Really?

I don't think much needs to be said here. I spotted him yesterday looking thoroughly humiliated. And in case you can't see, his tail is purple. 

Everyday stuff

I received a special request from Paul to show where I store my bike. Not sure why. But here you are. This is my bike in front of the kitchen surface. I have to take it up 25 floors in the elevator, which can sometimes be a bit of a squeeze.

The thing over the handle bars is a scarf - it used to be my pashmina but i had a bit of a washing accident yesterday. So now it's a tea towel.

Bathing

My apartment complex has a swimming pool, which I try to go to some mornings. But it's not very nice. So when I noticed the sign today, it made me smile. 

Dogs in bows

No boots this time, just bows. Red ones with gold trim. This is Carol.

...and Priscilla

There was actually a third, but he was a little humiliated about the the hair accessory, so I agreed not to take a photo. 

Dental Missionary

On Saturday I volunteered to help teach Chinese children about dental hygiene. Seeing as I don't speak mandarin, most of my input involved colouring in, but it was still fun. This was my class. They were all very well disciplined. (As you'd probably expect out here.)

And this is a play some other volunteers put on for the school. 

 

It mostly involved holding up giant food types and getting the kids to shout if they were good or bad for teeth. Simple, yet effective. (Dove is Chinese Galaxy.)

At the end of the day we all sang a song to the tune of 'row, row, row your boat', but rewritten as 'brush, brush, brush your teeth' (in mandarin). That was the best bit.

Me, my bicycle and Ian

As promised, here's a picture of me and my new bicycle with a basket. Ian popped himself on the back for the photo. Don't worry Mum, I don't cycle like that on the road.

Office talk

I've been accused of being too food-focused. (It's probably because I spend most of my time out here eating.) So here's a little about what I get up to in the day time.

This is our W+K office in Shanghai from the inside. 

The windows are covered in white vinyls that tell a story, which looks rather lovely from the outside. 

Here's one of the office dogs. There's another one's called Tilly who has a permanent grimace, so she didn't make the cut. Neither of them wear shoes.

And here's why we shouldn't have dogs in the office.

Our toilet cubicles here are quite special. They're painted with a blackboard substance, with chalk provided inside. Here are some words of wisdom I picked up this morning.

Every morning there's a free Chinese breakfast spread. Still not sure what everything is, but I'm working on a trial and error basis. And here's an agency meeting/breakfast double whammy. (Tilly sneaked into the front.)

This is the 'green'. It's a large, hilly, carpeted meeting area with a giant stuffed dragon that people recline on. Here we are, learning about the future of digital.

That's it for today. Perhaps tomorrow I'll tell you about my local running track and the crazy old people who wander round it backwards for a healthy spirit.

Another day, another Chinese breakfast

Pork bun, you tiao (translated as 'oil stick'), 2 x orange slices, one apple and a cappuccino.

Going local

I popped back to Tesco yesterday for some shampoo and came back with a snake. 

Here's the toad tank - was nice to see some familiar labeling.

Tortoises.

And then I noticed a fish flapping about on the floor of aisle 3. It had jumped clean out of its tank. I alerted the snail-monger and she popped it back. Apparently it happens all the time.

Dogs in boots

There are a lot of clothed canines out here. I'm not sure why. Maybe they like shopping. This is Henry, sporting a rather fetching pair of red and white lace-ups with a navy anorak. I met him this morning at the traffic lights.

Taxi

Apparently there's a taxi colour coding system in Shanghai. 

Pastels are good.

But steer clear of the reds. They can get really angry.

There's also a star system. I'm not quite sure what drivers have to do to earn a star (pretty certain they're not awarded for their driving skills), but apparently if they have 5, then they can speak English. Most of mine normally have 1 or 2, but I did get into a 4-star taxi last night. Didn't notice any difference, mind. If anything he was a little nonchalant.

As well as stars, each driver has a number, and apparently they've been given these consecutively. So this is the 172,599th driver in Shanghai. 

I'd love a ride in a single-digit-er before I leave. Bet he'd have 5 stars.

Special Ingredients

I had lunch in a Szechuan restaurant today. It specialises in bull frogs. Here they are waiting patiently in the doorway. 

And here's a couple cooling their tummies against the glass. It was warm today.

I felt a bit sad for them, all packed in on top of one another. Maybe next time I'll give one a go. Apparently they're rather tasty. And you get to choose which ends up in the stew.

Dumpling Fest

Here are some pics from my most recent Dumpling Fest. We went to a place that specialises in soup dumplings - you bite a hole in them, suck out the broth and then eat the middle. Delicious. 

 

This is a mixed platter - each has a different flavoured dough.

Here's a giant one filled with crab soup. Apparently the bigger they are, the more skill they take to make.

And to eat.

Which I haven't quite yet mastered.

Chinese Fun Run

I did an 8K fun run this morning in the Pudong district of Shanghai. It was hot and a bit crowded (mostly with flag-yielding Chinese runners), but there was a great atmosphere. Here's everyone warming up:

And this is my medal:

Another morning in Shanghai

Evidence of a chicken slaughter.

Chinese breakfast - rice dumplings and a cappuccino.

A dark horse

It appears that Celia has a penchant for junk food. (That is a huge slice of pizza folded over her coffee cup. One of two others to her left.)

Tomorrow's looking up

First Shopping Trip

Living in China can be a bit daunting. Especially when you need to carry out everyday, mundane activities which you'd think would be relatively simple. Like working the shower. Or turning on the washing machine:

So going to the supermarket was a bit of an expedition. I took the easy option and went for Tesco... except that they had toads and snakes in glass containers. And it bared no resemblance to Tesco. In fact, I didn't manage to buy anything that I wanted. Except for soap and air freshener (my room's musty). I tried for washing powder and got softener - and the thing with the red top is soy, not milk. The rest was stuff that looked safe-ish. Like Oreo cookies.

Next time, I'm taking Celia.

Quick Meal Update

Today we went for a Xin Jiang (pronounced 'Shin Jee-ang). It's an area in the NW of China, where the people are Muslim and look a bit Turkish. (But they're Chinese.) It mainly revolved around barbecued kebabs (which can never be a bad thing). Here's Charinee with what I think was chicken: 

And this is a wonderful, wonderful creation which I'm going to try and make at home. It's hot apples and mango, covered in boiling syrup, which you skewer and dip into cold water to harden the outside. Incredible. I ate most of them:

I've got a bit of catching up to do. There's been a national holiday in China today (tomb-sweeping day), so I've just got back from a weekend away in Nanjing. That's the city that used to be the capital of China, before it moved to Beijing. It's also the city that suffered a huge massacre at the hands of the Japanese during the 2nd World War. I know all about that now after visiting their massacre museum. Here are a few highlights from the trip (will put the rest of the pics on facebook):

Shanghai station. I asked everyone to smile, but they felt more comfortable with a threatening glare

A train man spinning all the seats around, to go back to Shanghai. It means no one ever has to travel backwards.

     My dinner. It was a traditional 9 course Nanjung banquet. Still not sure what anthing was, but half of it was lovely.

Me trying to throw a wish ribbon onto a plastic, gold painted tree. Harder than it looks.

Dead ducks

Karaoke. We got our own disco strobe lights and stage. 

...and our own bow-tied personal shopper in the karaoke store.

Wishes and messages inscribed on wooden tablets, hanging in the Buddhist temple

Emperor's mausoleum (one of them from the Jung Dynasty) 

and friends from work jumping

Stunning sculpture outside the Nanjing Memorial Museum

More food. Chinese hot-pot - you get to cook your meat in spicy soup.

Finishing off the trip with a massage - the special garments were provided.

That's it for now. Past my bedtime. Tomorrow, I'm going to try and cover off that taxi colour-coding. (Plus, i've found out there's a taxi star system you might be interested in, mum.)