May 27th 2013
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Recently Missed
I’m all for playing with water when it’s nice and hot outside, but not when I am on my way to work with all my teaching materials to hand. I narrowly missed having a second shower of the day when I was riding my bike to school. The municipality water truck pulled up by the curb, out came an industrial-sized hose with a full force of water gushing out. No warning. At least we know Shanghai’s plants are well look after.
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Recently Bought
In a bid to build a healthier lifestyle, we bought a set of badminton rackets with shuttlecocks. Now, we are no pros when it comes to playing the sport and therefore we picked up a simple set at our local supermarket for RMB 60 all in. Surprisingly the racket strings have some good bounce to them. Now we can join the morning hoards at our local park for a kickstart workout.
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Recently Found
Tucked away down a tiny alley in Shanghai’s Tian Zi Fang area is Candy La. What caught my eye was the fact that all the sweet products were being made then and there for all to see. According to the makers, they use natural colours and flavours drawing from a candy-making craft dating back over 300 years. The prices range from RMB 20 (test tube) to RMB 58. The jar pictured cost RMB 50.
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Recently Watched
In this comedy sitcom actor Matthew Perry plays Ryan King who is a sports radio presenter. In the pilot episode, we come to learn of the tragic loss of his wife. Consequently, the station boss orders him to attend a series of therapy sessions to deal with his pain. The characters from his therapy group form the core of the many funny occurrences proving that, at least on a TV show like Go On, losing a loved one can be dealt with by using laughter.
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May 21st 2013
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Last week was seven days of non-stop rain which meant no biking activities. In my frustration, I decided to go and get a bike rain poncho. It was the first time I have used one of these. It did take getting used to, draping the poncho over the handle bars to keep them dry. But before long, I was zipping about with the rain drops lashing against my face! And it was a good investment at only RMB 25.
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Take ten steps across the road from outside our front gate and you arrive at this lady with her outdoor food stall. It was actually a friend of a friend visiting from South Africa who alerted us on her little al fresco set up. I have always been dubious about Shanghai street food, but her batter with one egg and seasoned with spring onions, broken salted crackers and a dollop of spicy red chilli – makes for a perfect daytime snack. All for just a meagre RMB 3.5!
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From the very start, I have been an avid fan of Tina Fey’s comedy creation that is 30 Rock. I held off watching Season 7 for a while simply because it is reportedly the final one. No longer being able to hold myself from pressing ‘play’ the final series did not disappoint. Dripping in fantastic one-liners and pop culture stabs, each episode builds momentum to the final showdown where all the characters try and save the show from being cancelled somehow.
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It’s always lovely to get surprise packages from overseas. Recently my sister sent a birthday one where, amongst the British chocolate bars, was another instalment of Alexander McCall Smith’s book series The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency. This particular volume sees Mma Ramotswe investigate some unusual love occurrences in her native Botswana. Full of colour and vivid African descriptions – it’s the perfect escapism.
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May 14th 2013
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Recently Bought
Having recently purchased a bike, I’ve been making full use of it by cycling to work and exploring new parts of the city. Inevitably, riding in and amongst the Shanghai traffic means a fair dose of fumes being breathed in. My new weapon is a mouth mask made from bamboo-charcoal fibres which acts as a natural barrier against pollutant particles and toxic gases. And it comes in a trendy tartan green design.
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Recently Watched
I got my London-fix with this movie set in the city’s borough of Hackney. Based in the streets and on estates, two brothers of Egyptian descent handle the daily runnings within a British gang whilst back at their family flat, life is distinctively a more Arabic one. Starring James Floyd and Saïd Taghmaoui, the film has picked up a number of awards across various US and European film festivals.
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Recently Watched
Childbirth in east London during the 1950s forms the core subject of this BBC produced series. Admittedly, the DVD had been sitting on our shelf for a while, before we finally gave the first episode a try. And from the get-go we became engrossed in the well-crafted stories lines of each episode as the show follows the plight of midwives and nuns in an impoverished community of the capital.
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Recently Found
I came across this website via an email blast from a popular Shanghai e-zine and I immediately fell in love with the concept. DIY-Muesli.com gives you the whole ‘make your own muesli’ experience. Choose your cereal base, add whatever mix (fruit, nuts) and you can even give your new creation its own name. Based in Beijing, they ship out to anywhere in China. All their grains are imported in from Germany.
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May 8th 2013
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Recently Ate
This little cupcake outlet has been open for a few months now just a few metres from where we live. Venturing in for the first time, the other day, there were number of handmade cupcakes on offer. We went for the Peanut Butter and Cookies and Cream (with a big Oreo cookie balanced on top). Both had a soft texture and strong flavour without being too heavy. At RMB 12 each and served in a cute takeaway box, Cupcakes Café is the place to be for a small afternoon treat.
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Recently Watched
With a reported budget of $22 million, The Bible was broadcast in the US to consistently high TV ratings. On its first week of DVD release in April it shifted 525,000 copies making the TV show the best-selling miniseries of all time. Produced by Mark Burnett (The Voice/Survivor) and actress Roma Downey (Touched by An Angel), the series picks up stories from Genesis to Revelation over ten episodes. The board of advisors included Pastors Rick Warren and Joel Osteen.
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Recently Watched
The year is 1982 with Israel and Lebanon embroiled in bitter dispute. Israeli fighter pilot ‘Yoni’ (Stephen Dorff) aborts a mission and ends up being captured by the PLO in Lebanon. Directed by Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis and written by Palestinian-American Nader Rizq, an unlikely friendship develops between a young Palestinian refugee ‘Fahed’ and the captive Israeli pilot. A worthy story that goes beyond the political situation, focusing more on human interaction and bonding.
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Recently Watched
We catch up with Reagan (Christina Applegate) and Chris (Will Arnett) as they navigate parenthood with their little Amy who is now a toddler and provides no end of comic situations. Talk show host Ava (Maya Rudolph) has to deal with life after her show gets cancelled and Reagan’s brother Scott (Luka Jones) gets scripted as a prime character who goes into business with Chris. Hilarious to watch, with special appeal to those who have kids.
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May 1st 2013
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Recently Bought
South Korea's Psy may have just released his new single ‘Gentleman’ but ‘Gangnam Style’ continues to go strong. This latest little merchandise comes in the shape of a tipex (or whitener) apparatus. Complete with his caricature doing that dance and a horse quoted as saying “gangnam style”- a stationery company in China’s Guangdong province is still hoping to cash in on the 2012 craze. At RMB 6 (60p) a pop and most definitely unauthorised, I doubt Psy will be missing out financially.
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Recently Watched
We are always a bit behind here in China when it comes to the latest in UK TV series. Just completed was season 2 of Dynamo: Magician Impossible where illusionist and Bradford-native ‘Dynamo’ gets in the public going with a series of jaw-dropping tricks including a mobile phone balancing act, melting glass and fire coming out of his hands. He also displays a more human side with the unfortunate death of his grandfather shown in his fly-on-the-wall documentary.
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Recently Drank
Calling itself ‘the first traceable Chinese wine in the world’ – this bottle of 1421 Chardonnay (year 2010) is actually not bad as Chinese wines go. The taste is dry with a subtle fruity tinge. Distributed by Star Farm, there’s a traceability code which you can type into their website and it gives you the entire product’s journey from harvesting to bottling – guaranteeing food safety, something of a premium nowadays in China.
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Recently Played
Thanks to a couple of close friends of ours who also happen to be board game aficionados, we have become hooked on Settlers of Catan. Four players battle for dominance on the island of Catan by building roads, cities and settlements. There’s probability involved with the rolling of dice along with using your skills of persuasion to trade five key resources: bricks, lumber, grain, wool and iron. The first player to reach 10 victory points wins.
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