So...new baby...new hospital...still lost!
BTW, Did we tell all of you yet?....We're expecting another Chow! I'm in my 5th month and so far I feel MUCH bigger than I did with Kasper. I feel MUCH more tired than when I did with Kasper. AND I'm in MUCH of a lesser mood to prepare for the 2nd coming. (Hee hee! A little Apocalyptic joke there.) We don't know what gender it is yet. According to the doctor, "It MIGHT be a girl". So I guess it MIGHT be a boy too! Great! That tells us a lot.
AND to top it off, I feel even more lost than ever in the hospital! I wanted to try a new doctor and hospital because although we had a pretty good experience at the last hospital, I was worried that my previous doctor would not be as supportive in assisting me with a VBAC delivery this time around. So I wanted to try a new doctor/hospital.
We were pretty impressed by the very English friendly website of TMUH and although there were some doubts about their obs/gyn department from many Taiwanese co-workers (it's a relatively new hospital to many), we decided to go with the hospital after our orientation. The nurse we met seemed very knowledgeable, and the facility was so state-of-the-art, and it was so convenient to get to, we decided...let's give it a try!
My problem is I never understand what's going on once I get to the hospital. There's always a maze of people you have to go to. Get an appointment at this counter, go to this department for your visit. Wait for your #? Pay. Get medecine (if any). It's all very confusing. And even more confusing is yesterday we went to the hospital having already pre-registered with a number (#71), and then when we got there, the doctor was calling upon #50. So did we have to wait 20 numbers? So I went to ask the nurse if in the future we should just come later if we have a later #, and she said, NO. You get a # to get registered, and then you come anytime, and it's a first come first served basis. Unless you're just reading a report, and then you get pushed back until whenever there is a free period. BUT with people coming in and out constantly when do you possibly get a free period? Sigh...it's just all so confusing.
Sometimes I wish my skin would look more white, and my hair look less black so that people would just help me out. =P
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Gee has it been that long?
October 30, 2009 huh? It's really been 2 months since we've posted?
I guess time really flies by. Well I could sit and write out things that have been going on, but I figured I'd share a link of a sharing that Ray & I did at ETCBC in December as we were visiting our family and friends for Christmas.
I think listening to the message will give you some updates and idea of what we've been thinking about lately.
Hopefully we'll be better in updating our blog in the future.
Blessings!
I guess time really flies by. Well I could sit and write out things that have been going on, but I figured I'd share a link of a sharing that Ray & I did at ETCBC in December as we were visiting our family and friends for Christmas.
I think listening to the message will give you some updates and idea of what we've been thinking about lately.
Hopefully we'll be better in updating our blog in the future.
Blessings!
Friday, October 30, 2009
A Good Mom?
So Kasper is now 14 months old. I'd like to say I feel more like a pro-mom but lately feelings of inadequacy and guilt keep on surfacing. I know I have to take away some of these feelings, and it helped today that I read a babycentre bulletin that said:
"There's not much to do but accept that sometimes he'll act needy and other times he'll ignore you.'
But these feelings are still hard to shake. I love the work that I do, and it gives me great pleasure. I love that Kasper is very independent and plays well with most children and adults. I love that he does not whine for a certain person to hold him and can be very easily comforted....BUT it's hard when after a busy day at work, that he doesn't necessarily want to PLAY with me. And if he does, he likes playing games where you swing him or piggy back him, and my body just can't physically handle it right now. And then he chooses to play with somebody else. :( I wish he could say right now "Mommy, I love you." and then I would feel alright. I think...
Sigh...then there's this passage that seems to loom over me. I know God doesn't mean it to loom over me. It's supposed to be a goal, an encouragement, a model...but I feel so short from it. I think I need some ice cream.
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
"There's not much to do but accept that sometimes he'll act needy and other times he'll ignore you.'
But these feelings are still hard to shake. I love the work that I do, and it gives me great pleasure. I love that Kasper is very independent and plays well with most children and adults. I love that he does not whine for a certain person to hold him and can be very easily comforted....BUT it's hard when after a busy day at work, that he doesn't necessarily want to PLAY with me. And if he does, he likes playing games where you swing him or piggy back him, and my body just can't physically handle it right now. And then he chooses to play with somebody else. :( I wish he could say right now "Mommy, I love you." and then I would feel alright. I think...
Sigh...then there's this passage that seems to loom over me. I know God doesn't mean it to loom over me. It's supposed to be a goal, an encouragement, a model...but I feel so short from it. I think I need some ice cream.
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Another Day in Taiwan
So we've been in Taiwan for almost 3 years. We know where to get groceries, find good restaurants, find doctors & dentists, how to drive around the city (well Ray does anyways)... life is definitely more regular now.
Contracts for school came out. Time to decide again whether to sign on the dotted line and stay another year or not. Should we leave the comforts of Taiwan? Return to the comforts of Canada? or something else....
I need an ice cream.
Contracts for school came out. Time to decide again whether to sign on the dotted line and stay another year or not. Should we leave the comforts of Taiwan? Return to the comforts of Canada? or something else....
I need an ice cream.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Almost 1!
Yesterday our staff went to our traditional Friday at Friday's dinner.
At the end of the 1st week of school it's our school's way to celebrate the beginning of the school year AND the survival of the 1st week.
During the dinner, many of my co-workers jokingly reminded us about how at the same time last year, my belly was super big and Kasper was ready to pop out. My maternity leave began the following Monday but I was so sure that Kasper was going to be late and would not come out until a week later. That night after Friday's, my co-workers and I got a wonderful hairwash and the next morning at 7am my water broke. I guess I wasn't ready yet (we hadn't even packed for the hospital yet), but Kasper sure was.
It's a been a year already and God has definitely taught us a lot through Kasper. When you have a baby, you realize how selfish you've been your whole life. All decisions you make when you're not a parent are really your own. Sure they might be influenced by other factors like parents, friends, circumstances. But when you have a child you NEED to consider them because they are helpless without your decisions and actions. They can't feed themselves, bathe, or move without your help.
Luckily, Kasper has been a SUPERSTAR baby. He sleeps well, laughs lots, and loves to cuddle. I'm so thankful for this year that we've had.
At the end of the 1st week of school it's our school's way to celebrate the beginning of the school year AND the survival of the 1st week.
During the dinner, many of my co-workers jokingly reminded us about how at the same time last year, my belly was super big and Kasper was ready to pop out. My maternity leave began the following Monday but I was so sure that Kasper was going to be late and would not come out until a week later. That night after Friday's, my co-workers and I got a wonderful hairwash and the next morning at 7am my water broke. I guess I wasn't ready yet (we hadn't even packed for the hospital yet), but Kasper sure was.
It's a been a year already and God has definitely taught us a lot through Kasper. When you have a baby, you realize how selfish you've been your whole life. All decisions you make when you're not a parent are really your own. Sure they might be influenced by other factors like parents, friends, circumstances. But when you have a child you NEED to consider them because they are helpless without your decisions and actions. They can't feed themselves, bathe, or move without your help.
Luckily, Kasper has been a SUPERSTAR baby. He sleeps well, laughs lots, and loves to cuddle. I'm so thankful for this year that we've had.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Hun Li (婚禮)
So we attended our FIRST Taiwanese wedding today. It was Ray's co-worker's wedding. It was a very pleasant experience. Why you might ask?
1. Food was EXCELLENT! Probably one of the best Chinese Banquet meals I've ever had. And for lunch too! I definitely could have eaten seconds for some of the dishes. :) Especially the abalone. The TWO courses we had it!
2. No games. (definite plus for Ray)
3. Got to meet Ray's co-workers in a more non-work environment. (Although there was still some shop talk going on)
4. Not too long. :) Definite plus so we could make it back to feed Kasper again.
All in all it was a great cultural experience. Although the dress code for the wedding was definitely very interesting. Some people came in jeans, most in business casual dress, and then some in formal. Ray & I arrived in formal dress at the same time as some of the more casually dressed people and had a horrible "Oh no! We're totally out of place!" moment at first. But we thankfully fit in with the attire at our table so we felt much better. =P
Being here in Taiwan we've definitely missed a lot of weddings. Where we used to average 10 weddings a year, we've dwindled down to 1/year now. I like attending weddings. I don't really need to dress up anymore so it's nice to do it once in a while. Plus I always find weddings remind me of my own wedding day and that's a happy place to be. :)
Sorry to all those whose weddings we've missed over the years. You were definitely on our hearts.
1. Food was EXCELLENT! Probably one of the best Chinese Banquet meals I've ever had. And for lunch too! I definitely could have eaten seconds for some of the dishes. :) Especially the abalone. The TWO courses we had it!
2. No games. (definite plus for Ray)
3. Got to meet Ray's co-workers in a more non-work environment. (Although there was still some shop talk going on)
4. Not too long. :) Definite plus so we could make it back to feed Kasper again.
All in all it was a great cultural experience. Although the dress code for the wedding was definitely very interesting. Some people came in jeans, most in business casual dress, and then some in formal. Ray & I arrived in formal dress at the same time as some of the more casually dressed people and had a horrible "Oh no! We're totally out of place!" moment at first. But we thankfully fit in with the attire at our table so we felt much better. =P
Being here in Taiwan we've definitely missed a lot of weddings. Where we used to average 10 weddings a year, we've dwindled down to 1/year now. I like attending weddings. I don't really need to dress up anymore so it's nice to do it once in a while. Plus I always find weddings remind me of my own wedding day and that's a happy place to be. :)
Sorry to all those whose weddings we've missed over the years. You were definitely on our hearts.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Upgrades are awesome!
We just came back from our trip to Ho Chi Minh city. It was admittedly a bit risque given that H1N1 is still active but it was nice to get away and go on a little trip as a family and the food was AWESOME! Pho everyday...grilled meats with lemongrass...ice creams...stingray.
We decided to avoid the backpacking adventures and splurged on a 4-star hotel for the week, but the best part was our room got upgraded to an executive suite because they didn't have any other large beds available. The room was still a bit run-down compared to hotels like the Hyatt, but the best part about the upgrade was that we had access to the executive lounge! If you've never had that before it's quite the treat! Imagine free food and drinks ALL DAY!
So our days ended up being ...wake up late...breakfast buffet...trip to the market or a site...back around 3pm to feed Kasper and hang out in the lounge...dinner at restaurant...play with Kasper before sleeping.
Too bad Ray has to go back to work. Boo hoo! :( Everybody should have summers off!
Here are some pictures of Daddy & Kasper enjoying the lounge. The funny thing was that we were the only ones there enjoying the service & food everyday! Our own private lounge. :)
We decided to avoid the backpacking adventures and splurged on a 4-star hotel for the week, but the best part was our room got upgraded to an executive suite because they didn't have any other large beds available. The room was still a bit run-down compared to hotels like the Hyatt, but the best part about the upgrade was that we had access to the executive lounge! If you've never had that before it's quite the treat! Imagine free food and drinks ALL DAY!
So our days ended up being ...wake up late...breakfast buffet...trip to the market or a site...back around 3pm to feed Kasper and hang out in the lounge...dinner at restaurant...play with Kasper before sleeping.
Too bad Ray has to go back to work. Boo hoo! :( Everybody should have summers off!
Here are some pictures of Daddy & Kasper enjoying the lounge. The funny thing was that we were the only ones there enjoying the service & food everyday! Our own private lounge. :)
Monday, May 11, 2009
My 1st Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there!
It really is QUITE shocking that I'm a mom. Ray and I still marvel everyday that Kasper is a REAL living and breathing person! God truly is amazing!
Well I decided to start a new tradition for Mother's Day too! I say "too" because many of my friends here in Taiwan have family traditions, and they've convinced me that having family traditions are really important. They're not only fun, but they build memories and reference points. They also help build a sense of bond within your family. I know this is true because throughout my childhood, my WuCheng family have built countless family traditions that I will never forget (e.g. sleepovers at Big Uncle's 大伯, TVCW, Old Toy Trains, making dumplings, picking peaches and pears, Science olympics).
So, after MD proclaimed her new Mother's Day tradition (which was to go to the beach), I decided to declare mine too!
From here on in, the Chow's will take mom out to eat Ice Cream! And it has to be GOOD ice cream! Not some soft serve cone at McDonald's.
This year we had Coldstone's. Yummy! I had the Monkey Bites (picture not shown below).
It really is QUITE shocking that I'm a mom. Ray and I still marvel everyday that Kasper is a REAL living and breathing person! God truly is amazing!
Well I decided to start a new tradition for Mother's Day too! I say "too" because many of my friends here in Taiwan have family traditions, and they've convinced me that having family traditions are really important. They're not only fun, but they build memories and reference points. They also help build a sense of bond within your family. I know this is true because throughout my childhood, my WuCheng family have built countless family traditions that I will never forget (e.g. sleepovers at Big Uncle's 大伯, TVCW, Old Toy Trains, making dumplings, picking peaches and pears, Science olympics).
So, after MD proclaimed her new Mother's Day tradition (which was to go to the beach), I decided to declare mine too!
From here on in, the Chow's will take mom out to eat Ice Cream! And it has to be GOOD ice cream! Not some soft serve cone at McDonald's.
This year we had Coldstone's. Yummy! I had the Monkey Bites (picture not shown below).
Monday, April 06, 2009
Hairwashes
Okay this blog entry is for my friend M who keeps joking about my lack of cultural immersion because my 1st hairwash was the day before I delivered Kasper.
Well....I'm proud to say that I'm now at 3 hairwash experiences now...2 1/2 years later.
So here's some background. Back in Canada it is just not common to go to a salon and get a hairwash. I mean get a blow dry or a style sure...but a hairwash?! They just stick you in a sink and put fancy shampoo on you. Nothing special. I would definitely NOT pay $20+ to get a hairwash at a salon. So coming to Taiwan, I didn't think much of getting a hairwash either!
But then, after working at Bethany, I kept hearing about my colleagues going to get a hairwash every 2-3 weeks. I just didn't get it! I mean spending money on great food I can understand, but on a hairwash?!!!
Well...it was not until my first hairwash the day before Kasper was born did I BEGIN to understand. In Taiwan, and I think in Asia, it's a totally different experience. They sit you down on a chair, squirt shampoo in your hair and then gently massage you for a good 15-20 minutes while you're relaxing, chatting with your friends, enjoying some shut-eye, sipping tea, or reading a magazine. Then you get another little massage treatment at the sink, and then to top it off, you get a nice little styling for your hair. I'm not sure if you saw my day before labour picture but my hair was looking PRE-TTY nice that day. Here it is, just in case you missed it.
However, as nice as it was, $260NTD (~$9 Cdn) still seemed a bit extravagant for me so I haven't gone much since. Until I found out there was a place doing it for $100NTD (~$4 Cdn). This is the deal-hunting side of me getting all excited. Well, I decided to try it out with 2 co-workers one day. Let's just say...it was pretty close to the hairwash experiences in Canada. It was NOT great!
I felt like I really needed to redeem myself from this totally "lemon" experience and so 3 weeks ago I think I found it. This salon called "Bess" had a HUGE sign advertising $99NTD for a hairwash, every Monday-Thursday from 1-3pm. I mean, for being so specific it HAS to be pretty good right?
Well M braved the storm with me today, and we had MD join us too. It was not as great as the $260NTD one, but I think I've redeemed myself. It was a pretty good deal. Nice massage, good sink wash experience (massage chair), tea included, but only so-so styling.
I would say...I FOUND my deal! :) Yay!
Well....I'm proud to say that I'm now at 3 hairwash experiences now...2 1/2 years later.
So here's some background. Back in Canada it is just not common to go to a salon and get a hairwash. I mean get a blow dry or a style sure...but a hairwash?! They just stick you in a sink and put fancy shampoo on you. Nothing special. I would definitely NOT pay $20+ to get a hairwash at a salon. So coming to Taiwan, I didn't think much of getting a hairwash either!
But then, after working at Bethany, I kept hearing about my colleagues going to get a hairwash every 2-3 weeks. I just didn't get it! I mean spending money on great food I can understand, but on a hairwash?!!!
Well...it was not until my first hairwash the day before Kasper was born did I BEGIN to understand. In Taiwan, and I think in Asia, it's a totally different experience. They sit you down on a chair, squirt shampoo in your hair and then gently massage you for a good 15-20 minutes while you're relaxing, chatting with your friends, enjoying some shut-eye, sipping tea, or reading a magazine. Then you get another little massage treatment at the sink, and then to top it off, you get a nice little styling for your hair. I'm not sure if you saw my day before labour picture but my hair was looking PRE-TTY nice that day. Here it is, just in case you missed it.
However, as nice as it was, $260NTD (~$9 Cdn) still seemed a bit extravagant for me so I haven't gone much since. Until I found out there was a place doing it for $100NTD (~$4 Cdn). This is the deal-hunting side of me getting all excited. Well, I decided to try it out with 2 co-workers one day. Let's just say...it was pretty close to the hairwash experiences in Canada. It was NOT great!
I felt like I really needed to redeem myself from this totally "lemon" experience and so 3 weeks ago I think I found it. This salon called "Bess" had a HUGE sign advertising $99NTD for a hairwash, every Monday-Thursday from 1-3pm. I mean, for being so specific it HAS to be pretty good right?
Well M braved the storm with me today, and we had MD join us too. It was not as great as the $260NTD one, but I think I've redeemed myself. It was a pretty good deal. Nice massage, good sink wash experience (massage chair), tea included, but only so-so styling.
I would say...I FOUND my deal! :) Yay!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Another Milestone in Learning Chinese?
Thanks to everyone who has been asking how the presentations went. As mentioned in the earlier post, March 20th and March 26th were two significant external client facing formal presentations on a technical topic I was very insecure about. I've been doing presentations on a smaller scale with clients, and certainly presentations to students and internal employees - this was different. Perhaps its psychological - another milestone or mental breakthrough in the language journey.
How did it go? I don't know. After the March 20th presentation I didn't feel like "I nailed that one" ... but at the same time I didn't feel like I need to dig a hole and bury my head in it (that feeling does happen from time to time). In the end, I know I didn't do great, but considering my current language ability and the graciousness of the Taiwanese audience, it could have been a lot worse. They know I am obviously not a native Chinese speaker and fortunately, I'm speaking from the perspective of sharing international experience.
The Chairman of the Accounting Research Foundation did say to me in a lunch the following week that while he missed my session, he heard it was one of the best ones. I'm not taking this too seriously as it could just be Chinese courtesy!
I did notice I have felt a little more confident in formal presentations since this date. Again, a mental breakthrough. Still have lots to go in the language learning journey.
Tomorrow I get to have dinner with 12 Partners from the other Big 4 (our competitors) on the topic of Quality & Risk Management - have to brush up on more technical terms!
Here's some press coverage of the March 26th event we held:
How did it go? I don't know. After the March 20th presentation I didn't feel like "I nailed that one" ... but at the same time I didn't feel like I need to dig a hole and bury my head in it (that feeling does happen from time to time). In the end, I know I didn't do great, but considering my current language ability and the graciousness of the Taiwanese audience, it could have been a lot worse. They know I am obviously not a native Chinese speaker and fortunately, I'm speaking from the perspective of sharing international experience.
The Chairman of the Accounting Research Foundation did say to me in a lunch the following week that while he missed my session, he heard it was one of the best ones. I'm not taking this too seriously as it could just be Chinese courtesy!
I did notice I have felt a little more confident in formal presentations since this date. Again, a mental breakthrough. Still have lots to go in the language learning journey.
Tomorrow I get to have dinner with 12 Partners from the other Big 4 (our competitors) on the topic of Quality & Risk Management - have to brush up on more technical terms!
Here's some press coverage of the March 26th event we held:
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Random signage
Just thought I'd share some funny signage I've seen in Taiwan lately.
This was an Owl Crossing sign we saw while hiking on Yangmingshan for the Calla Lillies.
This one was seen very close to our apartment across from a school. It's graffiti, which makes the content of the graffiti really interesting.
This was an Owl Crossing sign we saw while hiking on Yangmingshan for the Calla Lillies.
This one was seen very close to our apartment across from a school. It's graffiti, which makes the content of the graffiti really interesting.
Among the Flowers
In February I had the opportunity to finally go to Yangmingshan and see the calla lillies. For 2 years we've heard about how you can go up to the mountain and pick your own callas in the field, but every year, we miss it. So I was really excited to finally make it out.
Ray decided to stay at home with Kasper and have some father/son time. A good thing too because the fog was so heavy, we all felt like we were walking behind a waterfall. Needless to say, my hair was super frizzy and out of control, and we were all very wet.
BUT...here I am...among the flowers!
Here's the group of us. Cold & wet, but happy to have been "Among the Flowers"! :)
Ray decided to stay at home with Kasper and have some father/son time. A good thing too because the fog was so heavy, we all felt like we were walking behind a waterfall. Needless to say, my hair was super frizzy and out of control, and we were all very wet.
BUT...here I am...among the flowers!
Here's the group of us. Cold & wet, but happy to have been "Among the Flowers"! :)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
2009會計新紀元-迎接IFRS接軌之挑戰--議程確認
Can't read or follow the subject title of this blog? Don't worry, I can't fully follow it either!
Continuing in the spirit of fast paced, challenging and new opportunities - I continue to get more and more responsibilities. One of my external market facing responsibilities is being the IFRS leader for Taiwan. IFRS standard for International Financial Reporting Standards, which basically are a set of internationally accepted accounting standards that is different from the existing accounting rules in many countries (including Taiwan, Canada and US). At the same time, most of these countries will be adopting IFRS in the years to come. For Taiwan this is a significant change and from an accounting firm perspective, potentially could create significant service (and revenue) oppportunities for us.
Compared to two years ago I am significantly more comfortable speaking in Chinese. Don't be fooled - its all relative and you have to keep in mind I had very very little before coming here. I'm personally very happy and surprised at my progress.. It's been great, but challenging.. Learning languages has required bold moves in terms of trying to speak, being vulnerable, etc. Quite contrary to my natural personality or preference, but learning Chinese was a key objective of being out here.
Daily conversation in the workplace is one thing... speaking in front of strangers and groups is another. I'm already way over my head conducting business in Chinese, speaking in front of students, teaching classes, etc. For the most part, these have been internal meetings or when external, its been in smaller groups where people can understand that I will have an accent, make mistakes and have limited vocabulary.
Well friends, I want to ask you to pray for me... yes, to pray for a very practical but perhaps not so significant in the grand scheme of things (egthis may not change lives in the foreseeable future)... however, I'm scared.
Next week, I'm representing our firm at a fairly significant conference. It's held by the Accounting Research Foundation in Taiwan, one of the key standard setters. Almost all of the key regulators, academia, our competitors and key senior finance people (CFO types) will be at this conference. They're coming to hear the latest news and views from the "experts" on how Taiwan will adopt these new accounting standards.
I get to do a presentation and then participate in a panel. Will I even catch the question correctly?
Oh.. in case you haven't figured it out, this is all in Chinese... and today they told me that the session is oversold and will have over 400 people in attendance. This is front page financial media stuff in Taiwan - the equivalent of a SEC conference in the US or a CICA conference in Canada.
My slides are still not done as the content is already hard to get right (in English)... how and why am I the best choice to do this?
Help!
If this wasn't enough, I'm also the Technology Industry Leader for our firm in Taiwan. What does this mean? Who knows - perhaps it means that I'm the leader who will bring the best thought leadership, subject matter expert and industry experiences to our technology clients. Taiwan has a very long, successful and mature history in the technology industry... how do I do this other job? Well.. another plea and prayer for another day.
Continuing in the spirit of fast paced, challenging and new opportunities - I continue to get more and more responsibilities. One of my external market facing responsibilities is being the IFRS leader for Taiwan. IFRS standard for International Financial Reporting Standards, which basically are a set of internationally accepted accounting standards that is different from the existing accounting rules in many countries (including Taiwan, Canada and US). At the same time, most of these countries will be adopting IFRS in the years to come. For Taiwan this is a significant change and from an accounting firm perspective, potentially could create significant service (and revenue) oppportunities for us.
Compared to two years ago I am significantly more comfortable speaking in Chinese. Don't be fooled - its all relative and you have to keep in mind I had very very little before coming here. I'm personally very happy and surprised at my progress.. It's been great, but challenging.. Learning languages has required bold moves in terms of trying to speak, being vulnerable, etc. Quite contrary to my natural personality or preference, but learning Chinese was a key objective of being out here.
Daily conversation in the workplace is one thing... speaking in front of strangers and groups is another. I'm already way over my head conducting business in Chinese, speaking in front of students, teaching classes, etc. For the most part, these have been internal meetings or when external, its been in smaller groups where people can understand that I will have an accent, make mistakes and have limited vocabulary.
Well friends, I want to ask you to pray for me... yes, to pray for a very practical but perhaps not so significant in the grand scheme of things (egthis may not change lives in the foreseeable future)... however, I'm scared.
Next week, I'm representing our firm at a fairly significant conference. It's held by the Accounting Research Foundation in Taiwan, one of the key standard setters. Almost all of the key regulators, academia, our competitors and key senior finance people (CFO types) will be at this conference. They're coming to hear the latest news and views from the "experts" on how Taiwan will adopt these new accounting standards.
I get to do a presentation and then participate in a panel. Will I even catch the question correctly?
Oh.. in case you haven't figured it out, this is all in Chinese... and today they told me that the session is oversold and will have over 400 people in attendance. This is front page financial media stuff in Taiwan - the equivalent of a SEC conference in the US or a CICA conference in Canada.
My slides are still not done as the content is already hard to get right (in English)... how and why am I the best choice to do this?
Help!
If this wasn't enough, I'm also the Technology Industry Leader for our firm in Taiwan. What does this mean? Who knows - perhaps it means that I'm the leader who will bring the best thought leadership, subject matter expert and industry experiences to our technology clients. Taiwan has a very long, successful and mature history in the technology industry... how do I do this other job? Well.. another plea and prayer for another day.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Birthday to Me...
So today was my birthday. I'm not usually one for big grandiose celebrations for my birthday, but I must admit, I also don't like it being like any other day either. I guess this makes it always a little bit tricky for Ray cause he doesn't really know what I'm thinking and how to proceed. Hopefully by the time we've been married 20 years he will have figured me out! ;)
So how did my day go today? Well...let's say it was like dark chocolate (a little bitter, but also very sweet).
It started off being quite good as we had our regular playdate for Kasper and E. That is always an adorable time. But then when we went to the Warner Vieshow theatre the lines were so long that it was not even worth lining up for a ticket. I was really sad about that. I thought my birthday would be boring and ruined for sure!
But Ray saved the day! Hooray! Just as I was about to wallow in my sorrow, Ray persevered and cheered me up by convincing me to go check out Big Tom's ice creamerie. It was recommended by this "hungry girl in Taipei" blog. Although the ice cream was not all that she raved about, the ice cream did make me feel a lot better. Plus resting in front of the pond at Sun Yat Sen Memorial just made me feel warm and fuzzy again.
Next, we decided to go on a little bit of an adventure by exploring a part of Taipei that we had never been to. So we ended up going to the Youth Park. Last season when Amazing Race came to Taiwan, one of the challenges took place at the Youth Park, so it was stuck in my mind. During the race, the competitors had to go barefoot across this long foot massage path. Well, I decided to look for the exact same footpath and walk across it! I was so glad we did this! The park was peaceful, beautiful, and clean.
And...here I am walking across the footpath!
Okay! Not super adventurous, but good enough for an extra-ordinary day for me! :)
Thank God!...and thanks to Ray!
So how did my day go today? Well...let's say it was like dark chocolate (a little bitter, but also very sweet).
It started off being quite good as we had our regular playdate for Kasper and E. That is always an adorable time. But then when we went to the Warner Vieshow theatre the lines were so long that it was not even worth lining up for a ticket. I was really sad about that. I thought my birthday would be boring and ruined for sure!
But Ray saved the day! Hooray! Just as I was about to wallow in my sorrow, Ray persevered and cheered me up by convincing me to go check out Big Tom's ice creamerie. It was recommended by this "hungry girl in Taipei" blog. Although the ice cream was not all that she raved about, the ice cream did make me feel a lot better. Plus resting in front of the pond at Sun Yat Sen Memorial just made me feel warm and fuzzy again.
Next, we decided to go on a little bit of an adventure by exploring a part of Taipei that we had never been to. So we ended up going to the Youth Park. Last season when Amazing Race came to Taiwan, one of the challenges took place at the Youth Park, so it was stuck in my mind. During the race, the competitors had to go barefoot across this long foot massage path. Well, I decided to look for the exact same footpath and walk across it! I was so glad we did this! The park was peaceful, beautiful, and clean.
And...here I am walking across the footpath!
Okay! Not super adventurous, but good enough for an extra-ordinary day for me! :)
Thank God!...and thanks to Ray!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Blessings
Feeling very thankful and blessed in a way that warrants more than a quick Facebook status update.
We still haven't had a chance to post pictures about our new apartment (we moved in around July). Beyond the physical comforts of a nicer view (we live on 23rd floor in a dense city that has mostly low and mid-rises), a bigger place (bigger than we need), lots of natural sunlight (did I mention we live on the 23rd floor and can see pretty much three sides of the building - North, West and South) and garbage on each floor (see this link), we have also been blessed by our landlords.
We talked about previous landlord (where we spent 18 months) S. S has always been a great landlord and with her living downstairs, it was always easy to ask her questions about life in Taiwan and get things fixed. S has since become a great friend and supporter. She has twin children and she's been very gracious in sharing handme down strollers, clothes and other great things. We'll be seeing her and her family for dinner soon and look forward to a lifelong friendship!
Our current landlady is also great although she doesn't live in our building. Hearing "horror stories" (sorry M!) about other landlords, we feel so thankful for her. She has completely gone out of her way to make sure we have everything we need even though we negotiated an "as is" rent and "partially furnished" apartment (we pretty much only had to buy our own couch, dresser and wardrobe). Last November we asked her about leaky windows and she came over to insulate them for us and then decided that our semi-enclosed balcony where we have our washer and dryer should have a proper window so we can have it cleaner (this is in a culture and country where you commonly see clothes hanging out ledges and windows)!
The other day our old tube TV broke. We called her to see if this has happened before and she sent up the superintendent of our building right away who quickly concluded the TV was done. Coming home from work tonight, it was a pleasant surprise to see a huge brand new TV sitting in our hallway - a brand new LCD HDTV that's bigger and (obviously) better than our old tube! This is quite unexpected and the landlord is not obligated under the lease we have, not to mention that the economy here in Asia is very bad - unemployment, uncertainty, cost constraints, etc.
Sandra said the other day that God someone continues to chose to bless us beyond belief with small and big things... physical and spiritual... we have never had to worry about anything. So why us? I often wonder about - to those whom much is given, much is expected... This TV is another small thing that will remind us daily that we are truly blessed.
I suppose a followup blog will be how this new relationship with our new landlord will evolve. The Chinese thing to do will be to purchase a nice gift box of fancy fruit and send it over to their house as a Chinese New Year gift and thank you. Hopefully this will be yet more steps to another fruitful relationship!
Off to watch our new TV.
ray
PS: Prior to coming to Taiwan I would have been a little "disappointed" that the TV was not one of the mainstream brands like Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, etc... however now that I'm back serving clients and learning about semi-conductors, LCD panel manufacturers and such... I now know that all of the components are essentially manufactered by the same handful of factories. There really isn't much difference! If Sandra would hear she would quickly critize me for not being grateful and recognizing we're blessed...
We still haven't had a chance to post pictures about our new apartment (we moved in around July). Beyond the physical comforts of a nicer view (we live on 23rd floor in a dense city that has mostly low and mid-rises), a bigger place (bigger than we need), lots of natural sunlight (did I mention we live on the 23rd floor and can see pretty much three sides of the building - North, West and South) and garbage on each floor (see this link), we have also been blessed by our landlords.
We talked about previous landlord (where we spent 18 months) S. S has always been a great landlord and with her living downstairs, it was always easy to ask her questions about life in Taiwan and get things fixed. S has since become a great friend and supporter. She has twin children and she's been very gracious in sharing handme down strollers, clothes and other great things. We'll be seeing her and her family for dinner soon and look forward to a lifelong friendship!
Our current landlady is also great although she doesn't live in our building. Hearing "horror stories" (sorry M!) about other landlords, we feel so thankful for her. She has completely gone out of her way to make sure we have everything we need even though we negotiated an "as is" rent and "partially furnished" apartment (we pretty much only had to buy our own couch, dresser and wardrobe). Last November we asked her about leaky windows and she came over to insulate them for us and then decided that our semi-enclosed balcony where we have our washer and dryer should have a proper window so we can have it cleaner (this is in a culture and country where you commonly see clothes hanging out ledges and windows)!
The other day our old tube TV broke. We called her to see if this has happened before and she sent up the superintendent of our building right away who quickly concluded the TV was done. Coming home from work tonight, it was a pleasant surprise to see a huge brand new TV sitting in our hallway - a brand new LCD HDTV that's bigger and (obviously) better than our old tube! This is quite unexpected and the landlord is not obligated under the lease we have, not to mention that the economy here in Asia is very bad - unemployment, uncertainty, cost constraints, etc.
Sandra said the other day that God someone continues to chose to bless us beyond belief with small and big things... physical and spiritual... we have never had to worry about anything. So why us? I often wonder about - to those whom much is given, much is expected... This TV is another small thing that will remind us daily that we are truly blessed.
I suppose a followup blog will be how this new relationship with our new landlord will evolve. The Chinese thing to do will be to purchase a nice gift box of fancy fruit and send it over to their house as a Chinese New Year gift and thank you. Hopefully this will be yet more steps to another fruitful relationship!
Off to watch our new TV.
ray
PS: Prior to coming to Taiwan I would have been a little "disappointed" that the TV was not one of the mainstream brands like Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, etc... however now that I'm back serving clients and learning about semi-conductors, LCD panel manufacturers and such... I now know that all of the components are essentially manufactered by the same handful of factories. There really isn't much difference! If Sandra would hear she would quickly critize me for not being grateful and recognizing we're blessed...
Monday, January 19, 2009
Introducing.......!
1. The Peking Duck Pizza!!
Courtesy of Costco cafeteria, Taipei now has 3 choices of pizza when we go to visit the big warehouse store: Hawaiin pizza (very normal), Seafood pizza (a Taiwanese favourite), and now the Peking Duck pizza (who thought up that flavour?!) It's an interesting mixture of Hoisin sauce, onions, smoked duck of some sort, and cheese. It was actually pretty tasty!
Here is a picture of Ray & Kasper (well mostly Ray) enjoying our first bite.
2. The Hiding Place!!!
Thanks to W for pushing me to invite some girls for a Sunday movie in the Library at Bethany, a bunch of us relaxed for an afternoon to watch The Hiding Place. This is an older movie based on the classic Christian book about Corrie Ten Boom. She and her family were Christians who helped many Jewish people hide and escape from the Nazi's during WWII. It's really a great story of love, hope and forgiveness. Definitely read the book if you haven't done that before! :)
My favourite part in the movie AND book is when Corrie Ten Boom asks her father Casper Ten Boom (he was actually another reason why I thought Kasper would be such a great name for our baby...he's such an amazing person and father figure throughout Corrie's life!) a question. Here is the scene:
When he was tucking her into bed that night, Corrie asked: "Papa, what is it like to die?" Papa Ten Boom did not look away from her, but held his gaze into her eyes. "When we go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?" Corrie considered this well before answering. "Just before we get on the train." Still holding his steady gaze, he said to her: "When the time comes, your Heavenly Father will give you all the strength you need."
Isn't that beautiful and wise? I sure hope I'll have the wisdom to answer questions that Kasper asks me in such a way!
Courtesy of Costco cafeteria, Taipei now has 3 choices of pizza when we go to visit the big warehouse store: Hawaiin pizza (very normal), Seafood pizza (a Taiwanese favourite), and now the Peking Duck pizza (who thought up that flavour?!) It's an interesting mixture of Hoisin sauce, onions, smoked duck of some sort, and cheese. It was actually pretty tasty!
Here is a picture of Ray & Kasper (well mostly Ray) enjoying our first bite.
2. The Hiding Place!!!
Thanks to W for pushing me to invite some girls for a Sunday movie in the Library at Bethany, a bunch of us relaxed for an afternoon to watch The Hiding Place. This is an older movie based on the classic Christian book about Corrie Ten Boom. She and her family were Christians who helped many Jewish people hide and escape from the Nazi's during WWII. It's really a great story of love, hope and forgiveness. Definitely read the book if you haven't done that before! :)
My favourite part in the movie AND book is when Corrie Ten Boom asks her father Casper Ten Boom (he was actually another reason why I thought Kasper would be such a great name for our baby...he's such an amazing person and father figure throughout Corrie's life!) a question. Here is the scene:
When he was tucking her into bed that night, Corrie asked: "Papa, what is it like to die?" Papa Ten Boom did not look away from her, but held his gaze into her eyes. "When we go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?" Corrie considered this well before answering. "Just before we get on the train." Still holding his steady gaze, he said to her: "When the time comes, your Heavenly Father will give you all the strength you need."
Isn't that beautiful and wise? I sure hope I'll have the wisdom to answer questions that Kasper asks me in such a way!
Monday, December 01, 2008
Life in Taiwan - Part 2
I realized in the desire to emphasize a very important aspect of my work life that I completely forgot to include it in the previous entry - Prayer Meetings!
Since our Area Partners meeting in June, we have started a weekly prayer meeting via conference call. Partners from all over our Far East Area dial into a conference line Tuesday evenings for one hour. Our typical agenda is to go around sharing for each country and then spend time prayer for one another. The updates include some aspect of the following: 1) Business updates, 2) Marketplace ministry updates and 3) Personal updates.
It's quite amazing. I've always craved for something like this. Being very new to this role, I do appreciate that there are people who are more experienced sharing their challenges and prayer requests. Each week it is truly a snapshot of what it means to be living out a Christian life as a business leader in our different markets. We confidentially share about our real issues in a way that most people would not share in their own offices - what bonds us is the knowledge that we are children of God. What do we share about? Struggles with leaders, staff, client proposals, difficult situations, etc. I feel very small (in faith and in experience) in these meetings - which is very healthy for me.
We also challenge one another in terms of our marketplace ministry. For those of you accountants, you will know that "some" if not "most" of our partners are quite intense. Well, if you apply this intensity and drive to marketplace ministry what happens? Well.. there isn't room for the shallow "things are going well in Taiwan" updates. You get asked - what happened to what you were praying about last week. Why haven't you met with this person to discuss ___? Its quite intimidating and to be honest, I've thought about skipping the meeting or two because I didn't feel like I've done my part!
Its a wonderful community and its also amazing to hear what God is doing in each of our offices. In some cases, Hong Kong in particular, the team is very bold. We ask for (and receive) permission from the leadership to hold after office meetings right in our conference rooms. Many people come to know God or join the network because of these meetings.
I'm a little ashamed to say that it is still taking us time in Taiwan to bring together the Christians. I hope I'm wrong, but we are almost concluding that in this relatively "open" place, there are relatively few active Christians. On Thursday mornings, another brother and I meet at 8am. It's only the two of us, but we continue to pray that God will increase our numbers. I need to pray for guidance on how to approach this. I must admit I was a little shy in being aggressive in recruiting or talking to people. I'm praying that we will identify some younger managers or seniors who can actively invite people. I'm just a little conservative because I am quite a bit more senior than most people here and also technically the head of HR. In this culture certain actions from me directly could be interpreted in the wrong way.
I'm thankful for a network of strong men and women who are like-minded in this profession. It has become even more critical in the past few weeks as we are all feeling the stress, pressures and impact of the financial tsunami. I must say that I don't think in my short career I can say I've truly "experienced" a recession before. Being in a position of leadership, in a new market, growing a book of business from zero is not the easiest place to start. So.... perhaps it is as easy as turning your eyes upon Jesus and relying on him!
The next post on Life in Taiwan will be some pictures of our new apartment (we moved in July) and our new car (also July) - I know - I promised some of you these a long time ago!
Since our Area Partners meeting in June, we have started a weekly prayer meeting via conference call. Partners from all over our Far East Area dial into a conference line Tuesday evenings for one hour. Our typical agenda is to go around sharing for each country and then spend time prayer for one another. The updates include some aspect of the following: 1) Business updates, 2) Marketplace ministry updates and 3) Personal updates.
It's quite amazing. I've always craved for something like this. Being very new to this role, I do appreciate that there are people who are more experienced sharing their challenges and prayer requests. Each week it is truly a snapshot of what it means to be living out a Christian life as a business leader in our different markets. We confidentially share about our real issues in a way that most people would not share in their own offices - what bonds us is the knowledge that we are children of God. What do we share about? Struggles with leaders, staff, client proposals, difficult situations, etc. I feel very small (in faith and in experience) in these meetings - which is very healthy for me.
We also challenge one another in terms of our marketplace ministry. For those of you accountants, you will know that "some" if not "most" of our partners are quite intense. Well, if you apply this intensity and drive to marketplace ministry what happens? Well.. there isn't room for the shallow "things are going well in Taiwan" updates. You get asked - what happened to what you were praying about last week. Why haven't you met with this person to discuss ___? Its quite intimidating and to be honest, I've thought about skipping the meeting or two because I didn't feel like I've done my part!
Its a wonderful community and its also amazing to hear what God is doing in each of our offices. In some cases, Hong Kong in particular, the team is very bold. We ask for (and receive) permission from the leadership to hold after office meetings right in our conference rooms. Many people come to know God or join the network because of these meetings.
I'm a little ashamed to say that it is still taking us time in Taiwan to bring together the Christians. I hope I'm wrong, but we are almost concluding that in this relatively "open" place, there are relatively few active Christians. On Thursday mornings, another brother and I meet at 8am. It's only the two of us, but we continue to pray that God will increase our numbers. I need to pray for guidance on how to approach this. I must admit I was a little shy in being aggressive in recruiting or talking to people. I'm praying that we will identify some younger managers or seniors who can actively invite people. I'm just a little conservative because I am quite a bit more senior than most people here and also technically the head of HR. In this culture certain actions from me directly could be interpreted in the wrong way.
I'm thankful for a network of strong men and women who are like-minded in this profession. It has become even more critical in the past few weeks as we are all feeling the stress, pressures and impact of the financial tsunami. I must say that I don't think in my short career I can say I've truly "experienced" a recession before. Being in a position of leadership, in a new market, growing a book of business from zero is not the easiest place to start. So.... perhaps it is as easy as turning your eyes upon Jesus and relying on him!
The next post on Life in Taiwan will be some pictures of our new apartment (we moved in July) and our new car (also July) - I know - I promised some of you these a long time ago!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Life in Taiwan
We're fast approaching our two year mark in Taiwan. No, this won't be one of those long entries about what happens in the future. It's a bit of a quick admission of what we already knew long ago, but didn't want to admit. When people say "two or three years overseas" it really means that they don't have the courage to admit that this time is too short. We miss Canada (and specifically friends and family) incredibly, but do clearly see that God has a plan for us here in Taiwan and therefore, for now, we must live life here to the fullest.
It's a sunny Friday afternoon in Taipei and I'm enjoying a rare day off at home with Kasper. Sandra is in Hong Kong attending and presenting a workshop at the International Children Educator Conference with the Association of Christian Schools International. An interesting linkage is that my firms Area Managing Partner is one of the plenary speakers!
Living and working in Asia continues to be fast paced. We often have to remind ourselves of why we are here in order to maintain some control and focus in our lives. For the most part, the intensity, challenge, constant change and grassroots nature of live here suits who we are and where we are in our lives at this moment.
I have lost track of how my own "work" has evolved and changed. In less than two years, I have had continually evolving and changing roles, positions and challenges ranging from an area focus to a Taiwan / Greater China focus, from employee to Partner, from learning to people/HR and how from support to client service. Yes, that's right! I'm moving from the internal HR role to a client service and operational leadership role. I have however, told my team that the firm and personal objectives (being building up the people learning and development processes, culture and investment) stay the same - I'm only approaching it from a different role.
When people ask if I ever regretted coming to Taiwan my confident answer is no. It still never ceases to amaze me the exposure and things that both Sandra and I have had an opportunity to be involved in. Let me give use last week as an example of our life here.. though not every week is like this. Some are routine and some are simply unusual!
Usual Daily Routine with Kasper:
9:30pm - Ray helps Kasper take a bath - this is Kasper and daddy time (with mommy helpinging!)
10:00pm - Sandra gives Kasper his last feeding for the day (clearly this is Kasper and mommy time)
10:30pm - We usually have some quiet family time and read Kasper the children's Bible and pray. Kasper goes to sleep until 6am! (yes, we are blessed we know!)
6:00am - Kasper feeding and changing. We play with him a little (he is happiest at this time!)
6:45 / 7:00am - Ray and Sandra leave for work together
In the evening, we usually have dinner closer to 7:30pm.
Typical Day at Work
There's no such thing as a typical day at work. Everyday seems eventful and I've learned that most of days will be scheduled with meetings and if not scheduled, then unscheduled meetings will come up. What kind of meetings? Anything ranging from signing off on a new policy, meeting a potential candidate, dealing with an operational issue, meeting with potential client, etc. I love most days at work. There are always disappointments, frustrations and issues. However, every day is also balanced with seeing the impact of change and lives impacted. Being responsible for HR has its challenges in this environment. With a firm of 1,300 people you will inevitably have underperformers. Its not fun dealing with these situations, but at the same time, it reminds me of the critical importance of apply not only the firm's values in approach such situations, but also a Bibically based approach to people.
Some highlights last week from work:
On Wednesday nights I will have Chinese class at the office and Sandra has women's group. Saturday mornings are also Chinese class for Ray, but often skipped. Last Saturday I skipped to join Kasper in his play date with his 5 month old friend E.
To top off an already intense week - after hanging out with Kasper and E on Saturday morning, I drive to the airport and hop on a plane to HK. Its the wedding ceremony and party of the Partner who was instrumental in setting up this Taiwan opportunity - my previous boss and friend. Its a short trip to HK, get there just in time for the ceremony at Pier 7 and after a fun evening of -observing- Scottish dancing and music, hanging out with friends I'm back on the 11pm plane back to Taipei. Two years ago would I have thought I would be blogging about going to HK for a wedding day trip? Its a pleasant surprise at the HK airport when they say Mr. Chow, we have upgraded you to Business Class (I was booked on the absolute lowest cost fare)! As I ease into my seat and sip on ice cold Pierrier (there is no need for any additional alcohol at this point in the evening) I can't help by say thanks to God for what he has blessed us with over the past two years.
I'll end off by attaching this article that was published in the paper this morning. I didn't know this article was going to come out. Apparently, the reporter from Economic Daily was so impressed with my story she pushed to get it published. So here it is! Unfortunately, they spelled Kasper's name wrong (should be 周建樂). In hindsight, if I had know, I would have tried harder to share our testimony and why we're here.... but that would be just a little too "greedy".
ray
http://udn.com/NEWS/FINANCE/FIN12/4620765.shtml
Here's another article in Career Magazine on the topic of leadership and different types of leaders:
It's a sunny Friday afternoon in Taipei and I'm enjoying a rare day off at home with Kasper. Sandra is in Hong Kong attending and presenting a workshop at the International Children Educator Conference with the Association of Christian Schools International. An interesting linkage is that my firms Area Managing Partner is one of the plenary speakers!
Living and working in Asia continues to be fast paced. We often have to remind ourselves of why we are here in order to maintain some control and focus in our lives. For the most part, the intensity, challenge, constant change and grassroots nature of live here suits who we are and where we are in our lives at this moment.
I have lost track of how my own "work" has evolved and changed. In less than two years, I have had continually evolving and changing roles, positions and challenges ranging from an area focus to a Taiwan / Greater China focus, from employee to Partner, from learning to people/HR and how from support to client service. Yes, that's right! I'm moving from the internal HR role to a client service and operational leadership role. I have however, told my team that the firm and personal objectives (being building up the people learning and development processes, culture and investment) stay the same - I'm only approaching it from a different role.
When people ask if I ever regretted coming to Taiwan my confident answer is no. It still never ceases to amaze me the exposure and things that both Sandra and I have had an opportunity to be involved in. Let me give use last week as an example of our life here.. though not every week is like this. Some are routine and some are simply unusual!
Usual Daily Routine with Kasper:
9:30pm - Ray helps Kasper take a bath - this is Kasper and daddy time (with mommy helpinging!)
10:00pm - Sandra gives Kasper his last feeding for the day (clearly this is Kasper and mommy time)
10:30pm - We usually have some quiet family time and read Kasper the children's Bible and pray. Kasper goes to sleep until 6am! (yes, we are blessed we know!)
6:00am - Kasper feeding and changing. We play with him a little (he is happiest at this time!)
6:45 / 7:00am - Ray and Sandra leave for work together
In the evening, we usually have dinner closer to 7:30pm.
Typical Day at Work
There's no such thing as a typical day at work. Everyday seems eventful and I've learned that most of days will be scheduled with meetings and if not scheduled, then unscheduled meetings will come up. What kind of meetings? Anything ranging from signing off on a new policy, meeting a potential candidate, dealing with an operational issue, meeting with potential client, etc. I love most days at work. There are always disappointments, frustrations and issues. However, every day is also balanced with seeing the impact of change and lives impacted. Being responsible for HR has its challenges in this environment. With a firm of 1,300 people you will inevitably have underperformers. Its not fun dealing with these situations, but at the same time, it reminds me of the critical importance of apply not only the firm's values in approach such situations, but also a Bibically based approach to people.
Some highlights last week from work:
- Made contact with a Taiwanese client target - all in Chinese! Had great anxiety over this, but somehow it worked out and we have the opportunity to propose for some work!
- Attending our annual Entrepreneur of the Year Gala and enjoyed an evening with all of the top university professors and educators in Taiwan. Highlight of the evening - meeting the Vice President of Taiwan - Vincent Siew (蕭萬長). To be honest, a great amount of my attention that evening was eyeing the Taiwanese Secret Service - to the point where I think they started getting suspicious everytime I reached under my tux to check my Blackberry!
- Attending our internal IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standard) accreditation course. This isn't the intense part of the story - the intense part of the story is that a week before, I was presented as the IFRS expert in Taiwan!
- Thursday lunch - our Managing Partner and I met with and agreed a significant scholarship and exchange program with one of the top universities in Taiwan. These students will be the future leaders of our firm and Taiwan business society (so we hope)
- Friday - interview with reporter on our firm's changes and strategy in the midst of the Global financial crisis. Its hard to believe that most reporters in Taiwan have limited English ability and its even harder to believe that the firm will allow me with my limited Chinese to be out there talking about the firm. I've actually had quite a few media hits in the last year - Google 周理恆 (my Chinese name) if you're interested.
On Wednesday nights I will have Chinese class at the office and Sandra has women's group. Saturday mornings are also Chinese class for Ray, but often skipped. Last Saturday I skipped to join Kasper in his play date with his 5 month old friend E.
To top off an already intense week - after hanging out with Kasper and E on Saturday morning, I drive to the airport and hop on a plane to HK. Its the wedding ceremony and party of the Partner who was instrumental in setting up this Taiwan opportunity - my previous boss and friend. Its a short trip to HK, get there just in time for the ceremony at Pier 7 and after a fun evening of -observing- Scottish dancing and music, hanging out with friends I'm back on the 11pm plane back to Taipei. Two years ago would I have thought I would be blogging about going to HK for a wedding day trip? Its a pleasant surprise at the HK airport when they say Mr. Chow, we have upgraded you to Business Class (I was booked on the absolute lowest cost fare)! As I ease into my seat and sip on ice cold Pierrier (there is no need for any additional alcohol at this point in the evening) I can't help by say thanks to God for what he has blessed us with over the past two years.
I'll end off by attaching this article that was published in the paper this morning. I didn't know this article was going to come out. Apparently, the reporter from Economic Daily was so impressed with my story she pushed to get it published. So here it is! Unfortunately, they spelled Kasper's name wrong (should be 周建樂). In hindsight, if I had know, I would have tried harder to share our testimony and why we're here.... but that would be just a little too "greedy".
ray
http://udn.com/NEWS/FINANCE/FIN12/4620765.shtml
Here's another article in Career Magazine on the topic of leadership and different types of leaders:
Friday, November 21, 2008
Playmate Playdate
Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.' " ~ 1 Samuel 20:42
I was fortunate that 2 months before I had Kasper, my co-worker A had her baby. It's been great because I've been able to observe her and learn from her and her husband as they tackle parenthood too!
Well, a month ago, A suggested that Kasper and her son E have a playdate. It was such a perfect idea because they're only 2 months apart. So we had our first one 2 weeks ago and this Saturday we'll have our 2nd. I'm really excited about it because it's Kasper's first friend. My hope is that Kasper will be able to make some really solid friendships in his lifetime that will shape him to be a man after God's own heart. David and Jonathan were great examples of friends in the Bible. I hope Kasper will make good friendships like that.
Here's a fun picture of Kasper & E struggling together during tummy time. Well actually, since E is 2 months older, he's just comfortably examining his fingers on his tummy while Kasper is straining quite hard to keep his head above ground. You can even see the drool from all of his hard work! :)
Monday, November 10, 2008
We Are Blessed!
Ray and I are truly blessed parents.
For the past 2 weeks we've taken Kasper to church and after a feed and a burp, he sleeps quietly through the whole service. He makes us look so good!
Not only that! Yesterday, after coming home from church, Ray had to rush to the bathroom so he put Kasper in the playpen saying to him, "Sorry Kasper! Daddy really has to go to the bathroom. Wait here for a minute!" (Mommy was unpacking the bags.) When Ray got back from the bathroom, Kasper was already zonked out in the playpen.
He's sooo cute!
P.S. Good news! His poop is back to normal too!
For the past 2 weeks we've taken Kasper to church and after a feed and a burp, he sleeps quietly through the whole service. He makes us look so good!
Not only that! Yesterday, after coming home from church, Ray had to rush to the bathroom so he put Kasper in the playpen saying to him, "Sorry Kasper! Daddy really has to go to the bathroom. Wait here for a minute!" (Mommy was unpacking the bags.) When Ray got back from the bathroom, Kasper was already zonked out in the playpen.
He's sooo cute!
P.S. Good news! His poop is back to normal too!
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