A Romance Made (partly) in Qingdao

Ron and Ola's Engagement at Donghai Xi Lu

My friend Ron de Bree (Dutch) and his long-time girlfriend Ola (Polish) decided to tie the proverbial knot here in China. Sometime in November, they will be married at a civil ceremony in the Dutch Embassy in Beijing.

Well, this was time for celebration. Actually, I know the expats just needed another reason to party. On Sept 20, Ron hosted a summer reception at his home in the city center by Donghai Lu (coastal road) overlooking the 2008 Olympic sailing center. As usual, a smorgasbord of nationalities was in attendance (Tsingtao beer was the common denominator): Dutch, Polish, German, Belgians, Swedish, Thai (Yaya Abbeg & baby Loek), Filipino-American (me), Chinese-American (Hubert Ho) , local Chinese friends (Glacier Dong) and, of course, my very own Alysia 'Ting' Zhang. Here are some photos:

Celebration of Lives and Loves: Ron and Ola
On 17 October 2008, close friends of Ron and Ola hosted a KTV (Kareoke TV) party (at the Haleidi - Holiday KTV in Hongkong Gardens area) in thier honor. About 20 expats and locals attended....... narratives to follow and more photos to come

THE TING AND I

Alysia Blossoms from Summer into Autumn
It is now Autumn. Summer is gone and so with its hot and humid days. The cool breeze that drifts from the Yellow Sea brings romantic aroma to the Qingdao air. It is so delightful to sit outside the bars and pubs, where goggling the local Chinese beauties is like a sports event; reminiscent of the cafe restaurants by the canals in Amsterdam. Except, there are no canals in Qingdao. Not surprisingly, almost every night, the expats get together to have a few rounds of beer before heading out to dinner at a local Chinese or Western style restaurants.

Alysia 'Ting' Zhang, the hardworking girl from Dalian, continues to charm the likes of Helmut (the BackerMeister) with her captivating smile and tinnie-winnie English sound bites. Because she works at night (usually till 10pm - she co-owns a couple of Japanese tea houses), she manages to sneak out and pay us a visit.

The photos below were a surprise present to me from Alysia. Perhaps it is time to see why her charms and beauty fall prey to the admiration of men and the envy of women of Qingdao. So, presenting my Miss Zhang Ting.....
Check out Ting's other photos here. Note: These photos were taken for a modeling agency by a professional photographer from Beijing.

A NIGHT WITH LI ZONG HAN (SEPT 12, 2008)

A Fun Night at Lennon's Bar

Sunday, Sept 12, 2008. The expats are restless. After a frantic messaging between each other, we all met at Lennon's Bar near the Crowne Plaza Hotel. People trickled in about 7pm. In attendance were: Josephine and Jack Hsieh (new guys from Queens NY), Oliver Spahn and Jessie Dong, Helmut (the Bäckermeister - read more about this professions), Hubert Ho, Joe Bruan from Wisconsin, Steve Dickerson (China expert, 30 year resident), Frank (German guitar player), Alysia (Zhang Ting) and I.

Li Zong Han
Two young Chinese guys came with Helmut. One was Li Zong Han and the other was Han's long lost Qingdao friend. It was the first time Han and his friend saw each other in 20 years. Li Zong Han was so modest, so much so that almost the entire night we did not find out his true identity (see Han's movie/TV credentials).

Anyway, after he was uncovered/undressed, all the other guys no longer existed from the eyes of Ting, Jessie , Adelia and Jo. It took some prying to get Han away from these crazy Chinese girls!!

Winding Down the Beer Festival

Two days left of the 16 day Qingdao Beer Festival. Then back to normalcy.

Yesterday (Thursday, 4 October), I led a group of expats to a walking tour of the "Old Qingdao City". Only twenty minutes from downtown Qingdao are the Badaguans (octagon/8 street crossing), Zhan Qiao Pier , Taidong mega street shopping area, then finally the Beer Street (where the old Qingdao Brewery used to be). In tow were: Joe and Claudia Bruan (from Wisconsin, Claudia visiting for one week), Josephine and Jack Ng (New Yorker, newly arrived to QD), Oliver Spanh and girlfriend Jessie Dong, Wandy (visiting English teacher - from Beijing), Adelia (my friend, a Qingdao-ren) and me (the tour leader).

It is probably best to narrate the trip by pictures, so here ya' are.