Review of Sophia Wedding Studio - Part II

We decided to use a more direct approach today. We called the company and demanded to talk to the taiwanese in charge of the marketing team in Sophia Shanghai. Michelle answered our call and we told her directly that we wanted Sophia to change out in-charge marketing person, Fei Fei. We told her we would rather give up on the deposit than continue with the misery. Michelle realized that we are pretty upset. She told me to contact her directly in the future if there are any problems. For the sake of other expatriates in Shanghai, we really hope Michelle's attitude can rube off on the locals.

Review of Sophia Wedding Studio - Part I

Since signing up a package from Sophia at the wedding exhibition in April, we never get any calls from our marketing people. Nil... Nada !! So we decide to call up and ask WHO's our MP! ... and make an appointment to meet her today.

Alright... Fei Fei's our MP. She's not the first Shanghainese I've met with such a rotten personality. So arrogant, so defensive, so much to talk when bird shit splats on her. When we asked her to explain the package in more details, she was impatient. Her attitude was totally different from the taiwanese marketing lady from the same company that we met way back in April. At that point, we really regretted signing up with Sophia Wedding Studio. That same polite taiwanese maketing lady told us that any additional photos (in JPEG format) outside the 36 included in the package would usually cost RMB100. But she would give us a special price of RMB60/photo. However, Fei Fei told us that there is no way the company can offer RMB60 unless we add lots of photo. Damn!! We should have asked the taiwanese lady to add this term in our contract.

Given her attitude, we were really in a bad mood and not interested in talking to her anymore. We left feeling pretty down. We felt as if we had been taken for a ride!!

Back to Shanghai

Hello people, I'm back to Shanghai for quite come time hence my blog has come to life once more. Been staying here for 3 years and still cannot get used to this place! Yeah, I know I have been neglecting this blog for a long time. I run several business websites, forums and blogs which make me so busy and nearly forget about this blog! (what a good excuse!)...

I tried to log in to Blogger today and just found out that they have merge with Google, which means you can sign in using your Google ID! That's incredible! Am I not updated or what... But today, I really have someting to share. Watch out when you buy Pen Drive!! This is the pendrive that my fren purchased from Beijing, China last month... cannot use... This is what it's containing inside the so called 'pendrive'...

Blogging Mad !!

Guess what, I am giving into this whole blogging things and gone a bit blogging mad! I do find the idea of creating a blog quite interesting.

In this month, I have been posting on my other 3 blogs!! That's why I've not been posting on this blog so frequently.

I have started my online business blog & work at home blog as a free advertising to help driving visitors to my website. This is a blog detailing my history and experience trying to make money online.

And the other one is my blog in MSN Space.

Of course you don't have to read it. If you made it this far, then you're obviously addicted to these things and should feel free to bitch along and share your insights :)

Bread Talk

Hostel

Winter BBQ ?? At Oriental Green Haven - Somewhere near Shanghai

Winter BBQ

We had a BBQ today at Oriental Green Haven. A wonderful place with gentle scenery, ponds and lakes, gardens, bamboo woods... It's quite a huge place. The BBQ garden was located at the northern part - an area where you can see architeture with British, American, Spain features or something, each equipped with adequate modern holiday facilities such as tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, natatoriums etc..

The Eastern part is where the martial aircraft carrier stands tall and upright near the lake bank, show you the secrets of modern military science. I think the most exciting part is the "Bravers Trip". On the 200m long road for bravers, you can climb, jump, creep, run or whatever your body can do without tools in order to pass the military barriers and net twine labyrinth.

Well, the barbecue food was not nice. Was said "Unique Barbecue Food" with beverage and snack included. We booked 5 BBQ pit with little food and choices each pit - taiwanese hotdog, fish balls, half pigeon, few slice of beef, and 'man tou' (chinese bread). I don't like it personally... :) but I do love the scenery!

The Holidays that I've been waiting for

Left China to Singapore and Malaysia for holidays, Finally....!

The first few days in Singapore are always odd after staying in Shanghai for more than a year. It's probably a reverse culture shock! @.@

It all started by how polite everyone is in Singapore. When you buy something in a shopping mall or retail outlet, the staff will say "Thank-you", smile and proceed to wish me have a good day. When I bumped into someone, I always have to remember to say "sorry" or "excuse me" and they will invariably say "sorry" back. Scene like these will never happen in Shanghai! I've lost count of the number of times I've been knocked off my feet by people to get pass me and they just looked at me in shock and anger and continue onwards without showing the slightest bit of remorse!!

When you are walking on the streets, it's amusing to see cars stop by the zebra-crossing to allow people to pass by. You see all cars stop at the red light at a virtually empty intersection, patiently waiting for the light to change to green before they head on.

It was refreshing.

The Sleepless Shanghai

View taken from my bedroom's window

It's midnight now and I couldn't sleep. My room is freezing even I got my heater on. I took out my mobile phone and start shooting anything outside my window. It's snowing...

I am staying in an old service apartment at the end of DingXi Road, very near to ZhongShang Garden and 5 mins walk to MayFair Hotel. It's consider a crowded area beside Shanghai City center. The advantages staying here are: you can get almost everything here, walking distance to fast food restaurant like McDonald and KFC, Cantonese Restaurants, Shanghainese Restaurants, Italian Restaurants, shopping centers... It's great !

When midnight comes, it's very quiet, and what wake me up in the morning ? 6.30am, a group of elderly playing 'Tai Chi' using a radio and 7am, China's National Anthem ! I am staying in 18th floor, can you imagine that ?? :)

Ok, back to sleep...

It's snowing in Shanghai

Heavy snow

Photo taken outside my work-place. I left the office at around 8pm and waited for a cab for more than an hour! They are all occupied! Althought it's just a 15 mins walk from home.

I am trying to get a cab nearby... but the local seems more expert to jump in a cab quick!! So, my best option is: walk home! Strong wind, slippery road, traffic jam...by the time I reached home, it's 10pm ++. Had my shower and a good night sleep. What a bad day!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

Wondering around Nanjing Road...

Big Termo.

Party time !

PSI Company Dinner at JB Restaurant at XinHua Road and karaeok night.

Today's lunch

Lunch today

Wow.. what's that ? It's a giant bowl of fish soup. The grill prawns are nice, cooked on cobblestones. Yeah, cobblestones! Just like those at the riverbank...:)

Lost in communication

What's these call in Chinese?????

Load-bearing wall~
Recessed strip lighting~

Poor thing....

Van at work!

Introducing Van McClean, the Australian Art Director who I'm currently staying with. Van is a fun and energetic old man :) He speaks good Cantonese and used to stay in Hong Kong for over 40 years. The only Chinese word that he know is 可乐 ~ (Coca Cola!)

Back to work...

Lost in Mandarin Pronounciation!

I was checking my designers work at her PC and I feel that the AutoCAD furniture template (we have a directory of furniture block, basically a pre-drawn furniture in plan and elevation to make our life easier) that she choose need to be change. She's doing a furniture layout with a Victorian concept but she pluged in a modern furniture! I'm trying to communicate with her 'bout this for 10 mins:

Me: could you change the "yí zhǐ "?
She: Huh ??
Me: Zhè gè yí zhǐ chùo le...
She: ??? (still look at her drawing with loooots of questions..)
(maybe I delivered the wrong msg)
Me: (I get frustrated and pointed the chair on her monitor screen... and a hand sign means 'wrong')
She: OOOHHH~~~~ yǐ zhi~~

I was like.... @.@ Well... ok...

Living & Working in Shanghai

As a foreigner living and working in Shanghai, I am enjoying the benefits of being an expatriate of a country which is far wealtheir than the one in which I reside! I dine in expensive restaurants. I have a driver who waits downstairs and fetch me to work every morning. I eat sushi at least once a week. I travel accross China. I call ah yi (maid) to clean my apartment up when it's dirty. My life is nothing different from other thousands of foreigners in China. We all come here for the "China Experience" and still live our lives with the advantages of being a foreigner.

But what is it like to be one of the 6 million rich Chinese residents of Shanghai, especially those wealthy white collar? They bought several properties for investement. They invest in stock market. They buy car and paid by CASH! (This is real... no bull in the sky! @,@) They bring their whole family to Europe for a vacation. They have a driver. They wear gold Rolex (yes.. it's real Rolex!). The Chinese are rich especially those who can travel outside China. Cuz most of the mainlanders never travel in a plane! Train and busses are widely use in China.

Working in China is challenging. Things like communication problem, different working style, presentation format, plans & drawings, ... etc. That's not the hardest.... IT'S IN CHINESE!!!!!!!!!! ALL stuff and the specifications are in CHINESE!!!!!! Can you imagine all architecture and design terms are in ChinESE!!!! (Oh my God~)

Thank GOD that I have a team of designers and draftmen (with a translator) placed under me!

Granite = 花岗岩
Marble = 大理石
Stainless Steel = 不锈钢
Sections = 剖立面图
Display = 陈列品
Air Conditional = 空调

I started getting MAD with all the building materials in Chinese terms!

H-E-L-P ME~~~~~~~