Weekend Make-Up Days are Terrible

There is no justification for this whatsoever, especially when it includes both Saturday and Sunday to get a 3-day holiday, and when today's weather happens to be a high of 21, a low of 12, and sunny.

I can never understand this ridiculous policy to work on weekends to make up holidays.  We rarely had to do it at previous teaching jobs such as Maple Leaf and Sino Canada.  But this school takes the cake.  At any rate, nothing to do really but play the babysitter role.

I'm in the process of doing the math on how often our weekends have been ruined this year, or will be ruined.  Not encouraging.  The lack of general holidays at this school is a key reason why I'm taking advantage of the entire summer break to plan a major bike trip in Asia, because this is the only remaining option.  As well, I'm making plans to quit teaching in BC offshore schools altogether by June 2014,  and move on to something else.  The next two years I need the money fairly badly and it only makes sense to keep going, and put up with some of these things ... but in the long term, there is no way I would endure these kind of working conditions.

I take inspiration from a guy I met in Thailand last summer who finances his extended vacations through a "passive income", in his case, from real estate investments.  As promised, will eventually write up a detailed post on the financial and career plans I've been cooking up over the last year or so, and how I might be able to do something similar to this guy, most certainly within the next five years.

The Traumas of Over-Committing

Today's weather:  High = 17  Low = 9
Rain

I have a very bad habit of committing to something new, enjoying it at first, then burning out as I realize I have committed to too many things already and can't possibly finish them all.  Then, something has to give.  Either I sacrifice one committment for another, or I spread myself too thin, or worse yet, bail on a committment I've decided to be lower priority.

This has the effect of letting others down, and rightly so they are angry, as I have been the one to goof up.

Once more I've found myself in this kind of ugly situation.  Without wanting to go into details, I'm going to have to scale back on the mess I've created and make apologies, then find some way to back out and/or delegate out what has gotten me burned out.  Then, hopefully once things are under control, will finally put into practice the best advice I got from a university friend.

His advice was simple.  Say no more than you say yes.

Hoping to Salvage AP for Next Year

Today's weather:  High = 25  Low = 12

Sunny

Progress is being made to get the AP tests ordered for the coming exam season, but the overall reluctance of students to sign up for the AP Test and for students to take AP Calculus next year is having me concerned.  

Word must have gotten around not to take AP, as only 10 students have signed up next year, as opposed to this year's 25.  Then again, the 25 probably went in blind, or seduced by the face and status that the two letters AP could bring them.

Is it possible that the AP curriculum isn't the way to go for Chinese students?  Or maybe it's our particular brand of Chinese students who want to escape the demands of the domestic program and enroll in an international program to prepare for overseas study -- a program that is supposedly easier.  Whatever the case, they balk at the rigors of standardized tests and the hard work needed to prepare for the demanding AP Test.  My only question is this, if they don't want to take the test, then why are they in my class??!!

Maybe there are exclusive AP schools that exist.  If there are, I would jump at the chance to teach at them.  

Research seems to indicate that IB schools are much more popular overseas, which is a shame, as I'm philosophically opposed to the IB curriculum.  The two curricula are nearly polar opposite of each other, as IB emphasizes more project-based learning, student-centered learning, and connections between subjects.

Even so, AP curriculum continues to grow by leaps and bounds.

We Work On Sunday? We Do DJ Mix

Nuff said. Unfortunately we do have to work 7-days in a row, including Sunday for the April holiday schedule. I knew there had to be a catch.

There's no way I'm teaching any classes that day.

Instead I'm going to demonstrate how to do DJ mixing on the Ipad. There will be time for practice, ideally one IPad per group.

After that, a student is selected from each group to perform in front of the class. There will be two pre-selected hip hop or techno tracks (the same which they practice with) and the criteria for judgment will be:

-- proper use of the headphones to cue the tracks in advance without the audience hearing.
-- proper volume control between the two tracks.
-- smooth BPM matching between the two tracks
-- originality: use of special effects, looping, cross-fader techniques, or jogging.

There will be a competition with each student and evaluations will be peer-based.

Let's Mix DJ Style

Today's weather: High = 26 Low = 15
Sunny

Speaking of hobbies, I thoroughly enjoy bicycle travel, motorcycles, and DJ mixing. There you have it, a top 3 list of hobbies that can make for any online dating profile. DJ mixing has the potential to become seriously addictive, and when combined with an IPad on a bicycle trip, then my career has practically been hijacked now.

An IPad is actually the perfect choice for a virtual DJ app. I used to do this extensively with a PC but gave up as it's too much work to use a mouse and trackball, and the headphone interface is a pain. Most of the free apps don't come with headphone feature anyway

A brief overview on how virtual DJ mixing works. The "traditional" approach aims to replicate the physical DJ turntables and mixers, which cost a fortune to use and make for a hobby that I simply will never be able to afford. But the computers can replicate that equipment. The two turntables are linked with a crossfader and a mixer that allows for various sampling and sound effects. Manual cueing of tracks is standard. Some of the more sophisticated programs have auto BPM matching, and the headphone feature. To mix tracks, the DJ has one turntable going and then typically plugs in a headphone for the other deck. The DJ can hear both turntables but the audience only hears one. The DJ then relies on complex beatmatching and cueing skills to get the tracks lined up, which take years of practice and fine-tuning. He then plays both decks live with the crossfader and uses various other mixing features to seamlessly mix the tracks for the audience. This goes on and on to produce a stream of music. 

In my opinion, techno and house are the easiest to mix for beginners. The computer can match BPMs and there are no lyrics to worry about. With time and skill, some awesome mix techniques can be honed and the audience will be ooed and aahhed by the skill of the DJ.

 Mixing hip hop is way more difficult and beginners would probably want to avoid it. With hip hop, it sounds terrible to mix with lyrics, and so there is a short opportunity at the "intro" and the "outro" of each track to do the mix. The computer doesn't match BPMs very well with hip hop and it all depends on the track, so a ton of fiddling is involved.

 An Ipad can do this mixing much better as you're using both your hands as an actual DJ would, and not fiddling around with mouses and trackballs with only one hand. I've also downloaded a visual mixing app that claims to be better than the traditional headphones method, and will see how this one works.

Holidays Unveiled

Today's weather:  High = 23  Low = 13

Sunny

It looks like the weather has finally turned, and today was just absolutely frickin gorgeous.  The whole week is looking good, and we can finally say goodbye to winter.  On that note, people are out and about in full swing to prepare for the annual Tomb Sweeping festival.

The way the holidays will work is such:

6-days work in a row from now until March 31

April 1, 2, 3, 4   Qing Ming (tomb sweeping) Holiday

April 5, 6     student teachers come to visit and give presentations, so we effectively get a break

April 7, 8, 9   Easter Holiday

Qingming and Easter usually happen close together.  Both holidays have similar themes, interestingly enough, to do with tombs.  

This time we got a really nice break with the Chinese admin offering the Easter break, saying it was as important to Canadian teachers as Christmas!  This was an amazing gesture, and unexpected.  

For all intents and purposes we then have a "spring break", and Term 3 will effectively end March 30.

Some progress was made on the AP conundrum today (see a few posts back) and will keep updating that one.

A Late Spring, But Finally

SPRING could be officially declared this week in Shanghai, as temperatures are stable and set to climb, forecasters said yesterday.

Hopes that spring had arrived earlier this month were dashed by the return of cold weather. 

The mercury is expected to hit 20 degrees Celsius tomorrow, according to the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

Shanghai's weather is forecast to be good this week - mostly sunny with some cloud - due to high pressure, said Zhu Jiehua, a chief service officer at the bureau.

Today should be sunny with some cloud and temperatures reaching 18 degrees Celsius. 

Tomorrow is expected to be cloudier, with temperatures ranging from 10 to 20 degrees.

Overcast weather is forecast for the second half of the week, with showers on Thursday and Friday. 

Temperatures are also set to fall overnight on Thursday, according to the bureau's five-day forecast.

Meteorological spring is announced by the bureau when the average temperature reaches 10 degrees for five consecutive days after li chun - the beginning of spring in the traditional Chinese calendar. 

Li chun usually falls around February 4. 

AP Calculus Bureaucracy

Today's weather: High = 12 Low = 5
Showers

Thank goodness this error was brought to my attention now while there is still time to do something about it, or else we could have had a crisis situation on our hands.

There has been a lot of bureaucracy involved in starting up an AP program at our school. In retrospect, I should have persisted with the original plan to get the information clearly from colleagues at other schools in China who already have the program up and running. I tried this at first, but gave up after little responses or veiled hints that others didn't want to share this information. Not much of a surprise, given the ultra-competitive vibe among different offshore schools in China. It's like we're each protecting our own little fiefdoms in different cities.

Anyways, make a long story short, I tried to set up this program on my own and it hasn't been going that well.

The key part in running an AP program involves submitting a syllabus to College Board to become audited. College Board is essentially the nonprofit organization in charge of the whole AP program.

Putting an AP syllabus together is the easy part. Submitting is the bugaboo. In theory you just create a user account and submit the audit online. But it's never that easy. The first obstacle involves finding your school on the list in order to get an access code for which to match the audit to.

So I signed up for a user account last October, and couldn't find our school's name on the list. I asked what to do. They said the principal needs to contact another company called ETS (Educational Testing services) and fill out a form in which to get an access code. The principal does exactly this, but ETS never gets back to him, and we still don't have our code.

Time to panic because the course audit is due at the end of January. During my winter holiday break in Thailand I pick "Shanghai AP Self Study" from the list and register as a home school teacher, and submit the audit to that "school". Within a day my syllabus is approved and we're rocking. So we just have to keep waiting for ETS to get back to us with those access codes.

Well, they never do of course. Time keeps on slipping. A few emails are sent back and forth and they ask for me or the principal to call them, which we don't because we are busy and there are time zone differences.

In general I hate making calls to North America or receiving them because it always has to be late at night my time when they are awake and chipper.

Anyways, a top student in my AP class comes up to me and asks what the deal is with registering for the AP exams as the deadline has already passed. No way, but it turns out he is right, and I start to panic. If we can't get students registered for that exam, then the entire year's worth of coursework will have been like pissing down the drain.

More research shows that while the deadline has passed for students to register to take the AP Test independently at a testing center in Shanghai, the ordering deadline has not yet passed. The ordering deadline is when an AP coordinator (that'd be me) can get the exams shipped directly to our school. The students would then write the exams on May 9.

In fact, we are still 8 days away from the priority deadline for ordering, and there are two more deadlines after that. In the worst case scenario, there is a "late testing scenario" in which the AP coordinator can order a different version of exams for students to take a late testing day on May 25. However, that will set the students back an extra $40 each which is not something that any of us wants.

While I'm glad there is still time, the problem remains on how to get those goddamn access codes so the exams can be sent to a specific school address that is registered in the database. I've been hounding the various companies with emails and will do the same with phone calls later tonight.

Due to exam security reasons, the exams can't just be shipped to any willy nilly address and that's why they have the access code system in place. Even so, I'm rather pissed off both me and the principal did all of our parts, but ETS left us hanging.

At this point it's a matter of urgency because there is no longer any other recourse. I was hoping that in case of a screw up like this, students could register by themselves but clearly it is too late for that now.

The Power of the Pad

Having picked up the IPad in Hong Kong last weekend, I'm getting a feel for how to use it. On the surface it is just a small tablet. But holding all that technological power in your hands, you somehow feel like you are playing God. The possibilities of what the IPad can do are downright frightening.

I spent a few hours learning the ropes and setting up basics like Itunes and photos, and I had nightmares after the fact. Not because it's complicated, actually the process is remarkably user friendly.

The nightmares came from realizing just how much potential this tablet actually has and what it can do. The Ipad could easily turn into an idol.

With the push of a few buttons I was able to back up my entire photo and music collection onto ICloud, and sync it onto the IPad. Then I downloaded a few podcasts and listened to amazing quality music.

That is just the beginning. Having talked to a few people using the IPad, it has potential to do just about anything. What I'm most interested in is downloading apps related to maps and GPS in order to fuel my bicycle travel hobby addiction.

Combine that with the capabilities of 3G internet surfing, the next step is to get a SIM card and be able to surf the internet anywhere. This is now making me realize the possibility of doing China bike travel again, with the internet bugaboo having been solved with the IPad.

China bike travel used to be enjoyable, but it got very difficult with the relentless restrictions on internet cafes and the hotel difficulties for foreigners. The Ipad may solve this problem with the use of 3G surfing, and the use of GPS and maps to pin down suitable hotels that accept foreigners. While arriving in a new city, tired and exhausted at the end of the ride, I can then follow the GPS course and check into a hotel which might actually accept me.

The IPad can do a heck of lot more than just this. There is the possibility to download entire books onto it and read, not to mention practice writing Chinese characters using various apps.

Writing characters has long been something I wanted to do but is holding me back on Chinese learning. It may be possible now.

These ideas and countless more are now possible with the Ipad. Yet that is precisely what makes this tablet so very frightening.

Experimenting with Mainland Bank Accounts

Today's weather: High = 9 Low = 4
Partly cloudy

A successful resolution to the mainland money debacle that had been dogging me for the past few weeks. No wonder Hong Kong is known as a money town if the main purpose of a trip there is related to money.

While pounding my head in frustration at the mainland banks earlier, I had resolved to throw the towel in with HSBC on the mainland and shut down the account.

The sucker punch account I have now on the mainland is setting me back 150 RMB per month on below-balance charges, since I don't have a minimum balance of 100,000 RMB. Actually that HSBC mainland account is known as an "advance account" for multi currency options. And it doesn't even offer Thai Baht, which is a key currency I want to deal in. Will be expanding more on eventually with this blog, if I ever get around to it -- been so behind on posts lately.

Mainland China offers slim pickings when it comes to multi currency bank accounts, but that should hardly come as a surprise. If not the advance, there is the "premier" which requires a balance of a half-million RMB or else 300 RMB monthly below balance charge. Citibank, their main competitor, is hardly any better while offering similar accounts and below balance charges.

Meanwhile, it was an interesting discovery in Hong Kong to find out about a SmartVantage HSBC multi currency account which requires 10,000 HK dollars or else a 60 HKD below balance fee. It offers the same services and benefits as the advance account, without the higher fees. This kind of account is simply unavailable with HSBC on the mainland.

This all seems to indicate that mainland Chinese people who deal in foreign currencies must be filthy rich. Yet it can't be possible that all banks cater to these high-end customers. Rumor has it that ICBC (Industrial Commerical Bank of China) offers multicurrency accounts at good rates, and will bring a Chinese friend along to make inquiries.

As for the HSBC account on the mainland, it's time to shut this baby down.

Ticket Scalpers Beat the New System

While coming back to Shanghai on this latest banking errand, I saved a bundle of money by flying to a neighboring airport in Hangzhou and taking the high-speed bullet trains. In theory these trains only take an hour.

I should have known better. As of last time I tried to take a train from Hangzhou to Shanghai it was a disaster, and this time wasn't looking any better. The place was packed with people buying tickets, but wouldn't you know it, scalpers showed up and offered to sell for trains leaving very soon.

The new system is a real name system where your passport details are printed on the train ticket. Actually you can use 21 forms of ID, including a Chinese drivers license, which for me has proved most useful.

The new system is supposed to stop scalpers, but somehow, not surprisingly, they are back out in full swing. I was astonished to see them pull it off, but having lived in the grim mainland for so long, I'm no longer surprised by anything nor do I question any longer how people can find ways to break the rules. It's in their nature.

So the touts approach me, and I take a look at them to at least get a feeling I can trust these guys. I mostly don't so they must have been good. The offer is a first class ticket for 230 RMB. Screw it. 2nd class. They want 150 RMB, twice the ticket price. No way, I yell out 100 RMB, and start hoofing it. They yell at me to come back with 120 RMB which is a good deal considering the train leaves in 10 minutes. But I make a show that it seems like a terrible deal. That settles the deal, it is sold.

Then they ask for my passport and start haggling amongst each other as to how much commission each one gets! Shit, well, too late to back out of it, as we already negotiated. Number one rule about bargaining in China, it's incredibly offensive to not buy something after you negotiate the price, especially in this context.

Making haste, the key player returns with the passport and train ticket with he details printed on it in no time flat. Then she tells me to hurry my ass over to the departure hall.

As to how this happened, I am clueless as to the details. But surely they must have some inside contact working the ticket sales. There's no other way to explain it, based on the fact that my passport number got printed on the ticket. Corruption at its finest, and a key reason that the scalping problem will never go away in a million years.

HK Bank Trip a Roarin Success

Today's weather (Shenzhen)
High = 26 Low = 15 Sunny

One country and two systems is of great benefit to those who can use this dichotomy to their advantage. On one side of the coin, you have the fact that the mainland and Hong Kong are two fundamentally different social systems. In general, if you're having trouble and inconvenience on the mainland with banking, business, visas, or a host of other things, then Hong Kong is your perfect solution. On the other side of the coin, you have the fact that Hong Kong and the mainland are one China. This makes it very easy to cross the border back and forth, and certainly to apply for Chinese visas within Hong Kong at the mainland "consulate"

In this sense, I fully support the one China principle and the 'one country two systems' model because I've benefited from it numerous times, not to mention the most recent successful HK bank trip.

As described in the last post it essentially means making money in the mainland and walking across the border with cash in hand in order to bank it with a Hong Kong based multi currency account.

That type of account is precisely what I opened on Friday, not surprisingly, at the world's local bank which is HSBC.

Hong Kong wasn't the first idea, but I was more or less forced to do this out of frustration and desperation with 8 earlier failed attempts to set up a multi-currency account on the mainland with HSBC here in Shanghai. So there was no choice but to take a day off work, fly down to Shenzhen on Thursday night, and carry piles of cash across the border just like the locals. Then on Friday I opened an account at the HSBC in Hong Kong and got a totally different experience, and a lot more positive to boot.

I don't want to make a habit of carrying heaps of cash across the border. To avoid the risk of getting caught at the border and having the cash confiscated, then the plan MUST involve flying to Shenzhen and walking across at Luohu or Lok Ma Chau. This in itself involves other risks, given that the Shenzhen train station (Luohu) in particular has always had a terrible reputation for crime and pickpockets.

This is not exactly the kind of place you want to be walking around with cash, but everybody does it, and everybody knows about it. So you're essentially a walking target. I took a taxi to Luohu right at the gate, jumped out, and literally made haste as I had pre-memorized every step to get to the border queue with the cash securely tucked away. The problem with newbies doing this border run is how incredibly easy to get lost in the maze with poor signage and throngs of crowds -- even during off-peak times. If that's the case, you stand there looking lost for one second, and your cash is gone.

As it turns out there won't be much need to do a cross-border cashwalk again because all the banking can now be done online, since the account is set up. This includes remittances to and from the account. RMB transactions are indeed limited, but they may not be necessary for what I'd like to do.

There is also the option of 3rd party banking but I'm rather clueless on that and will ask finance contacts to help. As it stands, I've learned more about banking and finance in the last several months than my entire life.

Some frequently asked questions about HK multi currency banking:

1. Is it possible to open a Hong Kong account without actually going there? How I wish. I tried, and it's incredibly troublesome to do this from the mainland, so you're really better off just making the trip.

2. Do you need to be a HK resident to open the account? No but it depends on which bank, and which currencies you want. HSBC is the best choice as they only ask for a proof of address (can be in any country) and a passport. Then the mechanics of the account are quickly set up, and they issue you a debit card and PIN it on the spot. It is not possible to enjoy RMB services, RMB remittances, or RMB deposits unless you are a Hong Kong ID card holder. Even if you do have the ID card there are limits in place on how much RMB you can transfer daily.

3. Which banks offer the multi currency accounts? The *norm* is to have multi-currency accounts in Hong Kong. HSBC is not the only player in this game, despite what their PR campaign may lead you to believe. Other banks such as DBS, Citibank, and Standard Chartered can also do this, but there are more limitations. For example, not all can offer Thai Baht, which for me is a key currency I want to deal in. Some of the banks won't open accounts to non-residents of Hong Kong

4. Is there a minimum balance required? Of course. It depends on which bank. Research has shown DBS to insist on HKD $30,000 or else a $50 below balance fee each month. Citibank is comparable. HSBC offers the Advance Account requiring HKD $200,000 minimum total relationship balance or else HKD $120 per month below balance fee. There is the Premier Account which requires a whopping million HK dollars.

Intensive online research led to believe that the HSBC Advance Account was the lowest balance requirement option, and this was discouraging because I don't have that kind of money kicking around nor do I want 120 Hong Kong dollars draining out each month.

However, the person I spoke with was extremely helpful and introduced me to the SmartVantage account, which I had never heard of. This is the best deal out there because you only need HKD $10,000 minimum balance or else a HKD $60 monthly maintenance fee. The account manager was courteous enough to "downsell" me this option, which would have been unheard of on the mainland. You can still enjoy all the benefits of the Advance Account including online banking and a security key password that is mailed to your address. Just bring proof of it, such as a utility bill, and you don't need to make another trip to Hong Kong.

In general, it was the most positive bank experience I've had in years. The accont manager was great and, shockingly, I was treated with customer service. Everything was smooth and the whole thing was done in 30 minutes, including all the paperwork, PIN card, and the rest getting sent off in the mail to my Shanghai address.

After a zillion of my stupid questions, she jokingly told me, "Don't think so complicated, this is Hong Kong, it is convenient, we just do things. If you've lived on the mainland for so long, then this must be beyond your imagination."

You got it. I tried to tell her that what we accomplished today would have been impossible on the mainland. Then she joked back and said, "Well then I must help you if you came all the way from the mainland to open a bank account."

Then she pointed me in the direction of the Apple Store where I made sure to purchase the latest Ipad which is just released today.

When in Rome: Cross-Border Cash Walk

Today's weather: High = 13 Low = 8
Rain

The restrictions involved in mainland Chinese banking are downright scary and horrendously complex to boot. Put simply, a nightmare, if the money involves anything coming into China or leaving the country. A simple RMB account where the money stays inside the mainland -- that is not a problem. But anything else and you're just asking for trouble and wasting your time.

But it's a well known fact that millions of Chinese locals are flushed with cash and that money most certainly leaves the mainland in foreign currencies. Also a ton of foreign currency goes the other way and is converted into RMB.

So how can these cash exchange volumes happen given the crazy restrictions on the RMB? Enter the cross-border cash walk. Locals will literally walk across the border both ways with more cash in their pockets than you could possibly imagine.

Hong Kong is the most popular choice because of the ease in which to conduct international currency transactions in the city-state and the relatively low security at the border with the mainland. Basically it is a high volume land crossing.

Obviously it is illegal to cross the border with heaps of cash, the limit being 20,000 RMB (it used to be 6000 RMB). But laws in China mean diddly squat because the society is not *ruled* by law. If everybody followed the "rules" then nothing would get done. Those crossing the border with massive cash piles are more or less forced to do so. Having been blocked by rules at the mainland banks already, they aren't exactly going to submit to rules at the border about exporting cash.

Even so, airports are not a good choice due to the low volume and stricter immigration checks. The HK land borders have virtually never stopped anyone for cash exporting.

As for myself, that's how it's going down for me. Out of frustration and 8 failed attampts to do a transaction I closed out my mainland HSBC account and am hauling down piles of cash to Hong Kong for the weekend in order to do the transaction there.

The amount of cash is comparable to what the rich locals do.

Where's the Crackdown?

Today's weather: High = 15 Low = 7
Sunny and the warmup finally happening

The newspapers showed the city vowing to wage war on scooters and motorcycles. This month was supposed to be the start of a 3-month crackdown, yet the action on the streets indicates otherwise. Not a crackdown to be found in sight, despite the logic saying this is when they should do it -- as the weather gets good and the spring riding season officially kicks off with more and more scooters on the roads.

There are indeed more bikes on the road with better weather. I've been tootling around all over the city in the last few days, even right in the heart of downtown near People's Square. No signs of a crackdown whatsoever. It's really strange. Maybe this is part of the game, for the police to keep the riders guessing, lull them into a false sense of security, and then suddenly pounce when nobody expects it? Who knows, but I can only keep tabs on the situation.

Meanwhile, the official 'Jiaoji Lu' scooter market closed down a couple weeks ago, and all the shops were evicted. This had been planned months in advance as the buildings had to be demolished for new developments. The traffic police spun this fact in the newspapers to make it sound like they "raided" the shops and shut them down, but this was actually done by the real estate developer.

The shops have indeed moved and I got the new location from the people who did lots of work on my bike over the years. The new location is way further out, regretably, but it can still sustain these bikes on the road. Just yesterday I went out there and installed a new double-barrel air horn.

This thing is LOUD folks, it rivals car horns.

Staying Sharp Through Video Games

Today's weather: High = 9 Low = 3
Sunny

Video games are often looked down upon by teachers as negative, after all that's what we find the students playing in our classes and we confiscate their PSP or whatever gadget they happen to be using. Video games are seen as idle entertainment, ways to pass time, and stealing away our young generation's minds.

But there is a significant benefit to playing certain games. Chinese traffic (see last post) requires constant attention to surroundings and watching multiple drivers, reacting accordingly, expecting the unexpected, and dodging, dodging, dodging.

A video game is the perfect way to practice for this kind of traffic reality. In the video game, you're doing the same thing as the above. You are skillfully navigating your player through the obstacle course, fixed on the objective, and dodging multiple enemies who are trying to knock you off course.

The idea is to pick a video game that is far more chaotic and challenging than the traffic reality, but sharpens your skills to make quick and complex decisions in a matter of split seconds. I find Mario is the perfect game. It's not about driving, although you could say Mario Cart is the one. But regardless, there are some complex action sequences that take much skill and practice to get the hang of, and it is really intense.

When you get really skilled at the video game, you can move your player around without thinking about what you're doing, and focus the attention on the enemies and other players so that you can predict what is going to happen and avoid accordingly.

Needless to say, this is how it works on the actual roads. But there is a key difference here. In the video game, you have multiple lives in case you make a mistake, you die, and start again. Not so in Chinese traffic. You get into an accident and it's game over.

Chinese Traffic Culture: Pure Ugliness

Despite all the wonderful things about Chinese culture, there exists a dark side, and that is the behavior of people driving on the roads.

This ugliness and darkness cannot be avoided because one must take to the roads every day in order to get to work, go to places, meet people, socialize, etc. The daily chaos and unpleasantness on the roads is something that everybody hates, yet there is no choice but to take to the roads. What else are you going to do, ask Mr Spock to beam you up?

And so the thinking is to get the journey over with as quickly as possible, and arrive at the destination where life can go on as normal. This kind of mentality only leads to more chaos on the roads, since everybody wants to go quick, quick, quick and nobody has any patience.

This blog has no doubt made the point over the years that getting around in China is such a goddamn hassle. Transport is an incredibly big deal, and unnecessarily so. When it comes to convoluted methods to cross provincial borders, hire illegal taxis, or stockpile fuel in gas cans to ride scooters around the city, people will do just about anything unreasonable to get from Point A to B in a reasonable way.

And the high rate of accidents means that getting from Point A to B is never guaranteed.

Understandably, one can never relax on Chinese roads and tensions run high, regardless of what the mode of transportation is. However, road rage doesn't take the same form as we would have back in the US. In China, you're not going to have some guy screaming obscenities out the window, squealing tires, or pulling out his gun. But the absence of overt aggressive behavior doesn't mean that road rage doesn't exist.

Far from it.

Taxi drivers will routinely curse other drivers behind their own wheel with the windows rolled up. Nobody hears the curses, but they exist in the drivers' hearts. There is hatred on the roads. Drivers will routinely cut other drivers off and let out sighs of exasperation and frustration when someone else cuts them off. Or on the subway, they will push, shove, and force their way onto an overcrowded train when the doors are about to shut.

The biggest concern is when all this passive aggressive frustration explodes into a full-blown fight. This is a common scene during fender-bender accidents, when the parties will often get into an argument, a shouting match, and sometimes a fistfight with a crowd of gawping onlookers. If the police get involved, then it's game over if you happen to be a foreigner, because in this game of anarchy, the foreigner is always at fault.

Given all this nastiness of Chinese driving behavior, it's no wonder that I'm extra careful out there. But fear is an awesome motivator to avoid accidents. Every single tale I've heard about foreigners getting into accidents with Chinese locals ends on a negative note, and it reveals an incredibly vicious side to these locals that is worse than any accident.

To make a long story short then, you do not, I repeat do not even want to think about getting into an accident.

Bring on that High Pressure Ridge BABY

In normal times, the weatherman will often say that a ridge of high pressure is building, to indicate clear and dry conditions.

After nearly 40 days straight of the most miserable and depressing frickin weather this city has seen in decades, the upcoming ridge of high pressure in the forecast has never looked so good.

Not only is it going to be sunny for a week, it is going to warm up. Considerably.

Successful Fuel Run

Today's weather: High = 10 Low = 2
Full Sunshine

Such nice weather on a weekend could only mean one thing. Get on the scooter and do that long-anticipated fuel run. Given the year-long regulation that prohibits gas stations from selling fuel to unregistered scooters and motorbikes within the city center, and an ongoing crackdown on scooters in general, then creative methods need to be devised in order to get a reliable fuel source and to keep on riding into the sunshine.

There is obviously a thriving black market for gasoline. There is also a black market for RMB to US dollar currency exchanges, and a black market for pretty much everything in China. In general, it should be abundantly clear that micromanaging a society with a gazillion rules and documents is doomed to failure, because there will always be those who bend the rules as they see fit, people who interpret rules a certain way, and those who simply find ways around the rules.

The black market for fuel costs a little more than the gas station, it is closer, and the fuel readily available. But it still involves calling up the guys and heading over there week after week. The scooter tank only holds a week's supply of fuel at best which is the root of the problem.

So I picked up a large gas container a few weeks ago and it can hold at least a month's supply. As expected, filling this thing up wasn't going to be easy. The original plan was to head across the border to Jiangsu province where I've had some success before. But I got too lazy and instead headed out into the suburbs closer to my house.

Not surprisingly, the gas stations out in the Shanghai suburbs refused to fill up the can, citing the need for some permission document issued by my work unit. Screw that. But they had no problem filling up the bike. The interesting thing was they immediately assumed I wanted to fill up the gas can first, and said no way. Then when I asked to fill up the bike instead, they had no problem doing it.

I used this strategy to my advantage. I went from one gas station to the next, filling up the bike, siphoning into the gas can, filling up the bike again, and so forth. Eventually the can was full and I filled the bike up one last time for good measure.

The whole run only took an hour and a half. According to my estimates, I should be OK now until May.

The Sun Came Out

Today's weather: High = 8 Low = 3
Partly Cloudy

When the sun hasn't come out for nearly 40 days, this is no doubt big news. The sun made a prolonged appearance just before lunch today, and students were all flocking to the windows in various classrooms around the school to see this. Later on tonight, it remained clear. The change in atmosphere around the city was especially noteworthy today as it seemed to bring a smile to many faces.

The forecast for the next few days is looking quite good actually, although it's still chilly and below average.

Domestic Violence Upstairs

The weather is a convenient scapegoat to blame for what is now turning out to be a rather disturbing week. A foreign husband and Chinese wife are yelling a few floors upstairs, and the violence has escalated to him throwing furniture around and trashing the place.

A friend suggested I call 110, which is the classic Chinese police hotline, and the catch-all solution to any and all problems. But past experience has shown that calling 110 is unhelpful at best and at worst, gets me involved in a dispute I'd rather not be a part of.

So I simply went downstairs and reported this dispute to the 'bao an' or the security guard, and he noted that others had already complained before me. That helped get me off the hook as the foreigner who has nothing to do with the violence, and then the 'bao an' promptly called the 'zhi an' or the local public security official who is responsible for dealing with these kinds of things.

So far things seem to have quieted down. If it keeps escalating, then I'd be happy if they took this guy, threw him in a police van, and sent him to the local slammer.

Severe Food Poisoning

Today's weather: High = 8 Low = 5
Cloudy

Adverse health effects are beginning to show all over the city as the worst start to the spring season in over 60 years is taking its toll. A protracted lack of sunshine and constant wind, rain, and below average temperatures are increasing traffic accidents and hospital visits by huge percentages. The usual sicknesses are increasing such as colds and fevers as people grapple with the realities of this horrible weather.

Part of that includes heated debates on what temperature to put the indoor office thermostat at. This is a constant bone of contention between the foreign and Chinese staff. Foreign staff who prefer taking off coats inside would have the temperature well past 25 degrees, while the Chinese staff insist on opening the windows for fresh air and wearing jackets inside.

There is nothing new in this difference of opinion, but it reached a heated argument this week, no doubt influenced by the shitty and depressing weather outside. The argument broke down into yelling and name calling after nobody could reach an agreement of what temperature the office should be at. The Chinese side seems to have won, citing a Shanghai government regulation that it must be no more than 22 degrees in order to protect the environment.

Regretably, one of our colleagues has left the office for good and can't be in the same room with the Chinese staff anymore.

Hopefully in no way connected to this escapade, we were offered cream puffs by the Chinese side as a gift for international women's day.

But these gifts were poisoned. Whether or not it was deliberate, I don't know, but I ate perhaps 3-4 of these cream puffs and then began to experience a severe food poisoning sickness in my stomach some 40 minutes later while teaching class. This got worse and worse, to the point where I somehow made it home and spend 5 hours in bed getting rid of the toxins and running to the bathroom. This included severe vomiting and diarrhea, the classic food poisoning on both ends.

It was a concern as I haven't gotten sick from food like this in years! Last time was in India about 3 years ago.

Nonetheless I was still able to come to work the next day.

Targeting Summer

Today's weather: High = 8 Low = 5
Rain ... again

As the record overcast weather continues, more bleak news has come out in the form of the school holiday schedule from now until June. I really don't want to get into this, let's just say Saturday and Sunday work makeup days are now becoming the norm, rather than the exception.

With the write-off of essentially all 3 of the stat holiday mini-breaks (April, May, and June) it isn't looking possible to do any short China travel holidays during that time. Teachers are fuming mad at being robbed of this, but rather than join the bandwagon, might as well set the target for summer as the next big holiday.

In some ways, it isn't all that different from the November-December stretch when the winter holiday break was the target.

A few differences this time round. The weather will get warmer and sunnier at some point, although it doesn't feel like it. At some point it simply has to turn, and my guess is that winter and summer season will change like a switch. From one day the warm air conditioning will be on, then the next day, the cool air. Let's see how it plays out.

Another difference is that the summer break is much longer. However, things are wide open as to where I actually want to go for that break! That's a good problem to have.

Chinese Banking: Throw Your Hands Up

---
Throw your hands up, throw your hands up in the air
Wave 'em round the place, prissy staff ain't gonna care
Chinese banks in the house, money here and everywhere
But try and move that money and you're in for a big scare
---


And so that's how it goes. Not that money 'ma fan' (trouble) is a surprise or anything. Banking in China has always been a nightmare. It was like this 10 years ago when I first tried doing international bank transactions. Absolutely nothing has changed in terms of regulations on what to do with the RMB. For this reason I'm very grateful that our company pays our salary in foreign currency. Many schools pay teachers in RMB which is a disaster if you want to transfer that money out of the country.

The official way to do things involves taking RMB into the bank and changing it into USD or other foreign currency. No matter which type of account you have, or which currency you want to change, the bank will ask for the following documents

-- passport
-- copy of work contract
-- tax receipts
-- foreign experts certificate
-- proof of residency

Even if you have a multi-currency account and want to transfer RMB from one account into Hong Kong dollars into another account, the same crap is required.

Obviously, nobody in their right mind would go through such hassle. That's why the black market money changers can do this service for you. In fact, every bank has a dodgy guy like this hanging out near the information desk. You approach him, or he approaches you, and the money is changed on the spot. The whole thing is a joke because it all takes place in front of the bank employees and these guys even use the counting machines at the bank to check the money before the deal is done.

I collected two business cards and will be using these contacts repeatedly.

But changing RMB into USD is child's play compared to the whole story of performing international money transacations from within China. This opens up a whole realm of 'ma fan' if you want to, for example, accept a money transfer overseas or do a transfer to another country from bank branch that is based in China. The details and restrictions are endlessly complicated.

It was expected to be difficult from the get go, so I'm not angry or anything, just have to get creative. It turns out that a necessary trip to Hong Kong will sort out the complications. If I physically go down to Hong Kong and open up a second account at the HSBC there, I can link up my existing Shanghai account and get online access to do unrestricted money transactions, and so forth.

In the case of a remittance I want to do, I will simply wait until going to Hong Kong and do exactly like the locals do: bring piles and heaps of cash across the border. That'll be March 16, and I figure why not get some electronics while I'm down there.

The irony here is that HSBC stands for Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. Not exactly a global financial hub here in Shanghai like they aspire to. But whatever, the archaic money rules have benefits as well as frustrations.

One British guy wasn't exactly taking this in stride. He stormed out of the bank just before I walked in and screamed, "Jesus Christ, this bank is sh*t" His poor Chinese secretary would have lost face over that, I'm sure.

Will We Ever See the Sun?

This is actually getting quite serious. See the article below.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=495871&type=Metro

TOMORROW should be a rain-free day, but the showers that have persisted for weeks will then return, forecasters said yesterday.

Shanghai's weather has been dominated by thick cloud and showers since February 5, and gray skies will continue for at least another five days, said the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

Even though the seasons are in transition, such a long spell of overcast weather is unusual, said Kong Chunyan, a chief service officer of the bureau.

The last time the city had such a prolonged period of overcast weather was in 1980, Kong said.

Temperatures this week should be as stable as the weather - with the high remaining between 8 and 11 degrees Celsius.

The low should drop to around 4 degrees later in the week, due to a weak cold front.

Today is forecast overcast with rain and a high of 9 degrees.

While no rain is forecast for tomorrow, it should still be overcast, with a low of 6 degrees and a high of 11.

The city is finally expected to see the sun again at the weekend, Kong said.

Last month, the amount of sunshine in Shanghai was 47 hours less than average.

In the second half of the month, Shanghai enjoyed sunshine for less than five hours - the lowest figure for the period since 1972, the observatory reported.

Health professionals say levels of depression have increased during the gloomy weather.

According to the Shanghai Mental Health Consultation Center, the number of patients calling for consultation has doubled in recent weeks.

Online, fed up residents have bemoaned the lack of sunshine.

"My body is getting mildewed," complained one web user on a social network site, while another admitted that "cloud and rain make me depressed."

In order to keep spirits high during gloomy weather, some experts advised locals to wear more colorful clothes while going out and add more warm lights at home.

Planning Ahead

As for summer break, I've more or less secured a 2-month slot to do a proper trip.This will take considerable planning to make it work, and there are seat sales with Air Asia with some incredible bargains if booked ahead in advance -- same story as to how I got such good deals for winter break.

But unlike winter break, the summer trip will go at a much slower pace. The only question is where. Got a few destinations in mind. Will see. The normal pattern is for the monsoon to dominate in summer and thus it is low season in many places in Asia.

Indonesia is the exception to the general rule where the monsoon patterns are reversed, and then summer becomes the dry season. That's definitely a contender. Others include Burma and Thailand (duh!) and Cambodia is also looking like an attractive option. So is Tibet, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Iran! Argh! Can't decide! Obviously I'll narrow it down.

What I have decided is to pocket a cool $1000 cash instead of the plane ticket, and then go back to Canada during national day, by using the plane ticket that the school would pay for effective on the next contract (after Sept)

As for math masters degree, it looks now like April 2014 will have the whole thing completed, thus making it 3 years in duration. This was discouraging when I first had that realization. But friends have correctly pointed out it's pretty good deal, given that doing a full-time masters would be 2 years anyway, and those two years would be lost time off work. Besides, if working on a masters full time in Canada without a job, that would be economic suicide. Much better to do it while working i China where the costs are lower, making an income, and keeping busy so as not so spend much money anyway.

So on that note, then signing a two-year contract at school would be the best way to go and I'm looking into it. Already signed a two-year rental contract on my posh house out in the semi-suburbs but still in the city proper. I suppose the former thinking of "one more year" doesn't apply anymore as I'm thinking in terms of 2-3 year blocks nowadays. When people ask me how I ended up in China so long I told them I always made the decision by saying "just one more year." Can't use that line anymore!

Here Comes the Scooter Crackdown

Today's weather:  High = 8 Low = 6

Rainy

 

To be honest, this was a long time in coming.  First cut off the gas station supply, then shut down the repair shops, and then launch a full scale crackdown to get the mopeds off the road.   3 months starting in March.  I am ready to ride out the storm.

 

This is gonna be interesting.

 

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=495762&type=Metro

 

-------

SOUPED-UP scooters and mopeds are being targeted by Shanghai traffic authorities.

Officials say the increasing number of souped-up scooters is hampering efforts to reduce accidents.

Souped-up scooters and mopeds are heavier and more powerful, making them more dangerous, said officials.

Shanghai Vice Mayor Zhang Xuebing said yesterday that "it's relatively hard to eliminate illegal electric mopeds and reckless riding in a short time."

But Zhang said the city must "act quickly and correctly," or the situation will get worse.

The city is currently waging a three-month-long campaign against illegally customized mopeds and scooters.

In the recent raids in Putuo, police found mopeds customized to exceed the legal limit of 15 kilometers per hour.

Fines will be imposed on stores found to be selling these vehicles, said officials.

Some souped up scooters with increased battery capacity can achieve speeds of up to 70 kph, according to insiders.

Guo admitted that current regulations, issued more than 10 years ago, are out-of-date.

"Riders nowadays do not have the same attitude toward regulations as people did previously," added Guo. 

--------

 

 

   

Integrate. Challenged. Big Time.

Today's weather: High = 12 Low = 8
Showers

An exhausting Saturday but worth it in so many ways. This was a full day conference called "Integrate" with the goal of integrating our Christian life with the day-to-day realities of our jobs in the workplace. It was organized by one of the ministries of the church I attend in Shanghai (SCF).

In many ways this reminded me of the Global Leadership Summit, an annual event held every November on being a leader in the marketplace. I made a reference on the blog as that event being like the oxygen mask opening up on the airplane.

Integrate was pretty much the same thing. Two keynote speakers talking about the relevance of faith in the business world and the purpose of business itself. Lots of social networking and mingling mixed in with great meals. Followed by live music and a freestyle rap by yours truly - my reputation in Shanghai is growing :)

The venue was an abandoned warehouse turned into an art gallery along Suzhou Creek in the north of the city. Quite appropriate!

Even so, a volley of fresh new insights and ways of thinking about life has left me exhausted. There's enough new material to last for months, if not years, and suddenly I find myself feeling very stupid - for thinking I knew so much about the meaning of life and work when in fact I know very little. But maybe that was the point, to leave with a feeling of humiliation and encouragement at the same time.

This conference is going to change the way I see work, not as a curse to be avoided or done grudgingly until retiremement. But instead, an expression of the image of God in us and a reflection of his creation mandate. Big stuff, for sure, but somehow I'll figure it out.

At any rate I'm now thinking twice about my grand plan to quit Shanghai and stop working after a couple years. Maybe I'll stay awhile.

The Bus System

The scooter is the top way to get around Shanghai but there needs to be a decent backup plan in case of the bike breaking down or difficulties fueling it at gas stations -- an ongoing bugaboo.

The subway system is not an appealing backup plan for multiple reasons as outlined throughout this blog. What I discovered recently, and should have figured out a long time ago, is that the buses are the second best way to get around.

This was the same story in Wuhan actually when I lived there before. Actually Wuhan is building a subway but I'm not optimistic about it. The buses will remain king over there for quite some time. My experience with the Shanghai subway and Dalian light rail is that these systems aren't nearly as convenient as they would appear to be.

The biggest issue is when these city trains stop operating for the evening. Usually very early. Then there is the limited range and the long walks in getting to the stations and/or transfering lines. And in the case of Shanghai with the most complex subway system -- near daily breakdowns or malfunctions.

On a scooterless day today I got fed up with the subway stuck at a station and not moving. So I got off and took a bus at random to see what would happen. It was surprisingly pleasant and quick, and nearly dropped me off at my doorstep!

On the rare times I've taken the bus it has been a similar experience. What seems to have happened is that the expansion of the subway has taken pressure off the bus network and they aren't nearly as packed and crowded as they were in 2003 for example. They are also cheap, clean and comfortable with TV programs to watch on board. Buses also have a very large range of where they go and they run until midnight. Some routes are even all-nighters.

So it begs the question why I haven't been using the buses more. Trying to figure out the routes is the biggest obstacle as the system is unbelievably complex. What is even more unbelievable is that someone translated the whole system into English, one bus line at a time!

At most I've got a few bus lines memorized but there are literally hundreds of numbered buses I see all the time on my scooter. So why not just spot a useful bus while on the scooter, go online, and then memorize the route. The problem is twofold. One, any given bus stop will have dozens of routes that share it. Then it becomes impossible to tell which bus goes where I want and which does not. Second, if a bunch of buses appear repeatedly at some point in a route and another bunch of buses appear repeatedly somewhere else, then we cannot say with any degree of certainty which buses appear at both points. Some may very well connect A to B, others A to C, others B to C, and so forth.

Obviously I try to spot the buses in the bunch that appear at both points A and B and memorize routes. But this gets more and more complex if I'm going to multiple points around the city.

Not surprisingly, the buses are immensely popular with locals. This is what you'd expect with moving around 25 million people. I ask my local friends how they navigate the system and they also find it complex. Most of them simply figure it out as they go and memorize the routes that work. Then they stick to those same routes every day to save money. Some have even told me I know more routes than them - which can't be true.

It could pay off to get more familiar with these buses. For every success story where I've randomly hopped on a bus and it got me somewhere useful, I could also tell a story where I got lost in a hurry and the bus dumped me off in some obscure part of town.

Mulling Over National Day Trip

In looking at our holiday schedule, an unexpected option cropped up for when a return visit to Canada could happen ... that being National Day or the 7-day October holiday.

Throw in a couple of sub coverages on either side of the holiday, and this could make for a nice 10-day break.

The main challenge, however, is to come up with a reason for doing this. With all this mulling over which week-long holiday would be the best to return to Canada, or even to do it in the first place, the question is what compels me to go back every year? Every trip is a culture shock to the extreme, right from the get-go where I step off the plane and go through immigration at the airport.

With dozens of smooth and pleasant border countries in Asian countries, why do I then get treated like a criminal when passing through immigration of my home country? Then there is the reality of sticker shock, and going broke no matter how hard I try and cut costs.

So I suppose it is tradition, more than anything else, that compels me to go back every year. There is this thinking that we should go back to Canada every year. Christmas being the best time, of course. Maybe I'll still do that. Who knows. Eventually I'll have something figured out.

For summer I want a two month extended travel break. The school agreed to my cash request and we negotiated a nice deal in lieu of a summer plane ticket.

Teachers Strike in British Columbia

Today's weather: High = 10 Low = 2
Cloudy

Found this out from the internet:

http://www.theprovince.com/news/teachers+strike+Monday+protest+arrogance+cynicism+government/6234844/story.html

-------------
Teachers across British Columbia will walk off the job for three days starting Monday.

Early Thursday, the B.C. Teachers’ Federation served notice to employers and the Labour Relations Board that teachers would go on strike after its members voted — 27,946 of 32,209 votes cast, or 87 per cent — in favour of escalating their job action.

On Tuesday, the board ruled teachers could hold a three-day strike if they gave two days’ notice. Subsequently, they may also withdraw services for one day per week, also after giving two days’ notice. Teachers are not allowed to set up picket lines in front of schools.
--------------

I remember clearly that a BC Teachers strike happened 7 years ago, and it affected my practicum while I was in teacher training at that time. Needless to say, history goes around in circles. What hasn't changed is the government is arrogant as ever, and the conditions in classrooms are very difficult. The BCTF teachers union is putting up a fuss, as they always do. Whatever settlement they achieved 7 years ago must have worn off quickly. Maybe it was a case of the government backtracking on their end of the deal, or maybe the BCTF wanted an updated settlement and the government stuck to the old one.

This time round, the parameters of the strike have changed. No more extended strikes and picket lines, as the article points out.

My support for the BCTF wavers. I like their overall view to support education, but I've not been a huge fan of this union, or unions in general. I strongly disagree with their stances on a few issues. But they are miles ahead of the arrogant BC government, which I've never supported regardless of how my political leanings may shift around from "left" to "right" -- which in itself are terms I think are flawed.

I'd support the BCTF strike this time, as I did last time, on the principle of the 'lesser of two evils'. But if it comes down to which party is less evil than the other, then it really doesn't speak very highly of teaching in BC to begin with. Which explains why, thank goodness, I find myself in China.

Here we keep our jobs and earn regular salary, while teachers in BC are surviving on $15 strike pay a day. Not a comforting thought. With Vancouver prices being what they are, that money would be enough to buy a stale donut.

And maybe that's the point of the strike. It's easy to get comfortable with the lifestyle in Asia where prices are reasonable and affordable --- I hate to use the word cheap, rather, the opposite is true. Back home is extortionate and one can go broke in a heartbeat.

Given that things are so expensive in the world's most unaffordable city known as Vancouver, then it's no wonder that the teachers are demanding more compensation so they can at least afford to live. It is something that we easily forget in Asia.