Finally Mr China is going back home soon. Finally.
Today on the way to work , he had a discussion with his Chinese counterpart, LL. They discussed abt the random and common corruption in state run companies or the government. Mr China asked LL if his wife is working, as LL mentioned that she gets up v early to make breakfast. Mr China rems that she is working at a local bank, and with the household chores, she would have been a superwoman.
LL's reply was superbly shocking, well, she is on MC for 2mths. She had bought the MC and is staying at home to look after the kids. The more shocking thing is the matter of fact way that he presented the issue. It seem all possible , all right and common. After Mr China probe more, LL said it is so common, even more so at govt agencies where some people do not even appear at all. His wife's colleague is on 6mths MC..... hahaha...
More discussion reveals that bribes , under table money have to be given during festive seasons to ensure biz proceeds smoothly. All the authorities, various depts that needs to "check" your company, they all have to be treated well. No wonder those govt pple are looking like pigs.
Reaching office, Mr China turns on the computer for some homeland news to discover that his PM and fearless leader had just received 20% pay rise, having annual income of millions!!!! I wonder who is his boss that is so generous, i wonder how is his performance being judged? Are the homelanders getting more happy? Is the general public approving this move to pay himself more , and by 20% !!!!!!!!!
Now Mr CHina finds an eerie similarity btw the 2 incidents, both cases, both involves govt officials, "the smart asses that is suppose to lead and serve the pple", and their means to increase personal wealth. In the China way, it is through unknown means, making life difficult for biz pple like Mr China. In homeland way, it is open declaration, public glorification that our leaders are the smartest around and command the high pay. That way, it drains national resources and makes life difficult for Mr China too.
What is the differences? it seems that all roads lead to Rome here... haha.. Let Mr China draw an analogy:
In a deprived and controlled village where no one is allowed to eat much meat. The controlling authorities go up to a poor villager and ask for favour in order to allow her to continue her biz. The authorities thus got away with a chicken.
In another similar village. The controlling authorities stands in the village centre and declares himself supreme leader and smartest ass of all, backing it up with impressive numbers and terms that confuses everyone. In the end, he mentions the need for him to eat more chickens to substain his smart ass, if not , a brain drain occurs and he cant serve pple as well.
The authorities thus, got away with a year's supply of chicken to prevent his smart ass drain and also "corruption", keeping him fed with chickens ensure that he will not resort to the above method to get his chicken.
In both cases, authorities got the chicken. Wat is the differences?
Mr China begins to ponder on things that are deemed legal and illegal, who determines them? personal determination, morale judgment, social norms or Government stated. Anything is legal or illegal had to be drawn by the government.
In the above comparison, Mr China do not see any difference, the impulse is the same, the end is the same, but the methods are different. " Open corruption prevents dark corruption?"
Friday, December 14, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Uncertainities
Haizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........
In Sickness , Mr China reviewed his life and performance in China. Sadly he felt disappointed, he had fall short of the standards that he had set himself. In terms of personal developments or driving the Biz. On Sunday, Mr China spent a whole morning to review. Categorising his life and this period into different segments and set personal/biz goals to reach.
Luckily for this illness that Mr China had the opportunity to review and halt a personal rot. He was fast becoming comfortable and "hoping things to happen" rather than making things happen. Disappointing, Mr China had disappointed himself.
A big divide is drawn in Mr China's Life. Personal and Work. Mutually exclusive , crossing over only in character and methodologies. Mr China wants to adopt a methodical life, have goals as barriers and constraints to work within. Meaning to set destinations and goals , but path-wise will of course be one of freedoom and creativity.
Methodical .....
Sunday will be a day of review , to set work goals to be achieved and done for the week. Also to review all that has been done or COULD have been done. Then it will be organising his desktop and emails. TO have the information is one thing , to have them easily accessible is another.
He will also analyze and review sales numbers and all during this time. Pick up research and review things back in HQ.
Mr China will also review personal goals, to measure his drive in this period. Then utilise time to learn and achieve what he always wanted.....
Personal
Mr China understands knowledge is power. Knowledge is divided into general and specific. In his free time, he will puruse general knowledge, from Fortune, businessweek, economist magazine from HQ. For Specific knowledge, it will be learning and practising along the way. To understand the terms and review them. It will also be research base, to locate gems. Mr China has to be relevant in terms of worldwide development. He doesnt want to be Mr China forever.......
For work...... Mr China shall leave it for another day........
In Sickness , Mr China reviewed his life and performance in China. Sadly he felt disappointed, he had fall short of the standards that he had set himself. In terms of personal developments or driving the Biz. On Sunday, Mr China spent a whole morning to review. Categorising his life and this period into different segments and set personal/biz goals to reach.
Luckily for this illness that Mr China had the opportunity to review and halt a personal rot. He was fast becoming comfortable and "hoping things to happen" rather than making things happen. Disappointing, Mr China had disappointed himself.
A big divide is drawn in Mr China's Life. Personal and Work. Mutually exclusive , crossing over only in character and methodologies. Mr China wants to adopt a methodical life, have goals as barriers and constraints to work within. Meaning to set destinations and goals , but path-wise will of course be one of freedoom and creativity.
Methodical .....
Sunday will be a day of review , to set work goals to be achieved and done for the week. Also to review all that has been done or COULD have been done. Then it will be organising his desktop and emails. TO have the information is one thing , to have them easily accessible is another.
He will also analyze and review sales numbers and all during this time. Pick up research and review things back in HQ.
Mr China will also review personal goals, to measure his drive in this period. Then utilise time to learn and achieve what he always wanted.....
Personal
Mr China understands knowledge is power. Knowledge is divided into general and specific. In his free time, he will puruse general knowledge, from Fortune, businessweek, economist magazine from HQ. For Specific knowledge, it will be learning and practising along the way. To understand the terms and review them. It will also be research base, to locate gems. Mr China has to be relevant in terms of worldwide development. He doesnt want to be Mr China forever.......
For work...... Mr China shall leave it for another day........
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Sick...... ..... .....
Over the weekend, Mr China thought his is superman and his body is akin to wolverine's ...... for he battered it so badly that the physcial decided to gave up and rebeled.... BIG TIME....
Let's recap the "Foolish-ity" of Mr China
Slpt less than 6 hours for the whole week
Stress up / burden over week, rest hasnt been there
Saturday - did 2.5hours of training. 90mins of running including some intervals. Ran in singlet and shorts in single digit temps... yes... Mr China felt invicible rounding the track in that cold...
Feeling superb, he decided to venture to some far place for dinner , in only his tracksuit. Nearly froze to death outside, after the heat and all from the body is lost. Got back home, turn on all the heater, drank plenty of hot water and "overheated" himself, such that he need to switch to drinking cold water to cool his body down. Not to mention the rubbish heaty stuff that he ate.
Superman, he felt... the worse is to come...
Sunday - did an easy 30-40mins run , spot his favourite noodle stall. ate his breakfast and walked back. F. Cold. Froze.
Went to colleage's home for lunch, had fun.
Evening - decided to do a double and Mr China went for a 2nd run. a Harder 1hr plus run. Felt very powerful........ came home , showered and dinnered. Everything felt ok. But body started to feel cold at 7pm. Decided to ignore it as he has always felt cold , who doesnt in this crazy winter?
8pm - things doesnt feel right , his colds and feet are icey cold , his body is aching all over and body is rebelling
decided to head to bed. dressed usually, but felt very very cold. then he decided to take the following measures: centralised heating system on, on the electrical heater, dressed in 2 layers, wrapped in wool jacket , wrapped with another thick blanket. But he still feels very cold, esp fingers and feet.
It was madness , Mr China , felt headache coming on, difficulty breathing, he felt terrible , on the other end compared to 2 hours ago , when he went for another run. He is truly regretting for battering his body.
It was a mad struggle for 2 hrs before Mr China fell aslp. It was so much pain, that he rolled and screamed in bed, truly a mad torture, to be ill , alone in this foreign land in winter. He felt like dying....
That is only the 1st part, he had "over heated" himself ....... awoke at 1am due to soaring body temperature of 39-40 deg cel. within the blankets, it felt like a sauna. He quickly turn off the heaters , even switch it to fan, cooling system. Took alot of measures to cool down the body. It was madness, Mr China felt burning, couldnt walk properly and tumble around the house to get water, towel , medicine, etc......
For the next 2 days, it was similar struggles as Mr China kept himself at home. Please remember that it is winter out there and Mr China struggles to get food out there. He struggles outside the streets in the cold , while his body burns to feed himself. it was all not so good.
Until wed night, he has a soaring temp of 40 and rising that he couldnt take it. called his colleague and rushed to the hospital......... the hospital here is amazing ... simply amazing. just a different healthcare system... shall talk about it in a next post.
Mr China here is now well and about. His experience: ill , alone , in winter , made him appreciate things back home much better. But this episode made him stronger too, but doesnt kill him , make him stronger.....
Let's recap the "Foolish-ity" of Mr China
Slpt less than 6 hours for the whole week
Stress up / burden over week, rest hasnt been there
Saturday - did 2.5hours of training. 90mins of running including some intervals. Ran in singlet and shorts in single digit temps... yes... Mr China felt invicible rounding the track in that cold...
Feeling superb, he decided to venture to some far place for dinner , in only his tracksuit. Nearly froze to death outside, after the heat and all from the body is lost. Got back home, turn on all the heater, drank plenty of hot water and "overheated" himself, such that he need to switch to drinking cold water to cool his body down. Not to mention the rubbish heaty stuff that he ate.
Superman, he felt... the worse is to come...
Sunday - did an easy 30-40mins run , spot his favourite noodle stall. ate his breakfast and walked back. F. Cold. Froze.
Went to colleage's home for lunch, had fun.
Evening - decided to do a double and Mr China went for a 2nd run. a Harder 1hr plus run. Felt very powerful........ came home , showered and dinnered. Everything felt ok. But body started to feel cold at 7pm. Decided to ignore it as he has always felt cold , who doesnt in this crazy winter?
8pm - things doesnt feel right , his colds and feet are icey cold , his body is aching all over and body is rebelling
decided to head to bed. dressed usually, but felt very very cold. then he decided to take the following measures: centralised heating system on, on the electrical heater, dressed in 2 layers, wrapped in wool jacket , wrapped with another thick blanket. But he still feels very cold, esp fingers and feet.
It was madness , Mr China , felt headache coming on, difficulty breathing, he felt terrible , on the other end compared to 2 hours ago , when he went for another run. He is truly regretting for battering his body.
It was a mad struggle for 2 hrs before Mr China fell aslp. It was so much pain, that he rolled and screamed in bed, truly a mad torture, to be ill , alone in this foreign land in winter. He felt like dying....
That is only the 1st part, he had "over heated" himself ....... awoke at 1am due to soaring body temperature of 39-40 deg cel. within the blankets, it felt like a sauna. He quickly turn off the heaters , even switch it to fan, cooling system. Took alot of measures to cool down the body. It was madness, Mr China felt burning, couldnt walk properly and tumble around the house to get water, towel , medicine, etc......
For the next 2 days, it was similar struggles as Mr China kept himself at home. Please remember that it is winter out there and Mr China struggles to get food out there. He struggles outside the streets in the cold , while his body burns to feed himself. it was all not so good.
Until wed night, he has a soaring temp of 40 and rising that he couldnt take it. called his colleague and rushed to the hospital......... the hospital here is amazing ... simply amazing. just a different healthcare system... shall talk about it in a next post.
Mr China here is now well and about. His experience: ill , alone , in winter , made him appreciate things back home much better. But this episode made him stronger too, but doesnt kill him , make him stronger.....
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Sights
One of the Perks of the hectic and crazy travels of Mr China is to be able to see places and things. And being in China, there is such diverse sights, sounds and taste of each city, that it seems to be many countries confine together.
In 3 days, Mr China had ascended the majestic Great Wall, then visit the Famous Chang Jiang.
The Great Wall is amazing, amazing work. Mr China cant describe the feeling he got when he was up there, looking at the beautiful landscape. The mountains afar, where it seemed to touch the sky, with sunlight pouring over it, seems to be the place where gods live.......
The winds howl the greatness of the wall, speaking of the blood and sweat that was used in the construction.......
Mr China too explore Beijing and went around in Public Transport, it was an amazing squeeze, however, he had successful navigated around. Will be a keen tour guide for anyone that is interested to visit. In an attempt to visit one of the parks, he got lost , went around and finally reached that damn place. It was nothing. Damn it. On the way crawling back , he stopped by a Pasar Malam, with amazing cheap stuff. RMB5 shirts... hahaha.... By the time he stopped to shop, it had already been 2 hr 10mins since he started running from his hotel... hahha
Mr China Landed around 11pm in Chong Qing and bashed his way to the hotel, going via public transport. Where he alighted, pple gathered and stuff lots of nonsense in this bags and stick funny funny things everywhere they can find on Mr China. At first Mr China thought it was a robbery going on. But in the end, it was just simple RUDE marketing. All the things were bus, train and airline ticket information. Not to mention those kinky invitation for ladies.....
The next morning, Mr China woke up abit early as usual and went for a run. CQ is a rather hilly area and rather packed. Mr China is staying at a prosperous city centre. He ran along the coast of the Chang Jiang in the morning. Not really that nice.... but the sights in the evening were tremenous, to see the large waves rolling about. It was a pretty sight. CQ is filled with lights, light pollution, it was over the limit for Mr China. Building , signs, roads, everything they can think of , there are flashing bright lights in all sorts of manner.....
And of course , Mr China tasted the real Authentic Chong Qing Hot Pot. Amazing stuff, a whole pot of CHilli........ it is very nice at affordable price. RMB 58/pax , free flow buffet. Really nice.
In 3 days, Mr China had ascended the majestic Great Wall, then visit the Famous Chang Jiang.
The Great Wall is amazing, amazing work. Mr China cant describe the feeling he got when he was up there, looking at the beautiful landscape. The mountains afar, where it seemed to touch the sky, with sunlight pouring over it, seems to be the place where gods live.......
The winds howl the greatness of the wall, speaking of the blood and sweat that was used in the construction.......
Mr China too explore Beijing and went around in Public Transport, it was an amazing squeeze, however, he had successful navigated around. Will be a keen tour guide for anyone that is interested to visit. In an attempt to visit one of the parks, he got lost , went around and finally reached that damn place. It was nothing. Damn it. On the way crawling back , he stopped by a Pasar Malam, with amazing cheap stuff. RMB5 shirts... hahaha.... By the time he stopped to shop, it had already been 2 hr 10mins since he started running from his hotel... hahha
Mr China Landed around 11pm in Chong Qing and bashed his way to the hotel, going via public transport. Where he alighted, pple gathered and stuff lots of nonsense in this bags and stick funny funny things everywhere they can find on Mr China. At first Mr China thought it was a robbery going on. But in the end, it was just simple RUDE marketing. All the things were bus, train and airline ticket information. Not to mention those kinky invitation for ladies.....
The next morning, Mr China woke up abit early as usual and went for a run. CQ is a rather hilly area and rather packed. Mr China is staying at a prosperous city centre. He ran along the coast of the Chang Jiang in the morning. Not really that nice.... but the sights in the evening were tremenous, to see the large waves rolling about. It was a pretty sight. CQ is filled with lights, light pollution, it was over the limit for Mr China. Building , signs, roads, everything they can think of , there are flashing bright lights in all sorts of manner.....
And of course , Mr China tasted the real Authentic Chong Qing Hot Pot. Amazing stuff, a whole pot of CHilli........ it is very nice at affordable price. RMB 58/pax , free flow buffet. Really nice.
Voices from the Heart
It had been a tubulent week for Mr China. Zapping and zooming around places.
His journey lies in travelling from Beijing - Xin Ji - Beijing - Chong Qing - Chengdu
Mr China sometimes falls into solitude in his lonely travels. Unfamiliar places, slow work development, lack of human interaction is all the clauses....
He had a nice time in a cafe with free wireless internet access, in the lobby of his hotel that only cost RMB 160/day. After great discussion on a possible deal and change of distributorship, he called home.
It is always a nice feeling to hear familiar sights and sounds for Mr China. Mum asked,"有想家吗?"
Dad was even more emo, for a traditional chinese dad, as usual, Mr China had difficulties in communication with him. There was long awarkard silence and exchanges of the usual greetings and words. One of the usual silences were broken by,"爸爸没什么，只想你早点回来。。。”
Those simple words touched Mr China's heart, he longs for family and home, but work and ambition had taken him far. Life is a balance of things, a balance of opposite forces they say......
At night, he took some time off to walk around and chanced upon rather familiar voices too, it is the speaking nature of a singaporean! Immediately, he tapped on the shoulder of one of the gp members and inquired abt their nationality.... true to the word, they are Singaporean la............
His journey lies in travelling from Beijing - Xin Ji - Beijing - Chong Qing - Chengdu
Mr China sometimes falls into solitude in his lonely travels. Unfamiliar places, slow work development, lack of human interaction is all the clauses....
He had a nice time in a cafe with free wireless internet access, in the lobby of his hotel that only cost RMB 160/day. After great discussion on a possible deal and change of distributorship, he called home.
It is always a nice feeling to hear familiar sights and sounds for Mr China. Mum asked,"有想家吗?"
Dad was even more emo, for a traditional chinese dad, as usual, Mr China had difficulties in communication with him. There was long awarkard silence and exchanges of the usual greetings and words. One of the usual silences were broken by,"爸爸没什么，只想你早点回来。。。”
Those simple words touched Mr China's heart, he longs for family and home, but work and ambition had taken him far. Life is a balance of things, a balance of opposite forces they say......
At night, he took some time off to walk around and chanced upon rather familiar voices too, it is the speaking nature of a singaporean! Immediately, he tapped on the shoulder of one of the gp members and inquired abt their nationality.... true to the word, they are Singaporean la............
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Its only WORDS.......
It is heavy pressure on Mr China at this period of time. In his latest report to Boss, the comment that came back was,
"well ,looks like you are just doing admin stuff, i would like to see some sales and volume......."
There is so much for Mr China to deal with , technical , admin, interviewing, SnM... and it is all coming at a go for him here. Flying Dutchman came today, the tech expert, held very long meetings to finalize all the machine details and all. From his mouth,"who the fuck chose this system here ? doesnt make sense?"
Arrrrggggh.... the main worry for Mr China is the support that he has , the weapons, the bullets that he can shoot with. The Chinese Balls seem to think it is sony playstation plug and play system and do not understand the extend of it. Mr China cant understand them , with millions out of their pockets, they do not really care?
Next came the budget forecast from HQ , Mr China isnt assigned directly a number. Bad or Good? Mr China sees the bad side, his importance in the company is eroding, they are getting sick of the china-story. He has to make things happen now..... so is worry number 2 for him, as the sales pple are sitting around, laughing and playing having fun everyday.
The number to achieve is also another worry, despite being so low. haizzz , Mr China wants to achieve , but among giants back home, he is a walking wounded beast.......
Then came the news that the accountantS is arriving. Damn the fucking Chinese side, i had told them i only wanted 1 of them , not both! How am i going to deal with 2 of them? how am i going to train 2 at the same time? Bloody idiot , only sit and drink ard , not too sure wtf is he doing.... The worry is how is Mr China going to allocate them? They are not professional accountants, Mr China fears seeing another blur chicken that will evaluate his blood pressure higher than before.
N there is change of traveling plans, Mr China has to go to Beijing early, rushes back home to wash his clothes , iron and pack. He has yet to prepare his seminar stuff and the salesman think it is some easy shit, damn..... At Beijing , he has to conclude a deal with a distributor, then head to Chongqing and then to Chengdu for the 3 day seminar, and yes , he is the one that will be doing the speaking.............. Haiz.....
"well ,looks like you are just doing admin stuff, i would like to see some sales and volume......."
There is so much for Mr China to deal with , technical , admin, interviewing, SnM... and it is all coming at a go for him here. Flying Dutchman came today, the tech expert, held very long meetings to finalize all the machine details and all. From his mouth,"who the fuck chose this system here ? doesnt make sense?"
Arrrrggggh.... the main worry for Mr China is the support that he has , the weapons, the bullets that he can shoot with. The Chinese Balls seem to think it is sony playstation plug and play system and do not understand the extend of it. Mr China cant understand them , with millions out of their pockets, they do not really care?
Next came the budget forecast from HQ , Mr China isnt assigned directly a number. Bad or Good? Mr China sees the bad side, his importance in the company is eroding, they are getting sick of the china-story. He has to make things happen now..... so is worry number 2 for him, as the sales pple are sitting around, laughing and playing having fun everyday.
The number to achieve is also another worry, despite being so low. haizzz , Mr China wants to achieve , but among giants back home, he is a walking wounded beast.......
Then came the news that the accountantS is arriving. Damn the fucking Chinese side, i had told them i only wanted 1 of them , not both! How am i going to deal with 2 of them? how am i going to train 2 at the same time? Bloody idiot , only sit and drink ard , not too sure wtf is he doing.... The worry is how is Mr China going to allocate them? They are not professional accountants, Mr China fears seeing another blur chicken that will evaluate his blood pressure higher than before.
N there is change of traveling plans, Mr China has to go to Beijing early, rushes back home to wash his clothes , iron and pack. He has yet to prepare his seminar stuff and the salesman think it is some easy shit, damn..... At Beijing , he has to conclude a deal with a distributor, then head to Chongqing and then to Chengdu for the 3 day seminar, and yes , he is the one that will be doing the speaking.............. Haiz.....
Monday, October 29, 2007
Words of Wisdom - Wilson Kipketer
Mr China admires Runners, sportsmen, they carry a defiant spirit essential for survival in this society. In them, many people lived. How many people would wish to wish to run as fast, jump as far or be the 1st to cross the line. How about watched their runs and performances , imaging to be their shoes, basking in that limelight to cross 1st with a whole stadium's approval.......
But how many people knew the torment they went through? how many people would want to train as hard as them , or go through the hell they went through...
Wilson Kipketer
World Record holder of 800m
800m is by far one of the hardest event in track and field, with the most stringent mix of speed and endurance. By speed, you need to have decent 400m sprint speed, which is rather dependent on talent. By the end of the 1st lap, you will have to carry that lactic laden body for another round. THe last few metres are always one of agony, especially in a tough race, where speed slows to a crawl, hands pumping , heartbeat till a max and begging to stop, cold sweat and lactic laden legs taking 1 more step after another......
As the commentor describe in his world record effort, "wilson kipketer, reign supreme in the 800m."
below is an abstract of his interview:
“I would like younger runners to understand earlier than I did, that winning a gold medal is not always the difference between success and failure. If you do anything in life to the utmost of your ability you are always a winner whether you come first in the race of life or not. Self achievement is the key to happiness and well being. It is a key which has unlocked my life and I would like it to do the same for others.”
His full interview:
http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=31778.html
As all athletes, they have their ups and down, Wilson too, cannot escape that reality. But the comeback he staged after recovering from malaria was amazing. Challenging the very best knowing that he could have been "there" if not due to the illness. He took it in this stride, accept the fate and went back to challenge the world. Malaria wasnt an excuse, it was an accepted fact and past, he move beyond it. Isnt Life all about the same ?
But how many people knew the torment they went through? how many people would want to train as hard as them , or go through the hell they went through...
Wilson Kipketer
World Record holder of 800m
800m is by far one of the hardest event in track and field, with the most stringent mix of speed and endurance. By speed, you need to have decent 400m sprint speed, which is rather dependent on talent. By the end of the 1st lap, you will have to carry that lactic laden body for another round. THe last few metres are always one of agony, especially in a tough race, where speed slows to a crawl, hands pumping , heartbeat till a max and begging to stop, cold sweat and lactic laden legs taking 1 more step after another......
As the commentor describe in his world record effort, "wilson kipketer, reign supreme in the 800m."
below is an abstract of his interview:
“I would like younger runners to understand earlier than I did, that winning a gold medal is not always the difference between success and failure. If you do anything in life to the utmost of your ability you are always a winner whether you come first in the race of life or not. Self achievement is the key to happiness and well being. It is a key which has unlocked my life and I would like it to do the same for others.”
His full interview:
http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=31778.html
As all athletes, they have their ups and down, Wilson too, cannot escape that reality. But the comeback he staged after recovering from malaria was amazing. Challenging the very best knowing that he could have been "there" if not due to the illness. He took it in this stride, accept the fate and went back to challenge the world. Malaria wasnt an excuse, it was an accepted fact and past, he move beyond it. Isnt Life all about the same ?
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
A Day that everything gone wrong
Not a good day for Mr China.
He came back from a deal discussion and suffered the effects of two 4 hr drives in a matter of 2 days. Gums and tooth is hurting, duno which is e actual one, causing headaches for him. Been on a enforced liquid diet. This is especially tough for a food crazed Mr China. But the pain is more than enough to deter any munching. Can imagine the pain to force Mr China to drinking porridge only...
Road to office was blocked today and Mr China had a walk a very rough and dirty detour. Arrived and saw horrors of horrors. Someone in office had just forwarded a simple request to her to another company. Prepared for avalanche of attacks to come. Mr China's mail content looked something like this:
"XXX company doesnt cooperate, XXX doesnt seem to care, XXX is delaying us"
And Mr China's colleague forwarded it to XXX company.
During the day, corresponses from France, Sg and China of XXX's subsidary followed on, claiming on various issues and all. More is expected to come as Mr China had to rope in response from Jap to defend himself. Let see tomorrow.
Sad to say, it was Mr China's boss that advocated the direct forwarding of the mail without censor. WHY?
NA is absurb and a piece of SHIT, attacking Mr China on the issue of the Fair Organisation again.
He demands discount from the contractors but refuses to speak to them. Asking Mr China to do it instead. The discount Mr China is of course never sufficient for his fucking standard. When the offer to connect NA directly to the contractors, he rebukes by asking Mr China's sanity. Fuck him.
Next he questions Mr China's contribution on the Fair. Mr China highlighted in BOLD and ask him on this statement. Felt like asking back what is your fucking contribution instead? NA was in hotel at the day of the setup, didnt participate but came in the end and complain a whole load of shit.
Lastly, fight broke out when Mr China was not around. Someone was knocked uncon with sitches to the face It was an unfortunate incident between 2 of Mr China's friends. It is just one of those situations where you cant point a finger at anyone. GREY.
Visited the person at the hospital. Happen that the parents of the one that caused the injury came to apologies, resulting in lots of drama...... haizzzzz.....
ADDING to all this mess, Mr China's 400k EURO lab equipment to be shipped to him met with the most absurd problem. Machine supplier called to say they forgetten to load one piece of the equipment to the shipment. Leaving it stranded at the dock. Wonderful. Why would they forget to breath instead.
LAstly............... normal work rountine have to follow......... haiz...
Just another day.......
He came back from a deal discussion and suffered the effects of two 4 hr drives in a matter of 2 days. Gums and tooth is hurting, duno which is e actual one, causing headaches for him. Been on a enforced liquid diet. This is especially tough for a food crazed Mr China. But the pain is more than enough to deter any munching. Can imagine the pain to force Mr China to drinking porridge only...
Road to office was blocked today and Mr China had a walk a very rough and dirty detour. Arrived and saw horrors of horrors. Someone in office had just forwarded a simple request to her to another company. Prepared for avalanche of attacks to come. Mr China's mail content looked something like this:
"XXX company doesnt cooperate, XXX doesnt seem to care, XXX is delaying us"
And Mr China's colleague forwarded it to XXX company.
During the day, corresponses from France, Sg and China of XXX's subsidary followed on, claiming on various issues and all. More is expected to come as Mr China had to rope in response from Jap to defend himself. Let see tomorrow.
Sad to say, it was Mr China's boss that advocated the direct forwarding of the mail without censor. WHY?
NA is absurb and a piece of SHIT, attacking Mr China on the issue of the Fair Organisation again.
He demands discount from the contractors but refuses to speak to them. Asking Mr China to do it instead. The discount Mr China is of course never sufficient for his fucking standard. When the offer to connect NA directly to the contractors, he rebukes by asking Mr China's sanity. Fuck him.
Next he questions Mr China's contribution on the Fair. Mr China highlighted in BOLD and ask him on this statement. Felt like asking back what is your fucking contribution instead? NA was in hotel at the day of the setup, didnt participate but came in the end and complain a whole load of shit.
Lastly, fight broke out when Mr China was not around. Someone was knocked uncon with sitches to the face It was an unfortunate incident between 2 of Mr China's friends. It is just one of those situations where you cant point a finger at anyone. GREY.
Visited the person at the hospital. Happen that the parents of the one that caused the injury came to apologies, resulting in lots of drama...... haizzzzz.....
ADDING to all this mess, Mr China's 400k EURO lab equipment to be shipped to him met with the most absurd problem. Machine supplier called to say they forgetten to load one piece of the equipment to the shipment. Leaving it stranded at the dock. Wonderful. Why would they forget to breath instead.
LAstly............... normal work rountine have to follow......... haiz...
Just another day.......
Friday, October 19, 2007
It has been a long time coming .....
Mr China doesnt know where to start or begin, he has been far too behind in writing here. Maybe he just have a fear of sharing, maybe he doesnt like to "re-live" those struggles when he is relax at home, maybe , maybe.
There has been rather alot going on in Mr China's life, mostly work here and it has been frustrating, when was it never? The severe inefficiency here is pissing off Mr China, while the politics back in HQ is also driving him rather nuts.
A simple request from him to HR for a "heater to dry clothes in winter" and a humidifier was turned down. The reason is so laff-fa-able, please hang your clothes near your room heater and buy medication if you develop dryness related skin issues. With humidifier, electricity cost will raise. *KA-PUI* Mr China has developed chi-na instricts to pour scorn on this nonsense.
Trade Fair: NA arrived and condemn also everything. He looks like a man on a mission, to bring down everything, looking like a doc with a microscope, he zoomed and pointed at everything. However instead of complaining n fucking the booth setting company, he diverts everything on Mr China. And yes, his report reach the directors that the booth is a mess. Great. Mr China felt stab in the back.
Mr China would like to sum up his responsibilities:
1. Technical:
He is in charge of developing up a RX lab. The floor plan, the process flow, the machines, the technologies. Not to mention the importation of the machines. The choice of all the periperal equipments, etc
2. Commercial
The sales side of the biz, if the lab is up, with no customers, Mr CHina will be the first to wrap himself in his homeland's flag and jump from the lab building. For that, he has to develop the 4Ps. Determine the strategies , the Price, Product, Promotion and Place. He will also be required to go on sales trips , to use the least cost for the most efficient coverage
3. Marketing Support
To sell things that are marked more expensive and premium , Mr China has to develop the necessary materials to support it. He has to assist partners to sell his lenses.
Arrrgghhh.... thats too much.... all 3 has to be timed properly , 1 can do without the other in this triangluar relationship. The pdt cant be out without the biz and customers. The biz cant do without the marketing support.
ENough.
Let Mr China share something funny today about the severe inefficiency of the Chinese partner. He decided to follow the accs to town today. To go to the bank to check the funds transfer. A whole gp fucked in the car. Duno what shit they are up to.
1st stop: the bank, Mr China checked it and they left to a govt agency to submit things. Everything done in 20mins. Head back to Office? nope.....
One idiot decided to go to buy medicine, not e store 2mins away but a store duno how far away. Then his cousin's son , or duno-wat-shit hav to go and measure his eyesight. And yes , that young shit doesnt belong in the company. Why he is tagging along? Mr China have no ideaS.
next stop: The driver decide to buy firecrackers for a friends' wedding.................. enough said.
Then: someone has to go and take money.............
the most absurb: they have to fetch someone's child from sch........... and it is not easy task, with a big damn crowd outside, no idea how to find that kid. Then have to go to the kid's home to take some clothes and drive that kid with the clothes back to office.
Mr China got damn fedup with the wait. He drops a comment to that young person in the car, tell me , how would u feel if you are the boss of this company and this is happening?
Even more funy, someone decided to make use of the small patch of soil surrounding the Lab's compound to plant vegetables..... There is a big variety of them. Wonderful , greenery....
There has been rather alot going on in Mr China's life, mostly work here and it has been frustrating, when was it never? The severe inefficiency here is pissing off Mr China, while the politics back in HQ is also driving him rather nuts.
A simple request from him to HR for a "heater to dry clothes in winter" and a humidifier was turned down. The reason is so laff-fa-able, please hang your clothes near your room heater and buy medication if you develop dryness related skin issues. With humidifier, electricity cost will raise. *KA-PUI* Mr China has developed chi-na instricts to pour scorn on this nonsense.
Trade Fair: NA arrived and condemn also everything. He looks like a man on a mission, to bring down everything, looking like a doc with a microscope, he zoomed and pointed at everything. However instead of complaining n fucking the booth setting company, he diverts everything on Mr China. And yes, his report reach the directors that the booth is a mess. Great. Mr China felt stab in the back.
Mr China would like to sum up his responsibilities:
1. Technical:
He is in charge of developing up a RX lab. The floor plan, the process flow, the machines, the technologies. Not to mention the importation of the machines. The choice of all the periperal equipments, etc
2. Commercial
The sales side of the biz, if the lab is up, with no customers, Mr CHina will be the first to wrap himself in his homeland's flag and jump from the lab building. For that, he has to develop the 4Ps. Determine the strategies , the Price, Product, Promotion and Place. He will also be required to go on sales trips , to use the least cost for the most efficient coverage
3. Marketing Support
To sell things that are marked more expensive and premium , Mr China has to develop the necessary materials to support it. He has to assist partners to sell his lenses.
Arrrgghhh.... thats too much.... all 3 has to be timed properly , 1 can do without the other in this triangluar relationship. The pdt cant be out without the biz and customers. The biz cant do without the marketing support.
ENough.
Let Mr China share something funny today about the severe inefficiency of the Chinese partner. He decided to follow the accs to town today. To go to the bank to check the funds transfer. A whole gp fucked in the car. Duno what shit they are up to.
1st stop: the bank, Mr China checked it and they left to a govt agency to submit things. Everything done in 20mins. Head back to Office? nope.....
One idiot decided to go to buy medicine, not e store 2mins away but a store duno how far away. Then his cousin's son , or duno-wat-shit hav to go and measure his eyesight. And yes , that young shit doesnt belong in the company. Why he is tagging along? Mr China have no ideaS.
next stop: The driver decide to buy firecrackers for a friends' wedding.................. enough said.
Then: someone has to go and take money.............
the most absurb: they have to fetch someone's child from sch........... and it is not easy task, with a big damn crowd outside, no idea how to find that kid. Then have to go to the kid's home to take some clothes and drive that kid with the clothes back to office.
Mr China got damn fedup with the wait. He drops a comment to that young person in the car, tell me , how would u feel if you are the boss of this company and this is happening?
Even more funy, someone decided to make use of the small patch of soil surrounding the Lab's compound to plant vegetables..... There is a big variety of them. Wonderful , greenery....
Monday, August 20, 2007
Chaos in the Mind
Well, this post has nothing to do with Mr China's work or whatsoever, more of the confusion he had been facing, with life, work , family, dreams , reality........ its basically a contracdiction. Life's pretty much ironic and a blur.
Mr China now has some days off to think and to ponder , to rumble through his thoughts and arrange them in a good order.... if he can and if its possible in the first place.
Had a great afternoon nap over the wkend before awoken by his cousin's usual noises, they come over on sat.... he lay on bed and watch the fan turn, he got a feeling that he couldnt describe, then ........ he felt that the china experience seems like yesterday and a dream. His position, his work , his life in China doesnt seem real. His family and all is what of value to him. But he must..... he must... to go back and complete his task. There is an urge in him, a defiant spirit within that doesnt like to lose. He wants to win and do a good task there... but the odds are stacked against him there....... that makes it ever more challenging....
He has a lot in his mind, things to be done in China , almost everything , from the top to the bottom, everything is staring at him , deadline is near and he has so many things to fulfill, but he still chose to pursuit his personal interest first. Isnt him abit selfish? haiz.... Mr China feels like needing a break and rest from everything too. He needs to runaway..........
Mr China had learnt independence and solitude, in fact , he embraces them and is proud of them , labeled them as his quailities. today he just felt a tinge for some company.... but nevertheless, he can swallow them down and start tomorrow the same, again............
Mr China now has some days off to think and to ponder , to rumble through his thoughts and arrange them in a good order.... if he can and if its possible in the first place.
Had a great afternoon nap over the wkend before awoken by his cousin's usual noises, they come over on sat.... he lay on bed and watch the fan turn, he got a feeling that he couldnt describe, then ........ he felt that the china experience seems like yesterday and a dream. His position, his work , his life in China doesnt seem real. His family and all is what of value to him. But he must..... he must... to go back and complete his task. There is an urge in him, a defiant spirit within that doesnt like to lose. He wants to win and do a good task there... but the odds are stacked against him there....... that makes it ever more challenging....
He has a lot in his mind, things to be done in China , almost everything , from the top to the bottom, everything is staring at him , deadline is near and he has so many things to fulfill, but he still chose to pursuit his personal interest first. Isnt him abit selfish? haiz.... Mr China feels like needing a break and rest from everything too. He needs to runaway..........
Mr China had learnt independence and solitude, in fact , he embraces them and is proud of them , labeled them as his quailities. today he just felt a tinge for some company.... but nevertheless, he can swallow them down and start tomorrow the same, again............
Monday, August 6, 2007
Internal Conflcts.......... NOT ?
Mr China just gotten back to office where he is met with meetings and endless updates to give to various departments. There is an air of welcome around, he feels it, except from his supposedly mentor... NA.. just walked pass his office with a wave... something is not right......
Now Mr China is caught in 2 levels, he shld report to NA , then to the Director. But seems like NA doesnt think much of him and ignores most of his work and stuff, so he decides to report on most matters directly to the DI.
The problem Mr China faces is that DI is supportive of the cooperation with the Chinese party, while NA condemns them to the floor..... however..... his condemnation appears only infront of Mr China. Some weird shit. So Mr China has to entertain his 1hr speeches of hw the chinese sucks and we shld do it on our own......
Mr China doesnt think what he said was wrong, but the timing is awefully wrong and it doesnt make sense...... lets recap. NA was the inital contact to the chinese side 3 years ago. Meaning that they had cooperated near to 4 years , despite bad blood and poor results. So does it take so long before he realised that the other party sux? And if it did , why such a difference in attitude in a matter of 6mths?
Before the JV contract, NA was supportive of them, Mr China doubts he remembers them , selective amnesia they say..... while things that the NA say is never constant, always different from time to time.... NA assisted and single-handly ensure that the contract went thru, now he is also the 1st on the list to recommend a pull out.............. only in the face of Mr China......
Mr China wonders why..... ...... .... Everyday, without fail, NA walks into his office and bombarbs them non stop.... the TIMING and the Individual he picked this so so weird.......
Recently, NA even went to the chinese side's office , Mr China's terriority without letting him know. Heard he brought some customers there , for wat shit, i duno. But that really contradicts his opinion of them. Now he is helping them link up with potential customers when back in Base, he fucks them like mad. Mr China really doesnt understand what is happening.
During the meeting today. Mr China felt a stab, some back pain when DI said in a remark, NA told me that he feels that you are not doing anything at all. BIG FAT ZERO........ interesting NA is one big mystery... Seems like Mr China cant escape from this politic war and prepare to gun him down in a discussion. But NA is well seasoned fox. Not that easy to trap..........
Now Mr China is caught in 2 levels, he shld report to NA , then to the Director. But seems like NA doesnt think much of him and ignores most of his work and stuff, so he decides to report on most matters directly to the DI.
The problem Mr China faces is that DI is supportive of the cooperation with the Chinese party, while NA condemns them to the floor..... however..... his condemnation appears only infront of Mr China. Some weird shit. So Mr China has to entertain his 1hr speeches of hw the chinese sucks and we shld do it on our own......
Mr China doesnt think what he said was wrong, but the timing is awefully wrong and it doesnt make sense...... lets recap. NA was the inital contact to the chinese side 3 years ago. Meaning that they had cooperated near to 4 years , despite bad blood and poor results. So does it take so long before he realised that the other party sux? And if it did , why such a difference in attitude in a matter of 6mths?
Before the JV contract, NA was supportive of them, Mr China doubts he remembers them , selective amnesia they say..... while things that the NA say is never constant, always different from time to time.... NA assisted and single-handly ensure that the contract went thru, now he is also the 1st on the list to recommend a pull out.............. only in the face of Mr China......
Mr China wonders why..... ...... .... Everyday, without fail, NA walks into his office and bombarbs them non stop.... the TIMING and the Individual he picked this so so weird.......
Recently, NA even went to the chinese side's office , Mr China's terriority without letting him know. Heard he brought some customers there , for wat shit, i duno. But that really contradicts his opinion of them. Now he is helping them link up with potential customers when back in Base, he fucks them like mad. Mr China really doesnt understand what is happening.
During the meeting today. Mr China felt a stab, some back pain when DI said in a remark, NA told me that he feels that you are not doing anything at all. BIG FAT ZERO........ interesting NA is one big mystery... Seems like Mr China cant escape from this politic war and prepare to gun him down in a discussion. But NA is well seasoned fox. Not that easy to trap..........
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Back......... the long awaited post....
Mr China is back in his home town, or more , his home country. To get back, he has to start a journey at 830am to reach back at HOME at around 11pm. Madness travelling. The worse of it was that he was being trapped with some energy-filled kid in a car that talked non-stop. It was a great feeling for Mr China to step out of the airport and took a breath of his hometown air. The feeling was rather not as dramatic as in the movies or like what he usually sees in the movies.
But it was a feeling of relief in him. Glad to be back in town and speakin the local dilect, getting a cab and returning back home in 15mins.... Something that Mr China hadnt been used to. A usual car ride to and fro an airport in China is usually measured in Hours, not Minutes.
Mr China was glad to meet all this family members, see his home, eat his mom's food, at least they are healthy and not those deep fried and salt laced meals he had in China..... relieved, gladness, happiness......
It has been a time to catch up with different groups of friend for Mr China. But time flies and its so sad that perhaps it will only be possible to meet up once with each group. Haiz.. seems as time flies, we "grew up" , load ourselves with responsibilities that we have no time for things that matter.
It seems a vicious cycle , the things that you crave so much for, the recognition and importance in work, its the very thing that you may wan to escape from , to gain time for other things. If we knew the ending, why would we still proceed in the path? Is it just to say done it and experienced it?
Mr China now feels rather difficult to return back...... it will be so so difficult to say bye to everyone again....
But it was a feeling of relief in him. Glad to be back in town and speakin the local dilect, getting a cab and returning back home in 15mins.... Something that Mr China hadnt been used to. A usual car ride to and fro an airport in China is usually measured in Hours, not Minutes.
Mr China was glad to meet all this family members, see his home, eat his mom's food, at least they are healthy and not those deep fried and salt laced meals he had in China..... relieved, gladness, happiness......
It has been a time to catch up with different groups of friend for Mr China. But time flies and its so sad that perhaps it will only be possible to meet up once with each group. Haiz.. seems as time flies, we "grew up" , load ourselves with responsibilities that we have no time for things that matter.
It seems a vicious cycle , the things that you crave so much for, the recognition and importance in work, its the very thing that you may wan to escape from , to gain time for other things. If we knew the ending, why would we still proceed in the path? Is it just to say done it and experienced it?
Mr China now feels rather difficult to return back...... it will be so so difficult to say bye to everyone again....
Friday, July 6, 2007
Funny Funny Things in China...
Mr China had been following the news and gathered some very impossible to comprehend reports that seem laughable and some cruel. Just summing up and deciding to share some:
1. 20 over brands of pdts that didnt passed tests, contain poison, fakes, still make it to advertise in commercials and papers.
2. Testing of HP batteries, 60% failed the test, including some of them that blew up on the spot. One customer was killed by this incident.
3. Head of MOH in china sentence to death by firing squad. Discovery that he accepted too much bribes for allowing fakes drugs through.
4. Cruel Newspaper reports. One national athlete suffered life endangering accident. The newspaper use the opportunity to have sms contest to guess what her injury is.
5. Only 90% of food pdt produced by big enterprises passed regulations. Number is lower at 60% for those of smaller scale. Scary... Mr China is slowly poisoning himself eating made-in-china food.
6. Raising healthcare cost. Answer from the hospital personnel,"want to die already, still keep so much money for what?"
7. Government authorities coming in "kind" to check Mr China's papers. Wants to see if he has the relevant documents. They are rather kind to make a trip here, instead of calling to ask Mr China to their office. And they returned with some nice frames..... "kindness" ... !@#$%^&*(
1. 20 over brands of pdts that didnt passed tests, contain poison, fakes, still make it to advertise in commercials and papers.
2. Testing of HP batteries, 60% failed the test, including some of them that blew up on the spot. One customer was killed by this incident.
3. Head of MOH in china sentence to death by firing squad. Discovery that he accepted too much bribes for allowing fakes drugs through.
4. Cruel Newspaper reports. One national athlete suffered life endangering accident. The newspaper use the opportunity to have sms contest to guess what her injury is.
5. Only 90% of food pdt produced by big enterprises passed regulations. Number is lower at 60% for those of smaller scale. Scary... Mr China is slowly poisoning himself eating made-in-china food.
6. Raising healthcare cost. Answer from the hospital personnel,"want to die already, still keep so much money for what?"
7. Government authorities coming in "kind" to check Mr China's papers. Wants to see if he has the relevant documents. They are rather kind to make a trip here, instead of calling to ask Mr China to their office. And they returned with some nice frames..... "kindness" ... !@#$%^&*(
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Corruptions - The Way To Go...
Life is unfair, more unfair in China. Being here for some time , Mr China experienced balantant corruptions and the famed "guan xi". Since life is unfair, its better to be on the side of the advantage, overlooking those that found no doors through.
They told Mr China why the China boss doesnt want to open a retail shop in his own town. Because it will bleed to death , with all "friends" , officials, and other nonsense dropping by for "free gifts".
The other day, the govt account department called, want to "personally" deliver some documents, thats nice Mr China thought........... thought....... they came with the documents and left with some nice sunglasses...... Its common , very common to have been coming up to the 3rd floor, where my office is, to "visit" the store and goin off with freebies.....
Its also a must to treat govt authorities well, it goes a long way...... u can special offers , special through doors where no one gets....... tax rebates , approvals..... its difficult to do biz here they say, Its so True where somehow when u met an obstacle, u know someone can get his way through easily..........
They told Mr China why the China boss doesnt want to open a retail shop in his own town. Because it will bleed to death , with all "friends" , officials, and other nonsense dropping by for "free gifts".
The other day, the govt account department called, want to "personally" deliver some documents, thats nice Mr China thought........... thought....... they came with the documents and left with some nice sunglasses...... Its common , very common to have been coming up to the 3rd floor, where my office is, to "visit" the store and goin off with freebies.....
Its also a must to treat govt authorities well, it goes a long way...... u can special offers , special through doors where no one gets....... tax rebates , approvals..... its difficult to do biz here they say, Its so True where somehow when u met an obstacle, u know someone can get his way through easily..........
Friday, June 22, 2007
Circle Of Life
Mr China is finally going home.... after ard 4 months, he will be back soon for a while, to stand in the boardroom...... n firing squad..... hahaha... but he is looking forward to life back in sg for some time. He feels rather rootless at this moment, neither here or there.
Life in China due to work and isolation is pretty much in a cycle of ups and downs. HQ perhaps dont understand the Ulu-ness of the place here or the biz culture. HQ didnt really agree or like what Mr China is doing at the moment, Commenting that its more or gurellia warfare.
In Ideology, Mr China's company will be superbly well known in China. PPle will be calling him up for products of the other way around. He will just sit in the office and sign his signature on major deals, planing multi million A&P, do national programs and seminars. Meet kind , polite biz partners that suck up to him. Suit and tie everyday at work, draw up excellent charts, talkin sophisticated manners, use terms and boombastic words/concepts to back him up.....
But hell no..... in Reality. Mr China carries a laptop with big bag of samples and some equipments, walking down streets, climbing up buildings, at the mercy of the weather while still tryin to look smart and SMILE........ that the High Class marketing that Mr China is doing now, pretty upmarket eh? He has to eat the humble pie, give in to negoiations and build the much required base for his biz. Not to mention the funny entics of those chinese lao pans, or the amount of Bai-Jiu they are keen to pour down your throat. Mr China is awaiting for the climax where bosses will scream, u finish this bottle, i sign !!!!!!!!!! luckily that hadnt occur yet, for Mr China may just want money and not his life...
Well.. to save a million dollars , u need to start from 1 dollar. Start small , think big. One day, one fine day, Mr China will be there in the 1st scenerio............
Life in China due to work and isolation is pretty much in a cycle of ups and downs. HQ perhaps dont understand the Ulu-ness of the place here or the biz culture. HQ didnt really agree or like what Mr China is doing at the moment, Commenting that its more or gurellia warfare.
In Ideology, Mr China's company will be superbly well known in China. PPle will be calling him up for products of the other way around. He will just sit in the office and sign his signature on major deals, planing multi million A&P, do national programs and seminars. Meet kind , polite biz partners that suck up to him. Suit and tie everyday at work, draw up excellent charts, talkin sophisticated manners, use terms and boombastic words/concepts to back him up.....
But hell no..... in Reality. Mr China carries a laptop with big bag of samples and some equipments, walking down streets, climbing up buildings, at the mercy of the weather while still tryin to look smart and SMILE........ that the High Class marketing that Mr China is doing now, pretty upmarket eh? He has to eat the humble pie, give in to negoiations and build the much required base for his biz. Not to mention the funny entics of those chinese lao pans, or the amount of Bai-Jiu they are keen to pour down your throat. Mr China is awaiting for the climax where bosses will scream, u finish this bottle, i sign !!!!!!!!!! luckily that hadnt occur yet, for Mr China may just want money and not his life...
Well.. to save a million dollars , u need to start from 1 dollar. Start small , think big. One day, one fine day, Mr China will be there in the 1st scenerio............
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Whats the feeling ?????
Rather down day for Mr China....... its not that Mr China doesnt want to call back home, for the last time he heard his family's voice , he ended up in tears. Home is far away, not like he can reach it whenever he wants to. All his colleagues are family man plus the stupid working hrs of the company , all the time left is for their family. Plus Mr China is sick of them..... haiz......
He has to manage everything in this strange land and place. All the possible things that will happen. He doesnt have a number to call or anyone to turn to for things to be fixed at home.
On the way home today, Mr China asked his Colleague, what is the feeling you get whenever you return home and see your family? Isnt that what one looks forth to every evening. I cant remember that feeling anymore...... its been rather long...
He has to manage everything in this strange land and place. All the possible things that will happen. He doesnt have a number to call or anyone to turn to for things to be fixed at home.
On the way home today, Mr China asked his Colleague, what is the feeling you get whenever you return home and see your family? Isnt that what one looks forth to every evening. I cant remember that feeling anymore...... its been rather long...
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Summary of A Week Battle of Northern n Coastal China
Mr China went on a long 8 day trip to find biz and to show the locals how to run a lens biz, learnt and experienced alot in his long adventure, his summary:
20 May
12pm - Embarked on 18hr train ride from Xinji to Chang Chun
Rather interesting experience to be squeezed into a 6 bed cabin bunk
1st half an hour was interesting, with the endless plains of farmland
But it gotten boring after 2hrs of the same "picture",
21 May
630am - Disembarked on Chang Chun, searched for a hotel
Located one near area of biz, Mr China is tired n took another nap
10am - Went to XS eye hospital - Met a nice lady that noticed his Hugo Boss perfume
They are reorganising and wanting to eliminate some brands
luckily Mr China came in time to halt this and bring forth a propo
12 pm - Went to WP, a high end retail chain store, very well decorated.
Met the Ah Beng Boss that likes to poke fun at pple
Interesting discussion and headed to lunch
3pm - Went to a big departmental store , no biz there, funny difference in china
All prescription optics doesnt exist in retail departmental stores
They all have specialised buildings catered to their professional
9pm - Rested enough after dinner and did some running.
Rather hilly area in Chang Chun, did 10x slope with strong winds
22 May
5am - Awoke and made preparations to leave
Headed to bus station to Harbin
Long Bus Ride
Noon - Reached Harbin and located a hotel near the Train Station
Train stations are where all the nonsense take place, messy area
Mr China's partner decides to drag e luggage n walk instead
Imagine carrying/dragging 20kg+ thingy for 15min - 30mins in summersun
Headed immediately to a wholesaler's office
Enquired abt the problem and status - resolved some problems
Requested for Mr China to give presentation next mth in his seminar
Booked a hotel for his conference/seminar to retail bosses
Lunch with him, ordered 1L beer for himself, scary.....
Till Evening - Went to town area and met several bosses of retail chains, chances are slim
Have to keep the spirit high.
Went to st spohia church, beautiful , big sq with alot of pple, dancing,
skating, skipping , etc, lights are nice with gd music, inspirational
Walked thru the russian street with interesting slights. Gotten to a seaside
Beautiful........
23 May
am - Woke up to run, explore Harbin abit
Ladies are a pretty sight there with their unique features, bit russia like
Noon - Went on more visiting of bosses, difficult work, established stores unlikely
to give me a 2nd look, all the carrying of big bag up offices is killing me
Had a bad debt to collect, stupid lady kept delaying and acting dumb
Feel like givin her 2 tight slaps, made us run here n there.. pissed
pm - on Board on a long bus ride to Shengyang , 7 hrs ?
Night - received call from a eye hospital that he wanted to give me a presentation slot
Damn, did my PPT on board the bus, wanted to puke with all the bumps
Caught in a bad jam, very delayed
Mr China took his eye off the laptop and looked at the traffic:
He wonders if the driver is an F1 driver? with his "horrific" driving ability
Mr China decides nt to scare himself and concentrate on his work
24th May
- Midnight, arrived at Shengyang finally, stupid Chinese salesman decides to drag
luggage again
Finally taken a cab to a hotel, checked in and found no place for dinner.
Walked 15mins to find a Mac, 24 hrs , thank god... but Mr China hates the "M"
Bo pian and have to succumb to the Clown
130am - Mr China is awoken in hotel room by awesome orgasmic screams from nearby
Some lady is enjoyin her nite and giving Mr China the shivers....
530am - the screams resume , bloody nonsense .........
7am - Mr China wakes up from an "eventful nite", wants to go out for a run, Rain..damn
Did excerises in the room instead
Till Noon - Went around meeting 3 - 4 partners, Sheng yang's optical trade is unique with
no retail chains, all are 1 BIG MEGA high end stores.
Stuck up and arrogant bosses.....
Night - Another bus ride to Da Lian.... ard 3-4hrs , tts fast.....
Rushed to meet one of the Clients, running late, had a nice conversation
Shld be ok with the deal , hopefully
Checked into a beautiful hotel, open the windows and you face the mountains
Took a walk at the beautiful coastal area, imagine cosy bay x 10 the area size
Very peaceful and nice. Had a big castle nearby, a seashell's musesum, its huge
25th May
4am - awoke to run, ran up some hills and peaks in a park. Overseeing the whole of DaLian
Beautiful
till Noon - Rushed off to visit more partners and the endless sales talk, Mr China is getting dry.
Night- took a ship to Yan Tai, big ship, all the train stations and all are not user friendly, plenty of steps and all. Luckily Mr China still have some strenght to drag his lugguage up n down endless stairs.....
Slpt thru the sea ride to Yan Tai, please, its nt some cruise, its a big big ship with 6 pple in a bunk. Mr China is so tired that he knocked out
26 May -
4am - arrived at Yan Tai, have to rush to the bus station to catch the bus to QIng Dao
Caught it , luckily, with time to spare.
Excellent bus service, akin to air travel , Mr China is impressed.
noon - checked into a coastal hotel, nice and beautiful, plenty of tourist also.
Met a client and prepare for the presentation to the eye hospital
4pm - arrived at the hospital, they cant find the eye to the auditorum, what a joke.......
Found it after much effort, even after much preparations and all,
Tiredness drains into Mr China and he blanks out looking at the crowd
Suddenly duno wat to say and stared blankly for some time
Excellent learning experience as he overcomes this and made it. Luckily.....
Night - walked around Qingdao's coast, beautiful with the sea winds blowing.......
27th May
Woke up early to run - nice morning run along the coast, beautiful sights with the sea breeze
Pm - meet one of the clients, gd discussion and went for lunch. N of course, the famous Qingdao beer, damn... he can really drink, every glass is a toast and have to gulp down.
Mr China had to check into a small hotel to rest after that effort of drinking in noon.
NIght - train ride back to Xinji
Arrived back at home at 3am to finish my reporting at 5, knocked out then...... house in a total mess with endless clothes to wash.........
and more follow ups......
20 May
12pm - Embarked on 18hr train ride from Xinji to Chang Chun
Rather interesting experience to be squeezed into a 6 bed cabin bunk
1st half an hour was interesting, with the endless plains of farmland
But it gotten boring after 2hrs of the same "picture",
21 May
630am - Disembarked on Chang Chun, searched for a hotel
Located one near area of biz, Mr China is tired n took another nap
10am - Went to XS eye hospital - Met a nice lady that noticed his Hugo Boss perfume
They are reorganising and wanting to eliminate some brands
luckily Mr China came in time to halt this and bring forth a propo
12 pm - Went to WP, a high end retail chain store, very well decorated.
Met the Ah Beng Boss that likes to poke fun at pple
Interesting discussion and headed to lunch
3pm - Went to a big departmental store , no biz there, funny difference in china
All prescription optics doesnt exist in retail departmental stores
They all have specialised buildings catered to their professional
9pm - Rested enough after dinner and did some running.
Rather hilly area in Chang Chun, did 10x slope with strong winds
22 May
5am - Awoke and made preparations to leave
Headed to bus station to Harbin
Long Bus Ride
Noon - Reached Harbin and located a hotel near the Train Station
Train stations are where all the nonsense take place, messy area
Mr China's partner decides to drag e luggage n walk instead
Imagine carrying/dragging 20kg+ thingy for 15min - 30mins in summersun
Headed immediately to a wholesaler's office
Enquired abt the problem and status - resolved some problems
Requested for Mr China to give presentation next mth in his seminar
Booked a hotel for his conference/seminar to retail bosses
Lunch with him, ordered 1L beer for himself, scary.....
Till Evening - Went to town area and met several bosses of retail chains, chances are slim
Have to keep the spirit high.
Went to st spohia church, beautiful , big sq with alot of pple, dancing,
skating, skipping , etc, lights are nice with gd music, inspirational
Walked thru the russian street with interesting slights. Gotten to a seaside
Beautiful........
23 May
am - Woke up to run, explore Harbin abit
Ladies are a pretty sight there with their unique features, bit russia like
Noon - Went on more visiting of bosses, difficult work, established stores unlikely
to give me a 2nd look, all the carrying of big bag up offices is killing me
Had a bad debt to collect, stupid lady kept delaying and acting dumb
Feel like givin her 2 tight slaps, made us run here n there.. pissed
pm - on Board on a long bus ride to Shengyang , 7 hrs ?
Night - received call from a eye hospital that he wanted to give me a presentation slot
Damn, did my PPT on board the bus, wanted to puke with all the bumps
Caught in a bad jam, very delayed
Mr China took his eye off the laptop and looked at the traffic:
He wonders if the driver is an F1 driver? with his "horrific" driving ability
Mr China decides nt to scare himself and concentrate on his work
24th May
- Midnight, arrived at Shengyang finally, stupid Chinese salesman decides to drag
luggage again
Finally taken a cab to a hotel, checked in and found no place for dinner.
Walked 15mins to find a Mac, 24 hrs , thank god... but Mr China hates the "M"
Bo pian and have to succumb to the Clown
130am - Mr China is awoken in hotel room by awesome orgasmic screams from nearby
Some lady is enjoyin her nite and giving Mr China the shivers....
530am - the screams resume , bloody nonsense .........
7am - Mr China wakes up from an "eventful nite", wants to go out for a run, Rain..damn
Did excerises in the room instead
Till Noon - Went around meeting 3 - 4 partners, Sheng yang's optical trade is unique with
no retail chains, all are 1 BIG MEGA high end stores.
Stuck up and arrogant bosses.....
Night - Another bus ride to Da Lian.... ard 3-4hrs , tts fast.....
Rushed to meet one of the Clients, running late, had a nice conversation
Shld be ok with the deal , hopefully
Checked into a beautiful hotel, open the windows and you face the mountains
Took a walk at the beautiful coastal area, imagine cosy bay x 10 the area size
Very peaceful and nice. Had a big castle nearby, a seashell's musesum, its huge
25th May
4am - awoke to run, ran up some hills and peaks in a park. Overseeing the whole of DaLian
Beautiful
till Noon - Rushed off to visit more partners and the endless sales talk, Mr China is getting dry.
Night- took a ship to Yan Tai, big ship, all the train stations and all are not user friendly, plenty of steps and all. Luckily Mr China still have some strenght to drag his lugguage up n down endless stairs.....
Slpt thru the sea ride to Yan Tai, please, its nt some cruise, its a big big ship with 6 pple in a bunk. Mr China is so tired that he knocked out
26 May -
4am - arrived at Yan Tai, have to rush to the bus station to catch the bus to QIng Dao
Caught it , luckily, with time to spare.
Excellent bus service, akin to air travel , Mr China is impressed.
noon - checked into a coastal hotel, nice and beautiful, plenty of tourist also.
Met a client and prepare for the presentation to the eye hospital
4pm - arrived at the hospital, they cant find the eye to the auditorum, what a joke.......
Found it after much effort, even after much preparations and all,
Tiredness drains into Mr China and he blanks out looking at the crowd
Suddenly duno wat to say and stared blankly for some time
Excellent learning experience as he overcomes this and made it. Luckily.....
Night - walked around Qingdao's coast, beautiful with the sea winds blowing.......
27th May
Woke up early to run - nice morning run along the coast, beautiful sights with the sea breeze
Pm - meet one of the clients, gd discussion and went for lunch. N of course, the famous Qingdao beer, damn... he can really drink, every glass is a toast and have to gulp down.
Mr China had to check into a small hotel to rest after that effort of drinking in noon.
NIght - train ride back to Xinji
Arrived back at home at 3am to finish my reporting at 5, knocked out then...... house in a total mess with endless clothes to wash.........
and more follow ups......
Monday, May 21, 2007
Trip station 1 - Chang Chun
Chang Chun belongs to the Hei Long Jiang Province and considered the worst developed city of them.
Mr China survived an 18hr train ride from ulu xinji to chang chun, train ride started at 1230pm and reached 640am the next. at least Mr China had a bed to slp on the ride. but its 6 person in a small area. 1 small lvl is divided into 3 for a 'triple decker" bed..... the bed has hardly any place to turn and all, but Mr China managed to doze off now and then.... not to mention a killer snorer, having a solo band performance. Mr China really feel like strangling him....
Chang Chun is rather developed to Mr China's surprise. Plenty of buildings , shopping and all, not because he went shopping , but he walked to numerous places as exercise instead. Plenty of nike stores, he lost count. They had a cool t-shirt that reads " our single swoosh is better than the 3 ____" hahaha....
Plenty of pple on the streets despite being a monday afternoon, Mr China wonders if they need to work ? pple in the streets are rather well dressed, very fashion conscious and all. Feels like home....
Mr China visited 3 customers today. an eye hospital, a big high end retail store and a shop in a high class mall. Mr China hopes that deals can be made, its a 50:50 chance. Really really pray hard, Mr China did all he could........ His biggest hopes are the eye hospital and the retail chains.... please....
He will be leaving tomorrow to Harbin. bus ride at 630am... he shld be sleeping...yes....he is....
Mr China survived an 18hr train ride from ulu xinji to chang chun, train ride started at 1230pm and reached 640am the next. at least Mr China had a bed to slp on the ride. but its 6 person in a small area. 1 small lvl is divided into 3 for a 'triple decker" bed..... the bed has hardly any place to turn and all, but Mr China managed to doze off now and then.... not to mention a killer snorer, having a solo band performance. Mr China really feel like strangling him....
Chang Chun is rather developed to Mr China's surprise. Plenty of buildings , shopping and all, not because he went shopping , but he walked to numerous places as exercise instead. Plenty of nike stores, he lost count. They had a cool t-shirt that reads " our single swoosh is better than the 3 ____" hahaha....
Plenty of pple on the streets despite being a monday afternoon, Mr China wonders if they need to work ? pple in the streets are rather well dressed, very fashion conscious and all. Feels like home....
Mr China visited 3 customers today. an eye hospital, a big high end retail store and a shop in a high class mall. Mr China hopes that deals can be made, its a 50:50 chance. Really really pray hard, Mr China did all he could........ His biggest hopes are the eye hospital and the retail chains.... please....
He will be leaving tomorrow to Harbin. bus ride at 630am... he shld be sleeping...yes....he is....
Thursday, May 17, 2007
language of Biz in China.....
Balls n Boss both return from Fair, anticlimax as the price agreement was never brought up. Turn out that both parties were waiting for each other to raise the issue but none did.... great... wonder how can things turn this way. But after that, Mr China had a chance to clarify and determine the pricing and finally gotten the approval for what he deemed right. Going to finish this issue once and for all....
Mr China is in the run of things, going to sales trips and meeting other chinese laopans. In such trips, it never escapes 3 elements , food, alocohol and smoke..... Somehow china pple are never adverse to smoke.... they seem to have immunity to it and tolerating it like nobody's biz. Its a wonder. The everending meal, discussion and the processing of making pple drink. That famous awesome "Baijiu" that Mr China fears is always on the table with its distinct taste and smell... basically Mr China just gulps it down as fast as possible in hope to reduce the torture. It burns down the throat...... more understand Lao Pans will allow Mr China to drink beer, etc.
Mr China went to a nearby city yesterday in a bid to clinch one deal. Competition was too stiff, Mr China presented , talked , advised, show knowledge in the related field to try and crave out a space for him to have his products on the shelf. When all fails, its down to the drinks, the toasting to show appreciation and honour your guest/host. He did what he could, left the proposal and left after ard 3 hours of discussion. Fingers crossed for some good news.
Come Sunday, Mr China is leaving on his longest trip, 10-14days to conquer northen and coastal area of China. Staying about 2-3 days at each city, meeting 2-3 clients everyday to undergo the same process of doing the "Business Language". Its going to tire Mr China down, he needs all the stamina he can in this travel......
an 18 hr train ride awaits to Chang Chun. and trains in China are.................. Mr China advices the extreme of everyone's imagination to understand his journey....
his journey:
Chang Chun -> HarBin -> Shen Yang -> Qing Dao -> Da Lian ->Wei Hai -> Ji Nan
Mr China is in the run of things, going to sales trips and meeting other chinese laopans. In such trips, it never escapes 3 elements , food, alocohol and smoke..... Somehow china pple are never adverse to smoke.... they seem to have immunity to it and tolerating it like nobody's biz. Its a wonder. The everending meal, discussion and the processing of making pple drink. That famous awesome "Baijiu" that Mr China fears is always on the table with its distinct taste and smell... basically Mr China just gulps it down as fast as possible in hope to reduce the torture. It burns down the throat...... more understand Lao Pans will allow Mr China to drink beer, etc.
Mr China went to a nearby city yesterday in a bid to clinch one deal. Competition was too stiff, Mr China presented , talked , advised, show knowledge in the related field to try and crave out a space for him to have his products on the shelf. When all fails, its down to the drinks, the toasting to show appreciation and honour your guest/host. He did what he could, left the proposal and left after ard 3 hours of discussion. Fingers crossed for some good news.
Come Sunday, Mr China is leaving on his longest trip, 10-14days to conquer northen and coastal area of China. Staying about 2-3 days at each city, meeting 2-3 clients everyday to undergo the same process of doing the "Business Language". Its going to tire Mr China down, he needs all the stamina he can in this travel......
an 18 hr train ride awaits to Chang Chun. and trains in China are.................. Mr China advices the extreme of everyone's imagination to understand his journey....
his journey:
Chang Chun -> HarBin -> Shen Yang -> Qing Dao -> Da Lian ->Wei Hai -> Ji Nan
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
The Long Wait
Everyone just gotten back from the Biggest overseas Trade Fair in my Industry. Seems busy, no responses from anyone, not from the chinese side or my company's side. Mr China has been rather anxious awaiting the returns. Chinese Balls is due to meet Mr China's SnM boss there and have a round of discussion. Been fearful of what is going to be exchanged. Especially the distribution agreement contract that is to be signed.
Knew that both sides arent too happy with the agreement that Mr China prepared. China balls didnt like the price, there had been some increases. Mr China is puzzled too and had enquired about it to no avail, he can only follow instructions to convince that big ball abt the new price. Mr China gave up and decide that for the 2 to trash it out.
But alas, no news or whatsoever , just knew that the contract wasnt signed. Something must have happened and Mr China doesnt like to wait for it to happen. With regards to the Distribution Agreement(DA)
They have been talking about it , to bring down the prices and since we are going to have a stake , should nt the pricing be lower? but one of the prices actually increased. Sales hadnt been good and now a price increase? wonderful strategy. Mr CHina talked to SnM-D and NA before, but SnM-D is too high above to go to the ground to discuss this with him. NA have weird ideas and claim this and that.
Even weirder. There had been differences or different versions of pricing given to Mr China to be given to the Chinese Balls. After verification via the classic email with CC to SnM-D. It was finally verified. NA then called Mr China again with his awesome explanations that he never understands. CHinese Balls ask why wasnt a price given to a certain product. NA said no price as they are not interested. But records shows they ordered it before and have shown their interest. But NA refused to put a price down. Then SnM_D being too high up, refused to step in... weird weird....
Now awaiting a killer email with regards to reason for non confirmation of the DA..... hate it..
Knew that both sides arent too happy with the agreement that Mr China prepared. China balls didnt like the price, there had been some increases. Mr China is puzzled too and had enquired about it to no avail, he can only follow instructions to convince that big ball abt the new price. Mr China gave up and decide that for the 2 to trash it out.
But alas, no news or whatsoever , just knew that the contract wasnt signed. Something must have happened and Mr China doesnt like to wait for it to happen. With regards to the Distribution Agreement(DA)
They have been talking about it , to bring down the prices and since we are going to have a stake , should nt the pricing be lower? but one of the prices actually increased. Sales hadnt been good and now a price increase? wonderful strategy. Mr CHina talked to SnM-D and NA before, but SnM-D is too high above to go to the ground to discuss this with him. NA have weird ideas and claim this and that.
Even weirder. There had been differences or different versions of pricing given to Mr China to be given to the Chinese Balls. After verification via the classic email with CC to SnM-D. It was finally verified. NA then called Mr China again with his awesome explanations that he never understands. CHinese Balls ask why wasnt a price given to a certain product. NA said no price as they are not interested. But records shows they ordered it before and have shown their interest. But NA refused to put a price down. Then SnM_D being too high up, refused to step in... weird weird....
Now awaiting a killer email with regards to reason for non confirmation of the DA..... hate it..
Sunday, May 6, 2007
A New Beginning ........ yet ?
After Mr China had gone thru his market research and observation, he drawn a conclusion and had some ideas on how to revamp the situation. Arranged for one of the most important meetings of all to discuss abt the "sales non-performance".
The management team from the chinese side seemed to take things rather lightly, coming in 1/2hr late. That pissed Mr China off, he believe that waiting is the worst way to spend any time. It shows their attitude, which i cant explain.
Meeting well ok initally with Mr China giving a presentation on his observations and what he feels need to be done. That was when things gone horribly wrong. The Chinese Boss decide what Mr China said is not effective, disagrees with what he proposed. That made Mr China very angry. But decidely to give him the benefit of the doubt, he ask then for their proposal. Then Chinese Balls decide to go back to the same old story , same old problem, telling me their difficulties and all. Mr China had enough, he doesnt need to come all the way here to know all these, looking at the pathetic sales record, he already knows. Only fulfillinh 3% of forecast. &^#^&$%* !!!!.
Mr China listened and listened. Listened to his apology , listen to him lamenting that our pdts are exp and no gd. Asking for low price. Price was never the problem. When Mr China's pdts first entered china 3 yrs ago, their price is only 1/2 competitors and still not able to move.
After about 30mins of listening to him, Mr China decided he had enough and stopped him. Ask him what about the solutions? Now with a big investment coming up, it will still have to depend on the current sales force and similar system. Using the same failure system and pple, its bound to doom. But that CHinese Balls doesnt realise it , go on again about the problems. but Mr CHina wants solutions and its running low on time , only a few months left to undo the rot set in 3 years ago.
Finally chinese balls ask Mr CHina to take over the sales team which he refused. Y does Mr China need to help them organise their sales team? and handle everything upon his shoulders. Mr China was very pissed , he nearly wanted to say enough of your nonsense, why did you promise so much to have nothing actually in place ? looking at the perspective of an investment, Mr CHina would never even put his money in here.
Going by the cooperation model. In a JV, wat we expect from them will be at least the distribution network and also the "china way of biz". Which was not in place. Mr China is disappointed, nearly %^%^$^& the Chinese Balls and take the next plane back to sg. He endure and walk off the meeting a very very disappointed man.
Thinking about the situation the whole nite, finally Mr China decided the only way will be to take over the sales team and handle everythin. Next day, he agreed to CHinese Ball's proposal and now begun his journey to lead the Chinese Sales team.. Compromising of 5 old birds and 3 new graduates.
Mr China is having a heavy shoulder..... weight is killing him......
The management team from the chinese side seemed to take things rather lightly, coming in 1/2hr late. That pissed Mr China off, he believe that waiting is the worst way to spend any time. It shows their attitude, which i cant explain.
Meeting well ok initally with Mr China giving a presentation on his observations and what he feels need to be done. That was when things gone horribly wrong. The Chinese Boss decide what Mr China said is not effective, disagrees with what he proposed. That made Mr China very angry. But decidely to give him the benefit of the doubt, he ask then for their proposal. Then Chinese Balls decide to go back to the same old story , same old problem, telling me their difficulties and all. Mr China had enough, he doesnt need to come all the way here to know all these, looking at the pathetic sales record, he already knows. Only fulfillinh 3% of forecast. &^#^&$%* !!!!.
Mr China listened and listened. Listened to his apology , listen to him lamenting that our pdts are exp and no gd. Asking for low price. Price was never the problem. When Mr China's pdts first entered china 3 yrs ago, their price is only 1/2 competitors and still not able to move.
After about 30mins of listening to him, Mr China decided he had enough and stopped him. Ask him what about the solutions? Now with a big investment coming up, it will still have to depend on the current sales force and similar system. Using the same failure system and pple, its bound to doom. But that CHinese Balls doesnt realise it , go on again about the problems. but Mr CHina wants solutions and its running low on time , only a few months left to undo the rot set in 3 years ago.
Finally chinese balls ask Mr CHina to take over the sales team which he refused. Y does Mr China need to help them organise their sales team? and handle everything upon his shoulders. Mr China was very pissed , he nearly wanted to say enough of your nonsense, why did you promise so much to have nothing actually in place ? looking at the perspective of an investment, Mr CHina would never even put his money in here.
Going by the cooperation model. In a JV, wat we expect from them will be at least the distribution network and also the "china way of biz". Which was not in place. Mr China is disappointed, nearly %^%^$^& the Chinese Balls and take the next plane back to sg. He endure and walk off the meeting a very very disappointed man.
Thinking about the situation the whole nite, finally Mr China decided the only way will be to take over the sales team and handle everythin. Next day, he agreed to CHinese Ball's proposal and now begun his journey to lead the Chinese Sales team.. Compromising of 5 old birds and 3 new graduates.
Mr China is having a heavy shoulder..... weight is killing him......
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
The difficult position and "government" authorities
He is stuck in this difficult middle position to play a coordinating role from HQ to China n vice versa. He sees alot of things that HQ doesnt understand. HQ takes for granted that their country is well established and other countries would too. Which is damn wrong. They ask questions like y cant this be done ? y that cant be done that way? in our country, we can do this, we can apply for that. The chinese side doesnt wan to help us???
Haiz..... Mr China had scary stories with the government here:
1. A whole building (ard 30 storeys) have no photocopy machine. Mr China had to go to a nearby florist to zap his documents and check in again.
2. Mr China volunteered to pay taxes but the authorities doesnt know how to suck his money. The authorities looked like they just woke up when he arrived. They have beds in their offices. They doesnt know if its a monthly or yearly amount. its a multi-tier taxation. but if u earn more, like in a level 3 category, u pay lesser than a level 2 one. So the more u earn , e lesser absolute amt u pay. I dun understand their formula.
adding to that , they discover it from a leaflet tt Mr China found, prior to that, they know no shit. askin if there is a difference btw local n foreign income, they insisted no , despite Mr China providing info from Beijing tt there is. After arguing for 1 week and when their boss is in, they gave in.
3, Govt authorities doesnt know wat to do. More often u HAVE to tell them wat to do. Stamp here , sign here , pass this to that department. U have to carry central government's directive n tell them wat to do...........
haizzzzzz
Haiz..... Mr China had scary stories with the government here:
1. A whole building (ard 30 storeys) have no photocopy machine. Mr China had to go to a nearby florist to zap his documents and check in again.
2. Mr China volunteered to pay taxes but the authorities doesnt know how to suck his money. The authorities looked like they just woke up when he arrived. They have beds in their offices. They doesnt know if its a monthly or yearly amount. its a multi-tier taxation. but if u earn more, like in a level 3 category, u pay lesser than a level 2 one. So the more u earn , e lesser absolute amt u pay. I dun understand their formula.
adding to that , they discover it from a leaflet tt Mr China found, prior to that, they know no shit. askin if there is a difference btw local n foreign income, they insisted no , despite Mr China providing info from Beijing tt there is. After arguing for 1 week and when their boss is in, they gave in.
3, Govt authorities doesnt know wat to do. More often u HAVE to tell them wat to do. Stamp here , sign here , pass this to that department. U have to carry central government's directive n tell them wat to do...........
haizzzzzz
Management Styles
Mr China here is no slave driver n no fierce tiger to roar down everyone. He treats everyone as adult and assumes they know their role n responsibilities , gives gd incentives and uses humor to move ideas across. But that may nt be able to work here. Mr China may have to %@%$ them more often, his temper is getting bad to worse and treating to blow up very soon.
Discover plenty of scary stories within. Seem worse and worse when he discovers more. Maybe salary cuts and with no rice to feed their families that would force them to fight? its only when forced to a corner that 1 soldier equals 10......
I hope i need not resort to that..........
Discover plenty of scary stories within. Seem worse and worse when he discovers more. Maybe salary cuts and with no rice to feed their families that would force them to fight? its only when forced to a corner that 1 soldier equals 10......
I hope i need not resort to that..........
Monday, April 30, 2007
Different Working Culture
Feeling frustrated. Mr China is facing problems coming to terms with working culture here. Realised the task he assigned over the wkend wasnt done. He has to explain every all over again n urge them to get on with them. Mr China has some new graduates under him and wants them to do some photoshop design for a new makerting poster. In the end , he has to sit down with them n watch them do it. 3 pple staring at a computer, totally unproductive. Mr China lost his patience periodically as he still have stuff to tend to. But then again , he has been feeling this way over the wkend.
Maybe its e skype chat with NA the last before. Conversation goes:
NA - Ur stories are getting stale, abt the sales and all , we all know what is happening already, no need you to tell us that
MrChina - u mean u all know abt this 3 years ago and did nothing abt it? y?
NA - nothing can be done, *goes on to find other faults..."
On a ligher note:
Mr China decides to do intervals today, picked a park and this particular starting point. But alas! some auntie selling smelly tofu decided to do her trade there... excellent smell , esp with shortness of breath.........
Maybe its e skype chat with NA the last before. Conversation goes:
NA - Ur stories are getting stale, abt the sales and all , we all know what is happening already, no need you to tell us that
MrChina - u mean u all know abt this 3 years ago and did nothing abt it? y?
NA - nothing can be done, *goes on to find other faults..."
On a ligher note:
Mr China decides to do intervals today, picked a park and this particular starting point. But alas! some auntie selling smelly tofu decided to do her trade there... excellent smell , esp with shortness of breath.........
Sunday, April 29, 2007
BackGrounds Part 2
Training period....
Mr China underwent 4 months of training in the HQ before departing for his mission. During his time in HQ, he experienced what he would like to term "Corporate Environment", office is unique in a way that the whole floor houses all the different department like small kingdoms. And Kingdoms they are with external wars and also internal rivalry.
He visited the various "contradictions", entered into everyone's "ego-land". He wonders where is the main objective? to drive the company forward or to perserve one's ego within a contracting biz? He also experienced something very unique and special, simply termed "Protocols". Big word it seemed , pple live and die by it, it seems. But Mr China here will like to say FUCK off with that nonsense.
To Mr China, "Protocols" are just a nice term used to perserve one's status , an observation of practices to make one feel gd. Slows down efficiency and is individualistic, relative and rubbish.In the past , one may see it in history during the King's lavish ceremonies, that he needs to a big hordes of pple and time with extravagance decorations. Nothing but waste of time and resources. Time has evolved that to what we see now in a company culture or protocols. A nice word to fence and protect one's status.
Stuck at emails, shld i cc this person? shld i include tt one or this one, what shld i say , would it be misinterpreted. time spent staring at a comp reduces efficiency. What to do? u have to observe protocols. They wan a new guy like Mr China to instill new life in the company , introduce new ways n directions. But whenever and whatever he wants to do , he have to work within protocol fences. Communistic Democracy or Democratic Communism, contradictions of each other , ironic.
Mr China is under the supervision of the NA manager, though he played no part in his interview, u may wonder why, he wonders why too. NA is an interesting and colourful character. Worked his way from a QA manager up to this position now. Started a subsidary elsewhere. Great work. He is old style, but knows rather alot of things, he is a lion at trade fairs with e amount of pple he knows. He had successful integrated new styles he learnt with his oldie format. But still very suspicious of everything. That is his way , very dramatic and very suspicious n careful.
But he taught Mr China nothing. Fuck him, he treated Mr China like dirt, subjected him to all kinds of nonsense. Mr China ate e humble pie and await for a chance to fight him back. Mr China's blood boils talking about him.
Mr China underwent 4 months of training in the HQ before departing for his mission. During his time in HQ, he experienced what he would like to term "Corporate Environment", office is unique in a way that the whole floor houses all the different department like small kingdoms. And Kingdoms they are with external wars and also internal rivalry.
He visited the various "contradictions", entered into everyone's "ego-land". He wonders where is the main objective? to drive the company forward or to perserve one's ego within a contracting biz? He also experienced something very unique and special, simply termed "Protocols". Big word it seemed , pple live and die by it, it seems. But Mr China here will like to say FUCK off with that nonsense.
To Mr China, "Protocols" are just a nice term used to perserve one's status , an observation of practices to make one feel gd. Slows down efficiency and is individualistic, relative and rubbish.In the past , one may see it in history during the King's lavish ceremonies, that he needs to a big hordes of pple and time with extravagance decorations. Nothing but waste of time and resources. Time has evolved that to what we see now in a company culture or protocols. A nice word to fence and protect one's status.
Stuck at emails, shld i cc this person? shld i include tt one or this one, what shld i say , would it be misinterpreted. time spent staring at a comp reduces efficiency. What to do? u have to observe protocols. They wan a new guy like Mr China to instill new life in the company , introduce new ways n directions. But whenever and whatever he wants to do , he have to work within protocol fences. Communistic Democracy or Democratic Communism, contradictions of each other , ironic.
Mr China is under the supervision of the NA manager, though he played no part in his interview, u may wonder why, he wonders why too. NA is an interesting and colourful character. Worked his way from a QA manager up to this position now. Started a subsidary elsewhere. Great work. He is old style, but knows rather alot of things, he is a lion at trade fairs with e amount of pple he knows. He had successful integrated new styles he learnt with his oldie format. But still very suspicious of everything. That is his way , very dramatic and very suspicious n careful.
But he taught Mr China nothing. Fuck him, he treated Mr China like dirt, subjected him to all kinds of nonsense. Mr China ate e humble pie and await for a chance to fight him back. Mr China's blood boils talking about him.
The Smell of The Weekend......
Mr China decide to do some cooking this weekend and finds it rather therapeutic. The preparation and the cooking, eating then washing up. A few hours zooms by and time flies....
Do take a look at his dinner yesterday. Cooked breakfast-Lunch today too. His program for today was his all time favourite activity. Wakeup early , do a super long run to get himself very hungry and then stuff himself with all the food he can find, hit the bed............
Sometimes Mr China sees the simplicity of life , this is the simple thing that he enjoys doing every wkend. But then if you consider running 18-20km simple and easy , by all means ... hahaha
Mr China is getting proud and happy of himself. Got kind of lost running today. Entered some villages with the familiar weird stares while he shouts " ZAO SHAN HAO !" tooeveryone he sees. Not that he is so friendly, but he fears being chased by dogs, so at least u greet the owner 1st , less chances it attacks Mr China. Run into some chemical factory, super big mistake as Mr China gets reminded of his chemistry days in the lab. The all too familiar choking smell of all the chemicals. Talk about enviromental protection. Someone needs to bring Al Gore here for the truth. Its 8am and the fumes are booming out. Never again to run near the chemical plant.
Woke up at 6am and hit the roads at 645am, took sometime to fight Z-monster. Ended the run at 815am, was a crawl in the end as he tries to find e way back. Went to the park and did strengthening excerises till 850am. More weird stares. Walked around 20mins to find the beancurd store , he has been dreaming about soya milk with oats and rice dumplings for weeks. Yup, if u all hadnt know it , Mr China here loves sticky sweet food.
Found the damn store finally , nearly fainted.... bought a big bag of soya bean milk and some beancurd for like S$0.40. YES... my whole pot is filled..... put the beancurd into the fridge and mixed it with some honey. The way they eat beancurd here is very different, they have it with spicy soup and all, which Mr China doesnt like.
Boiled the soya bean milk with rice dumplings and steam some sweet potato, then he does his washing and took a ice cold bath to recover from e morning torture. Eat his breakfast and dry the clothes. Wash up the bowls , pots and all... very proud of himself..
Mr China wants to hit the bed again and wake up to do some work before grabbing dinner later..
Friday, April 27, 2007
Mother of Backgrounds....
Mr China here welcomes everyone to his blog on his adventures....... Background... hmm... guess it not be simple to update 2mths of embarking on this land or 4mths of preparatory work in his mother land. He will be brief for anyone that cares:
He recalls tt period of time being out of work and desperate. Hanging out with a best friend day to day, with that "Lost" feeling. Mailed his resume like spam, went for crappy interviews till he is drained out. No directions, meaningless life and all tt promise after graduation to enter society on a high scale had been society and government's propangada and totally untrue.
One day on part time work selling flowers in this school, he received a call from an interested party that he cant even recall. Agreed for an interview in semi-memory that it is to go to China. Found out that the email they replied to arrange for an interview had been diverted to spam as the company's name sounded too pornographic......
Arrived at the interview with a file of his work in a previous job to meet the HR. Had a nice conservation, discussing everything. Mr China enjoyed it , telling her his fond memories of leading a team in sch. Saying is with so much passion like it was yesterday.
HR was impressed and called in SnM director. Mr China would appreciate that everyone have a clean mind to understand SnM means Sales n Marketing. Went thru the same discussion and presentation. SnM-D finally reviewed that he had 60 applications and interviewed 10pple , only 3 make it pass HR. SnM-D was just curious to see this young punk that applied for this senior position. SnM-D wanted to give this young Mr China a chance for his GUTs.
Retreat for home after nearly 4hrs of fruitful discussion. Received an immediate sms that SnM-D would be pleased to invite me back to see the MD. Delighted.
Mr China felt unsure at the moment, its a senior role, he called and checked with all sources on this company. Good overall responses. Met the MD and talked for 2hrs. 3 days later received a call to arrange for contract discussion. Company agreed to the terms that he requested for , not a cent short..... damn it , Mr China shld have ask for more initially......
Signed immediately on the dotted line and Mr China arised................
He recalls tt period of time being out of work and desperate. Hanging out with a best friend day to day, with that "Lost" feeling. Mailed his resume like spam, went for crappy interviews till he is drained out. No directions, meaningless life and all tt promise after graduation to enter society on a high scale had been society and government's propangada and totally untrue.
One day on part time work selling flowers in this school, he received a call from an interested party that he cant even recall. Agreed for an interview in semi-memory that it is to go to China. Found out that the email they replied to arrange for an interview had been diverted to spam as the company's name sounded too pornographic......
Arrived at the interview with a file of his work in a previous job to meet the HR. Had a nice conservation, discussing everything. Mr China enjoyed it , telling her his fond memories of leading a team in sch. Saying is with so much passion like it was yesterday.
HR was impressed and called in SnM director. Mr China would appreciate that everyone have a clean mind to understand SnM means Sales n Marketing. Went thru the same discussion and presentation. SnM-D finally reviewed that he had 60 applications and interviewed 10pple , only 3 make it pass HR. SnM-D was just curious to see this young punk that applied for this senior position. SnM-D wanted to give this young Mr China a chance for his GUTs.
Retreat for home after nearly 4hrs of fruitful discussion. Received an immediate sms that SnM-D would be pleased to invite me back to see the MD. Delighted.
Mr China felt unsure at the moment, its a senior role, he called and checked with all sources on this company. Good overall responses. Met the MD and talked for 2hrs. 3 days later received a call to arrange for contract discussion. Company agreed to the terms that he requested for , not a cent short..... damn it , Mr China shld have ask for more initially......
Signed immediately on the dotted line and Mr China arised................
Prelude
"Mr China" here is a thought up entity that doesnt exist in Real Time, a character in the Online world that can never contact any that takes in oxygen. Mr China here feeds on emails and brainwaves of some super smart human being that he rather not mention.
Here will represent his adventures in this crazy new world. Perhaps to share his existance and connection to everyone present. Mr China will take it over from here and relate his day to day adventures.
Here will represent his adventures in this crazy new world. Perhaps to share his existance and connection to everyone present. Mr China will take it over from here and relate his day to day adventures.
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