The night from Thursday to Friday just enough snow fell to put Beijing under a pretty icing. When I walk through the white side streets on Friday morning to the airport train station, I already guessed that my flight from Beijing to Shanghai might be delayed. It was pretty much so, by standing more than four hours on the tarmac waiting for take off. I was supposed to chair the Master Defense Committee (I personally like the term "Disputation" better) of the Tongji-Mannheim University EMBA. I arrived a bit delayed, but still could do 2/3 of what was planned. Two years ago I helped starting this programme from scratch and now I was even a bit proud seeing "my students" taking the last step before their graduation ceremony. Shanghai is still quite mild, compared with Beijing, and though it was raining along the two days, the weather felt quite comfortable. This trip to Shanghai I enjoyed, meeting people I never met before, with the only purpose to get to know them - strolling though the roads close to the Bund and the French concession. I also wanted to buy a few things, but I found that it is really hard to find anything nice in Shanghai - so it is the same like in Beijing. Somehow, I do not comprehend the science of shopping too well. And I find it amazing to see all these fixed assets in retail in Chinese cities, which are full of goods, and I can not even find a good pair of socks, not to speak about anything else. The best option really seems to buy most things online and just go for food to the wet market. Never mind, as shopping was not my purpose spending the weekend in Shanghai. Then the flight back to Beijing was also delayed - just two hours, but it still meant arrival home after midnight.