there were a whole slew of birthdays end of week and so last night we all got together at my friend nick’s place and had a feast to end all. beef so tender it was falling apart, liqueurs, healthy amounts of debauchery, yum.

right now i’m sitting in my friend dan’s apartment, we ordered chinese food in and her windows overlook a park where we watched some couple get married this afternoon in the freezing cold. the subs are playing tonight but i’m so sleepy after yesterday that i’m tempted to just stay in and read and drink tea.

i’m actually supposed to be in suzhou right now for the continuation of the birthday merrymaking but waking up this morning i realized i only had energy to brunch, forget about sitting in a van for three hours & then all the madness that would ensue.

hmmm, chinese food is kicking in. nap time. x

the beatles, performing live on commercial drive in 2005.

yoko ono just got a bad rap, that’s all.

photos from the weekend – the yoko ono exhibit that opened this weekend at the ke center for contemporary arts was a total bust, packed to the gills with nothing particularly new or exciting to look at. apparently she made an appearance, but we didn’t stick around long enough to watch. on a happier note though, casino demon at YYT on friday was fucking a-amaaazing! i remember being at one of their first shows at D22 in beijing, and the subsequent hundreds of shows afterwards, and seeing them last weekend was definitely the most thrilling of suprises. it seems like they’ve finally found their own sound – there have been so many times when i’ve been at a bar, looked up suddenly and asked “WHO is this?!”, only to hear the answer be casino demon, time and time again. totally one of the best bands in china right now, young & fresh with awesome stage presence.

after their set (and a rousing set from the rogue transmission as well!), we headed over to shelter to see james pants, who started off pretty strong but then ended up blending into the background with the rest of the mayhem that is shelter on any given weekend. you’d think i’d be more wary of going to shelter after my wallet was nicked last week, but i guess the young never learn.

also – new pants! NEW PANTS!

say what you will about them, but they give a great live performance. the whole weekend was all around great, and it’s been so nice living in shanghai these past few weeks, a ton of awesome live shows, everything is buzzing with energy.

excuse the scattered update. i was up until 8am this morning watching f’ing season two of gossip girl. yeah, that’s right. i don’t get it either.

today is one of those days, or maybe it’s been one of those weeks. annoyed with work, annoyed with the cat, the saving grace has been a couple of mindless nights out where i wake up cloudy and ready to carry on with another dreary ten hour cycle. thinking alot about internet presence and what that entails, and how much madness changing your facebook status means. ho hum.

i’ve got one of those pressure headaches, or maybe a salt/sugar headache. most likely going to go watch my beijing brethren down at YuYinTang tonight but also might just say N-O and stay at home with a book and another home cooked meal.

right now, i’m waiting around for a conference call to start, la la la. listening to vampire weekend above the reassuring hum of a bustling office on a friday night in shanghai. just be patient, ok? ok.

the internet is being very naughty here in china, it’s crawling slow lately and blogspot seems to only work on a whim.

it’s starting to get cold now, when riding my bike to work my eyes water in the wind and it’s a bit chilly even with a sweater + overcoat. this is my first winter in shanghai, after two blistery cold, dry to the bone winters in beijing, i’m looking forward to some… moistness. besides thinking about california suns and beaches and palm trees, i’ve been staying in, reading, making delicious vegetable soups with hearty potatoes, celery, carrots, the like. listening to hayden and clem snide and other seemingly winter themed artists, getting ready to settle in for hibernation.

here are three songs i really like today:
hayden – wide eyes
hayden – hollywood ending
clem snide – jews for jesus blues

1. 10, at logo, who opened for jeans team.
2. bizarre drawing on the walls of MoCA shanghai.
3. yaya & abe deyo, doing what they do.

My friend Jenevieve is starring in a play that runs this weekend. If you’re in Shanghai, why don’t you come on by?

Marriage Counseling – Three Sessions
Directed by Michael Ziming Ouyang.
Original concept by Jason Lasky.
Starring Jenevieve Chang, Jason Lasky, Noemi Preiswerk, Tomer Oz.
Produced by 5th Wall Performance & River South Art Center.
Tickets 200rmb, includes wine salon, afterparty, light food.

This theater event presents 3 variations on the theme of broken marriages. Making full use of the fabulous River South art space, Marriage Counseling explores relationships, gender, power and physical expression. Details here…

Shows at 7 pm, November 14, 15, 16, 6:30pm.
Location: River South Art Center, 1247 Nan Suzhou Rd.

looking very much forward to my upcoming trip to the motherland. see you in 25 days, saranghaeyo, seoul! xo

about to head to bed, just a little after one am on a sleepy wednesday night. thought i’d write a little note before hand though, about all the great shows coming up in the next few weeks and my friend abe’s city weekend post about it. lots of great beijing bands – the molds, subs, arrows made of desire, casino demon, fire balloon. hurrah!