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

Published in Expat Living

Five years after starting this blog to channel my writing energy, I've finally been published in a Singapore magazine! Expat Living picked two of my travel stories, on Angkor and Xian, to feature in their Annual Travel Guide for 2011. This is so exciting!

Here's to the start of an award-winning, best-selling career as an author ;-)

Angkor - Kingdom of Wonder


The Many Faces of Xian

Joanna's Top 40

It's finally 26 September 2010 and I'm fabulous 40! I've been so excited about turning 40 this year. Strange considering I hated the thought of turning 30.

A week ago, I came across an article on what Oprah said about turning 40. To quote the most influential woman on earth:

"You should be out on your veranda dancing because you are about to experience one of the most magnificent, marvelous events in a woman's life. At 40, something magical happens to you--something liberating and rejuvenating and exhilarating. You acquire a healthy disregard for what other people think. You gain the confidence to define yourself boldly and on your own terms. You don't accept anyone else's judgments but your own. In short, you stop living your life for other people and start living it for yourself. The force is with you because, at long last, it is in you."

There's also a list of what every woman must have by the time she hits 40. Let's see how I'm doing...

THE TOP 40

1.) Peace of mind (and a piece of property)...CHECK

2.) A will...CHECK

3.) Willpower...STILL WORKING ON IT

4.) A savings account in your own name (and a pension fund in the name of your future security)...CHECK

5.) A mammogram...NOT YET

6.) A manicure (not to mention a pedicure, a facial and a massage--all on the same day)....CHECK

7.) A set of matching luggage...CHECK

8.) A ticket to some exotic place to unpack it....CHECK...Morocco in November

9.) A great hairdresser, gynecologist and stockbroker...CHECK, NOT YET, CHECK

10.) A passionate, fiery, unforgettable love affair...STILL WORKING ON IT

11.) A little black dress that makes you look five pounds thinner....CHECK

12.) A sense of humor, style and purpose...CHECK, CHECK, CHECK

13.) A selfish streak....CHECK

14.) A spiritual foundation that gets you through a very bad night without going crazy...CHECK

15.) A facial foundation that gets you through a very long day without going ashy...CHECK

16.) A good bra...CHECK

17.) A good spa...CHECK

18.) A library card (used often)...I PREFER TO BUY BOOKS OR READ THEM FOR FREE AT BORDERS

19.) A credit card (used sparingly)...CHECK

20.) At least one person in your life who says: "You call, I come."...CHECK

21.) Good body language (multilingual!)....CHECK

22.) A broken heart and the knowledge you can survive it...CHECK

23.) A cause celebre (domestic violence, infant mortality, save the whales--your choice)....CHECK

24.) A personal relationship with God....CHECK

25.) A personal trainer....CHECK

26.) Selective amnesia ("What Saturday morning meeting?")...CHECK

27.) Gall....CHECK

28.) A good skin-care regimen....CHECK

29.) The ability to converse on any subject without benefit of concrete knowledge or access to facts....CHECK

30.) A shocking secret...CHECK

31.) A pair of silk pajamas....TOO HOT FOR THAT IN SINGAPORE

32.) A lifetime membership in at least one organization dedicated to uplifting women or children...CHECK...WORLDVISION

33.) The phone number of someone who is good with their hands...SHHH...ITS A SECRET

34.) At least one drop-dead, don't-speak-to-me-because-you-know-you-don't-know-me gorgeous photo of yourself...CHECK

35.) A friendship that has stood the test of time...CHECK...MORE THAN ONE THANK GOD!

36.) One last chance to tell the guy you were crazy about in your 20s who treated you like cigarette ashes on the floor what you were too dumb to know when he walked out with your heart in his hands: "Thank you, thank you, thank you."...TOO MANY PLATONIC MALE FRIENDS AT THAT AGE...

37.) A soul mate....STILL WORKING ON IT

38.) Faith, hope and a good fantasy....CHECK, CHECK, CHECK

39.) A dream....CHECK

40.) A plan to make it come true....CHECK

Looking forward to the next decade - which is going to be the BEST yet!

Making connections

Aunty Jo Jo has her 5 minutes of fame ;-) An article on her travels was featured in the Star on 26 October 2009: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/10/26/lifefocus/4947993&sec=lifefocus

While her job is in training, Joanna Yeoh never wants to stop learning.

FROM surviving the 1997 riots in Jakarta to learning to trade electricity in Brisbane, Joanna Yeoh’s work has taken her places. Being a travel enthusiast, Yeoh has no complaints. So far, she has worked in eight different countries and lived abroad for as many years.

“In Jakarta, I was posted to work on a process improvement project. We always had our passports and plane tickets with us just in case of an emergency evacuation,” recalled Yeoh, who was attached to a global consulting group in Malaysia back then, via e-mail.

In 1999, Yeoh was sent for her first long-term posting to Brisbane, Australia, and held the position of generation forecasting manager. “I had so much fun learning how to speak Strine (Australian slang) and understanding cricket and rugby because, otherwise, nobody spoke to you on Monday mornings,” she quipped.

The former Bukit Bintang Girls School student graduated with a Bachelor of Economics from Universiti Malaya in 1994. She went on to obtain her MBA in International Business from the University of Birmingham, Britain, in 1996, on a British Council Chevening Scholarship.

She returned to Malaysia in 1997 to join the global consulting group as a consultant in energy and mining. In the next seven years, she had stints in Australia, Indonesia, South Korea and Singapore.
Yeoh assumed the post of vice-president of human resources with a Malaysian entertainment and resorts company in 2003.

“That was one of my most interesting and challenging jobs. It’s a 24/7, 365-day operation there with the casinos, hotels and theme parks, hence, a never-ending cycle of recruitment, training and payroll. I loved every minute of working with the team there who were super-men and super-women!”

In 2006, Yeoh joined a multinational energy and petrochemical company for about a year before moving to Singapore in 2007 to join an American-based microprocessor solutions provider.

Last year, she spent six months in Shanghai on a project (under the same company) as head of leadership and organisational development for the Asian region. “I had the chance to build its learning and development teams and also witness the phenomenal growth of China. My proudest achievement was finally learning to speak Mandarin. “I believe that China is ready to claim prominence on the world stage and is on the brink of a new ‘dynasty’ to rival the golden years of the Han, Tang or Ming dynasties.”

In her current position, which she assumed recently, Yeoh works with senior leadership teams to help improve the effectiveness of their organisational structure and people. “The most common areas of focus are performance management, talent and succession planning, leadership development and change management. This is a specialist field within human resources management,” she explained.

Her role is to keep things simple.

“While many leaders acknowledge the importance of organisational development or change management, it is often seen as nebulous and obscure in practice. My challenge is always to keep things ‘simple, implementable and tangible’ so that the benefits can be seen clearly and quickly.”

Yeoh finds satisfaction in her career by playing a role in selecting and honing young talents – “when I meet management trainees whom I hired as fresh graduates walk up to me and say, ‘Miss Joanna, I made it. I’m now a manager in XYZ department. Thank you for giving me a chance and helping me to grow.’”

Not surprisingly, one of her aims is to groom future leaders.

“I am passionate about coaching Asian leaders to lead at regional or international levels,” said Yeoh, who also hopes to pursue a PhD in the next five years.

The Kuala Lumpur-born also believes in trying new things and lending a helping hand to others. “My goal is to become the best person that God created me to be. Every year, I try to learn and practise something new, from skydiving to learning Mandarin to walking on hot coals.

“More importantly, I believe in giving back by helping someone else. One of my favourite quotes is by Winston Churchill: ‘We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.’”

Fact File
NAME: Joanna Yeoh

AGE: 39

HOMETOWN: Kuala Lumpur

EDUCATION: Bukit Bintang Girls School,Universiti Malaya, KL; University of Birmingham, Britain

OCCUPATION: Leadership and organisational development consultant

CURRENT BASE: Singapore

YEARS ABROAD: Eight

E-MAIL:

joannayeoh@gmail.com

Vote for Obama

Nov 4 is finally here. And I'm grateful to be here in America watching this historic election. If I were able to vote, it would be for Barack Obama. His book, The Audacity of Hope, is one of the most thought-provoking and inspiring books I've read in a long time. His multicultural upbringing and steady measured approach to diplomacy is exactly what the rest of the world needs America to be. It is also a turning point for America, where a man can finally be judged not by the colour of his skin, but by the content of his character.

RIP Dr King.
GO OBAMA!

Where's home?

"Why do you travel so much?", "Aren't you tired?", "Don't you want to settle down?", "How can you sleep in a different bed every week?" are just some of the questions I'm bombarded with whenever I mention my next travel destination. Usually, I find it quite easy to side-step the cross examination. However of late, there is one question that I'm finding increasingly hard to answer. Where's home?

Is it Malaysia where I was born? Or Singapore where I earn a living? Or China where I've spent the last six months? Or Lake Tekapo in New Zealand which feels like home in my heart?

I found the perfect answer in the most ironic place. Between the pages of Silverkris - Singapore Airlines' inflight magazine. It's an essay written by Pico Iyer, a critically acclaimed novelist, which captures so eloquently my sentiments about 'home'.

"For many people, I know, this lack of a single fixed home is a challenge, which leaves them feeling neither here nor there. But for the rest of us - the ones who see the glass as half-full, perhaps - it allows us to root ourselves in where we're going and not where we came from, to be free of resentments of the past and be honorary citizens of tomorrow.

I savour the fact that 'home' is a work-in-progress for me, like a manuscript I'm constantly extending and revising and fine-tuning; and I savour it because I know I can't change the fact. There's no single tradition I can go back to and cling to as my own; but there are any number of traditions I can weave into the carpet that is my mobile home.

When, one day, while at my parents' house in California, I went upstairs and saw that we were surrounded by 70ft flames - by the end of the evening, a forest fire had reduced our house and everything we owned to ash - I knew more than ever that home would have to be something I constructed within, invisible and portable, a state of mind or a part of my soul more than a piece of soil."

Two Tales of One City

It's a rainy Sunday morning in Shanghai, and I've had to abandon plans to wander around the colourful, crowded, humid streets of Puxi and stay home in Pudong instead, to enjoy the air-conditioned comforts of a home. And I began to wonder:

Why does Puxi feel so different compared to Pudong?

While it's fun to wonder around the lively atmosperic streets of Puxi, would I really want to live there permanently?

Some of my younger colleagues love the wide open spaces and orderly streets of modern Pudong, and why not?

Many lament the loss of old shikumen (stone terrace houses) as the city modernises, and I understand their frustrations. After all, my beloved Bukit Bintang Girls' School, a beautiful century-old colonial building is now a spanking new shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur. Many developing cities often sacrifice the historical values and aesthetics at the altar of commercial development.

Romantic idealism aside however, I also identify with the aspirations of many local Chinese who want to better their lives and living conditions. After all, many of these old structures are dark, damp, musty and often not very hygienic. Why wouldn't they aspire to live in a modern apartment with electricity, running water, wireless broadband and a swimming pool? Every parent works to better the lives of their children and next generation. It's the energy that fuels evolution.

Old Shanghai alley house vs. Modern apartments in Pudong

As with all things however, there is a need for balance. In our rush to modernisation, we must not lose our cultural identities and links to our roots. So, let's build our comfortable new condominiums, but let's also conserve areas of historical value so that we won't forget the sacrifice of the generations past.

After all wasn't it Sir Isaac Newton who said, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants".

Pride and Joy

On my travels, I've always envied ancient sites that have been accorded World Heritage status. Apart from the prestige and glamour, these sites also have access to conservation funds and skills of foreign experts. Yesterday on 7th July 2008, two historic cities in my beloved Malaysia were jointly inscribed as cultural World Heritage sites: Malacca and Penang.

From the UNESCO World Heritage website...

Monday, July 7, 2008

The World Heritage Committee meeting in Quebec City has added eight new cultural sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List on the morning of the 7 of July. With these inscriptions, Papua New Guinea and San Marino enter the World Heritage List for the first time.

The new sites inscribed are:

Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.

Children of Tonle Sap

As beautiful and awe-inspiring as the Cambodian temples are, it's good to get away to admire some other natural wonders. Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater inland lake in Southeast Asia and is home to a large population of villagers who depend on fishing for a living. Life is hard and poverty is rife. Rithy, the driver, suggested that we purchase candy and some stationery for the large numbers of children who live on the lake. I'm glad we did. It was only a short 20-minute ride to the lake, but that was enough for me to catch a glimpse of the difficult living conditions for most people.

A little tub of joy greets visitors at Tonle Sap

The boat ride started on a narrow inlet of the lake and we saw house boats, supermarket boats, church boats, school boats - an entire community living on the river. One school even had a floating basketball court - how cool! All manner of boats came floating by selling vegetables, drinks and snacks - although the tourist boats sometimes threatened to outnumber the local vessels. A cheeky little boy came floating by in a green tub and started posing for photos - for a princely sum of $1. Isn't that a great photo?

Aunty Jo Jo visiting children at a floating school on Tonle Sap

We chanced upon a Cambodian boat school and were invited to board the vessel by the teachers. The children, who ranged from toddlers to teenagers, were very excited to welcome us. I started distributing the colour pencils and pencils that we had bought in Siem Riep. They were an absolute hit! I wish we had brought even more supplies and books. I am so grateful that the teachers allowed us to interrupt class to visit and take photos. It was definitely the highlight of my trip to Cambodia!

I must admit to a measure of guilt for slinking back to my 5-star boutique hotel when so many kids have so little. Hmmm....there must be an avenue to contribute more.

Digesting a disaster

Ever since the Sichuan earthquake struck last Monday, I have struggled to blog - mostly because so much has already been written & broadcast, and I haven't had the chance to process it all. While I can't pretend to fully comprehend the extent of the disaster, there are some key images that have stuck in my mind:

• The faces of grieving parents who have lost their only child. In Sichuan province - a whole generation has been lost
• The look of horror on the faces of young emergency workers as the sea of bodies arrive at the hospital. Some actually run away from the scene and are seen comforting each other
  
• The hands-on leadership displayed by Premier Wen Jiao Bao directing recovery operations. He flew to Sichuan province within 2 hours of the earthquake and has been seen daily on Chinese television comforting parents & talking to buried survivors through a megaphone. Staged or not, I'm impressed
• The nationalistic fervour of the Chinese people is very evident in the donations of money, emergency supplies and blood that have been pouring in to help earthquake victims
  
• Apparently many warning signs appeared two weeks ago e.g. mass migration of frogs and butterflies from Chengdu - the epicentre of the quake

At times like this - when I'm lost of words - I turn to the lyrics of a song we used to sing in the Youth Ensemble:

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
And you can't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His Heart

A Secret Place

Last Wednesday, I took 15 minutes to feed my soul.

The lure of the cherry blossoms in a park across from the Renaissance Suzhou was too much to resist. So after a 2-hour teleconference with the US, I put on a light jacket and went for a walk.

I'm glad I did.

In a quiet spot behind some bamboo groves, I stopped to admire the beautiful blossoms, enjoy the tranquility of the park and the rustling of the breeze. I waited for my soul to catch up with me.

This oasis is situated right in the heart of the busy, bustling & polluted Suzhou Industrial Park, and I would have missed it had I not taken 15 minutes from a busy day to stop and smell the cherry blossoms.

O the joys of jet lag

As I sit staring at my grilled jalapeno-cheese sandwich at 4am this morning, it's not difficult to diagnose the cause: jet lag. Wikipedia has a definition that goes like this:

"Jet lag is a physiological condition which is a consequence of alterations to the circadian rhythm. Such disturbances result from shift work, daylight saving time, altered day length, or as the name implies, transmeridian travel as on a jet plane. They are known as desynchronosis, dysrhythmia, dyschrony, jet lag, or jet syndrome. The condition is generally believed to be the result of disruption of the "light/dark" cycle that entrains the body's circadian rhythm. It can be exacerbated by environmental factors."

What a mouthful!

All I know is that it's a common condition that plagues road warriors and everyone of us has our own way of dealing with it. My remedy this morning is a grilled jalapeno-cheese sandwich!

Other antidotes I've used in the past include:

• Reading
• Watching CNN or whatever movies are on at 3 am
• Re-arranging furniture or wardrobe
• Potting & watering plants
• Baking muffins
• Bubble bath
• Sleep..lots of it whenever I like! (only applicable on holidays though)

And another obvious new addition to the list is BLOGGING :-)

"All my bags are packed...

...and I'm ready to go" are the opening lines of the 70's hit song entitled "Leaving on a Jet Plane". When I learnt to the sing it as a child, little did I know that it would turn out to be the story of my life :-)

So after a quiet 6 weeks, I'm finally back on a plane heading for San Francisco. This time it's a little more interesting because I'm flying out from Changi Airport's brand new Terminal 3 ! I've been curious to find out if the new facility lives up to all the media hype and publicity.

Aunty Jo-Jo at the SIA check-in counters, Terminal 3

(Psst...check out the new Gucci tote)

The first thing I noticed was that there were more T3 service staff in orange t-shirts than passengers. One of them (a friendly "uncle" ) asked me where I was going and helpfully pointed me in the check-in counters after re-assuring himself that I was at the right terminal.

This warm reception at the kerb contrasted sharply with the mood once I stepped through the main doors. The terminal was BIG, BRIGHT and EMPTY. There was no one around at 4pm! I couldn't find any fellow passengers to take a photo, so I went back outside to ask the friendly uncle for help. He obliged and I got my historic photo of T3.

The mass of marble, steel and glass is modern and stylish - albeit a little cold. The same goes for the check-in and immigration process - it was clinically efficient.

The very big and quiet Terminal 3 of Changi Airport

Once inside, I noticed almost all the shops were open, but the patrons were few. It was a breeze finding my way round the duty-free shops. One of the sales people finally explained why it was so quiet - it's because the new terminal is only operating at 60% capacity. The business class lounge also had low occupancy but the buffet spread was much more interesting than the facility at T2. One thing that I didn't like were the common-hold areas at the terminal gates. Passengers waiting to board their flights have to share seating areas, and it gets a little chaotic when boarding calls are made at the same time.

So, what's the final verdict?

Changi Airport has always been my favourite but I'm a little ambivalent about the new facilities. The old Terminal 2 had a familiar identity - despite the musty carpets, narrow corridors and gaudy orchid gardens. T3 just feels cold and impersonal despite its sleek, sophisticated facade. I could be at any airport anywhere in the world.

Home is where the heart is

For all this talk of travel, many often wonder if I have a home. I most certainly do! It's a quiet little condo, which welcomes me with open arms every time I step off a plane.

What I especially love about this place is that it houses my collection of bric-a-brac from all over the world. Everytime I look around the apartment, I'm reminded how blessed I am to have travelled so extensively. There are painted horses from Sweden, an old map from England, porcelain houses from Holland, wooden carvings from Indonesia, posters of art exhibitions from San Francisco, a plaster cocker spaniel named "Petals" from Eumundi and a peacock feather duster named "Lady Penelope Featherbraine" from Canberra!

When I first opened my home to friends, some were suprised by the decor which I've playfully described as "Laura Ashley meets minimalist". It's largely inspired by the shabby chic revolution that swept Australia in the late nineties. And thanks to the large collection of embroidered pictures by my mother (which is undoubtedly a family heirloom), it's pretty, comfortable and homey. Quite unlike the owner, perhaps ;-)

The view from the balcony is quite pleasant although there aren't any rolling hills or gentle streams. Just a vast expanse of expensive residential homes which light up a pretty scene at night. And it's also a great place to view fireworks from all over PJ and KL during the New Year and Merdeka celebrations.

I look forward to welcoming all my friends to my home sometime...soon...I hope.

Everyone's a critic!

Just found a new tool that assesses the readability of blogs. Here are the results for this blog.


Cool huh?

Countries I'd love to visit

Here's a list I love even more. Sure to add to it as I watch more Discovery - Travel & Living, or as I meet different people and want to figure out what makes them tick!

1. Egypt
2. Jordan - Petra
3. Turkey
4. Israel (visited in 2012)
5. South Africa
6. Vietnam (visited in 2014)
7. Burma
8. India (visited in 2014)
9. Nepal
10. Japan (visited in 2013)
11. Spain
12. Portugal
13. Nice
14. Czech Republic
15. Poland
16. Russia
17. Caribbean (there are over 35 islands with multiple classifications so I'll count them as one!)
18. Tahiti and other Polynesian islands
19. Mauritius
20. Seychelles
21. Canada - especially Prince Edward Island

Countries I've visited

I love lists and here's one that I pull out quite often. It's the list of countries I've lived in / visited in chronological order. I hope to keep adding to it and hitting 50 countries by 2010. Too many you say? Well, there are about 190 countries so it's actually quite a conservative target.

1. Singapore
2. Sweden - 1982
3. Denmark - 1982
4. Norway - 1982
5. England - 1982/95-96
6. Thailand - 1994
7. Scotland - 1995
8. France - 1995/96/98
9. Netherlands- 1996 / 2006/7
10. Germany - 1996
11. Austria - 1996
12. Italy - 1996
13. Switzerland - 1996
14. Indonesia - 1997
15. Australia - 1998 - 2002/06/08/09
16. New Zealand - 2000
17. USA - 2000, 2006/07/08/09
18. Colombia - 2000
19. South Korea - 2002
20.Hong Kong - 2005
21. Philippines - 2006
22. Belgium - 2007
23. Taiwan - 2007
24. China - 2007/8
25. Cambodia - 2008
26. Morocco - 2010
27. Israel - 2012
28. Japan - 2013
29. Vietnam - 2014
30. India - 2014