It’s been a month since i’ve been here now, wow – time has gone fast.

I am settling into work, lots to do and i’m still finding my way through things but i am clear on what i need to do…. I’m taking that as a win haha.

This last weekend I thought I might hibernate a little, relax and be health, it seems most social occasions in Shanghai involve booze or food – or both (not that i am complaining).

So, saturday morning I got up and treated myself to a full body massage (cost $18.50 for 60 mins) – it was great, well the part where she oiled up my boobs was a bit …. well, it’s hard to put into words but weirdness aside, it kinda seems pointless – not really much in the way of muscles i’m afraid.

Note to self… new phrase to learn in Chinese ‘You don’t need to do my boobs, they are fine’.

Anyway, floated out and continued to walk, did a bit of shopping and went to a tennis workshop. I forgot how bad i was – yikes!

Tinder for Parents – Umbrella Market – People’s Park

So, what’s this you ask? Well, apparently this market is for finding your adult child a husband or wife. People put their kids stats and background on an umbrella and market attendee’s walk around if they see something they like they stop and chat.

Mum, don’t even think about it… haha.

I’m not quite sure what happens next, but i’m guessing as the culture tends to encourage a sense of duty and respect to parents, i’m guessing ‘kids’ oblige and go out on these match maker blind dates when their parents ask??? Hmm, i’ll find out for sure one day.

One thing I do know is that their is a perception of shame around being a ‘left over women’ which means you are unless you get married young i.e. like early twenties…. you’re on the shelf lady.

‘Pretty girls don’t need a lot of education to marry into a rich and powerful family, but girls with an average or ugly appearance will find it difficult,’ wrote China’s Xinhua News Agency three years ago.

‘These kinds of girls hope to further their education in order to increase their competitiveness. The tragedy is, they don’t realize that as women age, they are worth less and less, so by the time they get their M.A. or Ph.D., they are already old, like yellowed pearls.’

Wow, what happened to be, here i am quoting the ABC (http://preview.tinyurl.com/na6398v).

Not to make it all about me (but hey, my name is in this website URL so you had to expect some narcism, right) but what do they think of me here I wonder… One may assume i’m a ‘Left Over Woman’, but in fact I’d like to think of myself as more of a ‘Demo Model’ or maybe a ‘Fleet Model’ I wasn’t so much left over, more just returned in reasonable condition a few years later! haha.

Anyway, back to my weekend…

I’m sure I hit some over the net

I found my way home, stopped for a glass of wine and salad at a nice little wine bar and watched ‘Girls’ in bed – best show ever (Eva, i can’t believe it took me this long to watch it).

Sunday I found the best yoga studio, i am quite excited actually… it’s very cool. Yay, good times to be had – i just wish i hadn’t been so over enthusiastic…. i ran there (locating and photographing some nice bars to try out soon), thinking i could relax and unwind and realised that it was a hot yoga class i booked in for… painful, very painful and a few black spots..

Must come here (on non healthy weekend)

And now for my final
thought: Pretty rose buds at the supermarket!