Random Shanghai Thoughts

Some observations from walking out and about in town in Shanghai:

• The fashion of 'collars up' is alive and well in Shanghai. It's something that I thought was reserved for 'tools', but it seems the norm here, complete with fashion logos displayed underneath the polo collar which would otherwise be hidden without it 'popped' up.
  
• His and hers t-shirts which is obviously a display of deep affection between a couple are worn with pride - Something I don't think would take off in my hometown. Imagine a guy wearing a lime cuddly little bear t-shirt matching his girlfriend's. I suspect in Australia, that guy wouldn't last too long before the heckling provided some not-so-subtle fashion advice.
  
• I finally experienced the enormous crush of the subway, where the train stopped shortly after cramming a few people in telling everyone to exit due to a fault. The peak hour train then proceeded to try and enter the next train which was already full to capacity. Needless to say, it was one of the most uncomfortable experiences I had with enough male buttocks and underarms to last a lifetime. Thank goodness it was the IT district where skinny nerds were more prevalent than overweight corporate fatsos - Ok I'm exaggerating the stereotype here...
• Thinking you're at home - On a busy train on the way home from work, a guy, standing in full view of everyone, had his hand half way up is nose, trying to excavate something or reach into his brain. Without a worry in the world, he carefully inspected what had come out, whilst going on to repeat the effort on the other nostril. This went on for at least 5 minutes, fascinating me in the meantime. Perhaps this does nothing to disprove the IT nerdy stereotype with no social skills?
• The great divide - I'll expand on this in a later post, but the extremities between those that can and cannot afford things is without doubt something that a number of countries I've visited face. Seeing people work day in and out to make a living from a few yuan, or sleeping in 24 atms to get away from the heat, while another luxurious hotel or designer label pops up down the road.