星期三, 七月 02, 2008

8GB USB Memory Stick for $10!

There was a pricing error a few weeks at www.bestbuy.com. It was only on for a few hours before they noticed the pricing error, but I was able to get in there in time to order a 8GB Kingston USB Key for $10. Talk about a great deal. And I was glad they're happy to honor this purchase. Got the USB mailed to me last week, still trying to find a use for it, but it's always great to have an extra memory stick lying around. :)

Shared by Kelvin on 3:31 下午.

星期一, 十月 22, 2007

TTC to Increase Fares AGAIN

Woo hoo, no big freaking surprise, the TTC is raising fares again. This time by $0.15. That's 5.66%. Honestly, is there any other vehicle of investment in the world that can appreciate by 5.66% WITHOUT any risks? Ah... I think not. Maybe I should start buying tokens for investments rather than investing in stocks and GICs. So, why are we increasing fares faster than inflation? There's definitely something terribly wrong with the TTC, but what does it do about it? To them, there's only one option, spend more, then dip into rider's pockets for more if need be. Why can't they reduce costs? Reduce costs DOES NOT mean cutting services, it means making your services leaner, and more efficient. Of course, "TTC continues to be an efficient organization," according to Giambrone. Umm... efficient organization with regards to what standard? From my trip to Asia, I've seen a subway system that costs no more than $1.42 CAD to go from one remote part of the city to the other remote side of the city. And none of the subway systems experience nearly as much "technical difficulties" and "issues" on a day-to-day basis. Oh, did I also mention that ALL the other cities' subways arrive ON THE MINUTE of their schedule? In fact its so crucial that their transport system are reliable, that, if there's a delay in the subway, it's reported on the evening news? Now, if we are to do that in Toronto, each night our news will be showing nothing BUT TTC delays. Clearly there's A LOT of room for improvement before thinking about increasing fares. So, this brings me to ponder the age old question of, "So, what does Giambrone do during the day?" Unfortunately, the answer is "Picking his nose and watching riders suffer."

Shared by Kelvin on 8:55 上午.

星期三, 八月 22, 2007

Post-Wedding Thoughts

So last Saturday, a new Mrs. Lo was born. Roughly two years in the making, from the day we decided to tie the knot till now, a lot has happened. There were A LOT of planning, A LOT of hard work, and some small arguments here and there. :) But most of all, I think what I gained from this whole experience is that Lulu and I have many many genuinely good friends, who are willing to spend a lot of time and effort to make our big day special. The wedding process is symbolic yet practical, practical in the sense that you really get to understand so much more about both your spouse and yourself. I learned that Lulu is really excellent at handling stress, and really proficient at handling multiple tasks at once. I learned that I'm a really uptight person who would enjoy life more if I don't make a big fuss over the smallest things. I'm pleased that everything that day turned out perfect, and that everyone had a wonderful time. So, here's a quick rundown of the day...

All my groomsmen arrived on time at my house, and ready for getting the bride. I was surprised that Vince actually arrived early! Only to find out that I accidentally gave him a time half an hour early (honestly, it was accidental!). :) Terry have to run to get the flowers ready for me, since I wanted more corsages for my cousins, I had to trouble Terry to order more for me (thanks Terry!). David drove in with the wedding mobile that we spent roughly 2 hrs decorating the previous day. Higgen and Vince both drove nice cars too, which helped a lot in moving the bridesmaids around. Vincent was really nice to drive his CRV so we were able to fit in a lot of stuff in his trunk, which helped a lot in moving all the wedding stuff around. Allen and his wackiness provided us with lots of laughs in the morning! :D

So the long line of cars arrived at the bride's house, and we went through some crazy games before I got to my bride. Wendy, Angela, Margaret, and my cousins had a fun time torturing us. Although I thought they weren't trying to kill us over the games. :) It COULD have been more intense, but I'm grateful that it wasn't. Allen's Indian dance was hilarious! And the push-ups made me realize how unfit I was. But my dance moves were good, and Lulu had a great laugh too. I also realized that I'm very thick skinned, and I didn't hesitate in announcing my love for Lulu. :) That day was made extra special with our excellent photographer and my uncle as the videographer.

Went into the house, got the bride, pour some tea for mother-in-law and father-in-law, then we rushed to the church. When we got to the church, I was presently surprised that everything is set up, and all that was left for me to do is to greet my guests. Special thanks to all the groomsmen and bridesmaid who helped with the decoration. Also, thanks to Angela for being such a good PM, and to boss people around on our behalf. haha.

The ceremony was excellent, I'm glad we spent the time and effort in picking out all the music. Horace did an excellent job playing out the songs for us. And his singing of Allelua was excellent too. ;) And our rings fit perfectly well too, although Lulu had to force it into my finger. haha. After the wedding we all went to Miliken Park for some photo shoots, this is when Mr. Ip's professionalism is evident, since all our photos are taken with the sun behind us, it really shows how skillful and confident he was. The more confident he was, the more confident we are that the photos will turn out great! We really want to thank Mr. Ip for his suggestion to go to Miliken Park rather than to Main Street. This is where his experience paid off for us. :) His suggestions for poses were also very good too!

After the ceremony, we went to my parent's house for more tea ceremony. My parents, uncles, aunties, and brother all got tea. :) Lulu spend a quick while to tidy up her makeup, change into a Kwa, and then we headed to the restaurant. I was surprised how nicely decorated the restaurant was, the guys and gals really spend a lot of effort to make it look nice! Here I would like to say sorry to everyone who came really early, as we forgot to mention when dinner will be served on the wedding invite. :) But hey, it was all good, since we needed the time to take photos anyways!

The night went picture perfect, the food was excellent, the dessert was excellent, everyone loved the cake. There were some small technical difficulties, but it was quickly resolved with a fan blowing at it. :) I dunno who's idea was it to use the fan to fix the issue, but that's what I call quick wits, I didn't even know it was an overheating issue. :) Lulu and I had great fun that night, and hoped that everyone had as much fun (if not more) than we did. I would say the highlight of the night was.... the whole night! It was just so perfectly planned and executed, I couldn't think of anything else I would do differently. Thanks everyone for the wonderful night, and the wonderful memories. My wedding would not be the same without all your dedication and hard work!

Shared by Kelvin on 10:11 上午.

星期一, 六月 04, 2007

Inspiring

Today I had a drink with an old MBA friend. He and I came from a similar background, married a wife who works in the health industry, and just had two kids in the past few years. I can so see myself doing what he's doing now in a few years. And the more I think about how happy it would be after marriage (and kids), the more I think about how I shouldn't really concern too much about career. When I talked to him about how kids will hinder career, he brought up a good point. It's not only for the first few years that your career will be affected, it's more like the upcoming 10-15 years when your kids are growing up. There will be school, activities, etc, while others are trying hard to get their career off the ground, you'll be busy caring for your kids. But I guess there's one comment he made that inspired me. He said "I'll much rather be playing with my kids than be stuck at work." I think that's so true. No matter how high pay, or how challenging a job might be, it'll always just be a job. At the end of the day, it's my family that matters.

Shared by Kelvin on 10:07 下午.

星期三, 五月 30, 2007

Regional Technical Exchange

Just spent two days on a conference called Regional Technical Exchange. From these two days, I sat in and listened to a lot of people talking a lot about technologies and ideas which seems so straight forward and simple. I wonder to myself, is it even worth the time and effort of all these people to gather here to present these stuff? But that's besides the point, for without these conferences, there will be nothing for the people to brag about when review time comes, and when there's nothing to brag about, they can't get another raise. Interestingly, the take-away lessons I've obtained from this conference is not taught within any of the elective sessions, but the things I have picked up from the many people around me, and how they present themselves. These are some of the smartest people (and most highly paid) technical folks in the company, I sure learned a few things from them.

1. Sitting in any session, it's distinctively obvious that all the big-cheeses are people who are tall. I truly believe that you don't have to be tall to be capable, but for some reason all the tall people end up occupying the important positions. I can only come into one conclusion, when you're tall, people perceive you as being confident, and perception is everything. Especially when it comes to promotions. And by the very fact that I have difficulty seeing the projector screen with all their tall heads in front of me, it becomes painfully obvious that it'll be a tough road if I want a promotion.
   
2. People talk about equality, and the value of new employees rejuvenating the company with new ideas. But come on, deep inside, everyone is thinking about seniority. It is obvious when every speaker talks about "Within the 20+ years I've been in this company...". Why would they always quote how many years they've been with the company if they did not believe that it buys them stature and credibility? Of course, we should pay tribute to old people, and their experiences, but age and seniority itself does not dictate one's credibility. Sadly, that's a company culture that's entrenched within this company.
3. Of all the skills that they suggest we acquire, none of it has anything to do with technical skills, yet they're presenting to a technical group. What does that say about their forecast of the NA market in the future? Also, why would they quickly skim over the globalization topic? I've been preaching this ever since 3 years ago, but technical skills are not here to stay. As technical skills becomes commoditized, so would the people who depend on those skills. The higher management in the company knows this well, but why don't they just say it out right? Of course not to create panic, but I honestly think people have the right to know. I pity the fools who still think they're irreplacable. If there's one thing that's constant, is that no company cannot function without any individual. Don't get too attached, because the company sure won't shed a tear when handing you the big envelope.
   
4. Company culture is not something that you can change in an instant, actually, not even in years. You can't just say "let's be innovative" and expect the company to suddenly become innovative, it just doesn't work that way. You have to hire innovative people, and ensure that their creativity are not hindered by the bereaucracies of the company. But often then not, company cultures "stick". It sticks because people who hold on to old ideas still runs the show. Although they know what's good for the company, and know damn well that it requires radical changes, they will only allow it as so far as it doesn't rock his/her boat. So, company culture remains as long as the management team still holds true to the old company culture. And with a big company like this, good luck if you want them to change. An elephant can dance, but only when pigs fly.
5. I becomes painfully obvious that I'm working in a government-like setting, where everyone is waiting for their "turn" to get promoted. Deep at heart I know I can accomplish so much more, but there's just so many times that you can take a beating before you just say "oh hell with it", and just lose interest in trying. If you're trying too hard, then it's probably not meant to be. Perhaps it's better off using that energy to make some other company great, than wasting it here.
   

Shared by Kelvin on 9:45 下午.

星期二, 五月 22, 2007

何必太在意？

在這幾個月內做了很多事，做了很多?定，很累。 但細心靜下來，想一想，人生不過是一個過程。 何必為小事而煩腦？ 錢財是重要，但只是重要到可提共日常所需便足夠了。不要為了金錢而令自己或身邊的人痛苦。過了兩三年後，這些金錢到不會在腦海理。但快樂的記憶可以歷久常新。?定不是為了錢作大前題，而是好好利用金錢而創做一個又一個快樂的回憶。

Shared by Kelvin on 9:13 下午.