Pudding and Chopsticks

So yesterday we had a little tissy. The workers that I am in charge of have been bothering me everyday for more money. Every effing day. EVERYDAY. It gets real annoying. Everyday I tell them that I have already talked to the big boss and he is thinking about it.

So yesterday I got my answer. Yes more money for the workers but also more work. That’s not really what they wanted to hear. In-any-case I had to have a little meeting to tell all the girls about it (all my dept. workers are women).

I told them that they all get raises. Some get 23% more and a few get 20% more money each month. But it comes with the stipulation that they all have to know how to do each others job.

You what what happened when I told them? Nothing. They actually were angry it wasn’t more. I don’ t know what the hell they are thinking, or what they were thinking was going to happen. They said that there are other people that make more money and they think that they should have the same amount. It was hard to explain to them why they only got this much and and more then this amount was NOT going to get approved. So they should be happy. They were not. Then they asked when it was going to take effect. I said this month. July. They were not happy. They wanted to to take effect two month ago and not this month.

One girl quit today. WTF.

What the hell. You know, I think it’s mainly this place. It could be the rest of China as well, but I think that this specific place is the extreme. Other places make less than what my workers make and well, they seem to be happy. But I don’t work there so I don’t truly know.

Also the one girl wanted to quit last week then decided to leave for three days. We didn’t have anyone to do her job so her work piled up. She came back and was pissed that she had to do her job. HER ACTUAL JOB. I don’t know what’s wrong with these people. It might be isolated to this place, but man, I don’t get it.

I also moved some tables around for a few of the girls when they asked. Then they said they wanted another ceiling fan. I got them another ceiling fan. You know what happened the next day? They bitched that the fan was in the wrong spot.

So to summarize.

Action

Gave workers 20-23% wage increase.

Gave them fans. Gave them a form of air conditioning.

Move table around so they were happy.

Reaction

Bitched about the date the wage increase goes into effect

Fans in wrong spot, room still too hot even though it is way cooler than the last 10 yrs they have worked here.

One girl quit most others not happy.

I have to say that everyday is exciting.

No wonder there are labor strikes everywhere. Less about actual inflation and more about actual greediness. Coupled with the fact that workers right’s have increased dramatically and you a whole lot of hassle on your hands.

*I do know that inflation is an actual problem. But less then a hour away I know of another factory where the workers make 30 % less than what mine do.. They seem to be doing fine.

So, sorry this is going to be a rant. So prepare.

I knew that this would happen. Effing flights in China are always late, ALWAYS late. All the damn time. With the exception of my flight here, shit is always delayed. Always.

I don’t know why, I don’t think anyone knows why. The later in the day your flight is, the more delayed it seems. And don’t look at departure times to judge efficiency of the airlines here. As long as the door closes on time, the flight is considered on time. What kind of crock bullshit is that.

I once sat for 2 hrs on a flight because of that. Jesus. They can’t even make simple widgets right, what the hell makes me think that they can coordinate a massive amount of planes, and what not at one time. Please. No wonder the flights are always late.

I can’t type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. So /rant.

First, I am getting my ass handed to me by all these effing mosquitos here, in the middle of a massive airport. Don’t ask me how they got here but they did. They seem rather attracted to my beautiful white skin.

So, Hong Kong. Yeah. I get back to work I am going to actually hit a man. Possibly.

Let’s rewind a month ago. I told the guy who handles the visa that I needed to start getting the paper work in order. Sometimes these things can take awhile and I wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss anything. It was going to be my first working visa. I was stoked.

Fast forward to two weeks ago when I booked my ticket. Actually maybe it was a little more than two weeks ago. Either way I told me that he had till the 17th to get the paper work done. He assured me that everything would be fine.

The day before I left I was still missing a piece of paper. This piece of paper officially invites me to come work in China. I was told by him that he would get it to me the next day. The day that I was leaving. I was a little worried that it was going to be incorrect because it is supposed to state where you go to get the visa. So in my case it would need to say Hong Kong.

He gave me the letter and what did it say. That’s right, it said America. He said that it shouldn’t be a problem. I knew something was going to go wrong. Nothing ever goes right here, or rather in life. As my mom would say life is a shit sandwich and we are stuck taking bites everyday.

So I left anyway. I got to Hong Kong and checked into the hotel.

The next day I hit up the visa agent. Now I could do this myself but the letter said America, and these places usually have a way of still getting things done. Whether they saw the letter they said that it probably wouldn’t work. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I was Told to come back at noon to find out.

Noon rolls around and I go back. They tell me the good news, my visa was rejected because the letter states that I have to go to America to apply for the working visa. I have to now go get a new correct letter that says that I can apply in Hong Kong.

I was so effing pissed. I don’t think that I have ever been so pissed off. To make a long story short I had to get a tourist visa to get back into China. Here I am sitting at an airport heading back to my home city. Tomorrow I will go into work and ream the effing ass of the stupid mother effer that was supposed to take care of this. He left me no time to change the letter by giving it to me the day I left. If I would of got it a week or more before I left I could of had him change it. But no, this dick head had to wait like he does with everything, even though I was on him about it. So I blew close to a grand USD for a effing tourist visa that states that I have to leave every thirty days.

The company better reimburse me or pay for the next trip to get the correct visa or so help me god I will start to damage things.

Toodles

I just read a new piece online about a jet that crashed in China. Oh great.

Here is the link to the story. HERE

Basically it looks like Henan Airlines Jet, which was/is a Brazilian-made Embraer E-190 made jet broke apart just before landing at Lindu airport.

Nice news to wake up to. I don’t fly a lot. Maybe every two to three months. But still. Dang. This would suck.

Anyway, so, if taking care of airplanes is anything like the way they take are of care then there is reasons to be concerned. But I doubt that’s the case. At least I hope so.

Now before my family reads this and gets all freaked out, yes I went to a hospital, but, when Americans say I went to the doctor it’s the same as Chinese saying I went to the hospital. They do not have doctor offices here. Well, as far as I know. So really I just went to the doctors. Which, actually was kinda awesome.

We rolled in and went to a counter. Turn styles and all, gave them my name, I’m male, etc. Took 3 minutes. Went up stairs into a area with a bunch of room. Everything is pretty clean. I mean if I remember right my doctors when I was a kid was as clean if not dirtier than this place. Everything is white, tiled, mopped. Nice actually. Dude asked some questions, looked at my throat and sent up to get blood drawn. 5 minutes. Arrived at blood drawing place. Had cute girl help me, I joked, she spoke English, I was smitten, We left. 5 minutes. Waited 10 minutes for results, took them back to doctor guy, he looks at them, tells me I have too many girl friends, writes something on a computer and we are off to get drugs. 5 minutes. Get drugs 10 minutes. All together, around 40 minutes and 20 USD. Hell that’s faster then in the States. The only thing I had to wait for was the blood work.

Here is what I got.

Clarithromycin Tablets – used to treat certain infections caused by bacteria, such as pneumonia (a lung infection), bronchitis (infection of the tubes leading to the lungs), and infections of the ears, sinuses, skin, and throat.

These look like they mean business. Ok cool. They also gave me something else. It took me a bit to find it online and see what the H it is. It’s an antibiotic of some sorts. I suppose it’s made in the western parts of China. I’m not sure. It has Aconitum leaves, Terminalia, musk, madder, vermilion, dark fragrance, and more leaf Oxytropis, inside. Oh goodie.

So I guess I will just have at it with this awesome stuff. Nothing really else to do. Everything seems fine.

I would of took photos of the inside of the hospital but really, it was so fast I didn’t have time. Oh well.

Nah, not really, but how else am I going to get you to read my blog. Ok so here is the story. It happened last night.

Here it is.

The set up. I am in a taxi heading to do something. I tell the driver to stop. It happens to be by a red light so he just pulls up to to the light. We are the first in line so to speak. I give a fifty. He has to count 45 back and give it to me. This takes something like one minute. Not that long. We are at a red light on a three lane road. We are on the outside lane, 2ft from a curb. On the other side of the curb sits a bike lane. He counts the money and give it to me. I check the blind spot of the car quickly, tell the guy thanks and do something I always to, I crack the door. I don’t wing it open, I just crack it. Wroom. A effing motorcycle flys by the door right as I crack it. He swerves a bit and stops after he runs the red light. I am assuming that his intention was to skim by all the cars lined up at the red light. Squeeze through the 2ft of space that he had and run the light and be off on his merry way. But what he didn’t expect was someone to open a door at the light.

Like I said I didn’t wing it open. Just cracked it. What would of happened if I would of winged it open. Well perhaps I would get to use all the bad Chinese words that I know. I check the blind spot, but this guy was flying. I’d say he was doing 20mph past all the cars. Even if I made sure that no one was coming he is coming at a rate of say 20 mph, 29 ft per second, so, in half a sec he could of been 15 ft out behind the car behind us. Anyway I think he about pooped himself. Well, him and the guy riding on the tail of the bike. I got out, I know what was going to happen. They stopped and looked back at who almost hit them while they were running a red light going through traffic. It was a foreigner. On my own defense, I wasn’t going to hit them. I crack the door so that if there is someone there they see it. But they just happened to be in the perfect spot to see it and just about wipe out. 1/10 of a sec later they wouldn’t of seen it and never of noticed anything.

They looked back saw me, I ignored them. They said something among themselves and left. Down south, were I lived for a bit, you cannot drive motorcycles and mopeds in the city. This is why. It hinders traffic, causes accidents, etc. But here in this city they can do whatever they want. And what motorcycles, bikes, and what have you, do is this, THEY DON’T FOLLOW ANY RULES OF THE ROAD. I made that big to make a point. Nothing. Nada. They don’t stop at red lights, or anything. They just, in the past 2 months, started to have 3 lights, maybe 4, that bikes have to stop. But besides those lights, you have mopeds, bikes, motorcycles, running lights, crossing roads, in and out of traffic. No wonder more people die here in car accidents that most all of China. It’s crazy.

How who’s fault would it of been if those guys wiped out. Mine, because I opened a car door? Theirs because they were weaving in traffic and running a red light? I don’t know. Do bikes have to follow the rules of the road, I don’t know. But what would of happened is this. They would of played up whatever happened. Pitted everyone against me, and tried to get as much cash as possible out of me. I would of had to pay for probably everything, would have to call some people I know. They would get all their medical bills paid for included whatever wasn’t caused from the accident. A new motorcycle because the damage that the bike had before would of been played off as caused by me. All cash. Insurance is a new concept here. So well, I would have to dish some over. Perhaps I would of been right and not had to pay anything. But lets think about this. 1.4 billion Chinese and me. I lose.

So what is the major problem here. Well I think in part it is this. China has a massive amount of laws. Most all go unenforced. Say that motorcycles have to follow the rules of the road. But the Police haven’t enforced these rules in this city at all. Citizens then do whatever they want. This goes on for years until some thing happens. Then they have to start enforcing it. The Olympics come or something where they have to “clean up” the city. Then they have to retrain all the people about the law that has always been on the books. Extremely difficult to say the least. This has also happened recently with business and other aspects of foreigen investment and what not.

Nothing new just another day in China.

So yeah, don’t wing open taxi doors, EVER.

UPDATE: I was walking home when I saw a guy do just about the same thing that I did. Except it wasn’t nearly as close. So I asked him who’s problem would it be if he hit the guy on the moped. His answer: His. He or I or anyone who exits a vehicle has to check and make sure there isn’t a law ignoring, speeding, reckless motorcycle wizzing throw traffic and running light coming up behind them. Huh. Well, this is one instance where Western minds won’t quite agree.

The old hag is at it again. I haven’t heard them in sometime. About a week but they are at it again. This time it seems that she has regressed a bit. No longer an autonomous, it appears she needs a bit of assistance.

August 3 6:20 am

The man appears to be doing the signature bring it home hip pump complete with fists and the less older of the two elder women is grabbing the behind of the other, in what I an only imagine is an attempt to provide stability.

July 25th 6:43 am Read it here

July 17th 6:38 am Read it here

I hope to god that she starts sprinting faster than Usain Bolt because I am about to pull my hair out with all the yelling that takes place. I think the lady that can’t walk screams louder than the two trying to help her. In either case I can’t take much more of this 6 am bull S.

I blogged before on the old lady that looked like the walking dead and how every dam morning I get woken up at 6am by screaming, howling, and other weird noises outside my slider (read it here). Well they were at it right on time at 6am again today. It looks like the old lady is doing better and can walk a little bit. They weren’t really helping her as much this time but as a side effect they have gotten louder with they encouraging rants.

July 17th.

July 25th.

Maybe the Chinese are on to something in the area of physical rehabilitation. I just hope that my kids that I will someday rear and father, put through college, give money to, and do all the loving things that fathers do will someday wheel me around so that I can at least gaze upon women 1/4 my age. That’s what a good kid/grand kid is for.

Not don’t get me wrong. I love me a scooter. Jumping scooter, scooter burn outs, racing scooter. I’m all for it. However scooters that go too slow and or drive where I need to drive/go, I don’t like.

In example, this. In the south of China there are a ton of cars so in the major cities you can’t drive scooters. Finally outlawed them and actually enforced it. But here in the middle or there abouts of China, you can. This is both a major problem and a safety issue. As you can see from the above photo the scooters are driving on the side of the road among cars, well, there are cars, but just not in the photo.

What really chaps my ass is this, there is a SCOOTER ROAD just to the right. That’s not a damn sidewalk. It’s for scooters. So how about this, get you slow ass scooter up on that road damn out of my way, either that or transplant you little 40cc scooter engine with a 600 gixxer and start pulling 70mph cat walks. Either way is fine by me.

What this photos can’t show you is this, scooters run red lights, swerve all over, weave in and out of traffic, cut people off, go down the wrong side of the road, go slow, and generally don’t follow any and I mean any traffic laws at all. NONE. Whenever you drive you got to make damn sure that there are no scooters around and in your blind spots. Either that or carry around a bunch of money to pay off all the people you hit on scooters.

I swear to everything that has an atom in it I will yell out the slider if I see them doing this again. I can’t take it anymore. Every morning at 6am they are out there, from what I can gather, exercising a decrepit old lady and yelling at her simultaneously. Thus waking me up each and every damn morning.

Put her back in the wheel chair and go back to bed. Let the money makers sleep. Aaaahh..