Tips Guides

So, it is your first day at your new job and you don’t really know what to expect. You have been to the office before but only briefly at the interview and have got a first impression about the company. But, how much do you really know about the office etiquette and how you are expected to behave? Well, there are some simple rules and guidelines to abide by so that you will take to your new workplace like a duck to water.

The basic behaviours that will be expected of a new starter are those that the current office will already practise. Adhering to the dress code will be demanded so ensure you know if the company encourages suit-wearing or smart casual as this will make you feel comfortable and prevent an embarrassing first day. It will feel awkward if you arrive for work in a three-piece suit to find your peers and boss in jeans and trainers or vice versa.

As a new starter you will be expected to adapt to the office environment that you are joining. Don’t think that you can just impose your personality on the workplace as this can appear as arrogance and may alienate you from certain members, if not all, of the office. Take your time when you start to monitor the other workers and get an understanding of how they work, speak and behave. Doing this will enable you to become a part of the office hierarchy as you smoothly integrate into the group.

Many of your actions should be based upon those of the existing workforce. However, this doesn’t mean that you should act sheepish and introverted and become an office clone. There may be various traditions that are followed so try to make yourself aware of these early on so you don’t offend people when you flout these rules. An example of this could be communal tea runs, when the single cup-of-tea maker will be victim to whispers and gossip-mongering.

Don’t be afraid to be yourself as it will enable your new workmates to get to know you right from the start. Setting the tone and conveying your personality is an important part of making an impression, so do it in the right way and you will be a popular figure in no time at all.

Respect is one of the cornerstones of a happy office so treat others with respect or risk becoming an eternal outcast. Talking over people, making personal calls and telling offensive jokes are all ways of making you disliked with little chance of reconciliation. First impressions are so important so be aware that your new office will be scrutinised everything that you do in order to gauge a quick evaluation of what you’re about.

Your first day is likely to involve a lot of meeting new people, so ensure you sleep well the night before. Yawning or appearing disinterested and vacant when you are being shown around is not going to set you in good stead for your new career. Listen carefully to any important information and don’t be afraid to ask questions when you don’t understand. It will let your boss know that you are listening and that you are keen to learn.

The key to becoming a fully-integrated member of your new workplace is simply to listen and observe to your new workmates. You will be spending more time with them than you will with your family so take the time to get to know their quirks and beliefs. You will not want to seem invisible but you will also need to avoid standing out from the crowd for the wrong reasons. It will be hard to convince people that their first impressions were wrong.

Starting you rnew job is an intimidating time for any person, but try not to be too nervous as this may affect your behaviour negatively. Be confident, without appearing arrogant, and get to know your new peers during breaks and conversations as this will further improve your chances of enjoying a happy working life. The new office could be your workplace for a very long time so it makes sense to make the effort to fit in without irritating too many people.

Patrick is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest is in Heathrow Parking, Hilton Heathrow and Luton Airport Parking.

A celebrity is the term used to describe someone who is famous and attracts attention from the general public and the world’s media. Traditionally, a celebrity would gain the title by his or her work or achievements in a particular field of expertise. Actors, musicians, politicians and inventors have all become celebrities in the past. However, as we fall deeper and deeper into the cesspool of the 21st century a new celebrity has arrived - the nobody.

Cultural commentator Daniel Boorstin stated in his 1961 book, The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America, that a celebrity was “a person who is known for his well-knownness”. Nearly fifty years later and his theories of pseudo-events are still as apt today with the current trends of reality TV and celebrity culture. So where did we go wrong, and when did it become so easy to become famous?

In 1968, prominent artist Andy Warhol commented on the state of society and its infatuation with celebrity when he exclaimed that ‘everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes.’ This brave claim may have seemed a little misguided but the previous forty years have proved his point emphatically. However, I think he may have been a bit ambitious with the length of time as some stars of reality TV arrive and disappear in the blink of an eye.

So we arrive in 2008 with the words of both Warhol and Boorstin ringing in our ears. We sit down, we turn on the TV to see what audio-visual treats await - every channel fills our living rooms with ‘real people’ doing ‘real things’. As you peruse the glossy TV magazines notice the amounts of reality shows that now dominate our screens - Wife Swap, X-Factor, American Idol, Britain’s Got Talent and the reality pioneer Big Brother. The concept itself of Big Brother is everything that Boorstin and Warhol warned us about, ‘normal’ people are thrust into the limelight to be mocked, glorified, vilified and humiliated in equal measures. And we lap it up.

Since Big Brother first hit the UK’s screens in the summer of 2000, there have been nine series (including the current one) and nine winners. The ‘housemate’ that is eventually voted BB Winner 2000 and whatever is not necessarily the most likely to gain fame and fortune from their appearance on this cultural phenomenon. The champion of Big Brother earnings so far with estimated earnings of three million pounds, entered the house in 2002, finishing a lowly 4th before embarking on a successful career in television, fitness DVDs and perfume. Jade Goody is the epitome of the pop-culture phenomenon that the UK will continue to see if reality television continues to dominate the ratings.

To achieve the financial security and national fame that Goody now possesses, she had to perform some pretty embarrassing acts while on BB3, as it was often called. The immature 21 year old was constantly belittled by her housemates and embarrassed herself with her apparent lack of basic intelligence and knowledge. Goody was famous for misinformed comments including ‘Do they speak Portuganese in Portugal? I thought Portugal was in Spain’ and ‘I knew Lynne was from Aberdeen but I didn’t realise Aberdeen was in Scotland’. Stupidity and a lack of pride had quickly become Jade Goody’s most profitable asset, and she was set to milk it for all its worth.

Goody reentered the Big Brother House in 2007, but this time as a fully-fledged celebrity in the show’s spin-off Celebrity Big Brother. She had grown into a national treasure in some people’s eyes, a real story of rags to riches, a modern day fairytale. Goody’s decision to take part damaged her reputation immeasurably as she became the centre of a racism row amidst comments made about Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.

Goody’s career appeared to be coming to an end as her perfume was withdrawn from certain shops and her public perfection had reached its lowest point. As Boorstin and Warhol hinted towards, the public’s attention span continues to dwindle allowing Goody to regain her place on the celebrity merry-go-round. Voted third most pointless celebrity behind Paris Hilton and Chantelle Houghton (?), Goody has announced the launch of a second perfume as well as a re-release of her autobiography in 2008 so we can expect to see even more of this pseudo-event for many years to come. Fifteen minutes of fame? If only.

Patrick is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest include Luton Airparks, Luton Airport Parking and I have a travel blog site.

Many Chinese customs are centered around the belief in the power of certain numbers, and the superstitions surrounding digits in Chinese culture only takes second fiddle to the role of specific foods. The pronunciation of these numbers also reflects the Chinese’s affinity with homonyms, where many digits are considered lucky or unlucky based on words that sound similar. This in turn, affects the entire Chinese economy, since folks here will not buy anything without careful consideration of the numerals involved.

Because of the auspiciousness of certain numbers, Chinese will often pay large sums for phone numbers, street addresses, residence floors, driver’s license numbers, license plate numbers and bank account digits. For example, a personal license plate with the number eight can cost millions of dollars.

Lucky Numbers

The number 2 (ar in phonetic English) is a positive number to Chinese people. There’s a Chinese saying: “Good things come in pairs.” It’s common throughout the Middle Kingdom to see double symbols in product brand names, which means double happiness and double value. When Chinese exchange oranges during the Lunar New Year, they exchange two, four, or eight at a time.

The number 6, pronounced leo, sounds like the word used for “slippery,” which implies that everything will go smoothly. 666 is considered one of the luckiest numbers of all; it’s displayed prominently in shop windows across the entire country, and people often pay extra to get a mobile phone number including this string of digits. In Guangzhou, a motorcycle license plate numbered AW666 was sold for 270,000. RMB, (roughly $34,000. USD)!

The number 8 in Mandarin is pronounced bah, which sounds similar to fah, meaning prosperity and good fortune. If you’ve been to China, you’ve probably noticed the unusual frequency of this esteemed digit used in the phone numbers of hotels, airlines and most major businesses. Telecommunication companies and car registration authorities charge extra for each number 8. For example, the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza in Shanghai has the phone number 6252-8888. Northwest Airline’s number is 6279-8088; China Travel Services is 6247-8888.

In Chengdu, China, the telephone number 8888-8888 was sold for $270,000. USD. The Summer Olympics in Beijing are scheduled to open 8/8/08, at 8 P.M.

The number 9, pronounce jeo, is also a homonym for the word “everlasting.” To the Chinese, it signifies friendship, love, and long life.

The Unluckiest Number

Number 4 (sih) sounds like the word “death,” and is therefore considered a bad omen. Many numbered product lines skip the 4, e.g. Nokia cell phones do not have a series beginning with a 4, and most residential buildings skip all numbers with 4, e.g. 4, 14, 24, 34, and 40 - 49 floors. The airlines, trains and buses all bypass this unfortunate number.

Number 14, pronounced shir sih, sounds like “ten die.” But it can also be said as ee sih, literally “one-four.” Another common way to say one, is yaow. Thus, 14 can be said as yaow sih, literally meaning: “want to die.” Not a favorite!

Lastly, research has revealed that more Chinese are likely to die from heart attacks or heart disease on the fourth of the month, obviously due to the superstition related stress evoked by the unlucky number, which in turn, triggers cardiac deaths.

Well, I’ve covered the basics in lucky and unlucky numbers, but like most things in China, numbers and their meanings are extremely deep-rooted, with many nuances and complexities involved. Consider this a quick crash course. Chinese numerology dates back to the first century A.D. when Emperor Fu His discovered a tortoise shell said to contain a magic number square, which led to the development of I Ching, Feng Shui, Nine Star Ki, geomancy, and Chinese astrology and numerology. Volumes could be written on the subject, and I’ll leave that to the mystics and academies.

Timothy Green is the co-author of SPEAK E-Z CHINESE In Phonetic English. You can find fun and easy Mandarin lessons, as well as travel and culture tips about China at The Cathay Cafe.