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Monthly Archives: October 2012

Engineer Joke of the Week

07 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by EngineerChic in Engineer Joke of the Week

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Well, it’s been ages since I’ve posted some engineering jokes, so for some Sunday fun:

Engineer Joke #1:

Two engineering students were walking across campus when one said, ”Where did you get such a great bike?”
The second engineer replied, “Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, “Take what you want.”
The second engineer nodded approvingly, “Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn’t have fit.”

 

Engineer Joke #2:

Q: What do engineers use for contraception?

A: Their personalities

 

Engineer Joke #3:

A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts: “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised my friend I would meet him half an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”

The man below says: “Yes. You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field.”

“You must be an engineer,” says the balloonist.

“I am,” replies the man. “How did you know?”

“Well,” says the balloonist, “everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information.

“The man below says, “You must be a planner.”

“I am,” replies the balloonist, “but how did you know?”

“Well,” says the man, “you don’t know where you are, or where you are going, and you have made a promise which you have no idea how to keep. The fact is you are in the exact same position you were in before we met, but now it is somehow my fault.”

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Business as Usual…in China

07 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by EngineerChic in Travel

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More about my trip to Asia…

So to recap, I was sent to India and China by my company to inspect some equipment we were importing for the project I am working on – a mineral beneficiation plant in South Africa.

After a long trip between India and China, I finally reach my final destination – Luoyang. Luoyang is the oldest city in China and in recent decades has reinvented itself to be an industrial hub – home to major steel manufacturing factories.  It’s really quite amazing how well it has interfaced between the old and new worlds, maintaining its charm and history whilst growing into the booming metropolis it is today.

I visited a foundry and a factory where my parts w

Yes, I was wearing heels at the time

ere being fabricated and had a chance to witness the many stages a piece of steel has to go through (and the monstrous machinery that makes this happen) before it can be shipped off to places all over the world. It was unbelievable to see how huge some of the parts being fabricated were and the immense machinery and “ovens” it took to do it. The Chinese are also excellent fabricators and take pride in their work and abilities. I was told by my host from the Company I was visiting that in China, work is #1…and food is #2. The work ethic of the Chinese is the famous attribute that has allowed the country to grow into the production giant it is today.

Visiting the Chinese factories and experiencing how Chinese engineers operated was a great experience for me and was extremely interesting. There are many similarities between engineers in SA and China, but also vast differences – especially in the culture of doing business. What I learned is that the culture of China and its people is integral into how people behaved in a working or business environment. As “Westerners” (and due to the large European influence in SA I have to lump myself into that boat as well in terms of business etiquette), we take for granted all the small things we do which are acceptable in our cultures. It’s so easy to unknowingly say or do something rude or offensive when interacting with people of a completely different culture to your own.

For example – drinking alcohol at a business lunch would be unacceptable in Western business culture but is very important to the Chinese. In China, there is a saying that, “you must never drink alone” and I had to be quite adamant about refusing a 3rd glass of sake during lunch or would have been at risk of getting quite drunk at 2pm! This of course is normal in China and if a colleague had to slump or pass out due to inebriation, the host of the meal would be quite satisfied that he was doing a good job in taking care of his guests.

I also found that the Chinese people I met and spoke to have a great sense of humour. This is apparently also characteristic of the culture over there. And of course, they are famously excellent hosts!

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