2 Weeks in Shenzhen ++

I was fortunate that circumstances allowed me to attend training in Headquarters in Shenzhen.
And what an eventful 2 weeks it was!

Lecturers delivered their respective presentations quite flawlessly in English. (Frankly, their English was much better than I'd expected!) Managed to cover various topics ranging from product knowledge to technical principles, and project management to company process flows. There even was a day trip to Splendid China thrown in that following weekend.

Splendid China: Isn't that the Five-Fingered Mountain from the Journey to the West classic?

Come the second week, each participant was alloted to a separate department to gain insight into the dept's daily activities & mingle with our HQ interface persons. Even in that week itself we'd managed to have the opportunity to meet with various heads of the company. The meet might've been brief, but it was an honor nevertheless. In between all of that, I & the guys managed to slip in some time to run around in Shenzhen: Dongmen, Huaqiangbei & Luohu. Got myself a new toy too! hehe

By right, a few of us were supposed to hangout in HK for a night before returning to Malaysia. However, duty calls for 3 of them; but the room booking was made.
So, here I am, in a cramped-up budget single room blogging away. Luckily for the open wireless access outside near the reception.

This will be the first & last time I'll ever stay in this "Hotel", I'll say.

Running around from Mongkok down to Tsimsazui wasn't as interesting as I thought. Every turn its either some semi-D shop, roadside vendor, resto/cafe, or entertainment center (go figure). After running around in Shenzhen, firstly its all comparably expensive; secondly I got most of what I wanted already. The best consolation was to be able to meet up from a few friends from HK who I'd not met in a long time.

Thanks to them, I'd a warm session of supper/dessert in the evening & had dimsum in the morning. =)

Dessert: Chocolate Taufufa below; sugar-coated Pastry on the top

Dessert: Chocolate Souffle

Going to fly off to Malaysia later noon. Given a chance, I'd sure like to go back to HQ again for training (& the extra activities that come with it)!

Heart of Greed

Just 2 weeks ago I'd popped in the series' DVD into the player to watch this series which Mom recommended. Like most acclaimed HK series, the drama was immediately gripping.

The funny part was that Mom only handed me the 1st 2 discs, the 3rd disc is back home. The final 13 episodes are back home tucked away in the family TV entertainment collection. And I had just finished episode 27 just 2 nights ago. Argh~ the agony of soap operas ending with a cliffhanger.

Among the characters, I feel particularly connected to the eldest sibling of the children in the Tong family. The trials & tribulations which he had to go through I can pretty much relate a lot. The need to set a fine example to our younger siblings. To take charge of keeping the family together when our parents are no longer around. Inheriting the will of our parents & their values to face a world full of morally-gray areas. Making painful decisions based on those principles for the greater good. Occasionally it brings a tear to my eye that if I could ever become the man my parents aspire me to become.

*Sigh* Better not think about... as if pressure from work is not enough.

I'll temporarily be spending the long weekend here overseas. Hopefully when I get back home next week there is time to wallop the remaining episodes. Then perhaps I can move on to something more current, like, Gem of Life. hehe

Series' promotional poster.