Shanghai is Cool

Let's make it official: Beijing sucks. It's full of peasants, savages and communists.

I was afraid to be disappointed with China until I came to Shanghai.

Shanghai redeemed China in my eyes.

I'd feel right at home here if it weren't for the fact that people spot me as a foreigner from a mile away and that I'm handicapped by not knowing the local languages.

One nasty thing, though, is that many touts try to sell me watches, bags or (when I'm not with my local female friend) "lady massages". I simply don't acknowledge their existence and they quickly lose interest in me. One insisted, though, and was grabbing me and violating my living space. I raised my hand instinctively. But, I pitied him and felt so sad for him. It must be a terrible existence to be lowered to being a nuisance like this to be able to subsist. Anyway, he left me alone without nothing bad happening. I look at all the people trying to sell useless stuff and I can't help but feel bad for them.

On Saturday, I moved from a simple hotel room to a serviced apartment. It's quite a nice place with an amazing view.

That night, I went out with my friend and a friend of hers. We went to a hip joint where the cover charge and the drinks are more expensive than in Montreal. They were playing American R&B, which is not my cup of tea. However, the women were amazingly beautiful. I'm talking model material.

Yesterday, after seeing panicking brokers on the front pages of newspapers for a week, I decided to check my stocks portfolio for the first time since I left Canada. I lost around 20 thousand dollars in two weeks. That got me in a depressed mood.

In the evening, I was in "my" apartment looking at "my" city with "my" girl and I felt happy for a moment... Just the time to realize that this is just an illusion; that I don't live in Shanghai (nor anywhere else at the moment); that I am not in a long-term relationship with any girl; that I don't have a job nor a place where I belong. It's freedom, but it's scary.