Every time I am so happy after arriving in Melbourne the first day. I did enjoy holidays in China, travelling, shopping, restaurants, library, writing, meeting families and friends, watching TV and movies.It sounds like living in a fantasy, but after everything I’ve done, delicious food no longer attracts me as I have gained 3.5kg within three months. Can’t imagine staying in Shanghai like that for one year, I will be obese. I just didn’t have much motivation to do things and felt lost. Stay with family was good, but there were many rules and traditions that I wondered whether I was doing the right things or not.In Melbourne, I am becoming active to do what I like, no worries about the thoughts of others. After arriving in Melbourne, I am shocked by the weight gained, so I make a plan to go to gym 40 minutes per day until back to normal and have taken action from the first night.Luckily, in Shanghai, I received an email from job agency that I could do temp accounts work in the previous company, so I started working the following day after arriving in Melbourne. I know, my suitcase hasn’t been unpacked, but who cares, that’s my life, I can do it at any time. In Shanghai, if parents know what I am doing, they must remind me that I should put that on the top of my priority list instead of doing gym which makes me think I am doing wrong. In Melbourne, I’d go shopping, cooking and cleaning, but that’s not bad. I discovered that doing chores is much happier than having negative thoughts during my idle time. I find that life is not about doing nothing at all; it’s a progress that you do what you love and make improvements day by day, which makes you happy. That’s the way I love Melbourne because it is a city accepts other cultures and respects individual differences, there are freedom and personal space.Of course, everyone has a different choice, and I just met a Chinese girl Jenny, she is gonna go back to China to pursue a new dream. In Melbourne, Jenny is stagnant for doing accounts work day in, and day out, there’s not much change. She expects that there are more job opportunities in China and it might bring her good fortune.On the other hand, Amy, one Chinese friend did the same thing as Jenny. Fortunately, she got a job in Lujiazui, Shanghai and paid expensive rent for a luxury apartment which is close to the company.Working in the CBD of Shanghai is the dream of most ambitious Chinese graduates including Amy, but after five years, she decided to work and live in Melbourne. The colleagues in Shanghai were challenging; those are people who smile on her face but talk behind her back. They have problems to understand why an overseas student returned to Shanghai; there must be something wrong work in Australia. If Amy has a family business, she doesn’t need to work with them, just stay at home and enjoy life. Amy didn’t feel happy at all when they said in a sarcastic voice.In Australian companies, the majority colleagues are easier to deal with; they don’t care about your personal life, just do proper work and go home. It’s simple. Though it was difficult to find an accounts job in Melbourne for being in China for so long, Amy kept applying; she did temp and part-time jobs. After one year and a half, eventually, she got a full-time accounts position in a trading firm. Probably that’s not the best, the company is not as big as the one she worked in Shanghai, but it fits her the most, people are friendly, which makes her happy.Fang, a Uni friend of mine, after she completed a Bachelor and a Master’s degree in Australia, PR was granted. Instead of finding a job in Australia, she gave up PR and helped her family business in Shanghai. Now she has two kids; the life is very comfortable to her in Shanghai. In Australia, the labour cost is high; it’s unlikely to have a housekeeper 24 hours a day, 7 days a week taking care of children, doing cooking and cleaning. In Shanghai, 7500CNY(AUD1500) a month can afford to pay a nanny do all sorts of things; in Australia, if pay 4 or 5 times amount of money, would have difficulty to find a stay-at-home one. Fang, a career woman with two little kids, still have time catch up with friends having afternoon tea, or going to Tibet for a visit and watching a movie on the weekend. If she stays in Australia, she might don’t have much freedom unless parents take care of her children.“You see, it’s so easy to buy groceries and food, just download apps and press the button, most stuff will be delivered within one day,” Fang told me. “And there are a large number of choices for the takeaway food from nearby restaurants.” “Wow, you are living in the paradise,” I said. Indeed, she is. The 250 square meters apartment is bigger and more beautiful than most of the houses in Melbourne. She seems to enjoy the life in Shanghai very much.There are still quite a lot of people have never lived or worked overseas, when they experienced difficulties in China, they are easily be tricked by a migration agent, how fresh the air, how fabulous life in Australia or other countries. Yes or no, living overseas is not as perfect as what they said. It relates to the personality and life experience; someone might feel much happier in Shanghai than in Melbourne or New York. Moving into a new country is not about expecting someone else change your life or with lots money, dining at Michelin restaurants all the time and living the life luxury by doing nothing.And still complain how boring the country, I guess that’s the problem of thinking.Only if you regard it as life experience, you set up a goal of moving into a new country, you enjoy the process and try very hard to realise it, and that will bring you happiness. I love living in Melbourne than in Shanghai; for others, they consider Shanghai is a better choice. It is a risk taker to try something new and eventually settles down in a country which fits her the most.You are most welcome join my wechat account: Englishpassion

The job market is tight for a graduate or a new immigrant with no work experience in Australia. You open up seek- Australia’s No. 1 employment site, apply for a position, enter an email address, upload a resume and a cover letter, and then submit the application. To start with, you are very excited, get up early and wait anxiously for the agent guy call you. But after a couple of months, half a year and even longer, you have never received any phone call except numerous rejection emails. And this is not unusual. It happens at the current job market as well as ten years ago the time I applied for a job the economy was not that bad. The belief and persistence make a difference between someone has a job in Australia, and the one gets married to be a stay-at-home mum, or someone returns to home country expecting a family member to introduce a decent job.1. Start from a causal, a temp or a part-time positionWhile applying for a full-time position which is related to your major, try a temp, a casual, a part-time one in other areas including admin, clerk and call centre etc. The main reason is to get you start from the bottom and gain office experience, after that it would be much easier to move on. In Melbourne, my first job was a temp admin working for Fosters Group at Southbank, after three months, my contract was due when the full-time employee back from holiday.After gained office experience in the Australian company, then I had another part-time admin job (back of house, kind of call centre) in a telecommunication company in CBD which is also on the listing of ASX (Australian Securities Exchange). The working hours were tricky; it started at 6:00 am, probably that’s the reason I got the job as no one would like to get up so early. But it made my resume longer with local experience, which was the foundation finding another job later on.2. Apply for as many jobs as you canAs far as I know, most of my friends had sent out hundreds of emails before they got the first full-time permanent position. And that including me, to be honest; sometimes I’ve got no idea which job I applied when the agent called me the following day. It is quite desperate that you have applied for hundreds of jobs, but never heard any feedback, so please don’t take it so seriously, just send as many as you can and wait to see what happens. It is like buying lottery tickets, the more money you spend, the more chance you win. Applying a job is less risky, you don’t have to invest money, all you need is to upload a resume and a cover letter, and then click a submit application button. Please don’t think you are not experienced enough to apply a position you are dreaming of, why worry so much. It’s your fault if don’t send as many as possible, at least you have tried best and has nothing to regret, and that’s the problem of the agent if they ignore you.3. Make time to do what you likeWhile waiting, it is the best time to do what you love. Don’t be too stressed; time is precious if you have time worry about not finding a job, it’s better to discover what you really like and start doing it. After graduated from the Uni in Australia, I was lost because I doubted that I could compete with young students and found a job in my late 30s. Therefore I wasted time being a couch potato and gained lots of weight. At that time I didn’t have a positive attitude and had no idea what to do if no company wanted me.After seven years, my company was shut down; I was looking for a job again. But this time was different; I realised that a job is not the only thing matters; I still have lots other things to do. While being unemployed, I was still happy as I could do reading, writing and physical exercises.Attending a driving course, playing the piano, learn cooking and cleaning, walking and running to make yourself busy, you still have so many things to do. Remember work is just a part of life, even don’t have one, you still have right to enjoy life.Even stay at home for a year, you should be happy and make it the most valuable time to do what you love.4. Earn pocket money to be independentNo matter rich or poor, it is essential to do a job and be self-reliant. For a new immigrant with no family support, they will be stressed; there’s rent, bill, food to pay and the bank deposit is getting less. Then find a causal, a part-time one, working for KFC, McDonald, Hungry Jack, supermarkets or shopping centre, petrol station or being a cleaner. Even if you don’t have to worry about the financial thing, it’s still necessary to find a temp one, because it makes you get involved with people and improve your cooperation skill. Money is not the only thing you should care. Therefore, it’s better to do a few days a week and make sure you have enough time to apply for a full-time position, have time to answer phone calls and get a job interview when there’s one.5. Overcome difficulties and gain self-confidenceMost Chinese students including my daughter have been taught how to get high marks in the school until they enter into a reputable Uni.After completing a Uni degree, in China, parents, friends, relatives or parents’ friends try very hard to help children find a job so that they have an easy life. Why not let them experience a little bit frustrations, only if they know how to conquer difficulties, they will appreciate life more. And also it helps them to gain self-confidence after mastering the skill of how to find a job so that they will never be afraid of losing one as they have got out of the darkest part of life and become stronger.This article is inspired by my daughter; she has just completed a degree: Master of engineering in Melbourne Uni, after back from China, she’s looking for a job.Probably, this is the hardest time she’s experiencing since she was born; the same as her friends, they are waiting for phone calls, not sure how long does it take to get a dream job. What they can do is keep applying and never give up, one day an unexpected phone call will receive, best of the luck!!!please join my wechat subscription: Englishpassion

Travelling in China, we have limited time to try the best local cuisines and snacks at a low price in each city. And it would be a bit hard to find such tasty food in other cities, what can we do? There’s one answer: eat, eat and eat.It’s meaningless to control appetite while visiting China. Also, I would have difficulty to resist the dishes with the flavour of hometown, my favourite cold meals and snacks.I might have to wait one more year if don’t have them in Shanghai. Therefore, In China, I don’t have a choice except eat as much as I can.After I arrived in Melbourne, the first thing was to get on the scale to weigh how much I have gained. Was that real? Gained 3.5kg to 4kg, I am almost overweight. Immediately, I figured out that I need to lose 0.1kg per day. I make it into five stages, and each step will take ten days to lose 1kg. So far stage 1 has been completed perfectly, I know, it will be getting harder especially the last two stages, but it’s challenging, and there’s lots fun. Losing weight is similar to learning English; it’s so easy to give up without setting up a goal.At the moment, I work 10 hours a day including commuting time. Every day, I feel tired after dinner and cleaning, but I still sit in front of the laptop making notes while reading a book. That’s for sure I will fall asleep immediately if go to bed straight away. Instead, I set up alarm o’clock at 8:45 pm- time for exercises. Sometimes I am lazy especially Friday nights, oh, no, I’d better have a relaxing night, but thinking about the weight I’d reach the following morning 60.9 kg, I weighed myself after dinner, it’s 61.4kg.If I don’t go for gym, I might fail to reach the small goal of next day and will be very discouraged because my plan is destroyed, then I will lose self-confidence.Just imagine if I reach 57kg or ideal weight 55kg, my body will look much better for taking photos in summer. Then I change clothes and go to the gym; there are still a few guys doing the workout at 9:00 pm. I am sweating a lot after 12-minute bicycle riding; again I spend 12 minutes to do an elliptical workout, and one more 12- minute walk and run on a treadmill.At last, I do 100 cardio exercises on a rowing machine.I feel so happy after losing 250 calories at night as I will reach a small goal of next day morning. That’s how it works. I try to make my body look better by raising a standard so that I have to do exercise on a daily basis.Sometimes on the weekends, I go for a walk and run along Yarra River and Royal Botanic Gardens or Albert Park.If it is a beautiful sunny day, I will take a train and get off at Brighton station, then go for a walk, jog or run from Brighton beach towards St. Kilda beach.I also enjoy walking and jogging along Williamstown beach while watching sunset and seabirds flying over the ocean, and then take a train home when it turns dark.Walking, jogging and running brings me happiness, and everyone can have it for free. When I jog in the Fern Gully within the Royal Botanic Gardens, I feel like live in the heaven, and that’s the best thing I have ever experienced.Happiness is everywhere if you do what you like. If someone asks why I move to Melbourne, it is the best city which provides the most places of walking and running while enjoying the beautiful natural view along the seaside, that’s one of the answers.In Shanghai, I was not a walker or a runner at all. In Melbourne, I am changing as I have been influenced by locals because it’s a common thing. When I open the door in the morning, I often see people running passed through. If food is a priority travelling in China, then walking and running is a scene in Melbourne. You don’t understand China without trying difficult cuisines; likewise, if you visit Australia without doing a walk or a run along the seaside, you won’t appreciate how beautiful the country is.Each city has its amazing part, everyone should discover and enjoy what you have, and you will find real happiness.You are most welcome join my wechat subscription： Englishpassion

When I went downstairs, I heard from our designers and specifiers, “Congratulations, Sweetolive, you passed the driving test, well done!!!!” “Yes, thank you so much.” “How do you guys know?” I was wondering. “Everyone does, that’s the hot news today.” It spreads too fast, from upstairs to downstairs, from admins to designers, even my boss asked, “How’s your driving test going?” I can’t remember I have ever told my colleagues before the test because I am not going to let them know if I fail once more.The first time, I told everyone, “I will have a driving test tomorrow.” The following day, when I entered into the office, everyone was interested, “How’s your test going?” “Failed.” “Oh, no; keep going.” My colleagues encouraged me. “Sure, I will.” “My friend failed four times,” Tristan told me. “Then he passed the driving test at Sale where there are not many people in the countryside.”The second time everyone laughed after I announced that I failed at the last minute the time I returned to VicRoads, I didn’t stop to let a man walk through at a shared zone.“Haha, Sweetolive, you nearly hit him!!!” “Not really, I drove at 10km/h; I was concentrating on the speed and trying to find a parking spot without noticing a man walking towards my car.”This time, I want to keep quiet; I don’t like everyone notice if I fail again for so many excuses.Indeed, I have no problem driving on the highway at 100km/h, yet I can’t guarantee I can pass the test, it is very strict recently.The driving skill is essential, but for the driving test, one has to pay attention to the details with good luck on that day, one can never predict what happens within the 1-hour test. Even someone is very experienced in driving, and he is still at the risk of failing if he can’t match the criteria. I’ve heard a Chinese car mechanic; he is very good at driving in China, unluckily, in Melbourne, he failed eight times. It is not unusual; there are stories from my driving instructor that some of his students who are excellent drivers in China, some of them had to take many times driving test before obtaining a driver’s license in Australia. The funny thing is the more experienced ones in China, the harder to obtain an Australian license, because bad habits die hard, they are likely to fail at traffic rules than driving skill.Therefore, the driving test is not only about how brilliant a driver you are, of course, the more experienced, the better, but obeying the traffic rules is the key to pass, and paying attention to details is essential. For example, I was warned heaps of times that I should be very carefully at a slip lane when the turn signal off, I need to turn on again until I have finished the left or right turn completely. If I forget turning on the signal twice, it is likely to fail the test, which stressed me out. What’s more, sometimes, I can’t remember to check the rear-view mirror before turning on the left and right signal. For a few times, I turn on the high beams accidentally. The early morning before the test, I took 1 hour and a half driving class, at 60km/h zone, I drove at 62km, which lasts several seconds. My driver instructor said, “You may not pass the test if driving over the speed limit like that for a while.” One friend said it was so easy 20 years ago, as long as you were not a drunk, then you could pass the driving test. Now it’s getting harder and harder, that made me nervous. My husband gave me a good suggestion, “You need to keep traffic rules in mind by thinking about a picture just like you are driving.” That is an excellent idea. Since I failed the second time about two months ago, instead of practising driving, I used imagination to think about steps how to drive on the road in the real situation.For example, how do I change the lane from left to right? First, I need to check the rear view mirror, turn on the right signal, and then check the side mirror, after that, check the blind spot by looking over my shoulder, if it is safe, change lane and then turn off the signal. If I miss out checking the blind spot and rear view mirror, I might fail. I have so many things to imagine how to drive at a roundabout, how to use median stripes for turning, how to merge on time without crashing and change lane without speeding. If I ignore one of them, I might fall.I used to focus on the driving skill without paying attention to the traffic rules, whenever I had classes, my driver instructor pointed out mistakes I’ve made. Since I was trying to keep these details in mind, though I stopped practising driving for a while, last Sunday, I had a class, surprisingly, my driving skill remained the same, but I paid more attention to the traffic rules. Until the morning before the test, my driving instructor said that I had an 80% chance to pass. I was not sure at all, who knows what happens on the road.Now I have obtained an Australian driver’s license, a P-plate, I feel so lucky, my driving examiner is a lovely young Aussie man; he put me at ease.Fortunately, during the test, I didn’t make significant mistakes at all, even not minor ones. I am happy; if I fail again, I have to spend AUD270(1350CNY) for two classes at 1 hour and a half each which including using the car for driving test, though the courses are not compulsory, it’s worth to pay for it. “You have to pay again,” my driving instructor felt sorry for me last time. “You must pass next time.” “No worries.”I said, “I might have to regard it as traffic fines which are more expensive than classes.” Two of my Aussie colleagues received three infringement notices within one month, each of them paid AUD 700(3,750CNY) to AUD800. I can save money on travelling, clothing, not for having classes. Sometimes failure is not necessarily bad; you have to think positively; you master well about the traffic rules before you drive on the road by yourself, which reduces car accident. I told my colleagues, “One is never too old to learn.”Yeah, I obtained a P-plate later than my daughter, that’s not a big deal.I believe one can learn anything at any time as long as you have the motivation to reach the goal. One more story, 12 years ago, once I paid driving classes and had a test, I failed, and then I went back to China. After back to Melbourne, I live in the city, it was not urgent for me to drive at all, so I have never thought about doing the test again. Though I did write on my 10-year plan, nevertheless, I have never taken action; it was until my dad pushed me hard. Here, I appreciate the inspiration from my dad who changed my mindset; my driving instructor’s encouragement, patience and excellent teaching skill. Especially thanks to my husband for 120 hours of supervised driving, taking notes, drawing the pictures of the traffic rules and the accompany of my daughter for her navigating the road.They are the ones who made my dream come true. I am not a smart type, but I always dare to make things happen no matter how many times I have failed, keep going, do it over and over until I reach the destination and then find one more challenge. That is fun.

When I went downstairs, I heard from our designers and specifiers, “Congratulations, Sweetolive, you passed the driving test, well done!!!!”

 

“Yes, thank you so much.”

 

“How do you guys know?” I was wondering.

 

“Everyone does, that’s the hot news today.”

 

It spreads too fast, from upstairs to downstairs, from admins to designers, even my boss asked, "How's your driving test going?”

 

I can't remember I have ever told my colleagues before the test because I am not going to let them know if I fail once more.

The first time, I told everyone, "I will have a driving test tomorrow.”

 

The following day, when I entered into the office, everyone was interested, “How's your test going?”

 

“Failed.”

 

“Oh, no; keep going.” My colleagues encouraged me.

 

“Sure, I will.”

 

“My friend failed four times,” Tristan told me. “Then he passed the driving test at Sale where there are not many people in the countryside.”

The second time everyone laughed after I announced that I failed at the last minute the time I returned to VicRoads, I didn't stop to let a man walk through at a shared zone.

“Haha, Sweetolive, you nearly hit him!!!”

 

“Not really, I drove at 10km/h; I was concentrating on the speed and trying to find a parking spot without noticing a man walking towards my car.”

This time, I want to keep quiet; I don’t like everyone notice if I fail again for so many excuses.

Indeed, I have no problem driving on the highway at 100km/h, yet I can't guarantee I can pass the test, it is very strict recently.

After I posted a few photos of Chinese food on Wechat, one Aussie friend made a comment:“Why do Chinese photograph food they about to eat”? Good one, actually, I have never thought about the question.Normally, I seldom post photos of food in Melbourne, because I go to the same restaurants on a weekly basis for 14 years. No matter family visit me or catch up with friends, I no longer have passion about it.However, when my brother visited me, he was very enthusiastic about western food especially Italian ones, eg, spaghetti, steak, salmon pizza and garlic prawn. I won’t be surprised if brother post it on Wechat to share with his friends.When on holiday in China, I am fascinated about the old traditional Chinese food, eg, small wonton (小馄饨), deep-fried dough stick (油条), pan-fried dumplings (生煎), black sesame Tangyuan (黑芝麻汤圆) etc.True, most of them are available at Box Hill in Melbourne, but some can only be found in Shanghai,eg, Yang’s pan-fried dumplings (小杨生煎)， it is very juicy with lots veggies inside, I have never seen the vegetable, Shepherd’s Purse(荠菜) at the market in Melbourne.Therefore, when I have these Shanghai snacks, I will be very excited, can’t help taking photos and then post them on the Wechat. My brother is wondering why I am interested in stuff as old as grandma?Probably he is used to them as he can have a taste as long as he feels like; they are special to me, I have to take an airplane from 8000km away once a year or longer.Every year, I post food photos when I travel around China, one thing is for a record, it’s easier for me to find one and insert into a blog. The most important thing, food in China is as popular as beer in Australia or fashion in France. Food represents Chinese culture, the key element traveling around China is to have a taste of local flavor.One dish represents a city, it is special as the original taste won’t be the same at a different location, even the similar flavor, you won’t have the same feeling with the local people sitting around, who speaks difficult dialect.So if you wanna try the best, you might have to go to a particular city as no one from others can compete with it. That’s the reason for photos taking, which means you enjoy staying in that city, and that would be a wonderful flashback when you open the photos of nice food, the happiest moment you ever had.Just a couple of hours of driving in China, the local dishes will be so different. From super spicy hot pot in Chong Qing, Si Chuan to yak hot pot (牦牛火锅) and buttered tea (酥油茶) in Shangri-La;From Yum Cha in Canton to hand-made beef ball (牛肉丸) in Shantou (汕头);From Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles (兰州拉面) to Yunnan crossing-the-bridge noodles (过桥米线);From three whites (white shrimp, whitebait and whitefish) in Lake Tai to steamed Yangcheng Lake hairy crab in Jiangsu province which is very close to Shanghai; The best season of crabs starts from Sep. lasts for a few months, and that is a must for Shanghainese.In Shanghai, the one I enjoy most are cold dishes. Eg. lotus root appetizer stuffed with sticky rice in sugar syrup with osmanthus blossoms (桂花糖藕), but I am very picky. One day, my mum bought one for me from the market, I said: “Sorry, I don’t think I will have it.” “You told you liked it very much.” “Yes, I do, but I only have the ones from a few limited restaurants.” It calls the same name and looks similar, but taste is completely different. It’s just like coffee, I don’t drink coffee often, so it’s ok, I can drink at any coffee shop. For a coffee lover will understand the feeling I have Lotus root stuffed with sticky rice.We all have a very high standard in a particular thing.Just like people from Si Chuan will never be satisfied with the spicy food in Melbourne, even not in other cities of China, it’s like baby food to them because the red chillies and Si Chuan peppercorn make a difference.If someone asks me: “Do you like fish skins?”“Oh, nooo, it’s horrible, not for me.” But the one at ChenTian Ji (陈添记) in Canton changed my idea and so far I have never found any as good as that.So I have been to Chen Tian Ji twice within two days because the stone mill soya-bean milk is very rare in the modern society of China. The shop still keeps old tradition which can hardly be found in other cities.Food is an art. What a pity if visit a place without taking photos of food for a good memory, there might only a few left in the world.In most small to medium size cities of China except four big cities, the food price is cheap. In Melbourne, 130CNY ($25) can only afford to buy one dish of vegetable; In China, two people can have five to six dishes in a four-star restaurant.Naturally, I would love to take photos: “Wow, how beautiful!” the five-star environment which ordinary people can afford to go.That’s the passion for food and life. If one day, nothing can get my attention, I feel so bored about traveling and no more interested in yummy food, I am afraid turning old.Passion for photographing food is the sign of enjoying life which means I am trying something new.please join my wechat subscription: Englishpassion if you like my blogs

1

Otherwise

否则，不然

2

Obviously

显然

3

Frankly

坦率的说

4

Briefly

简单的说

5

Indeed

的确

6

Honestly

真的

7

Fortunately/ luckly

幸好

8

I believe

我相信

9

I wonder

我不知道

10

In the first place

首先

11

In addition

此外

12

Of course

当然

13

For instance/ for example

例如

14

Strictly speaking

严格的说

15

Generally speaking

一般来说

16

Judging from

根据…判断

17

That is

也就是说

18

It seems

看来是

19

In face/ as a matter of fact

事实上

20

Needless to say

不用说

21

Strange to say

说也奇怪

22

To tell the truth

老实说

23

In a few words/ in short/ in sum

简而言之

24

To sum up

概括的说

25

I am sure

我可以肯定的说

26

Luckily for somebody/ happily for sb

算某人幸运

27

Most important of all

最为重要的是

28

What is important/ what is serious

重要/严重的是

29

In general

一般而言

30

In other words

换句话说

31

In a sense

在某种意义上

32

In my view/ as I see it

在我看来

33

From my point of view/ from my
perspective/ view point

我认为

34

In conclusion

总之

In the movie Mr. Right (恋爱先生), Yan Wang (王岩) is becoming attractive with self-confidence after changing image from the advice of a love consultant, Hao Cheng (陈皓). One day, Yan followed his dream girl Le Yu (徐乐) into the elevator. Hao: That would be the best time leave first impression to the girl when there are only two in the elevator. Hao:Today you are supposed to do one thing, press the button for the girl the level she goes, and you stand in front of the elevator, please don’t look and talk to her, make sure she feels safe.Hao: Physical attraction is essential. You have a nice suit, and that would be the bonus if wear a little bit perfume. “Please.” Yan waited at the side of the elevator. “Thank you.” Le Yu walked outside. At that moment, Yan was very excited, that’s the first time the girl noticed him.The second day, when Yan drove past the girl, he stopped.“What’s going on?” the girl asked.“Sorry, your tire is flat.”“I didn’t know that, and I must have trouble if I drive.” Le Yu.“No problems, do you have a spare one?”Yan. “Not sure, I have never done that.”“No worries, I can do it for you.” Yan“We have met in the elevator, right?” Le Yu.“Exactly, we work in the same building.” Yan. Hao gave Yan advice: “Please remember to make your shirt look really dirty and show her you don’t mind at all, how clean your shirt was in the elevator, how guilty the girl will be.”After a while, Le Yu: “I’m so sorry for your shirt.”“That’s fine, it’s a man’s responsibility, I will help you.”“Thanks so much.”“You are most welcome.”“I do appreciate for your help, I’ll buy you lunch.” Le Yu. “Please wait for 3 days, then go with her.” Hao advised Yan. “Sorry, I have an arrangement today.” Yan “But I feel bad if you don’t go with me, look at your dirty suit, it’s my problem.” Le Yu “I am so sorry, I can’t make it this time.” Yan apologized. “Well, we work in the same building, whenever you are free, please let me know, this is my phone number, thanks so much for your help.” Le Yu.Hao reminded Yan: “Please keep the phone number, but don’t add her Wechat, be careful, moments (朋友圈) are the beginning of a disaster. “Cool, I will let you know if I am available, hope see you soon.” Yan told the girl.City people are being cold, when you walk on the street, wait for an elevator, take a subway, do gym or stay in the library; that would be a lucky day if you meet someone says “Hello” with smiling face. However, when open up Wechat people nearby, you might receive 10 greetings within one hour “Hi, Hello, How are you?” A man can say “Hi” to as many girls as he likes in an online world, likewise, a girl may receive 20 “Hi” from 20 men. Probably a girl will so sick of an online “Hi”, even doesn’t bother to reply, because it doesn’t need much effort, it could be a copy and a paste, and you hardly see the face or hear the voice of an online friend. In real life, “Hello” is precious, which is becoming a scarce resource, especially in big cities, a handsome man hardly says “Hello” to a beautiful girl in public. So if a man likes a girl, “Hello” is a good start, you will stand out when no one else does it. A man makes a girl feel special when he says that with smiling face, it will be difficult for a girl to resist a nice man who looks fit, elegant, caring, kind and polite.You might think it’s just the movie, in real life, Yan Wang does not exist. In Melbourne, it’s quite often to meet a gentleman like Hao Cheng in my apartment.First impression is important, good body shape is the foundation. And that’s the sign one is having a good lifestyle, which means he cares about food and do exercises regularly. My original neighbor, an Aussie man in his 50s, still looks fit compared to the majorities who are out of shape in that age. Sometimes, I met him at gym, or in the elevator he’s taking a bicycle, or just running home.Now, it makes sense, that’s reward of discipline and persistence. If he can do it, there won’t be an excuse for a 20, 30, or 40-year-old man develop a good habit to build up a body as attractive as a movie star. Everyone can do it as long as put it on the priority list. You might argue: Oh, no, that’s not me, my family is poor, that’s my destiny, I don’t think I can make a change, it depends on the luck. But have you ever made an effort to make your dream come true, and that won’t cost too much, if you can’t afford gym, running, walking and cycling is free. Please don’t wait to let it go, be more active, to make it happen.In Mr. right(1), I talked about appearance is the first step to get a girl’s attention, a nice body matches suitable clothes, good quality shoes, fashionable hair cut. There’s no reason a girl will ignore a man like that. The second step is find an opportunity to show a girl you care about her and you can do everything to make her feel good. It’s just like in the movie Mr. Right, after Yan Wang changed tire for Le Xu , he got the phone number and invitation for a meal.A man doesn’t say hello to a lovely girl in real life, because he has little courage with low self-confidence, if just wait for it happen naturally, the chance is very low. A man should take action to let a girl know you care about her, it’s better to try and fail than never to try at all, then you won’t regret. If a girl refuses you, just regard it as life experience, if she accepts, then romantic story will happen.you are welcome join my wechat subscription: Englishpassion

“ Around 10
a.m., power cut took place, which is a common thing in Djibouti. And then, self-provided
diesel generator was launched automatically so there was no influence to us. Suddenly,
the doorbell rang. I went downstairs and saw that Ahmed our Ethiopian guard was
talking to me with fingers waving, but I couldn’t understand him.

Ahmed then
gestured me to the outside of the yard. Several young men stood in back of a
white pick-up and began to talk something with hand signs when they saw me. I could
not understand them either and they went away.

The guard immediately
showed me a white box with electrical company sign at corner of the wall, and
found that two of the four fuses had been pulled out. Based on hand signs of
Ahmed, I realized it was the young men who took away them.

So I called
our translator Luc at once, who went to logistic company one hour ago.

‘There were
some little punks stole our fuses away and power is cut now,’ I told him.

‘That might
be done by the staff of power bureau, probably because we did not pay the
electricity bill timely.’ Luc replied.

Luc came
back soon and took previous electrical bill to go to EDD (Power Bureau of
Djibouti). He paid the electrical bill of this month, but their staff of taking
fuses went far away from our block. ‘Today is Friday, so I must contact to a local
friend of EDD to return back the fuses this afternoon, otherwise the power cut will
continue during this weekend’ Luc said.

‘The guy of
EDD likes Chinese cigarettes; I’m going to give the cigarettes as a gift to him in order to let him send his staff to put the fuses
back this afternoon.’ he explained

Sure enough,
the generator stops working in afternoon and the power is switch on again. The
guys of EDD know how to choose right time.”