Business Trip to Guangzhou

3 star hotel room

This looks like the "praying-mantis- prawn" hybrid I had in Sabah. It's a cousin I think. Flatter and much smaller but just as delicious.

Vessel

That was how smoky/foggy it is at the shipyard and also basically the whole of Guangzhou..

Unexpectedly, I was called up to Guangzhou for a vessel inspection with my clients last weekend. It was a short 4 day trip. Didn't get to see much of Guangzhou though.

The shipyard was located at the corner of the Guangzhou in this district called HuangPu. It like the Pasir Ris of the Singapore. Sub-urban, yet not very rural kind of place.

I have always love flying in the commercial airlines 'cos that would mean that I will get to catch up on all the movies that I have been wanting to watch but just didn't have time to. Caught half of Michael Jackson's "That's It" => not interesting. Spent the rest of the time watching Jennifer Aniston on "Love Happens" => so-so only... On the return leg, I managed to catch the "The Notebook" as well. Totally tear-wrenching... If only, if only I will find someone who will love me till that extend... :) *daydreaming*

Day 1

Guangzhou greeted me on a grey day. First impression was how smoky the air was the moment I stepped out of the airport. Ahhh yes, everyone was taking their 1st puff after a long flight. zzz...I stood with there my 2 clients and 2 hosts breathing in 2nd hand smoke for a good half hour at least. TSK!

Lunch was just so-so as well. I loved the scenery though! We had it in a al-fresco restaurant near the bai yun mountain with a lake scenery to die for! Wow, with the bowl of hot soup, that's life!!!!It reminds me a lot like the "West Lake" in Hangzhou. Pretty!

Spent the day catching up with emails in the hotel. Internet doesn't allow facebook, google, blogger... kaoz.... my life runs on those stuff can??

Dinner was good! We had seafood. *slurp*slurp*

Day 2

Ship inspection. Paiseh, it's better that I don't talk too much about this. Commercial secrets.

What was interesting occurred later in the evening. I had the opportunity to meet one of the Singaporean project engineer's mistress!!! WAH LAU! This is the 2nd time in my life that I had to share a table with a prostitute. I know it is an elitist statement that I am going to make. I have always feel that I have worked so hard to stay above such people and at the end of the day, I am still subjected to dine with such people? I mean, I just felt that it was down right insulting on a decent lady (like me!) to have to eat with her and pretend that I didn't mind. Seriously, guys please don't say "she didn't have a choice in life" or "I was born lucky". Please, there are so many professions that she could take and she had to sell her body to get rich. You may not earn as much when you are a cleaner but at least you preserve your dignity above all else. Period.

And my clients decided to do KTV after that. WAH SEH! This is absolutely the worst KTV experience that I have ever HAD in my life! It was totally populated with "Mao Ze Dong"'s era songs. Deeply patriotic and a very HAIR RISING EXPERIENCE FOR ME! zzzz....for the first time, there isn't any zhou jie lun or may day. Goodness..... 4hours of non-stop golden oldies. Tsk! can die huh! I even had a video to prove how happy my clients were singing those songs... goodness... Luckily, one of the inspectors who was 12 years older than me also felt this way. We were bb-ing (blackberry messenger) each other the whole night and it didn't help that outside the room was a disco blasting Top 40s!!!

Day 3

It was a free and easy day for all. Decided to go downtown to shop! I have planned a Guangzhou Trip for my parents last year and they told me that the best places to shop would be 上下九路 and 北京路. I went to both places and I felt that 上下九路 is definitely much better! Why? Clothes are cheaper, more variety. It's like shopping in Far East Plaza but at 75% discount. It came to the point where I can stop at a shop and just feel that overwhelming temptation to tell the lady to give me a pieace of every item!!! IT WAS THAT CHEAP!!! hahahaha... but no lah. I didn't do that... there's a 20kg limit to board the plane. :P

I was at the bank earlier in the morning as I didn't change enough to go shopping. Whilst there, I had to queue in the commoner's queue. The VIP queue was just as long. Then this very well-dressed lady came in with her kid. She flashed the VIP card at the bank teller and tried to cut queue. Of cos everyone else at the back was du lan! Then this girl tapped her shoulder and asked her to queue. THe lady ignored her initially. After a few more taps, she turned and told the girl to "Shut up!" wah lau...有钱 so what! take $ throw at her face man.. zzz..

I realised that in China, when you have $$ and status in a society, you will get anything you want. When I am dining with my clients, the waitress were awfully polite and very prompt in attending to our request. For example, when we ordered a jug of corn drink, the waitress came back to our VIP room, close to tears and extremely fearful. It was because they didn't have any that's ready-cook and it would take at least 30 minutes to make that drink... Even when I was shopping, the moment they realised that I am Singaporean, they became SUPER attentive to me. *faintz*

Day 4 Not much happening this morning. It's just breakfast and to the airport. =)