Semester 5 Chapter III: Tea & Movies

Last week was kinda tough. I had lots of things to deal with, lotta places to be at... And I was all over the place... I’m talking Minhang, Pudong, Gubei, Qingpu, Jiading... Never used subway as much as last week... But yeah, I survived and I’m back to talk to y’all... Btw, last week you went kinda crazy on my blog... My stats went up like a motherfucker... So whatever made you do it... Kudos!

On Thursday, I went to Jenny’s Blue Bar (at Donghu Lu) for couple of beers, and then continued to this Parrot spot for some espresso cocktails which were kinda bomb. On Friday, the Lithuanians organized a movie night at their place and it was great. Our little group is getting bigger. What started out as a group chat of the two of them and me, is now about 12 people so the crowd is definitely expanding. We played this Mommy movie by Xavier Dolan – and it was awesome. 

Now, couple of months ago, I went to this vegan fest and I met this lady who runs the ifVegan restaurant in Jing’an. About a week ago, she invited me to another spot they have, which is close to Xinzhuang. It’s called Knowing and it’s a vegan tea/coffee place. She wanted to introduce me to the traditional Chinese tea ceremony. So there I was... On Saturday, riding my bike towards broadening my tea knowledge.... The place is quite amazing... They have tons of tea and coffee to choose from, they have many vegan sweets, it has a nice little Chinese vibe, and it might be the first vegan place I’ve seen around here that has not been really discovered by expats... It’s a bit outside of the center and it’s also not listed on Happpycow... So pretty local feel....

The ceremony itself is crazy... Now, I’m gonna try to recall all the info I received during that but there’s good chance I fuck it all up... So if you really wanna know what’s what... You know... Fucking Wikipedia that shit or something... You have this main plate with three items. Metal filter, glass jug, and this cup with a small plate underneath and a lid on top... This is where you start - you put your tea in the cup and after that you pour the boiling water on it... Tea comes in this small bowl whose sole purpose is to provide the tea and then it can be put away... The small plate under the cup represent Earth and the lid represents Heaven... The cup itself is you... That’s where the important shit happens... Tea comes to life... So... You let the tea come to life whcih takes about a minute, and then pour it the jug through the filter (something like a conscience – determining what is important and what is not), using the lid as a barrier so your tea leaves stay in the cup and can be reused. The jug is being referred to as a “fair jug”. Cause when this is done, the color and taste of tea is stabilized and no matter how many people share it, they all get the same shit... No difference, everyone is equal...

When this is done, another three items come to play. Everyone has a three-piece set for personal use. Another small plate (in our case in the shape of a leaf), with one slimmer and one taller cup, and another one which is shorter and wider. You make sure that your leaf base faces left... Cause you know... Heart, life, all the good stuff. First, the tea is poured to the taller cup but it stays there only for couple of seconds before being redirected to the short one. Now, it’s smelling time... You spend a good one or two minutes inhaling the inside of the tall cup. If the tea is good, you can smell bunch of different tones and layers – and they change as the cup gets colder. I honestly had no idea tea has so many different angles... Once you’re done with that, you proceed to drinking... I wanna stress out that both cups are very very small... To finish one serving, you only need three small sips... You make sure that the first sip goes through the tip of your tongue which amplifies the sweetness, the second one goes through sides of your tongue so you can enjoy the full taste, and the last one goes through the back of your tongue so the bitterness raises... And you drink it with both hands, raising the cup to your eye level – this shows respect. Now, the taller smelling cup represents male element (taller, stronger), and the shorter one represent female element (shorter, more to ground, that’s where you actually taste the thing). And you can reuse the tea bunch of times during which the taste and smell change. We drank one serving of the tea for about 4 hours... It was great... Almost like some kinda meditation... And because the lady is awesome, she even gave me some vegan mooncakes – traditional sweets connected to the Chinese Autumn festival which is about to start. They usually contain eggs but hey... If you got a vegan plug, you’re good...

In the evening, I met up with couple of my peers and we hung out at the Xiangyang Park till about midnight. Just some beers and good vibes...

And well, I just got back from the stadium (got joined by a friend from Montenegro for the first time), it’s a beautiful day outside and we got another week ahead of us. So take care, motherfuckers!

Highlights:

• Noname – Room 25. Amazing project. And Dizzee – Don’t Gas Me. Fire.
• Gin. Our fam got a new dog back in the Czech Republic, and it’s gorgeous. So Gin... Welcome to the team!
• Was told I look like Ronaldo by a Chinese guy. Well... I guess I do...

Semester 5 Chapter II: Back on Track

Okay, so I think I oficially readjusted to my Shanghainese lifestyle. I spent about half of last week at my friends’ spot. They had to travel for a bit so I was keeping my eye on their apartment, taking care of their dog and cat. And trying to get my shit together – not really socializing much, not drinking, letting the dust settle and figuring things out. Oh, and binge watching that murder of Versace series. I guess I really needed that. Just that, gym, running, walks and bike rides... Rebooting...

Since I felt too lazy to actually look for a room, I simply contacted my previous agency whether they have something acceptable available in my favorite area. And they did. As a matter of fact, in the same fucking apartment I lived in last year. The very same spot I still had boxes with my shit stashed at. No brainer. Didn’t even have to deal with moving... So here I am – the same neighborhood, the same veggie market across the street, the same stadium around the corner, same gym... Feels like home...

I also managed to catch up with most of my people here. Outside of hanging out with Lithuanians, I caught up with the whole gang and my biking sis. The vibe is still super cool. We hung out at apartments, parks, My Place and all...

On Saturday, we organized this whole thing at Century Park. This petangue thing is quite entertaining over here. I’m aware of 2 parks, where it’s totally okay to step on grass – Zhongshan park and Century park. The latter being the biggest one in Shanghai – to my knowledge. So yeah, after lunch, I hopped on my bike and did a long ride to meet up with bunch of my peers and spend afternoon throwing metal balls, drinking, talking shit and living the good life. Took the ferry, checked all the skyscrapers again... Pretty fucking awesome day... And Chinese still staring in disbelief. It's not really a national sport over here... We wrapped it up at Lithuanians' with some drinks...

And then there was Sunday. My second solo DJ set in Shanghai – again in Ninja. I loaded my laptop with the hottest shit hiphop has to offer and did around 3 hours of straight flames. Not many people, but man... Free drinks and music you love playing crystal clear out loud... No objections on my end. YLP bitch. Oh, and speaking of music, let me just shout out all the amazing shit that was released over the summer... Astroworld (album of the year for me), Swimming (R.I.P. Mac; this shit is just beautiful and I've kept spamming everyone with it), new Bun B, Thug, YG, Nicki, even Em put out an acceptable project... Aaaand, if the rumors are true, we gonna get Carter 5 in couple of days. And man... Please let it happen...

So there you have it... I’m sitting in my new room, bumping Juice WRLD out the speaker... I got a week full of responsibilities ahead of me... One could say that I’m back in this motherfucker... And one would be right...

 

Highlights:

• Yesterday, I saw a woman literally wiping her bare ass right by a major road on my way back home. That was a new one.
• Swizz & Wayne – P.O.M.S. Shit goes ham. Those keys tho...
• Cat peeing all over my suitcase. I mean... I like cats... But I’m just more of a dog person... You know...

Semester 5 Chapter I: Love & Pain

Mic check one two one two... We’re back on air, your weekly reports or Shanghai are back locked in, we are loaded, we are ready to go off. Shout out goes to everybody who still chooses to waste time on reading this – for real for real!

Same as last year, I’m gonna start with bunch of thank yous and shout outs. So in no particular order. My family and their partners – I’m super happy all of you are doing well and it’s just amazing watching everyone on the right track with everything. More great things are about to come real soon. YLP – I see you bro. Bit more music (we still got this), shitton of beers and whiskey, boxing... Ain’t a thang changed. My crew in the Czech Republic. What can I say... We are still tight as can be... Every fucking thing we did over the summer... It was like back in the days... The vibe is still beautiful... Sweden! I got you! We gotta have the same mental blueprint... Everyone over there a hoe... Monte Negro! God damn, that was just great. All the travels, all the long ass evenings, crazy ass car rides... There’s gonna be volume 2! My tattoo guys... Thanks for fucking up my career options a bit more! I love you for that. The artworks are dope as fuck! And everyone else I had a chance to catch up with over those two months. All the little trips we made, everyone I met briefly... Not a single day of not knowing what to do... ONE! 

Aight, so let me resume the Shanghai story. Last Friday, I did one last run in Brno, packed my shit and in the afternoon hit my dad’s favorite pub to meet with the fam for the last time. Got some last Czech beers, hopped on a train and went to Vienna airport. I arrived to Shanghai Saturday evening and went to my Lithuanian friends’ place. They are hosting me for couple of days before I figure out a new spot on my own. We got some drinks, grabbed little something to eat and talked till early morning. Next day I had to go to my uni to do registration for the new semester. I also picked my bike in the basement parking area at my old place, went to the peanut noodle place to remind myself of one of the best meals around here, and also got a haircut at my favorite Chinese lady. In the afternoon, we all went to Xiangyang park to play some Petangue. Now, it might seem pretty regular but the truth is, I have not ever seen anybody playing that game ever around here. And we soon found out that it might not be as easy it as it seems. In most Shanghainese parks, they don’t allow people to step on grass, and since there’s security everywhere, it’s a big no can do. We tried Jing’an park as well but got kicked out in like 3 minutes again. Finally, we found this small secluded grass area just around the corner and managed to play for like 3 hours. Chinese were passing by here and there, totally mesmerized by what the fuck are we playing. I got one Chinese granpa throw a ball too tho... We followed up with a dinner at Jen Dow and wrapped the whole thing up in Zhongshan park.

So yeah, new week has started, I’m getting used to my Chinese life once more... And I’ll be back on my Shanghai Czech-in shit from now on. And before I close it up, let me just give it up for Maroš. Our family dog who was around ever since I was 14 and made it up to amazing 17 years. He left us last week but damn... His spirit won’t go anywhere. I hope you’re good up there and I’m gonna walk you again at some point, I promise! Love you lil’ bro!

I don’t really feel like doing highlights this time around, since like 60% of the chapter are just those. Gonna get back to that next week. Peace!