Eric Vs. Century Mart, Part 2

I think I broke my blog. Anyways...

I know this was stupid of me, but I had to go in there to pick up something last night. I'm thinking 9:20pm, shouldn't be too hard. 9:23 I got my item. 9:25 I was in line.

9:47 I was finally out and on my way to KFC.

There were two groups in front of me, both doing their "STOP!" thing. Except the first group had to argue with the woman about just about everything. Apparently their last order wasn't quite enough for them to use up the two 5 RMB coupons they'd already collected, so they're arguing amongst themselves.

"Lets get tissues!"
"We already HAVE Tissues!"
"Okay, how about laundry soap? It's right there."
"We already bought laundry soap!"
"But it's just right there. Let's grab it and go!" (the sensible one)
"We don't need it!" (the guy pissing me off.)

I'm mostly guessing judging by their facial expressions, my somewhat limited Chinese & where they were pointing.

It's starting to turn into an artform on who can get closest to 200 RMB to get that coupon.

The next people up in line only had 2 air purifiers, a few boxes of wine & various other things. Not that much at all, but some pricy stuff.

Price came to 250 RMB. Too late to yell "STOP!" but the guy had a plan.

"We don't want that purifier. Put this bottle of wine on there instead."

Price is down to 205 or something like that. Finally they can pay and continue.

Next batch: 270 or so RMB. Again, remove the purifier. Add a few other things... Price closer to 200.

Pay & continue. Last batch. Two cheap purifiers. DAMNIT!!! Again, just short of 200! What on earth will THEY buy? The Suspense is KILLING ME!!!

The guy turns around & sees me and my one item and says "sorry" with his Summer Teeth grinning the whole time. I said nothing.

They got what they wanted and proceeded to pay, using the 2 coupons they'd already collected. But then he pulls out a stack of cards. Gift cards, maybe, but there looked to be about 20 in all. The cashier had to scratch something off every single one of them, manually enter the cards, individually, one at a time, a single card at a single time, scratch, enter, scratch, enter... you get the idea.

Anyways, they finally buggered off, and I got there with my single item (yes, it was actually quite necessary to get this item at this time). The girl smiles, says, "Ni Hao! :D " I hand her the item, 10 rmb, get the change and get the fuck out of there, that cheeky Summer Teeth smile still etched in my mind making me even more furious. 9:47 according to my mobile. 22 fucking minutes for that.

Congratulations, Century Mart!

You've made the lines at the checkout 5 times SLOWER than what they were before! How did you do it? By offering a 5 RMB coupon for every 200 RMB spent at the cash register!

How this works: Say you're out shopping with the missus & the little ones. Fill your cart up nice & full. Now, head over to the check out area.

Unload your cart, but keep an eye out on the total price. When it goes over 200 RMB, shout, "STOP!!!" and pay & get your coupon, and let her bag everything up. Start again. Unload more groceries, yell "STOP!!!" at 200 RMB, pay & get your coupon. Wash, Rinse, Repeat ad nauseum.

Congratu-fuckin'-lations on making an already slow line even slower!

All I want for Christmas is Shanghai Fox!

And I'm giving it twice this week!

We're broadcasting TWICE this week! Today and Tomorrow!!! For the Christmas Season, we have a few old classics from the days of Dean Martin & Nat King Cole, as well as some Trans-Siberian Orchestra. We also have some newer stuff, such as Adam Sandler, and a few Christmas Comedy songs as well. Have a listen, and if you bookmarked the broadcast from last time, it's that time to change the bookmarks... new IP this week.

Current Links
For Winamp (and a few others)
http://124.77.227.103:8000/listen.pls

For Windows Media Player
http://124.77.227.103:8000

On Windows Media Player, you'll have to click "File" then "Open URL" and manually cut/paste the WMP link to get it to work.

For Winamp, VLC, Media Player Classic, iTunes... click the link & open in whatever player you want to try.

Leave a comment on www.chinaexcursions.com/shanghaifox if you like what you hear.
Also, check out the forums on ShanghaiExpat.com : http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/index.php?name=MDForum&file=viewtopic&t=66276&start=0
www.terascape.net/shanghaifox.htm will show you what's recently played.

No Name's back in Shanghai

Friday night, No Name is playing over at Yu Yin Tang. No Name is a punk band out of Xi'an that I used to see play over at the 8 1/2 bar (not to be confused with the hooker joint, 8:30 Friend-changing bar, on Dong DaJie.) Several months ago, they played in Shanghai, and I caught them again, only to be sort of chased out by this drunk Scot who was itching to either get laid, or get into a fight, and I had no intention of getting involved.

If you've ever seen my MySpace page, you'll know I don't use it. But when I do, it's usually to correspond with Y Ray, No Name's front man. Check out No Name's MySpace page for some of their music.

Crimbo Time

Not only is it Crimbo in the Kingdom of Loathing, but also in the apartment of horrors as well! December 10th was my birthday, and my ever-surprising wife, not really believing too much in the whole birthday thing and claiming that my new computer bag from 2 weeks ago was my birthday gift, surprised me on my birthday with a Christmas tree & a couple Christmas Decorations! All I ever want for my birthday & Christmas is a surprise! This is certainly a good one! Thanks, honey!

From Shanghai Xmas 07

From Shanghai Xmas 07

And my wife says nothing's wrong with the camera...

From Shanghai Xmas 07

Field Trip to the PSB office!

I made it to the PSB office yesterday. The PSB are hunting down ALL the foreigners in the Hongquan, WuZhong Road area in an effort to catch those with either illegal passports or those not carrying passports with them (as in my case). This area houses a good number of Koreans and a good number of them were also at the PSB office with us, including local business owners we know.

Our place got fined a couple thousand RMB plus about 1000 RMB each for its 3 foreign employees. This is because the organization is Chinese-owned. Other places, schools, restaurants, bars & such, got sacked with a lot more, some ranging up to 60,000 RMB including sending a few people home packing. These were foreign-owned. Their fines included up to 10,000 RMB per person, for some, deportation (with the option of returning on a new visa) and a nice long speech from the PSB declaring how they were rich, yet should abide by the local laws. Where the rich part comes in, I've no idea. I've heard so far, roughly five Koreans, one American & one Canadian got deported, within the last few days. And this has been going on for about a month now. You do the math.

The real reason, however, is because the local jurisdiction is gearing up for the Spring Festival. For every foreigner & foreign-owned business they bring in & fine, they get a bigger, better New Years Bonus. By the looks of the PSB office we were at, they're making some decent bonuses. About 20 people were waiting, and that's only for the afternoon. I can see eventually other jurisdictions following suit & jumping in to cash in on the rich foreigners. So watch yourself.

As one of my colleagues mentioned, eventually you stop asking how someone on only 4000 RMB/month can afford a BMW.

Another Stop over at the PSB

A couple weeks ago, the Police raided an establishment I happen to be frequenting. That establishment, a school that caters to the Korean Expat crowd. At about 9pm, about 6 PSB officials came in & demanded to see all our passports. We didn't have them (what expat actually does carry their passport around EVERYWHERE they go?). Because of this, we had to go to the PSB office a few days later, where they basically gave us a slap on the wrist.

What went wrong:
We had to sign a piece of paper that neither they nor the school admin could tell us what it said.
They referred to a PSB Guide book written in rather vague English.

Regardless, we had to sign, or face possible deportation. My problem is that this gig is only for a little extra drinking money. I'm an IT consultant. Not a teacher. My visa says so. But they didn't say anything was wrong.

Now, however, they called said establishment again, and demanded to see our passports again. That was Monday. We got our passports back Monday evening. Yesterday, we were told that we will again go talk to the PSB. All I can think is that they somehow didn't bribe enough money to the PSB and now are looking for more.

We'll see what happens I suppose. If I get deported, I leave all my earthly possessions to my lovely wife. ;)

Shanghai F1 Booze Bus!

As we chanted, "Booze Bus! Booze Bus! Booze Bus!..." The bus pulled out of Sasha's Restaurant at 8:30am sharp! Luckily I got there at about 8:26 or so. An all day beer & racing session it was, and a nightmare for some the next day I'm sure!

Anyways, here are some of the pics:

New Picasa Album (screw flickr. Yahoo doesn't care.)

Just Beer Gallery





And while we're at it... here's a LINK (damn blog won't let me embed from metacafe) from earlier this year from the Shanghai A1 (not the F1) Booze Bus. That, unfortunately is it for this year. Next spring though, the 2008 A1 Booze bus will be departing whenever it does. on April 13th, 2008!

Oh, and Kimi won.

We missed another storm

Typhoon (now Tropical Depression) Krosa came through much closer than Wipha ever did, dumping tons of rain & knocking down the 50 or so scooters parked outside our apartment's main gates. Funny how the press went wild with a no-show Wipha, but hardly said a thing about this one. Fortunately, with the exception of Lewis Hamilton losing the race in a wreck, the Shanghai F1 race went off without a hitch!

Typhoon Wipha

Again I reiterate, why are we the last to hear of this stuff?

One dead in Taiwan from Typhoon Wipha, Shanghai evacuates 200,000

Tuesday, September 18, 2007
By ELAINE KURTENBACH, AP

SHANGHAI, China -- China's commercial center of Shanghai was evacuating 200,000 people on Tuesday ahead of the expected arrival of Typhoon Wipha, potentially the most destructive storm to hit the city in a decade.

One worker was killed and another seriously injured Tuesday as the fringe of the typhoon lashed Taiwan, causing scaffolding to collapse at a highway construction site in Taipei, Taiwan's Disaster Relief Center reported.

Schools, offices and the stock market in northern Taiwan were ordered closed as a precaution and flights from Taiwan to Japan, South Korea and a few other Asian countries were canceled, officials said.

On the Chinese mainland, state-run television showed families being evacuated from their fishing boats and other vessels and rescue workers stacking sand bags to prevent flooding.

The typhoon was moving northwest across the sea north of Taiwan at about 25 kilometers per hour (16 mph) and was forecast to make landfall south of Shanghai early Wednesday morning, weather reports said.

The storm, which was whipping up waves up to 10 meters (36 feet) high, was upgraded from a tropical storm on Monday afternoon. With wind gusts of up to 300 kilometers per hour (190 mph), local meteorological officials said it could be the most destructive storm to hit the Shanghai area in years.

"The typhoon is very likely to develop into the worst one in recent years. We are still observing it. It's hard to say at this moment," said a man who answered the phone at the city's meteorological bureau. As is common with Chinese officials, the man identified himself only by his surname, Fu.

Shanghai and the coastal provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian to the south issued typhoon warnings requiring all vessels to return to shore or change course to avoid the storm, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

State-run newspapers reported that some 200,000 people living in coastal or low-lying rural areas of Shanghai were being evacuated as a precaution.

Zhejiang's flood control headquarters also ordered authorities to prepare for evacuations, patrol reservoirs and to be on the lookout for flash floods and landslides, Xinhua said. It said nearly 30,000 fishing boats in the province had taken shelter in port by late Monday and ferry service with outlying islands had been suspended.

The deadliest storm to hit the China coast in recent years was Typhoon Winnie in 1997, which killed 236 people. Typhoon Rananim, with winds of more than 160 kph (100 mph), was the strongest typhoon to hit the Chinese mainland since 1956, killing nearly 200 people.

I spent about 3 hours at the Big Bamboo today watching them Sandbag their doors over a few Carlsberg Beers. News travels slow in the PRC unless you're a celebrity or a dissident.

City issues orange alert for typhoon Wipha
By Lydia Chen 2007-9-18

THE SHANGHAI Meteorological Bureau issued an orange typhoon alert at 2:47pm today with Typhoon Wipha, the most destructive storm in a decade, less than 660 kilometers away from the city and heading our way.

The orange alert is the second highest weather warning in the face of a typhoon, following the highest level of red alert. Yellow alert is the second lowest, followed by blue alert.

Wind speed is predicted to increase to 102 kilometers an hour in urban areas of the city soon, accompanied by up to 50 millimeters of rainfall, the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau warned in the alert.

Winds along the mouth of the Yangtze River and coastal areas are expected to reach up to 117 kph, the bureau added, while winds near the Yangshan Deep Water Port will hit 134kph to 149kph, it added.

At 1pm today, Wipha was about 660 kilometers away from Shanghai.
Packing winds of up to 201 kilometers an hour at its center, it is moving northwest across the East China Sea at a speed of 20 kilometers an hour.

The storm is expected to dump up to 100 millimeters of rain on most areas of Shanghai tomorrow, driven by winds of between 75 and 103 kilometers an hour.

It is forecast to make landfall south of Shanghai late tomorrow afternoon through Hangzhou Bay after it first arrives in the central area of Zhejiang Province early tomorrow morning.

Shanghai education authorities released an urgent notice this afternoon saying that most students across the city will have one day off tomorrow due to the storm.

The city had evacuated 200,000 people at 10am today in some coastal districts and Chongming county ahead of Wipha.

Shanghai today also canceled a parade for the annual Shanghai Travel Festival in Pudong New area and all water trips bound for Zhejiang Province while Donghai Bridge may also close as soon as wind speeds reach 133 kilometer an hour during the storm.

As Reported by the Shanghai Daily.

So... I guess... we're in for a big one. All the more reason to grab the camera & get the hell out of my apartment tomorrow morning bright and early.

According to Weather Underground, we'll get the worst of it around 3pm. I've survived Hurricane Emily, which barely even touched Norfolk VA in '93. We survived, and Rocked like a Hurricane 2 years ago at Senses Wine Lounge. Now it's time for some photo evidence.

But Pray to the Lords of Kobol, PLEASE let my newest Monopoly set survive this one!

The Day Before Wipha

From Shanghai, Chi...

Outside the Big Bamboo bar yesterday afternoon.

From Shanghai, Chi...

Another outside the Big Bamboo.

From Shanghai, Chi...

Around noon on the 29th floor of a building in Xujiahui.

Looks like we're getting some somewhat bad weather

From Shanghai Daily

Wipha to hit Shanghai tomorrow
By Lu Feiran 2007-9-17


THIS year's 13th typhoon Wipha will exert serious influence on the city tomorrow and Wednesday, weather experts said today.

Wipha is expected to bring heavy rain with winds ranging from 50 to 88 kilometers per hour, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

Winds near the mouth of the Yangtze River and near the Yangshan Port area will be even stronger, reaching 75 to 117 kilometers per hour.

The wind and rain will also bring down temperatures, with highs dropping to 27 to 28 degrees Celsius, according to the bureau.


I'm wondering if that's why the internet completely sucks today. After all, the only news in China is GOOD news. But if they WANT good news, then I believe it's time for yet another Typhoon Party organized by yours truly!

But... why is it that in ANY other place, people know at least 4 or 5 days in advance, and they only tell us about THIS one a day before in China?

Drugs & Buses

Every day (until next week when I move out of this god-forsaken town), I have to ride a cramped, smelly, nasty bus called "74". It goes from Judytown to West Yan'an Road, though I get off at Beixinjing Subway Station.

Most of the time, it's a relatively normal ride. You get the peasants staring, the people pushing & shoving & staring, and the occasional screaming baby... staring. A couple days ago, however, I saw this at the exit of the bus.

From Shanghai, Chi...

Oh yes, that is INDEED a hypodermic needle! Don't believe me? Here's a close-up.

From Shanghai, Chi...

Why is there a needle on the bus, I ask myself. For what purpose would injecting yourself on a bumpy, crowded bus be made necessary? Was this something so drastic, or life threatening that it couldn't wait until the destination was reached? Or at least some place where one bump wouldn't have someone accidentally injecting the neighboring passenger?

And then... why just disregard the needle at the exit of the bus? Why not throw it into a proper receptacle upon exiting the bus? Oh... wait... This is China. I forgot.

The "needle end" of the syringe had already been busted off by the trampling feet of workers, shoppers, whackshack girls & the likes. Who knows where that part ended up. For safety's sake, hopefully not injected into the heel of a happy bus rider.

Subways & Beer

Our friend here apparently couldn't wait to get home to the family before downing a brew. These were taken at Jing'an temple station, Line 2 in Shanghai.

From Shanghai, Chi...

He got his ticket for the metro, so off he goes. The clerk is completely unphased that he's shirtless & holding a bottle of Suntory Beer, one of Japan's best.

From Shanghai, Chi...

Streets & Chinglish

We're Polite People! Hehe!

From Shanghai, Chi...

LiveEarth Concert, coming to Shanghai

I admit. I like Al Gore, and I think he's making a tremendous effort to make people aware of the growing climate crisis. His movie, "An Inconvenient Truth" is a real eye-opener, and I highly recommend watching it.

His latest project is Live Earth, a 7-country, 24 hour concert to raise awareness of Global Warming. So who's playing at Live Earth in Shanghai? Here's the rundown:
Sarah Brightman
Eason Chan
Winnie Shin
Evonne Hsu
Huang Xiao Ming
Anthony Wong
Joey Yung
12 Girls Band

Ever heard of them? My wife hasn't. Sarah Brightman, and her overplayed Darude mix I suppose, but the rest, pretty typically Chinese (or Hong Kongese as it were.)

So how do you get tickets for Live Earth Shanghai? MSN is hosting the pages for Live Earth. On that page is a link on where to get tickets, which leads to www.ticketpro.biz. From there, click on "China" and that'll lead you to www.ticketpro.cn. And there you go! "Buy Tickets Now!"... which leads you to the page where MSN is hosting the pages for Live Earth. Circular logic at its best I must say.

The information concerning Live Earth Shanghai was pretty much non-existant up until recently, suggesting all the performers who wanted to participate were vying for the US, UK and other closer to home venues. What did we get? Sarah Brightman. Even Japan scored Linkin Park. Funny too, as Linkin Park would be a HUGE success in this country. But Shanghai is not last. There's still Turkey, where, even with only a couple weeks to go, has yet to announce a line-up.

In the US, the tickets through Ticketmaster are $362.95 for a Global Warming Survival Handbook & the best seating at the Meadowlands Arena in New York (where the New York Giants & New York Jets NFL teams play... in case you were wondering). The price here in Shangers?

RMB 1100- nearest seats to stage.
RMB 550- left & right of the stage.
RMB 220- to the left.

Scouring the Intarwebs has netted me nothing in regards to the actual layout of the concert area, so if anyone could push & shove me in the right direction, it'd be appreciated. Also, if ANYONE has actually seen this advertised anywhere in Shanghai, let me know, because I've seen it NO WHERE!

Sorry Shanghaiist. No Robin Gibb or Cui Jian.

Flopsy Isn't Alone in his Plight

I work at this place that claims to be a center of learning for the youth of Shanghai (and Anhui & Xinjiang too, apparently) and in general, it's a decent place. It's not the best in Shanghai, but probably not the worst either. They generally treat people well, pay well & provide a contract before your last day of work (which is always helpful.) At least I thought that until a few weeks ago when I saw this:



Looks like a typical building. Dance classes on the top floor. Some classrooms below. Right?

But wait! What's that?

From Shanghai, Chi...

Can it be? Do my keen bloodshot eyes spy a worker of the harmonious society halfway up that monolithic cliff of urban concrete? Is there life here after all?

From Shanghai, Chi...

Yes, there! My eyes deceiveth me not! A worker of the harmonious society, and of the blue collared nature if I’m not very much mistaken! Well I'll be damned, up in the sky, fixing the school air-con, no straps, no nothing to save himself from a plummet-ty death. (The white thing around him is debatable... see below).

From Shanghai, Chi...

One Week Later...

From Shanghai, Chi...

Not the same worker, nor aircon, but someone came to the rescue! Kind of hard to see, but this time it's there in white. A harness held by another worker, possibly from the week before. Do ya think he may be a bit bitter for not getting the same courtesy a week prior?

Two Weeks Later...

From Shanghai, Chi...

Same Air-con, possibly the same worker, again with help. Workers' rights are looking up in this side of town. There may be hope yet!

I'll look for the red stains next week on the basketball courts below to see the end results.

Some of this post was gratuitiously ripped off from Sinocidal. 88|

Looking for a Secretary? Look No Further!

Looking for a secretary? Look no further!

I am 23 female, have good experience of dealing with foreign customers because I run trade business for the last two years,during which I export a lot of Chinese products to USA, Deutschland und Australia. I am quite familiar with the products source(factories), shipping companies and the custom clearance skills.

For some reasons I quit and now I wanna work as a trader, interpreter,. tourist guid, maybe we could cooperate to establish business in some potential area here.

Don’t call me for sexual service cause I aint booty call girl, not prostitute or money girl!!!!So pls respect me!!! No sex!!! Only business!!!

Contact me

Is the whole "Shanghai Girl/Gold digger" image going too far where someone looking for a decent job has to explicitly say, "NO SEX"?

Well... probably not. Perhaps this girl had a bad experience, but I'm pretty sure that ending isn't needed when posting your credentials online.

Every Advertisement has a Happy Ending

From Shanghai, Chi...

Only in Shanghai would a mainstream newspaper post advertising for a "happy ending." For those who don't know, A massage in China with a "happy ending" means they're basically giving you a hand job. This was posted in the Shanghai Daily ads section under "Health". And Yes, I'm absolutely sending this to Jay Leno!

And if you DO call that number, tell them Skyline5k sent you!:>>

UFO's Over Shanghai

From Shanghai, Chi...

THIS was spotted over the Castle Oktober bar yesterday evening! A UFO? A spacecraft from OUTER SPACE? A flying... (well, you know). Or maybe the Good Year Blimp?

Sometimes people in Shanghai simply confuse me. Take these guys for instance.

From Shanghai, Chi...

From Shanghai, Chi...

For whatever reason, they found it necessary to start wrestling on the metro last night. To the right, off camera was a girl who eventually had to get up to get out of their way. As my old friend Jack Exley would say, "Un-fucking-believable."

Eric D's Shanghai Efficiency Tips: Escalators

As Shanghai pushes to be farther & farther in the forefront of Chinese & Asian society, we should take a look at what we, both Chinese & expats can do to further see Shanghai into the future of Asian commerce & industry. Let's look at the Metro escalator facilities. See exhibit A below.

Exhibit A

From Shanghai, Chi...

Here we have a pic of a typical escalator (gratuitously ripped from flickr.com). Note the girl patiently waiting for her business partner at the bottom. "Where is he?" she wonders. "Surely he should be down the escalator by now! What's the hold-up?"

The hold up is simple. Upon exiting the train, commuters en masse & en volume rush to the escalator to head out of the metro station. The winners of this mad rush have a choice. Walk... or stand. They quickly make their decision as the victors in this contest, and ultimately choose to stand. While they're quick to get to the escalator, they're slow in coming down the escalator. (imagine the chaos that would ensue if the escalator should suddenly stop! The whole city would be stranded on these moving monstrosities!)

Ol' Eric has a simple, yet effective solution to quickly & vastly improve Shanghai's efficiency in the metro system. When going up the escalator, should you decide to stand, think of how you could greatly improve the efficiency of our fair city by standing on the right side of the escalator only, thereby allowing others wishing to walk access to an obstacle-free path up the elevator. See exhibit B below.

Exhibit B

From Shanghai, Chi...

For going down the escalator, the same principles could apply. By standing on only one side of the escalator, you are allowing people with urgent business to continue on their way to their urgent business meetings! See Exhibit C on the proper usage of down-directional escalators.

Exhibit C

From Shanghai, Chi...

So what possible motivation do you have to follow Skyline's rule of escalator usage? Imagine if you will, you and your significant other, riding the escalator. You both won the big race to the escalator, and you choose to stand, side by side, holding hands, his hand down her back pocket, and her hand down... well you get the idea. But behind you is a diplomat from the great nation of San Serriffe. He has documented evidence in his briefcase that must get to a meeting at the German Consulate, located next door to Castle Oktober. This information could avoid a great war between Germany & San Serriffe. By standing there, you and your significant other could cause him to miss the next train to the embassy, thereby causing him to be late for a meeting, thereby causing the German officials to storm out of the meeting, insulted and angry. Next thing you know, Germany is attacking San Serriffe, England is attacking the Falklands, America is attacking bottles of Scotch & all chaos breaks loose. All because your hand was down his... you get the idea.

The moral of this story is... get the hell out of Eric's way on the escalator. Okay?

Tongren Road, Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy

Considering most people I know already know the story, including family... I decided to reprint this story for the blog. This was originally posted on Shanghai Expat, edited slightly considering the time difference. Here goes...

I'm not entirely sure how all this went down last week, but suffice it to say, I got myself a good ass whupping that night. After the quiz night, I decided to make my way closer to the Nanjing Xi Lu area, via Tongren. Yeah, I know... "Tongren Road Sucks!" my old battle cry. But even I had to find something to do before going back to Judytown.

Well, busted up hand, face & teeth later, I certainly found something to do. (How my computer survived, I've no clue!) A gang of locals were out there, sticks, chains, pipes & all, and they were beating the living shit out of a laowai (foreigner). Tongren Road cops didn't do a whole hell of a lot.

So I did. Stupid Stupid me.

I rushed the first guy with a pipe (thinking chains hurt less) and knocked him to the ground. Then... I got my ass kicked too. Did any other foreigners jump in? Nope. Locals? yep.

The other laowai got his ass out of there, and I ended up taking his place in the scuffle. Needless to say, I've a bit of a headache today.

Whoever that laowai was, if you're reading this, you owe me one, dude. No good deed goes unpunished.

Since that incident, I do remember rushing a 2nd person, but, well... 15 vs. 2 aren't very good odds to say the least. And as last night was St. Patrick's day (or St. Sneaky Pete's day if you will), all the fun people were out in force. I was out with Alex & a few of his friends, not Shanghai locals, but Chinese locals at least. And I almost saw a repeat of last week, as... this time a foreigner was fucking with one of the locals. Took his Guinness hat, pointed to it & said, "is this mine?".

Highly unlikely.

The foreigner did actually give it back, no incident required. And the whole thing took like 5 seconds. But I did realize, apparently I'm an equal-opportunity brawler.

Sorry, no pics of the newly... renovated teeth.

Love on the Shanghai Metro

Valentines day comes in all shapes & sizes for the people in Shanghai, and the locals' embracement of western holidays hasn't skipped a beat here. The image below, a man, proposing to his would-be bride on Valentines Day evening, was taken on the Shanghai Metro Line 1. An odd place to propose indeed, but I've seen stranger.

From Shanghai, Chi...

Another couple on the Shanghai Metro Line 2 showed their affection for one another to an unnoticing crowd later that evening. As a man, I do feel there are certain places where public displays of heart-shaped balloons belong, and that's in either Kingdom of Loathing or the circus.

From Shanghai, Chi...

Fun with the English Language

A few days ago (yeah I know the server's been down, thanks, AIT!) I was chatting with a friend on msn who came tearing onto the IM client with questions regarding her USA counterpart's email to her. She & her all-Chinese staff figured out what the rest of the email meant quite easily. It's their job & their company, so generally, English emails are no problem for them, except for this one phrase. After consulting online dictionaries & various translator sites, this friend (who probably doesn't want to be named) finally decided to consult the one person she knows to be the foremost expert on Americans, me. The American.

She popped on msn & told me this dilemma and finally asked me to help her figure out what the phrase at the end of the email meant.

The phrase: "Go Bears!"

Superbowl Party in Shanghai

Yeah yeah, I know. The Bears lost. But still, the party over at Bubba's Texas Barbecue & saloon, (2262 Hong Qiao Lu by the Hongqiao Marriott) was pretty good. The place was absolutely packed, with half the place rabidly cheering on the Bears, and the others saying something about the Colts. They offered up a good breakfast of spare ribs & soft tacos, along with beer, martinis, bloody marys & other drinks (yes, all at 7:30 in the morning!)

KJ, the proprietor of Bubba's also ordered up his own halftime show complete with dancing girls. The girls, however were a bit lacking, and at least the upstairs crowd didn't seem to pay too much attention. But then again, with all the people, they didn't exactly have the room to perform in the first place. Whatever... it was a good time, and KJ did promise that next year's party would be better (suggesting that the downstairs crowd wasn't too into it either.