I bought a Spring Roll today and I ate it! Some irritating person in front of me at the Chinese counter in Selfridges spent an hour ordering everything imagineable (dude, you might as well just go to China) so the task took me a lot longer that I’d hoped and I had to stare at the sodding sweet and sour chicken that had made me sick once. I found eating it very unnerving having avoided it for such a long time, thinking that Chinese food made me sick. And, as a hypochondriac this is obviously the last thing I want to be.

Then I got very angry at the CBT for making me do this. I could have been having a perfectly good ordinary day. Instead I was forcing spring roll down my face that made me think of sick. After eating it I felt extremely anxious for an hour. I could feel my stomach churning, an acidic taste inside my mouth and adrenaline running all over my body. I began to get a headache from the tension in my shoulders. It was just gross.

 There I was a grown woman, hyperventilating over a spring roll.

Once the anger, anxiety and adrenaline subsided I felt more relaxed. I even had sushi for lunch, a food I normally avoid on busy days because I think it carries a high sick risk. I don’t like letting people down and the very thought of it makes me feel more frightened of getting ill. Later that day, I was supposed to drive my mates to the middle of nowhere to go to a new North East London clubnight. Naturally I was a bit worried that if the spring roll I’d eaten that day would mean I’d get ill later and would let my friends down. Afterall, I was the designated driver. I found on the whole however that I felt less uptight than usual on my night out.

China’s no.1 R&B star Ayi Jihu speaks about the X-Factor TV show

A couple of years ago I would not have had the knowledge, experience or even the guts to really speak about something like X Factor other than to say what most others where saying. Now my experiences with Shlepp Records and having been in this business for a little while I feel confident enough not only to speak about X Factor, but to speak with some wisdom about it.

The most damaging thing about X Factor is it’s not real. It’s the wrestling of the music game and it seems just like wrestling it has millions of fans and followers who don’t seem to care whether it’s real or not. I guess before I was one of them, I now however do not like the idea of a rigged game. When I say rigged I mean in the sense that the house always wins and by the house I mean Simon Cowell. My real gripe with the X Factor though is that although it can be quite watchable (for all the wrong reasons), entertaining and indeed even educational, it is unfortunately in so many ways unreal and unfair.

Firstly I have done over 350 shows in front of almost 2 million people and even with that experience I feel I am still just a baby in this game and have so much to learn to truly find myself and perfect my craft. Secondly I think I would be a complete wreck if my record company asked me to sing like Frank Sinatra, Beyonce or James brown, Why because it just aint me! Thirdly, I have been fortunate enough to be mentored by Stevie Eagle E and I was not thrust upon him like a bad Christmas gift. He was looking for someone like me and chose me, he understands what I am trying to achieve and our goals and ambitions together with our ideas more than often run in sync. God help me if was mentored by any of the X Factor panel!

Before I started to work with Shlepp Records I watched the X Factor like most others, now I watch it from the perspective of an artist, someone who knows the game and I watch it through very different eyes. I can see how Danny and Sheryl mentor many of their artist wrong, thrusting their desires and views on artists who have no choice but to follow bad advice. I see how Louis walsh views and perspective is that of someone who does not understand music very much, but understands media and how to make money. I also see how Simon although frank and many times sincere will never really be the man to find an artist to change anything, only more of the same, because he is also afraid to take risks and no matter how much he says he is taking risk he is just fooling himself and everyone else. It’s like a Casino saying it takes a risk….Yeah right. However the whole premise of gambling in the Casino is to fool the punter into thinking that the Casino can lose, Simon in many ways does the same.

When I first met Stevie Eagle E, the first time we actually had a meeting and he spoke to me about my career I did not quite understand. I did not feel I did any thing special on the video that he was talking about. I was one of many other oriental girls on this video shoot and I thought they were all good. But he said to me that I had the X Factor, that something that you cant quite put your finger on but is there and makes it hard for people to take their eyes off you. To be honest it has taken me a long time to understand what he was talking about. At the time I was so happy just to be able to realize my dreams and ambitions I just shook my head and said yes to everything he said. Now though I get it. Stevie was not looking for just another great dancer, or singer, he was looking for some with the X Factor too, and you can have that without being a singer or dancer or even in entertainment at all. Some people just have this thing about them that draws people to them, or makes them compelling and unique. Because we cannot truly always put our finger on what it is we call it the X Factor. As Stevie puts it, it’s the one thing the big boys cannot control or manufacture, they can find the best dancers, singers etc, but they cannot always find the ones with X Factor because in truth they do not know what it is. For example Susan Boyle. She has the X Factor and lets face it, how many record companies would have discovered her?

What Stevie was trying to tell me back then was that he saw something in me that separated me from the crowd. Until I understood that for myself and stopped looking for it in other things I could not really progress as an artist because I thought all the keys to success were in external things. In many ways we as people believe money will make us happy and so we spend our lives chasing it. We blame everything that goes wrong or that is not right on the fact that we do not have enough money and if we did things would be great, even though all the facts show us differently we persist in this way of thinking. So instead of working on ourselves and looking within for happiness we are always looking outward to things like money, friends, partners and things to make us happy.   The same can be said of me I did not look within to understand the X factor I looked outward and so for a long time I could not understand it.

And so in a very round a bout way it brings me to the main reason why X Factor does not work for me. Now that I understand what X Factor is I realize that the program has never discovered anyone with the X Factor to date. In fact the whole premise of the show is not find someone with the X Factor but to find someone who can fit into what is already there and if you do have the X Factor the show is more likely to get rid off it than to discover it. None of the judges are looking for the X Factor they are looking for an act that will win the show or appeal to the British buying public. Therefore to me the whole show is one great big lie. Entertaining yes, dramatic yes, but a lie.

Ayi Jihu’s debut Album Try Me is available on Itunes and Amazon now.

4 Advils and a Christmas cookie. It’s the sweet concoction to remedy feeling sad about being without my family for the holidays. It’s been a miserable day- Eckhart Tolle would be ashamed of me. My projection of a lonely holiday and my all around negative attitude concerning money reaches to the heights of Mt. Everest. Not having the money to buy Christmas presents for my family is the hardest thing I’ve had to endure since I started this experiment. Why are some of us more willing to let ourselves suffer than the people we love? I feel guilty that they are all buying me presents.

I know my family isn’t worried about the no Christmas present thing, but I guess it’s my self-esteem that has taken a hit since I’ve been having financial difficulties. I feel worthless and I only feel lovable and valuable if I am giving to some one. I know intellectually that this isn’t true. Now, I just need to feel it emotionally.

So what does one do when one has no extra cash to spend at Christmas time and no family member (besides my sweet Bryan) to spend the day with?

That’s right. Go out for Chinese. Ming’s Dynasty here we come! If we’re lucky we can order roasted duck and sing Fa RARARARA RARARARA.

China has some delicious food, but why then do I not feel a sense of accomplishment when I have eaten?

The ey is that here they are ultra collectivistic (good explanation here), and the impact is that you feel like you are such a part of the whole that you lose yourself, that you have no ownership nor self-determination.

The scenario, which is a microcosm of living here is that we eat at round tables, share the food. Consider this action, no head of the table, all are equals. Then, we each have matching dishes cups etc. The questions become, what is my food, how much can I eat, and when do I stop.

In the west it has been proven that the size of the portion dictates how much we ea (here).  Thus, we sit down, get ready to consume and are basically guided by the portions in front of us, their size will dictate how much we eat. In essence it is our guide. In addition, my plate is mine, my utensils mine, it occupies a space that I temporarily own. But here, in a round table, there is no sense of ownership. How does one appropriate the correct amount of food, after all what is mine, how much am I entitled to, do I eat till the others stop?

So basically it becomes a confusing state of sit, watch, peck at food then get up and leave with the rest of them, an odd feeling.

Word: Delicate
Source: Hot Woks Cool Sushi takeout menu description for Beef with Broccoli, p.1?

I was careful not to tear the corners of the paper while wrapping presents.  I wanted them to look like the time and patience that went into them.

After we exchanged small talk and pleasantries and the gifts we’d gotten that we weren’t sure we should return, I chose to be left alone, have another beer, and tried to concentrate on hating the Michael Bolton Christmas song blaring through the bar while hoping no one noticed I was crying.

Can’t believe it’s Christmas again! New Year is just round the corner! Last year I spent my Christmas and New Year in Macau, I didn’t even need a jacket, there was no snow, no Christmas tree, but with a new adventure to begin!
This year although I do need a jacket because it’s absolutely freezing but I get to spend my Christmas and New Year with family with lots of food and drinks watching the snow and opening presents! Nothing beats spending quality time with your family at home!

I call it home, as I have been living here for over 10 years, my family is here, my life is here, at the beginning I’ve always felt like the inbetweener, as time goes by, after being around many local people, understanding they way they are and they way they think I felt more at home as my mind has opened up and became the person I am today. Even though I am still somewhat of an inbetweener, I don’t question who I am, and why I’m the way I am, I’ve learnt to accept that’s just the way my life is, and now see it as an advantage of understanding both the Chinese and the British culture!

Just driving mum to supermarket today, coming to the end of my road, about to turn left, driving very slowly as it’s very icy, this car suddenly appeared in front of me, she was turning right onto my road, but she didn’t stop or look, and she turned onto my side of the road! Ok I am Chinese, but I did pass my driving test in England and I know you supposed to drive on the left side of the road, not like China on the right hand side! She braked so hard, I could hear the tyre rolling on the icy road, luckily she didn’t hit the front of my car! I looked at her, thought she might just give me a heads up and drive on, instead she told me to watch out!! What a cheek I thought, my temper just boiled up to the surface, I told her she was the one supposed to open her eyes, if she hit me, the police could easily see who was in the wrong, even the people in her car told her to drive on, she then gave the cheekiest comment telling me to go back to my country! Then I said to her, well you are in your country yet you don’t know which side of the road you are supposed to be driving on! This reminded me not long ago, someone walked pass me and I heard him saying you are hot but you are Chinese!

So what if I’m Chinese? Would you rather get with a hot Chinese or an ugly non-Chinese? I wondered if I were ‘one of them’ driving, would she still do the things she did or would she just leave it and drive on? Is it because I’m Chinese so she thinks I can’t stand up for myself in front of her? So she chose to attack me and think I’d swallow her nonsense?

I’ve been very lucky not to have had many racist comments thrown at me or being treated very differently, well, on the surface of it all everything seems to be ok that we get treated pretty equally, but it’s the little things, the little comments from people in this society that shows what people really think and proves at any given time, when things go wrong they will switch on you and use the fact that you are not originally from here to slam you down because they think you are not even on the same level as them, even with the ones who are born and brought up here but just not English! that doesn’t sound fair to me or so called treating each other equally, but it happens all the time.

Wherever I am, whoever I’m with I’ll always be proud of the fact that I am Chinese and extremely grateful that my life turned out the way it has, so I keep learning from different people and move on for the better, it’s those ignorant ones who will stay at the same place.

Ayi jihu’s debut Album Try Me is available on Itunes and Amazon now.

The Dong Zhi Festival or the Winter Solstice Festival is one of the most important festival celebrated by the Chinese and other Asians. According to the Dong Zhi Solar term, it is around December 22. Dong Zhi is also a time for family to get together, and we will have a bowl of tang yuan (汤圆)， glutinous rice balls. We like to cook it in sweet soup and serve warm.

Dough the glutinous rice flour with little water, do not add too much water or make it too dry. You can also add coloring from pandan extract and red coloring or any coloring you like. Here, I made 3 color: white, green, and red.

Roll the dough into small balls. You can adjust the sizes  and make as many as you like. I prefer to have it tiny because it easier to chew and swallow.

Boil water in a pan, add the glutinous rice balls. You must cook the white balls (light color) before you put in the red balls （dark color). If you cook the white balls after you cook the red balls, it will turn red too. The sequence: white, green and then red.

Soak the cooked glutinous rice balls into cold water.

For the soup, boil a pan of water, add in the pandan leaves (tie a knot), brown sugar, few slices of old ginger. You can add more sugar if you prefer sweeter. Simmer until the sugar melted.

Reheat the glutinous rice balls with the soup and serve.

Black chicken

Have you ever eaten “black chicken”? During my recent visit to Taiwan I was invited by a professor from Taiwan Normal University to taste this Chinese delicacy. It takes a while to get used to the colour. However, the chicken meat and the soup it “swims” in are just awesome.

Try it next time when ordering Chinese food.

上海游記 Nov. 28 – Dec. 16, 2009

Day 1 – Fly to Shanghai from IAD, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009

This was the second time we took ANA for our cross Pacific flight because we liked its service and stop over at Narita Airport was short.

I also liked ANA’s in-flight food. In fact, ANA’s food wasn’t that bad at all especially the first meal because we were is such a great mood to begin our vacation.

I particularly liked the cold soba with dipping sauce made from kelp and dried bonito flakes. It also included some seaweed flakes and a small package of wasabi. The wasabi was essential to transfer an ordinary cold noodle to an enjoyable experience: the noodle was cold and slightly chewy, the sauce was tasty, flavorful with a hint of saltiness and the wasabi really kicked the experience to a higher level.

I asked for two bottles of white wine with my meal.

The refreshing taste of the wine really complemented the cold noodle and salad: a piece of smoked salmon, artichoke heart corn and potato salad and a few pieces of carrots. Rice was hot and slightly sticky. It went well with scallop sautéed with shiitake mushrooms. Toward the end of the meal, we each were given a small cup of Häagen-Dazs ice cream which was a nice touch. Not all of our meals were this good: pork cutlet with broccoli was a bad choice because the pork was tough and broccoli was over cooked.

Service was impeccable: all female flight attendants were smiling all the time even though their English wasn’t that great. They sure made it up with their warmth and extremely pleasant demeanor. They all wore light make up with their hairs comb back to form a bun on the back of their head. Their purple-colored uniform matched nicely with the multi-colored scarf on the neck. Their huge smile made me wonder what a nice image they projected to their customers; even to us cheap travelers in the back of the airplane, i.e., the Economy Class. They were all very patient with your requests even when they were putting dirty trays in the cart. I didn’t even notice any slightest resentment to our request no matter what it was. Above all, they never forgot your request even when they were very busy with the work at hand. The cross-Pacific flight was completely booked and every seat has a person in it.

While in Narita Airport, I heard that most Asian markets were under selling pressure Friday as Hang Seng fell 5+% and Nikkei was 3% lower because Dubai World had requested a six month delay to service their $80 B loans. Wow, all that real estate development in the desert was in jeopardy now and how things changed so rapidly. A mere 2 years ago, many Chinese tour companies were advertising 7-day travel packages to Dubai and surrounding countries to witness the mirage created by the petrol dollars. The bubble finally bursted and stock markets would likely go down with it. Well, my investment would for sure go down with the overall market as well but I would not worry about it because I was on vacation.

Overall, our flight was enjoyable, the movie, G.I. Joe helped me to make time pass more easily. I also made a lot of money on the poker game but sucked on Tetris.

Buffet Yangtze

901 64 Avenue Northeast
Calgary, AB T2E, Canada
(403) 275-3382

hmm buffet lunch for 8.95 Monday to Wednesday.  Wow. You can’t really beat that price.  There’s a lot to choose from.  You have to know what to eat. Not everything tastes great.

They have 8 buffet  bar carts. There’s Chinese Canadian dishes.  There’s commercial dim sum dumplings.  There’s a salad bar. There a sushi bar.. ewww. There’s ice cream and desert bar.They have the western fries/ onion rings… bar which we didn’t touch. The steam buns bar. You get the idea.

If you tread carefully, you can have a really good lunch. 

Don’t expect friendly service though. The boys did say Thanks when we left but without eye contact and feeling they might have just said see ya.

I heart Chinese food. Okay, to be honest, I heart LOTS of food but if I had to name the food genre that I tend to “crave” the most often, it would be Chinese food. Some of my favorite Chinese dishes include Hunan Chicken, Szechuan Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken…yep, pretty much anything with chicken that’s really spicy. I love spicy!  I mourn the day that I will become old and heartburn will set in and antacids just won’t do the trick anymore……that day will just stink.

Considering that I love it so much,  I have to oddly admit that Chinese is the type of food that I’m least likely to make at home. You know why I think it is? Because no matter how hard I try, I can NEVER make it quite as good and therefore never quite satisfy that craving and it frustrates the bojangles out of me………..until now….

Which brings me to PF Changs restaurant. I love their asian lettuce wraps. Quite honestly, they are to die for.  So, what is a cook fanatic like me to do but scour the web for copycat recipes. Last year I tested so many of them until I found the “almost” perfect one!  This recipe is  sooo yummy good and for once, a Chinese dish that I made at home finally hit the spot and satisfied that endless craving.

Alright, this is completely random but it’s almost Christmas and I’m talking about Chinese food and I can’t help but think of that scene from the movie Christmas Story…you know, the one where they go to a Chinese restaurant for Christmas dinner:

Fa ra ra ra. Oh, ha ha ha. Darn, I love YouTube!

I will get back on subject now. Yes, asian lettuce wraps.  Here is the best wanna be recipe for PF Changs’ Asian Lettuce Wraps. I swear you can not get any closer to the real thing than this.

RECIPE: Wanna-Be Asian Lettuce Wraps

16 lettuce leaves (washed and taken off the head and left whole; note: I prefer bib lettuce with this recipe)

2 lb. ground chicken (or replace with tofu for a vegetarian dish)

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3/4 cup hoisin sauce

1 teaspooon asian chili pepper sauce

1 teaspoon minced or ground ginger

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

8 ounces water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and then add chicken. Brown the chicken 7-10 minutes until done and remove from skillet and set aside.

2. In the same large skillet over medium heat, cook the onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil until the onions are translucent. 

3. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, asian chile pepper sauce, ginger, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.  Add this to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir in the chopped water chestnuts and green onions. Cook until the green onions are tender.

4. Once the green onions are tender, add the ground chicken back in the skillet and stir well. Cook until heated through.

5. Scoop the chicken filling into a lettuce leaf, top with special sauce (see recipe below), wrap up like a burrito, and eat!

RECIPE: Special Sauce

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup warm water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon hot mustard

2 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon chili paste

Directions:

1. Dissolve 1/4 cup sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. Then whisk in the soy sauce, ketchup, lemon juice, sesame oil, hot mustard, 2 teaspoons water, and chili paste. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Oh, man, the combination of the warm, spicy filling with the cool, crisp lettuce…it’s like heaven in your mouth.

In 3 days I will be headed to Saint Louis for my miniature holiday break. It is no 4-week college break, but 4 days spent out of Kirksville is exactly what I need right now. Thank god I have really cute cats and an okay boyfriend, otherwise I think I could die from boredom in this town and no one would ever know the difference.

Today I got ready for the trip. I bought a few more gifts for my parents, wrapping paper, and supplies for taking the cats on the trip. I got my dad a book and the first season of Deadwood. Then I got my mom not one, not two, but three different scarves. She really wanted this scarf that I have so I bought her two of them (one blue and one white) but they were really cheap and I wanted to surprise her with an expensive circle scarf so I went for it. She will never need another scarf again! I also bought Sherlock a bunch of Christmas gifts and I ended up spending over $15 on the stupid (favorite) cat! I have also invested in a bunch of nail polish, something I haven’t splurged on in over 10 years. So with nails freshly painted and gifts freshly wrapped I am now enjoying The Mighty Ducks in my snowman pajamas.

Earlier today, Andy and I also hit up Chen’s for a buffet lunch. For Becky and Abby who haven’t been to Kirksville in a while, I have to let you know that Chen’s extended their buffet! They knocked out that little back table area and added more buffet, new dishes and all! My favorite addition is pot stickers (chinese dumplings) and this spicy chicken. Pot stickers are one of my faves and these are super delicious… I LOVE THEM! They also added peel and eat shrimp and “sushi” (the shrimp is pretty standard but stay away from this so called “sushi” — you can tell it will be bad just by looking at it). Anyway, that is enough food talk.

So, my parents have officially decided to give me some extra cash this Christmas instead of using the entire budget for gifts. This seems like something they would never do and my dad is especially strict about gifts only for any gift-giving occasion (no gift cards, no cash). But I know that my dad thinks that I am super poor. This is not the case. I have a good amount in savings plus a full-time job (no matter how shitty). But if they want to give me cash, I will not complain. In fact, I am already thinking that I would like to use that cash to buy a new record player. My old one broke a few years ago and my records haven’t been in use for a while now (which is just a waste). I hope that I can get one but I also have a lot of bills to pay thanks to all of these grad school applications (and I refuse to take out of my savings for anything).

Okay, I think I have probably bored you enough for today. Maybe I will update later.

Wok with me.

Since returning to North America, I’ve been fighting with my stove. It’s one of those ho-punk crappy electric North American stoves – you know, the kind that generally comes in mustard yellow, was made in 1972 and takes about 11 minutes to boil water.

I hate that stove. I have no time for that stove.

I miss my gas stove — both in Africa and in China. The gas stove, that yes, at any point, seemed like it could likely blow up, but man, did it sear meat and veggies well. I never boiled my stir fry meals and I always boiled water, in oh, say, 45 seconds. If you walked away, your meal would be burnt in a matter of seconds and while making soup was definitely a challenge, most everything else worked brilliantly well.

I’ve been having a hard time re-adjusting. Culture shock, they say.

One of the big burners on my electric stove burnt out recently. Then it was replaced. Then it burnt out again. Then I got mad and hot damn, it’s five days early and I know you’re not supposed to buy Christmas presents for yourself, but I snagged an awesome deal on an Electric Wok for $49 (normally $129 or so) and my North American stove problems are over.

This thing can COOK. It’s SO hot. It reminds me of my happy gas days. The temperature control actually works and it gets piping hot.

For anyone that has gas, I am deeply envious. For all of us other suckers out there that rent, there is the Breville Electric Wok. I’ve used it for stir fry, pasta sauces, scrambled eggs, pancakes and um, yes, even grilled cheese.

I will say it has been my greatest kitchen purchase ever.

I am in Beijing International Airport.  I am one of a handful of people waiting for the morning flights to somewhere else.  I arrived in Beijing at 11:45 PM last night.  It is currently 4:08 AM.  I have already watched Tuck Everlasting.  It wasn’t great.  One of the workers started talking to me in Chinese.  This is going to be a problem while I’m in China.  I’m obviously Asian, but I don’t speak Chinese, any dialect, at all.  I may know hello and thank you, but that’s about it. 

On the flight from ShangHai to Beijing, the man next to me slept almost the entire time, and snored most of the entire time, right in my left ear.

Around 1 AM, one of the workers tried to tell me that I could check in at a hotel, and a shuttle will bring be back to the airport at 6 AM, but it was very difficult to understand what he was trying to say at the time.

I’m very thirsty.  All the exchange counters are closed, so I went to a Bank of China ATM to withdraw some money to get water.  Unfortunately, I ended up withdrawing 1000 Yuans, all in 100 denominations, which are not accepted at the vending machines.  I have no idea what the exchange rate is between American dollars and Chinese Yuans.  I hope I didn’t withdraw all the money I had in the bank.  I definitely will not be exchaning the dollars I brought.  They will be going back into my account when I get back.  Unfortunately, I am scheduled to arrive at 4:30 PM LA time on Saturday, 2 January 2010.  Hopefully, my rent check won’t be processed that soon.  So, I would have to wait until Monday, the 4^th to deposit my cash.  I get paid on the 5^th.  Man, I need to save money.

I’m really tired and hungry and thirsty.  Did I mention I’m thirsty?

I tried to sleep until the check-in counters open, but I was only able to take a shallow nap for about an hour.  I couldn’t really get to sleep, which is why I’m up writing this entry.

I have a headache.

They just took off the Tiger Woods Tag Hauer ad on the wall next to me.

The airport is finally showing signs of life.  The China Eastern Airlines employees are arriving a few at a time.  They don’t seem to be in a hurry to assist anyone, though.  I waited, along with others for about 5 minutes for assistanace.  They started opening the counter after their employee meeting, I guess.

The flight from Beijing to Kunming was fairly quick, a little over three hours.  The only problems I had were the seat I was assigned and the bathroom line.  I was given a window seat, which I generally don’t want because I prefer to be able to get up to go to the bathroom without disturbing other people.  Once I did get up to go to the bathroom, the line was long.  I waited for what must have been about 15 or 20 minutes.  This was the one time that people respected the line, probably because they had to in the cramp airplane.  I noticed at the airports that people cut in line constantly, some walked up and stood in front of me even though they see me in line.

One thing did turn out great from sitting in a windo seat, I got to see the clouds.  I saw lots of uninteresting looking clouds until we started to descent.  Then, I saw a cloud that looked like a tiger playing or chasing something for fun, and a cloud that looked like a blackhawk helicopter.  It had the body shape and the propellers in the right places.  All in all, not a bad trip, I just wish I didn’t have to wait in Beijing for so long.

Once I arrived in Kunming, I immediately went to baggage claim and saw someone with a sign with my name handwritten in big letters.  So, one less thing to worry about; how to get to the hotel.  I wait for a short time to get my duffle bag.  It was one of the first ones to arrive.  As I proceed to leave, I had to dig out my baggage claim slip because two women were making sure we left with our bag, and not someone else’s stuff.  The man in front of me was stopped because it looked like he may have mistakenly taken the wrong luggage.

Outside of baggage claim, I found the same man holding my name sign, plus a young woman holding my name signed that’s typed.  We, all three left together.  She spoke some English, and asked me right away if I knew a Cynthia.  I had no clue.

The ride to the Golden Spring Hotel was chaotic, and longer than I expected.  I would not be able to find my way back to the airport alone.  I spent most of the ride looking out the window.  There were definitely signs of wealth and signs of poverty.  There were buildings that looked old and run-down next to buildings that were obviousl y new and made of more advanced materials, large glass windows and such.  I was given my timetable in the car.  I didn’t quite understand what I was looking at other than that I had classes at various times throughout the days.  I asked how many people are on the team, and she (I never knew her name) said she didn’t know because we’re going to be split into groups for the schools.

Once we arrived at the hotel, I meet Wang Baoli.  She’s a tiny woman who quite friendly.  I get checked in.  I asked her how many people on the team, and she said two.  Apparently it’s me and Cynthia, who should have arrived before me, but is now arriving around 4 or 4:30 PM.  Once we get to the 7^th floor, my room key didn’t work.  But that was sorted out quickly.  I like this room better than the room I had in Crete.  It’s bigger and much cleaner.

I found out that 1000 Yuan is under $200 US.  That made me feel much better.  I thought I had taken out much more than that.

Baoli asked me if I wanted to rest or have lunch.  I wanted to do both, but first I need to eat some real food, so I said lunch.  She insisted my wash my face before we went down to lunch, probably because I looked so exhausted and had dark circles under my eyes.  We went to the first floor to one of the restaurants in the hotel and had a fairly large lunch.  Steam buns, egg and tomatoes soup, and kung pao chicken.  I’m used to the huge portion of kung pao chicken from the Golden Restaurant at home, so this kung pao chicken was bit disappointing.

After lunch, I took a long nap until Cynthia arrived.

Cynthia Jones is a funny woman.  She’s African American, from Rhode Island, and is a math coach in an elementary school.  We all had dinner together in the second floor restaurant, and had our first team meeting where we introduced ourselves.  At the same time, there was a wedding at the same restaurant.  Apparently, there was another wedding in the first floor restaurant, and the hotel normally host 2 to 3 weddings each weekend.

After dinner, it’s off to bed.

Chinese star Ayi Jihu speaks to Stars only about learning to deal with people in the entertainment industry.

As Chinese star Ayi Jihu stands on the brink of breaking into the USA and potential fame and fortune she speaks frankly with stars only about how her journey in the entertainment industry has opened her eyes to the true nature of people, good and bad. Speaking from a rehearsal studio in Cambridge UK Ayi Jihu told us how she has learned to look at people with what she calls ‘better eyes’ these days.

It’s so crazy how people can be. I used to take everyone at face value, but I no longer have the luxury of doing that any more. I have learned so much about people since I started this and most of it has not been good. Even people you think you know very well can switch on you! What I also do not understand about people in this business is that they are so ready to avoid or circumvent the proper business way of doing things. I find I get many people approaching me to do certain things which is great. But certain things people in this business know they should contact either the record company or management and they don’t. I’m not quite sure why people do this. I can understand that some people do not know or understand the correct order of things but people in the business do and when they contact me asking this or that I sometimes wonder if its some kind of test.

There are codes of practice in every business as there is in life and I have found out myself sometimes the hard way that if you break them things do not tend to go well, if not in the short term, in the long term for sure.

I’m lucky that I have some great friends. Friends who I have known and had long before I was doing this. Some of the things that have happened with people since I started this I can’t even mention, but lets just say, I’m a lot smarter and not as naive as I was several years ago.

A couple of years ago I would not have had the knowledge, experience or even the guts to really speak about something like X Factor other than to say what most others where saying. Now my experiences with Shlepp Records and having been in this business for a little while I feel confident enough not only to speak about X Factor, but to speak with some wisdom about it.

The most damaging thing about X Factor is it’s not real. It’s the wrestling of the music game and it seems just like wrestling it has millions of fans and followers who don’t seem to care whether it’s real or not. I guess before I was one of them, I now however do not like the idea of a rigged game. When I say rigged I mean in the sense that the house always wins and by the house I mean Simon Cowell. My real gripe with the X Factor though is that although it can be quite watchable (for all the wrong reasons), entertaining and indeed even educational, it is unfortunately in so many ways unreal and unfair.

Firstly I have done over 350 shows in front of almost 2 million people and even with that experience I feel I am still just a baby in this game and have so much to learn to truly find myself and perfect my craft. Secondly I think I would be a complete wreck if my record company asked me to sing like Frank Sinatra, Beyonce or James brown, Why because it just aint me! Thirdly, I have been fortunate enough to be mentored by Stevie Eagle E and I was not thrust upon him like a bad Christmas gift. He was looking for someone like me and chose me, he understands what I am trying to achieve and our goals and ambitions together with our ideas more than often run in sync. God help me if was mentored by any of the X Factor panel!

Before I started to work with Shlepp Records I watched the X Factor like most others, now I watch it from the perspective of an artist, someone who knows the game and I watch it through very different eyes. I can see how Danny and Sheryl mentor many of their artist wrong, thrusting their desires and views on artists who have no choice but to follow bad advice. I see how Louis walsh views and perspective is that of someone who does not understand music very much, but understands media and how to make money. I also see how Simon although frank and many times sincere will never really be the man to find an artist to change anything, only more of the same, because he is also afraid to take risks and no matter how much he says he is taking risk he is just fooling himself and everyone else. It’s like a Casino saying it takes a risk….Yeah right. However the whole premise of gambling in the Casino is to fool the punter into thinking that the Casino can lose, Simon in many ways does the same.

When I first met Stevie Eagle E, the first time we actually had a meeting and he spoke to me about my career I did not quite understand. I did not feel I did any thing special on the video that he was talking about. I was one of many other oriental girls on this video shoot and I thought they were all good. But he said to me that I had the X Factor, that something that you cant quite put your finger on but is there and makes it hard for people to take their eyes off you. To be honest it has taken me a long time to understand what he was talking about. At the time I was so happy just to be able to realize my dreams and ambitions I just shook my head and said yes to everything he said. Now though I get it. Stevie was not looking for just another great dancer, or singer, he was looking for some with the X Factor too, and you can have that without being a singer or dancer or even in entertainment at all. Some people just have this thing about them that draws people to them, or makes them compelling and unique. Because we cannot truly always put our finger on what it is we call it the X Factor. As Stevie puts it, it’s the one thing the big boys cannot control or manufacture, they can find the best dancers, singers etc, but they cannot always find the ones with X Factor because in truth they do not know what it is. For example Susan Boyle. She has the X Factor and lets face it, how many record companies would have discovered her?

What Stevie was trying to tell me back then was that he saw something in me that separated me from the crowd. Until I understood that for myself and stopped looking for it in other things I could not really progress as an artist because I thought all the keys to success were in external things. In many ways we as people believe money will make us happy and so we spend our lives chasing it. We blame everything that goes wrong or that is not right on the fact that we do not have enough money and if we did things would be great, even though all the facts show us differently we persist in this way of thinking. So instead of working on ourselves and looking within for happiness we are always looking outward to things like money, friends, partners and things to make us happy. The same can be said of me I did not look within to understand the X factor I looked outward and so for a long time I could not understand it.

And so in a very round a bout way it brings me to the main reason why X Factor does not work for me. Now that I understand what X Factor is I realize that the program has never discovered anyone with the X Factor to date. In fact the whole premise of the show is not find someone with the X Factor but to find someone who can fit into what is already there and if you do have the X Factor the show is more likely to get rid off it than to discover it. None of the judges are looking for the X Factor they are looking for an act that will win the show or appeal to the British buying public. Therefore to me the whole show is one great big lie. Entertaining yes, dramatic yes, but a lie.

Ayi Jihu’s debut Album Try Me is available on Itunes and Amazon now.

I looooove hoisin sauce. So when I asked a coworker what she wanted me to make for her birthday dinner and she suggested moo shu chicken, I was so excited to whip out my hoisin sauce. Hoisin sauce is a sweet sauce that is hard to describe. It’s a sweet, vinegary, garlicky purplish sauce that is used in Chinese and Vietnamese food.

Moo shu pork originated in northern China and is traditionally made with pork, egg, black mushrooms, day lily buds, and bamboo shoots, and seasoned with garlic, ginger, scallion, and soy sauce. I’m making a chicken version with red bell peppers, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoots, and flavored with green onion, garlic, fresh ginger, soy sauce, seracha pepper sauce, and hoisin sauce. Start by sauteing the meat, garlic, and ginger in oil, then add the vegetables that take longer to cook, followed by the softer vegetables and the sauces. I bought chinese pancakes frozen that I wrapped in tin foil and heated in the oven.

The Results:

This got two thumbs up from my friends. Despite being loaded with vegetables, my friend’s 8 year-old son even enjoyed it! It was healthy, but really full of flavor. The fresh ginger livened up the dish, but wasn’t overwhelming, and I loved the combination of the sweet hoisin sauce and spicy seracha pepper sauce. This was crunchier than the moo shu I’ve had from Chinese restaurants, but I really liked the texture of the veggies.

Just like every year, Christmas has snuck up on us all. A few weeks ago we had our first Christmas party, which was dinner with the admin girls and the IT boys. Altogether there were eight of us, including our colleague who went on maternity leave in July. It was great to see her again, and I think she was just as glad to get away from the house!

On a Friday evening after work we went into the city to a place call Gaylord, an Indian restaurant in Chinatown. I’ve been there a few times and it’s been great, so I suggested it for our small group dinner and it was welcomed by most – and those that didn’t, didn’t say anything until it was too late! So that we could try different things, we each ordered a curry and shared, with rice, roti and garlic naan. The lamb saag, butter chicken and a prawn curry were the favourites of the evening. It was very enjoyable, mostly because it’s a relaxed atmosphere where you can be noisy and have a good time.

After dinner, my manager suggested we go to a cocktail bar she likes, called 1806. I’m not a big cocktail drinker – I enjoy a martini and a margarita sometimes, but mostly, they’re too sickly and too expensive! This place had a good atmosphere, pleasant and knowledgeable wait-staff and was quite quiet. We stayed for a few drinks (I enjoyed the martinis) before we both called it a night and headed out into the rain.

The next Christmas party was a lunch organised by the heads of the department. A larger group, of about 20 people, fit into the large and stylish Hu Tong Dumpling House in Market Lane. I hadn’t been there, but a colleague recommended it, and I was happy to try real dumplings as opposed to those as Shanghai Dumpling House! Sharing a banquet meal and some wine (for those that weren’t lab staff), we were able to try a variety of dumplings and meat dishes – including a Sichuan style chicken dish with plenty of chilli. All in all, it was an enjoyable meal, and because it was reasonably priced, I’ll probably be returning.

The last Christmas party was last night, and that was for the whole of the department. Altogether about 60 people has RSVP’d in the positive, but only about 50 went. It was held in the Fad Gallery in Corrs Lane, also in Chinatown (sense a theme here?)

As I know that just two doors down there is a delicious Sichuan restaurant, I tried to round up some people to come to dinner with me beforehand. Due to forgotten lunch parties and family illness, only one person actually came, but it was no less enjoyable. We shared the potato threads and tofu with leek (he is vegetarian, and those dishes are delicious), which filled us up nicely before we headed back to the party venue.

The Fad Gallery is an interesting place, with a variety of artwork throughout upstairs and downstairs. We had the upstairs are to ourselves (after last year where we shared a room with another group) and a bar too.

The music was supplied by ourselves, and games were played, with prizes, and then was the time to dance the night away. I headed off early, not feeling so great (the dizziness isn’t help by noise, alcohol and dark rooms), but I must say it was a good night. I managed to take a couple of hundred photos, as requested by the manager, which might be ready to go on the network on Monday. I decided to keep it simple with digital, and try out my new lens, the 28mm f/1.8. It’s fantastic, wide enough for confined spaces, without distorting. The speed was very useful in the dark bar too.

In the week coming up, we have our work Kris Kringle party, and then that’s about it until New Year. I’m looking forward to a quiet Christmas and a short break until the New Year.

Ayi Jihu – not afraid of being sexy
China’s top international R&B and Hip Hop star Ayi Jihu has come out strongly to defend herself against those that have said she is more of a sex symbol than a singer.

Speaking from her Cambridge home the Chinese star laughed at suggestions that her singing takes second place to her looks as a celebrity. She said. ‘When I hear comments like that I just laugh really because it shows a lack of knowledge and wisdom from the people saying such things. Most of all it shows a lack of understanding for how this business works. I am in the business of show business, I am not in the business of solely sound.

Everyone is given a talent by God. They are given obvious talents and talents they must discover and nurture to bring to the fore. These talents are just the keys to the doors of opportunity life will put in front of you. My obvious talents to some are my looks and sex appeal, and just because I have them, no fault of my own mind you, I do not see why I should not use these keys to open the doors of opportunity life presents me with. Many people forget I was not discovered singing in a club or on a street corner. I was discovered dancing in a video.

I have always wanted to be a singer a performer. You only have to go back to my childhood days at school and everyone who knows me including my teachers will tell you that. They will tell you, that is what Ayi Jihu was meant to be, was born to be. It was my talent not my so much my looks that people focused on when I was younger. I realized in my teens that I had this sex appeal and it mostly came out when I was dancing. Whatever ever dance I was doing and wherever I danced I attracted so much attention. I did not really understand it back then but now I am coming to grips with the fact that it is just a God given talent. I know that for a Chinese girl to move like me is quite rare and instead of thinking about it too much I just do it.

I used to be afraid of my sex appeal, of my beauty, I would only really express myself when I was out having a good time, but joining Shlepp Records and having this great opportunity to realize my dreams has made me understand how stupid I was. It’s like being ashamed of yourself because you are strong, or fast, or because you are smart. Having the right muscle structure may make you fast, but without the right training and dedication and practice you will not win the olympic games. Me being sexy and beautiful (and these are others words not mine) is one thing but it is not enough for me to achieve my goals in this industry and therefore I work extremely hard on my other talents including my singing.

From Marilyn Monroe to Madonna great entertainers and icons have all been criticized because of one thing or another, but they have worked hard and proved their critics wrong. I intend to do the same.

I would not be telling the truth if I said people comments do not effect me at all. Sometimes they do. It’s like trying to talk to a guy about something really important only to realize he is just staring at your breasts! That really used to get to me, but it does not so much anymore, because the more you speak sense and are capable of speaking sense the less his eyes are fixated on your breasts. I would never say certain thoughts in his mind will ever leave, after all, men are men, but I would say that he is left with more than just the impression of my breasts on his mind.

Being a woman is hard enough these days with all the pressures society puts on us and we put on ourselves. Being a woman in the spotlight is even harder. It takes a lot of self discipline not to kill ourselves with self doubt. We all want what we don’t have and it is easy to appreciate what we do have. I am learning to be happy with what God gave me. To appreciate them and use them to achieve my goals without feeling guilty or wishing I had this or that. So in a nutshell I do not care what people say, as long as my fans continue to support me, buy my music and stick with me for whatever reason I am grateful and happy.

As far as being sexy is concerned, I love it. There is nothing wrong with being sexy, like any gift it’s what you do with it that counts. I love the attention from men and women alike and I feel good and confident within myself about myself. So who cares what people say, we all do, but the key is not to care too much!

If people took the time to really listen to my album and lyrics they would understand a bit more about me. I am developing my own style. I am not trying to copy this or that singer, or be like anyone else. I am just trying to be me and as I progress I can see I am getting closer to that goal and getting better at expressing myself vocally all the time.

Ayi Jihu’s debut Album Try Me is available on Itunes and Amazon now.

China’s no1 international R&B and Hip hop star Ayi Jihu has spoken exclusively to Stars Confidential about the recent developments in China concerning global warming. In an interview with Stars Confidential Ayi Jihu said: ‘I know to many people I’m just a pretty girl who dances and sings on stage and therefore maybe I should not speak out too much about things such as global warming. However this is one of those issues that is really close to my heart. I grew up in a beautiful place with wonderful mountains and lakes and country side. Some of the lakes around my village you could look in and see right to the bottom years ago. Now things are not so much the same. As I have seen China become more and more industrialized I have also seen the environment changing for the worse.

When I return home and talk to my friends about this, they do not seem too bothered. Most Chinese people are just happy that China is now getting all the things they have seen on TV and heard about for so many years, but that has not been available to them. They are excited about the development and want it to even go faster. They are not concerned about carbon emissions, global warming and that kind of thing. I can understand how they think, because I was just like them until I started to travel around the world and see more things.   I have seen many of the great things the West has to offer, but also many of the bad.

Hearing the news that China is going to cut its emissions for me is fantastic.   I know a lot of people are skeptical, but I really believe that the Chinese leaders want to make China one of the world’s greenest countries, even with the phenomenal rate of growth we are experiencing.  The great thing is that we can also learn from the mistakes of others.

This is one of those issues I intend to be very vocal about. I hope that as time goes by I can make the Chinese people more aware of this issue.

Ayi Jihu’s debut Album Try Me is available on Itunes and Amazon now.

Check out Ayi Jihu’s Chinese website here

China’s first R&B international star talks about Chinese fashion

Chinese singer and Dancer and Sc100 most beautiful nominee Ayi Jihu says Chinese women are no longer out in the fashion wilderness. After years of not really having a fashion identity Ayi Jihu has seen Chinese women gain a stronger sense of fashion in the last few years.

Ayi Jihu explains, ‘Before Chinese women and men just bought designer labels for the name, for them that was enough. They never really considered if the items they were wearing suited them or even looked good. The important thing was just the label and being able to say you had Armani, or Christian Dior ect.’

We asked Ayi Jihu if she thought that celebrities like herself were part of the reason Chinese Women and men where gaining a stronger fashion sense.

I’m not sure  if  I have many people following me for fashion right now. I do my best to look good and set my own style, but my main focus right now is my music. I do feel that there are several Chinese female stars who are leading the way for others in my country. There are several differences between how Chinese women and western women dress and approach fashion.

‘Chinese women tend to prefer to look cute, or princess like or they follow the Japanese style which can also be a bit pop punky. They do not really go for sexy, urban or street, They do are just getting used to cutting edge fashion design like Ed Hardy or Apple Bottom. My style is more sexy and urban, but I love to dress elegant and princess like too. For that reason I believe my style is a little bit too much for them at this point, but I do believe I am beginning to turn a few heads one person at a time in China.’

Ayi Jihu has done fashion shoots with Hugo Boss, DKNY, Chloe, Galliano, Ditta, Bally, Bvlgari, PePe, Ferre, and many more and as she becomes more familiar to Western fans she is being seen more and more as a fashion leader.

'I'm still trying to find my own feet image and fashionwise, so I am not sure if I see myself as a fashion leader yet, but I do have a stronger sense of how I want to look and who I want to be and I know whatever that is I would like it to have elements of design, colour and style from my Chinese roots.

Ayi Jihu’s debut Album Try Me is available on Itunes and Amazon now.

Chinese singer and personality and Stars Confidential most beautiful nominee Ayi Jihu has performed for almost 2 million people worldwide and has travelled the globe. So which hotels and resorts does she recommend as the best in her experience?

Ayi Jihu’s choices for top hotels and resorts are: Las Dunas (Spain), Wynn (Las Vegas), Hard Rock (Macau), Jin Jiang Hotel (Sichuan China)

Ayi jihu’s debut Album Try Me is available on Itunes and Amazon now.

You can find out more about Ayi Jihu at www.Ayijihu.com