http://www.miss-brightside.com Saying hi from Shanghai... Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:26:50 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en When never-ending exam timetables and full-time work starts to descend upon your life, it’s no surprise that creative hobbies like drawing and painting become the least of your worries. After coming in from work at about 7pm every day, all I often feel like doing is having dinner, watching TV ... http://www.miss-brightside.com/musings/lost-that-creativity-spark/ A train ride lasting little more than two hours takes you from Shanghai into the city of Nanjing. Despite my belated start (got drunk night before and so missed the train that my friends took!) I made it into Nanjing Train Station at around 4pm. I was pleasantly surprised ... http://www.miss-brightside.com/china/a-weekend-in-nanjing-early-november/ Want to be a famous hipster in this day and age? No worries, all you need is a famous mother/father/sister/brother/boyfriend!! it seems that these days there's a fast-track to notoriety and adulation in the tabloids and glossy magazines. Countless young starlets who grace the covers of Nylon, Dazed & Confused ... http://www.miss-brightside.com/celebrity/celebrity-nepotism/ Thanks to the Chinese National Holiday at the beginning of October, I managed to escape the bustling metropolis for the first time since I arrived at the end of July. Xi Tang My first trip involved hopping on a train to the tranquil water-town of Xi tang. For just 13 kuai we ... http://www.miss-brightside.com/china/october-travels/ Before I arrived in Shanghai, it struck me that there would probably be a slight difference between Western fashion trends and those in China. These days it is hard to pinpoint geographical distinctions in trends... what people wear in London for example is just as varied as what people wear ... http://www.miss-brightside.com/china/shanghai-style/ While browsing some blogs recently I came across some runway photos, and although I wouldn't say I'm an avid watcher of the high-end designers (partly due to my inability to ever purchase their items!), yet I've got to admit I'm slowly being sucked into the excitement and suspense of watching ... http://www.miss-brightside.com/fashion/2009-spring-fashion-shows/ + SHELTER After descending down the steep stairs and dropping off your 50RMB, a dark tunnel will lead you to one of the only true alternative nightclubs in Shanghai... The crowd can be quite hit or miss depending on what night you go (one night it will be dead and the ... http://www.miss-brightside.com/china/my-rundown-of-places-in-shanghai/ If you haven’t been to this festival yet I urge you to buy some tickets for next year’s. Despite sleeping in a waterlogged tent (due to a combination of a cheap tent and one night of intense rain!), each morning I woke up eager to explore as much ... http://www.miss-brightside.com/places-ive-been/glastonbury/ Before I came out to China, I made a list of some of my main concerns.. after all moving to a place where you dont know the language, know absolutely nobody and have barely any money, there's bound to be a few! I read through them again the other day, ... http://www.miss-brightside.com/china/before-i-arrived-and-after/ Alesha Dixon of Mis-Teeq fame’s documentary about the perils of retouching in the media and its influence on contemporary perceptions of beauty aired as part of BBC3’s Beauty Season this Monday. Her persistence in investigating the increasingly narrow ‘acceptable’ norms of ideal female beauty highlighted just how artificial the images ... http://www.miss-brightside.com/beauty/look-but-dont-touch/