Smack In The Middle of The Jungle, Yet...

I work in a MNC, in an engineering/manufacturing environment that about 75% of my colleagues are males. And I have a lot of male counterparts who are working closely with me in the States, China & EU.

And yet every time my childhood friends back in KL ask about my status, I'd shrug and say, "Nothing."

They couldn't believe that out of so many male colleagues, none of them managed to hit off with me. Well, I stand corrected. There is a bunch of (ex) colleagues that clicked so well with me that I've become an honorary sister to them. Haha.

My boss often despairs at our unmarried status (there are 4 of us girls in the team), and yet he couldn't lament too much or we'd shoot him back with "If we're all married, who would slog for you har?"

Work-life balance is easily said, yet so miserably unachievable, especially when the company goes overdrive into cost-reduction mode 75% of the financial year, every year.

Bangkok Weekend Trip

Two weeks after the trip to Shanghai, I followed my colleague to Bangkok. She was there on business, I was there to take advantage of free hotel room.

Well, almost free, since we paid for a night's stay from our own pockets. $100 per person for a stay in the Intercontinental Hotel was really not to scoff at.

Plus, since I bought the cheapest air tickets on promotion, and yet got upgraded to Business and First Class, the trip was one of the best I've had.

I drank a glass of Billecart-Salmon Brut Champagne, and got delightfully tipsy. Too bad it was just a short 1hr 50min flight, I couldn't really doze off on champagne-induced drowsiness.

P/S: My lousy 2MP camera phone was not able to capture the string of bubbles that rose to the surface. You know what they said about the champagne bubbles; the smaller they are, the better the quality.

:-)

I 'Heart' Cathay Pacific

My company's travel policy stated that whenever we travel on business needs, we are to take Singapore Airlines (SQ) except if we travel to the States, in which case we're to take United Airlines. I'm not so sure about the latter part since the engineers like myself do not get the chance to travel to the US.

Personally, I have nothing against SQ but I'd prefer to fly with Cathay Pacific (CX). Why?

1. CX stewardess are more warm compared to SQ girls. SQ girls can execute 180deg attitude change between Caucasian & local/Asian travellers so fast that they give me whiplash.
2. CX's scarlet uniform is smarter than SQ's blue kebaya. Also if a SQ Girl's butt is less than perky, the kebaya really shows it off to the whole plane. I've seen a number of sagging bums.
3. Blue eyeshadow is so passe. And so is gigantic big hair.
4. CX in flight meal is underrated. I personally prefer their Asian cuisine much better than SQ's.
5. I've been upgraded 3 out of 4 times I flew with CX. Even when I'd bought the cheapest air ticket on promotion, I'd sat in First Class section upstairs away from the mass of tourists, where I can see the Captain's balding head from my individually partitioned seat.
6. See (5). No other reason is more important.
   

I'll still fly with SQ on business, after all, the pricey air tickets are being paid by the company. But CX will be the first airline I'd choose on any personal journeys.

I heart CX.

6D5N Shanghai-Suzhou-Wuxi-Shanghai (Day 6)

Flying back to Singapore.

Argh, back to work the next day. 2 more new products launching in the same week.

Back to brutal reality.

Doraemon said he'll join me the next business trip to Shanghai, which should be sometime in May/Jun period.

:-)

Read about Day 5
Read about Day 4
Read about Day 3
Read about Day 2
Read about Day 1

6D5N Shanghai-Suzhou-Wuxi-Shanghai (Day 5)

The only day I didn't have to work and was free to explore the much touted Shanghai.

My collegaue brought me to Cheng Huan temple, and the nearby Yu Garden.


The Chinese New Year was officially over for 2008, yet the locals were not done celebrating. They were out in droves.

Favourite shot of the trip, the gaily red lanterns swinging against the sky.

All I managed was shoved-pushed-take-pictures-as-fast-as-possible as the mass of people pushed their way through the Yu Garden.

The Bund.

Read about Day 4
Read about Day 3
Read about Day 2
Read about Day 1

6D5N Shanghai-Suzhou-Wuxi-Shanghai (Day 4)

Went to Wuxi, which was 45mins away from Suzhou. If we'd left from Shanghai, it'll be another 2 hours drive.

Instead of local food, we were brought to a restaurant serving Malaysian/Singaporean cuisine. Sigh, can't complain too much when people went out on their way to be hospitable.

The curry chicken was delicious, although the sinchew beehoon tasted very unlike what we have in Singapore. Oh well, some things have been localised to suit the local taste buds.

The drive back to Shanghai took 3 excruciating hours, and my colleague was stricken by gastric pains. Back to Hilton Shanghai again. This time they got the bed right.

Read about Day 3
Read about Day 2
Read about Day 1

6D5N Shanghai-Suzhou-Wuxi-Shanghai (Day 3)

Still at Suzhou, and it happened to be the 15th of the Chinese New Year. Merry-making was all around us as we went out of the hotel for dinner. Rather than staying inside the hotel for room service, I asked my colleague to bring me about.

The American had left for Pudong to catch another flight to Bangkok. (What the heck is such travel policy that allowed him to go to Bangkok and work in the hotel room without going to the factory?? Such double standards.)

We had a big plate of celery (least favourite food of mine, but it tasted surprisingly good), stewed pig trotters and a huge bowl of soup. And something else I'd forgotten.

My colleague ate two bowls of rice (wow!), while I could hardly finished mine. And she polished off the gooey pig trotters (double wow!).

Then it was back to the hotel as we need to depart for Wuxi the next day.

Midnight, wokened up by a dazzling display of fireworks, right outside my bedroom window.


Read about Day 2
Read about Day 1

Sick

Why is that after 24hours of the last round of medications, I am feeling woozy and as if (I hate to say this) I am going to topple off the chair very soon?

Gosh, I am so sick of being sick. Sick of working so hard that I'm incurring so much injuries and damages to my system. Sick of the cough that refused to go away completely after 2 years.

Sick of being a one-stop-service centre for people whom should know their work better.

Sick of the daily Oh-I-dunno-about-this-let's-run-this-by-Sylvie-and-let-her-settle-this load of crap from people earning at least 1.5x my salary.

Stop sleepwalking in your job and earn your pay!

Am not a social worker nor you mother!

Funny World

When Doraemon told me one of the supervisors whom we worked with in the same program had manged to get a job with a logistics company, I was happy for him.

But when I heard what position he got, I nearly dropped the mug of coffee onto my notebook.

Yikes!

From Production Supervisor to Logistics Manager in less than 2 years? And his pay got increased by 300%?

Even Doraemon was a bit dazed and flabbergasted. I definitely was.

I think both of us may be earning less than what the ex-supervisor-now-manager is drawing.

Sad, sad day...