Business Success

It's been a while.

I just recently heard that a friend of mine got bought out by Groupon, in essence replicating the idea of "group buying" here in Singapore. Given that Google tried to buy Groupon for $6 billion, the offer Groupon made to my friend was pretty sweet indeed. Plus they made him CEO for their South-East Asia region!

It's funny cause I remember talking to him about it in New York, when he was getting himself set up and making trips to Singapore. It's fantastic to see him do good and achieve the success that he has received.

Of course this makes me think about getting myself started with some business ideas here. What it also made me realise was that it's all in the execution, even if the idea is modelled after someone else. Whilst the internet has made certain things easily accessible across the globe, there are still many location-based services that just need to replicated to a new location.

No doubt there will be sacrifices along the way. My friend dropped out of an INSEAD programme in order to get his business off the ground. What sacrifices would I be willing to make? Am I still too wedded to my job? I told another friend that my heart is still in my current job. Perhaps I need to accept that this job is what I want to at the moment...if that's the case, then I need to make sure that I am achieving everything I want to in this job.

Shanghai

It's been 7 years since I went to Shanghai. The place has undergone a dramatic change, from all accounts. What made it good before still applies...the food (sheng jian bao, yum!), the view from the Bund, the French Concession. I remember vigorously partying the first time I was here. On that front, it seems like nothing has changed! Can't believe they opened up a Prive there. Fun to meet new friends, more places to visit around Asia.

Di and I went to an "art battle" event, where random artists are making artworks in front of you and you vote for the one your liked best. It's this kind of stuff that I don't think is available in Singapore, although perhaps I'm not looking hard enough.

Finally made it to the expo, on the second last week it was showing. I'm so glad I had connections to get into the Australia pavilion (our company built it) and the Taiwan pavilion (friend was VIP). Not sure if I would have lined up 4 hours to see these things, although if I had lined up for 4 hours for anything I'm sure I would have raved on about it just to validate that it wasn't a complete waste of time!

Spent time at the office as well. It always seems that hospitality is wonderful in these regional offices. I'm sure they get sick of random staff members coming in to visit, but they are so gracious about it. It's good to get some face time with these guys though, makes work easier when communicating or convincing them of a certain process.

Speaking of hospitality, thanks Di for taking me around! Hope you get your visa sorted out so you can visit me in Singapore!

Hips Don't Lie

My last 1.5 years in New York were filled with forays into nightclubs around the city. What always attracted me to a place was much less about the physical qualities of the people there but much more about the quality of the music that was played. So I would willingly go to places that my friends deemed questionable in order to dance to my "pop-RnB" tunes.

Friends who have known me for a while (which I assume is every person who can be bothered to read this blog) know that I am quite happy to boogey away by myself, as long as the music is good. Those last 1.5 years have, I believe, improved my dancing abilities to a point that it gets recognised as a value-add item!

I was never quite sure what made my dancing good, having not had any training (apart from many 21st birthday party performances). The Economist has now shown the way. Indeed, all it comes down to is a willingness to "drop it like it's hot"!

It has been a both pleasant and unpleasant to find out surprise to find that Singapore does not have many people who I would consider good dancers. Guys especially seem rooted to one spot. Pleasant in that it makes me at least be better than average, unpleasant in that there are girls here who can't dance (side note: drunk foreigners here still love to do that mosh pit thing in the middle of the dance floor...both a dangerous (for the people around them) and idiotic exercise).

Ah, memories of Circle come flooding back!

A Servant Life

One of the big pluses of being in Singapore is that I get to enjoy Jo's company. Whilst it can get silent sometimes, he does ask (or usually states) good questions, things worth thinking about.

He posed a question to me the other day, "I don't think you should stay in IT too long, as you are in a servant role, and it's not helpful in understanding how to grow a business".

I was initially a bit shocked. But it did get me thinking about it more.

He's quite right, internal IT is all about serving our business, and quite a reactive place. When the business grows, we grow. When the business shrinks, we shrink. It's a place of ideas, yes, but always of ideas to cut costs, not to increase revenues.
Granted, at my company, there is a small group of IT people with a focus on growing the "technology in property" part, but the focus is always on IT serving the business. And especially in construction, where the majority of people think that they can still build a building with just pen and paper.

And the pitfall with the service attitude is that creativity is more difficult to achieve. When IT is in reactive mode, it's comforting to not have to think and just do, just fix the problem at hand. We become great problem solvers for the problems that we can see. But growing a business usually involves fixing problems that are not yet visible, tapping the untapped opportunity.

So I need to think more holistically, and understand how the business wants to grow here. As a start, I need to think of how we can position our IT offerings to enable this growth. Perhaps business ideas will grow from there.

Should I totally step away from this servant life? A part of me quite enjoys this role, so for the time being it's the right thing. I do like the managing people part, that is where I'm learning a lot. I'm sure that will come in handy in the future.

Singapore Update

Update:
1. Put a deposit down for an apartment, moving in end of the month. Funnily, I just found a video walkthrough of an apartment in that building that is the same as mine. However, mine doesn't have anywhere near that good a view (or come with that music!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDQh2wxKycs

2. Since I haven't moved in, not sure about quality of food in my new area. I'm currently close to a hawker food centre, so hitting that up quite often. I'm a cheap eats kinda guy :)

3. Meeting people all over the place. Obviously catching up regularly with Anton and Jo/Krystal, seeing Nic quite often as well. Making some new party friends, which is good for me not having to line up at parties. Will try to catch up with other people here...

4. Found myself a volleyball group, so playing on Sundays. Good players, and very friendly people, so getting some exercise.

5. Need to find more people to practice Mandarin with, not throwing it out there enough.

6. "Mini CIO" job is ok, reporting lines are a bit blurred, but I don't really care as long as I've still got some influence. I've settled into the job a bit more, got some runs on the board with a new initiative. Truth be told, I haven't heard much at all from my Asia CIO, so I should reach out to him more...

Overall, I'm feeling happy about this place. It's been very easy to settle in and get into the Singapore rhythm. Looking forward to traveling around Asia. Still missing friends in New York, but glad to have internet/BBM to keep in touch.

Farewell and Hello

Pic from Boston / Cape Cod trip here. Thoroughly recommended.

As I count out my last days here in NYC, a friend asked me what I will miss most about the city.
I remember telling another friend ages ago that the one thing New York has above all other cities is the opportunity to do what I want at whenever I wanted. Through sheer numbers of people in this city (and especially Manhattan) there is always something going on.

So I will miss that feeling of opportunity. The feeling that "hey, something random and special will happen tonight!". Most likely it involves alcohol.

Of course, I will miss the friends, both new and old. From Aussie mates, to friends from work, volleyball, Company of Heroes and clubbing, everyone has been so welcoming. I would like to think that it's more than just the fact that my American friends like to hear my accent that they hang out with me, but who knows? My Aussie friends are like family now. I will miss them the most.

I have a few New Yorkers that have lived in this city and cannot think of moving anywhere else. Whilst I feel that I have made New York home, I was fairly sure that I would not settle down here. With the significant distance to family, if was always going to be a "time-constrained" experience. Experiences like acting, MOMA, Broadway shows, and Circle all add up to a lifetime of memories,

It's special to live in NYC, it's even more special to live in the city both as part of a couple and as a single guy. There is definitely enough things to do to satisfy either lifestyle, but if I was to pick one, I would say that New York is THE place to be a single guy :)

I have learned a lot about myself in the last 3 years and for that I am thankful. New York has forced me to try new things, see different perspectives and perhaps reinvent myself. New York has made me believe in me. Really, that is all anyone can ask for.

I believe that the transition to Singapore life will be smooth. Having good friends that already makes it much easier to fit in. Of course there will be challenges (one of which is the new role) but I am looking forward to it.

So farewell New York, hello Singapore!

Self Reverence

As I celebrate another birthday (Boston and Cape Cod!), I read an article on the three pillars of a successful person: self reverence, self knowledge and self control.

The first one has always been a struggle. I did not notice it as much in my younger days, but similarly to when someone points out that you say "um" a lot, I see it in my writing and my actions. I use a lot of self deprecating humour, and whilst it is effective, sometimes I wonder if it means I don't value myself enough.

I wrote about this lack of self reverence a while back.

To take one light-hearted example, at clubs, I will quickly remove myself from pursuing a girl if other guys come in and have a shot at that girl that I like. Why?? Why do I rate myself so lowly against other (mostly Asian) guys that if I objectively assessed the situation I would consider myself an equal or possibly better?
I know that my personality is such that I do not like to make such judgments against people, plus I'm not too big on confrontations.

New York has taught me that there are some arrogant people here, super confident in themselves, perhaps to the extent that it isn't even true.
However, being an Asian Australian living in America bumps my "perceived quality" quotient up a few levels, due to a) the accent, b) the attitude and c) yes the accent. As my friend says, "get it whilst the getting is good!". I'm following her advice :)

I need to understand that the combination of my personality, career, outlook and looks all add up to a decent package. I don't think that enough, and given my new life in Singapore, it's worth a shot. Believe, and Aim High!

Strategic Thinking

I recently attended a "management strategy and communications" course. I was initially drawn to the communications part, of learning how to properly structure the words to senior executives so that they understand the message and know what actions need to be undertaken.

I obviously did not read the course in much detail, or really the title of the course, as there was a whole day (it's a two day course) spent on defining management strategy.

I'm starting to understand how "tactical" my job really is, focusing on deliverables and milestones. As part of the course, defining a strategy is always about understanding the market differentiators, what makes "us" better than the competition. From the market differentiators, this should (hopefully) lead to some insights that will determine the strategy and hence strategic objectives.
What was an even more shocking realisation is how little I understand or appreciate the ways that the company makes money. It was a revelation to see the breakdown of the profits (via our annual reports), and see the trends of where money can be made.

To me, "strategic thinking" is quite an foreign concept, but one that I should grasp and master if I am to do my next job properly. There's even a line "develop a vision for the region" which is causing all sorts of anxieties.

My boss defined "strategic thinking" as "testing a certain theory against as many scenarios as you can, and the one that gives the best outcome is the one you go with". Thinking about that a bit more, is it really the flip side risk analysis, when you think of everything that can go wrong by taking a certain course?

I'm glad I did this course. Perhaps I could become a strategic thinker in the future!

San Fran / Yosemite / Vegas / Grand Canyon

Top ten things about San Fran / Yosemite / Vegas / Grand Canyon:
1. I got some new hiking shoes. Now whenever people invite me to hikes or places with ankle deep water trails, I'm all over it. Oh and a headlamp, those things rock.
2. I saw a bear! It ddin't look massive, so assuming young bear. Glad that the momma bear wasn't around to chase us.
3. It's infinitely more rewarding to have hiked a trail in order to get to some nice lookouts. Probably due to the fact that I slaved 6 hours with a massive backpack on to get there.
4. Camping overnight, seeing stars, cooking around a campfire. Not sure if I would do it again, but glad that I did it this time.
5. Winning at the craps table. I was up from the start and never looked back. Lesson for next time: when the hot roll finishes, immediately leave.
6. Setting up shots inspired by Sydney Dance Company pictures. Way less classy, but way more hilarious. With double SLRs, tons of happy snaps (check the pictures here)
7. Partying in Vegas is 100% dependent on the crew that you go with. This time, everyone was committed, which made for two great nights (see pictures here)
8. My first spa facial! I now know what extractions mean. I never knew that there existed a thing to cleanse your face using ultrasonic sound waves...
9. Cruising the highways from Vegas to Grand Canyon in a convertible Mustang. Even other tourists took photos of us!
10. Catching up with Waz. Good friends will always be good friends.

Bonus: Hearing that I might be going to Vegas again in June :)

Acceptance

I've been reading a book recently called "Mojo: Hot to Get It, How To Keep It, How to Get It Back". It's (yes) another self help book, recommended to me by a person I met on the plane. Whilst it has the usually "how to achieve happiness and meaning in your life" stuff, there was some good advice on being aware of reputation and how it affects the choices you get in life.

What was more interesting was the concept of acceptance, and that if you can or are not willing to change either the circumstance or yourself, to "move onwards and upwards".
I like to think of myself as a fairly pragmatic guy, and so this resonated with me quite a lot. One of the pieces of advice from the book was the concept of a "lifetime pass". The question to always ask is: "is my life better off or worse off because this person is in it?"

Friends have asked me recently why I would still hang out with my exes. I struggled to answer the question, but now I know. I shared a very significant part of my life with them, and I know that my life would be worse off if she wasn't in it. And though I may wonder "why?" once in a while, whatever happened before is water under the bridge. She continues to make my life better, so I hope we stay friends.

Who is on your "lifetime pass"?

Photos: Uploaded photos from Aives and Pete's wedding. Love Opera Bar!
Photos: General Sydney trip. Good to see family again.

Vail 2010

What I like about Vail is the vastness of the place, especially when it's a weekday and there's a lot less crowds. This was the one and only "west" ski trip this year (with new skis!) so had to make the most of it.

Weather was beautiful, but unfortunately Fay got himself injured on the first day. Jumps never work out well...


So I ended up skiing mostly by myself. I did take a "mountain tour" where some advanced ski instructor took me and another person around the mountain. In essence it was a quasi-ski lesson, at around 1/5th of the cost! I thought I was decent, but there are some people that are just awesome at this sport.

Of course, by the last day, I had to attempt some jumps. For some reason there is always the urge, but the fear factor is so high. I think the thing is that as a kid I never got to do this and so my body has never actually gotten comfortable with the whole concept of "air-with-skis-on".

After some initial success....




...came some failures.



I blame the poor camerawork by Fay! What could have be gloriously Warren Miller-style films turned out to be only just youtube worthy.

I'll miss Vail, I hope to come again sometime.


Might have to go to Japan again...

Taiwanese Dramas

As part of my ongoing Mandarin learning, I thought I would try to watch some Taiwanese drama. Get immersed in it, hear it spoken around me. I could never understand, though, why my ex would follow it like some form of addiction. Having experienced Asian drama on the periphery, I should have known.

The one I got recommended was "Fated To Love You". (Fact: This series broke all TV watching records, garnering 10% of the Taiwanese population for one of its episodes). I was hooked. I watched multiple episodes in one sitting. I had originally planned to watch each episode twice to catch the words, but that went out the window after Episode 2.

Things that I have learned from watching Taiwanese dramas:
1. What RC said in the comments from that Korean movie post: "Persistence...is a necessary part of the dating process, to push yourself past what would normally be 'comfortable' by Western dating standards." This definitely holds true.

2. There is excessive "drama for the sake of drama" in this series. Some of the scenes, though, were indeed quite touching and I would admit that I welled up a bit during the first mom-daughter chat when she was leaving the household to live with her new family.

3. When you are a director of a vast family business, you don't have many day-to-day responsibilities, and can enjoy the luxury of time to do daily ceramic classes to woo back your girl.

4. The "instant replay" mode of dramatic scenes is heavily utilised for added effect. I think I heard one phrase repeated 7 times, from seven different angles.

5. No one has the ability to say what they really want to say or feel. The true feelings are always found out in some excruciatingly roundabout way, possibly via some recording (video/voice/letter).

6. Even the "not hot underdog girl" is quite hot.

I had a great time watching this series. As they say with many things, the first time is the most memorable. I still have the theme song in my head playing on repeat.

Judging from these shows, I think my approach to women has to definitely change if I'm going to Asia!

Oppotunities

Throughout these last few years, I've struggled with the question of "what do I really want?" I have been able to experience working in many different roles, in two different countries. Career-wise, opportunities seem to present themselves to me. I used to think that it was luck, but I think I am slowly coming to grips with the fact that I am a valuable resource to the company.

There is a new opportunity. It seems like a step up, good for my career if I want to get into management.
If I take it, it fulfills some of my aims. I get to be closer to family, I'll get some "IT management" experience. I get to travel a bit and meet new people. It's a chance to work on my "strategic" mindset, which I believe probably needs some work. Whilst it's a challenging gig, it's a safe role.

The "unsafe" role would be to try to start a business (or buy one) and go out a make a living. It would be harder yet I think more rewarding at the same time. I thought I was ready for this path, but now with that job offer I'm not so sure. And now that I'm not sure, I keep asking myself, when will I ever be sure?

The fact of the matter is that there is little downside to taking this job opportunity, in my mind. I'll get to see if I really want to work and live in Asia or not. The only consideration is time, and as my friend said to me, it's the most valuable thing we have. Time to get something off the ground, time to understand the market, time to make a contribution, time to learn something new.

I think my timeline to get to Asia has just shortened.

Portraits

I just started using the Face recognition feature on the new version of Picasa, it's a ton of fun.

Besides the fact that I seem to take photos of the same people over and over again, it's worth noting some of the following points:

1. I look quite unique (yes!) as Picasa does not suggest other people in my album. Perhaps this is because there is a greater sample space and hence the algorithm is better.

2. Boges matches up with anyone that has thick rimmed black glasses. That includes both men and women (sorry mate!).

3. My ex apparently can be confused with a whole set of other asian girls! Yes, they're all good looking :)

4. All babies look alike, Picasa cannot tell any of my nephews and nieces apart for the younger photos.

5. Mum, whilst incorrectly associated my aunties (her sisters), makes sense from a hereditary perspective.

6. Even the condom hat on Des' head cannot fool the system!

Hours of fun, this feature :)

Squatter

I've had a squatter at my place for the last 3 weeks. Kev's on his 4 week medical rotation, working at Beth Israel hospital.

There is a "pay it forward" feel about this arrangement, as I had similarly squatted at Bjee's place for 3 weeks!

Whilst my place is a bit squeezy for two people to cohabit for any stretch of time, it's been awesome having him here. Good to catch up, recall old memories, share in new ones.

Old friends are such that there is an immediate comfort when meeting up, anywhere in the world. We've all grown a little bit older and hopefully a little bit wiser but the old jokes are still funny.

Kev and I share the same relationship status :) It's fun to live vicariously off someone else for a change! Too many late nights, but if one is in NYC for a short period of time, one has to make the most of it. Random pics will appear on Facebook for sure.

I've enjoyed the time, Kev. Thanks for coming to visit me in NYC. Hopefully you got the experiences your were looking for here! Circle will miss you :)

Hong Kong #2

It was wonderful to see the extended family again, I can't believe how many folks made it over. I've been relegated to the "younger" kids table, not mature enough to hang with my older cousins (all of whom have kids). I did chaperon my younger cousins for New Years Eve, felt very responsible there :)

Had a fantastic seafood dinner, near Kwun Tong. There is a specific "seafood market" next to the restaurants where you get to choose the specific food that you want for that night. Yum.

Got to hang with Jay and Glorya, and see their business in action. I'm inspired! It's fun to talk to friends that have taken a different path, and the trials and tribulations that come with that path. I wish them all the best in the new year.

Of course there was some additional partying. Billion, Play, Vola, random other names of places I can't remember. For the first time my "don't talk, just dance" approach landed some success!
I have come to the conclusion that I need to be more of a baller. It's expensive to party in HK, possibly even worse than NYC. If only I was hot enough for other people to buy me drinks...

More photos uploaded of people and landscapes.

I miss the (relatively) warm weather already!