Mad About Shanghai

Mad About Shanghai: Now Based In Shanghai

Well, we are still in the hotel. The deal with the apartment fell through at the last minute because we found that the price was a bit high. We are going to look at some more tonight and tomorrow and then make our final decision.

The other thing that has occupied our time incredibly is the picking up of unaccompanied baggage. We had 2 sets of unaccompanied baggage that went separately into China - what a bureaucratic nightmare that was - but I will leave the gory details until I have a bit more time to write.

All I have really done since I have been here is sit in the back of a car - either Liying's or a Taxi. The traffic is absolutely woeful, the horn is more widely used than the indicator and pedestrian crossings are simply theoretical places of where you may try to cross the road.

It has been pretty hot, at least compared to coming out of winter in Sydney, and is very humid.

The buildings are big and the city is massive - I always thought New York was a sprawling metropolis of apartment buildings and offices - its not as big as Shanghai!

The people are great! Although I haven't as yet learnt the lingo, I have had a couple of interactions with people and have been quietly observing (especially when Sabrina is talking) and I like the attitude, the thoughtfulness of people like Liying and the looks of curiosity from people as they see me at 6' 3" with a shiny shaved head walking around with Sabrina (some of them you can't quite call looks, maybe stares of amazement!)

Here are some random thoughts I want to put down to remember so I can provide more detail in the future - so don't take too much notice:

• Interesting distribution of electricity
• Shanghai cheap? Not if you are looking for a good apartment or staying in a hotel
• Buildings - tall, interesting, varied - especially corporate buildings
• Roads, lanes optional, turn right at anytime (without care - or even looking)
• Scooters, bikes, helmets and option lights at night
• Free roads - congestion, toll way - where are the cars?
• Paperwork!!
• Great food - great price

Arrived Safe & Sound

Hi all

We have arrived safe and sound in Shanghai on Tuesday night - we haven't written because of us being frantically busy and because of the cost of the internet access in the hotel (1.5RMB per minute or 120RMB for the day - 6RMB = A$1)

Our main priority has been to find an apartment which we have, and we move in today. It is a lovely place, brand new with furniture still be put in as we speak. It says its 3 bedrooms,  but its really 2 with a study - but it has great facilities and is in a good area (Jing An).

Anyway - we will write soon with all the info!

Last Blog From Sydney

Well, its 6am on Tuesday 27th September 2005 and we are all packed up and waiting for the taxi!

In about 4 hours we will be on our airplane heading over to the land of opportunity and excitment - China!

At 6.30pm (local time) we arrive into Shanghai's Pudong airport. We will be picked up by Sarina's friend Liying.

Then the thing that Sabrina has been looking forward to the most - we will go and have dinner - and the main course will be - RIVER CRABS! Its all she can talk about - "we will have river crabs in Shanghai for dinner tonight - I can't wait!"

So althought we are excited by the adventure before us, we are sad to leave this beautiful city. Last night we had a walk around our neighbourhood, and it was beautiful - there were no people, no cars, it was a beautiful temperature and as we are in mid spring - every where we went was the beautiful smell of flowers in their prime.

This we will miss!

Anyway - our next entry will be from Shanghai - see you there!

Last Blog From Sydney

Well, its 6am on Tuesday 27th September 2005 and we are all packed up and waiting for the taxi!

In about 4 hours we will be on our airplane heading over to the land of opportunity and excitment - China!

At 6.30pm (local time) we arrive into Shanghai's Pudong airport. We will be picked up by Sarina's friend Liying.

Then the thing that Sabrina has been looking forward to the most - we will go and have dinner - and the main course will be - RIVER CRABS! Its all she can talk about - "we will have river crabs in Shanghai for dinner tonight - I can't wait!"

So althought we are excited by the adventure before us, we are sad to leave this beautiful city. Last night we had a walk around our neighbourhood, and it was beautiful - there were no people, no cars, it was a beautiful temperature and as we are in mid spring - every where we went was the beautiful smell of flowers in their prime.

This we will miss!

Anyway - our next entry will be from Shanghai - see you there!

Its All Gone!

Well our EBay  frenzy has finished at last and we have sold virtually everything we own!

In the past 2 months we have sold about 300 items on EBay and added a few thousand bucks to the bank account. We sold everything from our bed, lounge suite, TV, BBQ right down to a bottle opener, shoes and even a pair of slippers! People will buy anything on EBay.

The only problem now is that we have to survive the next few days with absolutely nothing - we are sleeping on an airbed, have no TV, stereo, microwave or fridge - and whats worse, we are now running our business and this blog off a single laptop on an ironing board with a milk crate as a seat!

We are seriously looking forward to getting into Shanghai so we can get an apartment and set up a normal semblance of life again!

Although everything is gone, if I had to do it all over again, I think I would still do it this way. I like selling off my old things and getting ridding of all the junk that we accumulate in our lives. When we get to Shanghai, we will have a fully furnished apartment, and I have already promised Sabrina that I will not become a hoarder or collector like I was here in Sydney.

The benefit of getting rid of everything is that we raised some much needed cash, we don't need to pay for storage for whilst we are gone, the furniture won't deteriorate whilst in storage and when we get back, we can get all new furniture to suit the place we will be living in.

Starting A No-Car Life From Tonight

Both Brad and I felt "panic" when when we realised that we are not having a car from tonight!

As it is Brad's last day at work, he has to return his company car when he finishes work today. That means, he has to catch the light rail home! Good exercise!

This must be the beginning of our "no-car" life. Our life in Shanghai will heavily rely on public transportation and taxis. It is too hard and expensive to maintain a car in Shanghai because the city is too crowded everywhere and parking is always  a problem - very rare to find a spot and expensive. It is much easier and cheaper to take a taxi rather than driving your own car in Shanghai.

However the idea of having no car from tonight made me feel a bit nervous and "naked". I didn't realise how much I rely on a car already. I used to take a bus to work when I was working in the city and I found that was fine and fun too because I enjoyed watching different people in and out of the bus. Since I started working from home, I never used buses again and feel very foreign in buses and bus stations. Occasionally if I was out without my chauffeur, I would catch a taxi instead of catching a bus.

Having a car has become a habit and once you realise that this habit is going to be taken away, you feel something is missing - that's how I feel now.

I'm sure I'll get over it pretty quick and would like to use No. 11 (my legs) more.

As for Brad, I think after years of living with a car, he might find it a bit harder to get used to the new situation. But I believe eventually he will stop whinging and start to like it as he can read when taking  public transportation; plus he likes new things too.

10 Days To Go

At approximately this time in 10 days we will be heading off to the Sydney Airport which is called Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.

Then on the evening of Tuesday 27th September we will be in Shanghai!

It is a hectic time coming up as we ensure all the last minute things are taken of. Most things are done, but there is always something that will creep up and give you some last minute stress.

One of our major tasks this weekend is to ensure that everything that is going into storage has been arranged and is properly protected.

Even though we are in the middle of the hustle and bustle of getting everything done and still trying to work on the business - we have decided that tomorrow (Sunday) we will have a day off. We want to make the most of our last chance to have some peace and quiet to see the sun and the ocean and be out where there are very few people. So we have decided to drive down to the beautiful south coast around Wollongong and the surrounding districts.

Here we can walk along sandy beaches with no crowds and breathe in the beautiful fresh clean air under the blue blue sky.

That way, when we get to Shanghai we will have some nice memories to keep us going!

Make the World a Better Place

A friend in Shanghai told me yesterday that she registered herself as a volunteer for "Fupin" (means helping poor people). My friend owns a factory in Shanghai; she is relatively wealthy, drives her own car and basically can do anything she wants to do (if she can afford the time).

I realised that my friend just became one of those people in China who is economically affluent and satisfied, but is still searching for something else to make them really happy. The thing to make them really happy is what they really want to do or what their hearts desire.

According to Maslow's Hierarchy of needs , human beings are always seeking something higher when their lower needs are met. In China, most people are still at the stage of trying to survive, struggling with their economic situation. Therefore, the majority of people don't have the energy or time to help other people, animals or the environment. While there is a small group of people like my friend who is in the leading place economically; once they reach that comfortable living status, they start to look for some spiritual satisfaction - according to Maslow, they need "self-actualisation"; they start to ask themselves "what's the purpose of my life in this world?"

So this is the position my friend found herself, so she became a volunteer because she is always warm-hearted and always LOVES to share her wealth and comfort with other people. I'm not surprised at what she has done and I believe she will be very happy when she really sees the results of her help.

This is a common phenomenon in the western society: wealthy people start a charity or donate to churches or people who are in need.  I just remembered that story of Ann - a friend of  Yvonne (Brad's mum). She is working as a volunteer in China to help release those poor Sun bears who are locked in a tiny cage their whole life with a tube stuck in them for life as they the farmers suck out bile to make Chinese medicine and shampoo - it causes incredible pain and suffering to the bears who are locked up for life in a cage they can't even stand up in - for more information about bear farming have a look at Bear Farming. Yvonne and Margie themselves are volunteers for injured animals. Quite often they have injured baby kangaroos, Guinnea pigs, snakes and possums at home, looking after them until the animals recover to be released to the wild again.

I believe more and more Chinese people are starting to do similar things helping other people in need, helping animals, and helping to improve our living environment. I hope more and more Chinese people become so wealthy that they have enough energy and means to help make the world a better place.

My personal belief is that wealth is a good thing, but not wealth just for the sake of having money, or trying to keep up with the Jones's. Wealth gives freedom and choice to people. Once you are free of the burden of trying to make a living (food, clothing and shelter) you can then make choices to do what you love and what you care about. Only when a nation and its individuals are wealthy can they turn to help the less fortunate, the endangered and mistreated animals and the envirnoment. I hope that as China becomes ever more wealthy that the people spend less time competing with each other and more time on helping and supporting each other.

Sense of Belonging

I felt overwhelming nostalgia when listening to Zhengjun  (a Chinese singer) tonight.  I used to listen to Zhengjun when I was in university. Most of his songs are written in beautiful Chinese language - like a poem or a fairytale. Even though he is labled as a rock singer by some people, most of the rhythm sounds really melancholy.

Anyway I guess what really got me was the Chinese language. The melodic lyrics have brought back to me  a strong sense of belonging -  the Chinese culture - I was born as a Chinese and I am attached and influenced to that culture so deeply that no matter where I am, whenever I hear Chinese, I feel at home.

I remember I just had a very interesting discussion with my friends recently. I said that I found it interesting I always try my best to defend Chinese culture almost instinctively and that no matter what passport I would hold, I will always feel myself a Chinese.  My friends who also have been living in different cultures pointed out that it is human's instinct to love and protect their culture where they were born; they might not agree with their current government or political policies, but they always love the culture which has been existing much longer than the country's name or that particular government.

I can't wait to go back to China! 20 days to go...

Selling on Ebay

One month to go ...

One of the things that we are doing consistently since June is selling our stuff on Ebay .

I made a spreadsheet for the stuff in each room and list them in the sequence of selling. We sell those we do not use often first and leave the furniture and facilities that we use often to the last minute. At the moment only bed, kitchen dinning set, stereo and TV left.

Ebay is a great place for people like us who are moving overseas and do not want to ship the furniture  and don't want to rent a big storage either.

After more than two months of Ebay auctions, we have sold hundreds of items from comic books to outdoor settings. The funny thing is we don't really feel any changes in our daily lives with so many things absent. We realised that we have had way too many things which we don't need at all. This is a great opportunity to clean our gutters and organise personal stuff too.

Selling things on Ebay is not only a way to get rid of extra stuff and bring in some cash for saving, but also a spiritual way of improving ourselves because with little luggage we feel light enough to go on the new journey and feel great motivation to create more wealth in our lives.