Want some cheese with that WHINE?

[drafted 30 Dec 2008]

The past couple of days, it has been a conscious effort to not be whiny. We moved offices and it was our first couple of days in our new 'home', in an area just a couple of kilometers south of our former office building. Things are not THAT bad after all, and with the recession hitting everyone where it hurts, I should be thankful that my company is cutting down on office rent instead of jobs and people.

Therefore I will not complain, despite the fact that it takes more than 5 times my usual travel time and 5 times as much walking from my apartment to the new office. I will not complain that half the lobby is not yet functional and is covered in a foot of dust, or that the area near the bank of elevators reeks of smoke. I will also not complain that it takes forever for the elevator to come, that it crawls up the building at a snail's pace and that it takes, on average, 5 stops before I get to the 16th floor. I will not complain that we've lost our beautiful 30th floor west-facing view that shows us snow-capped mountains on certain days, and stunning sunsets everyday.

I will not complain that the automatic flush starts working WHILE you are on the seat and that it has been a couple of days that I have been washing my hands with freezing cold water -- word around the office is that it's always been that way and always will be. I will also not complain about losing the prestige we once had at the mere mention of our office address; our old building, the China World Trade Towers (which we lovingly call Guomao), were among the most photographed and celebrated modern buildings in Beijing, more so now with the construction of Tower 3 which is slated to be the tallest building in the city. Now we are housed in an obscure area that three out of the four cabbies I have asked are not quite familiar with.

It did make me think how much being in Guomao has gotten into my head; we have been spoiled by the comforts of being attached to a mall, despite not buying anything from 50% of the shops (the likes of LV, Cartier, Montblanc, Ferragamo, Samsonite Black Label - but who cares, it's still nice to look!). In Guomao there were places to get healthy food (Schlotzky's, Subway, good Jap food complete with a rotating sushi bar) and UNhealthy food (Thai, Taiwanese, Steak Factory, Cold Stone Ice Cream, Haagen Dazs, oh just thinking about it!) -- whhatever you feel like. There's a supermarket where you can get foreign stuff, a Watson's, a Sephora, a Bank of China, an ICBC (a bank which lets me pay my bills through the ATM)... yeah basically anything you need to do anything.

I know, I know. I'm just gonna have to wait a while for me to get used to my new surroundings. In the meantime... I will not complain!

P.S. In my defense, the above entry is for your amusement only and is not a reflection of my general level of whiny-ness which I always keep at a minimum. Haha. I really do try not to complain... except to certain people, who do not have much choice but to listen to my whine. :)