Saturday, November 15, 2014

11:00 AM - No comments

Apps in China

Smartphones are as big in China as anywhere else. (Among other things, they are an integral part of the eerily Swedish-like, no-eye-contact subway-riding culture.) You won't look out of place if you've got your nose buried in your phone all the time, so seize the moment and download some particularly helpful China-specific apps.

 Pleco
I've already given Pleco its own post, but if you don't feel like reading it, what you need to know is that a) it's a dictionary, and b) you really need it in your life. I mean, really. You and Pleco should basically get married. I'll bring cake.

 HSK
If you're planning on doing an HSK test (the standardized Chinese proficiency test), you should know that a lot of it is about knowing your vocabulary. To prepare for HSK level 3 back in Sweden, and level 4 here in China, I've been using HSK apps with flashcard-style quizzes to really help pound the words in.

 AQI app
I have this installed so I can always keep an eye on what the Shanghai air quality is like. It's not an essential requirement or anything, but I kind of like knowing. It helps with paranoia. And knowing when to breathe.

 WeChat
This is an app that a lot of Westerners have never heard of but find themselves immediately needing the moment come to China. WeChat is a simple instant messenger, and everyone has it. It is the first go-to for staying in touch.

 Apparently, there is also a Smart Shanghai app that is supposed to have a bunch of info about what is currently going on in Shanghai at any given time, but it is iPhone exclusive and as I am what they refer to as an "Android heathen" I can't offer any insight there. :(

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

11:00 AM - No comments

Royal Straight Flush?

For some reason, here in China I've ended up with a lot of cards in my hand. And no, I'm not talking about gambling.

 It seems that every facet of daily life requires some kind of card. So far, I've accumulated:
  • Dorm room key
  • Consumption card (for hot water and canteen food)
  • Student ID card
  • Bank of China card
  • Student hospital card
  • Subway card
  • Library card

Add this to all the cards I still have left over from Sweden, and I've basically got the whole deck. I'm not sure why they're so big on cards here, but I suppose there are worse systems one could use.

Time to devise a fortune-telling method and rake in the only thing better than cards: cold hard cash.


pick a card, any card

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

5:00 AM - , No comments

Ducking awesome

Living in Sweden, you kind of get used to the fact that the rest of the world doesn't really care what people are getting up to in your little corner of the universe. Not so in Shanghai, a full-fledged world metropolis, and the global giving-a-shit-o-meter most recently went off with the arrival of...
IT'S HERE.
...the Big Yellow Duck.

 It is currently stationed in Shanghai's Century Park (to quote the advert, 大黄鸭真来世纪公园啦!), and will remain there until November 23.

 This was one of those "whoa what the duck" moments for me, since I have seen countless pictures of the Big Yellow Duck on the internet without ever believing I would witness it with my own myopic eyes. But sometimes fun surprises are in store.
I usually don't like taking pictures of myself,
but some opportunities you just don't pass up

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