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shanghai · coconut
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Did you know that...? The Netherlands and Holland are the same place? One-quarter of Holland is below sealevel? The International Court of Justice (at the Peace Palace) and the International Criminal Court are both in The Hague? Holland still has around a thousand old-fashioned working windmills? Holland is the third biggest exporter of agricultural produce, trailing only the US and France, even though only 3% of the Dutch population works in the agriculture sector? Holland has no less than 15,000 km of cycle paths? Flevoland, the twelfth province, was reclaimed from the Zuider Zee in 1986? The Dutch are the tallest people in Europe? Amsterdam is built entirely on piles? Holland always has a coalition government, so it is a land of compromise? Every Dutch person has a bike and there are twice as many bikes as cars? The Van Gogh collections in the Van Gogh Museum and the Kröller-Müller Museum are the largest in the world? Holland has the highest concentration of museums in the world, with 42 in Amsterdam alone? Holland was one of the six founding members of the European Community? The former island of Schokland, the fortifications around Amsterdam, the windmills of Kinderdijk-Elshout, Willemstad (in the Netherlands Antilles) and the Rietveld-Schröderhuis are all on UNESCO’s World Heritage List? The highest point in Holland is 323 metres above sea level, and is referred to as a ‘mountain’? Amsterdam is the capital, but the government is in The Hague? Most Dutch people speak a foreign language as well as Dutch? Rotterdam is the second largest port in the world? Holland is 6.7 metres below sea level at its lowest point? Amsterdam has 1,281 bridges? Prince Willem-Alexander, the heir to the Dutch throne, takes personal interest in water management? When you arrive at Schiphol Airport, you are four metres below sealevel? Holland has more than 4,400 km of navigable rivers, canals and lakes? At Neeltje Jans in Zeeland, you can see how Holland waged war against the sea?
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As my voluntary exile in China draws to a close, i've been spending more and more time thinking about what has made living in this exotic land for the past year and a half so alluring? As a foreign-born chinese, and having spent the first 21 years of my life growing up in a totally different culture, this opportunity of seeing the country of my great grandfather and experiencing thier way of life has opened my eyes to so many things. Like many 3rd generation Filipino-Chinese, i was brought up in a relatively sheltered environment. Pampered with yayas and drivers, sent to private chinese schools, surrounded by well-traveled educated friends, and sent to a good university with the unspoken expectation of taking over the family business afterwards. All these were a part of the cycle of normal life. My own room at home will always be there, Yayang our family cook will always be there to cook my favorite dishes, Tioy our driver will always be there to pick me up anytime from anywhere, my credit card will always pay for my bills, and my extensive family and friends were always near to help with anything from talking out problems to celebrating every little achievement. Maybe it was the innate desire to learn more about my heritage, or just another of my bratty whims, but i was able to convince my parents to send me to Beijing for 6 months. Officially, i was going there to learn mandarin, but in reality, i wanted to go for the unbelievably cheap shopping and all the cute westerners in BLCU. A sem turned into a year, and studying into partying. But everyone matures at some point, (ok you got me, Philippine ATM cards dont work in China), and so has to inevitably enter the job market. After cursing the fact that i was not a native english speaker, which most employers in Beijing required, i found my way to Shanghai. One of my most unforgetable employer was a Hong Kong restauranteur, who owned two upscale thai restaurants in the classier part of Shanghai. From the outside, it looked like a picture-perfect job. I was the foreign PR manager, in training to take over as manager of the hotel restaurant branch. Our french GM adored me, as i helped him communicate with the local staff, and knew english to converse with the dominantly foreign clientele. But from where i was, it was pure hell, and not a day went by where i ddnt wish my witch of an employer dead. She had me working from 10 am untill 12 midnight, and her GM had me translating stuff for him from midnight till 4 am. My supposed break time of 2-5pm was spent tutoring the chinese staff english. And mealtimes were a race to get enough food before the saliva-laden chopsticks of my chinese co-workers poked at every oily morcel on the serving plates. I was so miserable. So why was i still working there? I stayed because of the people. My waiters. I had waiters that were barely in thier 20s, from remote provinces in China, come down to Shanghai for the first time working under me. They were kids. They cried during break times because they missed thier parents, they came to me in excitement whenever a foreigner told them something in english and they understood because of my lessons, they shared stories of awe about the numerous skyscrapers of shanghai. They were so human, and they hated thier jobs as much as i did, but thay stayed because they ddnt have any other choice. I wish i could have been as strong as they were. One dinnertime, i saw a tourist family in the buffet restaurant accross. I was rooted as i watched them go through their meal. When they went to get dessert, i swear i saw my dad and me in thier shoes. All those times we went out for dinner, me the bratty little princes getting whatever i want, and my parents letting me be. And i cried. I was weak, and my pride was strong. At that moment i couldnt imagine why i was there torturing myself in working in a foreign land for an employer that i hate, in a job that pays me less than what my parents give me, and having complete strangers scream at me for something that wasnt even my fault. I quit the next day. I've had 3 jobs since i moved to Shanghai, and each of them brought unique experiences and glimpses of other peoples lives that i wouldnt trade for the world. Not all of them were pleasant, some were horrifying, others educational, yet each had a lesson that made me appreciate what i have back home. And in all of them, i realized how lucky i am. Lucky to have been born in an english-speaking country to a relatively affluent family, lucky to not have to worry about finding money for last months rent, lucky not to have to walk 2 hours to work because i cant spare the 3kuai for the subway ride, lucky to be educated enought to have the chance to choose my own profession. I've still got a lot to learn, and a long way beofre i mature. But i know when i step off the plane at NAIA in a few days, i will be a totally different person from the kid who left a year and a half ago. I've learned what its like to commute to work with a million other people in a cramped bus, how it feels to worry about rent and overdue bills, what its like to work without the privileged title of "she's the daughter of so-and-so" or "she's a graduate of what-and-where university", how it is to live without maids or cooks or drivers. Maybe thats what makes China so special. Living here is like a daily reminder of all the good things that i have back home. A reminder to appreciate all the conveniences of life that the sacrifices of my great grand parents afforded me. |
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An Irish man walks into a pub. The bartender asks him, "what'll you have?" The man says, "Give me three pints of Guinness please." So the bartender brings him three pints and the man proceeds to alternately sip one, then the other, then the third until they're gone. He then orders three more. The bartender says, "Sir, I know you like them cold. You don't have to order three at a time. I can keep an eye on it and when you get low I'll bring you a fresh cold one." The man says, "You don't understand. I have two brothers, one in Australia and one in the States. We made a vow to each other that every Saturday night we'd still drink together. So right now, my brothers have three Guinness Stouts too, and we're drinking together. The bartender thought that was a wonderful tradition. Every week the man came in and ordered three beers. Then one week he came in and ordered only two. He drank them and then ordered two more. The bartender said to him, "I know what your tradition is, and I'd just like to say that I'm sorry that one of your brothers died."The man said, "Oh, me brothers are fine - I just quit drinking." *************************************** "Seamus do you understand French?" "I do if its spoken in Irish" *************************************** Paddy was shaving when he knocked the mirror off the shelf and it fell to the floor and it cracked across the middle. Paddy gazed in horror. 'Bejabbers, I've cut my throat,' he gasped. *************************************** An Irishman, Englishman and a German are caught in Saudi Arabia drinking. "Under Saudi law you are sentenced to 30 lashes then deported. Before you begin you are entitled to something on you back, what would you like?" said the prison guard to the Englishman just before lashing him. The English man, being a bit of a cricket fan, asked for linseed oil. When they lashed him on a post and let him go to catch his flight back to London he groaned and crawled to the airport. Next came the German. "Under Saudi law you are sentenced to 30 lashes then deported. Before you begin you are entitled to something on you back, what would you like?" said the prison guard "Nothing" said the German and, after receiving his lashes spat on the ground, called the prison guards Schisers and started off towards towards the airport. The guards then came to the Irishman. "Under Saudi law you are sentenced to 30 lashes then deported. Before you begin you are entitled to something on you back, what would you like?" "Oh", replied the Irishman, "I'll take the German". **************************************** Paddy and Mick were nailing up the side of a wooden house. Mick noticed that Paddy was examining the nails and throwing away every second and third. 'What's wrong with the nails?' he asked. 'Sure the heads are at the wrong end.''You are stupid you idiot, can't you see they are for the other side of the house!. **************************************** Why did God invent whiskey? So the Irish would never rule the world. **************************************** =) ---------------------------------------- ----------------------- The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor. He takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them. -G.B Shaw No human being believes that any other human being has a right to be in bed when he himself is up.
-Robert Lynd "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
-Oliver Goldsmith
_______________________________________________________________ HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!!!!!!
NOW HERE'S A LEGIT REASON TO GO OUT AND DRINK!!!!
SEE YA AT O'MALLEYS!!!!!
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If you've been in China for as long as i have, you've probably gotten used to all the eccentricities and quirks of the inhabitants of this metropolitan city. You barely notice the things that used to make you flinch, and may even adopt some of them yourself (godforbid!). With roughly about a month to go before i finally leave China for good, i decided to take off my "chinese glasses" and take a walk around the city. Within 2 1/2 hours, it was amusing how i noticed so many of the little things that had caught my attention as a newcommer but have come to ignore as "ordinary" as time passed. But its exactly these things, these little quirks of the locals that we learn to ignore, that makes China so special. Filipino ways vs chinese ways: Walking out from my apartment, i passed a baby in a stroller and made faces at it.
Pinas: The yaya pushing the stroller would steer the baby away, fearing i might be a kidnapper. Then again, there wouldnt be a baby in a stroller out on the street in the Phils. They'd be safely locked up in thier air-conditioned rooms.
China: The baby's grandmother, slowly pushing the stroller, smiled at me and told the baby "aiyi..ni hao...", then asked me where i was going to school, etc.
I had to photocopy some documents so i went to the photocopy shop in school.
Pinas: There'd be a bunch of machines and the manang would have my copies in seconds. No fuss.
China: There were two machines. none of them worked. why did she bother opening her shop for the day then? On the street, walking to the subway during rush hour:
Pinas: Are you kidding? Walk in the heat? I'd be in a car. And so would most everyone else.
China: Hoardes of people walking or on their bikes. students, people in business suits, everyone. BUT only here can you see men wearing slacks and coat...with rubber shoes. And women in suits and skirts... on a bike.
(can you imagine a businesswoman in a suit riding a bike to her office in makati?) Getting on the subway train:
Pinas: everyonw fits into the cars. or you wait for the next one coz you dont want to be squished in with all those sweaty people before you even make it to work.
China: they werent taught the first law of physics: "no two objects can occupy the same space at the same time".
(i think i've gotten so used to being squished so much when in busses or the subway that barely having enough space to breathe seems normal to me! the good side is i dont have to hang on to anything coz im sardinced in so tight that i dont have to worry about falling over.) at the park (people's square)
Pinas: what park?
China: filled with senior citizens!!! they were everywhere and some of them really old too!!! talking in groups, playing cards and checkers, babysitting thier grandkids, doing tai qi, excercising, walking backwards in circles, etc, etc. so active!!!! walking on the sidewalk
pinas: no one notices you
China: people stare. one guy even came up and talked to me. asked where i was from. why i was walking around by myself and not get a tour guide. he was even nice enough to point out each building and what they were for. he even knew the admission fares for all of the surrouding museums! such nice people. after two hours my camera had run out of battery. i was tired of walking as well. i took the bus home and was glad to have "experinced" china again like i used to. |
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Much anticipated since the start of its freezing winter last November, Shanghai finally got it's first major snowfall last friday. They say the longer the wait, the better it will be. And i agree. If the Shanghainese were happy after waiting 3 months for the snow, imagine how elated i was after waiting 7 months for Narelie to come visit.  Narelie and Melissa: two of my best, best friends here in China.  We spent our day like old times, eating foreign food (brunch at Moon River Diner), visiting museums (we thought we found Song Ching Ling's family house on Huai Hai Lu, turns out its just another of her and Sun Yat Sen's numerous houses. But we enjoyed looking at the place, nevertheless.), watching DVDs (The Perfect Man), and getting drunk at Zapatas!!!
Saturday we went out of town. Tong Li and Zhou Zhuang, two water villages about an hour from Shanghai by bus. In reality, we were interested in Tong Li because of the Ancient Sex Museum found within the town. The freezing weather, wet icy toes, and long walk was worth it. The museum was a huge garden decoreated with about a hundred phallic symbols disguised as statues, goddes figures symbolizing the vagina, and numerous statues in various mid-coital poses. Within its three main buildings we saw sex as how the early humans depicted it - as a religion, found in rock formations, and used in thier rituals. As time progressed, and humans took more conrol, there were prostitutes and their tools. With this progress, humans also became more possesive and cruel. On display where the various means by which women were subjugated - chastitiy belts, foot-binding tools, and other forms of punsihment only women can experience. Turns out in ancient China, sex education was passed on by the females and the males were practicaly clueless about this act! (Wonder if this has got something to do with the apparent popularity of western males with chinese females...) Drawings were carved underneath buddah figures, painted on the underside of the teacups, hidden inside innocent looking ceramic objects. They had hundreds of painted tiles showing different sex poses, like a kama sutra book in pictures on the wall!!!! There was a display of dildoes- bronze, ivory, bone, glass...everything was there! Amazing. It changed my view of the chinese people as conservative creatures.
We couldnt leave without a photo. Posing with the most blatant statue we found:  We spent our time in Zhou Zhuang thawing out in one of the little chinese tea houses. It was an unforgetable trip. China has been wonderful, and we can't wait to discover more of its secrets in our future trips.
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14 hours and 28 minutes after the (supposedly) most romantic day of 2006 ended. Its the afternoon after valentines day. I imagine that while tons of lovers are still warmly glowing from the previous day's fire, lots of singles are relieved that the "couple's" day is over, myself included. While growing up, popular culture has ingrained in us the notion that Valentine's day is the day for going on dates with that guy/girl you've been crushing on for the past month, the day when you find your soulmate, the day when you take the next step in a relationship, the day to be shared with your loved one. The media has played a prominent part in this subconscious possesion, with movies such as (insert titles). How many of us have gone "ooh" and "ahh" when (insert event) on valentines day. China is no different. Having recently opened its doors, they have quickly adopted this western holiday, dubbing it Qing Ren Jie literally translating to "Lovers holiday". Walking down Huai Hai Lu, i noticed more couples than usual, holding hands and carrying bouquets of those glitter-covered roses surrouned by as much colored paper as there were flowers. Almost all of the restaurant and bar events include the words "per couple", "with your sweetheart", or "for both of you". While this may seem like the most natural thing in the world for couples, it leaves us single gals feeling like the freaks, the single chopstick on the dinner table. I bought a lacy black Vero Moda spaghetti top yestarday and the sales lady smiled knowingly at me saying "ahh, shi qing ren jie!". Fighting the urge and lacking the vocabulary to defend my single self, i politely smiled and braved two more similar situations. So i wondered, if you dont have that special someone, are you allowed to celebrate Valentines day? Happy couples would nod with a consoling yes, cynics with raised eyebrows a pathetic yes, feminists and individualists with a resounding yes. Hopeless romantics with a disapproving no, old-fashioned relatives with a hopeles no. But in the end, it all comes down to how each of us feels. I spent the night with my roomates making chocolate pancakes and watching dvds. Laughing and teasing each other in our warm apartment, protected from the freezing rain outside. I had renewed my china visa that morning. I had three new sexy outfits, and bought a book that i've been looking for forever. I was comfortable and happy. I decided valentines without a man wasnt that bad. For this year, id just have to say "Happy Valentines! I love me!" |
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countdown to the (supposedly) most romantic day of the year... 7 hours and thirty eight minutes. Looking back at a lifetime of giddy feb 14s, i wonder, why do we celebrate valentines day? Are we celebrating couplehood? like a birthday or a new year festival in honor of those who have found thier significant others? or is it a day to remind us singletons that love is still out there? I remember back in college, weeks before every valentines day, my two bffs and i spend hours wondering what would be the perfect romantic gift to get our boyfriends. the list evolved from stuff toys, socks, personalized trinkets, to weekend out of town trips. after, we would dream about where they would take us, what we would do, and finally, worry about what to wear. on the day itself, we would compare and gush over the gifts and the cards we got. who got the more expensive jewelry, or the bigger bouquet. We would tease our single freinds to thier admirers, both the appreciated and the unwanted, and marvel at all the unusual gifts they would give. Its a carnival scene too, watching most of the guys in campus turn into flower-toting, teddy bear/chocolate/mushy-card givers. of course, we would also smile at the unending bouquets and the flowers sent into our girls dormitory and wonder who's boylet sent the best flowers, and who got the most gifts. valentines of the young. so simple. so sweet. Last year, my first valentines as a broken-hearted single 20something, turned out unexpectedly well. Although any sign of romance was completely obliterated by my busy day, after 8 was a different story. What could be more cliche than spending the evening with a french man, sipping cider and sharing desserts, in the "Paris of the east"? maybe valentines is just a reason for the romantics to wear red and have candle light dinners, for the closet romantics to come out and dream, for the tough guys to show thier feminine side, or for the cynics to wear black and openly curse love. whatever the reason society may have in celebrating this day, i celebrate it for the fact that it was the day where my broken heart healed and opened itself up again to the possibility of finding new love. at least for now. Happy Valentines Day everyone!
Go fall in love! |
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For the first time this year, i dont have a hangover on a thursday! =) although there was no thursday morning as far as im concerned. =P Here's a fun survey from one of my favorite bloggers, krs:
Instructions:
1. The tagged person has to come up with 8 different descriptions of their perfect lover.
2. He/she needs to mention the sex/gender of their perfect lover.
3. He/she must tag 8 more people to join this game and leave a comment on their comments saying they've been tagged.
4. If tagged a second time, there's no need to post again. My perfect guy...
1. would be fluent in at least 5 languages including French, Itallian, and Spanish. It would be a plus if he understands Mandarin, German, Norweigian, Swedish or Portugese. He doesnt have to be fluent in English, just enough to understand me would be good. As long as he knows more languages/dialects than me. Accents would get bonus points too, so long as its not a british accent. A french accent would have me swooning! 2. would be un homme du monde. Knows how to live by himself and support himself wherever in the world he ends up. Whats more of a turn-off than a guy living with his parents and never wanting to leave his hometown? --> The close-minded guys who are ignorant and put down things they dont understand... yikes!He would have lived in at least 2 different cultures, and is open to travelling and experiencing new things. 3. would have a sense of humour. sarcastic, preferrably. Doesnt matter if he's the quiet type, or the clown of the bunch, as long as he knows how important it is to make me laugh. And he must know when to talk and when to shut up. 4. would be a realistic optimist. Someone who knows that there are solutions to all kinds of problems, and whining isnt part of it. A doer, and doesnt wait for me to do things. But lets me get away with doing some stuff every so often to preserve my ego. 5. would be someone who knows how to relax and enjoy life. He should be spontaneous enough to go clubbing in the middle of the night, or go for french crepes in the middle of the day. Someone who knows good food, and doesnt count the monetary value. Guys who dont splurge on food...~bleep~. I dont need expensive perfumes or huge bouquets, just be happy to go with me to whatever restaurant i fancy. 6. would be someone who smells good. Physically, should be taller than me. I'm a sucker for vain guys. Those who take time to gel their cropped hair to make it look like they ddnt bother with it yet you know that it took them forever to get it to look just the right kind of messy. I'm not a big fan of the blonde, blue eyed guy. More of the brown/black haired type. Tanned europeans or westernized asians. Neat nails, and particular about his shoes. Broad shoulders, and must MUST have a cute ass!!! 7. wouldnt be afraid to cry, to laugh out loud, to go raving mad, to say that he's afraid or that he doesnt know. someone who can be passionate at times but also indifferent at others. Believe it or not, stuborn and condescending are turn-ons. confident. someone who looks hot, and knows it. 8. someone who can keep up, and maybe even outdo, my eccentricity! |
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 hello! I'm Martian.I just arrived home. Where are you now, in shanghai or have arrived home? When just I began to write this card, I want to write in Franch,but I found that I almost forget everything what I learned. Forget it, I said to myself. So I need more practices, I think you are same,am I? And when you find there is any mistake in this lettre, please let me know. Thank you! Merci! Salamt! :) Good luck and best wishes! Yours sincerely Martian ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---- got this ecard from one of my classmates at alliance. just when you think you dont have friends left, one of them pops up unexpectedly to make you smile. and he's not kidding. his name is really Martian. =) |
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Three days ago, i woke up with sore gums. Thinking it was my misplaced retainers, i ignored the pain. But this morning, i probed something solid back there, behind my last molar... yeeek! Its my wisdom tooth growing!!!! I started saying goodbye to milk teeth when i was in 2nd grade. For 3 years, i lived with wobbly teeth and toothless days as my permanent ones pushed thier way to their rightful places. In high school i sacrificed my premolars to make way for braces, and looked forward to the day when i'd grow my 2 adult round chompers back there. College came and went, and the empty gum space remained. I had watched all my college friends cringe and complain, at one time or another, about thier growing wisdom tooth. But all their whining paid off, for now, three years later, they smile with a complete set of pearly whites. Its as if it were a final touch to mark the commencement of their perfect adult lives - stable jobs, high-end appartments, lasting relationships, and unbelievable maturity. And i wondered, will i ever get those infamous wisdom teeth? Mr. Webster defines wisdom as "accumulated philosophic knowledge, good sense, judgement, a wise attitude or course of action". I always thought of wisdom as something that came to you with age, a package deal that you naturally aquired along with the silver hair and the facial lines. But maybe it also means maturity in the sense of being able to take responsibility in being independent. Having the courage to taste both the sweet and the bitter tidbits of life, and not turning away when things turn a little sour. In the past few months, i've been lucky enough to have had a lot of good things come my way. Opportunities, doors and windows that i excitedly opened and as hastily fled out of at seeing the slightest shadows of imperfection. The life i had coveted was right before me, but instead of reaching out, i magnified the miniscule flaws and ran away. Immaturity searched for the non-existent perfect world. Now having just left my last project, i'm still thinking of my next step. My gums keep bugging me as the long-awaited-for wisdom tooth pushes its way out. I can now feel a huge chunk of it, majestically sitting behind the last molar. Now i wonder, when the damn thing is finally out, will i too be able to grow out of my immature lifestyle and face life like the rest of my friends? Or is this just another tooth making its way out rather late? |
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Qu'est-ce que j'apprendre le francaise?    
voulez-vous encore du raison? =P |
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Je vous present Peijie et Olivier. Ils mon professeur en Alliance Francaise a Shanghai. Pei Jie est belgique. Ella a nee a Shanghai, mais habite en Belgique depuis elle a 7 ans. Elle a de la chance! Elle parle francias, allemand, anglais, et chinois! Une petite femme, elle est tres jolie, et une bonne professeur! Elle adore plaisanter, particulierment au sujet de Gaston et Felix. Olivier est francais. Je trouve il n'est pas morning person. Lundi et Mercredi, il est mon professeur. Souvant, le matin, il... n'est pas ... heureux. Il est grand homme, chauve, deux grand yeux... J'ai peur! Mais il est une bon professeur aussi. Il a parle beaucoup de historie sur a paris, a france, le gents de france, etc. Et il a un accent tres agreables! Mon comerade de classe, tout est chinoise. Tout va au france l'anee prochaine. le pleupart d'entre eux va au Lyon. Une femme va au Belgique. Moi? je vais au Polynesie Francaise. hehehe 
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No hot water! Bitch about your apartment part 2. Maybe this should become the title of my blog. Seems like everyday this apartment gives me a new "surprise". Yesterday, it was the horrendous whirring racket. Today, apart from the usual early morning banging (got used to that last week), its special treat is... faulty shower heater! yahoooo. It was already acting up last night. David spent like 20 minutes trying out diff ways to fix it. Sticking fire into it, taking out its battery (ddnt even know it needed batteries!), and yes - banging on it. Dunno which of them actually fixed it, but i got my hot shower. This morning, it wouldnt work. Maybe its too cold out. Man. Does this mean we go around smelling like the zhonggies for today? Hmmm...maybe that'll keep people at a distance and get us some space tonight. imagine 40 ppl crammed in Manol's apartment. yikes. but its worth it for the bulalo and salpicao he's been preparing since yeterday. poor guy's got blisters from chopping up meat for the salpicao. and david went and dropped something into the 1st batch of his bulalo...ooops wasnt supposed to say that. ;) anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANOL!!!!!!! =) gotta go and take my freezing bath now. weirdo apartment.
Current Mood: |
 i want hot water! | |
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Does anyone want to trade apartments with me? Big 2 bedroom place with a modern living room and a nice huge bathroom with a tub. Internet, dvd, hot water all working. Anyone at all? Brrrrr.... this is crazy. Shanghai is weird. Its actually colder inside my apartment than outdoors!!! Can someone tell me why this is? If you've got a warmer apartment, can i go live with you? Seriously. I dont understand why its freezing in here. When i stick my head out the window, it seems to be warmer outside. But when i open the panes to attempt to let the (relatively) warmer air in, it just gets colder. Did the north pole suddenly decide to migrate to the 21st floor of west huai hai? I think today is "bitch about your apartment" day. If you saw me earlier this morning you would've thought i'd gone mad. Scurrying around the place listening against every wall, the floor, even climbing up the beds to listen at the ceiling. Why? how would you like to be awoken at 7am by a loud whirring noise??? At first it seemed as if my neighbor to the left was running a lawn mower over her carpet. Then the sound got louder as i woke up. Now it was like my upstairs neighbor was a laundromat and a million washing machines were whirring crazily. Then it seemed as if my right neighbor was trying to drill through the walls! But everytime i got close to the wall, the sound seemed to originate from somewhere else. I was going crazy!!! Where was this horrendous loud vibrating noise comming from??? Maybe im turning shanghainese, but i actually went out of my apt, and up to the 22nd floor...in my pyjamas! (aaauughhh!!! tsk tsk tsk, the imporper impulsiveness brought about by lack of sleep!) i wanted to see what 2209 above me was doing causing all this racket, and maybe justify him for rudely awakening me at such an unholy early hour (ayt, 7am might not be that early for some ppl, but come on, have some respect for those of us who get up late). I stood outside his door for 2 minutes, waiting for the sound to start up again. But maybe he's got some sort of "angry neighbor" sensor out there, coz everything appeared unusually calm and quiet. Of course, the noise started again when i got back to my apt. Like they say, if you cant beat 'em, join 'em... Thankyoulord for iPod and speakers.
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 devious |
Current Music: |
highest volume of "Shut Up" playing on my speakers | |
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You never see the sad days in a photo album. But those are what gets you from one snapshot to the next. 
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Im still halfway through the first Harry Potter book. Yes, 4 years or so after people started reading this book, and after saying that i'm not reading something as "boring" (i take it back!) and "kiddy" (i take that back too) as Harry Potter and all that Hogwarts magic thing, i actually have books 1-4. Its quite interesting, well written, makes you lose yourself in their world. This might actually be one instance where i would admit watching the movie before reading the book is a big plus. Scened from the first Harry Potter movie flash in my mind as i go through the book. Scary Snape's look, awkward looking Ron with his rat, the haughtiness of Hermione, the fat lady portrait... makes the characters somehow seem more real. The 4th movie is comming out Nov 17 here in Shanghai. Mels and i have a bet that i have to finish reading all four books by then. Hmmmm... Xintiandi starbucks here comes the nerdy bum. I came accros this new interesting concept while in Figaro last week. Theres this group called Bookcrossers wherein members leave books they're done reading in coffeeshops, park benches, or where ever. These books are registered with serial numbers, and the next person who comes across them can pick them up, take them home, register on the site that he has the book, then leave it again for someone else to find after he reads it. This way, books dont rot on shelves after one reading. Their website is www.bookcrossing.com, its a worldwide thing so people in non-english speaking countries still have hopes of finding english books (a hard thing to do here in china!). Thier site also offers a "hunt" page where you can check what books their members have released in your city. Really interesting. I went to Shanghai's City of Books last night (on 468 Fuzhou road. Right behind Giordano on Nanjing Road!). It was a 7 storey bookstore, the largest i've seen in Shanghai so far, with the english books tucked away on the very end of the top most floor (big surprise). It took up 1/8th of the 7th floor, with only around 6 sets of shelves. But their collection was pretty ok, esp for the kids section. They even had a shelf stocked full of Lonely Planet (no china though), and another with english dictionaries (even the Merriam-Webster-Garfield dictionary was there!). There were no foreign magazines in stock, and the prices were a bit higher than other foreign language bookstores. Was up before sunrise today (not too hard, considering it was stil dark at 6am) to take pics of old shanghai buildings. But in support of my lazy side, the weather gave me grey skies and rain. So i contented myself with this pic of the view from our balcony window: 
Now i leave you to decide whether or not Shanghai is more modern than Beijing (ahem Debs? Ben?) hehehe =)
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its cold out! | |
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Yup im back! Thought it better to start a new journal and leave the old, heavy one with all the useless baggage behind. New adventures in a new city! Yipeeeee! So why am i still here on my orange ikea rug typing in this journal thing mid afternoon and not out enjoying the grey, cold shanghai day? Because before i was able to leave this morning, (yes, i was able to wake up and get ready before 11am! not an easy thing, i have to admit), David moved out with his 2 maletas, backpack and towel on his back. Twas kinda sad... coz he took his coco crunch with him. hehe, kidding. Nah, i just wasnt in the mood to figure out a way to get to Fu Zhou Road. But im going to Xin Tian Di later. promise. Mels told me about a charity event for kids with kidney disease this saturday. Check out this site: http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/MDForum-viewtopic-t-33287.phtml (Again, everyone, im so proud of shobe... she's the new web designer for shanghaiexpats.com!!! that website is gna get revamped, redesigned, and very soon, will be the best expat site in all of china!) And also about a ladies night at Tiffin Bar in Forest Manor this friday, complete with a filipino band. Guess when you're working, you really look forward to weekends (or day offs). Its funny how here in china, us filipinos gravitate towards bars, restos, whatevers where there are fellow filipinos. There are ladies nights in almost every other bar in shanghai, but why are we going to Tiffin? Coz of the Filipino band. Same reason why we went to Paulaners and to Latinas. Its interesting because back home, these same bands wouldnt even be given a second look, even if they played right ouside my house. When we were in Macau, we felt most at home in restaurants with Filipinos in them (Ristorante Platao, yummy yummy portuguese food). In museums, the filipinos working there followed us around and gave us lots of free stuff, gave us shopping advices, etc. We were interacting with people whom we wouldn't even be talking to (or vice versa) back home. Or when the group of fil-chi tourists came into the restaurant where i was working. It felt good talking to someone fresh out of the phils, it was like a hand reaching out from home, an imaginary hug from the family and the loved ones we left behind. Maybe theres something about meeting your "kababayan" in a foreign land that builds an intant link between you. Maybe its the distance, or how we're surrounded by strangers and foreigners, that make us seek anything familiar to us. For those of us working here, meeting a fellow pinoy is almost like taking an imaginary trip back home. A temporary anecdote, a buffer against homesickness. Here are a few places that have filipinos here in shanghai (or if you want to be super zhongger, and cut off all filipino contacts, then these are the places to avoid):
Figaro in XinTianDi
Banana Leaf in Huai Hai
Latinas in XinTianDi
Paulaners in XinTianDi
Pudong Global carnival
sunday mass at the Chongching nan lu church
Jiaotong Univ
and of course our apartment building on Huai Hai Road!
=)
Current Mood: |
 winter is here |
Current Music: |
Barely Breathing - Duncan Sheik | |
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orange_coconut's journal