It is Sunday evening and after a rainy cloudy weekend the sun has come out and we can see three + bridges. Abi was busy last night with a birthday party sleepover so Tim and I once again had a date night. We went to a new restaurant on the water front a short distance from our apartment. We were not impressed with the food (too bad because it is so convenient) but the location and building was good. After dinner we walked to our massage place and had a 90 minute full body massage. Life is hard in China!!

On Saturday I took Abi and a friend to my newly found fabric and clothes shopping area. I think they both experienced a bit of culture shock but seemed to handle it well. We stopped counting people in their pajamas after 35 and that was just in the first few blocks. My Chinese teacher said that the "pajama thing" is an "only in Shanghai" experience. She is from Xian and she had never seen this before she moved to Shanghai.

Interesting thing: In the local shopping areas they they have started to sell straw mats that look like floor covers with fabric borders. I discovered that these are actually pillows. The mats look very uncomfortable to sleep on (I think I would have a strange design imprinted on my face when I woke up) but apparently they are very cool during the summer months. There is a zipper on one end of the mat that can be opened and filled with batting or buckwheat.

Tim and Abi scootered down to the river front to make a dinner reservation for Tim's work group tomorrow. We are hosting them at our home for wine and cheese before dinner so I will be busy polishing my hostessing skills tomorrow....it has been a while. A small group will be from the US and the rest are Chinese locals. Entertaining people in your home is not a custom in the Chinese culture. All entertaining and gatherings are held in restaurants so this will be a cross cultural experience. I guess I better practice my Chinese greetings tomorrow during my lesson.

News in Shanghai:
The newspaper said that this summer is going to be a very bad "weather" summer for Shanghai. We should expect floods, typhoons, tornadoes, and lighting storms in August and September. Yikes!!!

Lots of people in China are putting money into the stock market because of the impressive gains during the last 18 months.

Toothpaste made in China has been turned away from several countries because it contains a chemical used to make antifreeze. China has 30% - 40% of the toothpaste market. Better check your toothpaste and see where it was made. We brought ours with us and the boxes say it was made in Mexico.