That's All, Folks!

My photoblog project is now done, so now my pictures will be part of regular photography and photo albums for the forseeable future. The the last entry, from 7/16/10 (I didn't post until now because I needed to return to Oxford to recharge my camera's battery) features three of my Somerville math students and me at the World Expo in Shanghai. And I think that it is absolutely awesome that I was able to hang out with 3 of my students in their home country of China! (One of them is actually from Shanghai, and she showed me around the "Ancient Town") near her parents' home.

I'll write more about the Expo later---maybe tonight. I also have a couple more Shanghai tidbits to share that I didn't get a chance to blog about for the past few days (because I was tired from doing them!).

The total number of photoblog entries was 367, so I went just beyond the promised 1 year. I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did!

Regularity

The people who work at the coffee place (near the SJTU campus) where I've been going know me now. They know what I usually order and that I want a receipt (and there is the potential for confusion every time I ask for a receipt at a new place). It's a small thing, but they also gave me a notepad with their name/logo on it when I was leaving today. (I think that one of the girls behind the counter remembered that I was eyeing it curiously one of the times I was in there.) People were also playing Uno today, and seeing the Go set and other games there makes me want to get my Go Moku skills back, go back to trying to learn Go, etc. The place is pretty cool, but I do wish that their coffee drinks had more caffeine in them and that their cold drinks were colder (say, with actual ice in it). Still, I like the place, and I have only seen coffee chains where I can get truly cold drinks or blended coffee drinks in the downtown areas. And the people who work there do seem very nice, even though we can't understand each other. (Maybe that helps? :) )

Also, I bought my first souvenir today (not include the pictures I have taken and my memories, of course). In fact, I don't normally buy souvenirs at all even when I travel to interesting places. I was rather utilitarian, though, as I got a carrying case for my ping pong paddle---which is something I had been meaning to buy for several years. I did consider buying a nice stuffed octopus yesterday, and I will likely buy either a stuffed animal or something artistic at some point. Maybe when I go back to Nanjing Road (which is a ridiculously huge shopping area)?

Blue Eyes

Blue eyes and an American accent will apparently get one pretty far in some parts of town.