October 31st - The Witching Hour

I had a great entry lined up for today, then I realised that if I post it today it'll be moved to the archive tomorrow, so nobody will see my great wit and humour.

S, it'll have to wait till tomorrow.

Nothing to add today then, except that I had another great weekend, it's getting colder by the day here and my girlfriend no longer has a job.

And, despite the fact that all the waitresses in pizza hut are no longer looking like witches - as they did all weekend - and instead today look like, er....waitresses, today is Halloween. Happy Halloween.

October 28th - Getting Advice

Visa issues continue.

We called the 'official, impartial advice line' yesterday to ask them about our appeal and applying again. Their 'official advice' was that you cannot apply for a visa whilst there is an appeal pending. Could we cancel the appeal? Yes...but it would take between 2 and 12 months to do so.

Later in the day, after sending a slightly annoyed e-mail to the British Consulate in Shanghai, I received a reply saying that it is fine to apply for a visa whilst there is an appeal pending.

Apart from that advice from the impartial advice line, they have also told us that having part-time work arranged before you go can help your application. Turned out that having organised this was one of the main reasons her first application was refused.

And finally, they were the people who told us our appeal would be considered in Shanghai before being sent to London. It wasn't.

Nothing worth having is free or easy to get. Not even advice.

October 27th - Life Goes On

UK visa issuing folk are really doing my head in. Looks like we could be in for a long, long wait now. So I'm not really in the mood to write too much today.

So, instead of writing I'm giving you another photo to look at.

Taken a while ago on what turned out to be a slightly interactive visit to the Shanghai zoo. This is when Jewel took an unconventional ride on 2 elephants trunks.

Truly a Kodak moment!

October 26th - Let's Get Ready To Rumble!!!

Yesterday's return to teaching went pretty well. Good to catch up with staff and students at the place and, despite being having a slight attack of the 'I-really-have-forgoten-what-I'm-supposed-to-do' before getting started, everything was ok.

Amazing how quickly you can forget and then remember something. Anyway.

All this sitting around at home is starting to really get to me. Seriously, nothing to do. So I'm having to amuse myself any way I can.

I've found that Chinese people are, on the whole, very friendly and nice folk. They tend to be louder than people at home in the UK, and for someone who is new to China, it can seem like they are arguing a lot. I've been here long enough now to know when it's really an argument.

The new place I've been living in for the last few months is, for Shanghai, a relatively quiet and relaxing place. But sometimes this calm is broken by the unmistakeable sound of a Chinese fight. And they're pretty frequent.

So frequent, in fact, that I've decided to amuse myself by keeping a 'San He Hua Yuan - Number 3 Gardens - Fight Count'.

By 11am today, it has reached 3.

Told you I was bored...

October 25th - It's Like Riding A Bike

Once you know how to do it, you'll never forget it.

After 3 weeks of semi-retirment, toniught I am going to be teaching again. At the same school I just left.

I feel like a bit of a fraud, going back after saying all the goobyes at my 'leaving' do. But they called in a mini-crisis and I said I would help out if ever they needed it. So I'll be there for 2 classes tonight.

Funny though, even now, 45 minutes before I am due to start, I feel exhausted and like I should be finishing a days teaching. Maybe a good reminder of why I left the first place!

So, back to it then...

October 24th - It Comes, It Goes

I might have been excited by my recent re-discovery of morning, but I am now beginning to understand why some say it's over-rated, as I re-discover that having nothing to do all day is only drawn out even longer if you get out of bed early. A return to lazy mornings and afternoon showers might well be on the cards.

The weekend went well, though. Lazy mornings are so much more fun when you've got someone, who's been working all week and really appreciates them, to share them with. And the colder days make the Saturday stroll around the small clothes shops a litle more fun. Right now it's at that temperature where you appreciate being inside, but still don't mind benig outside.

And if you like to while away your weekends looking for that new item for the wardrobe, Shanghai won't dissapoint you, whatever your budget. From top designer chic, through to virtual give-aways, it's all here.

We stayed away from the big brand places this wekend and instead decided to take a look at some of the 'wouldn't be seen dead in there' type shops. And we were'nt dissapointed either. Admittedly, most of it was really bad, but every once in a while a little gem would make it all worth while. I think we got 6 items of clothing for about $15.00 this weekend, cheapskates that we are.

Total expenditure for the day was doubled by a stopover in Starbucks for coffee and cake, but after a hard day on our feet, I think it was well deserved.

Then it was Monday morning and the routine started all over again.

October 23rd - Latest From Shanghai

A few shots taken from the recent walk about in Shanghai. More here.

October 23rd - Back Up And Running

You may or may not have noticed that there was no website here for a few days. But now there is. So here's what happened:

It turns out that my hosting company, who I've neverhad any problems with before, take payments from their customers and then wait for the customers to tell them they have paid, before re-registering yor website. Apparently it says this in their renewal reminder.

They didn't send me a renewal reminder. But they did send me an invoice. I paid it. They removed my website.

Nice.

Anyway, if you're reading this, I guess it's all ok again. No biggie - life goes on.

Personal developments in the last few days? A couple. Nothing more about Jewel's visa, unfortunately. But the options of what to do should the appeal fail seem much better now. A return visit to the UK is almost certainly on - got to have Christmas with Mummy - but it looks like I'll be back in China for a little while longer as I persue a slight career change. Don't want to go into too much detail now - it'll save the embarrassment when it all goes pear shape - but will of course divulge all, as and when.

I'm finally getting the hang of my camera and am learning a few more photoshop techniques, so I think the images on this site are going to get a bit better. Judge for yourself and feel free to let me know.

The first batch will are here. They relate to the post dated entry on 20th, when I rediscovered morning and Pudong.

It's good to be back.

October 20th - Life Begins At 50

7.50 to be precise.

Yes, today I made an extremely valuable discovery: When you are not working, morning still exists. Much like the private parts of an obese man, just because you don't see it much anymore, doesn't mean it's not there.

So today I got up at 7.50, with Jewel, instead of the usual routine of making incoherent grunting noises in answer to anything she says as she gets ready for work and I wait for her to leave so I can sleep more. I got up at the same time as her and had planned to walk to work with her as the start to a full day in Shanghai with my camera. It was only about 5 minutes before we were going to leave that I realised and I had forgotten to charge the battery for the camera the night before. So the first hour was till spent at home.

But it was still a constructive hour. I managed to get a few things done. Things which had been on my list of to-do's and which I had planned to give at least a day to do. BUt morning being the most productive time of the day for most of us, it turned out that I could finish everything in about an hour, or roughly the time it takes to charge a battery for a Canon 20D.

After all that, I headed over to pudong in search of inspiration. Not only did I find that, but also found a great veggie restaurant to fuel me for the long walk home.

I think I conducted myself quite well in the face of a seemingly endless onslaught of hello's from day-tripping school children in pudong and managed to get a few ok shots, despite being a camera retard and setting it up all wrong. Mental note to me: Stop being so male and read the bloomin' manual!

Also decided to be the ultimate tourist and take the 'sight-seeing' tunnel under the river on the way back, despite the Chinese half of me telling me that it's 30rmb for the tunnel or 3 rmb for the metro. Still, I'm glad the penny pincher in me didn't win as, judging by the number - or lack of - people in the tunnel, I don't thing the poor old thing will be around for too long. It's a ruthless place to do business, this 'ere Shanghai.

A 3 hour walk home later and the blisters on my feet and the freshly ruptured achiles tendon told me that enough was enough. So home it was.

So I gained a productive morning and lost a vegetative evening. Not sure if that's a good thing or not.

October 19th - These Are The Best Of Times And The Worst Of Times

Everyone likes to have a bit of a moan from time to time - me included. But I'm not so pessimistic - or at least I think I'm not. I like to think I am fairly impartial when it comes to passing judgement on anything.

I have times here in Shanghai when I think I could stay in China, happily, forever. Life here, for me, is good.

Then I have moments/days like these. When I wonder what the hell I'm doing here.

Someone gets on an internet chat room and heres a story of about a Chinese student who was 'cheated' out of a scholarship at a university in England. After reading this, he now thinks that, basically, people in England don't like Chinese people.

Should I use the same logic, that because lots of English students have felt aggreived at the bad treatment they have received from their Universities, that English people also hate English people. My mother might also have the same feeling because of the way I have behaved over the years. So she must hate me.

I've noticed a lot of people here being very defensive about everything Chinese. The same way that a lot of foreigners here seem to be extremely critical of all things Chinese. And also the same way that all other people at home in their respective countries are very defensive of anything and everything critical that is aimed at their country.

I guess we are all a little nationalistic, defensive of everything we have been brought up to know, when someone from another place, who probably doesn't understand all the detailed cultural aspects of any situation, starts to ridicule the way we do things.

Understanding. An easy word, but difficult to put into practice.

Frustration vented.

A quick chorus of 'kum-by-ah' and the world will be a better place..........

Or could it just be the 3 sms messages I got at 3.45am, asking me foradvice on which university in England is best for business, that made me get out of bed the wrong side today.

October 18th - The Curse Of The New Job

'Working hours are from 0900 till 1700 and any overtime must be agreed in advance'. At least that's what the contract says.

Arrive at the office at 0900. Try to leave office at 1740. Actually leave office at 1850. Arrive home at 1920, sit down for 10 minutes get a phone call and continue to talk about work till 2130.

Not bad for week 3 at work.

Add this to the fact although you've been hired as a 'manager', the guy who you share an office with decides that you are just what he needs to get all his printing done. And he doesn't like you very much.

So do you rock-the-boat or go-with-the-flow? Things have got to get better, right? Or will you end up being the copy boy/girl for the rest of the time you are the new 'manager'? What are you supposed to do?

Thank God it's not my job.

No danger of me doing any work for a few weeks yet ;)

October 17th - A Return To The Beginning Of Civilisation

I'm not sure of the origins of it and whether or not it really contributed to the ancient Greek's reputation as the founders of civilisation, but I am sure that, if you don't have one for 2 years, a Greek salad tastes damn, damn good. I know this because Saturday afternoon was my long awaited reunion with the civilised distant cousin of the shredded lettuce and sugar saturated mayonnaise that is a Shanghai salad.

And if that wasn't enough, I also managed to find and eat homous and pita bread. Although there is not even a slight link to me and Greece - I did go on holiday there once - the Mediteranean in me was totally satisfied.

So 2 good reasons to be in Shanghai. And there's a third. October.

Summer here is hot, sticky and downright uncomfortable. Winter is cold, wet and downright uncomfortable. Spring and Autumn are pretty much non-existent...but not entirely.

Everyone goes on about how beautiful Autumn is - and it usually is. In Shanghai there is a less of the normal slow transition from green to golden leaves and more of a jump from muddy green to just muddy. It doesn't look like Autumn should. But the weather is just too damn nice to worry about details like that.

All the bars, cafes and restaurants that were the air-conditioned escapes from the Summer heat are now throwing open the doors, windows and balconies and becomming the perfect place for an unemployed ex-teacher to waste away his afternoons with a cup or two of coffee.

So all in all, it's a nice time to be here. About 4 weeks from now it will be too cold to do anything outside any building, so what I am REALLY saying is, if you ever wanted to come to Shanghai - or visit me - now would be a great time to do it.

I'm waiting...

October 14th - Quit The Work And Kill That Brocolli

The appeal went in for Jewel's visa today. Slight shock when they said it could take 3 months - 1 year to get through, but then had it explained a little clearer that if the folks in Shanghai think the appeal is ok, they won't send it to the UK for review. Otherwise we could be in for a long, long wait.

More about that later, if I get round to it.

In the meantime, waste your day as much as I am wasting mine by killing that evil brocolli or by being Mr. Bomb Disposal Expert for 15 minutes. I did it with 7 seconds to spare!

Enjoy your weekend!

October 13th - 10 Things I Learned - or was maybe just reminded of - Yesterday

1 - No matter how many reassurances you get, the previous tennant or the landlady of your new apartment might not have paid the phone bill the month before you arrived, so you could lose the use of your phone line at any second.

2 - The oh so clued up owners at the local 'fake-market' will always get you to try on shoes 2 sizes too small first, so when you try on the one size too small pair they have, and also the largest they have, they will feel great. After 20 minutes of wearing them you will have golf ball sized blisters and then be wearing flip-flops as Autumn kicks in.

3 - Yes, the good far outweighs the bad. BUT, one bad will be remembered much, much longer than all the good.

4 - Having no job is no fun if you have no money.

5 - Spitting on the floor of a restaurant is acceptable behaviour in many places in China.

6 - Women are, very often, completely irrational.

7 - Fried egg sandwiches are quick, easy and damn tasty.

8 - Those most in need of help are the least likey to get it.

9 - Local Chinese beer is known to contain dangerously high levels of formaldehyde - you'll need to scroll down for this one.

10 - Think before you speak. Bad jokes can easily cause bad karma.

Good or bad, we've all got to take or learn something from everythhing we do. Yesterday's learning curve was good.

October 11th - Good And Terrible

That's better. A night/afternoon/morning catching up with my shut-eye and and I'm straight back into my routine of nothing, like there was never a problem.

But don't go thinking that I'm wasting my time at home on the sofa, in front of the TV. No sir. Today I've decided is my 'help relieve the boredom for those still at work' day.

I fully understand that many of us feel restricted and frustrated by our jobs. No room to show how good we really are. No room to show our true selves.

Well not any more!

Take a look at these emotive actors and maybe - just maybe - your creative juices can flow again.

And if a bit of fun is not enough to make the afternoon disappear, maybe a bit of harsh reality will wake you up.

After hurricane Katrina, comes a nameless but much more fatal reminder of nature's devasting force. This time in the form of earthquakes and mudslides in India and Pakistan, which may have claimed upto 30,000 lives.

No matter where these disasters occur, it's always the poorest people in the affected areas that suffer the most. And these are the very people who need the most help now.

So if you're in a position to give help, try not to be shy when looking at the donations pages of organisations like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) or MSF.

'There, but for the grace of God, go I' - John Bradford

October 10th - 1am And These Eyes Ain't Shutting...

Well, 1.15am actually. And I can't sleep. Not even a little.

Having been working evenings for the last 18 months, it is proving to be a bit difficult getting the ol' body clock to get into a 'normal' routine again. I used to finish work at nine pm, come home and get to bed at whenever o'clock in the morning and then get up at about 10.30 or 11 in time for the 1pm start. Not a bad life really.

Getting up at 10.30 or 11am and knowing I would be going to work at 1pm seemed fine. Getting up at 11am now and knowing that I am highly unlikely to do anything with my life before about 4pm seems like an utter waste.

So I'm trying to set a pattern of getting up when Jewel goes to work, so I can be alive in the efficient hours of the day - i.e. the morning - and thus get things done.

Unfortunately this plan, so far at least, is failing miserably.

I'm trying to rationalise this by saying it's actually ok, because if - fingers crossed - I go back to England soon I'll get away with the jump in time zones and will land at Heathrow fully adjusted - body clock wise, at least.

Nah - that doesn't convince me either.

If only England played World Cup qualifiers every night. The 2nd half of those games is enough to send the greatest of insomniacs straight off to dreamland.

At least last night's shambles did have the right result, with qualification for Germany 2006 now assured.

Or as one of my former students put it so eloquently in an e-mail to me: 'Congratulations on your motherland beating your mother's motherland'.

I wish I could take credit for teaching him that...

October 9th - Flags Of The World

I won't take any credit for this one, but really liked it so had to post it here.

An interesting view of the flags representing their respective countries.

So, thanks to photojournaliste for introducing them, and more so to Icaro Doria, a Brazilian artist, for creating them in the first place.

October 8th - Now Why Do I Feel So Good...?

For anyone outside of China, let me try and explain how the national holidays are organised here. Each national holiday is 7 days long. Sounds good so far? Here's the tricky bit:

3 of the days are actual 'holiday' days. Days off work. 2 days are the weekend. The other 2 days are days off in lieu of the extra weekend you have to work - usually before, but sometimes after - the holiday itself. Make sense?

For example. If the actual day - say May 1st - was on a Monday, you would get Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off as the 'holiday'. You would get the following weekend off. Thursday and Friday would also be off, as you would HAVE to work the weekend before May 1st - i.e. Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th April.

Strange, but true.

So why have I now suddenly realised that I feel so good? Because today is Saturday, I'm at home and everyone else is back at work.

Ahhh...unemployment....feels good to me!

October 5th - Damn, I'm Bored

It's been tipping down with rain for the past 2 days, so even if I wanted to do something I couldn't.

I'm not exactly missing having to do it, but at least when I was working I had something to look forward to complaining about. Now I can only complain about myself. Just no fun.

Maybe it's not that. Apart from thd DVD's - and there have been a lot of them - everything else I've been doing feels far too much like work. Unpaid work.

Now there's something that really warrants moaning about.

So there's 2 or 3 days of this national day left and then life can get back to normal. Then I can get on with appreciating not having to get up and go to work with the rest of the world.

So there you have it - happiness is comparing your own boredom and misery with everyone else's.

October 4th - And About Time Too

As the week long National Day holiday continues, so does my DVD, book and website marathon. Although no nearly as nice as last year in XiShan, I did venture out of the house for a bit yesterday, but anywhere that's worth going is still overrun with people. Good excuse for me too stay in, anyway.

All these days of nothing has given me the time to do a few things I've been meaning to, though. Rememebr about 2 months ago I went on holiday to Yangshuo, in South West China, near Gulin? Well the photos are FINALLY up and ready to see.

So feel free to have a look at them, while I settle back into my sofa and get back to the DVDs.

October 3rd - New To The Site

So the new photo below is also the start of a new page on this site.

I kinda got sick of trying to make a new page for every set of photos I take and also thought that all of the ones I posted in the Blog would just get negelected as they got archived. So there's a new page.

At the top of the page, next to the Blog archive links and the big, bright yellow 'New' there is a 'Latest photos' button, which will take you to the place.

Just thought I'd let you know.

October 3rd - How To Celebrate The 56th Birthday Of Your Country?

On October 1st, whilst the country's leaders sat and watched the military parade in Tianamen Square, the rest of the country were marking the occassion in their own way.

And what better way to do it then clean your balcony window?

As I was celebrating in my own unique way - TV, food, sofa - I looked out of my window and saw this:

There she was, carefully balanced on her air-conditioning unit, cleaning her 6th floor balcony.

When I saw it, the foreigner in me couldn't quite believe my eyes. About 5 minutes later I thought it was nothing out of the ordinary. Then I thought of how many times I saw anything like this at home in the UK - answer: never - and I thought that maybe it was strange.

Then I decided - I've been in China a long time.

October 2nd - I Therefore Refuse Your Application

They were the first words I read as I opened the envelope with the result of Jewel's visa application.

In all honesty, I was expecting it. Maybe just being pessimistic, but in the end I guess realistic. All the same, it was a good, hard kick in the preverbials when I read it.

There was a full explanation of why she had been refused. As I read through it I could picture some pompous English dinosaur in a dusty office casting judgement on the application.

The shortened version is that whoever it was thought that Jewel was just lying on the form. There's trust for you.

Still, there is still the last chance of the face to face appeal. Just got to fill out another form, pay a bit more money and then have the sit down with the pompous dinosaur. Should be interesting

In all honesty, I think it will be much easier to talk to someone about it.

So the trip home is still on hold, but at least we've still got a chance.

October 2nd - Time To Think

Short version of the story:

Finished work, had leaving-do, drank too much, had a long day Friday, China was 56 years old yesterday, Jewel went home for a few days this morning and I flooded the house.

Longer, more detailed and with any luck more interesting, version to follow soon.