First Shanghai Post...

Shanghai, Jan. 20, 2007

So, here we go! Just wanna write something to kick it off, blog stylee! It's cold and grey in Shanghai and reminding me of London a lot - too much in fact. It's a dampness that creeps into your bones, and even though it's not as cold as say, NYC, it's worse because you never feel warm. On top of that very few apartments in Shanghai have central heating; the vast majority relying on air conditioners that also blow dry hot air out and use lots of electricity. It's a dumb set-up, but like lots of things in Shanghai, everyone just accepts it and says "mei ban fan" - which means "nothing you can do about it", or in American parlance a closer match would be "That's life". Actually Shanghainese people have developed amazing resilience to cold and heat (the summers are also brutally hot). Most times I get into a cab in winter, the driver has all windows cracked and is wearing nothing more than a sweater - careening around recklessly with red cheeks sipping his endless jar of tea. But for me I can't seem to get warm for almost a week now, since the sun disappeared behind a dirty blanket of clouds and smog. So why do I live here then? I've been asking myself that question lately too, but there's always the flipside. Firstly, I haven't nearly begun to explore this crazy city - even after 11 months. There's always a new neighborhood I didn't notice somehow, even though I live in the area, or a street that makes me stop and marvel at the mad life being routinely lived on it. But more on that later. Suffice to say that the good stuff is by far outweighing the bad stuff, and so here I am. The Shanghai Kid.