So here’s a vague attempt of a comparison, alongside some
pics from my time out here so far.

As I said, at first glance many things do appear the same. 

Like the supermarkets

…until you wander to the back. Last time I was there, a fish tried to make a run for it and started flipping its way down aisle 3.

And the bicycles. They play a far greater role in everyday life out
here and, whilst structurally they look the same, Chinese bikes (and cyclists) can carry super-human
loads . Here’s a pic that my friend Adrian took:

Bikes are used to transport pretty much anything and everything out here, so it's always fun to see what's strapped on the back. Like this recently-deceased chicken.

The signs out here are almost the same – but it's the little mistakes that make me smile. This is outside the pool at my apartment, (which incidentally is a bit grotty.)

One of the
differences that I love about Shanghai, is the fact that pretty much anything
goes. Like shopping in your pyjamas.

Putting your dog in lace-up boots. This is Harold.

Or dying its ears orange, tail purple and popping it in a
leather corset.

Eating out is also a different experience. First
off, everything’s shared. Which is good, as it means you never get bored with
your dinner. Secondly, you’re not expected to eat everything on the table
(something I discovered a month too late). If it all gets eaten, it means the
host hasn’t looked after his/her guests adequately. And thirdly, apparently it’s
ok for waiters to clip their finger nails onto the restaurant floor. (That could be more a reflection on our choice of eatery.)

Comparing the London-Shanghai offices is a bit easier. 

We both look a bit like art galleries.

We’ve both got ayi's ('aunties'). This is our Shanghai Ayi. She
prepares Chinese breakfast for the agency every morning and keeps the kitchen
spick and span.  In London, we've got the lovely Adam.

We've both got pets. Kind of.

Neither of which should probably be in the office.

We’ve both got great meeting areas. This is the Shanghai ‘green’
– a hilly, carpeted space with a giant stuffed red dragon for reclining during agency meetings. (And the occasional lunch-time snooze.)

And then there are the things that will never change, no
matter what the continent or culture. Like Perkins and his way with the ladies. 

Penni finished with questions, and I've got a couple of my own. 

Why do old men take their caged canaries for walks in the park?

And why do people hang knickers outside their shops?

Here's what Penni had to say:

I have been in London
for a month. The weather is so
lovely which I didn’t expect at all. Sophie must also be surprised at how hot
it is now in Shanghai:36°C. Shanghai has entered summer! That’s the horrible
bit of Shanghai, especially a summer starts so early.

 So
far I haven’t got any cultural shock yet (using a hip term in Chinese ‘LEI’,
literally means thunder, but young generation uses it expressing being shocked). But my neighbour said probably I haven’t stayed here long enough. So I am
looking forward to the shocking bit. But
I do have some other things to talk about.

Something smaller

Portraits
are smaller than Shanghai’s, and are done by your own. (In Shanghai office, you
make a portrait for another colleague.)

Something green

You
see Ronny’s green head popping out everywhere (even in toilet room). Everytime
I print something color or single sided, I feel guilty and have the paranoid
that Ronny is critisizing me for not being eco-friendly. Ronny gave a bunch of
his green stickers, so I will take them to Shanghai and stick around.

Something wild

I went to the
Spitalfields city farm the other day. Watching chicken eat broccoli and pig sleep sound during noon break is a
special retreat during the day.

Something big

English
breakfast and fish and chips doen’t make me miss Chinese food, but makes me
worry if I will grow fat especially after seeing lots of lollipop ladies.

Something I used to hate

I hated Marmite so much
before I came to London but now I love it and have it almost everyday. Isn’t
that weird?

Something surprising

The importance of
boozing probably equals to that of eating in Shanghai (at least I feel).  I do realize how much more time I spend
on having a big lunch in Shanghai (not just eat, but also talk, gossip, socialize).

What surprises me most
is that so many people drink outside the pub. I am trying to study the
unwritten rules in British pubs when working on the guardian pub brief. One
learning is that I should not raise my voice to attract bartender’s attention,
while if next time you go to a local Chinese restaurant in China, do raise your
voice to get the busy staff to pay attention to you.

Of course, something makes me
realise that this is not Shanghai.

No Fight Club

There
is not fight club every Wednesday here (although I don’t participate in this
weekly boxing training on rooftop). But now I join Run Dem Crew at  Nike 1948 for a fun run every Tuesday
night, exploring different routes in London. For me, it’s a new way of doing
sight-seeing.

No Counterfeit DVDs

You can borrow DVDs in
London office, while in Shanghai you can buy counterfeit DVDs almost everywhere
(even right in front of the office building)

No Coffee Machine

Like Sophie mentioned to me, she loves the Shanghai office's coffee machine. We also have a vendor machine that you pay for (so there is no free
Coke or Nestea). Sophie, you are really sure you like the coffee? If you try espresso,
you will hate it right away. But that has nothing to do with the machine, but
with the coffee beans.

But I don’t really miss
the coffee machine in Shanghai because I drink at least three cups of English
tea everyday.

No Black room

In Shanghai office,
there is no green room, pink room, but there is a black room, right at the back
of my seat in Shanghai.

Anything else? Yes.

Birthday cake

We all
celebrate birthdays but the birthday cakes are different. BTW, the one the
right is Tom, our IT manager in Shanghai. 

Food Market:

Food
market (people called it ‘Cai Chang’ in China) is where you buy fresh
vegitable, fruit, or (live) animals everyday. The vegitable, fruit part looks
similar to markets in London, but the animal part is strikingly different
(maybe a bit scary? The photo on left is crocodile which I saw in a food market
in Nanning, a city in the south part of China)

Park

Parks
are beautiful in London and there are so many young people runing, having
picnic. While parks in Shanghai are more for mid-aged or old people to hang
out. Especially on a Saturday afternoon, parents all gather together, exchange
their kids’ CVs and look for partners for their son/daughter. 

Pig

I
heard that the price of pork has been dropping in China since swine flu spread. But
it seems that people still have good appetite for pork produce in London.

Town

I
went to Lewes with Liana, Scott and Cal two weeks ago. If you take a train or
bus for an hour in Shanghai, you will discover little town like the one shown
on the right.

Lastly, something I still don’t
know:

Can
I ask why there is music playing in the office ? Just out of curiosity.

In
Shanghai office, people love dialing 2008 (the number to broadcast in the
office over phone) and yelling (something like ‘It’s Friday’) or some nostalgias piano music coming out from nowhere.

How can I switch on/off
light in the office? Is it automatic?

What is this? Chilli or
sausage?