Shanghai...

Shanghai....where do I start...

It's a city of paradox...it's neither here nor there!

Some parts of the city remain classic, full of romantic love and songs from the 1920s....whilst other zany parts of the city reminds of Futurama gone wrong!

I miss Shanghai.....

Reminiscing about Beijing with love...

Beijing, the capital of China, the pride of the Chinese empire, the northern capital, the administrative stronghold of the CCP....

This place does have many names....

I like this place, but it is also a place that is pretty much an accquired taste, much like a strong cheese....

Initially, I was wondering....what is Beijing like? Why are there so much construction going on? Is China trying to show to the rest of the world its construction might or is labour that cheap?
Do they even have the capacity to absorb all these new constructions? In a way, as long as China continues to have phenomenon growth and the Chinese people continue to believe that Beijing is the centre of all Chinese power, there will not be spare capacity.....

The change and vibrancy that is Beijing will make me miss this place! I don't however miss the harsh winters and the spits.....

Impending Storm in HK

Woohoo....
 
My first typhoon storm in HK since I have been here! About time....the last time there was a storm warning was a couple of weeks ago...
 
But that storm got away and escaped to Taiwan...
 
It's finally here! A typical tropical cyclone...
 
Have been through them before, in Taiwan...and saw goldfishes floating around in the air....
 
Must say i haven't seen it before in HK....
But it must be of regular occurances in HK as people are extremely organised about this here...
When the warnings escalate into higher and higher rankings, people start making preparations to head home...
Shops, offices and banks are closed by now..and the stock exchange is closed! (boy it must be a serious warning! HKSE closed?!?!)
 
The streets are mostly clear now, as I sit observing in my hotel room....except for a few silly tourists who are out walking around near the ferry docks....(i think they probably have a wish of being swept into the sea and seeing the fishes there...)
 
There is a sense of calm around.....
The busy streets and buzz of HK have all suddenly gone.....Quietness reigns!...
 
Seeing this reminds me of the cliche "The calmness before the storm" (i hope i got the cliche right! Can't quite remember)
 
Took a photo from my hotel room. Yep I am facing the harbour and into Kowloon. Can't wait for the storm to arrive! I can view it from here! All safe and sound...
 
I know I shouldn't be so excited about a storm that might potentially claim lives and cause damage to property etc, but it's exciting to see one up close after so many years (the one which I observed in Taiwan was when I was a kid!)
 
Observe the photo (it is a photo of the Star Ferry terminal)...i think most of the ferries and boats are docked....
 
It is still not raining as heavily and the winds have not really gone into full strength...
I hope the storm is fast and quick....I want to head out on the weekend!?!?!
ooh...the waves are getting stronger....perhaps the storm is coming.....
 
 

Impending Typhoon in HK

The walkway to freedom or capitalism for many years....

Shenzhen Lo Wu border crossing
 
This is what I normally go to get from Shenzhen to HK and back.
 
Like a typical border crossing, you get the usual touts, beggars, hawkers, and illegal cab drivers......
 
But the difference comes in the form of how they approach you.....
They are more aggressive and more proactive in their approach with you....
 
Somehow a simple no won't suffice in getting rid of them...
 
Some will tug at your sleeves and go on...and on...about their plight/product/personal characteristics....
 
For the kids begging, you really feel sorry for them.....but you know that if you give money to them, it won't go to them and it will probably end up in the hands of a begging syndicate...
 
Would it be encouragement for these syndicates to either abduct/buy/bring kids from outer provinces to beg/grovel?
 
Yes. I believe it will. But I feel so powerless as I can't do anything about it.
The kids do look pitiful and hungry.
And some of them are missing limbs or look sick, so much so that you do feel really sorry for them...
 
It's really heartaching to see such scenes....
I have seen it before in other chinese cities, and also in Thailand.....
It is a typical scene in most developing cities...
 
I think it is really disturbing...
Why do people exploit others' misery for money?
 
 
 
 

Shopping...

Shopping is a favourite past-time of the Chinese....
 
It's also mine....except I like window shopping....and observing...better...
Buying comes along with that, but it is not something which I seek to do all the time...
Primarily because I am half-broke most of the time...hehe...and also because I have things which I need already...and I don't have anymore need to add to my collection....
 
Or perhaps the things I see don't grab me or attract my fancy.....
There are many many types of shoes and clothes etc, but I didn't buy...
 
Or perhaps I chose one of the hottest day ever to go shopping with my colleague Helen....
We put our health in peril hehehe..... (we aren't exactly the smartest girls around...)
I got heat-stroke...... (and i am definitely the stupider of the two)
The shops were all fascinating but tightly packed together....
 
I think shopping requires the right combination of factors....
A want to buy (most often a factor for most girls), a need to buy (most often a factor for guys), and the right amount of money, time, climate and mood....
 
Also, it requires the right kind of spirit, and the right kind of shops....
by shops, i don't just mean clothes, books etc shops...but also food shops...
We need to eat and recuperate.....and drink to refresh our energies...
 
So I have incorporated a photo of a chinese pagoda shopping place in Shenzhen, with KFC on the second floor....

Dongmen shopping area Shenzhen

Whilst waiting....

Here I am sitting waiting for my flight from Shenzhen to Wuhan...

Boy was it harrowing and interesting trying to catch the bus from HK Airport to Shenzhen Airport!
Ideally I would have loved to catch a connecting flight but as there were no direct flights and I don't really want to hang around at the airport til the next day, I decided to go to Shenzhen to catch a flight up to Wuhan instead.

It must have been the wanderlust for travel that made me do it, I swear!
Was interesting crossing the border via the bus! Now, I have tried crossing via train and bus! So maybe I should take the ferry next?

Perhaps I have too much time to spare, but with one hour to waste whilst waiting and the bookshop having close…...i decided to switch on the laptop and do some work...
But all I got done was some minor project planning...
Most of my time I spent observing my fellow passengers instead….

Why do Chinese people have to spit?

Do people have that much phlegm that they need to eject it from their system in a hurry?
Do they have to do it with such gusto, accompanying noise and all?
Do they have to do it in public (which by the way is spelt publice here as evidenced by publice signs in Shenzhen airport!)?
Do they have to do the spits so frequently?

These are the questions which I have been asking, and which I have been trying to observe and to ponder ever since I arrived in China….

Till date, I have to report that I have not achieved much success…

One theory which I am trying to confirm is: The diet in China causes unknown amount of phlegm to be formed and coagulated in the throat of a person….

I shall sacrifice myself and try to adapt to the full chinese diet here in Shenzhen and Wuhan….

Only then will I be able to confirm my theory….

Do await my findings…..

Disclaimer: I promise not to spit! I have been told ages before by Tom that I can’t spit and I only dribble (that was in reference to wine tasting and not spitting in public!). Since dribbling phlegm is definitely worse than forceful spitting, I will just suffer in silence if my theory holds true…

Home for a bit...

I haven't been exactly communicative and regular with my posts lately, as I have been travelling heaps and also been doing more work than anticipated.

Boy, has it been a punishing schedule...but one which is enjoyable nevertheless...

I sometimes wonder whether I like the wandering life....

Perhaps I do...but I do get tired of it....

It's fun to see, experience, do stuff. You really do get a sense of life and what it can possibly bring and what it can possibly hold...

On the other hand, I do harbour a hope or perhaps a want of stability.
But I don't know where and how...

Perhaps I still do want to experience and see the world!

China has been extremely interesting...
It's easy to see the negatives of being in China, but on the other hand, you can get a hellava experience there!
For one, it really made me realised how anglophile I am.....and what a culture shock it has given me!

On the other hand, I can get to experience and appreciate the finer aspects of the chinese culture, society and thoughts.....(if you ignore the negative aspects or have a positive spin to the negative aspects!)

It is a country rich in experience and it's vibrant!
Even Wuhan is vibrant in its own way....
I get the sense that life is so rich there!
But also life is so cheap there! You have to make it your own! And how do you do it?

Education is one way of doing it, but grasping what life gives you is another possible way(that's how i feel!)

I am home in KL and JB for a week, as I am awaiting my visa to be done! This time around to minimize hassles, I will be obtaining a 6 mth multiple visa! So yeah! I can have as many trips in and out of china!

Will be out to the motherland in a couple of days...

Can't say I really look forward to it as I am weary of travelling, but on the other hand, I am looking to experience once again what China has to give me!