Springing to Life!

The signs of life are subtle... 悄悄地来,悄悄地走. It's March. It's still winter. It's cold.. but I walked out one day and saw all these pink flowers on the trees! And the houses!!! Oh my gosh... I love them!!! 

Women in Engineering

When I think of Europe, I think of it as a land of equal opportunities. That is because whenever I look at advertisements for positions in Western companies, they always make an effort to state that they are an 'equal opportunity employer'. And so, I thought, discrimination doesn't exist in this region. 

But, having worked in Dubai, staying in Paris and increased interaction with my fellow colleagues, I realize that discrimination against women exists everywhere. It is not only prominent in Russia and Asia, but it exists also in Netherlands, UK, France and US. How is it possible? Why is it still on-going? Can't it be eliminated? 

I still remember my first day at work. I struggled extra hard to understand technical terms and operations procedures of the rig, testing processes and drilling terminology. There was no manual. I had to consult and ask everybody I met on what to do in case something happened, how to make sound and practical decisions, even though it made absolutely no sense to me at all. It was tough. I remember crying on my third trip so hard because I was frustrated with myself for not understanding simple things which my fellow male colleagues caught in a few days, while I spent three to four months just understanding how each tool operated and functioned. Sometimes when I asked some of my seniors, they shrugged me off. Some answered me gruffily and begrudgingly. Only one or two had the decency to take the time to explain everything and had me understand everything in 15 minutes. That, was when I knew that I had to be independent. I made a resolution with myself to study all the books there were on well testing, did all the interpretation, write all the reports to ensure that I would understand the analysis part, even if I had no inkling whatsover on the operations part. It worked like magic. Because I had solid fundamentals in well testing, I soon understood other parts of reservoir engineering with ease. I loved it. Not too soon after that, I fell in love with my job. 

As I exchange this story with my colleagues in Paris, I realize that all of us have the same story. Some of us had worse experiences. When a young female geologist in Russia asked for a technical task from her boss, he assigned her to send his house keys to his wife in another part of a town which was one and a half hours away from the office. When a young female engineer who wasn't assigned any jobs for two months did some numerical simulation, she was chided for taking too much initiative. Another engineer in Netherlands was asked to bring coffee for her male colleagues when attending a meeting where she was the only female in the room. 

And this doesn't happen just when we are young or fresh recruits. It happens even at managerial levels. When a woman boss expresses her anger, her male employees will think that she's suffering from mood swings or hormonal imbalance. They will then relate it to her being single, or having marital problems, kids problems, etc. When a woman dresses up, they will think that she's like a Christmas tree. When a woman puts on make-up, some might think it's too thick. Indeed, men can be merciless. They even comment on a woman's perfume, hair, walking stature, sitting posture, words that she uses, anything that they can think of and comes to mind. 

And so, I struggled. To prove that I can do it just like them. To talk like them so that I would be accepted into their society. To avoid corridor talk, I had meals with different people each day and never went out with any male colleagues alone. I learnt to smile under all circumstances even when my blood was boiling and when I was seething with anger. I learnt to walk and not run, trot and not leap, smile and not laugh. I put in extra effort, to do my best to make sure that I can do it just as well as them (or even better). In the process, I lost myself and could no longer recognize who I was or what I truly wanted. 

By then, I had worked so hard to get work that I fell into the vicious cycle of running the rat race - a race that I never even imagined myself running in the first place. All I wanted at the beginning was to be acknowledged, to justify the payment of my monthly salary and to ensure that I wouldn't be fired within the first few months, to receive bad ratings or poor performance reviews. Soon, this invisible battle became an integral part of my life and I could not shake it off. 

Until I came to Paris and realized that deep down, I am still a woman. Nowadays, I realize that I am who I am. I do have mood swings. I get cranky on a monthly basis. During this time, I may deliberately ignore people or shrug them off. I may even crave for specific foods or have a sweet tooth for candies and cakes. Occasionally, I may even watch some melancholic movies or read a sad book to shed a few tears. 

Yet, when I snap out of it, I like to observe and interact with people. I like to hear their stories from a different dimension and perspectives. I like to listen to the way they crack jokes effortlessly. I like to listen to their experiences and how they overcame each of their individual challenges. I like to know what unusual hobbies they have or peculiar habits they possess. I like to laugh without a care in the world and smile as the sun rays chases the shadows of the clouds. I love the fact that I can laugh freely and happily. This - is who I am deep down: unsuppressed,  youthful, joyful, gay and happy. 

People often remark, "Hey! You seem to be happy all the time" or "Jean! How come you laugh so much?" or even "Jean! Why are you smiling all the time?" or "Hmm! You're the happiest person that I know. Whenever I see you, you're always smiling." 

Mmmm... I guess I'm happy because I'm doing what I like and I get to do what I want, right here, right now without being subjected to any form of physical, emotional and psychological oppression and suppression. 

At this moment, life is beautiful. Sometimes, we don't need a reason to be joyful. Just smile and the whole world will smile along with you. 

*Smile* 

^_^

What do you think?

So, recently, somebody pointed to a poster and asked me: "Jean, what do you think of this person? "

Frankly, I didn't know what to think. After all, I was always brought up to think, "Do not judge a person by its cover." and "Beauty is internal. Not external." As such, I rarely put in my two cents worth on what I think about others. So far, I've seen it paid off. And I've seen first hand how words may make or break a person. And I don't want others to go through it again. Therefore, Jean, keep your personal opinions to yourself. Don't be part of the Gossip Team! 

Switzerland

It's been a long time since I saw Cuckoo Clocks! I just loved to see them popping out at each hour, doing funny stuff. For example, woodpecker pecking trees or wives knocking the heads of their husbands for coming back late, or lovers dancing to the rhythm. 

And did you know that cuckoo clocks designs evolve too? Mmm.. they do! From wood to metal, from heavy weight balancing to wooden decorative weights, from wooden mechanics to metal internal parts to electronic parts.. Today, there are even cuckoo clocks who mimmick the sounds of fountains and water falls! Amazing! 

London

I just love museums! Maybe I love history, and exploring the past!

Spent four hours at the Tower Bridge Museum and Science Museum. Fantastic!

So, here's what I found out:

From the Tower Bridge Museum: 
The queen's crowned jewels weigh 20kg!
And the king beheaded people to ensure that they're absolutely dead .
Once, they even stiched the head of one of the beheaded because they realized that there was no picture of him and sent all the members of the body to every province of England.

From the London Science Museum:
The more well travelled you are, the more rounded you are.
Oxygen builds up gradually in the environment with time.
Nothing lives forever, neither body nor solid rock.
Restless in perpetuality.

From the National Gallery:
Pictures that make you think about life... how beautiful it is, how cruel it can be and how admirable it is...
1. The Forcibly Bewitched
2. The Llouvre under the snow
3. Montmarte in the night
4. The Attic Nights
5. Antwerp
6. Vienna in the 16th-19th Centuries!

From the Walking Tour:
Buckingham Palace was originally built by one of the ministers/officers in the country. Upon completion, The owner was so proud of his newly built home that he invited the King to his house. He was, in fact, so proud of his home that he asked the King, "Do you like my house? Isn't it beautiful?"

The King did like it very much. So much so that he 'ordered' the minister/officer to give the newly built house to him. And the poor officer, had to oblige. The King paid the officer 250,000 pounds (I think that was the sum). And so, that's Buckingham Palace came to be the residence of the royal family.

Then, there was this St. Jame's Palace, which used to be the palace of King James. When he built it, he wanted a fireplace in every room. As a result, the building had lots of chimneys. At that time, firewood (I think), or some sort of fuel for burning, was expensive. Hence, when people from all over the world saw the chimneys, it gave the impression that King James was a very rich king indeed.

Plus, I never knew that the Louvre was built even before 1900s! At the National Gallery in London, I saw pictures of Venice, Budapest, Antwerp, Paris, Montmart, etc of what it was like in the 16th, 17th, 18,th and 19th Century. I was impressed and fell in love with all the drawings! I wish I could take them home with me.

Paris and Pickpockets

Apart from romance and lights, Paris is also famous for pick-pockets. One day, I just forgot about all about it and lost my phone on the train to the smart pick-pocket!

And, I saw this notice too late! 

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Votre telephone est precieux. il peut faire des envieux. 

Nous vous conseillleirs d'etre vigilant si vous l'utilisez en public.
(Your telephone is precious and may cause envy. 
We wish to advise you to be vigilant when using it in public.)

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Lesson Learnt:

Don't bring things you don't want to lose , in public. If you do, make sure you are prepared to not lose it. 

I also did a probability of losing my things on the train, and I realized it totaled up to 40%! That meant anything valuable that I brought out in the public, will automatically be devalued by 40%! Well well, Jean! Remember! Keep your things in the pocket or don't bring them out! 

So far, I have lost so many things while I stayed in hotels or travelled around Europe.

I left my green rain coat in Wessex. 

I left my moisturizer in Hungary. 

I lost my phone in Paris. 

I left my shampoo in London. 

I am always losing something!

In conclusion, when going on a trip, don't bring anything you don't want to lose!