Nothing to Say Here (The Solutions Edition): Put A Shirt on That Pig!

Nothing to Say Here (The Solutions Edition): Put A Shirt on That Pig!

For today’s edition of my Shanghai photo series, I have a small task for you. You see, yesterday I saw something confusing. Something I hadn’t seen before in this city. I saw this. Yes, that’s a pig. And yes, she’s wearing her best quilted winter 

Nothing to Say Here: Shanghai Street Photos (Mops!)

Nothing to Say Here: Shanghai Street Photos (Mops!)

You know what Shanghai is? Shanghai is MOPS. Period. Screw economic prowess, massive deconstruction projects, shiny buildings and nouveau riche bazillionaires and their homicidal spawn and their ¥10,000 bottles of moutai in garish clubs. This city is all about the mop. See?

Nothing to Say Here: Shanghai Street Photos (Curing Winter Meats)

Nothing to Say Here: Shanghai Street Photos (Curing Winter Meats)

As you may have noted, my writer’s block is rather acute these days. Oddly enough, this dearth of things to say has coincided with an inexplicable increase in my impulse to take pictures of random things. Of course, these photos aren’t necessarily fit for human 

A Series of Partially Related Photos: Walking With my Parents in Shanghai

A Series of Partially Related Photos: Walking With my Parents in Shanghai

They arrived yesterday and they are jetlagged. However, I was a cruel daughter and we went on a veritable Long March around Shanghai until they screamed for mercy. Here are a few covert phone photos. First of all, at the corner of Fuxing Lu and 

Shanghai is Tropical, Part 2

Shanghai is Tropical, Part 2

Remember that delusional law that says every city south of the Yangtze River is Tropical and therefore needn’t have, say, indoor heating in public buildings or properly insulated flats? Yes, that one. I would like to take a moment to show you a few scenes 

Another Series of Unrelated Photos (Part Trois)

Another Series of Unrelated Photos (Part Trois)

Remember how cold and sick and coughy I was at this time last week? How dim and grey and grim the city was?  How my toes would not warm and my bark continued to bite? Yeah, well, this weekend is much better, thank you. Look! 

Nibblies, cookies and crepes, oh my!

Nibblies, cookies and crepes, oh my!

Today I stocked up on my coping-stash at work. The weather has turned frightfully cold after the loveliness of the weekend and it was quite difficult to haul myself out of the warm flat and out into the streets to go to work. I knew 

A Series of Unrelated Photos (Part 3)

A Series of Unrelated Photos (Part 3)

Part 1 is here and part 2 is here. It’s a beautiful day today. Sun is shining, skies are blue. Scarves are too hot, a coat is nearly too much. Sunglasses are needed. Birds are singing, crowds thronging, babies squatting with split trousers, dogs in 

A Series of Unrelated Photos (Part 2)

A Series of Unrelated Photos (Part 2)

For Part 1, go here This blog was left negligently unattended for much of November whilst I diverted myself and my energies with that blasted novella about goats and monsters and such. However, that doesn’t mean I neglected to use the camera on my phone. 

A Series of Unrelated Photos

A Series of Unrelated Photos

I’ve stopped being absurdly ill and have now downgraded to being only marginally ill- possibly because I only worked three hours this week (not including marking or invigilating or meetings). However, due to general exhaustion, marathon novel writing, skinned knuckles, poor posture, bad shoes, stress 

(101 Things about Shanghai) Mops and Kibble Buffets

(101 Things about Shanghai) Mops and Kibble Buffets

It’s Monday evening and I’m tired from a semi longish day trying to persuade my  students to engage in the learning process so I’m offering another instalment of Mops of Shanghai. This first set of mops is from just at the entrance to our building.