LumDimSaying: A Toast To Tasty Turkey Feasts

“May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!” – Unknown Author

The last thing on your mind this Thanksgiving should be guilt.  All diets are thrown out the window as loved ones gather together and enjoy all the fixings of a Thanksgiving feast that really only comes once a year.  

In the thoughtful and giving spirit of Thanksgiving, here’s a toast to my LDS friends, fans and readers.  

Savor every last bite and enjoy every moment of this day and all the wonderful memories that come with it!

Thank you for being my sole motivation for continuing to post each and every day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

*What is a LumDimSaying? A quote I find worth noting. And sharing.

Jasmine Beijing: Network with Entrepreneurs & Investors

Join Jasmine Beijing as they host their monthly networking event for entrepreneurs and investors and they get together to exchange ideas, seek investment opportunities, make new contacts and catch up with like minded friends all in the cool surroundings of PUNK at The Opposite House this Wednesday, November 9 at 7:30PM.

“Confident that no one leaves disappointed, this event offers a monthly platform for entrepreneurs to mix and mingle; with frequent special guests (Beijing Olympic Committee heads to Department of Commerce officials); and a great opportunity for investors to meet some of the rising talent, of whom Beijing is so proud.” – David Ronald, Founder of Jasmine Beijing

In addition to complimentary drinks upon arrival, 2-for-1 happy hour until 9PM, and hongbao of goodies, this Wednesday also marks Jasmine Beijing’s their first anniversary, so all guests will be treated with Opposite House snacks and CAKE if you’re lucky!

With a live band and delicious drinks to consume, you can sign up early and get RMB 50 off pre-registration (RMB 150 if you register online or RMB 200 at the door).

Early Bird Web Registration Here: Jasmine-Beijing Networking.

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday, August 10
• Time: 7:30PM
• Tickets: RMB 150 (pre-registration – click here), or RMB 200 at the door
• Location: Punk, The Opposite House
• Address: B1 floor of The Opposite House, 11 Sanlitun Road, 三里屯11号
• Website:  http://www.jasmine-beijing.com/

Kagen & Summergate Wine Dinner: Wine Geeks Unite!

Catch the Changing Colors of Autumn

Only lasting a few weeks each year, catching the changing of colors in the mountains just outside of Beijing is something worth the hour+ long trip out of the city.

A shame it only lasts such a short period of time, but it’s absolutely breath-takingly beautiful and if you can possibly find a day or two to escape Beijing (as it will only last at most another week), then GO-GO-GO! As the skies are still blue and there’s a slight breeze for comfort, you must rush to go before the wind blows away all the colorful leaves!

You can thank me after.

LumDimSum Snapshots of the Mountains Erupting in Vibrant Colors:

Support Magic Hospital: Beijing ABC’s Kids Book

 “Laughter is the Best Medicine.”

Richard Robinson is a long time friend and Beijing expat who has a passion for sharing laughter through means of entertainment (he’s co-founder and producer of Chopschticks comedy shows and plays) and writing children’s books.

Beijing ABC’s is his first book, which he created to bring smiles and laughter to children through educational books with ALL proceeds being donated directly to Magic Hospital. Featuring simply adorable illustrations by Ren Fengmian, this will make a great gift for kids of all ages.

“At 52-pages and full-color, it’s filled with fun rhymes and illustrations. As a bonus it features some Chinese words in both character and pinyin format making it both a fun and educational read for the whole family!” 

With each book at RMB 88, just remember: ALL proceeds of this book go directly to Magic Hospital!

To order a copy of Beijing ABC’s, please contact Magic Hospital’s fundraising manager – fundraising@magichospital.org or communications@magichospital.org.

Some Snapshots of Beijing ABC’s Book:

Background Info for Magic Hospital:

Magic Hospital strives to help in the healing of sick, abused, neglected and  orphaned children by restoring an element of fun in their day. They design and implement activities and programs for those children who are temporarily or permanently deprived of a carefree childhood.  

“Bringing fun and laughter to children across China”

Magic Hospital Website:  http://www.magichospital.org/

The Many Faces of Brazil: DocBrazil Film Festival 2011

7 Documentaries
Brazilian Parties with Sambasia
Tasting Brazilian Cuisine

A taste of Brazilian culture, this film festival is the first Brazilian documentary film festival held in China and this year will be featuring seven documentaries that focus on technology, culture, architecture and Brazil’s social challenges.

“This festival wants to show as many faces of Brazil as possible. The country’s main feature is diversity. The films showcase the similarities and disparities between Brazil and China but more importantly, they suggest new bridges of understanding between the people in both countries.”

- Fernanda Ramone, curator and director of the Brazilian DocFest

More than just educational and unique films, there will also be Brazilian festivities including parties all weekend long and performances by Sambasia and more.

“The festival will be one of the main features at the 789 Festival, the biggest cultural event in town, organised by Sohu.com”

DocBrazil Film Festival Schedule:

September 3

12.30 – Brazilian Taste

14.30 – The Sound of Time

14.40 – The Sky is Watching Us

14.50 – Little Ball Satellite

15.00 – Tracing the Invisible

16.00 – What We Don’t Create Doesn’t Exist

17.30 – Q&A with Special Guests

19.00 – Brazilian Party – Sambasia and More

September 4

12.30 – Brazilian Taste

14.30 – From Within Your Landscape

15.30 – Ginga, the Soul of Brazilian Football

16.30 – Q&A with Special Guests

18.00 – Brazilian Party

6 of 7 DocBrazil Feature Films:

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, September 3-Sunday, September 4
• Time: From 12:30PM-onwards
• Location:  The Yard
• Address:  Wudaoying Hutong, n.55 – 五道营胡同,55 号
• Tel: 6407-7608
• Website: http://www.docbrazilfestival.com/

Network with Beijing’s Entrepreneurs & Investors at PUNK

Join Jasmine Beijing as they host another networking event for entrepreneurs and investors and they get together to exchange ideas, seek investment opportunities, make new contacts and catch up with like minded friends all in the cool surroundings of PUNK at The Opposite House this Wednesday, August 10 at 7:30PM.

“Beijing is a city of SME’s. A large amount of R&D and tech-based industry in Beijing, means this is the city for cutting-edge entrepreneurs in China.”

With a live band at 9:30 and delicious drinks to consume, you can sign up early and get 50% off registration (RMB 50 if you register online or RMB 100 at the door).

Early Bird Web Registration Here: Jasmine-Beijing Networking.

Ticket gets you first drink for free + hong bao + prize draw and happy hour drink specials until 10PM.

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday, August 10
• Time: 7:30PM
• Location: Punk, The Opposite House
• Website: http://www.jasmine-beijing.com/EInetworking10.htm

LumDimSaying: by Alfred Lord Tennyson

*What is a LumDimSaying? A quote I find worth noting. And sharing.

From Cellars to Penthouses: Beijing’s Disparity of Wealth

Everyday, I park my bicycle underground in one of the apartment buildings in my complex, and I walk past a few undergound “cellar” rooms where families live.

The apartment I currently live in is not a luxurious apartment by any means – it’s actually quite a basic 1 bedroom apartment, but still catastrophically different from those who live just floors below me, in the underground of the same apartment building…but in rooms I can’t imagine were originally built to be lived in.

Thanks to Migrant Children’s May newsletter, an article caught my eye that gave me a jolt back to reality – a reminder of the vast disparity in the standards of living you see on a regular basis in China. After almost five years of living in Beijing, I have almost become numb to the same sights that used to shock me when I first arrived to this complex and still developing city I now call home.

Examples of extremes in poverty and wealth are blatantly seen everywhere.  Just the other day, I saw a brand new Lamborghini speeding past a peddler lugging a mountain of recyclables piled high beyond comprehension and just across the street from my local corner selling chuar and jian bing is one of the most expensive apartment complexes in Beijing’s CBD.

If you have a few minutes to spare, check out this article The Cost of Success: Life in Beijing’s Cellars by Spiegel Online for eye-opening insight into a side of Beijing not often spoken of.

Another article on this topic – Newser’s article: For Many in Beijing, Home Is Deep Underground.

Future Mobility: Pecha Kucha Beijing Volume No.17

Pecha Kucha’s Sole Purpose: To Make You Wiser Than You Already Are

This Saturday, May 7, 2011, Pecha Kucha will be introducing 12 specialists and creative people from various fields reaching from the Automotive Industry, Education, Literature and Science to Architecture and the Arts to each explore the future of their fields and the future of mobility in China.

Originally devised in Tokyo, PechaKucha is a global yet local non-profit discussion platform that exists to host events for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.  Since it’s inception in 2003, this event has since expanded into hundreds of cities around the world, “inspiring creatives worldwide”.

“Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of conversation (“chit chat”), it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It’s a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.”

In their 17th event in Beijing, Pecha Kucha’s “Future & Mobility” event will invite the following 12 Speakers to present 20 slides x 20 seconds each:

Christoph Klemmt Architect Or Project

Cory Grenier Marketing Director Lenovo

Matthew Niederhauser Photographer

Georg Jansen Lecturer

Sathoshi Ohashi Chief Architect Zaha Hadid Architects

Huan Chen Chief Editor Top Gear Magazine

Georg Warga Chief Designer Volkswagen

Miriam Deller Director Corepower Asia

Zhang Yiqing Consultant Linya International Ltd

Nels Frye Chief Editor Life Style Magazine

Wil Manning Art Director G2 Studio

Niko de La Faye Artist

Phil Tinari Chief Editor Leap Magazine

Tian Shen Professor Beijing University

Event Details:

• Date: Saturday, May 7
  
• Time: 5:00PM-8:00PM
• Location: The Orange (Sanlitun Village)
  
• Address: 三里屯Village橙色大厅（大屏幕下面）
• Contact: Email Nicky Meng at nicky7boy@sogou.com  or phone at 86+ 134 2618 7732

LumDimSaying: On Easter

“Easter tells us that

life is to be interpreted not simply in terms of things

but in terms of ideals.”

- Charles M. Crowe

Happy Easter!

x LDS

*What is a LumDimSaying? A quote I find worth noting. And sharing.

Library 98: Roundabout Charity Book Sale

From NOW until April 6, Roundabout Charity Store will be hosting a Book Sale in a new library called Library 98 located close to the Drum & Bell Tower.

They currently have a huge selection of second hand books, most are in English with a few in Chinese and French. Paperbacks are being sold for only RMB 10 and hardbacks for RMB 20.

An additional bonus – All proceeds will be used to help Children in Need.

*If you have any books you’d like to donate, they are continually accepting donations of books for this and future book fairs. Assisting more than 45 charities in the Beijing area, donating your used books and/or purchasing “new-to-you” books makes a big difference to local charities.

They are open everyday (except Wednesdays) from 9AM-2AM.

Happy Reading!

Event Details:

• Date: Now – April 6
• Time:  9AM-2AM
• Price: RMB 10 for paperback, RMB 20 for hardbacks
  
• Location: Library 98
• Address: Tushuguan 98, Gu Lou Xi Da Jie 53
• Tel: 84001532
• Contact: kris@tushuguan98.com

AmCham: Young Entrepreneur All-Star Panel

AmCham’s next Young Professionals event will be bringing on board an All-Star Panel of successful entrepreneurs in their respective industries. Sharing their stories, insights and words of advice, you’ll get the inside scoop and possibly the extra kick-start you need to make it on your own.

AmCham-China’s Young Professionals Committee invites you to join a panel of widely-known young professionals who have started successful businesses in Beijing and listen to their stories of how they successfully launched their businesses and overcame hurdles in the process.

AmCham’s All-Star Panel Speakers include:

Alan Wong: Restaurateur and Owner of the Hatsune Group

Sarah Keenlyside: Founder of Bespoke Beijing

Dominic Johnson-Hill: Founder of Plastered T-Shirts

Rachel Wasser: Co-founder of China Education Initiative

With a panel discussion followed by followed by Q&A and a happy hour reception, join AmCham’s Young Professionals Committee this Tuesday, March 29 at NOLA from 6:00-9:00PM.

Event Details:

• Date: Tuesday, March 29
• Time:  6PM-9PM
• Price: AmCham Members: RMB 50/Non-Members: RMB 150
  
• Location: NOLA
• Address: 11A Xiushui Nanjie, Jianguomenwai, Chaoyang District  朝阳区建国门外秀水南街11A号
• Tel: 85636215
• Website: http://www.amchamchina.org/event/799

85 Broads: ‘Keeping Current’ Progressive Dinner

The Beijing Chapter of 85 Broads is hosting a special Progressive Dinner at Black Sesame Kitchen this coming Tuesday, March 22 starting at 6:30PM.

85 Broads’ Progressive Dinners are ‘anchored’ by senior women who are leaders in their respective industries and have an interest in mentoring young talent.

85 Broads is an exclusive global women’s network inspiring, empowering, and connecting smart women worldwide.

This month’s progressive dinner will follow in the theme of Keeping Current with the Women of News –

“The business of news is a tricky one, one that requires finesse to structure the ever-unpredictable product of news. How does one balance journalists on the ground, backers in the boardroom, pressure of profitability, exploding online media, company bias, and journalistic integrity? There is much to learn from those who keep us ahead of the curve, the women who make sure their business is healthy so our business can keep current.”

Join 85 Broads for an inspiring and engaging dinner introducing guest speaker –

• Melinda Liu, one of Newsweek’s most experienced foreign correspondents.  She has spent months at a time in Afghanistan and Iraq since 9/11, reporting on the war against terror. Her report titled “Eyewitness Baghdad”, filed from the Palestine Hotel, was part of the magazine’s “Shock and Awe” issue which won a coveted National Magazine Award that year.

The Progressive Dinner will be hosted at Black Sesame Kitchen, a special meal prepared by two top Chinese chefs in an open kitchen with well-paired wine.

“You will delight in this gastronomic meandering through the history of Beijing in the beautiful intimacy of a HouHai renovated courtyard.”

Event Details:

• Date: Tuesday, March 22, 2010
• Time: 6:30- Registration, 7:30 – Dinner
• Location: Black Sesame Kitchen
• Address: 3号 Heizhima Hutong, Dongcheng,Beijing, China  中国北京市东城区黑芝麻胡同3号 Map‎
• Tel: +86 136 9147 4408
• Cost: RMB 200 85 Broads Members / RMB 285 Non-Members  (advance purchase at Kocoon Spa or CC Sweets) Door: RMB 250 Members/RMB 335 Non-Members
• RSVP: Email: Beijing85Broads@gmail.com or contact Joy Bloser 158 1159 0368 or Eleanor Connolly 158 1018 9440
• Website: 85Broads.com

85 Broads is an exclusive global women’s network inspiring, empowering, and connecting smart women worldwide.

A global network of 25,000 trailblazing women, the “founding members” of 85 Broads were women who worked for Goldman Sachs at 85 Broad Street, the investment banking firm’s former NYC headquarters. Over the past decade, 85 Broads expanded its membership to include women who are alumnae and students of the world’s leading colleges, universities, and graduate schools worldwide. Our members are located in 82 countries around the world and work for thousands of for-profit companies and not-for-profit organizations.

LumDimSaying: On St. Patrick’s Day

“Here’s to a long life and a merry one.

A quick death and an easy one.

A pretty girl and an honest one

A cold beer – and another one!”

- St. Patrick’s Day Toast

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all my LumDimSum Friends!

xx LDS