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....

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)

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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.

Will any Girl Reject a Tiffany's?

Last Autumn in Sunnyvale...

This autumn will have a special place in my heart. The reddish leaves remind me of my 1st month here. Suddenly, it also tells me how i will look back with nostalgia when its time for me to return.

Spring and Autumn are my favorite seasons. However, they always seem so short. Its funny how life deals with us the good times, and the bad. Good times always seem so short, just like spring and autumn. Not-so-good times are always a little longer - winter. The beauty of autumn only lasts those 2-3 short weeks, and winter stays for months to bring all the beauty to dust.

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!

Coincidence!!

Never met a single time for the last 7 years despite being in Singapore all the time.

Its funny how being in Shanghai for barely a week help old friends meet.


城隍庙will hold a special place in our hearts.

If i was not greedy enough to queue for the famous Nanxiang 小笼包，and he was not choosy enough to shop further....we would not have met.

Brother scouts reminisce old times together reading maps. But this time, Darren & i, are reading the map of Shanghai. Worst still, its all in Mandarin!! Somehow, it helped us remember how we always got scolded by Tan Boon Heng and the rest of our chinese teachers....

Ahhh.... the good 'ol days...

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...

The "Flattened" World

I just realized how flat this world has become.

60 years ago, people who ventured overseas had only one method of communicating with their families -Letters. And it took months to reach each other. Neither was it reliable, or even cheap. And illiterate families were worse off... they had to rely on others to read the letters.

20-40 years ago, such situations relied mainly on telephones, which were more instant, and more real, and you could hear, and almost feel each other's presence. The cost however, was expensive, and each phone call was greatly cherished. Additionally, it was costly & unreliable.

Today- I just had a conference call with 3 other of my poly mates, in this almost 'flat' world. All 4 of us are based in 4 difference areas of the world, Ketan in UK, Chuan in Japan, Donald in Sg, and myself, in the States. It was instant, and FOC. The experience - Amazing.