Shanghai

[tiddles]

Re: Shanghai

that match-making market is bizarre. LOL at the uniqlo opening, looks like seoul when they built the first H&M

[MJ]

Re: Shanghai

They certainly do things a bit different these Chinese. Can you speak the language or are you having to learn?

[feather]

Re: Shanghai

Nah I learnt Mandarin when I was young but haven't spoken it for 20 years. So it's a bit like riding a bike, I'm fairly conversant now. Though I could be saying something completely wrong or different from how they would say it but my team understands me so we get work done.

[MJ]

Re: Shanghai

I find the language always comes across as them sounding really angry all the time.

[i!!ustrious]

Re: Shanghai

my cousin is a chinese fanatic; he is a pasty ginger -- but a grad of the US army's linguistic school -- and is now fluent in the tongue. he is there again, and is making pivotal moves. will surely be visiting him and his cohort in the coming years.

i'm aware of the multi-myriads of dialects, but am making a certain pace in progress with certain formal speaks

[feather]

Re: Shanghai

I find the language always comes across as them sounding really angry all the time.

That's probably because they ARE angry ... this is something I seriously don't get. People can raise their voices, change their moods from cordial to pissed off in an eye blink, and then walk away like nothing happened.

But I do find the Hokkien dialect particularly angry-sounding.

There's a severe lack of patience in this country, people flare up, honk on the roads, ride into you before you jump out of the way (pedestrians have no right of way here), etc ...

[MJ]

Re: Shanghai

Does any of the impatience ever end in violence or is everyone just mouth and knickers?

[feather]

Re: Shanghai

You hardly see violence on the streets in the day, but that impatience and general lack of etiquette (no respect for personal space means people pushing into each other, add alcohol to the mix... ) very very often spills into fights in bars and fights.

[MJ]

Re: Shanghai

I don't think I could cope living there, ignorance and impatience are two of my pet hates.

Anyway, loving the thread sir, keep it up.

[feather]

Re: Shanghai

[feather]

Re: Shanghai

Caught The Field on Sat night, awesome gig.

Axel Willner came with 3 other guys: 1 drummer, 1 guitarist, and 1 guy on laptop. Sometimes Willner will play the guitar too so there'd be 2 guitarists. Sometimes the other guitarists gets on some equipment so 3 of them would be on electronics.

Gig was at Yuyintang, a small live-house, kinda grungy and raw, usually frequented by uni students. That night the place was packed to the door, no moving room. I was standing on a chair against the wall at the back, recorded some footage.

[feather]

Re: Shanghai

Been a while since I updated this thread. So:

I quit my job in March. I broke up with the gf in April : We had planned to move to NYC (she's from Chicago) in Sept

I didn't know what to do with myself, but thought I'd stick to the plan and head to NYC on my own, sticking to the same timetable.

From April till now, I've been freelancing at another company and I just told them yesterday I want to wrap up by end of the month, which is next Thursday.

My lease ends July 5th, so I'm getting the fuck out of this fuck hole after. Woo hoo!

Huge relief.

Going to stop over in Singapore for 1-2 months, and then head to NYC. Can't wait to kick back in Singapore, hit the pool, do nothing, eat, recuperate from the China experience.

I started using an iPhone and Instagram, an app that lets you apply filters over your photos. So if you guys don't mind those I can update this thread with some pics. Otherwise you can see them here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vurtoma...7627011867688/