My Shanghai notes...

I've always been rather wary on China as a concept, country e.t.c which is not the state you want to be in when you embark on a 5hour flight to this mysterious part of the world.
The fact that 1/3 of the world's population comes from China is already rather overwhelming and despite the fact that I have for the past almost 4 years lived among people of chinese ancestry and heritage, I was completely caught offguard.
Shanghai is known as the Paris of the Orient and in some instances for good reason. The advanced state of the city is something I wasnt prepared for. High tech road construction, seamless transport,the amazing MAGLEV tain to the airport(431kmph at optimum) metros/taxis galore/buses galore/tvs at bus and train stations/refreshing green pockets in the most unexpected locations/Shanghai nights spent in sexy bars that would give any in the western world an absolute run for its money-not to mention that in those locations one can find decent doses of very acceptable eye candy in the form of Shanghai expats-male species in this context /french inspired construction topped off with pagoda style roofs/elaborate art museums that make you want to be a framed painting on their gorgeous walls/all of China's cuisine at any corner restuarant/charming backstreets where the chinese architechture and lifestyle prevails(think all those scenes in kungfu movies where the baddies pop out of unbeliavable small doors and windows and then get their behinds kicked by the good guys who deliver roundhouses and punches while swinging on a clothes line e.t.c et.c)
ofcourse all these against a backdrop of futuristic sky scrapers, Chinglish that will have you laughing out loud.I mean, one only has to see the Pearl tower (or balls tower as we preferred to call it)them aliens have nothing on us.If I were them, I would be watching that space for tips:).. I couldnt possibly fit in all the delights here...

That having been said, a number of things clouded all the dreamy things in the text above...a nasty experience at the entry point which then led to an equally nasty exit process, living in the terminal, the cop station, airline clowns that I could have boxed were it not for the desperation of the situation...

Basically ;
a)if you dont have mandarin skills or willingness to learn very very very fast (yeah sometimes that lonely planet translation won't get you very far:)
b)and your job posting in Shanghai isn't raking in shocking numbers into the account(think 5 significant digits and above) OR a chance at the next best management position...
c) if you get uneasy when folks stare blatantly at you and are quite obviously having a chat about you....
d) are clueless on the palatable chinese dishes and you forgot to bring your english/mandarin menu to the date...
e) are shocked out of your pants by folks streching and bending in all manner of dogdy positions, or talking to themselves(and I don't mean chats with the holy spirit) in the park,or walking backwards while clapping their hands to the back and the front....
f) are bothered much by folks looking over your shoulder or right at you as you enjoy your alone time with your postcards or takeaway coffee in the park/airport bench/any other public space....
g) have a very huge personal space that you cannot compromise...
h) have no tolerance for shocking driving antics, possibility of being mowed over by a speeding motorbike or cyclist not forgetting the perpetual honking whether in the prescence of other traffic or not
i) If you dont have a brown angel(yeah you know who you are) to have your back even at the grimmest of moments

then FORGET Shanghai...it wont work for you. However for what its worth, one should note the Shanghai isnt exactly representative of China..or so I have been told

Thanks to Daddy Digz, Ubermale, Carole, Triin and other Shanghai kids for sharing this part of their world with me, Vinod and the Singapore kids.

As you can see, it was a trip filled with mixed feelings. Let it go on record then that I went, I saw, I endured...

Pics and other postings can be found on the following references;
a)
b) http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=gittitakacs&aid=576460762332489535&pid=&wtok=TcBaNlsmIALoewDJfleT2A--&ts=1162093625&.src=ph#page1