2010年7月24日 星期六

Halfway through the Goldman Sachs Internship program

There will be only 5 weeks left for the summer internship. Really learn a lot in it and make a lot of friends. Hope to make most of the internship for the remaining time. :)


Throughout the first four weeks of internship in HCM, I was involved in various projects in the rewards team. I mainly worked with Eva Lee and Georgi Suen on the HCM information and reporting projects: 1: coordinating industry-wide round table for the HCM technology in Asia region 2. Updating training matertials in the training center together with an US intern 3. Helping to tranform the EV lettlers applicable to China branches.

For the round-table project, I was responsible for compiling a list of contact persons who were also working in HR IS field. We actually started from a nearly empty spreadsheet with only a few people known in other banks. By utilizing the European network, we gradually got in touch with quite a lot of bankers and IBM, a company solution provider. We just sent out a formal invitation to all the participants and the forum will be hosted by us in mid-August. In the following week, I will continue to follow up with the event, preapring necessay presentation materials for the forum.

The second project was updating training materials for the training center. These manuals were mainly for internal users like WFA and generalist for handling problems like new hire, termination etc. My job was to organize, update and consolidate the documents. Since I was not very familiar with the operations of the HR system, Geogi offered a lot of help and guildance to me throughout the process. More than that, as I was working with Marcus, an US intern, we also conducted occasionally phone calls to update each other on the progress of the documents. we have completed two global process documents so far.

The third project was about translating the EV letter for the Chinese market. Since Goldman Sachs was developing the China market rapidly,making the need for simplified Chinese letters was growing. With the guidance of Eva and Georgi, I helped translated the English letters into Chinese ones. For our next step, we will have the translated letter going through the legal/ compliance for final review.

Besides these three projects, I also help Shirlin a bit on the interbank benefits survey. Every two years, the rewards team does a bench-marking survey to make sure Goldman is competitive against other competitors. I helped consolidate and verified the Korea part of the survey. The benefits survey helps me a lot in understanding the benefit structure of Goldman Sachs in Korea market.

2010年5月26日 星期三

Got an offer from Goldman Sachs

These days I was just too lazy to write blogs. Nothing really happened.
I have a very nice trip with Cindy and Jacky to Northern Europe and Russia. Quite enjoy the relaxing trip. And Cindy met some cute guys during the trip hoho.

Finally, I got an offer from Goldman as a summer analyst in the human capital management. I am quite look forward to it as it is a truly well-organized internship program for me. I will be given formal company and divisional training and have a mentor and buddy. 

To get the offer, I got four rounds of interviews in total. I have spoken to Garvey Chui. Fiona Lowe, Stephen Golden and Paul Choi respectively. I think they are the head from different divisions in the HCM team. To be honest, I don't think I did the best in the interviews. I did answer some of the questions quite poorly because I haven't prepared for them beforehand. But the interviewers were so kind to give me feedback and I performed better next time.Appreciate that.

I will be returning back to Hong Kong on 6/6/2010, which also implies the end of my exchange program. Miss my exchange friends but I am sure we will meet again.

Recently, I really start to look into my career and discover there are a lot of stuff to prepare and know indeed. I hope I can fully utilize the time I have during summer to add value to myself. ha.

2010年3月14日 星期日

Euro disneyland

Generally a great trip although some minor problems happened in the middle way. I went to Euro Disneyland as well with Iris! I was enjoying this a lot coz there were not many people that day and we played a lot of rides that day!!

After this trip, I started to realize why Disneyland business is so successful all around the world. This time, I really got a strong feeling of Disneyland spirit suddenly. When you enter Disneyland, it gives you a completely new experience about the world, with happiness ,dream and hope.Staff say hi to you. Cartoon characters make friends with you. Everything is so good and well-designed that you can temporary forget about the real world. Play hard for the whole day.

We have played:

Theme Park
Peter Pan's Flight
Mad Hatter Tea Cup
Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
Star Tours
Space Mountain:Mission 2
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Perll
Big Thunder Mountain
Phanton Ma













Studio
Animagique
Armageddon
CineMagique
Stich Live

































And Parade!

2010年2月20日 星期六

Having a great dinner with CU students

So good that Mr. Leung provided us another chance to gather all CU students again to have a dinner:) It was a really great dinner. I met Johnathan, Rebecca, Davis, Catherine and many others!! Feel so warm together with so many CU students. We talked a lot about the life in CU and in the past. We also laughed for the interesting experience we have in the Netherlands. In Groninggen, they were having a really hard time to ride bicycles because it was so windy and snowy.  (Haha I truly understand how painful it is to let the snow to hit my face!)

We also plan to go for another trip in May. Probably in Scotland! Everything sounds great!

2010年2月18日 星期四

Finally.. our principle said something visionary


劉遵義:拉住廣東 香港有前途

(星島)2010年2月19日 星期五 05:30
(綜合報道)
(星島日報    報道)香港近年面對產業空洞化、上海等內地城巿崛起的挑戰。行政會議成員、中大校長劉遵義    認為,香港未來的成敗關鍵在於能否「拉得住廣東」,他指廣東巿場有近一億人口,「你能夠服務到廣東,已經夠啦,等於一個日本,你做到東京還不滿足?但若拉不住廣東就甚麼都無得做。」他又預期內地十二個五年計畫期間,會全力推動內需,香港應作出針對性的調整配合。
記者:鄧栢想 蕭輝浩
內地正在制訂十二•五規劃,規劃二○一一年至二○一五年的經濟發展方向,本身是著名經濟學家、近年更被視為中央經濟智囊的劉遵義認為,雖然香港實行一國兩制,沒有五年規劃的傳統,但從香港的利益考慮,應該盡量爭取與內地的規劃協調。他指,香港過去很大部分的本地生產總值,來自出口貿易;但預計十二•五規劃期間,中國將不會再倚重出口,轉而推動內需,香港應看準這一點,作出調整,配合內地轉型。
十二•五將會力推內需
劉遵義認為,良好的商譽及語言能力,都是香港的優勢,惟香港未有善用,相反台灣做得不錯。例如在內地賣方便麵最成功的品牌是「康師傅」,「『康師傅』本來是台灣一家很小規模的公司,現在據說已佔中國方便麵市場四成,『旺旺』也做得不錯。」他說,「香港要看得長線些,要建立你的商譽、品牌,只掛住賺快錢,梗無辦法啦。」
他指出,香港三十年前的發展遠遠優於內地,「那時內地租平人工平,製造業都搬上去,改革開放沒有香港,就不會這麼成功;但現在身分角色有轉變,中國不再靠香港,我們要想下如何靠中國……如何增值,做他們不能做的東西。」
因此,香港需要維持自己的比較優勢,除了商譽外,是與國際接軌,「英文也是一個優勢,如果我們英文不好,同中國一個城巿有甚麼分別?」同時要保持香港社會的開放性,「戰前上海繁榮過香港,除了位置外,還因為上海很國際化,有英法租界,全世界的人都可以去。香港那時為甚麼不行,因為英國人霸住晒。」
眼光毋須盯著上海
劉遵義認為,雖然上海近年發展迅速,但香港毋須將眼光盯著上海,因為香港旁邊就有廣東這個近億人口的巿場,「如果香港拉得住廣東,不要想再北的地方,香港能夠做到廣東的龍頭,廣東的金融靠晒你,你能夠服務到廣東,已經夠啦。(廣東)等於一個日本咁大,你做到東京,仲唔滿足?」他續說,相反,「廣東的生意都唔畀你做,講咩同上海爭。」
劉遵義指,在廣東市場站穩了陣腳,可以在廣西和泛珠三角「拉」生意,更可將市場伸延至東南亞。他說,東南亞的華僑,很多來自廣東、福建,他們一向對香港人流和資金流都很自由很熟悉,他們若對中國有興趣,香港絕對可以扮演中轉站的角色,把東南亞的生意也「拉」過來。
他提醒,香港要與廣東、深圳合作,就不能「只想自己著數」,要抱著「雙贏」的想法去合作這樣才能持久,「你唔好話叫,中央逼廣東同我們合作,(好像)你兩個細路哥,佢地唔鍾意一齊玩,你話一定要同佢玩,咁玩得幾耐啫。」他強調,香港與廣東合作,「一定要兩邊都有意願,要雙贏。」



2010年2月15日 星期一

Cold weather in Jan and Feb

This month is a ordinary month, without any travel plans. I chose to stay and took a rest because of the extreme weather.

What made up of the month included:

Some gatherings









Schooling
I took quite a number of courses this semester. Management accounting, Business Law, Cross Cultural Management and Operations Management. 26 ECTS in total. It is amazing that I got 0.7 marks for MA in the mid-term test. XD

Shopping
Shopping as usual in Bas and Albert Heijn. Also open market.

2010年1月27日 星期三

Frineds are leaving

OH. All my exchange friends are leaving now. :(
Hope I will see them again...

2010年1月13日 星期三

New friends in New Semester

I have so many Asian new friends in this coming trimester, which is really good. I cannot join the orientation day on 8th as i was in Iceland at that time. Viv just asked me about my life after they have left. Of course, I do miss them a lot as they are my first group of exchange-mate. Hope you all doing good in job-searching and school!Hope to eat one sushi with viv and Kirk when I am back. :)

Let's talk back the Iceland trip. It was really great. Everyone thinks Iceland is very cold. But in fact, during our stay in Iceland, it was warmer than the mainland Europe. Europe was experiancing the biggest freeze in the past 10/ 20 years, especially Britian. Britain was even running out of salt to melt the ice to keep the road accessible!

Flying on the Iceland Airline


The best thing to travel in Iceland is that you don't need to plan anything at all. You can book all the excursion tours in the infomation desk of the hotel! And the currency depreciated a lot when we traveled there. around 1 euro to 180 Iceland money.

Blue Lagoon - A very famous hotspring in Iceland. The water is milk-blue color due to the mineral contents in the water. It looks like a heaven. Wow. There is some natural mud in the hotspring for you to put on your face. I tried some. When I tried the second time, I felt pain and immediately wash it away. :(

2010年1月3日 星期日

2010年1月2日 星期六

Countdown in Amsterdam

This was my first time to countdown in a city outside Hong Kong. Although Viv got some trouble in checking out from her room. We finally arrived in Amsterdam before 7! There were Kirk, Viv, Sunny, Jake, Jaehoon and me going together!



After dinner, we were counting-down at the Dam Square. Ha. There were a lot of people there. And it felt like there was no government (police) at all! People were smoking drugs and playing fireworks(not the small firework indeed) in the street. We were in a warfare! ha. Bom Bom Bom.