Here I go.
Monday, first time without remember what time I should be there. I arrived earlier, with my broken Cantonese. The first person I came in contact is with this counter staff. Seems a little puzzled why this me is here....later, then remember why I am here.
As it was a Monday, and so most of the time I spent reading SOP, eating lunch, and observing how the lab procedure....and also the microB stuff. First day lunch was Hainan Chicken rice....it is very yellow skin. big piece, sweet chilli without garlic, ginger with spring onion. It started off to be a refresher course for me, especially those MicroB stuff...though most of the things I can't really remember, those terms and species names just always ring a bell to me.
The next 2 days will be more SOP, and also a brief hands-on with the machine. The things touched on are VDRL, CBC. Also more observation of the MicroB stuff. Well there is more development in the communication with the rest of the staff. Observing all the little actions, Facebooking, Restaurant City, Pets Society. TVB, Angel Cooks. Food wise - I tried the Chicken Feet Pork Ribs rice, also another spicy beef HK noodles. Yum yum. With all these nice food, there is also the nice people. The people there are nice people especially the Assistant Lab Mgr and the safety officer. Both, guess because of their oversea exposure that make who they are now. From they, though they were speaking in Cantonese, I managed to learned much despite my 70-80% pickup rate of the language. All of that is taught are just part of the memory of what I have learnt during my Uni time.
Soon it was Thursday, their weekly Marketing Meeting. It is a little hiccup as I was talking to Tiffany and Henry as Mike and Tommy went off before me. Haha. Took Tiffany to brought me downstairs before Mike was downstairs to bring me to the place. It is a Shanghai restaurant. Woah it was a classy place and as well, a crowded timing too. There is quite a bit of delay but the food is really nice. Xiao Long Bao, Ko Meat with Man Tung. There is also the Onion bread I think. All the yummy good stuff. As I hear their meeting, I could barely catch up with the conservation, though I managed to catch some of the points. As I felt that I was there during the orientation, all I know there is some to do with the form and the other my guess is with the marketing. Also I felt that I was there to oriented first, thus I paid not much attention to the affair. Thus I was busy eating while they were all talking and discussing about all the possibilities way to improve and increase efficiency. Also the other was about parallel running that is with regards to ISO and thing. The difference between machine precision and human confidence, comparing in with process too.
Then comes Friday, the last day of the orientation. Thought I feel that the week pass quite fast, with most of the time after the lab, I went and walk around either at Olympic or IFC. Then after that will be the usual back to hotel room to rest and tap on other people's Internet. Friday would be one more memorable one. Morning is really fast and quick. There is more hands on, which there is more practical like helping to insert the control for the CBC and the other similar parallel machine. Also, in the late afternoon, got a little scary surprise. Seems like an order of sort, as I was chatting, or chatted before about eating the local food, Tiffany "signalled" in a directive way to follow her. I was, as before blur not sure what is going on with the language mis-proficiency, was taken by surprise. Made thing worse, she asked me to take off my clothes. Yup that is it....what is going on.......HaHA...finally after a moment, as I was still wearing my labcoat, the instructions was later then followed by following to buy some side dish nearby. Drank 5 flavour tea?, bought Beef internal, also ate a stick of fried big intestine, then went to buy some drinks back. Also I tried the fried fish skin. Yum yum all the things. Well, it was quite a enjoyable time. Then after that, I went got a brief outlook of how the marketing strategy and marketing stuff of the lab. Though it was a short 1 hour, most of the thing just sounds so familiar. However with the lack of market knowledge, I find it hard to say much but only listen. Well I guess I would have to do more research if I would be of an asset. Though my mind is fresh and new, there are ideas are yet to be tested and after hearing all the areas of influence, COI, I felt it also is becoming more of a referral business too. That is the end of a week of 5 days of orientation. There is also another surprise. Tommy asked me after the marketing briefing. He briefed me about the regulations for HK Medical Technologist Board. With the regulations and the unclear knowing of how the board will handle foreign talent. After briefing me about career path, I was given an envelope. It was a total HKD 1500 for my week at the lab. It came as a surprise to me as I was expecting no return for the orientation there. It was more of an eye opener rather that working. Not knowing should I reject and also how to, I accepted the envelope. Well, it was indeed a week of eye-opening, affirming experience at the lab. Also the meeting of new friendly people at the lab was refreshing. I wish that the time there, and also the new found acquaintances will last. Now comes the weekend
Saturday is going to Shenzhen. Going past the immigration point alone is a very different experience. Well, travelling in this region is so different from Singapore. The time period and allowance given will need more buffer due to the unpredictability of traffic. I was aiming to be on time. However, my dad was early despite the predicted estimated time of arrival. Well it allows me to learn that being early is good, and also in the past how I always strife to give plenty of buffer time and being early while waiting for others.
A weekend, going around Shenzhen, looking at all the shopping complex. They are quite modern and full of branded stuff. Well there is still the nice food and delicious cusines there to eat. What beats a nice dessert. We stayed in Motel Chain 268, at Futian area. Before that, we went to Guo Mao where the luxurious shopping centre are. There met up with another family, another friend of my dad and from them, how there can a 2 child as opposes to the 1 child policy in China.
Futian, where we stayed for the weekend. Met up with another supplier and possible a job referral for my dad's friend. It is a bridging time first. A tour of the area and a briefing how some of the dark places. There are quite a lot of spa around the area. Also met up with some of other friends and had Wang Lao Ji drink together with nice grills. Oysters, Clams, Chicken skin, jap cucumber and others. Yum yum for a great supper. I was also entertained by stories by one whom stayed there and had really special experience with the people there. There are indeed the places of light and dark. Even at the common eating place in a secular place, there are also "paid" company for food....free food for a fee. Interesting way of getting $$$. Well I wasn't really that intrigue by going those places. Guess I had enough and with a week to go, I thought I should mellow down alittle.
Sunday, a walk down Hua Xiong Street to experience the vastness of varities of cheap Electronic stuff. There are really alot of cheap stuff around, also with the street side stall also taking in different type of techs. Empy Catridges. That is a place where I can dispose of all the catridges that I used. The other place I went was Lao Jie. Also known as East gate. Here is, in the past, famous for its shopping area. Also where all the beautiful young girls will hang out during the early times. Now it is still as crowded though didn't really have a close look at what is there to buy. Well there is where I saw Mac sell Pork Chop burger. Though I didn't have a chance to try, I tried something else at the well known Aijsen Ramen. I ate the Soft Bone Ramen with Bamboo Shoot. We also ordered the Seaweed. Yum yum.
After that, which was dinner, my dad went back while I went to Hua Xiong Jie to buy some numbered and lettered Jenga. Also walked around Futian area to buy something back to HK. In the midst as I was walking a normal shopping place, I was even "spoke" of not giving some chinese girl a look....haha how different the culture is. Well bought my carton of Wang Lao Ji, a pack of dates and some Wang Wang Milk to drink. Went back hotel as it was quite late in the night, to watch TV and rest.
The next day, walked a bit of NBA, then I checked out to go to Guo Mao to buy some chocolate and ate another common place, Subway. Chocolate that I bought were belgian chocolate of 12 Zodiac, milk chocolate of 55% type. Then it is back to HK. And there goes the week.
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