Ch 50: While I Slept

Jan 2007
While I slept a nation was reawakened. While I slept, a people awoke to a chance at a different tomorrow. While I slept a city was being reborn. While I slept the future was changed yet the outcome still undefined.

Perhaps I had been dreaming for too long?

For when my towers came crumbling down around me, new towers were being built halfway around the world. But I did not see them. Could not believe how fast the future would come. And now I am at the doorsteps of the future. Finding my way through the city of the future. And I can see.

Now I must return to the past. Because a successful future depends on an understanding of the past. But I will be back. I must return. Because while I slept the future changed yet it still remains undefined.

And I want a hand in defining it.

Ch 49: Happy 2007!

One heck of a night (and day after) >=)

Ch 48: Top Fun Spots- Shanghai Winter 06/07

From my personal experiences and in no particular order:

1. Bund 15 (Attica)- Good music and one of the best views of Pudong from the outdoor lounge.


2. Level 2- a new hip hop club on Danshui 66. Great music and a hip, cozy atmosphere.


3. Guandi- the “older” hip hop club in Fuxing Park. A younger crowd and always a good time.


4. Bund 18 (BarRouge)- Good drinks and a good place to take a few friends for drinks anytime of the week.


5. Face- Lounge converted from an older colonial building next to the Ruijin hotel. The atmosphere is quiet and with 2 “bed” lounge areas it’s a great place to get “closer” to others =p.


6. Cotton’s- A French style building with an outdoor bar and smaller rooms inside for loud gatherings of friends.


7. Just Grapes- Great wine shop with a sweet loft space upstairs for private gatherings.


8. Cash Box (Qian Gui)- KTV. China. Nuff said.


9. Ritz Carlton Jazz Bar- Local and international (i.e. anyone not Chinese) jazz bands play here every night.


10. JZ Club- A jazz bar with live music and a crowd that really gets into it.


11. Xintiandi- an area of tea houses, jazz clubs, lounges, stores, & restaurants south west of Renmin park. Not to be missed.


12. Mint- A sleek lounge close to the city center. Wednesday is lady’s night (free mixed drinks for her but not bad for guys either)


13. Plaza 66- in Shanghai you are what you wear- and if you shop at Plaza 66 you are wearing the best (or just the most expensive =p)

I also recommend Chinese foot massages with herbal water soaks. I’ve never had anything like it before (but then I am not one to pamper myself). Beware the social danger! Remember “everything in moderation”.

Ch 47: A Skyline Like No Other

Dec 27, 2006

Where am I? Is this Star Wars or Lord of the Rings? I took this photo from the 7th floor of a shopping center on the eastern side of People’s Square. Shanghai’s architecture never fails to impress. The city is made to be scene at night when the neon lights glow in patterns and sequences that make you feel like you’re walking through the movie “blade runner” or the streets of a Japanese cyberpunk anime from the 80s.

Ch 46: Beware the Social Danger!

What do you get when you combine?
1.) Rapid social change and increasingly abundant economic opportunities
2.) A mobile and growing international population
3.) A city with old world / new world charms & vices

You get:
1.) World class restaurants/lounges/clubs @ world beating prices
2.) Pampered services available @ almost all economic levels
3.) More “fun” distractions then any other city in the world

What does this result in?
Simply put if you are a “normal” person anywhere else in the world from a “normal” socio-economic background with a basic grasp of English then you are a social VIP here (not business or political, just social). It’s funny to see it but it’s a reality of modern Shanghai life. I am a firm believer that ones “true” self comes through not when one undergoes adversity in life but rather when one obtains power / choice in life. Adversity can bring out an animal instinct to fight back (you don’t have much choice). When you have power and choice you’re true nature truly shines.

In Shanghai many regular folks suddenly find themselves as VIPs with relative power and choice. Do they choose to remain as the nice guy/girl that was the optimal choice in their previous environment? Or do they choose to become something else? That’s Shanghai- it doesn’t change you but it does give you (and others) a glimpse of your true self. Are you ready to look in the mirror?

Ch 45: Solace in the City

In the most exciting city in the world it can be tough to find a place to step back from it all- an escape from the velocity that comes with being at the forefront of the future. I was fortunate enough to find such a spot on my morning walks through the city. The Suzhou "creek" runs along the northern borders of the Jingan district. I found a small riverside park there one day. It was quiet, with the exceptions of the sounds of the city in the background, the whispers of the flowing water and the occasional water-going vessel. It was lonely, with the exception of an old couple taking a stroll and later on a mother teaching her young son to walk. It was my piece of the city and I relished every moment of it.