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....

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.

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.

Relief to be back!

Its one week back to Sunnyvale, and it is such a relief to be back! Feels terrific to be home!(err...home?!)

I realized how much i missed this place after the 'hardship' in Shanghai. Don't be mistaken. My hosts treated me extremely well, and brought me out for many lavish meals. Far more hospitable than my US counterparts.

However, the entire environment in the valley juz beats it hands-down. Why?


1) The fresh air! Nowhere beats the air in California!

2) The weather. Not too hot in summer, not too cold in winter.

3) The traffic. No ridiculous amount of horning, no unnecessary cutting into lanes, respect for pedestrians, courteous drivers etc etc.

4) Smoke-free clothes.

5) Able to walk freely without fear of phlegm "bullets"

6) 100Mbps Cable access, VS 512K DSL(the most common in China)

7) Free access to any, and every website

8) No more vulgarities.

9) Open, friendly society. No more alienation just because i can't speak a word of Shanghainese.

10) Finally, PEACE of mind.

Will i miss Shanghai?

I am finally back to Sunnyvale. On my final few days in Shanghai, I admit, i have been too harsh musing about this rapidly developing city. I was wondering what do i really like about this unique city.

1) You can live cheaply if you choose to. (ie. RMB$3 for a bowl of noodles by the streets VS RMB$50 for one at DinTaiFung) Besides, where can you find "Tao Sar Pao" for RMB$0.8(currently S$0.16)

2) I have been taking cab for the entire month, and not a single cab driver has refused me.

3) The poor along the streets is a constant reminder of how fortunate i am.

4) The night lights of the city

5) The hospitality of the Chinese

6) The beauty of the ancient towns

7) Piracy of books!

8) How this 1month helped me put on 1kg of fat.....


I dun think i have much to miss about Shanghai afterall. Its nice for a vacation, especially in autumn-winter(25 degC to 0 degC). Beware of Summer though. I heard it can shoot to a temp of 38degC.... plus humidity level equivalent to Singapore....

Being back in Sunnyvale feels so good. The air is fresh, and my clothes are smoke-free. Being there made me realize how much i detest smokers.

Musings on Shanghai..

Its one more week before i leave for Sunnyvale. I have been musing about Shanghai for 3 weeks now. Thanks to all my colleagues who have been patiently listening to me.

1) Terrible terrible service. Pleasant smile + warm service = Sunnyvale, Straight faced + warm service = Singapore, Grouchy look + cold service + heck-care attitude = Shanghai.

2) Blaring horns start at 6.30am, ends at 10pm. No tea break, no lunch break.

3) For the 1st time in my life, i see cracks on almost every taxi driver's steering wheel(where the horn is). It just goes to show how often they use their horn.

4) Ever experienced the feeling of biting sand between your teeth after you take a small breath through your mouth?

5) Every taxi driver swears at least 50 times a day.

6) Everyone is trying to snatch a piece of the road. As if there is not enough road for use!

7) "hhaaaarrrrgggghhhhh Puuuiiiiii!" - Red alert! Dart your eyes to watch out for phlegm bullets!

8) I think my lungs have accumulated a layer of 2nd hand cigarette smoke juz after this assignment.

9) Unfriendly - people look at me like an alien when i try to ask for directions.

10) Finally, how i wish i was more diligent during secondary school chinese lessons!

Waterways of ZhouZhuang(周庄）

I decided i had enough of city life, and i decided to pay a neighbouring town a visit.
Took a cab down to 旅游集散中心 where i paid an exhorbitant RMB140 to 周庄。 $40 for the bus ride, and $100 for the entrance fees. Ridiculous.
The ride took almost 2 hours, with plenty of honking and cursing from the bus driver. So much that i almost thought we would never make it.



1st impression: Very very tourist-ty.
You recognize a very touristy place in China by all the peddlers who sell tiny trinkets and snacks at exhorbitant prices. Prices are always brought down by the following steps:

1) Look like you really like the item of interest
2) Offer 1/2 to 3/4 of their asking price(which they will try to compromise)
3) Decline their offer.....
4) ...and start to walk away..


周庄is considered one of the ancient towns(古镇） of China. Having maintained their buildings for over 900 years, it has become a tourist attraction. She is largely well-known for her waterways, and is known as the number 1 water town in China.


Some interesting shops occupy the area too. There is a beancurd shop that makes soyabean milk from the "old-school", huge, stone grinder. They also have old women making clothes by spinning cotton threads.

Finally, its time to go back to Shanghai. But i managed to snap a sunset of 周庄 before i leave. Overall, i think the place is nice, albeit abit too touristy for my liking. No doubt the buildings are still in place, but the town have lost much of its ancient flavour.

Too much, in fact.

20 Million People spending a weekend...

With 4.5million people in Singapore, most of us already feel the G.S.S(Great Singapore Squeeze)

Just check out 20million people in Shanghai.....




Transfer this amount of people onto Orchard Road....Unimaginable.

263m up on the Pearl Tower(东方明珠塔）

I was so busy with the videos that i had forgotten about a brief intro regarding the Geographical aspects of Shanghai..


Shanghai is mainly divided into 2 parts, Pudong(浦东) and Puxi(浦西) and are separated by the HuangPu river(黄浦江）. Amazing thing is, they actually managed to construct a tunnel beneath the river from Pudong to Puxi for vehicles, and the light rail.

As shown in the map, 外滩 is actually located in 浦西, and 东方明珠塔 is located just across 黄浦江 in 浦东。

Of course there is more to that. But i am too ignorant to explain further. I only know that Shanghai is further broken down into districts.

I prefer to feign ignorance and enjoy the view from above.....

In this video, you can see 浦西 on the left, and 浦东on the right. I have noticed that the structure of the buildings in 浦西 is a little more scattered and disorganized. 浦东, on the other hand, is more organized and orderly. Somewhat like dominoes. Probably because 浦东 is newer in development, and the government has learnt from previous lessons that a messy infrastructure can create tonnes of problems.

The Bund(外滩） & Pearl Tower(东方明珠塔）..

After going to Cheng Huang temple, we proceeded to 外滩. While the vids a few days ago shows the night scene, these vids are taken in the day. Here, we can really see what is so magnificent about the Pearl Tower(东方明珠塔）.




东方明珠塔 , as i was told, is actually owned by the TV station. Reason why it is built to such a great height, towering over most buildings in Shanghai, is because it is the source of TV signals throughout the whole of Shanghai. The top of the tower probably carries the signal boosters that emits all the TV signals. Video below shows a close-up of the Pearl Tower.

Cheng Huang Temple...(城皇庙）

It was nice of my colleagues from Excelics-Shanghai, Hu XiaoYan & Hong YaPing to bring me out for some sightseeing this weekend. Its funny how they treat me like a little boy, coming to the hotel to pick me up and their gentle persistence to see me safe in the cab before they take the light rail after the long day. After the independence and that was expected of me in the US, this treatment really required some getting used to!

城皇庙is pretty grand. With interesting statues and figurines. And not scary like the ones in HawPar Villa! They are pleasant, and emit a certain character in their posture & expressions. Interesting, but commercialized. Not that im complaining. But the appearance of Starbucks in such a place really spoils the rustic feel of the ancient temple.

People actually pay a 150RMB to place their names on tags to ensure good luck for an entire year? You mean i need to pay to be a member of good luck?... Aww man...

Darkness amidst the Light - Disparity between the rich & poor..

Managed to knock off a little early, and i headed down to 外滩（The Bund) for some sight-seeing. I chanced upon this little street off the famous, brightly-lit, 南京路(Nanjing road)

Very odd feel. 南京路 is brightly lit, with plenty of branded name shops. Poshly dressed gentlemen, and ladies throng the streets. But this small alley...appears to be at another end of the spectrum.




Notice how the dark alley emerges onto Nanjing road...

Shanghai "Lights"...

Shanghai is just another city.

But i must admit, their night scenary is impressive.

古浪路-Possibly the Worst Road in Shanghai...

Taxi drivers complain about this road all the time...
You can find the deepest cracks here...

Need i say more?

Note: Videos were taken with extremely steady hands, in an Extended-BMW 7 series

Disclaimer: Pls take anti-motion-sickness pills before watching the video clips.

Chaotic...

I used to think orchard road was chaotic.

When i reached US, i thought SF was even more chaotic.

Now living in Shanghai, i think the previous 2 is nowhere near.

Shanghai "Nights"..

Had been facing the raging winds and rains(due to the typhoon in Taiwan) on my 1st day in Shanghai, and i did not want to thread too far away from my hotel.

The 2nd night was dry enough to thread further to secure my mobile line and essentials. While im curious about how "outdoor cooking" in Shanghai tastes like, i think i will hold my curiosity until my stomach fully adapts to the conditions here.

Just an idea on what outdoor cooking is like:

Culture Differences - Part IV: Entrepreneurship Drive

Its has been months since i pumped up another thought on Culture Differences. Of course there are tons of many others...but this is one significant difference - Entrepreneurship Drive.

After immersing myself in the culture here in SV for 8-9mths...i have been utterly brain-washed....or should i say that my vision has "improved". Thoughts these days have constantly been on the brink of being entrepreneur, rather than a microwave design engineer. When i look back, i am surprised how much my mindset have evolved.

Prior coming to SV, i will never have thought of being my own boss. Life in Singapore is just too comfy. Being in that environment for 25yrs of my life, i always thought of joining a big company, and rising through the ranks, just like many others, just like the norm. Its stable, has good benefits, and with equal CPF contributions made by the company, what more can Singaporeans ask for? There is so much to lose if one was to come out to be his own boss. To the new, budding entrepreneur, welcome to the World of Terror!

I've always hidden behind this curtain of terror, never exploring past it. Now in SV, i have finally taken a peek behind the curtain to see what beholds. Today, i think...behind this dark curtain... it may just be worthwhile.