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Korea (South)1897 Posts
On August 31 2010 15:17 cestatoi wrote:
Wow what a read
It sounds like you are overworked though. Crazy.
BTW- are you fluent in all the asian languages? If not, how do you get by?
No not fluent in any of them, but since i'm a specialist in negotiations and business strategy, I always have simutaneous interpreters with me or good translators, but in Asia, things are not always so verbal, its a lot of protocool and specifically for business, I would say the average Japanese or Korean in their own country, if they don't do corporate business won't know the business protocol, so just lots of exposure, but I'd say, if your clients are convinced you could make more money for them by they hiring you, then you could just quack and bark and they'd still work with you. ^^
That being said, if you are entry level, you need to be bilingual for certain if you start as entry level here in Asia, but I do speak Korean at a conversational level. But, its the protocol and a lot preparation that help me, at times, I'll ask the translator to translate and note the reaction of the client and if it's not the one that I expected, I know the translated didn't translate properly, and that isn't psychic, its just good preparation.
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Korea (South)1897 Posts
On August 31 2010 15:05 ZlaSHeR wrote:
That emergency cleaning thing was insane.
I don't know about you, I fly a lot too and I've never once set off a metal detector, that shit isn't random, unless you swallowed a god damn bolt theres no reason you should and shouldn't set it off sometimes, maybe your jacket has something that i don't knwo about
That's why I think its random, because purposely travel not to set off the metal detectors, but do at times, I mean I'ved tested my theory out, I think some countries have it on random like South Korea.
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Korea (South)1897 Posts
On August 31 2010 14:58 Manifesto7 wrote:Show nested quote +On August 31 2010 14:38 MightyAtom wrote:On August 31 2010 14:35 thedeadhaji wrote:awesome stuff as usual. It's quite humorous b/c a lot of the things you mention have been passed down to me by my dad (esp the towel/bathrobe drying bit  ) over the years. FWIW, my preference for Tokyo travel is Narita -> Narita express train to Shinagawa or Tokyo Station, then to wherever. If you are transferring to the JR line, Shinagawa's walking distance is much shorter and simpler than the labyrinth that is Tokyo Station. I guess if your stop over is the subway, then either would work? The ONLY time I would consider using the Hotel Bus is if you have massive amounts of luggage (ie you're on some long term family travel or something). haji are you back in Japan now? Im in Tokyo from the 5th to the 8th, lets go out. ^^ No he is a dope and abandoned me.  Let me know if you come to Osaka though. I'm a bumpkin 
lol yeah he pm'ed me, I've never been to Osaka, but I hear the food is great, but I only know one company that I work with in Osaka and they moved to Kyoto. I'll drag Rek along if we go to Osaka, we know this poker player there as well, she has lots of model friends, so we should be able to check out some trendy places.
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Korea (South)1897 Posts
On August 31 2010 15:48 ShaperofDreams wrote:Show nested quote +On August 31 2010 15:42 Seraphim wrote:
This is super interesting. What is it that you do exactly? He balls for a living i believe. He has a phd in ballering.
lol, thanks, but actually I have a phd in liver damage, but former management consultant and recently retired Director of Asia for PokerStars (biggest UK based poker company) for business development and marketing.
But I'd say, my experience is really no different than any management consultant and senior executive, I guess the difference is that they don't publically write statements or blogs with curse words, curse accoryms, noob, uber and gosu or play SC2. keke.
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Korea (South)1897 Posts
On August 31 2010 16:00 thedeadhaji wrote:My friends tell me the "working girls" in Osaka are decent quality edit: fuck I forgot they're racist there TT
lol no comment, but I know exactly what u mean by 'racist' in that context, but luckly I have outs or in's. lol Haji why woud you write that here. LOL. ROFL.
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
I'm not claiming to know anything!! ^_^
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this was really fun to read i wish i got to travel that much haha
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I am really enjoying your blogs, MightyAtom. You are really churning these things out at a beastly rate
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number 21 says pubic instead of public, dont ask me how I noticed that, i've no idea t.t
crazy read though, I had NO idea about that emergency cleaning routine, thats brilliant though. definitely bookmarked for future emergencies.
this is the kind of thing u print out and stick away in your wallet ^^
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Korea (South)1897 Posts
On August 31 2010 16:37 Elegy wrote:
number 21 says pubic instead of public, dont ask me how I noticed that, i've no idea t.t
crazy read though, I had NO idea about that emergency cleaning routine, thats brilliant though. definitely bookmarked for future emergencies.
this is the kind of thing u print out and stick away in your wallet ^^
thanks for the all the comments in general, and Elegy, um, i'll change that right now, thanks! keke
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Zurich15365 Posts
Nice blog as always. Let me add a few things that people might find helpful also on private trips:
1. seatguru.com Use. This. Site. They have every commercial airplane on the planet registered there and have the details for every seat easily accessible. If you can pick your seat, always check seatguru first for a good choice. This has made so many flights better for me. I used to think I knew planes and could pick good spots but seatguru taught me better. Now I always check this site for good seating.
2. Hotel Loyalty programs are the most beneficial but also the hardest to get. This year I am Platinum at SPG and it's basically the best thing ever. More than once did this change a "I am sorry we are fully booked" to a "How about a 2 room suite?". At reception of a good hotel I get a full menu of free stuff, open bar, wine and unlimited snacks on the room, free breakfast, takeaway, internet etc.
You will only be able to get that many nights on long term projects though.
3. ++++1 on MA tips on credit cards. It's ridiculous how dependent you are on credit cards as a frequent traveler. I was once on the road while my credit cards got locked (not my fault) and I was basically completely screwed. Luckily I had coworkers who did handle stuff for me but I would have been lost otherwise. Try getting a car without a credit card.
And yes, get a Visa and a MasterCard. They are the only ones accepted all over the world. Don't even show up with Amex in Europe people will go what? American express is better but also not accepted everywhere.
Get a program that scales your limit with your CC transactions and, as MA said, always always always pay up on time. They'll quickly love you. I have now 15k limit on my main card and 6 weeks+ payment terms. You won't need cash deposits with CC terms like this.
4. A lot of the scenes in Up In The Air are very close to reality. Airport security for example. I had to laugh out loud when George Clooney goes through security, and how every step he does is routine and efficient to the maximum because everything was so familiar. Also, his tip to get the line behind the Asian business men is so good as well. I always look out for potential security fail people. Don't get in line behind old people, large families, overly styled and dressed women and anyone who looks like they don't fly very often.
Then there are a lot of regional things to look out for. I have been traveling the middle east and Arabia a lot and came into the habit of staying away from Indians as far as possible. I have nothing against Indians but Arabs seem to hate them and they are treated like animals at Airports. Lining up behind a Indian family is asking for a long wait time while security is harassing the poor guys.
Same applies for Arab looking people on US flights.
Speaking of the US they have the worst security on this planet (well, after Saudi). Maybe I had too many bad experiences but I always wonder if they make an effort to appear as unwelcoming as possible to innocent travelers. Again, as MA said, DON'T BE WITTY, do not make any jokes, don't even laugh. At best smile, answer all questions (they'll ask you a number of random questions like what is your sister's name) straight up and be done.
5. Airport security scanner DO set off randomly, on purpose. They are programmed to give a number of random false alarms so the personnel does not get into a habit of letting anyone through who looks legit and stays focused. There is nothing you can do, sometimes the scanner will just go off on you.
6. Airport tax. Yeah that is a real bitch. I try to avoid avoid having much local currency (Euro(pe) owns btw) but airport tax is often screwing me over. Especially when the ticket says in big letter "ALL TAXES PAID" and then they won't let you though unless you hand them over another 20 bucks. Always have a bunch of USD with you for those cases. If you don't have local currency they'll usually accept USD (at a rip-off rate obv but better than missing your flight).
7. Look what kind of convenience programs your airline offers. Being German I always try to fly Lufthansa and they have some neat features (as do most airlines by now). Like I check-in and print my boarding pass myself at home or the office, or get it with my train tickets going to the airport. Or just put my CC in one of the Lufthansa ATMs and it will print it out for me. I don't ever get in line at the check in counter anymore if I can avoid it. When I get to the airport they text me gate and departure time to my cellphone, which is a huge plus at airports where the gates change frequently and where the announcements are unintelligible (Hi Bahrain international).
8. About meeting women. What you are describing MA seems to be an Asian thing. In Europe I'd say go for it if you can. You have few enough chances to meet girls as it is if you are on the road all week.
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I think everyone that travels have their own way of doing the bathtub laundry, it seems an issue that everyone faces. I've travled mainly in Europe and I have just one thing to add, bring your own damn soap! I was in Poland got ready to do the bathtub trick. (it's a bit diffrent from how you do it but I won't go into the boring details) So get my shirt pans and everything in there, and the damn soap disintegrates my shirt, as soon as I pick it up I see holes in the fabric, pick up the pants and socks and they have big blotchy spots on them, so had to toss it all, needless to say it was rather stressful getting a whole new set of clothes and I did some bad things to get them.
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
I think an advice that applies more to the casual traveler than the business traveler is "carry a pen at all times"
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Zurich15365 Posts
On August 31 2010 17:11 thedeadhaji wrote:
I think an advice that applies more to the casual traveler than the business traveler is "carry a pen at all times"
OMG you are right this is so important! I was once stuck for 30 minutes at security because no one would give me a pen to fill out the stupid immigration form. Never ever travel without a pen!
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On August 31 2010 17:16 zatic wrote:Show nested quote +On August 31 2010 17:11 thedeadhaji wrote:
I think an advice that applies more to the casual traveler than the business traveler is "carry a pen at all times" OMG you are right this is so important! I was once stuck for 30 minutes at security because no one would give me a pen to fill out the stupid immigration form. Never ever travel without a pen!
And if you have rampart nordic beard growth like myself never leave home without a fully charged electric razor (You used to be able to carry around normal ones but apparently only terrorists does these days). I don't know how many times I've had to shave myself in the weirdest of locations (not locations on my body <.<) not to look like a bum when I turn up to a meeting.
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
On August 31 2010 17:16 zatic wrote:Show nested quote +On August 31 2010 17:11 thedeadhaji wrote:
I think an advice that applies more to the casual traveler than the business traveler is "carry a pen at all times" OMG you are right this is so important! I was once stuck for 30 minutes at security because no one would give me a pen to fill out the stupid immigration form. Never ever travel without a pen!
I usually force myself to finish the immigration form while on the plane so I end up using the stewardess call >_<. When I travel on "business" I obviously have tons of pens/papers with me so it's not an issue but this got me often while I was still a student.
oh ALSO! If you travel business and/or have lounge access at the airport, taking a shower before your flight is the absolute nuts.
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On August 31 2010 16:03 MightyAtom wrote:Show nested quote +On August 31 2010 15:48 ShaperofDreams wrote:On August 31 2010 15:42 Seraphim wrote:
This is super interesting. What is it that you do exactly? He balls for a living i believe. He has a phd in ballering. lol, thanks, but actually I have a phd in liver damage, but former management consultant and recently retired Director of Asia for PokerStars (biggest UK based poker company) for business development and marketing. But I'd say, my experience is really no different than any management consultant and senior executive, I guess the difference is that they don't publically write statements or blogs with curse words, curse accoryms, noob, uber and gosu or play SC2. keke.
While reading this I thought it was very much like a 2p2 "ask a x anything" thread. Nice write-up
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
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On August 31 2010 15:53 MightyAtom wrote:Show nested quote +On August 31 2010 15:17 cestatoi wrote:
Wow what a read
It sounds like you are overworked though. Crazy.
BTW- are you fluent in all the asian languages? If not, how do you get by? No not fluent in any of them, but since i'm a specialist in negotiations and business strategy, I always have simutaneous interpreters with me or good translators, but in Asia, things are not always so verbal, its a lot of protocool and specifically for business, I would say the average Japanese or Korean in their own country, if they don't do corporate business won't know the business protocol, so just lots of exposure, but I'd say, if your clients are convinced you could make more money for them by they hiring you, then you could just quack and bark and they'd still work with you. ^^ That being said, if you are entry level, you need to be bilingual for certain if you start as entry level here in Asia, but I do speak Korean at a conversational level. But, its the protocol and a lot preparation that help me, at times, I'll ask the translator to translate and note the reaction of the client and if it's not the one that I expected, I know the translated didn't translate properly, and that isn't psychic, its just good preparation.
As you seem well travelled in the Asian world and have experience with translators. I'm going to China in November as a translator, I'll be translating for workers from two diffrent companies, one Chinese the other Nordic. It's my first time translating in China and is there any mannerisms or behaviour that is expected of you? I know how to deal with the Nordic people but I'm not sure how the Chinese like their translators to act.
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EPT
