Travel in 2018

So after a five month hiatus in America my wife and I have decided to travel back to China. A large company offered me a good position, so it seems the right time to go back.  A lot has changed in the word of air travel and even though their has always been a big difference between Asian and American flight companies, things have even gotten worse.

While I was leaving America, one of my bags was a half a pound over weight. They charged me 100.00 dollars for the half pound misjudgment.  My other bag was actually 5 pounds over. I knew this one was over and was hoping they would let it slide. But I was willing to pay a charge if I had to. That one cost me another 100 dollars. So, the total after my 3000 tickets for me and my family was 10% higher.  When I told the woman at the counter that the airlines must really need the money, she looked at me and said “one more comment from you and you won’t be going anywhere today!” 

I guess after Delta and United decided its okay to beat passengers that don’t want to give up their seat, American Airlines wants to have a go and use the power they hold over us too. So when we’re at their counter we keep our moths shut as to not upset them and end up in jail or stranded in some airport, paying another 3000 dollars to get to our destination.

The plane ride from America to Asia is grueling.  We were in a different state and had to layover in Chicago. The flight was at 7 am and my daughter is only 4. I was hoping they would at least have a pastry or something for her to eat.  The flight attendant offered us nothing.  Chicago was, of course, delayed.  Not by much but by about a half an hour. 

We’ve been delayed in Chicago before and American Airlines always gave food vouchers to keep their clients happy.  Not this time.  In fact when I went up to enquire about the layover, They expand  in a very stern voice that the plane would be there soon and I should just go sit down and wait.  I joked to them that we had been delayed in Chicago before and was then told that this delay was obviously my fault because I was bad luck and that I should go sit down.

The food on the way to Asia was terrible. It was a 14 hour flight. They gave us lunch and a snack that was a spicy sandwich.  When I said my daughter was 4 and couldn’t eat a spicy pimento sandwich, they responded with that’s just the way it is. She would have to go without until the brunch that would be served a few hours later.  

We landed in Shanghai and spent the night in a hotel. The next day we returned to the airport in the hotels free shuttle service.  My wife was flying to her hometown while I go to Beijing and get us set up in a house.  I went with her to check in on her china airline.  Both of her bags were about 2.5 kilos over weight.  That’s about 5 pounds.  The woman behind the counter looked at her, smiled and checked the bags through.  I watched the two of them walk through security and walk to terminal 1 to get my flight. 

I have two bags. One of them is the same 2.5 kilos overweight.  I asked how many bags I could take.  The woman said I would have to pay an overweight charge on a second bag if I wanted to take it but that the 2.5 kilos she wouldn’t charge me for that.  She then said that I could carry the other one.  I said but that will give me three carry ons.  She called her manager and he said that’s fine you can carry all of them.  I am waiting in the airport now to board but I am sure they will serve breakfast on our 2.5 hour flight to Beijing at no extra cost.

American Airlines has really gone down hill. I’m sure I speak for a lot of us when I say I will not fly with them again. Not that my 3000 dollars a year will make a difference but then again with them stealing every dollar from us they can, who knows, maybe they’re on their way to bankruptcy anyway. In all my years of flying internationally I have found that asian airlines have friendlier staff, laxer rules, food on every flight and just a generally all around better atmosphere.  The also seem to have more experience of flying us to those destination we all crave for. I guess if you want to know why China is becoming a larger economy than Americas, one only needs to look at the airlines and the services you receive on them.

 

Life Experiences

Everyone residing on our planet has the same basic life experiences, or so I remember someone telling me once.  Some are more extreme than others but basically, we all have the same emotional experiences.  I didn’t give this much thought and might have even thought that it was not true.

And then the other day, while we were in America, We were eating in a McDonalds.  There was a man sitting on a breakfast bar in the middle of the restaurant speaking loudly on his phone.  He was an older man whose nourishment didn’t seem healthy.

HIs clothes were obviously that of someone that hadn’t changed them in a few days. And he wore a green, Saint Patrick’s day, hat on his head. The best way for me to describe him is as being homeless. But he did have a cell phone and in a couple of instances spoke about having a job that would last for a few years.

“I just got something to eat,” he said into the phone, and bought me a little hat so you tell them if they need anything I will be willing to pay for it.”

The voice on the speaker of his phone came back muffled and inaudible but it was obviously a woman voice.

“I think I”m feeling better,” he continued, “and after this, I think I am going to need a bottle.”

His conversation continued like this for some time. Then he started speaking to the woman on the phone about her being his girlfriend. “Because we are in love…” I heard him say.  and the reason you love me is because I am amazing.”

At this, I was a little surprised. From the way he looked one would never have thought that he thought of himself as amazing.  I believe that most people have a very high opinion of themselves and that most would describe themselves as amazing.

His conversation then turned to God.  “George Burns smoked every day and he lived to be 105. He smoked because God told him to smoke and God allowed him to live for that long. I believe God has done all of this for me and I’m one of the most fortunate people that have ever lived.”

Now I believe that all people, no matter of circumstances consider themselves amazing and fortunate. But for some reason, I never thought someone like this man would have thought this about himself.

The people around him were not happy about his presence in the restaurant.  One even commented that the woman he was on the phone with was a “Lucky Girl”. The manager eventually asked him to leave. He was very courteous after this and left after cleaning up his mess and bringing the trays from the trash cans to the manager.

I sat there looking at this man that never got angry about being asked to leave or about the people talking about him.  A man that believed how fortunate he was.  I thought about what I had been told and I guess that on an emotional level we do all experience the same things.

 

On Being Unemployed

For those of you that don’t know me, I believe the old adage that idle hands are the devil’s workshop. A few months ago I sold my share of a company in China. After 8 years of living and working in China, my wife and I decided to take a break and spend time in America. I was unemployed.  I looked around at some timeshare and real estate opportunities but haven’t found anything that really interests me.

Honestly, I’m 56 and have spent the last 15 years of my life living abroad. When I go to talk to companies, it feels like they have a hard time relating to me, believing me, or they think I’ll be senile in 4 more years. So maybe I don’t interest them either. I believe I’m one of the best and most knowledgeable salespeople in the world, but don’t we all believe that about ourselves? I don’t believe situations like this are either right or wrong. They just are what they are.

After sending out almost 100 CV’s, I’ve had a couple of interviews over the past week. I must say things are very interesting on the interview front now. After being told for at least 15 minutes how great the guy interviewing me was, I had a chance to speak.  So I see on your resume’ (Americans always call it a resume’) that the places you work, you only stay for 2 years at a time, can you explain that to me?

“Uhm… because I love to build and it only took me 2 years to double sales revenue/double marketing efforts etc. After that, they felt they could do it themselves or wanted to cut my pay so I left”; was the truth and what I should have said. Instead, I said, “for the last 15 years I’ve been in travel mode and the lure of working in new cities and or countries appealed to me.”

About that time his partner the marketing manager walked in. I was introduced and the next 15 minutes was spent telling me how great of a marketer he was. And of his accomplishments. He asked me when I started selling timeshare. “1980,” I said.

“Old school Timeshare,” he said. “OG of timeshare”. They laughed and gave themselves high fives as he walked out of the room.

I sat there thinking. “What the hell does OG of timeshare mean? And “Old School Timeshare?” Do they not do a greeting or a warm-up anymore? Is the closing process different or maybe they don’t do a proper discovery or read body language? “What the hell do those two things mean?”

I remember when I first got into this business we were taught there are 5 steps to a sale. These are attention, interest, conviction, desire, and close. The emphasis back then was on KISS or Keep It Simple Stupid. Now its Keep It Simple Superstar.  I guess in our day and age of political correctness, the word stupid offended someone. Hey, if the shoe fits…

I didn’t have time to ask if this was what they meant as the original interviewer explained to me again how great he was and how great this project was going to be. I was then dismissed and told they would call me if they were interested. They called. I told them I wasn’t interested.

The other interview went well but after calling back and never getting an answer one way or the other I decided to abandon the thought of working there. How in the world can someone so weak that they can’t tell someone they aren’t interested in them become a boss? The world has gone crazy.

So I decided that I would send my CV in for an evaluation because after sending it to so many places I just couldn’t imagine not getting calls. I mean how many people out there have over 35 years of direct sales experience and have trained thousands of salespeople to be successful? Apparently, more than I thought.

The evaluation for my CV came back and one of the things that it said was instead of using passive words to tell what I did, to use active words and to talk about my accomplishments. I thought it was good advice. Then I thought about it for a while. How can you have accomplishments in every job you have ever worked?

Here’s what my CV would look like if I included my first job.
Sales Rep.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
1980
I was 18 and couldn’t give the product away for the first 6 months I worked there. The only reason I kept my job was because the project director was my fathers best friend. But after I sold the first one I progressively got better until I became one of the best!

Now I think it should read: “I floated like a butterfly, stung like a bee and no one was as pretty as me. I was the greatest on my first day of sales and I’ll be the greatest on my last.”

Or what about the off-site office I worked for where I learned what a love line is and couldn’t give the product away to the clients I was given?
Sales Rep.
Denver, Colorado
1992
I just left a regional directors job and went to work for this company with high hopes. Here is where I learned what a love line is when I had to tour a homeless guy. I gave him 5 dollars for a bus ride back to his bridge. I also learned about humility when I couldn’t give away this product in the 6 weeks that I worked there.

Now I think it should read: “My butterfly wings broke and my stinger fell out, but I rose to the top, Was there ever a doubt?”

How do you tell the truth and tell about your great accomplishments in every job you ever had? Has everyone had amazing accomplishments in every job they’ve ever worked? Does No one fail anymore? Do we have to have someone besides ourselves to blame these days?

Is not being able to sell and study and learn your craft an accomplishment or is it determination?

When you learn about a love line for the first time. You are on the bottom of that love line, and have to tour a homeless man that lives under a bridge. Is that an accomplishment or is it a learning opportunity?

Is not being able to sell an accomplishment or is it a lesson in humility?

As a man that has hired hundreds if not thousands of salespeople. If someone came through my door touting about how he was the greatest or of how he closed 40% in his last job my question would be; “Then why did you leave?” Or, “Why were you let go?”

If his answer was blaming everyone but himself, I wouldn’t hire him. Isn’t this like sales where some negatives make you more believable, and more human? Has our country really changed that much in 15 years?

I guess it’s like our court system and government. The winner is the one that can lie the best or blame someone else the most. I just have a problem with lying or blaming and have a hard time lowering my standards at this stage of my life.

I guess it explains my interviews.

 

In America, the American Government separates children from their parents everyday

Yes you read that right.   In America, the American government separates children from their parents everyday. If you don’t believe this statement, go to any courthouse in any county in America. Sit there for one day and see for yourself.  This is, of course, done by the American Government and Judicial system.  The Department of Family Services was once known as the Department of Social Services. And they take children away from their families everyday and place them in Foster Care.

Why is this done you ask?  Well, the department of family services has said these people are unfit parents.  Or the parents were doing illegal activities, usually to support the family, and will be, or are in prison. So why are Americans up in arms and screaming about the border patrol separating children from their families at the border?

Now I know what you are saying.  Your saying, “Sure that happens in America but those people are criminals, or drug addicts, or too poor to care for their children.  Those children deserve to be taken away from them.  It is in their best interest. Well, the last time I looked, it was against the law to come to a country without a visa. Unless you are seeking refuge from political or religious persecution you need a visa to enter another country. There is no war in Mexico or South America.  There is no religious persecution coming from latin countries.

All of these people are coming to try to flee poverty and get away from The latin Gangs. Instead, they bring poverty with them and the gang members come with them, setting up shop in our country. In any country around the world, if you get caught living without a valid visa, you will go to jail and you will be deported. Usually with the stipulation that you can not re-enter that country for next two to four years.

So why do you care more about the people living illegally in our country that we do our own citizens?  Why are we willing to destroy American families and arrest American citizens and then allow cities to let violent criminals go because they are illegal immigrants? Most of these criminals will go on to commit more crimes, including raping and killing American Citizens.

I’ve thought about this a lot over the past few weeks. I read an article about Peter Fonda. He was apologizing for tweeting something horrible about Trump because of the border children.I don’t think any one read it but he wanted to be sure to make the news.  You remember Peter Fonda.  His father was Henry Fonda.  Henry Fonda was one of the greatest actors Hollywood has ever known.  He also has a sister named Jane Fonda.  Jane Fonda sided with the north Vietnamese during the Viet nam war. She even gave shows and support to one of Americas enemies at the time.

Peter has had one decent movie appearance in his entire career and that was Easy Rider.  Unfortunately for him, his acting was over shadowed by both Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson.  Are all of these people actually making noise about this so they can get their 15 minutes of fame? Do they just hate Donald trump for keeping his campaign promises or do they truly care about these children?

If they truly care about the children, I wish they would do more to try to clean up America.  Lets stop American children from living the horror of not having a father or mother or both because they have been deemed bad parents by the system.  Lets stop homelessness from our American children and let stop American children from going to bed hungry.  Wouldn’t it be nice to get your 15 minutes of fame for the right reasons? Not just because you believe you are special enough to turn a blind eye to America’s problems and humanitarian enough to take care of the rest of the world?

So before we worry about the thorn in the eye of the rest of the world, why don’t we take out the log from our own?

Freedom

I have been reading a lot of new from back home lately and have really been giving all of this freedom stuff and government structures a lot of thought lately.  For the record, I have lived in China for a year now.  The job that I do involves talking to approximately 20 Chinese couples a day and I work 6 days a week. This would equal approximately 6000 Chinese couples that I have had the opportunity to meet and get to know if only for short periods of time.   I am the only foreigner in the office where I work and have about 50 employees around me that are all Chinese.  I have my own personal translator in order to communicate with them.

The reason I  decided to write this is because I was reading a news article.  During a visit to China by Joe Biden the Chinese government felt it necessary to detain six Chinese farmers. It never said what Mister Biden could have done for them but someone didn’t want them to see him.  I love reading the comments on stories like this.  Keeps me abreast with the way American mentality is working and how Americans are thinking.  The majority of the comments seemed to play on the idea of, “damn communist’s, who do they think they are violating human rights in such a profane fashion?”

Meanwhile, yesterday I was reading about an American woman, who is a housewife. She, as well as two other passengers, were humiliated and brutally removed from a plane on the anniversary of 911. They were also detained and strip searched. It seems the two gentleman sitting with her, that she did not know, spent to much time in the bathroom.  Not sure what the strip search included but the thoughts of cavity search do come to mind.  Hope the BM was successful.

Again I love reading the comments and the theme of those were, “Yes, America the greatest country in the world!  Who the hell does this Arab, Jewish woman think she is flying on 9/11 and who the hell are these men to defile the sanctity of the “white bathrooms” on our planes?  They got what they deserved. If we treated all passengers like this maybe we could stem the tide of terrorism!” Others included:  “Well that’s what happens when you’re making sure we’re safe. An isolated incident such as this is bound to happen”.  So here’s the bad news. The news reported that fifty such incidents happened that day.  I wonder if you would say that if it happened to you.  Give it time and it could be.

What the hell is wrong with you people?  Has American propaganda really been that effective on you?  Do you really believe that Osama Bin Laden started his holy jihad against American believing that they could win on shear strength or do you believe that the plan was to exhaust America, just as anyone would do who is fighting a much bigger foe, and then use the egotism of the individual to drain all the power economic or otherwise from him in order to defeat him?

Did you ever see the movie where the aliens started the fear in a neighborhood and then sat back and watched as they went crazy and killed each other?  No, I don’t think that we have much to worry about from the Chinese, I think while we divert our attention to a country like the Chinese, the Taliban will see their opportunity and finally bring us to our knees.  Think their plan has been working?

So what are governments and what exactly makes them different?  Well in the simplest of forms, a government is nothing more than a business with many sub businesses paying the main business to keep it going.  We call this a tax system or protection.  So, while America is struggling with how to keep their business of 300 million employees operational and keep the bad elements out, China struggles with the same challenges only on a scale that is 5 times larger.  How do you do that?  Well America chooses to put the majority of its citizens in jail in order to isolate them and to give more revenue to the system, while making it impossible for them to find lucrative employment and puts a burden on the family.

China controls their people as well, but more in a protective way and it is evident in the fact that when you talk to someone you quickly find that a 30 year old in China is the equivalent of a 24 year old in America.  Is this a bad thing or is it actually a good thing to let them live the life of a child a little longer and keep them away from the bad elements of the world?  Unfortunately this is rapidly changing with the internet and the slow infuse of the western culture. Its evident the younger generation is embracing American culture. You can see it in the clothes they wear and the attitudes they have.

So what exactly are the freedoms we get to enjoy in America that the rest of the world doesn’t? If the truth be known, there are more freedoms in other countries than there are in America. However the ones that we as Americans seem to embrace the most are as follows.

1.  Freedom of speech.  Yes we can talk bad about our government if we choose, well unless you decide to threaten America or the president or an elected official.  Then see how much freedom of speech you have.

And while we are on this subject, have any of our leaders ever been tried for war crimes? Even if they killed thousands of innocent people in the quest for our freedom?  No but it does seem to be our favorite thing to do to other leaders.

Freedom of speech also gave us American media.  What I consider to be one of the biggest evils in the world today.  What started out as a way to keep the American people informed of the going ons in the world turned into a way of destroying anyone in the public eye we might be jealous of.  I don’t care what you did Tiger Woods. I still believe you’re one of the greatest athletes the world has ever known. With America pushing sex down your throat from cradle to grave, how in the world could you not be tempted?

And speaking of that, Freedom of speech does allow our children to access unlimited porn on the internet with a click of the button. It also allows movies like faces of death to be made so our children can be more and more immune to what the realities of these things are.  It teaches them that using four letter words after every statement is not only good but necessary.  And it teaches them that being a bad guy is not only cool and a way to be famous, but it has a great soundtrack to go with it.

2. The Right to bear arms.  “You can take my gun when you pry it from my cold dead hand”.   Well unless the government thinks your hoarding guns for the use of over throwing the system as we know it.  Can anyone say David Koresh? I have to admit, I have been around guns all of my life. It was nice to live in a country where we could kill birds and squirrels when we wanted.  It was a very interesting way to learn the dangers of such a powerful weapon. But that was a different time.  However, we would never have taken a gun to school or a mall or a restaurant. We never thought of becoming famous by opening fire on innocent people.

How many crimes like this occur a day in America?  Think of how many kids die when they find Dad’s loaded gun and it accidentally goes off?  How many drive by shootings occur every day in the major cities in America?  How many murders are committed from a gun  that’s stolen from a regular citizen? Or from any gun for that matter?  How many people die every day by standing in the wrong place at the wrong time? Yes the right to bear arms and defend ourselves is a wonderful thing.  Providing you’re taught how to use them and shown the damage they can inflict.  Without this knowledge, and most Americans don’t have it, it makes America one of the most dangerous places in the world to live.

3. Freedom of Religion.  Now this one I do agree with but it goes for all religions.  I don’t know if any one has lived in a Muslim community or known many Muslim people, but they are actually very good people. They have more commitment to their faith than most westerners have to anything.  Let’s face it; there are radical Christians that kill in the name of Jesus just as there are radical Muslims that kill in the name of Allah.  Just because someone is Muslim it doesn’t mean they are Taliban or bad people!  And just for the record you can find Buddhist temples, Muslim temples, and Christian churches in China as well as Thailand, Mexico and pretty much any where you go.

4. A government by the people for the people of the people.  Two words.  Not Happening.

5. All men are created equal.  To steal a line from Charlton Heston in the planet of the apes. “It seems some men are created more equal than others!”

Any others you can think of that you don’t have in the rest of the world?  Not really, and these are the ones that they talk about when they say “we are fighting this war and killing our children for your freedoms.”

Well I really wanted to talk more about China and of Thailand and other countries here but it seems that my space is up for this blog.  Three pages is all that I will allow myself.  So I will try to do a part two to this as soon as I can so keep an eye open for Freedom Part 2.  In the mean time, check out all you need to know about Timeshare and the timeshare industry at www.timeshareadvisor.net