Half-time Check-in

1 July 2012 marks the end of the first half of 2012 and the beginning of the second half of 2012. Today is a special day too because it marks the beginning of a new phase of life for a dear ex-colleague S. Congrats, S and may you and D lie happily ever-after and btw, 1 Rochester is pretty (would have been perfect if not for the sun :P)

It's time to check-in at half-time, not that I have a lot to show for it. But the last 180+ days will be remembered as days of changes and breakthroughs - for having the courage to leave my comfort zones such as travelling alone, leaving good company for the unknown (which is proving to be challenging), for speaking my mind and saying 'no' to many yeses that I would have committed to in the past, for taking the step to widen my social circle...

It's unpredictable how the second half will unfold... But I'm definitely going to try my best to make sure it turns out the way I want it to or at least in a way I am proud of...

Saigon

I have been trying to blog on the go for a long time and it's nice to be able to do it (for the first time, I think) in Saigon. I managed to explore the Reunification palace, War Remnants Museum and Ben Thanh Market yesterday after I touched down in the afternoon. As I was flying non-stop the whole week (Jakarta then Saigon), I did not bring a camera with me. Lucky for me, I had my trusty BB with me. Here is my picturesque!

Opera House in the day. Did not have the opportunity to see it in the day the last time. Awesome summer day :)

Water fountains - evidences of Saigon's past as a French Colony...

Not as impressive as the water fountains in Europe. But quaint all the same.

Saigon has changed so much in the last 2 years. It's cleaner now. And the traffic is not as bad. There are more road signs too, and I could walk from one place of interest to another easily (well, not forgetting the help of friendly Vietnamese).

Spotted on my way to the Reunification Palace...

Roadside stalls are a common sight in Saigon... Maybe I will try some street food tomorrow....

 

Reunification Palace which has witnessed many significant events of Vietnam... 

The meaning behind the architecture is quite meaningful. Was intrigued by the design of the windows.

My heart felt very heavy after visiting the museum...yours would too if you know the story behind the Vietnam War... There are never any winners in any war....

 

Late lunch, early dinner after an hour of bargaining at the Ben Thanh Market... 

Fried spring rolls... Nice... Have not had the chance to try the paper rolls yet :(

 

Decided to try it with the lettuce... Refreshing as it took away some of the oiliness...

Chicken Pho....Added the garnishes as well as lime, which I found gave it a 'zest'!

And of course, who could resist the Vietnamese coffee? Delicious! And the meal costs only about 130 dong (less than SGD 15!!!) It would probably have been at least SGD 20 in Singapore!

Taking in the night life of Saigon... Very charming....

Evokes a kind of shanghai feel, I thought :)

Ho Chi Minh City will always have a special place in my heart - a place where I attended my first Management Group Conference with my previous firm and now, my first overseas training with my new firm. And the surreal thing is the former firm is conducting a training in the hotel I am staying at so I kept bumping into familar faces. Once KXXX, Always KXXX. How true it is turning out for me!



First day at work

Today is my first day at work with the new firm. Was talking to JS about memories of our first days at work and it turned out that they are usually not very memorable. JS remembered that he did basically nothing and I cannot remember what I did at all for our previous jobs. So I decided that I should leave a note about today - it should be a special day like any other first days, right?

For me, it was special because I had a lot of time to surf the intranet and read stuff. It's surreal because everyone around me was busy and I was 'free', quite the contrary of a day in my usual day at work. Less than 10 emails received and sent - and one of them was booking the flight for a one-day course in HCMC next week (that was quite novel and I am looking forward to it).

Well, 'enjoy while you can' was what my new colleagues told me. So I will enjoy the view from my desk while I can... And here's a glimpse :P

I do look forward to getting busy again. And I really hope my new role will be a challenge and a stretch! :)