he's alive!!!

Hello all, i'm alive in Shanghai.... just been partying and not enough time to do anything really interesting. lol. Well... went to a museum exhibition the other week... From Titian to Goya... pretty heavily advertise in Shanghai... boy was that a disappointment and a half. Yeah... Chinese art museum.... crowded... people are pushing... and taking pictures everywhere. Yeah... another thing that I don't need to do again.....

Well the typhoon Wipha passed with... much fanfare but little action. Jean was freaking out prior to the typhoon hitting Shanghai. She swore up and down that the subway in People's Square was flooding, bikes were floating down the streets and people were wading in knee deep water... ( which Bonnie's response by saying " they're Chinese. It's probably only ankle deep") But yeah, the typhoon didn't hit, no one was affected... well except for that one dead guy because of an "electrified puddle"!!!! Freaky!!!!!! It rained...that's about it... annoying... but that's all.

I'm posting some pictures... just me and the peeps partying around town. Joyous. Enjoy!

pictures...

I spent the morning booking my flight to Shenzhen and picking out my CHinese name to be printed on the business card.... Yes... they want me to have a chinese name on my card... it was tough. So i had my friends online trying to come up with chinese name for me... a few pretty good one. I'm not going to be like Josh and call himself " wise buffalo".... So in the end, i just settle with the CHinese phonic of my name which is : 文华峥 . Don't know if you guys can see the characters or not. But it's "Wen Hua Zhen".

Wen: literature, culture, writing
Hua: flowery, illustrious, chinese ( flowery & illustrious is so me)
Zhen: high, lofty, noble...


Ok.. and now here are some of the pictures from last saturday night 80's party.
BOnnie is the girl in the teal tights and side pony tail.
Summer is the asian girl in the dress
Sam is the boy in the pink sweater
Liam is the other boy in the white sweater
Morne is the boy in the button up shirt
Jemma is the girl with bright make up
Jean is the black girl. LOL.

I knew my short shorts would come in handy...hence why I always bring it along. 80's party is a staple!!!!

on the dancefloor

Hello all...

Well this blog is a little bit more serious than normal as my saturday night ( or rather Sunday night since it's almost 5 in the morning now...) has turned into shit. Yes....another one of Trinh's crazy partying night. It all started out with me, trying to find costume for the 80's party at Pink....led me to Qipu lu ( cheapo lu as it's known) where it's actually a clothing market with..AMAZING clothes. Think high end fashion being copied off for the masses... Nothing say love like a Dries Van Noten bag for less than 20 dollars.... I found some sick pieces of clothing in this market today with Bonnie and Summer.

Anyhow, i went to Bonnie's house, got dress. Put on my short shorts and pull on my tube socks, put on my headband a ready for a rocking night as Bonnie don a turquoise legging and scrunching up her hair 80's style while Summer putting on an 80's dress...looking quiet fierce I might add... more baby phat thought....

Got to pink, great music, rocking it out with our friends. Sam and the gang are pulling on their 80's sweaters... love them. LOVE SAM!!! He has quickly becoming my fav person in Shanghai. Nothing say fabulous like a fabulous gay british boy who gets me at every level/sense of humor. Dance our ass off at Pink to Simon awsome DJ-ing skills... I look to the side and saw Simon DJ-ing while the background LED light flashes hearts...and I think I was in love with him...hehehe

I was on cloud nine... the music, the people, my friends, I'm having way too much fun in Shanghai. Then we all decided to go to DEEP..... got into DEEP with my friends.... thinking that Sam, Bonnie and I look absolutely ridiculous with out outfits but if we all go in together, we'll be fine. Our friends all hold our hands as we walk into deep...me showing my asian gams like these Chinese boys have never seen before. I was having fun chit chatting with people on the garden outside of Deep before coming in.... then as I hit the inside of deep, who should I see standing there talking with his friend but Chuck... the only boy that I have met in Shanghai that...can screw me up emotionally for good. He saw me, chat with him and let me give you a brief downlow on it...

Chuck compliments me, I ask him how he have been... keep in mind that i'm slightly buzzed from the beer at Pink... then the next thing I knew, we were talking about how he haven't been going through with what he told me he would do... he wasn't upfront about telling me if he likes me or not, or what's going on between us. Long story short....I end up telling him that I might be in Shanghai living it up, I'm not letting this city changing me into one of those guys who go from guy to guy one night to the next. I'm still a boy from the midwest who wants someone to be with me for who I'm. There were other exchanges between us but I told him how I feel and I walked away...outside to my friends where Bonnie saw me wasn't ok and we have to had a conversation on the side of the building where I was trying to hold back tears.... He was the last person I expected to see and he is the only person in Shanghai that can F* me up that good.... needless to say I wasn't ok after that exchange. Sam drag me to Windows....dear god again, i went , had a drink but Bonnie and I decided to went home and now I'm here....

Oh Shanghai... one moment you can be as high as the Jinmao tower, the next, it could be as low as the crawling beggar on the street..... there is never any inbetween with it.....

So to my readers out there... if you're still single, I feel you. If you're not single, count your blessings because if you remember back to your single days.... remember how tough it's??? yes...

windows.....

It's almost 7 in the morning on Saturday here....and I just got home from the bar about.... 20 minutes ago..... Yes it's official... Trinh is now a freaking Shanghai expat. Lets have a quick recap for the night shall we? (PS: not even drunk, just sweaty and tire)

Went to dinner at Masala Art with my bud Simon. Delicious indian food...not so good atmosphere. And I think I might have a crush on Simon.
Then off to wait for Josh to meet me at the subway station, went into starbucks, have a coffee while people watch on the second floor...pondering about my life in Shanghai and thinking that I'd like to live here for a few years after graduation....
Josh arrived, went with him to my new friend Bonnie's house. I met her last week while going out, we had dinner during the week. Pretty cool girl from VA.
At Bonnie's place, meet up again with Alexis aka Mornea who's South African and a funny fellow. Met new people: Kiki & Rene from LA, Summer (shanghainese), Sam (british), and sam's 2 friends who just arrive a few hours ago from Australia.
Got drunk off of Summer's delicious vodka/fruit cocktail thing.... everything is good.
Look at the watch, drunk and it's 2:30 in the morning.
All decided to go to either DEEP (gay club) or Windows (cheap drinks hip hop club across from DEEP). Josh went home, told him i'll be home later....
All went to DEEP first, free entry after 3... dance around, Rene said that all the men in the club was checking me out and have their eyes on me... making me feel good.
Saw the guy that I hooked up with last weekend ( whom I did email to see if he want to get dinner together because I don't like the idea of one night stand and we travel in the same social circle)... he haven't replied to my email and is macking on some other guy... got a little annoyed.
Still know that I'm hot shit, dance around some more
Left with everyone to Windows.... hip hop music.... got into a little verbal exchange with some African guy from Africa or some third world country shit. He pushes me while he was walking and I push him back. He thought I was some Chinese who will take it laying down...bitch please.... get your third world ass out of my space.
Dance... with people... chat with my friends... dance some more... busting out all of my moves like it's nobody's business.
Even Sam have to admit that I'm too good at this hip hop dancing stuffs on the floor....
Chat with people... next thing I know... it's light outside and it's 5:15.....
Breakfast at McDonald....
I'm here...tire...and must go to bed for I have a lunch at 3 tomorrow with my peeps.... and an 80's party to plan for tonight....

Wo ai Shanghai ( i love shanghai.)

non-stop partying....

Alright, I think I'm turning into Lindsay Lohan or something....with this Shanghai partying weekend deal.... It's Sunday afternoon around 3 PM and I just got home.....

Josh left for his rock climbing trip this weekend so he won't be back until Tuesday night. All of the other british friends are scatter through out China, one is actually in Tokyo. Anywho... friday night i went out.... and had some fun. Then Saturday morning I had a breakfast with Simon, the lovely DJ/PR person for one of the gay club/bar here. He and i are become quite nice friends. We had lunch at Element Fresh on Huaihai Lu which has a pretty gorgeous view to enjoy your breakfast. It was...gay central really. After lunch we walked around a bit before he head back home to sleep off his hard work the night before at his club. I went on to discover another amazing section of Changle Lu which has AMAZING little fashion boutiques that is wicked! Some of these stuffs rival the stuffs you would see on the runway everywhere else in the world... and so affordable prices... DAMN that I wasn't a girl. Then after that, I met up with my friend Rob to go to the fake market together for me to find a pair of shoes. While bitching about the shoe sizes in one of the stall I saw a lovely wonderbread smiling at me because he understands what I was saying...I started to chat with him and found out that his name is Shaun, from LA, and is a GRAPHIC DESIGNER!!!! Not only that, he works for Harper Colins designing books.... amazing.... and he's in SH for work but he already done with it so he's just chilling around for the next 10 days before heading to HK and then back home to LA. But anyhow, we became friends. Rob, him and I walk around the fake market bargaining things together. I think Rob wanted to jump his bone but yeah.... I did get a nice pair of Adidas trainer for about $12. Damn those fake bitches wouldn't sell me my Dior slip on for less than $35....

Then I'm off to go home and get ready to go to Shanghai Studio with Simon around 10. Apparently half of SH gay community was at Shanghai Studio which got packed pretty quick...but good thing is that this bar is an underground maze so it keeps expanding as needed. Met up with some old friends and a few new one. Shaun did showed up as I texted him the direction...and it was a good start for the night. Cheap drinks...I was knocking back my Vodka and sprite... then people decided to go to DEEP.... and i joined... so let me give you a quick version of what happened: Dancing, drinking, me being cornered into the wall by this Romanian guy whose name sounds like " leave-you" and he works for Kenzo and all the high end clothing stores doing shit for them... finally my friends save me... tons of half shirtless guy...nothing like half naked men to make me get all rile up. More shirtless men, me dancing with my friends on the podium with shirtless men... me sitting outside chatting with my friends...then meet new friends...then friends left, me end up with a nice French-American guy....me drinking too much... me waking up the next morning at the French American's apartment.... gorgeous apartment in the French Concession... we both hung over... really good morning... didn't leave until 2..... now home....

Yes...someone come and visit me and make me show you around the city instead of partying like it's my job please...

on the dance floor

Hello all to another...thrilling edition of Trinh's life in Shanghai. I have pictures of some scenaries that I took last weekend and this weekend that I need to upload soon. Been too busy...partying to do that. yes, it's bad, I have turned into quite a party boy in Shanghai. I guess there isn't really much to do at weekend night in Shanghai except to party. Cultural events required you to actually understand Chinese, parties, bars and clubs, however, do not.

Well I did do something cultural this weekend in the morning. I went out with a Chinese boy, to the Old Town, Laopu. I really like this area, albeit a bit touristy but much better than the Bund. It's what you expect China to be like, minus the starbucks, KFC and Haggendaz. All these little chinese trinkets and knick-knacks for you to bargained. Got a cute t-shirt with a cool graphic of panda bears doing the 64 positions of taichi. Oh and I was there to hunt for a mask for the Eyes Wide Shut party in Pinkhome. Found my mask, had lunch and coffee with the CHinese boy. That basically took me the entire day. Then that night, met up with Rob, who is slowly becoming my party buddy in Shanghai, to go to Eddy's. Which is suppose to be a chill gay bar where you can sit and drink...and apparently it was not that night. Pretty crowded, but a good mix of locals and expats. Although the wonderbread here are a bit older....and we all know how i like older men but the one I saw weren't very attractive. But anyhow, drank a few beers with rob, chit chat and checking out the people. I think I kinda enjoy the gay scene in SH because unlike the gay scene in the states where I generally don't feel very attractive upon walking in a bar or something, here, my self-esteem is boosted. We left Eddy's after an hour or so to go to Pinkhome where we know one of the PR people/DJ for the club... and hence my mask for the party. Pinkhome is pretty sweet. I do enjoy a mirrored walkway into the club, checking yourself out while working your walk...perfect. I was one of the 7 people who actually wears a mask at the club, but oh well. Met up with a few people I have partied with before. Throwing back a few beers and get crazy on the dance floor. Don't worry, I didn't go all out on the dance floor so I get sweaty and gross. I actually control myself. Although there was a point where I was on a raised platform dancing with a shirtless guy, whom I know.... Oi.. Oh and there was a stripper, which I didn't care much for because I think it's lame. The stripper himself is pretty cute wonderbread...and I got invited to go to the Bible study group that he is part of.... Is it sinful to go do that? HA! actually I'm not that bad. I didn't go.

Oh and I got hit on by a Chinese boy who goes by the name of "johnny"....yeah, he's ok but I didn't turn my head. He actually asked Rob to introduce me to him and asked Rob's numbers so he can get mine. Silly boy, you got to have more games than that. Oh and there was another one, Bo is his name I think. He's a real estate agent here... I don't know...at that point I was buzzed. There was also a German...but I can't say anything about it other than I got his card and we'll see.

But yeah, somehow I was drunk by the end of the night (shocking I know) but not so drunk that I couldn't get home. But the next morning was a bit rough. I lounge around the house until 3. Josh did IM me to tell me he got me a bagel and some brownies before he left for his rock climbing. Aw... Went to the gym and that's about it. I think this weekend is another boy hunting weekend. But I do want to try some street food before hand though. Those meat on a stick looks so tempting to me as I walk by them all the time... you only live once right? i'll just carry some medication with me just in case. HA!

Until next time everybody.

Ichibana ramen

Hello all, just got back from a delicious lunch at 78 Ichibana Ramen restaurant. Oh so delicious food for a great price. I'm surprise I haven't balloon into a fat lard from all the food that I have been consuming. Oh wait, there is the fact that it's hot like a sauna here all the time, and I have to bike to work on top of the gym...yay for China.

Nothing worthwhile to report. Except that this morning, as I struggle to get up, I realize that it's August already...I'm close to my halfway point in Shanghai...and pretty soon, I will have to go back home...and surprisingly, I don't want to go!!! Shanghai is definitely growing on me. A city of subleties and contrast, all existing at the same time. The more I think about it, I realize that Shanghai/China is where the new market for design will be/should be/is. Everything can be pirated here, but walking along Changle lu or Fuxing Lu, you couldn't help but notice that the seed of design is there, struggling to grow but it's doing pretty good. You can't copy originality and creativity. I don't know, I think if I'm in Shanghai working as a designer, I will have more opportunity for my own creativity than the design saturated western world. Who knows...all I know is that I don't want to go back just yet....

Well off I go to "work" now. Cheers.

On a night like this (part 2)

Anyhow...story time...and it's quite a nice story. On friday night, I went to the gym, feeling pretty good afterward. SOmething about seeing hot men working out, seeing naked men ( some hot, most not..but beggar can't be chooser), and me actually working out to Hilary Duff puts me in a good mood. Anyhow, sweaty after the gym, but glowing practically. Decided to just throw on my t-shirt and wore the gym shorts to go home on the subway. Too hot to put on more clothes and the shorts are quite flattering cuts...way to go Champions ( Target $9.99) Anyhow, have my Baltimore tote bag on, rocking the ipod, showing my asian gams, taking the subway to People's square to get back on line 2 so I can go home. Of course the switch between line 1 where I were to get on line 2 is a marathon of a walk. SOmeone thinks it's funny to make people walk a mile and call it a "line change". ANyhow, walking among the mass of Chinese through this long walkway, saw a head of me 2 foreigners, a guy and a girl, bumbling along. And I have been here long enough to spot those who are just tourists on the subway line. They look quite beat, especially the girl, and they have that expression on their face that people get when they first encounter their subway line change in people's square. It's the " what the hell is going on...why is everyone rushing and why is there so many people?" look on their faces. I smile to myself thinking of that point in time...a month ago. lol. Well, I walked past them because they were walking kinda slow and arrived at the platform to wait for my train. Those 2 finally arive and stand about...30 something chinese to my right. I look over and saw that the girl has given up and sat down on the corner and the guy...he's looking at me. I thought he's looking at my B-more bag because he has a FIB t-shirt in mocking of the FBI thing. So i look at him and he turns away, I turns away, then glance back and he's looking at me again. So this goes one for 2 minutes, us keep looking at each other and turning away. I smiles sometimes when he caught me looking and he smiles. Then the subway arrives, people are packed inside the subway, and I'm trying to get in. I move to the next car that's closer to him and saw him saying something to his friend and move toward my line to get on the car.

Now we're inside this crowded subway, people are touching me, and I happen to be standing next to him now and he's also touching me too because of the crowded space. I figure I should say something because it gets this far so I opened my mouth and ask him about his T-shirt...and within 1 stop he asked for my number and at the next stop he has to leave. So withing 2 subway stops, I got myself a date with Lionel, a frenchman, who is visiting Shanghai from Bangladesh where he works. On Sunday, I had met up with him and his friend Aurilia, whom is working in Shanghai and whom he's staying with. The other girl from Friday night is Valerie whom he was with after they went to Huangzou together. Aurilia had to go to work so she took the subway with us, i chatted with her, lovely. Then I took Lionel to Boona Cafe 2, cute cafe in the Fuxing Lu area, adorable tree lined streets that I quite loved. After brunch, we walked around, chatted, discovered new shops together, spent most of our Sunday together until it rained and I have to meet up with my friends. He took the subway to People's Square to get some postcards. We met up again later that night, after he and his friends had seen sunset on Pudong's Jin Mao Tower. I met them all at LaNa Thai, a thai restaurant on top of the Face bar. Side note: Face is probably one of the most gorgeous bar in Shanghai. Nestled in this old style mansion, well manicured lawn that you can lounge on. LaNa Thai is a decent thai restaurant. Service was...eh...weird and food is a bit over-priced but I guess you're paying for the atmosphere. Anyhow, I'm having dinner with Lionel, Aurilia, and Valerie, surrounded by french people everywhere in this restaurant. We have fun. After dinner, Lionel and I went and grab a few drinks and chatted some more. Well I'm going to stop the story there for you guys... but lets just say that it was dot dot dot ...

He left Shanghai today to go back to Bangladash...it was a very random encounter on the subway for me, turning out to be a wonderful Sunday. The serendipity of its all... Lionel is actually a good person after talking to him. Yes, i have learn to actually talk to people now instead of jumping their bones. LOL. Well, it's Shanghai so you'll never know. It's a small world and I do have a place to stay if I ever have the desire to be in Bangladash sometime in the future. Well, not like 5 years from now as he probably won't be there, but you know what I mean. It is still weird for me to digest it all... it's very out of this world romantic...something about the french...damn them and their " c'est la vie" attitude. I did brush up on my french skills though, kissing and not spoken. sighs.... I wonder if my life in Shanghai can be made into a tv show.

Well I should be doing something productive now. Have fun everyone and remember to always smile at the next person that you see smiling at you. Life is short.

On a night like this...

So the theme song of the moment is " On a night like this" by Kylie Minogue. It happens to be playing on my ipod as I'm writing this...how appropriate.

It has been a LONG, eventful weekend. Oh before that, Thursday night I was out at a GLBT mixer with Rob as well. Henry was there, this Indonesian guy that I thought is quite attractive was there, he introduced me to a few new people, met up with an old one that I've met before. Nice to meet other gay men as Rob and I go men hunting together. I think Rob is having his eyes on Simon, this British DJ for Pinkhome, another gay bar.... nice chap.

I tried to find the Bird & Flower Market on Saturday to watch some cricket fighting...but after 4 hours of walking around trying to find Laopu (Old Town)in 100F heat...when I get there, I just look at the place in disdain and try to get back to the subway as soon as possible before I die. Really, it was disgustingly hot...apparently the hottest day in Shanghai or something like that. WEnt home, sleep, feel miserable waking up, went to the club with Rob later that night for the first time. First time in Deep, the gay club in Shanghai...yawner...stupid techno music, silly chinese boys that can't dance if their life depends on it, and silly foreigners who are either euro-trash or...too conceited for their own good. Seriously, I was just asking a guy where did he get his Tsingtao beer because the bartender told me they're out of it ( bold face lying biotch) and he thinks I was the typical Chinese money-boy trying to ask him to buy me a drink? Get real...did you hear a stutter in my English? I speak better English than you. Grrr...

And now we shall get into a story...if any of you have watch Before Sunrise or Before Sunset...well this is almost like that.... take out a tissue because Trinh's life in Shanghai is pretty surreal.

in all of my glory...

This is the long awaited photo series inside the forbidden City....Yes....you all love it.