So the thing I have been dreading for weeks happened. She confessed. And I had to explain and make her understand that I am nice to everyone, not just her. And how she told me it had to be someone from Shanghai. How it was my fault if anything I did led to any misunderstanding. To make matters worse, she ALSO confessed. So I had to explain to TWO people. Life is really weird. Why does noone in Malaysia confess instead ? But I must say, our 5 hour conversation was really good and there was no crazy knife-stabbing incident or insane hysterics. I feel so bad. Extremely bad. And NiqBear please do not overjudge and overanalyse it. I feel bad enough. I said I am not worth having tears over. In the end, they agreed, and said yea, I am not that great anyway for being able to attract the affection of so many girls at the office. Please however understand that I was just being myself, and as the youngest person/guy there, it was not hard at all for many of the older women to enjoy my companionship. I feel bad but at the same time I have to admit that this is a real confidence booster. Well at least when I am in Shanghai. But I think it was a relief that we were able to all walk away from that horrible dinner in laughter over our hours-long talk and still remain friends.

But basically you have to think about the social situation here. These girls are in their early twenties and earning a decent salary. They also have a sizeable dowry. Unfortunately they are also out of the leagues of all the males within their age category. In fact, that is exactly why many of them marry men seven or eight years older. This leads on to the guys of their age, going after younger women as well. But basically unless the guy is from a rich family background, it is quite impossible to meet the basic demands, which is usually an apartment without any loan outstanding. While it might not seem much in Malaysia or maybe even Australia, in Shanghai it is a big deal to own an apartment as it can cost upwards of tens of thousands per square metre. This is a big social problem. And I think at the same time, you cannot say that the women are too successful and should give it up if they want to get married. Since everyone knows that this is the time for women to become more and more successful. Everyone should follow Hilary Clinton's story to date for female inspiration. But at the same time, you have to feel pity for the guys as well. How are they ever able to afford someone of their age as more and more women graduate and get jobs that pay just as well for women as for men ? Life is a big dilemma.

Earlier on, I was having another long talk with one of the female managers at a dessert house called Sweet Dynasty. It lasted for 4 hours and we were talking about everything. I think I make a very good companion to talk to. Anyway, one thing she said about me was that I took care of my underlings very well and this was very good since my underlings could really trust me to protect their rights and this will allow them to work harder in appreciation of me. It was much better than some managers who forced underlings to work long hours and took the credit. I was flattered. She told me she wanted to be my underling too. Speaking of managers, my boss gave me my appraisal results on Friday. My score was 2.5B. Since the highest one could get was 1A, I must say that I felt pretty good about that score. And the best thing is, I have positive reviews sent directly to my HR head. That is always a good way to score additional brownie points.

I also was walking around in this department store with those two girls mentioned above in the first paragraph and I was all over-cuted. The whole place was filled with extremely cutey stuff and I swear it was a totally fluff place. Amazing.

I have to start packing for home and handing over all my duties here. I hope I am able to get my speech prepared on time. (If I am expected to give one.)

I am wondering if I am able to sleep well tonight.

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