classic bait swindle

i went to my old neighborhood to pick up laundry, check my old room was clean and buy produce at my previous hangouts - small family-owned stores. among me where many other foreigners stocking up on food. when i reached my new neighborhood, i realized i forgot to buy tofu. i went to one of the two areas with small markets. at a stand, i chose some tofu items. the saleslady said it was 5 kuai. i handed her 10 kuai. her husband said i did not understand.  i told him i did. the woman looked at me and said i owed her 5 kuai, after i had given her 10 kuai. she said the price was 5. i told her i gave her 10. she emptied her pockets and said she did not have a 10 kuai bill. i realized i was being swindled. i left the items and told her i gave her 10. after a few minutes i returned and said, this kind of behavior is not right. i live in Shanghai; i know i'm a foreigner; to do this swindle of money is not right. from now on, i told her, i will not buy there. the owners of the other stands laughed. i went to the apartment and picked up the camera. the husband jeered at me, clucking, saying the laoweis was back, what was he going to do?

it's only 10 kuai i lost, and i lost more on tuesday when i lost my watch. a policeman told me which station i should go report the incident, but i don't see the point of waisting more time. those two are spreading bad karma. they will reap what they sowed. i look gullible. they probably don't get many foreigners buying at their stand. at my old neighborhood, we're treated well. i proceeded to the other place with vegetable and tofu stands and was treated fairly. i bought the items in the top picture for 17 kuai. 5 kuai, the first person was overcharging me. she is probably not licensed to be selling at that location.

marichyasanas opening time

i practiced poses from primary today around the marichyasanas, in between opening and closing poses. today sunday is a day of work, but i took is as holiday. the country gives one long holidays here, then asks one to  work on the weekend before and after the holiday to make up the time. i'm using the time to continue unpacking and organizing the new space.

background practice sightseeing

last night visiting the Singapore Esplanade, the CBD in the background. i'm posting from my friend's computer.

lately, when i travel, practice is on my mind. i carry a mat in the suitcase. but seeing architecture takes over, so i practice meditation when i wake up, then go see places. as i waited for a bus, i saw this advertisement of a local teacher. my practice back in Shanghai at home is more settled.

we visited Little India, where we ate at a vegetarian restaurant. these where the sweets on display. i need to learn to settle my mind when planning trips. when i planned this one, my mind was racing with thoughts about my pending move to a new apartment. when i thought i booked a return flight at 12:55 pm on Saturday, arriving in Shanghai at 5:55pm, i really booked a 12:55am departure Saturday. in other words, i leave half a day earlier. it won't affect my sightseeing too much, but it was a surprise that was too costly to correct.

to Singapore exemptions

on the way to Singpore. V. appeared at my apartment at 6:00 to accompany me to the airport. it was a hot date with transportation involved. traveling conjured up discussions of how long am I staying here in  China, 7 years more, forever? is forever possible? the problem of being a permanent resident here are several. the status is rarely granted, unlike in Hong Kong, and one would be subject to double taxation, both in the US and here. there are tax exemptions for earned income but not for passive income from retirement financial instruments.

celebration incense spectacle

yesterday was the Chinese New Year celebration, which i spent at V's, whose sister cooked a meal for us. the older brother came to visit as well. both V's parents had passed away and it is the Chinese tradition to honor the memory of the parents by lighting some incense, playing a recording of chants and making an offering in front of their pictures. V asked me if we have similar traditions in our culture. i mentioned that there is the Dia de los Muertos, which is just like the Chinese tomb sweeping day, when relatives clean the tombs of their ancestors. we don't have the same tradition of honoring our deceased relatives. when we get together we relate stories of their lives. when i visit my family i go to my father's tomb and honor him. last night it was snowing and cold, but my heart felt warm. we drank Chinese merlot wine. when i tried it i winced and V explained it's supposed to be a little bitter. we watched the live entertainment spectacle on TV broadcast from Beijing. it brings me comfort that V and her family practice Buddhism, which I practice as well.

internet starts deco

internet will be installed in the apartment today. during Chinese New Year holiday, which starts this weekend, i will be visiting Violetta three days, then going to Singapore for four. my apartment is in one the six buildings designed in the Bund in the 1930s by George "Tug" Wilson of Palmer and Turner, who also designed the Peace Hotel. there is some information about art deco buildings in Shanghai from that era here. the building is the twin of the Metropole Hotel, developed by magnate Victor Sassoon.

tent architects essential

my friends Tangliang and XuYe, who traveled to Tibet by bicycle, came Sunday and helped me build my yoga practice tent. Three of us architects quickly did an aesthetic and stable structure. the practice area felt warm on monday morning. today it was toasty, when i added an electric blanket on the floor. this time i may skip placing a roof over the tent, which i did in the previous place. i decided to use the orange-red side of the blanket inside, blue on the outside. blue matches the peach color of the walls. red is energizing. since my practice suffered lately, red will add rajaic energy. on monday i did warm up poses, the five essential poses and closing asanas. today i continued with the standing poses during an hour and a quarter.

internet will be installed this week. i'm blogging after hours from the office. the connection i ordered, offered through the phone line, will be faster than the typical one offered through the cable.