happy friday!
have you noticed - i'm back to blogging!
my momma and i both made a commitment that we're going to take our blogs more seriously and post more regularly. :)
thought you might enjoy a few more pictures from my china travels...
doesn't look much different than what you'd see here at a farmers market.
except maybe that most the produce was just on tarps on the ground.oh, and they had cages with live birds...
can't get much fresher than that.
many people, for some good reasons, have very ill feelings against china.
i understand... kinda.
BUT, they are people too!
they need jobs to provide for their needs.
same as any other country.
they have corruption... WE have corruption...all that being said... i LOVE my development team and the people i work with!
i feel so extremely blessed to know this group of people.
they are kind, hardworking and honest.
the same things i value in people in this country.
i don't try to cheat them on pricing.
or work them down so that they are forced to underpay their workers, or take short cuts on materials.
we do a good honest business together, which benefits them and their employees and myself, my employees and the independent stores we sell to - that are out there fighting to survive.
just another perspective on doing business in china.
yes, you guessed it.
i'm in good ole china again.
working on our 2012 allen designs winter line.
something special about this china trip- i brought my momma, karla dornacher!
we're working on an exciting project together...i'll give you a peek later. :)my mom with one of our humorous hosts!
mom working on her chopstick skills.
and some of the yummy grub we were privy to.
i figured after yesterday's gross post, i'd show you some beautiful food to make amends.
just in case you were thinking about starting up...
seriously.
can it get any grosser than this?
and yum. right next to the tea.
wanna take a guess at my whereabouts?
here's another hint...
off to trek around the Forbidden City.
the place is HUGE!
9,999 rooms and sits on 250 acres of land - huge.
and quintessential Chinese culture.
the tile work and colors were absolutely gorgeous.
these chairs were much needed after the seemingly endless amounts of walking.
in ancient China, yellow (which signifies earth)
was exclusively used by royalty of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
this was taken from a temple next door to the Forbidden City.
also intricate craftsmanship but all made of wood.
also in the temple - where we happened upon a wedding shoot.
Tienanmen Square
with the giant picture of Mao Zedong on the front.
waiting for their "changing of the guards" ceremony at dusk
where they lower the flag on the opposite side of the street.
when traveling to Bejing one must experience Peking Duck!
thanks for hanging in there for the my travel posts!
i assure you that i will return to ART-ing any minute now.
maybe with a bit of Asian inspiration.
the Great Wall has to be the highlight of our trip.
one of the coolest things i've ever seen. truly breathtaking.
we went to a section of the wall that had very narrow parts and was very steep up the mountain side.
it took us about 1.5 hours to climb to the top and back down.
the steps were very worn and inconsistent in height.
small vendors were perched here and there along the way.
schlepping their wares up daily.
and why i always make the goofiest of faces - i don't know!
"He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man" Mao Zedong
Lex and i can finally rest in peace then! ha!
some sort of yogurt drink in a jar, blue eggs and some veggies waiting to be sold.
after several days just outside of Hong Kong, Lex and i headed up to Beijing.
i've been coming here for seven years.
this is my first time anywhere but southern China.
i'm thrilled for an excuse (my daughter) to see more of this country.
noodle shop
these are pictures from a small street market that we happened upon behind our hotel.
lots of three wheeled bikes parked while their owners are shopping.
i want to shop this way!!!
a gal scaling and gutting your fish while you wait.
so many freshies to choose from!
this picture i actually took from another market the day before.
scorpions, seahorses and starfish - skewered and ready for the bbq.
any takers?
we're still here. (my oldest and i)
but getting tired.
thought i'd share some pictures.
and let them speak for themselves.
i bid you goodnight from China.
xoxo-michelle
one thing i always do love about my bi yearly trips here to China-
the hours of downtime.
pretty much without distractions.
i can't just pick up the phone.
or go wander around site seeing (not very safe and i'd probably get lost!).
no facebook or blogs - China blocks these.
all the things that i may normally turn to when a moment is to be filled.
so instead i try to follow up on things that i want to improve on.
perhaps something i want to learn about.
goals i may want to set.
one thing that i've been playing with on this trip is photoshop actions.
i'm especially loving this one (samples above) - Amatorka Action
and this one (will show a sample at a later date)- Polaroid Generator Action
do you have any 'actions' that are your faves?
the factory didn't need us for a few hours so we took a walk.
we spotted this alley a few blocks away.
from afar, it looked kind of darling... in a run down sort of way.
as we journeyed down the small path, between the smell, the dirtiness and the realization that people were living here-
it wasn't quite as charming anymore.
that is until, at the very end we found this lovely endearing couple.
he fanning his flame and she knitting.
both smiling.
smiling from their heart.
they live in a trash hole.
this is their view from where they were standing.
and they still smile.
i don't know if i could honestly say that i'd be strong enough to still be smiling were i in this situation.
would you?
i pray that God never decides to test me on this.
