Over this weekend, i have achieved quite a lot i think. Bought three dresses - one Fillipa K, two BCBG cocktail dresses. Went for meal at Happy Valley Dim Sum, had dinner and drinks at Desmond's serviced apartment.
What lies ahead in March should be hectic.
March's Timeline
1) Colleague from Ldn and Japan down - 10/11 March
2) Structured Products Forum - follow up and leads - 11 March
3) Planning for Beijing trip - 24/25 March
4) Shanghai Easter Trip - 20/21-23 March
5) Rugby Tens & Rugby Sevens - 26/27 & 28/29 March
6) Harry Connick Jnr Concert - 18 March
7) Background: Buy Paul's Bday present and ship over/Antz bring over
April's Timeline
1) Mike & Jill's Wedding - 26 Apr
2) Hope to take leave from 28 Apr - 4 May
What i have achieved at work since Feb: (5 months in HK)
1) Contact with Beijing clients: Booking meeting dates
2) China reading up: Derivatives Industry
3) Salesforce knowledge & Contract Generation
4) Support work: Improved on Math Models, Structuring, Training & Presentation
Shoot, somehow it doesnt look like a lot. I still have to work on pleasing the HK clients, cant seem to do that very well. Q1 is almost over. I am quite screwed
What i have acheived socially and personally (since i was here on Sept 24)
1) I know many nice places to eat - Dim Sum, Chinese food & Dessert
2) I know where to go for good massage and nail pampering in Causeway Bay, and also a good hairdresser and facial lady!
3) I know where to get my clothes - Seibu @ Tsim Tsa Tsui, Causeway Bay, Elements @ Kowloon MTR, Mango & Zara @ IFC
3) I have my own oven to bake - Mango Cheesecake, Bluberry Muffins, Bread Pudding, Lemon Garlic Chicken were my conquests. Also found great places to stock up on baking supplies!
4) I have my own pot to boil soup - Watercress Soup, Lotus Root, Longan Soup, Winter Melon Soup, Carrot & Corn Soup, Eight Treasure Soup etc.
5) I have visited HK History Museum - had a brief understanding of the Opium War, and the Development of banks in HK and Shanghai
6) I have walked all the night markets - including Ladies Market, Temple Street, Jade Market
7) I have been to Shenzhen - Massage Therapy
8) I can be alone and eat alone - I could never ever do that
9) I have a group of Singaporean friends - we hang out weekly
10) I have started climbing at least twice weekly - got to know a nice climbing community in HK, all thanks to Valetia. Sadly, she is leaving HK. :-(
Monday, March 10, 2008
Since i last blogged
Since i last blogged, i have been to Berlin & Frankfurt, and back in Singapore for CNY.
Berlin Sales Conference 2008 was very nice, got a chance to polish up on my German once again. Frankfurt was lovely with Berna's company, and of course, she let me crash at her place! It was cold but yet warm at the same time. Relived memories of being a student, living in a "hostel-like environment". Berna was a masters student at Frankfurt. Learnt that LV is cheaper in Germany, and more so in Paris.
It was good to be back home, and see my folks again. Albeit it being a short trip, i did all i wanted to and had to do. Went to Zouk, had a house party where the closest pals were invited for dinner and gambling session, got my CPF sorted out with insurance agent, tasted Paul's bread concoction, collected Ang Paos and CNY snacks!
Within Feb itself, I was host to four sets of visitors. Mid Feb came 2 Mexicans, one of whom I knew from exchange. End Feb was when San Cow Mo, and her friend Julie came over to HK. And also my young cousin Samson! Early March was Marcella and Nellien over for work. So as you can imagine, weekends are busy. At the same time, i still climb with Valetia, spend some time with Singaporean friends, and once a while with colleagues.
Berlin Sales Conference 2008 was very nice, got a chance to polish up on my German once again. Frankfurt was lovely with Berna's company, and of course, she let me crash at her place! It was cold but yet warm at the same time. Relived memories of being a student, living in a "hostel-like environment". Berna was a masters student at Frankfurt. Learnt that LV is cheaper in Germany, and more so in Paris.
It was good to be back home, and see my folks again. Albeit it being a short trip, i did all i wanted to and had to do. Went to Zouk, had a house party where the closest pals were invited for dinner and gambling session, got my CPF sorted out with insurance agent, tasted Paul's bread concoction, collected Ang Paos and CNY snacks!
Within Feb itself, I was host to four sets of visitors. Mid Feb came 2 Mexicans, one of whom I knew from exchange. End Feb was when San Cow Mo, and her friend Julie came over to HK. And also my young cousin Samson! Early March was Marcella and Nellien over for work. So as you can imagine, weekends are busy. At the same time, i still climb with Valetia, spend some time with Singaporean friends, and once a while with colleagues.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Week Ahead
The weeks since i came back flew by so quickly.
It has been 2 and a half weeks since i came back from Nepal.
The past week had been pretty interesting, need to ponder about lots.
Monday - Standby for M Bank, dinner @ Lei Garden with Atz, Cin & Cl, work out sales rivalry, and decorum.
Tuesday - DS Training (Think about o/s questions)
Wednesday - China Client Research & RMDS Setup (Think about role, commission, and self confidence), Gym
Thursday - Jamie & D Bank, drinks @ Tivo, Corn-pork soup, Antz on phone
Friday - EurUSD Swaps points for Tim, Visit to C Bank, Lunch @ Wagyu's with M, J, C and myself, CNY Fwds Test, EFG's DB, Dinner @ Hunan with Yilian
It has been 2 and a half weeks since i came back from Nepal.
The past week had been pretty interesting, need to ponder about lots.
Monday - Standby for M Bank, dinner @ Lei Garden with Atz, Cin & Cl, work out sales rivalry, and decorum.
Tuesday - DS Training (Think about o/s questions)
Wednesday - China Client Research & RMDS Setup (Think about role, commission, and self confidence), Gym
Thursday - Jamie & D Bank, drinks @ Tivo, Corn-pork soup, Antz on phone
Friday - EurUSD Swaps points for Tim, Visit to C Bank, Lunch @ Wagyu's with M, J, C and myself, CNY Fwds Test, EFG's DB, Dinner @ Hunan with Yilian
Friday, January 18, 2008
Hot Water!
29 Dec 2007
Ghasa --> Tatopani (literally means "Hot Water")
We set off from Golden Inn Hotel @ 830am by foot to Tatopani. At 1230am, our sore feet prompted us to seek refuge in River Side Lodge. We were told to watch out for a red flower garden which made great apple crumble. That was partly why we stopped over - we thought we say a red flower garden! It was not a good place to have lunch, and identified the wrong cafe. We enjoyed Orange juice as we were surrounded by Orange orchards here. After a merely satisfying lunch, we continued to walk.
At Tatopani, we stayed at the Old Masala. Lovely place, with lovely food. We ordered tomato soup, hot chocolate, fried butter chicken rice, egg, chocolate cake. Yumm. Dont't be surprised, they sold Space Bread in the area.
Ghasa --> Tatopani (literally means "Hot Water")
We set off from Golden Inn Hotel @ 830am by foot to Tatopani. At 1230am, our sore feet prompted us to seek refuge in River Side Lodge. We were told to watch out for a red flower garden which made great apple crumble. That was partly why we stopped over - we thought we say a red flower garden! It was not a good place to have lunch, and identified the wrong cafe. We enjoyed Orange juice as we were surrounded by Orange orchards here. After a merely satisfying lunch, we continued to walk.
At Tatopani, we stayed at the Old Masala. Lovely place, with lovely food. We ordered tomato soup, hot chocolate, fried butter chicken rice, egg, chocolate cake. Yumm. Dont't be surprised, they sold Space Bread in the area.
Ghasa from Jomsom
28 Dec 2007
Stayed @ Golden Inn, owned by an Indian family. Attached bathrooms too. Met with an Australian elderly couple - Marianne & Simon. They were hilarious, especially the lady! They say fireworks are best in Sydney on New Year's eve. From them i started learning to order alternative dishes to Dal Baht such as soups, salads, desserts, hot chocolate & juice!
We reached Ghasa in pretty bad shape, toes aching and all due to the long journey of approximately 13km! Reached at about 430pm or so. Enroute to Ghasa, we walked the sea route with lotsa pebbles and bypassed Larjung and LETE! Lete was so beautiful! Brown hills on one side, and snow capped mountains on the other! Absolutely magical! It is one of the most gorgeous places we have come across!
Stayed @ Golden Inn, owned by an Indian family. Attached bathrooms too. Met with an Australian elderly couple - Marianne & Simon. They were hilarious, especially the lady! They say fireworks are best in Sydney on New Year's eve. From them i started learning to order alternative dishes to Dal Baht such as soups, salads, desserts, hot chocolate & juice!
We reached Ghasa in pretty bad shape, toes aching and all due to the long journey of approximately 13km! Reached at about 430pm or so. Enroute to Ghasa, we walked the sea route with lotsa pebbles and bypassed Larjung and LETE! Lete was so beautiful! Brown hills on one side, and snow capped mountains on the other! Absolutely magical! It is one of the most gorgeous places we have come across!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Windy blew my face off!
27 Dec 2006
Mukinath --> Kagbeni --> Jomsom
Walking this section of the trail is another worldly experience. The landscape is barren, the sun is very hot and powerful wind blows from the South. They were so strong that they almost knocked me over. Sometimes it turns and blows in the other direction. The Kali Gandaki river bed is about a km wide but the water flows in several separate streams.
We had tea in the Shangrila, a rather cosy place, with egg noodle soup and pudding. Visited the local Gompa (local monastry, for entry fee Rps500), and had an interesting glimpse of the 500 year old monastry, which houses a police post and nuns. This ancient building houses old Tibetian/Buddhist tapestries that were badly decomposed by the sun. Nevertheless, the godly and scary figures up on the walls and pedestals were spectacular, by virtue of their history, significance, and age.
I thought Jomson was an extrememly clean and well-organized town! Can't remember which hotel we stayed in, but it had a very nice setup where the rooms are set around a sunny courtyard & dining area, protected from the strong winds. Had our first taste of chicken (bryani) for dinner, apple brandy for dessert, and a Swede Lebanese couple for company.
Mukinath --> Kagbeni --> Jomsom
Walking this section of the trail is another worldly experience. The landscape is barren, the sun is very hot and powerful wind blows from the South. They were so strong that they almost knocked me over. Sometimes it turns and blows in the other direction. The Kali Gandaki river bed is about a km wide but the water flows in several separate streams.
We had tea in the Shangrila, a rather cosy place, with egg noodle soup and pudding. Visited the local Gompa (local monastry, for entry fee Rps500), and had an interesting glimpse of the 500 year old monastry, which houses a police post and nuns. This ancient building houses old Tibetian/Buddhist tapestries that were badly decomposed by the sun. Nevertheless, the godly and scary figures up on the walls and pedestals were spectacular, by virtue of their history, significance, and age.
I thought Jomson was an extrememly clean and well-organized town! Can't remember which hotel we stayed in, but it had a very nice setup where the rooms are set around a sunny courtyard & dining area, protected from the strong winds. Had our first taste of chicken (bryani) for dinner, apple brandy for dessert, and a Swede Lebanese couple for company.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Boxing Day @ the Pass!
26th Dec 2007
High Camp --> Mukinath
We left the High Camp at around 7am, whilst most trekkers left at 615am. It was a slippery and icey, snowy climb with some bits of the paths being narrow and laced with treacherous sheets of ice (usually not so obvious). Coupled with the onset of Altitude Moutain Sickness (AMS), this very path had caused many porters/trekkers to falther as they made their ascent. YC had difficulty on his way up due to a headache, which i sporadically experienced at the back of my head too. Our ever ready Porter, Ramchamdra had reached the Thorong La Pass (5416m) quickly, and swiftly came climing down, sans bags, to our rescue. He supported us as we struggled our way up. I was so worried about how we were progressing to feel the euphoria when we finally reached the "impassable"!
They say unless you are a mountaineer, one will probably never reach as high an altitude in one's life again. It is the equivalent of 1 1/2 Mt Cooks. The view, well, is that of 2 peaks rising up from the saddle of the Pass. To the North is Yakawa Kang (6482m), and to the south, Khatung Kang (6488m). After taking some photos, we began our descent. Halfway downwards, we could see Dhaulagiri (8167m, World's 7th highest peak). We stopped at a teahouse with instant noodles, and not long, the American and his 3 kids came exclaiming to our stopping point, that they have made it past the Pass as well! Congratulations!
[Oh, which reminded me that we were meant to set out with 2 Australians (who lived in Switzerland for 3 1/2 yrs. Lady is a vet, gent's a PHD student in Biochemistry), but they managed to overtake us along the way. ]
As we descended upon Mukinath, I reaslied it houses one of the most enchanting scenaries with its charming brown mountains surrounding the town. It came at a price. It was a long long walk to this brown town and was one of the most tiring days of my trek so far. We reached at around 330pm and walked to the end of Lo Mustang. Beyond it, towering mountains framed both ends of the valley, the meandering river disappearing into the shadows of Upper Mustang. The Upper Mustang area was a protected area with the oldest of monastaries, and few tea houses. Tourists were prohibited, unless they had Entry Permits, which were pricey.
The walled temple complex of Mukinath has been attracting pilgrims, both Hindu and Buddhist, for centuries. The King comes to this Monastry to pray. There is a helipad here so that he and other rich devotees visit. There are Hindu God structures co-existing within the temple, and this does not worry Nepali Buddhists, with Nepal having a unique mix-and-match approach to religion. Their Courtyard of 108 brass water sprouts stands in the centre of the complex. To receive blessing, just put out your right hand to receive the Holy Water, then touch your mouth and hair with the scoop of water.
Settled down at North Pole Hotel, with hot shower and has a rooftop and whose owner also sold
us expired TANG! But since it tasted good, we were not affected.
High Camp --> Mukinath
We left the High Camp at around 7am, whilst most trekkers left at 615am. It was a slippery and icey, snowy climb with some bits of the paths being narrow and laced with treacherous sheets of ice (usually not so obvious). Coupled with the onset of Altitude Moutain Sickness (AMS), this very path had caused many porters/trekkers to falther as they made their ascent. YC had difficulty on his way up due to a headache, which i sporadically experienced at the back of my head too. Our ever ready Porter, Ramchamdra had reached the Thorong La Pass (5416m) quickly, and swiftly came climing down, sans bags, to our rescue. He supported us as we struggled our way up. I was so worried about how we were progressing to feel the euphoria when we finally reached the "impassable"!
They say unless you are a mountaineer, one will probably never reach as high an altitude in one's life again. It is the equivalent of 1 1/2 Mt Cooks. The view, well, is that of 2 peaks rising up from the saddle of the Pass. To the North is Yakawa Kang (6482m), and to the south, Khatung Kang (6488m). After taking some photos, we began our descent. Halfway downwards, we could see Dhaulagiri (8167m, World's 7th highest peak). We stopped at a teahouse with instant noodles, and not long, the American and his 3 kids came exclaiming to our stopping point, that they have made it past the Pass as well! Congratulations!
[Oh, which reminded me that we were meant to set out with 2 Australians (who lived in Switzerland for 3 1/2 yrs. Lady is a vet, gent's a PHD student in Biochemistry), but they managed to overtake us along the way. ]
As we descended upon Mukinath, I reaslied it houses one of the most enchanting scenaries with its charming brown mountains surrounding the town. It came at a price. It was a long long walk to this brown town and was one of the most tiring days of my trek so far. We reached at around 330pm and walked to the end of Lo Mustang. Beyond it, towering mountains framed both ends of the valley, the meandering river disappearing into the shadows of Upper Mustang. The Upper Mustang area was a protected area with the oldest of monastaries, and few tea houses. Tourists were prohibited, unless they had Entry Permits, which were pricey.
The walled temple complex of Mukinath has been attracting pilgrims, both Hindu and Buddhist, for centuries. The King comes to this Monastry to pray. There is a helipad here so that he and other rich devotees visit. There are Hindu God structures co-existing within the temple, and this does not worry Nepali Buddhists, with Nepal having a unique mix-and-match approach to religion. Their Courtyard of 108 brass water sprouts stands in the centre of the complex. To receive blessing, just put out your right hand to receive the Holy Water, then touch your mouth and hair with the scoop of water.
Settled down at North Pole Hotel, with hot shower and has a rooftop and whose owner also sold
us expired TANG! But since it tasted good, we were not affected.