2004-12-27 - 8:23 p.m.

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas. We celebrated at this pub—

The owner is Chinese, and the manager is English, so it was a very interesting mix of cultures. It was a 5-course meal, and it included a free drink, all for 288 RMB. That’s about $35. I was crossing my fingers for mashed potatoes, but no luck. There was veggie stuffing and mixed vegetables for me though. The manager heard I didn’t eat meat, and rushed out a salad covered with salmon. It was Christmas, what could I do?? I nodded and smiled. Anyway, we had a very nice, cozy meal. Here we are being very nice and cozy---
That is Moi on the left, she teaches with me and is from Australia,Mike and me, next is Anne from Germany, who I dance with, and on the end is Maureen from Australia, who also teaches with me. It was a very interesting day. We got there at 2:00 and didn’t leave until 10:00. I’m always interested in other countries and their cultures, but add a bottle of champagne, and my goodness, Germany and Australia became absolutely FASCINATING. I now know heaps about East Germany and the fall of the wall and communism, the history of Australia, and all about the natural habitat and mating rituals of the koala. I’d take on any 8th grader in a History Test Showdown!!!!! After the meal, we headed to our little neighborhood bar, O’Lane’s. This is the place where Mike is a celebrity. One fantastic aspect of Chinese food service is the sheer number of workers they employ to do one job. Sometimes 2 or 3 people will assist in bringing 2 drinks to the table. One person holds the tray, the other takes the drinks off and places them on your table. Then the 3rd person just hovers, supervising the event, and keeping an eye out for any potential accidents. To make a long story even longer, here are the 5 bartenders at O’Lane’s.

There were maybe 10 people in the place, and we accounted for half of them. We had speedy service, rest assured.
I’ve never spent Christmas away from home, and I am embarrassed to say we drank several bottles of champagne so we wouldn’t think about it. It worked I guess, because I still have a headache!!!
For our next adventure, we are headed to Thailand...should be interesting. The sweetest man ever, Mike Pelino, bought me a new camera, so I'll share lots of pictures. Have a very safe and happy New Year's!!!!! I almost forgot to include this picture....This is the tap troupe I hand-picked for the dance studio I work for. (I want to sound important...haha) Anyway, the studio got a call from some bigwigs at China Telecom. They wanted tap dancing entertainment for all these executives and Shanghai government officials for the dinner party on the opening night of Phantom of the Opera at Shanghai Grand Theatre.(what a mouthful!) They gave me 3 days notice to pick dancers, choreograph a dance, and teach the dancers. We were fabulous!!! The costumes were a nightmare.I look a bit like Marilyn Manson. I don't remember looking that pale. I think I photo-shopped the picture too much...yes that must be it. From the left is Erica from Chicago, Marilyn I mean me, Swift from France, and Anne again. We rule.

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