back to work

I had never been so relaxed and ready to dwell on the chaos I'd missed while on vacation. I'm back to work and ready to face the beat.. The Chinese New Year vacation really re-charged and perked me up.

Photo of myself with our CEO and colleagues taken during one of our corporate events

'Gotta work here in our Hong Kong office until February 7, then return to our China Office on the 9th.. Even my officemates are all in the good mood and all excited to meet each other again.. Well, we got to enjoy this moment before the excitement wears off.. hehehe.. Another year to conquer, another numbers to crunch, and yes, another challenges to face.. We hope to keep up with the business..

Swiss Engineering Tanks and Equipment, the company and the products I managed and sell
Confi Metal Ion Plating Production Plant in Henggang China, where our office and factory are located

Glad that I received 3 confirmed PO's from Thailand and Switzerland today. This is good for the company and good for the entire team.. What a productive way to start the new year... :)

Have a nice day everyone..

home away from home

When we first arrived here in China on March 28, 1994, we were provided with a free accommodation as part of the provisions stated in our OFW employment contract. During those times, the company had provided a room in He Fong Hotel for two long years but we found it inconvenient so we decided to revise the condition and started to live in a flat instead. I am still employed by the same company up to now, while my husband expanded his entertainment business. We were lucky to have been able to live based on our preferences. We first lived in a high rise, 16th Floor of the Friendship Mansion located within the City. We found the urban district too crowded so we decided to find a better flat in the suburb.



I fell in love with the place the first time I saw it. It is not new but it offers a lot of convenience to us especially when our children came to live and study here in China after completing their secondary level in the Philippines. And up to now, we are enjoying Dongle Garden we all begun to love since our move. We considered this our home away from home..


Dongle Garden is an old residential area situated in Lo Wu District near the picturesque East Lake Reservoir. Our home is one among the clusters of 7-story building flats strategically built in a highly conducive location. Flats were mostly owned by prominent Hongkies (Chinese from Hong Kong) in the early days and majority of the residents were from the Shenzhen police force and other related departments. We felt safer after knowing that. Although the building are quite old, we found it highly suitable to our needs and just a walking distance to parks, schools, police station, fresh produce markets, grocery stores and few blocks from high-end department stores.



Our flat is overlooking the Garden's recreational facilities. You'll gonna love to come out and join the senior residents before the sun rises in the morning. You will see them wearing their colorful uniforms doing their morning exercises and taichi, while some elderly are busy playing cards with their pals.




Thanks that our flat is in the 3rd floor because all the buildings in Dongle Garden do not have elevators. And if you come inside our home away from home, you will see there some of my photo frame collections and some display items I had accumulated during my stay here. I had shipped most of our thrift finds to our home sweet home in Baras. Our home there is detached and large enough to accommodate all my collections. I used to buy decors and art stuff to all the places and countries we had visited and yes, I love it all...! I'll gonna post down some photos when I get back to our home sweet home later..












Thanks for dropping by,

Questions

There are still questions that keeps on bugging me. I understand that most of us think that since we came from a third world country, migrating to western part of the world would provide us with high paying jobs and lifestyle highly privileged than if we stay in our home country.

In our case, our life as an OFW (Overseas Foreign Worker) almost half of our lives has given us enough means and courage to dream and hopefully make it to reality. I'm not sure when but I believe it is getting nearer. However, the question 'if it is really the best move' lingers..

To satisfy myself, I had tried to browse and research on how we could be able to handle the change, or if we can be able to handle it. I highly appreciate what had been written by M. Dawodu prior to my query.

5 Things You Need to Know Before Migrating to Canada
By M Dawodu
In addition to living in what appears to be a life of luxury, there are things all people should be fully aware of before settling in Canada.

#1) WESTERN MENTALITY

Most people in third world countries do not have or may not be aware of credit cards or mortgages. So, if you know or see someone living in a big house or driving a luxury car you can safely make the assumption that they are rich. However, in Canada or U.S. someone driving a luxurious car and living in a big beautiful house may or may not be rich. If you have good credit, you are eligible to get a mortgage, credit cards, car leases which basically means the bank really owns your car or house and you make monthly payments depending how much the loan is. It could take 2-5 years to pay off a car and 20 plus years for a house.


#2) STANDARD OF LIVING

Keeping up with the Joneses is a common phrase used to describe a person who strives to have what their neighbour has. It is very common for a family who might make a combined annual income of $100,000 to be deeply in debt. Most likely, because they are living above their means in order to keep up appearances. A classic example of this, is a person I once knew who owned a beautiful million-dollar home in an upper class community. This house was decorated with elegant furniture top to bottom, big screen TV, and she even drove a brand new Mercedes. A lifestyle enviable by many, but what most people didn't know is she could not afford to pay the electric bill and mortgage. Does that make sense to you? So it is important to understand that not everyone is rich in Canada, our idea of success is unrealistic and we are creating debt while in pursuit of riches.

#3) MONEY DOESN'T GROW ON TREES

In Canada, believe it or not, money is made from very hard work, long hours 5 days a week and for many even 6 or 7 days a week. There are some people who work 3 jobs just to make ends meet. Industrialization in Canada has created many jobs for skilled workers. However, many highly educated immigrants are found working such jobs as, slaughterhouses, taxi drivers, or janitorial jobs that most Canadians consider to be undesirable. These jobs do pay well because nobody wants to do them and they require very little training. Foreign credentials such as: medical, law, or any other degree obtained in a country outside Canada does not guarantee you a job in Canada. Your degree, which you worked hard for, may not be recognized by Canadian standards. To avoid disappointment it is important to understand what level of professional and academic standards you need to meet before you arrive.

#4) DISCRIMINATION & RACISM

If you are planning to migrate to Canada you must know that you may face this issue. Some cities are better than others but here in Alberta it might be the worst. A recent article in the Calgary Herald exposes Calgary as the hate crime capital of Canada. Growing up as an African Canadian in the 80's , at a time when there were few black families I faced a lot of issues with racism. Though there are more visible minorities now, this problem still exists. Recently I met a man from Russia who faces racial slurs daily at his work place, he said even though his skin is the same colour as there's they still discriminate against him because of his Russian accent. The fact that discrimination and racism can be very subtle and even non-verbal at times means that we need to work hard to prove ourselves at all times. Minorities are undervalued and may not have the same privileges as our Canadian counterpart, but we can still require respect in the work place or in school. The anti-harassment and discrimination policy is design to support us in this regard.


#5) CHANGE OF A LIFESTYLE

Canadian customs may be different from what your used to, but there are a few customs you may not be aware of. For example, it is customary to call and make an appointment to visit someone at their home, showing up unannounced is considered impolite. When you arrive make sure it's on time as Canadians value punctuality, don't forget to remove your shoes at the door at all times. Never make a comment about a women's weight if she is over weight, this is considered very disrespectful, you're better off commenting on weight loss as a compliment. In order to guarantee a successful social integration try to socialize with people outside of your cultural group. I notice a lot of immigrants of all different ethnicity's tend to only surround themselves with those from the same cultural background. I understand that meeting with people from the same country you're from is human nature, you have a lot in common such as: language, culture, or religion. But it is equally important to integrate into society by not segregating yourself. Spending time with people from other cultures is a good chance for others to learn about your culture and break the barriers that cause discrimination.

As you can see here, in the western part of the world things are not always what is seems. We may not have smoke and mirrors like a magician but we do a pretty good job at creating the illusion that we live the ideal perfect life. Make sure to prepare yourself by weighing the pros and cons. Now that you have this knowledge what are you going to do about it? Share this article with someone you know and create awareness through education because knowledge is power.

Oh My God, what shall we do now...?

I suppose we have to consider this as a challenge, and yes, part of our gift to nourish.. We consider the things that is happening and will be happening to us is part of God's plan. We have to fulfill this blessing no matter how good our lives here in China is or how our life would gonna be if we return to our home sweet home.. We're not really sure yet if this will actually materialize, but we believe that this might be the best way to give our children a chance to see the other side of the fence.

Confused yet blessed,

greeting cards

I am sending greeting cards to all my friends whom I'd never met, yet touched my heart one way or another..

To Deanna of Timeless Things who showered me with awards and countless heart-warming comments.. She's the kind of friend I would like to have forever..


To Judith of Judith's Quiet Moments for the award and for the kind comments that never fails to touch me..


To Bonnie of One Designing Woman who had made my late mother's birthday more meaningful..


And to all my blog friends who are mothers, may I send you this..


Advanced Happy Valentines to all of you my sweet cyber friends..


and to Blogusvox of The Sandbox, Happy Birthday to you and your daughter.. May you have many more Birthdays to come.. He is the one who assists me with my technical deficiencies.. Thanks a lot.

night out

Since we haven't been out for 3 straight days, we decided to take a night out. Pa has to work as well as our second son; so only myself, first son and our daughter who are both on vacation from work and school, gone out to have our dinner in Royalty Hotel to pass the time. Royalty Hotel has one of the cosiest western restaurant outlets in Shenzhen. You can hang around and enjoy their food, drinks, live band or just sit and relax while exploring the net with their free wireless internet access.




The live band by the way in Royalty Hotel is one of pa's bands. He has been supplying bands and providing entertainment services to various hotels, bars and restaurants in many parts of china. In case you need one, please give us a call..




After our meal, we decided to bar hop in Calio Bar. Pa also has a band there so we can always avail the 20% discount on all foods and drinks. I love Calio for its finger foods and cocktails and of course watching the live band because they are so good and yes, because my son is also moonlighting there. See the photo below..

feng shui

We are definitely not Chinese, but we believe in feng shui.. Feng Shui however is not only for Chinese. It transcends cultural, economic, political as well as racial barriers. According to E. Moran, the term “feng shui” denotes the art and science of living in harmony with nature’s forces. As long as a person believe in God and supreme forces; has an open mind; believe that the world and its people are interconnected; believe that harmony and balance are essential to our well-being; and anyone who believe in a sense of fate and destiny; can be a practitioner or a believer of feng shui like us..

Actually, we’re kind of late to understand its advantages. I just started to read about it when our home was already built. According to some who has an extensive knowledge on feng shui, there are some areas in our home that needs to be modified. But there’s no way we would allow anyone destroy any part of our home.. That’s definitely a “NO!” Our home is a home that hard work built.. It is not leased nor mortgaged; we actually work so hard and save to build that. Thanks, solution is possible without turning our home up-side-down..

When I said our home, I am referring to our home in Baras. We are glad because it sits in the middle of a square lot which denotes stability and balance. Even the shape of our home is square which said to make qi able to flow freely and nourishes its occupants.. The problem lies in the position of doors in some of the rooms and pathways. But I was assured by other experts that it can be remedied if I put some of the following lucky charms in some locations in our home..

Crystals:
The word crystal comes from the Greek word krystallos, meaning "frozen light". Crystals have been used over the centuries for a myriad of purposes - from healing to protection to decoration.

Elephant:
Walking tall with trunk upraised in a traditional Feng Shui good fortune gesture, this decorative elephant statue makes a dramatic decor statement indoors or a fine addition to your Zen garden outdoors!

Dragon:
The symbol of power, good fortune, and wisdom. Other decors such as Chinese Lantern which signifies Peace, Love, Harmony, Joy Characters and Chimes..

Hong Tze Chinese Style Galloping Horses Sculpture made of resin and many more..


Tip:
Never place a mirror where it directly reflects the front door, it serves as an gesture for the non-welcome to the house or the room.

Idle..

Humans are such complicated creatures.. Like myself for example, I am in a terrible idle mood right now.. Boredom beats me. I am supposedly enjoying my 7-day vacation but suddenly I am longing to work back in my office and return to the normal chaos I used to face at work..

Oh my, isn't this very long holiday is what I had prayed for many times before..? That because I am so burned out with my monotonous office life, I always hoped for the long vacation to change that? Here I am now sitting in my home office trying to figure out how to spend my suddenly "too much" long vacation... hmmn..



Just like complaining when the summer heat makes you sweat and complaining when the very cold winter winds freeze your brains out.. It goes like:

"God it's so hot, I hope the winter season comes soon.."
-or-
"God it's so cold, I hope the summer season comes soon.."

Note: Let's not include the spring and the fall to make my blog more melodramatic.. hehehe ;)

Anyway, thanks so much we have such a cool God up there who always understand our grunts and complaints.. Now I am suddenly ashamed of myself.. I guess I'd better start my day right and enjoy my life as it is..