My final entry... A bit delinquent, but needed to close it appropriately.

Obviously, since I have been home now for two months - this is my final entry to this Blog... However, I feel like it needed some closure - so wanted to say a few words.

I had an amazing journey and am very grateful for the opportunity I had for this assignment. Like others, e.g. the Sydney Olympics, these opportunities are just too great to pass up when offered. They are once in a lifetime and can be life altering, as most certainly is the case with this assignment.

I had the honor of meeting several wonderful IBMers who made me feel like family. To you all, thank you for your graciousness and hospitality. Thank you also for reminding me why I love this company so much. We are a global family, for sure. If you haven't seen it, here is the picture Emerson drew for me to represent the countries I visited:


Thank you to everyone who supported me at home while I was abroad. Your love, support, and friendship mean everything. Having the technology to stay in touch with you was critical to maintaining any sanity I may have had left (so, thanks to Skype, Facebook, my cameras, and of course Blogger).

To my husband who handled the last month of school before break and shuffling kids to baseball, softball, piano, and gymnastics (to name a few).... Thank you, thank you, thank you and ILY. Thanks mom and dad for support and hosting my family for a week in July... they had a blast and I missed being there despirately. Jim and Loye, your support was endless. You lifted me up with words of encouragement several times. Thanks for watching the kiddos so Chris could come and experience (albeit for a short time) the culture with me... plus - that weekend of R&R was so needed for both of us.

Ok - the picture at the top of this post says it all. Emerson and Connor - thank you for allowing mommy to go away for such a long time. I missed you more than you could possibly imagine. I love you with all my heart, and am happy to be home with you now.

Here is an album with most of my favorite photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=92804&id=532701508&l=4b1b848662

Anyway, bye for now... and thanks for following.

Nicki

Round 2, Part 2 (KL, Malaysia and Singapore for the last time).....

I spent Wednesday evening through Saturday morning in Kuala Lupur. Arnold traveled from Manila to join me in KL.

Thursday mid-day, Freddy Lee gathered a large group for a traditional lunch. We drove about 30 minutes to a restaurant called Kedai Minuman Dan Makanan. The primary menu item served there is a pork stew. It was served in hot pots delivered to the tables along with rice. As an added bonus, they provided “innards” which I couldn’t stomach (pun intended.... as it was the stomach). Arnold is seen here enjoying a tasty bite of intestines.... Not for me. It was the perfect ethnic lunch with this group of new friends.

Thursday evening, most of the same group gathered for a dinner at a very nice seafood joint. At this restaurant, we visited the tanks to choose our food. There were many interesting selections, and all were very good.

I particularly liked the Scotland Clams, aka Bamboo Clams. The food and company were fantastic.

Friday was a good day spent in client engagements. After a long day of meetings (ending at 8 PM), Freddy and the group wanted to take me to Karaoke! Justin is the owner of the "STG van" (for you non-IBM'ers... STG is Systems & Technology Group, our business division). We all pile in this vehicle to get to our destinations, both client and fun. Anyway, what a blast!! This is not like any Karaoke I’ve ever done. We had our own room and our own mic’s! It was a great way to let lose after a very long week.

I traveled back to Singapore on Saturday morning. I enjoyed a lovely lunch with Irene. And after that, I went back to the hotel to work (boring).

On Sunday, I worked in the morning, but again the housekeeper kicked me out so she could clean the room. I went to the

Hard Rock Café (around the corner from the hotel... and ya, big surprise – over the 2 months here, I’ve become friends with the staff). This photo captured a nice tribute to MJ. This was where I spent a Saturday afternoon after his passing.Later, I went to the Singapore Art Museum. It was GREAT! It was a very 21^st century art experience, in that there were many digital photography and video exhibits.

I closed out my business on Monday with the group in Singapore. I had a very bitter-sweet day saying goodbye to my friends, all the while knowing I was only a day from going home. I said goodbye and many, many thanks to Irene who took such great care of me while I was here. I also said goodbye to the ladies and gentlemen who received me every morning and evening at my hotel in Singapore. They were so very nice to me. They even gave me a cheesecake Monday night before my final checkout :)

Tuesday was spent working from the hotel room in the AM, having lunch with Lynnette, and finally packing my bags. My plane left Singapore at 10:40. I was so tired before the flight that I fell asleep in the JAL lounge... I set my alarm on my cell phone to wake me 45 minutes before the flight... but I did not wake up. One of the stewards had seen me in the lounge and ran to get me 10 minutes before the plane’s departure. We ran to the gate – and yes, I was THAT ONE that was holding up the flight. With the help of my steward friend, George – I made the flight. I slept the entire way from Singapore to Narita, where I am now writing this blog entry. I am in the lounge here for 9 hours, and then to LA. Almost home.

First part of Round 2: Manila, Philippines and Jakarta, Indonesia

I arrived in Manila on Monday night and stayed again at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City. After being greeted by my Manila driver, Jonathon, on Tuesday morning, I traveled to the IBM location in Quezon City of Manila. You may recall the BBQ we had during my return departure to the US a few weeks ago... I asked the ‘gang’ to muster up any of their out-grown childrens’ clothes so I could bring them back to Jonathon. His children are close in age to ours, and he only makes a few USD/day. Of course, my friends came through and I was able to give Jonathon two boxes of childrens clothes... he was so appreciative and beyond grateful (thanks friends).

At the office on Tuesday, I was greeted again by my local colleagues, and we developed a very tight schedule for the week. We had some collaborative meetings together in the office and lined up several client engagements around the city. With the team, I was able to interface with folks from large national telecommunication companies, large national banking firms, and Partners. A typical day begins around 5-7 AM in the hotel room addressing US business, then to the office around 8-9 AM, in the office or at client locations until 7-8 PM, and then either dinner/sleep ... or fun with the team.

A few of the days in Manila ended with a fun evening with the team. One of my ASEAN Storage hosts, Arnold Lua, took me to his favorite Dim Sum restaurant called Causeway Seafood Restaurant.

By the end of the meal, I’m sure he ordered 15 dishes for the two of us! Following our dinner, we were invited to attend a birthday party for an STG colleague, Rodney .... It was a VERY fun evening with at least 40 IBMers. We went to Gorilla Bar where I met several new friends. It was a pleasure, and I was very grateful to be welcomed into their circle.

After a second productive day at work, we were invited again to join a group at a local joint for a late dinner. This time, I was accompanied by one of my mentees/new friend, Daisy and also by my local “body-guard,” Arnold (he’s very protective). We enjoyed WONDERFUL local cuisine, wine, and company.

The third day in Manila was scheduled with client and partner visits from 8 AM to 11:00 PM. Again, a long and productive day ... but this time – I turned into a pumpkin and had to call it quits at 11:30 (I’m getting old!). Daisy (Dhey.. sounds like ‘Day’ ) was my partner for the day. My highlight for the day was dinner with “Sir Butch.” He is the "boss" of an IBM Business Partner Company. We spent a fantastic two hours together at dinner. We had so much in common including fishing, camping, hiking, golfing, ... the great outdoors in general. It was my sincere pleasure to meet him, and I hope we meet again. I regret to say I did not take a photo.

I changed my flight to Jakarta to meet up with another client the following day. My flight moved out to the late evening which put me in Jakarta VERY early on Saturday Morning. Someone from the Ritz was present to whisk me through immigration, customs on get me to my car... BLESS THOSE PEOPLE! The lines are very long – at a very late hour... I am grateful to my admin for having that arranged.



My Saturday was July 4th in Indo ... but not in US. I didn’t do much except for pout about not being at home. Ok – I did do some work, talked with my friends in the lounge upstairs, and finally had a massage. But in the end, I was still was pouting (and crying, but don’t tell anyone) ......... Here are a couple pictures of the kids over the 4th of July Holiday. The first picture is Emerson with my nieces Kayla and Leah. The second picture is of Connor and Emerson on the 4-wheeler ride with Grammy Jo and Papa Frank in the background.

As my night came along, I knew the family would be getting up to celebrate the 4th they way we always do. So, I awaited the text pictures and the posts on Facebook to see how it went. ( Meanwhile – Sunday morning (while it was still July 4 in US), Rica and her friend Maya helped me make the best of it... We went to the elementary school Barak Obama attended when he lived in Jakarta for 4 years. It was a short, very nice tour of a now historic (but functional) location in Jakarta. Next we went to a museum in Old Town Jakarta... it was nice – great big pieces of wood carved furniture – and great Indonesian history.
I had the distinct honor of meeting a school class studying English. When they saw this blond American, they were very excited to introduce themselves and utter to me a sentence in English. What a sincere pleasure. Later, we had a nice lunch in the Old Town part of Jakarta (please notice the very cool menus on the back of framed pictures that they actually hang on the wall and remove as guests arrive).



One of the most poignant moments for me was going to the location where Maya volunteers her time at a local school. The children who attend this school live under a bridge and in a slum/shanty district... no running water, electricity. They were recently evacuated from their current school due to their inability to pay the rent. For reference, the rent for the school is $600/year. In order to purchase the property, it is $3000 USD – and they wouldn’t be evacuated again. I have attached a video of their school and a couple of pictures of the children/students running around their “neighborhood” the weekend that we drove through. I plan to donate $$ to help with this school.


Also shown in these pictures are very normal and primary means of transportation... This is where we are all reminded how lucky we are!!!! I referenced the proliferation of motorcycles here in my last Jakarta blog entry ... I do not recall the four-people-on-the-bike version the last time. Oh, and btw – it is NOT uncommon to see an infant on these small motorbikes in CRAZY traffic – no helmet .............

The three of us went back to the hotel and had dinner upstairs, with my other Ritz friends. The chef made special for me his Hot and Sour soup (which is the best I’ve ever had ... oh, and he gave me his recipe!). We had a nice relaxing dinner and called it quits early.

I arrived at work with Monday to something of disarray in terms of this work Program. I was frustrated. Very, very long story short (and a couple of fists pounding on the table – mostly mine) ... things came together, and we were able to become productive. We made progress on Monday, and I was tired. I took a rain-check with the group on Monday, needing to catch up with my “day job,” my friend/colleague Terence (my other ASEAN Storage Host), and SLEEP!!!!


Tuesday night, some of my colleagues took me took me to a local restaurant called Lara Djong Grang – Indonesian Cuisine. This restaurant was amazing ... the food was very good (even for an American that loves very basic American food). More importantly was the story each room told the history of Indonesia. Talk about a crash course! I loved it ... thank you Yukie, Rica and Ghozie for the wonderful evening!!!

I said goodbye to my friends at the Ritz on Wednesday morning as I was headed to Malaysia. Weirdly, it was a tearful, bitter-sweet moment. I’m closer to going home, but these people are people I would invite into my daily life as friends, and I don’t know when/if we’ll meet again. Thankfully, Facebook gives us an ability to stay connected.

So – I have 2.5 days in Kuala Lumpur. I hope I’ll be busy here with KL client work (as of the moment, things are looking bleak). After KL, it’s back to Singapore for a few days, and then.... wait for it.... HOME. Miss those babies, hubby, and home.

Another week in Sing

I spent last week in Singapore working with the team and their accounts. It was quite productive, and as usual, I enjoyed spending my time with these very nice people. In addition to meeting with the team, I met with four major clients. As I mentioned in my last blog post, Chris ventured home a week ago. He enjoyed his time here. Besides the relaxing weekend we had together, I think it was important for him to see where I had been "living."

After a busy work week, I let my hair down a little over the weekend. I went out with Lynnette (one of the mentees in the program) on Friday night.
She took me to a part of Singapore I hadn't yet seen. We had a lovely dinner and then went to a new part of Singapore called Keppel Island. There is another American serving IBM in this program here; his name is Eric, and he is from Florida. He later joined us, that is after his taxi driver could find this new part of the city. On Saturday, I did some shopping and planned to hit the Singapore Art Museum... which didn't happen. Instead I joined in with a local tribute to Michael Jackson - it was pretty cool. I had some very nice dinner plans with my ASEAN host, Irene and her family at their home. We had an amazing dinner on their patio with some of their close friends. Irene, Wei Hong, and their children recently returned from Greece, so we were privileged to see the photos of their vacation. Lovely evening (thanks again Irene and Wei Hong).

I had a nice Sunday after talking to Chris and the kids. I went to an amazing brunch with Eric at the Fullerton Hotel... WOW. The food was out of this world, and the champagne was flowing! We took a rickshaw back to the part of the city close to our hotels. Cool way to see the city, but I felt terrible because the driver was 65! I asked him a couple of times if I could take a turn on the bike. He shook his head and said that I couldn't because I wasn't licensed!

After an early engagement with a client on Monday morning, I flew into Manila and will be here until Friday morning, at which point I will fly into Jakarta. I am sooooo sad that I will miss my first 4th of July at my parents' place in as many years as I can remember. My brothers and their families will be there. Chris is taking the kids (and the dogs) there for most of the week, and they will not miss out on their beloved "Candy Parade." They've never missed one in their lives. I am also missing my 20 year High School Class reunion. I'm sad about that as well. I have reconnected with many classmates on Facebook in the last year. I have to say that it is going to be lonely being an American who is not in America for July 4th :-( I am told there are local American celebrations that I can attend.








So for tonight and the week, I am in Manila. I will complete the assignment two weeks from tomorrow! I fly back to Portland on July 14. Of course before then, I'll visit Jakarta, K L, and then a couple last days in Sing.

I miss my family.

Chris' visit to Singapore (and more)...

Chris flew back with me to Singapore after my short visit to the US. It was very nice to have company for the long flight and to know he would get to experience a taste of where I've been "living." (You'll notice I got a little crazy with the camera as usual.) There was champagne, good menu choices (including sushi for Chris), several movies, many games of cribbage, and a lot of napping. We had three legs that got us there... PDX to LAX, then LA to Tokyo, then Tokyo to Singapore. The second leg was quite delayed, and we had a very tight connection to catch the flight to Singapore. Based on my previous experiences in Tokyo, I did not think we were going to make it. In fact the flight attendant told us that we would likely make the flight, but our luggage would not. In Tokyo, after you've disembarked from your flight, you have to go through a full security screening again, and the lines are very long. Fortunately, we were the first through screening and we barely made the flight. And as an added bonus, our luggage even made it!!

After arriving in Singapore at 1:00 AM, we headed back to the Hilton where I have been staying in Singapore all along. It was time for Chris to meet my new friends! We got a bit organized and decided to get some rest so we could make the most of the time we had on Friday before heading to Bintan. We got up and went for a stroll so Chris could see some of the local culture and we could get some lunch. After seeing this picture, he was disappointed that he didn't do some sort of a leap for the picture.

In the early afternoon, we came back to get ready for the Bintan trip. We consolidated into one bag for the weekend, and checked the rest in with the bell captain to retrieve when we came back.

We arrived at the ferry terminal with plenty of time to get some Chinese Noodle Soup before departure. After a very disorganized experience getting onto the ferry... we loaded up and were on our way. It was a one hour venture to the island of Bintan, Indonesia. There are only 8 resorts on the island, and we had reservations for a suite at the resort called Nirwana. We had a nice dinner on Friday night and explored the resort a bit. We walked around the pool and down on the beach IN THE WARM WATER! After a nice (typical Asian... I say this for a reason) breakfast on Saturday, we found our lounge chairs next to the pool where we planned to sit and relax all day long. We read books, listened to music, swam in the pool, laid in the sun, played cards under the umbrella during the rain, sat at the swim-up pool bar, and really just enjoyed the view and the company. The tropical storms were pretty crazy. The thunder and lightning were more intense that I can ever recall experiencing.
Then comes the rain!! If we leave our great chairs, we'll lose them... so - knowing it is only about an hour or less for the storm to pass, we lowered the umbrella, played some music, and played some cribbage (I would love to say I won - but I DID NOT).

We later took a couple of strolls on the beach, and then went for dinner. We enjoyed a couple of drinks on the balcony of our suite and retired for the evening... both of us recovering from jet lag!

We got up early on Sunday morning, went to breakfast, and made claim to our lounge chairs by the pool. I was able to capture this shot of the infinity pool overlooking the ocean before anyone was able to disturb the water. We were scheduled to leave Bintan on the ferry at 4:30, so we had plenty of time to enjoy the resort before leaving. Again, we sat by the pool, then later walked the beach. Chris found a very cool Hermit Crab that I'm sure Connor would have loved to have. He also decided he might be interested in the impersonation business as a Sand Flea.

We departed Bintan at 4:30, arriving in Singapore at 6:30... we lose an hour due to the time change from Indonesia to Sing. We had big plans to come back to Singapore and spend the night on the town. Instead, we laid down on the bed at our hotel and slept for about 12 hours! That enabled us to get up and get ready for a big day of Singapore exploration. First things first... Chris REALLY needed a Western breakfast - meat, eggs and potatoes! We had a lovely breakfast at the Hilton and then set off for our whirlwind Singapore adventure. We began at the Singapore Botanical Gardens. That was a tremendous experience. We saw several gardens within the park that I will never forget. The Singapore National Orchid Garden was out of this world! We spent about 2 hours walking through the gardens and then took a cab to Boat Quay where we experience the famous Singaporean Chili Crabs. Boat Quay is the on the Singapore River in front of the financial district. This is where many of the clients I'm working with are located in Singapore. After a nice lunch, we walked to Clarke Quay around the corner. Spur of the moment, we decided to go to Sintosa - which is the white sand beach area of Singapore. We didn't have much time, but we wanted to explore it a little bit.

What better way to explore than on a Segway. It was really cool (nerdy, I know, but cool). We finished the afternoon at the Hard Rock Cafe which is around the corner from my hotel. It had been a long day and we had very nice Dinner plans... so we went back to the hotel to begin, yet again, the bag consolidation process. Chris was going to take back 2 more bags for me, leaving me with only one since I will be plane hopping even more. We had an amazing dinner at a place on the 69th floor of the Swissotel call the Equinox, followed by drinks upstairs at the New Asia bar on the 70th floor. Amazing views of the city!

Chris' flight was at 8:20 on Tuesday AM. He returned home without any problems, and was actually able to hook up with a colleague in LA during his very long layover. So for now, things are "back to normal." I am in Singapore until Monday afternoon, at which point, I travel to Manila, Philippines.

Just as a point of reference, this picture is overlooking Boat Quay and the Financial District.