14/365

Project 365 Day 14
Another "city improvement" in preparation for the upcoming expo:
talking maps in taxis. For a few years now most shanghai taxi
companies have had advertising screens on the back of the front
passenger seat- something that anoys the hell out of me. But the
newest thing in the cabs using the Touchmedia screens is to have maps
with directions to a list of popular tourist destinations. There is
also a button to press to hear the directions in Chinese.
I can't say I've ever used it, and I'm not sure it would be of that
much use- the screen doesn't come on until the driver turns on the
meter, yet the driver usually won't turn on the meter until he
understands where you want to go. Classic chicken vs egg conundrum.
But who knows, it could come in use sometime.

13/365

Project 365 day 13
A man riding past a roadside display which are popping up everywhere
in preparation for the upcoming expo in Shanghai this year. In this
one, Hai Bao- the little blue guy- is dressed and holding firecrackes
ready for Chinese New Year.

12/365

Project 365 day 12
This photo was taken out eating hot pot with friends. As a rule (after
so many years in China) we generally don't eat Chinese food. Aside
from being sick of it, it is very difficult to order vegetarian food
in the meat loving Shanghai even whenbyou speak Mandarin.
Hot pot is one of the exceptions we make, especially at this
restaurant which has individual pots, organic vegetables and meat, and
100% vegetarian cooking broth for vegetarians like me!
The general idea is that you select your broth and a variety of
vegetables, tofu and meat, and a choice of dipping sauces, then you
cook all your food on a hot element on the table in front of you. I
must admit to finding the veg broth fairly bland, but if nothing else
it's fun, and has a good communal feel when you're with a group of
friends.

11/365

Project 365 Day 11
This morning I dreamed Phil and I were packing for a weekend of summer
camping by the beach. When my alarm rang I woke up to a very
depressing Monday morning in Shanghai. I very nearly quit my job on
the spot just so I could crawl back into bed. Eugh, I hate Mondays at
the best of times but this is just miserable!

10/365

Project 365 Day 10
Karaoke (known in china as KTV) is one of the most popular pastimes
for Shanghainese people. Far from being a very public experience that
it is in western cultures, in Asia you hire a small room with a few
friends. We went last night to rock the mike for a friends birthday.
When in Rome, huh?
This is only one small corridor of a rabbit warren of rooms in a chain
KTV venue containing a few hundred private rooms.

9/365

Project 365 Day 9
China has a lot of so called 'fake markets', named for the knock-off
products they sell (the products are fake, not the markets!). The
products are cheap but generally quite well made, and it is usually
very hard to tell the difference between one of these fakes and the
geunuine thing. There are several large, multiple-floor markets in
Shanghai alone, here is a photo of just one stall in the Pearl City
Market in Gubei area.
Of couse, as selling fake knock-offs is illegal, I myself have never
indulged in such an activity.... Hehehe.

8/365

In shanghai I can afford to do things that I would consider a luxury I
Australia- such as having regular manicures and pedicures!

7/365

Project 375 Day 7
Our aquarium, otherwise known as "what happens to old communist
propaganda statues in a modern China"

6/365

Project 365 Day 6
Shanghai morning (aka the obligatory Asian bicycle shot) taken once
again from my taxi window.

5/365

Back in Shanghai- a stone lion guarding the front of a restaurant.

4/365

Project 365 day 4
The streets of shanghai from the taxi as we went home from the airport last night. Right now I am back in a taxi heading to work, although it feels like my head only just touched the pillow. We are tired, cold, missing Australia already, but overall we ate happy to be back I'm our home.
It is a strange thing indeed to realise that your "home" is in a strange and foriegn land.

3/365

2/365

Take two... Again... Grrrr I'm having serious technical issues here...

2/365

 Another one still from australia but about our life in china (sort of)- as I do not live in Australia anymore I do not have a home here- hence we are staying in this caravan in my parents backyard. It's been ode quarters for two weeks, especially since Phil is 6'2" (189cm) tall! But we've come to think of it as a bit of a home away from home. In spite of this it will be good to get back to our apartment in shanghai with our OWN bed (although small and of the typical hard as a brick Chinese variety we've gotten used to it!)   

2nd attempt at 1/365

1/365

So here is the first photo in the Project 365 essay- although I said I would make it China-based, I am currently visiting family (and throwing our engagement party- yes Phil and I are finally making it legal!) in the Blue Mountains, about an hour west of Sydney, Australia. Indirectly this picture is still related to my life in China: living as we do in the hustle and bustle of Shanghai, it is top on our to do list to catch some peace and quiet and get back to nature whenever we are on holiday. This natural waterhole is called Jellybean Pool and is located in the Blue Mountains National Park, about ten minutes from my parents house.  

Project 365: Day 1
(and at 11:35pm I'm just in time!)

Project 365

My new year's resolution is to participate in a 'Project 365' assignment, in which I will attempt to post a different photo each day for 365 days. Being based in China, I have decided to make my participation in the activity a photo essay on a year in Shanghai. Mostly I will be posting photos directly from my phone, so I will appologise now for the quality of the photos.
My sister, Liz, will also be participating in the project (it was at her suggestion that I decided to join) and she will be documenting her life as a carer for her husband. Check out her blog A Caring Project
I do hope you enjoy the project.

More testing

A test in preparation for a mobile photo blogging project in the new
year

back in the saddle

Ok so I AM still here. I am also still in Shanghai, still teaching, still painting, still alive.

I would apologise for my absence here, but I've done that before and then life gets in the way yet again. However, a few things have indeed changed. I have returned back to teaching in the mornings only and will have much more time to write.

But I am totally disconnected from the blog world. The Chinese Government's internet restrictions are becoming worse and worse. For a long time we have had to use proxies to view certain websites (blogspot being one of them) but it just became a way of life. Now the range of websites being blocked is increasing, as the effectiveness of the proxies decrease. Facebook and Youtube are blocked (I know, I know, what do I do with all that extra time on my hands, you say) and even the one proxie I have found that still works fairly regularly is mind-numbingly slow. So not have I not been writing much, I have also not been reading or commenting on many of the blogs I used to be an avid reader of.

This is all to change. I promise to write here more, things in Shanghai are still weird and wonderful. and I have much to report on. But if any old friends (real or internet) are still out there, please say hello. It'll give me the motivation to get back in the groove again. Alternately if there are any new readers lurking out there- go on, introduce yourself! I promise I won't bite much.

Hellooo??

I'm back. Is anyone still reading this??