Day 8

17/04/10

WeRun update: 7794 steps (a disappointing result)

Kindle update: 22% in to 12 Rules For Life

Putting Nanjing on the map
I live right next to Zifeng Tower, which is the 10th tallest building in the world at 450m tall.

Lunchtime classic
For 15RMB (3AUD), you can choose 1 meat dish and 2 vegetable dishes. It's served in a tray and they give you complimentary soup on the side. Quick, easy, efficient.

Bike-sharing

• Everyone on the streets is bike sharing - it is crazy! The market is dominated by a few big companies: Mobike, Ofo, Hellobike to name a few. 
• I decided to try it for the first time today. The process is simple. You download a bike-sharing app, pay a deposit (299RMB for Mobike), find a bike (your app will tell you where the nearest one is), scan the QR code on the bike and voila! The bike unlocks itself and you can ride it. 
• It was so useful as it cut a 20 minute walk to a 5 minute ride. It cost me 1RMB (20 cents) for the trip. You can buy monthly passes for 20RMB, which is definitely worth it if you use it every day. 
• The only downside is that I'm still not used to being on the right side of the road and the lack of road rules here. 

How to have dinner with some OG uncles:
Drink alcohol (baijiu or beer)
Chain smoke ciggies

One piece of advice I received from my aunty's sister's husband:
Uncle:     Have you adjusted to life here?
Me:         What I realised is that getting things done over here can be complicated...
Uncle:     If you just have ability, you won't get anywhere. If you have social connections, you can                      get things done. If you have both, you're laughing son!

A Nanjing classic
My friend recommended me the film "Flowers of War" as everyone speaks in Nanjing accent there - it's a story about a very dark time in Nanjing's history during the Japanese invasion. I thought it was moving at times but at other times, it tries too hard to be a East-meets-West type of film.

Chinese words of the day:
融入 - to assimilate / integrate (talking about how I have settled in)
干道 - main road
政府机关 - institution/organisation (driving past an area where all the government institutions were)
老干部 - veterans (driving past an area where all the veterans live)
盖浇饭 - meat, veggie rice combo (mentioned earlier in the post)