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.