夜，上海

Weather: Light rain shower
Temperature: 27°

Tonight is my last night in Shanghai. Tomorrow morning at 11.00am, I will be flying alone to Beijing and start my new adventure. There will be someone waiting for me in Beijing International Airport and I will be brought straight to my first interview in Beijing. My interviews in Beijing are lined up 3 days straight and on Thursday evening I will be coming back to Malaysia.

After 2 solid weeks in Shanghai, it's hard to say good bye to Shanghai. It's harder to say good bye to my good friend Bom. I guess he will miss me more than I will miss him. I am going back to meet my family, my friends, my country but he will be left alone here. Of course he will have his own programs, friends and activities, but it is always better to have a good friend around. He really hopes I could find a job here in Shanghai. Since we were still in high school we had this dream of both of us staying near each other in the future. "We will buy house next to each other and we can be neighbours." Now we are just a few steps from realizing our dream.

Shanghai, these 2 weeks I have known you better. Things about you are no longer myth. I have roamed this city from east to west; from north to south. I have gathered enough facts to decide whether this city is worth living in.

I have written the good things and bad things about Shanghai. But the conclusion I am going to make before I sign off is: I started to love Shanghai.

I hated the hot weather. It was around 40 degree for the past 3 days and the humidity was making breathing difficult. But Summer will go and Fall will come. By then, the weather of Genting could be enjoyed here for months.

When I walked on the streets of Shanghai, I could feel the sincerity and commitment of the Town Council in wanting to make this city a better place. "The way they drive here is exactly like Malaysia in the 80s" said one of Bom's friend who is a Malaysian. Be fair to the Shanghainese, give them some time.

The story I wrote about the cab driver on my first day in Shanghai, I was being unfair. It was just an isolated case. I must apologize to the cab drivers in general. Our Malaysian's counterpart could not really compare to them. Here, they only start the meter running AFTER the destination is made clear. You need not insist on using the meter (like the common thing you do in Malaysia) as NOT using the meter is unimaginable. I often take taxi in Shanghai. Not even once was I cheated or was I rudely treated. In Malaysia, sometimes you will notice that the photo on the cab driver's license and the driver are totally 2 different persons! Salute to the cab drivers in Shanghai! Keep up the good work.

As I am writing this article, I am appreciating the night view of Shanghai through the window next to my bed. It is a beautiful view. And I am listening to the song 你把我灌醉. How appropriate! Shanghai, looking at you at night from 10th floor window, really make me drunk.

Right now, I am not sure whether I will come back to Shanghai in the foreseeable future. Future is filled with uncertainties. Man proposes, God disposes.

It's a pleasure knowing you, Shanghai. When we meet again, I will write a song specially dedicated to you.