HK Trip – Day 6 (Monday 28 Feb)

Monday – the beginning of a brand new week of challenges. Will have to embrace it with as much optimism as we can get or squeeze out of ourselves.

It was drizzling and for the first time we had to use our umbrellas. Really cold and it makes you feel lousy.

Had more interviews today. Atak, the man in charge of the IFAs was very cheerful, full of energy and fun to interview. After that the interview simply went downhill for a while cos Phillip was kinda hostile at the beginning (and over the phone when I called him to remind him of the interview). Hung couldn’t really speak English and the “interpreter” he brought along was also not very well-versed. We had a hard time and had to repeat our questions time and again for they kept giving us irrelevant answers.

After work, the 3 of them went to collect our laundry while I sent mine. After that it was off to dinner before shopping for some fruits.

Met Mr Lim at the hotel lobby. He didn’t seem to show any sign of tiredness though he was supposed to have done the full marathon yesterday!!

WL, SS and ST made this comment that after 4 days, they are already “sick” of HK!! Whoa!! I guessed it must have been multiple reasons (not in any particular order):
1. the weather
2. the gloominess
3. the wetness
4. the wind
5. the HK office (per se and not the people cos we have been meeting wonderful people, Emily included)
6. the crowdedness
7. the food
8. the prices of things
9. the limited places to visit
10. the accommodation

Came back to the hotel and turned on the TV to watch the Academy Awards. So far I’ve not seen any of the Best Picture nominated movie. Sort of lost touch for the 2 weeks before I came to HK.

Was working on some stuff too before hitting the sack at around 1am!!

HK Trip – Day 5 (Sunday 27 Feb)

I was woken up by the telephone ringing at around 1:30pm. To my horror, it was the hotel housekeeping that wanted to know what time they could come to clean the room. So bloody “duh” lor… Sigh…

Got out of bed, washed up and left the hotel at 2pm. Went to Wan Chai for brunch before shopping around the area. Besides being in a bookstore for a couple of hours looking at the Chinese books that were Made In HK. Was contemplating buying them but the thought of the weight and space the books are gonna be, I did not buy them.

Was at a CD / VCD / DVD shop browsing and ended up with more DVDs. This time it was the music DVDs. Got a total of 6 DVDs. Was tempted to buy the Made In China CDs too. They were selling at HKD20 each. Cheap cheap too! Think I shall come back again if I don’t see them in Mongkok.

Reached the hotel at around 10pm. Chatted with WL and found that he enjoyed his trip to Lantau Island to see the Big Buddha. It is an unforgettable experience feeling the cold weather, the serenity and the peacefulness one gets by simply looking at the surroundings and the Buddha.

Slept at around 12am and looking forward to another brand new week tomorrow.

HK Trip – Day 4 (Saturday 26 Feb)

Went into the office today for work at around 9am simply because Emily was only free to meet us today.

9:30am and Emily did not turn up for the interview. 9:40am, still no sign of her. Called her and she asked about the venue of the interview. Simply bochap sia… Told her where we were. She came at around 9:45am. She gave us her namecard. I noted the word “Director” as her designation. Phew! I was really 有眼不识泰山. Started the interview and to our (pleasant) surprise, Emily was such a nice lady. Soft-spoken and matter-of-factly, she answered all our queries with ease. Glad to note that she knew her stuff well. Emily gave us a few demos of the various systems her department is using. My impression of Emily changed completely (for the better) today!

After the interview, we went to see Alvin from CS & Marketing for a quick demo of their system. At around 12:30pm, we packed and left the office.

For me, it was off to Shenzhen for a shopping trip. The rest of them went to Mongkok for “sight-seeing” and shopping.

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Met Raymond at 1:30pm at Tsim Tsa Chui for a quick bite in Delifrance. Then it was off to Shenzhen using the KCR (Kowloon Canto Rail) that cost around HKD35. It was a 45-minute ride to Shenzhen. Before clearing the customs, Raymond went to confirm that Singaporeans do not require to have a visa to visit China. Cleared the HK customs and was at the China side. Filled up the arrival card. If you think that China is backward and old-fashioned, think again. There was a body temperature sensor above the person waiting in line to clear the customs. Green light means your temperature is ok while red light means you’re not ok. They had that for every counter!!!!!

Cleared customs and was in China. Adrian was there to welcome us. It’s so nice to see Adrian after such a long time. Adrian is a Swiss working in Shenzhen. He was working in Shenzhen, then moved to HK for a short stint; couldn’t take the pace in HK and eventually moved back to Shenzhen. Good to know that he’s doing well and coping fine. He’s in the process of locating a new place and has recently bought a car. Hehe…

Adrian drove us to this place called “Da Tong” for shopping. Shenzhen is just like HK in many ways: the crowd; the noise; the buildings; the shopping and the horrible traffic. Besides DVDs, I didn’t buy anything else. Got the entire series of Ally McBeal and Sex and the City! Also bought Nip / Tuck since I didn’t get to see it when it was showing in Singapore.

After shopping, we went to a shopping mall to have coffee and cakes. Food is cheap in Shenzhen. Chatted and caught up with each other as much as we could. Done with coffee and it was off for a massage. On the way, we were caught in a jam for about half an hour. Good for us to do more catching up in the car. ;-p

Had my first massage in my life. The massage only costs RMB48 per hour. How much cheaper can it get? Initially it was supposed to be an hour of massage, then the masseur told me that Adrian and Raymond had chosen to do the 2-hr foot massage and asked me to extend mine. I thought “why not?” Later I found out that the two of them did not extend their session and had been waiting for me all this while. What a naïve lad I was!!

After massage, Adrian drove us to this posh-looking (yet inexpensive) restaurant for dinner. Great service and good food. I was totally impressed, even though partly it was because of the fact that Adrian was a regular customer there! Hahahaha… There’s also a “Swan Lake” outside the restaurant. Beautiful ambience. Shenzhen was cold at night. There’s mist when we breathed. Amazing!!

We were chatting so much over dinner that we forgot about the time. Left the restaurant and Adrian drove us to the nearest MTR station. Shenzhen has its own MTR built and made in China. The trip for us cost RMB5 for a total of around 12 stations. Cheap cheap!!

On the way, Raymond told me that the border closes at 11:30pm!! Whoa!! If one misses the timing, one could take the taxi to another border that is open round the clock. Managed to get passed the border in time to catch the last KCR back to HK city. Reached HK city at around 12:45am. We were both exhausted but extremely thrilled and happy cos we had never chatted so much in our 8-year friendship.

Parted ways with Raymond and went straight back to the hotel. Luckily WL was still awake. Told him I’ve decided to go clubbing later. We updated each other on our encounters for the day. WL and the ladies took the ferry today between HK island and Kowloon. Very strong wind, he said.

Had a quick shower, changed and off I went to this disco in Central! Before I left, took a glass of vodka orange on an empty stomach. Felt a little high after that and decided to head back to the hotel to rest.

While waiting for the MTR, I saw a number of people going for the HK Marathon. Reminded me of the time I did mine in SG. Arrived at the hotel at 6:45am. So paiseh to wake WL up. Once in the room, I took off my jeans and windbreaker; slumped into the bed and off to my dreamland.

HK Trip – Day 3 (Friday 25 Feb)

Wah piang oi… so fast day 3 in HK liao… Zi wo an wei yi xia (自我安慰一下) lah: if I discount Wed since we’re only physically here at 2+pm, then it’s only day 2. But face it lah… KNS…

This morning we decided to have McDonald’s for breakfast. I had the set of hotcakes + sausage + coffee. Thank goodness the breakfast set didn’t come with hash brown since I could never finish so much. My impression of the HK people is that they eat a lot!!

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Met the MD (Mr Lim) at 10am. He was busy reviewing some stuff while trying to talk to us. Scary how “fast-pace” HK is!! Everyone seems to be on the run. During the interview, I felt so inadequate cos Mr Lim was asking about GIRO payments in Singapore. I had no answer for him. Told him we would try to look into whatever he requested. He then went on to comment that since our focus is on internal control and not compliance, it is alright if we do not have the time to take on the additional work. Mr Lim commented that we should be posted to operations department for about 6 months to understand their processes. By this logic, then all internal auditors / compliance officers would have to be attached to the various departments for a couple of months!! Siao ah?!

Lunch time was a nightmare. Went to Pacific Place food court and was shocked to see the HUGE crowd there. So many people were waiting for seats and the queue for the food was so long!! We decided to “da bao” (打包) back to office to eat. No wonder Calvin told us on Wednesday that they usually pack lunch instead of going out.

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In the afternoon, after much consideration, I’ve finally decided (and yes, it’s my final answer!) that we are leaving HK on 12 March 2005 (Saturday). Called Cathay Pacific to change my (+ the 2 ladies) flight from 17 March to 12 March. Was told by their hotline that I should call Reservation instead. Reservation then in turn referred me to Ticketing! After a few calls, I managed to get the flight changed. Wanted to change WL’s flight too but to our horror, his ticket was a discounted one that couldn’t be changed. Cathay Pacific advised that there’s nothing they can do about it except for WL to purchase a new one-way ticket (that costs HKD4,300 or close to S$900+) back to SG!! WL called Zuji.com. We were then informed that he could only change his flight to one with departure from Mondays to Thursdays, with a surcharge of S$55. Now we have so many possibilities:
1. All of us to leave on 10 March 2005 to accommodate WL’s flight
2. WL leaves on 10 March while the remaining 3 of us leave on 12 March
3. WL to purchase a ticket back to SG and we all leave on 12 March
4. Stick to the original plan and all leave on 17 March
5. All to leave on 14 March 2005 (Monday)

After some discussion, we came to the conclusion that WL would leave HK on 10 March 2005 while the rest of us would leave on 12 March 2005.

Now you know how these nitty gritty things can get on our nerves sometimes.

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Met 3 departments after lunch: Retails Sales, CS & Marketing and Proprietary Trading. Starting to understand the operations better, However, there’s no Ops Manuals for Retail Sales and CS & Marketing. Somehow we’re not able to really understand fully what they do. Gotta make-do with whatever information we could gather so far. I’m sure by the end of the interviews with all the departments, we should be able to piece everything together.

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Met Raymond for dinner. We were thrilled to see each other again after our last brief meeting in Dec 2002 when I was here. That time we only met for one evening cos the next day he left for a KL holiday trip.

HK Trip – Day 2 (Thursday 24 Feb)

Got up at 7am in the morning. Looked out the window and the surrounding was totally misty, hazy and wet. So damn gloomy and sad. Beginning to HATE HK for the first time in my life. When I was here back in Dec 2002, it was equally wet and windy. But then I was on a holiday so didn’t really feel the gloom. Hahahaha…

Had breakfast at Pacific Place, a high-class shopping mall, directly opposite the office. Decided on a Jap Ramen with chicken. Nice but too much for breakfast. Should do bread next time, like in Japan. Cheaper too. SS had sandwiches while WL and ST had some egg-omelette thingy. The coffee sucks.

Reached the office at 9am. They had allocated a room, which was comfortable for the 4 of us. The IT people came to set up the wireless LAN access, printer, telephone, etc. Fully equipped and ready to go! Like what someone said, “Steady, Boon Pee Pee (sbpp)…”

Had some difficulties trying to meet “unfriendly” Emily. She’s forever busy!! And then came the bomb that she’s only free this SATURDAY!!!!! So we have to come in. BTW, the office here works alternate Saturdays, unlike in SG where we have 5-day workweek.

The rest of the morning was spent to settle down plus additional meeting up with the rest of the officers whom we didn’t get to see yesterday.

Had lunch with Alton and his staff. Went to this restaurant in Causeway Bay for dim sum. He said he would claim the lunch as company’s expenses. OMG!! Think we better stop having lunches / dinners with the staff there before the MD sends us a bill for “out-of-pocket expenses”. Hahahaha…

First interview with Compliance / Accounts at 2:30pm. Calvin actually forgot our appointment!! Duh!! Got an understanding of how things work in the HK office. At least got some progress, tho’ I’m doubtful if there’s anything significant to report at the end of the audit. Stressful sia…

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After work, we went to check out the laundry rates. It’s HKD22 for a shirt. Expensive but cheaper than hotel rates. Trust me, my friends. Travelling for work is no joke. Not only does one have to face the pressures in the office, all this nitty gritty things such as laundry lah, food and water lah, weather lah, can drain one out physically.

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Met up with Chloe for dinner. Went to a restaurant near Lan Kwai Fong (LKF). After dinner we were off for a walk in LKF just to “feel” the place. I was here back in 2002 and din feel anything at all. To me, LKF is just normal, like any other streets in HK. The only difference is that LKF is a place where the expatriates congregate. Crowds of ang mohs in the pubs. I never have any special likings for ang mohs. So, no big deal…

Next stop was HMV. Got 5 Chinese DVDs for HKD 230 (SGD50). Cheap cheap. Hehe…

We bided our goodbyes with Chloe and took a cab back to the hotel. Decided to go get some mineral water. Saw this fruit stall along one of the side lanes on the street. Bought 2 big apples for HKD5 (SGD1.10). Fruits seem to be quite affordable.

HK Trip – Day 1 (Wednesday 23 Feb)

Arrived at the airport at around 9am. Cab driver ho sim (English: good heart or kind) came earlier. He scared I miss for my flight. More gan cheong than me sia.

Anyway, checked in and met the rest of the team (I was the latest). Cleared customs and went to Coffee Bean for coffee before boarding the plane at around 9:50am. Plane took off at 10:10am.

Food was okay only lah. The vanilla Movenpick they gave wasn’t that fantastic also. Poor SS and ST were seated behind someone who farted consistently.

Reached HK at around 2:10pm. Long queue at the immigration. Cleared and on my way out of customs, was stopped by the officer. KNS (Ka Na Sai) leh. They kept asking if I have any cigarettes. I look like a hardcore smoker meh? KNNBCCB (Hokkien Version) or DNCH (Cantonese Version) (both censored to protect the interests of those under 21yo)…

Took the shuttle bus to bring us to The Wesley. Very efficient check-in. BUT ultra small room sia. Willy and I were contemplating how to shift the beds to maximize space for our luggages. PCN (Pui Chao Nua).

After the reality and horror have set in, we accepted the facts and moved on. Washed up and left for the hotel at 4:30pm. Reached the office at around 5pm. Met Hansel (the liaison officer until today cos tomorrow is his LAST DAY with the company). BOMB # 1.

Calvin showed us around and introduced us to the rest of the people. Generally friendly people, except Emily. She didn’t even look at us when Calvin introduced her to us. Rude… Utterly Rude…

Bumped into Mr Lim during our tour and came BOMB # 2. He would like us to look into e-payments and monitoring of staff and AE’s trades. Eh… looks like we have to stick to our original plan of staying in HK until 17 March 2005!

Calvin was so kind to bring us out for dinner. Went to Causeway Bay (where Times Square is). Had won ton noodle at 池记, followed by dessert at 许留山. Both were great stuff. Yummy. Calvin said he would claim through the company. ;-p

After dinner we went to get prepaid mobile SIM cards to cut costs (bo bian cos HK is so fucking expensive). Bought a HKD98 card. Buy one get one free. Good deal eh. Cheapo in other words lah.

After that went straight back to the hotel cos BOMB # 3 – I was having running nose (due to the change in weather) as well as my persistent cough (that was already there before I left SG). Showering was a chore cos it was so cold. Once I was done, I was immediately shivering. Reminded me of those days when I went hiking and had to wash up in the rivers in the middle of the nite.

Unpacked some stuff and called it a day. Wanted to sleep naked but it was too cold in the room that I was fully clothed when in bed. Sigh…