Category: Anything and everything

Today I attended this event which 12 people with architecture and design background shared their experiences living and working in China. One thing struck me the most is  “persistence”. One lady who runs an architecture company shared her stories on how she showed the construction team the drawing of the design, but non of them can read it. There is a knowledge gap in the labour industry. I suppose you cant expect low pay and also professional labour workers, that’s just a deal too good to be true. She said during the project, she taught some of the workers hand by hand on how to do some basic stuff. I asked her if the whole process ever got too overwhelming. She said yes it did, and thats when you learn that in China you need to know when to compromise, when to walkaway and calm down.

I am starting seeing some of the signs during my time in China. Not saying that the people I work with also has a knowledge gap, it is not about who I work with, this is more the general working culture. I notice at meetings it is easy to discuss plans and ideas without getting down to the details, I sense when the specific questions were raised, such as costs, time schedule and task allocation, there seem to be the general attitude of “dont worry too much, things will come out alright” . What I am trying to learn is getting the confirmed answers without appearing to be too pushy or direct. I can be impatient sometime when I can not get the clear answer, but I need to keep reminding myself in the motherland the constant pursue of getting a definite answer can be a deal breaker. I need to learn to take a step back, sometime take “maybe” as the best answer I can get (it is still better than a definite no, no?)

Work is busy, it is demanding, and sometime I do not know my place. It can be confusing, stressful and confidence crushing, but boy aren’t I learning a lot ! We dont have a set plan on how long this China deal will last, but I think I need time to really get my head around on where I am and where I am heading. I have been incredibly lucky to join a group of creative and talented people. Some of them are really young as well, some were born after 1992. They are hard working, smart, know their goals and very keen to learn. Being around them, make me feel that I also need to move faster. But …there is always a but….everything is going so fast in this place. The key is don’t let all these stuff fool you , don’t run in circles .

Maybe because of mercury retrograde, the starting week of June was filled with problems. Things are looking up a lot this week.

We have been doing some fun stuff each week, checking out new bars, restaurants etc. There are so many interesting things to do, people to meet. This is what we move here for, to feel alive and energetic again. Get back the sense of exploration and enhance that curiosity about things.

Work has been fantastic. Its getting really busy, but all the stuff we do are things I find really fun. Its a great team of people, I have been learning a lot from them. I think most important thing to me about this team is everyone is approachable. So if I have a question, no matter how silly it seems, I don’t feel   uncomfortable to ask it. There are quite a few projects on at the same time, the challenge is not to get caught up in the execution of the event, but keeping in mind the bigger picture. Plus need to think about developing new projects. Not just to react to things when they come my way, but actively seeking new ones.

The only thing missing is a good gym to go to. How I miss my gym sessions. Found a swimming pool near our place, there are lots of kids there because of the water slides. I was surprised to see groups of American and Russian expats there last weekend (separate groups). The Americans talked a lot about fancy parties, pedicures, body wax and also complaining about Chinese man who sweats a lot at a meeting. It seems that although they live in Beijing, they are still very attached to their community and try their best to carry on the “civilised” life. So next time if someone complains Chinese live overseas always stick together, I will point out that as a matter of fact the foreigners living in China do not really melt into the local cultures neither.

Till then

It is very hot in Beijing right now, we have been here half a year now. The trees are greener than I expected, also the pollution is not too bad. According to news reporting the pollution problem has been improved a lot comparing to previous years, does that mean we come at the right time?

I am pleased to say I have moved on to an events organising role at a media company. The new work has flexible hours. Yesterday I stayed overtime at work for the first time, but it was such a fun day. My colleague and I went to a meeting at a beautiful park in central city, discussing new ways to diversify the park’s visitors. I also learnt my colleague had two foxes as pets, apparently you can buy them on Taobao (China’s biggest online shop). After we got back to the office, we all had another meeting which did not finish till 9pm. It is about coming up with a storyboard for a campaign. I probably spent 11 hours at work yesterday, but it felt a lot better than spending 5 hours at a boring job. To me, it is important to work with people who are creative, energitic and respectful, so far the new team seem to deliver all these qualities.

I guess it can not be a boring place when you work with someone who keep fox as pets , right?!

Till then 🙂

Image source: Andrew Chan’s mother, Helen Chan, at Sydney international airport. Photograph: DEAN LEWINS/AAPIMAGE

I have been reading up on reports about Bali Nine members Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, then this photo of Andrew Chan’s mother at the airport waiting to board the plane to Bali caught my eye. In the photo, she is dressed in this top with flowers printed on it, I have seen many women her age in similar clothes. Her hand held on to the stanchions that is actually not going to give her any support, other passengers around her seem to be in a good mood. Of course, most people heading to Bali is probably on holiday. But to Helen Chan, she is the mother whose son is probably going to be executed by death penalty in a few days. This image tells so much more than what the news could have covered. I can not imagine what is going through her mind on this flight to see her son for the last time. It is the kind of situation not many people can comprehend.

I know the logical argument is that Andre Chan did commit a crime. It is the law of Indonesia.

But by death penalty? !

Andrew and Myuran both spend 9 years in prison and each of them has led a life there. Andrew found his faith in Christianity, Myruan got into arts and painting and even received a university degree while he is serving the sentence.The more I read about the different point of views from political parties and governments, the more sadness overwhelms me. Please do not turn this into a political game. Just for once, look at these two individules as human beings with flesh and beating hearts, Just look at this picture of a mother who carries so much sorrow.

I hope in the next few days there is some hope of clemency for these two men. I pray for them to be saved.

This February is the first time in five years I am not busy with organising international performers at the lantern festival in New Zealand. I still remember vividly the first time I took part of that festival as a volunteer. I was assisting a group of lantern makers from Shanghai to install this 4 meters tall dragon over the street. We worked into midnight and I was shouting loudly in Chinese , translating for the other event organisers of the message they were trying to convey. That night when I got home I was so excited and I could not sleep. I told myself this was exactly the job I want to do. Work for events, to help other people to communicate, use my language skills.

Some say if you wish for something hard enough, the universe will hear you. In this case, it worked for me. 2 years later I got a job at the Asia New Zealand Foundation, and worked closely with Jennifer King. She is the person who started this festival in New Zealand. I could not describe how happy I was when I started working at the Foundation. Every week there were interesting events to attend and people to meet. My world was never the same again. Over the five years working on the festivals, I have made friends with so many performers from different parts of the world. I have been to the emergency room at hospitals too many times, due to performers getting sick or injured. I have “missing performers” after busing them off to sightseeing places. I experienced post earthquake chaos at the airport. I met Prime Minsters, diplomats, culture attache, CEOs and famous artists. I could not ask for a better role than the one I had at the Foundation. Most importantly, I had an an amazing bunch of people to work with. Each one of them have their own personality, unique set of skills to contribute to the work we do. Not only I learnt new skills from my colleagues, most importantly I learnt the value they have towards their work and the people. Respect, kindness, integrity and fairness all these are the things we value dearly at the Foundation.

Now I am in Beijing working at a complete different sector and enviroment. People ask if I miss the last job? Of course I do. I even dreamt of working back in New Zealand. Do I regret of moving to China? No I do not. I believe one thing certain in life is the constant change. I had to leave, for better or for worse, I need to have new challenges and get out of the comfort zone. It is true that new life in Beijing can get very uncomfortable sometime, it can be so frustrating at times, but pain makes me grow. It makes me realise exactly what I want and how to get it.

Tomorrow the festival will be back on again to celebrate the year of the sheep in Auckland. I know it will be enjoyed by so many people in New Zealand. I wish wholeheartedly that the festival will go superbly well. My colleagues will have a great time while doing this meaningful and amazing piece of work .

Nga mihi

Liyang