ShanghaiDaily Headlines Widget

Update (2006/08/24)
Things get better and better! Without submitting my little Dashboard widget to the following sites, I get thank you emails over at my mailbox. MacUpdate has added my widget to their site and woah! 104 downloads to date! I also received a congratulatory email from Softpedia stating that my widget's won an award! My widget now wears the following badge:

I'm also happy that Apple has added my little widget to their list of news widgets (125 to date).

It's a little amazing to note that with so many things going on around the world, there are only 125 news widgets listed over at Apple. Perhaps this is an inspiration. As one of my former students (who's now in Germany studying Deutch and having the time of his life while on vacation, before going back to reality doing Int'l Economics in Switzerland) said, "doesnt it feel good to contribute back to the pool of innovation?" Indeed it does! :-)

Update (2006/08/20): The ShanghaiDaily Dashboard Widget made it to the front page of DashboardWidgets.com! Below is a screenshot. Download links have been linked to the download page of DashboardWidgets.com. :-)

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I've been looking for some well-designed, local Dashboard widget that relates to Shanghai but so far, I haven't seen any that I find useful.

Thus, I'm tremendously proud and happy to announce the availability of The ShanghaiDaily Headlines Dashboard Widget!

Download Now!

I was originally planning to create a Dashboard widget for SmartShanghai. However, it seems that I'll have to postpone that for the next installment as SmartShanghai's RDF definition is more complicated than what I expected. I was then contemplating on using ShanghaiExpat's RSS feed but it seems to be pretty unstable as well. Rambling in my thoughts as to which Shanghai-centric site might have a good RSS feed, ShanghaiDaily.com seemed like a great feed source to suck data from!




I have indeed not been disappointed! Quality news and views -- English window to China news as they term it!

The ShanghaiDaily site provides a web alternative to the paper edition.

More info about Shanghai Daily from Wikipedia ...

The Shanghai Daily is one of the English-language newspaper in Mainland China, started in October 1999. Its primary audience is visiting foreigners, mainly overseas investors and tourists.

The paper reports the economic, social, cultural and diplomatic development in Shanghai and the vicinity. It aims to give its readers a positive impression of the government policies, economy, and culture in the region.

Download your copy of The ShanghaiDaily Headlines Dashboard Widget today!

On Discrimination

If I stated that I've faced a number of discriminatory events here in Shanghai, people wouldn't believe me -- until they experience it first-hand.

While Shanghai might be a fantastic place to be, I've been discriminated against, especially in employment. The local Chinese seem to follow a certain heirarchy ... that is, Whites > other East Asians (Japanese, HKnese, Taiwanese, Koreans) > other Asians (Filipinos, Malaysians, Singaporeans, etc) > local Chinese > Blacks. For whites, they don't even distinguish if you're European, American, etc. As long as you have a non-Asian face and you're not Black, then you're considered a "white." It's crazy -- imagine a French guy with a strong French accent teaching English to local Chinese, just because he's white.

From reading the forums over at ShanghaiExpat, "white" people are being paid 5 to 6 times compared to other foreigners but are Asians. Locals are being paid dirt cheap as well. In my previous job at an interior design firm, I had an assistant who was being paid RMB 700/mo. I guess this is what "oh, it's so cheap in China" means!

Moreover, I know of certain companies who would have this kind of a scenario ... there's an open position in the company and there were two people competing for the position. One is a Malaysian who had a masters in architecture, a very impressive portfolio and extensive quality work experience. The other, a Scottish dude who has no university degree, a crappy portfolio and no work experience. Guess who got the job? And, guess how much this dude was being paid.

On another note, I responded to an ad of a language learning center for teaching English. English, being one of the official languages in the Philippines, is considered one of my native languages. Fudge, even this blog is in English! So, I called this so-called educational institution trying to explore possibilities (this was in April). They were so excited upon hearing me on the phone. They said, and I quote, "come come we need Engrish teachers!" I then go to the center and the moment I step into the door, they tell me, "we're sorry, we can't have you because you're not white." An example of this ad is as follows ...



Take note, they want a picture and that they want people only from those countries. There are so many others like it.

On another note, at several interviews, I've been told that I can only have this much salary because of my age. I mean, WTF? As far as I can recall, compensation must be comparable to the individual's education, experience and skills. Not age.

I wonder if the United Nations can do something about this basic human right.

As my tukayo would state ...

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

Being home away from home.

Perhaps this blog could serve as a backtrack of what has transpired so far in my life. Not that it's interesting but it might be good. I'll try to provide useful links as well in each post.

The sculpture set above may be found at the main entrance of the Shanghai Art Museum (上海美术馆). It basically depicts the current state of China -- moving forward but still grounded to the time of Mao. Only in China would you see bystanders who are dressed in coat and tie, but squatting while waiting.

Despite these interesting cultural differences, I still feel home away from home. Shanghai seems to be my second home. As mentioned in my previous post, I just love the dynamism and the international aspect of Shanghai. Further, I need not expound of the fantastic architecture around the city -- a number of which, reflect a Jesuit (耶稣会) hand before the Cultural Revolution. For instance, all around Xujiahui (徐家汇), one is able to find multiple structures erected by the Jesuits. Constructed in the 19th-century, the most magnificent of the structures is the St. Ignatius Cathedral or now known as the Xujiahui Cathedral (徐家汇天主教教堂). Beside the cathedral is the Bishop's Residence. It must be noted that Bishop Aloysius Jin (金魯賢) is actually a Jesuit.




The cathedral's interior actually reminds me of San Sebastian Church in the Legarda/Mendiola area in Manila. However, what I found amazing was the integration of the flat panel displays on the posts of the cathedral. Indeed, the Jesuits, the Church, has never faltered to use the best in order to spread the Word.

Next to the Bishop's residence is the Shanghai Library Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei (上海图书馆徐家汇藏书), formerly known as the Jesuit Library. Just imagine the amount of information that may be found in a library such as this.




Right behind the Cathedral is Xuhui High School (徐汇中学). Formerly known as Guangqi High School (光启高中), it bears the same name as the former official and current Chinese name of Xavier School (光啓學校 -- Kuang Chi School). Why, then, Kuang Ch'i?

Xu Guangqi (徐光启), a scholar and the minister of rites during the Ming Dynasty was the primary architect of Christianity in China. Together with his close friend Italian Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci, they propagated the faith while dwelling on science and engineering. Being a Shanghainese, Guangqi is honored here in Shanghai and finds his home at Xujiahui. There's even a Guangqi Park along Nandan Lu right outside Exit 1 of the Xujiahui Subway Station. (Photo Album)

It feels great to be part of this family!

First post. Again.

It's been a while since I last blogged. I reckon that now I'll have the time to actually write something about my little adventures (or misadventures) in a foreign land. It actually feels great to be blogging again since I'm assured that some, if not all, of the things, I post here would not fall upon deaf ears.

This is basically where I live now -- the majestic, scenic, internationally-acclaimed, super-fast Shanghai (中国上海市). Here is Nanjing East Road smacked right in the middle of Shanghai's bustling commercial district (黄浦区), and on one side of People's Square (人民广场).



While Nanjing Road reflects the multi-century entrepreneurial spirit of China, Shanghai has always been a fast-changing and dynamic city. While hustles and bustles loom this side of the city, there are serious businesses going on on the other side of the Huang Pu River (黄浦江). It doesn't take a genius to notice the stark contrast between the elder side of Shanghai called Puxi (浦西 -- west of the Huang Pu River), and Pudong (浦东 -- east of the Huang Pu River).

The most defining of all would be the Bund (外滩) facing Lujiazui (陆家嘴), Shanghai's current financial center. The Bund is a stretch of old buildings bearing pre-WWII architecture, whereas Lujiazui is a high-rise zone. With 88 floors and measuring 421 meters, Jing Mao Tower (金茂大厦), the tallest tower in China and 5th tallest in the world, is located in Lujiazui. Interestingly, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, the architectural firm commissioned for the tower, designed it in such a way that it looks like a pagoda.

Scatterred in Lujiazui are the Pudong Shangri-La (上海浦东香格里拉大酒店), Citigroup Tower (花旗银行), HSBC Tower (汇丰银行), Superbrand Mall (正大广场), among others. The list just goes on and on and on.





Indeed, I continue to hope and pray that I must be somewhere right.