I bought my first pair of boots for work today! It was from the store called Coey, 酷丽, it the shop that I mentioned before that position itself as a Japanese fashion styled store selling boots, hats and bags. The pair I bought is on special, 100% leather, extra layer inside for the winter, and it was originally 1790RMB and I bought it on special for 499RMB. I'm so happy!!! I remember my first leather boots in NZ was from Overland and it was 399NZD, which is like 2000RMB!!!!! This pair that I bought today is light brown coloured, with about 8cm heels, very comfortable and stable! I'm really excited!!! (photos coming soon)Today was the first day for Josi (the other girl in our group) at work. She's matched to an AIESEC exchange to a company called Wei Lan. This is a company that I was going to go for initially. It's a company running traning programmes to high school kids. The particular project that Josi is working on is to help trainig high school children for the UN youth conference coming up in mid-March. She have two weeks to try this offer and if it suits, she will be staying in Beijing until the end of the program, which is around mid to end of March. Her workplace is quite close to Peiking University (the north west of Beijing city) and therefore that means she'll have to travel for a bit on public transport.
Gerard (the kiwi in our group) has also decided to visit his workplace, Sun Village, today. He's going to be an English teacher in this school who has several branches in Beijing. The particular branch he's working in is this village on the far south west side of Beijing, called Changping or something.
The three of us got up very early in the morning (6.30am) and took the same bus together. Josi and Gerard got off at Hu Jia Lou subway station to catch line 10 and I continued my bus ride to Beijing Road East bus station. During our bus journey, Gerard was telling me his 'first Chinese lesson' last night with Jordan! Because we are all going to have our own transport routes and therefore both Jordan (the Chinese guy in our group) and I are very worried about Gerard and Josi (both have very minimum Chinese language skills). I asked Gerard to say some Chinese words to me and he was a bit embarrassed to say it in this crowded bus. Eventually I convinced him to say it, and then we realised everyone in the bus is looking at us.I can see why though: a white guy and two Chinese looking girls speaking in English the whole bus ride, and especially when Gerard is telling me what he learned from Jordan, "zi zi di di tie zi na li", this is EXACTLY how he sounded like. I was quite confused at the beginning, and because gerard said every word in the fourth tone, so therefore he sounds VERY angry in Chinese, haha. But eventually I figured out that he is trying to say "zui jin de di tie zai na li, 最近的地铁在哪里".
Highlight of the Day
The highlight of today outside of work is when my friends and I went to this shopping centre. This particular shopping centre is called 蓝色港湾国际商区 Solana, and it's situated at the north east side near Chao Yang Park. We picked this place because Gerard (the kiwi from our group who arrived in BJ one night earlier than us) already visited this place on his first night, he said that the food there is really cheap and the environment is very modern and pretty. All four of us are located around different parts of the city so we decided to meet at the subway
station closest to Solana, and we'll share a taxi there. I walked to the Beijing Station (both for train and subway) and caught line 2 subway; then went to Yong An Li station and changed to line 1 subway; then went to Guo Mao station and changed again to lin 10; then eventually got off at Liang Ma Qiao 亮马桥, and met up with Gerard. Soon all four us all got there and off we go to Sonala.
station closest to Solana, and we'll share a taxi there. I walked to the Beijing Station (both for train and subway) and caught line 2 subway; then went to Yong An Li station and changed to line 1 subway; then went to Guo Mao station and changed again to lin 10; then eventually got off at Liang Ma Qiao 亮马桥, and met up with Gerard. Soon all four us all got there and off we go to Sonala. Sonala is Gerard's favourite and he just couldn't stop telling us how good their food is. He also told us that there are ice 
skating arena and cinemas in the middle of the shopping mall. The boys got really excited about watching movies tonight (2012) but the girls are more tending to the 'no'.
skating arena and cinemas in the middle of the shopping mall. The boys got really excited about watching movies tonight (2012) but the girls are more tending to the 'no'. The shopping mall is very modern and European styled, with newly built buildings and thousands of neon light decorations everywhere. They adopted a sylte called Lifestyle Shopping Centre, and it is the biggest centre of this sort in Asia. Although it's late at night (we arrived at around 7.50pm) but the 
mall is still open. There aren't too many people walking around the shops because parts of the mall in open space, shops on the two sides of a walking pedestrian pathway (see photo). I guess it's too cold and dark for people to be want to come out, but I believe this will be an amazing place during the day. The design of this shopping mall reminded me of Botany Town Centre near my home in Auckland. Open space and individual building blocks.
mall is still open. There aren't too many people walking around the shops because parts of the mall in open space, shops on the two sides of a walking pedestrian pathway (see photo). I guess it's too cold and dark for people to be want to come out, but I believe this will be an amazing place during the day. The design of this shopping mall reminded me of Botany Town Centre near my home in Auckland. Open space and individual building blocks. We first went to the cinema located in the centre of this shopping centre, like I said before the boys were very interested in watching 2012 tonight. The cinema is called SAGA 传奇时代影城. After we found out that the next most suitable time for us is at 8.50pm, therefore by the time the movie finishes it'll be 11.30pm (160mins movie), both us girls didn't want to watch it. So the boys looked pretty upset but the idea of getting food excited us all.
The foodcourt in Solana is very much similar to the ones in NZ. a wide open space with restaurants at the side and seats in the middle. The only difference is that these restaurants are all run by the shopping centre. So therefore unlike in China where we pick our food and pay at the particular restaurant, in Sonala you purchase a card with 5RMB deposit (refundable when you return the card) and you can choose the amount of money you want to put in. i.e I put int 50RMB into a card, and therefore I have 45RMB available credit to purchase food. So when I decided on a particular 
dish, I gave the card to the staff and they just took the credit out. I ordered a chicken and mushroom with rice (16RMB), and also a Chongqing style spicy hotpot-6RMB (I ordered only four little dishes to add into the hotpot, so it's more like an entre). All of us are amazed at the size of the food servings in this foodcourt, especially with the displays; AND the food is considerably cheap (or average price) to the other shops we've been to. So on average, each one of us spent around 15-25 RMB (which is around $3NZD to $5NZD).
After our massive dinner, I suggested to still go and watch 2012. Given that we are already here (by taxi and subway) and that we are free tonight, might as well just watch it so we won't miss it in the future. Price is definitely one of the things we're thinking about, because it's 80RMB per ticket which is $13NZD, this is actually quite similar to the NZ cinemas!!! HOWEVER! When we got to the cinema, SAGA 传奇时代影城, the ticket person asked me how many people do I have and how many boys and girls and then gave us the tickets for half price!!! So we watched a blockbuster 
movie for 40RMB ($8NZD) each!!! This is SOOOOO good!!!so ...hmmmm 2012: I like the movie (overall) but I really didn't see why there're so many comments online saying that it's a movie complimenting and praising China. Really apart from that the 'ships' are produced in China (with the actors saying, no one on earth can make things like this apart from in China - hinting cheap and efficient labour?) I like the movie in the way that it makes me think about the prophecy and whether this has anything to do with the recent global warming. Overall I would recommend this movie. I'm not really here to give feedbacks to the movie, but I'm going to focus on describing my experience in a Chinese cinema.
The cinema environment is very classy, not sure if this is across all cinemas in China or if it's just this particular one in Sonala to fit Sonala's european style. The food price in this cinema is very expensive (just like any cinemas in the world I guess): 
Gerard wanted to get a bottle of coke, which is a standard 500mL BUT it's priced at 12RMB (OMG!). The cinema have 8 screens, and it's all winded down the hallway in the basement level, it's actually pretty cool. In NZ cinemas, you really just get into the actual theatre you're in and be seated few minutes before the movie starts; and at the end of the movies just pack and go. But in this cinema!! There're so many sofa and couches around the hall for people to sit in and chat and relax. There are also little shops selling movie-related products and some games etc. This is very new for all four of us. 
I really like how they provide these areas and facilities for customers to rest in, but I just wonder how many people will actually come into the cinema early before the movie start time and sit there? Nonetheless, I still love it :)
Gerard wanted to get a bottle of coke, which is a standard 500mL BUT it's priced at 12RMB (OMG!). The cinema have 8 screens, and it's all winded down the hallway in the basement level, it's actually pretty cool. In NZ cinemas, you really just get into the actual theatre you're in and be seated few minutes before the movie starts; and at the end of the movies just pack and go. But in this cinema!! There're so many sofa and couches around the hall for people to sit in and chat and relax. There are also little shops selling movie-related products and some games etc. This is very new for all four of us. 
I really like how they provide these areas and facilities for customers to rest in, but I just wonder how many people will actually come into the cinema early before the movie start time and sit there? Nonetheless, I still love it :) This cinema has the loudest volume EVER!! It's just unblievable! And it's not a volume that I can get used to after the even watching the entire movie! It was so loud that my eardrums hurt and I don't understand why it needs to be this loud? Maybe it's that most Chinese are used to talking loudly (especially in shops, restaurants, streets or wherever there's lots of people) but it was just so LOUD that's near unbearable!
While we were watching the movie, there's this man behind us that was always coughing and sneezing the whole time. He was simply LOUD!!!! He had no intention (I think) to try to keep his coughs and sneezes to a lower volume, or maybe even just to cover himself up when he coughs? It was just so loud and that you can almost imagine him just making himself comfortable. The funniest thing happened when we were towards the end of the movie, and when the main characters successfully got onto the ship and survived, and when the atmosphere in the movie is at its warmest and sweetest moment, this man coughed again!! Once, twice, three times, and four times!! He was just coughing so loud when the movie didn't have any background music but just when the main characters are looking at each other lovingly; this is just so ridiculous, this audience just killed the moment................
Nonetheless: recommend 2012 :)
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