"I love Australia, but I can't afford to live there"

I have said this to many people in the last few years: "I love Australia, but I can't afford to live there". Well I guess that is being overly dramatic; we could afford to live there, but we have chosen not to as costs in Australia, particularly Sydney, are out of control. We have a much higher standard of life in Shanghai.

The release of the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey seems to back up my point.

"The cost of living in Sydney is now almost 50 per cent higher than that of global business centre New York – while a decade ago Sydney was more than 25 per cent cheaper than New York," Worldwide Cost of Living report editor Jon Copestake told the Sydney Morning Herald.


The report found the cost of living in five Australian cities was higher than cities such as London, Rome, New York, Berlin, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Rio de Janeiro.

Read more here and here.

Smile magazine - a Shanghai contribution

I recently contributed to the November cover story of Smile magazine, the inflight magazine for Cebu Pacific based in Manila. My former colleague and friend Noelle de Jesus asked me to provide some shopping tips for Shanghai. Here's the result (you can open the story in a new tab for a larger version):

A Christmas Getaway

As this will our last Christmas pre-kids, we've decided to head away for one last holiday. Because I've grounded myself from flying, we found a great deal at a new hotel just a two hour drive from Shanghai. It's called Naked Stable Private Reserve. And "naked" means "eco", not "nudist". Check out our digs. Nice!

Getting ready for baby, aka "get your wallet out"

Who knew such a small person needed so much paraphernalia?! And who knew HOW MUCH baby stuff is out there to buy? Luckily, both my sisters have had babies this year, so they have been very helpful in providing comprehensive lists of what's necessary and what's not. I can tell you I was shocked at their initial list of "must buy" items! My husband almost passed out.

That said, I do have slightly different needs to them, i.e. I don't have a car or a house. This will be an apartment baby in a big city where I'll be walking and catching cabs or trains a lot. Everything needs to be compact and light. And we don't have a great deal of room to store unnecessary items. I also had a strict budget. But I did want to buy quality products if they were worth it. Thankfully I have a saviour - Ikea!!! - so I plan to buy most of my nursery furniture from there -- cot, feeding chair, change table, etc. Best of all, I know the safety standards will be good for baby.

In many ways I'm lucky to be having my baby in Shanghai as there's not a great deal of choice. There are only a handful of baby shops and boutiques - many with severely inflated prices!! - and I have had to spend a fair amount of time researching if products are even available here in China at all.

I've taken a gradual approach and have been slowly buying stuff each month so we wouldn't have a massive blow-out in one paycheck. I did have a bit of a shopping spree when we were in Singapore a few months back. I took the opportunity to buy up a lot of stuff I knew I either couldn't find here, or that I knew was significantly cheaper. Glamorous stuff like a breast pump and bottles. But at prices 40% cheaper than Shanghai, it was worth it.

Here's some of the haul thus far...

Pram and Baby Capsule - Baby Jogger City Mini and Maxi Cosi CabrioFix car seat with car seat adaptors. Bought from Baby318. I was initially going to splash out and buy a Bugaboo Bee Plus, however I opted for the Baby Jogger for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's light. Secondly, it's a one-handed fold. Thirdly, it was half the price. I didn't mind spending the cash if it was worth it, but I found the Bugaboo to be too heavy, too hard to fold on my own and the baby was too low to the ground.

  

Cot - Gulliver crib from Ikea. Simple, budget-busting and safe.

Bouncer - Bloom Baby Rocker. Bought second-hand for less than half the retail price on the Shanghai Mamas classifieds. I'll probably end up with a Fisher-Price all-singing, all-dancing brightly coloured rocking chair/swing/bouncer, but I'll give this designer looking rocker a go first...

Nappy Bag - Skip Hop messenger bag "Dash" from Lollipop. Not too big as I want to keep as streamlined as possible. Yes, this may be a pipe dream, but I'm going to try.

White Noise Machine - Sleep Sheep from Lollipop (it attaches to the cot with some ties at the back, so it looks like a fluffy toy, not a white noise machine). Usually I hate fluffy toys, but this thing is cute.

Infant carrier - Ergo carrier with infant insert from First Few Years in Singapore (it was 20% off).  I was initially tempted by the Baby Bjorn, but after a fair bit of research, I decided on the Ergo as I can use it from newborn to toddler, it distributes weight more evenly across the hips and should prove to have more longevity when the baby becomes heavier.

Muslins and Blanket - Aden & Anais muslin swaddles and muslin dream blanket. On special from Mothercare in Singapore.

Swaddle Wrap - Kiddopotamus from Mothercare in Singapore (half price!). I bought this as I'd read great reviews. But mostly I just wanted to buy it because of the name. My husband had seen the name on my list and was like, "what the #*% is a Kiddopotamus?!!".

As for clothes, I've found it very difficult to find neutral, non-gender clothes. Absolutely every shop has defined girls and boys newborn, baby and toddler collections. Does no-one have a delivery surprise anymore? But I have persevered and have managed to amass a fairly decent collection of cute white, grey, red and navy onesies and more. My favourite places have been Gap, H&M and Marks & Spencer and I did stock up on Bonds pieces from Australia. But I've tried not to go too nuts as I'm very aware that babies grow. And quickly  So my rule has been to only buy on special. So far, so good....

I've also ditched a few things from my list as would-be-nice-but-I'll-see-if-we-can-do-without. Tell me if I'm wrong but I'm not buying a baby monitor, nappy bin or fancy bedding.

My Shanghai: grocery shopping

One of the things that has taken a bit of getting used to since moving to Shanghai is grocery shopping. Unlike Australia, Singapore or the UK, there is no one-stop shop like Cold Storage, Woolworths or Sainsbury's. Here, you can spend HOURS and HOURS shopping for your groceries from a combination of sources. Fortunately, Shanghai is really, really into online shopping and home delivery. You could literally get one lemon delivered to your door. If you were really lazy, that is!

So here is my shopping hit list:

Fields - For some reason I avoided using Fields for a long time. But recently they have improved their delivery times. For example, if you order before midday, you can have delivery between 4 and 6pm; if you order the night before, you can have a delivery between 9am and midday. And I'm sure their prices have dropped slightly. Their fresh fruit and veggies are great quality - and most of it is organic. As is their meat. I've not tried their seafood, but will do at some stage. I find their website very easy to navigate, so this is now my main go-to place for a weekly shop of fresh goodies.

Feidan - this is my closest shop (left) within walking distance that I can pop into for import goodies. Perfect for milk, cheese, yoghurt, wine, cereal - whatever I've run out of, really. And best of all, they stock the Financial Times weekend paper (from 5pm on Saturdays). And they will home deliver if you spend over 200 kuai.

City Shop - I usually shop regularly at two of their branches - the Shanghai Centre on Nanjing Xi Lu or Huahai Lu (near Shanxi Nan Lu, downstairs from Sephora). You can also order online, however it's actually quicker to pop in and do a shop yourself and pay at the checkout as they will then deliver it within an hour or two. They stock loads of imported brands and have a decent selection of fresh fruit & veggies and sometimes meat and salmon. Remember to check the prices before buying. This place can add up!

The Avocado Lady - I don't know what this lady's real name is, but she's known around town by this moniker and it has stuck. She has a fruit & veggie stall on Wulumuqi Lu (about 10 mins walk from my place) and always has a queue of laowai (expats) and locals running out the door. She stocks more than just fruit and veg; she also sells imported cereals, wine, olive oils, olives, sardines, anchovies, capers, muesli, tinned chick peas and a good selection of fresh nuts and herbs. She also has a fridge full of cheeses that you can buy by weight. Best of all: she is CHEAP! And she's honest to boot. She'll often throw in free herbs with my veggies. And if she thinks the raspberries aren't going to last well, she'll tell me to eat them that day or not bother buying. A smart lady. And she almost always has avocadoes in stock.

Dia - is located directly opposite The Avocado Lady on Wulumuqi Lu. Apparently it's a cheap chain run by Carrefour (but don't quote me on that). It's good for stocking up on essentials like toilet paper, soap, shampoos and the like as their prices are considerably cheaper than the import-heavy supermarkets like City Shop and Feidan. I give their "fresh" fruit and veggies a wide berth as they look like about as fresh as Lindsay Lohan after a night on the tiles. They don't do delivery (or if they do, I can't figure it out), so bring your own bags and muscles for the walk home.

Baker & Spice - this is my favourite bakery. It's on Anfu Lu, just a hop, skip and a jump from Feidan. I absolutely adore their baguettes and mixed olive sourdough bread. And I'm quite partial to their zucchini and carrot cupcake, jam doughnuts and raspberry/chocolate tart. Oh and their lemon meringue tart and pain au chocolat. And their parma ham and rocket panini. You get the drift. It's all good. There's always a queue here. You can eat at the big communal table (or out on the footpath on a stool - no tables) but I prefer to take-away and avoid the crowds.

Sunflour - this bakery (left) only opened recently (at the Wukang Lu end of Anfu Lu). Their croissants and pain au chocolate are better than Baker & Spice and definitely worth trying, as are their cakes, particularly their chocolate mousse cake. I've not tried their bread, bagels or pretzels yet, but am sure they are delicious. It's nice to see B&S with some competition. It can only be a good thing for the consumer.

Marks & Spencer - I really got into M&S when I was living in Singapore, mostly for their frozen foods  particularly their quiches, curries, fish, sea scallops and pasta (I love their spinach and ricotta ravioli). We pretty much stock up here at least once a fortnight and fill our freezer for easy mid-week meals (for those nights you don't really feel like cooking from scratch). I also throw pasta sauces, tea bags, canned soups and biscuits into the trolley. And don't forget to stock up on their wine. If you buy six bottles, you get a discount. The store is located on busy Nanjing Xi Lu but there's a metro station next door - or you can get taxis fairly easy at the front door (but avoid rush hour).

Ikea - it might sound odd, but I visit this Swedish furniture store to stock up on their food. It's only two metro stops from my place and they have some great products: crispbreads, condiments, cordial, salmon, chocolate and their famous Swedish meatballs.

Carrefour - if you have a death wish, you can shop at this big French supermarket chain. Prices are cheaper but you have to get yourself to Gubei (about a 25-minute taxi ride from my place) then battle crowds, hideous muzak, more crowds and yet more crowds. But if you want to buy wine, toilet paper, a live fish, a duvet, a billboard-size TV and an electric scooter, you can do it all under one roof. They also have a good selection of organic veggies and their wine selection is vast. But there's a catch: there's no dedicated taxi queue. Good luck finding a taxi and battling the crowds on the footpath while wrestling with your heavy shopping bags. You can also shop online, but the site is clunky, takes hours to navigate and then when you do press "buy", a message appears: "we'll deliver sometime in the next three days. Cash on delivery". So you're then house-bound for three days waiting for the delivery. Burned once and never again.

GL Japan Plaza - this is a new supermarket to my repertoire. Located in Xintiandi, it's a basement-level Japanese supermarket chock full of imported goodies, fresh meats, fruit & veggies, a bakery and sushi counter. The prices are good (particularly with a member card) and the experience is entirely pleasant as the shop is clean, easily laid-out and spacious. I've never encountered any crowds here and it's never a problem to get a taxi on the street. If I'm down Xintiandi way, it's an easy supermarket to pop into.

Wet markets - I do know that some of my friends shop here for their fresh veggies - and some meat. I don't. Since falling pregnant I am extra careful about what I buy and where. Mostly because of pesticides and health standards. Prices are much, much cheaper, but for me, it's not worth the risk. Particularly when I see meat that's been sitting out for hours and from dubious origins. My Chinese teacher once said to me: "We Chinese believe that every food is poisoned, so we just eat a little bit of everything rather than a lot of one thing. Just in case." 'Nuff said.

Things to remember when grocery shopping in Shanghai:

1. Cash is king. With all home deliveries, you will need to have cash for the delivery driver. Some places accept PayPal (for example, Fields) but most don't. So you always need to have a cash supply handy.

2. Meat comes frozen. If you want to cook dinner tonight with the meat you're having delivered at 4pm, think again. It will be frozen. Plan ahead.

3. Not everything is in stock. Most places will give you a heads-up phone call if something you've ordered online is not in stock. But if they ring me at 3:55 for a 4pm delivery and I placed the order at 9am, they can expect me to be annoyed. More often than not if I get suitably outraged, the item magically appears at 4pm.

My Shanghai: favourite weekend afternoon pub

One of our favourite spots to hang for a few hours on a weekend afternoon is Boxing Cat Brewery. They have a couple of locations in Shanghai, but we prefer the one nearest to our place on Fuxing Xi Lu, near Yongfu Lu. In the warmer months, it's lovely to sit outside on the terrace. But in winter, it's just as lovely inside, either at the bar or nearer to the fireplace.

They have their own beer on tap, but really, it's the food we love - Southern comfort food. Think sweet potato fries, pulled pork sandwiches, grits, biscuits and gravy. I cannot call myself an expert in this style of cooking, however I can tell you, I love Boxing Cat's menu, particularly their snack menu. We often pop in here for a late lunch/afternoon snack or with friends if we've done a bit of a mini pub crawl in the area. Top of the list: "Fists of Fury". Chicken wings with an incredibly spicy sauce. And by spicy, I mean lip-burning spicy. I can usually only manage about three wings before my lips fall off. But it's worth the pain.

Boxing Cat Brewery
82 Fuxing Xi Lu (near Yongfu Lu)
复兴路82号, 近永福路

My Shanghai: home sweet home

Home is my sanctuary. This apartment has a different feel to anywhere we've ever lived - and I loved it the second I saw it. Apparently the block is only a decade old, but it's been built to look "grand" and "Parisian" with art deco light fixtures, polished floors and detailed mouldings. Unlike a lot of expats, we don't like furnished apartments and prefer to move with a shipping container of everything we own. Having your own things around you makes a rental property feel like a home instantly, particularly when you're living overseas. I love the juxtaposition of the art deco feel of the apartment and our retro, modern furniture.

Our Banksy artwork leads the way to our Eames rocker (from Living Edge Sydney)...

We have one huge living/dining room where I spend most days. It overlooks a beautiful tree-lined street and the floor-to-ceiling windows let in a lot of light. I particularly love the polished floors, although I popped a wool rug in the living room part of the room to make it more cosy. We had the dining table made to order here in Shanghai through Elm Workshop. It's solid walnut and I am totally in love with it. The white side table is a huge piece of lego that I bought in Singapore at Trolley for my husband's birthday last year. He LOVES Lego and when I saw it, I had to have it. 

The artwork is called "Assault Lolly" and is a limited edition print from Jamie Hewlett (best known for Gorillaz and Tank Girl) that we picked up at Outre Gallery in Sydney. We bought the 1950s sideboard from Penny Arcade in Sydney's Surry Hills and our sofa from King Furniture in Sydney. 

We bought these book cases in Shanghai at Casa Casa on Anfu Lu. They're from a designer called Sean Yoo and are actually made from polypropolene, so they're light as a feather. I can pick them up with one hand (when they're empty!). I had seen them in the shop and fell in love with them. A few days later I took my husband to the same shop to see what he liked. He picked them out instantly. Sold! Because they're a modular design, we'll be able to repurpose them easily in any of our future homes as room dividers or separate shelves. 

I've popped a few of our favourite things on top: (from left to right) our pet pig from Casa Pagoda on Taikang Lu (I'm obsessed with pig ornaments lately and this is the first of my collection); a Kozyndan "Uprising" print (from Outre Gallery in Sydney); a bakelite phone that I tracked down years ago on eBay as a present for my husband's 30th birthday; a watercolour original painting of my old neighbourhood Woollahra in Sydney by my beautiful friend, the talented Erin O'Connor, Kozyndan "Taka on Acid" print (again, from Outre Gallery), a red wooden doll we picked up on travels in Takayama, Japan; a red vase I bought for $5 from the Bondi markets about eight years ago; and my bone china high top sneakers from Have You Met Miss Jones, owned by my fabulous friend JJ.

Another collection of much-loved items: a wedding present from my Pop - it's his father's (my great-grandfather's) railway light from when he was the station master at Corinda Railway Station in Brisbane in the early 1900s; an original Kozyndan etching (from Outre Gallery) ; a globe/paperweight we picked up in Tokyo last year (at Barneys New York); and some art books from various travels.

 I absolutely love our bedroom, particularly the two windows which let in such gorgeous light. We splashed out on a new king-size bed (a long-held dream!!) when we moved to Shanghai and I bought a mattress from Slumbermaxx which is soooo comfy to sleep on. My husband has been wanting a dark brown leather armchair for years and years. Finally, he spotted what he wanted this year and after about ten trips back and forth, he finally bought it. It's from Little Dragon on Changle Lu. And it's mega comfortable. The perfect reading chair.

Our guest bedroom has seen lots of visitors this year. I'm sure they're not just visiting us but really coming to see this beautiful bed runner that my Mum made for me about seven or so years ago. She knew I loved Japanese fabrics, so she hunted down this gorgeous vintage kimono silk. She was a wonderful quilter and this is just one of the few that she made for me. Although she said this one gave her grey hairs! Apparently the silk was very temperamental. It's something I will treasure always.

And this is a pic of what it looked like BEFORE we moved in (with the landlord's furniture). It's a bit too formal, right?!

An interesting article on Shanghai

Australian financial journalist Alan Kohler recently travelled to Shanghai and shared his views on the city and the growth of China.

He has made some acute "newcomer" observations. Namely:
- Taxis don't have seatbelts and Shanghai's freeways can be a white-knuckle ride
- At one end of a street you will find touts and beggars. At the other end you will find Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton
- There is a massive domestic internal migration movement happening in China
- "1.3 billion people are getting themselves organised very quickly, making it up as they go along – building cities, setting up rules, making mistakes, and most of all making an awful lot of money."
- "How often do you get to witness the creation of a modern society from the ground up?"


I also found the reader comments to be just as interesting. There were some informed comments from recent residents of Shanghai:


"It is a fascinating and completely contradictory place to live - the divide between the old and new, East and West, Confucianism and Capitalism, and the rural and urban areas means that it is a city in a constant state of growth and flux. And development occurs at an astonishing pace. Near our apartment in downtown Shanghai, I spotted some shops that were being completely gutted. The next day they were being rebuilt and finished and by the end of the week they were open for business. Kohler captured the energy and contradictory nature of Shanghai very well."


"If you have visited Shanghai, you have not visited China. It is like going to LA and declaring you have visited the USA. China has 400 million desparately poor. For those who decide to try their luck in Shanghai, life to tough; really tough. Collecting rubbish to recycle cardboard and plastic bottles is much more common for these internal migrant workers, than providing massages to well-healed tourists. Many resort to crime, the grey economy or return home, penniless and broken. Whilst Shanghai may be thriving, its focus on commerce hides detention without trial and extreme media censorship. Corruption is endemic."

"If you would like to find out what life is like in China, hire a translator and sit down with the guy squirting stuff on your shoes, the pizza delivery boys, or the people cleaning your friends houses."

Mostly I was a little surprised at the level of negativity from some of the commentators - many who've never stepped foot in China. For example:

- "Shanghai is today what it was during colonial and imperialist days: a testament to greed."

- "Shanghai is a polluted city with no rest, little equality and no natural environment."

- "you say "interesting place this china" Well remember the old chinese curse, may you live in interesting times. In this case .... may you live in interesting places. I'm glad i'm in oz and not china."

- "Makes me realise how lucky I am to live in Australia. And that's where I shall stay."

These last comments are disappointing. I am the first to admit that I live in a bit of an "expat bubble". However, it troubles me that so many people jump to conclusions from afar without any experience of visiting, let alone living, in China. It's easy to say, "I'm glad I live in Oz", but it's also rather blinkered. There's a whole world outside our doors.

My Shanghai: Why Do I Live Here?

One of the most common questions I’m often asked is, “so why are you living in Shanghai?”. My response: “Why not?”

We moved to Asia because we wanted to shake our life up a bit. Before we met, my husband and I had both travelled fairly extensively. Sydney was the adopted hometown for both of us (I’m from Brisbane, he’s from Durban), so moving to a new city didn’t mean that one of us was uprooting long-term ties. While we loved Sydney and our family and friends are there, we just couldn’t get ahead career-wise or financially, so we were open to any opportunity to change things up.

When my husband was offered a job in Singapore, we jumped at the chance. Within one month of living there we were hooked on Asia, the expat life and the opportunities it offered. Two years later another job offer appeared and we made the move to Shanghai. It was a difficult decision for us to make as I had to leave my much-loved job in Singapore to allow my husband to move up the career ladder. But we knew it was the right decision for us as a couple.

I love that we threw caution to the wind and have created a new life for ourselves by living overseas. We are in it together and are discovering and exploring new places, meeting new people, having better work opportunities and generally crafting a different life to what either of us expected or planned.  I love that our life is not mapped out and we could be living in a different country or city next year or next decade. I am thrilled that we are having a baby here and will be able to offer our children a global perspective of the world. I truly feel that we could live (almost) anywhere as long as we are together. With an internet connection of course!

As with everything, there are pros and cons with any city. Here’s my list:

The best things about living in Shanghai

1.     1. The lifestyle – Don’t be fooled. Shanghai is not a backwards hick town. It’s a cosmopolitan city of 23 million people. It’s the financial centre of a booming economy and is a city seriously on the move. There is oodles of opportunity here and China is changing rapidly. Shanghai offers a perfect blend of East and West. Yes, you can find cheap dumpling shops, falling-down houses and cheap fabric markets, but you also have world class restaurants, corner bakeries, trendy boutiques, high street chain stores, sports pubs, wine bars, gyms, yoga studios, cafés, museums and galleries. There are old Chinese temples and laneways, European art deco buildings and modern skyscrapers. We live in a gorgeous apartment (double the size of our apartment in Singapore and three times the size of our apartment in Sydney) on a tree-lined street, with taxis at our doorstep, a park at the end of our street and a local pub showing the rugby around the corner. I have friends from England, Malaysia, Portugal, Canada, US, France and Switzerland. I can sit in my local café on a perfect wi-fi connection while reading an international newspaper and listening to the next table’s inhabitants chatting in French, Spanish, Japanese or Chinese. Some people call it an “expat bubble”. I call it “living the life”.

2.     2. The travel – since moving to Asia, we treat travel as a necessary expense not an indulgence. With other countries and cultures on our doorstep, it would be a crime not to spread our wings and experience as much of the world as we can. I love living in Australia, but it’s a geographically isolated country. After living in London in my early-twenties, I was used to jumping on a flight and being in a different European country. Similarly, in Asia, you can be in a completely different landscape just as easily. This year, we’ve travelled to Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei, Manila and Palawan (read about those trips here). Next week, we're off to Tokyo. When we lived in Singapore, we could regularly nip away for a weekend in Cambodia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Bali and Malaysia. My husband travels a lot for work so I often travel with him and we’ll add a weekend on before or after. He likes the company in his downtime and I like the change of scenery. And we love exploring new cities together.

3.     3. The weather – it might sound strange to say this, since a lot of people moan about the Shanghai weather, but I love it. This city has proper seasons. Sydney has seasons but it’s not geared for it. Few houses and apartments have central heating in winter or air-conditioning in summer, so often you’re bundled up in clothes or boiling hot under a fan or on a packed beach. And in Singapore, it’s a steamy 32 degrees year round. Yes it’s sunny, but it can be disorienting when Every. Single. Day. Is. The. Same. I think weather can be a marker. “Oh I remember I was wearing my black coat when we found that cute shop,” or “I was in my red shorts when we ate at that restaurant.” Here in Shanghai I can rug up in coats, scarves and boots in winter and in summer I can turn the aircon up.

The worst things about living in Shanghai

1.     1. The pollution – there’s no denying that the air is cleaner in other parts of the globe. If you want to breathe fresh air 365 days a year, you can live in better places than Shanghai. It does worry me that food standards are slippery, development is rapid and industry is king. That said, it’s a million times less polluted in Shanghai than Beijing. You just have to take more care to stay indoors on exceptionally smoggy days, choose organic or imported foods, have good health insurance and stay fit and healthy.

2.     2. The traffic – with a city of 23 million people, there’s bound to be a lot of people on the road and on public transport. Throw in some very flexible road rules (turning on red lights, beeping your horn for minutes on end) and you have a difficult city to navigate quickly. You can catch the metro (clean, quick, packed like sardines), you can hire a driver (comfortable, expensive, isolating), you can walk (flat, explosed to the elements, dodge the flying spit) or you can get a taxi (affordable, no seatbelts, no English). Whatever your mode of choice, it takes time to get around this city. 

3.     3. The language barrier – with Mandarin or Shanghainese being spoken all around me, there’s clearly an inbuilt barrier to experiencing all the city has to offer. No matter how much Mandarin I learn, I will never truly be able to understand the city like a local does. I do try, but it’s a difficult language for me to grasp and retain. Particularly with baby brain.

Living abroad is not for everyone. Sure you have your off moments and I have desperate pangs for home. But for us, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

My Shanghai: a favourite lunch spot

I have been a big fan of banh mi, a Vietnamese-style sandwich, for years. And I'm so glad there's a great eatery in Shanghai that produces an amazing version. It's called B Real on Fumin Lu in Shanghai and it's one of my favourite spots for a quick lunch. There are only seven seats, so the place can get cramped, but you can take away. I love the counter with a streetside view. I try and count the crazy bicycle loads going past. I was too slow to take a shot of the old man today who was cycling with about 14 car tyres strapped to his bicycle. Crazy.

There are a lot of variations to a banh mi, but essentially it's a crunchy baguette filled with a heap of delicious fillings: pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber, coriander, red chilis, mayonnaise and some kind of meat. I usually prefer grilled chicken but over time, I've seen versions with roast pork, grilled pork, BBQ pork, steamed pork, pork belly, Vietnamese sausage or the super traditional version of cold cuts and a meat terrine (not my fave).

I used to eat at least once a week at my favourite place in Singapore (Baguette in the Market Street car park near Raffles Place) and at one stage, I ate it every day for lunch for a year when I lived in Sydney (Little Devil on Broadway in Glebe) but for my money, B Real comes up trumps. I think it's due to their deliciously crunchy-but-not-too-crunchy bread. They mix up the fillings a bit (Korean chicken, etc) but you can stay relatively traditional too if you want.  That said, their serves are huge. You could easily share one sandwich between two.

B Real
185 Fumin Lu (near Changle Lu)
Open 11am-9pm

While I was chomping away at lunch, I thought about all the other delicious Asian dishes I love, so watch out for my next post: my Top 20 favourite Asian dishes....

It's gettin' hot in here

I thought I was used to steamy heat after living on the equator in Singapore for two years.  But no, Shanghai is a doozy.  Summers here are horrendous; very humid and stinking hot. Thank goodness for aircon.

Movies set in Shanghai: my three favourites

Lust / Caution (2007)

A controversial one for sure. This espionage thriller, directed by Taiwanese director Ang Lee, is a taut drama set in WWII-era Shanghai with some pretty racy sex scenes. The movie's lead actress Tang Wei was even been banned from working in China due to the sexual nature of her performance. It's a complex film, beautifully shot and with fantastically nuanced performances.

Empire of the Sun (1987)  

Another movie set in WWII-era Shanghai when the city was under Japanese occupation. The central performance of Christian Bale, aged just 12 at the time of shooting, is nothing short of brilliant. This is one of Steven Spielberg's more under-rated films and definitely worth a viewing. 

The Painted Veil (1986) 

Naomi Watts is one of the most gifted actresses in Hollywood and consistently works on interesting movies often playing unlikeable but complex characters. Here she plays an unfaithful wife caught between her lover and her husband in1920s-era Shanghai. Then she battles a cholera outbreak in a Chinese village. The cinematography is beautiful and the performances by Watts and Edward Norton are excellent.