Tommy

Sram morf neila era uoY!! noitautargnoc, sedoc ym rehpiced nac uoy fI. Ereh ni trams si ohw tuo dnif ot dna etirw ot yaw wen a tnevni tsuj, lleW.

Symptons of Swine flu,

 

1. High temperature, tiredness and lowered immunity.

2. Headache, runny nose and sneezing.

3. Sore throat.

4. Shortness of breath.

5. Loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhoea.

6. Aching muscles, limb and joint pain.

 

Source: NHS

 

Wola, whenever I got flu, I got all the symptons up there except diarrhoea. How can I differentiate whether I got normal flu or Swine flu. It seems like a bit ridiculous that if you are quarantined because only one or two symptons appear. I just came back from Provence and to be honest I always got these symptons even before the event of Swine flu. Everyone must have thought that UK is the badly hit country of Swine flu and the flu swept accross the cities and people in UK are in hyper-tension now. I tell you what, it is not what you expected. Noone cares about the Swine flu, I can see everywhere crowded with people, e.g. night clubs, restaurants, shopping center. I went to Provence in France last week, noone wearing mask on the plane or airport. Ironically, the British government is preparing for more than 60000 people to die in Swine flu and they know the flu can not longer be contained anymore. One more interesting that I have seen last weeks ago, about a picture taken in Japan where all the people walking on the street wearing a protection masks. Therefore we can conclude that Asian are more discrete than the westerner, we are more KiaSI.

600华裔专业人才被挤出金融城

6月17日公布的最新失业统计显示，英国失业率到今年5月已达226万，创下12年来的最高记录。今年1 - 5月，一拨又一拨的位于英格兰中部、威尔士的企业关门破产；与此同时，在英国东南部，特别是在伦敦，大批专业人士如银行家、律师、经济师，投资理财顾问等纷纷下岗回家。本报记者了解到，过去的10个月，在伦敦金融城上班的近三成华裔专业人士都已经失业，其中不少人已黯然回国。


失业浪潮一波接一波

08年开始的金融危机导致全球经济下滑，企业倒闭，公司裁员。根据英国统计局的相关数据。08年近20万失业的白领（经理、专业人士）中就有118,700人向政府申请“求职者生活津贴”，比07年增加了54%。而蓝领阶层（餐饮业、清洁工等）申请这项求职津贴则高达589,000人，比2007年提高了77%。

金融产业（包括银行、保险、基金投资，理财等）是英国的主要经济命脉。在07年英国国民生产总值中，金融业创造的财富高达12%，仅次于能源产业。专家原先估计到2015年，金融业将成为英国第一大行业。英国经济在过去的十年平均年增长率在2%，而金融业的年增长率却高于5.5%，在全球各西方大国中也名列前茅。

然而，08年中起，失业风横扫整个英国金融业。特别在伦敦金融城内，银行，财团，保险公司破产、兼并、国有化一轮接着一轮。裁员、裁员、接着裁员此起彼伏。2007年伦敦金融城雇佣着各类员工110万，包括收入上百万的交易员，也有年薪不到2万的清洁工和看门护卫员。

到今年3月，一向拥挤的金融城各地铁站宽松了很多。原因很简单，在过去10个月金融城有9万多人已经失业在家。

另外，在过去10个月中，英国的8万3千名私人律师中有十分之一已经失业；预计今、明两年间还会有另外约10%的律师丢饭碗。英国的不少律师楼在国际上久负盛名，从07年往前十年的企业兼并、上市等操作中，英国的律师多有斩获，07年的财政年报显示位于英国前100强的律师楼共创利润40亿英镑，数百大牌律师的年薪超百万英镑。这么多律师失业在英国史也是空前的，而其中大部份知名律师也都集中在伦敦金融城。



华人娇子风光不再

08年7月12日，就在金融危机已初露端倪时，英国华人金融协会成立。当晚近200多名在金融城工作的华人银行家、保险经纪、投资专家，理财顾问等盛装出席。据说他们的群体在金融城有2000多人，而大部分都是在过去5年才加入到金融城的华人华侨。
中国大使馆陈晓东公使，刚由驻伊拉克大使任上转来伦敦，他欣然与会，表示伦敦是国际金融中心之一，过去的十年在竞争中不断上升。这位中国大使馆的二号人物对金融城拥有2000华人金融精英，满怀感慨，他认为这是一笔巨大财富。

令人心碎的是这一笔财富，就在几个月间消失了近半。本报记者在采访中发现，金融城内的那批曾经令多少留学生羡慕的华人金融业者，很多已被金融危机击中，而且不少人目前仍陷在里面难以自拔。

拥有150年历史的雷曼兄弟是全球的金融巨头。08年9月15日，因陷入巨大的财务危机，申请破产。该公司在伦敦金融城的5千3百名员工，一夜之间丢了饭碗。虽然一个月后，日本财团Nomura收购了雷曼兄弟的其中一部分欧洲业务，但伦敦金融城内的约3千员工，自此与雷曼无缘，彻底失业了。这其中就有90多名中国人。

陈先生，安徽人，剑桥博士毕业，04年加入雷曼兄弟，07年的年收入已接近30万英镑，他是做期货买卖的。他告诉本报记者：“雷曼倒闭很突然，我是到了办公室才知道，老总把我们叫到一起。他说了三句话，就哭了。当时，我一下子，感觉到天昏地暗，天要塌下来，晚上回到家都没跟太太说一句话。”他接着说：“我失业在家半年了，联系过不少金融单位，都在裁员。我准备回上海，听说那边缺我这样的人。”

许小姐，上海人，硕士毕业，原来在JP Morgan财团做财务顾问。去年11月公司第一波炒人就有她。许小姐对记者说：“自雷曼公司倒闭后，各公司裁员很普遍，就是不知道这么快就轮到我自己，与我一起走的那批中，另外有12个中国人。我们平时经常来往。走的那天，我们7个人还去酒吧喝了一杯。大家都很难过，但也是没有办法，全世界都这样，不是光我们公司。”
许小姐经过5个月的不懈努力，期间去过两次香港，一次东京参加面试，终于在两周前喜获消息，她在香港的中银集团找到一份与以前一样的工作。不过许小姐很坦率地告诉记者：“香港这份工的工资一年只有70万港币，她以前的年薪是13万英镑。她很乐观地说：中国有句古话，人在屋檐下不得不低头。眼下这个形势，有工做总比在家闲着好。

陈小姐，四川人，City University硕士生，她目前仍然在伦敦Morgan Stanley财团工作，她告诉本报记者，她虽然算幸运，躲过两次裁员，但每次看到这么多的中国朋友离开公司，心里就难受。她的部门5个月就走了十几个中国人，她现在一人做三人的活，如履薄冰，公司肯定还要裁员。她很悲观，她觉得下一波被炒的人中肯定有她。


签证永远是头痛的问题

据不完全统计，从去年9月雷曼兄弟倒闭至今，约有600名在金融城工作的华人失业，其中有原籍香港的华人后代，也有80年代就随父母来英，基本上在英国长大的大陆第二代，更多的则是前几年在英国求学的大陆留学生。第一、二批人都有英籍，丢了工作还能申请社会福利，而大陆来的留学生就麻烦了，不但没有社会福利，更头疼的是身份。

根据内政部的资料，2007年有2450中国人申请到工作签证，其中约900人为英国公司工作，如金融城的各银行、财务公司、保险公司、律师楼等。一般工签都是18个月，他们一旦失业，不能在3个月内再找到工作，工签就无效了。而据了解，这批失业的大陆留学生中不少人已经持工签2-3年。眼下一时找不到雇主，他们的以前工签就变成一张废纸，前功尽弃。他们面临的只有返乡回国，要不，就去他国再谋出路。

曾在苏格兰银行工作的严先生就很感慨，他在银行做IT的，干了三年。苏格兰银行被人收购，大幅裁员，第一批就有他。他说做啥工作都行，只要能把他还剩一年的工签续上就可以了。不幸的是，就业市场低迷，他在签证过期前一周，变卖了家产，非常黯然地离开他已读书、工作了7年的英国。

附：
裁员最多的十大金融机构
机构名称 裁员人数
美菱银行 29,260
雷曼兄弟 14,500
花旗银行 7,900
Bear Stear 7,500
Morgan Stanley 7,400
UBS投资银行 7,400
Goldman Sachs 5,700
JP Morgan 5,500
苏格兰银行 5,000
汇丰银行 3,200




裁员最多的英国十大律师楼
律师楼 被炒人数
Linklaters 270
Allen & Overy 247
Fox Hayes 158
Dickinson Dees 154
Clifford Chance 130
DLA Piper 124
Addleshaw Goddard 120
Wragge &Co 109
Shoosmiths 101
Hammonds 97
Howard Kennedy 86

Just finished reading a news about the unemployment rate in UK is going up and now here there are about 2million university graduates lost their jobs or couldn't find a jobs. Many of them go to other countries or those who stayed back in the country ended up working in superstores, restaurants and other jobs that don't required much professional skills.

 

 

Finally everything is finished. The exam is over, I don't have to attend classes anymore but have to regularly meet up with my project supervisor in the summer for my project. However, I can be light and easy now after the whole intensive and stressful year for my master studying and put all my concentration just only on my project, part time work and HOLIDAY.....I AM GOING TO FRANCE...Nice, Cannes, Marseille.

 

 

    Ironically, Koini had just finished all her exam (she is so lucky because she only got one exam for the whole sem) but I haven't sat for anyone of them yet. I got four exams this time, the first one starts on next tuesday, second one on thursday and the following week, monday and friday. Hopefully I can really put an end to it this time and there would be no more examination in my life again. Oh, look at what am I doing, I am supposed to study my notes now but I am complaining about my life. I just need a place to release my tiredness and boredom toward my dull stuyding life in this freezing cold country.

 

   Summer is coming, however I still feel cold even though there are some locals barenaked their upper body on the high street in the afternoon. Oooh...let me guess what is in your mind, you must have thought that a bunch of white girls wearing with their bra and short skirt walking on the street like in the Miami beach or what...hahaha..you are pervert. Unfortunately, this is Portsmouth not Miami, only 'LALA man' do like this, they walking on the street with their blond hairy chest, yelling or screaming like crazy across the street to each other for fun. They remind me when sometimes I walking back home at night, people like them who dressed in sportswear coming to me and say, hey mate, could you spare me change? or have you got lig'er?(ligther). I usually ignore them without stopping my pace by pretending I am deaf or No english....but there was once time a slumdog really pissed me off. At first she asked me for lighter then I politely told her that I don't have, then she stalking me follow my back. I got no choice and have to stop walking and asked her again what's the matter, and this time she wanted some change from me. This is completely piss me off as it just like she would follow me back home if I reject her demand and I swore her right away without a second thought in my mind and said, fuck off!! She seems like so shock and said what? I said it again this time with my eyes staring at her like wanted to tear her apart, I SAID, FUCK OFF, UNDERSTAND? Her face turn red and she was just like woke up from her beautiful dream that I would have gave her money and scolded me back with some ALIEN ENGLISH words that I have never heard before. Anyway, then I just replied back said, Stingy English goes home and then she said, hey look, you are speaking English. Yeah, that's why you are stink. Indeed she is stingy because she can't even afford to buy a lighter, but I shouldn't say Stingy English goes home......in fact the one who should go home is me and if English is stingy then my mouth is smelly as well...hahahha..doesn't really matter, English is not my langague...