I'm home. Flights were mostly uneventful except from Hong Kong to San Francisco we were warned about 5 hrs in that in about 20 min we would be encountering moderate to severe turbulence so use the bathroom now and then buckle up. That was more than a little scary but in the end the turbulence was only moderate.
Dramamine worked like a charm. I slept for a couple of hours and didn't feel more than slightly nauseated.
I'm looking forward to joining the rehearsals for Finian's Rainbow!
Sunday, 13 November 2011
Friday, 11 November 2011
Friday 11/11/11
Sitting in my hotel for the last night in Singapore. Beautiful view outside which I will miss. I'm excited to go home tomorrow but a little sad to leave this fun place and many new friends behind.
I was aprehensive coming here but I'm leaving feeling like I've made a difference and its been a fantastic experience.
A last bit of shopping tomorrow morning then off to the airport for a long night on a plane.
I was aprehensive coming here but I'm leaving feeling like I've made a difference and its been a fantastic experience.
A last bit of shopping tomorrow morning then off to the airport for a long night on a plane.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Wednesday 11/9/11 & Thursday 11/10/11
Another good couple of days in Singapore. Good sessions with the HDS TA team and CFHR.
Wendesday night company quarter end party was fun. I have to be really careful about fried food here. Again not feeling well today. Might have had one too many beers as well :).
Looking forward to one more day here then heading back hom on Saturday. I cant wait to get home and see my hubby.
Kerie
Wendesday night company quarter end party was fun. I have to be really careful about fried food here. Again not feeling well today. Might have had one too many beers as well :).
Looking forward to one more day here then heading back hom on Saturday. I cant wait to get home and see my hubby.
Kerie
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Monday 11/7/11 & Tuesday 11/8/11
Monday was a public holiday in Singapore. I don't remember why but I'm glad for it because I had a TON of fun.
Went out to Santosa island which is basically one gian resort. Universal Studios is out there along with a huge convention center, hotel and nice beach areas. It reminds me of the pictures I've seen of Spain but also almost like Hawaii. The water is more of that seafoam green / blue and clear.
We took a gondola across to the island. You can drive there as well but he view from the gondola is worth the price. I thought I was going to be sick for a minute but I was fine after that. Gorgeous views.
It drops you off at the top of the hill on the island and you can walk down or pay 12 bucks to ride a road loge thing down. I could do that 20 times in a row. So much fun!!!
THEN!If that wasnt enough we did the 30 min tour of the island on a segway. I want one now. Its a bit scary at first but I got used to it pretty quickly and had a lot of fun running around the island.
After that, lunch and beer and chilling out a bit. Headed back to town via the tram and I crashed in my room for an hour or so before braving the holiday shopping crowds in the adjacent malls again. Found some silly gift items for Bry and Nate. Have to find something for Davy.
Today (Tuesday) was the first day I felt really good. My body is finally adjusted tot he time here and I know my way around. Funny how that works. Just about the time you figure things out you go home! Had another effective meeting today and shared some best practices. Have a few things to catch up on later but off to the zoo again tonight but this time for the night safari! I dont expect there will be many pictures to share since they dont allow flash photos.
Till tomorrow!
Went out to Santosa island which is basically one gian resort. Universal Studios is out there along with a huge convention center, hotel and nice beach areas. It reminds me of the pictures I've seen of Spain but also almost like Hawaii. The water is more of that seafoam green / blue and clear.
We took a gondola across to the island. You can drive there as well but he view from the gondola is worth the price. I thought I was going to be sick for a minute but I was fine after that. Gorgeous views.
It drops you off at the top of the hill on the island and you can walk down or pay 12 bucks to ride a road loge thing down. I could do that 20 times in a row. So much fun!!!
THEN!If that wasnt enough we did the 30 min tour of the island on a segway. I want one now. Its a bit scary at first but I got used to it pretty quickly and had a lot of fun running around the island.
After that, lunch and beer and chilling out a bit. Headed back to town via the tram and I crashed in my room for an hour or so before braving the holiday shopping crowds in the adjacent malls again. Found some silly gift items for Bry and Nate. Have to find something for Davy.
Today (Tuesday) was the first day I felt really good. My body is finally adjusted tot he time here and I know my way around. Funny how that works. Just about the time you figure things out you go home! Had another effective meeting today and shared some best practices. Have a few things to catch up on later but off to the zoo again tonight but this time for the night safari! I dont expect there will be many pictures to share since they dont allow flash photos.
Till tomorrow!
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Sunday 11/6/11
Sunday was another fun filled day. I met up with a lady from Michigan who is working in Panang for a few months. She came to Singapore for the long weekend and was staying at the same hotel. She joined me in going to the zoo which was great. We ended up spending the entire day together goofing off. We took on of those hop on hop off tour bus things around town so we got to see the botanic gardens as well. We ended the evening with a nice dinner along the marina and then watched the 9:30 laser light show.
There was a long long line for a taxi back to the hotel so we decided to see if we could walk it. I had a map with me and sort of remembered where Bill & I had walked from last week so we struck out to find our way back to the hotel.
We finally figured it out after asking for directions a couple of times and keeping an eye on the hotel sign. The problem is you cant just walk across the street here. They have pedestrian bridges and maze like underground passes to get to where you need to go. We had to enter an adjacent hotel parking structure, that linked up to one mall, that linked to another just to get back to our hotel which we could see just across the street.
Oh well it was an adventure!
I zonked out and slept really well last night. Its 10:00 am on Monday and its a holiday here. Bill is going to show me Sentosa (sp?)island where the segway rides are. Should be fun!
I'll upload more pictures from the zoo later. There were white tigers!
There was a long long line for a taxi back to the hotel so we decided to see if we could walk it. I had a map with me and sort of remembered where Bill & I had walked from last week so we struck out to find our way back to the hotel.
We finally figured it out after asking for directions a couple of times and keeping an eye on the hotel sign. The problem is you cant just walk across the street here. They have pedestrian bridges and maze like underground passes to get to where you need to go. We had to enter an adjacent hotel parking structure, that linked up to one mall, that linked to another just to get back to our hotel which we could see just across the street.
Oh well it was an adventure!
I zonked out and slept really well last night. Its 10:00 am on Monday and its a holiday here. Bill is going to show me Sentosa (sp?)island where the segway rides are. Should be fun!
I'll upload more pictures from the zoo later. There were white tigers!
Saturday, 5 November 2011
Saturday 11/5/11
Today was somewhat uneventful. I had a nice breakfast and worked some catching up on some emails and resumes.
I wandered through the mall adjacent to the hotel. Its very dangerous to have the malls so close I don't even have to walk outside to spend a ton of money. The food here hasn't been sitting well with me. If I play it safe and eat sandwiches I'm fine. Well, wandering through the mall I spotted a Burger King and thought that was a great idea! Wrong. It did not sit well and I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon and early evening in the hotel feeling very sick. Thank God I remembered to bring some pepto with me.
I ordered a club sandwich through room service for dinner and that was fine so I headed out again. I successfully found a Singaporean USB plug so I can return the one Ghee Heng loaned me plus I found an ATM. Oh and I found a pair of shoes and pretty necklace that I had to have as well :).
I'm back in the hotel now relaxing. Had a nice Facetime conversation with Luke in NYC and now its time for the rest of a movie on HBO and then bed.
Planning on going to the Singapore Zoo tomorrow. There is a bus that picks up and drops off right in front of the hotel. Should be fun but I hope they have some plain food there!
Night all.
I wandered through the mall adjacent to the hotel. Its very dangerous to have the malls so close I don't even have to walk outside to spend a ton of money. The food here hasn't been sitting well with me. If I play it safe and eat sandwiches I'm fine. Well, wandering through the mall I spotted a Burger King and thought that was a great idea! Wrong. It did not sit well and I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon and early evening in the hotel feeling very sick. Thank God I remembered to bring some pepto with me.
I ordered a club sandwich through room service for dinner and that was fine so I headed out again. I successfully found a Singaporean USB plug so I can return the one Ghee Heng loaned me plus I found an ATM. Oh and I found a pair of shoes and pretty necklace that I had to have as well :).
I'm back in the hotel now relaxing. Had a nice Facetime conversation with Luke in NYC and now its time for the rest of a movie on HBO and then bed.
Planning on going to the Singapore Zoo tomorrow. There is a bus that picks up and drops off right in front of the hotel. Should be fun but I hope they have some plain food there!
Night all.
Friday, 4 November 2011
Friday 11/4/11
Friday went by fast at work. Another good session with the APAC recruitment team. Brindha has hired some very sharp recruiters who know their stuff.
The HR Director took a few of us out to lunch. We went to go get call chili crab but the place they took me to is only open for dinner not lunch so we ended up going to a Hawker Center. Its an open air food market type place where you pick what you want from different vendors and then share it with your friends at a table outside.
They were eating some interesting (aka non appetizing to me) things but I had rice, chicken, and this thing they call banana bread which didnt taste like it had any bananas in it nor was it really bread at all. It was more like hashbrowns.
The HR Director took a few of us out to lunch. We went to go get call chili crab but the place they took me to is only open for dinner not lunch so we ended up going to a Hawker Center. Its an open air food market type place where you pick what you want from different vendors and then share it with your friends at a table outside.
They were eating some interesting (aka non appetizing to me) things but I had rice, chicken, and this thing they call banana bread which didnt taste like it had any bananas in it nor was it really bread at all. It was more like hashbrowns.
Thankfully the hotel has a Global Kitchen which is a nice way of saying, Hey Westerner Dummies Eat Here. :)
If you didn't notice in one of the earlier pictures Sumo-San has a new Aussie friend. I noticed yesterday that someone in the Singapore office had a Sumo but has colored him like he's wearing a spider man outfit. Hilarious. I have no idea what the little guy on the far left in the picture is supposed to be. It has Hitachi IT something on its belly. Sumo-San found his family! :)
Went to a place called Clarke Quay for dinner & drinks and random entertainment. There was a Kirin Ichiban Festival with a Japanese band playing that were quite good! http://superadrianme.com/2011/11/03/clark-quay-kirin-ichiban-festival-4-5-november-2011/
They partnered up with a Japanese dancer that did a lot of Michael Jackson moves but I couldn't see much since we were sitting a bit far away.
Ate dinner at a Scottish place called Highlander. I played it safe with Fish & Chips.
Across the way there is a bar called the Clinic where you sit in wheelchairs or hospital looking couches and drink shots from syringes or from a drip bag. Its crazy!
There's a human sling along the marina as well as a laser light show from the building with the ship on top.
So far its been a great place to visit. I would describe this place sort of like Vegas / Universal Studios combined.
Thursday 11/3 Part 2
Thursday evening was a lot of fun. I got to see the Raffles Hotel and the Long Bar. Not really sure why its called that, the bar isn't that long but maybe it was in the original building. There was a fire somewhere in its history but it has since been rebuilt. I had to get the obligatory Singapore Sling. See the bright pink thing I'm drinking in the pictures to the right. It was as I suspected disgustingly sweet.
The grounds of the hotel are magnificent. How in the world they survived the heat before air conditioning while dressed up in Victorian clothes is beyond me!
Walked through downtown Singapore at night while it was all lit up. Its a beautiful city full of money. Saw two Rolls Royces and so many beautiful buildings and shopping centers.
Some iconic Singaporean things like the Merlion spitting into the bay, and the giant ship on top of three tall buildings. Apparently there is a pool and bar up there.
The grounds of the hotel are magnificent. How in the world they survived the heat before air conditioning while dressed up in Victorian clothes is beyond me!
Walked through downtown Singapore at night while it was all lit up. Its a beautiful city full of money. Saw two Rolls Royces and so many beautiful buildings and shopping centers.
Some iconic Singaporean things like the Merlion spitting into the bay, and the giant ship on top of three tall buildings. Apparently there is a pool and bar up there.
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Wednesday & Thursday 11/2 - 11/3
Its been a busy couple of days. Had a good day on Wednesday and felt like I provided some value to the APAC team. The jet lag really got to me yesterday afternoon however. I was feeling very nauseated and exhausted from 3pm onward.
Bill Rae took me a really interesting place yesterday after work for a drink. There is the giant Gothic building in a garden courtyard that you can see from HDS offices. It was originally designed as a hotel and a private club but now it is office space with this incredible bar on the first floor.
The entire building looks like it is from another world. Most of the buildings here are very modern with clean lines. This one stands apart and is dark with rounded corners and Gothic and art deco shapes and sculptures everywhere. Because it was originally supposed to be a private club and elite hotel, none of the locals go there. And if the design isn't enough to make you go in, there's a wine fairy! When you order a bottle of wine (which is very expensive) the waitress, dressed in a silvery tutu, will attach herself to this mechanism that hoists her up into the air to retrieve your bottle from a vertical refrigerator and bring it back down. Silly, crazy sight that was so worth seeing! See the video link on the right side of the page.
Today is Thursday and I'm feeling more adjusted to the time difference. I decided to take a couple hours off this afternoon to rest since I haven't been feeling that well. At lunch time I came back to the hotel and had a sandwich and have been resting in my room catching up on a few things.
It rained again today but thankfully I was able to catch a cab leaving the office. When its raining, everyone wants a cab :)
I'm looking forward to this evening. I am meeting up with Bill who has graciously become my tour guide. He's going to take me to the New Asia Bar which is supposed to have a great view of the city and then the famous Long Bar at Raffles Hotel. I don't plan on ordering a Singapore Sling because they sound disgustingly sweet :)
Till tomorrow!
Bill Rae took me a really interesting place yesterday after work for a drink. There is the giant Gothic building in a garden courtyard that you can see from HDS offices. It was originally designed as a hotel and a private club but now it is office space with this incredible bar on the first floor.
The entire building looks like it is from another world. Most of the buildings here are very modern with clean lines. This one stands apart and is dark with rounded corners and Gothic and art deco shapes and sculptures everywhere. Because it was originally supposed to be a private club and elite hotel, none of the locals go there. And if the design isn't enough to make you go in, there's a wine fairy! When you order a bottle of wine (which is very expensive) the waitress, dressed in a silvery tutu, will attach herself to this mechanism that hoists her up into the air to retrieve your bottle from a vertical refrigerator and bring it back down. Silly, crazy sight that was so worth seeing! See the video link on the right side of the page.
Today is Thursday and I'm feeling more adjusted to the time difference. I decided to take a couple hours off this afternoon to rest since I haven't been feeling that well. At lunch time I came back to the hotel and had a sandwich and have been resting in my room catching up on a few things.
It rained again today but thankfully I was able to catch a cab leaving the office. When its raining, everyone wants a cab :)
I'm looking forward to this evening. I am meeting up with Bill who has graciously become my tour guide. He's going to take me to the New Asia Bar which is supposed to have a great view of the city and then the famous Long Bar at Raffles Hotel. I don't plan on ordering a Singapore Sling because they sound disgustingly sweet :)
Till tomorrow!
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Tuesday 11/1/11 - Part 3
its 8:39pm and I'm exhausted. Will I make it until 10 PM? Not sure... yikes.
Hoping to get to this http://www.sentosa.com.sg/en/attractions/imbiah-lookout/sentosa-luge-skyride/ while I here too. Looks like so much fun!
Hoping to get to this http://www.sentosa.com.sg/en/attractions/imbiah-lookout/sentosa-luge-skyride/ while I here too. Looks like so much fun!
Tuesday 11/1/11 - Part 2
Closing in on the end of my first full work day in our Singapore office. Learning a lot about how they do things and areas where we can learn from each other. The office is bright white with very few pictures on the walls, low walled cubicles (which I think are horrible even though our VP wants to put them in Santa Clara!) with Red chairs, red tops to the cube walls, red garbage cans etc. White, black and Red = Hitachi colors. It works. :)
It thunder stormed again today right around 3:30 pm. The sky is just now clearing up and its beautiful and warm outside.
One of the HR people promise to take me here: http://www.segway-sentosa.com/ over the weekend. I cannot wait! Segway rides!! How fun is that? Everyone is so friendly and helpful here. I can't wait to get out and explore the city some.
I'm feeling really tired but I'm going to try to make it until 10 PM today before heading to bed so I can talk to my honey as he wakes up for his Tuesday morning. We'll see if I make it :)
I've taken some pictures but will add them later this evening when I get back to the hotel. About to head off to do a bit of shopping and find some dinner before heading back to the hotel.
It thunder stormed again today right around 3:30 pm. The sky is just now clearing up and its beautiful and warm outside.
One of the HR people promise to take me here: http://www.segway-sentosa.com/ over the weekend. I cannot wait! Segway rides!! How fun is that? Everyone is so friendly and helpful here. I can't wait to get out and explore the city some.
I'm feeling really tired but I'm going to try to make it until 10 PM today before heading to bed so I can talk to my honey as he wakes up for his Tuesday morning. We'll see if I make it :)
I've taken some pictures but will add them later this evening when I get back to the hotel. About to head off to do a bit of shopping and find some dinner before heading back to the hotel.
Monday, 31 October 2011
Tuesday 11/1/11
Up before the sun! I slept so good though. Been up since 6, had a great breakfast and worked on some US stuff. About to head off to the Hitachi Singapore office. Looking forward to an eventful day!
Sunday / Monday 10/31/11
Lost a day getting here but I'm here. Two chinese only speaking ladies sat next to me from San Francisco to Hong Kong. The one right next to me was a bit smelly and constantly had her elbows in my space. But when I helped them with their TVs and headsets they warmed up to me.
Flight was mostly uneventful. Kind of scary to go straight across the Pacific ocean and it was bumpy at times. Dramamine really knocked me out though and kept me from feeling too nauseated.
The hotel is nice. Customs wasnt a problem at all. Its pouring rain here. Crazy. Kind of reminds me of El Salvador like that. But like Hawaii too so green plus Japanese trees everywhere. The taxi driver said Japanese settled here among others through out the years and planted everything.
I'm going for a massage in an hour. They have a special called "jet lag" including foot massage, scalp massage and deep tissue massage. Its already midnight in CA and I've been up for almost 30 hours. I should sleep well tonight.
I miss Nate already. Its hard not to get sad when I think about it and i just arrived. I should be working on some plans for tomorrow. I hope I succeed here in Singapore. All I can do is my best right?
Saturday 10/29/11
Sitting in the International terminal at a Japanese cuisine restaurant enjoying a beer and ordered teriyaki chicken bowl. I'm tired emotionally and physically but the pep talk from my older bro helped.
I miss Nate and the cats already. I'm really hoping I can sleep on the plane. I had to move several pounds of things from my carry on bag to my checked in bag because I was over the limit. Stupid full size lap top. If I'm going to continue traveling so much I want a smaller one stat. I had to sacrifice my makeup & jewelry bag for it. Fingers crossed that it makes it to Singapore or I'll be spending a bunch of money on makeup!
There is an Xpres Spa just across the isle and I'm so temped to go over and have a massage. Would that make the plane ride worse or better?
I had to take a couple doses of pepto because my tummy was upset. Hopefully this chicken bowl will sit right.
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