we bought a hot pad-type thing at the Best Buy in Shanghai (it just opened a few weeks, the first in China) so that we could do homemade hot pot. it has worked great. we had some great hot pot the last two nights. i was never a huge hot pot fan, but it is pretty good when you can choose some really good stuff to cook in it (and that soup is so good).
i am trying out this new media-player type thing. i guess its not fully launched yet.
Just wanted to thank everyone that we got to see and hang out with while we were in the States. Thank all you guys for coming to the party, even though we didn't get to talk to anyone for very long. Shen Rong enjoyed the trip, and we both had a lot of fun in New York City. I think both of our favorite time was watching the sunset from the top of the Rockefeller Center. 
Hope to get the chance to see all of our US friends/family more in the future. 
