Fizzling into lawlessness, is that where we are heading?

Hello you, the Desperately Optimistic!

So, with the economies of the world crashing, including that of the Almighty U.S. of A, and a Generation of Intellectuals going into Limbo, where are we heading?

Historically, when prosperity goes down, everything "bad" and illegal goes up... Lawlessness roams.

Athens is being riddled with wild-west-ghost-town-esque like scenes of lawlessness and desperation, Wall street is being "Occupied" (did you notice how the media is using the same negative word they would use in the warlike news casts to scare their own people to think there is a sort of 'occupation' in their own beloved Manhattan?), China is worrying about its real-estate bubble bursting (which if it does, they will hear on Mars!), Ethiopians are starving (does anyone care? Or are we all thinking, AGAIN? Wasn't that the scene I grew up with? Are those scenes on CNN about Ethiopia's kids dying of starvation digitally remastered from the 80s video footage?), the Arabs are scrambling to get some sort of governments running in their own newly 'liberated' countries (some even saying that they were better off with their tyrants in charge!!!!), even Israel is facing its own people revolting about the rises in prices and stagnant or declining wages! This is not to mention Filipinos' plight against nature, Europe's Euro being in constant question, South America jumping in communism/socialism, Russia floundering with its own lawlessness woes and what-not.

Is there really a place viable to live in now? ANTARCTICA maybe?

I hear the word "corruption" everywhere I go now. Every country is suffering from it! Even the seemingly perfect Scandinavian countries are not safe from the greed of the people in charge (some trace our latest economic credit-caused crash to that area of the world...)

I am usually an optimistic person, I just LOVE life! Even when it slaps me on the face, spits on it, drags me through the mud and then some...

My retaliation?

The slap is my wake-up call to do something about my situation.
Spit? Nah, its just a little rain :-p
Dragged through the mud... Hey, we were all kids once, a good shower and laundry detergent and its like nothing happened!

I SAY SLAP AWAY LIFE! Rain, RAin, RAIN!!! There is nothing like playing in a little mud, getting my hands dirty has only shown me how clean they can get with some effort.

So, to the Desperately Optimistic, I say SMILE even when you're muddy in the rain with life slapping you so hard your neck hurts more than your face! Smile and the universe will smile back. The greedy will be rewarded anyway, but everything has its price... Everyone pays someday...

To the Desperately Optimistic, this is me being anti-pessimistic. I hope we all band together now since we do sincerely live in a global village.

Smile! :-)

C

China (Pt.1): No longer the name for a fancy plate your mum hides away for special occasions!

Hello you, the 老外!

I've decided I am finally going to write about my time in China and what I've learned from being there. There is so much about that HUGE country that people seem to either miss, or just choose not to see. Here are a few simple guidelines I followed and hope others follow too:

1) When in Rome... YUP! When in China, remember you are NO LONGER AT HOME! You are in China! This is THEIR country, they have their own rules and their own judicial system! Respect their culture and rules and you will have an amazing time, don't and well... you won't! This, fortunately, comes quite naturally to me. However, I feel many foreigners, or laowai (老外) as we are referred to in China, do not seem to come to grasp with the situation they are in. "YOU ARE NO LONGER AT HOME!!" is something I end telling a lot of my friends there, "So, don't expect people to treat you the same way!" So, when in China, do as the Chinese!

Note: Most Chinese are extremely hospitable and genuinely nice. Just give them a chance and experience them!!

2) Beware the Terribles T's: Tibet, Taiwan and Tian'anmen! China is controlled by a government that wants to forget the past and look to the future, so discussion of the past or sensitive subjects is highly inadvisable. They consider that their own politics are their own business. In a way its true... Would you want a foreigner to come into your own country and tell you how to run your own affairs??

• Tian'anmen or 天安门. Any google or wiki search will give you the international account of what happened in Beijing in 1989. However, the official chinese government account is completely different. Discussions with good friends in China has come up on this subject many times, and they all seem to agree on one thing: it is a part of their history they would rather put behind them even if they don't agree with how the government handled the situation then. In short, they would talk to a very close friend in a private situation to voice their real opinion, but in public, they either change subjects or repeat their official mantra "it happened in a different time and we don't want to go back. The students did the wrong thing, but the government back then could've also handled it differently".
• Tibet or 西藏. This is an even more taboo subject in China. None are more divided about that subject and even less will tell you their true feelings about it. The Chinese in general would agree that China owns that territory and that it should be part of the PRC. The French for example, disagree... To this day, the French nationals in and outside China are complaining about visa issues. In April 2010 I was planning a trip with some friends to Tibet, although I had to cancel my participation in the trip, I was present during the planning. They had an embargo on French nationals wanting to go to Tibet because of a mayor of Paris having said something against the Chinese handling of the situation in Tibet. I even passed through one of the rallies against French products in early 2008 at a huge mall in Wuhan (Hubei Province) that houses a french branded hypermarket called Carrefour. So this is a subject I would advise no one open, or if you do, respect other people's opinion (even if it is completely false in your point of view). And whatever you do, DO NOT wear a "Free Tibet" T-shirt unless you feel like being blacklisted and kicked out of the country!!
• Taiwan or 台湾. This is less of a taboo subject. Here lines are blurry. Most would truly agree that they wish Taiwan to be part of the PRC because it always had been. Also, it is a matter of national pride. The Taiwanese, however, consider themselves different from the mainland Chinese. This is true since Taiwan is a democracy and they had been "open" to the world far longer than the mainland Chinese. They are far more advanced in their understanding of the occident and other cultures than the mainland Chinese. However, should Taiwan be part of the PRC? This is a long long debate that I myself do not like to get into, but some Chinese would talk to you about it.

In short, do not discuss Chinese politics in China. There is no use to do so, and if you are there for business or scholastic purposes, there is no real reason to do so either! The Chinese are extremely nationalistic and so they should be, it is their country after-all.

3) The Chinese people have a hunger for knowledge. Some would go so far as to use you for that knowledge. The thing they would most want to learn is a language. They are also borderline, if not actually, racist in this regard. To them, and in most cases true, a person who comes from a certain country would best speak the language. If that person was of african origins, they want less to know of them, if that person was of the arien race (i.e. blonde and blue eyed), they would be all over them! Even though I do not condone any type of racism, I would like to add that this is something most, if not all, Eastern cultures share (Korea, Japan and China). They think a blonde blue eyed person is much more of a representation than any other race of Europe and North America!

This was a longer than expected blog post, but trust me when I tell you... When in Rome, do as the romans do!

Any questions? Any comments? Suggestions?

Let me know my fellow 老外 or my fellow 中国朋友们！

夏小龙

Advice on accepting a job that you think will depress you (Another BBM conversation)

Hello you, the jaded!

So, the same person from the last blog is asking me whether she should still take a job if she thinks she will be unhappy there. Here is the BBM conversation. I am "C", she is "A":

A: C, I don't know If I can handle
A: Its going to be HARD
A: U know
A: Especially work environment
A: And housing environment
A: I'm not going to be happy
C: U won't be
C: That's true
C: But there are things that can help
A: Like
C: 1) Keep a simple mindset, you are there to learn... Immerse yourself in books, articles, whatever that will help you learn
C: 2) Drink the coffee you want, no SB? Easy, we send it to u,
C: 3) Pamper yourself!! If you like something, BUY IT! You are sacrificing enough
A: I know
A: Is it worth it
C: 4) TAKE ALL THE VACATIONS!! Cash in your tickets! Job not done, too much to do, blah blah blah! Its in your contract, insist on it! In fact, make them book and buy (YES BUY!!) all the tickets in advance, when you are scheduled for them
A: Enno
A: Every 9 weeks
A: 2 weeks off
A: Its in contract
C: 5) Schedule skype appointments with your friends/family and let them know YOU NEED THEM TO BE THERE!! Whatever happens!
A: U don't think I should focus on social life
A: Now
A: inno I'm 28
A: Soon
A: U know
C: Back to 4) get a calendar, mark 9weeks in one color high lighting pen, the other 2 weeks with another, keep on doing it until u have the 5 2-week vacations u r contracted, make sure they have tickets ready BEFORE and yes BEFORE u get to Abuja! Paid and ready!!
C: 6) You are 28! You've had 28 yrs to socialise and babe, let's be honest, you did :p if you want more time, its your choice!
A: Hehe
A: U don't think its time to go somewhere
A: And find someone
A: Bc I def
A: Won't find him
A: Btwn 4 walls
C: 7) Basic negotiation tactic, everything you contract asks for should be ready BEFORE u get there! Not ready, u don't work, simple... There are prerequisites to ur contract, they have to fulfill them ;)
C: 8) As for men, don't look! That will only depress u more! Maybe you'll bump into him on ur way to work or back! Hehe u never know, love usually hits you when u least expect it!
A: Hehe
A: So u think exp
A: Worth it
A: Then
A: Although depressive
C: Yes, worth the experience
A: But it will pay off ?
A: I'm talking career wise
C: Only depressive if u let it be
A: What kind of job
A: Can it get me
A: ?
A: I was thinking office manager
C: Career wise, no one can tell! People flip careers the whole time
C: But a project manager is supposed to multi-task and do things all at once and time manage and and and!!! Hehe so if you can manage a project, u can pretty much manage anything
C: Think of the project as a mini company
A: Although in 2 years
A: This would be my 3rd job
A: ?
C: You're gonna need it to finish the whole year though
A: What
A: Yeah
A: Inno
A: The next time
A: They won't see commitment
A: Someone sees my cv
A: No ?
A: Although now is project
A: Its not job
C: U r a freelancer for the moment, when you write up your new CV u have to make that clear
A: Yeah I know
A: Anyways
A: Hehe
A: Sorry to give u headache
A: But it isn't easy choice
A: No ?
C: Of course it isn't, but honestly, what is easy that is important? Hehe
A: Hehe
A: I dunno
A: Hehe
A: U know I met a few guys
A: This summer
A: And they all told me
A: What the f am I doing in nigeria
A: These r the best years in my life
A: I should be enjoying
A: Lol
C: Haha everyone I tell that I live in china says the same
C: Look, end of the line, do what u think is best
C: Is there a clause in your contract that says u can quit with X # of days notice?
C: If so, and u r not happy, just quit
C: If not, add it
A: 3 months
A: Probation
C: So, add the notice clause too
A: Probation
A: No notice
C: Add the notice clause after the probation period
C: Trust me on this one
C: Always leave urself an option to get out


So the Jaded, what do you think? Should she take the job if there is a good chance she will be miserable?


Let me know your thoughts...


C