Ho Chi Minh trip - journal in photos

Before we set off for the trip, I was skeptical of what Ho Chi Minh could bring. I heard only that the air was polluted, the weather hot and humid and the place a little backward. But being there personally proved that it wasn't that bad. The Vietnamese were sincere and genuine people, their lives were simple and it seemed generally safe in the streets.

Some of my colleagues complaint about the hot weather; few steps out in the streets brought sweat to our faces. A few said they wouldn't want to go back there again, perhaps deterred by the hot weather. To me, one who could withstand hot weather, it was a place worth a second visit, a second time to check out and understand the people and their lifestyle there better.

The night view from our hotel room - the 5-star Sheraton Saigon Hotel
Comfy couch
Y and I shared the room. Yes, the entire big room!
Classy toilet

The day view from our hotel window. Some of those few tall buildings in front. This was District 1 of Ho Chi Minh, which we thought for more urbanised.



The roads below. You have to learn how to cross their roads as they came with few traffic lights but were littered with millions of motorcycles.
Restaurants of all cuisines were around in District 1.

The roadside stall selling drinks
Park Hyatt Hotel where another group of our colleagues stayed

The Parliament House
An art gallery/shop we walked past. Their paintings were aplenty and good. You could see the painters doing their work with photos or pictures in their hands.
The motor-rade gang!
A souvenir shop. There wasn't much for shopping though. Along the same street you could find all the same kinds of mechandise.
That's J and KH finding the directions
Many cable wires dangling abovehead
Motorcycles.. and more!
Doggie
Another doggie in one of the shops - a chihuahua
Cutie little thing
Road signs. We went quite a long way down Le Loi, shopping at the stalls along the street
A water fountain at a shopfront
The Opera House
Park
Those Vietnamese woman would wear their pointed hats
Church
Retro beetle car

J, Y, SS, YN and me




J, GM and Y
The Post Office
Wonder why their trees were "truncated" like that
Inside the church
Joyce leaning against the lamppost for support. Weather's too hot!
Inside the Post Office
YN
Post Office counter
Telefonzelle
Highland Cafe, where we stopped for a break (esp for our legs). They sold good coffee.
Agnes, GM and J
Idyllic
Hee, that's MF CITA. And in the foreground were our drinks.
Y at the entrance of our hotel - Sheraton Saigon
A Westie in another shop.
Precious-moments eyes!
Me at the park in front of Independence Palace

More photos to come (from my friends' albums). There's still the D&D (the main company event of the whole trip.. and a few hilarious moments to capture) and the lunches at the local restaurants. Till then!

Off to Ho Chi Minh

Back on Sunday night then a day off for myself on Monday! Yippie!

Back with old work family

Was at IAC's half-day offsite at Raffles Town Club today. It was the second half of their annual offsite and though I wasn't in their team anymore, they still invited me. (I'm now part of the IA Alumni; what a warm and welcoming family it is!) We did a character profiling questionnaire of 28 questions and had a simulation game where our trainer (internal HR guy who kindly accepted the request) did an observation of how each of us performed under stress. Apparently I was displaying some control and had view of overall objective during the game, as observed. Which meant bossing around too la. =P Coming to think of it, character does change along the way. Through the DiSC (Dominance influence Steadiness Compliance) test, we were able to pinpoint which quadrant we fell into. I hate to believe I'm in Compliance more than Steadiness. Ha.

Me getting quite weird these days, missing home and family and stuff like that. During the weekends I'll wonder what my Mama Papa are up to and worry if I have not spent enough time with them. This thought can get quite obsessive sometimes, which isn't too healthy. Perhaps coz WW's new house is almost ready; 3 more months before they all can move in! :)

Will be off to Vietnam coming Fri and back on Sunday late night. This is the second of our overseas D&D by the company, which is quite a nice idea except that I hope Vietnam doesn't give me lotsa pimples to tackle when we come back. Heard it's kinda polluted there and the weather rather humid. Lazy me would prefer to laze around in Singapore actually. But shall keep an open mind and see which Ho Chih Min has to offer!

The new 精英

Last Wed was filled with interesting activities - first the sharing session with potential Management Associates (MAs); then the lunch with Group Head HG and a scholar candidate. Met this guy from another department who went with me to Capital Towers, The China Club (wah, a high-class exclusive Chinese restaurant) to address this young batch of MA candidates. Happened that this colleague was from VJC too and though we were 6 batches apart, there were many things and events in college to reminiscent on （like the Muslim stall's fried chicken wing). It's like 酒逢之子千杯少。

This group of 7 potential MAs were eager, young and almost ready to venture out to see the world. Some came prepared with questions; most were concerned about their progression, career paths and the company's adaptability to changes. Hope my answers to their questions didn't turn them away from my company. Haha.

Lunch was at Lingzhi vegetarian restaurant with my Group Head and this scholar candidate, an Indian lady who graduated from RJC and was going to start uni life at NTU. My initial impression of her through her CV wasn't good - you know, the kind who wrote long paragraphs and rather braggy statements in their CVs just leave somewhat a little distaste in you. But the meet-up proved she's worthy of the scholarship as she was confident and displayed sincerity and her true self. But still, as HG mentioned, they will have to go through 3-4 years of work and through trying periods before they are proven solid.

From these interactions with the younger batches, I can tell what's up ahead for the rest of us more seasoned employees in the market and that we should all find our niches. There'll be tough and competitive times ahead, with those who always dress and speak vocally to impress, those that have the flair of the tongue to cut sharp during meetings and who would go out more to get an edge over others. This sounds scary, but somewhat is true. Just look around at the foreign students coming over to join our local cohort and giving the latter a really hard time to fight to outscore them.

In one way, we're lucky to have avoided the influx of these foreign students (that might have secured me my seat in VJC and subsequently in NUS). But going forward, we'll have to focus on what we do best and to excel in them - then can we beat the rest.

Emotions are a hard thing to handle

Today was a blue day though I didn't have to go back to office. Why blue? What else other than to get work-related calls and smses. Boo.

Applied a day leave to attend Business Insight Seminar organised by ST and OCBC. The presentations were rather useful as they provided business tips; some of them were interesting especially when delivered by their fluent presenters. Setting up and running your business do sound tough, but what keeps you going is your passion, not like when you're slogging for some big corporate and doesn't help when you disagree with some of these corporate policies.

Whooshing good time

With our new tennis rackets in our hands, we went to try them out in a hot tennis session. Were at Burghley courts from 11am to noon, getting the direct glaring sun. But hey, it was an intensive workout session where we sweat buckets.

WW gave me this for our anniversary:

A cool Wilson Ncode W6 Wild Crimson! And he bought me this pink Nike sportsbra that I liked. :)On the other hand, I gave WW a tennis racket too! The high-powered N-blade 98.

With these new toys on hand, we'll go for more tennis workouts!

Influx of Interns

You get in touch with the Uni life and know when their vacations start.. coz you see an influx of them into your company! That's also when we start to feel old, seeing the young ones fresh from school with a curious and inquisitive look on their faces.

Thinking back of my internships, those days seemed so simple. You just aimed to get more work in office and were concerned about issues which we now feel are trivial matters. Each day, you worried about not having a lunch-mate, of not having enough work to do, or not being able to mingle with the rest and also there being a lack of clothes to wear to work.

These concerns, though vividly-remembered, were so far away for me. These days I don't see myself having to worry about people commenting on the same few pieces I wear to work or that no one talks to me in office. These day, we worry more about how to communicate in the most effective way to your boss (according to his/her style) and about making those steps to pull yourself closer to your goal or dream. (I'm also secretly happy that I have a packed wardrobe of clothes to choose from, most of them picked and bought without that financial constraint in mind.)

Back to the topic of influx, yes we welcome them into the company, but that also signifies to me the onset of a change I have to make.

One step closer!

Guess what? My boss gave me this, knowing what I want. The act of encouragement and thoughtfulness left me grinning all the way home :)World Breads: From Pain De Campagne to Paratha (The Small Books of Good Taste Series)

The next step: that bread machine.

Yippie!

I seek liberation

During JC, I was mindful of my sleeping hour and would strive to tuck in to bed early for a more refreshing following day. In Uni, I used to be more free in deciding my sleeping hours, often going to bed only at wee hours of 1 plus am. How I like those carefree days. These days since working, I've instilled a mental alarm in me to remind and hasten myself to finish off my things preferably before midnight so that I can have an earlier night.

But often, especially since taking up more personal activities during the weekdays, it is tough to keep to this good habit. Many a times, I have to deal with a personal dilemma - to continue surfing/ working or to sacrifice on doing these few more things to get an early night's sleep. On one hand I know it's good for the body to get ample rest and sleep, on the other hand I want more time to do my things, a long list of them. If I choose to stay up longer, I end up being regretful for the lack of sleep; if I choose to sleep, I would be grouchy at that point in time for not getting to do the things I like. Such a hard balance.

This internal struggle, though it might look small to you, was bugging me to no end. So I've decided to make choice now to liberate myself from this struggle, which explains why I'm still blogging at 12.30am now. Heck all the considerations about feeling sleepy at work, about body not getting enough recovery and repair time, about having the good of both.

As long as it makes me happy.

It's our celebration :)

WW and I celebrated our anniversary with a good meal last evening at Modestos, Vivocity. It's my honour to treat him as I've gotten an increment arising from an off-cycle market adjustment. Yippie! It's been a long yet not very long distance we've gone through together thus far. There are many phases in his life I've seen, understood and sometimes accommodated, just the same way he has seen through my life phases and milestones. Appreciate him the way he is, always so understanding and compromising towards me and making me see the bigger picture in things, life and all. Wunderbar Wonderwen! Potato and leek soup to start withFoccacia bread to curb the hunger firstPortobello mushrooms - WW's favouritePromotional beer - Tuborg (under Carlsberg) one-for-one The Nan Ren :)Drinking barOur main courses of Vongole and black ink pasta with prawns and scallopsZooming into the food fast My order of black ink pasta with yummy shrimp bisque sauce We were outdoors seated facing the seas and SentosaYeahThe photos were rather dark, but good enough for a 2 Megapixel camera phone.

A different perspective on goals

Boss talked to me yesterday morning on my life goals and direction. Wasn't willing to reveal initially, but with some reassurance, I shared them. To my surprise, I got support and even encouragement. This is a very unique boss I have. I was even offered the chance to discuss my progress with h-- every monthly or quarterly. No jeopardisment to my career. And boss shared h-- personal probs with me, which was something big and to an extent, could be shattering to one. There's so much we don't see. Sometimes we just live in our holes and not touch base with other things around us.

So, yesh, I'm happy to find a supporter. Not someone who belittles my idea and think there won't be a market for it. Or laugh whenever I mention about it.

A piece of good news: We'll be flying off to New York later part of the year, with free air tickets! Lucky me won 2 return tickets to NY and we'll be off to visit WW's sis & her baby when she's born. Yippie, came just at the right time, many thanks to Overseas Singaporean Unit newly set up by PMO.

太在乎

有时，太在乎未必是件好事。这份舍不得夕阳西下的心情总让人感到有些优伤，有些依依不舍。想到明日得面对的鱼缸似生活，脸上现出一丝纳闷。

有朝一日，我会过着与阳光共舞的日子。

可爱的妈妈

Written on our whiteboard

Mama's delivering a message in here. Can you guess what it is?

My first Coach!

Thanks to Tian who helped me get this during her work trip to Minneapolis! :D

Yippie to long weekends!

Bedok Reservoir, with the sun set in the backgroundFluffy running back to me, and Daddy in his wheelie a little farther away. Good exercise for Papa Mama :)

This evening it was a trip to Bedok Reservoir with Mama, Papa and Fluffy. It was sun-setting time, the best time to catch the rays on the reservoir waters and to join in with the joggers. Been a long time since my last jog at the reservoir; I prefer the neighbourhood park these days.

This morning WW and I were at Burghley tennis complex sweating out over a game of tennis. Wah, we recalled our games at NUS tennis courts, where after our game we could just crossed a road to our hostel for a bath and a nice meal outside or cooked in hall. Then, I was also lamenting how our stamina just didn't seem to be the level it used to be when we were in Uni.

Yeah, tomorrow it's my leave day and Tuesday a holiday. Fortunate me don't have to handle non-routine work and no one will likely disturb me on my weekends or leave days. This is unlike a lot of other occupations where staff are easily reachable via BlackBerry or just a phone call on mobile. So the next two days are going to be nua days somemore! Yay.

Yummy 爱心面

爱心面

This evening we were supposed to run along Esplanade and Marina Promenade, but my dear kakis were waiting for the commencement of an important meeting and the dark clouds loomed too. So off I went to the neighhourhood gym - Tampines gym - and worked out on the machines. First up was 25 mins of treadmill-running, add a little speed and a little gradient, then resume and faster speed again. Then it was the machines to work out the biceps, triceps, calves and abdominals. Tried the cycling machine and almost let out a loud groan. But overall, it was a great workout!

Then I went home for maggi mee (actually it's 初前一丁brand) dinner cooked my mama with love. It was with ikan bilis soup base and with a half-boiled egg. Yummy!

Beauty comes with a price, a high one

So, the lady has gotten vain, being proactive in seeking treatment in a bid to rid of her uber-dark eye circles. She got for herself a whitening eye essence, a custom-blended soothing eye cream and a dangui (read: 当归） essence that was to be applied to the under-eye masks made of plant extract - no cotton. It was interesting, trying out new products and hoping they would work.

The consultant recommended treatment by an equipment which would direct current and light at the problem area, but this treatment is no cheap affair, costing around $200 with each use. With the recommended frequency of treatment of once every fortnight, you would need either a tai-tai or a career woman to sign-up. What's more, going for the treatment does not mean you can forgo your essence and cream, which already make up to quite an amount.

The price of beauty.

High on Swiftness

It started raining at about 3pm, which spoilt the planned cycling trip then but I knew the rain would stop and the sun would be out later. And true, come 430pm we were on our wheels and off to some exploration in the neighbourhood.

We started off by rounding half of Yio Chu Kang swimming complex, then went downslope all the way into the road leading to Upper Paya Lebar, did a right turn into Serangoon Road and towards Bartley Road. WW was riding on his dad's oldie bike which kinda scared us when a handful of the spooks of the front wheel broke. Good thing the remaining didn't give way.

I like cycling for the swift feel, the wind in the face, sun in the eyes and the chance to explore new places and to absorb the sceneries. And of course, the sweat it induced, though it wasn't comparable to that of running (high running!). There were many beautiful houses we saw along the route, alongside the contrasting old townhouses which eluded such a rich flavour.

The nature, especially the sun, appeals so much to me that I may adapt my lifestyle to be more involved with it. Never know :)

Dizzy daze

Sometimes I feel as if in a daze. These days during lunch there’s this floating dizzy feeling in me leaving a detached me to deal with the real world. Wonder if it’s the lack of meat, especially red meat in my diet? Or perhaps it’s the low blood pressure. But somehow I feel good about this levitating feeling.

There was numbness in my shoulder blade and stiffness in my lower back in the past two days, which led me to wonder how much damage our body was going through by such torture driven by work. I’ve seen friends gradually weakening in stamina and immunity and facing health problems when they approach 30 plus. But that’s such a young age to be bogged down by health issues and forego on other leisure and joys of life. So, is the corporate world a place to be for long?

Wed evening we had dinner with our CEO; one of those catch-up sessions to hear us out and let us know we’re not neglected in the organisation. On the whole it was insightful when he told us of some of the business theories and of the industry’s direction, even though I couldn’t fully appreciate them. And there was a topic on how the PAs under him learnt a lot, built up heaps of confidence and became changed persons. There was a part where I lost him, where he talked about how certain traits of one transformed, which certainly sounded like psychology to me. We do appreciate his attention especially during this time of personal “turmoil”.

I think it’s true that at some stage in your life, you start to follow your age group’s behaviour and adopt its mentality. Like how sis and I started checking out Coach bags recently (and I’m asking her to get one for me in her work trip to Minneapolis, woohoo). How we are taking up beauty and massage packages, applying mascara every working day and treating our skin with dedicated care with night creams and daily moisturizers which we didn’t used to believe in. And I’m excited about the MTM skincare appointment tomorrow, which may cost me $200+ depending on the effectiveness of the custom-blended sample.

Last night I dreamt about sis leaving me out at a spa cum gym place. We were there with a few other friends, prepared for some spa or exercise sessions when sis and the others decided to go for an-hour yoga session without informing me. At that point I felt cheated, abandoned and slightly angry thinking she no longer cared. And weird that it was not the first time I had such a dream as there was another similar-themed one around one week back. Could it be that we are drifting further away in our life paths? Never quite occurred to me that way, but underestimate not the power of the subconscious mind. =P

My Happy Moments

The moment when I was lying down on the mat, after a glowing sweaty session of hot yoga, with the night breeze lifting the heat off my body. There was even a mist of fragrance in the breeze.

The moment frozen in time, when I opened my eyes from a nap to see WW by my side, looking at me (and my less-presentable sleepy face?).

I am starting to take note of little moments like these more, subconsciously. =)

---

The weekend just came and past. But after close to 3 years in the corporate world living a routine work life, I come to treasure my free times during the weekends very much. Sometimes I decide to take Sundays to rest and nua at home, but turn a little uneasy letting the day slip by without some activity. Thus most of the time I'd be on my bike with Fluffy in the basket, riding off to a nearby park or all the way to East Coast Park.

Then there were Sundays which I wanted to utilise more, by meeting up with friends and going under the sun. Like yesterday, where me with the Feng gang met up, both to celebrate Ivan's birthday and as a farewell to him before he left for Dubai again. We had a good two hours of chatting, eating and catching at Werner's Oven. Then together with sis & bf, me went to CoffeeClub and fell asleep there! Jialat man. Good thing WW came to pick me up before I started resting my head on the table.

Now it's back to another work week... and counting down to the weekend!

Hop a little hop

The first half of the workday was lighter with me hopping a slight bit in my steps. Feeling empowered, almighty and ready to face the new work week.

If only everyday can be this light-hearted and good-feeling. But this feeling doesn't seem to last long.. as it was almost reduced by half come afternoon-time!