Year: 2006

Last Updated on February 27, 2006 by stlplace

St. Louis, flurries, high 18 F, low 7 F, that’s -7 C to -13 C.

Shanghai, snow, high 41°F (5°C), low 38°F (3°C).

Shanghai also had its first round of snow today. When I was talking to the taxi driver this morning, he told me his daughter was really excited about the snow because she never saw such snow before. To be honest, there is really not too much compare to the snow we saw in St. Louis.

Do I really want to go back to the cold winter in St. Louis? Well, it seems I have to because I burned all the cash I brought with me.

Just kidding. As much as I love my families, friends and things in Shanghai, I love my job and friends back in St. Louis, too. I know I will be welcomed by both my buddies and my cats. Just as I was well treated here in Shanghai and Ningbo. I feel both places like my home now. Actually I started to take buses instead of taxi these days because I felt more close to the common people that way (I myself am an average Joe too). It’s more convenient to take bus sometimes. Especially during rush hours or rainy days when it’s hard to get a taxi.

Talking about impression about Shanghai. I think it’s best to be summerized in one popular game name: WOW. I left Shanghai in 1997 and this is my first time I spent significant time here. The change is tremendous. The new metro lines. The luxury brands. Today I saw a Ferrari dealership opposite to a McDonald restaurant in Nanjing Rd. The tall buildings. The cars and traffic. The road. The bars. The coffee shops. The hair color of ladies and girls.

And the people. To be honest I felt a bit uneasy by the number of the people in Shanghai Book City in Fuzhou Road this afternoon. I guess it’s because the new semester just got started, the students are getting books. I saw a girl student is buying “C++ Premier” Chinese version. When I asked her whether she is Computer Science major, she told me she is Engineering student and she is interested in computer. I like the attitude of these young people. I never saw so many people in Borders or Barnes&Nobel in the States, hungry for the knowledge. I believe that’s one reason more and more foreign companies are setting up R&D shops here. And hopefully I will join the force in the very near future.

I also meet my cousin and her husband this moring. And some of my graduate school classmates in the evening. Everyone is doing well although I understand they all face things much harder than mine. Maybe the secret is they all have a happy family. My cousin told me she used to commute 2 hours one way by bus and metro. Note she is more than 15 years older than me. Now I will be more humble and patient when I stuck in the traffic in rare occasions in St. Louis. Most of time I spent 15 minutes one way. Lucky me.

Last Updated on February 16, 2006 by stlplace

I was a bit tired of big meals these days. I think I should blame myself for lack of self control. But there are just so many good food in Shanghai I can not resist. The buffet in “Home Inn (Ru Jia)” was good, especially the Ru Jia near Xu Jia Hui. So I ate a lot. Then during lunch my co-workers take me to different places, I ate a lot again. Sometimes I felt sleepy and I had to go downstairs to get Starbucks coffee. Maybe I should buy some Starbucks stock instead.

Today I took a different approach, to save myself the coffee. I had Congee for the lunch and the toasted sweet potato for dinner. I liked the sweet potato. Maybe I will use oven to bake the sweet potato in St. Louis. But I think the taste may not be as good as Shanghai.

The good thing is it seems I have not gained any weight. Maybe I can tell my boss I worked too hard.

Last Updated on February 15, 2006 by stlplace

I found the new Google China blog a bit interesting. Especially the article about Valentines day.

Last Updated on February 15, 2006 by stlplace

On my way out of office, about 6:15 PM, I saw a flower delivery guy asking “how do I find this girl named…, is this Kerry center?” It seems to me this guy will have little chance to get the roses delivered. On the metro and the streets, I saw many guys and girls holding flowers. I passed by a few popular places, people already lined up for the Valentine’s dinner.

A few years ago I was trying to find a place to eat dinner in Valentine’s day in St. Louis, I found most restaurants were filled up. But this time in Shanghai I can feel the atmosphere is more intense. Although I did not receive any roses or chocolate, I can smell it on the street.

By the way, the price of roses went up sharply for the Valentine’s day. I heard a red rose used to cost RMB 3 went up to RMB 10 today. And a guy bought some 999 roses for RMB 35,000 for his girlfriend/wife.

But again, if true love can be bought by money, I bet a lot people will be glad to buy it.

Last Updated on February 20, 2006 by stlplace

Pudong 浦东 is well-known these days because it stands for the development of new Shanghai. I remember in 1980s there is a saying in Shanghai: 宁要浦西一张床，不要浦东一间房. Translated in English, it says people would rather want a bed in Pu Xi than a room in Pudong. Not any more. From what I heard from my friends and what I saw, Pudong has much more open spaces, wider roads and side walk, more green, and fewer people. Basically, it’s more like the States; while Pu Xi is much more crowded. Lu Jia Zui 陆家嘴, which is opposite to the Waitan(Bund) on the Pu Xi, is now the financial center of Shanghai. There are many skyscrapers. The view from the Bing Jiang Road 滨江大道 is also fantastic. The new airport, Pudong International (PVG), is also at Pudong near the East Sea. I have some old and new friends live in Pudong happily these days. I am thinking, if I come back to Shanghai, I will pick Pudong too. Yes I know Pu Xi has many more fun places, such as bars, restaurants, and shopping places. But I can trade all these for more spaces.

Last Updated on February 9, 2006 by stlplace

I will be going home tomorrow. To be more precise, I will go to my parents home at Ningbo this weekend. Since twelve I left my home for middle school, I am used to move. From Zhenghai, to Wuhan, to Shanghai, eventually to Missouri (Rolla, St. Louis). Sometimes I don’t know where is my home. Since graduating from college I spent very little time at Ningbo because of work or school. I believe my parents really like to have me at home more but I had to admit I am not a good child. I remembered when I was in college at Wuhan, at one Winter break I told them I did not want to go back because I did not want to take the pain to stand in the railcar for 20 hours. My mom, who never wrote to me, wrote a heart-warming letter to persuade me to come back. I had no choice but to listen to her plea.

On the other hand, although I bought a condo in St. Louis last year, and I have lived in STL for more than 5 years, I still don’t know whether I should call STL my home. In my mind a home is more than a physical place, it should have some emotional attachment.

Today I bought the bus ticket from Shanghai to Beilun, it will be a 4 hours bus trip. Yes I am still confused about where is my home, but I hope my home-coming can make my parents and family members happy…