Semester 3 Chapter III: Drawing Sounds and Shit…

Greetings from Shanghai, which happens to be quite shitty these days. It’s been raining on and off for the past couple of days and it seems it ain’t gonna stop anytime soon. Although temperatures stay somewhat okay, being all wet every time you decide to leave your place kinda sucks balls…

Now, before the weather went to crap, I managed to attend this event in an Adidas Originals store at Nanjing West Road. It was called drawing sounds or something like that, and it was supposed to be some kinda chilled evening with a DJ, lots of markers lying around and a wall plus some papers for you to showcase your artistic skills. For some reason, I ended up doing something too which was quite ridiculous as my drawing skills are pretty much non-existing… Anyways, since I’m a foreigner and since I am covered in tattoos, lots of people with cameras went ape shit and started taking shitload of pictures… Apparently under the impression that not only I know what I’m doing, but I’m probably also good at it…

Last Tuesday, I met with my cycling friend and we did a little evening ride around Shanghai. Went to Powerstation of Art and then grabbed a dinner in Jen Dow. I missed this.

What else… I took a loong walk to the Bund one evening to check the skyscrapers again and managed to discover some side streets and laneways I haven’t seen before. I also paid visit to this place called Dr. Beer for another overpriced but pretty decent beer… There’s a newly opened place called Ellen’s close to South Shaanxi metro station – I went there too with some of my people… Regular student dive bar with cheap booze and super shitty loud music…

I’m also getting little deeper into my school responsibilities. Trying to read little more often, working on my assignments… I feel I should do more but who doesn’t, right?

Highlights:

• The other day, I was on subway and there was this elderly Chinese guy sitting next to me, watching Chinese girls twerking on his phone for like 20 minutes. No headphones, sound on. I respect him so much.
• Jhene Aiko, Kevin Gates, Young Thug – all have new projects, all are great.
• Narcos – finished the 3^rd season. Arguably the best one.

Semester 3 Chapter II: Rollin’ Like a Stoner

The first couple of days got me seriously sleep deprived. Catching up will the people, dealing with the new residence registration at the police, attending first classes of the semester and bunch of other shit barely allowed me to spend any time relaxing and enjoying my new place.

Seems like all is set though, and I’m back on my routine. I have to travel to the Minhang campus twice a week which is not that bad given the fact this is my very last semester dealing with classes. Other than that, I am spending time more or less around downtown area. So yeah, nowadays it’s lotta cycling, got back on running and gym shit, managed to get all my stuff I stashed at my friend’s place for the summer… The transition period is over…

As for new places… Last Thusrday, I went to this birthday party to the Boxing Cat Brewery bar. As expected, beer was quite expensive, but it was also really good and the whole evening was pretty cool. I even managed to get on my political rant during the evening which is always extremely enjoyable both for me and for the ones around. The other day, I went to this other place close to South Shaanxi Road but I totally forgot the name… Some fucking beer place too…

I try to be read a little more and I also installed some apps for Chinese language learning. I was at my barber's on Wednesday and he tried to have some basic conversation with me. And I really felt like shit not following any of that. So yeah, once in a while, I turn it on and try to learn a word or two… I also made first attempts to write some Chinese characters… No idea if there’s any chance of making any significant progress out of this but I’ll keep trying… I hope… 

Oh, and my building does not have a floor 13 and 14 listen in the elevator. I have been told that these numbers are considered bad luck in China so the often leave them out. That’s kinda crazy... Gotta verify that...

Highlights:

• XXXTentacion's album. That guy sounds like a Black teenage version of Kurt Cobain.... And the project is incredible... Unfotunately, he's also a violent psycho who beats up women... I'm really puzzled here...
• The back wheel on my bike got bended a little so I went to get it fixed. I just love all these little joints that are oily and dirty with elderly Chinese guys fixing scooters and bikes all day. Plus it costs peanuts.
• The weather!!! Summer is still here, visibility is very good, it’s good to be here…

Semester 3 Chapter I: No Love Lost

Okay, so I’m back motherfuckers. I’m sure all tree of y’all who actually read this blog thought I’m either finished or I’m done but not quite yet. As a matter of fact, I feel pretty great and I got my people in Europe to thank for it. The whole summer was fucking amazing and my only concern at this point is how the fuck am I going to switch back to some kinda responsible, deadline meeting, assignments completing, functioning individual.

So let me just shout out different things I consider my personal higlights… Krakow with my fam, Berlin with an old friend of mine I haven’t seen in ages, Uppsala with my mental twin – I see you!!!, trip with one of my bros – Young Korporat where you at??, Turkey with my dad – just some super cool father son chillout, countryside weekend with my people… Plus all the drinking, dog walking (what's up Maroš!!!), time wasting, running, working out, getting lost… Everything I left behind is still there, maybe even better… We got it, we always have, we always will!!!

Aight, now when I got all the touching emotional shit outta my chest, let’s get back to this motherfucker. Shanghai Czech-in back on track, from now on, expect your weekly dosage of complete bullshit. I got here yesterday (September 9^th) afternoon with the lovely Dutch airlines and went straight to my Shanghai life without having a minute of rest basically up until now.

It’s kinda funny returning to Shanghai as someone who knows the place – as if you’d go home. You already know everything, you have your place, you know where to get stuff – it’s really like going to Prague or something. Totally different from year ago… I landed around 3pm and got to my flat about two hours later. In the evening, I met one of my friends from the Czech Republic who’s currently here and got a dinner with her and her boyfriend at the Jen Dow joint. They still kill shit… After that, I went to see some apartments, cause I really needed to change my tiny shithole (pause) for something that reflects I’m a 30 year old adult. I found a cool place just like two buildings from mine but since they wanted me to move in immediately and I was stuck with my contract till the end of the month, I decided not to deal with that for couple more days… I also met with my Russian flatmate and did some beers with her around the corner…. My Macedonian guy joined us and we were done with drinking shit, we stopped by at my favorite noodle lady, who was there, and I order her signature meal causing nuclear explosion in my mouth… That woman knows her way around spices…

 

I slept around 5 hours and got up before 7 so I could be at the campus in Mihang for 9:00 registration for the new semester. Straight from there, I went to deal with some other responsibilities and fun stuff that’s been stacking up while I was gone and during that, I got contacted by my current agency asking me whether I can move out earlier… That they have a potential tenant for another year willing to compensate the rest of the month. I instantly called the agent from yesterday and secured the place. So, when I got home, I just packed, signed a contract and there you go! I live like a normal person now… After Europe, where everyone seems to live in big ass apartments like it's nothing, the housing market here seems like fucking fascism. But hey, money ain’t shit, right?

 

So I did that, hopped on my Forever bike and went to meet my Chinese journalist friend to grab something to eat at our usual place – we had to catch up. Now it’s like 11pm, I’m sitting in my new room, rockin’ some Vic Mensa and enjoying the first moments I got for myself… So yeah, round 3, me vs. Shanghai, bring it on!

Highlights:

• All the fucking music – Tyler, Vic, Lil B, Vince, Scooter and like trillions of other. 2017 is a big one!
• Getting back to recording. Haven’t recorded much but me and my man Mickey did like the first YLP demo in 6 years or some shit… YLP bitch!
• Tattoos – got shitload of them and the run is far from over…