If you have knowledge on China geography, you would wonder if there is something wrong in the title of this post.
Changsha and Wuhan are in fact very close to each other. Per our client in Changsha, there was a train from Changsha to Wuhan which only takes 2.5 hours, but I dunno why, our secretary has booked flight tickets for us. The flight tickets are not direct flight from Changsha to Wuhan. We have to fly from Changsha to Nanjing and then from Nanjing to Wuhan.
We left Changsha client office at 1:30pm and then after 2 flights and land transport, we finally arrived at the hotel in Wuhan at 10:30pm. A total of 9 hours were incurred, and we wasted 6.5 hours which we can use them for work or going outside. Really thanks for the secretary.
Although we arrived so late, we went out because we were very very hungry. Luckily a cafe nearly was still opened and we could have our dinner there at 11pm. In fact we have already eaten some noodles in the Nanjing airport during out 3 hours of waits inside the Nanjing airport. We had to wait for 3 hours after arrived at Nanjing for the flight to Wuhan and luckily there is a cafe which has free internet connection so that we could spend our time there.
But the food in this Nanjing airport cafe is very expensive. I ordered a simple beef noodles set (with no drinks but only have peanuts and other snacks which would make you very thirsty) and it costs RMB65!!! How can you imagine that a bowl of noodles can sell RMB65??? It is even more expensive than HK. But no other method, we have to choose it for having the internet connection and spend our time.
So, I highly recommend my friends tro remember the following 2 points:
1. There is 2.5 hours train from Changsha to Wuhan.
2. Nanjing airport food price is killing people, be prepared.
11/22/2007
11/20/2007
133: Third day at Changsha
We have stayed in Changsha for 3 days and work progress is satisfactory, but we gotta keep churring client on matters outstanding from them.
Today client did not being us for lunch so we had to choose ourselves. We went to a noodles restaurant nearby and it was very crowded but we managed to find 2 seats. I ordered a 砂鍋紅薯粉 and it is very spicy but delicious. I was sweating when I was eating the noodles. Yummy~~
Tonight we also went out for dinner and we went to a western restaurant. Food is ok but the funniest thing is that there was a singer there. The singer was a young man and he sat on the stage singing with a guitar. He sang very well and his voice is very similar to Jay Chow. Really surprised to see such a good singer in Changsha.
After dinner, we went back to hotel and worked. We went out again to Soho Bar and there were more people than last night. We finally realised that today was the 3rd Anniversary of Soho Bar so there were lots of people celebrating. There were more singers performing than last night and the atmosphere was super high! And the lady singing songs of A-Mei and Elva Siu also performed on stage tonight. There was than a lucky draw and prizes are Chivas 12 and other wines. The MC was very funny and made the people very excited. For me, it was more funny that the MC can also sing, as he made his performance about an hour later. All in all, we are really lucky to take part in the 3rd Anniversary!
Tomorrow we have to leave Changsha and go to Wuhan. I would recommend my friends that Changsha is such a good place to eat and play.
Today client did not being us for lunch so we had to choose ourselves. We went to a noodles restaurant nearby and it was very crowded but we managed to find 2 seats. I ordered a 砂鍋紅薯粉 and it is very spicy but delicious. I was sweating when I was eating the noodles. Yummy~~
Tonight we also went out for dinner and we went to a western restaurant. Food is ok but the funniest thing is that there was a singer there. The singer was a young man and he sat on the stage singing with a guitar. He sang very well and his voice is very similar to Jay Chow. Really surprised to see such a good singer in Changsha.
After dinner, we went back to hotel and worked. We went out again to Soho Bar and there were more people than last night. We finally realised that today was the 3rd Anniversary of Soho Bar so there were lots of people celebrating. There were more singers performing than last night and the atmosphere was super high! And the lady singing songs of A-Mei and Elva Siu also performed on stage tonight. There was than a lucky draw and prizes are Chivas 12 and other wines. The MC was very funny and made the people very excited. For me, it was more funny that the MC can also sing, as he made his performance about an hour later. All in all, we are really lucky to take part in the 3rd Anniversary!
Tomorrow we have to leave Changsha and go to Wuhan. I would recommend my friends that Changsha is such a good place to eat and play.
11/19/2007
132: Second day at Changsha
Today is our first day to client's office. When we arrived at their office, the Finance Manager asked us why we carry all luggage. We said the hotel we lived in yesterday is not very good, has some strange smell in the room and has unstable internet connection. We requested her to change another hotel for us and book 2 single rooms as we both need to use internet connection. In fact, hoping to have a single room is our main reason. Living a single room has more privacy and can sleep at any time.
We changed to a hotel called '7 Days Inn'. It is a hotel chain in the PRC and it is famous for not expensive but decent rooms as per client. We first go for lunch and visited the hotel afterwards since it is just near the place of our lunch. Client went there with us and the hotel staff said we can go up to take a look of the rooms. We are amazed by the simple design of the room and it is decent and clean, so can live in here for the following 2 days.
Go back to the lunch. The Finance Manager took us to a small local restaurant to have lunch, with the Assistant Manager and Supervisor. The environment did not look good, but the food is excellent! People there like spicy food very much and all food can contain spice. They of course told the waitress to use less spice for us. All dishes we ordered are very good, including 羊肉紅薯粉煲, 辣料釀飽, 辣燒炸鴨 and 過橋豆腐, Only the bean curd is not spicy.
The restaurant and '7 Days Inn' are very close to client's office. Their office is actually located in the Walking Street of Changsha, one of the busiest places in Changsha. The have operated some retail shops selling sports shoes and apparels. The building has 5 stories, G/F and 1/F are shops and others are office, so we can go downstairs to have shopping if wish. This kind of working environment is new to me.
Since the shop and our hotel are on the Walking Street, we can return to the hotel quickly after work and go out again. After having the dinner, we walked along the Walking Street and it is very long. I guess walking from the start to the end (walking alone, no shopping) needs about 45 minutes.
Walking along the Street, the most frequent kind of shops we saw is sportswear shops. Almost half of the shops there are such kind of shop. I wonder if there were so many people buying sportswear there. There are also some casual wear shops and some do have trendy styles. There are also Walmart and many department stores along the Street and the normal closing time of shops and stores is 2230.
There is also a small section on the Street selling snacks like those in Mongkok. Price are very cheap, for example, RMB1 for 1 stick of fried squids. Taiwanese drinks are only about RMB4 to RMB6 per cup, but the cup is much bigger than those in Taiwan and HK. This area makes me feeling just like in the night markets of Taipei.
The whole Street is very busy and there is also a KTV and bar district along. We went up the bars out of curiosity and found that the atmosphere is excellent. We finally sat down in one called Soho Bar and have a drink. It is very crowded inside and is almost full seated. I have not imagined that there are so many people going out to play on Monday night.
People there are young and not old, clearly dressed up to party look. There are professional DJs and good live singers. It is just feeling like drinking in a HK bar. The singers would sing and walk around to different small stages in the bar and make the people very high! And their songs are very update, can sing Mandarin, English and Cantonese, dressed up handsome (men) and sexy (ladies). I like the sexy lady who sings songs of A-Mei Cheung and Elva Siu very much. She can sing and portray the feel of their songs.
These good food and happy moments have further added marks to my impression on Changsha.
We changed to a hotel called '7 Days Inn'. It is a hotel chain in the PRC and it is famous for not expensive but decent rooms as per client. We first go for lunch and visited the hotel afterwards since it is just near the place of our lunch. Client went there with us and the hotel staff said we can go up to take a look of the rooms. We are amazed by the simple design of the room and it is decent and clean, so can live in here for the following 2 days.
Go back to the lunch. The Finance Manager took us to a small local restaurant to have lunch, with the Assistant Manager and Supervisor. The environment did not look good, but the food is excellent! People there like spicy food very much and all food can contain spice. They of course told the waitress to use less spice for us. All dishes we ordered are very good, including 羊肉紅薯粉煲, 辣料釀飽, 辣燒炸鴨 and 過橋豆腐, Only the bean curd is not spicy.
The restaurant and '7 Days Inn' are very close to client's office. Their office is actually located in the Walking Street of Changsha, one of the busiest places in Changsha. The have operated some retail shops selling sports shoes and apparels. The building has 5 stories, G/F and 1/F are shops and others are office, so we can go downstairs to have shopping if wish. This kind of working environment is new to me.
Since the shop and our hotel are on the Walking Street, we can return to the hotel quickly after work and go out again. After having the dinner, we walked along the Walking Street and it is very long. I guess walking from the start to the end (walking alone, no shopping) needs about 45 minutes.
Walking along the Street, the most frequent kind of shops we saw is sportswear shops. Almost half of the shops there are such kind of shop. I wonder if there were so many people buying sportswear there. There are also some casual wear shops and some do have trendy styles. There are also Walmart and many department stores along the Street and the normal closing time of shops and stores is 2230.
There is also a small section on the Street selling snacks like those in Mongkok. Price are very cheap, for example, RMB1 for 1 stick of fried squids. Taiwanese drinks are only about RMB4 to RMB6 per cup, but the cup is much bigger than those in Taiwan and HK. This area makes me feeling just like in the night markets of Taipei.
The whole Street is very busy and there is also a KTV and bar district along. We went up the bars out of curiosity and found that the atmosphere is excellent. We finally sat down in one called Soho Bar and have a drink. It is very crowded inside and is almost full seated. I have not imagined that there are so many people going out to play on Monday night.
People there are young and not old, clearly dressed up to party look. There are professional DJs and good live singers. It is just feeling like drinking in a HK bar. The singers would sing and walk around to different small stages in the bar and make the people very high! And their songs are very update, can sing Mandarin, English and Cantonese, dressed up handsome (men) and sexy (ladies). I like the sexy lady who sings songs of A-Mei Cheung and Elva Siu very much. She can sing and portray the feel of their songs.
These good food and happy moments have further added marks to my impression on Changsha.
11/18/2007
131: First day at Changsha
2 days earlier on Friday, I was 'notified' that I have to make a business trip to Changsha and Wuhan this week, really surprised, and I have to go with another colleague on Sunday – a loss of one day holiday….
Today is Sunday and it is really a black Sunday for me. First of all, our flight departure time if 215pm and I dated my colleague to meet at the airport at 1245pm. I dunno why I have left home at 1030am and at that time I am afraid that I will be late. Finally I arrived at the airport at 1150am and I called my colleague. He was still waiting for bus and only after I ended the call, I discovered that I have arrived there an hour earlier, oh god!
Funny things are still ahead. After we have arrived at the Changsha airport and collected all luggage, I called client's finance manager and told her that we have arrived at Changsha. She seemed not know we would arrive today and was quite surprised. I told her that our HK colleagues have communicated with your side already and have told all our names, flight number and expected arrival time.
After that, she said an address (I guess is hotel address) and told me to take a taxi to there and she will arrange hotel booking for us. I of course rejected her as taking a taxi in the PRC can be very dangerous, and in fact I can't exactly catch the address she said. Even if I understand, if I tell the diver and the driver dunno how to get there, the one who suffers is me and my colleague, so I asked her to arrange a driver take us to the address. She said the driver need to go back to office to drive the car to the airport and it takes 2 hours. I said ok since we can sit down and eat something at the airport.
Finally she has arranged a driver to take us. When the driver called us, we asked him how long does it take for him to get to the airport, and he said about 30 min. Shit! How come the woman can say 2 hours? She must not want to arrange driver for us and just exaggerated the fact. She is very lazy and irresponsible!
The driver arrived and we finally had a safe travel to the hotel. I have never been to Changsha before and my first impression of Changsha is 'less backward than expected'. The highways and roads look not old and not rugged, and the airport is very clean and tidy, although not very big, and at least it is not crowded, and had modern silver, grey and blue decoration and good air-con.
One strange observation on the urban planning of Changsha, or at least the city we are in, shops selling similar products are located in one particular area. For example, we saw Tea-leave city, Construction and decoration city, Bedroom equipment city, etc. Our hotel seems located in the Entertainment city. There are lots of KTV and foot massage and the quantity is just like 7-11 or OK in Hong Kong. We wonder whether people living there need to eat, because there are relatively very few restaurants in the neighbourhood.
There is a Little Fat Sheep restaurant near our hotel but we dun want to eat that in the first day so we walked and walked. After about 10 min, we saw a big sports venue and it is just like those for the Olympics in Beijing. And good news come, there is a cafe near the venue and it is very big. It's called Wing Cafe and has decent decoration.
We look at the menu and food and drinks are at HK price and we still want to try. I ordered a Thai food set, containing a 'Tung Yum Gung' soap, fried rice and a green lemon soda. My colleague ordered a Western food set, containing a Lester soap, rice on hot pan and a coffee. Mine is RMB45 and his is RMB55. The real dishes are very similar to the photos on the menu and are very good taste. My 'Tung Yum Gung' soap is excellent and the taste is better than the Thai restaurant in APM in Kwun Tong. We both are very satisfied and my impression on Changsha is even better.
Wing Cafe is near the sports venue and there is a large public square in front of the venue and the cafe. People can do whatever they want. We saw audio equipment is set up at the square and there are more and more people dancing. After we finished dinner, we went out and see people are dancing with music from the audio equipment. They are only ordinary Chinese people and probably have not been trained for dancing, but they can dance very well!
When we walked through the crowd, we can see they somehow have dance steps and they really enjoy this kind of mass dance. They are totally not afraid of being laughed at if they dance not very well. I think this 'Changsha mass dance' is very good and should also be promoted in HK.
After watching the mass dance, we dropped into the Carrefour Supermarket and it is the same as the Carrefour in Bangkok, very big and has a very wide variety of goods. There are also many people inside. If HK has this kind of hypermarket, they must be very popular. But I think it is impossible because the space in HK is so limited and rent is so high, the supermarket cannot offer attractive prices or they will be running at a loss. So that's why I always visit hypermarkets like Big C, Carrefour and Tesco Lotus when I go to Bangkok.
After we finished our shopping at Carrefour, we saw the dancers are still dancing and there are more and more dancers. This Changsha mass dance is really a good social activity, very happy!
Today is Sunday and it is really a black Sunday for me. First of all, our flight departure time if 215pm and I dated my colleague to meet at the airport at 1245pm. I dunno why I have left home at 1030am and at that time I am afraid that I will be late. Finally I arrived at the airport at 1150am and I called my colleague. He was still waiting for bus and only after I ended the call, I discovered that I have arrived there an hour earlier, oh god!
Funny things are still ahead. After we have arrived at the Changsha airport and collected all luggage, I called client's finance manager and told her that we have arrived at Changsha. She seemed not know we would arrive today and was quite surprised. I told her that our HK colleagues have communicated with your side already and have told all our names, flight number and expected arrival time.
After that, she said an address (I guess is hotel address) and told me to take a taxi to there and she will arrange hotel booking for us. I of course rejected her as taking a taxi in the PRC can be very dangerous, and in fact I can't exactly catch the address she said. Even if I understand, if I tell the diver and the driver dunno how to get there, the one who suffers is me and my colleague, so I asked her to arrange a driver take us to the address. She said the driver need to go back to office to drive the car to the airport and it takes 2 hours. I said ok since we can sit down and eat something at the airport.
Finally she has arranged a driver to take us. When the driver called us, we asked him how long does it take for him to get to the airport, and he said about 30 min. Shit! How come the woman can say 2 hours? She must not want to arrange driver for us and just exaggerated the fact. She is very lazy and irresponsible!
The driver arrived and we finally had a safe travel to the hotel. I have never been to Changsha before and my first impression of Changsha is 'less backward than expected'. The highways and roads look not old and not rugged, and the airport is very clean and tidy, although not very big, and at least it is not crowded, and had modern silver, grey and blue decoration and good air-con.
One strange observation on the urban planning of Changsha, or at least the city we are in, shops selling similar products are located in one particular area. For example, we saw Tea-leave city, Construction and decoration city, Bedroom equipment city, etc. Our hotel seems located in the Entertainment city. There are lots of KTV and foot massage and the quantity is just like 7-11 or OK in Hong Kong. We wonder whether people living there need to eat, because there are relatively very few restaurants in the neighbourhood.
There is a Little Fat Sheep restaurant near our hotel but we dun want to eat that in the first day so we walked and walked. After about 10 min, we saw a big sports venue and it is just like those for the Olympics in Beijing. And good news come, there is a cafe near the venue and it is very big. It's called Wing Cafe and has decent decoration.
We look at the menu and food and drinks are at HK price and we still want to try. I ordered a Thai food set, containing a 'Tung Yum Gung' soap, fried rice and a green lemon soda. My colleague ordered a Western food set, containing a Lester soap, rice on hot pan and a coffee. Mine is RMB45 and his is RMB55. The real dishes are very similar to the photos on the menu and are very good taste. My 'Tung Yum Gung' soap is excellent and the taste is better than the Thai restaurant in APM in Kwun Tong. We both are very satisfied and my impression on Changsha is even better.
Wing Cafe is near the sports venue and there is a large public square in front of the venue and the cafe. People can do whatever they want. We saw audio equipment is set up at the square and there are more and more people dancing. After we finished dinner, we went out and see people are dancing with music from the audio equipment. They are only ordinary Chinese people and probably have not been trained for dancing, but they can dance very well!
When we walked through the crowd, we can see they somehow have dance steps and they really enjoy this kind of mass dance. They are totally not afraid of being laughed at if they dance not very well. I think this 'Changsha mass dance' is very good and should also be promoted in HK.
After watching the mass dance, we dropped into the Carrefour Supermarket and it is the same as the Carrefour in Bangkok, very big and has a very wide variety of goods. There are also many people inside. If HK has this kind of hypermarket, they must be very popular. But I think it is impossible because the space in HK is so limited and rent is so high, the supermarket cannot offer attractive prices or they will be running at a loss. So that's why I always visit hypermarkets like Big C, Carrefour and Tesco Lotus when I go to Bangkok.
After we finished our shopping at Carrefour, we saw the dancers are still dancing and there are more and more dancers. This Changsha mass dance is really a good social activity, very happy!
11/12/2007
130: How much is respect?
Some days earlier, I went to a shop selling 2nd hand CD in Wanchai. In fact it was my first time to go to there, and the prices are relatively cheaper than some shops in Mongkok.
I took a CD of Sammi and it was only $15, so must buy la. Before I pay I asked the shop owner whether I can open the plastic cover bag to have a check. He seemed very surprised, saying 'I'd better give u the CD for free, no need to pay, real, buying CD-R also need about $15 for one pack, and this Sammi CD is full package...............' and lots of bull shits. I said, ok, and passed the $ to him. I wondered why he is so crazy. If I did not like the CD, I would have place the CD back to the shelf and go. And I guess the max I lost is only $15, so it's ok.
I went out of the shop and of course had a check at once and the CD is very clean and the whole package is still quite neat and fresh, so I have earned!
A week before I went to that shop again to see if I could find out some favourites there. The shop owner seemed can't recognise me. I selected 2 CD and I placed them in the counter and he was very welcomed. That time I bought 4 CDs and total is only $74, less than $20 for each. I have not asked for a check since I trust him but this time the gamble is bigger ($74) than last time ($15). This time he asked me, with smile, whether I need a plastic bag. I said no, and he suggested me to put the 4 CDs in my bag before I leave to avoid any accident.
Wa... so kind this time. Is that a customer buying for $74 should be more respected than another one buying $15? How much is respect?
This world is all about money, even in such a small shop. Anyway, if I were the shop owner, I would also provide better service to bigger customer, but I would definitely not treat the small customers in bad attitudes.
I took a CD of Sammi and it was only $15, so must buy la. Before I pay I asked the shop owner whether I can open the plastic cover bag to have a check. He seemed very surprised, saying 'I'd better give u the CD for free, no need to pay, real, buying CD-R also need about $15 for one pack, and this Sammi CD is full package...............' and lots of bull shits. I said, ok, and passed the $ to him. I wondered why he is so crazy. If I did not like the CD, I would have place the CD back to the shelf and go. And I guess the max I lost is only $15, so it's ok.
I went out of the shop and of course had a check at once and the CD is very clean and the whole package is still quite neat and fresh, so I have earned!
A week before I went to that shop again to see if I could find out some favourites there. The shop owner seemed can't recognise me. I selected 2 CD and I placed them in the counter and he was very welcomed. That time I bought 4 CDs and total is only $74, less than $20 for each. I have not asked for a check since I trust him but this time the gamble is bigger ($74) than last time ($15). This time he asked me, with smile, whether I need a plastic bag. I said no, and he suggested me to put the 4 CDs in my bag before I leave to avoid any accident.
Wa... so kind this time. Is that a customer buying for $74 should be more respected than another one buying $15? How much is respect?
This world is all about money, even in such a small shop. Anyway, if I were the shop owner, I would also provide better service to bigger customer, but I would definitely not treat the small customers in bad attitudes.
11/10/2007
129: Become lucky this time
3 colleagues and me have applied for drawing for a table in the crab dinner organised by the Firm. And we finally get 4 places! Great!
This is indeed the first time I am drawn for such kind of activities. I have submitted applications for other Firm activities before but every time is finally nothing, so this time is very lucky!
I am not very fond of crabs but they are very good taste, especially when the crabs are eaten when they are still hot.
Really hope that I can be lucky throughout the coming peak season. Hope everything scheduled will not change. Anyway, I always say, hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
This is indeed the first time I am drawn for such kind of activities. I have submitted applications for other Firm activities before but every time is finally nothing, so this time is very lucky!
I am not very fond of crabs but they are very good taste, especially when the crabs are eaten when they are still hot.
Really hope that I can be lucky throughout the coming peak season. Hope everything scheduled will not change. Anyway, I always say, hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
11/07/2007
128: Earn from sick leave?
Sick leave is paid, so one no need to work but get paid, earned.
Sometimes sick leave needs doctors proof, so one gotta see a doctor and spend $, lost.
But when the doctors fee can be claimed, meaning that one can get the medicine for free earned.
How about calling sick and work off-site or at home? A total loss.
If one is real sick, one really have to call sick and rest and can't go out to play, so can be earned or lost.
Agree with some friends' saying that we should earn more. This is kind of staff welfare.
Sometimes sick leave needs doctors proof, so one gotta see a doctor and spend $, lost.
But when the doctors fee can be claimed, meaning that one can get the medicine for free earned.
How about calling sick and work off-site or at home? A total loss.
If one is real sick, one really have to call sick and rest and can't go out to play, so can be earned or lost.
Agree with some friends' saying that we should earn more. This is kind of staff welfare.
11/06/2007
127: Colour-ink pens
There are hundreds of thousands colours of colour ball pens selling in the market now. Remember when we were in primary school, we only got red, blue, black, and 'more advanced' green ball pens. Colours like gold, silver, green, brown, and even white, were hardly present in the market. But with advancing technologies and changing tastes of consumers, the pens of these spectacular colours finally come.
Many students are fond of these colour pens. They are as convenient to use as ordinary ball pens and they can add variety to their school works and notes, and can be used in greeting cards and gifts so that more fun and colours can be used to express their feelings. This is a very good invention in my opinion.
But too much of one good thing can be not good. Witnessing the emerging market opportunities, more and more manufacturers are producing similar pens and inventing new colours in a hope to create some noises in the consumption market. One obvious example is the creation of white colour pens. People may think how can white ink be written on papers, but they have simply forgotten not all papers in the world is white paper. Using a white colour pen to write on a dark greeting card or card tag is special and I guess some of us have got this experience.
Going back to the too-much matter, there are too many brands and some are not of very satisfactory quality, but the price is not low. So the pen may only be usable in the first few days and would have to go to the bin afterwards. In some extreme cases, the pen may well be unusable when one try it in the shop.
Besides, colour of the cap of the pen can be very attractive but the real colour when written on papers are far different from the cap. For example, a pen has a shining yellow cap but can turn out as dark yellow on the paper. So if one has not tried the pen in the shop before paying money, one would be disappointed.
Therefore, a good thing can be a good thing in substance. It can be good-looking but one should check it before use. It could become another thing after one has checked it and it may not be the thing that one really wants. It can draw much attention at first sight but may become ordinary at the second or third sight. It can be attractive but one should check for any similar things before actually buy it. The most important question to ask oneself is: Is that thing really good and suitable for yourself?
Many students are fond of these colour pens. They are as convenient to use as ordinary ball pens and they can add variety to their school works and notes, and can be used in greeting cards and gifts so that more fun and colours can be used to express their feelings. This is a very good invention in my opinion.
But too much of one good thing can be not good. Witnessing the emerging market opportunities, more and more manufacturers are producing similar pens and inventing new colours in a hope to create some noises in the consumption market. One obvious example is the creation of white colour pens. People may think how can white ink be written on papers, but they have simply forgotten not all papers in the world is white paper. Using a white colour pen to write on a dark greeting card or card tag is special and I guess some of us have got this experience.
Going back to the too-much matter, there are too many brands and some are not of very satisfactory quality, but the price is not low. So the pen may only be usable in the first few days and would have to go to the bin afterwards. In some extreme cases, the pen may well be unusable when one try it in the shop.
Besides, colour of the cap of the pen can be very attractive but the real colour when written on papers are far different from the cap. For example, a pen has a shining yellow cap but can turn out as dark yellow on the paper. So if one has not tried the pen in the shop before paying money, one would be disappointed.
Therefore, a good thing can be a good thing in substance. It can be good-looking but one should check it before use. It could become another thing after one has checked it and it may not be the thing that one really wants. It can draw much attention at first sight but may become ordinary at the second or third sight. It can be attractive but one should check for any similar things before actually buy it. The most important question to ask oneself is: Is that thing really good and suitable for yourself?
126: Mandarin pops
Recently in one month ago, I am suddenly addicted to listening to Mandarin songs, say, by Taiwan and Singapore singers. I used to listen to Canton pop usually and not very often to listen to Mandarin songs.
Many Mandarin songs are good and are not as K as HK pops. HK pops are becoming more and more K. K songs are not necessarily not good, but they are too easy to listen and remember and sing, so they may become boring after some time. And the variety is not wide enough so that many songs give out similar impressions. Interesting things done for 100 times could become boring. May be we can try to stop listening to some particular K songs and get back to them a few months later. They may become good again!
I think the point is not the language itself. Some Mandarin songs are also bad, even worse than HK pops, and of which the selling points are the artistes themselves and a whole collection of accessories and those songs are not like songs, just like saying some words within some flat keys without any particular singing techniques. In a word, they are rather superficial.
May be Taiwan and Singapore markets are much larger than HK and the variety they can have is wider. And dunno why even for the same song, they are of better feel if they are in Mandarin.
Anyway, it's a matter of self-preference. Just go for what we think it's good and worth.
Many Mandarin songs are good and are not as K as HK pops. HK pops are becoming more and more K. K songs are not necessarily not good, but they are too easy to listen and remember and sing, so they may become boring after some time. And the variety is not wide enough so that many songs give out similar impressions. Interesting things done for 100 times could become boring. May be we can try to stop listening to some particular K songs and get back to them a few months later. They may become good again!
I think the point is not the language itself. Some Mandarin songs are also bad, even worse than HK pops, and of which the selling points are the artistes themselves and a whole collection of accessories and those songs are not like songs, just like saying some words within some flat keys without any particular singing techniques. In a word, they are rather superficial.
May be Taiwan and Singapore markets are much larger than HK and the variety they can have is wider. And dunno why even for the same song, they are of better feel if they are in Mandarin.
Anyway, it's a matter of self-preference. Just go for what we think it's good and worth.
11/05/2007
125: How things can get back to normal
A project can consist of many parts. When all these parts are completed, the project is get done. This is a concept that everyone should agree with and which is very normal, but today I know this is not necessarily a right concept. Whether it is right or wrong depends on how your boss views.
If the most important part of the project is not done, a reasonable person would think, oh, the other parts have been done and we just need to complete that important part then the project will all be done. But a boss, knowing that the most important part is not done, then the whole project is not done, no matter how well the other parts have been done. The boss only care about that part and will not appreciate how well the other parts have been done. So, then the boss know what they want has not been done, they will lose temper.
Just let the boss lose temper, !@#$%^&*()(*&^$#, and then you suggest an alternative way to make the part they want to be done faster, they accepted. Then you hand in the part in the way you suggested, and finally the boss can also use the works that you did to have discussion with their big boss, and then every thing goes at normal. Indeed the big boss may not be satisfied, but at least has something for them to read and comment. Then we would continue to do the thing and the boss continue to do their things. Then it comes to an end.
When doing well, the boss will not appreciate you and they just think that you should do things which can meet their requirements. When doing things a little bit different or below their expectations, we would hear all things. Just let them say and say, and I partly turn off my ears and just receive instructions and not the emotional words, and things will then go back to normal.
If the most important part of the project is not done, a reasonable person would think, oh, the other parts have been done and we just need to complete that important part then the project will all be done. But a boss, knowing that the most important part is not done, then the whole project is not done, no matter how well the other parts have been done. The boss only care about that part and will not appreciate how well the other parts have been done. So, then the boss know what they want has not been done, they will lose temper.
Just let the boss lose temper, !@#$%^&*()(*&^$#, and then you suggest an alternative way to make the part they want to be done faster, they accepted. Then you hand in the part in the way you suggested, and finally the boss can also use the works that you did to have discussion with their big boss, and then every thing goes at normal. Indeed the big boss may not be satisfied, but at least has something for them to read and comment. Then we would continue to do the thing and the boss continue to do their things. Then it comes to an end.
When doing well, the boss will not appreciate you and they just think that you should do things which can meet their requirements. When doing things a little bit different or below their expectations, we would hear all things. Just let them say and say, and I partly turn off my ears and just receive instructions and not the emotional words, and things will then go back to normal.
124: Back to normal
After weeks of holidays and trainings, I am back to normal work life again. And unfortunately, today I am late and arrived at office at 945, haha......
Quite hard to pick up again and the most difficult thing is to tune back the mood, from a holiday (relaxed) mood to a work (of course not relaxed) mood. Although now is not a really peak season now, it's simply hard and unwilling to face, gotta add more oil!
____________________
On the weekend just passed, we had lunch with my aunt and cousins and had hot-pot dinner with them, have faced them in day and nite, haha. Long time no see them and happy to see all of them are happy. I am also happy as I had an enjoyable Saturday.
Yeah, in addition, in the afternoon on the same day, mum and me forced my brother to tidy up the desk in the room and the things underneath, coz my bro put all his things on the desk and all over the floor and it's very hard to find a small piece of empty space there, essentially the space is all full and has no space at all. We 3 threw away many things and found many interesting things which are worth to keep but to relocate, because the desk is really full. The whole process of tidy last for about 3 hours, hard to believe. And hard to believe this became our family activity!
Quite hard to pick up again and the most difficult thing is to tune back the mood, from a holiday (relaxed) mood to a work (of course not relaxed) mood. Although now is not a really peak season now, it's simply hard and unwilling to face, gotta add more oil!
____________________
On the weekend just passed, we had lunch with my aunt and cousins and had hot-pot dinner with them, have faced them in day and nite, haha. Long time no see them and happy to see all of them are happy. I am also happy as I had an enjoyable Saturday.
Yeah, in addition, in the afternoon on the same day, mum and me forced my brother to tidy up the desk in the room and the things underneath, coz my bro put all his things on the desk and all over the floor and it's very hard to find a small piece of empty space there, essentially the space is all full and has no space at all. We 3 threw away many things and found many interesting things which are worth to keep but to relocate, because the desk is really full. The whole process of tidy last for about 3 hours, hard to believe. And hard to believe this became our family activity!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
