Thai Fast: Days 11 & 12: Big Buddha and Patong Trip

Day 11 we went to see the "Big Buddha" project that is on one of the highest spots of Phuket. The Buddha is enormous and can be seen from almost anywhere on the island.
A man gazing at the Big Buddha:

There are monks that live on the premises. This one had the public rotation where he sits and blesses the visitors that come in:


A Coconut Juice break...again. Can you tell this is the ONLY treat we are allowed? :-)

Evening of Day 12 we went out to Patong. A crowded area full of shopping, lights and night activity. Incedentally, it is also the better place in Phuket for seeing Thailand's infamous "Ladyboys."

Nicole and Myself with two of the Ladyboys. Yes, transgenders. They were born men and then made the transformation later in life:

Check out the size of this seafood! The restaurants all put it out on ice to show you what you are getting before you agree to come in:

Thai Fast: Days 8-10

Days 8 and 9 were relatively uneventful. Evening activity on Day 8 was a bit of Tai Chi and Day 9 was a nutrition talk and coaching on how to break our fasts. We also got to look at lots of lovely pictures of stuff that should be and is coming out of us! You wouldn't believe the stomach plaque and parasites that everyone is seeing leave their bodies. It's downright scary.

During evening activities, around 7pm all the creatures start to come out. Frogs, crickets, geckos, and mosquitos, (Mossies as the Australians here call them), and probably some more unpleasant things. I love the lizards that hang out near the light. I took a picture of one on Tai Chi night. Thanks to Geico I always imagine them speaking in Australian accents!

Day 10 we went on a "moutain walk" which was really just an uphill walk on a road. We went up to a peak that overlooks a little section of the island. On the way we ran into Dha doing her morning exercise. Dha is my favorite masseuse...she really takes care of us! (And yes, hide your disbelief, Stephanie is getting a tan!)

A view of Nai Harn beach half-way up the hill. This is the only beach I've actually been to on Phuket, and there are lots!

On of the views from the top, check out that water and coral underneath!

A few from the group resting at the lookout over a nearby island:

And for all of you that don't believe I'm actually there:

Thai Fast: Day 7, Trip to the Night Market

Around 6pm we taxied to the night market in the middle of Phuket Town. There were people everywhere, and surprisingly a lot of locals. The outer ring of stalls were all food items and fresh local snacks, and the inner rings were shopping, gifts, etc. Just a few pics and a quick video for you:

I had to watch as she arrange the kabobs and dribbled the amazing tangy/spicy sauce all over them! I'll have to come back for the tofu kabobs after the fast! No meat allowed that soon!


Selling flowers and knick-knacks.

Finally, a quick video of a small section of the food market:

The shopping was pretty uninteresting at the market. Pretty cheap with a lot of knock-offs. Not much of anything I couldn't find in China. However, we all agreed that we would want to come back after the Fast for the variety of local snacks and treats!

Thai Fast: Days 4-6

Days 4 and 5 were relatively uneventful. I spent the time letting my foot recover and didn't leave the wellness center as I was weaning off of crutches. Day 4 was definitely the low point of the fast. I was nauseous all day and slept most of the day and night. Day 5 and 6 I was back and feeling good. Always a little hungry, but had plenty of energy and stayed awake during the day.

Day 6 was an excursion to Coral Island!! First we bundled up in a two row taxi truck sitting shoulder to shoulder:

The group making their way into the boats:

In the boat on our way:

Coral Island from the beach:


Snorkeling around the coral:

The fish went crazy around people because they were so used to being fed bread!

Enjoying fresh coconut juice. This was actually the first time I'd "cheated" in 6 days. Some folks are on fast + juice programs, but I'm on a pure fast program. The coconut juice was soooo sweet after all those nasty clay/fiber drinks!

A lovely day! I can't wait until the night market excursion tomorrow!

Thai Fast: Days 2 and 3.....The Good and the Ugly

Day 2 I got out and went on the beach trip in the afternoon. It was very pretty, cold water and white sand. This beach had a lot of people on it, but that also brought a lot of shopping and food/drink...which I was of course not allowed to partake in. I was still pretty hungry day 2, but Day 3 proved to be easier to handle.

As you can see, there are a lot of islands right off of the coast of Phuket:



After coming back from the beach and heading out the door to a massage, I mis-stepped and sprained my ankle. That put quite the damper on the afternoon of day 2 and morning of day 3. For 24 hours I couldn't put any weight on it and was hopping around my room to get things or go to the bathroom. Day 3 morning I went to the international hospital and it was X-rayed. No small fractures, just partially torn ligaments. So I got a compression wrap and crutches! Yay! Back on my feet again. By afternoon of day 3 I was already walking better with the crutches and able to put a little weight on it. It seems as if I cannot visit a country without going to its hospitals! This was my doctor:

And sorry if you don't want to see this, but I think it's cool!! This is the swollen and black/blue foot:

I'm just thankful that I'm planning on staying in this one place for another 10-12 days. If I was traveling around it would be most difficult!

A Thai Fast!

As many of you know, I took off from Beijing a week after landing there. I suddenly decided in November that I should go south in January because it was so cold. Then i decided it should be Thailand because I've never been there. THEN I decided, wouldn't it be fun to go to one of those wellness centers there and do a fast too? So...I'm here! I'm doing a 14 day full fast followed by 3 days of raw foods to re-acclimate. I'm staying in a wellness center on Phuket Island in Thailand. As many of you know, this is the most famous tourist island with beautiful beaches, coral reefs and smaller islands off the coast for exploring.

I am 10 minutes inland and living at the center, but they give rides to the beach every afternoon for anyone that wants to go. In case you're curious, I thought I should share some details with you about what's in this program I'm doing. this is my room, a home for almost 3 weeks:

What I "eat"...which isn't much!
7:00 am: Herbs
9:30 am: Fiber and Clay Drink
11:00 am: Herbs
1:00 pm: Fiber and Clay Drink
3:00 pm: Herbs
5:00 pm: Fiber and Clay Drink
6:00 pm: Broth Soup
7:00 pm: Herbs
9:00 pm: Fiber and Clay Drink
10:00 pm: Pro-biotic Tablet to replace your healthy bacteria.

I know this sounds like a lot…but it is just a few pills and scoops of nutritional supplements. In the picture below, this is the bag we received in the morning of day 1 and the consultant said, “Here is all your food for the next 2 weeks!” Yikes.


Now for what I do! Activities:
7:30 am: Morning Ritual: This can include a combination of Yoga, stretching, Tai Chi, or Reflexology. Nothing too challenging. It’s more to get your blood moving and get you relaxed for the day.

A meeting lining up massage and therapy times for the rest of the day:


11:45 am: Morning Colema: A therapy that runs water all the way through your colon for 30-40 minutes, flushing it out. Sounds gross, and is a little weird in implementation, but you’d be amazed what’s in there and how long it has been stuck in the linings of your colon.

12-3 pm: Beach time: The center’s driver will make 10 minute trips to the beach during these hours if you want to go.

2:45 pm: 1 Hour Massage (YAY! My favorite part of the day. You can choose between Oil, Thai, Shiatsu, Foot Reflexology or Face and shoulder Massages.)

5:00 pm: Evening Colema: A repeat of what you did in the morning. But you can choose what types of colemas you want for various effects. Coffee, vitamin C, garlic and pure water are some of the choices. All have their advantages, and you can’t feel a difference.

5-6:30 pm: Herbal Steam Sauna: Wood-burning sauna that will run during these hours for those that are interested.

7:00 pm: “Something at 7”: This can include anything from yoga, dancing, kickboxing, nutritional classes, etc. You can chose to participate.

As you can see, there is really only free time in the mid-afternoon and after 8:30 at night. I’m thankful for all of it, because you need stuff to take up your time when you are thinking about food. I was very hungry the first day, starting around 11am, when your body is missing breakfast. I stayed hungry throughout the day, feeling only a little satisfied when we had hot tea or the fiber drinks. At night I dreamed that I had broken my fast and was eating my Dad’s cookies. Haha…of all things to appear in the dream! I was exhausted by 7pm and went to bed, missing the evening activity. They say days 1-5 are the hardest, 6-14 should be much easier. Following day 14 I will have 3 days of raw foods to bring me back to the world of solid foods gracefully. No binge-eating. It is 3 salads + fruit juice during the day because your body has to get used to digesting and bring the metabolism back up from the fasting rate.
Day 1 down, 13 to go!

My Grandfather

This Christmas we said goodbye to my grandfather, Ned Brown. A legend in Beaufort, South Carolina, his memories left everyone laughing and loving each other a little more. The following definition of a successful man was read at his funeral. I think he is the only one in the family that truly fulfills every line:

"He has achieved success who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men
and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it;
Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration; whose memory is a benediction."

This was the slide show that we put together for friends and family during the services. I think it really shows his breadth of experience and love of people. (Make sure you have your sound turned on):

Fall 2008

Well, it's over. I've done everything I need to do to graduate with my IMBA degree! After we completed the core, I did a year of language study + an internship in China, followed by seven more elective courses. That went faster than I thought! As most of you know, I'm not graduating until May 2009, because I had to pay the last installment of tuition, so I'm going to hang in Thailand/China and take some classes but more vacation until it's time to graduate and be a working girl in June.

Fall 2008 was fast and furious. We got back from China in August knowing that there was a full semester of coursework ahead plus a fast-paced job search, trying to find that perfect something in the midst of a declining economy! Yikes! I went to Atlanta and Washington D.C. to participate in National MBA Career Fairs. Then after that I flew to two company headquarters in Ohio and Minnesota for final-round interviews. All signs pointed in the direction of one company, and I am happy to say that I accepted a position in a two-year Leadership Development Rotation Program with a diversified manufacturing company here in the States. So what is the specific role? Hard to describe. I will get a list of possible assignments and work with the program manager to decide on one. After the first year, I will change roles and do the second rotation in a different job, business unit and location, in an attempt to get a well-rounded view of the company and functions. At the end of the rotation program, I could go in any number of directions, but let's not cross that bridge until we get there :-) I'm excited to be lucky and blessed enough to receive a job offer in this poor climate, and look forward to starting in June!

So now you know the plan! Off to China on Jan 3rd, then Thailand for the end of January for some R&R. I will eventually start classes in February and keep you updated. Now for a few pictures from the Fall!

Moved into a little apartment in Five Points with my sister!

One of the first get-togethers early in the Fall...Sarah's birthday:

The roomies Adrian and Vinoth:

The first day at the career fair, only a little terrified! Look at all of those black suits!

Diwali Dinner, the Indian Festival of Lights:

A group of us out for dinner after a day at the grueling career fair!

Paco and Orlando come from Mexico and Tennessee to visit!

Racing Go-Carts as a stress-reliever during crunch time:

Ladies at the Holiday Party in December:

Going to see Karen's new little baby boy with Jessica!

Visiting Courtney in North Carolina for her 2-year-old's Princess Birthday Party!

And around the Thanksgiving table in Beaufort, SC:

The End! More from Christmas break soon :-)

My New Favorite Quote.

When i read this I thought..."Yes. This is what I've been trying to explain but didn't have the words." And to think...he said this far before the convenience of airplanes...

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
—Mark Twain, 1857

Leadership Model

I was reading an interesting article in the McKinsey Quarterly about "How Talented Women Thrive." I found the following 5-point leadership model very inspiring:

Meaning, or finding your strengths and putting them to work in the service of an inspiring purpose;
Managing energy, or knowing where your energy comes from, where it goes, and what you can do to manage it;
Positive framing, or adopting a more constructive way to view your world, expand your horizons, and gain the resilience to move ahead even when bad things happen;
Connecting, or identifying who can help you grow, building stronger relationships, and increasing your sense of belonging; and
Engaging, or finding your voice, becoming self-reliant and confident by accepting opportunities and the inherent risks they bring, and collaborating with others.

This model can obviously be used across genders, but resonates more with women as it was developed from a research study of successful women from around the world. I hoped you found it as interesting as I did.

Finally, I really identified with this quote...maybe because we share the same initials! :) Shona Brown, Google’s senior vice president of business operations, described how she handles opportunities and the risks that accompany them. “I’ll use a skiing analogy because I like to jump off cliffs,” she says. “But I generally jump off cliffs from which I’m relatively confident I’m going to land—or if I don’t, it’s not dangerous.” Brown said she enjoys risk. “I like to be at that point where you’re about to jump. Your stomach is kind of going ‘woo’! It’s not so simple that you’re sure you’ll succeed. But you’re not in a life-threatening situation.”

The Search Begins!

The MBA job search is officially up and running after attending my first career fair in Washington DC last week. I have others coming up in South Carolina and Atlanta and am much more prepared for them after the first round. Looking for a job in Asia while being in the U.S. is harder than you'd think. These career fairs are stocked with all of your big-name companies, elaborate displays, free gifts and their HR recruiting teams for the USA. Most international positions are provided to seasoned, experienced people within the company. However, some have leadership development programs that offer rotations that could be international, depending on candidate preference.

All that being said, me looking for an international job in a domestic MBA career fair is just as hard as an international student looking for a company to sponsor their work visa in the U.S. However, I am very much inspired by the fact that all of these companies have expanding markets in China vs. contracting or stable markets in the U.S. My experiences in China and with the language was very much appreciated but they weren't sure they could use it in their current hiring systems.

What I learned:
- Go for more project-based firms (mainly consulting) instead of role-based firms because you can be assigned to projects anywhere in the world and are not usually held to a location.
- So make a consulting resume and a marketing resume.
- International headhunters also attend these fairs and are good targets.
- Starting from scratch, it might be easier to just go to China for the spring semester and continue the job search. (Disadvantage: Giving up the "expat" package.)
- A medium size might be better than a large company because they could be more flexible.

I got past the "meet and greet" in the exhibition to interview with two companies while I was there, both of them International Leadership Development Rotation Programs. As for that...well there's the two or three week wait to hear back. All total I researched hundreds of companies, had conversations with about 30, gave my resume to about 15, and had 2 first-round interviews. How's that for the funnel effect? Well, I'm positive about the whole thing and looking forward to the rest of this adventure. We shall see...

Back in the States

Well I'm back! 18 months in China came to a close a lot faster than I expected or wanted. This is my last semester of classes for my Masters (although I might study abroad or not graduate until May 2009). The job search is starting up and will be a dizzying mix of career fairs, resumes, cover letters, company research, interviews, phone calls, etc. etc. I'll be talking to most companies with the goal of going back to work in China in 2009. I've already registered for 3 or 4 MBA career fairs (not in S.C.) that require travel and weeks of preparation. So let the fun begin!

Don't worry, the blog will continue although I can't guarantee life in South Carolina will be as entertaining as life in Beijing. However, there are always new perspectives to be explored, no matter where we are in the world!

Olympic Ceremony = 15,000 performers

Many olympic writers are saying that this could very well be the most anticipated Olympics in the last 100 years. It's host country has gone absolutely all-out in preparations. It has one of the most unique designs for its central stadium, compared to only 3 or 4 other Olympic cities in the world in terms of best architecture and significance. Any person even remotely involved signed confidientiality agreements to keep it locked in sercrecy. For the opening ceremonies, this stadium + 32 other sites in the city absolutely lit up with fireworks. From where we were sitting, we could see two of the fireworks sites in the city.

The ceremony definitely displayed some typical characteristics of China performance: A) Enormous numbers of people (around 15,000 this time) and B) All of them acting in perfect unison to create a larger image or picture. From the teams with fans to the drumming in the beginning to the people creating Chinese characters, it was all perfect harmonization that made you say: How did they do that?!

Well, it took the 3 months of practice and all the performers were Chinese students. Some received a stipend of a couple dollars a day while others were purely volunteer. They received housing and transportation but mainly worked for their free ticket to China's most exciting ceremony. I'm sure if they didn't, there would be thousands more willing to take their place.

The U.S. team came out with fanfare second only to the China team. They were dressed in sailor-like uniforms and had upwards of 600 in the delegation.

It was a very impressive opening ceremony promoting the idea of peace and cooperation. Now come the events!

Olympic kick-off in 12 hours

Tonight's the big night. It feels like the most anticipated night in China's last 100 years of history. We obviously don't have tickets as they are selling in the second hand market for thousands of dollars, but we do have a pretty nifty plan. Besides the Olympic stadium, there are 32 points of fireworks in the city, one of the biggest in Tiananmen square. The solution: A rooftop bar overlooking the square and the forbidden city with a giant TV to watch the ceremony. That's right, we want it all and Adrian actually found a place to make it happen :) Yin Bar is on top of the Emperor Hotel, just a stone's throw away from the action!

Here the press release for where about 12 of us will be tonight:

>> Yin Bar Press Conference, Opening Ceremony
Chen Dongliang, a representative from the Olympic design strategy team, and representatives from Emperor Hotel meet on the rooftop to discuss design strategy of the Olympics and boutique hotels. Free flow of sparkling wine, plus a big screen displaying the Opening Ceremony. Reservation recommended. Free.
7pm. Yin Bar (6523 6877)

I've never seen a city change so fast.

I went out an around Beijing a little this weekend, being a tourist and exploring some of my old favorite spots that I'd heard had gotten face lifts. I just can't get over how this city has changed in just the 18 months I've been here, not to mention since I lived here in 2004!

The infrastructure is very developed with new subway lines, roads, police forces, etc. The "Odd/Even Rule" is working out pretty well. If your license number is an odd number, you can drive on odd days of the month, and vise versa if its even...cutting the number of personal cars on the road in half for the next two months! And they are strictly enforcing it. Security checks are everywhere, English speaking volunteers are asking if you need help, and the general population has been trained to stand in line! (not a typical Chinese characteristic.) I have to swipe my electronic card 3 times to get into my apartment now. Once for the complex, once for the building and once for the elevator. No thieves getting in there, not that I ever felt it was unsafe to begin with.

In public there are enormous Beijing 2008 banners everywhere, often strategically placed to cover up entire buildings or streets that may not be pleasing to the eye. This is in Wangfujing, the most popular and expensive shopping street in the city. Everything here is in a large scale, and I was surprised to see the whole street was plastered with the banners.

And on every corner there is a place to buy official Olympic merchandise...not the knock-off stuff. And on a normal day before the Olympics are even here, you would be standing in line to purchase anything.

One of the streets that I used to go to a lot is called DaZhaLan street, and is just south of Tiananmen Square. It has a lot of Beijing's "Oldest" or "Firsts" like the first movie theater, the most famous silk shop, the most famous shoe makers, etc. Just recently it and the entire area around it got a very expensive face lift with widened walkways, clean streets and new store fronts, opening just in time for the Olympics:

As you can see in the photos, the skies have been clear for several days now. Perfect blue skies. The cab drivers are saying it's the odd/even rule, but who can explain it. It makes me think that maybe the government might actually be able to make good of their pollution promise. We'll see.

But for the rest of the city, it seems as if a lot of deadlines were met. The Olympic stadiums are all ready and waiting, sparkling new buildings and streets are opening up all over the city, and security seems to double each week. For the opening ceremony we're going to have a party on a roof-top bar next to Tiananmen square so that we can simultaneously watch the TVs as well as the fireworks outside. I can't wait. As for the actual events, I'll just be going to artistic gymnastics on the 14th...so if you're watching TV...watch the stands for a blonde girl in the sea of black hair :)