Thanks. Tiger, I'll remember this thread and take you up on your word in about a month or two :) Take-over is in the beginning of April so we'll spend the next couple of months trying to scrape some cash together first.

I'm gonna semi-hijack this thread for a bit: We're getting a new apartment in a few months -the empty, bare concrete shell kind- and we've begun looking at how much it would cost to do it up. Do any of you guys who've been through the same have a rough estimate on how much, say, a bathroom or a kitchen should be budgeted at? We're probably aiming for the regular not-too-shabby-but-not-exactly-luxury approach. For reference, it's a standard 131 sqm, 3 bedroom, 2 bathrooms, 2 balconies deal. Anything really would help, I've had people tell me it can be done for 8 wan and others who refuse to believe it's doable for less than 30, so yeah, rather confusing.

Buffet places in China often have sizeable discounts in the form of VIP cards where you have to buy 10,20 or more tickets. Many "5" star hotels offer this. We usually buy a stack every month at either a nice hotel restaurant nearby: normal price 138, 20 tickets for 998 but they have to be used within a month or at the local golf club 998 for 15, same 30 days deal. Either way, if you go to any place and get 2 meat and 3 veggie dishes, it's often 100 yuan or more. Here you get better quality, nice surroundings, 40-50 dishes to shovel from as well as juice/soft drinks/beer included as well as cakes/pastries and ice cream. It's really a no-brainer if you can find a good place with a decent discount system.

@Arabic:

",,there are not any Muslim missionaries in China at all. Never happened and will never."

Sorry, but that's an outright lie or at least extremely naive thinking.

@Ocean:

"If you genuinely believe that God has called you to witness to folk who would otherwise end up in an eternity in Hell, then technicalities such as legality, how you obtain a visa and how you attract individuals with whom you can share your faith are not critical issues. You do what you have to, to save souls."

Sounds like a plausible excuse for Islamic terrorists as well. I know what you're trying to say, I just don't buy into the basic reasoning as being objectively acceptable. That said, as a committed anti-theist, I never back down from a good discussion :)