Saturday - A big day of exploring

Powder Finger: (the day you come) “On the day you come, rising up. On the day you come, rising up.Vision is rejected, the people's choice is tested, ignorance has won, children are infected, remedy suggested, don’t drink from tainted cup, all the population, a media sensation, the damage has been done. On the day you come, rising up.”

If people don’t consider Shanghai the mega city of contrasts, in my mind they should.

Early this morning, I was walking through ‘the people’s park’. At peace with the surrounds, I was soaking up the atmosphere. Surrounded by skyscrapers (40+ floors), I was in an oasis of oriental green; bamboo stalks, ponds, rocky creaks, oriental maples. To call it serenity inside kaos would be an understatement. The song above was playing. I was moved. I felt I was starting to connect with this amazing city.

The contrasts are intense. They are everywhere. Sometimes its disturbing and other times it is awe inspiring.

I continued to stroll. I smiled at the elderly Chinese folk that passed by, I wondered what there stories were and how they felt about Shanghai of today.

My day started full of feeling and fuelled by anticipation.


Moments later I met a lovely gentleman abut to practice his ‘sword exercises’ he was happy for me to take his photo and proceeded to put on a show. See what I mean by contrasts. (look close)







The day was full of contrasts and amazing sights. Best I just share some of the many pics.



As some people know, it took me a long time to get an Ipod. I am so happy I had it today. With rock blaring in my ears, it managed to dull the sound of the many street hawkers. ‘watch, bag, shirt, you buy sir’ or ‘watch, Rolex, you buy’ or ‘come to my shop, you want watch, you buy’. I think I will now call my small device the ‘I Peace’

At the same time, Alanis Morisette while in the main shopping mall of Shanghai with a 100,00 other people really adds to the experience.

This pic is for Ralphie, how asked I take pics of the obscure. Well, I reckon this lift for the disabled fits the bill. Clearly the disabled don’t care for where the lift goes, so long as they have one.






I must say, it’s a shame the $AUD is so bad. Things would be a god buy here. That said, I do not recommend any sane man allow his wife to visit here. There is just way to much choice, and way too many great shops.


There is nothing you can’t buy here. From an $11,000 designer mobile phone to jewellery I can’t afford to look at. It’s all here and then some.



As a lover of retail, it has been great o see what is happening in category, but I also like the chance to step off the main roads and spot delicacies like feet and tongues in the local shop fronts.



And, to finish this one is for my mate and gastronomy expert, Christine. It's a fine cake shop near tomorrow square.

5 days and going well

After 5 days at the office, I was pretty exhausted. The change of environment, the new people to work with, new projects and working with two languages can be pretty tiring.

The team at the office are very friendly and eager to help. There are however cultural differences I am still getting used to. They are very keen to please and will say yes, even though they may not understand, they are also reserved in their comments when a boss (like me) is around. That makes it a lot different to normal where everyone is more than happy to tell me when I am being stupid.

I am getting used to the challenges more now, but it will take a while to getting used to seeing my work look like this. (see pic)



The big insight for the day was that:- there can't be too many beef cows in china.

Having found the local (and a great one) super market I was checking out the produce. Very interesting.

Indulge me in a digression for a moment please. The night before I left Brisbane, Amanda and I had a lovely dinner at a restaurant in South Bank. I thought it might be while before I have a steak, so I ordered the special for the night (special by nature, not price). It was a 1kg T-Bone steak. It was yum, but it beat me and I couldn’t eat it all. I was however satisfied I had a good fill of prime beef before I left Aust.

Back to the supermarket.

The butcher section proudly displayed half a dozen different steaks. They sell it by the 100gm. Australian beef retails at the basic price of around 49RMB per 100gm. That is $125/kg. How does that compare to what you pay each week?

So even though ‘vegetables are what food eats’ I wont be eating any Australian prime rib for a while.

The beef cattle on the farm in Tassy had better watch out, I will be there for Christmas and will be in much need of a heart steak again.

And don't get me started on the cost of butter. The price here means that you could cut it into ingots and sell it at the markets around the same price of gold.

4 days gone already

Firstly thank you and congratulations to Jonas and Steph for being the first and only people so far to provide a comment. It's great to know someones reading my ramblings but it's better to have people share an opinion or observation. So feel free to comment because I know that a one way conversation with me is boring after a while (I know living in a country where almost no one speaks English, you spend a lot of time asking yourself dumb questions)

So, here I sit in my small apartment (I know why the have meow curry in restaurants now - there's no room in the apartments to swing them). Sorry about that, it was too good an opportunity to do a cat and food gag.

Back to the story.... I sit here in my small apartment reflecting on the day. What insights have I detected, what learnings do I have? Let's see.

Bull frog tastes like fishy chicken.

Did you get that gem of a learning? Just in case, "Bull frog tastes like fishy chicken" and, it looks like a dirty grey raw fish. Yum.

Actually it didn't taste too bad, but I aint racing down to the local pond either.

Today I had the privilege of a great lunch with the Mars Account Management team. We went to a quality Chinese restaurant. A shared meal for 12 and a couple of the guys ordered their favourite dishes. Apparently, they would normally order to suit the visitor (me) but I was a late inclusion, so they ordered all the good stuff.

Some additional food learnings. Pigs ear when thinly sliced is not as chewy as the ones my dogs eat as a treat. Chicken feet are very chewy and crunchy. Bamboo in chili with chicken is awesomely yummy. Fish head in chili is spicy and juicy. It was quite a feast. Everyone enjoyed the food and laughs (at me).

Oh, and do chop sticks ever get easy to use for us westerners? I have bung fingers and the dexterity of an elephant, so image what a challenge eating large beef spare ribs is like with chop sticks. The ribs were bigger than the sticks. And, they are hygiene obsessed here (I think its a class thing), so you can't use you fingers when eating. Sometimes, they even have two set of sticks. (one for picking up the food and the other for eating) More on that later.

As there were some new team members at, they were asked to introduce themselves and one interesting fact. Many were in awe of Liana as she has a tattoo on her wrist and is still to decide if she believes in God or Buddha. I was impressed with her honesty and in awe two, as I don't have a 'tat' and have never thought about the alternatives of God and Buddha. I was the last to be asked for an intro (they are so polite). The best I could do was that I played some professional Australian Rules football. To my surprise, most were very excited by that. Then Jason (Singaporean Chinese guy) explained to them what Aussie rules was like in Chinese and all of a sudden, the room erupted with very fast excited Chinese chatter. Later Jason explained that they were all very impressed and excited that a 'footballer' that played Aussie rules (apparently the toughest of all football games) worked with them.

Now, for picture of the day, I captured the pedestrian stop signs countdown to death signs (see previous blogs)

3 seconds before YOU turn red (or run hell the cars are coming)

To finish, I have another amazing traffic observation. In the mornings, there are people in uniforms with orange vests and little red flags at major intersections. They are "pedestrian wardens". Why? To manage the pedestrian traffic flow. That is, to stop pedestrians blocking the roads. (chuckle) Get the irony in all this? Like they need them when the cars just push though the pedestrians anyway no matter what colour the lights are. It just doesn't make sense to me. All these people and signs and no-one obeys any of them. Mmmm.

Best saying today goes to the young girl that makes me a coffee of the evening in a 2sqm shop, (for my work friends, its about 1/4 the size of Fil's place). She is still learning her English.

I said, "good evening." Her response "Nee (you) ice?" At first I thought she was asking if I wanted Ice Coffee (which she sells a lot of) But no, she cared if I was cold. It's so sweet she tries to chat, with me each night. And I just keep returning for average coffee and 3 word sentence chatter. That's life as a westerner among 20Million+ Shanghainese.

After 3 days

After three days, you would think I have some idea about perspective and orientation. Well, I look forward to day four. Today I went by car to an every day shopping centre (30min trip) Carrfours. On the way I spotted the apartment building I live in. That was good except I thought we were going in the complete opposite direction.

My store visit to do product reviews for a pitch we are working on was an experience. The shops are so busy (and I was told it was actually quiet and that on a Saturday it would be 10 times as busy). The competition in every category was huge. Looking at moisturiser, there would be around 20 brands on shelf. It's way more competitive than in Aust. And you should see the instant noodle aisle (wall to wall colours and screaming text). It's adds a new meaning to competition and the challenges breaking through the shelf clutter.

In a previous post I found Eddy's store (Pringle), well tonight I did one better.

I found the Number 001 store (see pic). And, its just down the road from where I am living. It's not quite high fashion, but very popular and dependable with its own unique style.

Some more insights into the roadways and traffic signals (no I am not developing an obsession - yet).

1. The pedestrian lights have a countdown light as well as the red and green men. The countdown is from 10 back to 0 and then it goes red. It's like they warn you before you get ran down by the average 30 push bikes, 20 scooters and a dozen taxis.

2. I asked a colleague, that given there are so many cars on the road, where do they all get parked. Answer; "I don't know." There are very few places to park cars (that I have seen). So maybe people just drive around all the time.

Today I got a real taste of working in a Chinese environment. When discussing strategy, it inevitable all gets translated one way or the other. For those that know me at work, will understand the value and pleasure in succinctly expressing a great thought in an engaging way. That's part of strategy and often the stimulus for creative. Now I have learnt that not everything translates, and when I describe something, thinking I have nailed the thought, my colleagues either laugh or shudder a bit because what I said wont translate for the same meaning in Chinese. Makes for a longer discussion than normal. And, it certainly makes one think even more about the words they choose. It's an interesting challenge.

The other thing I am getting used to is not being able to read creative. Appropriately as the market is in Chinese, so is the communication, therefore English is the second language and creative gets translated back. all that makes for a lot more work and a lot more to think about. It's a wonderful challenge.

Finally for the lovers of architecture, this is a classic art deco theatre. Now a hip club, it's got the look.

The interesting learnings of day three

Even though day three was spent primarily in the office, there are interesting (to me) learnings. Please indulge me as I share a few.

It cost me $3 to ride (thrill ride) in a taxi to the office (15 mins), then when I get there, I pay $6 for a coffee.

And, I have yet to find a decent coffee. The above mentioned coffee was from Starchucks. Oh, I miss Fil's coffee.

You really know you are in a foreign place when your heart beats faster at finding a book store with books in English. (I bought city guides to Shanghai and Beijing)

It's hysterical when you discover that people are more lost than you. Here's how I discovered this strange but nice feeling. Generally when I go for a walk from my apartment, I take a map, which still hasn't helped me work out where things are. I walk in the hope that I can find my way back (so far so good). Last night, I was a block from my apartment at the local equivalent of a 7-11 store (buying water). Then as I left the store, three young Asian girls (go figure) came up to me. (I must stand out in the crowds). The spoke really good English (and expected I did too). The funniest thing. They were lost. I tried to not laugh, as I know the feeling all too well. I got my map out. That was funnier, as between the four of us, it still didn't help find where they were going. I was very amused. They were very appreciative and we went in opposite directions. I made it hope, I hope they did too.

Dinner is always an interesting adventure in Shanghai. The other night I had awesome Nepalese. Last night, I went crazy and tried Chinese.

The learning here. If they say the dish has chicken and Chili, expect it to be Chili with chicken. Excluding the Chicken Kory would have loved it. Deep fried Crispy chicken pieces (with bones), deep fried chili and peanuts.

Food tip 2. If you are an armature with chop sticks, don't order something with very small pieces. (it will take you forever to pick up the food and then it falls everywhere and people look at you)

Other than that, my beans and pork was yummy. And the fish maw (fish intestine) and pine nut soup was delicious. Maybe tomorrow, I can have bull frog, sea urchin or pigeon feet. Yum!

And finally, who would ever imagine a high end fashion brand full of groovy stylish clothes, named after Eddy (and her Grand Mother).

Observations of the second day

Some things are meant to be the same way the world over. Things that make it safe for people. Things that define order and structure. Things that help us feel a little connected with fellow humans. Things that have proven to work well.

This I am afraid is not always the case in Shanghai. (And don’t get me wrong, I haven’t been to every city in the world, so it may not be unique, but it does provide me with amusement and interest.)

Here are some simple sayings that might paint a picture for you.

“Just because the little green man is illuminated, doesn’t mean it’s safe to cross the road”
“Stopping is optional when you are confronted with a red light”
"If on a scooter and the light is red, use the footpath, pedestrians wont mind, as they are likely to get hit on the road any way”
“Look right, look left, look right again, cross your fingers and run like hell”

Get the picture.

Even when the lights are red here, they drive through them. I have seen a group of bikes actually stop at a light and a car went on the wrong side of the road o go around them and then go through the red light.

Taxis are the worst. They just go anywhere. Even double lines on the road are seen as merely a guide.

People that have driven with me may think I am being a bit hypocritical, well, let me just say that I am not game to drive here, or ride a scooter, or a bike. Riding in a taxi is enough road excitement in any one day.

It's just crazy out there.

The arrival

The arrival was smooth and efficient - even if it was a day late. (that's another completely different story) Let's just say, I was a nervous passenger hanging out at Sydney airport on Sunday morning, especially when the flight was delayed.

A pleasant flight was had by all, followed by an uneventful and fast transition through customs etc. The airport process was efficient like a tri athlon transition between stages. 

Staff driver (who speaks no English) met me as planned and we drove to town. The conversation was limited to: Driver "OK?" Daz: "Yes, thanks." 

40 mins and about 100 outdoor sites later. A peaceful ride that arrived right at the hotel door. If only Qld taxi drivers had these skills.

I was disorientated but accommodated. I had arrived.

Quick note on engaging with the locals.....it's really hard to get very annoyed and criticise someone that doesn't speak the same language. There is no point complaining when the person you complain to has no idea what you are saying.

Already, tolerance is clearly going to be my best friend for a while.

I ventured onto the streets below to go for a walk and to orientate myself. 

That was fun. There might be 100's of Chinese characters in the language, but they all look the same.  (I now know they call this the orient, because it makes you disorientated)  

Even with map in and I was disorientated, but laughing at my own ability to walk the same block three times. I guess that's an indication of things to come.

That's it for the arrival, stay tuned for the first day at the office.

Hopefully I get to have Yum Cha for lunch.