In ancient China, solar eclipses were omens.

Urban legend has it as “天狗吃太阳”. A dog living in the sky was eating the sun but because the dog is afraid of loud noises, villagers would beat pots and pans to scare the dog into spitting the sun back out.

And ancient thinkers saw a unity between man and nature and what happens to nature will affect man – that the solar eclipse is “yin” attacking “yang”. So, omens such as:

July 8, 1848 A total Solar Eclipse but the Opium War occurred between 1840 and 1842
Feb 5, 1943 A total Solar Eclipse but World War 2 occurred between 1937 and 1945
March 9, 1997 A total Solar Eclipse but the Yangtze Valley flooded in 1998

Whether you believe in this or not, if you were unaware that a total solar eclipse was happening, you’d be scared. Who knows what you would have done?

JULY 22 2009

On Wednesday morning, my crew and I ventured to the 33rd floor of Hyatt on the Bund Vue Bar to do our report. We arrived at 830am only to be greeted by dark clouds. The sun played hide and seek for a full 10 minutes before disappearing behind rain clouds.

Here’s a rundown of my timing:

830am = looking to heavens to be greeted by a playful sun (peek-a-boo)
845am = interview guests to get their reactions
9am = prepare for phoners with Prime Time Morning with Suzanne and Steven but the signal was bad so I kept getting cut-off.
915am = day was slowly turning to night although it felt more like shadows of dark clouds
915am = rain rain rain came pouring down
930am = rushed to get my stand upper done and to enjoy 6 minutes of darkness

At precisely 936am, it felt as if someone turned off the lights and darkness enveloped the city. It looked and felt like 936pm. The temperature dropped significantly and for once in summer, it was bearable with a low of 26 and a high of 31. Some weather reprieve. But the rain made my work all the more challenging. In trying to seize whatever darkness there was within the 6 minutes, it was a mad rush to record my ptc, give my cameraman enough time to film the night scene before it quickly started getting bright.

However despite the mad rush – it was a magical moment for me.

P/S To see my ptc, click on the following link.
glendaptc21jul

“I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world

Life in plastic, it’s fantastic!

You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere

Imagination, life is your creation”

.. and so goes the song from Aqua…

Well, I just covered the story on the Shanghai opening of the world’s first Barbie Department Store in China. And I have to admit that I was too ”Barbied-out” by the time I left the store to file my report.

It was surreal.

Sure I like the colour pink. It’s my trademark colour when I golf.  But pink everywhere in a store.. can be jarring to the senses actually!

Located at the main shopping strip of Huai Hai Road the concept store boasts 6 floors of merchandise and services. Richard Dickson, Senior Vice President of Barbie Brands, did not want to tell me how much Mattel spent on the store other than it is a multimillion dollar project (and he was referring to USD).

When I first heard about the Barbie Store opening in Shanghai last year, I was unsure how to react.

Growing up, I had my “Playmobile” and ”Hello Kitty” stationary. But never a Barbie doll. However, I do have a vivid memory of giving my cousin’s Barbie a crew cut, which prompted such a violent reaction from her!

“Tell me when the Barbie store opens, I will burn a Barbie doll outside its door,” said my sexy-savvy entrepreneur girlfriend. Well thank goodness she left for her secondary school reunion back in Singapore, the same day the store opened. Otherwise, her little stunt to protest Mattel’s Barbie marketing messages would have made the news worldwide.

A legislator in West Virginia, Jeff Eldridge (D) has even tried to ban the sale of Barbie dolls. It reads: “It shall be unlawful in the state to sell “Barbie” dolls and other similar dolls that promote or influence girls to place an undue importance on physical beauty to the detriment of their intellectual and emotional development.”

Well, I’m unsure how successful he will be in getting the bill passed.

So why does Barbie evoke such strong emotions in women and men?

Does the doll actually make young girls think that physical beauty is the one over-riding and most important factor in life? Recalling my own days as a girl, I was not attracted to the advertising or persuaded by the promotions. Maybe Barbie’s fashion sense did not appeal to me. Maybe I didn’t watch enough TV and missed the ads on air.

But the Barbie concept store takes on a different approach.

Not only can you brush her hair and dress her many ways, you can also start looking like Barbie, with designs from the famous stylist of Sex in the City, Patricia Fields. And eat what Barbie eats?? A café designed by Australian celebrity chef, David Laris. Need some R&R?  Get pampered at the Barbie Spa. And if you find your dream Ken, you can wed in a US$15,000 Vera Wang wedding dress, sold exclusively at the Barbie Store in Shanghai.

This is, after all, Barbie World!

I think this is clever marketing, especially since Mattel saw their sales figures last quarter fall by 46% and worldwide sale of Barbie fell 21%. But banking on China consumers for Barbie’s comeback? Only time will tell how successful this gamble will be.

While I must admit that the Barbitini cocktail, a martini concoction created by David was rather delicious, I still have no affinity for the doll. And I won’t be buying the doll for my nieces or friend’s kids.

Give me Hello Kitty anytime. 

We were all trying to get a soundbite from Premier Wen Jia Bao.  We were at ground zero of the earthquake, Yingxiu in Wenchuan County.  Premier Wen Jia Bao was at Yingxiu together with UN Chief Ban Ki-moon. 

If you look hard enough you will be able to spot Channel NewsAsia’s mike. 

UN Chief Ban Ki Moon getting a first hand look at the damange caused by the May 12 earthquake.  

I was running to catch our “ride” back to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. 

And I have to thank a reporter friend who took the pictures for me.  It is quite rare to have pictures of “behind the scenes” especially when you are working under such situation. 

A recent evening out with friends started at an Irish pub and ended at a Chinese hospital. One minute we were laughing and clinking our glasses; the next, we were rushing to the hospital in the old French Concession…

I’ve only been in Shanghai 8 months and two major events have happened. And I’ve come to realize how important it is to have close friends so far away from home – friends who’d drop everything they are doing to be with you in times of need; friends who share in your joy and will not shun you because of your sorrows. 

You’ve already met my savvy and sexy entrepreneur girlfriend who has lived in China for 13 years. And there’s another girlfriend who’s a banker. Let’s just call her Looloo for short. 

It was Looloo who introduced me to Shanghai’s hospital. Looloo was telling a funny Hokkien (Fujian) joke when she hit her head against her wine glass (deleted remarks), and so the drama unfolded. The wine glass didn’t break but her skin did. Deep red blood was oozing out of a cut above her eye.Savvy-sexy entrepreneur (SSE) was out elsewhere (in a very pretty black dress and faux fur coat) when I made the call to her just past midnight, that we had to rush Looloo to hospital.  In less than 10 minutes, SSE was in a taxi picking us up and we were headed to the nearest hospital. 

And this is what struck me about the hospital.  There are two separate out-patient emergency sections. One for the local Chinese and the other for the foreigners (aka Wai-Bin)This is where you see the stark difference. 

The foreigner’s section was brightly lit, immaculate, modern and everything you’d expect a private hospital to offer, with lift attendants and attentive staff. The section for the local Chinese was somewhat different.  Everything seemed several shades paler, in every sense of the word.

Back in the foreigner’s section, an eye-specialist was woken from her sleep and summoned to attend to Looloo’s cut. A quick eye check and cleansing of her wound and we were out of the hospital. It was efficient and quick beyond my expectations.  Of course the speed and the bill would have been very different, had we had gone to the local section. Going to the hospital is not exactly one of the must-do things while in Shanghai but at least I’ve experienced it.  Hopefully, I won’t have to make another trip anytime soon. 

And just in case you are wondering how Looloo is doing, she is fine. We just have to wait for the wound to heal to see if it leaves any scar.

** some circumstances have been adapted to protect the identity of the subjects

A fellow-Singaporean made this declaration over a late dinner at Le Platane in Xintiandi earlier this week. Working in Hong Kong and shuttling frequently to Shanghai, she keeps up with news from home by watching Channel NewsAsia. And on a night out amongst fellow-Singaporeans, she complains animatedly about Singapore between bites of suckling pig; but even before the special apple tart arrived, she’s unabashedly waving the red and white flag again, proving to be the number one fan, not just of Channel NewsAsia, but of all things Singapore!

I guess she succinctly encapsulates how many Singaporeans feel about Singapore.  Citizens criticize the politics and complain about the lack of freedom, the rising cost of housing, ridiculously priced cars… the list is long. 

It seems being Singaporean gives us the right to gripe about our own country. 

But, oh pity the non-Singaporean who criticizes Singapore! Suddenly Singapore’s positive qualities spew forth. We are non-corrupt; our systems are the best; we made it even without natural resources; we are a harmonious multi-racial society; we will hold the first night F1 race in the world; we are most-this and best-that.

I love Singapore.

I love the food, the efficiency, the cleanliness, the convenience, even the weather (especially since suffering my first winter in Shanghai).

For 3 National Days so far, I’ve had the privilege of doing the commentary for the Parade. The amount of work that goes into the preparation of each Parade is mind-blowing; from the planning to the details of mobilizing people. There were rehearsals after rehearsals but I loved every one of it. More than anything, I love the spirit of Singaporeans. Every time before the show starts, I still get butterflies in my stomach. 

August 9 this year, I will be covering the National Day Gala at the Pudong Shangri-la. It marks the first time in 11 years that I’m celebrating national day abroad. 

Although I will not be in Singapore, I am there in spirit. 

My Singaporean girlfriend who has lived in China for 10 years said this to me recently when we went out for dinner after work.  An entrepreneur and a very savvy woman, she was horrified to see that I had what to her must be the world’s largest handbag.

“What kitchen sink?” I said appalled that someone would call my hip handbag a kitchen sink.

So that’s how my black handbag which I carry everyday is now called.

I have almost everything in there. My diary, small bag of make-up, a pocket computer dictionary, an English-Chinese-English handbook dictionary, keys, wallet, 2 mobile phones (S’pore & China), notepad, 5 pens, tape recorder, 2 thumbdrives, chargers, camera etc …

Ok so some of the contents are unnecessary like 5 pens and two dictionaries, 2 mobile phones and chargers, but they are such life savers. And now those around me are beginning to appreciate my kitchen sink.

Whenever I am out with friends and they need anything they come to me. I’m like the go-to-person nowadays if you need anything. You own a Nokia mobile phone and the battery is running out – go to Glenda. You need to save a document on a computer – go to Glenda. You need to jot down something real quick – go to Glenda. I have everything in that huge black handbag of mine. It’s great.

My kitchen sink is slowly becoming my security blanket. I never leave home without it. (rather the contents inside). I used to never leave home without my credit cards in Singapore but things change.

This brings me to the point, which is that women in Shanghai carry big bags. I have begun to notice women’s handbags because of my “kitchen sink.” But what I am unsure of is what is in their handbags? Do all women carry loads of things in their bags and is there a psychological reason to this? The next time I see another woman with an equally large bag I will ask her what she keeps in there.

In the meantime this is my kitchen sink.

I will post a picture when I figure out how to upload pictures on my blog. 

Hi everyone, thank you for the response to my first blog.  It is really heartwarming to know that I’ve been missed anchoring on Channel NewsAsia.  I can’t respond to everyone but I will try my best in this blog.

I guess the most pressing question is why I decided to transfer to Shanghai to be a correspondent.  Let me try to be as succinct as possible.   Upon graduation from Boston University, like every idealist fresh graduate, I thought I could be the next Peter Jennings or Tom Brokow.  But as things always turn out, that was not meant to be.  You have to work very hard to achieve what you truly want.  So I waited on tables in New York at a restaurant in Soho called “Penang” (my friends tell me it’s still there – check it out the next time you visit Manhanttan, it serves the most authentic Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine) while waiting to get an interview with the various TV stations in the US.

Unfortunately nothing happened and my parents were getting annoyed that a graduate like me was waiting on tables and getting a “salary” from tips alone. 

They were kind to me, and only hauled me back to Singapore after a year of living in New York.  They figured if their daughter gets a job at the TV station by the end of the year, she’ll be happy.  If she doesn’t, then it’s long enough to be idling for 12months.  I guess they were right because the longer I stayed in New York without a job at a TV station, the more disillusioned I became of the city. 

Although I have to say that waiting on tables in New York made me realize that I can multi-task rather well without being distracted.  Plus, surviving on tips alone and relying on the charity of friends, makes you a humble person.

When I joined then TCS (Television Corporation of Singapore) I did a year of producing at Current Affairs and another year of local reporting before I jumped at being an anchor when TCS launched the weekend morning programme called “AM Singapore.”  I enjoy anchoring very much but also felt that I wanted to explore all aspects of journalism.  And after almost 8 years of anchoring, I thought I’d should do field reporting while I am still young.  So I hurdled, somersaulted and after a lot of convincing of my bosses, I applied for the Shanghai posting.  Correspondent positions, like anchoring, don’t avail themselves very easily.  Once you make a name for yourself, you hardly want to relinquish.

I am still young and healthy so what better time than now to run around getting stories, relocating to a new country where I get to challenge myself.  It’s the perfect opportunity. 

I love challenges and this is the perfect challenge for me.   My friends tell me I am very fortunate to have known at an early age that I wanted to be a journalist.  And after 10 years in the industry, I am still in love with journalism.  So why not explore what else journalism has to offer?

So here I am in Shanghai as a correspondent.  And it is more than just reporting from the field.  You need to manage other aspects of being in-charge of a bureau.  There are so many responsibilities which forces you to learn other things besides just reporting.  I also have to learn accounts, administrative work and managing staff.

Please make no mistake, I love anchoring and will eventually go back to anchoring, but for now I need to scratch this itch first.  

And I invite you to enjoy this journey with me.  You’ll get to read my trials and tribulations of challenging myself in China.  Instead of watching me anchor the news, now accompany me as I explore China.  

And the first business upon arrival in the city was to settle in. Get myself comfortable before I started work proper as a field reporter running around getting stories. That meant – finding an apartment, bank accounts, work visa approval etc ….

My first few days were filled with government meetings, applying for media accreditation, securing my residency permit, opening up a bank account, subscribing for a mobile phone, interviewing an office manager. It all went smoothly – much to my delight. But of course all these arrangements were made well in advance in Singapore. All I had to do was show up and wait. Things get done with prior planning but you need time.

However the first challenge was also my first encounter with culture shock. Hunting for suitable accommodation. One naturally has his or her particular needs and it isn’t as if I haven’t done my fair share of hunting for apartments to rent in Singapore before. But what I encountered here in Shanghai quickly made me realize that you simply cannot things for granted.

First I narrowed my search for apartments according to my budget and desired location. I had heard so much about the French Concession with its tree-lined streets, quaint lane houses and restaurants. My search started there.

Almost immediately, I found a loft. It felt like I was living in New York; high ceilings, island kitchen, wooden floors, bamboo bathroom with skylight view of the roof. It was perfect and not to mention that it was within my budget. But of course I saw pictures of the place before personally viewing it.

Let’s call this place Big Apple.

Big Apple sat on the top floor of a 3-storey house. The owner who sold the house must have had a sense of humour. He sold it to 3 different owners! Imagine living in a 3-storey house where each floor belongs to one family. The first floor led directly to the kitchen of the first flat. Climb the stairs, the second floor led to the living room of another family, and finally, “Big Apple” was on the third floor. Plus there were no doors to separate each floor from the other, in other words, there would be totally no privacy or security. I didn’t rent it.

Another French concession apartment had such thin wooden floors that when the owner downstairs cooked or simply smoked a cigarette, the fumes would just rise up into the apartment and smoke would get into my eyes!

Living in the French concession on a budget wasn’t going to cut it.

Of course there were the beautifully decorated apartments and houses but they were simply too expensive to rent.

So, reality struck and I lowered my expectations and extended my search farther away from the city centre.

Almost immediately I found a simple apartment, but this was not before viewing a total of 50. So at least I saw a fair share of different housing options and picked the one best suited to me. It is a simple apartment.

If hunting for flats was fun, contract negotiation was even more interesting!

I was advised by friends who have lived in Shanghai for years to bargain for the world. The rationale being, “What’s the worst that can happen? The landlord saying “NO”. The best that can come out of you being demanding is you’ll get the place for a quarter or even half of what you’re asking for.”

I didn’t ask for the world. I just wanted the landlord to install an oven, pay for the satellite dish and internet connection.

Guess what, I got everything!

I am now slowly trying to decorate the place to make it comfortable.

I guess you can say that hunting for a house can be an analogy of my experiences.

When in Rome do what the Romans do.

So welcome to my first blog, welcome to my new experience and welcome to my new home.