Custom Made

Today's adventure is finding the building with the seamstresses...custom made dresses was one of the must do things on my list.... Word has it, they are on the top floor of the building next to MacDonald's.....But i need some help with asking for what i want...the girls in the restaurant in the hotel are nice, so i make my way there and explain that i want to get dresses made.. i need them to write some sentences in Mandarin for me:
Can you help me get dress made?
When can i pick it up?
Do you have curtain fabric?
Armed with sentences... i run into the hotel manager and we start chit chatting... I left her card upstairs, so she gave me her # again..if i need help, just call her...

The traffic is gridlock, and there's throngs of people everywhere... I know there's a marathon today and some streets are closed..is that why the streets are so crowded? Somehow i don't think the two are related, as these people are just going about their business....now i remember my coworker saying don't go to the supermarket on Sunday.... Sunday seems to be the day everybody gets out to run errands etc....










Crossing the street...need mad jaywalking skills...getting the cars to stop is a task in itself... I navigate my way through the crowds, parked cars, cars and bikes driving on the sidewalk, and arrive at the New Mart building...

Upstairs i go...not for long, as i divert off course to browse the jewelry and hair accessories...i could be here for days..there's vendors everywhere, crammed together, merchandise galore... i spot an index finger ring...cute....and rhinestone hair pin.... she says 80RMB total, i say 40RMB...my rule is to cut the price in 1/2 right off the bat...she agrees to the price... i give her 100RMB, get my change back...move onto the next stall...find more hair pins i like...bargain down to 35RMB... I give her the 50RMB i just got, and she looks at it, and shows mi a flaw, and gives it back... i point to the girl who just gave it to me...now realizing she gave me a bad bill...they exchange words and i think the girl is telling her it's ok... she shows it to a couple of other people and they say no... Hell, i am not taking it back...and the girl who just passed it to me, better trade it or i am about to go off! I am not even saying a word...i just point to her again...so now she's been busted big time...she goes in her stash and throws 5 10RMB on the table...The lady takes her money, gives me my change... I guess the girl didn't expect i would try to spend the fake money right next to her! God always works in mysterious ways....

Ok..back on track now... up more steps...i land on the 4th floor, show them my paper with sentence and they say 6th floor...all i see is the food court...must be wrong floor... down to 5th floor...furniture...uummmmh.... back down to 4th....6th floor? only food...darn it, they are not understanding.... so i head back to the 6th floor.... i decide to go through the food court.... ah....a doorway.... i see fabrics..... i have arrived.....

Home dec....lots of nice cottons hanging...and each with pics of exact fabric from magazine depicting bedspreads, comforters, pillows.... tons of nice stuff...some home dec.... i see one i like...measurement is in meters....convert meters to yards? how much do i remember from class? absolutely nothing.... i call Stephen and ask him to get online and find conversion.... 1 meter is 39.4/10 inches... now we are in business..... Can't decide... so let me look at dress fabrics and come back.....

All kinds of chinese fabrics...silks, velvets.... style books to choose from... so many choices...what to do? .... i decide on a traditional chinese dress..short... now for the fabric.... since red is their traditional color, i go for red.... she takes me over to a different stall, where they have tons of reds...brand new.... I can't decide between the two.... I ask them which they like...it's split... All this time i am trying to decide on fabric, they are going on about my hair... can i get u to focus please?...now it's time to bargain....I say 'tekwilla'..too expensive and they laugh...no i am serious, i am not laughing... i type what i want to pay on the calculator..we laugh some more...they say how 'hot' the fabric is... i am not budging....so then they agree...I am laughing now....I really like them... a group of older women... they get busy and start taken my measurement.... I ask one to take my picture.... Drawing on all their english, one ask how long it took to do my hair...i say 5 hours and 2 braiders.... now the other one wants to know if i can come back and do her hair and when...LOL...Do these people realize i have a job and braiding isn't it?? Measurements all done... they bring me a calendar to show me when it will be ready... i say no...and pick another date, as i will be in Hong Kong... all set.... back to home dec....














I look around at all the home decs and still can't make up my mind...seamstresses are hard at work, sewing what looks like sheets, etc... tailors are all around too... suits on display.....the suits are so well tailored.... i spot an orange wool, but not ur reg wool...can't put a name on the fabric... short jacket... too cute... she has me try on a big size, and the sleeves are a little short.... she offers to make bigger for 360RMB... tekwila.... i really like it though... i flip through her pattern books...looks like she specializes in jackets... not seeing other fabrics i like, but i would love to have a suit made though.... the navy blue jacket next door is nice...but different seamstres... i wander over...bargain for a while...seems that the cheaper fabric is what they are willing to bargin on....naw..don't want the cheaper fabric.... flip through more books.... wander around some more...other seamstresses inviting me into their stalls.... now i am back at the orange jacket again... i think i am getting it,as i really like it.... i get the price down to 300RMB...notice the seamstresses don't bargain alot... a guess the price they give u is cheap enough to begin with...but bargaining is my blood...measurements all done....she wants 200 now...why can't i pay 150? i call Candy, the hotel manager...please explain that i only want to pay 150 now.... they talk and i get the phone back.... 200 now, as that's the cost of the fabric....ahhhhh.... so it's costing me $10US to have it custom made?? The labor is that cheap? Who am i to complain.... i pay the 200... i get a receipt..she has my phone number....i will definitely be back before the pick up date...need to put in more orders....

I think i was in there like 4 hours... time to go home now... i pass through the pharmacy again, which is on the street level... all the pharmacy workers are dressed like nurses.....








I need to check out MacDonald's...see if the beef taste like beef.... this is different...chicken drumsticks...chicken platters..... I get to the register, and the workers hands me a picture menu...so i can point to what i want... how did she know i speak no Mandarin?.... I ordered a double cheeseburger, fries and drink... taste like beef to me.....










Heading home... this white lady says to me, u work at Intel? i say yes, and we start talking and walking...she arrived today..not her first trip.... she is asking about massage, so i tell her where to go....and i tell her about some other things she can do too.... i ended up taking her to the massage parlour to get a business card...i even hooked her up with the hotel manager..... imagine that... me showing someone around...