I've been in Shanghai for a few days now. Besides the cold weather (2-7°C), all I can remember is this little shop selling 红烧羊肉阳春面 or braised mutton noodles. It tasted awesome and in cold weather, even better.
I made the mistake of not having long johns or thermal innerwear with me but after freezing my nuts off the first night here, I bought some UNIQLO Heat Tech innerwear and an Ultra Light Premium Down jacket there (it's cheaper than Singapore's store, I think).
Being warm and toasty is an important goal for me. I used to be able to take the cold weather but I suppose I am older now.
Besides work, we spent some time doing some shopping. Guys suck at bargaining so it was a good thing I had my cousin's fiancé helping us at Hancity Fashion and Accessories Plaza.
Hancity is nicknamed Taobao City, the online eBay of China. You can find all manner of pirated goods here, from Dr Dre Beats headphones (which probably sound like Dr Tay headphones) to "Oakley" sunglasses. I also saw Angry Birds merch, which I suspected was fake because the t-shirt said "Just One Hore Level".
We even spotted a laser that can hit a building 6km away and light a match (probably illegal in Singapore because you can blind Cyclops with it), and some night-vision scopes for rifles.
I got a little remote-controlled helicopter. I could not resist, it was only RMB140. That was after some aggressive bargaining by our lady companion.
Traffic here is madness. Electric bicycles everywhere (worse than Singapore) and cars that take the red light as merely as suggestion. You must cross the roads with your wits about you.
I did like the electric "bicycles" that were done up to look like Vespa scooters. Those look like fun to ride. Too bad you can't buy those back to Singapore.
In the mornings, I'd wake up after a late night of watching matchmaking tv shows ("1 Dude Chooses from 100 Girls" and "Divorcee Looks for New Love" ) and look out the window, admiring the misty skies of Shanghai in winter.
Then someone told me it was not mist, it was smog.
Oh.
