Shanghai Had

Back on track

2009-05-08T00:11:00.000-07:00

When I was growing-up as a wee lad there were several show on the TV that would have me glued to the screen. Macgyver was a clear favourite as was other such classics as Sooty and Sweep, Jamie and the Magic Torch. There was also this show called Kids Songs which had a sensational opening. The kids in their exploring of the local neighbourhood stumble upon an abandoned warehouse. With the kind of

Cold as an Eskimo's Trumpet

2008-12-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

Well apparently Shanghai is too cool to have an autumn. It went form 25’c one day to 10’c the next. So all of sudden I am having to go from planning my how to manage sweat patches to starving off the goosebumps.It is messing with my mind a bit. In Wellington pretty much when the sun and blue skies are out it wont be that cold. But here its crisp as. This Friday as I rode my bike to work in

And they are off......

2008-11-13T23:08:00.000-08:00

Well after crying out for so long for a hint of audience participation it would be a shame not to answer Nick’s call and write a bit of an update on the training. I have been training well albeit loosing 7 days last week when my father was in town. However the goal of actually running the Shanghai half marathon has taken a bit of a turn for the worst. You see they closed the registrations and I

Lets make it complicated

2008-11-12T03:14:00.000-08:00

I went to Hong Kong for the Bledisloe the other week, but we can talk about that later. Once off the plane there are several key decisions one has to make which determine the enjoyment of the next 1 ½ hours of your life. It is unfortunate you often have to make these important decisions when your legs don’t quite have all their feeling and your sinus are still at 32,000 feet. It bemuses me how

The diary of a not as fat man

2008-10-28T04:33:00.000-07:00

Every since i started sitting at a desk from 9-5 there has been a little more of me to love. I never really got around to doing much about it. However since my arrival in Shanghai a few things exasperated the problem. Cans of coke being 50c. Magnum Ice creams being 70c. and a whole plethora of new flavors of potato crisps to discover. That with an esky friendly cricket team and I well and truly

Electile Disfuntion

2008-10-25T09:12:00.001-07:00

Now when sports goes bad the next best thing you can do is blame the Government. So here I go.The Election is on soon. I have my voting papers and I'm set to cast something a little bit special this time around. To be fair I have not been able to follow this election that closely. What is about to happen here is that I am about to digress into a massive diatribe for which you all be left slightly

My Rugby team, I love them. I love them not

2008-10-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

Blimmin Wellington Lions. For some reason I am passionate supporter of Wellington in every sport. Most people stopped caring about the provincial rugby a long time ago. But for me it is still a good time. After all I was standing on the terraces when the Lions won the NPC final in Christchurch in 2000. which will go down as one of my most treasured live sports moments. So how do you go from this

Jog like you mean it

2008-10-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

What happened to me I hear you ask. Well a few main things have occurred to nip blog writing in the butt. Work - I got real busy. secondly I got engaged to the lovely Hannah and am now in wedding planning mode. thirdly I discovered settlers of Catan online. I had few comments that people were keen for me to get a blog up. To be honest being a fairly sensitive bloke I become a bit demoralized in

The squat - 1.3 billion Chinese can't be wrong

2008-09-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

Dear readers,I am alive. I know there was grave concern to my safety after some of the things I had said to the establishment in recent blogs. However, as it turns out I am indeed just experiencing a spot of super business at work. But don't you worry, I am sure that will pass and I can get back to my fulltime blogging.In most westerns lands people are familiar with the three r's. reading and

The real Olympics

2008-08-29T00:32:00.000-07:00

Well no doubt you have all been watching the events unfold up in Beijing over the past few weeks. I have had the privilege as one of a select few that witnessed these games first hand. Well I guess I should start where the Olympics did on the 8th of the 8th. I missed a fair chunk of the opening ceremony but was delighted to tune in to here John Macbeth and Keith Quinn running proceeding on the

Olympics

2008-08-21T00:47:00.000-07:00

Well sorry for my lack of blog love. Beijing was not a hackers paradise. The internet their for non Olympic related use was terribly limited. so did not get much away. I will try and recount the emotion and Chinese Palaver of the past few weeks soon. In the meantime. Awesome that ones of its special features is to work properlyThese sounded to good to pass up when they came around.

Olympic Football at Shanghai Stadium

2008-08-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

Australia v Serbia.Australia were being dominated like a convict in a prison cell for most of this game. In true flukey Aussie style, completely against the run of play, they get a break away and score. Serbia would have been distraught. Luckily for them one of there 25 opportunities was finally taken and they leveled. Their delivery into the box was average all night and it cost them clear a

Why couldn't the chicken cross the road

2008-08-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have broken bread with me you have come across my thoughts on chicken. I have never been a fan of eating chicken off the bone. This is mainly because growing up we used to have a chicken farm. Which as it turns out is the same as saying I owned a brothel to the Chinese. Anyhow. I have never taken to eating chicken and for that matter fish with bones is somewhat of a battle. I

Beijing 2008

2008-08-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

Yes I'll be there.Good times to be had. I'll let you know my itinerary so you can look for me on the telly. I am just getting my tailored made supporters outfit made at the moment. its going to be awesome. Unfortunately the super hotness has limited my options but its all good.If you want to follow me more closely during the games then my updates will be far more frequent via SPARC's Eyes on

Shanghai Health Facility Tour

2008-08-01T00:58:00.000-07:00

When the airport water fountain gives up the ghost

2008-07-30T21:23:00.001-07:00

There is a new name in womens fashion.

2008-07-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

There are way too many options here, none of which are publishable. got your own? add your caption/ advertising slogan in the comments section.

I don't just want plain vanilla electricity.

2008-07-30T21:14:00.001-07:00

Hook a brother up with the good stuff! oh yea, That's what I'm talking about.

Taxi 201

2008-07-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

Shanghai Taxi drivers have typically been the object of my affection for their ability to not make me late and keep me in good supply of adrenalin. They are now also supplying me with a bountiful amount of motivation to learn Chinese. Beyond ensuring I get to where I want to go, the key aim now, is improving efficiency of this transaction.The main reason for minimizing the verbalizing, is that

A bit of everything

2008-07-28T07:14:00.000-07:00

Alright you have had to sit through a few random diatribe blogs lately. You will be pleased to know that in the past week I have been reminded of a few funny things about the Chinese. I know I am a man often short of finding the right words for a situation. But not wanting to leave you a few adjectives short of an imagination orgy I will give it a go.Now I may have in the past accidentally made

48 hours in Beijing

2008-07-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

I has a shoot this weekend past in Beijing. I was able to have my first domestic traveling experience. Considering the poor regard in which this is held I was pretty impressed. Sometimes having your expectations severely lowered is a fantastic way to enjoy the exceptionally unexpected. I do like surprises. Things were fairly efficient and standard the only weird bit being the internal immigration

back to walking the beat

2008-07-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

I write today;s blog with a heavy heart. You may recall the excited jubilation with which I acquired my bicycle some 7 weeks ago. We had shared some great memories together. As I peddled the dangerous streets of Shanghai my trusty bicycle nurtured me at every turn and intersection. On Friday as I arrived at the bike rack I was curious as to my bike wasn’t where I had left it. By that I mean it

Wind down the window

2008-07-10T01:07:00.000-07:00

So finally the rainy season seems to have gone away. The rain was starting to get to me. The rainy season definitely had a bad attitude. I mean sure, if you are going to rain, break into a light drizzle and the odd heavier drop. But you can’t just go from balmy 27 degrees clear grey skies to torrential rain in under 2 minutes. There is just no warning and suddenly the city is in chaos. There is

Probably not going back for seconds.

2008-07-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

Dear all, my humble apologies to you my loyal readers. It has been longer than expected since my last blog entry. I apologize for this, Work has taken over in recent weeks and given me a bit of a schooling. So I have been head down tails up.My first guests came stayed with me this past weekend. It was absolutely sensational to have some friendly and familiar faces to stay. So thanks to you Josh

A great moment in sport

2008-06-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

A great moment occurred in cricket history the other day. The Bashers CC is well known for giving people a go. This past weekend we had a Swiss , Italian, German and Frency all making the debuts in cricket a true toast the global community which we live in. We had been put into bat by the other team. We had freely volunteered our German to fill in for the other team who were short a fielder.The

p before you q

2008-06-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

One thing I don't understand is why there are queues in places. Sure when there is limited supply of resources, then it is inevitable that there will be a bit of a bottle neck. But surely people should do their best to make everyones life easier. Its just the good guy thing to do. As I write this I am waiting in the work permit hall at the entry and exit visa establishment in Pu Dong. The

Rain drops keep falling on my head

2008-06-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

I hope you enjoyed my last installment about the smells of Shanghai. I wont take it too personally that you were far keener to hear me find creative ways to describe nostril invasion than hear my collective words of wisdom. No doubt I will try and dispense this over the course of the next few blogs. It’s rainy season here at the moment. One thing growing up in Wellington taught me is that

Get your sniff on.

2008-06-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

After months of extensive nasal research I am pretty sure I have got it down packed. This type of account has never been published in the tourist guides of Shanghai. The raw truth to potent to be legal. So please allow me to elaborate where the Lonely Planet dare not go.There are four tones that form the basis of the Mandarin language. I have also discovered that there are coincidently four

The boy who cried towering inferno.

2008-06-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

Rightio. Back in the writing saddle.I would like to take a moment to thank you my loyal readers for tuning in to read my blog. It is nice to know you are there. Because for once in my life, the conversations that happen in my head on a fairly regular basis now have a reason to get out. That sentence should probably raise some concerns for most of you. However, This blog certainly contributes to

Accquistions and Mergers

2008-06-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

I have been acquiring a few DVD’s and I plan to catch up on all the seasons of Boston Legal over the next month. I will then move on to demolishing the rest of House. No matter how much time I have up my sleeve I will never ever start watching Lost. Unless, I was in a particularly ironic mood. And was granted a choice of one form of entertainment before being marooned on a deserted island.

An apple a day won't keep the Chinese away

2008-05-29T03:01:00.000-07:00

Finally got down to the police station on Monday. I was 5 days late to register, but sweet as. Every time I leave the country or change address I need to go the police station and re register. It is a bit of pain so one must try and be prepared with every necessary document. If something goes wrong you definitely have to phone a friend, as asking the audience is fruitless if you get in to

Shanghai Act II: Back in the Habit

2008-05-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

It has nearly been one week back on deck here in Shanghai. I have again made contact and infiltrated myself among my Shanghainese brethren.A week in the NZ air had been a real highlight on the return journey. However, it did make the first couple of days here a bit of a battle. I had forgotten how much of Shanghai smells like an old mans stale armpit. The temperature is starting to climb up here.

Sneaky, Sneaky

2008-05-20T06:18:00.000-07:00

Well I have a little confession to make. The reason I was a bit lite on entries last week was that I was in NZ. You can't really blog about a city you are not in. There ended up being a bit of a visa saga, which meant I had to apply for my visa back in Wellington in person. I had to low key it as it was just weird to be home so soon after my farewell. So I had to fly with a sinus infection,

Medic!

2008-05-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

My man flu decided to upgrade itself to a sinus infection. Basically, because my nose had been working overtime to try and get some breathable air into my lungs in Shanghai. This is a 24/7 job which my usually ornamental nose was unaccustomed to. I can say with out a shadow of doubt this has been the most painful experience of my life. More so than the time a hockey ball broke my nose and more

Making yourself at home

2008-05-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

One thing I had explained to me the other day was that Shangahi used to be a terribly noisy place. There were so many horns honking you could barely hear yourself think. Here they blitz one road safety rule a month and after having a no horn month people got the idea that they didn't need to use them. Now, people flash their lights at you if you are driving as badly as they are. So whilst it is a

Lost in Translation

2008-05-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

The language barrier here is an absolute mission. Not only am I going to need to conquer Mandarin. But then I need to master the local dialect of Shanghainese. Which is slightly disheartening considering after nearly a month I have only doubled my original vocab of two phrases. So inevitable things get lost in translation, namely anything that I say and even more so if I was trying to make a

I have to get this off my chest

2008-05-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

There is a little bit of unrest here at the moment towards us Lao Wai. On several occasions over the last couple of days people have called me a Lao Wai as i passed them in the streets. Which even though it is calling a spade a spade, it just doesn't seem right. Am I in the middle of a racist war? I ask myself.I decided to raise this with one of my colleagues. Citing my brushes with animosity

long weekend

2008-05-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

It has just been Labour weekend here in China. Last year it was 5 days, however this year it was cut down to a sneaky two-day holiday. They changed their mind and decided to spread the holidays out more evenly this year or something. They are pretty fluid with most of the laws here. Things can also change very quickly too. a few people went away, but I spent my time checking out markets and

Some pics

2008-04-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Cuba st, Shangahi A cool place I discovered the other day where there are lots of little lanes, with little designer stores and cafes and about a million french people.Nice and greenOnce you are out of the downtown part most of the streets are lined with trees. So heading into spring things are starting to look pretty green. Room with a view The view from my accommodation down towards Puxi.

Life on the street.

2008-04-24T06:46:00.000-07:00

Great news, I saw the sun yesterday. It was the first time I have seen it here. I was surprised, that I was surprised to see it, and then I was happy. It was yellow….ish. Speaking of yellow I pleased to announce that I have made a great discovery in the lavatory. There is a room at the back of the bathroom with a picture of a pipe on the door. I had always assumed it was a

one week already

2008-04-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

I have just ticked over my first week in Shanghai. It has been pretty tough going to be honest. I really should have paid more attention when buying fireworks at Mr Chans growing up. a couple of words would make a big difference.I am glad to announce that today I caught my cab to work by saying the names of the roads in Chinese. and I actually got to go where I wanted. Good times.I had almost

Taxi!

2008-04-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

My apologies for the slowness of post number two. I gather that to increase the fan base you need to keep it consistent. This is certainly not one of my virtues but my character is a canvas that can be repainted, so sweet as. I also need to not include terms in my blog which are a bit sensitive as the powers that be blocked my blog here until I changed enough of the naughty words, like freedom of

Early Observations

2008-04-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

Well after months of anticipation and speculation I have finally arrived in China's commercial hub.The 13 1/2 hour flight went pretty quickly thanks to the double upgrade into business class. That flat bed gave me a good solid 7 hours sleep which definitely makes the trip more doable. I had the courtesy near the end of the flight to pay a walking visit to my brethren in economy class. It really