Fucked...i am so fucked....
I thought I could use my cards here in China, but it seems that ATM after ATM would not accept my plastic! And there are no money changers in town, so getting my cash converted is not an option!
I've tried it all, cards from Australia, U.K, Singapore, Hong Kong....they all don't work!! This "Plus" network thing is bullshit...
I've got yank dollars, hong kong dollars, thai bhat, singapore dollars, pounds, aussie dollars, euros.....but it's pointless! no one will accept it and there's no money changer around!
turns out i have to borrow cash from my boss...how embarassing, i'll just have to wait 5 more days till pay day :(
Monday, July 31, 2006
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Must to be learning Chinese....
This is bad.
I've just realized how seriously they take the Chinese language here in China. (well. duh. yesh.) At a board meeting earlier, my boss was terribly upset (ie. he threw a fit) that I introduced myself in English. Three quarters of the room didn't understand what I was talking about! I am now officially put on a intensive course in spoken and written traditional/simplified Chinese.
My computer has it's English version of Microsoft Office uninstalled and replaced with a traditional chinese one. Tragic.
Anyway, my boss will be buying me lunch later, as well as show me where the -only- -english- bookstore is in this area. Mmmm.....after a week of Chinese food, i'm really looking forward to some foreign cusine!
Now here are some facts you must know if you wanna go to China :
- Bring local currency. Cash. Lots of it. Most of whatever you buy is going to accept local currency only. And forget about looking for a money-changer.
- Beware of the change that you get. Fake money is floating everywhere.
- Although they drive on the left side of the road, look in EVERY direction before you cross the road. "Traffic Rules" are non-existant here. Just try to stay alive.
- Rates of literacy here is higher than in Singapore. They read, they write and they've got more ways to say "fuck off" than you can think of. So please respect.
- People don't walk around with guns in their pockets. So there's no need to wear bullet proof vests around. However, people are poor, desperate and cunning, so it's best to keep your wits about you.
- Bring anti-bacterial spray, wash and vitamins. The standard of hygine is very questionable.
I've just realized how seriously they take the Chinese language here in China. (well. duh. yesh.) At a board meeting earlier, my boss was terribly upset (ie. he threw a fit) that I introduced myself in English. Three quarters of the room didn't understand what I was talking about! I am now officially put on a intensive course in spoken and written traditional/simplified Chinese.
My computer has it's English version of Microsoft Office uninstalled and replaced with a traditional chinese one. Tragic.
Anyway, my boss will be buying me lunch later, as well as show me where the -only- -english- bookstore is in this area. Mmmm.....after a week of Chinese food, i'm really looking forward to some foreign cusine!
Now here are some facts you must know if you wanna go to China :
- Bring local currency. Cash. Lots of it. Most of whatever you buy is going to accept local currency only. And forget about looking for a money-changer.
- Beware of the change that you get. Fake money is floating everywhere.
- Although they drive on the left side of the road, look in EVERY direction before you cross the road. "Traffic Rules" are non-existant here. Just try to stay alive.
- Rates of literacy here is higher than in Singapore. They read, they write and they've got more ways to say "fuck off" than you can think of. So please respect.
- People don't walk around with guns in their pockets. So there's no need to wear bullet proof vests around. However, people are poor, desperate and cunning, so it's best to keep your wits about you.
- Bring anti-bacterial spray, wash and vitamins. The standard of hygine is very questionable.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Now in : China
...and i'm off again!
It's these damn itchy feet, i just can't stay put in one place! This time, i've packed my bags and jetted off to Guangzhou in China. How long will i stay? I haven't a clue. But with food at as little as 30 pence (one singapore dollar) and tons of lovely lady's throwing themselves at you...hmmm.... it might be a while....
But on a more serious note, these two days here is a very humbling experience. To the people here, i'm on a ridiculously high pay package (to my mates back home and everywhere else, my pay is pathetic). These boys and girls come from all over China to live in in dormitories that are shared by 10 other people. They share common toilet facilities and have absolutely no access to things like washing machines, heaters, dryers and television. In the morning they queue up to use the toilets to brush their teeth, in the evening they queue up to bathe and wash their clothes by hand.
Life is regimental and discipline is harsh. They indeed are a capitalists' dream work force. A people bred just to fit parts on an electronic device.
Their entertainment revolves around an outdoor public screening of some obscure chinese movie, basketball and badminton.
They live on a salary of 50 pounds (SGD150) a month. And they have no other alternative to better their lives cause they're too busy performing overtime.
And this is the picture of one of the better parts of China. I havent' the chance to see a real sweat shop yet, but i would love to. At least at our place the practice of hygine is strictly observed (but still, everything around me seems to reek of some weird smell).
So the next time you power on your computer, plug in your iPod, sit on your Ikea sofa or use anything that's marked "Made in China", give a moment and spare a thought for these people who toil, slog, sweat and work round the clock to make it all possible for you.
People who, not by choice are born into this existence, do not have the resources to improve their lives and may never, ever get to use these products they make.
It's these damn itchy feet, i just can't stay put in one place! This time, i've packed my bags and jetted off to Guangzhou in China. How long will i stay? I haven't a clue. But with food at as little as 30 pence (one singapore dollar) and tons of lovely lady's throwing themselves at you...hmmm.... it might be a while....
But on a more serious note, these two days here is a very humbling experience. To the people here, i'm on a ridiculously high pay package (to my mates back home and everywhere else, my pay is pathetic). These boys and girls come from all over China to live in in dormitories that are shared by 10 other people. They share common toilet facilities and have absolutely no access to things like washing machines, heaters, dryers and television. In the morning they queue up to use the toilets to brush their teeth, in the evening they queue up to bathe and wash their clothes by hand.
Life is regimental and discipline is harsh. They indeed are a capitalists' dream work force. A people bred just to fit parts on an electronic device.
Their entertainment revolves around an outdoor public screening of some obscure chinese movie, basketball and badminton.
They live on a salary of 50 pounds (SGD150) a month. And they have no other alternative to better their lives cause they're too busy performing overtime.
And this is the picture of one of the better parts of China. I havent' the chance to see a real sweat shop yet, but i would love to. At least at our place the practice of hygine is strictly observed (but still, everything around me seems to reek of some weird smell).
So the next time you power on your computer, plug in your iPod, sit on your Ikea sofa or use anything that's marked "Made in China", give a moment and spare a thought for these people who toil, slog, sweat and work round the clock to make it all possible for you.
People who, not by choice are born into this existence, do not have the resources to improve their lives and may never, ever get to use these products they make.
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