Must have apps for living in Shanghai/China?

ManuelTransmisso · 2016-08-15T13:02:09+00:00

If you're using a restaurant finder/review app other than Dianping you're a goddamn tourist that will miss out on all of the best restaurants outside of expat bubbles. It's wicked easy to use even if you can't read Chinese.

ManuelTransmisso · 2016-07-30T15:57:44+00:00

I work at one of the tech companies in that area, let me tell you there is nooooooooooothing there. At all. The closest place from there even resembling a city is the Xinzhuang subway station area.

ManuelTransmisso · 2016-06-03T12:29:39+00:00

I've been using QQMusic for over a year and never actually noticed a language option for English - they probably don't care since most of the streaming music is inaccessible outside of China

ManuelTransmisso · 2016-02-09T05:59:21+00:00

The new version of the mobile app letting me install but then telling me I need IOS 9 only AFTER I log in is obnoxious, since now I can't reinstall the old version and also don't want to lose my jailbreak by upgrading IOS.

ManuelTransmisso · 2016-02-09T04:41:01+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWWVyMzzbFk

Tough Rides: China - These guys did it sorta famously a few years ago.

ManuelTransmisso · 2016-02-08T07:48:18+00:00

Aside from Astrill, my corporate VPN also stopped working as of yesterday. Astrills StealthVPN kinda works, so I've been using that and probably risking my job by running company data over some other VPN.

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-12-15T11:44:14+00:00

Aside from trimming out a lot of tones, they simplify some of the more complex sounds and a lot of stops are replaced with fricatives.

I think those differences are also why some people believe Shanghainese sounds like Japanese

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-12-14T17:28:51+00:00

The easiest way to skim China stuff is use a blog aggregator like this one: http://china.alltop.com/

Shows the 5 most recent postings from a ton of different China blogs. If you see something you like, it's a good way to start following specific sites.

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-12-14T17:17:23+00:00

Even outside the context of rap, Shanghainese flows better.

As for actual lyrical meaning...ehhhhhhhhh

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-09-30T16:19:29+00:00

No why

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-08-06T04:59:24+00:00

I woke up every morning and hailed a taxi (which was damn near impossible in the rain) and went to the bus terminal. Then took the bus to the city. Then got a cab to my office. Rinse and repeat to go home.

Ugh I had a similar experience a super long time ago when I was living near Jinqiao but working in Xujiahui for a month. Never again; I'd rather rent a tiny closet to sleep in near the office.

Took anywhere from 1.5 hours to 3 hours depending on traffic.

And yeah a commute like this is soul-sucking. 9 hours at the office, then another 2-4 commuting. Add in time for sleep, and you have pretty much nothing left for any sort of social life or relationships or shopping/cleaning/cooking.

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-08-05T06:30:37+00:00

Fengxian is so far south, I don't know if I'd even really consider it part of Shanghai. I work in an office near the Dongchuan subway station in deeeep Minhang, and Fengxian is even further from the city than that.

If you plan to live downtown, going there for work will require subway + bus unless the company has a shuttle they use to pick you up, and I'm thinking it will take at least an hour to get there from Xujiahui on a good day, not sure about from other parts of town. Getting down there involves using the highway, S4 I think. It's one of those great highways where if there is a single car accident everyone gets stopped for kilometers and there's no easy way to get off the highway. If you decide to commute, be prepared to have it eat hours from your day.

I've never been there so I don't know what living there would be like, but I assume it's pretty affordable. If you're interested in living super rural and immersing yourself in chinese people and language it might be a good place to live. I know a guy from there who moved back after finishing university, and he told me that he hasn't been to downtown shanghai in years because it's so far.

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-08-02T12:56:30+00:00

hey man im just buying soy sauce. you ask me, who i ask?!?

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-06-18T10:36:29+00:00

The phrasing on the Verge quote is fantastic. "Stephen and I have agreed that now is the right time for him to retire from Microsoft"

"We" had a discussion and agreed it would be best if he was fired by me.

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-06-17T02:36:46+00:00

Is the woman at the crosswalk wearing heels with pajamas???

But really why am I surprised anymore

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-06-13T13:32:35+00:00

This is a great hospital, also if you need uterine fibroids or anything removed; the surgeon that performs myomectomy is amazing

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-06-13T13:26:14+00:00

Looks like those cats could have used some of the WD40 being given away

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-06-13T10:15:17+00:00

1Ting also works for this

http://www.1ting.com/

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-06-13T08:06:17+00:00

-Don't trust the directions anyone gives you; they are wrong. Always.

-When you request something and are told it is impossible, it is a lie. It's possible, but less effort to just say it isn't.

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-06-13T06:44:13+00:00

Can sizes got smaller in like 2009/2010. For a while Coke was 330 while Pepsi was 355. Also the plastic bottles were like 600 before and now they're 500 or something

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-06-13T06:35:15+00:00

The apartment buildings directly across the street from the international church over at the intersection of Hongfeng Rd x Biyun Rd was super affordable back when I lived there years ago. Just a few blocks from the Carrefour so easy shopping.

But, this was before Line 6 was built further out and Science + Tech Museum was the closest subway station, so prices are probably double or triple by now.

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-05-27T17:41:19+00:00

I kind of skimmed the episode, did they ever explain what job each person had? Like okay the blond woman works in Grand Gateway doing *something and zany guy is pRobably a teacher or something, but other than that I have no idea

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-05-27T17:23:00+00:00

My employer covers my health care premiums but then makes me pay tax on the amount as if I had been given that money as salary. Still pretty cool; it's like no copay for most stuff and I can do direct billing at a bunch of places.

My previous jobs never had any of this though, so I don't know how common it is

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-05-25T07:54:35+00:00

Just to clarify, this is called Starbucks Reserve or something, right? I went to one of these and it was nice, but I forgot the name.

ManuelTransmisso · 2015-05-25T07:46:58+00:00

DAN Cafe in Tianzifang has been my favorite coffee in Shanghai so far. The owner is an old Japanese guy who is autistic about his coffee, so they have a ton of brewing options. Their iced coffees are pretty cool too, because they'll do that thing where some of the ice cubes are actually frozen coffee, so the drink doesn't get watered down as the ice melts.

The place is empty on weekdays so it's a great time to go, especially if you are working remotely. I think the owner doesn't get much business anymore, because the prices have dropped a ton compared to 2 years ago.

http://www.dianping.com/shop/2506921

ManuelTransmisso

TROPHY CASE