Daily Lessons from Life 22-25 January 2010

The perpetual frustration of not being able to blog when in China returned as I was in Guangzhou via Hong Kong from 22-24 January 2010 for an presentation at a corporate event as an invited guest speaker on 23 Jan 2010 and stayed on to visit a friend who started work in Dongguan recently. I also had lunch in Hong Kong with my university mate of 32 years!!

So, here are a quick learning from this trip:

1. when a friend asked you to do an assignment for him or her, you must always give of your best and make sure that he or she can reasonably show his or her supervisors, peers and associates that the friend is an asset and create value positively! I am glad that this was achieved on this trip for me;

2. whenever you visit a new place of interest, it is always great to have friend to introduce you to the local people or people who are familiar with the local practices. Also, it is quite heart warming to be received readily by these people who are themselves expatriates or non-local! The natural urge to meet up with country-men and -women seems quite natural. It is a powerful linkage that is quite unique with overseas folks. Though there were exceptions especially when the place is too big!!;

3. nothing beats making a 3-4 hrs trip from Dongguan to visit my university buddy of over 32 years for lunch in Hong Kong. It is a special friendship and I am glad that we are continuing it with gusto and enthusiasm! On this long coach tour, which actually took 2.4hrs but for the time spent on clearing the China and the Hong Kong's immigration check points! The number of Chinese visitors coming over to Hong Kong is simply huge!!

I am glad to be back in Singapore and to be able to blog nightly again! ;-))