Bits and Pieces

Hi Everyone, I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Here are some interesting bits and pieces that have crossed my desk lately:

(1) Blog sub-title that I loved on Grace's An American Mom In London: "Temporarily or indefinitely? Depends on the kind of day I've had". Can any expats relate to this? ;-)

(3) An interesting article, Centered Leadership: How Talented Women Thrive, in the McKinsey Quarterly, sent to me by Lindsey Jones at ACDI/VOCA.

(4) A range of HR (Human Resources) Summits coming up in 08/09 in the Australia-Asia region, listed on the Key Media site.

(5) EuRA Relocation conference for anyone involved in the relocation industry: Vienna, 22 - 24 April 2009.

(6) Expat and Relocation Conference, Oman, Al Buston Palace, 17-18 January, 2009. More details will come later on Jo Parfitt's blog.

(6) Film: 600 - by James Z. Feng. The film is based on the loneliness of longer-term expats living in China, and that sense of "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" (aka U2's song). The film was shot in Shanghai in 2007 and has recently been accepted into some major US and international film festivals, after some awards at a successful China festival 2007 showing. Synopsis:

"After coming to Shanghai on a college-graduation trip with two college buddies, Terrence decides to stay. All the partying, beautiful girls, and good food convinced Terrence this was the place to be. Supporting himself through odd jobs and teaching English, Terrence is having the time of his life.

We fast-forward seven years and Terrence is still an English teacher in Shanghai without much of a career. At the crossroads of his life, Terrence is having a midlife crisis and debating future options about returning home or staying in Shanghai. He questions the purpose of life and starts soul searching with the help of alcohol and delusional fantasies while wandering around town looking for the answer to his dilemma."

You can watch the trailer here. (Warning: If you are offended by language such as f***, this trailer is not for you.)

(7) Finally, an unusual but interesting news story, in terms of what is possible with technology these days: Google Mail Goggles Prevent Drunken Emails. It's targeted at those who send emails that they shouldn't and later regret it.

Thanks and have a wonderful week, Andrea.