brain fart that is.. ever since i saw the movie "big", i like eating
baby corn. i like doing my own laundry. i like the smell of clothes
that were dried by the sun and wind. i like folding my t-shirts my
own special way. i like drinking sprite and water. and milk. drank
a lot of milk when i was a kid, something i attribute to my height
now. but the milk in china tastes odd. never really been a huge cola
fan, except to mix with hennessy or crown. i like shanghai. a. lot.
but i also like southern california, it will always be home. just
wish the plane ride wasnt so long. one day, i'll return. for good.
maybe. i've lived in two of the four places i've always wanted to
live in. the last 2 could probably be combined for a twoferone. im
honest. i say what's on my mind. i have opinions. sometimes (most
of the time) i lack an inner filter. you can see how this might have
gotten me in trouble in politics; probably why i got out before i lost
my sanity or got recalled or both. i make decisions. always been
baffled about how some people are incapable of making decisions. i
get along pretty well with just about anyone. i think people anywhere
are never separated by more than three ___, four max. amongst chinese
people, its two or three at most. i forgot that word, dammit its
gonna bother me for the rest of the plane ride. i've never let petty
shit bother me. except sometimes. my sisters know how to push my
buttons, and sometimes i know how to push theirs. they are my best
friends. i still really like daft punk. saw them twice in concert.
great great shows. i live in an old shanghai lanehouse. not sure if
its really a lanehouse, but its a house in a lane, so whatever. i
like the people and culture around me. it fascinates me. people who
have lived there most of their lives and then me. they like to stare
at me, but not in a bad way. i think theyre just interested in who i
am, what im doing there. one of these days, ill wake up early enough
and ask if i can join in on their morning exercise. or maybe hang out
with the old men in the warm summer evenings drinking beer and
speaking shanghainese. except i dont know shanghainese. just sit
there and smile. i curse a lot. in english. still learning chinese
cursing. when i first moved here, the worst thing i can say is "you
are a very bad man" or "you are a rotten egg", since they don't
understand 'fuck you'. not exactly phrases to express mock anger. i
dont think people in china actually get angry.. much of it is mock
anger. more like they're mad/annoyed b/c of "loss of face". i hate
driving. yes i know, born and raised in LAish. car culture. nobody
walks in LA. seriously, its nice to not drive. i dont even know what
radio stations in LA are good anymore. i really liked indie 103.1,
but they went belly up right before i moved to china. and arrow 93
was gone awhile ago. i hope LA isnt too foreign to me. or is it me
who has changed? i dont understand carbon offsetting or credits.
isn't everyone still polluting exactly the same, except that some
people are getting really rich by selling the credits to polluters so
that they can advertise that theyre saving the planet. well since
for the most part i havent driven for almost 1.5 years, does that mean
i can drive a dirty diesel emitting bulldozer when i get back to
socal. you know to make up for all those carbon credits ive saved up
by not driving? i like helping people, volunteering to serve the
community. always been active. found a good group of folks in
shanghai that like to do the same. its exciting that i get to shape a
"club" (for those who live in china, you will understand why i called
it a club and not an organization) in its infant stages. people learn
from each other and feed off our collective energies. its pretty
cool. hope that it never gets too administrative top-heavy and lose
its focus of helping people. ive been involved with something like
that in the past, and pretty much everyone gets really disillusioned.
i hate that feeling. degrees of separation. finally thought of it.
whew.
07 May 2010
06 May 2010
P L A & the voice
So finally the Expo has started in Shanghai after an eight-year wait
or whatever it was. There were a few things in the weeks leading up
to it that was deserves mentioning. I love the Shanghai metro
system. It's way more convenient than anywhere in the US (NYC?), way
cleaner than anywhere else I've been to in the world (haven't been to
Tokyo), and way cheaper than any big city anywhere (except Beijing,
but that city and the metro system sucks shit). I used to take the
subway everyday, but ever since I started my current job (an 8-minute
walk from home to work), I don't take it nearly as often.
or whatever it was. There were a few things in the weeks leading up
to it that was deserves mentioning. I love the Shanghai metro
system. It's way more convenient than anywhere in the US (NYC?), way
cleaner than anywhere else I've been to in the world (haven't been to
Tokyo), and way cheaper than any big city anywhere (except Beijing,
but that city and the metro system sucks shit). I used to take the
subway everyday, but ever since I started my current job (an 8-minute
walk from home to work), I don't take it nearly as often.
Two weeks before the Expo, I decided go to the gym after some heavy
weekend partying. Right before I enter the station, there's two P L
A (P eop le's Lib era tion Ar my) so ldie rs standing out front
"guarding" the entrance. I first thought something was wrong, so I
asked them if I could go in. No response, but other people were going
in. Anyways, I find out that every Metro station entrance in Shanghai
has two P L A so ldi ers out front. Think about it. I'm not sure
how many metro stations there are. There are 12 current subway lines,
with about 20 stations on each line, with on average 5 exits per
station. That's a lot of P L A so ldie rs. I guess they have to do
something, since there's no current conflicts or wars that the country
is in. Might as well be providing a false sense of sec ur ity to the
good people of Shanghai.
Two more things I noticed about the metro. The automated voice used
to say "The next station is People's Square. Please alight from the
left side." As someone fluent in American English, it used to bother
me that the voice said "alight". I mean really, who the fuck says
alight? But after awhile, I just stopped noticing. Recently, the
voice changed "alight" to "exit". Ahhh... makes much more sense. The
other thing the voice changed was "interchange" to "transfer" as in:
"The next station is Changshu Lu, transfer station to Line 7. Please
EXIT from the left side."
Maybe these changes were made to appease (yeah right) the large influx
of foreign tourists to the Expo that wasn't made for them. More about
that later..
Pukey Dude
Only 4 more hours to go. I think this is a 12 hour flight. I've been
awake for most of it, which is not good, b/c I'll pass out at lunch
later with my parents and sister. Just gotta survive the weekend.
Probably won't be drinking as much/at all since I have to drive and
also I'll still be jet-lagged. I puked earlier on the plane. I think
it was the first time I've ever puked on a plane and (hence) first
time I've ever had to use the puke bag for puke. It wasn't really
puke though, it was just food that I had just eaten came up. I think
airline food is too salty, so it all just came up. Yes, I was the
asshole who was making pukey noises while other people around me were
trying to enjoy their lovely rice and noodle meals. Anyways, I'm
going to request the "low-sodium" or "vegetarian" meals from now on to
avoid being that pukey dude.
awake for most of it, which is not good, b/c I'll pass out at lunch
later with my parents and sister. Just gotta survive the weekend.
Probably won't be drinking as much/at all since I have to drive and
also I'll still be jet-lagged. I puked earlier on the plane. I think
it was the first time I've ever puked on a plane and (hence) first
time I've ever had to use the puke bag for puke. It wasn't really
puke though, it was just food that I had just eaten came up. I think
airline food is too salty, so it all just came up. Yes, I was the
asshole who was making pukey noises while other people around me were
trying to enjoy their lovely rice and noodle meals. Anyways, I'm
going to request the "low-sodium" or "vegetarian" meals from now on to
avoid being that pukey dude.
food critic for ghetto dummies blog
so yeah about those food critics that i mentioned in the last post. my next blogging idea is to start a bog called "food critic for ghetto dummies". here in shanghai, theres a few expat magazines that (imo) get really REALLY carried away in their restaurant reviews. half the problem is that some of the reviews are submitted by readers, so i think they try to write impressive reviews so that they will get published. so in this post, i will write an example of an over-the-top food review, then i will provide what a food review from the "food critic for ghetto dummies" blog would look like.
them: tucked away in an old, tree-lined french concession lane, restaurant X was a pleasure to enjoy. the interiors were magnificent. the wooden floors were made from old pirate ships that were salvaged from the mythical city of atlantis. the tables are zero carbon and the silverware melted down from qing dynasty iron pots. the romantic ambience was aided by soft green-friendly, locally-sourced lighting. the servers were friendly and spoke 65 different languages, and their clothes were made from cage-free unicorn fur. i ordered the chops de pork. it was served with a luscious mushroom cream sauce, which i paired with a wonderful vintage wine from the 1600s. i also ordered a plate of sauteed to perfection free-range, organic, free-trade, and of course zero carbon bread. the LEED Platinum certified bathroom had a delectable design of porcelain, ceramic, and stainless steel. and blah blah blah
food critic for ghetto dummies: food was good. good value. would come back.
basically, the food critic for ghetto dummies blog would answer three basic questions.
- was the food good?
- was the restaurant a good value?
- would you come back?
boom. done.
ph-blogging?
finally got a chance to update this blog. been an infrequent blogger, this i know. was thinking on the plane that i dont take enough pictures in shanghai. one reason is that my camera sucks shit b/c ive dropped it multiple times, but the other reason is b/c its just a simple point-and-shoot and the quality leaves much to be desired. i may need to upgrade my camera soon. still thinking about starting a photo blog, but some photo blogs only take pictures of food. i can never remember to take pictures of my food. im usually too busy eating it. plus youre basically telling the world that youre a huge wannabe food critic douchebag. anyways came across a really cool photoblog recently run by my buddy. check it out -- www.phogger.com
27 April 2010
on my way to work..
the things that i see on my way to work..
i live really close to my office. i mean, really close. a brisk 8-10
minute walk, or a 3-5 minute bike ride, and i'm there. i know i
haven't blooged enough about where i live. its on a classic old
street, but really close to a sub-major metro station. very
convenient to everything. i live on the 1st floor of an old lane
house with old shanghainese people all around me. they've probably
have lived in that small community for their whole life. i still get
odd stares sometimes. and they're really nosy. but that's fine, i
can use an extra pair of eyes on my place as i'm not at home that
much. anyways, i'll touch upon my living situation more later.
this morning, i swear i saw kanye west. if kanye west is my height,
then yes that was him. walking on my street. but since i think he's
an arrogant asshole, i didn't say hello. walking a bit further, i saw
an old man come out of a hair salon while still wearing the apron. it
looks like he just got his hair dyed jet black. b/c it looked like he
was wearing black concrete on his head. he was talking on his cell
phone and trying to get on his bike at the same time, while still
wearing the hair salon apron. kinda funny.
my current apartment is the 3rd place i've lived in shanghai. 1st was
the dorm room, 2nd was the apartment on huaihai zhong lu with the
terrace, and now the old lane house. when i was looking for my 2nd
apartment, i almost signed a lease with an apartment that's a few
hundred feet away from my current office. its on yanqing lu, this
cool little street connecting changshu lu and the 5-street
intersection (fumin, xinle, donghu, changle, yanqing) it was the size
of a studio apartment. small living area, narrow kitchen, and a small
front yard with a huge palm tree. the landlord wanted 7,500rmb a
month. back then, i was still kinda ignorant about average rental
prices in shanghai. i was still using an LA rental prices as
comparison (huge mistake). 7,500rmb is about $1,200, and i thought it
was a reasonable price to live in the thick of things. i really liked
the place, but thought i could get less rent elsewhere (true).
ultimately, i didn't sign on.
good thing i didn't. first, the rent was way too much. the landlord
was trying to make a killing on ignorant laowais like me. my current
place is pretty comparable, has more sunlight, and nicer neighborhood,
and i pay WAY less than 7,500rmb per month. second, apparently
others felt this way too. whenever i would pass by, i would stop in
and take a look. the place sat empty for a long time, and may still
be empty. third, and this is most important, there was a little small
room connected to the apartment that faced yanqing lu. it wasn't part
of the rental space though, i think the landlord might have used it
for storage. apparently, about a month or two ago, he decided to rent
out that small room and a local eatery moved in. so now everyday that
little eatery with about 3 tiny folding tables inside is open from the
crack of dawn to the late evening, packed with loud chatty people.
had i moved in, i would be awaken every morning with the cacophony of
high-decibel shanghainese and the persistent odor of grease. i'm
really glad i didn't move in. whew, felt like i dodged a bullet there..
17 April 2010
Douchbaggery is not limited...
to just French people in Shanghai. Now the French-created "sport" of
parkour is invading Shanghai. Read here http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/play/jump-shanghai-parkour-745026
parkour is invading Shanghai. Read here http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/play/jump-shanghai-parkour-745026
Great. Now, not only do I have to avoid buses, trucks, cars, taxis,
scooters, bikes, and slow pedestrians; but I have to look out for and
avoid parkour people jumping over street signs or bouncing off phone
booths when I'm out and about town.. Wonderful. Really.
14 February 2010
CNY Video Update
After two failed attempts at uploading the CNY fireworks video footage
onto this blog (apparently the files were too large, and my free
blogspot account doesn't allow for files that large), I uploaded the
videos onto my Facebook page instead. So go see it there. If you're
not an FB friend, then I don't know what to do.. Read my blog post
again and use your imagination.. :)
onto this blog (apparently the files were too large, and my free
blogspot account doesn't allow for files that large), I uploaded the
videos onto my Facebook page instead. So go see it there. If you're
not an FB friend, then I don't know what to do.. Read my blog post
again and use your imagination.. :)
CNY Fireworks
Wow, I mean wow! First of all, happy new year everyone! 2010 is the Year of the Tiger, and it came in with a bang, literally. Fireworks and firecrackers all around. So let me rewind. Saturday the 13th was new years eve, and leading up to the day, there were firecrackers exploding sporadically around the city, but nothing over the top. About 7:30pm onwards, the city slowly went nuts. Someone once told me that Chinese people turn into pyros during CNY (Spring Festival), and thats totally true. I was at a friends house for dinner, and they live on the 28th floor. I went out on the balcony and someone had just put a box on the street of fireworks that shot up to pretty much where we were. It was weird looking down on fireworks, instead of looking up. So yeah, a box of fireworks. Imagine a box of about 2.5 feet high and wide. Inside, there's about 15 tubes. In those tubes are fireworks that shoot up 25 floors or so. Apparently, these boxes are readily available b/c everyone had them. Heck, fireworks are made in China, so they didn't have to be transported too far.
And you know, back in the states, in order to watch these fireworks, people usually pack into a high school football field or a baseball stadium. Or like July 4th in DC, fireworks are shot off from the Potomac, while people are at a safe distance away. Not here. People walk out to the street, put the box there and light it. And keep in mind, I live in the middle of the city, so there's houses and buildings all around. No matter. Or they shoot them off from their apartment terrace. Basically any unobstructed space will do.
After dinner, I met up with some friends on at the bar of the top floor of a hotel around my house. There we had a perfect view of Pudong's Pearl Tower and the Bottle Opener, with fireworks exploding all around. At 11:45pm, almost on cue, it started snowing. No kidding. A little past 11:50pm, we headed up to the helipad on top of the hotel, maybe now about the 43rd floor, out in the open. (How did this happen? Let's just say we know the right people.) So I'm standing there, it's snowing, we have a 360 degree view of downtown Shanghai, and everything around you is exploding with fireworks. The sky was lit up with blue, green, red, yellow, gold, silver. It was crazy. Just crazy. Absolutely one of the top 5 moments in my life. Standing there and reflecting on how awesome it was. I tried to post videos, but apparently the file is too big. I'll figure out a way to do this. In the meantime, please enjoy the 2 blurry pics.
By the time, I left the bar almost 2am, visibility was near zero. Smoke from the fireworks had pretty much blocked everything out. From the top floor bar, there was a 50ish-story building right next to us. We couldn't see it.
When you think about it, the wildest thing was that this wasn't some government sanctioned event where fire officials are coordinating the launching of fireworks. It was just local people who had a box and decided to light them. And from 11:30pm to about 12:30am, it was a lot of them that decided to light them all at once. And they're still lighting them. It's pushing 4am as I write this, and there's still explosions outside. Apparently, this will go on for another few days. But I'd like to think of it as the sound of awesomeness...
I really love Shanghai!
http://shangbert.blogspot.com
And you know, back in the states, in order to watch these fireworks, people usually pack into a high school football field or a baseball stadium. Or like July 4th in DC, fireworks are shot off from the Potomac, while people are at a safe distance away. Not here. People walk out to the street, put the box there and light it. And keep in mind, I live in the middle of the city, so there's houses and buildings all around. No matter. Or they shoot them off from their apartment terrace. Basically any unobstructed space will do.
After dinner, I met up with some friends on at the bar of the top floor of a hotel around my house. There we had a perfect view of Pudong's Pearl Tower and the Bottle Opener, with fireworks exploding all around. At 11:45pm, almost on cue, it started snowing. No kidding. A little past 11:50pm, we headed up to the helipad on top of the hotel, maybe now about the 43rd floor, out in the open. (How did this happen? Let's just say we know the right people.) So I'm standing there, it's snowing, we have a 360 degree view of downtown Shanghai, and everything around you is exploding with fireworks. The sky was lit up with blue, green, red, yellow, gold, silver. It was crazy. Just crazy. Absolutely one of the top 5 moments in my life. Standing there and reflecting on how awesome it was. I tried to post videos, but apparently the file is too big. I'll figure out a way to do this. In the meantime, please enjoy the 2 blurry pics.
By the time, I left the bar almost 2am, visibility was near zero. Smoke from the fireworks had pretty much blocked everything out. From the top floor bar, there was a 50ish-story building right next to us. We couldn't see it.
When you think about it, the wildest thing was that this wasn't some government sanctioned event where fire officials are coordinating the launching of fireworks. It was just local people who had a box and decided to light them. And from 11:30pm to about 12:30am, it was a lot of them that decided to light them all at once. And they're still lighting them. It's pushing 4am as I write this, and there's still explosions outside. Apparently, this will go on for another few days. But I'd like to think of it as the sound of awesomeness...
I really love Shanghai!
http://shangbert.blogspot.com
11 February 2010
My 1-Year
Today is my 1-year anniversary of living in Shanghai! Yeah, it's
already been one year of adventures in Shanghai. Time has sure flown
by that's for sure. It's been fun and there's so much that I want to
blog about but usually forget once I get back to my computer. I
should carry around a tape recorder. Or one of those flip camera
things, so I can video blog. Well, I was thinking, even though I've
been here a year, there's still some things that I haven't done. So I
compiled a short list of "top5 things i havent done yet in shanghai".
Here goes...
already been one year of adventures in Shanghai. Time has sure flown
by that's for sure. It's been fun and there's so much that I want to
blog about but usually forget once I get back to my computer. I
should carry around a tape recorder. Or one of those flip camera
things, so I can video blog. Well, I was thinking, even though I've
been here a year, there's still some things that I haven't done. So I
compiled a short list of "top5 things i havent done yet in shanghai".
Here goes...
5. I have never used a pay phone in China. Come to think of it, I
can't even think of the last time I used a pay phone in the states.
But yeah, I think you have to use a phone card here or something. Not
sure where they sell it. Maybe convenience stores. Cell phones are
cheap enough, so I just use the celly cell.
4. I have never been to the post office - "China Post". Most of the
time, in the states, I just go to the post office to deliver a package
domestically, but since I don't really know too many people outside of
Shanghai, I don't need to do that. I don't even know if you need
stamps or will Comrade Mao pay for your letter? I doubt it though.
They nickel and dime you for everything here.
3. I have never watched a movie in a movie theater here. I know it
costs 70 rmb (about $10) for a ticket, and Tuesdays is half price.
But seriously, when perfect quality DVDs cost 12 rmb (about $1.50),
why go to a movie theater? 'Nuff said.
2. I have never taken a Huangpu River cruise. It's something that
most people do when its warmer, but it's just something I've never
gotten around to. I will for sure soon though. I have been on the
ferry a few times, but that's not exactly like the river cruise.
1. I have never drank BAIJIU. I keep hearing horror stories about
baijiu. It's this local alcoholic spirit that's really nasty, or so
I'm told. I've smelled it before. It smells like a strong household
cleaner. So the taste is probably something similar. Some friends
use it to clean their toilet or disinfect stuff. Yeah, been living in
Shanghai for one year and have never had baijiu.
So there you have it. My "Top 5 I have never in Shanghai.." list.
05 February 2010
cheap books
i dont know if ive already mentioned this before, but you could buy
popular english language books for next to nothing here. its usually
on the weekends, people sell books (mostly business or current affairs
related titles) out of their bicycles or scooters outside of subway
stations. for example, you can get freakonomics or thomas friedman or
malcolm gladwell or harvard business review books for 7-20 rmb per
book. sometimes they have fiction books too, like dan brown or the
devil prada whatever its called. books are priced not by popularity
or nytimes best seller charts, but by how big they are. the bigger
and thicker the book, the more expensive it is; and vice versa. its
easy to build quite an impressive library for a fraction of what it'd
cost in the US. needless to say, these are basically copies of the
real books itself. all the content is real and exact. not sure if
this is what thomas friedman had in mind when he wrote "the world is
flat", which by the way costs 15rmb, or a little bit more than $2.
popular english language books for next to nothing here. its usually
on the weekends, people sell books (mostly business or current affairs
related titles) out of their bicycles or scooters outside of subway
stations. for example, you can get freakonomics or thomas friedman or
malcolm gladwell or harvard business review books for 7-20 rmb per
book. sometimes they have fiction books too, like dan brown or the
devil prada whatever its called. books are priced not by popularity
or nytimes best seller charts, but by how big they are. the bigger
and thicker the book, the more expensive it is; and vice versa. its
easy to build quite an impressive library for a fraction of what it'd
cost in the US. needless to say, these are basically copies of the
real books itself. all the content is real and exact. not sure if
this is what thomas friedman had in mind when he wrote "the world is
flat", which by the way costs 15rmb, or a little bit more than $2.
anyways, my whole point is, that today one of those book sellers
showed up outside of my subway station. so i took a look. guess what
he had? lonely planet china! seriously! i didnt ask how much, since
i already have one, but still, he could be a great source for rip-off
lonely planet books. i wonder if he also carries time out guides (my
favorite).. ill have to ask him next time..
18 January 2010
2010
Welcome to Shangbert 2010! I know I haven't blogged in awhile. It feels like I say that every time I start a new blog post. That's b/c I don't actually blog that much.
I'm in Hong Kong right now just visiting. My camera just broke, so when I figure out how to get the pictures off that and into my computer, I'll blog some more and include pictures and words and stuff like that.
Going back to Shanghai tomorrow via Shenzhen. Looking forward to getting back to flat land.
http://shangbert.blogspot.com
I'm in Hong Kong right now just visiting. My camera just broke, so when I figure out how to get the pictures off that and into my computer, I'll blog some more and include pictures and words and stuff like that.
Going back to Shanghai tomorrow via Shenzhen. Looking forward to getting back to flat land.
http://shangbert.blogspot.com
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