Ban flying!

Chinese National Day is drawing close. This year, it is the 60th birthday of the People's Republic of China. October 1st is the big day, and this year, because it is combined with Mid-Autumn Festival, we have eight (8!!!) days vacation to celebrate the two. Well, I am flying to Finland, to celebrate the wedding of a good friend.

Also, I have no idea how it happened, but during the eight day vacation, I am WORKING 5 or 6 days. That doesn't sound right, does it? What the heck went wrong? Maybe it has some connection to the fact that of my 4 week summer vacation I have spend just one week... I dunno, have to investigate further.

Anyway, what I wanted to tell you relates to flying. Namely Beijing has banned "flying activities" starting 15th of September, due to the upcoming National Day. It is for security reasons. This applies to sports, recreational and advertising flights. But not only those! They have also banned kite flying, because of security reasons. They have banned balloons. Because of security reasons. They have banned pigeon flying, because of security reasons. (Did someone watch Alfred Hitscock's "The Birds" recently, or..?)

Head of the Public Security Squadron of the Beijing Municipal Security Bureau, Mr. Li encourages citizens to report to police if they see these flying objects.

Pigeons! Balloons, for Pete's sake! Please excuse me while I tremble as I think of these horrible threaths to our security.

Something wrong

One day I stepped of the elevator in our building and immediately noticed there must be something wrong with the ventilation. Or electrics. Or something.

Why?

I don't know... maybe because of this:

And these:

The hallway ceiling was, all-around our floor, punctured with holes. The location of what ever it was that was wrong, was obviously unknown... The hallway makes a full circle, so I walked around it, and every 2,5-3 meters there was a hole.

The next day... what ever it was, was bygones. Leaving no signs it was ever there.

Too much to ask for

Sometime ago I was in a small car accident when I was travelling in business. Recently I have been working 11-12 hours a day. Couple of days ago I had to go to a coal warehouse, so I came out covered with black dust, and I felt like my lungs were full of coal, too. (Yes, so I am a sissy, I know that already.) I had not dressed for the ocasion, so I was wearing high heels, skirt, and light colored blouse. I haven't even had the energy to blog. All because of all kinds of work things that are going on. Such is life.

But too much is too much. I needed to go to a harbour area to check some receiving procedures. And they have very detailed safety instructions.

In order to fulfill the consideration and adoption of your surely busy schedules I have highlighted some... well, highlights of the instructions.

In order to fulfill the consideration and adoption of Amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 and International Code for the Security of Ships and of Port Facilities, to reinforce the safeguard of harbour, we constitute the regulations according to the relational national laws and regulations as follows: (try to say that with one breath!)

1) Personnel, vehicle and good etc. should show valid certification, be checked and registered by the security petsonnel when they go in and out.

2) After personnel, vehicle have gone into the dock area, they should pass through and stop according to the traffic signs.

3) Within the dock area, Firework is banned. Without permission no photo or film.

4) No entery to the restricted areas without permission. After you've entered the restricted areas such as the petroleum and chemical industry, etc, you can never use mobile telecommunication tools, carry kinelings such as matches, cigarette-lighter etc. Automotive vehicle must bring extinguisher.

5) When the safety incidents occur in the dock areas, you should report to the security personnel and harbour administration department as well immediately.

So I guess I am banned from my cell phone from now to eternity? On the otherhand, it is much harder for anyone to bother me now with questions and problems...

Lucky me!

Chinese government promotes honest, all in books and ledgers, business culture by a lottery. The lottery ticket is actually your restaurant invoice. The purpose is, that the customers would ask for official invoice, get an opportunity to win 500,000 RMB (which is a little less than 50,000 euros) and restaurant will have to include the sales transaction to their reported revenues. Not a bad idea.

So, because I am an auditor and want to do my bit to prevent grey-business, I usually ask for an invoice. And guess how many times I have won in the last 18 months I have spend in China? Let's say I have had about thousand meals in restaurants.

Once. Very recently. And what a win it was!!! 5 RMB. Or 50 euro cents.

I haven't even claimed it yet, because I cannot make up my mind what to do with that sudden wealth. Maybe a Snickers bar and a 0.5 l mineral water. Or two sets of new hair pins from the subway tunnel. Or should I wait for the next win and then get something big with it? Maybe a tin of coke or a blueberry muffin? Yes, I think that is what I will do.

Same old story...

Namely, me being in Finland, and therefore too busy with everything to blog, and not having internet (yet) in our new house. Sooo, please entertain yourselves with this piece about mighty expensive apples.

I'll get myself together before the end of the week. I think...

Vacationing

This is such a great great week! Yesterday I flew to Finland, and got to see my family and loved ones again. Today we bought a house, which, believe it or not, I have never seen! This summer I have bought a CAR and a HOUSE without seeing them first. What the heck is the matter with me? Well, I saw the car yesterday, and it was really nice, and the house should be great. J. of course has seen the house, and I have seen a lot of pictures. It is sort of in the woods (20 minutes from the city center). But then again, anything here is, if you compare it to our Shanghai residence, in the midst of buzzling Xu Jia Hui :o) But, it has got its own pond. I'll show you, later.

And the great week just keeps getting better tomorrow, when I head to Madonna concert with a friend. Friday is reserved for recovery and rest. Hopefully it will be a sunny day. Saturday I'm really looking forward to, as we'll get together with a bunch of girls and spend the day and night at a summerhouse by a lake.

And Sunday. Sunday we will move to our new house. Amazing. I am not sure if I can sleep there, though, without the constant banging from the metro construction site. 'Cuase there is no metro constructions site. There is no metro. There might be an owl or two. Or a fox. Because the deal was made already earlier, it was just waiting for me to get here, so we can sign the papers, we get to move so soon.

So there you go, you pretty much know where to find me for the next five days. After that, you can find me sunbathing by my pond :o) Well, not really, as work starts next week, and I have about thousand friends to meet while I am here, so no time for sunbathing.

(De)Motivators

Last winter I bought a small calendar. One of those that stand on the table. It was probably the best thing I have bought in a long time. (Well, excluding my newish purse, which I love!)

This is August:

Best leaders inspire by example. When that's not an option, brute intimidation works pretty well, too.

And this is October:

I want either less corruption or more opportunity to participate in it.

All the pictures are sarcastic, but October holds also personal irony for me, since during the last 15 months I have spend many a day pondering how to prevent and detect corrpution. Or corruption, either one...

And here is November. Sweet, depressing November.

I expected times like this. But never thought they be so bad, so long and so frequent.

On most mornings, I, strangely enough, find energy and drive from these demotivators. "The harder you try, the dumber you look." Yeah, baby, let's look dumb again today!

But on the rare occasion, I think I've had enough of the world and all the cynicism... then I just turn the page around, and feel immediately better.

In case you are not de-motivated enough as it is, and you are in despair how to lower your performance level these might help: you can find the calenders and some other staff from here www.despair.com.