random thoughts from gay shanghai

Things that I will miss being outside China: cheap labour, which results in 50RMB haircuts (less than 6 Euros)

Things that we will miss out on coz of VOD: watching the same TV programs all at the same time and the conversation surrounding it.

I typealyzed my blog, and i'm:

ESFP - The Performers
The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

This rings all very true. I'm certainly friendly (right?) I like pleasure and beauty, love soft fabrics and nice smells (though that's difficult to get in China) I due have a tendency for living in the present (coz if you stand with one leg in the past and one in the future, you're pissing on the present haha), but I do like to plan ahead - more and more so really. And I love to accomplish what I set out for you. But exhausting myself, oh yeah, I'm always putting too much on my plate and then being perfectionist about it all. Unless i suddenly stop caring and just say fuck it. Though that doesn't happen very often. On the other hand, I do often pursue radical change in my life, like with moving to China, but maybe it just seems radical coz i'm from a small town...

But the work thing is really really spot on! I love helping people, it's what really gives me satisfaction. I hate conflicts, have no real way of handling them, because i'm the kind of person who wants to keep everybody happy. So yes, this does make it hard for me to be in a managing position (which i'm in now obviously), but what i do like is to be peacemaker.

I'm doing some research on the ESFPs and there is a lot of interesting info. But enough introspection for a Monday...

First time i have a Chinese title for a blog post?

Enjoying my afternoon coffee at Citta, a place I really like next to Zhongshan Park.

I've read a couple of books since last time. Didn't finish To The Lighthouse, which was waaaay too heavy for me. Then, I read Blindness, which I want to write about, it really blew me away. The October book was Catcher in the Rye - not a bad book, and in November we read White Noise. Pretty poignant and witty criticism of society in the 80s.

Just finished Death of a Red Heroine, by Qiu Xiaolong, a mystery novel set in 1990 Shanghai against the backdrop of a rapidly changing society, with the power of status-quo and political influence complicating the investigation. Despite the many pinyin mistakes (Xizhuang Road...), not a bad book. When I was a kid i loved to read mysteries, devoured Agatha Christies. Now, not that much anymore...

I have so many books now to read, it'll be fun.

Well, i had a great afternoon, escaping our flat and the daunting presence of Sean's parents there - watching over my every move. Really feel like I can't breathe sometimes.

I have a feeling i will write more tonight.