Weird things that occur to me at work...

Makeup, shoes, outfit, …why is it that women are more interested in changing these than their hair?

I have been at my new place for nearly 1 month now and nobody’s hair changes! Men are out of the equation, the poor beings, because there isn’t much they can do….but the women! The first time I styled my hair differently to the office, my colleague came in and didn’t know how to say ‘Good Morning’. People leave a lot to chance with their hair: a swipe of a brush, a pin/barrette and they’re done. It’s been boredom (with my hair) this past year that has made me change my hair style and colour so often but I guess it doesn’t bother anyone else!

Lately I have been having trouble with my Chinese name – or rather how I would write it in Mandarin. My Chinese name is very complicated – well, the first 2 characters are ok but the third one has the dubious honour of being one of the characters that uses the most strokes in Chinese history – of course there are simplified versions now but I happen to like the look of the old one better.

Anyways, I don’t speak Mandarin so I always warn others that my pronounciation of my name could be off (which is fine) and my writing of my name could be wrong (which is not). All this time, well-meaning Mandarin speakers have tried to teach me how to write my name – but the versions they have given me are Incorrect I have found out. Does nobody listen to me when I say my grandfather (who gave me the name) said that my name means ‘the steps to the Emperor’s throne’??? They gave me versions that meant gold, they gave me versions that meant warmth, you know there’s even one that is ‘ling long’ (like the bell)!!!!

I have therefore, come to the obvious conclusion thatttt…. my grandfather must have told me the wrong meaning or I must have misunderstood; because there is no way soooo manyyyyyy Chinese speaking people cannot show me the character of my name! And dear old grandad is happily puffing that big opium pipe in the sky so he can’t show me anything anymore……

Well, I’m sure I can get through another 30 years without the Chinese name being of life and death urgency right? …….Of course now that I say this, Mr Kind-Romantic-Witty-Intelligent-Billionaire is going to walk through my door and propose……..on the condition that I can write my Chinese Name correctly.