Category Archives: Daily Scribble

My random thoughts of the day.

Daily Scribble

Valentine @ VSO

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Music and love always goes hand in hand. Going to a Vancouver Symphony Orchestra concert is a romantic way to celebrate the Valentine’s Day. Pat heard about the special VSO Valentine event on the radio and we think it make a great night out. Tonight’s concert has two special guest performances with the VSO. Before the intermission, there was Ian Parker, son of Pat’s piano teacher, playing piano solo with VSO. After the intermission, there was the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra on stage with VSO. An orchestra already has many performers, having two orchestras double the number of performers and almost fill up the whole stage.

This is my first time hearing a live a orchestra. Orchestra is much better than ballet, which is really boring. I found Orchestra is quite enjoyable, I only fall asleep once during the paino solo. Today’s performance is targeted for beginners. The conductor explains each piece of music before it starts. That helps me get a picture of what is going on in the music, so I won’t feel bored for totally lost in the context. Although it is the same piece of music, listening a live orchestra is very different experience than listening a CD. The sound of all the instruments in harmony is very rich and full of depth, no Hi-Fi system can ever beat the real surround sound. I may not know much about music, but I do enjoy the audio sensation of the orchestra. Moreover, I feel going to orchestra also raised my sense in art appreciation. I can say I am a more artistic person now.

Daily Scribble

India’s new soft drink

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The Japanese had pioneer urine drinking as natural medicine, now the India push the edge eve further, marking a soft drink from cow urine. I can’t believe it is real, but here is what I read form the news, see it yourself at this link. We all know the Hindus think cows are holy. On top of it, according to the news, they think drinking “cow water” can purify your soul. Cow urine and dung are actually consumed by some Hindus in religious rituals. Although the new soft drink is made of cow urine, it is filtered clean and added herbs medicines. Apparently, the company claims it tastes good and very healthy. For those who will travel to India, I dare you to try a bottle of this new soft drink. Next time when I travel to India, I will definitely bring back a few bottle back home. What a perfect gift!

Daily Scribble

How much are you worth?

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How much are you worth? That is the question you should ask yourself when you are interviewing for a new job. Today I attended the APEG Salary Seminar in UBC. The main presentation in the seminar is on how to negotiate your salary. The seminar’s target audience is engineering students graduating this year, but the insight in the seminar applies anytime anywhere, especially when you are looking for a new job. I wish I had attend a seminar like this when I was in school.

The rule of thumb in salary negotiation is don’t sell yourself short. Your starting salary will affect your future pay raise and your value in the company. Contrary to common misunderstanding, salary negotiation won’t affect the hiring decision. By the time you negotiate your salary with HR, you are already hired. It is important to research the market salary of your job before the interview. Here are some useful links:
APEGBC Compensation Survey
hitechsalary.com
payscale.com

In negotiation, whoever names the number first loses. If the HR ask how much you are expecting, DON’T give a figure. You should answer with questions, asking what is the salary range for the same position in the company or how is the compensation compare to industry average or the APEG salary survey. Don’t get cornered into naming a number, that’s the job of the HR to give you a number. When you receive your contract, carefully review all the details. You can blackout and initial things that you can’t agree with. You don’t have to sign the boiler plate employment contract. You should understand the performance review process and get your first review within 6 months. You can only get a raise or promotion if your performance is evaluated.

Don’t forget to act professionally in the salary negotiation. Don’t play off the offers from two companies to fish for higher pay, the HR have their own circle and you will be black-listed. Don’t directly discuss other offers in the negotiation. You should join the company because you like the job and feel fairly compensated, you don’t work for whoever give the highest pay. Talk about other offers directly will usually cause backfire.

The last bit of tips in presentation really apply to me. You should re-evaluate your salary every year. The largest increase in your salary occur when you move to a new job. Always keep your resume up to date and ready to go. If your qualification or experience level change, it is a good idea give the new resume to your employer so the company can re-evaluate your value.

Daily Scribble

20 things I can think of within 5 minutes using my first name’s initial.

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Rules:
It’s harder than it looks! Copy to your own note, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag twenty people.
Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real…nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can’t use your name for the boy/girl name question.

1. What is your name : Horace

2. A four Letter Word : Hose

3. A boy’s Name : Howard

4. A girl’s Name : Helen

5. An occupation : Helicopter Pilot

6. A color : Honeydew (believe it or not, there are only two color start with H)

7. Something you’ll wear : Hat

8. Something you’ll do : House cleaning

9. A food : Honey

10. Something found in the bathroom : Hanger

11. A place : Hamburg

12. A reason for being late : Hijacked

13. Something you’d shout : Holy Cow!

14. A movie title : Halloween

15. Something you drink : Heineken

16. A musical group : Hotcha

17. An animal : Hippo

18. A street name : Hawthorne Terrace.

19. A type of car : Hummer

20. The title of a song : How much I Love You

Daily Scribble

Greener grass

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My colleague sit next to me just resign. He quits his job to start his own business. My first response is congratulate him getting out of this hell. The executives find new ways to lower the employees’ morale every week, it’s just a matter of time before someone said that’s enough. The current economy downturn and the lack of opportunities in Vancouver hi-tech industry in may silence some complaints, we are all realist after all. The colleague who quit is the one whom the VP asked his where about last weekend when I am working overtime. I would be really funny if I know he is quitting last weekend, so that I can tell the VP why he is not working overtime on weekend. I really want to see the look of the VP upon he hear the response.

I wonder is it just the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I envy my colleague who have the guts to make such a bold decision. As we know feeling is unreliable, decisions should be made with rational proofs. Six Signs It’s Time to Move On is a good article with useful guidelines to examine my career growth in the company. Here is the six guidelines:

1. You’re treading water, not swimming forward.
2. You’re not learning anymore.
3. You find yourself watching your back.
4. The future is fuzzy.
5. Your boss isn’t boss material.
6. The intern fits in better than you.