Singapore to Shenzhen in a Day Log

When i walked into the office for another day at work in SGP, little do i know that i would be in Shenzhen that very evening. (See timeline below) It kinda felt like i am running away from home. Didn't even know exit permit can use sms. Been away SGP for too long i guess.

When i reached the hotel, my boss asked me to check in myself at another counter.
The receptionist was like...
"do you think we can put u in the twin room?".
"erm, but i am staying alone."
"Ya, so do you think we can put you in the twin room?"
"erm, but don't you have single?"
"We are kinda full, the king size bedrooms won't be free till tmr."
*after confirming with boss*
"oh, i'll take it."
I just love traveling...on the company's expense.
(oh, i hate the responsibilities that comes with it though.)

So now, i am sleeping in a twin room, alone.
No company but my laptop and whoever's on MSN. Watching Nihon Hoso Kyoukai (NHK).
(i just got the room service guy come in and "open" the bed for sleeping. He walked in,
asked me, where do i want to sleep tonight. Of course, i chose the one with the TV right in front of it. (Thats bed no. 2 for tonight. Swapping beds for the fun of it.)

Day 2, i went into this place called company XYZ that is so big, you need a bus service within their compound, they have shophouse restaurants and shops, they made sure the manholes carry their company name, and they employ 250, 000 ppl. they do some pretty big business, wonder how much it costs...

Itenery:

• 7.45am - Bro offered ride to MRT
• 8.30am - reach office. Bro lied. he sent me to the office.
  
• 9.30am - Boss asked if i wanna go.
• 10.00am - I replied yes. Waiting for flight confirmation
  
• 11.00am - ticket booked and confirmed. 1.50pm flight.
  
• 11.15am - Headed home
• 11.45am - reached home
• 12.15pm - packed and Bro sent me to airport
• 12.45pm - reached airport. Met boss. Flight delayed till 2.50.
• Eat BK, shop and change money
• 1.50pm - enter boarding area
• 2.50pm - fly.
  
• Watch Ice Age 2.
  
• Talked to the guy next to me
• Sleep
• 6.30pm - At Hong Kong
• 7.00pm - Get transport to SY
• 7.10pm - leave for SY
• 8+pm - reach border
• 8.20pm - take transport to Shangri-la hotel
• 8.50pm - reached and check-in.
• 9.00pm - dinner
• 10.00pm - telephone conference
• 12+am - end conference
  
• ear-ache, hand-ache, no speaker phone.
  
• Write email...........zzZZ
  
• 1.00am - Sleep
• 6.45am - Wake up
• 7.20am - Breakfast
• 8.00am - Take transport to worksite
• 9.00am - reach.
• 12 hours later.....
• Now: Having complimentary cookies and milk

With just 30min to pack for a week trip, this is so...erm..exciting? haha.
Thanks mum and bro for helping. Though the flight was delayed. haiz.

Day 2:
ZZZz....getting drowsy, tired day at work today.
Did nothing but absorbing and absorbing facts and acronyms. Mentally shacked out.
So a lousy post for u.

Typhoon in Japan...seems like it has gotten more weird after we left...
First power failure, then lightning strikes, now typhoon. (But for the locals i guess its all in a days life).

No homework tonight. Get to sleep early. Woohoo! =p

5 Min Summary of Work

Yea, finally got a job. Doing R&D stuff as a software engineer, now trying to specialise in C/C++, .NET and C#. So if anyone could give me some pointers, arigatou in advance!

Well, actually worked for a month plus already. Lets call this company A. If you recall my previous blog regarding Japan Life Summary:

From young i dreamed of working in a big corporation, wearing my power suit, carrying my suitcase, walking into a glass door, entering a polished building taking the lift to my office.
Now, reality strikes. ENGINEERS. Working in a big corporation alright, being a small fry, wearing my nike t-shirt and jeans, carrying my dirty haversack, walking into a glass door, entering a seemingly old n gloomy orange building, taking the lift to my cubicle. To top it all, i arrive at my office on my 2 wheeler. A trusty 6-speed auntie bicycle with a grocery basket. The epitome of coolness.

Fact:

1. A is a corporation.
2. I could wear my power suit (says so in the rules book to wear formal)
3. I could use my suitcase (suits the suits.)
4. Its a factory building. haha. But at least it has the glass front reception area, with leather seats and phones for visitors, and a Koi pond garden behind.
   
5. Not a small fry.
   

Reality:

1. Its still a corporation
2. I wear long sleeves on Monday (cuz i already bought them! Sigh.), and wear tshirts and jeans on other days
3. I use my cheap Japanese sling bag
4. I go in by the back, the loading bay. (The shuttle bus goes there, and its nearer my office)
   
5. Get to voice my views.
   

Difference from the days in Japan? (things that some might take for granted)

1. There is a coffee machine! (free coffee! and its still Nescafe!)
2. Its also flexi-hours (i don't have to be there at 8.30am sharp, but in japan, i was SUPPOSED to appear at 8.30am)
3. Can use MSN to chat without hiding it. (well, i didn't really hide in japan, cuz there wasn't really much to do anyway.)
4. I take 1hour 20min to get to work.
5. I can understand what is being said in meetings.
   
6. I can email out of the office.
7. I can sleep on the table during office hours. (well at least i saw a pillow on my colleague's desk and i caught one of them sleeping. haha)
8. I can call my bosses using their name. Hi Bob-san.
   
9. I can listen to mp3s during work.
10. I went out for tea break for an hour.
    
11. I still have IT support telling me the wrong stuff.
12. No more feeling the heat in the office during summer.
    
13. No more water jet toilet bowls. REALLY REALLY missed that.
14. Not really private toilet...i can see each other's shoes for goodness sake.
    
15. We had durians and mangosteen under the void deck even when lunchtime was up. (Japan has this bell that rings on the dot at 1.00pm. and a group meeting straight after that. its not that nice to be late.)
    
16. Daniel mentioned that we might be able to play badminton in the BIG aircon hallway...
    
17. More. But i shall turn in for the night. =)
    

Okay, so nothing really changed, except that i get to use my workpass to Beep the door before it opens. heh. More high-tech than Toshiba's entrance. No more "Ohaiyou" from those security guards though.

So, i guess office life has arrived at last. Well, i now work in a US based company, so i guess thats why the freedom is there. But as i look back, life in Japan as a worker wasn't as bad either. =)
It wasn't really stifling as it was reputed to be. (Maybe cuz i am a trainee and a guest from Singapore. hehe) But i would definitely prefer what i have now. (yea, too much complaints from the other people in other companies. At least my boss won't ask me to queue up for Barbeque Pork during the chinese new year. =p)

Ah, exceeded my 5 min, going to sleep now. Soccer tmr with my English cousin, who has flown down from England. Pretty good player i must add. Recently played in Germany. Youth team lah. hahaha. Goodnight folks.