Good to eat Tartines again :)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Lunch at Le Pain Quotidien
Once done with some unpacking and having called the assitance to start my car, Wolfram and I went to Le Pain Quotidien for a well deserved lunch on the terrace.
Good to eat Tartines again :)
Good to eat Tartines again :)
Monday, June 29, 2009
I'm back
I made it and so did my luggage.
Flight was quite long especially when after living in China you've seen all the movies (or almost) they show in the plane. I tried to get some sleep. I did drink my class of champaign to celebrate my birthday as per the family tradition (not sure it was at the right time but it must have been it in some time zone).Here is what the trolley looked like in the airport in Paris. As you can see it nicely fits, all pieces of luggage on 1 trolley only :)
Train was delayed due to the absence of the mechanician... 1 hour later than planned I arrived in Brussels Midi station. By the way, that station does not have trolleys so Wolfram and I had to drag everything to the parking.
Back home a nice salad was waiting for me, with all my birthday gifts! If that was not motivation to come back :)
Back home the unpacking can start... something tells me I will have to go through chaos before I can get to order again...
Flight was quite long especially when after living in China you've seen all the movies (or almost) they show in the plane. I tried to get some sleep. I did drink my class of champaign to celebrate my birthday as per the family tradition (not sure it was at the right time but it must have been it in some time zone).Here is what the trolley looked like in the airport in Paris. As you can see it nicely fits, all pieces of luggage on 1 trolley only :)
Train was delayed due to the absence of the mechanician... 1 hour later than planned I arrived in Brussels Midi station. By the way, that station does not have trolleys so Wolfram and I had to drag everything to the parking.
Back home a nice salad was waiting for me, with all my birthday gifts! If that was not motivation to come back :)
Back home the unpacking can start... something tells me I will have to go through chaos before I can get to order again...
Leaving Somerset
I’m all packed. Bill is paid. Just need to grab a taxi and get to the airport; assuming we can get all the luggage in the car.
Bye bye Somerset.
Bye bye Somerset.
Construction last update
Dad as per your request: it’s progressing but will take quite some time before it’s finished.
By the way they took down Ladies’ street, the street where there were Bite a Pita and Tim’s Texas Grill. Basically on Sunday they were on business (I still recall ordering humus from Bite a Pita) and the next day the demolition started. Now it’s all gone. I can now see an artificial lake which I had not idea was there hidden by the buildings.
By the way they took down Ladies’ street, the street where there were Bite a Pita and Tim’s Texas Grill. Basically on Sunday they were on business (I still recall ordering humus from Bite a Pita) and the next day the demolition started. Now it’s all gone. I can now see an artificial lake which I had not idea was there hidden by the buildings.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Packing!!!!
I did start packing on Friday and tonight I managed to get everything in. Everything was fine until I realized the big suitcase was almost 45kg. So I reopened everything and move things around to rebalance the weight. That turned out to be more complex and longer than expected. But it’s done. It’s now almost 3am and I can go to bed with peace of mind. My 5 pieces of luggage a ready, packed to their maximum. I hope the aircraft will manage to take off with all the weight I’m bringing in.
Harmony
Now it was time for our massage at Bodhi.. . yes but which one? After careful consideration of the list we picked the Harmony package:
- Foot wash and scrub
- Body scrub (you wouldn’t believe all the dirt they remove from you)
- Body wrap in some rice oil to smoothen your skin
- Shower
- Aromatherapy massage
After that I can tell you, you feel like having a new skin. Now I can go back to Europe in “harmony” and start the next chapter of my life.
- Foot wash and scrub
- Body scrub (you wouldn’t believe all the dirt they remove from you)
- Body wrap in some rice oil to smoothen your skin
- Shower
- Aromatherapy massage
After that I can tell you, you feel like having a new skin. Now I can go back to Europe in “harmony” and start the next chapter of my life.
The last pampering day
Sunday was meant to be the last pampering day for me. First stop: manicure and pedicure. Bad surprise when we arrived: girl #9 went home, i.e. she does not work here anymore. Girl #9 has been making manicure since day one. The only time I had someone else I was not satisfied and therefore always made sure I would have her. She is gone… maybe it’s a sign…
Anyway we got 2 girls each taking care of our hands and feet. This time we pushed it even further and asked for an upper body massage thus one more person taking care of us. I don’t understand why we never did it before because I can tell you it’s really really nice to be pampered like this.
With our beautiful nails we went to Luga’s for guacamole and cocktails. Please note the flower art of this month… we were a bit more adventurous this time. I did ask for a dragon, yes a Chinese dragon, we apparently they only know how to do flowers and goldfish. I’m not so much into goldfish so flowers it is.
Anyway we got 2 girls each taking care of our hands and feet. This time we pushed it even further and asked for an upper body massage thus one more person taking care of us. I don’t understand why we never did it before because I can tell you it’s really really nice to be pampered like this.
With our beautiful nails we went to Luga’s for guacamole and cocktails. Please note the flower art of this month… we were a bit more adventurous this time. I did ask for a dragon, yes a Chinese dragon, we apparently they only know how to do flowers and goldfish. I’m not so much into goldfish so flowers it is.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Last week-end in Beijing
Well I hope last week-end from this trip and that others will come down the road.
After a fitting session with Lena (yes dress will be ready before I leave) Alice and I met Ingrid to go to the Pearl market. As Ingrid is an expat she has a driver and therefore we had the chance to use him for the afternoon. Let’s face it having a driver in a clean car is a big improvement vs. the taxi.
We spent quite some time in my favorite shop of the Pearl market buying the ultimate round of gifts or orders from previous visitors.
(thanks Alice for the photo)
After that Ingrid took us to the building nearby: the Toy market. Of course having no kids I had never step a foot in there. Silly me. This place is heaven: toys everywhere, all the toys you can think of and even more. A good address to remember. You can also find in there stationary, both classic and generation Y (i.e. hello kitty and co). Quite impressive and so cheap. That’s where Ingrid found this notebook she offered me on my last day; simply because there was no way I could not go back to BIC with my own notebook…
After the Pearl market we completed the jewelry tour by a stop at the silk market to let our creativity express one more time. Girls I’m bringing you plenty of necklaces :)
With a new collection of jewelry in our bags, Alice and I headed back to my place to change. Tonight the EBTs leaving (Arif and I) invited our dearest friends and colleagues for dinner and drinks. One last night out in Beijing. It was a really nice evening (or should I say night) and once again lot’s of good-byes :( at least we finished the EBT on a fun note.
After a fitting session with Lena (yes dress will be ready before I leave) Alice and I met Ingrid to go to the Pearl market. As Ingrid is an expat she has a driver and therefore we had the chance to use him for the afternoon. Let’s face it having a driver in a clean car is a big improvement vs. the taxi.
We spent quite some time in my favorite shop of the Pearl market buying the ultimate round of gifts or orders from previous visitors.
(thanks Alice for the photo)After that Ingrid took us to the building nearby: the Toy market. Of course having no kids I had never step a foot in there. Silly me. This place is heaven: toys everywhere, all the toys you can think of and even more. A good address to remember. You can also find in there stationary, both classic and generation Y (i.e. hello kitty and co). Quite impressive and so cheap. That’s where Ingrid found this notebook she offered me on my last day; simply because there was no way I could not go back to BIC with my own notebook…
After the Pearl market we completed the jewelry tour by a stop at the silk market to let our creativity express one more time. Girls I’m bringing you plenty of necklaces :)
With a new collection of jewelry in our bags, Alice and I headed back to my place to change. Tonight the EBTs leaving (Arif and I) invited our dearest friends and colleagues for dinner and drinks. One last night out in Beijing. It was a really nice evening (or should I say night) and once again lot’s of good-byes :( at least we finished the EBT on a fun note.
Friday, June 26, 2009
I don’t like good-byes
So today was my last day in the office. It was a weird day punctuated with good-byes. After a great lunch with the team where I received a card with wishes from everyone (and despite I had said I was inviting everyone I ended up being invited), we went back to the office and as of 4pm, people started to say good-bye on their way out until I decided to make my own way out. You will be happy to know that I limited the crying part to only a few tears (which is already an exploit for me) and that I have found my master in crying: Amalia (it was really sad to leave her behind crying). But I’ve been having a huge nod in my stomach the whole day. I will really miss the people from Beijing Technical Center Fabric & Home Care team.
Now I’m back at Somerset packing wondering if everything will fit in the suitcases I have available.
PS: Thanks Monika for sending your message just at the moment I needed it the most :) You really know me too well. See you soon when I’m back.
Now I’m back at Somerset packing wondering if everything will fit in the suitcases I have available.
PS: Thanks Monika for sending your message just at the moment I needed it the most :) You really know me too well. See you soon when I’m back.
Last day in the office
Today is my last day in the office :(
and something tells me it will be busy as I need to finish many things of course :)
but the good thing is that I'm taking the team out for lunch :)
and something tells me it will be busy as I need to finish many things of course :)
but the good thing is that I'm taking the team out for lunch :)
Thursday, June 25, 2009
If all companies were like China Mobile
... it seems the world would be cleaner :)
China Mobile makes an ambitious bid to save energy
By Jiang Wei (China Daily, 2009-06-22 )
Even compared to the country's ambitious target to reduce energy use per unit GDP by 20 percent during the 11th five-year plan (2006-10), China Mobile has laid out an aggressive energy blueprint.
The world's largest mobile phone carrier by number of users plans to cut electricity consumption per unit revenue by 40 percent before 2010 compared to the figure in 2005, which means the company will save up to 8 billion kWh and reduce CO2 emissions by 6.8 million tons in 2010.
It also aims to help other industries save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions using its information technology.
"We have already reduced electricity consumption per unit revenue by 31 percent," Li Zhengmao, executive vice president of China Mobile, told China Business Weekly at the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark. "We will be able to reach the 40 percent reduction target in two years."
China Mobile took a big step forward in environmental protection in 2007 when the company placed more significance on corporate social responsibility. It started with two major areas - education and environmental protection, both important in the battle against climate change.
In 2007, the company joined the Global Compact, a United Nations organization that combines sovereign countries, non-government organizations and businesses.
It also launched a "green action plan" on environmental protection and mapped out its own energy-saving targets.
In 2008, the company joined the Caring for Climate campaign led by the Global Compact. It also joined The Climate Group, a London-based environmental watchdog that advocates a low-carbon economy.
To achieve its goal, the company has adopted measures ranging from collecting used SIM cards and outfitting energy-saving buildings to technology upgrades and promotion of information technologies to other industries.
Li said the company first began three years ago with limits on electricity consumption by products purchased in its procurement. All equipment suppliers must pledge that their products are the most advanced for saving energy.
"The move may increase our costs in equipment slightly but it reduces overall costs for the company," he said.
Technology improvement
China Mobile then made thorough technology improvement to existing equipment, particularly air conditioning systems.
Li said that telecom equipment works best at a certain temperature, which requires air conditioning, but in the past air conditioners were designed to cool an entire room where the equipment was placed.
"That was a waste of energy, so we had to find a way to deal with it," he said.
The company joined with major domestic air conditioner makers including Gree to develop new air conditioners that cool equipment directly.
The simple idea helped China Mobile cut power used by air conditioners - which account for a quarter of the company's total electricity consumption - by 40 to 50 percent.
The telecom giant is also a pioneer in adopting alternative energies, using solar and wind power in more than 5,000 base stations, in particular in remote areas such as Qinghai, Tibet and Inner Mongolia. It is now No 1 on the list of global telecom carriers using renewable energy.
Li said some foreign carriers were surprised when they learned China Mobile was applying alternative energy widely because most of them used new energies in only a few pilot stations.
Although operations with new energy sources are only a small proportion of China Mobile's 400,000 base stations, the approach helps the company is power facilities in remote areas.
It takes about 100,000 yuan ($14,633.15) to outfit a new energy base station, while a traditional base station in remote areas may cost 1 million to 2 million yuan because electricity may come from a power plant thousands of kilometers away - and that's a lot of cable, Li said.
"We are not using alternative energy for fashion or other reasons. It does make money for us," he said.
A new company blueprint for the coming 3G era says it plans to increase the proportion of alternative energy base stations to 5 percent of the 160,000 it will build over the next three years.
Despite its own achievements, China Mobile is not satisfied - the telecom industry is actually not a big consumer of energy anyway. The telecom and IT sectors consume only 2 percent of the country's energy.
"A bigger role we can play is to help increase the efficiency of other industries and reduce their energy consumption and emissions by providing them information technologies," Li said. "It is not a hard job to save 10 to 20 percent of energy for them."
The company is now promoting digital ways for many sectors to reduce energy use and has tailored services for each business.
For the taxi business in Tianjin, China Mobile developed a long-range dispatch system that connects a call center to individual cabs. Each cab now saves up to three liters of fuel each day due to more efficient allocation of taxis, which also helps reduce traffic problems in the city.
For a taxi company with 3,000 cabs, the system will help save up to 3,000 tons of fuel, which in turn eliminates 7,400 tons of CO2 emissions.
China Mobile makes an ambitious bid to save energy
By Jiang Wei (China Daily, 2009-06-22 )
Even compared to the country's ambitious target to reduce energy use per unit GDP by 20 percent during the 11th five-year plan (2006-10), China Mobile has laid out an aggressive energy blueprint.
The world's largest mobile phone carrier by number of users plans to cut electricity consumption per unit revenue by 40 percent before 2010 compared to the figure in 2005, which means the company will save up to 8 billion kWh and reduce CO2 emissions by 6.8 million tons in 2010.
It also aims to help other industries save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions using its information technology.
"We have already reduced electricity consumption per unit revenue by 31 percent," Li Zhengmao, executive vice president of China Mobile, told China Business Weekly at the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark. "We will be able to reach the 40 percent reduction target in two years."
China Mobile took a big step forward in environmental protection in 2007 when the company placed more significance on corporate social responsibility. It started with two major areas - education and environmental protection, both important in the battle against climate change.
In 2007, the company joined the Global Compact, a United Nations organization that combines sovereign countries, non-government organizations and businesses.
It also launched a "green action plan" on environmental protection and mapped out its own energy-saving targets.
In 2008, the company joined the Caring for Climate campaign led by the Global Compact. It also joined The Climate Group, a London-based environmental watchdog that advocates a low-carbon economy.
To achieve its goal, the company has adopted measures ranging from collecting used SIM cards and outfitting energy-saving buildings to technology upgrades and promotion of information technologies to other industries.
Li said the company first began three years ago with limits on electricity consumption by products purchased in its procurement. All equipment suppliers must pledge that their products are the most advanced for saving energy.
"The move may increase our costs in equipment slightly but it reduces overall costs for the company," he said.
Technology improvement
China Mobile then made thorough technology improvement to existing equipment, particularly air conditioning systems.
Li said that telecom equipment works best at a certain temperature, which requires air conditioning, but in the past air conditioners were designed to cool an entire room where the equipment was placed.
"That was a waste of energy, so we had to find a way to deal with it," he said.
The company joined with major domestic air conditioner makers including Gree to develop new air conditioners that cool equipment directly.
The simple idea helped China Mobile cut power used by air conditioners - which account for a quarter of the company's total electricity consumption - by 40 to 50 percent.
The telecom giant is also a pioneer in adopting alternative energies, using solar and wind power in more than 5,000 base stations, in particular in remote areas such as Qinghai, Tibet and Inner Mongolia. It is now No 1 on the list of global telecom carriers using renewable energy.
Li said some foreign carriers were surprised when they learned China Mobile was applying alternative energy widely because most of them used new energies in only a few pilot stations.
Although operations with new energy sources are only a small proportion of China Mobile's 400,000 base stations, the approach helps the company is power facilities in remote areas.
It takes about 100,000 yuan ($14,633.15) to outfit a new energy base station, while a traditional base station in remote areas may cost 1 million to 2 million yuan because electricity may come from a power plant thousands of kilometers away - and that's a lot of cable, Li said.
"We are not using alternative energy for fashion or other reasons. It does make money for us," he said.
A new company blueprint for the coming 3G era says it plans to increase the proportion of alternative energy base stations to 5 percent of the 160,000 it will build over the next three years.
Despite its own achievements, China Mobile is not satisfied - the telecom industry is actually not a big consumer of energy anyway. The telecom and IT sectors consume only 2 percent of the country's energy.
"A bigger role we can play is to help increase the efficiency of other industries and reduce their energy consumption and emissions by providing them information technologies," Li said. "It is not a hard job to save 10 to 20 percent of energy for them."
The company is now promoting digital ways for many sectors to reduce energy use and has tailored services for each business.
For the taxi business in Tianjin, China Mobile developed a long-range dispatch system that connects a call center to individual cabs. Each cab now saves up to three liters of fuel each day due to more efficient allocation of taxis, which also helps reduce traffic problems in the city.
For a taxi company with 3,000 cabs, the system will help save up to 3,000 tons of fuel, which in turn eliminates 7,400 tons of CO2 emissions.
We've got a star in the family
My brother seems not to have enough of being on TV and newspaper (just the regional ones but that's already something). This time it was both media.
Doesn't he look serious while talking to the authorities?
Here is the article in Le Telegramme... in French
PS: Last time he was on TV it was live from my parents living room :)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
My last foot massage
at least until I come back to China...
Last evening after meeting with Lena, Alice and I went for a foot massage. It was so nice. I nearly fell asleep (although this seems to be a tendency these days... I even fell asleep in the taxi back home the other day... I guess I need some sleep). Once it was over we wondered if we could just stay there and sleep.
I do wonder how I will survive back in Belgium without my weekly (or sometimes twice a week :)) massage. Sigh...
Last evening after meeting with Lena, Alice and I went for a foot massage. It was so nice. I nearly fell asleep (although this seems to be a tendency these days... I even fell asleep in the taxi back home the other day... I guess I need some sleep). Once it was over we wondered if we could just stay there and sleep.
I do wonder how I will survive back in Belgium without my weekly (or sometimes twice a week :)) massage. Sigh...
Where is squat toilet from?
I know it may sound weird to ask this question. Why would I want to write an entry on my blog dedicated to squat toilet? It’s simple: everywhere you go in China you can find them (when it’s not a hole in the ground like in Inner Mongolia :)) and very often we’ve been debating their origin. Americans call it squat toilet, French call it “Turkish toilet”, Belgian call it “French toilet”… and we’re in China. So did the Turk come all the way through Asia to bring those squat toilets? I’m wondering.
Therefore I googled it. If someone should know it should be google. First stop Wikipedia where you will learn the following: “A squat toilet (also known as an Eastern, Turkish or Natural-Position toilet) is a toilet used by squatting, rather than sitting. There are several types of squat toilets, but they all consist essentially of a hole in the ground.” So much for the definition.
Now where do we find them? Almost everywhere in the end… “The squat toilets (known as alaturka (from Italian alla turca) in Turkey or Iranian Toilet in Iran or paati in malayalam. In contrast to alafranga (alla franca) flush toilets) where the user puts his feet on foot rests; the user faces the entrance to the cubicle; it is prevalent in Turkey where flush toilets are now getting more in use for households and can still be found in some public buildings and at motorway services in France, Italy, Uruguay, Balkans and, more often, in the former USSR. In Argentina, squat toilets can be found in older, lower class pubs, cafés and restaurants. It is also used in the Middle East and can be found in rural areas of Greece and Italy. It is also very common in Iran and prevalent throughout most of China and South East Asia”
If you want to know more, just read the Wikipedia page where you can even find some tips on how to use squat toilet….
While I was browsing further as not so satisfied yet by the information I found I ended up on the website of the Sulabh International Museum of Toilets! Located in New Delhi. I’m speechless when I see all the research that I’ve been done on the topic. Who would imagine so much info on toilets...
I leave it to you to explore further. Now coming back to my initial question: it seems that squat toilets are called Turkish toilets simply because you can find them extensively in Turkey (not too sure if that is the case still but that must have been at some point).
Therefore I googled it. If someone should know it should be google. First stop Wikipedia where you will learn the following: “A squat toilet (also known as an Eastern, Turkish or Natural-Position toilet) is a toilet used by squatting, rather than sitting. There are several types of squat toilets, but they all consist essentially of a hole in the ground.” So much for the definition.
Now where do we find them? Almost everywhere in the end… “The squat toilets (known as alaturka (from Italian alla turca) in Turkey or Iranian Toilet in Iran or paati in malayalam. In contrast to alafranga (alla franca) flush toilets) where the user puts his feet on foot rests; the user faces the entrance to the cubicle; it is prevalent in Turkey where flush toilets are now getting more in use for households and can still be found in some public buildings and at motorway services in France, Italy, Uruguay, Balkans and, more often, in the former USSR. In Argentina, squat toilets can be found in older, lower class pubs, cafés and restaurants. It is also used in the Middle East and can be found in rural areas of Greece and Italy. It is also very common in Iran and prevalent throughout most of China and South East Asia”
If you want to know more, just read the Wikipedia page where you can even find some tips on how to use squat toilet….
While I was browsing further as not so satisfied yet by the information I found I ended up on the website of the Sulabh International Museum of Toilets! Located in New Delhi. I’m speechless when I see all the research that I’ve been done on the topic. Who would imagine so much info on toilets...
I leave it to you to explore further. Now coming back to my initial question: it seems that squat toilets are called Turkish toilets simply because you can find them extensively in Turkey (not too sure if that is the case still but that must have been at some point).
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Bank account
Yes but which one:
- saving account
- cheque account
- credit account
- default account
These are examples of the options you have when you withdraw money in China.
Which one would you choose?
- saving account
- cheque account
- credit account
- default account
These are examples of the options you have when you withdraw money in China.
Which one would you choose?
Sunset over Liangmaqiao
I know I posted already some pictures of the sunset but what can I say, the view last night was amazing. It would be a pity not to share such beautiful colors.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Feels like Christmas!
This morning when I arrived, Abby gave me 2 things: a usb stick with the pictures from the dinner last week and a gift :) I received a very nice jewelry for bag (see picture). Basically I can attach this on my bag. It's the hobby of a friends of hers.
A bit later when Amalia arrived she gave me a box in which there was a hair pin, Chinese traditional item for your hair. She claimed it would look much better than the pencil I've been using lately. Can't argue against that.
Thank you so much girls for your gifts!
A bit later when Amalia arrived she gave me a box in which there was a hair pin, Chinese traditional item for your hair. She claimed it would look much better than the pencil I've been using lately. Can't argue against that.
Thank you so much girls for your gifts!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
One more farewell
Rafael and Marion are also coming back to Belgium. So today we were all invited for a farewell BBQ (yes another one). More or less the same crowd as at Ingrid’s one which is nice as I got to talk again with the people I met a week ago. Although this time I had to explain that I didn’t have children (I was probably one of the few who joined the party without children). In an expat world it’s almost weird to be there alone and not with husband and kids.
Food was great, wine was good (we had to help finishing all the bottles Rafael had as he could not ship them back) and kids were running all over the place sometimes making cake with grass, sand and ice cubes… anyone interested in tasting?
Now what will we do on Sunday when we won’t have any more BBQs to go to?
Food was great, wine was good (we had to help finishing all the bottles Rafael had as he could not ship them back) and kids were running all over the place sometimes making cake with grass, sand and ice cubes… anyone interested in tasting?
Now what will we do on Sunday when we won’t have any more BBQs to go to?
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Sophia
Today I went to visit Andrea, Bert and their almost 1 month old baby girl Sophia. She is truly adorable and so pretty. She has the cutest feet ever, so tiny. Andrea and Bert can be very proud of their first baby. I’ve spent a bit more than 1 hour with them chatting with the parents and playing with Sophia. It was really nice to hold such a cute baby, so nice you would want to have one on your own… until she starts crying :)
Friday, June 19, 2009
Dinner at Yuli's place... with a chef
Last night Yuli invited the whole section (and more) to a dinner at her place. She had booked a chef and basically he cooked for us. We all left the office around 6pm and drove to her place in as few car as possible. Once we were all there Yuli's husband served us tea. He did the full tea ceremony which is always impressive to watch (although don't go down that road if you are thirsty as it will take easily 20min before you can get a sip).
Then dinner started. Menu was the following:
- pumpkin soup (excellent, reminded me of Erna's)
- Chicken cordon bleu
- Lamb with sauce
- Salmon with lemon sauce (excellent, I wish I knew what was in the sauce)
- Carrots
- Baked potatoes (so long didn't have potatoes... Asia is more about rice than potatoes as you may know)
- Chocolate mousse (mmmh... who does not like chocolate mousse?)
Food was great, company fantastic, dinner was a success.
After dinner, we all sat in Yuli's leaving room for more tea and then I received a gift.
This dinner was also my farewell dinner. I had to improvise a speech and after that everybody shared stories about me. It was really funny as we remembered all these stories. We laughed a lot (especially when Andy said I was one of the most important women in his life). I realized how much I would miss the team.
My gift is a red Chinese Cinnabar plate: absolutely beautiful.
We then had a photo session where me and my plate were posing with everyone.
Andy handing me the gift over (very official style :))
Me struggling with the wrapping paper
The plate!!!
with Vivian and Amalia
with Perry, Abby and Yuli
with Olivia and Joanna
with Andy and Conan
with Kun and Linda
with Abby
with Olivia and Raina
My team serious
My team not so serious
The whole section
The whole section this time smiling
As I mentioned before I will really miss this team. Despite how much work, effort, challenges we've faced in one year, we've always done it with a smile and positive attitude. I had never worked so much before in an assignment but at the same time I never had so much fun.
Then dinner started. Menu was the following:
- pumpkin soup (excellent, reminded me of Erna's)
- Chicken cordon bleu
- Lamb with sauce
- Salmon with lemon sauce (excellent, I wish I knew what was in the sauce)
- Carrots
- Baked potatoes (so long didn't have potatoes... Asia is more about rice than potatoes as you may know)
- Chocolate mousse (mmmh... who does not like chocolate mousse?)
Food was great, company fantastic, dinner was a success.
After dinner, we all sat in Yuli's leaving room for more tea and then I received a gift.
This dinner was also my farewell dinner. I had to improvise a speech and after that everybody shared stories about me. It was really funny as we remembered all these stories. We laughed a lot (especially when Andy said I was one of the most important women in his life). I realized how much I would miss the team.
My gift is a red Chinese Cinnabar plate: absolutely beautiful.
We then had a photo session where me and my plate were posing with everyone.
Andy handing me the gift over (very official style :))
Me struggling with the wrapping paper
The plate!!!
with Vivian and Amalia
with Perry, Abby and Yuli
with Olivia and Joanna
with Andy and Conan
with Kun and Linda
with Abby
with Olivia and Raina
My team serious
My team not so serious
The whole section
The whole section this time smiling
As I mentioned before I will really miss this team. Despite how much work, effort, challenges we've faced in one year, we've always done it with a smile and positive attitude. I had never worked so much before in an assignment but at the same time I never had so much fun.
Cloudy weather
For 3 days now here is what I see when I wake up... 
or shall I say what I don't see given the visibility is really poor.
If I didn't know there were buildings over there I would have a hard time guessing they are there. I hope it will get better over the week-end.
or shall I say what I don't see given the visibility is really poor. 
If I didn't know there were buildings over there I would have a hard time guessing they are there. I hope it will get better over the week-end.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Global call & Massage
One I will miss once I'm gone, one I will not... Guess which one!
One of the disadvantages of working in China is that when you have a global call, i.e. a call involving US/Latin America, Europe and Asia, you have to have the call in the evening (between 8pm and 11pm). That's one of the things that people complain about when being based in Asia as those calls (can) have a significant impact on your private life.
To make it easier I developed the habit of getting a massage after each global call. This way not only do I have motivation to stay awake during the call and make it efficient :) but on top I have an excellent way to disconnect afterward and ensure a good night of sleep.
One of the disadvantages of working in China is that when you have a global call, i.e. a call involving US/Latin America, Europe and Asia, you have to have the call in the evening (between 8pm and 11pm). That's one of the things that people complain about when being based in Asia as those calls (can) have a significant impact on your private life.
To make it easier I developed the habit of getting a massage after each global call. This way not only do I have motivation to stay awake during the call and make it efficient :) but on top I have an excellent way to disconnect afterward and ensure a good night of sleep.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
China and its amazing packaging
Today Joanna offered me some tea from a shop next to her house. She's been talking about it to me for a while and we never found the time to go together (especially given she just had knee surgery).
I received a green bag with a green box inside:
In the big box there were 2 smaller boxes.
In which there were aluminium sachets containing the tea! Let's face it China is amazing at having huge packaging around small amount of product.
PS: As nice as it looks, I still think it's a waste of material and not very environmentally friendly... But that's how they do it in China :)
I received a green bag with a green box inside:
In the big box there were 2 smaller boxes.
In which there were aluminium sachets containing the tea! Let's face it China is amazing at having huge packaging around small amount of product.
PS: As nice as it looks, I still think it's a waste of material and not very environmentally friendly... But that's how they do it in China :)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Night during the day
This morning we had a thunderstorm. Such a big one that at 11am it was like night. No light anymore outside, just rain and darkness. Given it was during the day, there was no light in the street, just darkness.
See some pictures there.
Makes you wonder whether there will be a tomorrow...
See some pictures there.
Makes you wonder whether there will be a tomorrow...
Monday, June 15, 2009
Construction work
Work is progressing although I’m not sure I’ll see the building finished. How fast do you think they can work?
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Behai park
There is one major park of Beijing I haven’t visited yet: Behai park. So today I took my bike and rode there. On the way I made a stop at one of those guys fixing bikes on the street as the back light from my bike fell down (my bike is made in China, so what do you expect?). 5 min and 2 RMB later it was fixed and he even checked the pressure in my tires. Again great service in China for almost nothing.
With my bike fixed I rode to the park. 45min later I arrived at the North gate. I parked my car in the bike parking lot which cost me 0.5 RMB (by the way the woman guarding the parking lot moved my bike through out the day so it would stay in the shadow... again, what a service!). I spent most of the day in the park, walking around, visiting the temples and pagodas, resting in the shade, watching people passing by… just a relaxing time in the park :) I have to say that after several months in China and as many temples or palaces, after a while all the temples look pretty much the same. So this time I did not spend much time in the temples but rather in the park or by the lake.
Take a tour here.
Once done with the park I biked in the Hutong nearby. Biking in the Hutong is a very nice way to discover them as you can access all the small streets where cars cannot go. This time I used the suggested itinerary from TimeOut as a guide for directions. After 1 hour going through the Hutong, I can tell you my biking skills have seriously improved thanks to maneuvering between the cars, the pedestrians and the other bikes.
On the way back, I stopped for a Frappuccino at Starbucks, after all it’s 30C outside and headed home for a well deserved shower: I’m covered by a light layer of black dust… pollution I guess :(
PS: after roughly 3 hours of biking, my bottom hurts… My legs are fine, but sitting is getting painful :)
With my bike fixed I rode to the park. 45min later I arrived at the North gate. I parked my car in the bike parking lot which cost me 0.5 RMB (by the way the woman guarding the parking lot moved my bike through out the day so it would stay in the shadow... again, what a service!). I spent most of the day in the park, walking around, visiting the temples and pagodas, resting in the shade, watching people passing by… just a relaxing time in the park :) I have to say that after several months in China and as many temples or palaces, after a while all the temples look pretty much the same. So this time I did not spend much time in the temples but rather in the park or by the lake.
Take a tour here.
Once done with the park I biked in the Hutong nearby. Biking in the Hutong is a very nice way to discover them as you can access all the small streets where cars cannot go. This time I used the suggested itinerary from TimeOut as a guide for directions. After 1 hour going through the Hutong, I can tell you my biking skills have seriously improved thanks to maneuvering between the cars, the pedestrians and the other bikes.
On the way back, I stopped for a Frappuccino at Starbucks, after all it’s 30C outside and headed home for a well deserved shower: I’m covered by a light layer of black dust… pollution I guess :(
PS: after roughly 3 hours of biking, my bottom hurts… My legs are fine, but sitting is getting painful :)
Saturday, June 13, 2009
BB BBQ
Bye Bye BBQ.
Ingrid and Benoit will be returning to Belgium next month. To say good bye to their friends they organized a BBQ today. I arrived shortly after noon and discovered what a BBQ of expats looks like. First of all, they had rented a place within their compound with a nice room, garden and lake. They bought the meat and had the “chef” provided with the room do the BBQ. Then waitresses dresses in Scottish pattern skirt, white shirt and knee height socks (basically like a school uniform although they result looked more like they were coming from a porn movie, according to the guys) would bring the meat to the buffet table. They had ordered salads from Element Fresh, people brought fruits and drinks. It was really nice. Good food, good company, fantastic weather (and zillions of kids running around)… what a great BBQ!
With such an easy life as an expat, we wondered why they go home. Let’s face it, next BBQ they will have to do everything themselves, assuming we get a decent weather for a BBQ :)
PS: of course their ayi (maid) was there keeping an eye on the children, and will bring everything back home afterwards, and do the dishes, etc.
PS2: outdoor + lake = mosquitoes… it was feast for them as well. I counted at least 5 different bites, and a few hours later, I struggle to find my leg under the red swollen bites…
Ingrid and Benoit will be returning to Belgium next month. To say good bye to their friends they organized a BBQ today. I arrived shortly after noon and discovered what a BBQ of expats looks like. First of all, they had rented a place within their compound with a nice room, garden and lake. They bought the meat and had the “chef” provided with the room do the BBQ. Then waitresses dresses in Scottish pattern skirt, white shirt and knee height socks (basically like a school uniform although they result looked more like they were coming from a porn movie, according to the guys) would bring the meat to the buffet table. They had ordered salads from Element Fresh, people brought fruits and drinks. It was really nice. Good food, good company, fantastic weather (and zillions of kids running around)… what a great BBQ!
With such an easy life as an expat, we wondered why they go home. Let’s face it, next BBQ they will have to do everything themselves, assuming we get a decent weather for a BBQ :)
PS: of course their ayi (maid) was there keeping an eye on the children, and will bring everything back home afterwards, and do the dishes, etc.
PS2: outdoor + lake = mosquitoes… it was feast for them as well. I counted at least 5 different bites, and a few hours later, I struggle to find my leg under the red swollen bites…
Friday, June 12, 2009
Maggie Cheung
So I was at my desk typing a report (I know how exciting) when all of a sudden all the girls in the office ran to the door of one meeting room. Huge noise and excitement in the open space.
Maggie Cheung was in the room.
Apparently she is one of the ambassadors for Olay in Asia. I had never heard of her before, but in 5 min I was briefed. She is a famous actress in Hong-Kong, used to be married to a French movie director, whom she left for a French boyfriend whom she left for a German architect. They now live in Beijing.
Now you know as much as I do.
Guess what, in real life, she does not look as nice as on the pictures :)
Maggie Cheung was in the room.
Apparently she is one of the ambassadors for Olay in Asia. I had never heard of her before, but in 5 min I was briefed. She is a famous actress in Hong-Kong, used to be married to a French movie director, whom she left for a French boyfriend whom she left for a German architect. They now live in Beijing.
Now you know as much as I do.
Guess what, in real life, she does not look as nice as on the pictures :)
KitKat vs. KaChi
or the genuine one vs. the copy.
Each month Time Out Beijing compares the original product to its copy... and sometimes you can be surprised by the result.
I'm always amazed by how good Chinese are at copying, but again it looks the same, but is not the same quality or does not deliver as expected if it was a real product.
Each month Time Out Beijing compares the original product to its copy... and sometimes you can be surprised by the result.
I'm always amazed by how good Chinese are at copying, but again it looks the same, but is not the same quality or does not deliver as expected if it was a real product.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Black screen
Tonight when I returned from the swimming pool I turned on my laptop (my home laptop not the work one). And nothing happened. I mean I was facing a black screen, only the power and some other buttons were blue, but that's it :( Before panicking I thought maybe the battery is empty so I plugged the laptop. Tried again, nothing.
I forced the system to stop and restart, nothing.
Now I'm a bit worried. I go take the shower thinking maybe the computer needs some rest. Did not change much.
So here I am facing a black screen, already thinking that my laptop was dead and I had lost all the data. Sad, upset but strangely calm. I switched on the work laptop and searched on google for a solution (basically that was my last hope).
And I found plenty of entries related to similar problem. Some HP Pavilion dv20xx and other series have even had an extension of warranty. Of course not mine :)
After 1 hour spent browsing different forum, with solution ranging from "call HP and send computer back" to "it's over. your computer is dead" I found the following:
-----------
This just happened to me today, exactly one year after I first got the computer. The power was on but the screen was blank. It was like there was nothing working in there at all.
BUT I know how to fix it, and it's working great now.
What you do is take out the battery, then disconnect all power to the computer so it's not able to retrieve power from anywhere.
Then you press the ON button and hold it for exactly 30 seconds. (can't be less or it won't work)
Then you get the AC power cord and plug it in, and turn on the power supply so the light glows. (the battery MUST still be out)
Then you switch on the computer and it should work.
After that you just shut down the computer and put the battery in again and switch it back.
What this does is reset the components of the computer, I don't know why it has done this but this method fixes it. I'm real glad it's ok cos I might've had to reformat (which I didn't really want to do cos I had 150 GB worth of files on there...)
---------------
I was skeptical (especially about the 30s part) but desperate so I tried. And it worked!
Everything is back to normal. Still tomorrow I'll bring my external drive home and will back up everything. It's been a bit more than 1 month since my last back up and so many pictures I don't want to lose.
Keep your fingers crossed it won't happen again.
I forced the system to stop and restart, nothing.
Now I'm a bit worried. I go take the shower thinking maybe the computer needs some rest. Did not change much.
So here I am facing a black screen, already thinking that my laptop was dead and I had lost all the data. Sad, upset but strangely calm. I switched on the work laptop and searched on google for a solution (basically that was my last hope).
And I found plenty of entries related to similar problem. Some HP Pavilion dv20xx and other series have even had an extension of warranty. Of course not mine :)
After 1 hour spent browsing different forum, with solution ranging from "call HP and send computer back" to "it's over. your computer is dead" I found the following:
-----------
This just happened to me today, exactly one year after I first got the computer. The power was on but the screen was blank. It was like there was nothing working in there at all.
BUT I know how to fix it, and it's working great now.
What you do is take out the battery, then disconnect all power to the computer so it's not able to retrieve power from anywhere.
Then you press the ON button and hold it for exactly 30 seconds. (can't be less or it won't work)
Then you get the AC power cord and plug it in, and turn on the power supply so the light glows. (the battery MUST still be out)
Then you switch on the computer and it should work.
After that you just shut down the computer and put the battery in again and switch it back.
What this does is reset the components of the computer, I don't know why it has done this but this method fixes it. I'm real glad it's ok cos I might've had to reformat (which I didn't really want to do cos I had 150 GB worth of files on there...)
---------------
I was skeptical (especially about the 30s part) but desperate so I tried. And it worked!
Everything is back to normal. Still tomorrow I'll bring my external drive home and will back up everything. It's been a bit more than 1 month since my last back up and so many pictures I don't want to lose.
Keep your fingers crossed it won't happen again.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The smile that makes the difference
Every morning I take the subway to go to work. At the station where I change line there is a man collecting newspapers. I already mentioned that in China you see a lot of people collecting recyclables to bring them back to a waste center (they get some money for that).
So this man stands on the platform every morning and collects the free newspapers from the commuters. Every morning I give him the China Daily or free magazine I've been reading. When I do that he thanks me and smiles at me. I noticed he only smiles at me, not to the other Chinese people, and I smile back. That's the first smile of the day which makes my morning.
So this man stands on the platform every morning and collects the free newspapers from the commuters. Every morning I give him the China Daily or free magazine I've been reading. When I do that he thanks me and smiles at me. I noticed he only smiles at me, not to the other Chinese people, and I smile back. That's the first smile of the day which makes my morning.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Flower power
Today Alice and I went for our usual manicure & pedicure. Once our toe nails were done, the girl asked us if we wanted flower on the big toe. Curious we asked to see models. I had seen those flowers already on colleagues’ nails.
So yes, we went crazy and got flowers. Aren’t they cute?
PS: of course Monday morning it's raining cats and dogs, thus I have to wear closed shoes :(
So yes, we went crazy and got flowers. Aren’t they cute?
PS: of course Monday morning it's raining cats and dogs, thus I have to wear closed shoes :(
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Big cocktails
After a day shopping around (well mostly helping Arif getting clothes; Arif hates shopping so he requested the help of girls) we went to Haiku for sushi (well not me of course, I still don’t like them despite everyone trying to convince me). Afterwards we enjoyed the lounge. When Tamara ordered a Long Island Ice tea the waitress asked if she wanted it big. Alice said yes and when the glass arrived we were quite surprised. I believe the container should be called a vase rather than a glass. Apparently people order “big” cocktails to share. Next time will know what “big” means in China.
PS: the glass of water is a standard 25cl glass we used as a scale.
PS: the glass of water is a standard 25cl glass we used as a scale.
Sunset over Liangmaqiao
Last night the sunset was simply beautiful from my balcony. I tried to capture it but my the time I got hold of my camera the sun was already playing hide and seek behind the buildings.
Still here is my best shot at it.
Next time I'll be faster in getting the camera :)
Still here is my best shot at it.
Next time I'll be faster in getting the camera :)
Construction update
It's been a while I haven't posted a picture of the construction across the street. Well it seems the first floor is nearly completed :) so efficient those Chinese workers.
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