Pureskill Corner

Stopped Blogging for 2 years

2010-07-02T20:49:00.000+08:00

I have stopped blogging for the past 2 years, after my training trip from France. I got bored today and somehow stumbled back to my blog and decided I should start posting something today.

Well, things have changed during these 2 years and I have left Thales Aerospace in May 2009 and joined a local SME in July 2009. I stayed in the SME for about 9 months and I met a few incredible people: Agnes, Desmond, Mervyn just to name a few. Although it was a short stay, I was hired as the Quality Assurance Manager there. It was my first post as a Manager, and I am glad I consider myself doing a reasonably good job there. I think a few of the colleagues I talked to also felt the same thing, and I hope I can perform to at least the same level in my new job.

I left the SME at end of April 2010 and I felt more confident getting a job now than before. Maybe the job market is getting better, and I had attended quite a few interviews during the past 2 months. In fact, as of today, I had 2 job offers, 1 tentative until the business discussion proceed and the investors agreed to start a partnership with a China supplier, and another job offer which is confirmed, which I will meet up with the hiring manager in mid July to view the operations before I sign. The salary package for the 2nd job offer was satisfactory, but not fantastic, as it meets my lowest expectation. A few of my friends told me the salary package was not good and I should re-negotiate or re-consider. Maybe they are correct, but so far, this is the better of the 2 job offers that I have, and the salary offered is better than my last drawn pay. By the way, both job offers are Manager and Assistant Manager job respectively.

I hope things will get better, and I can stay with the company much longer. It will be a big sacrifice for myself and my family, including my parents, but at least it is a start. Hopefully, it will lead to better things later.

Photos From France

2008-04-17T16:26:00.004+08:00

Here are some photos taken during my training stint in France.

Hello from the Lourve Museum, Paris (Monna Lisa painting is in the Museum)

LV Shop in Champ-Elysee, Paris

Arc De Triumphe in Paris

Snow in Paris

Hello from Bordeaux

Nice Discovery

2008-03-21T22:03:00.004+08:00

Do you believe in fate? Well, I do. Sometimes fate play jokes at me. I had one after I joined my current company, Thales Aerospace, and realised that we are going to qualify my ex-company. Isn't it funny that I got kicked out of my previous company and going back there as customer? This week, I had to accompany my french counterparts and audit my company for the whole week. This is the first time I understudied my french counterpart, Thierry Legault, who is the Supplier Quality Manager, and we worked well together to audit our new supplier's process management. Anyway, the business unit that we audited was the previous Solectron group that were acquired by Flextronics. Oops! I just mentioned my ex-company's name. Heehee.

I had a startling discovery that my french counterpart, Thierry Legault is a famous french amateur astronomer who has taken numerous fantastic photos of the galaxies, skies and the space. He has a website (http://legault.club.fr/index.htm), with many wonderful photos of the planets, stars, moon, etc. Take a look at the website to view the amazing photos he has taken. Here is a photo of Thierry and me.

By the way, he is admitted in the SBIG Hall of Fame. See link http://www.sbig.com/award/hall_of_fame.htm.
He is also has a asteroid to his name "19458 Legault". He has published a book with all the photos he has taken on astronomy, titled "ASTROPHOTOGRAPHIE" but it is publised in french. I am waiting for the English version to be out and hopefully he will send me a copy with his signature on it (for free, of course).

It is my honour to meet Thierry, and I am amazed with the fantastic photos, and most of all, he is also my teacher and counterpart.

Singapore Air Show 2008

2008-03-04T22:22:00.003+08:00

I was lucky to visit the recent Singapore Air Show 2008 2 weeks ago. It was the first time I visited any air show and I felt very privileged to be there. I was able to visit there during the trade show (not open for public) as my company participated in the Air Show and they have a huge booth in the exhibition hall. You can see a product from our company in the below photo.
The main draw of the show has to be the giant Airbus A380. It is really huge and many people crowded around the plane. My colleague and I did not board the plane, but we took many pictures of it. But I will just show you one here.
You can see the size of the people on the ground and the plane, it is really really BIG. It has 3 levels: first level is for cargo (luggages), second and third levels are for passengers. I hope one of these days, I will be able to fly in Airbus A380. Wouldn't you?

Started Work

2008-02-17T23:40:00.004+08:00

Happy be-lated Lunar New Year greetings and Valentine's Day greetings. I have already started work on 1 Feb, and it feels good starting work again. I got a new laptop from my company (Dell D430) with a 12 inch monitor. The screen is small and lightweight and I have to wear my reading glasses to read the screen. It is good for those who need to travel frequently. I have been reading the company's procedures and have not started visiting suppliers yet. There are many things to learn and it is a challenge to me as the requirements from the suppliers are high. Luckily, my counterpart in France is arranging weekly video / teleconference to coach me before my trip to France. The training trip has not been firmed yet, and it is still tentatively 2 weeks in March, although they have arranged 16 days training for me there. So, they will have to try to squeeze everything within the 2 weeks. I am looking forward to the training trip and I hope it will help me in understanding the procedures and the company's requirements. And at the same time, visiting those tourist attraction in Paris. There will be about 7-8 of us going for this training, so I will have someone to accompany me there.

Recently, I have been experiencing poor broadband network connection, and I often have intermittent internet connection. I have already contacted SingTel to send their technician to my home, but during the visit, the connection was good. But a few days later, the poor connection return. My colleague also feedback he is facing the same problem with his SingTel broadband connection as well. That is one of the reason why I was not able to update my blog. Another reason was because I was busy with the Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day celebrations. So I am taking the opportunity to update it now since my broadband connection is better. Anyway, my contract with SingTel will expire somewhere in April or May, so I will decide later whether to continue my contract with them. Anyone out there experiencing the same broadband connection problem as I do?

Well, it is a new job and new challenge for me. And once again, many thanks to those who have given your well wishes and support to me during the difficult time. And lastly, I would like to thank my wife, for supporting me all these while, tolerating my temper, encouraging me and never giving up on me. And in the spirit of Valentine's Day,

Xiao Ping (my wife), I LOVE YOU!!!

The Wait is Over!

2008-01-22T08:17:00.000+08:00

It has been a long time since I started visiting my blog. I was busy with my course work: attending classes, working on assignments and preparing for exams. For the past few months, I was involved in preparing my daughter for her Primary 1 education. She has been enrolled to the nearby school, in fact just opposite our block. It is nice to see her in school uniform and looking forward to school everyday. And of course, I have been through many interviews trying to look for a job. The wait is finally over. I have managed to land myself a job and I will be starting work in Febuary.

Looking back, by the time I started work, I would have been unemployed for 3 months. It is scary during these long period, as anxiety and fear leads to stress. I can really feel the impact of stress during the past months when I was faced with working on assignments, preparing for exams, looking for jobs and family matters. I began to slim down due to poor appetite, having sleepless nights, could not concentrate in studies, getting aggitated easily, etc. That was how bad the situation was.

But now, the exams are almost over, and I am starting work soon, the pressure is beginning to wear off. I wish I will not go through this ever again!

As for my new job, I will be working as Supplier Quality Engineer, and I will be required to travel frequently, especially in the Asia region. And I will also be attending training in France for about 2-3 weeks. This is discussed during the 3rd interview via video conference with the France's division. This sounds like a good deal right? Anyway, the expectations are very high and I hope I am able to make it there. So wish me luck.

Enjoy the Morning

2007-11-27T14:09:00.000+08:00

In our everyday lives, we wake up, take breakfast and rush to work in the morning. We do not have the luxury of enjoying the nature and feel the cool air in the morning. If you slow down and be aware of the surroundings, you will be surprised at what you have missed out. Birds flying and singing in the trees. Sound of insects in the bushes. We only see the daily rush of people boarding and squeezing in the buses, LRT, MRT during the morning rush. People driving cars, horning at others on the road. Lives have become so hectic.

For the past 1 month, I am not in the same lifestyle like most, the only rush I would get was to squeeze in the LRT to send my daughter to her childcare in the morning. After sending her to the childcare, I have all the time to myself. Sometimes, I will shop in the NTUC market in the nearby mall. In the mall, most of the shops are closed, except for a few stalls selling newspaper and magazines, the food stalls and the supermarket. The supermarket opens at 8.30am every morning, and you will see about 2 dozens of people waiting at the entrance. Before the opening, there are crates of boxes lying in the entrance, and the staff are sorting and carrying them into the supermarket everyday. You will also see many uncles and aunties (those in the late 50s) and maids carrying their trolleys waiting to swarm in the supermarket when it opens. A staff of the supermarket will usually start by greeting everyone and hand a green basket to everyone queuing to get in the store. While in the store, you will see more staff rushing to arrange and fill up the merchandise on the racks. A few cashiers will wait patiently at the counters. I get to enjoy the not crowded supermarket and it is surprising the cashiers are more helpful than when they are busy.

Enjoy the morning while you can, as morning is very short. Do slow down and soon you will realise what you have missed out every morning. For me, I am enjoying the slow walk and the nature, and it helps to calm me down and take away some of my pressure. Try it!

Enjoy the Silence at Night

2007-11-23T01:29:00.000+08:00

I have been attending classes at my part degree course this week, and am busy trying to complete my pre-course assignment. Night time is a good time to do my assignment and conduct researches than doing them during daytime. It is very quiet most of the time, except sometimes I do hear babies crying or someone chatting in the playground. But overall, it is the best time to study.

I have been a Night Owl since the start of my assignments. I will usually get up early at 6.40am and prepare breakfast for my wife and daughter, and bring my daughter to her childcare after that. When I come back home, I will check my e-mails, sending resumes and eat breakfast before going back to bed.

I have to carry on like this for another 1.5 years or so until my course ends. It is very tiring doing my part time studies and having a family at the same time, as compared doing full-time study. But I do enjoy studying but I don't like the exam part. I pick up new knowledge and hope it will help me in my future career advancement.

In the meantime, I have the opportunity to enjoy the silence in the night.

How to stay loyal to the company? Part 1

2007-11-18T09:46:00.000+08:00

Have you ever wondered how you can make an employee stay loyal to the company? There are always turnover of employees every year. I remembered when we were in Primary school, we were made to say the Singaproe pledge before our class starts and it goes like this:

We, the people of Singapore
Pledge ourselves as one united people,
Regardless of race, lanugage or religion,
To build a democratic society,
Based on justice and equality
So as to achieve happiness, prosperity and
progress for our nation.

So what if companies have their own pledge? I thought of many versions, and this is one of them:

We, the employee of XXXXX (Company's name)
Pledge ourselves to work hard for the company,
Regardless of normal shift, morning shift, afternoon shift or night shift,
To be punctual for work everyday,
Based on loyalty and MBO,
So as to achieve high revenue, high profit and low turnover in our company.

The New Anchorvale Community Club

2007-11-14T09:33:00.000+08:00

It has finally come. The New Anchorvale Community Club (CC) has shifted to its permanent location at 59 Anchorvale Road, which is about 5-10 min walk from my home. It was previously situated near Sengkang Central under a HDB building. Now, the new CC has a new home, and will also house a new Sengkang Sports Complex and a swimming pool. There will be a soft launch of the CC on 24 November 07, but the Sports Complex and swimming pool will not be ready yet. I have been waiting for this for many years now. I will be able to bring my daughter to the swimming pool every week once it is open. And I am looking forward to start playing badminton again in the new Sports Complex, where it will have 12 badminton courts. See link http://jalankayu.community.org.sg/NewsRpt/AVNewCC/NewCC.htm

Another good thing is, the property prices of our neighbourhood has risen due to the recent economy bloom and the new CC, Sports Complex and swimming pool near the vicinity. However, I am not going to sell my house for now. I am going to enjoy the new facility first and my daughter is currently enrolled in a Primary school just across the road.

The Ugly Duckling Concert

2007-11-10T18:43:00.000+08:00

My daughter was very excited last night and could not sleep until 3am in the early morning. She will be performing in her childcare concert today. We were traumatized and we were kept awake by her rolling in bed. She is sleeping with us in a Queen size bed and a single bed placed side by side.

Morning comes, and I have to dreadful task of send her to the childcare before 9.20 am, while my wife catches more sleep. My daughter was very excited in the morning, and you cannot feel the tiredness she had, but her eyes did get puffy due to lack of sleep. So I brought her to McDonald's for breakfast before sending her to her childcare. After that, I head right home to catch some sleep as well.

My wife and I managed to reach The Grassroots' Club beside Yio Chu Kang MRT station at 1.40pm. The shows starts at 2.00pm. We were anxious to see our daughter in her performance. She is acting as an old lady in the concert "The Ugly Duckling". The show started with speech by the childcare director, and followed by the Graduates Ceremony. My daughter is in K2, so she is one of the graduands. The sight of her wearing the graduands clothes makes me realised how fast she has grown up.

My daughter's performance did not appear until the 2nd half of the concert. She sat on a rocking chair, holding 2 long "needles", kneading a piece of cloth. The music started and her friends danced on the stage, and after 2 minutes, she walked gingerly with a cane to the centre of the stage and started dancing. It was a pleasure to watch her dance, and she seems to enjoy it a lot. She danced for about 30 sec, and she talked to the ugly duckling and returned to her rocking chair, and she stays that way until the scene ends.

My wife and I were disappointed with the childcare arrangement of my daughter's performance. For all her efforts, she was given slightly more than 5 minute play, in which she is involved in only 1 minute of action. She was one of the best dancer and performer in her last year's concert, and she is still attending ballet lessons. So we are disappointed she is not given better role and a full song/music to accompany with her dance.

I am very proud of my daughter's performance nevertheless, and I believe even with the short little time, she is one of the best performers in the concert. Well done Victoria, we are proud of you!

Happy Deepavali

2007-11-08T19:33:00.000+08:00

Today is Deepavali, the festival of light. It is the day when the good triumph over the evil.

Wishing all a happy Deepavali. May the world live in peace and prosperity.

5 years Anniversay - Not to be

2007-11-05T21:14:00.000+08:00

This day, 5 years ago, I joined my last company. If I am still at my last company, I would have served 5 full years there, which means I am entitled to my 5 years service award. Now the 5 years award is a miserable S$200. It also reminds me of my 3rd year, when a few of us, including my ex-boss and ex-colleagues, celebrated our 3rd year anniversary during the company's year end lunch. Those were the days.

Today, I received a surprise call from China. My ex-colleagues from Shenzhen, China, called me via my ex-boss's handphone. I was really surprised and touched with this gesture of my ex-boss and the blessings from my ex-China colleagues. Although we did not really talk much, as the reception was not that good, it helps to uplift my spirit nonetheless.

I visited the Kuang Yin Temple in the afternoon. I prayed hard, hoping to find a job soon. It has been almost a week since I was retrenched, and I am anxious to find a job soon. I can only wait, as I have already sent out my job application e-mails out. Wish me luck.

Welcome to my 1st blog

2007-11-02T13:19:00.000+08:00

Welcome, welcome. This is my 1st posting at Pureskill Corner.

A friend of mine created a blog, and I was inspired by his articles in his blog. Do drop by regularly to read my write-up, and comment. Feel free to express yourself here.

Here is my experience of what has happened to me recently:

I was retrenched by my company recently and I was feeling depressed for the past few days. I could not concentrate well, even though I tried to put up a positive face. Sometimes I could not sleep well. That is what you will feel when you are faced with this. There are many things on my mind: Will I find a job soon? I am near 40 year old, will any company wants me? Will I be able to get the same or better pay than my last drawn pay? etc.....

I have many well wishes, and many friends and ex-colleagues who promised to help. Thank you all who show me your supports and help.

Everybody says the job market is very good now. But if that is the case, why am I retrenched? And some other companies are experiencing it too. Well, my only hope is to find a job soon. So wish me luck.