride could it have been?

After that strangely exhilarating, and exhausting, evening, I slept like a baby, this despite the snoring through the wafer-thin walls. I even managed to sleep in despite the banging of doors at 8am in the morning (guests leaving, housekeeping cleaning), and despite the effin vacuum cleaner that began running at 10am. Sidebar: Do peeps think a “Do Not Disturb” sign emits an audio shield that protects guests from the cacophony of chattering housekeepers and insanely loud vacuum cleaners?! I mean, yeah, it’s a lazy arsed thing to sleep til 11am, but dammit, I’m “on vacation”, and if I want to sleep in, I damn well will.

So I finally drag my arse out at noon, and grab brunch at Kung Fu, an indigenous fast food joint with a logo featuring a dude in a yellow jumpsuit who looks uncannily like Bruce Lee. I’ve always meant to try this place, but got turned off by it when my digicam got pickpocketed after I snapped a picture of the chain’s logo last year. But anyway, bygones. I must say, for fast food, they give surprisingly hearty portions, a claypot of rice with entrée (such as BBQ eel, pork spareribs, or spicy beef), a side dish of veg, and a tureen of “old fire soup”, which is basically slow-cooked to bring out flavor, and also loaded with some herby looking things that I am sure my Mom would say is good for me. And the price was right – 35RMB ($5), which includes a tall glass of milk tea.

So yeah, I was pretty bloated after that meal…and of course, what’s the best way to work off a bloat? With a massage, of course! I fell in love with the Shanghai-based day spa chain Dragonfly last year, and I was determined to pay them a visit this time around. They are a lovely spa chain with a Zen ambiance, “Western” spa amenities and services, and at reasonable prices (i.e. $20 for an hour-long massage). I found a branch fairly close to where I was staying, so I hopped on the MTR and made my way there. It was close to the Shanghai Four Seasons near the Jing An Temple, so that made it pretty easy to get to. The spa was located on a trendy block that looked like a yuppified street from a yuppified Western neighborhood; there were a couple of serene looking spas, a wine merchant, a cheese shop, a shop selling pet accessories, and several restaurants and cafes. Of course, it didn’t look entirely like Yuppie Block, USA: A crowd of workers untangling a giant hairball-eque mass of used electrical wires, right on the sidewalk in front of a shop undergoing renovations, was certainly not a sight you’d typically see in a gentrified US neighborhood.

I didn’t have a reservation, but the girl behind the counter at Dragonfly was more than happy to pencil me in, for well, now. I immediately booked a one-hour Chinese massage, and one-hour foot massage. I can’t remember much about the services…aside from being in absolute relaxation heaven. I do recall being on the verge of proposing my undying love to my massage therapist, especially when she hit that sore tension knot under my shoulder blade. That was the most lovely, relaxing two hours I have had in a very long time. Sleeping on a crappy foam Student Residence regulation mattress has been hell on my back.

Relaxed and happy, I made my way back to the Huangpu district, and decided to walk along my favorite part of Shanghai, the Bund, which runs along the Puxi River, and allows stunning views of the old architecture along the Bund, as well as the new architecture across the river in Pudong. I was hoping the Peace Hotel would be open by now (they were closed for renovations when I was here a year ago) but alas, they were still closed. The view along the Bund was still gorgeous…I love being able to see both the old, stately, classical architecture on the Puxi side and the new, modern skyscrapers across the river on the Pudong side. Speaking of modern skyscrapers, it was jarring to see the stately and beautiful Jin Mao Tower (Golden Prosperity Tower), which is a sleek chrome building modeled after a pagoda, and was, until about a year ago, the tallest building in China at 88 stories, be marred by its neighbor, the Shanghai World Financial Center, a blah-building that looks like a bottle opener. Not that I don’t like gaudiness, mind you. The totally gaudy Oriental Pearl Tower, with its space age, faintly phallic connotations is totally awesome. But back to the Bund. Yeah, there were loads of tourists and hawkers selling everything from toys to tourist trinkets, to grilled meat on sticks to kites, as well as vendors offering to take your picture at a scenic photo spot and print it for you in 3 minutes. But I still love the Bund. There’s something so magical about it. I hear the “Shanghai Bund” theme song, feel the breeze from the water, see the glittering water, twinkling buildings, and the pinky-orange-purple sunset, and I am just transported to another time.

Shanghai is hosting the World Expo in 2010, so there is a countdown clock along the Bund, along with a huge plastic statue of the ridiculous blue blob of a mascot. It was so silly and lame. So yeah, of course I snapped a photo. But I digress. Because of the event, Shanghai is doing some major building and infrastructure improvements along the Bund, so there is a lot of disruption on Zhong Shan Road, which is parallel to the Bund, and it makes it almost impossible to cross the road to get from the Bund to the opposite side where all the stately old architecture reside. I found that out the hard way, as I had planned to walk the length of the Bund, then cross Zhong Shan Road and make my way to Yuyuan. It was mayhem. No streetlights, no crosswalk, no old ladies to hide behind and shadow as they made their way confidently across the road! Several other people (not plucky old ladies) were waiting to cross the road, too. Cars were coming from all directions, and construction cranes and jackhammers masking the sound of beeping car horns…and we looked at each other, and basically, must have thought “Screw It” at the same time, and just crossed when it looked slightly less dangerous. That was more than enough excitement for me, thank you very much.

But I made it to Yuyuan, which is nestled in the “Old Neighborhood” and is now a tourist destination with a dedicated market. The complex, with its lovely Chinese garden architecture (not ancient, but still purty) is trimmed in white lightbulbs, so at night, the outline of the pagodas can be seen from a distance, and the effect is quite stunning. I remember being able to see the lit up Yuyuan complex from way across the river, and way up high, on the 88th floor of the gorgeous Jin Mao Tower. What is Yuyuan? Yuyuan is an old scholar-style garden, with greenery, flowers, ponds, serene rock sculptures and pavilions and whatnot, and while lovely, for me, there is only one main attraction at Yuyuan: the Shanghai steamed “little dragon” dumplings. They are these magnificent, miraculous pouches of heaven that somehow hold a flavorful liquid broth and yummy meat center within a dainty, doughy dumpling shell. The perfect dumpling should burst and release it’s lovely broth only when you consume it, though, of course, probability will have at least a couple burst on you beforehand, which is a sad thing, but it at least makes you appreciate the ones that don’t burst even more…By the way, the official name in Mandarin of the dumplings are “xiao long bao”, which translates to “little steamer dumplings”, because that they are prepared in bamboo steamers. But as “steamer” and “dragon” are homonyms in Chinese, I have always called them “little dragon dumplings”, mostly because dragons are the symbols of emperors in China, and I think these dumplings are fit for a king.

So like a bloodhound, I bypass all the lively tourist shops and the crowds of peeps taking pictures, and the various food vendors, and make my way to the dumpling line. Other vendors sell dumplings, too but there is one vendor that sells the best ones, and you can tell which one by the line of people waiting patiently by the stall. The stall has a window that looks into its prep kitchen, and it’s mesmerizing to watch the chefs form the magic pillows of deliciousness at lightning speed, from cutting the pieces of dough, to forming the dumpling mixture, and to filling the dumplings and placing them in baskets (by the way, the secret to the how the soup broth stays in the dumpling is a combination of the dough consistency, the length of time cooking, the sturdiness of the broth gelatin bits, and the skill at which the dumpling is formed). The one thing I found to be the most funny though, is the fact that the stall has an old-school steaming cooker that can only accommodate 24 baskets per batch. And it takes eight minutes to cook a batch. So basically, they can sell 24 baskets (or orders) every eight minutes, which explains the long lines. Customers are limited to two baskets a person (one basket holds 18 dumplings, and costs only 12 RMB, or about $1.50, which is the deal of the century…) One basket, by the way, is a hearty meal for one person.

So I wait in line patiently for about 10 minutes, and am next in line to pay and get my basket of brothful bliss. And wouldn’t you know it, the lady in front of me snags basket #24, the last one, of this batch. Can you imagine the look on my face when I realized that? When I realized that I was eight minutes away from having dumplings, waiting in agony and hunger, while being taunted by the towers of uncooked steamers full of uncooked dumplings, and by the vendor employee merrily counting all that scratch they just took. (Dude, the place is making some serious coin.) So picture Sad, sad Mable, nose pressed woefully against the window.

So six minutes tick by, and the employees start prepping to sell the next batch. Two minutes to Dumpling Time, yay! Then some chick in a fluffy white muffler, tank top, and Ugg boots tries to do the unthinkable: cut in front of me by hovering by the window innocently, pretending to admire the chefs while subtly clutching 12RMB in her grubby, claw-like hands. That was the straw that broke this camel’s well-massaged, and dumpling-craving, back. So I told her, in a no-nonsense, ‘oh no you di-ent’ tone of voice, that the line was back there, gesturing with a “don’t mess me, girlie” toss of my head. Then Ugg girl has the audacity to say “Oh I know, I’m in the line to buy tickets for the dumplings.” I screeched, in perfect Mandarin, mind you, that that was what we were all in line for! Believe you me, I was ready to take her down. You do not get in the way of a hungry Mable and her soup dumplings. Not after witnessing the last basket get swiped under my nose. So chickie sighed, pouted and then Ugged her way back to the end of the line. Damn straight.

Finally, the blessed dumplings are taken off the steamer, and I get the coveted Basket #1. I grab my container, splash some vinegar on the sweet white pouches of joy, and then make a beeline for the benches. I snarfed those suckers down in minutes, and whee, only popped a couple. So I had at least a dozen perfectly soupy, broth-in-your-mouth dumplings. The angels were singing again….

Oh dear, my eyes are misting up just remembering the taste of those dumplings. That is the best $1.50 I will ever spend on food, and that includes the $1.50 I spent on the fried Oreos in Las Vegas (which, by the way, is the second best $1.50 I ever spent on food.)

I wandered around Yuyuan, had an egg tart and bubble tea for dessert, then made my way back to Zhong Shan Road. This time, I did not cross the street to the Bund; however, the construction still made it very difficult to maneuver my way on the sidewalk opposite the Bund. I tried following a couple of locals who were circling a construction site to walk adjacent to oncoming cars, and waited there for a good three minutes with another lady. Then we nearly got beaned in the head by two construction workers using a huge shovel to carry a couple of buckets who blithely passed us to enter the construction site. That very close call was so jarring (the back of the shovel was a couple inches from my head as they passed, and if I hadn’t noticed and made a sudden move in the wrong direction, it would have been buh-bye for me…) that I took the long way round, and finally made my way back up to the safety, and neon, of East Nanjing Road.

East Nanjing Road was a lovely visual and audio cacophony of sensations, as usual. I managed to avoid the stores, except for a liquidation sale store featuring 10RMB scarves, boxes and piles of scarves strewn haphazardly, two barkers/cashiers/security at the doors (these guys were good multi-taskers…simultaneously screeching about the deals to be had, while deftly taking money, making change, and bagging purchases) What is it with me and Shanghai scarves?! I can never resist. So I bought a few (fake Burberry, fake pashmina) since it was so very BRRR and I needed extra layers. I also made one final stop at the “No. 1 Shanghai Food Store” which, I understand, refers to its history and not necessarily its ranking in terms of quality or pricing. The store is a weird combination of supermarket, bakery, tourist foodstuffs, exotic dried goods/herbs, and then, deeper inside, a “wet market” of sorts where you can buy seafood and meats. I wanted to get some authentic Shanghai treats, but ended up getting chocolates wrapped in labels featuring Shanghai tourist sites…the authentic treats didn’t sound very appealing…i.e. dry, brittle layered cookie type bits (called “so”) flavored with things like black sesame and roses.

Bye, Shanghai!
Then it was back to the hotel for beddy-bye…and the next day, back to good ol’ Hong Kong. I thoroughly enjoyed my return Maglev train ride to the Shanghai Airport. It was a little bittersweet saying buh-bye to my beloved Shanghai, but I know I’ll be back someday…for those lovely Little Dragon Dumplings, and the inexplicably awesome feeling of strolling down the Bund while “Shanghai Bund” plays in your head…