People touching me...

This most likely isn't what you are thinking... naughty!!

About 10 years ago, health insurance in Australia pretty much became compulsory.  To make it compulsory, if you earned a certain amount (which in my opinion wasn't very much) you either had to buy health insurance or you got taxed pretty much the same amount health insurance cost... lucky for me I worked for a bank which had an excellent health insurance offering, and suddenly I was about 25 (super fit and healthy) with this ridiculous level of health cover, including one of "Extra or Lifestyle Benefits" - this meant that I could claim up to $400 a year on things like gym membership, acupuncture, chiropractors or massage (but it had to be therapeutic massage).

Anyway, me being me, always thought that I needed to claim on these things to get the benefit of the premiums I was paying on the health insurance.  I was claiming the maximum amount on my gym membership which was lets say $200.  There was no way people were going to stick needles in me, and so one of the other benefits I could claim was massage, and so with holding telephones and using computers all day long muscle spasms in my neck and shoulders were frequent.

I think back now to my masseuses in Sydney and compare them to massages in China.  In Sydney, I lived with a girl for a while who was studying massage, and every now and again, well twice, she'd 'practise' on me. We actually weren't great flatmates, as we were at opposite ends of our twenties and had different home priorities. I didn't actually pay her either for her massages.

My first real masseuse had been vaguely recommended to me via the intranet at work. She worked from her apartment in Bondi Junction. Her front room was where she practised, overlooking a huge leafy tree and she usually had the balcony door open and the salty sea breeze would waft in.  At the time I lived just down the road in sunny Coogee, so she wasn't too far away.  I went to her for about 3 years, the whole time I lived nearby.

My second masseuse was a lady called Tanya. One day at work I cramped my neck so severely that I had to find someone who could sort it out straight away.  One of my colleagues recommended Tanya and warned that I should say that I like quiet massages, minimal chat. She was able to see me virtually straight away, and was in the super convenient spot of being just in the next block up from work. She was strong and her deep tissue massage was excellent. I visited her about every three months for about 5 years.  But she could talk the leg off a table! She even gave me a massage when I was pregnant with Jie Jie.

In Sydney, I used to see the Chinese Massage in places I thought were really odd - for example in the Centrepoint food court or just outside Wynyard Train Station - acknowledging they were cheap (comparatively) but couldn't see the attraction of having a massage with your clothes on or in such a public spot.

So in Sydney, I was largely exclusive with my masseuses!  Except for the one time when I was given for a birthday a super special massage voucher, for a massage by the sea, literally on the rocks at Bondi Icebergs... the salt spray, the waves and the seagulls making it super relaxing and amazing. It is also the only time I was massaged by a masseur.

Now in China, there's no health insurance incentive for having massages but it is affordable!  A Chinese massage costs about 75RMB for one hour... this is insane, as I used to pay $75 (AUD) for the same, and would only get about $15 back per session (so yes, a bit of false economy) from health insurance..... so in China, a massage costs about $11(AUD).  And there is a massage place on nearly every corner. And in each spa (fancier name for massage place) there are a number of masseurs and masseuses. And as seems to be tradition here, they only give you their employee number if you ask, not their name - so they will answer "I'm Seventeen, thank you" except in Chinese. Because I struggle with that procedure, I am unlikely to come in again and ask if twenty six is free, and so here in China, most every time I have a massage I have a different practitioner.

Chinese massage is different though, because you stay fully dressed - usually I will wear something comfortable, like tracky daks, and you are not necessarily in a private room.  The place I go to most often has rooms with four massage tables in them, and while you might start alone, other people may come in during your massage.  Sometimes they even chat throughout the whole thing, with their friend on the next table!

But, in Expat-ville, which is where I live in Shanghai, there is also a proliferation of Western style day spas.  I have a massage here every now and again too - and even this (with private rooms, near naked, relaxing music and oil) is half the price of Australia... but again, you are unlikely to ask for your therapist, because there are still too many there!

So in Australia, I had a total of four people massaging me, and here in China I have completely lost count.

And for the record, I am not one of those people always indulging themselves - it is still a treat, but one which is less out of reach than it used to be.

The Benefit of Illiteracy

I never, ever, thought I would write a title like that above... but I have to say that one of the benefits of living in China, and in particular, grocery shopping in China means I buy what I need, and use it, and then buy it again.

At the moment I am on holidays in Wales.  Wales is a bilingual country, and everything is written in English and Welsh.  I am not (obviously) illiterate in English, but I am illiterate and non-comprehending of Welsh. Fortunately, as a by-law of being bilingual everything in Wales is written in duplicate.

Where am I going with this?  I am going to target Sainsburys - the big supermarket chain here, and tell them that they are driving me crazy with 'multibuys'.  Why do I have to buy 3 cartons of juice, when I only want ONE.  Why is it such a bargain to buy meat or fruit 'Any 3 for L4'?  I get angry when I see that I'm paying 30p more per item if I only buy one pack, but it's no good for me, or my kids, if when I want one pack of 'crisps' it is significantly cheaper for me to buy THREE.

Yes, do multibuys on things like tinned tomatoes, packets of pasta, pantry staples that you can hoard (if you live here and ultimately will need them), but don't do it on packets of biscuits, crisps, pizzas, and other junk food.  Don't do it on fresh food that you can't possibly get through before it expires or crowds out your fridge.

I reflect though, on times when I've picked something up in China that I want/need, put it in my trolley and then start to leave, only to be chased along by a shop assistant carrying a second item and a roll of sticky tape, which she sticks to the first item, sometimes the same as the first item or the same brand, and sometimes completely different, and sometimes to my eye, unrelated - eg toilet paper and a food storage box.


I love a bargain, but I hate the pressure and angst I feel when I have to multibuy.

The Power of Persistence

Today we were out walking in Lujiazui, pushing our double decker pram with two screaming kids strapped in, screaming because neither wanted to be in there.  Truth be told, Didi is really a bit too big now for the bottom seat and doesn't like it in there any more, but Jie Jie isn't a reliable enough long distance walker for us to have no pram, or only a single seater.  So for local trips we recently bought a bike trailer which also can be pushed as a buggy, but I digress...

Coming out of the Shanghai World Financial Centre, where we had been to pick up some photos, a friendly happy man came racing up to us and asked if we wanted to buy a 'Rolex' for 100RMB, when we declined with barely a glance and kept walking he pulled out another Rolex and said 'Two for 100'.  We looked at each other and nodded, but again declined with barely a glance and continued on our way.

With no positive feedback from us, at all, there were 'Four for 100', so bear in mind the cost of the watches that we didn't want anyway, had just gone from 100RMB to 25RMB each in less than 2 minutes!  Still no interest, but we were now smiling.

We then crossed the road, and he crossed with us, and in the middle of the road he pulled out a 'his and hers' set... well, now the odds got better - all six for 100RMB!!  Now, secretly, I have long harboured a his and hers watches set fantasy, all the way back to the Sale of the Century giftshop days!  And these watches had black dials, with a diamond at each hour.  And they are Rolexes.

I glanced at Mike and without further inspection, the man said "Two for 30" - to be honest I couldn't even be bothered pushing harder.  So turned to him and had a look at the his and hers set, and then he pulled out a white face set, but I took the black ones, and he helped me put it on, then gave Mike his, and took his 30RMB or AUD$4.30.

We walked off quite chuffed with our new bargain matching watches, only to read the small print on the watch face... both are Rolex Oyster Perpetual Watches, and both are "Superlative Chrcnometer Offictally Certified"... but you have to get up close!!   You even have to be quite observant to see it here - right?

Happy New Year

We are in Melbourne.  We have been here since mid-December.  We will be here until the end of January, but Mike is going back to China for 3 weeks before coming back for Chinese New Year.  The kids and I came over 4 days before Mike to save a bit on airfares. Compared to my first solo flights with two kids this was a breeze - the kids did what they were told, stayed with me and most importantly slept for about 6 hours in flight!!

We had a lovely Christmas, with delicious foods and super spoiled with lots of presents.  It has been fantastic catching up with everyone.  The kids have loved living in a house, and being able to just step outside onto the plush lawn.  They spend all day running around, getting dirty and playing.  They are being well looked after by grandparents, who love having them around.

It is summer in Melbourne, so we are supposed to be escaping the winter chill of Shanghai.  Unfortunately though we have been averaging only about 6 degrees warmer than Shanghai... the other night it was 7 degrees in Shanghai, and only 10 degrees here...  of course last night it was 40 ish until the wee hours. So lucky that was the night we chose to spend with friends drinking cocktails, slapping mozzies and seeing in the new year!!

Happy New Year!!  Hope 2011 is everything you want it to be!!