I have a big group of colleagues from China here for a study trip this week. Its like, quite a major event for us. From nominating the participants, to confirming the namelist, to getting travel visa (and passports for some) from the embassy, to confirming the list, to finding a hotel (for some reasons, hotels are always fully booked when I need them most), to thinking of places to bring them, to grouping them together, to finding the appropriate room partner for everyone, Bubbles and I have been busy with this for the past 2 – 3 weeks.
Today finally arrived, and boss has to be late… Well, luckily she is not really involved in this morning’s first program, so they started first.
I have been talking to my China colleagues for the longest time, and I have no idea how they look like, whether they are fat or thin, tall or slim. Now, at least I see some of them, I can finally put faces to the voices I have been talking to, and them vice versa.
One of my colleagues who travels to China quite frequently, told me that plump people, especially girls, are very rare in China (not even fat ok, just plump!). When another colleague, who is rather on the plump side went over, she was treated like a rare species, and everyone stared at her like they have never seen such a ‘creature’ before.
That puzzled me, because I have always thought that in China, the food is always rather oily, and rice is always given very generously. How come they can maintain being that slim and fat-free after all these years of high carbo diet? Then I knew – they walk a lot. Must be right? Not like Singaporeans, who will want to take a bus, or even a cab, even if the destination is only 2 bus-stops away, I think most people in other parts of the world walk more than us. Is this the main culprit of obesity on the rise in our country? Maybe…
Tonight, we will bring them out for dinner at a well-known hawker center for dinner. Well, there are over 40 persons, can’t expect us to bring them to restaurants every night, right? Come Singapore, of course must try Singapore hawker food mah, right? Cannot be come Singapore, bring them to Chinese restaurant right? And that easily cost us around $700 already…
We pre-ordered the food last night, so that we can just sit down and eat later, and not have to wait too long for the food. And the earlier we finish, the earlier we can leave, the earlier we can go home. Good idea right? That is, IF boss goes home too. Is boss stays, I stay. Yes, Jack and Rose are our middle names. Boss stays, I stay. Boss jumps, I jump…
Dear all, help me cross all your fingers and toes, ok?
Today finally arrived, and boss has to be late… Well, luckily she is not really involved in this morning’s first program, so they started first.
I have been talking to my China colleagues for the longest time, and I have no idea how they look like, whether they are fat or thin, tall or slim. Now, at least I see some of them, I can finally put faces to the voices I have been talking to, and them vice versa.
One of my colleagues who travels to China quite frequently, told me that plump people, especially girls, are very rare in China (not even fat ok, just plump!). When another colleague, who is rather on the plump side went over, she was treated like a rare species, and everyone stared at her like they have never seen such a ‘creature’ before.
That puzzled me, because I have always thought that in China, the food is always rather oily, and rice is always given very generously. How come they can maintain being that slim and fat-free after all these years of high carbo diet? Then I knew – they walk a lot. Must be right? Not like Singaporeans, who will want to take a bus, or even a cab, even if the destination is only 2 bus-stops away, I think most people in other parts of the world walk more than us. Is this the main culprit of obesity on the rise in our country? Maybe…
Tonight, we will bring them out for dinner at a well-known hawker center for dinner. Well, there are over 40 persons, can’t expect us to bring them to restaurants every night, right? Come Singapore, of course must try Singapore hawker food mah, right? Cannot be come Singapore, bring them to Chinese restaurant right? And that easily cost us around $700 already…
We pre-ordered the food last night, so that we can just sit down and eat later, and not have to wait too long for the food. And the earlier we finish, the earlier we can leave, the earlier we can go home. Good idea right? That is, IF boss goes home too. Is boss stays, I stay. Yes, Jack and Rose are our middle names. Boss stays, I stay. Boss jumps, I jump…
Dear all, help me cross all your fingers and toes, ok?
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