This week was a very interesting one.
Richard came down early in the week, and he said:
- You have to be fearless
- In order to sell, I have to get my head around the numbers and what it means
- I have to protect our company's interest
- Most Sales people sell harder internally
He could tell I was uncomfortable with Sales, and I wonder if it is an inital phase or just a nature thing.
Things I have to consider if I stay in this line:
- Can i meet my targets? It resets every year. Can I create new sales every month? Can I upsell to an exisiting customer?
- Do i enjoy talking to people? Yes, but i do not enjoy pushing my product overly. I tend to lose focus when I get too caught up with the details/process, and do not enjoy myself as much as I would like to.
- Sales people are who they are in front of the customer and at home. Bubbly, positive. Is that who I am?
- Customers buy Person, then Company, Product. They have to buy me. Can I be confident to sell myself?
- Is it out of my comfort zone? It is natural for me to feel a little nervous, everytime I meet a client? I find it hard to phantom what they are thinking, and that requires judgement and relationship building on my part. I have to think more before I speak, as Chinese people need a lot of face, and more times than not, I shoot my mouth off.
What Happens if I say yes?
- I will have at least a mil quota for next year.
- It will be full-time sales
- I have to do cold calls, road trips, network a lot more. Be if coffee, dinner, beer. To me, I will do it if I am comfortable with the client, and if I am not the only one going alone.
- More money, but I have to perform. Am i up to it? It will be China & HK market, bearing in mind someone else is coming into the picture to help.
- I have to develop my own sales style, what am I good at?
- This is a different skillset that i have previously developed. Coming from a Banking background, there is very little thinking, but more specialization. Now, things are less unplanned, and i have to think on the fly, and make formulate clever ideas, and pitchings quickly. I am a bit retarded in that aspect, because I am a more of a research, gather ideas, then present kinda person. I have to switch gear and be more spontaneous, and get used to the attention that people give me.
If no?
- Is account management an option? Yes, and No. It could be less agressive, more passive role. May be suitable for me, as I will be within my comfort zone.
- Can I troubleshoot product related problems for clients? No, i have not been very good at that.
- Am I dead accurate when i help them rebuild reports? I fall asleep while keying in the numbers for them, and make mistakes sometimes.
What am I good at?
- Talking to people - I like to find out about them, and the job that they do, the lives that they lead, being very different nationalities from me. I am a little curious sometimes. It helps to foster a good relationship, and continually talk to clients, and trade market news. This will help for them remembering me, selling, and upselling. But more importantly, I see them as friends rather business contacts.
- Likeable - People respond well to my cold calls, and we have quite a few repeat customers. We have built up a solid base of potential clients in China. Of course, there is more to come from the region, and HK.
- Hardworking - I usually take pride when I am tasked something to do.
- Giving people ideas, and making it work for them - Sales presentations are my favorites, that helps is if I know the product well
Tips to survive in Chinese Banks (from Chong Mien & Winga)
1) America this, America that
2) We did this for XXX Big Bank
3) Give them FACE, flatter them, never imply they are STUPID or WRONG
4) Buy them gifts, visit them
5) Call them to talk to them about themselves, family, what they do for leisure etc
6) Trade market information as information is a little restricted in China
7) Cheap may not be an appealing factor for them
8) Whites may be a good advantage
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Gloom & Doom - Housing Woes, UK & US
Central Banker Says UK is Heading into Recession
By Reuters 21 Jul 2008 04:08 AM ET
The British economy is heading into recession and interest rates should fall to "well below" their current 5 percent, Bank of England policy-maker David Blanchflower was quoted as saying in a newspaper interview.
The arch-dove was quoted as saying in Monday's edition of the Guardian newspaper that the economy would probably shrink for as much as a year and policy-makers had to act now to bring down borrowing costs.
The Bank of England has held interest rates at 5 percent for the last three months after cutting them in April despite signs of a sharply slowing economy because inflation has nearly doubled the central bank's 2 percent target.
Blanchflower was the lone voice calling for a cut in interest rates in May and June.
Minutes of this month's meeting will be published on Wednesday, but Blanchflower looks sure to have repeated his call for lower rates.
"I think we are going into recession and we are probably in one right now," Blanchflower told the Guardian.
"We will probably have three or four quarters of negative growth, but the risks are to the downside. It's not too late to stop it, but we have to act right now. Monetary policy has been far too tight for too long. We can't just sit and do nothing as we have done for too long."
Blanchflower, an academic economist who lives in the United States, told the newspaper that the British economy could be in for a worse ride than even the American economy.
Both countries, he said, were facing the "biggest economic problem since the Great Depression."
He added that "the U.S. has had a big stimulus, but the UK has had none. So the same things that have been happening in the U.S. will happen in the UK, but they could well be worse."
Blanchflower has said house prices in Britain could fall by as much as third.
The recent rises in unemployment, he told the newspaper, were just the "tip of the iceberg" as job losses in house building combined with the financial sector and retail.
He said that the Monetary Policy Committee had to consider the medium-term price outlook and that inflation -- which hit a series-high of 3.8 percent in June -- could fall sharply.
"Our job is to focus on inflation in the medium-term so we have to look through the short-term shock from oil and commodity prices," Blanchflower was quoted as saying.
"The economy is now slowing so fast that we run the risk of writing a letter on the low side in the medium-term."
Under the BoE's remit, the governor has to write an explanatory letter to the government when inflation deviates from the 2 percent target by more than a percentage point.
Governor Mervyn King had to write such a letter for only the second time last month when the May inflation data showed a jump to 3.3 percent.
Average home asking price down £4,000 on a year ago
The Times
Homeowners are resorting to increasingly aggressive price cuts in an effort to sell their properties, with asking prices across England and Wales an average £4,000 less than they were a year ago as a new realism sets in across the housing market.
The average price is now £235,219, 2 per cent less than last July, according to the Rightmove website.
The gloomiest sellers — in the East Midlands — are asking £11,011 less than a year ago, a drop of 6 per cent, while those in the North and the West Midlands have reduced asking prices by £7,906 (4.9 per cent) and £9,609 (4.8 per cent), respectively.
Asking prices have fluctuated in the past year as sellers have struggled to come to terms with the end of a decade-long housing boom, but Rightmove, which publishes a monthly survey of the homes it lists for sale, has recorded the first annual fall in prices since the survey began six years ago.
It also shows a dip in recent weeks. The value of flats has been hit hardest in the past month, down 4 per cent, while semi-detached and terraced homes are 3.7 and 3.1 per cent lower. Detached homes are holding relatively steady, at 1.8 per cent lower than last month.
The survey reflects owners’ aspirations rather than the sale price of homes, but separate research by Hometrack, the property data company, has suggested that buyers are paying on average 91.6 per cent of the asking price. A year ago they paid 95.1 per cent.
Miles Shipside, Rightmove’s commercial director, said: “Sellers are finally recognising that they need to undercut rivals from the outset, rather than testing the market and dropping prices later. It could be a lot better outcome to price aggressively and sell now, rather than accept a bigger reduction later as prices continue to fall.”
Agents at the top end of the market have reported that the decline has spread to prime properties in Central London. However, Rightmove says London sellers are continuing to hold out and that asking prices of homes in the capital appear to have edged up 0.3 per cent in the four weeks to July 12. Mr Shipside said: “Sellers still seem to be disregarding the brutal fact that potential buyers’ sentiment and affordability has taken a severe knock.”
Economy Likely to Weaken Further: Conference Board
By Reuters 21 Jul 2008 10:12 AM ET
The index of leading U.S. economic indicators slipped 0.1 percent in June, showing that the limping economy is still far from being on the mend, the Conference Board reported.
It "wouldn't take much to push the economy so that it's even weaker in the second half of 2008," said Ken Goldstein, labor economist at the private research group, in a statement.
Goldstein attributed the drop to a "deep financial crisis, a prolonged, intense slump in housing, high gasoline and food prices, weak consumer confidence and a weak dollar."
The index's reading for May was revised to show a 0.2 percent drop, initially reported as a 0.1 percent rise.
Economists polled by Reuters ahead of the report had anticipated that June's index would fall 0.1 percent.
On Friday, a survey by Reuters and University of Michigan showed that Americans, unnerved by a worsening job market and sky-high oil prices, plan to pay off debt and boost savings in preparation for expected further economic turmoil.
Half of U.S. consumers polled said they plan to speed up reducing their debt and a third said they plan to save more in the year ahead, according to the survey, which will be released this week.
"Most of the planned declines in debt and increases in savings are intended as a precautionary measure in the face of a deepening economic downturn," Richard Curtin, director of Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, said in a statement on Friday ahead of Tuesday's release of the poll.
The Reuters/University of Michigan's widely followed U.S. consumer sentiment index has fallen sharply this year, as the economy slows and oil prices hit record highs.
A week ago, it said the index turned up slightly in early July after hitting a 28-year low in June.
Wall Street Mergers on the Way?
There have been nascent signs of the intended debt and saving moves by gloomy consumers.
The government's measure of aggregate U.S. savings jumped to 5.0 percent in May, the biggest since March 1995, while the Federal Reserve's gauge of household indebtedness versus income slipped to 14.13 percent in the first quarter, the lowest in two years.
While much of the recent debt reduction was voluntary, Curtin said a sizable portion stemmed from difficulties in obtaining loans or a growing perception that banks are reluctant to extend credit.
Moreover, the higher saving goal could be thwarted if energy and food prices continue to rise and companies shed more jobs as business conditions deteriorate, according to Curtin.
For the broader economy, debt reduction and savings increases by consumers, who account for more than two-thirds of the U.S. economy, will coincide with a deepening economic downturn in the second half of 2008 and early 2009, he said.
By Reuters 21 Jul 2008 04:08 AM ET
The British economy is heading into recession and interest rates should fall to "well below" their current 5 percent, Bank of England policy-maker David Blanchflower was quoted as saying in a newspaper interview.
The arch-dove was quoted as saying in Monday's edition of the Guardian newspaper that the economy would probably shrink for as much as a year and policy-makers had to act now to bring down borrowing costs.
The Bank of England has held interest rates at 5 percent for the last three months after cutting them in April despite signs of a sharply slowing economy because inflation has nearly doubled the central bank's 2 percent target.
Blanchflower was the lone voice calling for a cut in interest rates in May and June.
Minutes of this month's meeting will be published on Wednesday, but Blanchflower looks sure to have repeated his call for lower rates.
"I think we are going into recession and we are probably in one right now," Blanchflower told the Guardian.
"We will probably have three or four quarters of negative growth, but the risks are to the downside. It's not too late to stop it, but we have to act right now. Monetary policy has been far too tight for too long. We can't just sit and do nothing as we have done for too long."
Blanchflower, an academic economist who lives in the United States, told the newspaper that the British economy could be in for a worse ride than even the American economy.
Both countries, he said, were facing the "biggest economic problem since the Great Depression."
He added that "the U.S. has had a big stimulus, but the UK has had none. So the same things that have been happening in the U.S. will happen in the UK, but they could well be worse."
Blanchflower has said house prices in Britain could fall by as much as third.
The recent rises in unemployment, he told the newspaper, were just the "tip of the iceberg" as job losses in house building combined with the financial sector and retail.
He said that the Monetary Policy Committee had to consider the medium-term price outlook and that inflation -- which hit a series-high of 3.8 percent in June -- could fall sharply.
"Our job is to focus on inflation in the medium-term so we have to look through the short-term shock from oil and commodity prices," Blanchflower was quoted as saying.
"The economy is now slowing so fast that we run the risk of writing a letter on the low side in the medium-term."
Under the BoE's remit, the governor has to write an explanatory letter to the government when inflation deviates from the 2 percent target by more than a percentage point.
Governor Mervyn King had to write such a letter for only the second time last month when the May inflation data showed a jump to 3.3 percent.
Average home asking price down £4,000 on a year ago
The Times
Homeowners are resorting to increasingly aggressive price cuts in an effort to sell their properties, with asking prices across England and Wales an average £4,000 less than they were a year ago as a new realism sets in across the housing market.
The average price is now £235,219, 2 per cent less than last July, according to the Rightmove website.
The gloomiest sellers — in the East Midlands — are asking £11,011 less than a year ago, a drop of 6 per cent, while those in the North and the West Midlands have reduced asking prices by £7,906 (4.9 per cent) and £9,609 (4.8 per cent), respectively.
Asking prices have fluctuated in the past year as sellers have struggled to come to terms with the end of a decade-long housing boom, but Rightmove, which publishes a monthly survey of the homes it lists for sale, has recorded the first annual fall in prices since the survey began six years ago.
It also shows a dip in recent weeks. The value of flats has been hit hardest in the past month, down 4 per cent, while semi-detached and terraced homes are 3.7 and 3.1 per cent lower. Detached homes are holding relatively steady, at 1.8 per cent lower than last month.
The survey reflects owners’ aspirations rather than the sale price of homes, but separate research by Hometrack, the property data company, has suggested that buyers are paying on average 91.6 per cent of the asking price. A year ago they paid 95.1 per cent.
Miles Shipside, Rightmove’s commercial director, said: “Sellers are finally recognising that they need to undercut rivals from the outset, rather than testing the market and dropping prices later. It could be a lot better outcome to price aggressively and sell now, rather than accept a bigger reduction later as prices continue to fall.”
Agents at the top end of the market have reported that the decline has spread to prime properties in Central London. However, Rightmove says London sellers are continuing to hold out and that asking prices of homes in the capital appear to have edged up 0.3 per cent in the four weeks to July 12. Mr Shipside said: “Sellers still seem to be disregarding the brutal fact that potential buyers’ sentiment and affordability has taken a severe knock.”
Economy Likely to Weaken Further: Conference Board
By Reuters 21 Jul 2008 10:12 AM ET
The index of leading U.S. economic indicators slipped 0.1 percent in June, showing that the limping economy is still far from being on the mend, the Conference Board reported.
It "wouldn't take much to push the economy so that it's even weaker in the second half of 2008," said Ken Goldstein, labor economist at the private research group, in a statement.
Goldstein attributed the drop to a "deep financial crisis, a prolonged, intense slump in housing, high gasoline and food prices, weak consumer confidence and a weak dollar."
The index's reading for May was revised to show a 0.2 percent drop, initially reported as a 0.1 percent rise.
Economists polled by Reuters ahead of the report had anticipated that June's index would fall 0.1 percent.
On Friday, a survey by Reuters and University of Michigan showed that Americans, unnerved by a worsening job market and sky-high oil prices, plan to pay off debt and boost savings in preparation for expected further economic turmoil.
Half of U.S. consumers polled said they plan to speed up reducing their debt and a third said they plan to save more in the year ahead, according to the survey, which will be released this week.
"Most of the planned declines in debt and increases in savings are intended as a precautionary measure in the face of a deepening economic downturn," Richard Curtin, director of Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, said in a statement on Friday ahead of Tuesday's release of the poll.
The Reuters/University of Michigan's widely followed U.S. consumer sentiment index has fallen sharply this year, as the economy slows and oil prices hit record highs.
A week ago, it said the index turned up slightly in early July after hitting a 28-year low in June.
Wall Street Mergers on the Way?
There have been nascent signs of the intended debt and saving moves by gloomy consumers.
The government's measure of aggregate U.S. savings jumped to 5.0 percent in May, the biggest since March 1995, while the Federal Reserve's gauge of household indebtedness versus income slipped to 14.13 percent in the first quarter, the lowest in two years.
While much of the recent debt reduction was voluntary, Curtin said a sizable portion stemmed from difficulties in obtaining loans or a growing perception that banks are reluctant to extend credit.
Moreover, the higher saving goal could be thwarted if energy and food prices continue to rise and companies shed more jobs as business conditions deteriorate, according to Curtin.
For the broader economy, debt reduction and savings increases by consumers, who account for more than two-thirds of the U.S. economy, will coincide with a deepening economic downturn in the second half of 2008 and early 2009, he said.
Monday, July 21, 2008
My Coming out Party
This morning as i walked to work, i thought of whether ... it is important to struggle and have a painful past, and that itself is good for character building. Whenever i watch America's Next Top Model, they drill models to ask what their motivation is. And what brings them here to compete. And its the same motivation that i should have to compete in the global marketspace and in the industry for my business.
Let me list what i have on my plate: I grew up in a family where my dad travels a lot for business, leaving my mom to manage the day to day runnings of the household with three kids. Meaning she cooks, manages the finances, cleans the house, sews, washes clothes, and takes us for classes all in impeccable clockwork. In short, my mom planned everything. With my dad, Cash flow, Workaholic, Women, Business and Opportunities were always his buzzwords. I grew up being a very hardworking and obedient kid, who had not very much sense of what was right and wrong, but had a keen sense of going with the flow. My motivation now is to develop another skill set that makes me think out of the box. Not to go with the flow. This is my story of a wide-eyed innocent girl coming out into the big brave world. She hopes to come out seasoned and to make it despite the odds. This is my coming out party.
Throughout the day, Richard kept talking about my commision and sales pitches. I was lost. It was not familar ground. I couldnt think. Nothing was registering. It simply went one ear in and out the other. i couldnt capture the essense of what he was saying.
Things I could do in HK to satisfy my hobbies
- work in a dog farm looking after dogs
- teach S&D
- sell my cake tins
- join HK Squash Association: http://www.hksquash.org.hk/index.html
- join the South China Atheletic Association: www.scaa.org.hk. Swimming, Squash
- take up dance classes at www.jmarts.com or http://www.glballet.com.hk/
- performing arts centre for drama, dance and media pursuits: http://www.hkapa.edu/
A side note: It had been fun in Thailand. It had been rough in Yunnan. It had been fun in Austria. It has been tough in HK. Going by the rule of statistics, I should be having fun in the next place i land up in.
Let me list what i have on my plate: I grew up in a family where my dad travels a lot for business, leaving my mom to manage the day to day runnings of the household with three kids. Meaning she cooks, manages the finances, cleans the house, sews, washes clothes, and takes us for classes all in impeccable clockwork. In short, my mom planned everything. With my dad, Cash flow, Workaholic, Women, Business and Opportunities were always his buzzwords. I grew up being a very hardworking and obedient kid, who had not very much sense of what was right and wrong, but had a keen sense of going with the flow. My motivation now is to develop another skill set that makes me think out of the box. Not to go with the flow. This is my story of a wide-eyed innocent girl coming out into the big brave world. She hopes to come out seasoned and to make it despite the odds. This is my coming out party.
Throughout the day, Richard kept talking about my commision and sales pitches. I was lost. It was not familar ground. I couldnt think. Nothing was registering. It simply went one ear in and out the other. i couldnt capture the essense of what he was saying.
Things I could do in HK to satisfy my hobbies
- work in a dog farm looking after dogs
- teach S&D
- sell my cake tins
- join HK Squash Association: http://www.hksquash.org.hk/index.html
- join the South China Atheletic Association: www.scaa.org.hk. Swimming, Squash
- take up dance classes at www.jmarts.com or http://www.glballet.com.hk/
- performing arts centre for drama, dance and media pursuits: http://www.hkapa.edu/
A side note: It had been fun in Thailand. It had been rough in Yunnan. It had been fun in Austria. It has been tough in HK. Going by the rule of statistics, I should be having fun in the next place i land up in.
The glorious weekend
Its has been good with Von ard. Last week was shopping at Granville Road. This week was at Sha Tin. The mall is huge! We made quite a few purchases for ard SGD200+. Discovered an interesting place called Sam Shui Po, which has Wholesale Clothes, Beads, Ribbons, & Buttons Galore. So bought a two necklaces for sgd13. Also we went to Stanley Beach to tan. Oh my, the waters were filthy to the max, the happy beach revellers did not seem to mind that one bit. Well, think of it like East Coast Beach type water. We should look for another beach that has better waters.
This coming week looks very interesting. Big boss will be down, after which I fly to Beijing with bossy. Big Boss coming down is good for me to update him on my progress, find out management shuffle, check on my bonus and if I get to go London? I have been in the company for a 13mths now. ForBJ, I have a host of 2-3rd revisits lined up, and it should be heating up as we propose a deal that one cannot refuse. I should leave by Tuesday and be back by Friday.
This coming week looks very interesting. Big boss will be down, after which I fly to Beijing with bossy. Big Boss coming down is good for me to update him on my progress, find out management shuffle, check on my bonus and if I get to go London? I have been in the company for a 13mths now. ForBJ, I have a host of 2-3rd revisits lined up, and it should be heating up as we propose a deal that one cannot refuse. I should leave by Tuesday and be back by Friday.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Letting Go
I have been in pain for the past 9 months. Crying and feeling sorry for myself. I have been progressing, definitely (ive learnt to relax more), and now is perhaps for me to get to the next level, which is to feel happy and be surrounded by friends.
The thing about me that i have discovered today (after a sleepless night) is that i am someone who is very wary of everyone around me. And the outer friendly shell is just a facade that i put up to hide my insecurity. in actual fact, i am a very skeptical and scared person. Also a shy pessimist. this i will very bravely admit once and for all.
I have to think for myself. I came to HK based on my own accord. I am not going back to Singapore without a fight. Since when was I a quitter. The tougher things are, the harder i will persevere on. Of course when there is a will there is a way. its all how we perceive things right, i just have to reconfigure my mindset to be positive, and make things work. I finally understand the true meaning that optimism does not come naturally, haaaa, it comes after hardship. With hardship, you find a way out, and that is optimism.
Thanks to zan, antz, syah, hazel and juliana (all overseas veterans), who have given me support and advice this while when i was sad and depressed. my friends will be my therapist, and indeed, friends will not automatically come to you, I have to go out and find them. Since when did things come so easy? Then life would not be so colourful right!
Goodbye tears, hello sunshine.
The thing about me that i have discovered today (after a sleepless night) is that i am someone who is very wary of everyone around me. And the outer friendly shell is just a facade that i put up to hide my insecurity. in actual fact, i am a very skeptical and scared person. Also a shy pessimist. this i will very bravely admit once and for all.
I have to think for myself. I came to HK based on my own accord. I am not going back to Singapore without a fight. Since when was I a quitter. The tougher things are, the harder i will persevere on. Of course when there is a will there is a way. its all how we perceive things right, i just have to reconfigure my mindset to be positive, and make things work. I finally understand the true meaning that optimism does not come naturally, haaaa, it comes after hardship. With hardship, you find a way out, and that is optimism.
Thanks to zan, antz, syah, hazel and juliana (all overseas veterans), who have given me support and advice this while when i was sad and depressed. my friends will be my therapist, and indeed, friends will not automatically come to you, I have to go out and find them. Since when did things come so easy? Then life would not be so colourful right!
Goodbye tears, hello sunshine.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Love
I discovered CNA's anchors blog today. Some interesting points from T.Go's piece.
Taking the Romance out of LoveJune 27th, 2008 by timothy-go
Not so long ago, sometime in February I believe, I was reading an issue of Time magazine about Love.
A series of articles all discussing love, chemistry, romance and relationships.
And being the un-romantic sort that I am, I was intrigued and couldn’t put the copy down. Here we have articles taking the romance out of love and making us understand what it is that makes us do what we do when we think we are in love.
Sure, being in-love is great. I used to say this world will be so much better if everyone is in the state of being in-love all the time.
And then I got old and practical, and realize love is nothing like what we see in romantic comedies.
In fact, Time magazine seem to have validated what I think love is.
Jeffrey Kluger found out that for couples to survive, they have to get past the early, thrill stage of love and settle for what he calls “companionate love” where couples spend Sunday mornings reading the papers and having coffee, or playing board games on a rainy weekend etc.
There were other things said about love in the article. About how we sometimes fall in love with someone because they are extremely attractive, but more like they become extremely attractive because we have already fallen for them.
And then this: A researcher at Concordia University in Montreal found that when we are in love we “think someone made you feel good, but really it is your brain that made you feel good.”
I’ve done experiments on my own about this and try as hard as I can to control emotions or natural reactions to certain situations.
I tell myself that sometimes we react because it is what society expects from us, ie. jealousy, anger, annoyance, disappointment, rage.
Friends and colleagues often ask what keeps me so relaxed and zen amidst all the chaos and deadlines around me on a daily basis.
I always say it is all in the mind. We make our brains make us feel good. We can actually control what we feel if we put our minds in it.
I ignore things that I have no control over and I live with it.
Then I focus my energy on matters that I can do something about.
And I just laugh off the rest — and say that’s just how the world works.
Taking the Romance out of LoveJune 27th, 2008 by timothy-go
Not so long ago, sometime in February I believe, I was reading an issue of Time magazine about Love.
A series of articles all discussing love, chemistry, romance and relationships.
And being the un-romantic sort that I am, I was intrigued and couldn’t put the copy down. Here we have articles taking the romance out of love and making us understand what it is that makes us do what we do when we think we are in love.
Sure, being in-love is great. I used to say this world will be so much better if everyone is in the state of being in-love all the time.
And then I got old and practical, and realize love is nothing like what we see in romantic comedies.
In fact, Time magazine seem to have validated what I think love is.
Jeffrey Kluger found out that for couples to survive, they have to get past the early, thrill stage of love and settle for what he calls “companionate love” where couples spend Sunday mornings reading the papers and having coffee, or playing board games on a rainy weekend etc.
There were other things said about love in the article. About how we sometimes fall in love with someone because they are extremely attractive, but more like they become extremely attractive because we have already fallen for them.
And then this: A researcher at Concordia University in Montreal found that when we are in love we “think someone made you feel good, but really it is your brain that made you feel good.”
I’ve done experiments on my own about this and try as hard as I can to control emotions or natural reactions to certain situations.
I tell myself that sometimes we react because it is what society expects from us, ie. jealousy, anger, annoyance, disappointment, rage.
Friends and colleagues often ask what keeps me so relaxed and zen amidst all the chaos and deadlines around me on a daily basis.
I always say it is all in the mind. We make our brains make us feel good. We can actually control what we feel if we put our minds in it.
I ignore things that I have no control over and I live with it.
Then I focus my energy on matters that I can do something about.
And I just laugh off the rest — and say that’s just how the world works.
"Why"
Glenda echos my sentiments. Her's is journalism, mine is Finance. I recently explained to Ruby Why. Because the exposure here is more than i can ever get in Singapore. Yes, i sell software, i have nothing to be ashamed of. Like Glenda, i graduated 3 years ago, starry-eyed and wanting to work in Front office of top I-banks. Indeed, it was not meant to be. Lehman, DBS and Citi all saw me. I dont give up that aspiration. I am still working hard for it. I am humbled, knowing you have to put yourself before others in a harsh society. I learnt that people trust me easily, and that makes it easy for me to get appointments.
Almost 5 mths into the presales role, i have to rely on my contacts and charm to get around. I have a lot to learn in terms of managing people, and this job gives me the training ground I need, with limited risk. I only have my youth to lose. It is a challenge, and i relish challenges. If someone intends to live alone in a foreign country, i will definitely advise a thinking through. It is painful. But you grow and mature. I meet people and they will be the building blocks of my career as I do see myself in finance in the long run.
Why?July 3rd, 2008 by glenda-chong
I guess the most pressing question is why I decided to transfer to Shanghai to be a correspondent. Upon graduation from Boston University, like every idealist fresh graduate, I thought I could be the next Peter Jennings or Tom Brokow. But as things always turn out, that was not meant to be. You have to work very hard to achieve what you truly want. I waited on tables in New York at a restaurant, and I realize that I can multi-task rather well without being distracted. Plus, surviving on tips alone and relying on the charity of friends, makes you a humble person.
And after almost 8 years of anchoring, I thought I’d should do field reporting while I am still young. So I hurdled, somersaulted and after a lot of convincing of my bosses, I applied for the Shanghai posting. Correspondent positions, like anchoring, don’t avail themselves very easily. Once you make a name for yourself, you hardly want to relinquish.
I am still young and healthy so what better time than now to run around getting stories, relocating to a new country where I get to challenge myself. It’s the perfect opportunity.
I love challenges and this is the perfect challenge for me. My friends tell me I am very fortunate to have known at an early age that I wanted to be a journalist. And after 10 years in the industry, I am still in love with journalism. There are so many responsibilities which forces you to learn other things besides just reporting. I also have to learn accounts, administrative work and managing staff.
Please make no mistake, I love anchoring and will eventually go back to anchoring, but for now I need to scratch this itch first.
Almost 5 mths into the presales role, i have to rely on my contacts and charm to get around. I have a lot to learn in terms of managing people, and this job gives me the training ground I need, with limited risk. I only have my youth to lose. It is a challenge, and i relish challenges. If someone intends to live alone in a foreign country, i will definitely advise a thinking through. It is painful. But you grow and mature. I meet people and they will be the building blocks of my career as I do see myself in finance in the long run.
Why?July 3rd, 2008 by glenda-chong
I guess the most pressing question is why I decided to transfer to Shanghai to be a correspondent. Upon graduation from Boston University, like every idealist fresh graduate, I thought I could be the next Peter Jennings or Tom Brokow. But as things always turn out, that was not meant to be. You have to work very hard to achieve what you truly want. I waited on tables in New York at a restaurant, and I realize that I can multi-task rather well without being distracted. Plus, surviving on tips alone and relying on the charity of friends, makes you a humble person.
And after almost 8 years of anchoring, I thought I’d should do field reporting while I am still young. So I hurdled, somersaulted and after a lot of convincing of my bosses, I applied for the Shanghai posting. Correspondent positions, like anchoring, don’t avail themselves very easily. Once you make a name for yourself, you hardly want to relinquish.
I am still young and healthy so what better time than now to run around getting stories, relocating to a new country where I get to challenge myself. It’s the perfect opportunity.
I love challenges and this is the perfect challenge for me. My friends tell me I am very fortunate to have known at an early age that I wanted to be a journalist. And after 10 years in the industry, I am still in love with journalism. There are so many responsibilities which forces you to learn other things besides just reporting. I also have to learn accounts, administrative work and managing staff.
Please make no mistake, I love anchoring and will eventually go back to anchoring, but for now I need to scratch this itch first.