Next stage...

Done with stage 1 from 9-22 Aug.. now day 1 of stage 2.. blood test.. actually quite painful.. then learned how to calculate dosage and jab.. guess i worried too much.. the needle is very thin and not painful.. my dear looked like he's having fun "poking" me.. hehe anyway... blood test again on 31 Aug.. hope my body will react well..

SG50...

Additional holiday just for SG50.. also a day to remember.. 4 days break to rest and do house chores..

Finally decision made...

After so long.. i decided to take the first step on 8 Jul. everything started on 16 Jul and a decision made after 3 weeks.. hope this journey is smooth and ends well.. finger crossed.. excited but also nervous... 

Separation...

nah.. not that we are separated.. just that we will work for different company.. hope both companies will do well.. 

Office move..

The day has come where many fellow colleagues are moving to the opposite block.. for me.. same role reporting to same manager at the same seat.. mixed feeling..

Bucharest Biz Trip 6-13 June

5 Jun
Crazy start.. supposed to fly out on 11pm but flight was cancelled.. got rebook at 3pm to sin-nrt-fra-otp tomorrow night.. went dinner and flight changed again at 7pm.. sin-lhr-otp at 1am.. rushed home to pack.. undo hotel and taxi arrangements.. finally on my way to airport.. managed to secure business class from sin-lhr.. nice!

6 Jun
Hotel and the views

7 Jun
14hrs day trip using public transport.. started early to Peles Castle at Sinaia.. 1hr 35mins train ride.. 30mins walk from train station.. lost initially but managed to find the shortcut.. visited ground floor (general exhibit) with free guide.. did not pay photography fee so snapped some fotos secretly.. missed the best part of a mirror reflection on the ceiling painting..

Bran castle.. packed lunch and took 1hr 8mins train from Sinaia to Brasov.. walked 30 mins to bus terminal 2.. took 50 mins bus to Bran.. spent 1.5hrs in the castle and nearby market.. on way back.. took bus 23 instead of walking.. met friendly lady who told us where to take the bus and alight.. so managed to catch the 654pm train back to Bucharest and caught the sunset at 9pm..

Views from Bran castle

Well it was tiring to walk and travel by train, intercity bus and local bus.. but i felt accomplished and also saved quite a bit comparing to join a tour.. my colleague (based locally) was worried about me.. luckily i have 2 other colleagues from China and Malaysia to accompany and GPS app (without data) to guide me around..

These 2 castles are different.. Peles castle looks more grand, interior is pretty and easy to find it.. Bran castle has very nice views, i like the staircase but the journey is long and troublesome.. so my recommendation is this:

• if you have the time, visit both via public transport
• if you do not have time, join tour to visit both
• else pick 1 based on your preference

8-12 Jun
At work doing testing.. flew out 12 Jun evening flight so that i can come home on time for family day at USS 7pm.. it's the last family day as 1 company..

Will wrap this up with my favorite food pics

Anchorage 17 Jan PST

Checked out super early to catch 544am flight from sfo-den-anc with 2hrs 14mins layover.. reached around 3+pm and saw very nice sunset.. poor dear waited for 3hrs at the airport.. took free hotel shuttle.. dropped our stuffs and had dinner at HRC... it was cold.. the locals said it's the warmest winter they ever had..

Palo Alto Biz Trip 11-16 Jan and Alaska 17-27 Jan

We managed to align our biz trips on the same week and decided to go Alaska for ski and northern lights viewing.. so excited and looking forward.. 

Role changed..

Decided to take on a different role under my previous boss.. exciting and lots of opportunities to travel.. guess it's very important who is your boss and if both can work well together..

Promotion...

After all the hard work.. finally got what i wanted.. happy despite bigger responsibility and higher expectations..