Choking....

The air here is so bad the last couple days.... Makes my "walk about" have a new meaning. "Lungs fill with crap". Constructions, exhaust fumes, crap blowing in from outlining factories. All those nice particles are being brought in by the weather system. Have not seen blue sky. Just hayish gray. Yesterday we were walking and my iron-wife asked what's that in the air. Right. Smog.

Now Shanghai has moved ahead of HK in the most expansive city to live, I wonder what other "honor lists" it will be on. Just hope the Western Media is not going to give Shanghai the "smog news" treatment as when Beijing was hosting the Olympics.

Moving? Hmmm... Rental is quite high. Artificially controlled by the stimulus pac. Same with the real estate. People are buying because they believe stock market is losing steam and risky. Real estate, not. So piling cash into apartments. Dropping in price, nope. But where the heck do people get all these money from? By my calculation, if we follow every single rules and taxes paid as well as the annual salary and cost of living adjustment, there is no bloody way! The only way I am thinking "buying" is possible are: (1) local bank loans - bad debts to the hill, (2) cash from families and relatives, RMB 20,000 here and RMB 20,000 there...., (3) virtual cash from some numbers in thin air and was accepted, (4) really don't know. Throw out the traditional logical analysis. You just can't.