My Birthday Suit

I am now a quarter of a century years old. The big TWO.FIVE.

If you read my last post about all the early birthday surprises that I enjoyed then you know that I won a whopping $1000 RMB ($160 USD) at my employee dinner Friday night. Naturally, I decided to spend a little of that to treat myself to some birthday presents.

I told Andrew that all I wanted for my birthday was for him to go shopping with me, not complain, and let me talk to him about the things I was trying to decide on buying (every girls dream, right?). Just like any girl friend of mine would do with me back in the states. I also didn't want to have to choose where we ate because he always says he doesn't care where we eat and it defaults back to me. He delivered on both fronts and it was a fabulous birthday filled with cute clothes and yummy food at Papa John's Pizza (it's like a toned down Olive Garden here and much more tasty if you ask me).

We enjoyed a little of everything because it was my birthday and we decided to live it up! We ordered a supreme and parmesan chicken pizza, pesto pasta, and a slice of blueberry cheesecake. We ended up taking an entire pizza of leftovers home with us and I may or may not be going to eat a cold slice after this post.







I am a bargain shopper through and through. There is just something about finding a good deal that excites me! I'm sure there are quite a few ladies out there that can relate. Shopping in my city can be frustrating because everyone is really wealthy here and the prices are so high that I rarely give in and buy anything. I make most of my purchases online from the Chinese ebay. It's just not the same as looking through racks of clothes, getting to try things on, and letting something catch your eye from across the store. *sigh* I love shopping. Surprisingly enough I was able to find some great deals with some of my birthday money and thought you might be interested in seeing how much things cost in my neck of the woods. Even though the majority of these things were marked down it's how much they should cost when they aren't being overpriced because the general population is loaded. In other words, they're normal Chinese prices. I was able to find all the perfect pieces for a sassy new "birthday suit".

1. Royal blue purse- $12.86 USD

2. Two pairs of skinny jeans- $11.25 USD each

3. Cream wedges- $6.43 USD

4. Pair of earrings and necklace- $5.47 USD 

(this is the rich people price, no sale on jewelry)

5. Black sweater and inifinity scarf combo- $4.82 USD

6. Two royal blue hair bows- $1.29 USD total

7. Black blazer- $6.43 USD

TOTAL- $48.55 USD

Under fifty bucks, amazing! I love China!

HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY TO ME! 

It was simply perfect and I will never forget turning 25 in China.

Payday Pizza

We have been telling ourselves for weeks that as soon as we get paid we will make the trip to Pizza Hut to have some much needed American food. Believe it or not Pizza Hut is a pricey place and we just wouldn't have the money until then.

We were expecting to get paid on Monday the 15th because that's the day we were paid on in September for our three work days in August (even though our contract says the 10th). To our surprise on the afternoon of the 10th we were handed a huge stack of Mao's. After the initial shock wore off we realized this meant we could indulge ourselves in some payday pizza! 

We hurried home, changed our clothes, dropped off the majority of the cash, and headed for the bus stop. We took bus #5 all the way to "Walking Street" (the popular outdoor mall) and made a bee line for Pizza Hut.

Pizza Hut in China is far from the typical pizzeria in America. You walk in to find a hostess guiding you to your table and handing you giant menus with an array of pizzas, pasta, salads, and fancy desserts. The lighting, decor, and music had a very romantic ambiance to it seeing as it is a popular date night hot spot. 

We steered clear of the tilapia, salmon, and other unique pizza toppings to get something more familiar: supreme. You really can't describe the feeling one has the first time you bite into a Italian seasoned, cheesy slice of heaven after eating traditional Chinese food for two months. If you've been to a foreign country then I'm sure you can relate. It is divine. We made a toast to celebrate and devoured as much as we could. 

There were even leftovers to enjoy a couple cold slices for breakfast which made the experience even more amazing. I know not everyone does but I love cold pizza. China is a wonderful place with such great people and really delicious food. However, we seem to relish in the moments where for just a couple of minutes we can forget we are in China and feel at home. I think we've started a tradition and now I have two reasons to look forward to payday.