ISpyShanghai

Extracts from my diary

8:34pm Shanghaiist BBQ
This place is really crowded, I keep knocking everyone over with my backpack, think I’ll just have one drink and go home

8:40pm Vedas
Oh look, an Indian restaurant, I’ll just pop in here and have a curry and a light ale, then go home

9:30pm Vedas
This couple sat next to me are very nice, they’re here on holiday, I’ll give them a few tips on places to visit then go home.

11:04pm People’s 6
It’s a shame not to show them this nice bar that’s close to the restaurant, I don’t have to drink or anything. Well maybe I’ll have one. Then go home.

12:07am Abbey Road
Well this bar is just down the road and it has a terrace- I’ll have a glass of Porter in this nice weather with this nice couple then go home.

1:15am Abbey Road
I’m definitely not going to watch the European Cup Final. It’s on way too late. Definitely not.

2:00am O’Malleys
I’ll just watch the first 10 minutes of the match to get a feel for the atomsphere then go home.

2:47am O’Malleys
Lots of Chinese lads are really into Man United aren’t they? Going home soon.

3:30am O’Malleys
This game is great, can’t believe Chelsea just got an equaliser- should be a good second half. I’ll watch a bit of that then go home.

3:37am O’Malleys
Jagermeister on a school night? This isn’t going to end well.

4:10am O’Malleys
Extra time, blimey. Maybe I should switch to Coke. or go home.

4:13am O’Malleys
Still extra time, it’s going to be a nail-biting penalty shoot out!

Wait a minute, I’ve just realised that I don’t care who wins.
I’m going home.

First and foremost, I haven’t written much about the earthquake. Fifty thousand dead and no-one to blame.
It’s awful, anything I said would be trite.

Tonight at Sasha’s there’s a benefit for the victims in Sichuan- it’s 180RMB for the event, all of which goes to charity since the sponsors are giving the beer and BBQ for free.

No doubt you’ve already given money, blood, or deep thought into how you want to help- but I just thought I’d put in a plug for a good event that is going to raise a lot of money.

I’ll be there too so say “Hi” if you see me. Be warned that in real life, I spit when I talk.

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Secondly, in an effort to stop the brewing gang war between Lei and T can I say that next week’s Shoe Tuesday will be a special “Reader’s Shoes” edition.

Email a photo of your bestest “kicks” (that’s cool people talk for “trainers”) to j_creegan at hotmail dot com with a subject that says something about shoes (not “Congratulations! You have won the Irish lottery!”) and I’ll run an anonymous poll to see who really has the best in town.

All proceeds to charity.

<cue Shoe Tuesday music>

When I was just a lad we used to have a delicious peppermint flavoured sweet called Pacers. They were the same size and shape as an Opal Fruit but, and here is the key- they had stripes on ‘em!

Green and white stripes!

I have no idea how they did it, in fact they don’t make them any more so perhaps the guy who knew died. I’d love to show you a photo of the things, but there’s none on the internet so you’ll have to make do with this artist’s impression.

I only mention Pacers because the other day I saw not just one, but two pairs of stripy shoes right next to each other the other day. That’s four shoes total, all with stripes！What are the odds of that? Must be a million to one.

Peter’s birthday was great fun- he had hired out “The Casting Couch” in Attica, there were a band of midgets carrying silver platters of nibbles around on their heads, a fountain that played Chateau Neuf Du Pape, and at midnight- an elaborate laser, firework and Wild Tiger show extravaganza to the song “West End Girls”.

The whole “private table” kind of night out is very Shanghainese, you pay for a set number of drinks in advance and are thus given permission to sit in one section of the club. Everyone who is part of the in crowd gets into the club for free, so assuming you and your friends would have spent that much money on drinks it’s a pretty good deal.
Whether Peter would actually have spent the minimum 10,000RMB on drinks I don’t know, but it was a warm night so he would’ve been pretty thirsty.

Luckily Peter got all of his fun out of the way before the Official Three Day Period Of Everyong Being Jolly Sad And Having No Fun which the government has decreed. Cinemas, gaming websites and any other forms of entertainment are going to be stamped out during the period.

No, I have no idea how that will help either.

parasol

A photo for your weekend

You wouldn’t think it to look at him, but my good buddy Peter (aka WoAiZhongGuo) is 40 years young today.

To celebrate, he’s hired out the biggest bouncy castle Shanghai and is going to fill it with laser guns, water bombs and cute puppies that we can play with. At least that’s what I assume happens at Attica.

Thanks to China Chas

Happy Birthday Peter!

Here’s a fun sign:

Now let’s have a quiz

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Obviously you have to vote before you look at the “Read More…” bit below otherwise you’re a cheat and a scoundrel.

I won’t know if you’ve cheated, but you will and how will you feel then?

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