Type Delete Retype

It's all foreign to me

We are currently hosting 3 of E's Spanish friends. They arrived yesterday and will be with us for a week. Only one of them speaks English fluently. Dinner conversation last night (in English) was stilted until I insisted for a switch to Spanish (something E is keen to avoid seeing how excluded I was in Menorca). I sometimes whinge about not being involved but it's not a bad thing overall considering that I'm re-familiarising with the language fast and find myself comprehending more and more (largely thanks to LittleE).

I can't say the same about German or Swiss German. Going grocery shopping at a nearby village reminds me of my first week at Nottingham in 1992 - when I couldn't dechiper what the check out ladies at Sainsburys were saying(·) and had to brace myself for repetitions or worse, sign languages. 

 

(·) "Ello miduck" and "D'you need a carrier luv"  - in Malaysia we call a carrier "bag" or "plastic bag".     

Finally, real progress

 

Notebooks from HK airport

As mentioned here a few weeks ago, I had decided enough was enough with my 'unhealthy eating and not exercising enough' routine. Hence the effort to eat better and do some exercise etc. These efforts were however sabotaged by myself during our subsequent holiday in Menorca and the visit to Shanghai + Hong Kong where I ate and drank without compromise.

Actually, I had started off well in Menorca: using my five fingers to run in the mornings. However this routine ended abrubtly when I injured my foot and could not even walk without grimacing in pain. I tried to swim and walk as much as possible when the painkillers worked but it was really not enough to burn up the calories I was consuming from the calderettas, tapas and MIL´s delicious cooking. In Shanghai I became just plain lazy, casting my good intentions aside and going for massages and facials in my gym clothes.

It was only during the penultimate day in Shanghai, after numerous big dinners and drinks, that I wretchedly realised (upon seeing a picture we just took of ourselves here)  that  I had to do something i.e. I was seriously slipping into the 'not funny chipmunk cheeks' territory. 

Yikes and double yikes.  

I started saying no to rich food and went back to drinking a lot of water (except for when we were on the boat trip). Antisocial but necessary. At HK airport, I scouted around for motivation to get me on track (several blank notebooks, the before and after pictures of her in various magazines and a few books including this). 

I am feeling heaps better these days and sense I am making real progress when I'm able to decline a glass full of vino or pudding, especially when socialising (typically, my downfall). The weather has also been great - making biking/walking enjoyable. The bathroom scales tells me I've already shed more than 1 kg. I need to lose 3 more kg to achieve my ideal weight. I can do this!   

When we were in HK - Junk Boat

The fun (and funny) Hello Kitty helped to organize a junk boat trip whilst E and I were back in HK a few weeks ago. Her charming personality and  relationship with the boat company landed us with a surprise upgrade: a massive modern yatch which would have otherwise cost us double. It was a far cry from the one we were onboard not too long ago in Menorca(·) 

The weather was perfect for a day out and to appreciate (and in my case now to miss) HK's scenic views: the city's sky scrapers, harbour and mountains. We made a few stops for some swimming in the sea (which I also did! For the first time! A big hurrah!) and savoured some fresh seafood on one of the outlying islands.

It was a magical day and a fantastic way to remember HK by.

Footnote (·): The conversation between L and me after I recounted our adventure with old Domingo in Menorca...

Me: '....and there I was perched, alert... bla bla bla ... of course, I could only tell the others what happened once we left the boat!'

L: 'So, did Domingo speak any English?'

Me: 'No'

L: 'Did E´s brother, fiance and friends speak English'

Me: 'yes'

L: 'Ah, so you could have told them about when when they came back on board then...'

Me: 'F$%k!'

 

Our lush junk boat  - Pier 9, Hong Kong

 

Close to 1 week

And I've been itching to update but have been occupied by a number of things:

(1) Playing catch up and avidly reading all the delicious blogs out there - from 2009, when I ceased to write or read blogs regularly, caught up with the busy schedule at work (and also after been chastised by a reader of my blog that I was not doing myself any favours with my various shennenigans...she was right; I was in a nonsensical post break-up period).

Of the many blogs, it is this blog that I´ve been particularly absorbed with these days. I remember R suggesting I read her some years ago, mentioning it would be become a firm favourite. I paid some attention to it then but not as much as now where I am seeking her archives, starting from day 1 (as of this morning, I'm at Aug 2009).

(2) The demise of my lap top's screen - I still prefer a computer over an ipad when I type. Sure, I have both E´s computers at my disposal (one of which I'm using now) but am often demotivated  to use them because of their Spanish prompts and keys: spending inordinate time just to "supr" alphabets because I automatically reach out to"inicio" and battle with the resulting "´¨" when I want a simple ' (ironic when I think about the 4 something years I used F's Spanish computer completing the thesis)(God, maybe that's why I took 4+years!).

(3) Co-parenting Little E (LE)- who is currently with us. He started his new school 2 weeks ago and the transition hasn't been easy for him. Poor love. The good news is that the tears and tantrums are becoming less severe.

Back in Basel

4 days back in Basel and the relocation feels real now. More to follow.

 

Footnote

Food for thought: How does the Shanghai Daily decide which news to report. What agenda are they pushing? Crime in the big city? Impoverished dwellers?

 

In the news

 

I've been reading the Shanghai Daily these past days; it is the paper left on the door of our hotel room. The news are dominated mostly by incidences of theft: fraud and imprisonment of government officials, extortions by garbage collectors; toxic ingredients in food products (cancer causing red dye from Malaysia (?) found in the rarest birds nest delicacy) and; murder or maiming by upset spouse, neighbour, colleague. It soberly depicts Shanghai as a slightly dangerous place to live.

Two articles that particularly caught my attention were about a pair of parents flogging a young son in a public area for stealing the rent - CNY 300 (47USD) to play Internet games {so sad!} and generations of families living around a rubbish dump making a living out of collecting cast offs and recyclable items. The children are not in school and spend their days working - The story came with a picture of a little boy looking not more than 5 clutching refuse {also so sad}.

I don't know what the average salary is in Shanghai. I was surprised to learn during a conversation last night that some graduates are paid only CNY2,000-5,000 (c.USD 300-780) per month. I suppose this is not terribly far off from Malaysia yet it makes me shudder because cost of living especially housing are significantly higher here.

Post script: I  suspect with rising inflation in Malaysia, people are also suffering there.

Shanghai

From the restaurant with a view 

 

Lotsa bread eating fishies at  the pond of YuYuan Garden  

 

Not much going on at Duolon Street despite what L's American guide book asserts

 

Shanghai calling

Shanghai feels busy and vibrant.

Even on a Sunday evening: We checked out the hip and happening restaurant, "Mr and Mrs Bund" with L and hubby and were suitably impressed. The bar upstairs was also a hive of activity despite it being a school night.

Lucky coincidence: L and hubby, my Italian-German friends based in HK are coincidentally also here for a few days. L is an organized tourist so I was lucky enough to tag along good company and visit suggested places without prior planning while E is busy at work on Monday.

Touristic hit and miss: We went to the art street but didn't find much there - just frame shops, closed cafes and a number of nice statues. The area around Yuyuan garden (several subway stops away) provided more sights and sounds. In the evening, L's local friend brought us to a Sezchuan restaurant popular with the locals where we ate a number of sumptuous spicy dishes.

 

Hong Kong - Shanghai

E and I are in Hong Kong for the weekend. It certainly feels weird coming here as a visitor vs. resident-joining the long line at immigration. And not walking up the escalators from central to go home. We have been busy catching up with friends. I feel like I've been away longer than the real case. Next stop: Shanghai.