CK Link (Sep 2008 Issue)
My dear friends,
After a prolonged period of not writing to you, I'm writing to share with you some news in my recent nomadic life...
Updates? Well, quite a year of 2008...a few highlights:
A major news is that, after working in the US for almost 4 years, I have accepted a new position from my company (Nielsen) and will be moving back to work in our Beijing office. I'm glad that now "Beijing Welcomes You" (Chinese Olympic song) has become Beijing welcomes me.
Obviously, I can't miss out the Olympics. Personally, I'm delighted to have witnessed my country's best performance, and more rewarding, I was involved in a company project related to the Olympics. I'm proud to have been engaged, though I didn't contribute much to the Gold Medal counts, yet.
Having left my home, Hong Kong for almost a year, I'm also looking for my return during the Chinese National Holiday (first week of October).
A group of my AIESEC / HKUST friends are throwing together a 10th anniversary reunion in Macau. (Don't mistakenly think that we're heading there for the newly built casinos...)
Last but not the least, I hope to hear from you about your news and sharing, as well.
Please feel free to contact me via this email, MSN or Facebook at calvinc_hk@hotmail.
For those of you who are based in Beijing or HK, see you soon!
CK Link (Dec '07 Issue)
Dear Friend,
It has been a looong time since I last composed the CK Issue; sorry for not keeping in touch!
Hope this note find you well, and like me, you are looking forward for the New Year/Christmas holiday seasons!
Obviously there are many updates since last time, I would like to highlight a couple of exciting ones:
1) Engagement & Wedding
- Cinde Wu and I got engaged in July in the newly formed European country, Montenegro (pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/calvinmcp/MontenegroJuly2007);
- We are now planning for our 3-city wedding: Jan in NYC (registration), next Fall in HK and Beijing (Ceremony & Banquets)
2) Our New Home
- After living in Manhattan for a year, we moved to Queens borough of New York City. We're enjoying our time living in a 2-family house!
3) Aug/Sep China Trip
- I went back to HK and Beijing in the end of last summer, and attended one of my best friends' wedding. Congrats again, Kenneth!
- Nothing better to see one's home soil, and more importantly our family members and my great friends in HK - a special thank to all the brothers who sent me back to Tuen Mun!
4) Old friends in NYC
- We were delighted see 2 of our old friends from our Beijing time, Cathy and Eugene, here in New York. We're excited to see Cathy moving to New York - welcome (back)!
5) Thanksgiving
- We spent 2 days and a night in Philadelphia for our Thanksgiving, and enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal there!
- I was excited to see my co-worker and her family members there. Thanks for coming out, Lauren!
6) March in Manchester
- For my first time, I stepped on the pitch of my most favorite football team, Manchester United's Old Trafford, the Theatre of Dream. My dream did come true in England . . .
- The sharing with my former colleague was wonderful. Great to see you again, Echo!
Upcoming trips
- Dec 13-15 in Tampa, Florida
- Christmas: still undecided, suggestions welcome (preferred shorter travel...)
- Late Aug-Sept 2008: Wedding in Hong Kong and Beijing! And the Olympics maybe...
And, btw, I am now using Facebook, please feel free to add me.
Thanks again for reading this and all the best!
What's Next?
The advertising industry here in the United States is coming up with all sorts of innovative ways to insert commercials into the shows - it appears that a marketer can no longer just buy a traditional 30-second advertisement (or TV spots as they are called) and be satisfied.
Today, I "discovered" another alternative mean (not necessary brand new but was something different to me for sure) - TBS actually paused "Everybody Loves Raymond" and put in a promotional clip for the succeeding show. And the character in that promo actually said, "I'm sorry to interrupt the show...... let's return to the show." I thought it is quite a breakthrough. To me, the 5 second or so break away from the drama series was actually acceptable. My thoughts are - will it become a trend, work for everybody?
Full of Surpises in Montenegro
A land of formerly Yugoslavia - I would have a hard time imaging myself paying a visit to it. I am glad that I did; despite being a rather small European country
(pop. 700,000; adopted EURO as its own currency upon establishment as a newly formed independent nation, even though yet to join EU), the Republic of Montenegro, or Crne Gore, presented me and us a really nice break from the city life where we belong to somehow. I discovered a lot of natural beauties and the humble, welcoming and nicest people we met in the territory are definitely an unforgettable memory.
Of course, of all the great things for this past weekend, it has to be the life-changing event - We're now formerly engaged! A surprise to our families, to friends and even ourselves. Really excited and THE journey has just began...thanks for everybody's support!!
First Visa Holder in NYC!
Quite an experience for me today - I went to the General Consulate of Montenegro in midtown over lunch to obtain my visa to the Republic of Montenegro (which is my exciting trip coming up in a week). It's a regular office building from outside, even though the location makes you realize that you must be in some sort of foreign missions
(read: it is in the UN proximity). A brand new office but rather empty; there were two officers when I arrived and one of them was smoking! Pretty interesting cause you seldom see people have a cigarette in a restaurant or a building in New York now.
After a while, I was invited into the office and I witnessed a fresh visa sticker being pasted onto my passport - how many times would you imagine seeing it in action! And the consular was using the scissors as he was having a hard time getting that sticker out - quite a scene! Then, it came the most amazing part of all. I politely asked if they have a lot of people visiting their country from the US yet, the answer was - "You're actually my first visa issuance!" Wow, to put it into perspective: again Montenegro is a newly "born" country, it is only been a year old. I am very proud to be the first!!!
