[Kissing when clubbing]

I guess it's safer just to consider it's not a big deal, but on the other hand, can it be leading to something you think?

It does depend on the person of course, but then again is it just

because of the atmosphere around you, being tipsy after some drinks,

can make you let your guard down and let yourself snogged by a guy whom

you just know that day?

I don't reckon I would unless there is something hopeful there however...

Or is it maybe one can perceive that somehow with this particular person it can lead to something more?

[Travelling alone in Paris is a bad idea?]

I'm thinking seriously to go to Paris in December even though there

might be a risk I get depressed for a while watching the couples around

me, but bugger it! :D

Have you guys, the forum members here met in person on a rendezvous?

Cause if you guys are quite open-minded about meeting forum people in person, would be fancy to have one when I'm there :)

I have been having gatherings with the forum people in Japan and

Singapore and so far there has been nothing dodgy to scare me away to

go to these rendezvous.

[Company event]

Any idea what to propose on company events here?

I was thinking of having a teambuilding type of games, but was wondering if there is any other better ideas...

Would appreciate any input.

Even though I'm now more mortified about being appointed to be the MC, bugger! What am I going to say?

[What movie did you see this week?]

Do admit the below can make a persuasive love letter :D

I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach.

You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.

Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever.

I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago.

Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you.

Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant.

You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone I think and plan.

Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I

had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as

I think you must have penetrated mine.

I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me.

You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others.

Too good, too excellent creature!

You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men.

Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating,

in F. W.

I must go, uncertain of my fate; but I shall return hither, or follow your party, as soon as possible.

A word, a look will be enough to decide whether I enter your father's house this evening or never.

-- Persuasion --

[Other ways to describe death]

Dedicated to a friend who just lost a loved one...

From Patch Adams movie:

Hunter Patch Adams:

Death. To die. To expire. To pass on. To perish. To peg out. To push up

daisies. To push up posies. To become extinct. Curtains, deceased,

Demised, departed And defunct. Dead as a doornail. Dead as a herring.

Dead as a mutton. Dead as nits. The last breath. Paying a debt to

nature. The big sleep. God's way of saying, "Slow down."

Bill Davis:

To check out.

Hunter Patch Adams:

To shuffle off this mortal coil.

Bill Davis:

To head for the happy hunting ground.

Hunter Patch Adams:

To blink for an exceptionally long period of time.

Bill Davis:

To find oneself without breath.

Hunter Patch Adams:

To be the incredible decaying man.

Bill Davis:

Worm buffet.

Hunter Patch Adams:

Kick the bucket.

Bill Davis:

Buy the farm.

Hunter Patch Adams:

Take the cab.

Bill Davis:

Cash in your chips.

Do not stand at my grave and weep

I am not there, I do not sleep

I am a 1,000 winds that blow

I am the diamond glints on snow

I am the sun on ripened grain

I am the gentle autumn rain

When you awaken in the morning's hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled light

I am the soft star that shines at night

Do not stand at my grave and cry

I am not there; I did not die.

I live in your heart.

[Travelling alone in Paris is a bad idea?]

I must admit I have never been to France and it's rather my romantic

side that has been curious to see Paris, plus having friends who have

been telling me how they enjoyed it travelling there.

However, a friend told me that it would be a bad idea to travel there alone, bumping into so many couples around.

But this is the same best friend whom I love like a family yet we had a

fight when we travelled together in Canada, including Quebec.

So since then, I had been travelling alone, let's say in Frankfurt,

Munchen, Stockholm, London, and Glasgow for Europe, and I enjoyed it

heaps as I could do whatever I want, go whereever and whenever I want

and nowadays I could just enjoy simple things like having a stroll

looking at the old architecture in London, etc., going to the museums

and art galleries. I could even picture myself sitting at a coffeeshop

in Paris reading a book and having a stroll crossing the bridges like

the character Sabrina in the movie, Sabrina.

I'm a female in my late 20s and am alone and I suppose my best friend

guests that my romantic side would be saddened not being able to share

the good things I would enjoy in Paris with someone special whom I

don't have at the moment. But the thought of depending your happiness

or enjoyment to someone else is just not what I fancy either...

So for those who have been in Paris, what do you reckon?

[The black sheep]

Not particularly related to working in France but just work in general.

Was wondering what other members of the forum here think about the situation below.

Was watching "The Apprentice" tonight and I must

admit I found it rather disappointing to find that the project manager

was not given a warning on the discrimination or I guess rather the

disintegration she sort of encouraged in the team.

Basically apparently there is this girl who is of an Indian

descent, at least South Asian descent who had been disliked by the

other team members except one (let's call her B) cause of her

disappointing performance previously, let's call her A. Even though I

can't tell for sure since I didn't see the show last week.

She was trying to make it up by promoting herself to be the

project manager for the current task at the team's hand at that time,

but the way she put it as she doesn't have the experience in marketing

which is what the task was related to, she would like to take the

challenge if nobody else is going to step up.

One other team member seemed to support her, which is B actually.

But then another team member stepped up (let's call her C) to

suggest herself to be the project manager, claiming that she did have

experience in marketing and advertising so the first girl, A didn't try

to make a strong case and instead stepped down.

So then the team went to have a discussion on the mascot to create.

The task is to create a mascot for a certain brand of product.

After some brainstroming, the project manager, C divided the team

into 2. Interestingly, the one who were sort of left behind are A, B

and another girl whom I see not to fit the profile of the other team

members, let's call her D.

One other thing to note is that B at that time was still injured

and so it seems she was considered not to be useful to the team at that

time, and most likely was excluded also because of her support to A.

After the mascot was created, the ones who went with the project

manager had a little discussion among themselves that A should be the

one to wear the costume.

These 4 ladies, including the project manager went back to the

first meeting room to gang-up against A to pressure her to wear the

costume. She declined basically by reason that since it looks silly,

she thinks it would undermine her image as a businesswoman in front of

her employees and also embarrassing cause of the mascot's cartoon

image.

Basically, the team lost as the logo was thought not to have enough

representation of the company's brand nor the image the executives

would like to project nor to cover a wide range of customers.

And so later on, when the team was called to the board room to have one member to be fired, the decision was to fire A.

The reasons that were mentioned were: that she didn't step up to

promote herself to be a project manager and that she didn't make a

strong case to refuse to wear the mascot's costume which was seen as

her not contributing at all to the team's task.

I must admit it went quite ugly when A later mentioned about

religion reason to refuse wearing the costume which she didn't mention

when she was "asked" (to put it politely, I must admit I really despise

this kind of attitude especially that seems to be quite common among

girls, even though shockingly they are professionals who are supposed

to be professional...) to wear the costume. So it was later seen by

others that she lied thru her teeth to sound that her reason is strong

enough. Even though it might be true, the fact that she didn't make it

clear, was indeed a big mistake. Although, I suppose some people are

rather uncomfortable about mentioning religion understandably, even

though it is the reason for something.

But the way I see it, it doesn't seem to be the reason why the team lost.

And it seems that even later B, agreed to fire A, and the

reasons she stated were that the team wouldn't work with her in it (and

implicitly I guess cause obviously the others don't like her, at least

the 4 who seem to stick together and the others wouldn't want to go

against them) and cause she didn't make a stronger case to be the

project manager.

And I found it disappointing that the fact it was very

unprofessional of the team leader/project manager nor the other 3 to do

this seggregation/separation of the team which is still at the

beginning of the show and to obviously gang-up agains a particular

member to put her in a difficult position to be able to find her fault

to get rid of her basically.

Then again, I guess especially in a working environment, this kind

of injustice would not be mentioned for fear of going against the

majority?

[An English's chance living and working in France]

Hi!

Was wondering if the English members of the forum here can share your

experience on working and living in France considering there is an

image that a Brit would not really have an easy professional or social

life, or at least that's what my English friend is afraid of.

Prove him wrong?

[How useful is MBA for one's career]

There had been 2 opposing opinions among people I know about holding MBA degree.

Some are thinking it's not really a degree to get more education but

rather to do networking; whereas others think that it can be both. It

seems both do somehow agree that it is true that after getting the MBA

degree, one usually would have a boost in their career.

And since I'm living in Singapore that has INSEAD campus and actually

some other foreign universities as well, I've been thinking about going

to MBA, but would like to hear from others who actually already got

their MBA degree and how it affected your career.

Cheers.

[Commodities buyers]

Cheers for the useful replies.

Well my first post, so errr don't scare this newbie away yet ay. Then

again I tried to post here once a few months ago and by now forget that

nick, but no reply to that post at all :( So at least I somehow

encouraged some replies even though some are intelligible! :P

Am not an English native speaker so I suppose my wording is not exactly

the easy-to-comprehend one in times... apologies on that.

To put it simply: I know some commodities suppliers, am thinking to

start as a broker, and was wondering how to find buyers in France for

example.

The commodities are coal (the idea is to replace higher-price oil or

all of its products), aluminium, nickel, even gold and I even know some

of the mine owners.

And yes these suppliers are from one of the so-called 3rd world countries, in South East Asia to be more exact than that.

[quote]I know a commodities broker in London, but I doubt if his firm

would deal with the great unwashed (unless they were 3rd

world!).[/quote]

Nicktrolope, I suppose it is unwashed, even though then again a deal

wouldn't be made until a quality check is done. Your friend who is a

broker, would deal with 3rd world countries cause of the price I

suppose?

[Commodities buyers]

If one knows commodities sellers especially in developing countries who

are willing to sell their commodities with reasonable price and keep

good quality out of these commodities, how to find commodities buyers

especially in France?