Shanghai Sigrid

Moving my blog

I have decided to move my blog to wordpress, it is better and easier to organise.

In the event that wordpress would once again be blocked here in China will continue the blog on this site.

My new address then is:

www.shanghaisigrid.wordpress.com

See you there!

To move or not to move...

Thinking of moving my blog yet again to another location...wordpress.com

It has a better blog layout, and as I noticed today it is no longer blocked in China!

Then again....maybe you my readers will find it irritating that I keep on swapping blog sites.

To move or not to move that is the question.

Will sleep on it for tomorrow.

Pole Dance Classes

Looking around for pole dance classes... it's looking bleak.

Feeling dance studio (formerly Blush) charge 990 RMB for 6 classes.

Way to expensive. And it is not really for people on my level + the studio is a bit far from my house.

Soul Dancing studio charge 880 for 8 classes (or 1400 for 16 classes) which is better. But still quite expensive considering I don't think their classes are very structured or organised.

Last year I was a member of Soul Dancing and Jenevieve taught there but once she left to start up Blush (that ceased to exist just the other day) the quality of Soul Dancing's classes went straight down.

Last time I went there I remember I just stood in class being bored because the remaining teachers were so bad and I left 15 minutes early.

(funnily enough they have pictures on their website from that very same class, my tattoos make me very recognisable)

(please note the people on the left just standing there...thats what most of us did that class)

sigh

Im thinking I will go and drop in on one of their classes next week anyways (cost 100 rmb for testing a class) and see if they have any new teachers that are better or if it is the same as before. It all depends on who is teaching right now.

If anyone knows of any other pole dancing studios around in Shanghai, give me a shout!

I fear I might be on my own now...

I Heart Inner Mongolian Music!

我爱听内蒙古的音乐！

I loooove Inner Mongolian music!

It can be cheesy at times, and quite a few ballads...but I love it nonetheless! Eventhough Campbell and Bex roll their eyes at me.

Yesterday on my way home the taxi drivier put on a cd with Inner Mongolian music and a song came up that I specially like, seeing how much I enjoyed the music the taxi driver gave me the cd!

How could I refuse! Besides refusing gifts is rude.

Listening to it now :)

Who is Loro Horta?

Loro Horta....

the man behind the media hype of China's "invasion" in Mozambique.

Every one cites him and quotes him and refer to his research on China's large scale farming ambitions in Mozambique. Yet...I haven't been able to find a single shred of evidence that there is ANY Chinese farms existing or planned in Mozambique. The National directorate for land in Mozambique had not even heard of such requests.

Funny how words travel....

Deborah Brautigam a professor at the American University was in touch with Loro Horta (I myself cannot get a reply from him). Unfortunately Loro Horta could not share is sources with her as he "could not find them".

How unfortunate that he lost his sources.

Oh well...Chinese investments into overseas farming is really interesting. But being interesting doesn't mean something is actual fact. I wish it was true but so far I don't have ANY sources confirming it.

And now I hear Loro Horta is invited to attend a conference on food security in Maputo in April.

Really! I should be invited! Clearly I know more about this issue than he does and I actually DO research.

If only he could share his sources with me and let me judge whether or not I find them credible I might believe what he is saying. But for now, I will not trust the media or him.

Good News and Bad News

Good news is that I managed to put down 995 words on my thesis in 2 hours!

What a writing spurt.

Good news no. 2 is that I am going out with Bex to the 92nd floor bar this evening. They have free champagne for ladies tonight :)

I don't really like champagne...but hey, as an economist and student I need to maximise resources available to me! Last time I was there it was so much fun, just lots of women, hardly any men at all. Great atmosphere and live music + fantastic views from almost 500 m up in the air.

Bad news: I've been laid off. Blush Dance Studios doesn't exist anymore. Buhu. It has now been taken over by a dance studio called Feelings. Well that's the recession for you hey. It was very brave of Jen and Lisa to start up a new company in the dire times of last year. It was fun while it lasted.

If anyone wants to hire a pole dance teacher give me a shout!

Erik the Viking and me

My life starts to resemble that of Erik the Viking more and more....

I haven't seen the sun in a weeks time now, last time I saw it was when I left joburg.

Pissy rain and gray skies (pollution) all day every day.

sigh

Is this Ragnarök?

As if time wasn't in shortage already....

Ooooh noooo...

Due to the forceful earthquake that just happened in Chile the day has become shorter.

As if we weren't pressed for time already!

Sigh!
This means my thesis deadline is approaching even quicker!

Alright, so it's only 1.26/1 000 000 second less per day...but still, time is of the essence!

Must...work....faster....

Promoting Shanghai Street Wear- the pyjamas!

I am happy to see that someone searched for "street wear" on the Swedish blogportal and my entry on Shanghainese pyjamas wearing habits were one of the top results.

Im glad the word of wearing pyjamas is spreading!

Save the pyjamas!

Me stalking a man wearing a silky pyjamas

Chinese Idioms- short stories online

Sarah found a nice little page with video clips of short stories behind the Chinese idioms.

It has both hanzi text and pinyin aswell as a narrative voice plus English translation

:)

Really good for those learning Chinese.