Wow, time sure flies! First, a quick apology for leaving my blog for so long, but you'll all be happy to know that I've kept myself busy for these past few months.

I left my design internship in Shanghai at the end of July. Since then, I've kept in contact with the company and it seems that there's been quite a bit of exciting change and new projects. Hopefully there'll still be a spot for me on the team should I venture back to Shanghai after I graduate :)

I spent a grand total of four days back in Sydney before I had to fly off again. I had arranged to do a semester on exchange at San Francisco State University before the Shanghai internship opportunity came up. So that was four days to spend quality time with my family, have too many goodbye drinks with friends again, and most importantly - do the dirty laundry I saved up in Shanghai.

Why did I choose to do exchange in the US? I went to China in 2006 for the in-country study component of my International Studies degree. It was - not meaning to sound dramatic - a life changing experience. The people I met, the places I've travelled and the lessons I learnt have reshaped my goals, and where I see myself in the future. So while I'm still studying, I want to go as many places as I can (traveling being cheaper when you're a student). And America? Sometimes the world likes to dislike America, but there is no denying that it is a hotspot for action and creativity. I wanted to find out for myself what the fuss was all about.

So before I knew it, I was in transit again, this time for more than 40 hours. My destination at this point was New York (I planned to travel for a few weeks on the east coast before I settled in San Francisco), and it took three looong flights until I arrived.

I think that jet-lag had much to do with my lukewarm first impression of America. But when my body clock readjusted itself and I started traveling, I have to admit: America is beautiful!

I started in New York, an amazingly diverse city, in every sense. I saw the dramatic Sin City-esq sky scrapers, the smoking manholes, the blinding lights of Times Square, the elite stepping out of theatres and into limos, the desperate homeless with their shopping carts, the buzzing activity of Chinatown.

From there, I went camping in upstate New York, which I was told is a popular choice for weekend getaways. It's amazing how half an hour on the freeway can take you from downtown to suburbia to deer inhabited forests. (That's right, I saw a deer!)

Then, it was charming Connecticut, with its colourful wooden houses sitting on plots of land measured in square miles. Further up we drove until we reached Boston, in Massachusetts, one of the oldest cities in the US. It's a small quiet city, with only a few tall buildings in the CBD. Boston is also known as a college town, being home to around 50 higher education institutions, including Harvard, MIT and Wellesley College.

I didn't stop here though!....

...to be continued...

Posted by Anna on November 14, 2007 5:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A Peculiar Hair Salon

My hotel is located in a busy residential area south of the Shanghai city centre. It's situated just off the busy main street and about five minutes walk to the local metro stop. Its an unremarkable hotel on an ordinary street in an unexceptional part of town.

There is, however, a peculiar hair salon a little ways down.

Turning right from the main road, this is how my block goes: a restaurant, a hotel, the hair salon, a karaoke bar, my hotel, a cotton factory, a residential building, and a middle school.

It's only a small street front shop with a set of sliding glass doors and the Chinese words 'Hair Salon' adhered in peeling red vinyl. There's a small couch and a few chairs placed behind the glass. Sometimes one lady, usually two, slouch on these, staring at a blaring television set placed just out of view. They look bored and hot, cooling themselves lazily with straw fans.

A poster in the window tells me that this hair salon is open 24 hours a day, and that you get a 20% discount on services if you are a member. I don't know about the discount, but the salon does indeed seems to be open all hours.

In the morning when I leave for work, at night when I come back, during the early hours of dawn when I stumble back from a long night of dri- uh, from a long night, the sidewalk in front of the salon is always lit by the neon glow of the salon lights. Pink neon lights. Why anyone would want a hair cut a four in the morning, under pink neon lights, is beyond me.

Funny that I've never seen any customers go in or come out.

I was walking back to the hotel today and a little boy runs across my path. He was adorable - dressed in little blue overalls, holding a squeaky toy and blubbering gibberish. In the next moment, his mother rushes out of the salon, scoops him up in her arms and blows a raspberry on his cheek. This is the first time I've seen any of the salon ladies so animated. Another salon lady leans against the frame of the glass doors, fanning herself and watching on with a mildly amused expression.

The little boy continues his blabber and I watch him for another moment - he really was a cute toddler.

In the next instant, I'm mildly horrified to realise that he looks like a miniature carbon copy of my boyfriend.

Posted by Anna on July 10, 2007 11:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hello everyone! I´ve managed to battle my way (momentarily) out of the fuzzy disconnected mindset that seems overtake me everytime I´m overseas. Austra-where? UTS-who? Hmm... its also amazing how busy I feel, but find at the end of the day that I seem to have completed absolutely nada!

Despite the gap in my posts, I actually have a lot to write about! Lets see..

I´ve finally settled comfortably into work www.threaddesign.com.cn and learning heaps! For the first couple of weeks I feel I was put the the test by my creative director in terms of design sense and ability to project coordinate, and luckily was found not so lacking :) I´ve been given more duties and responsibilities than I though I would have been given as an intern. Therefore, super busy! but learning heaps too.

Hmm.. will load some of my work onto the net so you guys can have a look, if you´re interested. Thing is, firewalls in China! Flickr doesn´t load either! aaaaargh...

My most recent piece of work was a party invite for a high-end hair salon in Shanghai´s french concession district. The salon is a branch of the salon group that are responsible for a lot of Chinese celebrity do´s - namely Jay Chow´s.

The place is pretty crazy, decorated more like some sort of exclusive fashion house - beautiful wooden floors and mirrors everywhere. All the stylists are based in Hong Kong and flown on rotation to work in this Shanghai branch. A cut from a top stylist costs 1000kuai (roughly 160AUD). Most of their clientele are celebrities, expats and the well to-do. No one else would sanely pay that much for a cut...

Plus, though, is that I got to attend the party too. Mmmm... free meal! And boy, it was goood. Yummy hors d´oeuvres and great wine. Very classy and subdued setting, so unfortunately, no drunken festivities. Boo. But still, I love side benefits to jobs!

Posted by Anna on July 8, 2007 10:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

...continued from my previous post

Anyway, enough about work and uni for now. What about Shanghai?

I was actually originally born in Shanghai and migrated to Australia when I was 5. While most of my family is in Sydney, I have a few odd uncles, aunts and cousins in Shanghai (most of whom I've seen perhaps twice in my life...) Nevertheless, I know the basics of the language and get around pretty easily.

Shanghai has always been one my favourite cities in the world. While Sydney is home, I do feel a certain kinship with Shanghai every time I visit - I think mainly because I can pass for a local if I don't open my mouth too much. For people planning to visit Shanghai though: June and July are definitely NOT good months to visit.

Shanghai is currently in monsoon season. The weather is hot and sticky and the humidity level is at an extreme. The rains come when they feel like, and leave in the same way. They'll be times when the sun is blazing one moment (a phenomenon in itself in the Shanghai-nese pollution) then the rains will come and the streets will be flooded in the next. Interestingly, the Shanghai-nese call this period the 'season of rain and mould', which is very appropriate. In the high humidity food rots extra quickly, and mould manages to find its way into absolutely everything. Thank goodness for air-con!

Okay, so that's about it from me for now. Time for me to get ready for bed!

Oh, a note: My posts won't be posted in real-time, but a little delayed. Sorry about that - but I doubt anyone is eagerly awaiting for new installments of my literary brilliancy.

Ta ta from me for now!

Posted by Anna on June 26, 2007 1:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hi Everyone!

Okay, first a short introduction. My name is Anna and I'm currently in my fifth year (yikes!) at UTS. I'm studying a combined Bachelor of Design in Visual Communications and Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, with a Major in China. Combined, this is a six year degree... so I've actually got a legitimate reason for being at uni for so long :)

I'm currently doing an internship in Shanghai, China, for a small graphic design firm - it's been two weeks since I started. I've been told that I'm the first UTS sponsored student to be sent on an international internship program... hmm, definitely not an achievement on my part! I feel part pioneer part guinea pig, and many things so far have been a trial, but exciting none the less!

This is my first time on internship, and hence the first time I've ever worked five days a week! Though I've had part time jobs since high school, they've all been sore preparation for full time work. I think I'm still in the adjustment period, as my weekdays usually end with me returning to the hotel room bone tired. Hopefully, when my body gets used to the schedule, things will get easier...

Having said all that, though, I'm really glad that I didn't let this opportunity pass me by. The company I chose to intern for, or rather was nice enough to accept me, is a relatively new startup (www.threaddesign.com.cn) by a brit guy and a singaporean lady. The company is really busy, most of the time with more jobs coming in than the staff can handle. I've been able to really dive into the operation of things, handling projects and attending client meetings. It's quite exciting to see the inner workings of a design firm, as I hope to start one up myself... one day... when I finally graduate...

to be continued in my next post...

Posted by Anna on June 24, 2007 1:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)