Back to Sg...Thinking of Sunnyvale...

VS

Almost 2 years in Sunnyvale, and this will be the final entry. I have definitely enjoyed my stay in the US which is a totally different experience from the Singapore life of complaining. In that short 2 years, i am fortunate to have met several people who shaped my perspective and gave me enlightenment. They showed me a different kind of life, a unique way of living.

Life in US showed me that i control my own life - So quit complaining, and do something about it!

I learnt the meaning of being open. How to be kind and friendly to everyone, yet not naive. How opinions differ, and how opinions different from yours can make you wiser.

Living in Singapore for 25 years made me think that Singapore is my only home. Living 2 years in Sunnyvale made me think that living in Singapore for 25 years has provided me the foundation to call anyplace a home.

I have seen how fast can be slow, and slow may eventually be fast.

I will remember my boss's favorite phrase,"You can do anything."


With that, i close this final entry.

10 Reasons why i am coming back...

Last day in Sunnyvale, and my mind is racing, my emotions, raging. At this point, i feel that i have fallen so much in love with this place. This is such a nice place, why did i even choose to go?

10 reasons why i fell in love with Sunnyvale:

1) The Weather. Its my number 1 reason, obvious from day 1, made even more more obvious when i returned to Singapore for vacation.

2) The Culture. Definitely a very liveable place.

3) The Stories. Success stories of all high-tech startups.

4) The Nature. No weekend will be the same as the previous weekend!

5) The Accessibility. You can do ANYTHING in SV

6) The Space. Everyone has more space. No jostling for space, no frustrations.

7) The People. So many strangers have gone the extra mile for me.

8) The Microwavers. They are concentrated in the US & Europe.

9) The Fruit Garden. Its a dream to own a house with a backyard full of plums and oranges.

10) The Opportunities. Its still a land of opportunity. Singapore is micro, Malaysia is biased, China is too messy, and blah blah blah....

Last night in the Bay...Dinner with Jiabin..

JB is so kind to give me a lift despite staying in Fremont. An ex-colleague, and a trustworthy friend, it was fortunate we have other common interests out of work. Here is one of them

Last Day in the Bay, Lunch with Grace...

On my last day in the bay area, my pretty landlady brought me out for a nice lunch at Korea House by Santa Clara. Cosy, and neat, they served a spread of delactable small korean dishes. It was an enjoyable lunch, albeit bit sad, since i have stayed with her for almost 2 years...

Tea with Anh...

Enough of farewell lunches and dinners.... so i decided we should come out for juice instead. We spend more time catching up and chatting, rather than eating. So there!

Anh, was my right hand when she was still in Excelics. Although we came from different backgrounds, and a big age gap, we could chat about almost anything under the sun. She lightened me up when i was stressed, and shared my burdens when work was overwhelming. Such people are hard to come by nowadays! I will miss her...

Last Cup of Peets...

Lunch with Excelics CTO

I have saved the best for last this time. Here is my boss, friend and mentor. I have learnt plenty from him, and his way of thinking. He has treated me extremely well throughout my stint, and i am grateful. Firm in his values, yet kind when mistakes happen. He has helped me be daring and creative in implementation. The kind of boss that everyone needs. I will always remember what he tells me," Sure, you can do ANYTHING!"

Dim Sum Lunch with Jie Mei's

It was a good Sunday lunch with my Jie Mei's from Excelics. Judy came down specially from Redwood city just to meet up with all of us. They played a very supportive role throughout my stint in Excelics. Not only as co-workers, but as friends as well. They provide a good listening ear, and are wonderful to talk to. They shared my joys, and listened when i was down. My life would have been so different without them....i will certainly miss them...

Picnic Lunch at Crissy Fields

A great picnic organized by Sam & Salizah! Filled with fun activities, and meaningful conversations. And playing tug-O-war by the golden gate bridge?...wow....



The adult version of tug-O-war....

and a smaller version!















Chris caught in the moment!

The Organizers of the Picnic....
....and the entire party of us.
It was certainly a memorable day for me. It is during such times, i wished i never made the decision to go home...

Dinner with the Lihan, Xuyang

I have not met these guys since our last steamboat at 小肥羊。 Although these guys are busy with their Phds, they still managed to meet up for a short dinner before i leave on Tuesday. I enjoyed the chat with them, and updates about their lives. Our roadtrip to LA was a classic. And it was unforgettable. I do wish i can have another road trip with them should i have the chance to come back. Maybe i should go back to Singapore next year...........not!

Last Lunch in Excelics

It has been a hectic final week. Finally, its a lunch-in in the cafeteria. Kathy's impressive vegetarian Pho have left a deep impression of the Vietnamese culture in my heart...or should i say, stomach?

After spending the entire day saying good-byes, i went to HR to surrender my badge, and settle the necessary paperwork. My final goodbye, was to my Boss, Eric, whom I surrendered all my keys, tools and documents to.

Lunch with Excelics COO

Yen & Roland brought me out for lunch today. Its a funny chinese restaurant with Korean signboards. Guess its because we are in Korean town. As always, Yen is a good conversationalist with anything to talk about under the sun. He has been a patient mentor to me all this while, and i respect his ability to organize people to work in a single direction. Although we do have disagreements, both of us know that we only have the company's interests at heart. Finally, we have a chance to talk about everything else, except work!

Lunch with Co-workers @ Black Angus

Many thanks to all my co-workers these 2 years for tolerating all my nonsense and blunders. I certainly would not be able to bring the products to customers' hands without their professionalism!

"New Car"..

Thanks to Michael for the new Car! Appreciate it!

Dinner with Andrew & Esther...

After all that oily food, dinner at Andrew's was a good break! While they enjoyed cooking, i enjoyed watching them. Ownership of your very own kitchen, and cooking together..... romantic.

I will miss their parties!

Lunch with my big sisters

I thank these 3 wonderful ladies for the nice dim sum lunch @ HongKong Saigon seafood. Le, Tuyet and Kathy often helped to lubricate the flow of my work. Being the best in what they do, they helped me to attain greater efficiency in my work. We really made a great team...I will miss them!

Lunch with Masa @ Totoro

A patient and kind mentor, who made a difference in my life. Kind, when i was not competent enough, encouraging when times were rough.

I have been getting ready to return to Singapore for a while. Re-adjusting my mindset and keeping up to date with the happenings in Singapore. Worried about the crazy inflation in Asia, this headline caught my eye, in The Online Citizen:

The relentless rising cost of living in Singapore....

The article is found here, and i have made some comments.

Time to sell a Camry

The time has come to sell my car. Its sad. This camry served me well, saves gas, and gave me 0 problems. Well, except for being locked out a couple of times. Its the 1st car that i drove my parents around in, and also the 1st car that i drove my fiancee in. Plenty of memories....nostalgic...

1995 Camry LE for Sale! Reliable & Durable Gas Saver! - $3800 (sunnyvale)

---

Reply to: sale-735957234@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-06-28, 11:49AM PDT


1995 Toyota Camry LE for Sale, with Freebies - Steering wheel lock, and engine oil thrown in!

Vehicle highlights:
- 4-Cylinder, 2.2L --> which saves plenty of gas, unlike the V6
- Low mileage of 122K
- Automatic transmission
- Airconditioning
- Power steering
- AM/FM stereo
- Dual Front air bags
- Power windows, power locks
- Cruise control
- Casette
** A thing to note about 1995 camrys is that their parts are 90% made in Japan, which translates to extreme reliability and durability.

Repairs/Servicing done:
- replaced timing belt at 113K, in 09/2006 (when i 1st bought from dealer)
- Passed smog check in 03/2008 this year.
- changed brakes and battery at 114K, 12/2006
- Did 120K service in 06/2007, at 118K

I have all paperwork, receipts and manuals with me. It will be handed over to the new owner.


Finally, some things about my driving:
- I am a careful and patient driver. I accelerate gently, and have not accelerated the engine past 3000RPM before! Because of that, i have also never found the need to jam my brakes hard. I love this car, and do not stinge on the servicing. Its engine oil change every 3000miles and even done a flushing of the coolant from the radiator. Only Chevron gas goes into the fuel tank, and no Arco.

- Like every used car, there are bound to be some scratches and small dents along the way, which was left by the previous owner. As long as the engine is running great, the exterior did not really matter much to me. Reliability and durability is what i go for.


I love this great car, but i have to sell it. May the highest bidder get it! Email/Call me 408-3686099.

Resignation.

After delaying for months, i finally submitted my resignation to my 3 bosses. It has been a eventful 1 year and 10 months in Excelics. My emotions had been strongly coupled to the ups and downs of the company, and gone through emotional roller-coasters. It is a good experience, and i have emerged stronger, more resilient to the dynamics of a start-up.

Submitting my resignation left me lost in my cube. Struck with millions of thoughts in my mind, and several different emotions in my heart, i just stared at my blank LCD screen for awhile.

But like i said, i have emerged stronger. That only lasted for half hour. Ahh...peace.

NewYork NewYork!---Manhattan...

Manhattan has certainly opened my eyes to another dimension. I admire her for her diversity. Being the home for many Chinese, Indians, Jewish, Italians, French,.... and of course, Americans.

It is happening! Pace of life is phenomenal. People here are constantly on the go, but yet helpful and thoughtful to one another.

The place where all the money moves...the NYSE



The original Phantom of the opera, at Broadway...

The beautiful Skyline of Manhattan...

And finally the Statue of Liberty...

Well, im not going to post pictures of my entire trip. But this post consolidates the 1st 4 days in New York-Manhattan.

Singapore's answer to Sex Education

This is soooo Manhattan! Diverse, Open and Bold!

.............

Will any Girl Reject a Tiffany's?

Update overdue...

I have been losing a life here, especially after the huge loss of engineers. Have been working my heads off during this period. But my bosses were understanding enough to allow me to continue having my Sundays and Saturdays off.... well... most of the time.

In the meantime, i have been looking forward to our coming holiday... been spending weekends planning for a possibly final trip in the US. This time, its destination NY.

And the enabler for all this detailed planning?....Google.



http://www.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117588134828436347636.00044c6d5d9ebd3f9d683&ll=40.747777,-73.954468&spn=0.091554,0.233459&z=12

Our Engineering Team..

We are known as the "Hardware Guys" in SV, well known as being hired to 'play' with expensive toys. Very soon, there wun be any left in SV...plenty of thanks to China.

New Button...

Notice this new button "CALL ME"? Feel free to try it out....another acquisition by Google, its called WebCall, by Grandcentral.

I did not link it to my mobile phone here, but it has a voicemail feature. So, yeah, if you wanna whisper sweet nothings to me, pls do.

The Hills are Alive....

The Hills are alive....with the Sound of Music....

Yep, coming to Mission Peak reminds me so much of this musical which i had watched ever so often with my darling sis when i was a young boy. So serene, so green. I can almost see the musical notes floating in the air.

I haven been to anywhere interesting this 2 months, due to the sickening (yes, i mean really really sickening) winter. My 1st winter was cold, but surprisingly dry. This winter... was really really wet. It just made everyone feel so cold and miserable. While many girls that i know really dig winter, its juz not me. Im a summer guy!

Jackie and i have been talking about going to Mission Peak in Fremont all winter. At the 1st sign of weekend sunshine, we went. No procrastinating, no shit. While i have had enough of moping at home, he had enough of cutting wet grass in a raincoat. Enough is enough.

A 25min drive to fremont, and you really get in touch with nature. Thats one big reason why i fell in love with this place. I can drive all i want back home, and not get anywhere near nature.


After an hour's of walking, we reached the peak. Some views from the top of mission peak:

No crew this time...just the 2 of us!A good break from winter...i can see myself appreciating the weather back home next time. Sometimes, i wonder, how do people survive in New York?

Rejuvenation...by Highway 1

My blog has been under neglect again. This always happens when im fighting internal battles with myself, and feeling lost. Re-alignment of direction is always so tiring when corporate changes occurs year after year. Rejuvenation is always very much needed during such times....and luckily, there are always people here to drag me out to enjoy this beautiful country(“美国”）.

Pescadero State Beach



Pigeon Point Lighthouse




The Four of us...

Crepe Party @ David's!!

Its so David to organize a crepe party. What the heck, he is french afterall. Watch the master chef in action - Free crepe-flipping tutorial!

My turn...




....and i OBVIOUSLY suck at it!! Just look at my astounded expression.... basket!


I love the house parties here. People gather, make friends, mingle, and share the joy of living despite being from all over the world. This is what i call celebrating diversity.

This is what i call Silicon Valley.

Black Angus Steakhouse

Shaorong & Weijie is going back to Singapore after completing their internship. And we have earlier decided to experience the authentic US prime rib before his departure on the 19th of Dec.

Black Angus Steakhouse was the restaurant of choice. Awfully ex in sg, but its ok-priced here.


The sample platter was kinda interesting. A mixture of all kinds of their appetizer, inclusive of some loaded baked potato, with crispy skins on the outside, and supple on the inside...impressive.

This is the Angus-cut, Prime Rib. I couldn't believe a steak this red is medium-rare! But boy was it tasty! Succulent it was, and simply tender. Amazing thing was, its not marinated. Never had anything like this back in Sg. I feel so cheated by Jacks Place!!


Woah, this was cool shit! Its the Chocolate Alaska. 2 brownies and a scoop of ice-cream under the foamy, baked marshmallow mess.....