Sunday, June 29, 2008

What on earth am I paying the service charge for???

This is ridiculous. Singapore's service is getting from bad to worse. Just ate at Far East Plaza just now and not only did the waitress got my order wrong even though she wrote it correctly on the order paper, she told me the establishment doesn't serve plain water!

So am I right to say that the 10% service charge is for the waitress to take my order and serve it to me? I even have to go to the cashier myself to pay, and they even limit the credit card payment to at least $30. So what on earth is the service charge for??

This kind of service is really disappointing compared to the US. I clearly remember the time I ate at Amardillo Willys in California and the service is top notch (Ribs are great by the way). Water is free and guess what? We gave them tips because we felt the service was very good.

I do not mind giving service charge if I see some form of service rendered. So far, this is going to be the 2nd place I'm putting in my ban list. I wonder how many more I will add before the year ends.

Singapore... You have a very long way to go.

Visit Rhinestic's Knick Knacks @ Etsy for handmade goods and supplies!

Silicon Valley

I think most of us have a general misconception of Silicon Valley. Previously, I used to think that its a certain area in a valley that contains all the technological companies. :D

Now I know its just an area in the southern part of San Francisco Bay Area, and also encompasses the northen part of Santa Clara valley. In Singapore terms, it's something like Science Park, but on a much bigger scale.

Anyway, we sort of visited some campuses of the big names in the technological industry. Ok, we did not really now that it was private property until we got chased off by a security guard in Google. We seriously did not see a private property sign, and we were only at the outer rim of the campus.

What intrigues me though is the architecture of the campus... Some say the design of a home defines your character. I would say its the same for companies.


Looking at a section of the visitor centre at Google campus, I could see the open concept architecture of Google. Based on the this, I could sort of imagine people coming in in jeans, t-shirts, holding laptops, and typing away in an afresco setting. :D The architecture is also unique, which I think defines the Google concept of always trying something new.



The Oracle campus really shows its roots. All the buildings are shaped like a data storage icon, which shows in their database products. You could see the Oracle HQ from the freeway, and I think you will straight away recognise it from afar. :)




I was there for the WWDC so obviously, I think we have to try to visit the Apple campus. :) However, as usual, we only got as far as the visitor centre. The only difference is that there's an Apple store outside the visitor centre.

The difference between this Apple store and the other Apple stores scattered around, is that there are alot of Apple souveniers being sold in the store. Apple T-Shirts, bags, mugs, pens, etc... If you're looking more for iPod casings, skins, etc..., I think I found more products in the Apple Store at Stanford Shopping mall. :) This was also the place where I bumped into Ruofei... again. I kept bumping into him in WWDC. :p

I like the names of their roads though. Infinite loop. And for your information, its really a loop. :D

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Random Pictures taken in California

Updated 5 July 2008: Another picture of the steep slopes of SF



Taken in a moving car on the way to San Francisco (SF)



Shows the hilly nature of SF houses and roads



Taken at a traffic light. The steep slopes of SF roads



Shows the steep slopes of the roads in SF



Taken at Hillsdale residential area. Near Yan Can



Taken at hillsdale, near the Fish Market. Residential area

Friday, June 27, 2008

Firefox 3 Memory Consumption

After using Firefox 3 for a week, I'm generally quite happy with it. Rendering speed is fast and I like the new skin, especially for the Mac. :)

However, I faced one problem with one of the banks login. It kept complaining that the java applet is not loading, but I had no problems with another bank. I will be writing in to them to complain. I wonder if its how the java applets work in the new Firefox 3. It seems to me the java applet loads faster now.

Anyway, I found that there was one area in contention in the www. That's the memory consumption of firefox 3. Some said the memory consumption is horrible, and some says that its superb.

After using it in both Windows XP Pro and Leopard, I finally understand what was done to Firefox.

In summary, if you open many many tabs in Firefox, memory consumption is superb.

Yes... For those who look at the initial statistics, Firefox 3 does seem to use more memory. Initial startup. Loading of first page. Memory can go up to 40MB for the first page load up.

However, the memory efficiency kick in when you start open multiple tabs. I'm using my Windows XP machine as the example. I can have as many as 20 tabs open during my normal surfing. Previously, Firefox will just eat up lots of memory. This time however, I noticed something different. There's a ceiling. I have opened about 10 tabs of forum surfing, and another 5 tabs of PDF (plugin load). The total memory used up was not even 70MB. What I noticed was that the 5 tabs of PDF did not even cause a blip in the memory consumption. That is something quite new. When I started closing some tabs, the memory started decreasing, and it started to stabalise at about 55+ MB of RAM. Thereafter, the memory consumption stayed around that region, no matter how many times I reload websites, or open a few tabs. If I start to open more than 10 tabs again, it will hit a ceiling again.

This is a remarkable improvement from the old Firefox. The previous version, if you keep opening and closing tabs, your firefox can use as much as 100MB of ram. Now, it doesn't. The memory seems to free itself at some point of time. Now I do not need to close my Firefox at all. I can just leave it open as long as I like. :)

In Mac, the memory consumption is even better. I seldom hit more than 60MB of ram, and I do open alot of tabs.

Kudous to the Firefox team... Well done. Now if only I can resolve that weird java applets problem. It's not the java version problem. Hmm...

Napa Valley

Napa Valley is one of top wine regions in California. It's located in the Napa County, which is located north of San Francisco Bay Area. My colleagues and I drove there because they wanted to get some wine (not me). I was just tagging along. :)

It was quite a difficult place to find, at least for us. We got lost and luckily, we spotted a small little sign that says Visitor Centre. We turned off the freeway to a small beautiful street. We made our way to the visitor centre to get a rough idea on the number of wineries around the area. If I recall correctly, there are 200+ wineries in that region. Wow...

These are some of the random pictures I took while walking around that area. Up to now, I remember that small little street. Very beautiful and peaceful.

Eating area near the visitor centre



Eating area near the visitor centre


Some weird looking sculpture near the cafe we ate in :)



Old Post Office along that street


After lunch at that place (which was not cheap by the way), we proceeded to the Robert Mondavi winery. This winery is quite near the visitor centre. My colleagues went to taste the wine, and they bought some back. We popped one bottle during the trip and the wine I would say is quite strong. It's quite smooth however, so you might get drunk without knowing.

As they were tasting the wine, I also bought back some wine chocolates that is very tasty! :) If you're a chocolate lover, you should get it. Its unlike the liquor chocolates I ate before in Singapore. They also provide guided tours that last about an hour around their vineyard. I did not go for it though.

As usual I went around and snapped some pictures.


A plaque describing the winery



Entrance to the Robert Mondavi winery



Archway to the vineyard

Lombard Street

Lombard Street is within San Francisco, very near to Fisherman's Wharf. It's famous because one section of the street is the crookedest street in the world. Believe it or not, there are houses that line this section of the street and I even saw a garage that leads off the street. How they go in however, I have absolutely no idea. The street itself is quite narrow, and its really very crooked. There are really some "weird" houses in San Francisco. :)

Now for some pictures:


Top-down of Lombard street



Bottom-up of Lombard street

Visit Rhinestic's Knick Knacks @ Etsy for handmade goods and supplies!

Stanford University

For some reason, Stanford University seems to be a tourist attraction in California, where you can see tour buses parked at the car park, and bus loads of tourists touring around the university.

The architecture is quite beautiful and somehow, I feel that I would have a mood to study in that kind of surroundings. However, to get into Stanford is not easy. Anyway, I guess I'm done with studying. Somehow I always feel that I'm a more hands-on person.

Stanford University is located in Stanford City, California. I only know that its near the Palo Alto exit because my colleagues and I drove there. :) Its very near Stanford Shopping Mall, which is quite a big shopping area, with many kinds of stores, including an Apple store. That was also where I bought a cool looking iPod touch casing by Contour. :)

Here are some of the pictures that I took at Stanford University:


Main entrance of Stanford



One of the halls of Stanford



One of the archways within Stanford



Archway to an old church



Burghers of Calais description within Stanford



Burghers of Calais



An old church within Stanford



The big doors that open to the church



Random picture taken of the surrounding area

Monday, June 23, 2008

Inflation is up 7.5%

These are the Singapore inflation rates for 2008:
January: 6.6%
February: 6.5%
March: 6.7%
April: 7.5%
May: 7.5%

Food and Housing is leading the charge, rising by 9% and 12.4% respectively year on year. However, the yearly review of the transport fares will soon be here. Will they not raise the fares? Of course not...

The trade ministry is forecasting inflation of 5 to 6 percent this year. I'm saying that the inflation rate will be at least 6% this year, judging from the current trend. I'm hoping that I'm wrong...

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Golden Gate Bridge

Going into San Francisco from the airport, you cannot miss the Golden Gate Bridge that spans the golden gate, the strait at the mouth of San Francisco Bay. The bridge span is 4,200 feet, and it's one of the longest suspension bridge span in the world.

We traveled to the Golden Gate bridge using the 101 South Freeway from the Marin County. Just before reaching the bridge, we turned off the last exit on the right towards a road that leads up a hill. The view is quite amazing over there but it is advisable to go there around late afternoon so that the sun is behind your back when you're taking pictures.

Now for the pictures. :)


The information board for the bridge



Zoom up of the information board



Golden Gate Bridge zoomed out



Golden Gate Bridge zoomed in

Saturday, June 21, 2008

iPhone might not be exclusive to Singtel

Latest news on the grapevine is that the iPhone deal with Singtel might not be exclusive. M1 has stated that they are in talks with Apple with regards to the iPhone, and Starhub has even went as far as saying that they will have it by the end of this year.

Hmm... Looks like I'll wait until the end of this year to see if its true. All sort of rumours flying around.

Anyway, I have just updated this post with some of the photos I've taken during the Apple WWDC keynote. I've also updated this post with some of the photos I've taken in Seoul during transit.

I will be adding on more photos of some of the places I've visited as and when I have the time. :)

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

US has a boring night life

Sometimes I really wonder if Singaporeans are truly pampered. Having stayed in the San Francisco area for almost 2 weeks, I find that the life here at night is truly quite boring. Most shops start to close at 6-7pm. All will close by 9pm. Even at 9pm, its hard to find anything to eat except for selected fast food restaurants.

The negative part is that for everything, you will need to drive, and you might need to drive for some time. Sometimes you'll need to drive like 20miles to meet a friend, then drive back. The area where you stay might not have much amenities, which means that you might have a problem for your daily necessities.

A car over here is not a luxury, but truly a necessity. Without it, you can seriously starve if you live in an obscure location.

So Singaporeans... Stop complaining about the night life in Singapore. I've so far experienced the night life in Australia, US and Japan, and so far, Singapore is still better in terms of variety and convenience.

Visit Rhinestic's Knick Knacks @ Etsy for handmade goods and supplies!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

US Economy Propped by Tourists

After shopping around San Francisco, from Stanford Shopping Centre to Gilroy, I can safely assume that the US has indeed cut down on their consumption. Any rise of consumption is mostly propped up by tourists. Most of the people I see in those shops are all tourists. I see very few locals in shopping malls. The most locals I've seen is in the low-cost stores, like Costco.

To whichever analysts that say that the downturn will only last for a while. Well... I suggest not to believe in them. Growth is not the in-thing now. In fact, if the company can survive without red-ink, the company is considered very well-run. Its not really good over here. Even the US people are pretty disheartened.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

WWDC 2008 After-math

I would think that this Apple WWDC 2008 is the best managed, and well organised conference that I've ever been to.

First I would like to say kudos to the event manager. The way they managed the 5200 developers in the centre is very professional. The crowd control was effective, but not over-bearing. The queue management was the best I seen too, although I've never seen people queue for a session before. :p

Personally, I think the food is good. Juices are available in the morning. During tea breaks, they have fruits or chocolates. Coffee/Tea (decaf too) is available all day. They even have a special machine where you can order Moca, Expresso and Latte (all day). Some people think the lunch is not nice, but I find that its quite healthy. However, the menu rotates so if you only can eat a certain type of food, you might find it a little "boring". :)

Conference wise, I find that the sessions are quite technical, which should be the case for technical conferences. However, since they go down deep into the code, sometimes it might get a little too dry, and with a full stomach, something will happen. :) The guys giving the talk really know their stuff very well because they are actually part of the team that developed it. Sometimes if you're lucky, someone might even sing after the session ends. :) These guys are real talented. Initialisers song. Real funny... :D

Before the conference started, 80% of the materials I would say are already all up in the website, ready for download. That includes sample codes. The 20% missing would be some of the codes that they coded during the conference itself for the session, and the slides. Not sure if they would release the slides though. According to my colleagues however, it should be out for download after the conference ends.

There's also a bash on the 2nd last day (night) with a live band, and free beer and wine, and of course food.

All in all, I give the conference almost full marks. Really the best I've seen. However, its also quite tiring, considering that I'm a newbie in Cocoa.

Anyway, there's a huge interest for iPhone applications and most of the queues are for it. iPhone 3G is definitely going to change the 3G market! Now... Let me think of something to write for the iPhone. Or maybe I should start with the iPod Touch. It works on both anyway.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Many iPhone developers or wanna-be

Its crazy over here. First time I see a queue for a session stretching all the way from the entrance of the room, to almost the escalator. There's a huge amount of interest in the iPhone and how to develop on it.

I still can't think of any ideas on the type of iPhone applications to program as of now. Its Cocoa though. To convert the code to iPhone should not be much of an issue, but the problem is whether it fits into the iPhone.

Ideas ideas ideas... I need weird ideas. :)

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Difference between US Developers and Asia developers

Having gone to a few tech conferences in Asia, I can see why most tech people like to work in the US.

There are queues for every session that I'm interested in so far. In almost every queue, I always hear people talking about some technical stuff, be it serializing, or creating scalable applications. I have never heard that in the Sun, or Oracle conferences that I've been to. Even in a queue, people talk to each other about some new technology and how cool it is!

I do not know for the rest of Asia, but Singapore will never reach that level of sophistication for now. Heck, you can even get people designing software who has 0 experience in programming. Ridiculous...

I think it is because developers are the under-appreciated people in Singapore. Now I know why people have been asking me why am I still staying in Singapore...

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Guesses on Singtel iPhone plan

Updated 19 Aug 2008: Link to Singtel iPhone plans post

My guess on how the Singtel iPhone plans will be like. Okay, not exactly my guess. It's based on this ZDNet blog here.

Basically it is very simple... The phone only costs USD199/USD299, but this phone is state of the art. So how does it cover the cost? Very simple... Data plans. Your data plans will be more expensive than the other phones.

AT&T is the first to implement this, and I would expect Singtel to follow that model. The latest rumour I heard about the iPhone 3G is that it is not available for those without the plan.

So I guess for those in Singapore who wants to get an iPhone, you will have to go red.

Read the post here on the Singtel iPhone plans.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

iPhone lock to Singtel

For those who're waiting for the 3G iPhone in Singapore, I think you have to wait longer than 11 July. Of all the countries announced that are releasing on 11 July, Singapore is not one of them. I'm not sure of what's the delay but I find it disappointing that only Singtel is bringing in the iPhone.

At the WWDC, I've seen the list of telcos that Apple is co-operating with, and only Singtel is in the list. This is ... ... disappointing. I do not see the other telcos in the list. However, Apple has assured that all countries everywhere will be selling it at a flat rate of USD199. How true is it? We'll know near the end of the year.

But Singapore only allowing one sole operator to bring in the iPhone??

Snow Leopard

WWDC 2008 One more thing... :) The new Mac 10.6. Around 2009.

Gist of it:
  • Microsoft Exchange compatibility in the Mac
  • Performance boost

They are optimizing the core OS. That should have been what Vista should have done long ago, but failed to do. Snow Leopard performance should fly...

All the participants walk away with the Developer release for Snow Leopard. However, I do not think I will try it. I do not have a spare Mac and it would be "hazardous" to try it on your working Mac. :p

WWDC 2008 Keynote

Updated 21 Jun 2008: Photos

This is the first time I've been to a conference where the line has already snaked down half a block outside a full 3 hours before the actual conference starts. I guess only Apple can do it...

Just had my lunch (smoked ham is okay), and my colleagues are "missing in action". Not sure which corner they have gone to. :) Anyway, as I was saying, I started queuing at 7am. Got into Moscone centre (San Francisco) at about 8+am. After which I got into the main auditorium at about 9.45am. Will post the photos here once I get back. The tickets for WWDC 2008 are sold out this year!

Here are the photos of my journey to the keynote:


Moscone West, where the conference is held



7.38am, at the first floor



8.03am, at the second floor(front)



8.05am, at the second floor(back)



9.00am, walking towards the third floor



9.58am, waiting for the keynote



Tickets sold out!! 5,200 developers



12.00pm, after-math of keynote



Entrance of Moscone West


Theme of this year's keynote. iPhone. Everything is about the new iPhone. Official launch date is July 11, but I did not see Singapore in the list of countries shown. Seems like they are launching simultaneously across 25 countries. In Singapore, so far only Singtel will be having it.

What do I think of iPhone? I think its going to really change the way we use the phone. First of all, its going to be very cheap. USD199 for the 8GB iPhone. USD299 for the 16GB. That's very cheap.

The new iPhone also has the much awaited 3G. The speed was compared to a Treo 750 and a N95, and it seems to be slightly faster.

For those who uses the push technology for Exchange, the 3G iPhone now supports the push technology. Push email, push calendar, everything... And it works not only on the Mac, but also on the PC.

GPS technology will also be in the new iPhone. Seems like it integrates with Google Maps. No more getting lost?? :p

They have many other new features. Too many to list down. However, the main gist is that it is easy to program on the iPhone. They demoed many programmes written for the iPhone, and that includes games. All these will be sold in the Apple app store when it launches. iPhone is also enterprise ready with its integration to Exchange.

You can get more information at Apple website here.

I think I ate too much Anyway, will walk around and see if I see any familiar faces. :)

Sunday, June 8, 2008

My way of avoiding of jet lag

My trick of avoiding jet lag, especially for my trip to San Francisco from Singapore, is ... ...
not to sleep too much on the way there, and follow San Francisco time zone strictly. That means the sleeping and waking times, and meal times .

I think so far, this method has worked for me in avoiding jet lag when going overseas. The key idea is to let your body accustom to the time difference by observing the sleeping time, and the meal times strictly. At least for my body, if I follow the meal times and my sleep patterns, it will somehow adjust very quickly. That means no matter how much I want to sleep, or how full I am, I will force myself to eat or sleep at the appropriate time.

I have only napped for 1 hour + on the plane, but I slept at the normal time I use to sleep back in Singapore, in US timing of course. As a result, I woke up at my normal time too (7+am), without the alarm clock. However, the first day upon arrival, you will be very very very tired. :p

Had fun shopping today. :) This place is really a shopping paradise. The designs here are really unique, and I'm very sure I can't find it in Singapore.

Okay, going to bed soon. Its near my normal bedtime timing and I'm feeling a little sleepy. :)

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Things to note at San Francisco

Updated 21 Jun 2008: Photos

Just reached back to the hotel not too long ago and getting ready to sleep. I've woke up at 5.30am on a Friday morning, and now its 2pm Saturday afternoon, all Singapore time. I've only slept a grand total of at most 2 hours, interrupted sleep. *yawn*

I flew from Singapore to Seoul to San Francisco. Very tiring, and I had very little sleep. In fact, I've watched so many movies that I've lost count on what I've watched.

Just some things to note for Singaporeans going into USA.

For Singaporeans, take note of the visa requirements for USA. As a rule of thumb, you're safe if your passport date of issue is before 2005. If it is not, you'll need the biometric passport on the safe side. More information can be found in this website.

If you need to transit to Seoul, just follow the directions by the staff at the airport. You will get a green(visa waiver program - Singaporeans)/white visa declaration form, and a customs declaration form upon transit. The customs declaration form is only 1 per family, or 1 per person if you're just colleagues or friends traveling together. You will need to go through the whole hand-carrry baggage process again in Seoul, so be prepared. Basically, you only have about 20-30mins after you clear the transit immigration in Seoul. There are some shops there, and food stalls too, if you're hungry. Korean food court, KFC, Dunkin Donuts, etc. You can even use credit card to pay for your meal at KFC.

Here are some of the photos I've taken in the airport at Seoul:


KFC, Donuts!



KFC, Donuts (Interior)



Korean Food court


Another point to note is that from Seoul to San Francisco, you might be randomly called up for a more detailed search. Depends on your luck... ;) Sometimes the staff might randomly check your documents too. Do not be worried if they do that. Its just their standard procedure.

Temperature upon landing I felt was around 17-18 degrees. Now, I feel that the temperature is around 12-13 degrees. Problem though is the wind. The wind is very cold and a windbreaker is not enough. Luckily I have "backup". :)

Anyway, even with my lack of sleep, I was pulled immediately to a meeting in Silicon Valley. It's really an eye opener though. The guys there really know what they are doing, unlike the "experts" I've talked to in Singapore. They are quite knowledgeable on the subject they are in. I can feel it from the talk. No wonder people say that working in USA is an eye opener. Now I know why...

I will post some photos here once I get back because I do not have a SD card reader for my Mac.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Renaming Multiple Files at one go

Sometimes, we will encounter situations where we need to rename multiple files at one go. For example, you might have a few photos, and you want them to be named as "China Trip 1st Day". Windows actually provides a hidden feature for you to rename all the files at one go.

To do that, do the following:
  1. Run your Windows Explorer
  2. Go to the directory containing the files you wish to rename (note that this tip works on all types of files)
  3. Highlight the files you wish to rename by using the shift/ctrl key and the mouse.
  4. Right-click on the first highlighted file and click on Rename
  5. Rename it to the name you wish. Do not leave out the extension.

That's all to it. Using the example above, you will see the files that are renamed in this format:
  • China Trip 1st Day.jpg
  • China Trip 1st Day (1).jpg
  • China Trip 1st Day (2).jpg
  • etc

If you've renamed it wrongly, just press Ctrl Z to undo your changes. Hope this is useful.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Leopard Security Guide

Apple released a 3.4MB PDF security guide, detailing on how to secure Mac OSX Leopard clients. You can also refer to this ZDNet blog, where I first saw the posting about this guide.
Using this document might require you to be familiar with the Terminal command line style of enabling/disabling features.

The following are the list of topics in the guide:
  • Chapter 1, “Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture,” explains the infrastructure of Mac OS X. It also discusses the layers of security in Mac OS X.
  • Chapter 2, “Installing Mac OS X,” describes how to securely install Mac OS X. The chapter also discusses how to securely install software updates and explains permissions and how to repair them.
  • Chapter 3, “Protecting System Hardware,” explains how to physically protect your hardware from attacks. This chapter also tells you how to secure settings that affect users of the computer.
  • Chapter 4, “Securing Global System Settings,” describes how to secure global system settings such as firmware and Mac OS X startup. There is also information on setting up system logs to monitor system activity.
  • Chapter 5, “Securing Accounts,” describes the types of user accounts and how to securely configure an account. This includes securing the system administrator account, using Open Directory, and using strong authentication.
  • Chapter 6, “Securing System Preferences,” describes recommended settings to secure Mac OS X system preferences.
  • Chapter 7, “Securing Data and Using Encryption,” describes how to encrypt data and how to use Secure Erase to verify that old data is completely removed.
  • Chapter 8, “Securing System Swap and Hibernation Storage,” describes how to secure your system swap and hibernation space of sensitive information.
  • Chapter 9, “Avoiding Multiple Simultaneous Account Access,” describes how to avoid fast user switching and local account access to the computer.
  • Chapter 10, “Ensuring Data Integrity with Backups,” describes the Time Machine architecture and how to securely backup and restore your computer and data.
  • Chapter 11, “Information Assurance with Applications,” describes how to protect your data while using Apple applications.
  • Chapter 12, “Information Assurance with Services,” describes how to secure your computer services. It also describes how to protect the computer by securely configuring services.
Although out of the box Macs are more secure than Windows, this however should not lead to complacency. One should still secure it, to ensure the safety and integrity of the information stored in your Mac.

Previously, I've also written a post here on the bare minimum security to be enabled on Tiger. I did not write one for Leopard as it is quite similar to Tiger. Just that the steps are slightly different due to the different operating systems.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Again the time of the year where people leave

Just today, it was official that another of my colleague is leaving. We have worked together for 4 years and he'll be missed. I wish him all the best in his new job.

I guess its normal in Singapore that people leave after a certain time in the company, be it for a change of environment, or a change in working style, change in job scope, etc. In fact, 4 years in a company is considered quite long among my friends.

I've been in my present company for 5 years. Am I immune to this trend? No. I did consider leaving about 2 years ago. That was when I went solo in a project, and I was frustrated with the pressure I get from managing the customers, partners, and the technology. The worst part was because I was in it alone, with no one to help me. It was super frustrating to face the problems alone, and it kinda eats into you.

I seriously considered leaving last year when I was in another project, doing it solo again. Same problem. New technology, new customers, new problems, and only me.

So am I surprised that he left? No... The problem with small companies is that you end up handling many things alone, and you will get pretty stressed up.

The only reason I stayed was because my company has treated me well, despite the work pressure I'm facing. However, the stress is getting too much, even for me. Just recently, I've decided I'm giving myself, and my company one last chance. Strangely enough, I've decided roughly around the same period my colleague decided to leave.

Anyway, I've decided to salvage one of the products in the company and I'm going to do my best to ensure the product is launched by this June. By my 5th anniversary, I want to see something happen. Not only do I wish to grow, I wish the company will grow with me. If the product goes down the drain, I guess its time for me to move on. I've already did my best, but I can only do so much alone.

And now with my colleague going, the pressure is going to be tremendous on me, and I'm not even talking about the new projects coming in.

I hope I made the right choice...
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