BATZUL Gerelsaikhan | Ulaanbaatarer-Copenhagener-HongKonger

How To Prepare For A Live Bloomberg TV Interview? | Batzul Gerelsaikhan

2019-01-23T13:25:00.002+01:00

[This was written 1 year ago. I have misc. 5 drafts I have written in 2017 and 2018, but somehow not published, so I will be posting rest of them one by one soon...]

Some people have been complaining about my absence and kept asking why I've completely stopped blogging. To be honest, I didn't know what to write about anymore. Initially it was about studying abroad at one of the best universities in the world in Copenhagen, Denmark, and how Mongolians can apply and get scholarships; and then it was about my work experience in Hong Kong; but now that I am back in Ulaanbaatar, I was having a writer's block. If you have been following my blog for some years, you know that I only write when I am inspired. With that being said, I suddenly got inspired and wanted to write about my embarrassing live TV interview experience at Bloomberg TV Mongolia.

Mongolian Properties LLC is the oldest and most experienced real estate agency in Mongolia, serving clients from all over the world in Mongolia since 2001. I have worked at its parent company Asia Pacific Investment Partners (APIP) for over 4 years now in Hong Kong and UB offices, so I was invited to talk about Mongolian real estate market, current market trends, mortgage shortage etc. I was confident, since I just finished editing our annual MONGOLIA - Real Estate Report (did you know that we sell this book on Amazon.com?) when they called me. Anyways, I thought it was no biggie since I have given presentations and talks at numerous international conferences and panels before, but little did I know how nervous Bloomberg would make me feel!

In general, I love making fun of myself, so yeah please laugh with me and here are some of the things you should know before going on live Bloomberg TV interviews:

1. The "Bloomberg Effect"

The "Bloomberg effect" is real! No matter how many interviews you have given, no matter how many conferences you have attended, giving a live TV interview on Bloomberg was super nerve-racking. Obviously, I was only going to talk about what I know, which was about Mongolian Properties LLC and the real estate market in Mongolia, but somehow I was super nervous.

The night before and prior to the interview, I even called Anu Harchu who is a Mongolian YouTube vlogger (both in Mongolian and English languages) and also the anchor at Bloomberg TV Mongolia to come out and calm me down. She was kind enough to calm me down by telling me that what I was experiencing was called the "Bloomberg Effect" and it was totally normal for first-timers.

2. Make-up on TV

Everyone told me to spice up my make-up. I wear natural make-up look and everyone told me if I do not do my make-up more colorful and more darker, I will look like a full moon on TV, because I have a round head shape, you see. Well, I did bring my bright Dior 999 lipstick, but I just didn't feel like wearing it and went with my usual lip balm and normal make-up instead. This was before my wedding where I have not experienced and understood the whole contouring make-up, so it was a big mistake and my friends were correct - my baby cheeks looked gigantic on TV! I already have a big baby face, but the TV makes you look even bigger, so my cheeks looked HUUUUUUGE. After this experience, I finally understood why girls used bronzers and contour.

3. The Lights. The Heat. Take Off Your Clothes

It was winter in Mongolia and I was wearing triple pants layers (Uniqlo heat-tech leggings, Goyo cashmere and my pencil skirt) - obviously. It is -30C in winter here, ok? We live in the coldest capital in the world! Anyways, nobody told me about the hot lights! Little did I know, I started to sweat with all the hot lights during the interview. With the Bloomberg effect and triple layers of clothes, I started to feel that my baby cheeks were starting to flush - it was on fire actually - but thanks to my Korean HERA primer and cushion, it covered my flushing. Anyways, it was really embarrassing.

Next time, I realised that it is best to come 1 hour before and change your winter boots, take off your cashmere leggings in their changing room, and wear a professional attire that is breathable under all those hot lights. This is why all the Bloomberg anchorwomen are dressed as if it is a summer in winter. It is just too hot.

I have a whole new respect for news anchors after experiencing such light heats. I wondered what skincare they use since they sit under so much light heat and make-up? All these hot lights must be challenging on their skin and hair since this is their full-time job.

4. What To Wear? Wear something bold and powerful!
Obviously wear a professional suit/dress, but I noticed that bright colours looked better on pictures and TVs while pure black does not look that great. If you do not want to wear bright colours, then opt for navy blue suits?

Also, get a haircut. I noticed my hairends needed a long overdue cut on TV and wish I went to my hairdresser sooner. Especially guys should make sure their haircut is on point, because men start to look like a mushroom if they stay away from their hairdressers too long.

5. Pee, Hydrate and Drink Water BEFORE

This may seem obvious, but make sure to pee and drink water before, because drinking water on TV can make you look really nervous and sometimes really stupid (remember the mocking GIFs and videos of Donald Trump and Mark Zuckerberg? See the link below), unless you are giving a 1 hour interview like Sheryl Sandberg on stage.

My interview was 7min short and it was over before I knew it. I arrived 40 min early and the Bloomberg staff was nice enough to offer me water and coffee. I hydrated myself and went through my notes while waiting for my airtime.

6. Come 1 Hour Before Especially in Winter

This is a live TV interview, so do not come late. In fact, come 1 hour earlier, so that you can go through your notes and cool down if you walked or sweated if you were nervous like me. You can also take off your winter clothes and change it into something light, because the lights will fry you like a chicken, trust me.

7. Thank Them For Having You on Their TV

Being nervous can make you forget about common decency. Make sure to thank the interviewer on TV and say "Thank you for having me" or "Pleasure being here" as soon as you open your mouth. The TV is giving you a complimentary air-time where you can advertise your company's product and services. Of course you should answer to the questions being asked, but it is also giving you a chance to make a good PR, make awareness about something or tease the viewers/audience about future plans, etc. So be grateful! For instance, I thanked them personally before and after the interview and I also sent them a complimentary hard-copy of our annual Mongolia - Real Estate Report.

8. Most importantly, know your SHIT! Decline if you have to if you do not know your SHIT.

The journalist might ask any question she/he likes on live TV, so go through the latest market statistics and do not ever lie on TV. Misquotes and false information will take all your credits away. Also, you will look really stupid. If the TV journalist asks you something you do not know on live TV, simply say "I am not sure. I have to get back to you on this".

9. If you DO know your shit, then "Smile and Be Confident" - You got this!

I am in a service industry where I help people find their homes in Mongolia, so I try my best to look friendly and approachable. I thought I look friendly in general, but after watching my interview, I realised that I should have sat more straight up and smiled more.

My friends and colleagues said I did well and there was nothing embarrassing about it, so it was a relief to know that others did not notice my flushing and sweating, but I am my own toughest critic, so I always find ways to find a flaw.

Prior to the interview, I googled and tried searching "How to prepare for a live TV interview?" articles, but I didn't find any good ones, so I thought I'd share my personal experience here. I will have a good laugh when I am 80 years old and read this, I am sure.

What's the point of living if you cannot laugh at yourself, right? Hope your first Bloomberg interviews will be not as embarrassing as mine.

Cheers,
Batzul

Mongolian Properties - Real Estate Guide 2017 | Batzul Gerelsaikhan

2017-02-03T12:04:00.001+01:00

I have always loved books, but I never thought I would become the editor of annual real estate reports and guides. The Real Estate Guide 2016, which I edited for the first time, got some recognition in Mongolia, so this year companies started placing their ads and our publication cost became much cheaper (almost break even!).

However, people often confuse our biannual Real Estate Guide with our annual "Mongolia - Real Estate Report", so I decided to explain the differences here:

Real Estate Guide 2017

Available from Mongolian Properties' Regency Residence office, Temple View office and Circus Office.

Real Estate Guide 2017 ("Guide") is the second Guide I have edited (see the picture above) and it is the 10th annual Guide of Mongolian Properties LLC. It has the latest rentals and sales pictures, sizes and prices for each district - Sukhbaatar, Khan-Uul, Chingeltei, Songinokhairkhan, Bayanzurkh & Bayangol. Hence, it is an ideal book for anyone looking to rent or buy an apartment in their particular interested districts. Also, it is an ideal book for anyone looking to value their own apartments by comparing their homes with others.

It features the latest developments, such as Shangri-La, Choijin Suites, Khiimori Luxury Townhosue, Olympic Residence, Circus Residence, etc. Also, it has the "TOP5 Reasons to invest in a Property in UB" and "A step-by-step guide to buying a property in UB", which people really appreciate.

Finally, this is a pocket guide book for any foreigner, because it has the top10 lists for:

Top10 Cultural sights in UB
Top10 Countryside destinations
Top10 Tourist Camps
Top10 Shopping Spots
Top10 Restaurants
Top10 Bars & Pubs
Top10 Lounges, Karaoke & Nightclubs
Top10 Cafes
Top10 Hotels
Top10 Health & Wellness Centres
Top10 Beauty Salons

You can download the soft copy by clicking here.

MONGOLIA - Real Estate Report 2016

Available from Mongolian Properties' Regency Residence office, Temple View office and Circus Office.

Mongolia - Real Estate Report 2016 ("Report") is the first book I have edited and it is the 4th annual Report by Mongolian Properties LLC. It has 3 sections:

Section 1. About Mongolia

Nobody would buy a real estate property without doing some due diligence about the country, so here, we decided to explain our history (lil bit), politics (what type of government and party systems we have), economics (what drives our economy?), legal system (what kind of laws should locals and foreigners abide by?) and tax system (what kinds of tax should locals and foreigners pay if they invest in Mongolia).

Section 2. About Ulaanbaatar

Here, we decided to explain the residential, office, retail and hotel sectors. Which sector is hot right now? Which sector is undersupplied or oversupplied? Which buildings are famous in each sectors? etc. All with its database, pictures and detailed explanation. Oh yes, it's a pretty big book.

Section 3. About Districts

For me, this is my favorite part of the Report. Each district has a list of the famous buildings and its photos with detailed information about their average rental and sales price. For instance, if you want to know how much Regency Residence cost in Central Embassy Area, go to Sukhbaatar District's Supply section and find out the prices.

This report was written as at December 31, 2015, so some of the prices seem high as the prices have been decreasing, but do not worry! We are working on MONGOLIA - Real Estate Report 2017 :)

You can download the soft copy by clicking here.

I would love to hear feedbacks if you had the chance to read these books!

Cheers,

Batzul Gerelsaikhan

The Managing Editor

UB Post - Prime Interview

2016-12-20T11:25:00.002+01:00

A lot of people contacted me after my interview on ikon.mn's #EarlyBirds #ӨглөөнийХүн series in October. My LinkedIn, Gmail and Facebook exploded with emails and message requests.

Mostly fresh college graduates and ladies in maternity leave asking for some career advise, mothers asking about schools to send their kids to, people abroad who are thinking of moving back to Mongolia, people asking how I learnt my English, and some men who clearly didn't read my interview (especially the part that I am engaged) and asking me out for a coffee. Anyways, till this date, I still haven't finished replying back. I only managed to finish replying on LinkedIn and Gmail, but still working on my Facebook messages.

These messages were from Mongolians only, but all of a sudden, foreigners and the expat community started congratulating me in mid November. I didn't understand why till my friend from ING bank told me that my interview was on the UB POST as the Prime Interview (full page!?!). I couldn't believe it, so I asked my friend to take a photo and send it to me, and to my surprise this photo came:

G. BATZUL: FOREIGN INVESTORS WANT STABILITY, CREDIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF INFORMATION

Truthfully speaking, I do not think I deserve this much attention and exposure. I am just a hard working lady, minding my own business. Definitely not running for any politics and I am genuinely surprised at why my interview is getting so much attention.

Till this date, I still get surprised when ladies stop me in the bathroom or at restaurants, tell me that they have read my interview, also experienced "women do not support women" situation, and start talking about their life, basically. [I am a complete stranger to you! I could be a psychopathic killer. Why are you talking to me?] Anyways, one of the most funny and common comments would be the fact that I gained weight and they always ask if I am pregnant.

Finally, I should note that one of the best things that happened, after this interview, is that my client base expanded exponentially - locally and internationally. People started asking me to rent their apartments here and there, asking me to valuate their apartments, etc. It definitely gave a positive impact to my career. However, I understand that it comes with huuuuuuge responsibilities and expectations, so I will do my best to be the best I can be and excel at work, but I really wish people stop asking if I am pregnant though.

Anyways, bye for now. Hope you are all enjoying your New Year parties :)

Cheers,

My personal interview on "EarlyBirds" series on ikon.mn

2016-10-18T11:51:00.004+02:00

I had the honor and pleasure of giving my very first personal interview on ikon.mn #EarlyBirds #ӨглөөнийХүн series. It was an absolute pleasure to speak with Bolortuya Ch., the Editor-in-Chief of the ikon.mn news web portal for two days. Please, check it out and let me know your thoughts :)

I talked about my family, school, studying abroad in University of Copenhagen in Denmark and working in PwC, SkyPath Partners and APIP in Hong Kong. Also talked about investment, what investors always ask me and finally the real estate sector of Mongolia. Only in Mongolian though.

Г.Батзул: Олон улсад өөрийгөө сорих боломжтой учир Хонг Конгт ажиллах саналыг хүлээж авсан.

Click here to read.

How To Survive Winter (-30C) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia?

2015-12-18T09:17:00.004+01:00

If you can afford it, you need a Canada Goose or a fur coat, "over the knee" high boots or UGG boots, lots of cashmere (sweater, hat, scarf and gloves), double woollen pants to wear under your pants, and a shot of vodka.
Stay indoors.
Do not breathe the air in the city, especially in the night.
If you do not want to slip, break a bone or die on the street, do not walk confident! Walk like a penguin, because the pedestrian streets are full of lethal frozen ice, and the only way to walk on it is to slide or walk like a penguin.
UB is small, so if you want to reach a destination, you'd better walk. Walking is faster than driving your car, because with a car you will be stuck in a traffic you cannot control, and you will have the parking problem. Plus, you will be stressed out and age faster.
Always carry a book or a Kindle with you, because people will be late.
Do not expect anything from anyone and anything. This is the only way you do not overstress yourself or feel disappointed. Plus, you will be super happy if something or someone does something right :) This is something I have learnt in Denmark - the biggest secret why Danes are the happiest people on Earth - LOWER YOUR EXPECTATION.
Drink. Eat. Sleep well. There is no other way to survive in UB in winter.
At the new year's parties, expect women to be dressed like they are going to the World Miss Competition or as if it is a summer - boobs and legs will be out, big hair, painted/tattooed eyebrows, fake eyelashes, etc. Men just get a shower, shave, put a suit on and gel their hair - lucky bastards.
Get ready for new year parties with your family, friends and other friends, high school classmates, college classmates, former work colleagues, current work colleagues, and other corporate parties. Apologise to your liver in advance.
Do not look too pretty and stay away from drunk and handsy men or women.
Do not quit or get fired from your job. You need it to pay for all the party expenses.
Thank god you have parents and relatives to invite you for homemade dinner and lunch. Screw the healthy eating rules. You need a real Mongolian hot milk tea and lots of meat/fat to survive in this winter.
Winter is coming. No, winter has come. Avoid being single, because you need someone to cuddle with and stay warm in the dark times. The night is dark and full of terrors!
Use a body cream after you shower. You do not want the "Gobi Desert" situation on your skin!
If you are a smoker, you need an extra smoke on top of this smog. The air pollution is just not enough for you.
It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman, you need a lip balm. Otherwise, a) you will have the "Apocalypse" lip, b) you will not be able to smile/laugh or it will hurt/crack/bleed when you do, and c) nobody will kiss you.
I cannot think of anything else right now, so please, let me know how you survive winter in UB! May the force be with you.

A Facebook Purge

2015-11-12T10:03:00.001+01:00

I have recently deleted over 800 people on Facebook after realizing that I was Facebook friends with 1160 people – insane numbers! I only add people that I know, but obviously I do not have 1k friends in real life. So, I started deleting people that basically ghost follows me, i.e.: doesn’t interract with me, doesn’t share, etc. Later, I deleted the first time met people. Then, I deleted old high school classmates, university classmates, former colleagues and even current colleagues that are not particularly close to me.

How the hell did I get here? I wanted to just delete my Facebook really, but then, since I am working abroad I really needed it to stay in touch with my family and friends. So, it had to be done. I am not proud of this decision, but I hope people will understand it eventually.

Here are cons and pros of deleting people:

CONS

People will be upset. Even if you think the friendship is not close, the other party might think otherwise.
Some people will start despising or worse start hating you.
People will not understand that you want a privacy.
They will start adding you back and some will get even angrier if you do not accept.
Your networking access will shrink. Before, it was just easy to Facebook and ask someone something, but now that you deleted them, what will you do?

PROS

People will not even notice that you deleted them. That’s great! You did the right thing to delete those people.
Your Facebook feed will only show the news from you close friends.
You will actually start using Facebook as you should by focusing more on your family and close friends, rather than acquantances.
You no longer need to filter your updates
You will have some control over your social media
You’ll be happier :D

I did the same on my Instagram, too, but I am not asking you to follow me and mass delete many people from your Facebook. This was my personal choice and it helped me have a little more control over my social media, which eventually triggered a positive effect on my time, family, friendship and happiness.

Whatever works for you, do it. Whatever makes you happy, do it.

No judging,

Greetings from Hong Kong #2

2015-10-08T09:47:00.002+02:00

As requested, I am hereby sharing some of my experiences of living in Hong Kong (HK). These are some of the highlights after moving here:

Learning to eat alone

Who likes to eat alone? What do you think about people eating alone? Do you pity them? Feel sorry for them? What do you think when you see a single person sitting by himself/herself and just eating alone? I thought eating alone was an absolute miserable thing to do. Nobody to dine with. Nobody to share the food with. Nobody to talk with.

Both in Mongolia and Denmark, I had my family and friends to dine with; hence, I never had the problem of eating alone. In Hong Kong, however, the jokes were on me as I became one of the very people I used to pity - Batzul eating by herself in one of the busiest restaurants in town, talking on Skype or FaceTime with her boyfriend/sister/mother/relative/friend, watching YouTube videos, reading an ebook on her iBook, stalking people on Facebook and Instagram (till you get bored really), or simply sit at the window seat and watch people pass by.

You may think why don't you cook home? Why do you need to eat alone at public places? Some sexists might even say "As a woman, cooking shouldn't be a problem for you". Trust me, I can cook very well, but when you work in HK, you barely have the time for yourself or yet alone cook home.

Air conditioner (AC), Dehumidifier and Air Purifier

I swear these people in Hong Kong like to work in a freezer! They put the AC in the office to 19C and I am freezing while the locals are just sitting there (so used to it). After working one year in Hong Kong, I still haven't gotten used to this freezing temperature, so I bring my big Mongolian cashmere scarf and wrap myself warm, not to get sick.

Another machine the locals like to use is the air purifier, because the air is so horrible. Even if you climb up the mountain, stand on top and breathe, the air will not be fresh. Unlike in Ulaanbaatar where the air pollution is only seasonal, the air in Hong Kong is bad for your health all year around with its constant haze. There is no factory and industrial zone in HK, but the air pollution is coming from the neighbouring Chinese cities (i.e.: from burning coal, heavy industrial zones, etc).

Lastly, they also like to use the dehumidifying machine at their homes, because the humidity is high. If you live next to the harbour and water, your bedsheets and clothes will never get dry!

Choosing your apartment

Your employer and company should provide your housing and accommodation - yes. However, if you still want to live elsewhere and need to start hunting for apartments, these are the things you need to know.

Housing market price increased in Hong Kong after the new metro line extended to Kennedy Town. Also, Mainlanders buying apartments here with their excess cash were not helping either, making the rents higher and landlords/landladies were waiting desperately for the current cheap contracts they had with their renters to finish (so that they could kick them out and rent it to someone else with a higher price). However, the market is cooling down, so the rentals and sales can be negotiated very well now.

Hong Kong is all about money, money and money. So here are some of my tips for choosing your apartment:

I used real estate agents and unfortunately they seem to be agents for the landlords only and not to you. Hence, they will be reluctant to negotiate the rental price for you. So only use agents to find apartments and do the negotiations yourself
Do not get fooled by 2 years of contract only. There are 6 months contract. Tell the agents to stop wasting your time with long term contracts when you are clearly looking for a short term.
Do not believe when the agent says "Not negotiable". Everything is negotiable. If landlord/agent is asking HK$17,500 for a little studio apartment in Central, push back and negotiate!
Do not live around busy bar streets, lines of restaurants or even worse the flea market! First of all, it will be full of noise pollution, dirty street and drunk people. Secondly, there will be cockroaches and rats/rodents, since these crawlers looooove busy area. Lastly, the apartments will highly likely be small and expensive.
If you want space and cheaper price, live in Kowloon island. Hong Kong island is pricey! A lot of Mongolians live in Tung Chung (next to the airport area) and their apartments are spacious, affordable and most importantly relaxing - they have swimming pools, gym, piano room, etc. If you live in Hong Kong island, just do not expect anything, but a small space, pricey rentals and a bitchy landlady.
Wherever you are, make sure you live at least five floors up. The higher you live, less noise, better view and no uninvited crawlers. Do not get any place with a balcony as Hong Kong is full of cockroaches and rodents.
Make sure your contract has a rodent and pest control clause where the landlady/lord should at least spray the anti-insect spray once in awhile, etc.
Know your neighbourhood. Is your building old? If your neighbours are dirty, then no matter how clean you are, you will always have uninvited guests coming from the pipes, balcony, etc.
Treat your landlords/landladies just like how they are treating you. If there is something wrong with the apartment (i.e.: broken drying machine, wall paints falling, broken tv channels, etc), demand them to come and fix it straight away. If they do not fix it, do not pay your rent. I had the utmost laziest and meanest landlady anyone could have asked for and she was absolutely abusing my politeness. Little did I know, you need to be spicy here and fight back for yourself. Being nice is not going to solve your problems in Hong Kong
Think about commuting. If you have your job in Central, does it really make sense to live in another Kowloon island? Think about the cost of transportation and ask yourself: "Is it truly cheap or is it just wasting your time?".
Live with your friend and share a bigger apartment! It will be cheaper and much more fun. You'll get tired of tiny little studio apartments. Trust me.

Cockroaches and Rats in Hong Kong

Ok, I'm sorry. This post might (or will) disgust you, but I am here to share the truth, ok? So if you don't want to know, just skip this right now.

I wish people told me about cockroaches and rats in Hong Kong. The size of these crawlers are just unbelievably big - HUGE! What's even worse, the cockroaches are equipped with wings and can fly, while the rats can climb up the wall and swim even. It's hard to control them as their population grows very rapidly.

There are no cockroaches and rats in Mongolia and Denmark (well, I am sure there are, but not as much as in Hong Kong!), but they are everywhere in Hong Kong, especially in Lan Kwai Fong (LKF) in the summer - squashed, dead, running, hiding, etc. The locals do not care about them, because they are so used to them (what??!) and as long as they are not in their homes, they do not care if they are outside, because it is impossible to control it. I have seen these nasty crawlers with my own eyes and they still make all my hair stand up no matter how many times people say "Oh, you will get used to them".

One night, me and my friends were seated outside at a table, sharing a shisha in LKF. My boyfriend thought someone was stepping on his foot (thank god, he had a fully covered shoes) and he looked down to look at who was stepping on his foot, but to his horror there were two freaking rats. He didn't tell anyone about this at the table and he suggested to go elsewhere and nobody thought anything wrong about his suggestion as a bar-hopping is completely normal. However, when he told me the next day, I was just disgusted. I even thought of moving back to Mongolia, because I was so scared of them.

Even though I have been to Hong Kong many times before, I have never seen them then. It is because I wasn't aware of them. However, once you start living here and become a local, you cannot stop spotting them, because my stupid brain knows they are there. To this date, I still haven't found a way to stop freaking out every time I see them. Thankfully, summer is ending and they are starting to go back to their holes, sewage, pipes, etc. I am dreading the summers in Hong Kong. If you are coming to Hong Kong, make sure to avoid coming here from May to September.

Getting a bank account - suddenly became so strict!

Three years ago, my colleagues told me that they would just walk into any bank in Hong Kong with their passports and could open a normal ATM bank account and credit card later. Now all the banks, especially HSBC, became super strict with their new compliances after their scandalous bank accounts under fishy people. Also, for instance, if you were Russian citizen (i.e.: my colleague), it was taking much longer to open a bank account due to the economic ban on Russia. What's even more, if you were subletting (your apartment not under your name), it was even harder or impossible for some to get a bank account.

Tax Payment - Annually, not Monthly

I have always had my taxes done by my employer - i.e.: pension plan, social health insurances (SHI), personal income tax (PIT), etc. Also, I used to pay PIT and SHI every month automatically from my salary, but here, you need to pay the annual income tax (usually 5%) yourself after one year of employment in one go.

Hope you are saving some money every month for this, otherwise you will get into a huge trouble of paying your tax. Another thing is to make sure there is a housing allowance in your employment contract. This will help you reduce your tax amount.

People will ask you to

Buy or bring the following to Mongolia: latest iPhones or any new Apple products really, perfume, cosmetics, whiskies, money, something they have left in Hong Kong, books, vitamins, birth control pills, Christian Louboutin shoes, etc
Exchange shoe sizes
Check if their Hong Kong number is still working
Pay bills on behalf of them (i.e.: phone bills)
Check how much would it cost to fix their broken apple products, etc

I come frequently back and forth to UB and HK, so if I have any spare time and/or space in my luggage, I usually say sure, but sometimes I can't help, but think "Seriously?! Can't they get these in UB?". You become a post office, really - a very nice one! :P

Let me know also some of the cultural shocks you have experienced after moving to a new country! Sharing is Caring.

Hope you liked this post and my absolute honesty in it.

Best,

You Make Me Fat And Happy

2015-09-30T17:27:00.000+02:00

When I am miserable

You know that I am faking the "happy" face

When I am sad

You know just how to cheer me up

When I am lonely and homesick

You come flying so fast

When you bring home to me

You make a long distance so much sweeter

When I am happy

You are the first person I want to call

When I am down

You are the first person I want to call

When I take a risk

I know that I am safe with you

When I do not take any risk

You push me to the edge

When I am sick

You take care of me like I am a little baby
When I am sleepless

You speak with me all night (till I pass out)

You make me feel safe and secure

You make me fat and happy

You make me stronger and most importantly loved

I hope I make you feel the same

I hope I am not too much of a burden

I hope I push you too

I hope I give you joy

I hope I am enough

You are my best friend

You are my teacher

You are my rock

You are my love.

Thank you for being there for me.

So much love,

Khusugtun from Mongolia at Asia's Got Talent 2015

2015-05-14T11:19:00.000+02:00

Dear Khusugtun,

Chills! Chills! All the hair in my body just stood up and I also lost my voice. Maybe it is because I am a fellow Mongolian, but it does not matter, because I became mentally happy and literally jumped to see Khusugtun at Asia's Got Talent 2015!

Thank you, Khusugtun, for making us proud to be Mongolians, promoting Mongolia so well and becoming such a wonderful cultural ambassador. I salute you! Crossing all my fingers (and toes) that you will win.

Your fan,
Batzul

Finals

Semi Finals

Intro

Тархины Тураал - Кимура Аяако

2015-02-25T08:08:00.000+01:00

Энэхүү нийтлэлийг уншаарай гэж ээж минь дамжуулсан юм. Байнга завгүй гүйж явдаг охиндоо үе үе ийм сэтгэл хөдлөгөм нийтлэл унш гэж дамжуулдагд нь үнэхээр их баярладаг шүү, ээж ээ.

1999 онд бичсэн энэ нийтлэл миний гарт ийнхүү ирж намайг маш ихээр гайхшруулав. Тээр 1999 онд бичигдсэн утга агууламж нь надад буюу 2015 онд маш ойлгомжтой ойлгогдож байгаа бөгөөд юу ч өөрчлөгдөөгүй хэвээр байгаад би гүнээ харамсав.

Мөн хүндэлж явдаг Д. Оюунцэцэг багш минь үүнийг уншаад ийнхүү сэтгэлээ хуваалцав:
"Монголчууд бидний төлөө санаа нь зовсондоо, тэсэж чадахгүй болсондоо энэ нийтлэлийг бичжээ. Кимура Аяакод чин сэтгэлээсээ талархал илэрхийлж чаашид ч ийм утга бүхий зүйл бичиж Монголчууд биднийг сэрээж байгаарай гэж хүссэн ерөөе."

Кимура Аяако гэх энэ эмэгтэй манай хэлийг шамдан суралцаж, аялагтай ч гэсэн маш сайн ойлгогдохоор тв-ээр ярилцлага өгч байхыг YouTube-ээр харав (32:45 минутаас үзнэ үү).

Та бүхэн доорх нийтлэлийг өөрсдөө уншаад хувьдаа тунгаан бодно уу. Гадны хүн бид нарыг муулж байна гэж бүү бод. Харин ч энэ хүн Монголд үнэхээр хайртайдаа энэхүү нийтлэлийг бичсэн болов уу гэж би хувьдаа бодож байна.

Хүндэтгэсэн,
Г. Батзул

~

Кимура Аяако
ТАРХИНЫ ТУРААЛ

Японд суугаа Малайзын элчин сайд «Намайг хорин настай байхад манай улс дөнгөж тусгаар тогтноод байсан бөгөөд олон асуудал тулгараад байсан билээ. Бид амжилт гаргаж, тусгаар тогтнолоо дэлхийн олон улсаар зөвшөөрүүлэх хэрэгцээ шаардлага байсан. Би Малайз эх орны төлөө хүчин зүтгэмээр санагдаад, юуны өмнө гэр орныхныхоо бахархал болсон хүн байх хэрэгтэй юм гэж бодогдож байлаа. Эх орондоо би хэрэгтэй гэж бодож явлаа. Одоо Малайзын Засгийн газар ирээдүй үеийнхний төлөө «Визон-2020» гэдэг төлөвлөгөө зохион гаргаж байгаа билээ.

Улс орны хувьд Малайз амжилт олж, олон улсын тавцан дээр бол тус улс ирэх зуунд удирдагчийн байр сууринд очих ёстой хэмээн зорьж байна» гэснийг уншаад Монголын байр суурь гэдэг юу вэ гэж бодогдлоо.

Хагас жил Монголд байхгүй байгаад буцаж ирэхэд юм болгон хөгийн харагдаад, монголчууд нэг л хөгийн санагдаад болж өгдөггүй. Олон жил хөгийн юмны төлөө зүтгэж явсан би ч бусдад хөгийн харагдаж байгаа байлгүй дээ. Би бол япон хүн.

Гадаадын хүн Монголыг хөгийн байна гэхэд дургүйцэх нэгэн байж болно. Гадаадынхан манай Монголыг хамаагүй шүүмжилж болохгүй гэх хандлагатай хүн ч байж болно. Гэвч миний бие Монголд хөл тавьснаас хойш яг арван жил болж байна. Хэрэв «Гадаадын хүн манай орныг бүү шүүмжил» гэх юм бол би тийм хүнд «Гадаад орноос тусламж бүү ав» гэж хэлмээр байна. Эд барааны тусламж байвал аваад байна, сэтгэл санааны тусламж бол хэрэггүй гэх гээд байгаа юм уу?

Ер нь монголчууд нүдэнд харагдах ашгаас өөр сонирхолгүй, юу ч хэлээд нэмэргүй. Гэтэл нүдэнд үл үзэгдэх нэг юм л хүнийг хүн болгодог шиг санагдах юм. Сайд, дарга болохын төлөө ёс жудгаа худалдаж чаддаг хүн, тэр хүнийг тойрон шавсан шимэгч хорхой шиг хүн.

Миний бодлоор Монголд сайд дарга болсноос малчин болсон нь илүү мундаг.

Өнөөдрийн Монголд дээр өгүүлсэн Малайзын сайдын үгэнд гарсан ухаан шиг ухаан алга. өөрөөр хэлбэл олон улсын харилцааны тавцан дээр уншигчийн байр сууринд гарна гэсэн ухаан огт алга санагдана. Малайз ч, Монгол ч ялгаагүй Азийн хөгжиж байгаа л орон.

Төр хүчтэй байя гэвэл хууль боловсронгуй, хууль хүчтэй байх ёстой гэх хүн байдаг. Гол нь хуулиндаа биш, хуулийг зөв хэрэгжүүлэх явдал л чухал. Хуулийг зөв хэрэгжүүлнэ гэдэг сэтгэлийн сахилгатай байхыг хэлнэ. Сэтгэлийн сахилга байвал буруугаа засаж, алдсанаа нөхөн сэргээх дотоод дархлал байна. Тийм юм байхгүй бол гаднаас яаж ч оролдоод сайжруулж чадахгүй. Хятадын «Их сургаал бичиг» номын VI бүлэгт «Улс орны хувьд эд хөрөнгийн сонирхол жинхэнэ ашиг сонирхол биш, харин ёс журам бий болгох л жинхэнэ ашиг мөн.

Улс орны удирдагч эд хөрөнгийн талаар хүч чармайлт тавьж байгаа бол заавал хөгийн амьтсыг өөрийн гар хөл болгон ашигладаг. Тэгэхдээ удирдагч тэдгээр ашиглаж байгаа хүмүүсээ чадвартай гэж бодож байгаа бол тийм хөгийн амьтдаар төр, засгийн эрх бариулах ба тэгж эрх бариулбал заавал хүн зоны ч юм уу байгалийн гай гамшиг учирна» гэж бичсэн байдаг.

Хятадын сургаалаас иш татвал өнөөгийн монголчууд «хятадын юм» гэсэн утгаар хүлээж авахгүй ч байж мэднэ. Дургүйцээд зүгээр сууж байснаас хятадуудаас илүү их юм уншиж, наад захын хятадын гүн ухаан мэдэж байх хэрэгтэй бус уу.

Ер нь монголчууд ном уншихгүй болсон байна. өнөөгийн Японы нийгэмд тодорхой байр суурь эзэлсэн байгаа хүмүүс залуудаа өглөөнөөс үдэш болтол тасралтгүй ном уншиж байсан бөгөөд одоо ч япончууд маш их уншдаг. Яагаад ингэж уншдаг вэ? өөрийн дотоод ертөнцийг сайжруулахын төлөө л тэр.

Монголд өрнөсөн ардчиллын үйл явцыг Японы Мэйжигийн хувьсгалтай (1868 оны) зүйрлэн ярьж байсан. Монголыг Японтой зүйрлүүлээд дэмий байх аа. Тэрхүү Мэйжигийн хувьсгалын өмнө Англи, Францад очсон япон хүн байсан, тэд тэдгээр орны байдлыг гайхаж, улмаар манай Япон хурдан сурч боловсорч, хөгжих ёстой гэж бачимдан цухалдаж байсан гэдэг. Тэр бол жинхэнэ эх оронч сэтгэлгээ юм. Бас дэлхийн II дайны үеийн Японы хямралыг ч өнөөгийн Монголын шилжилтийн үеийн хямралтай зүйрлэдэг хүн бий. Япончууд тэр үед хүн бүр хүчээ дайчлан ажиллаж, Япон орныг баян тансаг болгоё гэж бодож байснаас бус, одоогийн зарим монгол хүн шиг эх орны нэрээр хаа нэгтээгээс олж ирсэн мөнгийг өөрийн нэр дээр гадаадын банкинд шилжүүлж байгаагүй юм гэнэ билээ.

Ийм байхад манай япончуудтай өөрсдийгөө зүйрлэх гээд байгаад зэвүү хүрч байна. Ингэхдээ би манай япончууд мундаг, Монгол хүмүүс муу гэх гээгүй. Хүн л юм хойно аль алинд нь сайн муу юм бий. Гэхдээ монголчуудыг харахаар юмыг зөвхөн хэлбэрдээд л, агуулгыг орхисон шиг бодогдож, санаа зовоох юм.

Үнэхээр соёлын хямрал. Ном уншихгүй, унших ном ч байхгүй. Мэдлэг нь өөрөө олж авсан биш, дандаа бусдаас л дуулсан зүйл байдаг. Ижилхэн санаа бодолтой, нэг төвшний хүмүүс цуглаж ярилцлаа ч хөгжиж дэвжихэд ямар ч нэмэргүй. Телевиз, радио, хэвлэл гэхэд бас л ижилхэн ухаантай, ижилхэн төвшний хүмүүс бичиж, ярьж, нэвтрүүлж байгаа учраас ялгаагүй, түрүүчийн л цуглаад ярьсны үргэлжлэл.

Тархины тураал. Сайн сураагүй гэж хэлүүлсэн хэрнээ, бас өөрөө түүнийгээ мэдэж байгаа хэрнээ бодож санах юмгүй яваад л байна. Монгол хүн маш азтай юм. «Монгол үндэстэн» гэдэг нэрээр дэлхий даяарт эрхэлж, дэлхий даяараа эрхлүүлж байна. Чингис хааны нэр барьж ямар нэг юм хийх гээд байх юм уу, хэнээс ямар тусламж орж ирэх нь вэ гэж хараад хүлээгээд л суугаад байна.

Хэрэг болбол залхтал гуйж хоргооно, хэргээ бүтсэн хойно таг чиг болно.

Ер нь япончууд хүнээс юм гуйхаас ичдэг, хүний юм авахаас санаа зовдог. Хэрэг бүтсэний дараа л баяр талархал илэрхийлэхийг чухалд үзэж жин даруулдаг. Дэлхий нийтээс ялгарах монголчуудын нэг онцлог бол дээр дурдсан, хэргээ бүтмэгц таг чиг болдог зан. Манай япон ёс ийм тийм гэвэл зарим монгол хүн «За яршиг, зүгээр. Японы ёс ямар хамаатай!» гэх нь бий. Манай япончууд зүгээр л нэг ажил хөдөлмөрт зүтгээд өнөөгийн хөгжилд хүрсэн биш, хажууд нь ёс төр гэж чухал юм байнга хамт явдаг. Энэ бол Хятадад ч, Америкт, Европт ч бий.

Ойр дотно болох тусмаа ёс төрийг чанд баримтлах нь чухал. Ёс төрийг сайн сахих хэрэгтэй. Залуус бол ер нь ёс төр гэж юу болохыг олигтой мэдэхгүй учраас тал хувь нь бүтэж байсан ажил хэргээ бүр нурааж орхих нь ч бий» гэж бид заалгадаг.

Монголчууд ёс мэдэхгүй гэдгийг тэдэнтэй нэлээд харилцсан япончууд мэднэ. Тэр ч бүү хэл зарим нь «Угаасаа байхгүй юм чинь, ёс журмыг монголчуудаас эрээд яадаг юм бэ!» гэдэг гээд бод л доо. «Хүн гэдэг хоол, унд, хувцас хунарт зовохгүй болж байж сая хүний ёсыг бодно. Монголчууд мөр бүтэн, гэдэс цатгалан болж байж ёсыг сурах байлгүй дээ» гэх хүн ч тааралддаг. Гэвч юу л бол доо.

Монголчууд хоол унд, хувцас хунарт санаа зовохооргүй болчихвол харин ч нүглийг мартах байлгүй.

Монголчуудтай харилцахлаар л сэтгэл сэвтэнэ. Сэтгэлийн тусыг ойлгохгүй хардаж сэрдэнэ. Тэгээд «Ямар ч тооцоо, зорилгогүйгээр хүнд тусална гэдэг ойлгомжгүй юм. Тооцоотой, зорилготой байж л хүнд тусална гэдэг нэг талаар зөв» гэх нь урам хугална.

Монголд хүнд хариугүй тус хүргэнэ гэж байхгүй. Энэ бол ядуу байгаагийн шинж.
Тулга тойрсон тооцооны богино ухаан монголчуудыг туйлдуулж байна. Миний хувьд, бүр багаасаа «Хүнд туслах бол хариу санаж тооцоололгүй сэтгэлээрээ тусалж бай» гэж сурсан билээ. Харин монгол хүн «Аав ээж намайг «хүнд туслахдаа тооцоотой хандаж бай» гэж сургасан гэхийг сонсоод, Монголын нийгэм дэх хүний сэтгэл Японыхоос эрс өөр болохыг мэдэрлээ. Танай хүмүүжлийн энэ зарчим дөрвөн уулын дундаас бүү гараасай гэлтэй ч тийм хүмүүжилтэй хүмүүс хэдийнээ хил давж, бусдын зэвүү хүргэж яваа нь үнэхээр харамсалтай.

Өгөөш том тусмаа дэмий гэж үг байдаг. «Монголчууд юу ч үгүй юм чи нь ядаж бардам зан байх ёстой» гэдэг монгол хүн тааралдана. Гэхдээ одоогийн монголчууд бардам зан гэж юуг хэлэхээ сайн мэдэхгүй байгаа учраас тэдний бардам зан гээд байгааг өөр хэлэнд орчуулбал бүдүүлэг зан гэж л буулгахаас аргагүй.

«Сул дорой хүн түүнийгээ нуух гэж зөрүүдлээд, найр тавихыг зохисгүйд тооцон омогддог» гэсэн үг бий. Монгол залуучууд «Гадаадынхан бага юм өгч байна. Бүр ихийг өгөх ёстой. Юм өгч байгаа нь цаанаа учиртай» гэх мэт хардлага сэрдлэгийн хачин сэтгэл их гаргана. Баян ядуу гэдэг ер нь юу юм бэ. Миний бодлоор баян хүн өөрийгөө гэх аминч үзлийг дийлэн зохицуулж чаддаг байхыг хэлнэ. Сэтгэлийнх нь бүх орон зай зөвхөн «би» гэх ганц бодлоор дүүрсэн хүнийг аминч үзэлтэн гэнэ.

Миний энэ утгаар баян ядууг ойлгодог хүн Монголд хэд бол? Монголд үнэхээр баян хүн байхгүй гэж боддог. Бузар мөнгө, ариун мөнгө гэж ялгаж чадахгүй, мөнгө бол эрх хэмжээ гэж ойлгож байгаа цагт Монголд жинхэнэ баян байгаа гэж төсөөлөхийн аргагүй. өөрөө үл тансаглан, өрөөлийг тансаглуулагч л жинхэнэ баян хүн.

Хятадын «Мэнз бичиг» номд «Ордны дотор цэвэр тансаг боловч гадаа хог новштой, тарианы агуулах сав хов хоосон байхыг хулгайчийн тансаглал гэнэ» хэмээжээ.

Муу луйвраар залилж авсан мөнгөөр хүүхдээ гадаадад сургахаар явуулдгийг ойлгохгүй байна. Юуг нь ойлгохгүй байна вэ? Аав нь луйвраар олсон мөнгө гэдгийг мэдсээр байж, тийм мөнгөөр суралцахаар явж чадаж байгаа хүүхдийнх нь сэтгэлгээг үнэхээр ойлгохгүй байгаа юм. Би ямар мундаг хүн биш, монголчуудад сургаал айлдах чадалтай ч биш дээ.

Ер нь Монголд эхлээд хүний дотоод сэтгэлийн хувьсгал л хийх хэрэгтэй. Тэгж жинхэнэ хүн бий болгох ёстой байлгүй дээ. Жинхэнэ хүн гэдэг ямар хүнийг хэлэх вэ гэвэл худлаа хэлдэггүй хүнийг л хэлнэ.

«Монгол хүний үгэнд битгий итгэ!» гэдэг үгийг хаанахын хэнээс ч сонсож болно. Танилцах тусмаа итгэх боломжгүйг ухаарна. Монголыг сайн мэддэг хүн бол юу гэж хөрөнгө оруулалт хийх вэ дээ. Мэдэхгүй хүний толгойг эргүүлж байгаад, хэдэн цаас салгаж аваад нүүр буруулахыгаа л мөнгө оруулалт гэж бодоод ойлгуулаад байх шиг.

Тэгсэн хэрнээ хөрөнгө оруулагч Монголд бус, өөрт ашигтайг бодож үүнийг хийж байгаа мэтээр сонин хэвлэлээр шуугиулах нь дэндүү. Хятадын зохиолч Ро жин, «Усанд унасан нохойг нэрмэж зод!» гэж бичсэн байдаг. Ёс журам эс мэдэх нохойг авартал хэн нэгнийг зууж мэдэх юм шүү гэсэн утгатай энэ үгийг олж уншаад хүчтэй цохилт авсан.

Би багаасаа «Хүн болгонд тусалж бай» гэж хүмүүжсэн. Гэхдээ монголчуудтай харилцаж явахад Ро жингийн энэ үг орой руу орж билээ. Ер нь Монголд зовлон багадаад байх шиг. Зовж л байж юманд хүрдэг хорвоо доо. Ардчилал иймэрхүү замаар явж байгаагийн хариуцлага ард түмэнд бас бий.

Монголын ард түмэн өөрөө хийх ёстой гэж бодохгүй, хэн нэгэн хүн хийж өгөөсэй гэж хүлээгээд сууж байна. Хэн Монголын нийгмийг гайгүй болгох ёстой юм бэ? Дандаа хүний гар харна. өөрт хамаатай юмыг өөрөө л хийх ёстой гэдэг зарчим алга. Гадаадад сурч байгаа хүмүүс, гадаадад гарсан хүмүүс монгол орноо хаяагүй байх аа. Гэхдээ тэд «Монголыг гайгүй болохоор нь очно» гэж ярьдаг. Бас л хүний гар харсан сэтгэлгээ.

Монголчууд гадаад хэл их сурч байна. Тэгж сураад юунд хэрэглэх, ямар зорилготой вэ? Бизнес, мөнгө, нэр алдар бодохоос бус, эх орондоо хэрэгтэй хүн болмоор байна, эх орны төлөө сурах ёстой гэж бодох хүн байхгүй. Юуны өмнө өөрийн амьдрал байдлыг сайжруулаад, дараа нь эх орноо гэж боддог, бас тэгж хэлдэг хүн олон. өөрийн амьдрал байдлыг сайжруулах гэсэн хүний хүсэлд хэр хэмжээ гэж байхгүй. Монголчуудтай харилцах бүрт, сүүлийн үед «Арсланг дийлэх гэж оролдоод оролдоод яаж ч чадаагүй өчүүхэн хулгана хавханд хавчуулж шархалсан өвдгийг нь хазаж орилуулсан гэнэ ээ» хэмээх нэгэн үлгэр санаанд орж ирээд, тэр арслангийн өвдөг нь би юм шиг санагдаад болж өгдөггүй.

Монголд байх тусмаа монголчуудтай харилцах талаар их юм сурлаа. Амин хувиа хичээгчдийн дунд байх тусам алаг хорвоогийн хоосон чанар илүү тод харагдах аж. Хорвоо ертөнц дандаа нэг янзаараа байхгүй. Цэцэглэсний эцэст хагдрах зайлшгүй. Алдар нэр, албан тушаал гэгч нэг л бодит чанартай биш санагдаад байх юм.

КИМУРА АЯАКО

Greetings from Hong Kong #1

2014-12-08T11:47:00.002+01:00

Apologies - It has been awhile! I have been very busy with my new job and roles; bidding farewell to family and friends in Mongolia; settling in Hong Kong; launching Mongolian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (MonCham); and overcoming challenges a young lady faces in a big city - a new life, a new language, new responsibilities, new colleagues, new friends and new EVERYTHING!

How did this happen? I am yet again a foreigner in a foreign country. When will I stop and settle in? When will I stop challenging myself to a bigger and harder world? "You should settle down and get married soon, otherwise you will be infertile before you know it!" joked one of my guy friends. In response, I wanted to slap him and shake him into some sense, but instead I laughed with everyone else and acknowledged that I am not getting any younger - it is true. What was that someecards statement again? Oh yeah:

"I am at that awkward age where half my friends are engaged and having babies and the other half are too drunk to even find their phones"

Well, I am neither.

Those who follow me on Instagram @Batzul already know that I am living in Hong Kong; those who do not, well now you know! My friends are telling me that I am super lucky to be away from this "Utaanbaatar Disaster" in winter and I must be in heaven; but I am re-experiencing the cultural shock all over again even though I know Hong Kong since I was 13 years old. To name few, here are my top 7 highlights of Hong Kong:

1. Hong Kong Protest

At first, I was very impressed with young Honkies revolting against the mighty China! I moved to Hong Kong exactly in October (despite my family's concerns of the dangers), so I was following what was happening in Hong Kong very closely and I was thrilled and cautious at the same time to experience this historical (Was/Is it yet another Tiananmen Square Protest?) moment between Hong Kong and mainland China. I will always remember the gathering of 100,000 people between Causeway Bay and Mong Kok, tear gas, and massive international media coverages - it was really impressive!

However, the hype started wearing off in November and even more in December. The locals started getting tired of the blocked roads, which constantly created a traffic jam, and started demanding to open the roads again. Slowly, the international media started to leave Hong Kong as they also noticed that this was getting over.

From this, I really admired how the Chinese Government handled this HK Protest. Had they done more damage than the tear gas, the whole Hong Kong nationals and their international supporters would have stood up against China far more seriously. The Chinese Government simply decided to ignore them and the locals did the rest by demanding the roads to be open again. This just proved how sly and genius the Chinese Government is with their constant changing strategies. Anyways, this talk can go on and on and on...

[Photo: Showing you the blocked roads from Sevva Bar, Central HK]

2. My tiny apartment

It is small. Of course, it is small - 7 million people live on a 1,104km² land in Hong Kong. Mongolia has 2.9 million people on a land of 1,564,115.7km²! Most surprisingly though, my balcony is as big as my apartment. It should be a small cafe, I thought at first. I found it silly and a total waste of space, so I told myself to find another apartment ASAP. But as I have started visiting other people's apartments with no balcony, I understood that I had an amazing apartment with amazing balcony where I can host my friends over a BBQ party; do a little gardening with flowers and trees, enjoy my tea outside; do yoga; lie down & tan; read a book, etc. So, I slowly started loving my little heavenly home.

3. The weather

Luckily I haven't experienced HK summer yet - apparently it is too hot to even walk for 5 min. The winter is the best season, the locals confess. Right now it is 17C - Mongolians might think this is warm, but it is actually bit chilly with its humid nature. Very cold from the bottom, like in Scandinavia - "wet" cold. Also, Hong Kong sometimes rainstorms on us, which you may think we would hate, but locals love it, because it means "A holiday!"

4. The nightlife

The nightlife never ends! The night lights are beautiful, especially if you are on a boat - all the buildings have their own unique light shows. The place that everyone goes to is LKF - a famous street for bar hopping, clubbing, eating and hanging. There will be so many girls with high heels and fake eyelashes; and there will be men in their mid 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s...60s :P Even on Monday, you can go to DragonI and party with the models. Apparently all the models go to DragonI on Monday night to eat dim sum and party there when they are done munching. I had no idea DragonI was a dim sum place!

Anyways, people are super friendly, because just like me they also just moved to Hong Kong and/or know what I am going through, so they give friendly tips and invite you to their BBQ parties, house parties, lunches, dinners, birthdays and farewell parties. Extremely friendly to strangers! In Copenhagen, foreigners tend to get outcasted a bit at first, but here everyone is international and very welcoming.

5. Safety

I was 13 when I first visited Hong Kong and i remember my parents telling me that this city is a safe place. Still it is considered one of the safest cities in the world, so when something bad happens (i.e.: a British Banker from Merrill Lynch killed 2 prostitutes in his apartment in Wan Chai, including one hidden inside his suitcase on a balcony) it will be on the front pages of the newspapers for several days.

6. Do not speak in Mandarin here

Honkies are allergic to people from mainland China. They proudly speak in Cantonese to make a point and if you speak Mandarin to them, you wouldn't necessarily get a friendly reply back. Every day, there are thousands of mainland tourists coming to Hong Kong with their fat wallets (i.e.: There were 4.7 million mainland tourists in 2013) to shop in the luxury stores (i.e.: LV) with lower taxes. Some simply come and start buying apartments in Hong Kong, which increases the housing prices and pisses off the locals even more, because it is becoming harder and harder for the locals to buy their own apartments in Hong Kong.

7. Transportation

When you live and work Central, you get spoiled and start calling Kowloon the "Dark Side". Nevertheless, you can easily get to places with your "Octopus Card", which is one of the best things that happened to Hong Kong! You may pay with your octopus in metro, trams, buses, 7/11s, most convenient and grocery shops, coffee shops, book stores, movie theatres, etc. Perfect for people who hate carrying heavy coins!

The only transportation problem I have in Hong Kong is the taxi drivers. Before, I remember clearly that I could talk to taxi drivers in English when I was a child and go wherever I want; but now as more mainland Chinese taxi drivers are working in Hong Kong, it is becoming a challenge to show them where I want to go. If you get lucky, you'd get the Honkie driver and he would speak and understand you perfectly in English; but if you are not, you would get one of those angry, impatient, loud and "speaking on the phone" mainland Chinese drivers that only understand where you want to go if you show them the "Google Map" address in Mandarin.

Well, there you go!

I am thinking of doing a photo-taking tour this weekend with my professional camera and as soon as I am done editing them, I will publish the final products on my blog. Till next time then!

Xoxo,
B.

Tim Minchin - The Fence

2014-06-26T07:40:00.001+02:00

[Lyrics]

Somewhere in your wardrobe, I'd be willing to bet
There's a t-shirt probably bearing the silhouette of Che Guevara

He was revolutionary, yeah, he wore a cool hat
But behind the design I think you might find it's not quite as simple as that

Che was a bit of a homophobe, Che was a bit of a homophobe, apparently
Che was a bit of a homophobe, Che was a bit of a homophobe

[Chorus]
This is my song in defence of the fence
A little sing along, a anthem to ambivalence
The more you know, the harder you will find it
To make up your mind, it, doesn't really matter if you find
You can't see which grass is greener
Chances are it's neither, and either way it's easier
To see the difference, when you're sitting on the fence

Somewhere in your house, I'd be willing to bet
There's a picture of that grinning hippy from Tibet - the Dalai Llama

He's a lovely, funny fella, he gives soundbites galore
But let's not forget that back in Tibet, those funky monks used to dick the poor, yeah

And the Buddhist line about future lives is the perfect way to stop the powerless rising up
And he tells the poor they will live again, but he's rich now so it's easy for him to say

[Chrous]
I'm taking the stand in defence of the fence
I got a little band playing anthems to ambivalence
We divide the world into terrorists and heroes
Into normal folk and weirdos
Into good people and pedos
Into things that give you cancer and the things that cure cancer
And the things that don't cause cancer, but there's a chance they will cause cancer in the future
We divide the world to stop us feeling frightened
Into wrong and into right and
Into black and into white and
Into real men and fairies
Into status quo and scary
Yeah we want the world binary, binary
But it's not that simple.

And your dog has a bigger carbon footprint than a four wheel drive
Yea your dog has a bigger carbon footprint than a four wheel drive
And your dog has a bigger carbon footprint than a four wheel drive
And so does your baby, maybe you oughta trade HIM in for a Prius

ROCK!

[Chorus]
I'm taking the stand in defence of the fence
I got a little band playing tributes to ambivalence
We divide the world into liberals and gun-freaks
Into atheists and fundies
Into tee-tot'lers and junkies
Into chemical and natural
Into fictional and factual
Into science and supernatural
But it's actually naturally not that white and black

You'll be
Dividing us into terrorists and heroes
Into normal folk and weirdos
Into good people and pedos
Into things that give you cancer and the things that cure cancer
And things that don't cause cancer, but there's a chance they will cause cancer in the future
We divide the world to stop us feeling frightened
Into wrong and into right and
Into black and into white and
Into real men and fairies
Into parrots and canaries
Yeah we want the world binary, binary - 0100100!

The more you know, the harder you will find it
To make up your mind, it doesn't really matter if you find
You can't see which grass is greener
Chances are it's neither, and either way it's easier
To see the difference when you're sitting on the fence
Cause it's not that simple... Maybe...

Intelevator Intelligent Voice Activated Elevator - Funny Prank

2014-05-19T09:25:00.001+02:00

Online Courses From The Best Universities In The World For FREE

2014-05-06T10:47:00.002+02:00

You do not need to go to Ivy League schools (i.e.: Harvard, MIT and Dartmouth) and pay massive amounts (minimum US$40,000) anymore to learn from their courses. Some of the best universities in the world have gathered together and posted their courses online at edX.

I have personally just finished learning (PH201x) "Health and Society" from Harvard and I absolutely applaud the simplicity and availability of the course. This online course has been recommended by my cousin who just went to Harvard for his studies and I'd like to thank him for making me aware of this amazing world of knowledge!

Sharing is indeed caring; hence, please, have a go at it. You simply go to www.edx.org, sign up, browse through the different courses (which range from politics to economics and various other topics, such as: science, finance, health, education, philosophy, infrastructure, etc) and START LEARNING! What's even more, if you pass the exams and completes the courses on time, you get a certificate from the universities and some even verify/put your name on the certificate.

These courses are, however, all in English and require an advanced English skills to learn it. Nevertheless, it is possible for you to pause and even download the scripts to read/learn it slowly. Small steps...eh?

May Mongolia get more and more bright Mongolians!

Love,
B.

Laws of Modern Woman

2014-02-19T15:52:00.001+01:00

Times have changed. The society changed. Our culture changed. Consequently, men and women changed. The roles of women and men changed as well. In general, everything and everyone is changing.

Things are indeed different now. Not all women need men for a financial support; they can carry on with or without men in their lives. In fact, a good man with a good heart is regarded as a bonus in your life. Some even would say: "A good man with a wealth is even a bigger bonus." However, if you did not find the one, that is fine as well - not everyone needs to get married and have children. We can co-exist with or without our opposite sex in our society.

All that matters is that you are happy with yourself and satisfied with your life. You may, however, of course disagree with me. After all, everyone has a different perspective of what an happiness is.

While you are pondering whether you agree or disagree, please take a look at the amazing quotes titled #LawsOfModernWoman below. I have accidentally come across them; loved them so much that I decided to share them with you all. Here are some of my favorites:

Children playground destroyed by Avzaga Buildings

2013-10-02T03:11:00.002+02:00

It began .. years ago (I really do not remember when it began. To be updated when I confirm it with my family and neighbors), when my playground was taken away from me within a fortnight by Avzaga Trade LLC - I woke up to see the playground, which I grew up playing at, fenced with high wooden fences. I immediately understood that a building was to be built soon. It made me angry. It made my family angry. It made my neighbors angry. Most shockingly, it made me angry, and I seldom get angry! Anger is such a strong feeling that I seldom lay upon anything or anyone.

I've understood that I was actually angry at myself. I couldn't understand how did this happen so fast. Why wasn't I aware of this? How could this happen so fast? How could I let it happen? I asked my family "What's going on??!", and my mother responded with "I do not know". Of course, we knew what was going on, but we couldn't understand how we could let this happen. My mother tried talking to our building mayor, since new buildings legally needed a permission from the neighboring residents that says "Yes, we like the idea. You are welcome to build buildings, take the playground away from our children, block our sunlight, disturb our peaceful sleep with the building noises and make our residential area ugly" - which was highly unlikely to be approved by any of our neighbors.

We live next to the State Department Store, the Nomin Supermarket - the center of the capital city, where people of middle class or above used to live. We never imagined that anyone in their right mind would approve such a hostile playground demolition - it would not be fair to our children and our next generation. However, we were wrong. One of the elderly grandmother resident told our mother that our building representative somehow approved it, she jokingly said that person got a good deal of money for it and already moved out of the building. When my mother told me this, I was angrier.

My anger grew as the construction started taking down our playground toys and equipment - our beautiful tall trees that circled the playground (in an oval shape if you look from above. I really wish I had photos to show its beauty!), our grass, our tables and chairs (where grandparents used to play chess and cards), our seesaw, our merry-go-round, our swing set, our slide, our chin-up bars, our sandbox, our monkey bars, our overhead ladder and many of which (i) helped children develop physical strength and flexibility; (ii) provided enjoyment and fun; (iii) staged a beautiful romantic place for couples and loved ones; and (iv) gave elderly people a lovely garden to relax and enjoy each other's companion and laughter. I cried when they cut off my tree - I used to climb that tree many times when I was a child. It broke my heart, literally. How can they do this to children?

We reached our breaking point, so I and our neighboring children decided to take down the wooden fences. We all agreed on time and date - I was never that excited to take down and destroy something. I could not wait to take that illegal property down and free our playground from them. When the time came, we all ran to the wooden fences. I have no idea how many we were, but the kids' number were just multiplying so fast. I think the kids from other neighboring buildings were joining us. Altogether circling the fences around, the kids started screaming and started kicking the fences down. You may call it a "small revolution" of the neighborhood kids.

How proud we were to seize back what was rightfully ours. We kicked the fences over and over again. As a girl, I kicked it with all my power. Not caring about the girly behavior and dutiful look, I kicked and took the fences down with rest of the boys; and boy, how good I felt! Once we took the fences down (all of it), we were happily jumping on it - hands up, screaming "yeahhhhhhhh", giving hugs and high fives to one another. Even television and media reporters came that night and recorded our victory against the vicious business plan. We screamed at the TV reporter, saying "We won! We won! We won!"

Sadly, the next day, the construction builders came again and built a stronger iron fences instead. This time our parents and grandparents came out and started arguing with the construction builders, telling them this is illegal. The construction people apologized and told us that they were merely taking orders from their bosses, and they had no right to stop the construction - otherwise they would be fired. They said "We are only doing our jobs here. Please, do not make it difficult for us". After heated discussions, they started pushing one another. The kids just stood there and saw that it was out of their hands - it was too big to tackle. Even our parents and grandparents could not do anything about it, but push the construction people around. How could possibly small kids make a difference?

Our victorious fire in our hearts died then - we all understood that money and power ruled the world. I remember lowering my head down, looking at my feet and told myself that I did not want to live here anymore. Many families agreed with me. One by one, our neighbors started moving to Zaisan, once the building was in progress. We hated that building and everyone who was involved in it: from the person behind it, to the people who were building it, to the people who financed it, to the people who got bribed and gave the permission to build this illegal building, to the people who bought apartments and everything to do with it.

After our constant calls and complaints, they promised to build only one building on half side of the playground, and renovate the other half of the playground to a more beautiful playground. Foolishly and innocently we believed them till they started building the second tower on the same ground they promised to build a playground. This happened when I went to Denmark to study. I was very shocked to see another tower built - another really ugly one - when I came back. I truly loathed those two towers.

How ugly they looked. They did not even fit the surroundings. The architecture who designed it had no taste in style, obviously. I mean, take a look at it when you walk past State Department Store now. Should not the architecture take the surroundings into a factor when they build something? I-40,000 area is full of ancient buildings, 4 floored, and all look alike. I'd like something nice as Gandirs, which is built at the other side of the State Department Store, but noooo, take a look at the photos below. In addition, they did not think about parking spaces as well. As soon as the residents went to the building, our area started having traffic jams and lack of parking space (Duh! More people means more vehicles). Worse, the residents started throwing their garbage right outside their building that faced the main street (look at the photos below).

The first Avzaga Building #17:

The second Avzaga Building #(not known) right next to the ugly green one:

Someone asked me "How do you know the garbage is from the new residents? It could be you!" I told him that all of the initial/former residents throws their garbage behind a door of the 1st floor of the main corridors; then our building cleaning lady picks them up and gives them to the garbage collecting car when it comes every morning. Plus, as you can see from the photo, the garbage is full of boxes - yes, boxes. New TV boxes, refrigerator boxes, new whatever boxes and so forth - a clear sign of new residents moving in. It made me wonder and come to a conclusion that the people who moved in to this building do not care about the surroundings and the beauty of their residential environment.

To sum things up, I'd like to ask few questions from the people who supports, finances and buys such horrible properties:

1. To the project master: How can you do this - taking away the playground from children and the relaxing garden from the elderly? How can you sleep at night? How much money did you make? Was it worth it?
2. To the financing investors and buyers: How can you finance such illegal and inhumane project? How can you sleep at night? How can you buy such apartment with no residential gardens, no parking space and no playground for your children? How can you sleep in it?
3. To everyone who let this happen: How did we let this happen?

I am ashamed of myself for letting this happen. I am ashamed of my neighbors who let this happen, even if they fought with me during the revolt. I am ashamed of living next to these people who support and purchase such horrible buildings. I am ashamed of living in such area.

A disappointed resident of State Department Store area,
Batzul.

Funny Emergency Evacuation at Central Tower Today

2013-09-16T16:27:00.001+02:00

All employees were told to get out of the office due to potential bomb threat at the Central Tower this afternoon. When we got out of the office, the security lady on our floor told us to take the elevator down (aren't we supposed to take the stairs??). Anyways, once we reached the lobby, we tried to get out of the front entrance, but the receptionist lady said "It is not safe to go out through the front door. Please, take the elevator down to the B1 parking floor" (huh, where the bomb would highly likely to be??!), [utterly mortified and without any choice] we took the elevator down again and everyone in the elevator joked about how we were headed to the bombing source. Finally when we got into the parking basement, the security guys directed us to the Exit. Most ironically, that exit led us right out to the Central Tower fountain area - the dangerous zone the receptionist lady pointed out!!!! Cursing and laughing at the same time we came to this conclusion: CENTRAL TOWER IS NOT READY!

Breaking Up

2013-05-22T22:02:00.001+02:00

Loneliness can make you do stupid stuff. It can make you call your ex; say yes to a guy you usually don't say yes to; increase your craving for sweets; make you watch pathetic romantic movies and cry; make you lay on your bed and stare at the ceiling; look through the window and see people pass by; or whatever makes you more pathetic, you do them regardless of its consequences.

You wonder what if you were still with him; what if you decided to stay after all he did - would it be less hurting and less miserable? You secretly blame yourself for your misery. You pick up your phone, checking for every few minutes whether he had texted you or called you and left a voicemail. You check your facebook, and read his every status and wall posts, hoping to see a single signal regarding you. But you end up disappointed. You start doing every single pathetic moves you have done over and over again. You go to school, no you don't go to school, cuz you can't understand what the f*ck your teacher is lecturing about now (excuse my french), because all you can think about is him and the memories you have shared with him. The good memories come to your mind and you smile inside [teacher still talking, fellow classmates taking notes thoroughly] but you keep on thinking, trying to make excuse to forgive him and see him again. But you end up disappointed as well, because another side of you knows that what he did was wrong, and it sure knows that he no longer deserves you. But you still love him! Regardless of the bad things he has done, you still like him. Keeping away from him hurts you as much as it hurts him. Oh wait, no, we don't know whether he misses you. Why??? Cuz he still hasn't called you yet! You stop again and think. Consequently, you understand that it is best for you to move on for good - for yourself and without hurting yourself.

You once again exercise, open the books you have thrown in the corner of the shelf, catch up with your classmates, share with your girlfriends about his ass-ness, laugh at how funny the whole stupid crying days were, and open your eyes and understand that he is not the only guy on Earth. You put on your best look and go on a date with a challenging gentleman; get on track and be dangerous and brave again. In the end, you realize how great girl you really were (and are) and understand that it was his loss, not yours, because he calls you as soon as you move on.

Dumb guys realize the worth of someone when they finally loose one. Sad and silly, but true: boys will be boys. They think they rule the world, but actually it is really in woman's hand and everything depends on our choices.

What's that word? Yeah - behind every strong man, there is a strong woman. Remember that.

I found this in midst of my diary notes of university era. Simply can't believe I wrote this. lol. Pls, laugh with me :D

Much mature now,

Batzul

Shopping in Mongolia

2013-03-04T07:48:00.001+01:00

[Free Martini drinks for the shoppers in Magasin Du Nord Store, Copenhagen, Denmark]

"Batzul, where should I shop in UB?" "Where can I find a decent pair of shoes, and will they have it for my size?" "Is it that expensive to shop here?" "Are all these LV and luxury bags, which people are wearing in UB real or fake?" Well, these are one of the common questions I get asked from my expat and repat friends. I will not lie and say I have never asked myself the same questions: seriously, where should we shop in UB - Central Tower? UB store? MetroMall? MaxMall? Grand Plaza?

What People Wear

Mongolia is a tiny country where everybody knows one another, more or less. People, in my opinion, pay enough (sometimes too much) attention to what they wear and what they own. Some people are undeniably gorgeous and really know how to balance fashion and their own style; but some, just do a terrible job at it (i.e.: putting a too white or too brown make-up; wearing a stripper heels, mini skirts and open tops at wrong places; overdressing; underdressing; mixing wrong colors, etc.).

Wrong dressing gives a wrong impression to people; and sadly, Mongolian girls dress too slutty for my taste. Has the time of mysterious, hidden and lady-like dressing out-of-fashion in UB? Surprisingly, I get comments like: Batzul, why don't you wear mini skirts and tight dresses - show your body! [Utterly mortified] I simply says "No, thank you. That's not me".

If I recall correctly, tight slutty dresses were out of fashion long time ago (at least in Europe), and (FYI) what is in fashion right now is: comfy clothes, loose dresses and bright colors.

Where People Shop

It is a common knowledge that most fashionable ladies and guys shop abroad. Even the people who live permanently in Mongolia head to Hong Kong, Europe and USA (no longer China - it has become too expensive) once or twice a year for their annual clothing.

In Ulaanbaatar, however, I, myself, if I really need to buy something (which I rarely do), head to UB store for clothing and shoes. Actually, just Tommy Hilfiger for clothes and 4th floor for shoes. I hate shopping too long, you see, so I'd like to quickly snatch whatever I like, buy it and get the hell out of the place. I am such a dude, I know, even if I look "feminine". It's not about getting a brand clothes. For me, it's about getting few, but a quality clothes - which I believe, Tommy offers fairly, and I am so happy the store is in Mongolia!

But I'd like to say I'm still disappointed at the shopping possibilities and choices offered to Ulaanbaatarers. I hear that Prada is coming next to Mongolia; but seriously, we can't always shop at Central Tower (i.e.: LV, Burberry, Vertu, Ermenegildo Zegna, Emporio Armani, Hugo Boss, Bang & Olufsen) and get luxurious clothes and accessories all the time. Even the international investors complain about the ridiculous shopping choices here.

What We Should Do

I am watching Mongolian Economic Forum 2013, right now on TV (I am home and sick), and I absolutely support the focus on Mongolian Brands. I have been telling over and over again that the only way to boom properly is to start producing and start selling goods ourselves. Unless we reduce the imports and increase the exports, Mongolia will never boom properly. With that being said, as an individual, I always buy cashmere or woolen socks or shoes for my expat and repat friends to support my Mongolian Industry. I have, however, also stupidly bought a Monel vacuum cleaner once and it sucked (haha), but still, I have a faith in Mongolian economic sectors and I believe that we can escape the resource curse if we really try.

My Vision of Future Shopping Street

Every country has a shopping street. In Ulaanbaatar, do we have any? 3th 4rd horoolol? haha.

I always imagined that "Urt Tsagaan" street will be our high fashion street. It's perfectly located - central, with parks to sit and relax after shopping, where restaurants and cafes can also open their business on the street. The best part of shopping is definitely sitting down with a cup of a coffee/smoothies with a friend after long hours of shopping/walking - no? Right now, Urt Tsagaan has become a parking spot, and a place where small square meters are rented out to small business owners.

Why Should We Focus On This?

Since Mongolians are getting richer (ok fine, some people are getting way richer and the rest - not that fast enough) due to the mining boom, people would like to spend their money locally and without the difficulties of going abroad to shop. Shouldn't we focus on keeping the money in Mongolia, not abroad?

I'll leave it to you to ponder.

Regards,

(ps: it's my hand on the photo. I have been given a free martini, while I was shopping at one store in my beloved Copenhagen city. I wish UB will become as sophisticated and variant as Copenhagen one day!!)

Copenhagen InstaWalk Series

2013-02-12T04:48:00.000+01:00

I was very humbled to be invited to walk with few of the greatest photographers in Copenhagen. Yes, it's one of the quarterly walks by photographers in Denmark and Sweden, where they simply grab their big fancy camera or simply an iPhone and start walking down the streets. As we walked, we started posting our photos straight to Instagram and started hashtagging: #cphfotowalk01, #visitdenmark, #cph_110812, #cph and #denmark.

I have taken number of meaningless shots and here I'd like to share some of them.

On this photo below: Thomas Sondergaard (@sondergaard), Bobby Anwar (@bobbyanwar), Christina (@cirkeline), and Raphael Solholm (@raphaelsolholm)... and many more are sitting elsewhere.

I wish Ulaanbaatarer Photographers do something like this this summer!!!!

Strynø - an island of boat-makers

2013-02-03T06:39:00.000+01:00

This is another photo archive of my summer holidays on Danish island: Strynø (I hope, I'm spelling it, right) - an island of boat makers! Yes, all I've seen were boats, boats being made, boats' museum, boat-makers and some really good Danish beers.

I took many photos on this island, but I'd like to share just a few of them with you all :)

Langeland - the longest island in Denmark

2013-02-02T07:52:00.000+01:00

I've developed a little obsession with Instagram, lately. Every lunch breaks or whenever I have a free time, I just simply take a shot and put it on Instagram and start hash-tagging - and VOILA, likes likes likes likes. My devotion to photography is also drawing me more to this, since getting a feedback on your works and shots is a great feeling. The only thing I despise of Instagram is the fact that all photos have to be square!!

Anyways, hope you all like my summer holiday photos of Langeland, Denmark '12 - an island of only few residents: empty beaches, gentle sound of shore waves, birds singing, cherries, clean water and lots of jelly fish :P It was a perfect get-away from my city life.

Pick-pocketing in UB

2013-01-09T04:55:00.000+01:00

I have managed to loose two iPhone in Ulaanbaatar in one year. You may think I'm clumsy or careless, but let me tell you that I have never lost anything in 3 years, while I was living in Copenhagen, Denmark. I have, once, accidentally dropped my phone without knowing while I was dancing in my student Friday bars; and a fellow student (a stranger) called a top person on my Favorite list and told my best friend that this phone was laying on the dance-floor. Now, how NICE is that?!

When my friend gave me my phone that night, I was so amazed. Utterly felt gay and confused though - why didn't that stranger just sell it and get approximately 400$ (half price)? I got that stranger's phone-number and offered to pay him some award money, but he simply wanted me to get him some good old draft Carlsberg - that's it. We talked for an hour or two, and I bid him a goodbye with a good hug and yes, we became friends on Facebook :P

INCIDENT #1

Sadly, this doesn't happen in Mongolia. My first iPhone was stolen from my jacket pocket in front of Mungun Zavya Jewelry Store, while I was walking home, listening to music. As I was walking, my music suddenly stopped and it took me few seconds to realize that my jacket pocket felt strangely light - then it hit me. My phone was stolen. I looked back immediately and I looked at the thief straight in the eye. He froze and then he ran for his life, pushing people. I wanted to scream at that thief and say "Hey, that phone is locked to Denmark, and you cannot unlock it, because the software is most up-to-date, and the unlocking code is not out yet!!!" But too late, he was gone. I took out my other unlocked iPhone with Mongolian sim card and called my friend to consult on what to do.

The first thing my friend said was "Offer the thief MONEY!", and I told him "He ran away so fast". Then I asked if I should go to the police and report, and he said, the police will not help, but you could try.

So I went to the center for police against pick-pocketing. There, I told this bored police from where to where I was walking, where exactly I lost it, and I told him that I saw the thief's face. Then the police finally took interest and started giving me this Books of Thieves, full of photos. I looked through all of them. I didn't recognize any of them, and I told him so; then the police said "Ok, I've recorded this incident and I'll contact you if we find anything". I asked him "How high is the probability of finding my phone?" and he quickly said "Very low" and told me to take care of my belongings from now on. Apparently, I shouldn't walk on the street, listening to music - but I told him "It was at a broad day-light!"

INCIDENT #2

The second time I lost my phone was at a karaoke place, in front of the School #1 this December. I was in my Hobby School class re-union New Years Party, where we dined at Oriental Treasure and everybody decided to head to karaoke to sing our hearts out. We went to the karaoke, right in front of the School #1, but it was closed, so we went to another one in the next building. It was a very shady dark karaoke place, where there were not many English songs, but we didn't care - just sang Mongolian and Russian songs one after another. I was having so much fun, and I forgot that I left my phone on the black sofa when we went out. But luckily, I immediately recalled it and I headed back to the room to find my phone after 5 minutes. When I went back in, the room was being cleaned and there was no sign of my phone. I had my friend call it, but it was turned-off (BAD SIGN). I went to the manager and asked for my phone, since it was so obvious that they took it. They started getting angry at us when we offered money and told me that my friends could have stolen it. I simply laughed. Wanted to tell him that we are from Hobby School, but I stopped myself and figured that maybe my classmates took it and was gonna give me back later on. I started calling my classmates who were sitting next to me (bit embarrassed of asking): "Hey, did you accidentally took my phone by chance or did you find a laying phone on the sofa" - I got the same reply "No, sweetie, sorry".

I immediately thought about Denmark incident and was so sad about people stealing other people's belongings like that. It was so obvious that the karaoke place took it, since there were no other clients singing in the same room we went. I looked at the manager and the staff, and I left saying "You guys are so horrible! Hope you will make the most out of it and spend the money on good stuff".

....................

You may be thinking that the karaoke people were innocent, but I know a guilty face when I see one. They were panicking and getting angry. My friend told me to go home and told me that this is Mongolia and it is not worth fighting, really.

I know that times are tough and the gap between rich and poor are getting wider in Mongolia; but why not give back my phone when I'm offering an award money? I offered 100,000MNT and then 200,000MNT later for the sake of the photos and applications; but they kept insisting not to give back my phone.

Loosing two phones in one year was unbelievably unbelievable, and from now on, I'm going to be extremely careful; and by this post, I am warning all the people out there that the pick-pocketing and stealth has become too much in UB.

Disappointed,
Batzul.

Tackling water scarcity in Mongolia - do you agree?

2012-10-13T16:04:00.001+02:00

Volunteered at ADB project today, by hosting a debate on "How to tackle the increasing water scarcity, installing water meter for every household, and making awareness of how to save water in your day-to-day life" at Puma Hotel this morning.

An awesome debate between УСУГ, СӨХ, ОСК (sorry, don't know these org. names in english) and normal citizens. There were of course some heated conflicts and arguments between them regarding whose responsibility it is to help tackling the water issues (they clearly don't like each other), but overall all agreed that water is becoming scare at great speed, which will also worsen with this mining boom.

Our apartment always had a water meter, but I never thought about how important it was for every household in Mongolia to have them. One family saved 80,000Tugrik this year after figuring out they have always been paying extra money with this water meter.

Solutions:

1. Install water meter for every family. Have government compensate on the prices, since it costs at least 100,000Tugrik.
2. Increase the water price, which will consequently increase the household's incentives to save water more
3. Levy some sort of tax on companies, i.e : mining, cashmere, etc, which use massive amount of water and pollute them. Make these companies recycle the water and reuse it. Needs to pass a law on this. It is unacceptable how they use fresh water so much!
4. Make a water saving education MANDATORY at schools and even kindergarden. Family education is important, too.
5. Set standards high for new buildings and especially at the ger district projects; since the new buildings have worse water system than the old soviet ones (of course not all).
6. This debate has been going on for 8 years now, NOTHING has been done effectively to tackle water problems. So, need to act IMMEDIATELY.

This is what I understood from the debate so far.

It was crazy how people were so frustrated when the citizens blamed the organizations for not doing anything efficient. Money was the biggest issue, since both the citizens and the organizations needs massive funding; and organizations mentioned how they miss the old Soviet era, where they had the state support :P

Thank god we had a deadline otherwise the debate would have went on forever.

Well, what do you think?
:P
B.

Farewell Thoughts

2012-08-26T13:17:00.001+02:00

I love the fact that I can go home alone in Copenhagen without getting into any dangerous situation at 3am in the morning - safest city, indeed! I am back in Copenhagen to give back my apartment to the landlord. My wonderful bed, armchair, bookshelves, table and chairs are all SOLD very quickly, surprisingly (I think my photo skills helped with the advertisement); hence, I'm sleeping and eating on the floor, hahahaahaha. It's not that bad, people! I threw a little get-together-evening last night, and me and my friends all shared three big pizzas on the floor. Everybody had a great time and it was one of my best nights. I really missed my friends in Copenhagen so much!

In midst, I couldn't believe that I was leaving Denmark for good. So surreal. I registered myself out of Denmark at the Kommunen this week and as they acquired my yellow card (social security card), I was very hesitant to give it back. It was like someone snatching your favorite toy from your hands. Then it was official: I am no longer a citizen of Copenhagen! Facing this reality, I sucked it up, and looked at the wonderful weather Copenhagen was blessing me with my arrival. I knew that all I can do now is to enjoy my last days in Denmark (my student visa is expiring on August 31, 2012) and hygge mig along with loved ones.

No words can tell how calm I felt during my stay in Copenhagen. I wasn't too happy, but I wasn't too sad either. It was simply a reality: farewell.

As I looked back at the times I've spent here, I've realized that I was too judgmental to Denmark, regarding its immigration laws and Folkeparti (hope I spelled it right). I had my worst and best times in Denmark, and I'm appreciating how much I've learned and grown from my mistakes and successes here. I am grateful that I've experienced such a wonderful Scandinavian education, culture, welfare system, and most importantly, friendship. Hence, I apologize for been to harsh on Denmark and I thank you now instead!

......................................................................................................

Anyways, last night, I have discovered this smallest, but very nice gesture from my friends. I have realized that I was making 4 Danes speak English all night just because I was there. Even though they know that I understand Danish language a bit, they spoke English regardless, all night, from my place till Strøm music festival. I didn't even realize we were speaking English the whole time till this Danish stranger asked me if I had a lighter in Danish. I replied "ohhh nej, desværre" and I looked at my friends with open eyes: even though I wasn't in the conversation they kept on talking English! I never thought about this before, so it was a nice discovery.

I also discovered another thing. As I was describing my life back in Mongolia to my friends in Copenhagen - my job, love life, friends, family and mining boom. My girlfriend told that I have it all in Mongolia. I got silent for awhile and I didn't realize that I actually DID have it all in Ulaanbaatar. This made me think how ignorant and complaining person I have become, and made me feel bad a bit. But I was happy to realize it now at least! Appreciate what you have, people!

Whenever you are in one place you miss the other, and when you go to that place you miss the other back - crazy. We all need to learn to appreciate the moment and cherish what you have right now. I have had a wonderful life in Denmark, and I do have it all in UB. I am realizing it just now - so silly.

I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS MOMENT AND THANK EVERYONE WHO HAVE MADE MY STAY IN DENMARK A TRULY ADVENTUROUS AND A LIFE-TIME EXPERIENCE.

Don't repeat my mistake of being ignorant, people! Cherish your life whenever and wherever you are.

More later,