Xmas in Shanghai

Getting ready for Christmas - we're having a dinner this week for some friends, a couple company parties, and of course, secret santa for the flatmates! Here are a few images.

Next Day to USA

Well, we probably couldn't afford that, so these gifts may arrive a little late. Either way, Vilin came from Xian to help celebrate Xmas in Shanghai, and brought some special gifts for my nieces and nephews. How cool is that!? Wrapped and sent a couple days ago!! Can you tell which ones she wrapped? haha

Party for John @ Logo

Logo seems to be a favorite among the DD crowd. (DD is the school at which most of these guys teach, or were trained) One of the teachers, John, says farewell, but expects to come back in a few months. For many ESL teachers, Sunday like Friday, since most work weekends, and are off on Mondays. So if there's a day of the week to get together, teachers seem to like Sunday nights!

Sunday is also open mic, and I've meet a few musicians that I hope to play with in the coming weeks. I can't decide between the guy with the pink egg, or the guy trying to blow into the tree stump. haha

did⋅ger⋅i⋅doo  [dij-uh-ree-doo, dij-uh-ree-doo] –noun, plural -doos. a musical instrument of Australian Aborigines made from a long wooden tube that is blown into to create a low drone.

Live Music Scene

We all came together to meet some folks out for a show at a place called "Yu Yin Tang," where we saw 2 bands play. More interesting than the music itself is the current state of event management in China... to have successful events, it is best to fly under the radar. This event was packed!

Rich and Clare negotiate escalator puppy love, while Seth and Melida await the photographers looming wipeout at the bottom of the escalator.

Got Mandarin? :)

My first Chinese Christmas cards ....


notice the beginnings of my Chinese name... some friends are helping work it out.

And my friend "Vilin" from Xian, writes her name like this ... which translates to "blue ice." Got it? lol

More Hong Kong!

Someone showed me the magic website with really cheap domestic (Chinese) flights, so I flew back to Shanghai for about the same price as the train. Here's my first baggage tag and ticket for a China flight out of Shenzen.

One of the coolest things about Hong Kong has got to be their 10 dollar bill. It is made out of plastic, and it has a peep hole, which comes in very handy during those socially awkward moments when you would prefer to observe life by looking through your money.

Victoria Peak was cold at night, but worth the bus ride up, which was almost better than actually being at the top. The road was along a steep cliff, and with just the right driver, you will soil your pants ... a bargain at any price! haha Anyhow, here's a good pic from the top!

Linda was an amazing friend who kept me company for 3 days and showed me many of Hong Kong's best sites, including Stanley and Repulse Bays, the Peak, Happy Valley Horsetrack, and numerous museums.

Hong Kong

This trip was so crazy, I need to just post some pictures and you can try to figure it out!

This is the bay between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, showing the ferry. The ferry ride across the river was a great view of everything, and only $2HKD. (About $.50US per ride)

The hostel was in Kowloon, central to everything, but was a bit of a culture shock to most, as the reservation website seemed to misrepresent the quality...

This is my first night's stay ... not much spare room! The bathroom was a shower with a toilet and sink inside.

The rest of the stay (6 nights) was in the dorm room with 11 other travellers. I had a top bunk, on the right, and we all shared 2 bathrooms.

The hotel hangout was the cyber cafe on the tenth floor... featuring cheap beer and web access.

The city itself was a completely other story. Some amazing sights and activities. The buses were cheap, and went all over the island, including Repulse and Stanley Bays, and the Peak, which we checked out one night.

A friend Linda was so kind as to accompany me to the beach, a bunch of museums and even the Happy Valley Horsetrack. These are picutes of Repulse Bay. It was warm enough to swim.

After Repulse Bay we headed back by way of the "Peak" and found an amazing view of the city on the other side.

In summary, a frustrating visa trip turned into a decent experience, thanks in large part to Linda, Aim, Adam, and Paul. More pics coming soon!

Blown Away - Y's Table Grand Opening

This event was held in the World Financial Center in Pudong, pictured to the left. It is currently the tallest in Shanghai, and just a couple years ago, was the tallest in the world.

Pudong is a district of Shanghai, and across the river from my neighborhood. We can see these buildings from our apartment, but I had never been in this part of the city at night. Full moon in Shanghai, watch out!!

My friend Carol shared her company invitation so I got to enjoy this epicurean grand opening bash. I'm indebted for life... thanks Carol!!

Flatmates

These are the roomies ... this picture took 2 blocks from our place -- our new neighborhood. It is center city Shanghai... no shortage of people or things goin on.

Seth, Melinda from New Jersey, and Rich and Clare from Liverpool, England.

See It 2 Believe It

I went to a "Aussie Drinks" Australian business social in the Royal Meridian Hotel on Najing Road last night. The event was on the 80th+ floor, with views looking down on Nanjing, and all around my new neighborhood. As impressive as it was, it felt like outter space or something. It felt like I was looking through tinted windows... all the fog... maybe a cloudy evening, or some rain, or something... but the truth is that it is like this almost every day. It has taken a while for this to sink in, but the pollution is a major problem, that is having a noticeable physical effect on me and my roommates. For example, your mouth constantly feels as if it is coated with some strange film. It is the oddest thing, but it is contstant, and inescapable. I don't think jogging in this environment can be a good thing, let alone training for marathons. I suppose this is why you don't see many Chinese people out there jogging around. Jog at your own risk... etc. Bizarre. Anyhow, I am needing to find a way to release some of what was released by jogging in the states. Maybe a gym membership or something. Needless to say... I am hoping to jog everyday while in the States later this month. This is a typical view looking out my window... mid day. No, this is not a rainy or cloudy day.

Happy Halloween!

Not too many pumpkins in Shanghai... so this is my first Halloween using a watermelon. ha ha Clare was good inspiration for the carving!! We set up our watermelon-o-latern at the front door and enjoyed the surprised faces!

City Rhythm

The north side of our flat overlooks the well known and commercially alive Suzhou Creek, where boats carry sand up and down the river, under the bridge, around the bend, and out of view. Their rush hour also seems to be at about 6pm, when maybe 7-8 boats will make their last trip of the day at the same time, one after the other.

Lining the river in our neighborhood, there is new construction. It seems that since we have been here, a new park and waterfront is being designed and "installed" a pleasant surprise. The "rhythm" of the sity for now seems to be dictated by the traffic on the street, most noted at rush hour, and during the steady flow throughout the day. But the highlighting city beat is the percussion of the contruction of the new waterfront ... they are breaking down the old concrete, shaping, blasting, scraping, shovelling, loading, hauling. It takes on a life of it own from day to day.

It should be a nice area to walk and may even become a popular destination. We have enjoyed watching the daily progress of the tiled walkways and the newly planted trees.

Notice across the river before - no trees, and after, lots of new trees planted along the riverside.

Groceries

Our local grocery store is just about a block or two away. Downstairs and a short walk along the river. Coffee is hard to get. Instant only so far. Rice, noodles and veggies are the easiest ingredients to obtain and cook. Rich and Clare are vegertarian, so this works out well. This is a typical receipt.

China Visa

We have all heard about the complex and convoluted process of obtaining a work visa since the extra hoops had been put in place due to the olympics. Some of it sounded a bit cryptic but we were all fairly certain that we'd find the guidance we needed via our new employers. What is interesting is that not all employers are equal in this regard. Of the 5 of us, 2 of us will have to return to our home countries in order to apply for the work visa. Why this is the case is perhaps for another post. But the reality is that 2 of us will have to head home to complete this application requirement. The employers can't be thrilled about this, as it causes delays in their new hire start times, and also added expenses due to flights, etc. For me, I am planning to make the most of my trip home to the States. The upside is the obvious, seeing friends and family, but also a chance to buy stuff that I can't get easily here in Shangahi... coffee, certain herbs and spices, and my shoe size!

The process apparently takes about 30 days, and upon submitting a few final pieces of paperwork to the employer, they will submit the visa application! It looks like I'll probably be back in the States for the first week of December or so. Mostly up near DC and PA, and if time permits, possibly a quick visit to NC.

Phillie Fever in Shanghai

My flatmate Seth, who is a Phillie fan from the Jersey side, discovered that the World Series would be televised here in Shanghai, and we could watch it "live" at 8:15am! So it was breakfast and baseball for the world series! We missed the last 3 inning "sprint" that was delayed due to the rain ... and was not televised here... so we had to get the reports from the web.

Our other flatmates, Rich and Clare, didn't quite understand all the excitement, but were open to learning the game. They are from Liverpool, and are big football fans... soccer that is... which suits me, since it is also my favorite sport.

But the baseball was definitely an exciting addition to life here at 1501 tower 10, for the past week. Our huge flatscreen tv is like a movie theater. We can hook up caneras and laptops to it and show all kinds of media on our "Big screen." There is a website called youku (youtube knock off) that shows everything you can imagine. So we can watch all sorts of tv reruns, or movies, at any time. Of course, we are all too busy to do that, but the option is there when we want to see something.

Seth and Melinda watching the game with a coffee!

Terracotta Territory

Xian is in the center of China, and is the home to the famous Terracotta Warriors, the Hot Springs, and Li Shan (Mt.). This area has a bunch of history and culture behind it. We went to the top of Li Mt, and met Dujia's grandfather, who hikes the mountain everyday, and gives palm readings to intereted hikers. So, of course, when in Rome...