I’m back –jetlagged, sleep-deprived but excited to finally have stepped into the year of the rabbit (and to have the internet up and running, yay!)!
I had a good trip to Sweden and stayed at a beautiful hotel at Skeppsholmen in Stockholm. Not that I got to enjoy it that much though –each day was packed with meetings from early morning to late night. But that’s what work trips are about so I’m not complaining.
I travelled together with a Chinese colleague from Shanghai, and I think our biggest culture shock was the fact that the hotel where we were staying didn’t have any hot water boilers or mugs in the rooms.
When I went to the reception to ask for one, the front desk guy gave me a strange look:
-We don’t have any?
-But…. So… like… how do your guests drink tea then?!
At the end he gave me a thermos!! Haha! But better that than nothing. Didn’t keep the water very hot though. So note to self: one must always bring their own tea and hot water boilers when travelling and staying at hotels in Sweden.
The funniest thing about the trip, however, was when my colleague asked me for some free time to run an errand.
I asked her where she was going and she said:
-Louis Vuitton store.
-Eh… right?! I looked at her. She was wearing a pink bagpack and fake leather boots. Did not really look like the kind of girl who would splurge on luxury handbags.
-Oh, I am buying a bag for my friend! She asked me to do it! Gave me loads of money to do so!
-Ahh…. But… like.. doesn’t she want to buy it for herself? Choose the bag for herself?
-Nah, she just wants it. She’s been saving for a year. And they are cheaper here in Sweden than in China. So she asked me to get it for her.
Wow. I must say that Chinese girls impress me when it comes to their luxury bag craze. I tried to envision it being me: having saved for one year (!) and then NOT getting the chance to buy the bag for myself? Not stepping into the store and selecting my dream bag, having the snotty Louis Vuitton shop assistants sucking up to me (they better be nice to their customers, right?!)? Not seeing my dream bag being packed into a luxurious bag and handed over to me? Not being able to take it home, unpack it, and stand with it, in front of the mirror and just look at how good it looks on my shoulder?! Yeah, I simply don’t get it –just buying it would be half of the pleasure?!
But sure, it makes perfect sense: if you just really want the bag then having a friend that is going abroad anyway getting it for you is kind of convenient. Even though it is kind of boring.
what's with the louis vuitton bags? they look like they're times of the 1800. i have to laugh to myself when i see any one carrying them cos they're so out of fashion.
ReplyDeleteIt is not about the bag... it's all about the brand!
ReplyDeletewell they're still ugly and out of date and style to me. :-P
ReplyDeleteI actually understand the girl, I bought a pair of Jimmy Choos on sale in the Uk for 230 pounds, I saw the same model in Beijing the other day, 10200 rmb.Besides those 30 minutes at the store, I rather save around 7000 rmb=)
ReplyDeleteI actually understand the girl, I bought a pair of Jimmy Choos on sale in the Uk for 230 pounds, I saw the same model in Beijing the other day, 10200 rmb.Besides those 30 minutes at the store, I rather save around 7000 rmb=)
ReplyDeleteSure is a killjoy for me!! I'm holding tight my money 'coz I can't splurge and it's not my favourite brand. No sour grapes here.
ReplyDeleteManpurse in China, from today's paper...
ReplyDeleteHandbag? He’s an alpha male
“[T]he designer handbag, long a fashion staple for stylish women worldwide, has become a status symbol for upwardly mobile men in China,” the Los Angeles Times reports. “At business meetings and social events across China these days, many of the Prada, Louis Vuitton and Burberry bags are being toted by the fellows in the crowd. … Designed for men, many of these guy purses, often known as shou bao in Mandarin, would be right at home in the women’s handbag section of an upscale department store. … ‘For Chinese, it’s a show of masculinity,’ said Zhang Lianhai, a 33-year-old marketing strategist gripping a plain, black, leather Prada handbag outside a Gucci store in Beijing. ‘We need luxury brands. You won’t be taken seriously if you look too casual.’ ”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/facts-and-arguments/high-end-handbags-a-must-for-chinese-businessmen/article1899498/?cmpid=rss1
http://www.dontai.com/wp/
take it home, unpack it, and stand with it, in front of the mirror and just look at how good it looks on my shoulder?!
ReplyDeleteComing from a guy who does not understand women's obsessions with handbags...lol
Anonymous -I could just never spend loads of money on something that I didn't get to try in the store before taking it home. U just never know... sizes vary...
ReplyDeleteKeats -I could never spend so much money on a bag when I know I can use the same kind of money to buy a fight ticket to Australia... Travelling rather than stuff -every single time!
Don -Kind of sad. But then again, we are all different. For me, travelling is everything. For others, luxury bags are vital for their image. I actually cannot tell since I have never owned one. So no point for me being judgmental. I guess if I had loads of money I would travel AND have nice bags :)
Anonymous -Yeah, well.. that is what I imagine I would do if I bought a nice designer handbag, haha!