There's a 1st time for everything

Thinking of making a comeback...

2012-02-20T22:03:00.002+08:00

Since I'm done with my MBA, & I'm being billed for this stupid domain, I thought I'll stage a comeback. Let's see how long I can keep this "heat" & hobby up. Till then... Tata.

Am up @ 630am & Belle's sleeping like a pig

2011-03-06T07:02:00.005+08:00

Woke up @ 630am & Belle's still sleeping like a pig.
Today's Agenda:-
Update LinkedIn - Completed (for now)
Breakfast w Dad & Bro - Commencing
House hunting with Bro
MBA class for Projects

It's going to be a long day. And I'm still very sleepy. If I can find the time today, I'll be hunting down Rodimus...

Source: A dear friend's FB page. Remarkable that she's able to transform it, or maybe it comes in a robot form. =)

2011

2011-01-09T23:57:00.000+08:00

I'm back. Let see how long this habit can last. =)

The day I feel so puny

2009-12-06T18:01:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, my Team & I, 15 of us visited Sky Trex in Shah Alam. It's a recreational park with dozens of obstacles & physical activities (23 to be exact) ranging from ladder climb as high as 4 storeys, flying fox after flying fox, walking on pipes dangling with suspended ropes, zig-zag walkways all the while being 4~5 storeys high...

Check out the website:-
http://www.skytrex-adventure.com/challenges.php

Learnings:-

Life's fragile. I feel so small, especially when I'm walking on a zig-zag platform eleveted 17meters above the air. The walking platform's only 10cm in width.
Being a stuntman ain't easy. I can't even make a leap from 1 suspended platform to another despite having 2 ropes protecting me. In the end, I did, but not after chickening out & letting the girl behind me doing it first.
At times, there're things you can't change despite wanting to, desperately. One of my staff got knocked back while performing a 100m flying fox. I saw it from the platform underneath him, but am helpless. I've no energy to climb back up. All I can do is to stand & ask him to calm down (?). Pathetic. I guess the saying one's only human does have its meaning.
There're strong, determined girls out there. Those that I thought are not up for the challenge actually proved me wrong. Again, never judge a book by its cover.

Only 11 out of 15 completed the courses. Out of the 11, 7 did it end to end whilst 2 took some shortcuts. I'm in the 7, but not after straining my hands & realizing that, I really need to lose weight & start regular physical exercises.

I shall upload some photos when they're ready.

A humble Ryan.

I'm back

2009-11-07T23:37:00.002+08:00

07November2009 1150pm
I have been away... Yeah... Studies & working at the same time has taken its toll. I thought it was easy, well, I was dead wrong.

Nevertheless, 1 semester's over, 5 more to go. Next, Accounts & Econs. Boy, I'm a science stream student leh...

For my 1st 2 subjects, I've already known the results of my 1st one. I'm 2 marks short of a distinction. That's a real turn off. 2nd subject's result will be out on the 27th this month. Fingers crossed.

Had a good impromptu dinner with the geng at Nong(?) & Jimmy. Crap, I had crabs. The fried rice's good though.

I'll make my blog alive once again. I've decided to drop "my first...". Kinda hard to keep up plus, feedbacks from the... Ahem... Critics, it's not interesting. But I'm keeping the time stamp. It's just me. I like that.

Oh, and I uninstall Orbit Downloader from my lappy which prohibits my accesss to patrickanna. I just leant about the miscarriage. I'm so sorry Bro. Wish I would've picked that up early. Hope everything's well & she's in my prayers.

Nights for now.

My 1st video upload... Boy it takes forever

2009-10-25T19:19:00.002+08:00

My 1st Dilbert comic strip courtesy of the www

2009-10-25T19:13:00.001+08:00

Feels just like office?

My 1st time talking about my work

2009-09-30T23:14:00.004+08:00

30September2009 1115pm
0730am : Arrived to the office safely. 1 of my Reps called in sick
0740am : Downloaded 4 days worth of outbound call list to be assigned to my brand new team
0800am : Downloaded daily fulfillment files for request placed through the Next Generation Voice Response
0830am : My e-mails & escalations. One of our major client dislike the way we're taking monies out from their bank account. It's a system limitation
0930am : Spent quite a while contacting tech support & the geeks to see if alternatives are present. Else, what's the cost in making things happen. A few referrals here & there. One of my Senior, a great asset filtered 90% of the enquiries
1130am : My Project Manager's sick. I'm standing in for a call to create a dedicated servicing team, providing the infrastructures to receive such enquiries through NGVR call gating option
1200pm : Lunch time @ Marco Polo. The most relaxing time of the day, yet we talked about work
1245pm : Received an escalated referral. Shit from my business partner who've mastered the highest level of tai chi
0100pm : The Head of KL MSD Ops jumped as there was an escalated referral to the VP about an unbalanced ledger with aging of 120 days
0200pm : Spent an hour hunting down the non balanced amount with the help of a very analytical analyst. Found it! Now, put it in words & revert accordingly
0200pm : Meeting with the Merchant Servicing Leads. Process alignment to ensure that both teams acquire a win - win situation in terms of demand management
0230pm : Still on the subledger. It balanced on my end, but it doesn't balance at the Recons Team's end. What?
0300pm : Jumped on an urgent call with the Recons Team's Lead. Unable to convince him. Roped in Controllership to address the situation. The Controller's good, & nice
0400pm : Role play on how to use the phone functions effectively. This was fun
0430pm : Chat with my Director on debit balance & reserves performance, as well as my future
0500pm : Exhausted, simply exhausted
0530pm : > 100 e-mails to clear. My day has just begun
0617pm : Aftershock. Checked on the Team as well as 13th floor. Organize an immediate meeting for the Crisis Response Team using Send Word now. This is cool
0700pm : Resumed work
0800pm : Resumed work
0830pm : Received a bad news. When 1 door closes, another window opens. But what your open window closes the window of another?
0900pm : Calling it a day

The above is just an illustration of my typical day. Today's an off peak day. I'm engaged in my work, but I'm simply tired... I haven't even started my studies. I haven't even completed my assignments.

Prioritizations.

1000pm : Saw my dog. A sight for sore eyes. But she wouldn't understand.

Ryan.

My 1st cousin from Hong Kong?

2009-09-21T21:44:00.012+08:00

21September2009 0944pm

I have been told in the past that my Grandfather, currently 94 years old has a brother in China. This brother of his, needless to say has a son who fathered, well, a few more son. This son, whom I'll formally call Uncle K for now along with his eldest son are in town & for the 1st time, I'm meeting my cousin brother in person. Here's the odd, but nice family photo we've taken today.

L-R:

Seated, Uncle_KL, Auntie_KL#2, Uncle_HK, Grandpa, Auntie_KL#1, Stepmom, Dad

Standing, Cousin_KL#1, Cousin_KL#3, Bro, Bro's Son, Bro's Wife, Me (fat), Cousin_HK

We're having dinner again tomorrow on me & my Bro, so I shall get to know my Cousin_HK better. I was also told that he's an extremely successful businessman with coverage spanning across International & US Domestic. Perhaps I can learn a thing or two...

Oh... And I've successfully captured some nice pictures of Belle with my 'palia' Canon Ixus... Just to share...

Ryan signing off.

My 1st blog in Sep09?

2009-09-16T00:27:00.002+08:00

16September2009 1228am
No, I've not kick the blogging habit, but work + studies has taken its toll... Dark eye circles & even pimples (gosh, I thought they'll never come back, ever) are clearly showing on my face.

Well, lots to update, so little time. The only reason I'm here it's cause my hair's still wet... Yup, just came home from another long day. Work -> studies -> work -> home. Being awake for 20 hours is a norm now.

Well, in a nutshell to make up for all of my 1st times...

I had my 1st BBQ with my brand new team last Saturday (12Sep09),
I'm leading a brand new migrated team from Sydney officially for the 1st time on the floor 2 days ago (14Sep09), it's just a soft launch,
I received my 1st Marketing Management essay assignment score yesterday (15Sep09). I got 33 / 40. I expected more, but I "heard" the highest is only 34. If its true, then it's not that bad,
Sometime ago, I receive the results for my 1st Comparative Law online OBJECTIVE questions which was opened for 1 WEEK. Yes, 1 whole week. Despite focus session & study groups & discussions with reliable experts, only managed to score 22 / 30. Yes, it's not easy to get a HD (high distinction).

Well, all is not lost. I'm not giving up. I just have to work harder for my final written exam for Marketing & 2 more exams for Law. I have 1 more month. I'll keep my post alive. I'm committed. My Grandma will look after me. Good night all.

Ryan. signing off, extremely exhausted, 1236am.

My 1st short update

2009-08-30T00:54:00.003+08:00

30August2009 1255am
Haven't been blogging. Online test starting 31August2009 for a week. Yup, no ID31 for me this year. Am fortunate to have a long weekend though. Will be back as soon as I take care of this...

My 1st Assignment - Submitted

2009-08-23T01:38:00.002+08:00

23August2009 0140am
I've just submitted the 1st Assignment... 40% burden completed... I can feel a heavy weight lifted from my chest... Pheeeeeeww...
It's late. That's all for now. Signing off to watch HK artists performing to raise funds for TW. A maggi sounds good now.

0141am.

My Belle's 1st pose for me, steadily

2009-08-22T20:14:00.004+08:00

22August2009 0821pm
Surprisingly, Belle stood very still & I managed to snap a few nice photos. Here you go...
Yup, perhaps its time to consider a DSLR just like JD. Lol...

My 1st rude awakening...

2009-08-22T20:02:00.003+08:00

22August2009 0803pm
It has been a while since the last time I slept for more than 10 hours. Exhausted. I was awakened by the noise of this couple's noise, arguments of some sort. Been hearing this for the past few days. My guess is, they've settled in to be my new neighbours.
This morning, they went at it again & if the noise is not bad enough, they were going at it in my front porch. The odesity... Anyhow, I've taken a picture of them. Their offsprings are already wandering around so I'm not sure when they'll call it quits...

My 1st lost of the season. Well, my Team anyway...

2009-08-17T01:34:00.002+08:00

17August2009 0134am
It's either the Londoners got lucky, or the Mersey siders just don't have the luck... But losing to Spurs? Anyway, at least the Reds' not thrashed the way Everton was.

I'm still awake working on my Assignment. All was well until I realized I've gone out of the topic. I need to illustrate that Marketing is both Art & Science, but make a stand in the conclusion. The hardest part for me was the referencing piece. It's so much work.

Another 20 minutes before I'm calling it a day. I'm at the conclusion piece now but I'm already close to 1,500 words. I guess I blew too much...

Signing off. Ryan.

My 1st Study Group in... Years...

2009-08-15T20:29:00.002+08:00

15August2009 0830pm
I thought I could do this alone. I probably can... But I've underestimated the amount of stuffs I can learn just by joining a Study Group. 6 adults, 5 laptops, 5 guys, 1 Iranian gal, 2 married, 1 without kids... Starbucks in MidValley... Now tell me how many apples I have in my fridge? Just kidding...

Thankfully to a guy name Duke who's a Risk Engineer in MCIS, we're not so lost now. And he's the one who at times come late to class, however his self made notes & knowledge saved us all.

The art of referencing but balancing plagiarism is not easy. Hopefully, I can finish my Assignment by tonight & can start referencing, Harvard style, appropriately. Till then, signing off.

P.S: Will endeavour to start adding pictures next time.

My 1st Assignment

2009-08-13T23:35:00.002+08:00

13August2009 1136pm
There's this petit little girl who proudly announced to the class that she doesn't / haven't drink Coca Cola before. Well, she's the 1st that I know, submitted her Assignment for the Lecturer to vet through. Talk about preassure.
There're 2 more girls in the class who're close to completion.
None of the guys have started, including me. Sad, sad, sad.

Hopefully, I can get the framework ready by today. Kambatte Ryan... Kambatte!

My 1st time studying for 8 hours straight after 8 years

2009-08-11T23:11:00.002+08:00

11August2009 1111pm
Struggling...
Marketing Management is not too difficult.
Comparative Law is killing me.
I have profound respect for Jason & Mei for they're able to conquer the subject at an in depth level. Only touching the surface is enough to suffocate me. I told myself to work twice as hard as the rest of my course mate.
1st game plan, I have to complete my Marketing essay due 20Aug09, to be submitted latest by 24Aug09. It's 40% of my total scoring mark. Once this is done, its all out for Law.

Support me guys. I can't fail. I must succeed with colours.

My 1st 3 hours badminton game

2009-08-09T01:04:00.002+08:00

09August2009 0105am
The games started from 0700pm - 1000pm, 1 hour more than plan. It's exhausting. Must have burned thousands of calories. Unfortunately, had a heavy dinner (yes, with rice). There goes all the hardwork.
KimShen brought her girlfriend, PuiYee together. I must admit, she's one of the best female badminton player I've ever partnered / go against. Even her backhand's strong & have a thing for net play. Interesting.
Just had a refreshing shower. Gonna clear some work before calling it a day. Ciao!

My 1st time blogging twice in a day

2009-08-04T22:05:00.007+08:00

04August2009 1005pm
A good shot of adorable Belle. I finally understand why a Bitc... I mean a Dog's a man's best friend.
She stood by me when I was half dead... Errr... Kinda drunk, practically standing / snugging next to me until I woke up before she quietly returned to her home. It's just remarkable, the sense of loyalty a canine can show you.

My 1st interview after so long, not being a people leader

2009-08-04T19:01:00.002+08:00

04August2009 0707pm
The problem with hiring Contact Centre Representative is, you'll always get 1 of the following group types:-
1) Excellent command of English, but so-so on looks
2) Not so good in command of English, extremely presentable (guy) or pretty (girl)
3) Excellent command of English & extremely presentable (guy) or pretty (girl). but you know they won't stay long

Hired 1 & I still need to fill 3. Interviews lined up all the way until end of week. I'm back in Operations. Fortunately, the Team's very matured & knows what they're doing.

A theory that works, validated

2009-08-03T23:14:00.002+08:00

My 1st day in a new Team

2009-08-03T23:05:00.002+08:00

03August2009 1105pm
Today marks the 1st day of a brand new chapter in my career, being in the Merchant Debit Balance Team, aka Merchant Control Team (MCT) for the APA region. Basically, my Team duns Merchants for payments, quite similar to Credit Department of Banks dunning Cardmembers.

The Team is a relatively mature one, which made my job easy in terms of management however difficult at maintaining the high standards. In 2 more days, we should have an official announcement whether KL's successful in insourcing some of the business from ANZ, which will be consolidated together under MCT.

Some of my colleagues in Sydney will be impacted. As sad as this may be, I guess I have to prioritize Business first & to drop the emotional side of me.

Will endeavour to blog more moving forward & start treating this as my electronic, online diary. I guess this is what blog's all about.

Signing off, Ryan.

My 1st class after years

2009-07-22T08:16:00.003+08:00

22July2009 0815am
The 1st subject was Comparative Law. The 1st hour was all about how to score come Exam period, the common pitfalls or errors made my candidates, da da da.
What a way to start the course. He (the Lecturer) only introduced himself in the 2nd hour. I guess he's there to preach, strictly, not to build rapport or relationship.

He's very good at making jokes too, but he doesn't complete them. "The chicken cross the road... Let's move on. Page...". And he covered 48 slides yesterday.

Well, that's it. My 1st experience being back in class. Yeah, the ChongCheeMeng lookalike's there. I guess he'll be the top student. The classroom hottie (the best from the worst) is there, but am not interested. The group that's noisy cause the whole gang's there are present too. I've only made 1 friend, an Indian guy by the name of Siva.

Jason & Mey will be my new best friend in the next 4 months. Lol.

My 1st MBA acceptance

2009-07-07T08:48:00.003+08:00

07July2009 0848am

I wonder... How long can I keep up with the Blog Title Header beginning with "My 1st..." every single time. This was inspired by the sitcom 'Friends' by the way.

Anyway, just received a confirmation from University of Southern Queensland (USQ) that I've been accepted (yes Pat, University of Liverpool is 3 times the cost). I'm excited, at the same time am a bit worried that I may not be able to cope with the work / study / life balance.

Well, I'll be concerned about that later. For now, let's stick with the excitement.

My 1st weekend without work

2009-07-05T22:06:00.005+08:00

05July2009 1022pm

Dozen of datelines catching up & some have already passed, including my Mid Year Assessment. My motivation & engagement level is low, probably due to the fact that I'm still torned.

I've completed Prudential's medical check. It wasn't a good experience. 1st, I walked to Uni-Med Clinic in Wisma Cosway. Once done, I was requested to move to Health Scan in Wisma HLA. It was a long walk under the hot sun. Once the report's ready, I have to personally hand collect it & send it back to Prudential HR. I guess my first impression on Company X's HR is proven to be true. This is not at all competent nor efficient.

I've also submitted my request for my Department, Line Optimisation's Education Assistance Plan. My Boss has already approved it. It's now pending for the approval of my Director & the Head of HR (he was the 2nd degree A H1N1 individual~well, I'm glad he's well & okay after 7 days now).

I will need to make the best decision for my very own career within the next few days. My Bro, Jordan seems to have everything going his way... And my Bro, Pat will be getting his big break soon. Ryan, it's your turn now... Think & decide wisely...

My 1st Medical Leave, subsequently self quarantine

2009-06-30T00:53:00.002+08:00

30June2009 1255am

Woke up with fever & sore throat. Not a good sign due to the whole AH1N1 pandemic. But I know what happened, had a late shower & was trying to be a macho guy (coming out from a steamy shower without clothes). Sigh, 'anak Billie Jean', 'Lo Lei Jin'.

Will be self quarantin-ing myself at home tomorrow. I can't be selfish. Besides, both my Manager & Global Security seems to think that it's a wise move. Why not?

Got a new task. To create a Merchant FAQ page online at www.americanexpress.com.au/merchantfaq. Yeah, it's a vanity URL. Replicating the same for NZ now. It's an amateur site however we're learning. We're also tracking the web hits with the cool Omniture tool. Will upload a report one day.

Alright, better rest. Nights, Bros. Since this blog's only visited by my 2 good Bros for now. JD, hope your job's coming soon. Pat, hope your celebration's good!

My 1st Golden Retriever

2009-06-28T23:35:00.004+08:00

28June2009 1150pm

Suddenly feel like posting a picture of my companion for the past 10 months online. She slept with me the 1st night when my Grandma left, well, slept around me anyway. Losing someone close to you is not easy, kinda spooky to be honest. Belle, thank you for pulling me through the difficult time.

My 1st major career crossroad

2009-06-27T21:53:00.003+08:00

27June2009 1000pm
Time flies. It's end of June.
I've verbally accepted the offer from Prudential. Was it a wise move?

My 'possibly' new employer offered me slightly more than 10% increment with limitless boundaries & the promise of a great adventure. It's also a position with higher prospects, leading a Team of 25+ employees. No Blackberry, but I guess that's good work life balance.

My current employer offered me a fully paid MBA, with opportunities to lead an onshoring effort from HK to Malaysia. I love the idea, bringing more jobs to KL, pioneering the brand new centre, leveraging the current process, policies, procedures, being the Subject Matter Experts, da da da... In short, it's my forte.

It boils down to the bottom line ($ gain) or the job satisfaction. What's more important? Ryan, think. Think hard. I wish my Grandma's here. =)

My 1st Yellow Belt Six Sigma official certification

2009-06-11T17:05:00.002+08:00

11June2009 0507pm
I was certified officially as a Six Sigma Yellow Belt holder by American Express based some minor improvement I've driven to the Team.
Yellow Belt was kinda cliche but it was pretty innovative considering that we have limited resources or Mentors to guide us through the official Green Belt Program. I'm the 1st in AmEx Malaysia officially (unofficially, a good friend of mine beat me to it as she completed her Project much earlier with significant improvement & ROI, just pending her air time in front of the Centre wide crowd).
Pretty nerve wrecking as a VP from Singapore was here. Nope, he wasn't here for me. He's here to deliver a bad news. Our wonderful GM for AmEx Malaysia cum VP for JAPA Risk Operations have decided to leave AmEx to join a competitor in Hong Kong. We're trying to get him back to say his official good bye... Got to give him a piece of my mind for dumping us just like that, however admire his courage as he's been with the Blue Box for over a decade...
Alright, works are piling up. Some of my Projects are stumbling due to Tech hiccups. Will post frequently, promise.

Pat, thanks for the words of encouragement. Lol.

My 1st impression of Company X's HR

2009-06-10T19:03:00.004+08:00

10June2009 0700pm
Office. Just lost a game of foosball to Team MCG. It has been a daily affair since our GM (who've just left us yesterday) bought us the table. The KL Centre has just lost another great Advocate & strong supporter. He's a great GM who takes the effort despite his busy schedule to walk the floors, speak to his people & knows everyone by their first name. And I'm complaining that I don't even have time to walk up to HR. Hmmm...

As of today, I'm still waiting for the offer that's supposed to come from the external Company. And it has been a long 2 weeks plus since I was told that I'm good for the job. Not a good 1st impression, no? Well, let's just hope everything turns out well.

Yes, I'm not giving up on this blog. I shall be more committed & persistent. When it's active, only then will I inform my mates about this page...

Just receive a request from one of the Directors. Signing off... Talk about work life balance.

My 1st time blogging from the office

2009-05-22T17:57:00.001+08:00

22May2009 0610pm
Today is a relatively fun day at work, setting aside office politics & scuffles of who should do what, who's not doing what, etc. Man, office women can really bitch.

Today's Jersey Day. There're numerous sports event in the office. I played futsal, but it's actually just a penalty kick of the small football into the legs of a conference room chair. It's harder than it looks. I can only get 3 out of 5. Yeah, 'kaki bangku'. My new Nike doesn't help either.

Next, off to Golf. After numerous attempts, I got 2 our of 5. Not my forte.

Moved on to carrom. Now, this is where I can do some serious damage. Managed to knock down a total of 23 points (1 red, a lot of whites & some blacks). I was told that it's the highest at that point. Sounds good to me.

In the same room, there's a dart board. Managed to get only 5 out of 9. Not too sure how the points are calculated.

Next, to the PS2 room. You heard me right, there's a FIFA game but the queue was, needless to say, long. Decided to move on to foosball instead. Now that game's cool. The score was 4 to the Reds & 1 to Everton. The wooden guys are coloured red & blue.

Back to PS2 room, Liverpool drew 1-1 with Chelsea. Now this is in the Game. I scored 2 goals, so you know what happened.

Lastly, am back to Golf for a retry. I got 4 out of 5, so not bad at all. My total scores was 42, but I heard the Champion for 57. Better luck next time.

Alright, signing off now. Too much office bitching around. I shall be leaving soon.

My 1st time blogging, well, officially

2009-05-19T22:54:00.000+08:00

19May2009 1100pm Tuesday
Let's see how long I can sustain this initiative of mine. Started this blog for a reason, mainly to commenrate someone very dear & special to me. Well, let's not go there yet.

Tomorrow's an important day as I'll be having a catch up call with someone big. If you want something done for your life, you got to be aggressive, you got to make your desire known, you got to speak your mind.

I've come to a stage where I believe leveraging such relationship works better, quicker & more effective as opposed to demonstrating how well you can manage your day to day work, delivering extraordinary quality, results & be the best in your work.

It would be interesting to see if I'm correct. That's all for today. Again, let's see how long I can sustain this new activity. There's a Chinese saying that goes "3 minutes hot temparature / degree?"...