Mid Autumn Festival

It more than 8 months no new posting.

It come to the above celebration. The weather getting cooler in Hanoi and Vietnamese also celebrating this festival. It sad that I will not back home with my family for this event.

My daughter has fixed well in the secondary school but seen her character changing to the teenager stage. My son looks to have problem in the class. Beside he is unable to get along with his classmates, his study has not improved. Often my wife was unable to coach him. His mindset is blocked. I have to monitor him closely and work with him. I believe that he can do it. This is the reason that I have requested back to Singapore for working next year. He will in P6 for PSLE in 2008.

In the next 6 months, I will be very busy to set up our company operations. This is the result of my contribution in Vietnam for the last 3 years. Hope I can cope with working stress and obtained support and understanding from my family.

Cheers!!!

Chinese New Year 2007

Vietnamese (Vn) called their New Year as TET. Tet holiday usualy following the lunar new year calendar. This year Vn tet is one day earlier than CNY and is due to the printing error on the calendar? I have plan to be back in Singapore on 15-27 Feb to see friends and spent more time with my family. I have initiated a gathering for friends who currently working in Hanoi and those who returned after posting. We have about 20 people going to gather in FRANKIE PLACE who opened by Frankie Ang, one of our friend who worked here before. I hope this is the last tet holiday as I'm looking forward ending my 3 years contract in Vn. But I believed that to stay longer till 1st quarter 2008. Hope that the next tet holiday I will be posted home after full operation. But what is my next challenge in my Career life? I will get use of the Singapore working life? I hope to continue support the regional development and get more opportunity to get connected with all the friends in Vietnam. CHEERS!!!

PSLE - Secondary School

Time fly. My daughter has finished Primary level and moving on to Secondary level next year. My dreams is if my daughter can continue to be educated in Dunman as my sister and me was there in the pass old day. But things not like what I wished. My daughter score was below the standard of their enrollment. I believed she can score better in PSLE but feel she perform below her normal standard. But result speak to itself and should move forward. All my friends daughter scored very well above 245 points.

We have no choice going around to check the Secondary School that we are not sure to fix to her choice. The mother always want her to have the right to select as she is the going to study there. She always hear and talk to her friends as a basic to select her choice. I have no objection on the first choice as we are comfortable with and know better of the school cuture. But the enrollment standard is slightly higher than her score. She may stand a risks and fall to 2nd choice. This is the school that during my secondary 1 & 2 school day we did our technical subject there. But they have transformed from a techinical school to a normal secondary and has special program for Malay language. My impression of the school is more negative as in the pass the student behaviour is not so good i.e smoking, even my classmate has a a fight there. But checking of their website thay had moved to the new school in 1998 and has change the image in the pass 8 years.

Hope that she can enroll to the first choice school and study better and go to the IP program after Sec.2 level. I still dreaming that if she can be transfering back to Dunman in one day to be a DUNMAN PEOPLE (de ming ren).

World Cup Football

I recalled the following :-

1994 - My daughter was born in KK and the doctor came back for my wife delivery and spoke to me about the game.

1998 - I was in Pan Pacific Hotel doing the preparation of National Day observation ceremony and watching the final game overnight there.

2002 - My family were having holiday in Australia and watching all the games every night.

2006 - I'm working in Vietnam and watching the world cup here (free).

My daughter is 12 years old now and celebrating her birthday soon. Time fly.

Good friends Posting Back

Recently, many friends that we have created good friendship in Hanoi has been posted away. They are back in Singapore or posting to other country. I feel sad as I treasure our friendship. I believed when I out of Vietnam, my other friends here also has this feeling. But what can we do, this is working life. I'm concern one day been posted back in Singapore, will I get use to the working styles and the office politic in Singapore?

Relationship

I feel my family dislike to talk to me when I’m in overseas. The reason may they are too busy with house work and school work or I’m too long winded. Sometime they trying to cut off the tele-conversation “I’m very busy…”, “Who want to talk to daddy…”. Feeling they are trying to avoid me. The last few home visits make me have reservation on our relationship. Should I continue to be working overseas?

Career Development

Looking back for the past 7 years with my current company, I'm not progressing well. I believed I have contributed to my best but was not being recognized by my bosses(they all had resigned). I have taken the opportunity to be posted to Vietnam 2 years ago. Hope that by changing to a new boss and environment plus my efforts on developing the business in Vietnam and lost 60% of my family life, I will be able to justify and move to the next level in my career path. As the saying go, I should not have high expectation and demand. I should also lookout for other opportunity in the region as well. In life, there is always up and down and I should stay positive and be happy what the god have given me, my lovely family and friends around.

Cheers!!!