There's a webcomic I read regularly called Schlock Mercenary by Howard Tayler. I was a Sci-Fi fan from my childhood, having read most of the classics (Asimov, Clarke, Niven...), so when in 2005 I stumbled upon this comic – purely by accident, just because it's name sounded funny – I was immersed in it, reading several years' worth of archives non-stop (Ok, I did sleep for some hours... but not very long) and was a loyal reader ever since.
So today I went for my regular dose of Schlock goodness... and Howard had posted some news. Apparently he made not one, but two predictions of the future which are becoming reality right now. One about hologram pop bands is somewhat expected – after all, you can always trust the Japanese to come up with some crazy stuff. But the other one...
Oct 25, 2010
Oct 23, 2010
Traditional puppet show in Xiamen
This is a puppet show I saw in Xiamen. The quality is awful, but that's what you get trying to record it from some back seat over the heads of spectators (without watching the screen of your camera, as your eyes are glued to the show).
But believe me, the show was really beautiful. The puppets were hand-made, and the play was a part from Chinese classic (how's that for Punch and Judy show?). They say that the art of making the puppets is sadly dying out, as young people find something that's easier to do than meticulously carving the puppet's head, weaving the cloth for it's dress, painting it, and so on, and so forth. I hope that this art will survive...
Oct 22, 2010
On the importance of planning
What do you do when you have to visit 17 places in a week? Why, you either forget the stupid idea or plan a pretty tight schedule. The second option was chosen by my superiors.
Now, you'd reasonably expect they'd stick to it once they started moving, won't you? Well, no way in all the seven hells! The dates got all mixed up and now I don't know even when they start arriving! So much for planning in advance, eh?
The funniest part is, the hotel reservation may become void if they change the schedule… and guess who they'd blame? Riiight, it would be me — for the failure to appreciate that they'll screw up the schedule. Time for changing the job again? Or an opportunity to prove that "they screw us, but it only makes us stronger" and shake some benefits from The Management while at it? Decisions, decisions…
Update: Actually, the most stupid part turned out to be just simple misunderstanding (which in turn arose from an error of one particular guy), so it got sorted out in a couple of minutes. But the real screw-up is waiting just round the corner...
Now, you'd reasonably expect they'd stick to it once they started moving, won't you? Well, no way in all the seven hells! The dates got all mixed up and now I don't know even when they start arriving! So much for planning in advance, eh?
The funniest part is, the hotel reservation may become void if they change the schedule… and guess who they'd blame? Riiight, it would be me — for the failure to appreciate that they'll screw up the schedule. Time for changing the job again? Or an opportunity to prove that "they screw us, but it only makes us stronger" and shake some benefits from The Management while at it? Decisions, decisions…
Update: Actually, the most stupid part turned out to be just simple misunderstanding (which in turn arose from an error of one particular guy), so it got sorted out in a couple of minutes. But the real screw-up is waiting just round the corner...
Oct 21, 2010
Going to H... – reprise
As I have said before, I was going to Hong Kong. Or… so i thought? Anyway, quick phone call before ordering them tickets have changed everything. “Yes, you can get the visa. No, you’ll have to stay in Hong Kong for five days. No, no way to make it shorter… but we can make it even longer if you like. No? Oh… OK then, bye!”
Now, that meant that I will have to start everything all over. And – lo and behold! – there was a solution. I’ll just have to go to H…
No, it was not Hell. Just Harbin in Heilongjiang province. One day, they said, and you get all the visa you can possibly get (180 days, one re-entry). Pretty lame compared to the original plan. A bit cheaper. Making me a hell of a lot angrier. Instead of going to the warm sunny place like Hong Kong, living there a couple of days without rushing anywhere and maybe buying some NAS device while there I have had to use the most perverted way of getting to Harbin, dragging with me some warm clothes, sleep some time, get visa, eat some bad Chinese food (which is quite a feat in Harbin, I’m telling you!) and then spend a sleepless night going back to Ningbo. Fun, eh?
Now, that meant that I will have to start everything all over. And – lo and behold! – there was a solution. I’ll just have to go to H…
No, it was not Hell. Just Harbin in Heilongjiang province. One day, they said, and you get all the visa you can possibly get (180 days, one re-entry). Pretty lame compared to the original plan. A bit cheaper. Making me a hell of a lot angrier. Instead of going to the warm sunny place like Hong Kong, living there a couple of days without rushing anywhere and maybe buying some NAS device while there I have had to use the most perverted way of getting to Harbin, dragging with me some warm clothes, sleep some time, get visa, eat some bad Chinese food (which is quite a feat in Harbin, I’m telling you!) and then spend a sleepless night going back to Ningbo. Fun, eh?
Oct 19, 2010
Visa woes
You know, I hate sports events. I still remember how I was stuck in Russia in 2008 when I was late two weeks to apply for visa (restoring the passport stolen in Beijing took longer then I expected). All you can get long before the Olympics was some crappy one week tourist visa when I needed something like 1 year multiple-entry. I got what I wanted only when the Olympics have ended… end after that visa expired, fecal matter had really hit the fan.
You see, every company likes to save money. That's understandable. But too often these measures will take an ugly form. I have heard numerous stories about rationing of toilet paper, forced re-use of printouts (to the point that no internal memo was accepted by the management unless it was printed on the back side of something else) and some geniuses in the management turning off the servers in the evening to lower bills (preventing the scheduled backups in the process). But in my case it takes the form of trying to cut down the cost of my visa.
To get a one-year visa, you have to cross the border just before applying for new visa as the longest term you can get is 1 year minus 1 day from the date of the last entry. My superiors decided that they want to save money and so I've got only 180 day visa (saving about 2000 yuan for them). Which was expiring just before Asian Games in Guangzhou, of course. So after getting back from Russia I tried to get myself a new visa, this time one-year multiple entry, which would save me a lot of troubles. Immediately the price was questioned, the need for such visa was questioned, then it was approved grudgingly… and then it was too late. So now I have 180-day one-entry visa and will have to do it all over again in April next year (when the cost will be higher) before May holidays (which means that there'll be troubles getting any visa). So they saved about 3000 yuan… and resulting costs have already reached 7000 yuan, which makes net loss of some 4000 yuan, to say nothing of forcing me to run like hell through half the country and back. Some savings, I'd say...
You see, every company likes to save money. That's understandable. But too often these measures will take an ugly form. I have heard numerous stories about rationing of toilet paper, forced re-use of printouts (to the point that no internal memo was accepted by the management unless it was printed on the back side of something else) and some geniuses in the management turning off the servers in the evening to lower bills (preventing the scheduled backups in the process). But in my case it takes the form of trying to cut down the cost of my visa.
To get a one-year visa, you have to cross the border just before applying for new visa as the longest term you can get is 1 year minus 1 day from the date of the last entry. My superiors decided that they want to save money and so I've got only 180 day visa (saving about 2000 yuan for them). Which was expiring just before Asian Games in Guangzhou, of course. So after getting back from Russia I tried to get myself a new visa, this time one-year multiple entry, which would save me a lot of troubles. Immediately the price was questioned, the need for such visa was questioned, then it was approved grudgingly… and then it was too late. So now I have 180-day one-entry visa and will have to do it all over again in April next year (when the cost will be higher) before May holidays (which means that there'll be troubles getting any visa). So they saved about 3000 yuan… and resulting costs have already reached 7000 yuan, which makes net loss of some 4000 yuan, to say nothing of forcing me to run like hell through half the country and back. Some savings, I'd say...
Oct 15, 2010
Going to H…
No I'm not going to Hell (yet?) as some people believe I will. It's just Hong Kong. Quite probably and quite soon. And this prospect fills me with dread as I hate it there. It's crowded and noisy and…
But the worst part are those Pakistani (or whoever they are) who jump you at Kowloon every 7 meters shouting: "Watchy coppy!". They see that you have turned down the very same offer for the last block or so but they're still trying. And every time they scare the crap out of me. And every time I'll ask myself: Who, in the name of Eris, buys that junk? To date the researchers have found no answer…
And then there's the most dreaded "cheap" Hong Kong hotel. Facilities would be a bit worse than in the Chinese cheap hotel, but the price would be high enough to get you a room in the 4-star hotel in the Mainland. Expect damp smell as a bonus.
On the bright side, they say curry in Hong Kong is awesome. Of course I wouldn't dare to go into Afghani curry house (I am Russian, after all), but there are other options.
Well, looks like it won't be that bad after all. Now I only have to get confirmation from Head office and off I go.
But the worst part are those Pakistani (or whoever they are) who jump you at Kowloon every 7 meters shouting: "Watchy coppy!". They see that you have turned down the very same offer for the last block or so but they're still trying. And every time they scare the crap out of me. And every time I'll ask myself: Who, in the name of Eris, buys that junk? To date the researchers have found no answer…
And then there's the most dreaded "cheap" Hong Kong hotel. Facilities would be a bit worse than in the Chinese cheap hotel, but the price would be high enough to get you a room in the 4-star hotel in the Mainland. Expect damp smell as a bonus.
On the bright side, they say curry in Hong Kong is awesome. Of course I wouldn't dare to go into Afghani curry house (I am Russian, after all), but there are other options.
Well, looks like it won't be that bad after all. Now I only have to get confirmation from Head office and off I go.
Oct 14, 2010
The grass is greener on the other side. Always.
This week I went to Xiamen. It's a small (population of about 4 mln people, if I remember correctly) but lovely city. No factories within city limits as it's situated on an island, good weather, blue sea…
What made me love it was the fact that it's surrounded by beaches. Natural sandy beaches within city limits easily accessible by bus. Combine that with good restaurants, good climate, good transportation… Well, to keep it short — I want to live there! Alas, I'm not an expert in garments' quality (and that's a primary export there) and most of our orders are placed at the factories in Zhejiang province, so commuting would be out of question.
So… life is not fair, and looks like it never will be…
What made me love it was the fact that it's surrounded by beaches. Natural sandy beaches within city limits easily accessible by bus. Combine that with good restaurants, good climate, good transportation… Well, to keep it short — I want to live there! Alas, I'm not an expert in garments' quality (and that's a primary export there) and most of our orders are placed at the factories in Zhejiang province, so commuting would be out of question.
So… life is not fair, and looks like it never will be…
Meta-advertisements
What do you call a billboard that advertises another billboard's space?..
Just saw exactly this. I'd say we're going a bit too far with all that "meta" thing…
On the importance of good arrangements.
What would you think people would do if they want to visit a factory in China? Why, they'd arrange for the meeting before going, wouldn't they?
Well, that's not the case with my colleagues as they never bothered to provide the person responsible for said arrangements with any contacts for those factories. So I'd have to pry it from them and then scramble to arrange everything to everyone's satisfaction. Nothing better than a bit of screw-up to keep your front-line people on their toes, eg?
Maybe my colleague from Shanghai really had a point when he resigned two weeks ago…
Well, that's not the case with my colleagues as they never bothered to provide the person responsible for said arrangements with any contacts for those factories. So I'd have to pry it from them and then scramble to arrange everything to everyone's satisfaction. Nothing better than a bit of screw-up to keep your front-line people on their toes, eg?
Maybe my colleague from Shanghai really had a point when he resigned two weeks ago…
Oct 12, 2010
Airline security as a cheap circus
It so happens that I had to fly a lot during last two weeks. And when you fly by anything other than your own private plane (as most of us do), you have to pass the security check in the airport. Well, maybe it's the same for the guys with private jets, but it's hard for me to tell.
Anyways, the way they'll try to take away your lighter, and bottled water and (gasp!) that really small and blunt knife you carry around for opening the cartons sealed with the scotch tape is plain ridiculous. Box cutters — now that I can understand. You can slit throats with the box cutter just as easy as you cut the said scotch tape. But manicure scissors?! Come on, high heels on that lady across the aisle make for much more dangerous weapon (as you surely will find out soon as she steps on your foot).
And after you have parted with your trusty piece of blunt steel and your precious 1 yuan lighter, they'll frisk you like you're some petty criminal (sometimes they'll tickle your bollocks just for the hell of it). Only after that you'll be deemed humiliated enough to go inside and wait for your (delayed) flight. Oh, and in Russia you'd have to take off your boots as well.
But the best of them all is the outright ban placed some two years ago on using cell phones. I mean, come on! They invented the flight mode on the wretched things just for this precise situation! But no, it's still prohibited to turn on your mobile even when it's in the flight mode.So no more books for me while flying in China — at least until I get myself some sort of book reader that won't scare the living daylights out of Chinese flight attendants. Or until they get just a bit wiser here and allow the phones in the flight mode again (I'd bet on me getting the book reader, though).
And how many terrorists have they caught with these measures in place? Far as I know, none at all. It's all just a cheap circus (which at the same time costs a buttload of money while accomplishing exactly nothing). That's humanity for you...
Anyways, the way they'll try to take away your lighter, and bottled water and (gasp!) that really small and blunt knife you carry around for opening the cartons sealed with the scotch tape is plain ridiculous. Box cutters — now that I can understand. You can slit throats with the box cutter just as easy as you cut the said scotch tape. But manicure scissors?! Come on, high heels on that lady across the aisle make for much more dangerous weapon (as you surely will find out soon as she steps on your foot).
And after you have parted with your trusty piece of blunt steel and your precious 1 yuan lighter, they'll frisk you like you're some petty criminal (sometimes they'll tickle your bollocks just for the hell of it). Only after that you'll be deemed humiliated enough to go inside and wait for your (delayed) flight. Oh, and in Russia you'd have to take off your boots as well.
But the best of them all is the outright ban placed some two years ago on using cell phones. I mean, come on! They invented the flight mode on the wretched things just for this precise situation! But no, it's still prohibited to turn on your mobile even when it's in the flight mode.So no more books for me while flying in China — at least until I get myself some sort of book reader that won't scare the living daylights out of Chinese flight attendants. Or until they get just a bit wiser here and allow the phones in the flight mode again (I'd bet on me getting the book reader, though).
And how many terrorists have they caught with these measures in place? Far as I know, none at all. It's all just a cheap circus (which at the same time costs a buttload of money while accomplishing exactly nothing). That's humanity for you...
Oct 11, 2010
Off we go!..
So I am taking off to Xiamen. That's got to be what you get for working in a big company — constant running everywhere instead of working quietly at your desk.
Anyway, maybe I will get a glimpse of something other than a factory…
Anyway, maybe I will get a glimpse of something other than a factory…
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