This is not a big surprise for me because in my country, most people also have no trouble sleeping… anywhere. In PUJs, bus terminals, airports, waiting sheds, etc. You name it. Although this might come off as very unbecoming to some, for me it’s just to show that the person (sleeping) is comfortable with his surroundings (other than he is just plain drunk) and I honestly don’t have a problem with that just as long as the person (sleeping) is not leaning on me.

But because there were some changes around lately, I am prompted to take the highest certificate I can get. My husband begged and cajoled me to take the exam. He told me like 10000000000000 times that I can surely pass it without a problem. I didn’t believe him but because I thought…this might be my last German course in Shanghai and I probably can’t study German further, I should have this certificate now.

There were 17 (some are from other language schools) examinees and only 8 passed it. I, along with the other examinees, waited for the results until like 8:00 pm last Monday. It was a long wait! Anyway, I am glad that I am one of those 8 examinees who made it and that I got the second highest score. The certificates will come in about three weeks but I don’t have to wait 3 weeks to have a goodnight sleep—I already know the results.

You might have heard already that I made some enemies but that’s okay because I still have my real friends and another exciting thing is that they are coming to visit me here in Shanghai soon. I can’t wait to see my girlfriends!

I am glad that I am going out more often now and that I am developing friendship with people other than the colleagues and friends of my husband. In short, I now have my own circle. I don’t have anything against the colleagues and friends of my husband because most of them are really nice persons too and I am glad that we could spend time with them sometimes but having my own circle of girlfriends with pretty much the same interest as mine is different. I really miss my girlfriends back in Changchun and in the Philippines but I am glad that after 5 months of staying in Shanghai, I am starting to really feel at home here.

So anyway, after having a dinner at the nearby Jin Mao Tower last Monday evening, we impulsively decided to go and see the new skyscraper. It’s just too bad that none of us brought a camera. I suggested that we do it on another time but Marcus and two of his colleagues insisted to see it because the weather was clear and there was no queue anymore (at 9:00pm). The view from the building’s view decks is really spectacular. If you look up at the SFTC building and the nearby Jin Mao Tower  from the street, they look like they have the same height but when you’re on top, you’ll see that there is a huge difference between the two buildings’ heights. It’s really too bad that we didn’t have real cameras so I didn’t have a choice but to use my phone’s not so good camera.

You see in Philippines, we only get to decorate our homes to give it a feel of the season during Christmas. Unlike in the US of A, we don’t decorate our home for Halloween or for other holidays. We only get to do it once a year so we put the decorations up as early as possible and let them stay there as long as possible. I often hear people say that the longest Christmas season happens in the Philippines and I completely agree with that.

Last Sunday, Marcus and I went back to that electronic market to buy me an iPhone and we tag along Kristoff because we know that Kristoff is also crazy about the place and he knows the market better than us. We went there early and it took me five hours to find the perfect iPhone from the kindest salesperson. I knew already that I’d get an iPhone but that didn’t stop me from trying other mobile phones. I don’t think Sonny Ericson Xperia, the phone I wanted, is already available in China so unfortunately I was not able to try it and even if it were there already, I wouldn’t think that Marcus and I will buy it. It is just too expensive.

Anyway, after the shopping in the Puxi area we went back to Pudong to eat and before that, we decided to walk around a little bit because the weather was great (after like 3 weeks of constant smog) and so I was able to take some photos. It felt a little bit funny because I was acting like a real tourist. We live here since June of this year but until now, we haven’t really explored Shanghai yet. We have this mentally that we have plenty of time so we don’t have to see every place and try out everything here immediately but maybe before we know it, the time’s gone.

So anyway, Emily called me and asked if we could have a coffee together sometime because according to her, she really enjoyed my company the last times. That was so nice of her to say but that’s something I didn’t expect. Emily has a managerial position in human resource of some British-Indian company and she is like 54 years old and she often talks about very intellectual things so you can just imagine my surprise when such person display interest in spending time with me.

I am no intellectual. I am just a simple woman who is living a simple life but being married to Marcus also means that sometime, I’ll be going to parties, dinners, and gatherings where I’d be spending time with people who have much wider knowledge and way more eloquent than I am. I always try to talk to these people and not just smile and be pretty (in short, look stupid) but sometimes I can’t help but feel tiny.

September to late October is I think the best time of the year in Shanghai. Temperature is perfect in this time. It’s not cold but it is also not like you go outside and sweat immediately like it was in the summer.

I’ve heard that the cold season here is not long. That’s something I like because, if you remember, I really don’t like it when it’s cold.  I had always cursed Changchun for having long winter months. I remember writing about how I hate winter several times.

Matt: WordCamp Philippines’ shirt is really cool. It has this tilted “W” inside a sun and it is like a shirt you can put on to go to a bar of something.

Kudos to those who designed the shirt! You made it really cool. I wonder how can I get one of those….