My 1st Puppy Love

I am a cat person. I love how these creatures exude their feline grace ever so effortlessly. Dogs on the other hand are just too wanting for my liking. Definitely not Ivy's best friend. Besides, I never pet a dog in my life. All the horror stories of getting mauled and disfigured by some rabid dog must caused my trepidation towards them.

I am therefore delightfully surprised that this huge creature is such a sweetheart. On crabby Saturday morning, when I entered the office for a general meeting, I was greeted by this approaching white monster. My first reaction was to turn back and run but pride got the better of me. There were about 5 subordinates milling around and I couldn't possibly be such a wuss.

There I stood, rooted to the ground with fear as the abominable white dog came over and snuggled at my legs. Hm...no bark, no show of teeth, no tongue licking. Phew!

His name is Ah Wang and his fur is white as snow. Testing the waters, I stroked him lightly. He didn't turn his head. No bark, no teeth, no tongue licking.

All clear.

I bent down to examine his fur. How very lovely.

He grows on you and when we started the meeting, the creature was locked in the M.D.'s office for 4 hours. He stayed in there quietly without kicking up a fuss and when we returned, the office looked as pristine as we left it. No paper was out of place. Is this a good dog or what?I was thinking of hitching a ride from this sledge puller but oh well, this is as good as it gets. (By the way, I didn't sit on him, in case you think of dialling the SPCA)
=P
I can't wait to see this fella again. He's a dream come true. Doesn't bark, doesn't show you his teeth, doesn't slobber all over you with yucky dog saliva, holds his bladder and rectum well till he's outside. And the fur. Take him for a shave in summer and the fur can be used on coats for winter. ;-)

为人民(币)服务

I was very frustrated with the hassle of China’s administrative policies today and was on the brink of a psychotic meltdown. Three trips of running to the local Suzhou Industrial Park One Stop Service Centre and my request had been refused due to 3 separate reasons. Why can’t they just tell all “Dos and Don’ts” to save me the multiple trips? @#%&
When I got back to the office, I looked down at my mouse pad and cooled down a little. I bought this to constantly remind myself the reason I am here in China—breathing the polluted air, eating the dubious food and dealing with people I don’t really like.

In Our Element

Today, a spot of online surfing provided me with the inspiration for this post.

An ex-educator, Yu-Mei Balasingamchow, was interviewed for her success as a freelance writer. How does “Lonely Planet” and “Singapore: A Biography” sound? (See interview here, http://nanzinc.com/the-professional-freelancer-yu-mei-balasingamchow ) Her blogsite is: TooManyThoughts.

A friend, Sean Seah, who took Korean language classes with me a couple of years back, left his high flying sales engineer job and turned to wedding photography full-time. His company, www.firewerkzfilms.com seems to be doing well and capturing many happy memories for newly weds.

These people, to name a few, are in their element.

Then, there are others who are simply doing well but haven’t arrived. A meeting with an industry counterpart had me hearing this statement, “Yea, I am stuck here” twice within half an hour. It may have been said in jest or modesty but something in his eyes tells me it’s for real.

Am I in my element yet?
No. I am still an entrepreneur in training.
The current role of managing a modest set-up in China makes me extremely restless. It’s supposed to be an opportunity to learn the ropes before flying solo but the industry seems to be vastly different from what I really want to venture into.

It’s actually very ridiculous to want to abandon ship just less than 5 months into the new role. Doesn't look good on my resume but when you're working for yourself, to heck with resumes!
I feel an internal clock going ‘Tick Tock, Tick Tock’ and honestly, sink or swim, why can’t I learn as I go while pursuing my dream business full time?

My bosses (3 of them) wouldn’t be happy to read this. Then again, there is only a 1% chance of them getting their eyeballs on this article. That 1% is through divine intervention and I doubt God conspires against me.
I am jumping ship this year. Adiós Misters. bosses!