Stay Healthy and Stay Happy
A message to friends.
Thank you so much for your electronic support over the last 6 weeks. You have helped keep me sane, and keep me smiling. I will not forget it.
For many of you, the situation is now reversed, and you’re at the beginning of your surreal journey into the OCD Wonderland of self-isolation. I imagine I will be posting less from Shanghai and instead be trying to return the favour as much as possible.
Stay healthy and stay happy everyone, they’re both as important as eachother.
❤️🖤🧡💜💛💙💚🤎
The Epidemiologist, The Citizen, and The Privacy Advocate
The pandemic is going to be studied for many years to come. Not just by virologists, but by social scientists and technology ethicists.
The latest development in Shanghai has been the 随申办 (Suíshēnbàn) app. It’s a service you download onto your phone that runs a continuous contagion assessment on you. It’s not mandatory, but for the last two weeks it has been getting increasingly difficult to enter certain buildings without showing your colour code.
Green means you are clear to enter. Orange or red means you can’t enter, and you should consult medical experts as soon as possible. Maybe it knows you’re a confirmed COVID-19 patient. Maybe you’ve arrived from outside China and shouldn’t be out of quarantine yet. Maybe it tracked you to a metro car with someone who later tested positive for the virus.
It’s an epidemiologist’s dream. It’s a citizen’s electronic peace of mind. And it’s a privacy advocate’s dystopian nightmare.
For the LinkedIn version, see here.
My First Post-Lockdown Haircut
Life in Shanghai is slowly returning to something nearer “normal”. I just had my first haircut in 6 weeks, in a salon that was allowed to accept 3 customers at a time, for quick 30-minute cuts.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world is panic-buying toilet paper and stealing hand-sanitiser from hospitals. 🤷♂️
For the Instagram version, see here.
For the Facebook version, see here.
Good News, It’s Severe Inconvenience and Economic Injury
THE POSITIVE NEWS. It has been around 7 weeks since the coronavirus came to Shanghai, and now we’re approaching something nearer “normal”. People are slowly being allowed to return back from their hometowns, and return to work.
THE REALITY CHECK. This has only been possible because of strict adherence to the rules of social distancing. No panicking, but at the same time, no cutting corners. A period of severe inconvenience and economic injury has been a small price to pay to be in this situation today.
A HOPEFUL CONCLUSION? The world can point to China’s relative lack of openness and directness for mishandling the outbreak. And China can point to the world’s relative lack of competence and discipline for mishandling its containment. I’ve given up on the hope that global threats like this will force all sides to transcend their hard-wired tribal mentality. But my remaining hope is that at least both sides can learn from each other’s strengths and mitigate their weaknesses.
Who is Your Audience?
“The starting point to writing is knowing who your audience is”. These words, spoken by Gigi Chang on the latest episode of Mosaic of China, inspired me to write this short piece.
LinkedIn: Your audience is in a professional mindset, so keep your writing concise. Storytelling can be used as a device to elicit interest, but shouldn’t be used in isolation.
Instagram: Your audience is in a happy mindset, so keep your writing positive. Release your inner frivolity and snark, but don’t overshare your negativity or vanity. Leave that for...
Twitter: Your audience is in an antagonistic mindset, so simply avoid. I love my friends there, but the platform brings out the worst in them. Please try and convince me otherwise, I promise to hear you out.
Facebook: Your audience is in a generous mindset, so write what you want. Assuming that you have carefully curated your friends there, write content from all three categories above, and be as personal as you feel comfortable.
WeChat: The same as Facebook, but in Chinese.
What have I missed out?
For the LinkedIn version, see here.
For the Instagram version, see here.
A Fundamental Aspect of Life in China
The Coronavirus has brought China’s full-speed economy temporarily screeching to a halt. But it hasn’t changed one fundamental aspect of modern life in China:
The adaptability of its people.
For the LinkedIn version, see here.
The Gift of Boredom
For those of us not in immediate danger, the Coronavirus epidemic has given us a consolation gift. The gift of boredom.
Were it not for the weeks of self-confinement in February 2020, I would not have sat down in front of the piano for the first time in a year. We would not have had daily home-cooked meals. We would not have reorganised our closet and donated boxes of valuable items to our neighbours. And of course I wouldn’t have written this post.
This experience has taught me to accept more boredom into my life, and to allow more time for boredom in my working day. Because for me, boredom breeds creativity; creativity breeds contentment; and contentment breeds productivity.
Small Businesses in a Crisis
In a crisis, small businesses face the biggest challenges. But also the biggest opportunities.
I remember co-founding my headhunting company in Singapore in the middle of the global financial crisis in 2008. It was tough, no question about it. But while all of our larger competitors were turning inward and focusing on damage control, we were small and nimble enough to do the opposite. We continually reached out to our external stakeholders. We treated them as human beings, showing genuine solidarity and compassion. And while we hemorrhaged cash along with everyone else, we also built a level of trust and goodwill that endured for many years into the recovery.
Today, I received this surprise care package from Jessica Gleeson at the skincare company BrighterBeauty. It includes skin protection, face masks, protective gloves, home-baked cookies and some light reading.
That’s how you do it.
For the LinkedIn version, see here.
For the Instagram version, see here.
Mindset is Everything
The situation in China continues to be affected by strict policies of self-confinement. In Shanghai today, getting into most buildings and residential estates requires you to wear a mask, and submit yourself to temperature checks. This photo was taken by The New York Times contributor Rebecca Kanthor at the end of my 小区 lane in Shanghai, where the gates have now been locked, and only residents can enter and exit.
As brutal as this sounds, I don’t feel under siege. And as inconvenient as these restrictions are, I don’t find them stressful. I find them comforting. There’s a stoicism in my community of Chinese neighbours that is very calming. And everyday changes to regulations are being superbly well-organised and communicated.
It makes me feel that China and the Chinese people are on top of this. And it makes me feel that mindset is everything.
For the LinkedIn version, see here.
For the Instagram version, see here.
For the Facebook version, see here.
Taking Care in China
A phrase I’m hearing a lot from family and friends overseas is “Take care”. Well, we are taking this literally, and here’s the list:
Wearing gloves when outdoors.
Changing gloves after use, and washing them.
When in public, not touching our faces or eyes, even when they itch.
Wearing face masks when outdoors.
Limiting personal contact with others, including shaking hands or hugging.
Keeping at least one metre away from anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Washing all towels twice a week, and ensuring none are ever left damp.
Limiting touching objects that could be handled by other people.
Not sharing food communally, and washing kitchenware between meals.
Opening windows every day to let the room air out.
Apart from “Take care”, the other phrase that has new meaning for me is “I’m being very OCD”. I’ve always avoided this throw-away expression, since it must enrage people who actually suffer from these anxiety afflictions. But for once I feel like I do have a small window into this exhausting life, one that could easily make you want to eschew society entirely. I’m grateful for this lesson in empathy towards those who live this as a perpetual reality.
For the Facebook version, see here.
For the Instagram version, see here.
For the LinkedIn version, see here.
The Humanity of Shanghai
And so we’re back in Shanghai.
I just walked down our street to buy some milk, and as expected the place was deserted. But our 85-year-old neighbour climbed up the steps to our apartment to welcome us home; I had a lovely conversation with the street cleaner about whether I knew who had lost a glove she had found; and the lady at the grocery store, who never usually gives me more than a grimace, today flashed me a smile. (Well, I guessed it was a smile from behind her mask. Maybe it was just a larger grimace.)
This is my first morning back since returning from the Chinese New Year holidays. But already I am feeling the humanity of Shanghai like never before. Here’s hoping that we all don’t forget this too quickly once things return to normal.
Confinement Versus Exile
Returning to Shanghai presents a messy choice. Confinement in China versus exile overseas. In the end, I’ve chosen Option A.
Thank you for all your private messages of concern. It has been quite an agonising decision to make, especially with the UK Government’s damagingly alarmist approach. But Shanghai is my home. So in the end my choice was easy.
And after all, self-quarantine won’t be very different from my normal #ManCaveLife.
For the LinkedIn version, see here.
Brexit Torture
So Brexit day has finally arrived. Bugger.
As the exotic torture of the last few years finally comes to an end, let’s not go into mourning. And let’s not wallow in victimhood. Because... maybe we Brits will all end up being happier.
Yes, as a nation, we’re now one step closer to terminal insignificance. You don’t need to live overseas to be aware of this, although it certainly helps. But here’s the thing: maybe we can fashion ourselves into the funny eccentric uncle of the world. The one who used to be something important, but now enjoys tinkering on the sidelines just trying to be liked. Hell, it works for me! Maybe this is the role that Britain was always destined to play.
So please allow this eccentric uncle to give you some friendly advice. It only works if you are truly resilient. You need to be all the more strong, as you face being undermined by your adversaries and secretly ridiculed by your friends. You can do this, but don’t expect your relationships to ever be the same again.
And while it’s tempting to enjoy life as an island, with no complicated encumbrances, you need to stay connected to others. Because sometimes it’s only the eccentric uncle who can break up the fights that flare up between feuding family members. And if there’s one other thing that Brexit has made more likely, it’s the return to an age of disunity and war.
So, cheer up, Britain! You’re a funny eccentric uncle now.
Biscuits For Everyone!
One of these is a photo from today in Niseko. It’s my first time skiing in 4 years.
The second is a video from 4 years ago. I was waking up from heavy sedation after ACL reconstruction surgery, following a dumb accident that happened the last time I went skiing.
It’s good to be back... BISCUITS FOR EVERYONE!!!
Halfway Through Season 1
With 15 episodes released, we have now reached the halfway point of Season 1 of Mosaic of China. It’s a podcast series of short interviews with interesting people, designed to be entertaining no matter how much you know (or don’t know!) about China.
Let me know your thoughts if you have the chance to listen. And big thanks to everyone who has helped with the project so far, including Milo de Prieto Desmond for editing support, Denny Newell for graphic design support, and Alston Gong for China technical support.
Career & Coffee
The two simplest pieces of advice I can give to anyone who feels stuck in their career today is:
Find a good career advisor you can trust. Not just someone who tells you what you want to hear. Not just someone who tells you about jobs in the market. But someone who truly listens.
Listen to the Career & Coffee Podcast. 16 episodes released over 8 weeks, specifically targeting people who are feeling stuck.
I don’t think I gave much practical advice in my episode, but I’m sure the other 15 will be amazing. Thank you for the fun interview, Ann Calman and Amelia Novakovic.
