I'm on the Verge: Verge Travel Writing Contest Shortlist!

I'm on the shortlist for Verge's travel Writing Contest!

Link to my story Here!

http://www.vergemagazine.com/twominutetales/contest-writing-shortlist/543-shanghai-rides.html

Chinese bicycles, Beijing.

From my email this morning:

"This is a note to let you know that your article Shanghai Rides was selected for the shortlist in our writing contest. Congratulations! We received hundreds of submissions, and the competition was quite stiff, so this is quite an achievement."

Last June I entered a Two-Minute Travel Tales contest sponsored by Verge Magazine. I was allowed to enter three stories and luckily one of them, my story about my experiences riding a bicycle in Shanghai was chosen for the shortlist! I just got the news today!

DongTai Lu Bicycle and Bell, Shanghai.

However, I need your vote to win the grand prize of a thousand dollars. Sadly, with this kind of contest it's the person with the most reach that wins and not necessarily the best piece of writing. However, I'd still like to win it, and congratulations to the other short-listers for also reaching this stage of the game.

Here are a few photos and a very raw-footage video at the very end I found in my Mainland China Collection. Sadly, my hard drive crashed when I left China and I lost thousands of photos. But at least I have these ones!

Moving Shanghai Style!

This is Three-death Bicycle, when the ball bearings fell out of the front wheel.

Bicycle Fix it Guy.

I bet he's sitting out of the road right now, waiting for bikes as I write this an ocean away.

A typical sight of parked bikes in Shanghai. Seriously.

Bikes and Buddhas!

I just snapped this one off my hip as the man went riding by.

This photo was taken across the street from the school I worked at.

Even rain doesn't stop cyclists in Shanghai.

Cardboard collection recycling bike.

I've peddled in rain like this. Where the bottom foot is submerged in rain. It's not a particularly good idea to ride holding an umbrella in that much rain, but the Shanghai ladies fair well. I almost ended up in the drink when I tried it!

Typical Shanghai Intersection on a less busy road. Boy do I miss Shanghai now!

Thanks and wish me luck!

xxMelanie

Istanbul Eats! Photo Contest!

As some of you may know, I've been named as a weekly winner in the Istanbul Eats International Photo Competition, and now it's time for the public to vote! I am up against some stiff competition, but would love to win this photo contest! Voting is limited once per email address not per person. Please spread the word! Get your office to vote! Your mother! Your kids! Your limitless amount of friends! ; ) (Shameless promotion is now finished!)

From Istanbul Eats:

With the submission period now over, it’s time to choose the winners of our 2nd photo competition, which focused on portraits and images of people working in the food business. The Istanbul Eats editorial team is going to choose winners from among the finalists in both the Turkey and international images groups, but we also want to give our readers a chance to vote for their favorite photos.

To do that, we’ve set up two Flickr photostreams where you can see the finalists:

International Portraits-------This one!!!!!!!!
www.flickr.com/photos/istanbul_eats


Turkey Portraits - if you are interested!
www.flickr.com/photos/istanbuleats

After you’ve taken a look at the photos, decide which one you like best from each group and send your vote to istanbuleats3 [!at] gmail.com (please only vote once). Voting will be open for one week, so you have until Tuesday, May 18 to vote.We will announce the winners soon after.

My Photo: Click here to see it at Istanbul Eats!

This was taken in Shanghai a few years back. It was December 31st, and all of my friends were busy paying ridiculous prices to get into Expat bars they had been to every week of the year. I asked if anyone would like to go to Longua Temple with me to ring in New Year's Chinese style, but no one would come. So I got on my trusty bicycle and headed down myself.

This photo was one of the photos I took on the way out of the temple that night. No meat was sold inside the temple, but outside was a huge foodie night market free-for-all selling auspicious things Chinese people ought to eat for things like good luck, health and wealth and long life. These noodle soup makers were very good at making extremely long noodles, a symbol of long life. My Chinese friend Shirley told me they should be sucked up one at a time and eaten, not bitten, Otherwise your long life might be cut short!

For a complete view of the Chinese blog I wrote, you can go to this link at Commontales.

Thanks again, Istanbul eats!

xxMelanie

Favourite Photos: China!

Beijing is a great Chinese city.
Shanghai is a great city, which happens to be in China.

~Anonymous

Pudong, Shanghai, China. Any of you who know this skyline will know this is an old picture- with the amount of construction going on in Shanghai this skyline is completely different every six months.

Since I am away from my makeshift studio, I thought I would take the opportunity to post some of my favourite pictures from various places I've lived in my life. In honour of Expo 2010, I'll start with Shanghai and Beijing!

Sadly, My hard drive crashed and I lost a great deal of pictures of the three years I lived there. I still carry that hard drive with me, hoping I will one day find the right person to get that information out. (Here's hoping!) If I do, I'll have to repost my favourites!

I have a love hate relationship with China, particularly because the first three years of my living in Asia was spent living and working in Taipei, Taiwan. I remember one hot un-sleepable night where the power went out all over the island of Formosa. The reality was, that with a recent typhoon and an earthquake, a landslide had hit the main power station for the whole Island. We and everyone else in Taiwan worried that Mainland China was finally invading.

What's the difference between Shanghai and Taipei? Taipei looks traditionally Chinese, but is filled with Western-minded people; Shanghai looks Western with Chinese-minded people. I have been lucky enough to have lived in both places and won't choose a favourite here. I will say I did rather enjoy getting cheeky with my Shanghainese coworkers about living in the Republic of Taiwan though!

So in no particular order, or any particular reason, here are the photos I chose from Beijing and Shanghai. HangZhou and Suzhou to follow if I ever crack that hard drive.

Beijing Beggar, Houhai district.

Monks, Llama temple, Beijing. I was too shy to be seen taking a photo, so this one was off the hip.

Sleeping Girl and Father, Llama temple, Beijing. I love the Chinese. They can sleep anywhere. In Taiwan, people even slept on their parked scooters, and it wasn't unusual for a whole family to take up a couch at Starbuck's.

Shuhei in the playground, my favourite Japanese Student, Shanghai. We used to Sumo Wrestle on his mother's Iranian carpet, using the design as the game lines. I miss this little bugger. Who wouldn't?

Alex, My favourite Chinese/German Student at the Zoo, Shanghai. Alex and I both share a deep love for the Mini Cooper.

Ice Skater, Shanghai Ice Festival, a perk on a day where we took the kids on an ice festival field trip. I asked my coworker before, "Where are we going?" and all she replied was, "to show the children ice!" So here is some ice for you.

Chinese tourist, Fatty McButterpants, Forbidden City, Beijing

Pork Dumpling Makers (For Chinese New year, Year of the Pig) Yuyuan Gardens, Shanghai I am not a fan of pork, but I was a fan of these dumplings with a little soy sauce and ginger. Yum!

Dongtai Lu Junk Market Buddha, Shanghai. This was my shanti little screen saver for ages. Namaste.

Shanghai Bicycles and Old Men. And this is pretty much the look I got from old men all over the city, all the time. Loved them!

Back stage on Chinese New Year's, Longhua temple, Shanghai, one of my favourite photos, except I cut off his bottom foot. Bugs me to this day!

Chinese New Year's, Longhua temple, Shanghai, waiting to get on stage.

I admit somedays I really miss Shanghai, and I would really love a third crack at visiting Beijing and the Western Uighur Region.

Someday!

xxMelanie