A Sunday afternoon in Whitstable

I grew up on a diet of Peter and Jane books, and those children were always off to Brighton or some seaside town on August bank holiday.  I hadn't a clue what a bank holiday was but I definitely wanted to experience a day out by the English seaside.  And dear 'ol Tariq obliged by driving us to Whitstable on the Kent coast one Sunday afternoon.

Postcard perfect Whitstable

(L-R) Joanna, Martin & Tariq 

(L-R) Martin, Natasha & Tariq

Highlight of the day - Sunday lunch!

It was a picture perfect day in Whitstable and we enjoyed a brisk walk along the pebbled beach watching sailboats and swimmers.  As it was late in the day, we scrambled to find a place for lunch.  We were turned away at two pubs before stumbling on lucky no. 3 -  Shepherd Neame The Duke of Cumberland.  What a gem it turned out to be!  The kitchen was five minutes away from closing but stayed open to cook us an amazing meal.  Never has a "roast and three veg" looked and tasted so good.  For only 15 quid each, we had a seafood paella, roast lamb, roast pork & crackling for mains.  The vegetable dishes - Mediterranean salad, roasted pumpkin, courgettes & fennel - tasted divine.  It was a superb meal in a garden setting with great beer, a good band and a friendly dog.  How's that for a perfect pub!

London Walks

This trip to London felt like a homecoming and I spent many hours walking the streets, soaking up familiar sights and discovering new ones.

Big Ben & Houses of Parliament - my all time favourite 

The London Eye was new to me as it was built after my last visit to the UK

Piccadilly Circus - another iconic London sight

Sunny day at Buckingham Palace

St Paul's Cathedral

Fortnum & Mason's, the royal grocers at Piccadilly, was another first for me. The shop assistants and cashiers wore coat tails and gloves! And all this while I thought Marks & Spencer's was posh. Brought home some tea, biscuits and shortbread so that I can pretend to be royal too over an afternoon tea...hehe...

Dreams do come true

I woke up one morning in May after dreaming that I had spent my birthday sailing down the Thames, enjoying views of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.  Not having been back in England since 2000, I decided to make that dream a reality.  I messaged two of my best mates from MBA days, Tariq Shahab (from London)and Martin Riemen(from Berlin), and invited the boys for a birthday bash in London.  They both said "Yes"!

(L-R) Martin, Joanna & Tariq reunited in London - Sept 2014

So on the 26th of September 2014, my friends and I stood on the Westminster Bridge and snapped this photo.  More than anything, we cherished the time spent catching up on each other's lives in the past 17 years since leaving Birmingham University.  Tariq has a successful international sales career in pharmaceuticals while Martin has seen much action in the fast-paced world of investment banking.  They are both also proud fathers, and I'm grateful they set aside time for our mini reunion - and to celebrate my birthday too!  Surely, it's a sign of true friendship when all the years just melt away and we can chat as if we'd only left uni yesterday.  Although the boys did drag up some horror stories of my misadventures from the distant past that I'd completely forgotten...grrrr....

Day and night views from our penthouse apartment

Tariq did a great job finding us a penthouse apartment in central London with a panoramic view of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, St Paul's Cathedral and the Shard.  Needless to say, we spent a lot of time on the balcony!

Tariq and Joanna celebrating her birthday with lemon and strawberry tarts from Paul

My 2014 birthday celebration was indeed a dream come true!

A tourist in Penang

The best thing about taking a career break is that you can really relax and enjoy your travels, even to familiar destinations that you've been countless times. That's what happened to me in Penang - where my parents have lived for almost 20 years.

Catching up with Selina Rogers at China House in Georgetown

It was such a treat to meet up with Selina Rogers, a BBGS classmate who now resides in Penang. We haven't seen each other since the mid '80s and when she offered to show me a side of Penang that I rarely get to experience, I jumped at the chance.  It was a welcome change to enjoy a dinner in the salubrious surroundings of China House, instead of the usual hawker stalls. Thanks so much for your hospitality, Selina!

We started at Armenian Street, which has become an iconic tourist destination thanks to the wall murals by Ernest Zacharevic, a Lithuanian artist who has captured the cheeky charm of local Penangites so well. "Little Children on a Bicycle" is a delightful art installation to be enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. 

There are so many interesting facades to the shops and clan houses in Georgetown, and I really should slow down to enjoy all that's on offer in my own backyard more often.

Stepping into Silicon Valley

On 8-9 April this year, I got to take a peek at the innovation geekdom that is Silicon Valley.  As a member of LinkedIn100 - a group of customer advocates for the professional networking giant - I represented Singapore at a conference that took place at LinkedIn's headquarters in Mountain View.

Stepping into Stirling Court on a lovely spring morning, we were treated to the breakfast buffet at the staff restaurant, which had everything you'd expect to find at a professional catering facility in the heart of Silicon Valley.  Healthy, yummy and free!

LinkedIn's headquarters sits within the Google bubble and it was easy to spot all the signs of social media success.  The Toyota Priuses in the parking lot, bicycles whizzing around the campus, engineers in hoodies coding furiously on their MacAirs at picnic tables and park benches.

One of the most memorable segments was a fireside chat with Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn.   The key takeaway for me was an idea from his soon-to-be-published book entitled Tours of Duty.

What a talent or knowledge worker really looks for today is neither lifelong employment nor a freelance nation.  They are looking for tours of duty - a 3-5 year stint where they can contribute their talents towards a specific mission or goal.  At the 3 year-mark, they would welcome a "honest conversation" with their leaders to see if there are enough challenges left in the organization for them to sign up for another tour of duty.  If not, they are introduced to other teams or organizations that would provide them with other "tours of duty".

This idea really resonated with me because it's exactly what I've been doing with my own career over the last 20 years.

Thank you LinkedIn for a wonderful experience!

Hanging out with other LinkedIn100 members in front of a giant Lego logo