Sunday, November 30, 2008

quick birthday bash before take off

It's my birthday today... the greatest gift i got is pa's presence and his effort to cook native stuff for my special day.. and of course a lot more.. he took his time off from work just to be with me.. he gave me the jacket i really want to have, celine dion's enchanting perfume collection and complete season of a series Mistresses plus stephen kings' DVD collections. He really knows what i like.. I'm a collector of various wholesome american series ie.: desperate housewife, brothers and sisters, etc; and movies of famous writers i admire most. i love you pa..






I also would like to thank my children for being with me, for the good wishes and of course the presence of our extended family here: jera, laila, amy, susan and leah while some were not able to come. Their work location is quite far but they always remember my birthday and their good wishes always warm my heart.. thanks and i love you all..!

We're supposed to celebrate my birthday at 12 midnight but myself and pa were too tired so we had the candle blowing just this morning with my two sons and love ones.. our daughter is in her boarding school but she had sent her loving wishes thru phone and FS.








At 8 am we are all here celebrating and laughing our hearts out, as we usually do whenever we get together.. we have such a heartwarming bunch of extended families here.. Thanks God for all the blessings..








This is such as quick bash.. I'll gonna post down my birthday celebration photo in our friendster site: http://profiles.friendster.com/51347119


i'm quite sad though, got a flight to catch for vietnam business trip at 1450 today.... :(

Saturday, November 29, 2008

cocktails

we had our dinner in calio bar last night.. the sizzling black peppered chicken steak is really good.. and the cocktail we tried on really goes with our sumptuous entree. we're supposed to have ordered red or white wine but calio bar is famous for its cocktails, so what the heck..

Friday, November 28, 2008

arrived..

at exactly 10:01 am, I finally arrived in my Hong Kong Office.. Thanks God..

When i got here, my officemate's 6-year old son is playing next to my office table. Every Saturday, we are free to bring our children to our office; actually any day as long as they won't disturb our productivity. This is one of the good thing about working in this family-oriented company, it's like working in a home away from home..

Anyway, the reason why I mentioned sheila's son being here next to me is because I still remember, I was 29 when I started to work in this company. I was the only one who's married and has 3 children among my officemates near my age. I also brought along my children with me when they were small and all of them including my bosses, although some were already gone while the best buds are still here, were all fascinated and awed at my children. Up to now they often complemented my children's features saying how beautiful and handsome they are.. (my ears usually flapped with pride..) thanks pa for the good genes..hehe

I am a very proud mom of the 2L3Bs, but this is not my point, the point is I am 44 years old now and I'm still here.. 14 years older and here we are, my lovely officemates and I, in the very same company... :)

battery operated..

I'm supposed to be on my way now to work. Every Saturday, I am expected to make a sales report in our Hong Kong Office. It's 7:57 am here now and the travel would require me at least 1.5 hours to get to my office on time.. Shenzhen and Fotan in Hong Kong where my office is located is not that far but the human traffic in the immigration oftentimes delayed me..

And today I'm sure I'll be very late... this terrible battery-operated water heater in our infamous T&B doesn't work.. Damn, it's 11 C and the water is freezing! I wish I could swear more the way Stephen King does in his novels, but really I hate it when this China-made products disappoints me, and the rest of the 2L3Bs when they get up from slumber..

'Gotta wait till pangyaw (our housemaid) arrive to get me a new battery.. or repair man perhaps?

**sigh**

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Lost

2L3Bs is a subscriber of the only english newspaper in SZ. The Shenzhen Daily (SD) became our major source of news about what’s going on around us. Since the US economic recession, the SD has added new article entitled “Crisis Hits Home”. There’s this daily article about local or foreign-invested companies and people who had been affected. But I agreed in Shenzhen Mayor Xu Zongheng’s views that even though there are at least 682 factories that had shut down prior to the recession, its impact to Shenzhen is limited..

Why?

Infrastructures are everywhere... New high rise has been sprouting like mushrooms almost on a monthly basis. Believe me, my son’s godfather who is staying here in China for a couple of years had travelled to Thailand from August 2008 and when he came back last Sunday he was surprised by the newly erected skycraper looming two blocks away from our home... That area was once a driving range so naturally, it was a flat land in August but now stands a 30-story high-end condo..!

Not only that... on my way to my China office, there’s this newly paved road few months ago, and you know what? They dug it out and replaced it with railroad tracks.. Traffic are everywhere caused by dump trucks and confusing leeways giving pain in the ass to the commuters.. Our office here in China was once a conducive place to work now irritated me because of the noise coming from the new factory buildings being constructed nearby.. One thing that comforts me is the belief that that particular factory buildings shall be finished in a flash anyway...

That’s how China do their thing, it is fast and efficient because they have enough manpower and resources to support.. This is one reason why I entitled this “LOST” because if you come and visit Shenzhen today and you get back after two months to the same place you first visited, there's a big chance that you’ll gonna get LOST...

For simple reason, the hotel you stayed or the road you travelled might no longer there to give way to my-so-called china’s new "Demolish-Build-Demolish Policy" to create more jobs to chinese people...

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Unconventional...

The horrible Mumbai bombings this morning had woken me up. CNN has been my constant companion throughout the night while pa is away for work… I used to sleep and woke up each morning with fresh news.. That’s how our life goes.. we’re leading an unconventional family life since we live here in China.. not that i’m complaining.. we’re actually blessed to have this chance to live, study and work here. This is such a place for better opportunities and be a part of a culture which to some still remains mysterious and exotic…


Since everybody is in tune to internet, I guess talking about the bombings is a bit monotonous.. instead, let me tell you why I called our family life unconventional.... Unlike any other family, 2L3Bs are more active at night.. similar to nocturnal creatures, our pa and the boys especially are more productive after 6 pm till dawn..


Don’t worry folks we’re not family of vampires.. the reason is because pa is working as a musician and an operation manager to our Independent Entertainment Co; managing number of bands in various hotels and bars here in China.. Entertainment denotes live performances at night and so that’s it.. while our two sons, who are both college graduates has found themselves more useful in assisting their father instead of utilizing what they learned from their respective universities they graduated. My first born who has a diploma in Hospitality Management tentatively worked in a hotel then QC but really found his interest in computers.. At night 'till wee hours in the morning you will see him in his room fixing the bands’ computers and accepting repair jobs from our friends and patrons.. It amazes us how people rely on him with regards to their computer problems. While our second born, a graduate of Business Administration who also has an extensive administrative and hospitality industry trainings decided to take part in pa’s band.. He’s now a member of R&B band playing in one of the best bars in Shenzhen.. and yes, similar to all band members, they sleep during day time and woke up at night..

So only myself and my daughter who is a college student has a chance to enjoy the meaning of AM and PM.

2L3Bs needs 3T2Bs

T&B might not be an issue to some families but for 2L3Bs, it’s a big deal.. we are a family of five and unluckily our home here in China only has a single western style T&B.. Funny co’z there were times when our ‘needs’ overlapped just like yesterday, pa’s desperation really humor me..

I wish I could put into words exactly how he shouted his guts on me ‘coz he desperately need to defecate while I was contentedly 'sitting' and enjoying reading the first chapter of my latest Diane Koontz ‘Fear Nothing’ inside our infamous T&B… Call it “yucky” but that’s how it is.. and this is the amazing thing about 2L3Bs, we always pour our heart out… so shout! especially in times like that..

Get real..! (ikaw kaya mo bang magtiis kung ebak na ebak ka na..? hindi, di ba?)

Thanks God we got 3 T&Bs in our home in Baras.. Yes, 3! And we promise that our next future home shall have a luxurious 'en suite'..

2L3Bs really need additional 3T2Bs (3 Toilets and 2 Bathrooms) .. And this is why we’re working so hard to reach this goal…


TRIVIA:
- The value of a home appreciates when the total number of T&B is higher..
- Everytime our family travels and stays in a hotel, our daughter even during her childhood days only appreciates and rated the toilet & bath rather than the hotel room itself…


Talking of Toilets and Baths, here are some interesting facts about T&B in China which we called our second home:


TOILETS!
Source: Peter Danford
http://www.thebeijingguide.com/toilets/chinese_toilets.html

You will want to know how to recognise which toilet is for your sex and how to read the characters "public toilet". You don't have to be able to read Chinese - it is pattern recognition. Stare at the male and female a while, or copy them repeatedly on paper. Carry them with you and look at them while waiting in a line.


"Nu" is the character for female. It is said to resemble the figure of a woman.








"Nan" is the character for male. Note the stocky build and big head.








"Gong cuo" literally translates as "public toilet". You might see it on a sign post at an intersection or the side of a bathroom looking building. There are actually plenty of public toilets in China if you keep your eyes open.

Most hotels and restaurants will have a toilet. Hutongs (old alleyways) also frequently have public toilets as many residents will not have toilets in their homes, only buckets for nighttime and elderly. If you are on a main street it may help to walk down an alley if you are in search of a toilet.

There are two flavours of toilets, "western style" and "Asian style". Westerners sit and Asians squat. Do be prepared to do some squatting as sometimes there is no choice.

Toilets in China vary greatly, which is probably why the government has started rating them with stars and handing out awards. I've never seen any awarded less than 3 stars - one and two star toilets don't seem to get labeled. Good one-star toilets are found in public places. A long trough with stall dividers 1/2 metre high makes mini-cubicles where you squat, smoke, read the newspaper and ignore everyone else. Once or twice a day someone runs water into one end of the trough flushing away hours of business.

Carry a piece of toilet paper for these occasions as none is provided. A one fen note although small has been used in times of need (1/100th of a Renminbi). Other advice - breath through your mouth.

Don't go to China fearing the toilets. This may make it sound bad but really its not. Another good idea is to go into five-star hotels or restaurants to use the facilities - they are generally up to or above western standards.

Keep your small change handy as sometimes there can be a fee of one Renminbi or less which is to pay the workers to keep it clean, etc, etc. The toilet on the right cost 0.2 Yuan which is two jiao (twenty cents).

Monday, November 24, 2008

Visa

I don't have to come to my office today.. 'gotta get our newly extended residence visas in Shenzhen Public Security Bureau this afternoon. Not that we need it now, it's just that I need my passport to get ready for my impending travel to Saigon on December 1 -6..



I'm supposed to get excited over this trip. I'd spent over 7 months of preparing and planning for this to make sure that our company's diversification project is a success.. But oh my, it's my birthday on December 1!! Dang it!



As a mom, it's always a pleasure to share my special day with my loveones.. I wanna be with my family instead of myself travelling alone... I'll gonna miss badly the cast of 2L3Bs..



Welcome to 2L3Bs latest blog spot

We got one in our Friendster's site http://caviao.blogs.friendster.com/, but it seems that the FS admin can no longer handle the surmounting amount of members.. We can't even up-date nor jot down our daily thoughts.. Anyway, glad that there's this site...

And so here we are again folks.. 2L3Bs wishes to welcome you to our world..

My Shelfari Bookshelf

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

2L3Bs World...

2L3Bs World...