Culture Differences

Got these pictures from another Swedish guy's blog about living in Shanghai, it's not made by him though, I thought these pics were pretty witty.

1, Queing system in the West respectively in the East

2, Beauty ideal in the West respectively in the East
3. Leadership in the West respectively in the East

I hate China Firewall

Once upon a time my blog was really really popular because people from China could read it. But since China keeps blocking/unblocking/blocking/ so on....frequently my dear readers has just given up on trying to reach this website.

ONCE AND FOR ALL, (right now blogs are unblocked in China)

Get a tor, they work soooo much better than other web proxys! You can even comment when you have tor installed, also you can read wikipedia :)

http://www.greatwall.cn.tp/?p=23


This great site tells you step buy step how to do it. I used this when I was in SH and blogger was blocked.

We are all racist more or less

It has been scientifically proven.

Here is a test for you to find out!
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research/

You really should take time to do this, it is fascinating, this test was recommended in the book blink by Malcolm Gladwell who also wrote "The Tipping point".

World's Best City: Stockholm Worst: Shanghai

World's best city according to the US magazine Reader's Digest is Stockholm. No other big cities offer their inhabitants with so high life quality and nice environment.

Reader's Digest has compared 72 big cities in the world focusing on environment; air, traffic, greenlands, energy prices, etc.

And no wonder, Beijing and Shanghai was on the bottom of the list.

But we all know if they would have the list of World's Most Exciting City, Shanghai would be on top and Stockholm would be ehhrmmm on the bottom....

Faith of Chinese hairdressers

A lot of times in hair salons, me and the hairdresser begin to talk a lot. Once we had a really long conversation. I asked about their situation, why she came to Shanghai, etc. I asked those repeating questions to her while she was working for Wenfeng

So what she told me really shocked me.

They start working at 8am until 11pm nonstop. On Weekends as well. They get one day free per month. They get free accomodation by Wenfeng (one of the large hairsalon chains).

That is basically it...and their monthly salary is around 900 rmb (a nice dinner for an evening).

Read more here from another blogger

There are none Shanghainese working in Wenfeng (I have never encountered a Shanghainese there)

My cousin's friend earns 5 rmb and some jiao each hour working in Pizza Hut as a first-timer.

Now...appreciate what you have!

Tearing down the old houses in Shanghai

These last five years you have for sure seen those big signs in Shanghai saying that this house is going to be teared down. They are everywhere in those big cities, Shanghai, Beijing, etc.

My hall friend from Beijing told me today that their house is going to be teared down, which means that her family is getting only about 100000 RMB, maybe not even that much, for a new place called home. They of course knew that with only 100000 RMB there is no possibility to find an apartment to buy in Beijing. So they refused to move out.

But the company that was following the orders from the Chinese government to tear those houses down got really mad because her family refused to move out. So they hired these liu mangs (thugs) to sabotage their house, for an example they breaked the glasses, screamed outside, they even put excrement (poo poo) on the house's door.

Luckily, my hall friend's family knew someone who helped them out, but the neighbours weren't as lucky. As they also refused to move out from their house, the company had even ordered people who were stalking the neighbours. One got beaten with a metal stick so he almost died.

Now you might wonder how this could have happened? I seriously don't know, it's just sick how they can manage to do things like this. Why not call the police? Because they have no proof that it happened, it was dark, no witnesses and so on.

Sometimes China indeed sucks big time!

Media princess!!!!

Not that I am one........yet!!!

Besides all other blogs/webpages that have included me in their link lists I'm also on Kinaportalen (a Swedish website about China), they had a small interview with me which you can read here if you understand Swedish.

Also, Orla Barry (an Irish radio host) had chosen me as one of the best blogs on the internet, check here.

I'm also on the Top of the Blogs for Shanghai - list and among best blogs in Asia (misohoni)

A Swedish travel website also put me on their favourite link list.

So everyone's reading it! ;)

A kiss

I just read an article and it says that you lose 24 calories each minute you kiss! Is it really true? I doubt it, I run in a speed of 8.5 km/h and I only lose 9 calories each minute, and kissing doesn't even make me sweat like I am when I'm running.

You also use 34 of your face muscles when you kiss someone, in addition to that, is when you kiss often your body is protecting you against getting sick.

My best and worst kiss experience happened both in Shanghai.

I don't think a kiss has to be really really good and compatible in order to be wonderful but that you have to feel something for the person you are kissing, and if the kiss is really compatible at the same time as you have feelings for the person, then the kiss is just simply marvelous.

The worst kiss I've ever had was in bonbon with a Norwegian guy (hey, scandinavian people are supposed to be good!!!). Thinking of it I start to shiver (not of excitement, more of ew-shivering......).

China has blocked my baby

I'm crying my heart out.
www.siyansblog.tk is my new URL, please use this one instead!

Just when I have gotten a lot of readers and get praised by other bloggers, China has decided to block all blogs from blogspot. I hope they unblock it soon, otherwise I'd go crazy. Hope you guys know how to use www.pkblogs.com (With this you can access my blog even if you're in China).

The winner of my contest is Al McDowell (British expat in Shanghai)!!! A friend of mine who made the banner. I will send him a little package after my calculation test!

Other contestants, you were really good as well! There will hopefully be more contests in the future.

LIVE 8 IN SHANGHAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm ecstatic!!!!!!!!!

Al Gore will be announcing a worldwide benefit concert today to be held on 07/07/07. The Gore promoted event will be announced alongside Jon Bon Jovi, Sting, Pharrell Williams and media executive Kevin Wall. To be held in 7 locations on 7 continents. Reports have indicated that participating cities inlcude London, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Kyoto and Washington DC.

What is best to know is that I (me,me, me) WILL BE IN SHANGHAI ON THAT DATE, 7 is my favourite number, I'm soooooo lucky!

I love you, Al Gore, you are my hero!!!!!!!

For more information, click here.

30000 Foreign students in Shanghai

WOW!!! Last year more than 30000 foreign students decided to come to Shanghai, no wonder Bonbon is always so packed! This is an increase of around 20 percent from 2005.

The number of foreign students in Shanghai is expected to reach 60,000 to 70,000 by 2010. I hope I will be one of them.

But my worst fear is that we will encounter those Tshirts everywhere in Shanghai. That is the last thing we need to see.

An Inconvenient Truth

one cool hybrid car from Toyota I watched the documentary about global warming last night with Al Gore, and I personally think it's one of the most important documentares now to watch.

As he says we are living in a period of consequences, and it will just get worse if we don't do anything soon.

It all begins with small changes, why not change your regular lightbulbs into low energy ones? Or buy a hybrid car if you have the chance (they are really trendy, lots of celebrities drive a hybrid car including Leornadio di Caprio and Cameron Diaz.), start recycling (doesn't really take that much effort), walk or ride a bike (you'll lose fat while you are taking care of the nature).

There are many things we can start to do, and if everyone is ready to make those small changes in their lives, there will lead to good results! It all starts with one person changing.

http://www.climatecrisis.net/

Anna Nicole Smith is DEAD

Ok, this doesn't have anything to do with Shanghai , but still. It's big news!!! I just wrote about her one day ago that she made traffic chaos in Sweden with her H&M Campaigns.

She collapsed in southern Florida this afternoon.

I feel so pity for her family, she just had a new born daughter!!! They are going through a paternity testing.

For more information

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17050167/?GT1=9033

Chinabounder's blog is back

Sorry for being so late with this news, but he opened his blog again, 5 months later after the "scandal".
I have to say his first post is quite good, talking about how China media/government values different things. Innocent kids in the countryside being killed by mental teachers is apparently less important than a British guy in Shanghai sleeping with different Chinese girls.

www.chinabounder.blogspot.com

Semla in Shanghai?

In Swedish traditions, we are supposed to eat Semla soon. I wonder where people in Shanghai can taste it, will they sell it in IKEA? or the restaurant Taste of Scandinavia in Zhongshan Park area?

A semla is a traditional pastry in Sweden, associated with Lent and especially Shrove Tuesday.
The semla consists of a cardamom-spiced wheat bun which has its top cut off and insides scooped out and then filled with a mix of the scooped out bread crumbs, milk and almond paste, topped off with whipped cream. The cut-off top is then put back as a lid and dusted with icing sugar.

Some people like to eat it in a bowl of warm milk, but as we know if we would eat semla in China, we would choose not to eat it with milk, as it is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to find good milk in China.
Each Swede consumes on average five bakery-produced semlas each year, in addition to all those that are home-made.
Now the questions come to me, should I eat a semla this year? (I'm trying to be on a diet) I didn't last year because I was in the US (I did go to seven-eleven to buy a punchki though). Decisions decisions!!!!!!!!

King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died by the way of digestion problems on February 12, 1771 after consuming a meal consisting of lobster, caviar, sour cabbage, smoked herring and champagne, which was topped off by 14 servings of his favourite dessert: a semla served in a bowl of hot milk.

Numbers

$664 million
Amount spent on antiaging facialcare products in the US last year

15%
Rate at which online footwear sales are increasing each year in the US.

20 seconds
In every 20 seconds, one of Yves Saint Laurents Touche Eclat concealers is being sold
(Airport in Paris didn't accept swedish or chinese currency so I couldnt buy it, damn it)

15%
American women prefer Ralph Lauren, while only 3% prefer Chanel.
(Weirdos)

$143000
Cosmetic brands pay Sephora this amount of money so they can be placed for 15 days in all their flagship stores during peak periods.

Blink of an eye

I am finished with reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, a wonderful book. It really makes people have a second thought about different situations. The book gave me a link where people can go and be a part of a research study. It's very interesting. How prejudiced are you really?

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research/

"Here you will have the opportunity to assess your conscious and unconscious preferences for over 90 different topics ranging from pets to political issues, ethnic groups to sports teams, and entertainers to styles of music. At the same time, you will be assisting in a large-scale study of preferences."

After reading this book I might know if the Louis Vuitton bag I see on the street is fake or not, in a blink of an eye ;)