It starts with one

I never look back, darling. It distracts from The Now.

2009-05-07T01:40:00.005+08:00

I was re-watching the movie Mr. Incredible the other day, and this line from this funny little supporting character, Edna Mode, really strikes me: "I never look back, darling. It distracts from The Now. " Well said, Edna. But in reality it is easier said than done.

How can I not look back, darling, when you're always in my mind?

I miss you.

享受寂寞

2008-12-04T19:03:00.000+08:00

寥落的風裡，你在為誰獨自徘徊；寂寞的夜裡，你在為誰輾轉難眠
那些牆上古老的風霜印痕，那扇朱漆大門背後，曾經有過怎樣的故事
一縷清風滿城寂寞，你唱的是自己的悲傷和快樂，原來享受寂寞也是一種生活的方式

My Popo

2008-06-17T21:31:00.004+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

It feels a little strange for going back home for a business trip. But that's what I did. A few weeks ago I went to Taiwan and Hong Kong for SMB events organized by Google. We were to promote our advertising solution to the SMB owners in the area. And one good thing about going back home for business trip is that you can finally get your family to eat some proper food.

My PoPo is probably one of the kindest person in this whole world. She lived in the "So village" near "Deep water Bo" for almost all of her life. When I was small, my parent would bring me to her place during the weekend so that she could see her beloved grandchild and take care of me. When I was really small, she always brought me to play in a park near the village. I remember there were lots of "Egg machines" which I would insert coins, turn a handle, and out come a plastic egg with toys inside (Later on I found that if you shake the machine while turning the handle, you could potentially get multiple eggs. This is a design issue. Don't think this technique would work with the latest models anymore) There were a number of toy shops and I just love the little toy cars there. When I got a bit older and get bored of the park and the toy cars, she would bring me to an arcade (not a good idea actually) and I would play video games all day. I remember there was one time which I got so attached to the games that I refuse to leave. Fearing that I would be bullied by some bad guys or something, she just stayed there with me. On the next day my mom told me that she was hospitalized because she hold on and not going to toilet for too long. I am so sorry about that :(

She gave born to 7 children (my mom being the eldest). Although I am not familiar with many of them (except my 4E who I lived with while I was working for IBM in Canada), as far as I know all of them love my Popo. I guess it is understandable. Who wouldn't love someone so adorable and with so much love who spend most of her life and sacrifice so much in raising her 7 kids?

I will visit her every time I go back to HK. I always want to bring her to some decent restaurants so that she could have better food (she is way too skinny) But she would refuse every time, saying that it makes no difference to her. Of course, she just don't want her grandson to spend extra money. But this time I managed to get her in a western restaurant by her own choice (and I never knew she likes western food!), reassuring her that I could reimburse every single meal (though I won't reimburse the whole bill). But she still picked the most affordable items on the menu. Only after I told her that the company have 15B US in cash and that it won't make a difference whatsoever in selecting the chicken or the prawn that she chose the prawn.

She always think for someone else, and put herself and her needs in the lowest priority. I don't know if this is good or not. But it doesn't matter. I love you Popo!

Proud to be a Googler

2008-05-17T23:11:00.002+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

Still in office but I feel that I'm working the most meaningful overtime in my life :)

We just got news that the earthquake-affected area needs 2.6M tents urgently, as it is raining there and the people in suffering need something to cover up. I was just helping on an urgent effort to send out bulk emails to all our AdSense partners. We are asking for their help to post this 2.6M tents request on their sites, so that people could see it and offer their help. I do feel that we are truly, no matter how small the effort, helping people who are in need and making a difference.

This afternoon I volunteered to a Junior Achievement event held in TsingHua. The session is about "Career Goal" and we shared our experiences with the students there. Many of them are unsure what their future career direction should be and need guidance from. Talking to them, I feel like talking to myself a few years back, who were puzzled about career and life in general. :p (but it is not like I'm not puzzling about career and life now :p)

So all in all, I feel pretty good about myself today :)

A cup of loniness

2008-04-25T21:15:00.002+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

Haven't written to you for so long. How're you doing?

Some TsingHua colleagues brought me to a local restaurant at the TsingHua west gate. The place is famous for its chicken wings and its other BBQ meat. Food is so tasty! :D Guess we can go to these places only once in a while as it is quite dirty. (Don't think my immune system can handle the germs If I go there too often) But then food is real cheap and so tasty! Special thanks to MingJuan, PanRong and Andy who brought me there! =D

We've also walked around the TsingHua campus and I can't believe it is sooooo big. We've walked for almost 40 mins and only covered about one third of the campus. But if you slow down and 'feel' the environment, you would notice the kind of history, the serenity, and the pride it carries as the most prestigious University in China. After a 40 mins walk in the campus, I feel that even an ignorant like me could suddenly turned into a well-read person. :p

Now I am in "The Bridge" again. It is a cozy coffee house and has become my favorite hangout place after dinner. With a cup of coffee, a book, and a laptop, I could spend a few hours here enjoying the night after a day of hard work (ok, I admit it isn't all that hard). I used to feel lonely here in Beijing, and sometimes it still is. But God has always been good to me. Now I have many good friends from fellowship and from office. Thanks also for the creativity, hard-work, and endurance of so many great engineers we now have the technology to connect with our friends all over the world even though we may not station in the same city (who says engineers aren't cool?!)

Solitude, I think, in itself is neither good or bad. It all depends on how you choose to perceive it. It is like a cup of black coffee: bitter when you first taste it, but then after a while, you suddenly found yourself enjoying it.

Now I'm starting to know how to appreciate the beauty of this city. I'm starting to loving it.

Conference @ Sydney

2008-03-18T21:12:00.002+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

I am in Sydney now for a 2 days conference. Nice city. Weather is real nice and buildings here look good. Australian really know how to enjoy life.

Listen to the executives speeches including our CEO. Some of the points made are quite interesting indeed.

Drank quite a lot in the rock party and should get some sleep. Overall it was a great day and I throughly enjoyed it and I'm also glad to get to know new people and get to know my colleagues better. :)

Alive again :D

2008-03-12T23:56:00.003+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

Now that I have fully recovered from my 2+ weeks of illness I feel that I'm alive again :) Good news is that I've finally found a decent swimming pool which is really close to where I live and work. :D I've also hired a swimming coach to fix some of the bad habits I have, and also to learn how to turn.

I would also need to thank God as I've been praying to have a fellowship. I haven't been to any fellowship since I went back to Hong Kong from Toronto, simply because there were just so many things more interesting than going to a fellowship. So I guess that's a reason why I'm in Beijing and feeling lonely all the time after work and during the weekends. Now I'm so looking forward to go to a fellowship and see my fellow Hong Kong Christian friends there.

Just came back from a prayer meeting. There were just four of us but I've always long for this kind of sharing since I left TCAC.

Thank you Lord. He DOES listen to prayers. :D

Sick

2008-02-29T22:43:00.002+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

It is Friday night and I'm really glad that it is finally weekend. On Monday night I went to a mobile industry forum in downtown, and once I got home I got fever and headache again. :( I was then basically sick at home on Tue and Wed. Finally got better on Thur and able to get back to office. This morning I had to go to a hospital. I couldn't entirely understand what the doctor or the nurses were saying as they are speaking fast with northern dialet... and very rude too. I didn't even dare to ask them anything second time. I hate Beijing even more. :(

I feel so poor when I was sick and somehow wonder why I'm here at all. I got no family or friends here to help when needed. While being sick there are still work, financial and housing issues to take care of... I hate being alone.

But I think God's Grace is always enough. I am still coughing much but feel much better than the past few days. Hope I would be able to find a suitable apartment this weekend.

Pray for me.

Eugene

Out of shape

2008-02-23T23:00:00.002+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

I am still coughing non-stop :( I just feel that I've been sick for too long, and also too frequent recently. I've been traveling a lot and I couldn't find time for exercise.... ar~~~ I guess that's just excuse. I need to find time to exercise and eat more proper food....

Because I couldn't get the landlord license from the housing agency I need to find a place to move, otherwise I wouldn't be able to enjoy the tax benefit. The new tenants whom I met have already moved in. They are also from Canada. Mom (Lilian) is a professor teaching MBA at McMaster University, the Son (Alex) is a teenager coming here to Beijing to learn Mandarin. They are nice people and I'm happy that there are people in the apartment. It feels pretty weird in the last couple of days living in such a big apartment all by myself.

Work is busy too. There are so much things to do and so less time. I need to come up with a strategic plan for HK/TW, handle a pub issue, plan for a major acquisition and finish up some business analytics all within this week. Together with the apartment-hunting and recent bad health, I feel overwhelmed. :(

Oh so long

2008-02-20T23:20:00.002+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

Oh so long soooooo long my dear Bloggy. How are you doing?

I haven't updated you for almost 4 months. So much have happened during the past few months. So many pleasant memories and inevitably there were also sad moments. But that's what makes life interesting isn't it? ;)

I've finally done with MBA (yay! :D) and is now working for Google as an Account manager looking after the Hong Kong and Taiwan market. I also need to do some business analytics to support management decisions. I'm still sick these days (still coughing badly =( ) and I guess it has to do with my traveling around too much these months. There are apartment issues yet to be settled but apart from that things are going pretty well. :) Now I'd like to focus my energy and do some good work while I'm here in Beijing.

Isiah 43:1-5

2007-11-17T23:17:00.000+08:00

1. But now thus says Yahweh who created you, Jacob, and he who formed you, Israel: "Don't be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name. You are mine.

2. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, and flame will not scorch you.

3. For I am Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I have given Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

4. Since you have been precious and honored in my sight, and I have loved you; therefore I will give people in your place, and nations instead of your life.

5. Don't be afraid; for I am with you. I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west.

Excerise is good

2007-11-04T22:12:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

I felt like crap for the past few days. In retrospect I believe it has to do with my lack of exercise for a prolonged period of time. I haven't swim for the past 2 weeks as I was busy with my 2 final exams last weekend (oh God please let me pass the courses) So today I went swimming and I really pushed myself and swam hard. I didn't time today but I think I did finish my usual 1200M faster than usual, which is an achievement itself and that makes me feel good. :) After exercise now I am back to be positive and cheerful again. :D

where goes YouTube?

2007-10-23T16:17:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

Sorry that I haven't updated you for loooooooooooooooong. In fact I was just checking the recent youTube block in China (happens on the same day when HK youTube is launched) and saw a comment that blogger is now unblocked. So I gave it a try and it works! Not sure if it is just because I am in office (you could imagine what I do all day in office :p) so I get to use the proxy or if it has really been unblocked everywhere. Anyhow, I think it is annoying not being able to use youTube these few days. When do you think we could have free access to information like we do in Hong Kong? I wonder....

I have exams coming on Sat and next Monday. Sat exam is investment valuation and I have skipped many classes and only handed in 3 homeworks out of 5 :p At this stage I think working on the projects in Google is much more interested than valuation, in which we just twist the numbers here and there on the financial spreadsheet to come up with good looking numbers. What's the point of it?

But then in practice I still have to pass the course in order to get the credit. This morning we have our last class, and I have just purchased the textbook today. :p That book has 991 pages and I guess I would have to read and digest one-third of it before I could walk into the exam room. Since I still have to work Friday so I really only have about 1.5 days to do that. It is RedBull consumption time again :p

Back to HK for vacation

2007-09-30T16:27:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

So what's up last week? Let me recall....

Sept 24, 2007

This is my first day with Google Shanghai. I didn't bother to ask HR for the Shanghai office address as I thought I was smart enough to figure it out online. I found the address, left school at 12pm, got there, and told the receptionist that it was my first day on board. She looked at me like I was from the outer universe and said "Google? They have moved to their new office long time ago!" I ended up reporting on board at 3pm. :p The office isn't as big as the one in Beijing. But it still has a ping-pong table, a game console, a massage room and plenty of food. :)

Sept 26, 2007

I went back to HK through the PuDong international airport. It was my first time taking the "magnetic floating train" and boy it is fast! It can go up to ~450Km/h and since it is tilted when it turns I was actually quite scared (trains don't tilt from my experience) :p It is great to see my family again and also to have some home-made meals after "tolerating" CEIBS canteen for 3 weeks. :p

Sept 27, 2007

Met with Martin to play squash and swim at POC. I haven't played since I went to China as there doesn't seem to have many people interested in this sport. :p

Sept 28, 2007

Congratulations to HKUST which is just ranked Asia number 1 MBA program, number 20 globally at the EIU ranking! :) And on the way we beat Wharton too who is ranked number 21. Anyhow, as Prof. DeKry put it best, we believe only in rankings who ranked us good. :p We had a celebration at the school's central facility.

Happy Mid-Autumn!

2007-09-25T11:36:00.000+08:00

子曰：“人无信，不知其可也！”译文：孔子说，一个人过节的时候连个信息都没有，简直不知道他是怎么混的！祝你中秋快乐，阖家团圆！

Swim, swam, swim

2007-09-22T02:24:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

Sept 21, 2007

You know swimming is really luxurious in China. I went to PuDong swimming pool 2 weeks ago which is supposed to be the best swimming pool in Shanghai according to some reviews I found on web. It is a standard size (50m in length) swimming pool, but since there are so many people there they divide the pool into 2 parts and you can only swim across its width. It really test your swimming skills as you have to zig-zag across to avoid bumping into people. :p Traveling there isn't easy at all: It took 25 minutes for me to walk to the closest bus station and another 1hr bus ride. It is a 3 hours round trip. :p

Luckily Masa know of a really good pool close to the school area. So Eva, Masa and I went there 2 days ago and had a good swim. :) It is 25m in length but since we went in the morning there were only 5~6 people there including us three. It costs 20 RMB which is not a bad deal at all consider most of the swimming pools here charge 70~80 RMB :p I ended up buying 10 tickets for it. :)

Yesterday I went to the "Tips to climb up the corporate ladder" talk given by Gary and Maggie at Han Shen Lu. Good talk and met quite a few interesting people.

I have also been notified today that my part-time internship with Google has been approved by Mountain View. :) So apart from being one of the first MBA interns in Google China I have also become the first part-time Googler in China. :p Heard that the engineering team have already implemented part of the recommendations so I am excited to see how the result would look in the short future. I am supposed to start this coming Monday but since my batch is mailed to HK I am not sure how I can get into the office. :p But I am looking forward to check out the Shanghai office here. Hmm I guess I will have a good excuse to start skipping more classes and meetings ... :p

周庄-中国第一水乡

2007-09-18T10:18:00.000+08:00

Sept 16, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

It is really a beautiful place. About 1.5 hrs bus ride from Shanghai. :)

MBA fair @ Shangri-la

2007-09-13T23:54:00.000+08:00

Sept 14, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Life isn't very exciting at CEIBS since it is really in the middle of no where. Even if I to downtown sometimes, most of the time I just stay in campus. I don't know too many people here either so I usually have meal by myself. Not that I mind eating alone as I am quite used to it, but from time to time I do want to go out and eat with friends. There aren't too many of these here yet. On the other hand I enjoy the plenty of leisure time here for my personal reading.

So I am especially excited today as there is a MBA fair for me to go to. :) I talked to several of the potential candidates and I am surprised that there are so many people in China interested in pursuing an MBA degree. I enjoyed the event a lot (even though my throat is hurting as I had to keep talking loud for 2 hrs non-stop) Maggie brought me to Starbucks (my first time going to Starbucks in China) and my stomach is now feeling after a brownie and an ice-mocca. I guess I should go to bed soon.... :p

浪奔～～登～登登浪流～～登～登登

2007-09-05T21:41:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

Now that I have finished my internship with Google I don't have access to the 'outside world' anymore. No appledaily, no access to my friend's blogs, and no access to my own blog either! I couldn't even read what I have posted last time, so let me just summarize what have done in the last few days while I can still remember...

Last Friday was my last day with Google. It was a pity that I have to leave at that point in the project as it has generated some real interest within the company. On this last day I still have to present to the engineering director through video conference. It feels good that people are interested in the findings but in the meantime I would love to see the recommendations being put into practice and to help driving them. Too bad the internship ends so soon. I will try to keep track with it with my team members on GTalk and see if I can help remotely.

Moved to Shanghai on Sunday and stayed in a hotel I booked online. In general I think the service provided here in Shanghai is much better than those in Beijing. The taxi drivers and the people in the hotel front desk I met are all very willing to help. A taxi driver even gave me the number of his friend who is a housing agent when I told him I was looking for an apartment. :p So far I think people here are more helpful compare to Beijing.

Finally I settled in the CEIBS dorm. Even though it is a dorm but in fact it is a service apartment as there are staff to clean it up once a week. It is like an apartment itself except that it doesn't have a kitchen (OK for me!) and a fridge. TV, air-cond are all included. The campus itself is actually better than I thought. Heard that it is designed by the famous architect Bu Lu Ming. Location sucks though. It is in the middle of nowhere and in order to get to the closest subway station we have to take a taxi. There is only one cafeteria in the campus so I think I will be craving for better food pretty soon..

Lillian, Eva and I went to downtown area yesterday. After 10 years I can finally feel the "浪奔～～登～登登浪流～～登～登登" again. :p The scenery at the bund area is really good. We met up with Lance and Warren for dinner.

2007-08-31T13:44:00.000+08:00

看了《神雕侠侣》知道年龄不是问题
看了《断背山》知道性别也不是问题
看了《金刚》知道物种也不是问题
看了《人鬼情未了》知道了连生死都不是问题

"Be still and know that He is God" (and listen)

2007-08-30T21:01:00.000+08:00

August 30, 2001

Dear Bloggy,

Who says life isn't exciting? I got back to the office late today. Just before I walked in I got a call from Shen Kai saying that we need to do an abridged presentation to top management, including the VP of the APLA region, at 11am. This caught me by surprise as that came up all of a sudden. In the meantime I am really excited about this opportunity to present to top management. It also shows that my work in the past 2.5 months are being noticed and recognized. I am really happy about that! :D

The presentation went well but since I only have 20 mins I couldn't present all the recommendations. Roy is right. Next time when presenting to the top management I really have to cut things much shorter as they are only interested in the findings and conclusions. No need to tell them the whole logic flow. Remember that Eugene.

Roy has also talked to me again about the full time opportunity at Google. I am glad that he is happy with my work and is willing to get me back to the team. :D After some discussion it sounds much more attractive. ;) Although the main issue is still the location. Let's see how it goes.

I have just got back from the farewell dinner from the team. I will be missing the team much! I have drunk a lot of beer because of the custom here but it was fun! :)

Final Presentation

2007-08-28T18:26:00.000+08:00

August 28, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Finally I have finished my final presentation today. There are more people than I expected (20+ I think?) All in all I think it went pretty well and Peter gave me a few positive comments. :) If I had to do it again I would speaker louder and have more eye contacts. It is difficult to have to look at the slides and maintain good eye-contacts at the same time though. :p As for voice, by nature I am soft-spoken so I guess I really have to get some vocal training to deal with that problem.

Nevertheless, I am relaxed now. :D But then I will be busy looking for an apartment in Shanghai pretty soon. I'll arrive there on Sunday morning (Sept 2) if everything goes smoothly.

Being Happy On The Job

2007-08-24T19:09:00.000+08:00

From "The Vine"

The Lord will command the blessing on... all to which you set your hand.

Deuteronomy 28:8

Happiness involves feeling good about yourself. It's based on your relationships and achievements. When your gifts and abilities are fully developed and utilised through your life's work, you grow in confidence and strength. Here are seven keys to being happy on the job:

(1) See work as God's gift, not punishment. "When God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 5:19 NIV).

(2) Recognise God as your true employer. "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does" (Ephesians 6:7-8 NIV).

(3) Pursue work compatible with your gifts. "If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised" (1 Peter 4:11 NIV).

(4) Learn everything possible about your job. "Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance" (Proverbs 1:5 NIV).

(5) Use criticism to your advantage. In fact, make it work for you; ask for suggestions and correction: "Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction: but he who regards reproof will be honoured" (Proverbs 13:18).

(6) Do more than is expected of you. "And whosoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two" (Matthew 5:41). Be an extra-miler!

(7) Make Jesus your work partner. Stay Christ-conscious throughout the day as you perform your duties faithfully: "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You: because he trusts in You" (Isaiah 26:3).

Feeling relaxed

2007-08-24T16:01:00.000+08:00

August 24, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

I am feeling relaxed now so I can update you in the office. :p I have done the 'pre-final' presentation this Tue, and I think my manager and other peers like it. :) Now I just have to finish off a bit more analysis and will present essentially the same content next Tue for my final presentation.

I had power problem in my apartment again. On Tue night when I was watching TV power runs out. It was around 10pm so I decided to go to bed. But it was so hot that night without AC and I just couldn't fall asleep. At half past twelve I decided to go out to a MacDonald near my place so at least I can do some reading there. Not until reaching there I found that this particular Big Mac close at 11pm. :( I ended up walking aimlessly on the street till 2am. :(

I charged up my 'power card' at the bank the next day. Got home at night but still couldn't charge it up because of some technical problems. I talked to almost every staff in the building and finally got someone from the engineering side to help me out. Needlessly to say he has as little idea about the whole thing as I do. I ended up staying at Marshall's place for the night. You couldn't imagine how frustrated I am for that whole incident. :( Buying power from a bank is totally new to me. What if your power runs out on a Friday night? You won't have power for the whole weekend. Eventually I had to took 2 hrs off from work yesterday to go to a "Power supply bureau" to get the card fixed. Darn!

Overtime

2007-08-21T02:19:00.000+08:00

August 20, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Today I stayed at the office till 12:30am. My record is still 3:30am when I was working at UID, but today is probably the latest I've ever stayed in the Google office. Not bad. :p

I have a 'pre-final' presentation tomorrow so I am staying late to finish up the slides. I think I finished 70% of it so there are still some more to go tomorrow. Good that there is deadline here which makes me feel more energetic. (or is it just because of the can of red bull?! )

Overtime weekend

2007-08-19T22:14:00.000+08:00

August 19, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

It is a overtime weekend for me as I went to the office for both Sat and Sun. I only have 2 weeks left in Google so I need to wrap things up and prepare for my final presentation. The main result hasn't been concluded yet so this coming week would be critical. Let's hope things would turn out nicely. If that's the case, I believe the findings would have a positive impacts to China's revenue, and may even be able to propagate to other locations.

Although I stayed in the office for pretty much the whole day, but I spend one third of it working out and playing ping-pong. :p Had 7 games with Xioka. Lost the first three but got the last 4 back. Won the last game 14-13 hehe. I am so happy now that I know how to return his serve. :)

"Crazy Rock"

2007-08-17T22:29:00.000+08:00

Google treated us MBA and finance interns to a drama called "Crazy Rock" tonight. It was pretty good except that I don't understand most of what the actors said as they were speaking in the ShenDong dialect. Marshall was sitting next to me so I got some real time translation. :p

Access to Blogger

2007-08-16T23:57:00.000+08:00

16 August, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Oh I haven't updated my blog for soooo long. Oh well.. anywayz Lili showed me how to update blogger from home today so I have no excuse not to update Bloggy anymore. :p

My manager told me today that he has a full time position in the team for me. :) It is also the type of work that I like and I think I could further strengthen my skills in this position. I am happy especially as I think this is a recognition of the work I have done so far. The only thing is that this position will be based in BJ, but I promised my Grandma that I will be going back to HK after I graduate. So I'll still have to work on that with HR next week. Even though I like the company a lot, I think the chances for me to continue to stay with Google is slim as I don't think there is an opportunity in the HK office. Will see what happen.

I couldn't quite remember what happened last week. The only incident that came back to me is about getting the "electricity card" In China we have to "buy power from banks" (it sounds quite illogical to me.... buying power from banks??). In other words, you have to go to a bank to charge up your card, plug it back to your apartment's power outlet machine before you could have power. If it runs out, your power would be gone in a split second (btw, that's what happened to me on a Tue night while watching TV) Long story short, it was quite an unpleasant experience with me getting and charging up that card. Another reason not to stay in BJ for good. :p

Marshall, Morden and I met with the upcoming UST and CUHK students. Good to see them. Hope they will be enjoying the MBA experience. ;)

Deng Deng Fung and Latino

2007-08-04T14:51:00.000+08:00

July 27, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Today I went to had hotpot with Gigi and Harry at "Deng Deng Fung" It is at the Beijing downtown area and the shopping malls there are like Pacfic Place in HK - new and spacious. Going there from the 'outskirt' area which I stayed I feel like a rural peasant going to the city :p

Afterwards I went to Latino for Salsa again. It was Cuba's national day so it was fully packed. This time all of us are getting better so I feel that dancing among those really great dancers I don't feel that bad anymore :p It was a lots of fun just that there were so many people so my partners always bumped into someone else. I guess being a guy I should have looked after them a bit more. :p

Yuan Hua Gon

2007-07-24T21:44:00.000+08:00

July 21, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Marshall and I went to visit "Yuan Hua Gon" with Bin, who is another Googler working at the DSO team. The place is quite nice, the typical Chinese style buildings. What is most impressive is that there is a Budda stature in there which is almost 3 stories tall, and it is crafted out from one huge tree. It reminds me of all the "Big robots fighting alien monsters" Japanese cartoon I saw when I was a kid. The Budda really looks like one of those big robots.

We went to eat "Huan Gwo" afterwards. You select veges, meats and other stuff. They then cook everything together in a bowl with lots of pepper. A new way to handle food.

July 23, 2007

I spend the whole day in my apartment reading. :D It is so relaxing! I have always want to spend some long period of quality time with good books but have done so until that day. :p

Week July 15 - July 21

2007-07-21T11:30:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

July 15, 2007

Karen, Morden and I decided to go to visit the Great Wall, "13 graves", and some well which I don't remember its name. We hired a taxi for the whole day, negotiated a price of $400 and he was supposed to bring us to those places. We started off at 8am in front of Google and off we go. But then somehow being a taxi driver the guy have no idea how to get to those places, which was surprising to me! Given the fact that we have told him where we want to go upfront, and being a professional taxi driver, shouldn't it be his responsibility to check out the map and at least form a general impression on how to get there? Anyhow, that's fine. I called up Jay and have him to tell the driver how to get there. Knowing now where he was supposed to go, all of a sudden he demanded an increase in price to $500. We told him to go home.

I am not saying that the driver is a dishonest person. In fact I think it is true that he may not make much out of this $400 business. (As Jay told me that $400 is too good a deal) The issue is professionalism. I don't think you will find a HK taxi driver who has no idea where he is going. :p

We ended up going to "Wong Fu Cheng", "Tin Tang" and a restaurant famous for its Beijing BBQ duck. yummy.. :D "Wong Fu Cheng" is a shopping area which is very much like Causeway Bay in Hong Kong. There is a shop that specialize in making hats and has been making them for the Chinese government official since many years ago. I need to get one before leaving BJ. ;)

July 20, 2007

Google treats us intern students for a fencing activity. Here is the photo from Shen Kai. ;)

http://picasaweb.google.com/claymore213/Fencing

Oh shoot again

2007-07-13T23:11:00.000+08:00

July 13, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Oh no I haven't update Bloggy for so long... But then I blame the Chinese firewall which prohibit me from accessing my blog at home. So, I am not to be blamed, I am not to be blamed, I am not to be blamed. (don't remember who told me that if you repeat something 3 times in a row then it becomes a truth. Not sure if this is true :p)

Let's start with what I can remember..

July 8, 2007 (Sunday)

I went to the bookstore area which Sophie brought me to last week. It was good walking in those bookstores as you can never have such big ones in HK. All of them consist of like 3~5 floors. However, 99% of the book are Chinese. Not that I don't like to read Chinese but I am looking for books that discuss data analysis, and I wouldn't be able to crack subject like this in Chinese. So I ended up not getting anything on that.

Fortunately, I have decided to improve my Mandarin and I am starting from the fundamental. So went into the "school kid" section and bought 3 books which are designed for primary 1 students to learn PinYin. Not bad. :p

At night I saw Jay and Ying again. :D They are one of my best friends when I was working in Nortel Networks at Ottawa as an intern student. The gathering reminds me of so much priceless memory. I still remember my lovely apartment there, in which I could oversee the Ottawa river. I got my first job, bought my first car, learned driving manual, broke up with girl friend, started Tae Kwon Do, founded Nortel Squash Club with Martin ;) , learned skiing (I think it was in Ottawa?), first time skated on real ice, met Bing, Karen and An and so much more. It was really nice getting to see Jay and Ying in Beijing again after so many years. They treated me "Lamb hotpot" which I have always wanted to try. So tasty.. :D

July 9~12, 2007

Nothing much happening. There is not much progress in my project so I am starting to think of things from different directions. I went to a bar called D22 with Marshall and some other Googlers from US for their ambassador programs. It was funny that they show a movie in the bar. (Lolita) Good movie but my first time watching a movie in a bar. :p

Oh I also tried out the massage in Google :p It was pretty good consider that you can just take 30 mins off from work and relax a bit. ;)

July 13, 2007

Google rented out a cinema for the Googlers to see the moive "Transformer" It was OK but not as good as I expected. I think the computer animation is quite impressive; however, I could only see bunch of robots fighting one another and I couldn't really tell who are the bad guys and who are the good ones. However, there are quite a few good jokes in the movie. So, 7 out of 10 la.

Latino Club

2007-07-07T18:11:00.000+08:00

July 03 - 06, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Nothing much to update. Work is going OK but there is not too much progress these days. July 4 is the US national day which makes it hard to get hold of people to get data and to request for information.

Went to 拉提诺拉丁风情酒吧 yesterday for a night of Salsa dancing. It is at 东城区东四十条 and I believe it is sort of like the Central of Beijing. There are quite a few skyscrapers there which remind of Central. The club is better than "Club 42" which we went last time and I think the people dancing there are also better. I really need to learn a few more moves as it is getting boring for just doing the same 6~7 moves over and over again. :p Too bad 鸵鸟老师 is not teaching new moves so I guess we really need to push a bit. We left at around 11pm but the subway line has already closed, so we had to take a taxi to go uptown.

Oh and finally I have my internet connection up and running at my apartment. =D I can not access my blog there though as Blogger is blocked in China. But MSN works.

Keep eating

2007-07-03T18:12:00.000+08:00

July 02, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

I did a status update to my manager on my project. He is happy with the progress and likes what he see. :D Hope I can keep it up and that he will be happy with my work till the end of my internship. ;)

I also tried out a 湘 (湖南) cuisine restaurant close to the office and it tastes sooooo good! :D Now I have set myself another goal that I have to try out all the "big 8" Chinese cuisines while in Beijing. :D

回歸祖國十周年 : 香港同胞游香山

2007-07-02T20:16:00.000+08:00

July 01, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

It is a beautiful day! :D (except it is a bit too hot..) Sophie, Marshall, Antony and I went to 香山 park which is about 30 mins drive from the Google office. It is famous for its autumn leaves when they turn red in fall and also for its historical heritage (it has been developed as early as 1186 although later has been burned down by the British/French army and rebuild since 1956) It only took us a little more than 1 hr to get to the top but it wasn't an easy climb at all. The last few hundreds meters were all steep steps and we had to take a few breaks before getting to the top. But all are worth it as there is great scenery up there. :) There are also a little "tea restaurant" where we had a nice water melon (taste especially sweet after the climb!). I also tried to ask for a discount as today is 香港回歸祖國十周年 and being a 香港同胞 I was hoping that I have some kind of privilege. I got a stern look from the lady there and a resounding NO. :p

After visiting the 香山 park we headed to 颐和園. We went to a restaurant famous for its North-Western style food (and according to its brochure every year they spend 2% of its revenue on R&D. That's less than IBM but apparently more than many Fortune 500s) To my pleasant surprise now I could eat lamb and actually enjoy it! But that only limits to the "northern" lamb as they don't have that kind of "So" taste as there is on the southern side. Food is real good there :).... 颐和園 is a huge place and there is a lake just beside it. We rent a boat for water paddling and went under the "17 holes bridge" It is a nice place so I guess being a Chinese emperor isn't too bad afterall, except that your life is under constant threat.

Sophie also brought us to a huge bookstore. I dare not call myself a book-lover but I do like reading a lot. I bought a Mandarin pin-yin book there (5 bucks. I am practical enough to get a free membership card which entitles me to a 20% discount, so it cost only 4 bucks. Who says life isn't great!?) and hopefully with the help of Sophie and HaiLei I could really improve my Mandarin pronunciation. :D We had Japanese noodle for dinner but we didn't get to spend too much time in that area. But I like that area a lot so next week I'll go there again and spend some more time exploring the bookstores. ;)

Time flies! I came to visit Beijing and other China cities exactly 10 years ago. Today is the 10th years anniversary and things have changed so much. Sooner or later we will be no more, but the cities shall remain. And with God's Grace people living in those cities shall have even more joy, love and blessings than we have today. Most important of all let the people be thankful!

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad"

Apartment in BJ

2007-06-30T15:42:00.000+08:00

June 30, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Just realized that I have never post my apartment pictures here so there you go. If you're visiting BJ from now till end of August just give me a shout and I can provide lodging free of charge ;) The red sofa can turn into a bed and I actually slept on it for a few nights as my bed is hard like a rock!

Salsa @ Street 42

2007-06-30T15:38:00.000+08:00

June 28, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

The progress of my project has been going quite well. But today I am stuck and not sure how I could proceed. I have requested additional data from engineering team and ShenKai has also asked for data for me on the other side. Let's see if those could shed some light on it.

Since tonight is the opening of club "Street 42" we all went there for a night of Salsa dancing. I think the music was a little too loud there but all in all the atmosphere was good. :) But most importantly thank you HuiFang for dancing with me tonight. As I said you are really a great Salsa partner! :) Look forward to dance with you again in class Tue. :D

I still don't have internet connection at home. :( The carrier has promised service for almost 2 weeks and still not able to deliver. I called them up and started yelling, but realized it was too hard to do so in Mandarin. :p Luckily Sophie, HaiLei and myself has engaged in a language exchange program and now I think I can tell the difference between the "s" sound and the "sh" sound. Yes I know my Mandarin sucks but I'll work on it! Next time I can yell with better pronunciation to make sure that I get across my message. :p

Salsa again

2007-06-28T18:43:00.000+08:00

June 26 ~28, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Now that I have started a bet with Sophie on whether I can keep on with the blog I just have to write it in order to win the bet. ;) So Bloggy I hope I can write to you more often.

It was to my pleasant surprise that a group of Googlers organized Salsa lesson in office and they hired a teacher to come here and teach every Tue and Thur. :) So I don't have to go to the place that ChengGuan has mentioned which is soooo far away. It's been really nice picking it up again as now I can remember moves that I learn before bit by bit. As I said before I am not really forgetful, I have things stored inside somewhere which just take a little while to retrieve. :p Got to meet many interesting people there too. ;)

Also went to a Salsa place last night. The place is way more spacious than what we have in HK, but then somehow I feel a little weird as you're not supposed to have so much space around you while doing Salsa.

Baiyangdian

2007-06-24T14:48:00.000+08:00

June 22, 23, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Here are some of the pictures I have taken over the trip ;) I couldn't sleep last night at the motel because there were just too many mosquitoes!

But all in all the trip was good. ;)

TGIT

2007-06-24T14:43:00.002+08:00

June 21, 2007

Dear Bloggy

I finally got the converter so now I can charge up my phone battery. I haven't been able to buy it in the last 2 days as I have to go to the welcome dinner and engineers mixer at night. Oh but did I tell you that the food was good? ;).....

Today is TGIT. I think Marshall and I put up a pretty good performance today. ;) Now that the company thought that I can really do Salsa. Not too bad a misunderstanding for me, isn't it? ;) Morden's Tawianse trick is quite impressive too! I also got a chance to talk to our China president Dr. Kai Fu Lee (www.kaifulee.com) and he said our performance is one of the best he has ever seen here. ;)

I have only started here for a few days but I notice I have put on quite a bit of weight (especially on my belly) already. Free lunch may not be such a great thing afterall in contrast to the common belief.. So I went to gym today. The gym is actually better than the one in the IBM Tornoto lab. Not only it is bigger, but most important of all it has less people. I went there at 7ish and there were only 3 people including me. Met Jacky there who is working for AdSense direct and he told me there are a group of people practicing Salsa every Tue. I really want to pick it up again so I will go join them. ;)

Tomorrow my team is going for an "off-site meeting" :

Starting: 7：30 AM Jun 22 (Friday)
Gathering: Kejian Building
Returning: 12:00 Jun 23 (Saturday)

Day 1
1. Fisherman's Paradise-enjoying osprey fishing, boating, etc...
2. Baiyangdian culture Court-lunch, Gazi village, wild lotus
3. Lotus Wounderland- taking small boat to enjoy more than 300 kinds of world famous lotus
4. Boating on Baiyangdian at night-Taking lights to water

Day 2
1. Visiting Fishermen Village-learning boating, fishing, picking lotus and leaves.
2. Yuanfei Park- watching performance and taking drum pontoon.
3. lunch, returning to Beijing around 15:00

白洋淀2日游行程安排：

时间：6月22日（周五）-23日（周六）
地点：白洋淀
住宿：景点中的度假村

第一天：
1. 早上7点半出发，10点左右到达乘坐机动船开始游览，第一个景点

—渔人乐园，欣赏鱼鹰捕鱼、撑竹筏、脚踏船等。
2. 午饭，第二个景点—白洋淀文化苑，百亩荷塘、嘎子村、野生荷花、精品荷花
3. 第三个景点—荷花大观园，世界名荷、睡莲等300多种，各种观赏鱼等，踏桥赏荷，乘坐小木船深入荷花丛中
4. 安排住宿，晚餐后夜游白洋淀，放河灯

第二天
1. 早餐后退房
2. 赴渔民村，乘坐木船，学划船、下网捕鱼、采摘荷花荷叶芦苇
3. 赴元妃荷园，观看雁翎队表演，走滚筒浮桥
4. 乘船返回码头，12点午餐后返回，下午3点左右回到北京

Bowling

2007-06-24T14:43:00.001+08:00

June 20, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Today I am still trying to collect data for my project and to educate myself a little better. We went to play bowling in the afternoon with the engineer team as some of them are going to relocate. We then went to for dinner afterwards. Food is very good there and I am still so full now. :p After dinner Marshall and I stayed over at the gym to practice karaoke and Salsa as we need to perform tomorrow on the TGIT (Thanks God it is Thursday) tomorrow. Thanks God it will be done tomorrow as I just want to get it over with. :p

吧國布衣

2007-06-24T14:42:00.001+08:00

June 19, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Today Marshall and I are given the scope of our project. Since I was told a hundred times that we can not disclose any company information, not even a humble little project that a humble little me is handling, I can not provide any details here. But I do like it a lot and if successful it may have a direct impact on the company's baseline. (well at least that's what I hope for) So I will do my best to get it done! ;)

My teammates are all very nice and willing to teach an ignorant me not only on work related stuff but also on my Mandarin. :p I hope I could at least improve a bit after 2 months. There were also a basic training provided to us regarding our product.

At night there was a welcome dinner for the 3 intern students. We went to 吧國布衣 which is a restaurant specialize in "Chun" cuisine It is the tradition kind of building from the outside and it is decorated exactly like those restaurants in the Chinese KungFu movie on the inside. It has 2 floors and at 8pm there is a guy who perform "face changing"

First day with Google

2007-06-24T14:41:00.000+08:00

June 18, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

First day with Google! :D Today is mainly orientation which they talked about the Google history, culture, and those IT stuff. Google has really non-traditional office. There are 10/F floor in total and each of them are decorated with different themes. There is a gym on the 2nd floor so no need to shed the $700/month in the gym downstairs. ;) Snacks and food on every floor while the 1st floor is the main cafeteria. There are also table tennis and friz balls all around the places. What is most important is that there is a 'fun' environment there. People within this atmosphere are generally cheerful and friendly, which in turns make the whole organization effective.

So, so far so good. :) Tomorrow we are going to have a meeting and we will then really be given our objectives to achieve.

"Back Sea"

2007-06-24T14:40:00.000+08:00

June 17, 2007

Dear Bloggy,

Just moved into my new apartment today. :) The landlords, Mr. and Mrs. Wang, are a nice couple. Mr. Wang is a PHD working in the chemical industry, and Mrs. Wang is serving in the military. They have a boy-girl twin children who are both 7 years old. So cute they are! ;) Since the apartment is brand-new and they have never lived in it either, so there are still a few housewares such as garbage bin that hasn't been in place yet, but they are very helpful in helping me to get those.

Went to "Hao Ha" Met Eric (Cassie's friend), Teresa (Lillian's friend) and Bonnie (Teresa's friend) and we just walked around the back sea. It is quite an interesting place! While there is lake scenery with old Chinese buildings around just like you see in movies (the river pic is one of the top ten sceneries in BJ, there is even a nice Chinese name for it but I can't type in Chinese) , there are many restaurants and bars just around the lake. Many of them are fusion of Chinese buildings with Western-style bars.

3rd day in Beijing

2007-06-17T00:59:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

Life is really interesting. I used to work for Nortel Networks at Ottawa, and I still remember the day when I took a bus to go to Ottawa from Kingston and spend the whole day walking around the city to look for an apartment. Once I got off the bus, there were an apartment right in front of me but I didn't walk in for some reasons. Then I walked around and looked at different apartments but couldn't find anything that I really like. Exhausted, I realized I have got back to that apartment. I walked in, talked to the management office, checked out an apartment there and immediately fall in love with it. There was a nice balcony that overlook the Ottawa river and the inside was neat and tidy (i.e. it WAS, no more after I stayed there for 16 months.. :p) So I spend my whole internship staying happily.

Now that I am looking for an apartment in Beijing, I spend the last 2 days searching in vain. But today I just steped into a housing agent right across my motel, and he bought me to an apartment that I really like, and I am moving in tomorrow! To me, it is totally like what my house-hunting experience 7 years ago in Ottawa. 踏破鐵鞋 and only found out that what things you're looking for are just at your doorsteps.

My apartment is very nice :) It is a studio on the 10/F. It doesn't have a seperate bedroom but very cozy. It is also a brand new building so the owners (who is a middle age couple) themselves haven't lived in there. It is 5 minutes walk from the subway station and Walmart. I will be taking subway to go to work, just one station away and takes only about 15~20 minutes door to door.

Now I feel much better as the apartment is settled. I am just going to enjoy tomorrow and wait for my new work to begin on Monday! :D Looking forward to it! :D

Another thing, you know I am still not able to make sense out of crossing streets. When the light is red, people cross the street and cars stop. When it is green and I start crossing, there are always vehicles rushing toward me. I feel my life is always under constant threat whenever I try to cross the street. But today I devise a perfect street-crossing strategy and I am afraid no more! What I will do is just wait for a group of people that looks just like who know what they are doing, then I will do whatever they do to cross the street. If they walk, I walk. If they run, I run. If they sit on the ground, I sit on the ground. As simple as that. A strategy only works when it is simple, and I believe my street-crossing strategy satisfy this requirement and works on the time. That's why it is perfect! ;)

I also tried out a local restaurant for dinner tonight. I ordered Beef noodle, "white veggie" and TsingTao beer. The TsingTao beer costs only 2.5 RMB so I was expecting a can of beer. But no it comes in a form of a good 875ml glass bottle! Thank you for your business sir the grand total of your meal tonight is 12.5 RMB. Thank you so much. :p Food is actually very tasty. Too much noodle but not enough beef though. Since I'm a Christian I usually pray before meal to thank God for providing the food and also ask for "cleansing" it. And I pray much harder this time. Since I haven't yet have any stomach ache this is another evidence that God is with us all and He listens to prayer. :P

Just had a online chat with mom. Somehow she can always find something that I do which upsets her. It then upset me and I started getting loud. Eventually, I think she is upset with my getting loud, and I am upset with myself for upsetting her. :( Why is the communication with your closest family members always the most difficult? Shouldn't the closest ones can best understand each other?

2007-06-15T22:54:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

I flew with Air China to come to Beijing yesterday. Since I have always been interested in the working cultures and attitudes of different countries, I have paid some attention with the services of the flight attendants. I think they have been trained pretty much the same as the other airlines, such as how to serve tea and coffee, how to put meals on tray etc. But there is still something missing. You don't feel that they are connecting with you or are putting their customers' comfort in the first place. I can't really describe it but you can just feel the difference. I think staff training only helps to a certain point, in the end it is the culture of the company that really counts. Devil is in the details.

Well talking about working culture and attitudes I have some not-so-pleasant experience just today. I bought and new sim card here and suppose to have 50 dollars in my account. Today when I tried to call a landlord I was surprised that it has been cut off already because there were not enough $$ in the account. How can one used up 50 dollars in Beijing especially I didn't make any long distance phone call? I went to the shop again and the attitudes of one of the staff there was just driving me crazy. He was essentially talking to me with his head on his hand and I had that sudden impulse of dragging him out of his counter and punch him at his nice little nose which his glasses is hanging on! Yuck!

But then all in all I think people here are friendly and helpful, it is just that the way of doing things are different than it is in HK. I don't want to say which one is better but I think for now I am still preferring the latter. Or maybe I am just bias I don't know.

Enough whining. I spend the day looking and searching for apartments. No luck and quite frustrating. In general, the apartments or rooms I have seen so far are quite old. In fact, many of them (including my motel) are quite decent on the inside. However, when you look at the building from the outside or the surrounding area, you just feel that there is something wrong. It is usually very dark, old, and sometimes even dirty. It is quite depressing walking through those allies....

I have also done body check today. Different doctors are responsible for different sections. One of them is very rude. I think she couldn't believe that in this world there is someone as stupid as me who doesn't even know how to put the "X-ray protecting armor" on. Oh well... :p I also did a blood test. The nurse took my blood, but I think it doesn't occur to her that it might even be a good idea to give something such as a bandage to stop her subjects from keep bleeding. :p
BTW, the hospital is kinda like the apartments I mentioned above: dark, old, and sometimes even dirty. It is a hospital GDI!

Oh well I think I shouldn't be just complaining. Maybe I am just too frustrated with the apartment-hunting. So let's cut it short and buy for now Bloggy.

First day @ Beijing

2007-06-14T23:43:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

There are so much to write about today as it is my first day here in Beijing. I am in the motel typing up the blog but I am tired so I better keep it short.

I arrived BJ at around 2pm as it took about 3 hrs to fly here. Took a taxi to go to the motel directly from the airport. On the way the driver spoke to me about the road system and different landmarks here. The most interesting one has to be the "bird nest" which is build for the Olympic games. I saw that on picture before but it is way bigger than I thought. It certainly is one of the most amazing building I have ever seen as it looks totally different than any other buildings I saw before, be them in America, Asia or Europe. Interesting.

The weather and air quality here is not as bad as I thought. It is 28C here and very dry. So it doesn't feel as bad as HK for its humidity. I bought a sim card (oh and my new phone number in China is 13717841431 (so loooooooog!) I walked around the area and it is actually very nice. The place is very concentrated and there are not only big stores like Starbucks, KFC, big super markets but also have many nice little coffee shops and boutiques there. I went to the Google office building, which is at the Science Park, to meet up with ZhongQui's friend. The park area certainly look impressive and I think I will have fun working there. :) HuiMin treated me Peking Duck in a nice restaurant (don't remember the name, will fine out) and it tastes sooooooo good!!! Some parts of the duck skin is like M&M which melts the moment you put them into your mouth! But those parts are very few and the majority of them are good too but only on the level which you can get in HK. But that particular few pieces of duck skins taste certainly amazing.

Since I have no luck finding an apartment today I need to catch up tmw. Need to sleep now... very tired...

Last day in HK

2007-06-13T21:53:00.001+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

I will be flying to Beijing tomorrow. Today I just spend most time with family. I also bought a new pair of shoes as my previous one which I have wore for like 7 years have finally broken down. To this pair of shoes I salute.

I am excited for going there tomorrow. I tried to search for apartment online but it doesn't seem to work as I couldn't quite send messages to the apartment owner due to the restrictions of those house-searching website. So I'll just fly there first and will just walk around and search. It reminds me when I worked for Nortel Networks at Ottawa, I didn't have a clue on how to look for an apartment so I just took a bus to go there (I was in studying in Kingston at that time), walked around the place and signed a contract all in one day. Hope this apartment hunting trip in Beijing will work as smooth as the one I had in Ottawa 8 years ago.

To all my dear friends in HK farewell for now. I know you are all gonna miss me a lot but don't worry dear I shall be back in half a year time heheh ;) If you happen to drop by Beijing from now till end of August, or Shanghai from early-Sept to end of the year, just drop me a line and we shall meet up there! Until then, chow and take care! =D

Thanks for a great day!

2007-06-13T00:21:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

I went to have lunch with 大家姐 today. It is her second day of work only but she already worked overtime on Monday, her first day of work, till 10pm! Don't you think work life here in HK is quite interesting? Luckily this is just an exception, average work hours should be quite normal. I am happy for her as her work at Mercer sounds interesting and with lots of growth and learning opportunities. Add oil la 大家姐! Not only on your new job but also on everything. Your "靚" will support you always!

I then went back to UST to pick my last legacy there which is a printer that I have never used before. I sure will miss the campus there. The sea view rocks!

Had dinner with Martin, Wilson & Joyce. We then went to M2 for a drink. It was a really pleasant surprise to see Lillian, Lin Mu and Kwan Sui to show up as I wasn't expecting them. Edna and Fona were also there and we had good chats. Oh and thank you Edna for the lovely vitamins present. =D I sure will take those in BJ to stay healthy. Thanks! :D

Thank you for everything guys and I'll see you again in less than half a year! Best of luck!

Big Removal!

2007-06-12T02:06:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

Big removal - O Lord please help me

Went to the Canadian Embassy this morning to apply for the Canadian citizenship certificate since I lost mine. Just happen to have Ah Bo, who is my Grandma's friend working there, to serve me. I have nothing against her personally but I just couldn't help being rude when she tried to explain all those non-sense rules about renewing the passport to me. I blame the Canadian government for that. :p Hmmm... actually no excuse I think I just have to control my temper.

As I was in Exchange square in lunch time so I called up my ex-UBS co-workers in IFC2 and have lunch with them. It is good to see many of them again. :) Lunch sucks though, don't ever go to the "Macau Tea Restaurant" at the ShengTak building again. I have also paid $3882 (ARRR it hurts!!!) and picked up my ticket: HK -> Beijing -> Shanghai -> HK

Took a break from the hot weather at the Central facility. Thank you Vanessa for letting me just sit-in without paying that $4000+ fee. :p

Farewell dinner

2007-06-11T22:35:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

June 10, 2007

Thank you for coming out with me tonight for my farewell dinner at Simply Thai! :) Apart from the fact that you guys frequently treat me as the sole laughingstock and the primary source of entertainment.... you guys have actually been quite nice to me. So thank you gum la. ;) Vito, Tony and I went to Dickens' and watch part of French Open final.

I also met with Lin Mu and Timothy for lunch. Afterwards I went with Lin Mu and her friend to "Ma Bo Cha Fong" for dessert. Too full!

Dear Bloggy

2007-06-10T01:46:00.000+08:00

Dear Bloggy,

I spent most of the day reading Anne Frank's diary during WWII. It is unbearable just to think that how this poor little 13 years old girl endure all these tragedies... But I think God did give her the characters and courages to live through those dark ages.

One thing that is interesting is that she called her diary Kitty. "... but I want this diary itself to be my friend, and I shall call my friend Kitty." What an ingenious idea! So to pay tribute to Anne Frank I decided to call my blog Bloggy! I guess the only difference is that it is perfectly OK for a 13 years old girl to call her diary Kitty, but for a guy turning 30 to call his blog Bloggy sounds a little.... hmm... pathetic... but Oh what the heck! So Bloggy it is. :p

What else have I done today? Oh yes I saw Oceans 13 with friends. To be honest I don't exactly like the movie. It is just too 'movie'. You know all the good guys are doing all sort of smart moves and the bad guy never have a chance. This is perfectly unacceptable as I the only actors I like there is Al Pacino!

I have also advised my friend who shall remain anonymous on her break-up line. I am not sure if she is really gonna take me seriously but wish you best of luck! Cheer up and be courageous!

Oh shoot....

2007-06-08T20:51:00.000+08:00

Oh shoot I haven't updated the blog for the last 2 days. That is a big problem! For those of you who know me, I can't remember things that happened 2 minutes ago, let alone 2 days ago... However, my theory is that all those stuff are stored somewhere inside my little brain, it is just a matter of retrieving them. If I can devise a methodology for retrieval, I should be able to improve my memory dramatically. That is IF I can devise this methodology..... :p

June 6, 2007 - Wednesday

Oh yes that's the thing. There was that thing that bug me for the last 2 days. It was a bad decision we have made regarding the finance of the MBA graduation dinner. I didn't think it was a bad decision but now as I think about it, it is quite bad. When I realized I was surprised how I got myself into it and felt stupid for not being able to spot it out earlier. I think I get it fixed today so things should be fine. Nevertheless, I consider it a very good lesson learn, so I won't make the same mistake over again. Remember Eugene!

Also brought a book called blink by Malcolm Gladwell. I have always want to read it and now is the time. Went to the Starbucks at CWB Square, ordered a cup of hot milk and read the book. It was quite enjoyable but that Starbucks is a little too dark. Need to find a better one in the CWB area...

June 7, 2007 - Thursday

Since I lost my Canadian citizenship certificate somewhere inside my apartment I had to go to a police station to report it. Then I went to the Canadian embassy to try renewing the passport but I was told that I need pictures, photocopies of driver's license and this and that... oh well I have never had any good experiences dealing with the Canadian government or any related authority. I still remember the Ontario driver's license office in Toronto (Hwy 7 + Kennedy I think..) The service is slow, rude and terrible. In contrast the HK government (at least the front line services it provides) is way more efficient and professional. I guess the 5% raise is justified. :p

Went out to have a drink with 文姑娘 at CWB. I haven't seen her for over a year already as she "flies me plane" all the time. Nevertheless, it is good to see you again ;)

Bought another book Anne Frank: The diary of a young girl. Have always want to read it too.

June 8 2007 - Friday (i.e. today)

Did the survey from Camay. Went to the HK Central Library to read the books. I had a short phone conversation with her and that has already made my day. ;) I also feel relieved as I think I got the Grad dinner and basketball court issues sorted out. Thank you my Lord for helping me but Eugene you have to remember the lessons and do things better next time!!! :p

Make your life count! - from "The Vine"

2007-06-06T13:25:00.000+08:00

This one thing I do. - Philippians 3:13

Edgar W. Work said, "The real tragedy is not in being limited to one talent, but in the failure to use that one talent." To make the most of your life:

(1) Maximize what God's given you. Edison set himself an ambitious goal: to come up with a major new invention every six months and a minor one every ten days. When he died he had 1093 patents. Edison made his dreams a reality by sticking to what he did best. Are you doing that?

(2) Start where God put you. After losing a baseball game, cartoon character Charlie Brown pours out his heart to his friend Lucy: "All my life I've dreamed of pitching in the big leagues, but I'll never make it!" Lucy replies: "You're thinking too far ahead, Charlie Brown. Set yourself more immediate goals. Start with the next inning, for example. When you go out to pitch, see if you can walk to the mound... without falling down." Success starts with one step. Exercise your faith and take it.

(3) Focus on what God called you to do. Music was everything to Brahms. He collected music and studied compositions going back to the 15th century. He worked day and night to perfect his craft, refusing to publish anything that didn't meet his exacting standards. That's why he didn't publish his first symphony until he was 40. And he never married, saying it would distract him: "I am in love with music, I think of nothing but, and of other things only when they make music more beautiful." Is that fanaticism? No, it's focus; it's what makes your life count!

It's why Paul said, "This one thing I do."

Family day

2007-06-06T00:01:00.000+08:00

Well I won't say it is a very good family day afterall. This morning my parents and I went to visit 婆婆 and we walked around 奧海城. Not bad I think but I seems to have problem communicating with my parents. I know it has been a problem all along but from time to time we just have to end up in communication breakdown. I just feel that we have different values and different point of views in so many things. I guess that's what people call a generation gap.

Anyhow I think I was rude to my Dad. I tried all the time to calm myself down but I just seems to have lost all my patience everytime I talk to him. I ended up upsetting him, upsetting myself and feeling guilty for upsetting him. Why are family relationships so difficult and frustrating?!

Another Movie

2007-06-05T01:25:00.000+08:00

Now that I am done with my school work and waiting for summer internship to begin, I have lots of free time on hand. So I watched another movie today - a Korean movie called 醜女大變身I think. Since I just don't get the strange thinking of the girls in the movie so I believe it must be a chick flick..

Went to the Charlie Brown Cafe for a cup of coffee and a tiramisu. The place is quite cozy but the cake and the coffee are just so-so.

Also read a good article from 'The Vine' - Bigger isn't always better

While the world trades in the sensational and stunning, God loves to work through the ordinary and insignificant. In His Kingdom, bigger isn't always better. When He gave Gideon victory over the Midianites He used an army of just 300 to defeat an enemy hundreds of thousands strong. That wasn't because there weren't more soldiers available; God just wanted to demonstrate His power in "the day of small things." Jesus could have chosen any number of followers, but He handpicked 12 to reach the world with the Gospel. On a mountain He fed 5,000 people with five rolls and two fish from a child's lunch box. He compared God's Kingdom to a mustard seed, which is a tiny seed, yet it grows into a tree. He also likened it to yeast that, even in a small amount, can raise an entire batch of dough. Jesus said, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much" (He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much." (Luke 16:10 NIV). So if you're asking God to make you bigger instead of better, you may be disappointed. All the prayers in the world won't pressure Him into giving you what you're not ready to handle. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said "Most people would succeed in small things if they were not so troubled with great ambitions." The drive to be bigger can give you ulcers, keep you awake at night, and stop you from enjoying the blessings God has already given you. Better may be harder to measure and not as glamorous, but the inner stability that comes from gradual success is more valuable and lasting. Think about it!

iPOD and the Parates of the Caribbean :D

2007-06-04T02:30:00.000+08:00

I promised myself an iPOD Nano if I got the Google offer. So here it is, charging itself comfortably on my desk, waiting for its first day of service. ;)

But for all these electronic gadgets I have a condemned history of losing interest of it within 2 days of puchase. Let's see how long it can last...

Enjoyed an afternoon tea with Kam and Alan F. It has been nice seeing them again. Hope I can see you guys in BJ very soon. ;)

Watched Parates of the Caribbean 3 today. As usual I don't really have much clue on what the story is, but I think I enjoyed the second episode much much more. I miss you.

Yearbook and Last party

2007-06-04T01:07:00.000+08:00

June 2, 2007 Saturday

Thank you so much for everything class! Thank you for all the kind words you've written on my yearbook. Even though it may be our last party together as a class I am sure our paths will cross soon in the very near future! :D

Until then, best of luck and may God be with you always!

(Oh and I never knew I have 'fans' in the class. BTW, if you want my autograph I'd be most happy to oblige ;)

二人聚、二人散

2007-06-02T01:03:00.000+08:00

I have checked out from my beloved SKCC room today and therefore have offically closed my dorm-life at HKUST. I am sure I am gonna miss the sea-view from the 4th floor common room, the accessibility of swimming pool and squash courts, and most importantly all the laughers and tears over the past 10 months. Goodbye SKCC!

Evil Lin, Edna, Fona, Rachel, Kenny went to HK Arts Center to watch "二人聚、二人散"
http://www.2onstage.org/ I guess the main theme about that play is to bring out the inevitability of death. The whole tone is quite sad and sorrowful to me even if there are quite a few nice jokes there.

Had a nice dessert at CWB. :) Thank you all of you for bring together a very enjoyable evening! :D

在生與死，來與去之間，為何會「聚」，又為甚麼會「散」？在付出與接收之間，又如何衡量我們是「得到」，還是「失去」？一個生命、一個故事、一段關係、一份感情、一個理想、一句說話、一個生命的誕生、另一個生命的終結…以終結作開始，以開始作終結。

Move Move Move!

2007-06-01T14:53:00.000+08:00

Thursday May 31, 2007

Spent whole day in the library studying for Financial Statement Analysis. Exam from 7 to 10pm. The professor might not have explained things very clearly in lectures but I think I have learned quite a bit from this course, at the very least I am more familiar with the financial statements now.

But the day was really characterized by moving stuff back home as I have to check out by noon tomorrow. Unlike the fortunates few who have the luxury of moving stuff with their own vehicles, I had to resort to the MTR. Since I decided to move all the books and notes back home first with one big luggage (bad decision!), that thing became darn heavy! You know there is a very small gap from the MTR platform to the train itself, I even had problems carrying that luggage across that gap since it was just too heavy. Oh well... no excuse actually I guess I just have to start going to gym. :p

Nonetheless I am happy that I got all the books and such back home. I will still have to go back to school on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to the rest of the stuff out.

Oh and I have been watching some Tango video on you tube recently. I just realized that I like the Tango kinda music a lot. I downloaded one called "Tango de Los Exilados" which is a violin piece. Try it! =D

Study for Financial Statement Analysis

2007-05-31T00:38:00.000+08:00

I couldn't sleep last night till 4am, maybe they added some red bulls in my drink. :p I couldn't get up until 12pm today... ar 好頹廢！

Since there is a Financial Statement Analysis exam tomorrow, I went to the library and studied till 11pm. I haven't finished studying yet but the exam is 7pm tomorrow, so I still have sometime to finish it up (hopefully)...

Some quotes

2007-05-30T03:27:00.000+08:00

High expectations are the key to everything. - Sam Walton

We are paid best for the things we do for nothing.

Excellence can be attained if you risk more than others think is safe, care more than others think is wise, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible.

Pride makes us do things well.. but it is love that makes us do them to perfection.

The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence.. regardless of the chosen field of endeavor. - Vince Lombardi

We are not here to pursue happiness... but to pursue those virtues that produce happiness.

If it weren't for the rocks in its bed... the stream would have no song.

it's a funny thing about life... if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it.

God loves you just the way you are... but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.

Opportunity's favorite disguise is trouble.

If a man advances confidently in the direction of his dreams.. to live the life he has imagined... he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. - Henry David Thoreau

Keep living, dreaming, loving, and risking. More people rust out than wear out.

A night of Salsa @ Solas

2007-05-30T00:32:00.000+08:00

Wow I haven't done it for so long and forgot like 90% of the moves already. Nonetheless it was still fun to do that again. All you need is some good music, a little bit of alcohol, and most importantly a great partner. ;)

First time to Solas. Pretty nice place. (http://www.solas.com.hk/) Not too crowded but with good music. The only thing is that the drinks suck! I had 2 free drinks but didn't even bother to order the second cup.

Hmmm maybe I should really pick that up again. 晨光 told me that the Salsa school he went to in Beijing was quite nice. I guess I will start doing that modern dance again in this ancient city. :D

Thanks Vanessa for accompanying me tonight. I had lots of fun and hope that you enjoyed as much as I do! :D

My very first 禁食祈禱日

2007-05-29T01:34:00.000+08:00

I manged not to have breakfast and lunch today and not feeling too hungry. The only problem is that instead of praying and reading Bible, I spent most of the time sleeping. :p I couldn't really focus on that though because I also need to do the negotiation excerise. German insisted on negotiating with email so it really prolonged the whole process. At the end of the day I had a huge dinner and finish it off with a cup noddle.... :p Oh well that's my first time. I didn't get much out of it but will definitely try again. ;)

Oh we HK gangs also had fruits and chocolates together on the 5th floor SKCC. It is probably the last time we hang out together at SKCC as many of us are moving out on Friday. I'll definitely miss all my friends and my life here at this small yet very cozy place.

One of the most important women in my life

2007-05-28T00:37:00.000+08:00

I haven't seen her for close to 3 yrs. Nonetheless she is a very important person to me even though she may have never notice that. I still remember in my fellowship farewell party when I decided to come back to HK, Edward took a video for me in which he asked me what I think about her and I said she is "one of the most important women in my life" No kidding Edward I really mean it.

She is 溫姚賽珠師母 She led my conversion prayer on May 16, 2003 and I "officially" became a Christian (or in the Christian terminology "has accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour") To that I am forever thankful. Now that as I think back about it, accepting God is really a decision that have the most impact on my life. It is not like a decision such as where I go to school or where I go to work. It basically changed my core values and my perception about world! Frankly I wouldn't believe this could happen if I hadn't gone through this whole thing.

I learn from Y.K. earlier that 溫牧師 and 溫師母 has came back to HK to serve in one of the churches here. So I Google them up and found that they are now serving at 宣基堂 I went there this morning and was so glad to see them here in HK! :D They didn't change much. I visited their home after worship and had a drink with 師母. I told her about the problems I am facing and she suggested me to 禁食祈禱 and 把一切交託。 Good idea 師母, but it is very hard to execute.... Just think about the idea of not eating for the whole day I faint...

Oh well but if that's what that is I'll do. So tomorrow I am just gonna pray and read the Bible for most of the day with an empty stomach.. let's see how things turn out. I guess I really have to pray hard... :p

Topics:
- family -> foundation
- 十一
- Commitment

Give me faith....

"By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return" - Genesis 3:19

(Oh the picture above is 師母 and her son Aaron and his wife Cecilia. Cecilia was converted the same day as I did at the David Fellowship Gospel Camp 2003)

MBA Lounge

2007-05-26T17:20:00.000+08:00

Now that I am sitting comfortably on the big sofa in the HKUST MBA lounge reading The Search by John Battelle, the idea of starting my own blog just struck me. Not that I have never entertained this idea before but just that I have always been a big time procrastinator. :p So now that I have a sudden urge to start blog I decided to take this one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really start doing it.

So what else should I say? Life being a full time HKUST MBA student is in fact quite nice. (Quite nice as of this moment, it doesn't apply just a few months ago.) I am only taking 2 courses (Negotiation + Financial Statement Analysis) and auditing 3. (Business optimization, Management Consulting, and China External Relations) Job search for summer internship is over. I'll be working for Google at their Beijing office from June 18 to Aug 30 in their AdSense team. I'll be responsible for the market intelligence side: performing China internet industry analysis and identifying high potential verticals to increase revenues. It is not well defined yet so I guess I'll have to see once I am on board. I am really excited about this opportunity and looking forward to it! =D

Hmm what else? Yea I have just started learning Chinese input. It is quite interesting and feels good as now I can type faster than before, although there is still a long way to go... :p

That's about it. Let me try to publish it sin....