I’m not sure I want to tell you where to find the money changer becasuse he’s been there for many years and provides a valuable service to locals and foreigners alike. I have introduced many people to him. He gives a better rate than a bank, there are no forms to fill in and no… Read More »
I am the only qualified teacher at the school where I am currently doing some part time work. The other teachers are good people and do their best with what they are given. The Chinese teachers are routinely overworked and probably underpaid. I am valued. I know this. The staff and management say nice things… Read More »
Being self-employed can be scary at times because you always have to think about where and how you’re going to get some work. And you don’t want any type of work – you want well-paid interesting work. For this reason, I do not generally do private lessons. I hate doig them although they are lucrative.… Read More »
I was offered a ticket to see a real actual gig from an actual band. This was new for me, who, brought up in the coutnryside has seen almost no live music. I don’t think Max Boyce counts and I’m not convinced that my accidental attendance at a Status Quo gig in Sheffield in the… Read More »
It was a bright sunny afternoon and I wasn’t particularly busy and I thought I’d down Fangbang Lu – one of my favourite cycle rides. My friend and I called in at the flower and bird market first and then in a small electronics market and then parted ways. There is a community I really… Read More »
The Best of British Show came back to Shanghai again in October and fortunately I have plenty of people who will give me free tickets to stuff like this (when did I last pay for a ticket to any show?). My four day trade pass meant that I was in on the first day –… Read More »
I was trying to make my way slowly and carefully from central Shanghai to Yangpu district on my bike when I found myself at the International Cruise Terminal metro station. There, I saw a really interesting derelict building and took a detour to cycle around it to see if I could get in for a… Read More »
I was definitely the oldest one at the Bayer Start-up grind annual party this week. Naked Hub at Loushanguan seems a lot bigger than the other Naked offices but it still has the signature plant wall and high ceilings, sleeping spaces and comfy chairs around a main hall. It was an ideal place for the… Read More »
I want to get my teeth cleaned and this requires a visit to the Stomatological Hospital on my road (because I don’t want to pay large dental bills at a foreign hospital). The first thing they need to do even before I can make an appointment is to have a blood test. I can’t see… Read More »
The children in the lane have developed a habit of knocking on my door every day in the summer holidays asking if I want to come out to play. This week I decided to hunt around for the paints and brushes and papers I’d got somewhere in the cupboard. As I was rifling through the… Read More »