Day 20

29.04.18

WeRun Update: 11237 steps

You Know What Time It Is

So I’ve been meaning to buy some basketball shoes to be more legit on the bball courts here and I’ve had my eyes set on the Dame 4s (Damian Lillard’s most recent bball shoes). The biggest Adidas store in Nanjing had very limited stock so I thought I would try my luck in Shanghai, where I assumed would have more variety since it’s a much larger market. When I went to the big Adidas on East Nanjing Rd yesterday, I was disappointed to find that even they had no stock. Clinging on to the slim chance that I could find something, I went to Jingan District (the Toorak/Brighton of Shanghai where all the expats stay) this morning to try my luck. I was very happy to see that there were the shoes on the shelf AND in the colour that I wanted (grey the same as what Dame and Donovan Mitchell wore in the playoffs). That was half of the job done. My feet are bigger than 90% of the Chinese population so I’ve always had trouble finding my shoe size in China. Luckily, they had one left in my size. The cherry on top was that it was on sale and half price! Couldn’t believe my eyes. In China, they discount items by tagging how much you’d pay not how much you save. I was ready to pay full price (900RMB) for these shoes since it was already so hard to get them. This was already enough to make my day!

China-style Brunch

Went back to Winhouse Café, an American style brunch place in Jingan, which had good reviews on Dianping and I had been there before and enjoyed it. The way they cook brunch here is definitely a lot different to Australia, including the menu items, and I know people here in Shanghai are starting to get around the brunch culture as indicated by the constant queue for this place.  

Live broadcast is a big thing here

Walking around the park in Jingan and we saw a crowd standing behind some girl who was live broadcasting her Chinese dancing by placing her phone on a stick. What was interesting was that her audience wasn’t the crowd but the hundreds and thousands of followers tuned in to her live broadcast. She didn’t even turn around to acknowledge the crowd!

First experience of Taobao and Kuaidi (Express Delivery)

Two days ago, I ordered a gym mat and a foam roller to do some home exercises from Taobao. They came today, on the weekend. Talk about quick service. I was also able to check last night where exactly my items were – to the nearest kilometre. They were on a truck 485km away. Insane experience – would use again.

Sports night

I must admit, the Shanghai trip drained me coupled with this sticky, hot weather. Despite all that, Manchester United are up against Arsenal tonight and Cavs Pacers Game 7 is on straight after. At least, I won’t have to deal with laggy streams like I did in Australia. China has free live broadcasts of these two games on QQ Sports – premium quality too. How good is that!? 

Day 19

28.04.18 (Shanghai)

WeRun Update: 23348 steps

Off to Shanghai!
It's crazy how you take the high speed train for 1.5 hrs and end up in a completely different city, a completely new vibe. This is one great thing I love about China. The food is different, the people speak a different dialect. It's refreshing.

A one-way ticket from Nanjing to Shanghai is 135 RMB for the high-speed trains. The train system here is split into different types (speeds) of trains. G trains are the quickest, then it goes D (slightly slower) and K (very slow, old sleeper trains). Tickets get progressively cheaper.

Personally, I feel indifferent to going to Shanghai. I have been many times, and there really isn't much to do there if you're broke, since you break the bank every time you want to do something fun. Shanghai is the most Western (international) city in China - it's very flashy/extra on occasions (and I compare it to being the Sydney of China). You'll see much more wealth on the streets of Shanghai. There's more Westerners there and I feel like it's becoming less authentic, so I'm not really digging the vibe. Work-wise, it's where the opportunities are at - so there could be a move towards there in the future.

So the reason why I'm here is because I'm meeting my friend Vinci, who works in Hong Kong and has made the trip down for Electric Daisy Carnival held in Shanghai. It's pretty cool how we've managed to chill out in different parts of the world - first in Hong Kong, then Paris, then Melbourne and now Shanghai!

We go have some crab-meat Xiao Long Baos and crab meat Wontons just off East Nanjing Road, then we head to The Bund for the obligatory tourist photo. Since it's public holidays (5-1), The Bund is the most packed I've seen it. We end up sitting down on the floor and chatting for hours, looking across at the famous Lujiazui Skyline. Afterwards, I duck off to see another friend for dinner.

I meet up with Vinci and her friends afterwards at West Nanjing Rd, where there is the biggest Starbucks in the world - and it is truly the biggest. The clubs were screaming out to us after that, so we went to Myst where there were a few international DJs headlining that night. 300RMB for entry (no drinks included) - absolute madness. Four different Ferraris then pull up outside the club. That was the moment when I knew I had to get out. Ain't got no time to waste my money on this Shanghai lifestyle. I'm all about the free entry at Nanjing!

So Vinci, her friend Gina and I went to a Dianping recommended bar called Barbarossa, inside People's Square park surrounded by a lake. It was a really unique joint because it was tucked inside some park. Different vibe but I enjoyed it. We had some quiet drinks and shisha.

Shanghai has really cracked down on the no-smoking, which is just so different from Nanjing where I could smoke in the lift of a shopping center if I wanted to (and it has happened in the past). We couldn't smoke inside the bar. And I couldn't smoke in the hotel room as well (some law that's been passed only in Shanghai because they're more like the West now).

Day 18

27.04.18

WeRun Update: 5111 steps

Mobike Update: 26 minutes

Arcano is the go
After my two hour TESOL lesson, I rode to my mate's bar Arcano to watch the Blues v Doggies game. Fortunately, his chef also rocked up, which meant that I could get my first parma in China. Boy, it did not disappoint. It really brought me back those homely feels, which I needed after two hours of teaching English to non-existent students. Parmas, footy, PS4 with FIFA/2K, electronic darts board, good atmosphere, great tunes. Rooftop bar about to open soon. This bar has and will continue to be a classic here in Nanjing.

Liu at the Miu 
So I'm back again at Miu, this time it's my friend's very first time clubbing. They loved it. The energy there was amazing yet again - everyone was just going off (the Chinese really know how to get LIT). Still not a fan of their dancing but the effort is there. Free entry and no dress code makes it even better. They have these Russian performers on every week and an African MC who speaks Chinese (and when I say he speaks Chinese, I mean he can countdown from 10 to 1 in Chinese). I'll give an analysis of the crowd when I become a veteran there.

Day 17

26.04.18

WeRun Update: 11696 steps 

MoBike Update: 50 minutes on the bike today

TESOL lesson (13 hrs left)
My teacher is a guy from Jordan who has lived in China for almost 20 years. He is a certified teacher of TESOL qualification. Much of it is common sense for a native English teacher but it's one of things where you need to tick the boxes to get the certification. He got me to practice teaching to empty seats and pretended to be a Chinese student himself. This will be interesting. 

Mobike Mikey
I've fallen in love with the bike sharing system here. So convenient. Before China, I hadn't been on a bike for a long time. Here, it's the norm. I biked from my place to the training school which is smack bang in the middle of town (15 minutes). Before, I had to walk 10 minutes just to get to the subway station. Now, I just find the nearest bike and bike into town along with half the population. There's something really satisfying about biking around this lively city - maybe it's the lack of road rules... I literally ride wherever and whenever I want - it's fantastic! Also, it's a great way to train the legs (not that I don't get enough already climbing up 7 flights of stairs to get to my apartment).

The amount of stares that I copped...
For going for a run around the block. As a Chinese person, you either go to the gym or the nearest track (at university). It's rare to find people running along the streets. I'm aiming to get a rhythm going here for daily exercise, to make up for the cigarettes, alcohol and poor quality PM2.5 air that I've been consuming. 

Day 16

25.04.18 - ANZAC Day - Lest We Forget

WeRun Update: 15116 steps

Landmine noodles and roast duck
Uncle Kenny took me to an authentic Nanjing noodle joint (which only opens from 6am to 2pm - you'll rarely see noodle joints close so early in China). The noodles we ate were called landmine noodles, where the noodles are covering the fillings that you choose to have in it - resembles what a landmine looks like (地雷面). The joint was packed and there was a queue - often a good sign that it's tasty. Another sign was when orders were being shouted across the room and you could see the chefs prepare 10 bowls of noodles at one time. There was an uncle who sat across from me, comes in, takes 4 cloves of garlic, peels them and then eats them. Then he buys a small bottle of baijiu and necks it as well. It was 12pm. I could not comprehend.

Vegetarian chicken 素鸡 (beancurd) is actually quite popular in China. I would always have it back at home but never knew what it was in English. I got that as one of my fillings along with a big piece of fatty pork belly. Kenny also bought me a roast duck - they do the roast duck differently in Nanjing as I had mine drenched in some special sauce (and not wrapped up like Beijing style and a different taste compared to Guangdong style).

A walk around the 'No Worries' Lake 莫愁湖
I decided to venture out into Uncle Kennys way towards another lake in Nanjing called Mochou Lake. Mochou means do not worry in Chinese. I was trying to follow the story in some of the artwork inside the lake. It says that she was a very beautiful woman, who was married and had a child but then her husband got taken away from her (or she was claimed by someone else when her city fell) and her longing for her husband made her weep tears, which turned into the lake.

Nice to meet you 很高兴遇见你 
That was the name of the restaurant which I met some new friends at, which was fitting for the occasion. My two new friends were both quite shy and there were periods where you'd have an awkward silence where none of them talked before I initiated with a new topic. We talked about mostly me because it seemed like I lived a more exciting life.

Shirley's this law student at Nanjing University (which means she is very very smart to even get in to the university). She is graduating in two months and has been offered a job at a law firm in Nanjing. She said that in order for her to be offered that job, she had to use connections, because having the skills and ability is sometimes not enough to get a job. Many students smarter than her didn't even get an interview with her company, whilst she got one without even meeting one of the criteria (which was to have some experience studying aboard).

Even though she graduates mid-year, her job requires her to work immediately upon graduating. There is a process where she is an intern for the first few months before being a full-time employee.
She isn't able to delay her start date because the firm can easily find someone else to replace her - she must take her opportunity or else regret it in the future. Unlike us, we can afford the luxury of taking time off to travel and still be in the running to get grad jobs 12 months after we graduate. Chinese students don't have this luxury because they would prefer the certainty now than have to deal with an uncertain future.

Last night, Shirley wanted to go clubbing because she has never been to a club before (very normal here in China). She has the impression that clubs are 'messy, rowdy and loud' which discouraged her from going previously. But she feels that when she starts work, she'll have no time to try new things because of the long hours she expects to do. It really made me feel privileged to be in such a position that I am in now because Chinese graduates get it really rough. Long hours and overtime, no time to relax and enjoy life - it really can be a struggle for them and most of them accept it as it is.

The other friend is Jack, who studies Communication at Nanjing Technical University. He's your typical Chinese guy - friendly but shy. Into football and basketball. Never been to a club too.

I took both of them to Bassment and we played some pool, tried some Aussie beers (Coopers and Crown Lager) and listened to a live band. It was nice - I felt like a uni student again.

As I said before, I felt really lucky to have so many experiences in my life - these university students clearly have an appetite to try new things but are sometimes constrained by their surroundings and culture - I will take them to MIU on Friday because they ought to see for themselves what a Chinese club is really like, regardless of the negative stories they've heard.

Experience with your own eyes.

Day 15

24.04.18

WeRun Update: 11366 steps (finally hit 10k)

First run
Went for my first run today at 8am. Ran along the busy main road. Copped a lot of stares because no one really runs on the main street. Felt good though. 

The Post
I'm a big fan of Tom Hanks so I watched his most recent film - The Post. It's about the happenings when some journalist leaks top secret, classified documents about how the American government lied to the public about progress in the Vietnam War. I found it to be an interesting insight into the press and how it operates and how it's shaped by the politicians and relationships. It's also based on a true story, so I learnt something new about American political history. Great acting by Hanksy and Merryl Streep who plays the heiress of the Washington Post. 

Update on Work
So I will be getting a TESOL certification so that I'll be a certified English teacher in the future. It cost me around 6800RMB for 15 lessons and 1200RMB for the certification itself. It's pretty steep but I guess it needed to be done. I start my first class on Thursday,

Footy on a weekday
What better way to finish off the day by watching some Anzac Day footy - Richmond v Melbourne. My mate Liam chucked on the footy as his bar and we ordered some pizza to go with it. The pizza was not bad (I had low expectations) and apparently one of the better pizzas in town (Uncles Pizza)

Day 14

23.04.18

WeRun update: 3854 steps (deplorable effort but it was raining all day)

Kindle update: 53% into 12 Rules for Life - the rule I read today was 'Do what is meaningful, not what is expedient', and the message was that we should try to make the world a little bit better, and should make sacrifices to delay gratification to live a better life as opposed to searching for short term pleasures.

Not much to report on for yesterday...

• Meditation exercises
• Did some reading
• My uncle came around to deliver a bedside desk and nice ashtray 
• Tried to stream the film 'The Post' but internet is too slow for 720p streaming