[My Weekender] with Shane Benis

Trophy weekends with Shane Benis - Jul 11, 08

Shane is a young entrepreneur who came to Shanghai to expand his family's commodities business amongst numerous other things, including media and marketing for the Shanghai Hairy Crab Rugby Club.

I regularly get asked the question: "What you doing this weekend, mate?"

And it takes me a few minutes to think... "Shite, what did I do last weekend?"

Our apartment is littered with trophies from random and crazy nights, for instance: on my office desk there's a multi colored wig, an afro, bra, angel wings, Matsume's tights, and a business card of some lady who sells vibrators (and this is supposed to be where I work).

Shanghai weekends are blurry... I go out so much you'd think it was my job, different pieces from different nights all get blended together. There isn't a structure to my "typical weekend" -- it starts Thursday (guaranteed), I'll hobble down to Scotty's studio and get a few hours boxing in, then head home for a bite to eat, a refreshment or two, and planning where exactly we're going to terrorize that night.

Planning on the phone sounds like this:

Me: Get your shoes on son, we're going out.

David: Ah I dunnooooo you knooooow, I'm struggling after the last two nights... but where were you thinking? I might be tempted...

Me: Let's go to the Cotton Club, have some JD's and listen to some good music.

David: Hmmm, I'm ON IT, but let's go Racks first and do some tequila. Yeah that sounds good, meet you downstairs at 10 -- oh, and Chapin's not coming because he's got another blood clot.

We end up missing my nice evening listening to jazz, and going to places like Honey, MAO, and Laris and all I end up doing is making sure it's a tamer night than last week, where we almost died cab surfing. I'll go home around 2 pretty tired, while David shoots off into the night creating situations and stories which I'll hear all about on the phone Friday lunch time:

David: Bro, I'm in pain!

Me: What the f***! You still in bed Ghani?!

David: Yeaaaah man, hung over and in a random house, and went to Dragon agaaaain... *explicit content*...

Me: You did WHAT!? Don't you work?

David: This is my job bro, this is my job.

Maybe I should consider a career change.

Anyways, back to the rest of the weekend. Muse, Sugar, MAO, Lounge 18, Shelter, Velvet, Volar are usual haunts. Yes, shoot me for not being original. A good mix of music, friends and intoxicants turns me into a party animal! I rate Racks as being a quality place for a night with the boys. The Cotton Club, Labella café, JZ Club and Kommune are awesome places to kick back and chat with friends when I don't fancy venturing to clubs. Big Bamboo or The Blarney when rugby's on.

The weekend is always good to spend time cooking... long and detailed meals, followed by couch time and DVDs. I'm lucky to have some really good people as friends in Shanghai, so I try make time to see them all. "Big" Kash, David, Dean, Hien, Arnaud my giant French bodyguard, and numerous others are regular night owls you'll see me bopping around with. My idea of a good weekend is to not think about work, meet new people, and try go to different places or do different things. Bottom line -- enjoy myself!

The rugby season's finished, but the pool parties are back and I plan on making it to a few of them -- sun, friends, music, champagne, and bikinis around water always put a big smile on my face!

Shane x

P.s. Call 15000909814 Kash for a good time.

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