Leehom的上海演唱會上週六圓滿落幕了…Angela, David和Joyce召集了來自上海、香港、台灣的朋友，一行浩浩蕩蕩二十個人一起來支持力宏的演唱會和我的上海初登場，真是感動… 八萬人體育場真是不同凡響的大，但我怕後頭的朋友們可能只能看見舞台上的小黑影，不過我相信演唱會的live熱力一定有忠實的傳達給現場的每一個人。

這次的上海行讓我真正感受到出門靠朋友的重要性。Thanks to my friends-Liza, Bella, Leslie, Gary and the aforementioned Angela, David and Joyce-I got to see shanghai’s various faces . Within a mere three days, i had my first F1 experience (thanks to Kewei from Leehom concert), explored 新天地/the bund/城隍廟/田子坊, tried authentic shanghai cuisines, dined at local favorites and expat hangouts, done soothing massages, got my qipao made, savored quality cocktails by the shanghai arts museum.
And I did all this without having done any research beforehand. I knew nothing about Shanghai before and now I can say I have a rough understanding about what this massive city is like. Yes, massive is exactly how I would describe this place… Traveling from one place to another may not cost you a fortune since cab fares are relatively low but it will sure cost you some valuable time because the mere distance between one tourist spot to another can easily mean half an hour on the highway, sometimes plus another half an hour if you get trapped in the traffic.

Everything in SHG just seems a bit (or in some cases a lot) bigger or grander or on a larger scale than it is in Taipei. If you think some parts of Taipei is run-down or crowded, then Shanghai can definitely top Taipei in those respects. But Shanghai also has more impressive skyscrapers, luxurious restaurants, and stadiums that hold tens of thousands of people. The juxtaposition of the old and the new in the city is particularly striking to me. I had my qipao made within less than one day, but wearing the qipao now doesn’t seem to evoke any nostalgia of the era as depicted in 『lust, caution』 or 『In the mood for love,』 but instead becomes a parody of an exotic oriental image… Still digesting all the cultural input I received on the trip, I do hope I get another chance to see Shanghai after it’s finished with the world expo makeover.