Welcome 11/13/05 She-Rae's Musings 3/8/04 March is already here, and over a month has passed since my last entry, so it’s time for an update! Since I last wrote, a lot has happened in my life, both professionally and personally. A couple weeks ago I returned from a business trip to Taiwan (my first time there), and experienced one of the most international business meetings I've ever been to- there were people from Taiwan, Shanghai, Munich, Nuernberg, Stockholm, Hong Kong, and Singapore all in one meeting room! It was a project kick-off meeting for a customer, and it was the perfect example of how global business is becoming these days. As for the city itself, it was interesting to be in Taipei and compare it to Shanghai. First of all, most of the people spoke Mandarin Chinese which was great, however all the characters were still written in traditional style as opposed to simplified. Also, there was this really lively night market in Taipei that I went to that had some of the best street food I've ever eaten! I just love Asian cuisine! Aside from my trip to Taiwan, I was also in Singapore earlier for work, and that was a wonderful trip. Singapore is located in the tropics, so the weather is quite warm and comfortable now, which is a nice change from Shanghai. The food there is also extremely good. They have terrific Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian, and of course Singaporean food, and it's all so flavorful and spicy- which I love! As for work, it was especially interesting because I attended our company's launch of our new magazine Infineon. The Culture of Technology. The show was quite well done and a good PR event. There was a fashion show and video of how Infineon's products and semiconductors are integrated into our everday lives. The models also showcased our wearable electronics line which includes a lightweight vest that has a built in mp3 player with controls embedded in the fabric. I was able to test it out, and it was neat to see in action. As for my personal life, I celebrated my first Birthday Party in Asia which was really fun. And then I was at the Peak in HK with some good girlfriends for my actual birthday. Now that I'm a year older, I'm hopefully wiser as well! In addition to my birthday, I also celebrated my first Chinese New Year in Asia, which was interesting. The Chinese do not celebrate Christmas, so Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival as they call it here, is the chance for people to travel back home to spend time with their families in cities outside Shanghai. Also, something worth mentioning is that I am now the new President of the Shanghai Stanford Alumni Club . I will be continuing on the great thing that Aymeric has started and I hope to grow our membership and provide good programs for the Stanford community in Shanghai. I'm also now involved in the Shanghai University Network (UN), which is comprised of alumni from all the Ivy League Schools, California Schools, Seven Sisters Colleges, and Oxford/Cambridge universities. On Leap Year's Eve we had our first annual UN Ball and it was a HUGE success! We had over 200 guests from various schools and the venue, Kathleen's 5, was wonderful. The theme was "An Evening at the Races" and we also tied in the Leap Year factor, and had a toast at midnight to bring in the 29th (I actually met someone who's birthday is Leap Year, and she is now 7 years old!). It was great working with the other UN heads to put this Ball together, and it was really rewarding to see it turn out so well. As you can see, I've been keeping busy in Shanghai, and look forward to the upcoming months here. Next month a friend of mine living in Asia Pacific will be visiting me which should be fun. All the best, She-Rae 1/4/2004 Happy New Year Everyone! Can you believe it’s already 2004? It seems like 2003 just flew by. So what will I remember most about 2003? Maybe a better question is what will I not remember? So much happened in my life as well as in the world that I can’t believe it all happened within 52 weeks. I’ll remember my amazing experience in Stockholm for the rest of my life, and how it helped me evolve as a person. I’ll always remember Gotland during week 29, the “Jul” market (aka Christmas market) in Gamla Stan, the different perspective of world politics, the “fikas”, the unique and stylish Swedish design, the black salt licorice (“Saltlakrits”), H&M, the one-of-a-kind Swedish archipelago, outdoor concerts at Kungstradgarden, the incredible Swedish summers, and of course I’ll never forget the non-stop Stockholm nightlife of Stureplan- jumping from Kharma to Café Opera, Stklm Kok and Bar to Staceys, or from East to Berns! Ah, such good memories… But these memories wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for some of the amazing people that I met along the way- whether we met on the subway, at work, at a bar, through friends of friends, or at the gym, these people helped make my time in Stockholm unforgettable, so thank you guys. It was sad to say good-bye, but I know we'll keep in touch for a long time. And a special thanks to all my friends and family that came out to Stockholm to visit. You don't know how much it meant to have you out there with me! In addition to my Stockholm experiences, 2003 also marked a lot of firsts for me. I survived my first company acquisition, attended my first Swedish/American wedding, rowed in my first dragonboat race, and was even a wedding events coordinator for the first time. I also met the members of the Danish band Outlandish, went to my first Prince concert, and attended my first release party. And since moving from Stockholm to Shanghai, I’ve found my own apartment, conducted my first customer meeting entirely in Mandarin Chinese, watched my first “Big Game” in Shanghai, and watched my first live men's ATP Tennis tournament with courtside seats. I also traveled in and around China for business, attended my first Grand Opening, ran my first race, and even joined a salsa club. I’d say my life in Shanghai is off to a good start! Although I did have to celebrate my first Thanksgiving away from home, which was tough. But I made up for it when I was home for Christmas. Shanghai is truly an exciting and modern city, and I look forward to what the future will bring in 2004. During my time here, I hope to excel in my new job, explore my Chinese roots, immerse myself in the language and culture, and make the most of my experience here. I'm also going to try to keep in touch with friends and family better, as well as update my website more regularly. So to close, I want to leave you with some great words of wisdom: Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching. Sing like nobody's listening. Live like it's Heaven on Earth. I wish you all the best for the new year, and may it be filled with health, peace, and prosperity. - She-Rae 1/21/03 Happy New Year!! Wow, can you believe how fast 2002 flew by? It seems like just yesterday I was on a plane heading to this foreign country called Sweden! And what an incredible ride it has been! I can’t tell you all what an eye-opening and rewarding experience it has been living here. I encourage all of you, if you have the opportunity, to live and work in a foreign country. It gives you a new perspective on the world and allows you to experience a new culture. I guarantee you won’t regret it. I know I haven’t. Since moving to Stockholm, I’ve experienced my first Swedish winter (quite a shock from California sunshine!), had a traditional Swedish Midsummer’s, participated in a crazy Crayfish Party, had friends and family visit, experienced the Swedish nightlife, traveled around the world, learned some Swedish, and made Swedish friends. As for work, I’ve delivered my first technical presentation in China, experienced my first company acquisition, helped Bluetooth-qualify the awesome Sony Ericsson P800 mobile phone, and changed jobs within my company. As many of you know, I have changed from application engineering to Product Marketing and now get to promote our Bluetooth products in the Asia Pacific and Europe regions. I am really excited about my new position and think I can make a really positive impact on the organization. Also, I will be in Sweden for another year, so let me know if you want to stop in Stockholm while I’m here. I was home for the holidays, and it was truly wonderful. I loved seeing my family and friends, and enjoyed the California sunshine. It was great catching up with Rene and spending some quality sister time. And of course it was great seeing the parents- I realized how nice it was to be home. I also got to meet up with some good friends in the Bay Area which was fabulous. It was hectic being back home, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although I must admit it was strange being back in the Bay Area after being away so long. It didn't seem like much had changed since I left. I guess it was just me that changed. After living in Europe for a year, I realized that my perspective of the world and of my life had changed. I’m looking forward to 2003 and can’t wait to experience another year in Europe. I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year! Keep me posted on your lives! 5/4/02 Well I'm finally back from China, and it was a fantastic trip! The presentations I did went really well. I got some good feedback on them, and they were really valuable experiences. It was also wonderful having the opportunity to speak so much Mandarin. It came back to me, especially when it came time to order food. And let me tell you the food was SO delicious. Every meal was amazing! Stockholm's Chinese food isn't the greatest so I miss it already! I went to five cities on my trip- Shanghai, Beijing, Dalian, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, and I was only there for 2 weeks! Although I wish I could have spent more time in Beijing. As many of you know, I studied at Beijing University during the summer of 2002, and I loved it there. It was great to be back there, and with a different perspective this time- business instead of academic. The city is also undergoing a lot of building and development since the 2008 Summer Olympics will be in Beijing. Even though I was there only two years ago, I definitely notice some changes. The trip was pretty jam packed, but I still managed to do a little sightseeing in Shenzhen. The Ericsson guys from China took Johan and I to this Cultural Village which was pretty neat. I didn't know there are over 52 different nationalities within China. There were some good shows and exhibits, and there was even a water ride! Which was nice since it was REALLY hot in Shenzhen. I think I managed to get a tan just from walking around. Hong Kong was hot as well. Both cities were also very humid, which was uncomfortable at times. But I'm not complaining about warmer weather. Right now the weather in Stockholm is pretty bad. It's been raining for the past 4 days, but hopefully it will get better soon. I hear the springtime is the best here. We'll see:) I'm also really excited because my friend Marcella will be visiting me in a couple of weeks and we'll be going to Barcelona! I've never been there, and I've heard so many great things about it that I can't wait! So if any of you have suggestions of things to do, places to see, please email me. We'll be there during a weekend. Now that I'm back at work, I'm working on another project and will be going back to the US in July. I can't believe it's been 3 months already since I set foot in Sweden! I still have 3 months left so that's good. I'm enjoying work with the guys in my group. And since I started taking Swedish classes it's fun to practice my Swedish with them. Hopefully we'll be going disco bowling soon which should be a riot! I've never done disco bowling, but I would imagine it would be a blast. Also, I've posted A LOT more photos at the "Photos" link. There are some from my Housewarming party at the end of March and from my China trip. I still have more to put up, and I'll get to those when I have more time. I hope Spring is treating you well wherever you may be, and please drop me a line when you have a chance. I'd love to hear from you. Take care, and I'm sending you a HUGE hug over the world wide web! 3/19/02 After some constant "encouragement", a.k.a. nagging, from a family member who calls my mobile frequently, I decided to do an update. But really, it was good to hear from you guys. So things are starting to get pretty hectic over here on my side of the globe. I'm busily preparing for the presentations I will be giving next month in China, and am really excited, but there's still a lot of work I need to do. I took some long needed rest this weekend- not really by choice, but because I was very ill and it was my immune system's way of telling me to take it easy. I'm feeling much better now, and am really excited because Rene will be coming to visit me on Friday! She'll be making the long trip from LA, and spending a week with me in Stockholm. Also, Auntie Betty thanks for the sweet email. I'm happy to hear that the annual potluck went well. I wish I could have been there. Please say hi to everyone for me. For friends who are checking out this site for the first time, take a look around. See Sweden through the eyes of yours truly. I hope life on the Farm isn't too stressful for those of you preparing for finals. Atleast Spring Break is just a hearbeat away! And for those of you in the working world, I hope work isn't too hectic. Although I'm sure for many of you it probably is! Just be sure to take time to enjoy yourself! And if you want, drop me a line at: sherae@sherae.com. I know, I have about tons of email addresses, but this one is pretty easy to remember. For you veterans of the site, I've also updated some of my pictures, and there is even a cameo of a celebrity! Hope all is well in your parts of the world, and keep checking back at the site for more updates! 2/25/02 So you've found my homepage. Good job! This site was intended mostly for friends and family to show them what I've been up to, but if you found it just by chance, please take a look around! For those of you out in California still, I hope you are enjoying the weather there. I experienced my first blizzard last Friday, and it was unbelievably cold! It just wouldn't stop snowing, and the wind was so strong! Yesterday a friend of mine from work invited me over for a typical Swedish meal and it was delicious! We had Swedish meatballs, potatoes, and Lingon berries, which are a Swedish specialty. Afterwards we watched the Olympic ice hockey finals, and it was so hard to watch the Americans lose to Canada. But atleast it was an exciting game to watch. As for other things going on, I'm still going strong at my gym- SATS, and am getting my salsa dancing in each week. Stockholm is a great city, and I'm really enjoying myself here. As for work, I'm learning a ton about Bluetooth, and am getting ready for a presentation I'll be giving in China in April. For those of you that don't know anything about Bluetooth, it's a wireless cable replacement technology that has some REALLY cool applications. Imagine how much more flexibility you would have and how mobile you would be if you didn't have to worry about the constraints of cables! You could just place devices anywhere in your house(w/in a certain range), and have them communicate with each other without physically being connected! For example, you could have your laptop computer in your bedroom, and your printer in another room downstairs, and be able to print your documents and photos from your laptop eventhough they aren't physically connected! And imagine being able to take a picture with your Bluetooth enabled digital camera and being able to send an instant postcard to your friends and family across the world in realtime! If I've piqued your interest, please go to the "Links" tab and look at the Bluetooth sites. There are some pretty good ones out there. Okay, that's about it for now. I hope you enjoy the site, and contact me if you have any questions or comments. Cheers!