On Working and Research

As much as I'd like to blame the office broadband for spewing out crappy internet for my research, I think about 20 years ago when there was no internet for reference. I'm assuming most of the people have to talk to experts or experienced colleagues to get answers or information.

Now I'm curious how dad does his work...how he got so far and so up so fast. He is absolutely my work guru. A lot of people who know him in the office regard him as strict, hardworking, thorough and brilliant (one of the SVPs even said he looked like a genius: maybe he is!).

Living with my dad for a year in Singapore opened my eyes to his work habits. Since we never saw him other than the holidays when we were kids, it never occurred to me how he worked and became successful.

1. Work hard, work smart -- he always told me to work smart.. make sure you know the purpose of your work so you don't end up wasting time in meaningless work.

2. Have concrete goals -- dreaming of becoming a CEO in 5 years is not very objective. Take it a step at a time. Start with accomplishing a task and move forward; you get to see real results- which is more motivating!

3. Never be afraid to ask questions -- it's better to make mistakes at the start. Asking questions and sending drafts saves you and your boss future headaches and delays

4. Learn -- you are never too old to learn. Combine education (book smart) and wisdom (street smart).

I'm sure dad does a lot more. He's the kind of guy that goes the extra mile. I'd love to pick his brains one time and ask him what's a day like for him.

Life was so much simpler way back

I read past entries and realized that I had a lot of time to blog back then...! I just feel that time slips past my fingers and I barely realize it's the middle of the week already.

I looked at the blog entry that I did while I was starting HP..my very first company. Compared to my first day in EDC, HP was a walk through hell... in all honesty, I wasn't prepared for a life of German programming language, flex time (when you're young and given that much freedom, it's BAD) and no sense of discipline (I mean it in the "non-traditional corporate environment" sense).

Since my parents were baby boomers area, one could only imagine the corporate life way back when. And that is the kind of corporate life I was expecting. Of course, things change, people change culture and the culture now is a celebration of independence and accountability. At least in my mind of MNCs.

EDC seems more structured, more "back to the future" type of environment. Since my parents came from that company 20+ years back, this is exactly the corporate life they were painting in my mind. It's not so bad. It's an eye-opener for me. The difference between a local and a multi-national company. A flat organization vs. structured hierarchy. A private company vs. a recently privatized GOCC.

There are so many things I have yet to know about corporate life. The formality, the "traditional" sense of going to the office...

I must say, working in EDC has charmed me. It seems down-to-earth (in it's literal and figurative sense!) but at the same time, I'm learning a lot...fueling (hahaha) my knowledge of management and governance from masters classes.

HP and I had a good ride. I met a lot of people who have become my closest of friends. I have shared wonderful experiences and have experienced the best and worst (so far) of living an adult life. But now, it's on to a new chapter. Move on, move forward, move towards future and wonderful opportunities out there.

Ah life, we haven't even started!