21.05.2018
WeRun Update: 5264 steps
Lunch with Kenny
Thank god for competition in the ride-sharing industry here in China. I've been using Didi heaps and I've almost used up all my discount codes. Luckily, there's another player in town that's competing - Meituan Taxis. I'm meeting Uncle Kenny in the South Lake district where there's some good noodle joints and roast duck/salted duck shops. We get some duck and I've ordered some pork skin/pork kidney noodles (which was very delicious), then Kenny takes me to some sesame moon cake place which has a queue all day every day - also very tasty.
First class organised for Mr Liu
TESOL certificate has finally come through. They've asked me to run a 2 hr group training session for 16 people in Jiangning district (1 hour away from Nanjing). It'll be every Wednesday for the next three weeks, with the unit being on Telephoning. I've got my first classes at the school on Saturday - one beginner, one upper-intermediate and one public class (where I get to talk about a topic of my own choosing).
Getting me hair done
I struggle with having too much choice so I was having a hard time trying to find a salon to cut my hair, since you can find one on every street in Nanjing. To make the decision easier, I asked my uncle to take me to his salon (because I'm less likely to feel uncomfortable there and I've got my hair done there previously). I must say, it was a good experience. 1) The service wasn't over the top. 2) The hairdresser did not try to promote other services every second. 3) It was very cheap (50RMB) for a decent, no-frills wash, cut and dry. I'll take that any day of the week.
Sunday, 27 May 2018
Wednesday, 23 May 2018
Day 40
20.05.2018 (Weekend in Shanghai)
WeRun Update: 9128 steps
China Footy
This morning, I went back to the ground to watch the AFL competition between the expats of different cities in China. There was the Beijing Bombers, Shanghai Tigers, Yangshuo Beerfish, Guangzhou Lions and two others. Beijing and Shanghai were all expats whilst the other teams were mostly locals. Although I didn't play, I did spend a lot of time having shots at goal and kicking it to other players who weren't on the field. The games were in AFLX format, on a soccer pitch - which I found really weird because I think it messes up the strategy. Anyway, the quality of footy wasn't amazing but I was very impressed with some of the skills of the locals. These are locals who had just picked up the game and still learning how to play but they attacked the ball hard and were very athletic and quick - which the older expats found trouble dealing with. They go to schools and colleges who specifically train them to play footy - and spend the rest of their time training their bodies - which means they're not easy to play against. Shanghai Tigers ended up winning the competition - they had the most talent and took their games very seriously with game plans and training sessions before the competition.
Expat Life
It was interesting to hear the stories and motivations of some of the expats who have been here for an extended period of time. I met this one woman who moved over here with her boyfriend, who had a goal in mind to work in Asia for 5 years. After working in Shanghai for a few years, they recently got a job offer to go to Singapore (from some people they met on holiday). I told her it's crazy how your career can change so quickly and coming from the most unexpected of circumstances. I've got a mate here who found a job in Saudi Arabia after being in Nanjing for 3 years. I have a lot of respect for people who can just move their whole lives to a different country when asked to. I think they would be used to moving around so it is just second nature for them.
WeRun Update: 9128 steps
China Footy
This morning, I went back to the ground to watch the AFL competition between the expats of different cities in China. There was the Beijing Bombers, Shanghai Tigers, Yangshuo Beerfish, Guangzhou Lions and two others. Beijing and Shanghai were all expats whilst the other teams were mostly locals. Although I didn't play, I did spend a lot of time having shots at goal and kicking it to other players who weren't on the field. The games were in AFLX format, on a soccer pitch - which I found really weird because I think it messes up the strategy. Anyway, the quality of footy wasn't amazing but I was very impressed with some of the skills of the locals. These are locals who had just picked up the game and still learning how to play but they attacked the ball hard and were very athletic and quick - which the older expats found trouble dealing with. They go to schools and colleges who specifically train them to play footy - and spend the rest of their time training their bodies - which means they're not easy to play against. Shanghai Tigers ended up winning the competition - they had the most talent and took their games very seriously with game plans and training sessions before the competition.
Expat Life
It was interesting to hear the stories and motivations of some of the expats who have been here for an extended period of time. I met this one woman who moved over here with her boyfriend, who had a goal in mind to work in Asia for 5 years. After working in Shanghai for a few years, they recently got a job offer to go to Singapore (from some people they met on holiday). I told her it's crazy how your career can change so quickly and coming from the most unexpected of circumstances. I've got a mate here who found a job in Saudi Arabia after being in Nanjing for 3 years. I have a lot of respect for people who can just move their whole lives to a different country when asked to. I think they would be used to moving around so it is just second nature for them.
Day 39
22.05.2018 (Weekend in Shanghai for the footy)
WeRun Update: 10324 steps
Today, I'll be heading to Shanghai to watch a match between Port Adelaide and Gold Coast. I actually never thought I'd be going to this, so I'm pretty pumped.
Got picked up by Liam's Didi at 7am for an 8am train to Shanghai, arriving at 940am. There's always lines at the railway ticket office to collect tickets (and we have to collect tickets there because we have passports), so foreigners can choose the shortest line and act like they don't know what's going on. I, on the other hand, could not get away with that because I look Chinese. Anyway, we didn't have to wait long because we went in the shortest line.
It is so hard to find a toilet at a railway station. What pisses me off is how big Shanghai Railway Station is - it's just so massive and inconvenient - and it took me ages to find a place to piss. Anyway, we're taking the subway to Jiangwan Stadium and along the way, I see a whole group of Port Adelaide supporters decked out in their complete gear - and they just look like your average Joe - and looked like they didn't belong in Shanghai. It was weird but almost comforting to see this in China - it gave me a feeling that I was on the train to Richmond about to head to the MCG to watch the footy.
We get to the ground and we meet up with the other volunteers (we will be pouring beers for the VIPs and making sure they are cold - unlike last year where the Chinese thought putting the beers on ice literally meant, putting the case on top of ice - so the beers were served warm). Anyway, there's no much activity outside the stadium, it doesn't look like there's going to be many people - looks like it's about to rain. Some kids are trying to kick the footy outside but it gets shut down by the police immediately - it's not the real footy vibe.
To get in the stadium, we pretend to be staff of the hotel that is catering for the event - they give us shirts to wear to look legit. Once inside, there's a few tents set up around the ground - undercover and with sofas and catering. It looks pretty nice. Heaps of corporates are coming through. I'm stationed at one of the three bars in the main tent and it's right next to the food, so it's busy all the time. They've got aussie champagne and wine, as well as Fat Yaks/VB/Pure Blonde for beers. I have to make sure the beers are poured into cups instead of giving out the stubbies - much to the disappointment of the Aussies. People assume that I can't speak English since I look like the rest of the helpers there so I'm getting a lot of people speaking very slowly and pointing at beers - which is fair enough.
The game was pretty close for 3 quarters, which was better than last years match where people were leaving at half time. I was able to enjoy the game with some beers by standing right next to the boundary line - I don't think I'll ever get as close to the ground as I did today. I was legit 3 metres away from the boundary line - which meant I could get a photo with Paddy Ryder at the end of the game.
After sinking some piss at the ground and having a chat to some people who had been sinking beers all day, I went back into town to check in to my hostel (Le Tour) in Jingan District, 100RMB a night for a bunk bed. Then, a couple of us were a bit peckish so we went to a nice little bar around the corner called Barbarian, which served good beers and very decently priced food (especially in an area like Jingan). Paid 88RMB for a very good umami burger and chips.
Afterwards, we went to Found 158, a nice little open bar area around Jingan to an Aussie bar called Little Creatures to meet up with some other Aussies. It's an underground district with heaps of bars and clubs. Despite the rain, it was still buzzing with people - it's definitely a place I would hit up again. I was with my mate Jenny and she's kind of a celebrity around here - there was a bloke who came up to us at the bar and wanted a photo with Jenny. He was like her No.1 fan - knew all her videos and activities and history - it was actually quite disturbing.
WeRun Update: 10324 steps
Today, I'll be heading to Shanghai to watch a match between Port Adelaide and Gold Coast. I actually never thought I'd be going to this, so I'm pretty pumped.
Got picked up by Liam's Didi at 7am for an 8am train to Shanghai, arriving at 940am. There's always lines at the railway ticket office to collect tickets (and we have to collect tickets there because we have passports), so foreigners can choose the shortest line and act like they don't know what's going on. I, on the other hand, could not get away with that because I look Chinese. Anyway, we didn't have to wait long because we went in the shortest line.
It is so hard to find a toilet at a railway station. What pisses me off is how big Shanghai Railway Station is - it's just so massive and inconvenient - and it took me ages to find a place to piss. Anyway, we're taking the subway to Jiangwan Stadium and along the way, I see a whole group of Port Adelaide supporters decked out in their complete gear - and they just look like your average Joe - and looked like they didn't belong in Shanghai. It was weird but almost comforting to see this in China - it gave me a feeling that I was on the train to Richmond about to head to the MCG to watch the footy.
We get to the ground and we meet up with the other volunteers (we will be pouring beers for the VIPs and making sure they are cold - unlike last year where the Chinese thought putting the beers on ice literally meant, putting the case on top of ice - so the beers were served warm). Anyway, there's no much activity outside the stadium, it doesn't look like there's going to be many people - looks like it's about to rain. Some kids are trying to kick the footy outside but it gets shut down by the police immediately - it's not the real footy vibe.
To get in the stadium, we pretend to be staff of the hotel that is catering for the event - they give us shirts to wear to look legit. Once inside, there's a few tents set up around the ground - undercover and with sofas and catering. It looks pretty nice. Heaps of corporates are coming through. I'm stationed at one of the three bars in the main tent and it's right next to the food, so it's busy all the time. They've got aussie champagne and wine, as well as Fat Yaks/VB/Pure Blonde for beers. I have to make sure the beers are poured into cups instead of giving out the stubbies - much to the disappointment of the Aussies. People assume that I can't speak English since I look like the rest of the helpers there so I'm getting a lot of people speaking very slowly and pointing at beers - which is fair enough.
The game was pretty close for 3 quarters, which was better than last years match where people were leaving at half time. I was able to enjoy the game with some beers by standing right next to the boundary line - I don't think I'll ever get as close to the ground as I did today. I was legit 3 metres away from the boundary line - which meant I could get a photo with Paddy Ryder at the end of the game.
After sinking some piss at the ground and having a chat to some people who had been sinking beers all day, I went back into town to check in to my hostel (Le Tour) in Jingan District, 100RMB a night for a bunk bed. Then, a couple of us were a bit peckish so we went to a nice little bar around the corner called Barbarian, which served good beers and very decently priced food (especially in an area like Jingan). Paid 88RMB for a very good umami burger and chips.
Afterwards, we went to Found 158, a nice little open bar area around Jingan to an Aussie bar called Little Creatures to meet up with some other Aussies. It's an underground district with heaps of bars and clubs. Despite the rain, it was still buzzing with people - it's definitely a place I would hit up again. I was with my mate Jenny and she's kind of a celebrity around here - there was a bloke who came up to us at the bar and wanted a photo with Jenny. He was like her No.1 fan - knew all her videos and activities and history - it was actually quite disturbing.
Day 38
18.05.2018
WeRun Update: 8134 steps
Dr. Liu
Met up with the Doc at Jinmao Hui in Gulou - a very modern looking shopping centre but absolutely empty - China's all about the flashy look but if you look inside there's no one there. Anyway, Doc wants me to help her translate some case report she wrote to English, which includes all these medical terms. She wants to get it published on a medical journal too. Might take me a while - I might even become qualified in medicine after reading this report.
Nanjing weather can go from 0 to 100.
After having dinner with doc, the rain just started bucketing down with no signs of stopping. I check Didi and there's 91 people ahead of me in the queue for a taxi. Absolute madness. So I ended up Mobiking my way through the pouring rain to Arcano to watch the Doggies vs Adelaide game, which was also an absolute shocker of a game. To make things worse, I got delivery Burger King and it took ages to come. When it finally came, the Whopper was dry as fuck and chips had no salt (which apparently is classic in China).
WeRun Update: 8134 steps
Dr. Liu
Met up with the Doc at Jinmao Hui in Gulou - a very modern looking shopping centre but absolutely empty - China's all about the flashy look but if you look inside there's no one there. Anyway, Doc wants me to help her translate some case report she wrote to English, which includes all these medical terms. She wants to get it published on a medical journal too. Might take me a while - I might even become qualified in medicine after reading this report.
Nanjing weather can go from 0 to 100.
After having dinner with doc, the rain just started bucketing down with no signs of stopping. I check Didi and there's 91 people ahead of me in the queue for a taxi. Absolute madness. So I ended up Mobiking my way through the pouring rain to Arcano to watch the Doggies vs Adelaide game, which was also an absolute shocker of a game. To make things worse, I got delivery Burger King and it took ages to come. When it finally came, the Whopper was dry as fuck and chips had no salt (which apparently is classic in China).
Day 37
17.05.18
WeRun Update: 5166 steps
Another rough night sleeping
I woke up to some heavy rain at 3am this morning and again, sweating my ass off in 30 degree heat. Still pondering whether or not to leave the AC on for the whole night.
Morning routine
Breakfast is now eaten at home. Instant oats, some fruit and yoghurt. I'll have the NBA playoffs on. Fit in a quick ab workout during the half time break.
Nannar again
I'll have lunch at around 12pm - I've been hanging around Nanjing University Gulou Campus since there's a few decent joints to eat at. I had some dumplings today. Then, I decided to spend my afternoon at Nannar again. I'm about halfway through Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. I wanted to see what the hype was about. The book raises a lot of valid points, which I like.
Nightly activities
Caught up with my friends from Sanpower and had a Xuzhou local dish called 地锅鸡, which was served in a big pot (very authentic). Then I went to Arcano for the weekly quiz night for a couple of beers.
WeRun Update: 5166 steps
Another rough night sleeping
I woke up to some heavy rain at 3am this morning and again, sweating my ass off in 30 degree heat. Still pondering whether or not to leave the AC on for the whole night.
Morning routine
Breakfast is now eaten at home. Instant oats, some fruit and yoghurt. I'll have the NBA playoffs on. Fit in a quick ab workout during the half time break.
Nannar again
I'll have lunch at around 12pm - I've been hanging around Nanjing University Gulou Campus since there's a few decent joints to eat at. I had some dumplings today. Then, I decided to spend my afternoon at Nannar again. I'm about halfway through Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. I wanted to see what the hype was about. The book raises a lot of valid points, which I like.
Nightly activities
Caught up with my friends from Sanpower and had a Xuzhou local dish called 地锅鸡, which was served in a big pot (very authentic). Then I went to Arcano for the weekly quiz night for a couple of beers.
Thursday, 17 May 2018
Day 36
16.05.18
WeRun Update: 3960 steps
Great day to sit in a cafe and catch up on writing my blog...
After having a nice tuna sandwich at Skyways for lunch, I've moved to Nannar Cafe outside Nanjing University to escape the 36 degree heat, although Google says it feels like 41 degrees.
Another basketball session...
Feel like the more I practice my jumpshot, the worse it's getting.
I should invest in a decent facemask
The wind will often blow dust and other shit into your face when you're riding a bike or just walking on the street - it's actually practical to have one lol
Hot weather calls for cold noodles
The cold noodles here are a favourite for a hot day. They toss the noodles with some vegetables (bean sprouts, very thinly sliced cucumber, peanuts and some tofu) into a soy sauce dressing. Very refreshing and very cheap - 7RMB.
WeRun Update: 3960 steps
Great day to sit in a cafe and catch up on writing my blog...
After having a nice tuna sandwich at Skyways for lunch, I've moved to Nannar Cafe outside Nanjing University to escape the 36 degree heat, although Google says it feels like 41 degrees.
Another basketball session...
Feel like the more I practice my jumpshot, the worse it's getting.
I should invest in a decent facemask
The wind will often blow dust and other shit into your face when you're riding a bike or just walking on the street - it's actually practical to have one lol
Hot weather calls for cold noodles
The cold noodles here are a favourite for a hot day. They toss the noodles with some vegetables (bean sprouts, very thinly sliced cucumber, peanuts and some tofu) into a soy sauce dressing. Very refreshing and very cheap - 7RMB.
Wednesday, 16 May 2018
Day 35
16.05.18
WeRun Update: 5146 steps
It's 35 degrees at 7am in the morning and summer is not coming for another month...
It is very hot and sticky - getting a decent night's sleep is a challenge now. I'll wake up at like 5am sweating my balls off - Nanjing is really giving me a warm welcome ;) I'm still continuing my morning workouts - all about that summer body.
Some halal in Nanjing
Uncle Kenny took me to a restaurant called 李记清真馆 which translates to Liji Halal Restaurant where they serve only beef and lamb. We had some beef fried dumplings, beef noodles, dry-cut beef 干切牛肉 and some beef jerky. Very beefy but definitely rate.
Some good chat happening in Deji
My mum told me to bring over some medicines for a friend in Nanjing, and since my calendar is completely blank, I thought I'd call out the aunty for some afternoon tea. I never realised how big Deji Plaza is until today. There are two "phases" and they're huge and I'm pretty sure every luxury brand has presence in one or both of the phases. Apparently, it ranks really high in China in terms of luxury brand purchases. Anyway, we went to some London tea room located on Level 6 of Deji Phase II. Super expensive though. An iced lemon tea was 42RMB (8AUD). This aunty used to live in Melbourne before she moved back to China 8 years ago. She's by herself in Nanjing. Her daughter who recently got married now lives in Shanghai. Her husband has been working in Hong Kong for more than 20 years. The only reason she's in Nanjing is to take care of the family dog! Her mother is also here but lives in a nursing home because she has dementia. Other than that, she just stays at home, watches TV and doesn't really get up to much else. Every family member is in a different place - that's gotta be hard. Anyway, we chatted for 4 hours until we got hungry and then went to Nanjing 大排档 for dinner (I don't usually like to eat in Deji but if you forced me to, I'd go here). I never thought I'd be spending a whole afternoon catching up and gossiping with an aunty but there's always a time for firsts, and it was such good chat that I'll be calling her out again next time.
WeRun Update: 5146 steps
It's 35 degrees at 7am in the morning and summer is not coming for another month...
It is very hot and sticky - getting a decent night's sleep is a challenge now. I'll wake up at like 5am sweating my balls off - Nanjing is really giving me a warm welcome ;) I'm still continuing my morning workouts - all about that summer body.
Some halal in Nanjing
Uncle Kenny took me to a restaurant called 李记清真馆 which translates to Liji Halal Restaurant where they serve only beef and lamb. We had some beef fried dumplings, beef noodles, dry-cut beef 干切牛肉 and some beef jerky. Very beefy but definitely rate.
Some good chat happening in Deji
My mum told me to bring over some medicines for a friend in Nanjing, and since my calendar is completely blank, I thought I'd call out the aunty for some afternoon tea. I never realised how big Deji Plaza is until today. There are two "phases" and they're huge and I'm pretty sure every luxury brand has presence in one or both of the phases. Apparently, it ranks really high in China in terms of luxury brand purchases. Anyway, we went to some London tea room located on Level 6 of Deji Phase II. Super expensive though. An iced lemon tea was 42RMB (8AUD). This aunty used to live in Melbourne before she moved back to China 8 years ago. She's by herself in Nanjing. Her daughter who recently got married now lives in Shanghai. Her husband has been working in Hong Kong for more than 20 years. The only reason she's in Nanjing is to take care of the family dog! Her mother is also here but lives in a nursing home because she has dementia. Other than that, she just stays at home, watches TV and doesn't really get up to much else. Every family member is in a different place - that's gotta be hard. Anyway, we chatted for 4 hours until we got hungry and then went to Nanjing 大排档 for dinner (I don't usually like to eat in Deji but if you forced me to, I'd go here). I never thought I'd be spending a whole afternoon catching up and gossiping with an aunty but there's always a time for firsts, and it was such good chat that I'll be calling her out again next time.
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