Shell Life (Part 10: 29Oct-12Nov: London, UK Trip; 04-09Dec: SG Trip)

Though it wasn't my first time to London and Singapore, but it was the first time I took photo with my very own camera in these cities.

London in Winter:
It was such a wonderful weather throughout the stay in London, except the raining nights when I just came out from a musical show with my colleagues and when I was on my way back from an Italian coffee house. It was freezing cold eventhough it was just drizzling. The most challenging part was I got to share my little umbrella with my colleague (uncle is the name I call him), 'escorting' him back to his hotel before I could walk back to my hotel, haha.. thanks to his forgetful nature that I got the honor to be the 'gentle-lady' ;)

I really love the musical show that I watched in London, eventhough I had watched the same movie twice - Chicago, the movie that revolve around the society, the women, the press and and the bribery. It was an impressive act with the talented vokalists and dancers! I enjoyed it so much!

Singapore with its constant humid + hot weather
It was the festive month when I landed in Singapore - my last visit to Singapore in year 2006. It was well-decorated, charmed with festive song and shopping crowd. I was loaded with project task and can hardly find time to walk around the city - plus it was a week-day trip. However, my last night at Orchard road did provide me with a good photo opportunity. Having said Singapore is a small city, I still haven't 'printed' my footprint at every part of the city. It would be my next mission if I were given the chance to step onto this wonderful land again!

Well, thanks to my project that had provided me with the traveling opportunity. Though it was an intensive trip loaded with work-related tasks, I enjoyed my every moment!

Shell Life (Part 9: May,June,July, Aug 2006: Bangalore, India Trip)

Being in a complex project (yet simple application) had contributed to my enormous trip to partner's office based in Bangalore, India. Can't recall the exact traveling dates to Bangalore between May till August - my nicely kept boarding pass would be able to help me with that :)

My initial thought on business trip had been a good one - staying & relaxing in a decent hotel, finding and tasting the best local food, wandering and getting lost in a unknown city after office hour and during weekend, experiencing and learning the culture and language differences, feeling and touching the phase of intellectual and economic development; all had been well-dreamt in the Utopia of mine, until I experienced mine with my project, so-called a challenging, exciting, and dynamic IT-CRM project, supporting the delivery of the streamlined process in a B2B business world.

Working through late nights and weekends (the precious off hours & days that I could do wonder in a foreign city) had never been called for a stop by anyone in the project team, be it the working team at the bottom of the team hierarchy (like me) to the leaders at the top of our reverse triangle hierarchy, as delivery has been put as the highest priority on each of our shoulder. Knowing the root cause of having numerous late nights and weekend did not stop all the interested governing parties sending their best spokeperson to manipulate the decision to their favor, while it became the best political-playground in maneuvering the deliverables quality to the advantage of each party.

One of the worst experience was the 19-day non-stop working-marathon over 2 weekends and late nights, took place in 3 different countries, from India, to Malaysia, to Singapore and back to Malaysia. This long-run journey really pushed me to the limit - wonder what would happen if I didn't insist to have a break on my third weekend.

Work-life-balance has been my dream every since my first job as marketer in the telecommunication industry. Being in the renown oil based company would have helped in fulfilling my dream, especially when it is being 'embraced' by management. However, with a project that managed by third party contractors plus delivered by outsourcing partners had thrown me back to the reality. Nothing is more important than delivering to the need of the project, no matter how work-life-balance is being stressed at different working level.

Nonetheless, the project had broaden my view and widen my eyesight to the whole new working-politics (30:70 in ratio) world. And though I did stay in one of those expensive hotel during the stay in Bangalore - rank after London & New York, I hardly had chance to explore and enjoy the great ambience, except coming back in late night for late "supper" and to catch some sleep before the start of another crazy day. Not to mention about having a relaxing bath in the big bath-tab provided.