Day whatever...

I have totally lost track of time. The install really was a lot of work - we were there practically all day every day for almost a week straight. The weather doesn't make things any easier - I am not so good in hot, and if it isn't 100 degrees here, then it is raining. It rained the first seven days in a row I think, then we had a short break. Today I saw some suspicious clouds when headed down to the subway, and when I came back up from the metro it was torrential with thunder and huge lightning bolts, etc.

At the moment I am sitting in the Marriott again (free WiFi) trying to dry off a bit an pondering changing into some of these clean, dry clothes that I had laundered through the hotel :)

This is the Shanghai World Financial Center - we were next door in the Jin Mao Tower for lunch the other day - I want to go up to the observation deck of this building though:

Shanghai Bloggers

Good article from the NY Times (from Feb. 2010) highlighting Shanghai bloggers:

SPECIAL REPORT

Bloggers Open an Internet Window on Shanghai

By MAILE CANNON and JINGYING YANG

Published: February 25, 2010

Covering topics ranging from airport transportation to cup cakes and adolescent angst, online posts are filling an information void and opening the daily life of the city to Western eyes.

Day #5 (briefly)

Sunday, the official opening. We are still working full time until 3 PM, when the opening takes place. In between are a couple of trips to a computer mega-mall (Cyber Mart) to buy new video cards (that are then not needed), video adapter cables, fake iPhones, etc. Literally have the last screen running 15 minutes before the opening. Then I notice another bug - the server is running on a demo license and the images are watermarked! We have to open as is and hope it doesn't ruin the experience for too many people. After it is all over we head over to the Bund area and walk around the waterfront awhile before heading to dinner.

This is Paolo R's last day in Shanghai - he leaves from the restaurant for the airport - he was a lot of fun and it was great getting to know him better.

Food Market

We stopped briefly in a small food market near Remnin Road the other day. I got the below photo of a girl asleep in her stall. There were many vendors sleeping as it was just lunch time or a little after. I can only imagine how many hours a day they work. And it was hot - it had to be pushing 95 degrees in there.

This is my favorite photo so far.

More thoughts on Shanghai

Sorry for the sparse posting, the firewall issue is a real problem with Blogger (shame I didn't have the time to move the blog before I left) - the only way to use it is through a VPN, and the one I bought isn't working, so I have to use a free one, and it needs a lot of bandwith, so I have only been able to post from the Marriott which I am not at often.

After a week plus here there are some things that stand out for sure. It is really hard to believe that this is a communist country with a controlled press, and so many other limitations on individual freedoms (like not being able to use Blogger, Facebook, etc.). That being said, we have now met a couple of Chinese who have returned from Canada and the U.S. because this is where the jobs and business opportunities are. That in itself is pretty mind blowing.

This city is just humming with life, and it definitely seems like a "place to be" in the 21st century. There is a song by Radiohead that keeps coming to mind:sh

In a city of the future,
it is difficult to concentrate.
Meet the boss, meet the wife,
everybody's happy,
everyone is made for life.

In a city of the future,
it is difficult to find a space.
I'm too busy to see you,
you're too busy to wait.

That songs is called Palo Alto, but the opening line really screams Shanghai.

That and anything from the Bladerunner soundtrack - the comparison is too easy but it is so fitting.

Chinese Food

Day 4

Continued set up all day, still troubleshooting all the computer and monitor issues. The Chinese crew was with us again until after lunch - they were great. Beside the one bolt we bent, everything went well with them. We worked the whole day right up until the soft opening (minus 2 of the screens which were still having issues), and then stumbled around town for awhile, exhausted. Took a taxi to a fairly interesting market but I am not sure which one (have to check the map). We were supposed to meet up with a bunch of other Italians but we lost them on the way. Had a very interesting stroll through the French Concession area, came upon a great tea shop, and Marco fell asleep in a cafe. Good dinner though (I will find the place, it is well known, in all the guidebooks, etc.). Thought the Xintiandi area was a bust, like a western style mall. Seen enough of those in my life.