Spring in Shenzhen A.K.A Pre-Summer

Hello Hello,

It's better a pretty hectic week since my last posting.  I was doing a lot prep work for the event that my company was hosting last week. I got to break in the new suit so that was a plus. I looked pretty damn good in a suit, although I look pretty good in my birthday suit as well :).

There's something that I want to vent about for a minute or two. What gives a person the right to tell me what I can and can't do. For instance, my co-worker asked me what I wanted to do after this internship. I naturally said graduate and get a job in the states or China. He literally said you won't be able to get a job here, one because of companies wanting a "foreigner" presence, and second if I were to find a job here in China, I would be basically paid minimum wage. No it wasn't an misinterpretation of language, he said all of this in English, which is another issue I have with him. It's difficult to put into words, how I feel about this. It literally has bothered me all weekend. Since in college, I never have told someone you can't do this or that intentionally. Everyone has dreams and aspirations, while some are far-fetched or unrealistic it always important to be supportive. You may believe it's impossible, it's someone's dream, and I'm no dream destroyer.

I've been approached by two people wanting business advice from me since I've been here in China. While one was a typical business idea with a plan and idea, the other was something that went against my ethics, but I never told his person what he was doing was wrong, rather advised him to go a more positive/legal/ethical way of doing business. Point is being someone who I work with, someone I should be looking up to, learning from, someone who should be supportive of what I do, you are setting a poor example and a poor reflection of the company. Regardly whether it's during work or not, it not your place to tell me it not possible or "not you're not good enough"-like crap.

Alright enough of my rant to good stuff. So went on a business trip to Shanghai this past week, got to meet up with my running buddy, Maddie, had dinner and delicious double chocolate beer. The week before that I finished the LiNing 10k, I didn't finished as good as I hoped, but I finished. Dim Sum post-race refuel, with my new girlfriend (yes, it's a official now) and a coworker (different from the abovementioned).

Besides the trouble with the one co-worker, everything is really great. Dim Sum once a week at least, wonderful new girlfriend. And nasty, hot weather.

Until next time.

MC

Race Countdown: T-Minus 6 days

For all you basketball junkies out there, I just finished my bracket. I have a Big Ten team going all the way, but mainly picked teams advancing by gut feeling. It’s sad not to see my Hoosiers in this year’s tournament, but we always have next year.

 

Less than a week away from my first race of the year, I’m actually more nervous about this race than the marathon in Shanghai. Preparation has been… lacking. Granted it’s a 10k, but I want to have a killer time. My last 5k race was just under 23 minutes and my goal this time is sub 45 for a 10k. Looking at a 21/24 split, so let’s pray I can stick to that plan. I lost my watch back in Nanjing when I was swimming in the nasty pool, so time keeping has been non-existent during runs. I’ll just have to look extra sexy during the race, if you can’t beat’em, look good trying.

 

Speaking of looking good, I recently picked up my suit that I had made. I was hoping to get the old man with a tape measure hanging from his neck service, but instead I get a cute, little Asian girl, disappointed and happy at the same time.

 

I’m two months into the internship now, only 2 more months to go, then a little small vacation, and then finally back to America.

 

Have a safe spring break everyone.

 

-MC

 

Looks like I’m a single man again

In previous postings, I may or may not have forgotten to mention I started dating a Chinese girl. Well I was. That’s about it…. Just kidding. It was short lived, granted I shouldn’t have dove into the relationship in the first place. Feel like an international stud (kidding again), I realized women are about the same. The only difference is the level of a particular aspect. For instance attention, girls love that crap regardless of what you may say. Girls love it.

But, Chinese women or Chinese society is much more practical about love and dating. There’s a saying in Chinese which roughly applies to this 门当对户，basically means the man/woman are equal on your economic and social status. Wait, there’s more, they also believe in 缘 (destiny), so I find this as a contradiction in Chinese culture. You want to be happy but the “right one” has to be in the right social class and make enough money. What?!

Dating isn’t easy in China unless you got money, then I think it a bit easier because of the above mentioned. Remember money=happiness to some people. So back to the story, when I decide to date this girl, I made sure she’s understood that I had no moneys and I was leaving in 6 months. Let’s look at the equation. ME=no money + no 缘分, yet still she was willing to date me. Apparently I’m just a nice guy, and nice guys don’t finish last in China. A win for the nice guys.

There’s something else I think about when looking dating here; I often worry that some girls just like me because I’m an ABC (American Born Chinese), a fast pass to a green card. Oh, green card = money, and money = happiness, so green card = happiness; transitive property.

If you have been keeping up with my Blogs, when I first got here I entered into an arranged relationship. At first it was a joke, but apparently she might be serious. Recently she said that she was coming to the city I’m interning at, and that if things are right, 缘分，then we should do a Las Vegas style marriage. Here’s some background in easy terms, Me= no money + American + 缘分 (?), Her=money +缘分, so I might work?

Thing is… I started to see someone else here, but that’s another blog.

Until next time

-MC

Shenzhen Update

Hello everyone,

First and most important, for those of you who have seen the news about the Kunming train station incident. I am not located in Kunming but I do have three friends interning there. The three of them are safe and unharmed.  Thoughts go out to the families effected by this tragic event.

I've been in Shenzhen for three weeks now, and slowly getting used to work life and the new environment I'm in. I can see why a lot of graduates working now, envy us college kids. Working is not fun. I often take for granted that I'm not constrained to a work schedule and that I haven't "officially" grown up yet.  Taxes, overtime, mid-crisis these are the thing I have to look forward to when I graduate next year.

About the internship, I'm a marketing intern at Morningstar. Basically I hang out with marketing and do things that doesn't disturb the normal workflow, I try to add efficiencies by doing translation work and simple research reports. Later in March I'll be going to Shanghai for an awards conference, that I helped assist in organizing. One less fun sides of working here is that I don't have much to do, and I feel weird asking, so I do a lot of researching and stock studying. But, I consider that a plus most days. Overall, it's not a bad gig, clean office, bathrooms that smell like mangos, and cute girls. I can't complain too much.

(A little bit of home at the office)

I recently registered for the LiNing 10k in Shenzhen. LiNing is the Chinese Nike. I'm really hoping to challenge myself by running a sub 45, and finish in the top 10%. Training has not been the best cause of working during the day, and by the time I get home its dark and not having set routes it's a bit on the risky side to run randomly. I really don't want to get into the mentality of "oh you ran a marathon, 10k is a walk in the park." I really miss my running buddy Maddie, she's the person you love to hate when it comes to training :).

Not much other news from this side, besides getting a custom suit made. I'm gonna be looking so sharp when I get back to the states.

Until next time

-Michael