Banquet Hall

I cannot sleep.

I keep on telling myself it's just a banquet hall.
It's nothing big if I look at it in a long run.

I still can't sleep.

I am spending nearly $30K on such an event, once in a life time. I want it to be as close to my dream banquet as possible.
I must have spent at least 2 months worth of off work hours to search through websites, visit locations, punching calculator, scratching my head trying to figure out the best combination of style, food quality and price.
I can't find what I want but I still need to pick one.

I can't sleep.

My dad lectures me a couple of times about how a wedding should focus on glorifying God and thanksgiving. I can't agree more, but that doesn't take away the fact that I have to pick a decent banquet hall. At least I have to find one that can bring a smile to my face. I don't think God wants to see a bride that just wants to get it over with.

I can't sleep.

We are suppose to finalize our decision this weekend after seeing our last 2 options. Our time is running out and most of the nice banquet halls are already fully booked.
I want to give up hosting one but I don't think I can get away with this easy.

I can't sleep.

I can't sleep.

I really can't sleep.

The Ring

It's more than just a ring.
It's even more than just a diamond ring.

I've seen friends receiving it, wearing it, and the smiles on their faces. Now I realize it's not that simple. It's light on my finger, but it draws deep into my heart. It carries a promise of liability & responsibility. And when I accept it the promise lands on my shoulder to honor it.

I see myself different.
No words can describe how it is.
I am not the same even to myself.

Engagement

This past week I have been very busy at work. Yesterday projects were pouring in. Today everybody was already asking me for all kinds of reports. I hardly had anytime to eat. I was so stressful and busy that a 2:30pm meeting was prospond till 4:50pm. Obviously by the time it was over it's already well pass 5:30pm. That meeting was actually a meeting with the merchandise assistant, and the only reason a MA wanted to see me would be passing me even more stuff to do. So after the meeting I thought I really should just sit at the office till 10pm to at least catch up some work. However my boss told me to go home, plus JK & Glor called me out for dinner so I decided to deal with the mess tomorrow instead. Little did I know that ron was already waiting outside my house. Little did I know that he got me a big bunch of beautiful flowers. Little did I know, that he was going to propose, this very night.















Thank you everyone that came to dinner to congratulate and celebrate our engagement with us. I was tired from work but this was definitely a very nice surprise.

Thank you my dearest for spending so much effort and heart in preparing a special evening for me. You always manage to pull a surprise on me so well.

After the dinner, Ron came to my house for some quiet time. Before he left we had a prayer together.

Thank you God for giving me such a wonderful man. I couldn't ask for anything more. He is better than anything I can imagine, and still improving everyday. May we continue to be a blessing to brothers and sisters around us, and daily testimonies to those that have not believed. Amen.

My visit to Fai Fai's House

Finale

Let me explain the Hierarchy of my dept (costing dept) and the product management dept before I start explaining what happened.

Costing Dept
CFO/CEO --> Business Development Director (My direct boss) --> Costing Analyst (me)

Product Management Dept
CFO/CEO --> Product Director --> Product Manager (in short - PM, people that I hang out with all the time at work) --> Merchandise Assistant (in short - MA)

Have that said, now I can use my terms more freely.

The job that I was considering was the MA position. I was told in the past little while that the MA position would get me higher compensation than as a costing analyst. The PM (direct senior of the MA position) invited me to join his team several times but I kept on wondering, how much more? I tried asking one of the PM, a coworker friend but he wouldn't budge. Yesterday this PM asked me to join him for lunch. So I went and during lunch I told him I was still considering but my decision point would only be the compensation. I need to know if it's worth it to go through all that trouble, potentially loosing the security of the current position to attempt a transfer? Then he said to me,

"Ok lets put it this way. From what I know your position doesn't earn you more than $35 - $37K a year. You can't get more than that as a costing analyst in this company. If that's the case, then it's worth it to switch cause' you have room to climb up in the product management team."

I looked at him in awe for few seconds.

"What? Was my estimate wrong? Am I way off?"

"Yes you are wrong. Way off."

"Way off what?? Should be higher or lower?? Really wayy off?"

"Higher. Yes, really way off."

"Well if I am way off then forget about it. Don't move. Stay where you are, you are fine."


Later in the day I was talking to 2 other MAs about this since one of them was also considering a transfer (different product lines). Then I realize what I am earning right now is already the ceiling of a MA position. For me, I am getting probably the least compensation among my coworkers in the costing dept. Sky is still the limit to me since all of them are CAs except me. It was God's providence in the beginning that I was offered this job with not a drop of accounting knowledge nor experience. I am given a really good boss (someone who is always fighting for higher compensation for me!) and a good bunch of coworkers. I am learning lots everyday at my job. I get piss sometimes but I also enjoy all the laughter that comes along with it because my boss can always find ways to turn the tide and say funny comments.

It is not until I see what's out there that I realize how blessed I am already.

Thanks everyone for their prayers.

Costing Analyst vs. Merchandise Assistant

I am trying to write a blog asking my friends, you, to pray for me.
Funny how I have no idea how.

I have been very busy at work recently. This pass Monday I took a day off just to rest. I also gave myself a kick start on the song books re-organization. I invited a girlfriend to have a sleepover. That gave me a boost to clean up my room before she came.

Today the HR dept sent out an internal job posting. It's an opening from another dept that I worked very closely with. It's a new position. I understood that job quite well since all my work came from that dept. The product manager asked me if I would be interested.

I didn't give much thought about it when I saw the job posting. However when he asked me I started thinking about it. The director of that dept I worked closely with also. I knew that job would be more demanding than my current one. The only reason I am considering it now is because of the compensation. That product manager told me it had to be higher than what I got now.

So the whole thing comes down to this - will I go for the money? In the coming few years I will have HIGH demands for cash. I have been actively thinking about getting a part time job but the sacrafice is too big for too little money. A higher pay job seems to solve my problem once and for all but this will potentially jeperdize my personal time. In short, it's hardly a 9 - 5pm job.

Is this really worth it?

本世紀最大發明

十幾年前已經自己俾錢買左個，七、八年之後我阿爸又買左個，識左Ronald之後發覺佢都有一個，三個人o係三個唔同時間買左三個款，個但係到要用o既時候竟然無個用得？！係，我係講緊我個手寫板。

十幾年前自己買o個個o既插頭係Parallel Port，一睇就知無得救，廢得。七、八年前阿爸買o個個係USB Port，但係偏偏搵唔倒安裝軟件不翼而飛，搞到我要向Ronald求救。開始時以為包冇死，點知原來連佢都冇Installation CD，只有soft copy，諗住用MSN傳過黎都OK，點知傳左成晚先有13MB，個軟件總共50MB，咁咪有排？終於Ronald又要放入Memory Stick再送黎俾我。幾經辛苦我先可以用到本世紀最大發明 -- 手寫板。

我o係度諗，唔知個手寫板同labtop touch pad幾時可以二合為一呢？