Trip to Germany. – 2016 12 06 I will be in Germany again in middle January for business trip. Giving the situation of last visit, I am a bit concerned about the language issue, but actually I look forward to it much more. I was fluent in English in work aspect, but I knew nothing about German. When we travelled in Germany, I felt as if I was on the Mars. I couldn’t read the menu in restaurant; sometimes it was hard to understand the hotel reception staff even though they were friendly. However, the inhabitants on the “Mars” were really nice. A boy helped me to order my food, an old man showed me the way to restaurant, a guy helped to translate my words to hotel staff, even though he was rushing to watch the football match; a stroller led me to the bank while I didn’t know where to deal with the bill for parking the car in wrong place; more people helped when I could not read the instruction in the gas station. I got help easily each day, it was quite amazing.

Regarding German names. Let’s say there is a German called “Markus H”, H represents the family name. Someone told me, when talking with Markus H, I shouldn’t call him Markus directly as it is not polite. I should call him H, even though I am familiar with him. I really doubt about this. From what I have known, western people put given name first, family name last. And we can easily distinguish the give name. If there is someone unfamiliar, I could say Mr/Ms + Family name, but never would I call the family name directly. Is it really different for German names??

Thoughts on <But you didn’t>. – 2016 10 14 <But you didn’t> is a poem written by an American lady. Her husband went to the battlefield in Vietnam, when their daughter was 4 years old. However, he never returned. When reading the poem, one can feel the sweetness of their life. Love existed in each moment. I love romantic stories, movies and poems. They reminded me how precious true love is. Below is the poem: Remember the day I borrowed your brand new car and dented it? I thought you'd kill me, but you didn't. And remember the time I dragged you to the beach, and you said it would rain, and it did? I thought you'd say, "I told you so." But you didn't. Do you remember the time I flirted with all the guys to make you jealous, and you were? I thought you'd leave, but you didn't. Do you remember the time I spilled strawberry pie all over your car rug? I thought you'd hit me, but you didn't. And remember the time I forgot to tell you the dance was formal and you showed up in jeans? I thought you'd drop me, but you didn't. Yes, there were lots of things you didn't do. But you put up with me, and loved me, and protected me. There were lots of things I wanted to make up to you when you returned from Vietnam. But you didn't.

The less responsible one. – 2016 10 14 The new colleague is getting annoying. After the manager told her that:”You need to improve your Excel skills”. She complained to me and another colleague:”It is so hard to calculate with Excel. I would not have joined the company if the boss mentioned earlier about Excel skills”. I was speechless. Is basic Excel skill not necessary? Most of us need it. It is alright if she doesn’t have proper knowledge, she could ask others and keep learning. But she has really wrong attitude. The other day, when I was replying an email, she suddenly broke in and talked impatiently:”The manager said my documents are wrong and asked me to check carefully. How could I know what is wrong when he was not telling clearly.” I glanced at her documents, they looked ok except the quantity column: ”Maybe he was referring to this part. You can either check again or just ask the manager.” Actually I was unhappy for the way she talked, it was as if I need to be responsible for her mistakes. Usually I avoid staying too closed to her, as she smokes. I don’t like the smell, especially when she gossips in my ears. I wish she could be more responsible and polite.

Formaldehyde. – 20161008 Formaldehyde exists in lots of architectural decoration materials, such as plywood, flooring and glue. It can harm the immune system and cause various health problems. Therefore it is very important to know what formaldehyde is and avoid it as much as possible.

Well......Zentangle. - 20160907 This is my most recent Zentangle drawing. A good idea came to me that I should make an English speech about it. I was planning to make the speech since beginning of the year, but haven't got a proper topic. Now I can share ideas about Zentagle. It is quite exciting. I will draft all files by myself, including both the description and drawing. So the language will be easy to understand for all listeners. I wish this will lead me to another big challenge and I am ready for it!

The power of being persistent. - 20160907 I used to be quite shy and unconfident. It may come from my introvert nature. Sometimes I feel hard to express my feelings properly. However I am not bad at writing. Perhaps I get more time for thinking and organising words when writing. I never expected that I could draw until someone encouraged me. Love and trust are magic. I started trying and eventually got really interested. With the instructions from books, I gained basic skills on drawing with color pencils. i felt happy when some friends asked to see my "masterpieces". From last month on, I have been practicing on Zentangle, the patterns that are made of repeated lines. It requires patience and time. I have spent 2 weeks at the library for it. I was so concentrated that my arms hurt after drawing for whole day. Thanks to the passion, I stayed persistent and found the big chance on myself. It is not only about the drawing skill, but also my attitude to daily life. I realised how great life can be if we keep working hard on what we like. Life is short, live it, and make it different. Btw, here is the one I finished at lunch time yesterday.

What make us embarrassed. – 2016 08 26 For the sense of patriotism, I rarely accept when some foreign friends complain about how “brutal” some Chinese are. However, I have observation very often, to see the good and bad behaviors. Here are some examples: 1. I am glad that most of us can stand in the queue when waiting for bus or checking out in shops. But in the mean time, why do some people jump out of the queue and rush the bus when the bus arrives. 2. The metro is empty, it doesn’t mean someone should take off her shoes and put the feet on the seat. 3. I was reading on the metro and felt hard to concentrate, as a guy was talking loud with the girl next. All people around felt speechless on such behavior. These bad behaviors indeed exist around us. Even though they are done by a small part of people, they affected the society. Sometimes I could neither understand why they do so. It is hard to explain as each of us grows up in difference environments. I still believe that most of us behave properly.

A special experience on July 10. It was Sunday, as the business trip went quite well in Germany, my colleagues and I decided to go to Strasbourg (France) for a look in the weekend. When we were crossing the border between Germany and France, some policemen stopped our car and asked us to show the passports. All other 3 colleagues did it. When it was my turn, I suddenly realized I left my passport in hotel. I had to explain to the policemen. As we were not allowed to go further, we decided to return to Germany. However, the car got stopped again. The French policemen told me:”Hey, Lady. I am afraid you are arrested. You need to go with us, stay at a police station until your colleagues fetch your passport for our checking.” I could not say no, so I had to get in their car. I was a bit nervous at the beginning as some policemen couldn’t understand English well, I worried they may hurt me for misunderstandings. Luckily they were friendly. Two France policemen sent me to a small office at border of Germany. I stayed there for over two hours until my colleagues came to “rescue” me with my passport. On the way back, I felt sorry for disturbing the plan and causing trouble to colleagues. In the other hand, I was thinking that how absent-minded I was, and how could I travel without a valid identification document. Just like what the young German police officer told me:”Forgetting passport won’t cause you any negative record for immigration, but you wasted two hours here and had to cancel your travelling plan, it is a pity.” Yes, I think it will be a good lesson for me in the future. This should be the most special experience I had in Germany and France, during my very first visit.