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!

Hong Kong

A friend of mine once said that every time she goes back to Hong Kong it's like going home.

I never used to feel that way about this place, even though I share the same ancestry and migration patterns as her. However, having stayed here for nearly two weeks now, I understand a bit more of what she meant.

I am starting to understand the jumble of streets in Central, the smells of curry chicken rice everywhere I go, the crowds of Causeway Bay, the random big nights in Lan Kwai Fong. I have also come to appreciate the serenity of the Outer Islands, the (relative) quietness of mid-Levels and that just wandering around Hong Kong is a great way to take in the city.

Yes, I could live here.

The trip has been fun because of all the different activities:
Trish and Roy's Wedding - lovely and heartfelt, and the first time I have seen one of those "chairman's suites" in a 5-star hotel;
Mary-Ann's birthday bash, seeing all my relatives, catching up with old friends, making new ones.
I still have a week to go, to see my immediate family and Por Por's 91st (!!) birthday.

It's been good to be able to do some thinking as to where and what I want to do next year. There seems to be a few options on the table, need to see what is best.

Thanks Bjee for letting me have the run of your apartment. It's an awesome place. And no, I swears I haven't had any parties here!