Back From the Dark Side

Well just in case you were wondering where I was at for the last month and a half since the last post, lets just say I was at the Dark Side of Shoemaking.

Lets just way working for a Chinese owned shoe factory was (and I say WAS) interesting.  Being the only Laowai was even more interesting, racism is alive and well in China.  Not out in the open, but there nonetheless.

I'm not going to go into the gory details as to what happened, but I will give some observations on the footwear industry from the factory side as it has seemed to change quite a bit.

There seemed to be a decided lack of footwear knowledge  on the part of some of the factory customer's staff.  Knowledgeable decisions that were at one time made by the customer's staff are now left up to the factory, and as any old "China Hand" can tell you, that's usually not a good thing. 

Despite the lip service given to human rights, codes of conduct and such, in reality, the main thing Major Customer cares about is getting the shoes in the shortest time possible, and if it means working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so be it.  I've seen this now working with 2 companies, so I suspect this is not an isolated deal.

And some new things I've learned from the experience

Merchandise managers usually have no clue as to what making a shoe is all about, but think they are experts in the craft.  (Actually I knew this from past companies, but this was proved out yet again.)

You can't run 650 amps of electricity through a 600 amp main box and meter.  Trust me.

Stir fry pork and rice gets boring 2 meals a day, 7 days a week.

GPS navigation systems in China generally work better than you would think. Even the copy versions.

When the boss puts his car up for collateral for a working capital loan, update the resume.

Viet Nam wasn't the answer.

Jianxi probably isn't either.

China's now putting McDonalds at the rest/fuel stops on the expressways.  The fall of modern civilization can't be far behind.

Learned a lot of other things, some of them even related to shoemaking.   We'll see what comes of this newfound knowledge.

Got Milk? File an Environmental Impact Statement!

So last night, I was on Skype with friend, fellow blogger, humorist and co-conspirator in many things shoemaking, China Charlie, and the subject of the melamine  milk scandal here in China came up.  Now China Charlie is currently semi-retired and sunning his buns in the Philippines, so he was asking what the impact here in China was.  Any my reply, recalling the time during my childhood when dinnerware made from melamine was all the range (anyone remember "Melmac" dinnerware)  replied that I was probably going to be passing a cup and saucer set soon.

In the last couple of weeks, I've eaten several bowls of cereal and milk, Snicker's bars (also probably made with melamine apparently) and Oreo Cookies (yep, melamine in the cookies and filling). I suspect there could be a sizable buildup of the substance coming on. 

Then we discussed the other nasty stuff we've probably put in our bodies.  Water in China?  We've both pretty much become accustomed to the local tap water, I don't even bother to boil it much anymore,  So, how about some heavy metal, mercury, cadmium, lead, etc?  Soup cooked in crockery bowls?  Not sure of the heavy metal content in that.  Tomato sauce in aluminum pans?  Sure,  I'm particularly fond of fish and clams, so lets add a bit more mercury to the mix please. 

Also, in my case I had a run in with cancer a few years ago, so add in a bit of what ever they fed me during chemotherapy, plus a healty dose of radioactive stuff.

We both decided, when ever we went to the "great beyond" that in all reality, we probably couldn't be brought back to the U.S. for burial, as the mortuary/cemetery would have to file an E.P.A. Environmental Impact Statement, and the cemetery would be at risk of later becoming a superfund site.

And we both wonder why we set off the metal detectors at the airport, even though we've removed keys, wallets, belts, cellphones,  etc.  I always try to pick the line with the prettiest female security person, if I'm going to be felt up, it might as well be by a female.  Last time through Shenzhen airport I was patted down by a guy who I think enjoyed his job a bit too thoroughly.  Lets just say  I almost suggested we just go to the local hotel.....

Ok, enough of this writing stuff, time to get back to my coffee (wonder what's in that?) and off to my job in a shoe factory, 

Ahh, the sweet smell of non organic solvents.

Gee, Not in Dongguan Anymore

Well, if you're wondering what's been going on about the lack of posts. seems life made a turn for the more interesting, and ChinaFubar is now for the most part steadily employed...

This could be interesting on several levels.  First, ChinaFubar's not working on the customer/trading company side of the business, he's working for a Chinese-owned factory.  Yes, I've gone over to the "dark side" and gone to work for a supplier.  I'm not naming names...This could wind up being "tales from the Dark Side" and filled with stories of what happens on this side of the business.

Second, I'm not in Dongguan anymore.  Well, at least full time anyway. This company has a registered office in Hong Kong (where my business cards show the company is)  an office in Dongguan, 3 factories in Fuzhou and one in Jiangxi province.  I'll split my time between Dongguan and the 3 Fuzhou factories, but for now I'm in Fuzhou.  That's another adventure.

For now, it's been real busy with finding out what's what, who's who and where's the westerner's bathroom!  And, weekends off??? Forgeddaboudit!!!  No more 5 or 5 and a half day work weeks, now it's 7 day work weeks.   And a short day is only 8 hours....What China labor law???  And "official" Chinese Holidays?  Uh, I don't think so....Seems days off are more governed by China Power and Light than calendar days, we get days off when there's no electricity at the factory. 

So stay tuned sports fans, for the further adventures of China Fubar and the Tale of the Lost Shoe Factory.

Not a Good Day

It's never a good day, when open your e-mail and the first thing that pops up are 3 e-mails with 2 words on the headers, and those 2 words are someone's name that you know is having the battle of their life.

In today's case, the 3 e-mails were from a friend and former co-worker of mine, sent to 3 of the various e-mail addresses I use and they all said the same thing on the header "Erik Purdom".

Erik was a great designer, mentor, and adventurer  and will be sorely missed by all who knew him.   He had been undergoing a battle with a rare stomach cancer, signet ring cell carcinoma.   A very rare and aggressive form of stomach cancer

What to say about Erik,  I never had the pleasure of working with him, but I did have  the pleasure of spending a little  time with him, although it was more of a social nature rather than work.  My first meeting was in a job interview with the now defunct L.A. Gear athletic footwear company, which lives on under license.  Had been meeting and interviewing with several people through out the day, and finally I get sat down in a conference room to interview with the designers.  3 guys come in, one of which was Eric, who was the Director of Design at the time.  And I'm thinking "oh great, a panel interview, this will be fun - NOT" 

And I sat, and looked at them, and they sat, and looked at me, and after about 20 seconds, I asked "Well, what do you want to know?"  And Erik say "uh, no, what do YOU want to know?"  And so the chat and chin wag was on the go.   I didn't take the job at the time, but did wind up going there a couple of years later,  Eric had left to start his own business, but a lot of the designers at Gear still kept in contact, with him, and he would stop by from time to time to pick up a couple of the design/development group to fly out to Catalina for lunch.  The old hundred-dollar-hamburger.

And so the adventure for Erik continues, as his blog says, "probably putting together his next Big Thing"

"So long Erik, we hardly knew ye"

Technorati Tags: Erik Purdom

Well That Was a Heck of a Birthday Party!

Got a great birthday party Friday,  they had a whopping big party in Beijing!  Actually, just coincidence my birthday is on the auspicious date of 08-08, and this year it happened to land on the opening day of the Olympics.

My wife, bless her heart, kept saying "but you're not excited about your birthday!"  Dear, at 53 you don't get all that excited about birthdays anymore.  Ok, maybe at 55 you get a little excited, you can do the senior's meal at Denny's, and you start qualifying for more senior discounts, (a buck is a buck), but after 50, you really don't make a big deal of birthdays.  50 is the big landmark, you get  your AARP card.  For you non-American's reading this, that's a sort of senior citizen's organization, American Association of Retired Persons.  And just to tick my wife off, I applied for joint membership, so at the tender age of (not all that old) she gets an AARP card too!. Fix her wagon.

But, I did sort of celebrate, treated myself to coffee and blueberry muffin at Starbucks, didn't do squat much around the house. And, best present of all, lunchtime job interview.  Looks positive, should have details finalized this week.  Job is in Fuzhou though, and I can't find much info about Fuzhou on the net, other then the usual touristy stuff.

Anyway, dinner at the local English Pub, "One for the Road" and watched the opening ceremony on their big screen TV,  Lots of locals there even though the pub is decidedly very British.  The local Chinese very attentive, sitting in the front, the expats, usual rowdy, noisy selves, toward the back. Bit of a contrast, but that's to be expected. 

And, did we all worry at all about the CGI Footsteps?  Did we even notice Lin Miaokethe was lip-syncing ?  Did we even see the "blue screen of death" during the torch lighting?

Not really!  The great part was the two groups in the same place enjoying the celebration. I think that's what the Olympic Organizing Committee had in mind of the spirit of "One World"

Hey, I Won the Lottery! and UFO's Back Home.

Well, it finally happened! I can kiss this place goodbye, I won the lottery!  At least I'm getting numerous e-mails telling me so. Too bad, I have to share with 5 other lucky winners, or I'd have the whole $500,000 to myself.  Who knew the Beijing World Cyber Olympics Games 2008 Lotto Promotion would pick my numbers and pick me to be one of the 5 lucky winners.  Great!  Now I can invest in some beachfront Property in Arizona!

Ah yes, back home where I understand the big news is the UFO landing in nearby Needles, CA.  Seems like a good story, "Men in Black" strange looking trucks and misplaced helicopters.  Combined with a person I know who claimed to pick up a couple of "sorta funny lookin and hot and sweaty  and stinky,  and couldn't understand anything they were saying" hitchikers.  Got scared of them and dropped them off in town.  Pretty sure they weren't aliens of the south of the border illegal variety, those are common enough to identify fairly easily. 

Gee, makes life in Dongguan seem down right boring... the big news here is... is....is.... well, we'll get back to you on that one.

And since this is "silly assed Sunday" I guess I'll post this video link, scammed from Imagethief.

And this my friends, is what happens when a blogger posts on a Sunday morning after too many cups of coffee. 

The Legend of the Ghost of "NB"

Ok, time for a break from all this Olympic Visa nonsense.  We're about to be inundated, worldwide, by The Olympics, and all the back stories, side stories, front stories and who knows what stories that will come of it.  But really, check the blogroll for some very good sources of information 

My only comment about the whole thing today?  The Visa Olympics.  No, not sponsored by VISA  but an Olympic event where everyone tries to get a visa to come to China, vs Chinese trying to get a visa to go to anyplace else.  Can be graded on "degree of difficulty"  I say this because I just had to make a trip to Hong Kong to get 6 months of bank statements and a "statement of bank balance" so my wife can get a visitor's visa to U.K.   I, being an American, can just show up, go through immigration and done deal. Her, on the other hand, being Chinese (even though she's a US permanent resident) has to jump through hoops and file copious amounts of paperwork.  I think we had it way to easy with the China Visa situation for a long time.

But I digress, had a little rant there. Sorry.

The real story today is the "Legend of the Ghost of NB".   This actually happened, I used to work for the company involved, and while I never met NB, I know some of the other players, at least the ones still alive, and have heard this all first hand from the folks involved.  I'm not naming names, some are still alive, and I think NB's wife is still around, and may not even know the whole story as of yet.

NB was one of those "old China hands" that used to inhabit these parts when China first opened up and started to be the world's factory floor. Back then, country managers and production managers weren't the MBA graduate, family man type, They were however, very capable, hard working, hard drinking, and mostly rough around the edges folks that just dealt with what came best they could. There were no books on how to do business in China back then, no blogs going on about the subject. These guys were the pioneers so to speak.

Dongguan back then was, for the most part, an outpost. No 5 star hotels, no "western" restaurants, no expat pubs, and the roads were suspect.  Expat's living in Dongguan either stayed at the Guancai Hotel or the Dongguan Hillside,   There were a couple of  disco's the KK club and one called BMW,  BMW was the most popular of the two, but is the source of another story.

Now NB was about in his late 50's we suspect, but because of the expat lifestyle, Johnnie Walker and chain smoking, looked much older.  It is said there are still bottles of  Johnnie Walker black label in bars in Southern China with his name card on them. He also had a "git er done" a coupled with a didn't give a squat what folks thought attitude that kept him sane living in this part of the world at that time.

He also liked women, especially the local grown Chinese ladies, and had a particular girlfriend that he took with him almost everywhere, company meetings, final inspections, etc.  NB was in the habit of doing final inspections late at night, girlfriend on one side, bottle of Johnnie Walker on the other. 

Eventually though, the reputation caught up with NB, and the VP of manufacturing, an Indian fellow, PR, decided enough antics were enough, and terminated NB,  NB apparently didn't take it well, and crawled pretty far into the bottle of JW that evening.  Legend has it he also had a particularly strenuous session with the girlfriend.  However, his health wasn't the best, and after the session, he passed away.  Differing accounts on his last words.  Either "I love you" or "I'm cold"

Now technically, he was no longer the responsibility of "The Company" as he was terminated earlier in the day, but the company did the right thing by dealing with the aftermath.  PR, who felt responsible  went back to India shortly after, and had to do some sort of cleansing ritual, involving shaving his head, to atone for what he believed caused the death of NB.  At this point I have to ask forgiveness, as I'm not up on Indian culture or religion, so I can't be more specific.

Now, old NB expired at one of the two above mentioned hotels, the Guancai.

And NB was shipped off to the states, his affects sorted through, girlfriend paid off, etc. and life went on.

Until one of the expat production managers, we'll call SW, who worked for The Company and as also staying at the GC hotel, heard a knock on his door late at night. When SW answered it, who should be there but NB himself, seemingly risen from the grave.   SW closed the door immediately.  And quit drinking.

Apparently, NB's ghost wasn't done, as he reportedly visited, over the next couple weeks, a German Tourist Couple and several Chinese visitors to the hotel.

What with the ghost running around and scaring the visitors, and the rumors that started flying, the hotel management had only one option. They called in a "spiritual" advisor, and had the ghost "exorcized" from the hotel.  All accounts seem to indicate it worked, as NB's ghost has not been seen again.

These days, the CG hotel is mostly a local place, Dongguan having grown to a much larger city, with expat pubs, several 5 star hotels, etc.  The KK club closed, and the BMW club was closed down when a high ranking party official's son was killed there, having the side effect of having all entertainment banned from China for a few months.

Some days, I miss the camaraderie of those times,  All the expats knew each other, we all stayed at the same hotel, and had breakfast together,  and usually drinks later in the evening.   We were pretty much "working without a net."

And with that, it's time to get down to Starbucks for a coffee fix. 

Maybe I don't miss the old days so much after all.