Thursday, October 01, 2009

Big changes only after exactly a year...

Hi all,

It was not so long ago (a year back) when I started the Marketing Engineering role in my current company.

My drive then was to do what I deemed was necessary to put things back in order and create a seamless process that will help the Marketing team achieve great results.

Through the year, I feel that we as a team have achieve much greater heights than was ever thought possible amid these dire times. Much priority was given to the Sales teams to bring in revenue and even I agree with that move; but even so, the Marketing team soldiered on and created a series of excellent events that strengthen our customers confidence and wow-ed new customers increasing our brand awareness (even our own Sales teams were impressed).

This is credited to all the hard work that the entire Marketing team has put in through out the year.

And on this one year anniversary of my role as Marketing Engineer, I was asked to take up additional responsibilities as Applications Engineering Manager on top of my current role. I gave this task a serious thought for sometime as I know it would not be easy.

I spoke to my parents about my situation and they felt that it was up to me. At first, I thought they didn't really care much but I realised it was really up to me and how far I would like to take my abilities to and beyond.

And hence, I decided to take on the task. A lot of discussions and talks are going on right now on what I should/shouldn't do but no concrete actions as yet. It is nice to see and hear what others have to say as it shows their own motives and desires. I shall learn more along the way... :)

Cheers,
Ken

Monday, September 21, 2009

Monday, July 27, 2009

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Building Relationships through collaborative networking

Everywhere you go or in everything you do, the relationships you build with people you meet is very important. We all know that for a fact.

Powerful and brilliant people tend to be able to use that to their advantage in creating a collaborative network of people to attain a successful life. Most well known politicians and business figures are capable of maintaining such a network.

I feel that this is a skill that most people inherently has but just that it is maintained on a personal level. Maintaining friendship, forging good relationships among friends and relatives are some examples.

In the corporate world, it is also vital that such networking is practiced. The truth be told is that collaborative networking is about forming mutually beneficial relationships with people. The fact that ambitious individuals or groups thriving to attain greater achievements is the underlying motive that pushes a collaborative network. When being applied to good, it is a very healthy situation where all involved strive to succeed.

I believe that no man is an island. To succeed in life and in work, we will need the help of others and helping those who needs our help. Building good relationships with them, forming a collaborative network and working together towards being successful.

I also believe that every man is unique. And thus lie the how, which is unique to each individual.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Quote "Grant me the serenity to accept things I can't change. Courage to change the things I can & Wisdom to know the difference."

I refer to the title above.

Got this quote from a colleague of mine and I found it very meaningful and can be related to everything in life. And in my case, I felt it had a close connection relating to my work environment.

Is it better to leave things as they are even when one knows that there is something wrong and one can fix it?

Is it okay to stand by wrong actions that results in foreseen negative consequences?

Should one that has the will to act righteous and responsibly not do what is right for those who can't defend or stand up to wrong?

I believe those who are strong to take right action have the responsibility to act on behalf of those who cannot and lead the way.

In this current unstable climate, I hope I do have the strength to stand up to such a belief, to live and stay strong and withstand challenges that lies ahead of me.

I tell myself 'Believe in thyself and thou shall overcome.'

Best Regards,
Ken

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Awaiting new challenges... :)

Had a chat with my boss recently...

Spoke about some past events and how I performed for these... And I spoke about my ideas of what I would like to do in the near future with this company...

Then my boss told me that he have some ideas on this too but have not thought it through thoroughly as yet... and said for me to arrange a meeting with him in mid-Jul to discuss this again..

I can't wait... :)

Regards,
Ken

Sunday, June 21, 2009

My new In Car Entertainment...

Hi all,

Just some updates on my ride.... I am a person who is pretty particular about sound.... and since I spend more time in my car listening to music than in my home... I decided to improve the existing sound setup in my GTI.

The original one was 'acceptable'. It was not weak nor soft... It had punch and it had loudness... but it is also no where near 'good' in my standard...

Therefore, I went searching for a reputable In Car Entertainment installer to fix my GTI.. And finally settle for a audio installer recommended by a number of members from the VAGSG forum...

The installer is Swift Motion at Ubi area.

I wanted my car to have in-built bluetooth and GPS navigation as well as great music player all-in-one. Thus, Sam (boss of Swift Motion) recommended me all the parts that would make my car a complete ICE setup...

Below are the breakdown of the components of my ICE setup (some are from my previous car):
Headunit - Alpine W502E (Bluetooth kit and GPS navigation added on)
Audio Processor - Alpine H701
Front Speakers - Morel Elate 6 - 3 way
Rear Speakers - Danish Acoustics 6.1 Pristinum
Center Speaker - Morel CDM-88
Subwoofer - Morel Ultimo 12"
Amplifiers - Genesis Miniblocks x 2 (Front speakers), Celestra FA475 (Rear and Center speakers), Rockfort Fosgate T600-2 (Subwoofer)

My intention was to have the ICE setup to look as 'stock' as possible comparing to the original car setup. It means that I am reusing the original positions of the speaker placements within my car for my new ICE setup. I also wanted to have a very usable boot where the amplifiers will be neatly tucked away and I still have a decent boot space for use.

To many ICE enthusiast, my decisions would be a rather odd one.. because for most cars in the market, the original speaker placements are not ideal for producing a good sound stage and will not give a good imaging for the music. And on top of that, I am going 'passive' which means using the in-built crossover of the speakers and that would be making even more difficult to get a better sound setup.

Considering I would like an ICE setup that looks inconspicuous and is 'passive' in setup.. I went ahead with my decisions.... This would pose a good challenge to the tuner for my setup too... Hence, Sam is tasked with making my ICE setup sound as good it can....

I must say when it was finally done, I was very impressed with Swift Motion's craftsmanship and workmanship of my ICE setup. They were very meticulous and careful with my car ensuring that all necessary precautions are taken care of. They even compiled a CD of photos on the process of the work done. I am very very impressed by that as it shows you that there is no slipshot work in whatever they do...

After inspecting the looks of the ICE setup, it was down to listening to the tuning done by Sam. He was very detailed and explained to my what all the settings are and how to operate the Headunit.. From playing CD to DVD movies, GPS - searching a place, storing favourites, to usage of Bluetooth.....

Then comes the all important music tuning.. He explained the various different listening modes he has setup for me. From Standard, Smooth, RnB, DVD Video and DVD audio... He also explained to me about sound staging and walked me through on the accuracy of my sound stage. After some fiddling and tuning, I got a sound stage that I feel was pretty impressive for an all 'passive' setup... However, I point out that the speakers sounded quite harsh.. He explained the new speakers needed time to 'break-in'.. something like running in a new car.... And told me that there would be a 2nd tuning that is required after the speakers have run-in in ard 2months time. And its absolutely free.... (This is what I call after sales service).. .'cos some installers I know will say 'its like that one, after run-in will be fine...

I have attached some pictures below for your enjoyment... For those few who had heard my setup before, I hope you like it as much as I have... Music is a never-ending journey to be enjoy... and if possible, I am surely glad to share it with friends... :) Enjoy...






















Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Monday, June 01, 2009

GTI.. The legend that will live on and on...

Hi all,

I am not sure how many GTI fans are reading this. But I am sure if you are, you will agree with me that the GTI legend will live on and on...

From MkI to the current MkVI... And many more future models to come...

Like Jeremy Clarkson pointed out
'Its cheap, practical, fun and fast... And they offer drawback free motoring and ideal for the family who had to wave goodbye to the sports car due to children...'

And through the years, I dare say that all its designs still have the attractiveness for all model...

And for me, it was the MkV... I love it so much that I finally took the plunge and bought one before they stopped selling it...

No matter which model you own (GTI fans out there)... I know you will agree that it is something rather special...

Best Regards,
Ken

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Some updates...

Hi all,

Decided to give my car a thorough wash and wax... So here are some pictures below for your enjoyment.





Friday, May 15, 2009

Uniting different borders to a common goal.

Hi all,

Its been a long time since I last update my blog. I was recently bogged down by tremendous work pressure which I have put upon myself.

I have almost finished the tour of our company's first conference around ASEAN. But I am also concurrently preparing for the next few in the coming Q2 and Q3. On top of all that, I have also made a tour to our Malaysian office to have a better understanding of the office culture across in KL (which was quite sometime back)...

As my title 'Uniting different borders to a common goal' suggest, an assumption is made here. All employees want the company to succeed.

In this troubled times where the economy is re-balancing itself to a more sustainable state, employee should unite to a common goal ensuring that the company will succeed. It is the survival of the fittest and within an organization if we stand unified, we will have a better chance of success compared to a divided company. It is proven in these few months that even giants can fall.

Being part of an organization with a very open culture, without much rules and regulations, I am given tremendous freedom of free-play on deciding what and how to do things. This also puts a certain amount of stress on me as I question myself at times; 'Are my thoughts and plans correct? Can I effectively deliver continuing success for my company?' These thoughts are constantly in my mind as I ponder on the actions and choices I make for the company day-in-day-out.

One important lesson I learned recently to avoid being over-stressed up is to relay my thoughts to fellow colleagues that also ponder upon such questions as I do and share ideas and opinions. This opens up a whole new window to a broader spectrum of ideas and also good discussion can form concrete plans where we can better work together to deliver success.

I am learning every day; from new technical skills, managing skills, marketing skills, etc to handling my own personal matters, maintaining a balance with my family and friends with my work. And the most important thing is the willingness to learn. If you are willing to learn in all aspects of life, you will be able unite different 'borders' to a common goal, your own goal.

Best Regards,
Ken

P.S. On a lighter note, I also love to enjoy life when I can... and Woohoo... My beloved ride is reaching 3,000km soon.... Loving every bit of it...

Sunday, April 05, 2009

My first VW... My dream car coming true...

Hi all,

On the 4th of April 2009, I have one my dreams come true. My first VW and my dream car the VW MkV Golf GTI. Since its launch in 2004, I have been dreaming about owning it... I have liked other cars too but this is different... No words to explain.. :)

Below are some photos for your enjoyment.














It is now the process of 'running in' the car... Testing various bits and pieces... getting to know it better... and building a rapport with the car...

Will post more photos once I have a chance to take more... **surely, there would be 'slight' changes to the car in time to come..** haha..

Best Regards,
Ken