Jargons

Last Friday, a new member joined my team at work.

I was giving her an orientation, and I said, "And we need to develop a CPS as soon as possible."

Looking puzzled, she asked, "What's CPS?"

"Oh well. It just means a schedule. CPS means Critical Path Scheduling."

I then realize I have been using so many jargons at work. ATL, BTL, CPS, OAT, FMOT....There are just tons of jargons in every email or document that I wrote.

I start to wonder: Why are we using these jargons?

There are a few reasons that I can come up with.

The jargons we use are usually abbreviations of longer words. For example, ATL means "Above the Line". When it comes to typing, these jargons would help you save a lot of time. Instead of typing out the whole phrase "Above the Line", all you need to type is the 3 letters "A", "T" and "L".

These jargons also help a lot when we are preparing power point presentations. When writing power point presentations, you need to write what you want to say in one sentence. I don't know the exact reason for this, but I guess a simple one sentence simply looks better on a power point: It gives a feeling that you are very concise with words.And that's what makes these jargons important. They just take up less space! Instead of putting effort in trimming down your words, just abbreviate everything!

But I think the key reason people use jargons is because they want to set a language system that outsiders don't understand. Imagine telling others "I just get the latest MMM data, they are quite insightful." You immediately sound very cool and professional. And if the other doesn't know what MMM stands for, they would be definitely intimidated.

In other words, by using jargons, you hint to others that you are an insider; you know the hidden codes that the people inside the circle use. And if you don't know the same language, please step aside.

And that's exactly why we want to make as many jargons as possible. We want to make sure that it won't be that easy for an outsider to step into our world. Using jargons is like building a wall; it makes you feel safe.

Therefore, what I realize is, the more jargons one uses, the more fragile the person actually is.

You will be surprised that the ones who are obsessed with jargons are also the ones who have no clues what those jargons actually mean. So next time when you meet someone who includes a lot of jargons, don't be scared. Just ask them, "Would you mind telling me what you mean exactly?"

You will be surprised that, for most of the times, you are the one that needs to feel embarrassed.

Why oh Why??

Can someone please tell my why so many girls like doing gel nails?
I have never tried doing it, and I still can't find a good reason to do it.

It's expensive.
It's troublesome (you have to go get a touch up every other week).
It's not enjoyable (you can't move your hands for an hour).
It's potentially dangerous (reports already say you can get baterial infection from it).
It's just so....unnecessary.

Then I guess... maybe the guys like it.
But I just find out that the guys actually HATE it.
I asked 10 guys about what they think about gel nails, and all 10 of them tell me that they think gel nails are the ugliest things on earth.

So why do it, girls? Can someone help me solve this mystery?

Pieces of Art

What do you think these are?
Chocolates? Candies?
NO!! They are Soaps!
Well. To me, they look more like pieces of art.

I haven't used soap for showers for ages. But these pretty little things make me wanna try using one again.

Unfortunately, they are not from HK, and it's just too expensive to order online.
4thAveSoapCo's Shop

Let's dress up!!

A foreigner asked me one day: "So you are telling me, you get nothing formal to wear if you were invited to a formal party!"

YES. Nothing!
and somehow, I believe I am not the only girl in town that will have nothing formal in her closet.

Come to think about it, Hong Kong is really a city where most people dress down rather than dress up.

Every time I went to see an art performance in Cultural Center, it is always the foreigners that would be wearing gowns and tuxedos. We, the locals, would still be wearing jeans and sneakers.

So why do we seldom dress up?
Well. I guess that because we are never really comfortable with our own bodies.
We complain being fat; we complain about having big butts and small breasts.
But do our body figures really matter that much?



Every time I wanted to complain about my body figure, I will look at this Dove ad.

Working in the advertising industry for almost 5 years, I have met a lot of models and celebrities. Of course, they are pretty and charming, but they are not PERFECT. There are still a lot of retouching to be done in order to make them look perfect.
It would just be an endless chase if we were trying to look as good as those models and actresses.

And honestly, although we complain about being chubby, we are actually on the edge of being underweight. After all, our bodies do need some body fat to keep us healthy. It's just self-destructing to actually try losing every single ounce of fat.

It's really time to learn to accept and love our own bodies. Honestly, confidence is the prettiest thing! It might be make believe, but if you feel great, you really look better.

So for the next big party, instead of wearing your jeans and sneakers again, try dressing yourself up! Yes, you really look as great as you think you are.