Monday, July 20, 2009

On a Break

Don't have a reliable Internet connection while staying at my MIL's place in the Big Apple so will try to post pictures of our travels when we return home to Beijing (provided the Great Firewall of China doesn't prevent me from doing so!!!).

Meantime, I am "tweeting" occasional updates on my Twitter account.....

See ya later, alligator!

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Shop Till You Drop

It's almost 4.30 am here in New York City, & jet lagged woke me up from a deep sleep after an exhausting day of outlet shopping at Woodbury Commons. I badly need a massage now & I miss my blind masseure in Beijing! I could use a good ol' Chinese style kneading!

One thing that I have noticed since arriving here is the inflation of prices compared to one year ago. Toiletries, clothes, movie tickets (USD12.50 person!!! On a weekday matinee!), food....the cost of all these seems exorbitant, especially after one is used to the cheap cost of living in China!

I feel like the crowds that usually throng NYC, especially in the Times Square area, have thinned. I notice much fewer people in the stores and those who are there are mostly window shopping. The number of patrons in restaurants are also noticeably less. I guess the pinch of the economic crunch is felt more acutely here in the USA compared to in Asia where the malls & restaurants of Hong Kong & Singapore are still packed with people.

It is quite sobering to see a usually vibrant city like New York hurt like this. Let's hope that President Obama's efforts to stimulate the economy start to bear fruit soon....