Hi guys, its been almost 11 days since I'd last updated the blog. I didn't even realise this delay until it was pointed out by Bimal, so you can thank/blame Bimal for this blog being written.

Before I start, I have to say that I am very upset by the lack of comments on the last blog - is this perhaps an indication that you find the blog boring and have given up reading it? I hope not, but don't hesitate to make any criticisms (constructive or not) on my writing.

This has been a quiet week (as weeks in China come) and it suddenly dawned on me that I've been here for about 6 weeks. That's quite a scary thought, considering that my stay is only around 4 and half months. Time is just flying by and I'll be back in the UK before you know it.

Commiserations to my friends who are India cricketing fans - I would make some witty remark, but if you saw the England performance against Israel, you know that I have no right to do so!

As I said before it has been a quiet week - partly due to the uncertainty of my financial status due to the loss of my wallet, partly due to tiredness and partly due to The Sopranos.
I always spend a lengthy period of time, talking about the programs that I've watched, and if you remember, at the time of the last blog, I was struggling with 24. Since then, I have given up on 24 and started on some of the best TV I have ever seen.
To any fans of The Godfather, Goodfellas, etc - this is the most fun, gripping series you will ever see. It has now changed my lifetime;s ambition from being rich, to being rich and a mafiosi!

In terms of food, sadly, for the first time this trip, I ordered a vegetarian meal and found a piece of meat in it. I knew that this was an inevitability at some point during my stay in China, but I had so far been lucky.
I have also discovered this amazing Japanese chain called Ajisen Ramen. I have heard that this chain is franchised worldwide (just not in the UK) but I think that I have fallen in love. For this place, think Wagamama, but more authentically Japanese.
My cooking has progressed, to the extent that I purchased a new wok the other day, which I used for the first time yesterday.


The weather is quite strange at the moment. From being bitterly cold and windy, just a couple of weeks ago, it now alternates between tropical humidity and long spells of rain. I heard that its been snowing back home, I feel for you guys.

This week, I have also found a local Chinese student to practise Chinese with. Following my frustration with my ineptitude at the Chinese language, I took the initiative of putting up posters in the Chinese dorms, looking for a local student/victim to practise my Chinese upon. The result has been 3 to 4 texts a day, from Chinese students, in normally quite hilarious English, advertising their merits as a teacher. I did the right thing, and picked the first student to reply, and had my first private Mandarin lesson on Thursday.


Mum and Dad are going to be visiting China in a couple of weeks time, so I will be spending the weekends with them. Its quite exciting for me now.

Basketball keeps getting better and better, and now, we are playing with and against Chinese students, and matching the poorer ones for skill. Who knows, I may be the first Indian in the CBA!!!!
The international students also had a football match against the staff and we got beaten 4-1. I maintain that the reason we lost, is because we wanted good grades in our summer exams, not because we were abysmally poor.


There's not that much else to say really - I hope that everyone has a good week and a good easter. And please, feel free to leave comments (you don't even have to register to do so)!


Missing you all lots,

Lots of love,

Nihal

Shanghai and other stories...

I know that its been over a week since I've updated the blog and apologize for the delay. I hope that everyone hasn't been waiting anxiously at their computer screens for the last week.

This week has also been eventful: the highlights/lowlights being my new love for Chinese food, the visit to Shanghai, the theft/loss of my wallet, and numerous thrashings at the hands of local students at basketball.

Last time I left you, I had started watching 24 and my lectures had just started. My interest in 24 has since subsided - I'm sorry, its OK, just not as good as everyone else made out (just my opinion, don't crucify me for it).

In the first diary, I lamented the limited depth of my Mandarin linguistic skills. I am pleased to inform you that my Mandarin has improved vastly, with huge thanks to the waiters at the student restaurant.
I know that its sad, but I've found that if I have lunch by myself a few times a week, I can speak in Mandarin to these waiters for a solid hour. I will be sharing my Mandarin gems with you in the weeks to come!

I have also started to cook with the two other veggies staying here (much to the amusement of the meat eaters!). Our food has been excellent on every occassion, and our repertoire is always increasing.

Back home, I hope that everyone is doing well. The mighty Spurs are still going, and I'm loving every minute of it (watching it illegally over the internet). Dimitar Berbatov is "the beautiful game" personified.

Anyway, thats enough of the background stuff... I know that everyone wants to get into the meaty details:- Shanghai.

Four of us guys left for Shanghai last Thursday (a day earlier than the rest of our group) and we went with a boy and a girl from Hong Kong. These guys had an amazing appartment in Shanghai and they showed us around.
On the first night, we went to this incredible Dim Sum restaurant (maybe my best meal here so far) and then we went clubbing.

The clubbing in Shanghai is incredible. The music is all the latest hip hop, the DJs are very talented and the clubs are nice. Not to mention that Shanghai women are very beautiful too!! I have to say that I felt very homesick being in the clubs because I really missed DJing.
We stayed in the Hong Kong brother and sister's appartment that night.

For everyone that hasn't been to Shanghai, its an incredible city. Lots and lots of skyscrapers and lots of neon lights. The city itself is very busy and you can't move in the streets without bumping into someone.

The next day, we went for a walk in Shanghai during the day, did a bit of shopping and went to TGI Friday's for dinner. At night we went clubbing and that night was when I lost my wallet.

I lost my wallet sometime after the club and before we reached the hotel so the assumption is that it was left in the cab. This was a very upsetting for me because it had a stupidly large amount of American dollars in it and it also had my credit and debit cards in it. I have since cancelled the cards but I'm very upset about the money because I shouldn't have had that amount of money in it, and its my fault at the end of the day.

I was considering leaving Shanghai at that stage but luckily, my friends convinced me against it. I went to a market the next day and didn't buy anything but it was a good experience - lots of counterfeit goods!! That night we found a vegetarian restaurant, and the food there was amazing. Authentic Chinese food that is 100% vegetarian. It was the only time here that I had gone into a restaurant and not had to select from only one or two items.

The next day, we left Shanghai but it was a marathon trip back. We were supposed to get the coach back (same as we had done on the way there). We told a cab driver to go to the bus station but instead he took us to the train station half an hour outside the city centre and then got into another cab which took us to the wrong bus station. We ended up missing our bus, and had to wait two hours for another one. I ended up missing Spurs - Chelsea so I was most upset.

Also, aside from the loss of my wallet, within our group of fifteen people, one Ipod and three phones were stolen - proof that Shanghai is a dangerous place!

Since Shanghai, not much of note has happened apart from the three beatings that we have received from Chinese people at basketball. For those that don't know, basketball is China's national sport and for a very short nation, they make very skilful basketball players. With our three weeks of experience, we were no match for the Chinese wonderkids!

Aside from that, this week is nearly over. There's not much else to say but I want to say hello to everyone, because I can't say hi individually.


Missing you guys lots and lots



Nihal

The Second Chapter

Ni Hao

As you will recall from last time, I was eating pizza, drinking beer and had a bathroom that flooded after every shower.

Well the drinking beer and eating pizza has continued but I have added noodles and jacket potatoes to the list of food that I've been eating. I even managed to find some baked beans in the supermarket.

I did make some pasta the other day so the kitchen is not as unusable as previously thought.

In regards to the bathroom situation, I have made the astute purchase of a shower curtain which has now divided my bathroom into two parts! Technology these days!

Lectures were supposed to start this week but they did so for only one of my modules so I have spent another week not doing very much.

The sports facilities at this campus are very good and I have started playing football (badly) and basketball (even more badly). We have also purchased a retro games console which is sure to fill some of my free time (for retro, think PacMan, Super Mario 1 for the gameboy etc etc).

The highlight of the week was definitely the visit to the Digital Plaza. This is a huge shopping centre consisting solely of people selling computer stuff, mp3 players, DVDs etc. Needless to say, it is an easy way to waste money. Having bought a webcam and a USB stick, we saw a copy of Pro Evo 6 for the PC and 2 Playstation style controllers for the PC. This purchase of Pro Evo and the controllers came to a grand total of £4!!

We were all very excited about this but this excitement was shortlived. The game would get to the final loading screen (before the match) and then crash! This was devastating - hours of time which we thought had been filled were now empty!

I also started watching 24 Season 1 this week (awesome) and discovered the talents of Lily Allen (even more awesome).

I know this was a shorter blog but I hope that everything is well with everyone and I will send a more detailed blog soon!


and Happy 18th Nikita, hope it was a good bday.
To my fellow ASOCers - hope the event was a success

Anyways - I have to get back to my Football Manager network game!

Zaijian

Lots of Love

Nihal