Hong Kong 2012 - Chapter 1: Going over and Royal Plaza Hotel

2 February 2012

* I really wish I had the leisure to sit down properly and blog about my everyday experiences before they become stale news, the way I used to when I was studying.. sigh.. too bad working has killed most of my brain cells by the time I get home everyday T__T

After working in this company and hearing lots of horror stories about my bosses, I was a bit sceptical when they announced that there would be a company trip this year.. Heck, some my colleagues have been around for 3 years already and have never experienced any company trip before. We were all so wary that we weren't even enthusiastic when asked to choose a suitable place to go to (In the end it was an easy choice as the final choices were Goa and Hong Kong!). In fact, we only definitely confirmed that we were going 2 days before the departure date @.@

Had to work for half a day on Thursday since ours was an afternoon flight scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong just in time for dinner there.. 4 hour flight and Hong Kong is 1 hour behind KL/Singapore, go figure~

The tiny immigration form

Up until the last minute before we were scheduled to leave for the airport, our boss was still doling out work to us :S Anyways, all of us had already brought our luggage to work and we just took a taxi to Changi Airport Terminal 1 to catch our Jetstar flight (which was delayed 1 whole hour, damn Jetstar, grr..)

The luggage that started it all..

I remember thinking when I borrowed this suitcase from my cousin that it looked so common, it would be very easy for someone to take the wrong bag at the baggage claim area, seems like I can go into the fortune telling business.. After going quite a few rounds round the baggage carousel and everyone had gotten their bags except me, I had no choice but to make a report at the baggage counter T__T

I remember asking myself many times why I had to go and think of such stuff since its a known fact that thoughts are powerful.. I was starting to panic but somehow, I don't know when, maybe when the guy told us that the staff at the airport will call me once they locate my missing luggage, I just started to feel very zen and calm and just kept telling myself that I would see my bag soon. Maybe someone had taken the wrong bag, then left it somewhere and I would just walk past and spot it? The worst thing would be that I had to go to bed and go about the next day in the stinky clothes I was wearing and just grab some daily necessities from the nearest Watsons outlet..

I didn't really have time to really panic either, since it was already 9pm++ after the flight delay, immigration and running around the baggage claim area, and I couldn't afford to waste much time as everyone was really hungry and looking forward to checking into the hotel. In the end, we had takeaway burgers from Burger King for dinner on our first night in Hong Kong.. :(

Incredibly though, I got a call just when we were preparing to go to our shuttle bus to the hotel telling me that they had located my luggage and I had to go back to the immigration area to claim it. I felt like I was in some reality show as I was running the length of the airport while on the phone with the officer who was giving me directions to his office ~ I remember it was 9.50pm when the officer brought me to enter through the back door of the immigration area, as the guard at the door said that we had to hurry as he would close up in 10 minutes.. (just 10 more minutes and I would have had no pyjamas that night!) Turns out stupid Jetstar had mislaid my bag, grrrr (damn Jetstar! x 2).

The only picture I took on the way to the hotel as I was still trying to take in the sights around me after such an eventful evening.. Its a fire-station by the way :)

Finally checked into The Royal Plaza Hotel at around 11pm.. Its the building in the background by the way.. (only realised my camera's lens can't zoom after I got it @.@)

These were taken on day 2, cause no mood whatsoever to take photos the day we arrived~

Hotel lobby with chinese new year decor since it was still cny when we went :)

Can someone tell me what fruits these are? so cute~ like the 人参果 in Journey to the West!!

View from my room on the 13th floor 1352~

In the lobby before setting out for dinner on day 2~

The room was a deluxe room and it was huge! I started to miss the room already before leaving HK.. Due to a twist of fate, we ended up with 1 room each when it was supposed to be twin or triple sharing because many people ended up not going on the trip.. Incredible right?! First time I've heard of 1 room per pax for company trips... O.o...

Two beds all to myself~

Huge toilet with long bath.. not that I had the leisure time to enjoy it though...

View from the entrance~

Pantry area.. one of my colleagues got the family room, and it even had a cooker and a microwave @.@

far end of the room

Everyone loved the hotel so much! even those who had been to Hong Kong before agreed that the rooms were bigger than the standard HK hotel rooms.. Its located right next to the Grand Century Place shopping mall and near to Mongkok MTR station, very convenient.. and it was only about SGD250 for 4 days 3 nights.. will seriously consider staying there next time I go, hehehe...

Can't wait to get into the nitty gritty of my trip after this.. :D

Bye to my first job~

11 July 2011

While going through my 'unorganised photos' folder, I suddenly remembered that there is an event in my life which I wanted to write about and remember but never got round to doing it~ The day I left my first real job (not counting that part time job after SPM and my internship) was a really memorable day. I truly think that this job gave me lots of good friends that I can look to for help and advice. Aww.. I don't miss the company but I miss my colleagues.. I remember crying like mad on the bus ride back home, when it finally sank in that I was leaving T__T

My old workplace~ don't miss the computer that much since I'm using Windows 7 with a flat-screen monitor now, heehee.. but it still felt kind of weird when I went back to visit and saw my seat being occupied by a new employee..

Luckily with this picture, I'm able to recall that lunch on my last day was at Sushi Zanmai, can't remember what I ate though, haha.. With my lovely group mates TAP, CLE, TSW and myself -- SYT (We used initials on all our work to identify who did what~)

At the end of the day, the symbolic process of handing over my portfolio to the most patient and meticulous senior in the world, Ms LYH.. I swear, even I would like to knock myself over my head over some careless mistakes that I sometimes make, but she is always so patient when checking my work, made me feel so guilty sometimes..

A final group photo with the members of VK group minus TAP, who was busy releasing an announcement i think.. You can obviously see here that my boss looks like she's about to cry, which breaks my heart since she is just the most awesome boss ever.. and it was like my absence was going to pile more work onto her fragile shoulders, since they hadn't found a replacement when I left.. even now, she's still complaining about me leaving her, lol..

Since it was after working hours and I was still going through my handover list, these very free people were just hanging around waiting for me to finish (of course the photo wasn't taken by me ok! :P) I was VIP of the day, yay~

With the lady with all the gossip, and the one who called me Master Sifu since she always asked me for help when drafting her official memos and email.. she's kind of scary to people who cross her, but I must be a very likeable person, cos we got on ever so well together.. heh! :D she was pregnant when I left and now her little prince is more than one month old already, how time flies!

Caught Mr Hasbullah of the filing department just before he left for the day, the other filing guys had all gone back already, since they always leave at 5.30pm sharp.. He's the one I always went to for help in binding the endless copies Memorandum and Articles of Association that clients were always requesting for. I always stuck the tape on all crooked, and he is after-all an expert in all things to do with filing and binding.. At my new job we don't have such admin assistants and I realised that I'm actually quite good at M&A binding after some practice, lol..

The customary photos in at the reception area with the company name and logo behind us, I can't think of anyone who left without taking a pic here.. haha..

In the main boardroom.. pardon me for being that round, I get rotund easily if I eat heavy dinners everyday, and there had been quite a lot of farewell dinners around that time.. @.@~

Sobs, all boycotting me for leaving them in Malaysia..

When I started working, I was the most junior in the group, a year and a half later, I had 2 'little kids' to bully, heehee~

Chairing a farewell 'meeting' in one of the smaller boardrooms, before we wreaked havoc inside, luckily no one came to report us to the big boss :D

Our canvas for some artwork :):)

Caught in the act? Vandalising??! O.o..

Nobody thought of getting me a real farewell card, so this is what I got.. Cute eh?? :)

The talented artist and me~

Hahaha... thumbs down for the guy who went on leave even though it was my last day T_T

You disappointed us, Mr AKJ

With my bestie in the office. Ms ESM whom I first met in Liverpool.. She started work only a week after me and we used to have delivery vegetarian lunch together at the typewriter area, before our work-lunch gang was established.. remember??? :D

This was my 'next to leave' list, but I think I got it wrong, because no. 6 on my list was the first to leave.. quite a shocker really.. oh well, no one's going to stay forever anyways.. erm, well.. maybe except for the guy who was on leave on my last day, as everyone cursed him to stay forever, lol...

Proceeded to go to level 17 to search for more people to take pictures with, my department was on the 18th floor.. some girls were there practising their cheerleading routine for the Bursa Malaysia Rat Race contest.. (Supposed to blog about the 2010 race which I attended, but haven't got to doing it yet.. haha..)

2010 Oct-Nov batch of colleagues.. only one survivor out of the 4 of us, the rest have since resigned~

Last picture, this is with Corin from our internal accounting department, the one I always went to when there was anything wrong with my invoices, and also the Tupperware person who supplied me with Tupperware covers.. @.@ didn't realise her eyes were closed in the only photo I have with her until now.. aiya...

One interesting thing that I miss about my old job (other than my colleageus) was the fact that there were so many people selling things that I found pretty useful and I can't find those stuff anywhere else now, such as cosmetics (from a despatch guy who got his stock from magazine editorial offices), dutch lady yoghurt drink at only RM4 for two bottles, amazingly yummy chinese new year cookies, arrowhead chips, Dior accesories (one of the clients) and as mentioned, Tupperware.. lol.. Can you imagine, I once got a brand new full sized Lancome Genifique Youth Activator for only RM30 from the despatch guy who didnt know how much his goods were worth!

On to my second job now, sincerely hoping that there will be things that are worth missing too when its time to leave... *crossing fingers*

CNY 2011~

Whoa, how much faster can the Earth spin??! Can't believe its Chinese New Year all over again! @.@ granted its in January this year instead of February like previous years, but the last CNY seemed like just awhile ago.. Hmm, or is it because I've been super unproductive in 2011 in terms of blog posts, since I'm digging this post out from my huge pile of drafts from last year.. *groan*

Last year was special for me since it was the first time that we had a reunion dinner with only three people.. I think Im getting used to the idea now :) (Just had our small but cosy reunion dinner just now and it was simply yummy~! Props to Mum!!) It was also the first time that I joined my friends to go about town to 拜年 and collect angpows.. Never got to do that since we moved to JB because we always went back to either Penang or KL for CNY.. Truth be told, it was rather fun to visit the houses of friends that I've known for ages but never got the chance to step into their homes.. :)

Will be starting work on the third day of CNY this year, sobs.. Will miss the extra day's holiday in during my old job.. Just to reminisce, last year, while still working in KL, I got to have Yee Sang i think twice in two days? Can't really remember.. but I know I had it more times than previously..

Our little 'feast' at Esquire Kitchen.. the food wasn't great but the company was.. :):) to my work-lunch gang, friends forever!!

The second time, went with my favourite boss to The Han Room at The Gardens.. After reading the reviews, I was really anticipating the food there.. In the end, I was greatly disappointed, the food was good but the services was so horrible, it put me off going a second time.. We waited more than 2 hours for our food and they still somehow managed to get the orders wrong.. and the waiter didn't even bother to tell me that the fried rice I ordered was meant to be shared by at least 2-3 people when I ordered.. so evil! I think they only serve the richer guests well, since those who ordered the expensive sets didn't face any problems..

Normal chopsticks vs Lou Sang chopsticks~~

With Ed, CLE and TAP.. smiling happily before we realised that we would be starving for another hour or so.. =.=

some of the leng luis in my ex-company.. :)

I was so curious what was in those colourful spoons.. thought they were swan shaped pastries at first @.@




happy angpow collecting gang.. We started with 6 people and ended the day with 10.. haha.. weird how people whom you have not spoken to in ages don't mind visiting your house to collect an angpow..

Oh yeah, and I also got to visit the Dong Zen Temple in Jenjarom with all its beautiful decorations for CNY ~ Like this pic cos my legs look really slim here.. too bad my face does not XD

Wonder what will this year's CNY be like.. Hope I get to go shopping.. really need a pair of new sneakers.. heh!