CD Giveaway: In Vogue Collections
Posted on December 31, 2007
This week's CD Giveaway -- the latest release from "In Vogue Collections" -- occupies the more mature end of the electronica spectrum, and serves up downtempo, jazz-influenced electronic tracks and mixes. The press release pegs this compilation at a murky "border between coldness and hotness" and at "the convergence of restraint and looseness." Wherever that may be. Said press release goes on to state that "these songs make us relax our resistance gradually and dance unlimitedly while we are thrilled by the cold and energetic coolness emitted from the strong beats!"read more here
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Year of the Soft Sell
Posted on December 28, 2007
In 2007, SmartShanghai posted 1,560 events in the Upcoming Events section of the Web site, give or take a few. This afternoon I went though all the flyers from those events and what follows is my purely subjective list of the best of the bunch. It was hard to narrow it down to a nice even number like ten, so I came close with 11 fav's. Obviously the list reflects my own bias against press package photos of DJs wearing sunglasses, with a bunch of lasers photoshopped in and chicks in bikinis.click here to view the list
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The Taming of the Packrat
Posted on December 27, 2007
Clutter does not befit apartment living. Messy houses have more space for the stuff—vistas of floorspace help break up those piles 'o papers and knick knacks. In apartments, a messy...Filed Under Apartment Living | Comments Off
Is It Safe to Give the Landlord Your SSN?
Posted on December 27, 2007
Many landlords run credit checks before approving a tenant. This makes sense, since they want to have an idea of whether the tenant pays bills on time. But how safe...Filed Under Apartment Living | Comments Off
Keep Your Houseplants Alive—Even When You Get No Direct Sunlight
Posted on December 26, 2007
The windows of my first apartment faced a courtyard nestled between tall apartment buildings. Needless to say, this didn't bode well for my circadian rhythm or for my houseplants. If...Filed Under Apartment Living | Comments Off
Rental Roundtable: Landlord Responsible for Nuisance Tenants
Posted on December 24, 2007
Ah, so the column that I thought was from the Washington Post, is actually a column that's also published in several newspapers. Here's this week's Rental Roundtable, from the San...Filed Under Apartment Living | Comments Off
A Very Shanghers Christmas
Posted on December 23, 2007
A very wise TV show once taught me the true meaning of Christmas. It's not about getting presents. It's not about Christmas trees and decorations, candy or Christmas cards stuffed with bills from near dead relations. Christmas is all about one thing: getting drunk and stoned with your family and friends. That's it. That's all it is. A very simple idea that sometimes we forget in our hectic lives. So this holiday season, try to remember what counts: burning one down with some buddies or relatives and getting blotto with those closest to you.Shanghai Christmas parties here
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Apartment Life: Busted Radiators
Posted on December 22, 2007
The Apartment Life column from the Washington Post answers tenants' questions. This week's column: If Landlord Doesn't Fix Radiator, Turn Up the Heat by Going to the County. What do...Filed Under Apartment Living | Comments Off
[My Weekender] with David Flumenbaum
Posted on December 20, 2007
David works as a mid-level functionary for a global software giant in Shanghai. He is also the creator and writer of the Shanghai-based blog Flumesday.com.I don't really plan on leaving my house this weekend. Ever since the new Sherpa's menu book arrived in my mailbox a few weeks back, I've lost the urge to do anything in Shanghai.
Sure I go out sometimes. I go to All Days quite a bit. I also go to the Bank of China when I need money to pay the Sherpa's guy. I go to my local DVD store. And I also go to work. Just not on the weekends.
Some people might think this is cause for alarm. Every weekend I get four or five calls from friends who are "concerned" and tell me if I don't leave the house and go to someplace like the swanky, yet warm "Velvet Lounge," that they are going to come knock my door down or organize an intervention or something. I also had a co-worker tell me it wasn't "healthy" to spend 60 consecutive hours on my sofa. Right after I asked her if she knew how awesome "The Wire" was, I asked her whether she thought it was healthy to spend six hours in a cloud of cigarette smoke at The Shelter dancing to the sickest ear-bleeding Detroit techno Shanghai has ever witnessed.
I mean to each his own, right? Some people like to go to events. And others like to call up Sherpas and find out whether restaurants are within the three kilometer zone in which one needn't pay the 30rmb delivery fee. Who knew that Tapas Bar, the delicious Spanish-style restaurant on Maoming Lu, was more than 3 kilometers from Xujiahui? Or that the Simply Thai on Dongping Lu, to me the most authentic of their four restaurants, was within 3-kilometers of Xujiahui? You don't learn these things when you're off dancing and prancing around the Bund.
more of Dave's weekend here
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Help! My Furniture Won’t Fit in the New Apartment
Posted on December 19, 2007
As if moving wasn't stressful enough, there's the task of getting rid of old furniture, extraneous furniture, and furniture that won't fit the new digs. There are a host of...Filed Under Apartment Living | Comments Off