Volume Control

It’s a known fact that I can’t speak any form of Oriental Language. Especially Cantonese and Mandarin.

I am ashamed of it, but trust me, I have tried learning. It’s just that my brains are more wired to learning German, French and Spanish.

In the construction industry, most contractors speak only Chinese Dialects. Not even Bahasa sometimes. And when I don’t understand, they cussed me out in Chinese. Hey, I said I don’t SPEAK it, doesn’t mean I don’t UNDERSTAND it!! I used to have a grandma that spoke to me in Hakka ok??!!! But short of screaming back at them, I instigate stealth methods of making their work harder as revenge. (see- don’t ever piss me off at work)

Hell, in my office I have an Indian project manager who managed to build a 30-storey condominium, without having to speak a Chinese language. So it can be done. These contractors snub me because I walk the talk, but can’t speak the talk.

What I don’t get is that when I made it very clear that I don’t speak Chinese, they think by increasing their volume I will gradually understand them. Like it’s magic or something, that the louder they talk to me, the more I can understand.

Contractor : Ni yau kah see fong nah lee? (ok this is what I think I hear)
Jessy : Ahh? Wo pu yo jiang hua yee!!
( I don’t speak Wookie/Chewbacca Language)
Contractor : Ni yau kah see fong nah lee?
Jessy : Ahh? Wo pu yo jiang hua yee!!
Contractor : Ni yau kah see fong nah lee?
Jessy : Ahh? Wo pu yo jiang hua yee!!
Contractor : Ni yau kah see fong nah lee?
Jessy : I don’t speak Chinese you feckin piece of gobshite!

Seriously dude. Increasing your volume at me…. NOT COOL. And they get the message once everyone finds out that I know my work, I do this shite for a living, nobody walks over me and NOBODY can OUTSCREAM ME at the construction site.

I just don’t let them know they are being feck being their backs cause I don’t want to end up as part of the building foundation one day. No Jimmy Hoffa* ending for me tqvm.

And yesterday one contractor actually thanked me and said I was a nice lady. See!!?? It’s hilarious working with me. You just have to play nice.

*Jimmy Hoffa's end zone dance: The former Teamsters leader was meeting Mafia leaders Anthony "Tony Jack" Giacalone of Detroit and Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano of Union City, N.J., at a Bloomfield Hills restaurant, just outside Detroit, on July 30, 1975. He was never seen again. One theory was that he was buried under the end zone at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. Discovery Channel show "MythBusters" scanned the area, finding nothing.
-taken from find articles website

Jessy & her Mr BIG

Move over Carrie Bradshaw. J has met her real life Mr BIG.

Hottie Danish Architect, a total Ken doll with brains to boot. I don't know how I managed to pull off the intelligent, sophisticated am-so-not-into-jumping-you reporter Mode when I was faced with this gorgeous specimen:



Meet Bjarke Ingels of the Bjarke Ingels Group, ie BIG.

What's more, his website:

WWW.BIG.DK

Need I imply more?!

Ps: Even managed to have a debate with him about contemporary Mosque design. It's been fun Micheal Rojkind, but there's a new man in town