Cocktail lessons with urban diversion

What do you do in San Francisco? Well, if you are the Dundee Expat you sign up for cocktail mixing lessons. Nevermind that I believe that this kind of activity is a sign of imminent death...

So the idea was that a bunch of people from Urban Diversion would get a bar to ourselves, get some pointers from a bartender/bar-owner.




After downing a good number of his demonstrations we were allowed behind the bar to try out some moves of our own.



As any night that starts with a cocktail mixing lesson will eventually do, this one ended up less focused on mixing and more focused on drinking.




These are the pretty pictures. I found myself grooving until early morning next day, but what happens in San Francisco after 2am stays in San Francisco after 2am.

Meetup.com in San Francisco

Today I joined a members club called Urban Diversions here in San Francisco who I found through meetup.com . On the way to their clubhouse, I just had to snap this one.



Meetup.com is a really exciting idea of a website that essentially helps people set up societies, parties, evening talks, networking sessions, debate groups whatever. I checked it out, tried to search for "new in san francisco" and I discovered Urban Diversions. This is a members club that organizes adventures and laid back parties. I can't help but compare these guys with shanghaiExpat.com (see previous post). The difference I suppose is that ShanghaiExpat tried to pay for itself by targeting members with ads and extra services, whereas Urban Diversions charges a membership fee.

It's going to be interesting to see how this works out. The idea is great, and they do organize a fair amount of zany stuff. For instance, next friday they are organizing a bartender school. Great, never having worked as a bartender is a black mark in my street-cred book.
The only worry of course is that I'll be too busy to actually join in anything and that membership fee was thrown in the sea. Well, you don't know unless you try.

This is me in the clubhouse.



Oh, the same evening I joined Urban Diversions, it just so happened that Mr. Oakenfold was playing just around the corner from me. This man is a god among men. Well, actually I am not sure about that but he does have a very agreeable taste in music.
I have slightly mixed feelings about this evening. On the one hand I had a great time, met some interesting people and felt all the younger for it. On the other hand I had a terrible hang over on a thursday morning (their double vodkas are more like quadruple vodkas!).

I also ended up with no money on my credit card. Instead of charging me $50, ticketweb.com (they suck) charged me $500, which put my card out of use for a day. Although it's been rectified now, I really hate it when my financial security breaks down. At least this time it wasn't my fault. Yay!

This is Mr Oakenfold.

Did I mention I'm in Las Vegas?

I'm in a city full of casinos. I took a picture of the Las Vegas on the way to Grand Canyon. That's "the strip" on the left.




Casino's come in all kinds and shapes.






Casinos are full of slot machines and tables where you can play cards or dice or roulette.


I have an addictive obsessive personality. I decided to hold onto my cash and get the hell out of here before it's too late.

New Year 2006 Iceland Fireworks

Bombs, Iceland nightlife

Young Uncle works for a wildly successful Icelandic company (in many ways he is the original Icelandic Expat) and was given a New Years bonus. He decided to spend most of it on a really big bomb. That's what they do in Iceland during new years. They blow stuff up.

The kids were really excited. So was I, but you can't see me in this picture because i'm actually taking it.


Young Uncle decided to show me the wild side of Iceland. We started with a "pre-party". Because booze is so bloody expensive in Iceland, the tradition is to warm up properly before you go out.

Icelandic people are not very warm. At least the ones I know like talking really slow, making considered remarks about the progress of Einar's business and the nature of Nordic competitiveness. The really weird thing was how everybody waited their turn, and even gave a seconds pause between people speaking so that everyone had a chance to think about what had been said. It can take a long time for seven Icelandic men to come to agreement this way.


I was about to gnaw of my left arm at one point, but luckily someone finally took the initiative and led the conversations onto the more heated topics of booze and women. By heated I mean that comments were less thoughtful and the pause between people speaking was reduced to maybe half a second.

We made it outside finally, around 3am. Well, it's was New Year's Eve the day after so the town was understandably less energetic than it could have been. But it was interesting to see how these people jigg and I got a picture of myself on the dancefloor. Mission accomplished.

Beijing connections

One of the weird and wonderful things about my amazing life is to bump into people I know in random parts of the world.
Another long-lost-friend from when I studied applied espionage in London has moved to Asia. Pela is employed by the British empire to engage with the Chinese on issues of Science and academy. She's a clear contender for smartest-most-beautiful-girl-the-dundee-expat-has-ever-met. Unfortunately she's taken, but that doesn't mean I can't brag I know her.



This is taken at the German embassy in Beijing.

Back in Beijing

Ah, back in Beijing. And it's feichang freezing! Between 0-4 celsius. Where do I complain?

I'm living in Chongwenmen again, same place as last time. This time they've given me a really cool unit with a mezzanine bedroom, so it's more of an apartment than a studio. And very interesting: instead of a heater unit, they've got heated floors. The whole apartment is nicely warm.
Also, it's quiet here during nighttime. I've been sleeping with earplugs in Shanghai for the last couple of weeks, not so much because of the traffic but mainly because there's some electricity equipment humming right outside my window. It's sooooooo nice so sleep in a warm, quiet apartment. If you need somewhere to stay in Beijing, check this place out: www.stayinbeijing.com

Ooh ooh ooh! And I've got a balcony overlooking a hutong courtyard. Sweet! This whole area was a massive hutong sprawl just two years ago, but they've bulldozed the whole thing to make way for residential blocks and shopping malls. They saved one cute little courtyard and it's right in front of my apartment.



Every morning there's a group of soliders doing some kind of exercise inside the courtyard, and it's a great way to start my day to bulk up in two jackets on top of two layers of clothes, and then drink my morning coffee watching them run around and being all alert.



It's good to be back

I'm so wrong. When will I ever learn?

urgh... it's sunday, and I'm still reeling from friday. Shanghai has an absolutely excellent party scene, with more cool people than you can shake a stick at. How could I have dismissed it so quickly last weekend?
I went to the newly-opened Attica of Singapore fame and wow, it felt like being 20 in London again. A mix of money, style, great music, a pavillion overlooking Pudong (yes, this is just a few blocks from Bar Rouge), an air of cultural curiosity and intoxication. Does it get any better?



I'm a sucker for moments. At the end of the night I bumped into Mimi, yet another member of the Hong Kong gang. Since we were both going to Dragon Club (the after-hours to go to at the moment, apparently) she offered me a ride in her car. I hate it when I'm so obvioulsy "new in Asia", but I couldn't stop myself from grinning madly as we raced through the streets of Shanghai, with thumping dance music blaring from the speakers and the sun rising above skyscrapers and french mansion.

So the question is: when will i learn? I never really get a city for the first two weeks, this time was no different. If you agree that golden week doesn't count, that's just about right for my time in Shanghai too.
In fact, I've come up with a system.

Week #1, sort yourself out with an apartment or long-term hotel room, a local phone number, a map (and a guide book if you haven't already), locate the nearest Starbucks and maybe an alternative cafe/office. Fill up on all the necessities that you couldn't be bothered to bring with you.
Week #2, spend all your free-time sightseeing, learning about the public transport system and going to as many bars and discos as you can manage. Focus on quantity, not quality, see as much as possible whether it stinks or not.
Week #3, Make friends! You know what you like about the city and can start to enjoy yourself. Leave the guide book at home.
Week #4, Fall in love with the city, discover amazing things about yourself, understand the scope of beauty on a global scale, see cultures meet and mix etc.
Week #5 Forget you were only supposed to be here for 4 weeks. Figure out a way to extend your visa. Can you live her permanently? Have I ever been this happy?
Week #6 You're completely lost, the city has rooted itself inside you. Leave now or be forever lost!

Women in shanghai

I made up for me working through Friday night by partying like a hamster on Saturday night. Armed with an extensive list of bars and discos, I worked my way through the many venues of Shanghai. Shanghai was still a bit dead after golden week, obviously people had not recovered financially from whatever glorious holidays they've been on.

Two parts of the night stood out. First one was in California Club in Fuxing Park. Although it was almost completely empty, I was impressed with the energy of the music, how it mixed very dark beats with high tides of yummy build ups. But what really made this part of the night special/hilarious was the DJ and our reaction to the DJ. You see, the DJ just happened to be the most gorgeous woman ever. After a long spell staring mesmerized at her and wondering how such cool music can eminate from someone so beautiful, I looked around: the place was full of men. No, it wasn't a gay bar... that would not have been half comical. No, the entire place was full of straight men completely in love with the DJ. Now and then a couple of girls would come into the bar and shake about a little. No amount of shaking or grinding would catch anybodies attention, as all eyes were fixed on the DJ, so the girls would get bored and leave quickly. Hilarious.

Now, the second interesting part of this evening happened at Bar Rouge. Bar Rouge is an absolutely beutiful venue, overlooking the futuristic Pudong across the Huangpu river. As i'm mingling about and marvelling at the lack of hip-ness in this place, I suddenly get three blocks of ice in my stomach. Who's standing there if not Anna, from Hong Kong. Like my friend the Propaganda Meister says: "you know you've been here too long when you start to bump into people you know from other cities"... I hung out with her and her friends for the rest of the night, being drawn into all kinds of Hong Kong style dramas that I realize I miss (in moderation, of course).

Right, I understand it's going to be a bit empty just after golden week. But still... i get a feeling that there's all this supply (lot's of cool venues, great music) but very little demand. The Chinese prefer their karaokes, and the westerners are here for business, not hedonism. Maybe things will change.

Shanghai old town

I went to Shanghai's 'old town' today. It's a part of central Shanghai that hasn't been completely demolished yet, and they've even done parts of it up to make into a toursist attraction. However, it's clear most of this area will be gone in five years, as the houses here are simply not renovatable. Walking through the narrow alleys off the main street, some houses had just crumbled and nobody is going to rebuild them- why bother when the entire streets is going to be a site for a high-rise a few years from now?

This is the main street, which has been done up. In the far distance you can see the walls around a China architecture themed shopping and eating area.


I thought this was an interesting picture. The old houses, entangled in power cords, with the encroaching high-rises in the background.



This the wall to Yuanyi garden. Unfortunately it was closed when I got there, but it was just fascinating to walk around with these kind of buildings and walls everywhere around you.



But the most thrilling part of the excursion was walking down the most narrow alleyways. Life here seemed to be lived just as much out on the street as inside in the small rooms/apartments. There wasn't really any sense of privacy here, more like a massive commune. Most of the doors and windows were open, and people were sitting around outside tanning or talking. In fact, I felt as if I was walking around these folks' gardens. It was a thrilling experience, and I couldnt' make myself take up my camera to capture anything that I saw, out of respect.



I spent a good few hours here, then spent most of the early evening walking from old town all the way to JingAn temple (about a two hour walk). It's nice to be finally my bearings here.



And tonigh is party night :-)

Walking through the French Concession

Went on a quick sighseeing trip today. Not so much to take in the sight, but more to get a better feeling for what is north and south in this city. Took the tube to Huaihai Road where my office is and walked all the way to Huangshan road, where all the western restaurants and bars are. There were no spectacular sights, but it was a beautiful walk though old french architecture and now and then you'd bump into some famous mantions where dimplomat so-and-so used to live.


The brick building in the foreground houses Mao in a girls dorm at some pivotal point. He was actually sharting the dorm with some politician mates of his, but still... teehee... he was in a girld dorm... Bloody massive building behind it.


There's a monument to Vogue around the corner, opposite the building that housed the first communist something. Strikes me as a rather odd monument wherever you put it.


Walking through the "French Concession" makes you wonder whether which part of the world you are in. If it wasn't so dusty and so congested, you could have made the mistake of thinking you were in some suburb in Gothenburg.
All very beautiful and green, maybe not so serene but very different and a stimulating walk.

Living near JingAn temple

I've found myself a studio on the 16th floor next to JingAn temple. As usual I'm paying through the nose for the luxury of not having to commit for longer than a month at a time. I've calculated that if I got an apartment with a six-month contract, I would be saving money even if I only stayed there two months of that time. And I would have somewhere to leave my stuff until next time. A way to expand my life beyond the 25Kg of allowed luggage in Cathay economy without having to worry about airmiles...



JingAn temple. The world-famous JingAn temple. Actually, I'm not sure it's all that famous, except as the name of the nearby metro station. It's slightly underwhelming from a tourist point of view but there's a whole bunch of Buddha's in here. I'm sure that means some sort of luck for my stay here, to have 'dem all just around the corner.


Speaking around the corner. I would like to warn every man and woman in Shanghai against this awful establishment. This place is dirty. The furniture is dirty. The people who work seem scared of their own shadows. The food is dirty. It's overpriced. Don't go there! Steakking- you really suck!

Return to Singapore

Time to present my the results of six months wort of spying.
I'm presenting to audiences here in Singapore and in Hong Kong on Thursday. It's exciting to be back, my stay here still ranks as one of the happier times in my life, even if it was only six weeks. But I'm still recovering from my tonsillitis so not allowing myself anything but enjoying some of the vistas I have missed.

For instance, the Simatec skyscrapers. Five of them all together around a massive (strange-looking) fountain of wealth. From above they supposedly look like the palm of a hand with five fingers.


The very reason for my happyness in Singapore- the food!
Oh how I love thee Singapore food court. I had all my favourites while here, including the Hainan chicken and Korean BBQ beef.
Not to mention the wonderfull half-boiled egg breakfast. Gwuarr!




Ok, this is really really geeky...
But I am a geek and I'm proud of it!
i've invested in a new ipod and a travel speaker. So as soon as I arrived at the hotel I was able to set up a small soundsystem next to my computer. It feels like the beginning of a new life, to finally be able to hear my wonderful music without having to plug my ears with dirty earphones. Music is important.

This pretty much completes my hardware setup to support a life of international espionage. All I need now is a portable printer.
Just the different chargers for all my hardware probably takes up at least 3 kilos in my luggage :-o

Beautiful Hong Kong

It’s a gorgeous city on a beautiful day. Is it the most beautiful modern city in the world? It has everything. It has a harbour river, it has sea and beaches, and it has tropical forests and hills that pretend to be mountains. It has islands, crazy Chinese people, awesome skyscrapers and all kinds of foreigners. It has ass, it has class.

Going to work from SoHo is an amazing adventure. You emerge onto one of the narrow, slanted streets, you pass by western bakeries and coffeeshops, take the longest escalator in the world down to the central business district. You escape a gang of imposing skyscrapers by jumping into a taxi with doors that open automatically and are then transported into the half Chinese, half Southeast Asian ghetto of Wan Chai.

Another cross on my bedpost

Ha, third night market in three weeks. I'm now officially a night market guru.



This is Tunghua, around the corner from the main bar district of Taipei. The clothes are rather boring but there's an overwhelming selection of food here. Having developed a strange streak of boringness lateley I stuck to dumplings, my old-time favourite.

And that's it I think. Maybe I'll check out the jade market too to attain the status of night market demigod, but it's not very high up on my list of things todo. :-)

Everyday confusion in Taiwan

It's a small detail, but important enough in my life. The photo below is of the entry down an underground set of tunners that you need to use if you want to cross the street around the corner from where I live.



It's nothing special when it's used deliberately and consciously. However, as you can see from the map below, it's quite a complex set of tunnerls. Count the exits- 8 of them all together, in a fractal snowflake pattern.



If I use these tunnels with something on my mind, maybe already choosing in my head which Taiwanese delicacy I will try tonight or trying to decide whether to brave the buses to work today or take a taxi... I always get confused.



So when I get to the final exit tunnel i often find myself facing a completely different set of buildings than I expected. Very disorienting and it has happened often enough to warrant a mention as one of my Taiwan experiences. :-)

Mysticism in the context of commerical interests

If you haven't been to one of Taipei's night markets, you haven't been to Taipei.
Now I've been to Snake Alley and Shilin market. That must mean I'm a Taipei veteran.

Shilin market is the night market of night markets. A maze of narrow alleys with door to door shops and food stalls, plus a throbbing crowd. My mate the hotel guard downstairs tells me I chose a bad day, because the heat tonight will have meant there would be less people. Really? I'd like to see it more crowdy than it was!



Something that caught my eye was a shrine/temple in the middle of the maze. Don't know who's being worshipped here, but it looked kind of cool in the middle of all the huzzle.



There were food stalls in front of it, and you might just make out the shop underneath the temple where the strong light is coming from in the pic below.



I find the contrast between mystical structures and commercial interest very fascinating. It's so against the ideas I've been tought about mysticism in the west. Jesus chasing out the merchants in the temple and all that.