[Diamond]

Is it safe to go down there? Also what are the recommendations for donations besides money my colleagues said do not give money unless you are physically handing it over to those in need.

[Diamond]

So for the first time in my life I was actually scared because of the earthquake tremors and I just got off the phone to my family who thought maybe I croaked it.

My mother was hysterical which is a normal response and my fathers advice was ‘Why on earth would you run down the stairs like a lunatic probably get trampled to death’ so I asked him what should I do if it happens again and classic advice my father gives is ‘Pour yourself a large scotch or any alcoholic beverage put on your music and chill, you can’t stop Mother nature’ then I am sure I heard my mother slap him.

So never mind canned goods, water supplies etc I am going to stock up on alcohol and devour the contents of my fridge. Also one of my colleagues ran out her apartment with her passport, money and a small bag full of emergency supplies and is still sitting outside somewhere scared ha ha that made me laugh although maybe it is not such a bad idea.

[Diamond]

I was enjoying my cup of tea and applauding myself for getting up early for once then the bloody building started to dance, I cra**ed myself! A few things came flying off my shelves, heard the neighbours scream, heard something break upstairs wow what a start to the day.

I hope everyone is safe and in the case of this are we supposed to go outside as I don’t know earthquake protocol?

[Diamond]

You are never too old for anything so long as your living and breathing. I read this story and it helped me get off my fat a** and try and do something which I feared, it goes to show anything is possible with the right mind set don’t let your own fears hold you back.

http://web.reporternews.com/1998/texas/read0119.html

http://newearthdaily.com/98-year-old-man-writes-book-after-learning-how-to-read-at-91/

[Diamond]

You are never too old for anything so long as your living and breathing. I read this story and it helped me get off my fat a** and try and do something which I feared, it goes to show anything is possible with the right mind set don’t let your own fears hold you back.

http://web.reporternews.com/1998/texas/read0119.html

http://newearthdaily.com/98-year-old-man-writes-book-after-learning-how-to-read-at-91/

[Diamond]

My brother was over in Australia and he wanted me to visit so I looked into consulates in Chengdu and this came up.

http://www.whatsonchengdu.com/tag-Australian%20consulate%20Chengdu.html

http://foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2012/bc_mr_120320.html

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/regional/2012-03/26/content_14911007.html

[Diamond]

My brother was over in Australia and he wanted me to visit so I looked into consulates in Chengdu and this came up.

http://www.whatsonchengdu.com/tag-Australian%20consulate%20Chengdu.html

http://foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2012/bc_mr_120320.html

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/regional/2012-03/26/content_14911007.html

[Diamond]

Thank you all so much for giving me such insightful information on finding a suitable bank.

I would appreciate your help in narrowing down the best 2 or 3 banks maximum as the biggest thing I need to do is be able to transfer money from a Chinese account into a bank account abroad and English speaking staff would be a bonus. They are my main two aims as I read on the forum that Western Union now only allows a maximum of 500 USD to be transferred at a time which is not good news as it will end up costing me hundreds in USD to get a transfer done.

Thank you all

[Diamond]

Thank you Charlie and Ray for the advice, I am looking into opening an account with China Merchants Bank as there is one in my neighbourhood.

Would anyone have an idea of which bank if not the above one offers good interest rates on large amounts of savings which don’t tax a lot either.

Any info would be great as I am thinking about shifting funds into a Chinese bank and let it sit here for a while but it depends on my job stability as who knows if I will stick around here.

Diamond

[Diamond]

Hi

I read your thread on the forum and am not Jewish but am interested in Jewish culture. I do not wish to be ignorant but I actually don’t know anything about Jewish heritage but would like to learn is there any chance to do this at your centre.

Diamond

[Diamond]

I am with Ray on this one, the pollution has been horrendous my family want to visit me but I have advised them not to especially the young children as they will have health complaints.

My health was actually quite good up until the last few months where I experienced frequent headaches, coughing, dry itchy eyes and light nosebleeds and I could not pin point the reasons until I read up on Chengdu’s pollution levels. This has made me contemplate whether I should stay in Chengdu despite settling down and having stability my health is the most important, I think I will just wait and see as moving will be a pain and starting from scratch but having my health and feeling good again is priceless.

[Diamond]

Ha Ha had the same happen many times when loading a game then it crashed while loading. Amstrad was good enough for me but I did envy my cousins Amiga commodore with it’s better faster loading games.

[Diamond]

Brendan that Amstrad image bought a flood of memories back, the Amstrad CPC 464 was my first ever computer. The keyboard was solid and the monitor weighed a ton and loading the game which was on cassette was a nightmare as it took forever.

I recall loading the game going for my dinner and by the time I finished dinner I was ready to play the computer oh the evolution of technology is remarkable.

[Diamond]

I like the theme of this topic so thought I would try my hand at poetry:

Chengdu at present is a sea of pollution

I am wearing a mask as a short term solution

I wake up some mornings and can’t see a thing

Wait is it the weather or what I had to drink?

P.S I am loving Brendans poem

[Diamond]

The pollution today was disgusting I could not breathe as I walked to work I felt the need to regurgitate with every step I took outside.

My colleagues were saying that Chengdu is clean much cleaner than other cities in China you foreigners complain too much about natural fresh air then they proceeded to open the windows.

When I went home and cleaned my ears out the filth that came out was beyond words and I do have the urge to take the cue tips to work and make them feel grossed out and say there is your flipping fresh air!!

[Diamond]

Thank you guys for clearing that up as what I meant to say was the UK visa application centre my mistake for saying UK embassy.

[Diamond]

Official languages makes more sense, Hindi and English.

Having Spent over 30 years in India, Hindi was used and understood more but standard English is available.

[Diamond]

Hindi is the official language of India not English. But English does have official status.

[Diamond]

Pub crawl I think I should take up drinking just to see what happens in a Chinese hospital with drunken laowai’s.

Anyone got any suggestions for those who do not drink alcohol and not the designated driver role.

[Diamond]

Thank you for all your tips I will be going to the wuguan office this week coming and get some answers as it may be something or it may be nothing only one way to find out.

[Author]

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