Strike One for Day One
Friday, 9. January 2009, 18:47:38
We were confident, very confident 
“Hey! Its not so cold here, yet I was thinking I might freeze to death.” I remember someone said something similar to that...while we went down the apartment on our first night, to have dinner, and later stayed in a coffee shop for some dessert in this café called U.B.C.
Well, I’ll tell you what’s this confidence is all about The next day, we braved the cold wind with hands trembling inside our coat pockets and teeth close to chattering, got to the subway station (after much asking and walking, when it was only 5-mins away, just around the corner ) and took our first subway ride in Shanghai to arrive at the East Nanjing Pedestrian Shopping Street 
Ah this place, brings back so many memories, from when I once walked the same streets six years ago 
So much has changed, it has a lot more skyscrapers in the surrounding now and new luxurious-looking department stores and restaurants, brimming with life and always of course never without the usually big shopping crowd, even on weekdays Damn, people here are rich! Amidst all of this, the freeze we felt had been increasing steadily as the sun starts to set, while the darkness slowly enveloped the sky…but even so, the East Nanjing Road did not seem to be the least bit affected, with the shopping crowd getting bigger and bigger. Then I remembered again once upon a night six years ago, the unmistakably colorful, feisty neon sign boards lighting up the whole area, making it one of the most beautiful spots in downtown Shanghai; always so inviting and misleading that you think its still early Time spent there really flies by quickly, before you even realize, its already 22:00 at night and stores are already closing 
All right, back to the topic, our first aim is to get some new clothes, find some good deals and prepare ourselves for Beijing It seems like every store is on sale, by that I mean big big discounts We went in Giordano, it says “Buy 500, get 150 off!” or something like “Buy 2 get 30% off!” These were all new arrivals, new clothes for the season, so we were all like “WOW!” Checked out this one, tried out that one, nope, none seems to look good or practical enough...ah well, next store it is so there, we went in to almost all the stores in the whole shopping street, also the malls Okay so finally, I cant stand it anymore, my hands were literally numb and if I don’t do something it’s gonna come off anytime in a snap , so when we went into a mall and saw this stall selling leather and suede gloves, I was so happy My first buy of the day, a pair of leather gloves, which proved to be really useful throughout my whole trip On the other hand, my friends went crazy on trying out shirts and jackets, because they were all very nice and cheap hehe so at the end of the day, most of us were satisfied...except Niki (Nikole) who keeps complaining of his aching feet coz he was wearing brand new chucks on a winter day
Strike one, COLD, UNEXPECTED weather When the night came, we were all shivering from the strong wing that never seems to get tired of blowing...=( We quickened our footsteps and headed to The Bund, to see the night view of the Pearl of Orient It was a long walk, but when we finally arrived, it felt good We took some pictures, walked around a bit and decided that we should find a restaurant for dinner. Earlier that day, I’d already called up Valle and made arrangements with him to meet up for dinner, but since we can no longer stand the killing cold, we thought we should just find a place and wait for Valle and Eric to come.
We found this very nice Chinese restaurant with a cute neon purple sign that says “New Bund Restaurant” and a very inviting interior...hmm I think it looks fancy outside The waitress told us they cook traditional Shanghai cuisine, so we thought why not give it a try. We occupied the big round table with eight seats somewhat enclosed in “bars” separating us from the other smaller tables, sat down, and checked out the menu while we waited for the guests to come. During this time, it got kinda awkward when the waitress was standing beside us all the time, waiting for us to order, even after we told her that we’re waiting for someone. She’s also trying her best to recommend dishes, despite my friends who were talking to her with English that she can’t understand. I was surprised how they got to communicate…or maybe it was some miscommunication that ended up with us having some really weird dishes later on? Hahaha Ah well, we chatted a bit while Niki went to his sleep (like what he does most of the time throughout the whole 11-day trip)...perhaps the chucks has exhausted much of his energy, added with the comfort his furry Eskimo jacket provided him together with the warm, cozy atmosphere inside the restaurant, its hard not to fall asleep, you agree? Well,I totally understand haha
In a while, I got a call from Valle, telling me that they’d just got off the subway and was heading our way. They didnt have much problem finding the place. After 10-15 mins, they entered the restaurant like super stars walking on the red carpet HAHA Why did I say that? Well, waiters and waitresses were trailing behind them when they walked in, all of them busy asking them for seats needed and such (and the carpet was indeed red) LOL Anyway, after 7 long months, its really nice finally seeing Valle again and as for his brother, Eric, my first impression was “Oops! A twin? How come Valle never told me?” So I introduced my friends to Valle, and Valle introduced Eric to us and so of course, I always had to miss out something or make a careless mistake right? so I was like “So Valle, this is Niki, Alddon, the twins, Jane and Joyce.” and I totally missed out the part “and everyone, this is Valle” Lol Ah well...whats done is done, and my friends already knew Valle’s name beforehand anyway…(I guess that’s why I missed out that part hmm)
You must be wondering “Uhm...where’s Lala?” hahaha She cant be missing in action, can she? Yeah, she never does. After a few minutes, she made her grand entrance (She was in the washroom when Valle and Eric came ) So she started talking, or should I say, interrogating Eric? “So where are you from?” “Why did you come here?” blabla lol so cute Everyone was quiet, its like “SHHHHH, Lala’s talking.” haha Later on, Joyce and Alddon were talking about what to order, so they were put in charge of our dinner. I dont know whats good in Shanghainese food either, so I had nothing to recommend Thanks to Joyce and Alddon, we all got to tryout some really weird food, and nice ones too of course 
Quote of the day: “In eating dumplings, you never know what’s inside.“—Eric
I’ve never heard of anyone talking about dumplings like this haha Probably coz I’m too accustomed to eating dumplings, I dont really doubt what the fillings are Its funny to hear such a comment, but was nevertheless very true Then Valle excused himself to go to the washroom, came back, and said “Hey, the toilet looks more like a pet shop to me.” And I never noticed that until he mentioned about it xD Oh well, I think the Chinese are mostly very superstitious, and they would stop at nothing just to be able to make sure they have a complete set of the lucky gods, statues, plants, and animals all present in their stores. I don’t think they care that these things might actually repel each other and end up worse instead of helping out the store? Lol It is only a matter of time before this restaurant adds in the Arowana (the big dragon like fish with two whiskers) to its collection hmm
Anyway, what was I talking about? See, the thing about me is I get easily sidetracked hehe oh right, so we talked and talked and laughed a lot. The thing is, all this time, the one smiley face waiter and the friendly waitress were standing beside our tables, listening to us convers...how can that be? they dont understand English, I’m pretty sure the girl told me she cant, as well as the guy, but why did they laugh whenever we laugh? and why did they never seem to have to service the other customers? Ah well, I have a pretty good guess why. The fact that the super stars were also sitting on the same table as we did makes a big difference...hmm could it be that? Anyway, after getting tired of being watched like a hawk (by the service people), we finally decided to take a walk and maybe go somewhere else, it got really windy outside xD Who knows how much restraint I’ve put on to keep myself from jumping up and down just to get warm haha It’s the first time I’ve experienced such a kind of piercing cold. Even back when we were in Norway and scooping up snow to pitch at my Dad, it was nothing like the cold in Shanghai (and later on, Beijing) @_@
Moving on, after Lala finished buying some more souvenirs in the shop just outside the restaurant, we passed by some statue with everyone trying to get a picture with it, so naturally, we would have to get one with it too (that’s how much we love to take pictures and follow what other people do…*sarcastic*) Okay, done! We crossed the street, and noticed some people were left behind, and I’m pretty sure you all know who it is right? Yes, Lala was taking a picture with her hands held high above her head (as if she’s holding something), creating an illusion in the photo that she’s actually holding the big crown on top of a 5-star hotel haha such creativity, where else do you get to see it? xD Ah well, next stop is the lion king statue outside a bank. I don’t remember very clearly, but I think it was me who suggested that Valle take a photo of him kissing the lion statue, then he said I should be the one to do that, but knowing me, I’d of course pass the task onto someone I knew I have a sure shot on, so I said “Lala, would you want to come and take a picture of you kissing the lion statue? Since you’re The Queen…” and she was like “Yeah, sure!” went up there and posed, with so much enthusiasm and energy, and I was thinking “Hell, where did she get her energy from, after a long day of walk and shivering? Gosh, I’m impressed.” Hahaha I wish I could post the picture here, but Opera does not seem to be working well with photo resizing…so maybe next time
Continuing our endless walk, I decided the hell with my pride and “excellent” sense of direction, I forced myself to take out my handy Shanghai street map and whoala! we’d passed the East Nanjing main street and is heading to some other smaller streets. Oops! Panic…almost hehe Gladly Eric and Valle knew the way, that saved us much time After a while, we finally got back to the ever-so-festive pedestrian shopping street We passed by Häagen Dazs and decided to settle in there, partly to avoid the cold, and also to rest our poor feet and to get ourselves some good desserts. Yes, to think that its so cold outside, and that we’re the ones who’d been complaining all the time, who’d believe that it was me who actually suggested that we go in there? Haha but the atmosphere was so inviting and I thought it would probably be warm inside, so it should be fine to get some ice cream Oh in case I failed to mention, I love sweets hehe
After taking forever to make up our minds and order, with the waiter coming to our table more than several times intending to take our orders, we finally made our mind and pointed at what we want. Everyone ordered ice cream, except Eric and Niki, who ordered coffee. The ice cream was great!!! (as is always expected of Häagen Dazs) but this time around there’s a little twist to the feeling of being inside the store and eating ice cream, while its freezing cold outside. It was as if the thin wall of glass had created a different dimension inside and outside. We sat and talked for almost a full hour, finished our desserts in less than half an hour, then we all got a bit puzzled when the waiter sent us the bill, when we hadn’t asked for it yet. He told us that they close at 11:00pm, so that means we would have to leave soon. Ah well, no where else to go then, so we took cabs and went our separate ways outside Häagen Dazs, then home. We’re all so tired, so we just went right to sleep.
It does seem like a long day is it? From the moment we left home, took the subway, till we met up with the incredible “Twins”, had dinner and dessert after, then went home Certainly, it was also a wordy post for me haha When inspiration hits…oh well, sorry folks! I’ll try to shorten it a bit next time, but no promises
“Hey! Its not so cold here, yet I was thinking I might freeze to death.” I remember someone said something similar to that...while we went down the apartment on our first night, to have dinner, and later stayed in a coffee shop for some dessert in this café called U.B.C.
Well, I’ll tell you what’s this confidence is all about
The next day, we braved the cold wind with hands trembling inside our coat pockets and teeth close to chattering, got to the subway station (after much asking and walking, when it was only 5-mins away, just around the corner ) and took our first subway ride in Shanghai to arrive at the East Nanjing Pedestrian Shopping Street Ah this place, brings back so many memories, from when I once walked the same streets six years ago So much has changed, it has a lot more skyscrapers in the surrounding now and new luxurious-looking department stores and restaurants, brimming with life and always of course never without the usually big shopping crowd, even on weekdays Damn, people here are rich! Amidst all of this, the freeze we felt had been increasing steadily as the sun starts to set, while the darkness slowly enveloped the sky…but even so, the East Nanjing Road did not seem to be the least bit affected, with the shopping crowd getting bigger and bigger. Then I remembered again once upon a night six years ago, the unmistakably colorful, feisty neon sign boards lighting up the whole area, making it one of the most beautiful spots in downtown Shanghai; always so inviting and misleading that you think its still early Time spent there really flies by quickly, before you even realize, its already 22:00 at night and stores are already closing All right, back to the topic, our first aim is to get some new clothes, find some good deals and prepare ourselves for Beijing
It seems like every store is on sale, by that I mean big big discounts We went in Giordano, it says “Buy 500, get 150 off!” or something like “Buy 2 get 30% off!” These were all new arrivals, new clothes for the season, so we were all like “WOW!” Checked out this one, tried out that one, nope, none seems to look good or practical enough...ah well, next store it is so there, we went in to almost all the stores in the whole shopping street, also the malls Okay so finally, I cant stand it anymore, my hands were literally numb and if I don’t do something it’s gonna come off anytime in a snap , so when we went into a mall and saw this stall selling leather and suede gloves, I was so happy My first buy of the day, a pair of leather gloves, which proved to be really useful throughout my whole trip On the other hand, my friends went crazy on trying out shirts and jackets, because they were all very nice and cheap hehe so at the end of the day, most of us were satisfied...except Niki (Nikole) who keeps complaining of his aching feet coz he was wearing brand new chucks on a winter day Strike one, COLD, UNEXPECTED weather
When the night came, we were all shivering from the strong wing that never seems to get tired of blowing...=( We quickened our footsteps and headed to The Bund, to see the night view of the Pearl of Orient It was a long walk, but when we finally arrived, it felt good We took some pictures, walked around a bit and decided that we should find a restaurant for dinner. Earlier that day, I’d already called up Valle and made arrangements with him to meet up for dinner, but since we can no longer stand the killing cold, we thought we should just find a place and wait for Valle and Eric to come.We found this very nice Chinese restaurant with a cute neon purple sign that says “New Bund Restaurant” and a very inviting interior...hmm I think it looks fancy outside
The waitress told us they cook traditional Shanghai cuisine, so we thought why not give it a try. We occupied the big round table with eight seats somewhat enclosed in “bars” separating us from the other smaller tables, sat down, and checked out the menu while we waited for the guests to come. During this time, it got kinda awkward when the waitress was standing beside us all the time, waiting for us to order, even after we told her that we’re waiting for someone. She’s also trying her best to recommend dishes, despite my friends who were talking to her with English that she can’t understand. I was surprised how they got to communicate…or maybe it was some miscommunication that ended up with us having some really weird dishes later on? Hahaha Ah well, we chatted a bit while Niki went to his sleep (like what he does most of the time throughout the whole 11-day trip)...perhaps the chucks has exhausted much of his energy, added with the comfort his furry Eskimo jacket provided him together with the warm, cozy atmosphere inside the restaurant, its hard not to fall asleep, you agree? Well,I totally understand hahaIn a while, I got a call from Valle, telling me that they’d just got off the subway and was heading our way. They didnt have much problem finding the place. After 10-15 mins, they entered the restaurant like super stars walking on the red carpet HAHA Why did I say that? Well, waiters and waitresses were trailing behind them when they walked in, all of them busy asking them for seats needed and such (and the carpet was indeed red)
LOL Anyway, after 7 long months, its really nice finally seeing Valle again and as for his brother, Eric, my first impression was “Oops! A twin? How come Valle never told me?” So I introduced my friends to Valle, and Valle introduced Eric to us and so of course, I always had to miss out something or make a careless mistake right? so I was like “So Valle, this is Niki, Alddon, the twins, Jane and Joyce.” and I totally missed out the part “and everyone, this is Valle” Lol Ah well...whats done is done, and my friends already knew Valle’s name beforehand anyway…(I guess that’s why I missed out that part hmm)You must be wondering “Uhm...where’s Lala?” hahaha She cant be missing in action, can she? Yeah, she never does. After a few minutes, she made her grand entrance
(She was in the washroom when Valle and Eric came ) So she started talking, or should I say, interrogating Eric? “So where are you from?” “Why did you come here?” blabla lol so cute Everyone was quiet, its like “SHHHHH, Lala’s talking.” haha Later on, Joyce and Alddon were talking about what to order, so they were put in charge of our dinner. I dont know whats good in Shanghainese food either, so I had nothing to recommend Thanks to Joyce and Alddon, we all got to tryout some really weird food, and nice ones too of course Quote of the day: “In eating dumplings, you never know what’s inside.“—Eric
I’ve never heard of anyone talking about dumplings like this haha Probably coz I’m too accustomed to eating dumplings, I dont really doubt what the fillings are
Its funny to hear such a comment, but was nevertheless very true Then Valle excused himself to go to the washroom, came back, and said “Hey, the toilet looks more like a pet shop to me.” And I never noticed that until he mentioned about it xD Oh well, I think the Chinese are mostly very superstitious, and they would stop at nothing just to be able to make sure they have a complete set of the lucky gods, statues, plants, and animals all present in their stores. I don’t think they care that these things might actually repel each other and end up worse instead of helping out the store? Lol It is only a matter of time before this restaurant adds in the Arowana (the big dragon like fish with two whiskers) to its collection hmmAnyway, what was I talking about? See, the thing about me is I get easily sidetracked hehe oh right, so we talked and talked and laughed a lot. The thing is, all this time, the one smiley face waiter and the friendly waitress were standing beside our tables, listening to us convers...how can that be? they dont understand English, I’m pretty sure the girl told me she cant, as well as the guy, but why did they laugh whenever we laugh? and why did they never seem to have to service the other customers? Ah well, I have a pretty good guess why. The fact that the super stars were also sitting on the same table as we did makes a big difference...hmm could it be that?
Anyway, after getting tired of being watched like a hawk (by the service people), we finally decided to take a walk and maybe go somewhere else, it got really windy outside xD Who knows how much restraint I’ve put on to keep myself from jumping up and down just to get warm haha It’s the first time I’ve experienced such a kind of piercing cold. Even back when we were in Norway and scooping up snow to pitch at my Dad, it was nothing like the cold in Shanghai (and later on, Beijing) @_@Moving on, after Lala finished buying some more souvenirs in the shop just outside the restaurant, we passed by some statue with everyone trying to get a picture with it, so naturally, we would have to get one with it too (that’s how much we love to take pictures and follow what other people do…*sarcastic*) Okay, done! We crossed the street, and noticed some people were left behind, and I’m pretty sure you all know who it is right? Yes, Lala was taking a picture with her hands held high above her head (as if she’s holding something), creating an illusion in the photo that she’s actually holding the big crown on top of a 5-star hotel haha such creativity, where else do you get to see it? xD Ah well, next stop is the lion king statue outside a bank. I don’t remember very clearly, but I think it was me who suggested that Valle take a photo of him kissing the lion statue, then he said I should be the one to do that, but knowing me, I’d of course pass the task onto someone I knew I have a sure shot on, so I said “Lala, would you want to come and take a picture of you kissing the lion statue? Since you’re The Queen…” and she was like “Yeah, sure!” went up there and posed, with so much enthusiasm and energy, and I was thinking “Hell, where did she get her energy from, after a long day of walk and shivering? Gosh, I’m impressed.” Hahaha I wish I could post the picture here, but Opera does not seem to be working well with photo resizing…so maybe next time
Continuing our endless walk, I decided the hell with my pride and “excellent” sense of direction, I forced myself to take out my handy Shanghai street map and whoala! we’d passed the East Nanjing main street and is heading to some other smaller streets. Oops! Panic…almost hehe Gladly Eric and Valle knew the way, that saved us much time
After a while, we finally got back to the ever-so-festive pedestrian shopping street We passed by Häagen Dazs and decided to settle in there, partly to avoid the cold, and also to rest our poor feet and to get ourselves some good desserts. Yes, to think that its so cold outside, and that we’re the ones who’d been complaining all the time, who’d believe that it was me who actually suggested that we go in there? Haha but the atmosphere was so inviting and I thought it would probably be warm inside, so it should be fine to get some ice cream Oh in case I failed to mention, I love sweets heheAfter taking forever to make up our minds and order, with the waiter coming to our table more than several times intending to take our orders, we finally made our mind and pointed at what we want. Everyone ordered ice cream, except Eric and Niki, who ordered coffee. The ice cream was great!!! (as is always expected of Häagen Dazs) but this time around there’s a little twist to the feeling of being inside the store and eating ice cream, while its freezing cold outside. It was as if the thin wall of glass had created a different dimension inside and outside. We sat and talked for almost a full hour, finished our desserts in less than half an hour
, then we all got a bit puzzled when the waiter sent us the bill, when we hadn’t asked for it yet. He told us that they close at 11:00pm, so that means we would have to leave soon. Ah well, no where else to go then, so we took cabs and went our separate ways outside Häagen Dazs, then home. We’re all so tired, so we just went right to sleep.It does seem like a long day is it? From the moment we left home, took the subway, till we met up with the incredible “Twins”, had dinner and dessert after, then went home
Certainly, it was also a wordy post for me haha When inspiration hits…oh well, sorry folks! I’ll try to shorten it a bit next time, but no promises 
I freaked out because I couldn't swim, if something happens, I'm doomed 
(23%)
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