What's been happening?

It's going to take some time to get back into the blogging. There's a lot to catch up on. I've been writing, not much in the way of academic writing, but for a column in a local newspaper along with many of my university colleagues. I might post links to some of those articles some time soon. These articles usually have a couple of layers of meaning - for the public it's based upon what's been happening in Macau with some support from academic management literature; for my university colleagues there's often some underlying commentary closer to their experience; for very close friends there's sometimes yet another layer that they will find meaningful to themselves or that explains my position on a matter. I have been finding this writing cathartic, at times, but usually it comes from anger, frustration, nervousness, a sense of lack of justice or just wanting to vent in a controlled way. Often I feel passionate about a topic at one of the above levels and that pushes me to write. I've also been surprised at people commenting to me in emails, in person, by text and during networking events on the content - the pieces seem to hit home and that's been very pleasing. Working with words in this way has broadened my life experience and wouldn't have happened without the opportunity that's been offered me :)

But for now, I'm in London, showing the kids something beyond the East. Bridget has a constant grin on her face. She lives life happily and to the full. The end of the trip will be just the two of us. I'm really looking forward to this as we share a real joy of life's experiences. We should travel well together, just mother and daughter.

Done and dusted

I've been home to graduate. This is the 'before' photo with Ross (my dear supervisor who put up with me for 6 years).

PhD count down

I had a twinge of excitement today. 'Tis a relatively rare occurance. I was working on a section of the very last chapter - now working with ink on paper as one does when the writing gets difficult - when I realised that the end is only days away! I've only to amend one little section on future research directions and then the final chapter is all together in one piece. After that, I've got the final complete edit and perhaps a little bit more reading to bring me totally up to date with published material. Barring any last minute requests from dear Ross, that would be it.

Oh and the photo is one taken in Japan just over a week ago by Otera. He has a very good camera - imagine getting a photo of me this good!

And Japan, more for another day but it was wonderful catching up with old, old school friends. And old is the operative word, they are all complaining about their age but I realised that most of them have physically taxing jobs so they must be beginning to feel it.

Started full-time work again

It's been a while but here I am working full-time. What's better is that I've fulfilled my plan and am back at university. What a journey it has been since the suggestion that I should get out into the 'real world' before I remained stuck in those hallowed halls: 24 years to be exact. Perhaps I have more to contribute after all this time out in the 'real world'. At least I know I'm not teaching and researching in the area that I would have been. From music to musicology and Japanese to Industrial and Organisational Psychology - who would have thought.

A few things to do and plan for these couple of months. Moving to our new apartment in March after arranging cabinetry and some furnishings. Settlement is Friday 13th (woops! maybe I should change that). Rhia's off to The Philippines for a couple of months for the birth of her second child, I need to finish the PhD, I have some evening classes and I don't think Ben's going to be around very much.

This is how I quantify my week's work!

Last week to beginning of this week
	Words		Words		pages
Chapt.1	3,993	to	3,993	Excl. refs	16
2	23,074	to	23,434	Excl. refs	85
3	20,900	to	20,918		65
4	25,360	to	25,357	Excl. refs	106
5	25,885	to	25,870	Excl. refs	113
6	12,887		13,959		48
sum	112,099		113,531		433
			1,432

Institute for Tourism Studies holds discussion on globalisation of local workforce: Macau Times 13th November 2008

Institute f or Toursm Studies holds discussion on globalisation of local workforce
Thursday, 13 November 2008
A round-table discussion on “Education and Globalisation of Macau's Workforce” was held yesterday at the
Institute For Toursm Studies (I. FT).
The meeting was chaired by Dr A.llan Goodma.n, the president and chief executive officer of the Institute of International
Education, and attended by educators and business leaders including Dr Fanny Vong, the president of IFT, Haisther
Cheang, the head of Department for Academic Affairs of the Macau Polytechnic Institute and Dr Jose Alves, the vicerector
for Academic Affairs of the Macau Inter-University Institute.
Other delegates included Ann White, the director in China-Hong Kong of the Institute of International Education, Joseph
Lo, the executive director of Valeo Strategic, Alan Chan, the director of HR Committee of American Chamber of
Commerce and also Leanda Lee, the convenor of Macau HR Initiative.
With its rapid development in recent years, Macau has become a centre of global attention, the IFT statement said.
"To meet the challenges of globalisation, it is essential to be prepared for a workplace where responsibilities are
constantly changing," it went on, "The strategies of higher education were especially complex due to the expansion of
markets beyond national borders".
According to IFT, education should help individuals to perform tasks for which they were not originally trained, to prepare
for a non-linear career path, to develop their capacity for improvisation as well as their creativity, and finally to lay the
basis of complex thinking linked to the harsh realities of practical life.
Founded in 1919, the Institute of International Education (IIE) is one of the world's largest and most experienced nonprofit
international exchange organisations.
With headquarters in the USA, IIE designs and implements fellowship, training, and technical assistance programs for
sponsors that include government agencies, corporations, foundations, universities, and international organisations.
IIE also provides educational and information services to the public and academic community, and convenes educators,
policy makers, and philanthropy executives to discuss strategies for fostering international cooperation through
international exchange.
Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program of IIE aims to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the
United states and other countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills.
Sponsored by the United States Department of State, the program provides funding for students, scholars, and
professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching and teaching in elementary and
secondary schools..
As the convenor of the round table discussion, I. F.T. strives to elevate and globalise tourism education in Macau through
organising different types of research and academic exchange with expertise around the world.
Macau Daily Times
http://www.macaudailytimesnews.com Powered by Joomla! Generated: 13 November, 2008, 2
Lea: I chaired as requested by the institute and convened it as requested by AmCham. IFT generously hosted the event thanks to Soo May's suggestion.

Latest

Chapter five's drafted.
Esther's an AsPro
Possibly moving into new apartment in February (but this is Macau and life changes).
Ben's off travelling to Manila, Las Vegas (perhaps), and Melbourne this month.
Bridget's dancing in her first ballet performance and we have 4 dress rehearsals over the next 2 weeks.
Mum and Dad are down with the rottenest flu.
Back to work in the library now that the kids are back at school tomorrow. Yippee!
Planned a trip to Japan with the kids in May - meeting Anne after her WA Symphony Orchestra tour of Japan.
Home for Christmas and kids' birthday by the sea. Bliss.
Hoping the financial crisis doesn't do too much damage to our long term asset base. Pity about buying the properties at the wrong time. Pity I didn't heed my own advice. Oh, well, still, being one for contingency plans, we're OK for a few years at least.

Bridget's teeth - yet again

Bridget's like a shark - she has two rows of teeth. Well, OK, she would have had if we hadn't pulled the baby ones out. She's had fangs for the past 2 months and probably would have kept them until Halloween if we'd thought enough about the effect for the school Halloween party (not that I'm really keen on that American tradition). I've been trying to encourage her to wobble them out for the last few weeks but she seems a little averse to the crunching noise.

It all came to a point last Saturday. We've had Takako (my matron of honour and Japanese host sister), Otera and Fukuda-san staying with us for a few days. Takako and Otera have pretty awful teeth as they freely admit themselves. They took one look at Bridget's fangs and showed her inside their own mouths and told her to visit the dentist to have them out or face the less than beautiful consequences. I then told Bridget that she'd need to get to wobbling them out within 2 weeks or the dentist would be booked for the Monday fortnight. But as is typical of Ben, he came up with the added incentive which seemed to make the difference. He suggested that she would earn MOP10 for each tooth that she successfully managed to pull and if she did so within that one evening she'd get an added bonus of MOP40 for the lot. Now, this would have been an enormous saving for us as each extracted tooth at the dentist has cost us MOP400 so far. Within 30 minutes she'd had one out and while the adults were out to dinner, we received a telephone call to the restaurant from an ecstatic child calling in her dues. Maybe she is her father's daughter...or was it the fear of less than perfection in her looks?

Bridget's tooth on Grandpa's 95th birthday

The first two she had taken out by the dentist. The third her horrible Mummy punched out with a chopstick (thanks Mark for the tip). The fourth Benjamin slammed with an elbow and well, Bridget got to wobble the fifth one out in the usual fashion. And this final beauty came out while eating pikelets for afternoon tea whilst giving Grandpa a 95th happy birthday call over Skype.

Chinese New Year - Thailand holiday

Life in Hua Hin - beautiful. It was very pleasant to get away from the cold of Macau and warm up at Ben's friend's holiday home in Thailand. This place is like an enormous guest house. Separate bungalows for the guests, a live in housekeeper and gardener and all the entertainment and wonderful food that anyone could want. And all of this right on the beach with a swimming pool. We spent most of the time in the sea as the pool was a little too cool. I suggested to Bridget and Benjamin that we look around Hua Hin, perhaps go horse or elephant riding but they preferred to stay put. They certainly know when they're onto a good thing. So 3 nights at Ed's Hua Hin holiday home - bliss.

Bridget unfortunately cut her hand on one of the tiles in the swimming pool. It was like a Jaws movie with blood clouds blossoming in the water. She wasn't a happy little girl. Thankfully the chauffeur was only 5 minutes away having his lunch so Ben took Bridget to the local hospital for treatment. 5 stitches later and she was all smiles. My concern wasn't with the medical system in Thailand, my worry was who to see in Macau to get the stitches taken out! We've dealt with that one too now and it was Ok although the officious mainland Chinese nurse wanted me out of the room and they made it all very serious. It may as well have been a major operation. Thankfully the doctor was a Chinese speaking Indian and he understood that I wouldn't create a fuss.

Back to our holiday: Benjamin had caught a cold prior to leaving for Thailand and by the time we were in Hua Hin the cough had turned into a wheeze very much like his allergic reaction to cats. He complained of not being able to breath and it did stop him running with us on the beach. I was somewhat concerned so Ben booked an appointment in Bangkok's best Bumrungrad Hospital. They have a wonderful pediatric unit and we saw an allergy specialist. It looks as though the cold triggered the asthma that he was always in risk of developing due to his allergies. We're to keep him away from whatever triggers the reaction: cats and dust at this stage. He's also on a course of medication for the next 6 months to keep it in check and we'll check it again in 6 months time. I'm glad we were in Thailand at the time as I've very little faith in the Macau system.

Even with our medical adventures we had a wonderfully relaxing time in Bangkok and Hua Hin. Kids back to school this Monday and me back to the computer.

Benjamin's Grandpa

It still amazes me how events in our family's living memory are history to others.

Benjamin and Bridget were at a friend's house the other evening. This friend and his father are mad about aeroplanes and the conversation must have steered to the Second World War (it was actually the Pacific War that they'd been talking about). Benjamin mentioned this at home and I said that Grandpa and Grandma had been in the Second World War. This must have impressed him. The next day he mentioned it to a friend at school who was disbelieving enough to want to check the story out with me.

I relayed this to Grandpa via email with the following response

"now let him tell his school friend that his Grandpa remembers three things which happened in the FIRST World War. My Daddy held me up to the front bedroom window on a dark dark night; and I saw a burning German Zeppelin going past to its crashing site a couple of kilometres up the Great North Road. One Saturday morning, I stood outside the front door with the old gentleman next door; and looked up to see 12 German bombers going up the Great North Road after bombing London. At 11o'clock on 11th November 1918; my Mummy was taking me up in a factory lift in London, when we heard the sirens (maroons, we called them in those days) which told us the war had finished."

Priceless. From burning German Zeppelins and maroons to email. Who would have thought.

The first funeral

I have been busy with a paper for the Academy of International Business since coming home from a wonderful 2 weeks in Australia over Christmas. Now each time I ask the children where they want to go for holidays (Chinese New Year, Easter) they chorus "Australia". We'll get there more often now but under 2 weeks is not worth it.

Today is the first time I'm going to a memorial service for a friend. Roger died on his way coming back from South Africa to Macau. Apparently he was waiting for the plane at the airport and had a heart attack. He hadn't heeded the signs and didn't want to go to any of the doctors here in Macau as he didn't trust their expertise and he just didn't get around to going elsewhere for a check-up.

The tertiary institution that he worked for has been utterly dreadful throughout the process. I've been told that his death "isn't formal" yet. Another friend was told by someone in the HR department that Roger might have been in a hospital somewhere for all they knew. It didn't matter that Roger's brother had phoned the Dean from London to advise him of Roger's passing. What awful things to say to Roger's friends who were asking about a memorial and what was to happen to his belongings, body and, well, everything. Roger died on 30th December, it's taken them until yesterday (22nd Jan) to announce his passing in the local paper and with only one day's notice for the memorial service. I've been asking about this since I heard on 2nd January, promised advice would be sent to me, but nothing. And, mind you, they posted it in the least read English language newspaper in Macau. As you see, I'm not happy with this organisation, their support for Roger or other expatriate staff and they certainly seem to care little for his memory. Anyway, we'll wait and see what this afternoon brings. I'm sure they'll put on a decent show of it.

Poor Roger, 57, no family and much yet to say about why he was here and what he could do. He seemed dedicated to his students and loved teaching. And so eloquent in that overseas British sort of way - although he was Australian at heart. He was ambivalent about Macau but seemed to be able to use the system to his advantage. He was the person who told me that there are certain aspects of this place that you have to insulate yourself from. He gave me that permission to not accept everything around me. I have a wonderful recording of my interview with him in the early days. I still wonder, often, what kept him here but I think it was because 'they left him alone' to do what he does best - teach. That's why he was so annoyed when they starting streaming the academics between lecturers and researchers. And, he had theories for everything. I'll miss bumping into him at the university cafe - that was the only way to guarantee a meeting. He was notorious for disappearing for a few weeks - no emails, not on the phone - but then he'd pop up again. He was around, just not contactable. And then there were the funny little SMSs that he'd send to all his friends at once, out of the blue. Like the last one from the airport in South Africa...

Good-bye to dear Roger

I'm in the Portuguese newspaper!!

Advertising for Saturday's seminar

This week

I've been accused of being somewhat lax in updating my posts, but really there's not been anything happening that I thought might be of great interest to anyone. So, to make amends I thought that maybe I should take stock of the week and see what I've achieved. Not such a bad list now that I look at it.

On Monday Benjamin came home from school with a letter to advise that he's been chosen to practice for the inter-school soccer competition run by the Brazil Football Club. After the first practice another letter came home to say that he'd been chosen for the primary 3 team. So now he's representing his school at primary 3 level on 8th December at the Macau Stadium. Unfortunately this happens to be at the same time as my seminar on cross-cultural adjustment in Macau. More about that later.

On Tuesday I'd arranged to meet with the Recruitment Project Director for the Australian casino. The poor man has to find 10,000 people to staff the next development. This is going to be extremely difficult (note the article I've written for Macau Business in an earlier November post on this blog). We're both on an HR Committee in Hong Kong. Up until now I have been the only member from Macau so I had wanted to catch up with him to chat about a couple of initiatives that I'd been thinking about. The outcome of this meeting was that we're thinking of working towards an HR group in Macau to facilitiate the networking and information exchange of HR professionals here. There are so many difficulties here and each and every HR person I've met complains about the same problems but nothing seems to be happening to lobby changes. I hope that bringing these professionals together might make a difference. So Liviano and I will commence work on this next year. I've already obtained interest from people within The Venetian and the British Business Association of Macau. Liviano also wanted to hear about my research and questionnaire and asked for a brief on it. He might be interested to use it within his work environment. I've written that up and will need to deliver it to him some time this coming week.

Wednesday was spent trying to get my head around how I am going to deal with the missing data from my questionnaires. A little too technical to go over here but suffice to say I struggled to stay awake most of the afternoon.

I finally caught up with Soo May for afternoon tea over in Old Taipa Village on Thursday afternoon. She's been busy with new projects at her institute and a conference in Korea so we've not seen much of each other recently.

I'd been invited to go to see a local Macanese Patuá production with an English lady who's been in the region for decades. Jill has long experience setting up businesses in Hong Kong in HR recruitment and Real Estate but has been relaxing a bit since selling her last business in 2003. She's now raring to go again and is an amazing source of information on the happenings in the government. The comedy that we went to was delivered in Patua so we missed many of the linguistic jokes that the rest of the audience appreciated. The content was eye opening. It was a satire on the public hospital system here and very very damning of the way things are run. Fascinating to see it from the viewpoint of the real insiders. This was my first theatre going event with another adult. We had a light dinner beforehand and it was all very civilised. 15 minutes to get there, one lift up from the carpark to the cafe and then just up the stairs into the theatre. This Macau can be quite convenient to get around.

The kids and I chilled out on Friday after school. Their Chinese tutor, Jennifer, turned up to say that they doctor had taken 450mls of blood by mistake the day before when she'd been to donated and that she wasn't able to make it to teach the kids: fair enough. The medical services here can be down right scary. So, the 3 of us just had dinner and watched the new Tom and Jerry CDs that Ben had brought back from Vietnam (he gets around) the last time he came home.

Benjamin's now sitting next to me on the other computer. He's doing research on the internet about dinosaurs. He's presently exclaiming that the tyrannosaurus rex was taller than a giraffe. Bridget's off to a friends house down on Coloane but will be back in time for wushu practice this afternoon.

So that's been this week. And between all of this I've been writing up my thesis and analysing my data.

Comedy in Shangrila

This is a video. Click the right pointing arrow below.

Me and my girl in Angkor Wat, Cambodia, in October 2007

This wall was built in 12th Century. The jungle's taken over.

Becoming Jane

No Dad, not Plain Jane. I took the kids to see the movie about Jane Austen. Normally we visit the cinema at Macau Tower but now that Macau has a half decent English language newspaper, we get the local cinema advertisements so we get to see what's on there. Since I was going to be out conducting my seminar on Service Quality at the Institute for Tourism Studies when they arrived home and they've been really bad at doing their homework when I've been out, I suggested that if they managed to get it all done and we managed to get dinner over and done with by 7pm that I'd take them out. Wow, bribery actually worked this time, so off we went.

There was absolutely no English at the ticket booth but the lady, although she didn't speak any English (apart from the ticket price) was obviously used to communicating with non-Chinese speakers and we worked out what we were going to see and could choose our seats. And then we climbed up, and up, and up yet more stairs. Surprisingly, this is a very clean cinema. We were in the small theatre with plush velvetine seats. And now I'm into Austen-ese. I end up speaking in long qualified sentences and acting ever so ' the accomplished Victorian lady'. I think the kids enjoyed it. It least it'll open their eyes to some beautiful landscapes, refined behaviour and some questions about history and accomplished people.

We'd parked at the same time as and next to a young couple. When we returned to our car, our meters were flashing the expired sign. I dropped a pataca into their meter as we got into our car but then I noticed the man run up to add coins. He got to his meter as I was backing out, looked at it, checked his watched, scratched his head and walked away. I was tempted to try to say something to him but decided 'what the heck' to let him wonder a little. I giggled. As I drove past him, I smiled and waved and he waved back. I wonder if he'd worked it out.

Movies can make you feel good.

Good things this week

I've had a marvelous time this last week. Lainie and Mark came through Macau on their way home after 9 weeks in China with Aleisha and Torey. Bridget and Benjamin were so excited about having their friends to stay 3 nights - they all slept together in the one bedroom with heaps of room to spare. Bridget and Benjamin in their own beds, Aleisha on the third bed in their room (the one I normally sleep on when Ben's away) and Torey on the floor using the cushion from the couch from the lounge room. They had a ball. They were so tired each night that there was never any problem getting them to sleep. They do play so well together: not one request for television or playstation! Most of the time they played the Macau version of Monopoly.

Ben was here on Thursday night so a nice dinner at home with Lainie and Mark and then the boys went out to view the female sights in Lisboa while Lainie and I caught up over a pot of tea.

Another lovely dinner on Friday night, thanks to the company. A recently won friend, Stanley, came over and although Lainie gave up at 1am and went to bed, Mark continued to talk into the wee hours of the morning. The three of us were in stitches. Stanley tried to leave once or twice but failed miserably until Mark realised the hour! These men did something that I am certainly not used to any more - they cleared the table for me before they retired at 4:30am, Stan to his home with his parents across the road and Mark to bed to join Lainie.

Walking around Coloane and letting the kids play on the grass toboggans and running on the beach, was the order of the afternoon on Saturday. We were awake at 7am thanks to the kids and were somewhat envious of Stan who'd slept in the quiet comfort of his home without kids until 3pm! Grrrrrrr. But, we at least had a day to enjoy.

We went out to diner without the kids as they were exhausted after lumping the toboggans up the stairs for 1 hours and then wushu after that. They were fed and sent to bed by Rhia whilst the adults went for Portuguese in the village. Xiao Xia came along and then we went to show the Bernamoffs the Venetian. Stan joined us for tea close to midnight to introduce us to his really cool mother. We all instantly liked her. The relationship that they have as mother and son is beautiful. They clearly adore each other. I must learn from Ramona, she's certainly done something right in Stan's upbringing. A definite role model.

Apart from that, work wise I've been asked by the editor to be a reviewer for the journal, Personnel Review. I've taken on reviewing for the Academy of Management conference in 2008. Stan's asked me to speak on expatriate issues at Ripples next seminar in December and Soo May's got me doing the service quality workshop next week at the Institute of Tourism Studies. Crown Relocations have asked me to be "Director, Macau Orientations", somewhat tongue in cheek. Things are looking up. The busier I become, the happier I am, as long as I've still got time for my PhD work. But that's coming under control now.

Great meeting with Ross, my supervisor. He's got a promotion and seems really chuffed. Apparently, he was the driving force behind the 2nd world ranking by the Economist for personal development in the Monash MBA. It's great news for him and wonderful news for all his students - good to be associated with the best organisational psychologists.

Oh, and Benjamin's put his hand up for a role in his year level's Christmas show. He has the lead role and is in bed now practising. He only received the script today and still has at least 4 weeks to go. He's clearly happy with the situation and is determined to do it well.

This one's been accepted. Coming up in Macau Business

This article has been accepted for publishing the Macau Business; a monthly magazine here in Macau. This is the final version after to-ing and fro-ing with the editor (lovely chap).

So hard to find good help these days.... at the right price.

The various interest groups in Macau’s new economy, the foreign investors, the gaming industry and those who are effected – workers and small businesses – repeatedly anguish over labour issues in popular discourse: labour shortage, labour mobility, cost increases, the lack of promotional opportunities and youth being lured away from pursuing higher education and opting for entry into the gambling sector. These are all related to each other and affect different segments of the community in a variety of ways – no one seems to be immune from the effects as they permeate our society. As in any case of demand exceeding supply, the labour shortage, particularly in the rapidly developing casino industry, is putting upwards pressure on labour costs. With each new casino opening, more pressure is placed on the market. This is not new. Indeed, this writer could be accused of stating the obvious but it needs to be repeated because this is at the very core of a number of the territory’s most urgent problems.

Any industry requiring semi-skilled staff which is developing at the breakneck speed of the local casino sector would be hard pressed to remain adequately staffed. In this city, the problem is exacerbated by legal restrictions placed on the industry which prevent non-resident workers from being hired as dealers in casinos. The rationale appears to be in the protection of jobs for local residents. If this is so, then it is a law of a bygone era. Placing such an impediment on an economy which has an exponential need for labour can only cause undue damage. It creates bottlenecks for growth as newcomers to the market cannot readily obtain sufficient staffing for their needs unless they poach from others by offering incentives – usually higher salaries – to encourage defection from incumbent employers. Unfortunately, such poaching is much to the chagrin of established local enterprises and bureaucrats. For example, where will the Immigration Department find the additional 1,500 staff which it recently announced it will hire? Combined with the 12,268 jobs vacant across multiple economic sectors at the end of last March – which outstrips the 9,300 unemployed – this restriction and its unabated, deleterious effects can only undermine investor confidence in Macau’s ability to deal with this and other pending constraints. Labour is needed to drive the growth which surely is aimed at improving the living standards of Macau residents. Why impose such bottlenecks on development when they need not exist?

There are other more direct negative effects of this restriction which are somewhat easier to grasp. A common complaint heard from gambling industry staff is the ‘lack of opportunities’ for promotion. With the foreign dealer restriction in place, this lack of opportunity will continue to exist. Counter intuitive? There is a high demand for dealing staff which can only be met by local residents – a finite pool. We are already seeing the effect of this demand on higher salaries and job vacancies in other industries. Thinking to the future, these dealers are unlikely to be promoted off the casino floor if there is no one to replace them. It is not just a matter of skill level and experience but also of high demand and low local staffing supply. Open up the doors a little for foreign dealers and casinos would then able to promote local staff through the ranks from within as merit warrants. A number of mechanisms such as socio-linguistic ability, experience or qualifications can be used to control the percentage of foreign dealers if that is a political necessity. The government’s recent suggestion to introduce licensing for gaming staff could be used in this manner.

There is another indirect consequence of this restriction which impacts resident workers’ opportunities of being promoted. Due to the high dealer salaries, high school graduates are encouraged to forgo further education for the immediate financial benefits of a relatively well paid job straight out of school. Unfortunately, this leaves them poorly placed to compete for future managerial roles against others who have experience, skills and education. One might go so far as to suggest that the restriction on foreign labour manning the gaming floor is causing a ‘dumbing down’ of Macau’s labour force. The government’s initiative to raise the legal age of casino access to 21 years will stem this flow somewhat but it will also further shrink the pool of labour available.

The view here is that the consequences of opening up all roles in the gaming industry to controlled entry of foreign labour would be mostly beneficial in the medium-to-long term. Salaries would stabilize, thus offering fewer incentives to bypass higher studies and reduce the flow of staff from government and other industries to the gaming sector. It would also slow down ‘job hopping’ within the industry which is rumoured to be dealt with by yet more imposed restrictions on the non-resident labour force with a six-month forced “cooling down period” between jobs. This would merely put more power in the hands of employers, a greater burden on immigration authorities and an incentive to hire foreign labour that does not know Macau (a story for another day!) Removing restrictions on dealers – thus dampening the bidding war for staff and encouraging loyalty and commitment to one workplace – would also give the casinos the opportunity to support and encourage their employees with training and career development, something they are now loath to invest in due to the current level of labour mobility.

Without amendments to the foreign worker restrictions on dealing positions, the SAR’s long-term denizens are destined to deal and never to manage. Put another way: Macau’s residents will be dealt their destiny and not be able to choose for themselves.

A new endeavour

This is not something I that truly need at this very moment. There are enough activities in my life to keep me fulfilled and exhausted and adding to them is really not justified, nor, indeed, a sane choice at this moment in my life - PhD write-up time (ah, now the penny drops, procrastination is the name of this game), virtual single mother to twins and all living in a relatively new, significantly distant cultural environment with only just recent signs of cross-cultural adjustment occuring. Still, it might help keep track of my life and thoughts and let a few others into my frame of mind as it occurs at that moment.

Old friends, enjoy the renaissance of my name - a function of my full Christian name not being available on blogspot and not wanting to add the last name for professional reasons. New friends - you're unlikely to find me unless I tell you where I am. Still, in truth, I expect this is really for me. Different from the turgidness of my own private diary with the potential for others to see.

Thought for this week - I miss my old male friends. You know the ones, the ones which I'm really really comfortable with. The ones I trust to take me as I am and love me for it. The ones who'll give me a hug, a smile and a wink and make me feel totally appreciated for what I was, am and will be. The ones who trust in my goodness and know I'll be there for them. The ones who'll take me dancing when I'm 70 (or at least try). Girls, there are a few of you out there too but you're a little easier to make new ones of - none of that bothersome sexual tension to get out of the way first. So, to my good old 'boy' friends (you know who you are), thanks for being there for me. And thanks girls - to my friends the wives, girlfriends and partners - for allowing them to be.