Milestone

It's the 2nd Sunday in GGH.

Im looking forward to going back to SG soon.

This trip has been truly fruitful. It was a very intense week but i learnt a lot about the operations of the yard. It would have been rather difficult should I have just stayed in SG office. With HM's help, we manage to draft a record number of flowcharts in 3 days more than what I have done in 1 month. Interviewing people, grilling them and asking very specific questions are the key to getting workflow out from them.

G has been the most helpful. Without his guidance, I never would have been able to appreciate and understand the way the yard functions. While I was sitting in the meeting that day, I looked at all of them in the yard uniform. I look at the bosses. I look at the CEO. I hold the utmost respect for them.

I respect G a lot too. He is a great leader, definitely a high flyer for someone his age. What makes him so respectible is his ever-readiness to share his knowledge and his very humble attitude for someone who has already reached his status today.

The whole experience and exposure made my work more fulfilling than ever. Working in China, more specifically, working with the chinese national in their homeground is very much an art on its own. When you cant get past the cultural divide, you will never be able to get your work done. In the short term, you can use an authoritative method. But you know that is the worst method cos it starts and stops there and then. I cant say that I have a formula now but it is really important to build "Guan Xi". That is beyond gifts and luncheons though these are a must. Sincerity is very important and once you break their emotional barrier which resulted from the cultural divide, work moves along much faster.

In any case, Im happy to be in this company, at this time. It is a really exciting period and a very valuable learning opportunity for a fresh grad like me. I drowned a few times in the past and every now and then I still do. But at the end of the day, I know, that while my frantic struggle each time I drown has made me progressed very much faster than if I were to have a smooth sailing ride.

People here love fireworks. Firecrackers too. Other than the public toilets and garlic-infested breaths, I love this city!