Mid January and the temperature has dropped and hovers around freezing – few degrees above during the day and a few degrees below during the night. Not too unpleasant most of the time. Was real brass monkeys on Sunday on the golf course as a stiff breeze got up and the sun didn’t break through the cloud. When the sun breaks through it is very pleasant.
Went for a walk Thursday. Had a meeting in another part of the city. Checked the map and worked out it was about 20 minutes to 30 minute walk from the office. The look of astonishment amongst both my international and Chinese colleagues when I said I was going to walk. Claims of too far, you will never find it, its too cold, will you make it back. Well I walked both ways in the wintry sun, found M&S and a neat bakery en-route. Also found the Burberry and Rolex shops. Pavements , zebra and pedestrian crossings – all things you need in cities to get around. Shows that people here have designed things well for people like me.
En –route to the meeting I went round a corner and was confronted by a shoe shine man. I refused and tried to walk round him. However very quickly he moved across me and bent down. Pointing at my shoes saying dirty. On the left shoe was a white splodge – which he had just put there! Steam coming out of my ears I pushed past him, shouting no. Further on I was approached by someone else wanting to shine my shoes. When I got to the venue, I got a couple of tissues and fortunately found the splodge to be a cream – probably a shoe cream. Walking back another shoe shine approached me telling me my shoes were dirty. I just waved and carried on walking, noticing another shoe shine being shouted at by another westerner. So on Nanjing Lu (W) wear trainers. It was still worth the walk, especially through the park in the late afternoon winter sun.
Had an interesting experience on the flight over from Dubai to Shanghai. Normally I check my seat positions before I check in, to make sure I am not in a poor position. I was sat in the aisle bulkhead seat, great in that nobody in front would drop their seat back in your lap, however it was overlapping with the door way from the galley. So sat there as the plane was boarding and people walked past, whacking my left shin with their bags, the occasional kick. I received a couple of apologies a few glares but mostly ignored. When they came to serve the drinks, I was asked what I wanted. So in my normal serious way – I said orange juice and a pair of shin pads. The guy sat next to me cracked up laughing when she came back with a glass of Champagne.
So we took off at 3am and so I began to settle down for some kip. Seat back , blanket on, ear plugs in, eyeshade down, feet hanging off the seat bottom through the curtain in the doorway. So every time someone went through the curtain they moved my feet. When they served food they ran the trolley into my feet. Eventually I gave up trying to sleep, and sat back up – a little annoyed. So the next stewardess to come through I asked for a complaint form. Fortunately it was the purser. Who when I explained, apologised and found me a seat where I could sleep. She also said she had never seen it before and she had flown this plane many times. I guess they hadn’t had a tall irritable Englishman trying to get to sleep in that seat before. Have changed my seat position for the way back!
Had two language lessons this week. Had some fun with the young Chinese tutor. Though she is beginning to realise I am a naughty student. Learnt many things. No green hats here in China. Something to do with the fact that the phrase for green hats is the same as the phrase for a man who has an affair with a married woman. Means to bring separation and so is seen as bad. White wine is not white wine, it is a rice spirit – you may have heard of maotai, one of the biggest brands. The phrase for 250 also means stupid – so I have been trying to think of times when the two would be mixed up and cause offence. An Australian cricket bowler having conceded 250 runs from his bowling spell, probably is stupid, so no issue there. An English cricket batsman scoring 250 – probably stupid to think that could happen. Maybe only in Australia.
Big stereotype this week. Met with a consultant, who is Indian, and it took about a minute after the introduction before we got onto cricket. Small world for such a wonderful game.
Big low light of the week – excited by the prospect of seeing Scunny live on Chinese TV to be deflated by a fearful first half performance and a second half walloping at the hands of Everton. Good news was I didn’t tell too many of my colleagues that it was on so I can sulk in the corner. They are live on Sky TV next week again – home to Burnley, but if it is on will be too late for me.
Big news of the week in our small world was the speculation of a takeover bid from J&J for S&N. it took a couple of days for the news to filter through here, and it was clear it was speculation. Lunch time conversation revolved around why the speculators are allowed to do this and cause such huge distraction inside a company. Most of my colleagues could not understand what value it added to anything. Lesson there about controlling the press and economic recovery…
Almost made a faux pas in the office today. The HR department send round a list every month of people’s birthdays. They do a bit of research and show which famous people were born on this date in history. So walking past one of the desks I recalled that it was the girls birthday on Monday coming. So I wished her happy birthday – as I am in Singapore Monday. Apparently you are supposed to give a gift when you say happy birthday. Well quick as a flash I pulled out of my pocket a small packet of sweets I had just been given by someone else. She was delighted. It was then explained to me that they were pulling my leg (they said having a joke). Somehow I think they have grasped my sense of humour. Looks like I may need to move on.
So having got the VPN to work so I can post this on the Google site, off to bed. Singapore this week for a day. Warmer there, but damp.
Till next time….
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