The Weekend in Business Trip

The first day in Da Nang was Friday, and I have to take over the client support tasks from my colleague. We had sent the messages last day which informed me that I was supposed to meet in the lobby this morning. We would take the commute van from hotel to the corporation. It was the very special experience which we had been with surrounded Japanese members for work. It took approximately 20 minutes for the plant and the routine passed through the beautiful beach. We had arrived earlier than the beginning of work time. I followed the instructions every moment including waiting in the lounge and made the simple arrangement. For a while, after the work time, I departed for the manufacturing line and inspected the machine that I would be supposed to support. The factory is so large that I couldn’t remember the direction in the building. There are two servo presses on the line with the problem happened several days ago. Unfortunately, we still couldn’t ensure the root cause of these problems when we were still in the office. Thus, we had made the risky bet that we would modify the machine into two systems, one is the standard type, and another is charge of customized functions. My colleague had finished the modification for one of them last day. Accordingly, this day, in the schedule, we had to modify the second one together and handover the remained tasks.

This was not the first time I work with the foreign members, but this time, in the beginning, we exactly encountered the serious communication problems. Not only the Japanese, the large amount of Vietnamese also in the group to cooperate with. However, three of us had to communicate with two translators and it led to the bad efficiency. What the worse was that due to the manufacturing schedule, the machine couldn’t stop to allow us make the modification. As a result, these works had to push off to the next work day which might make me under the heavier pressure. Our available works had been done, so we left earlier by ourselves. It was the first free time in Da Nang. I had started to make the plan, and then I decided to take the crab car to the nearest beach. The beaches in Southeast Asia are different from Taiwan. It is easy to find the long white beach with the hotels here. Thank to the warm weather, although it was the October, it was still available for people to play in the ocean. In the evening, I walked back to the downtown and ate in the Korean restaurant randomly. Then, my colleague invited me to take a sightseeing boat along the river surrounded with the beautiful hotel and it was also the last day for him in Vietnam. From tomorrow on, there would be no any Taiwanese in Da Nang, so I have to deal with anything by myself.

The Potential Market in Vietnam

This October, our servo press had to be transferred to the Vietnam for participating the manufacturing exhibition. The demo kit for this time was from the Thailand and had been demonstrated over four times in distinct exhibition. I would be able to support this task without too much pressure which would be the utter different situation from the Taipei Automation. Due to the experience of last time in Thailand, I had known the matter with regard to demonstrate the demo kit abroad, especially in the Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, one of the members I had met in Thailand last time, which could be obviously helpful for the smother communication. However, not only the short preparation time for visa application, the schedule of the business trip in Vietnam also continuous change all along prior to departure. The key point was that there were serious happened from the servo press in Da Nang, and our manager assessed whether or not I had to leave for Da Nang to support this tricky issue after the exhibition. Indeed, the schedule of the client and exhibition concerned, the plan had been changed again and again. Eventually, for this business trip, I had to go to Saigon three days for the exhibition and go to the Da Nang nine days for helping solve the problems. This would be the long time trip for me without any Taiwanese support locally.

The first day was mere for moving, but I had met several unexpected problems due to the luggage preparation and traffic jam. Thankfully, the above problems had been solved and I had the good and smooth process for leaving for the Saigon city. I would have the half day hang out the city due to the earlier arrived time. There are no MRT in the Saigon city, so I required taking the grab car if I wanted to go anywhere. With the more experience of business trip in Thailand, I had the comprehensive plan for sign seeing this time. I took the grab car to the downtown where is far from the location of hotel I stayed, and then I went around the famous viewpoints in the city on foot. Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam with lots of big department stores and markets. Meanwhile, enormous European historical building located here due to the French colony in the past. This is the very big city with crowded people, and the traffic problems caused by excessive motorcycles without the efficient public transportation. The first day was finished by visiting the main train station. Then, I went back to the hotel little earlier to prepare the work for setting up the exhibition next day.

Around The Island Again

This year, the travel vacation had combined the noon festival which was more than night days. Due to the trip abroad Thailand recently, we had planned to travel around island with the Lanyu where I had never been before. First day, as usual, we started from the eastern of Taiwan. However, this time we want to focus more on the Taitung where we had less chance to visit. The first destination was Qingshui Cliff. I had been visited here several times by bicycle, foot, and car, but this time we would go round with canoe to enjoy the different view from the ocean. This was the long-distance trip from Taoyuan to Hualien, so we had taken the break and eaten the lunch in Suao Township and arrived at the Qingshui Cliff in the 15:00 on time.Fortunately, because there was not the summer vacation, the participants were much fewer than we had expected.

Our coach had instructed the standard steps of getting on and off the canoe. Although, it was cloudy day, the temperature was suitable for enjoying floating on the ocean more than an hour. In the beginning, I exactly feel that it was difficult to control the canoe overcome the wave on the ocean. However, after several minutes, I got used to be along with wave and the canoe won’t overturn easily. Meanwhile, the coach suggested that we could do something more because it was obviously safety with the rescue clothing. Thus, we jumped into the ocean and enjoy the moment of swimming and seeing magnificent view of Qingshui Cliff. When the time closed to the end, it begun raining, and we had the misery process of going ashore. Generally speaking, it was an unforgettable experience not only for the Qingshui Cliff but also the canoe. This evening was the only period we would stay in the Hualien, so we went to the new opened department store and night market far from downtown. There were nothing special, and we would set off to the Taitung city in the morning of the second day.

Responsible for Automation Expo

After several experiences of exhibition participation, though I have lost the fresh feeling, the demonstration product is still much meaningful for me. It is the first equipment whose electrical design and software had been developed by myself. Fortunately, the product development had been launched earlier, especially for the PC software which had also showed in the last exhibition with the different communication version. On the other hand, the servo press itself which is the protagonist of this exhibition had been also started to be developed last year, although it hadn’t passed the formal functional and quality verifications currently. Thus, I want to test some critical function among the preparation of this exhibition, including the external communication which would be applied along the time in the demonstration process. By contrast, the entirely control of the machine had been launched merely three months ago. In the beginning, my daily work focused on the electrical design which I had to issue the diagram earlier but I was really good at. I had spent much time on referring the previous design and arrange the structural configuration into what is suitable for this demonstration.

However, the parts had been imported late, so the assembly progress had been delay also. In the schedule, I was supposed to test the demonstrated motion since July, but finally I had taken over the machine on the mere ten days before the exhibition. The main control of the equipment would be written in the PLC which simply consists of the basic program with the few pages in HMI and both of them I had finished last month. Initially, I faced the problem from hardware including the motor and external control module. The motor problem was just a joke because there was a mistake from the assembly. But the problem of external control module I exactly couldn’t find out the root cause, eventually I could do nothing but change the external control module. Next several steps, we conducted more smoothly, I had tried the communication between two machines and run the motion we would show on the exhibition. Another serious problems from the computer which had been installed the PC software to collect the data from servo press and show the chart and report. However, the PC installed the windows 7 lacked a large amount of essential framework library. I had really tried my hard time to install the different sorts of element with the bad quality network.

Like The Summer Vacation

It is closed to the end of the August. However, the former six weeks after I had gotten back to Taiwan, we merely visited the New Taipei City and Hsinchu. We had never been in Eastern of Taiwan and played the water sports at all. Hence, after released the loaded pressure from the preparation of automation exhibition, we began planning the several activities from now on. Due to the golden week in the middle of September, I intended to put some complementary games into the schedule. For that 8-day trip, we were likely to focus on the area in southern of Taiwan. Furthermore, we had to arrive in Hualien on the first day and stay there for only one day. The viewpoints among the path we will be supposed to miss in the process where consists vast amount of the exclusive elements the summer. Hence, recently, I wish I will be able to visit some area in Eastern of Taiwan and be suitable for summer. What I could think of first are all related to the ocean and beach. I hope I could accomplish entire schedule before the weather get colder and live toward winter without the regret.

The first of all, we had planned to go to Ilan and visited Toucheng where we hadn’t been for over a year. There were great beach for surfing and the castle built on the chill for overlooking the whole plain. They are the remarkable points when we were the student, but we were commonly tired out for the schedule along with the musical festival. Here are still famous nowadays and crowded with vast vanities people playing the water and sky sports altogether. Next, the point we wanted to visit was the Dongao. We had found out the hidden beach last time where less contaminated is, but the cold spring where is famous as well we had missed last time. Unfortunately, this time, although we had found out where we wanted and saw lots of adult and child playing in the artificial pool nearby, the bad weather forced us leaving here. Finally, we went to the Suao by the way and recalled the memory from the past year, then finished the dinner and took the little break in Ilan city. 

Focus On Two

More smoothly the work we had done more emptiness we would feel after work. The phased target we had reached, so I had to find out the other goal for the free time. When the time I just began my new job, I thought I would have more free time on the music and animation. That was the truth, but currently, we practically lacked enormous motivation which I acquired easier like what was among the time of school. We had tried to sort out various former works and renew thoroughly, but I still couldn’t get sort of the sense of accomplishment I expected. Thus, I considered that what should I do could help me to sense the consequent clearly. Eventually, I had thought that English speech and sports could exactly express the outcome of the daily life and work in the long run. Although, both of them might not be urgency requirement at the present stage, the life without the progress little by little would make the exceedingly backward in the future. As a result, I started to make the daily schedule and target. I hope it won’t be the routine business what I merely cope.

The English skill had gotten much important when I transfer to the quality assurance department two years ago. I had to join the meeting with the member from different countries. I not only required understanding what they were talking about, but also had to express my opinion for the specific issue in English. At that time, I still didn’t sense what important the communication was. In the daily practice, I simply focused on the reading and listening. Fortunately, the talking won’t make the over obstacle when I was doing my job, though I thought I was still supposed to spend time on practicing more ordinarily. After joining the new corporation and department, my major daily work had changed into the product development, so there were much fewer opportunities for me to utilize the English skill of conservation among the work. However, after above period, I was tired of lacking such the sufficient opportunities, so I asked for the chances to present or participate in English in the daily life. Recently, I had begun participating the foreign exhibition and making the formal presentation toward the other branch which enforced me improve remarkably. Frankly speaking, both presentation and English speech skill are without the limitation. I am supposed to keep practicing speaking more though there won’t be the related chances specifically.

No Regret in Summer Vacation

It is close to the end of the July, half of the summer vacation. This time is different from the last year because the travel vacation of the corporation had been moved from June to the September. On the other word, last year, our summer vacation had been begun from the four days trip, but this year the trip would be on the end of the summer. Although, there were more times of intensive travel abroad these two years, the trip in Taiwan won’t be once a season like plan we had followed previously. Furthermore, prior to graduate from the school, most of the outdoor activities would be plan in summer as well, including riding bicycle, surfing, marathon and Triathlon. Even though, we still have sufficient power to play above leisure activities, the life left the group currently might damage the motivation to reach the achievement far from the daily life.

Thus, I started to consider what the meaning and importance of each trip I had participated ever. For the outdoor activities in the young age, it might be the proof of our physical capability. We had to be under the deep training and practice before each of the distinctive challenges. Moreover, without the appropriate transport vehicle, the bike riding would be the best choice for us to explore the further world in the early age. Different challenges correspond to the particular view and reward. I had seen and felt the completely different achievement from the bike riding, mountain climbing and the some sort of the activities on the ocean.

The Manufacturing Exhibition in Thailand

The first day of exhibition, I attempted to get up much earlier, because I would have to commute in this unfamiliar city. Due to absence of preparation yesterday, I still had to install the pressing module and set up the video on the platform. Fortunately, I had merely spent 20 minutes on commuting to the exhibition center, so I arrived at the center earlier more than 15 minutes prior to the beginning. There was no any member I had met before, so when I arrived at our booth I require to greet the colleagues of our corporation. And then, I tried my best to make the remained preparation and completed in the ten minutes. The type of our entirely expression was not too far from what we had done in Taiwan. There were two major parts, one was the key components and another was the dynamic equipments demonstrating during the exhibition. This time, there were three dynamic equipments which including our servo press. However, the other two equipments had faced the serious problems when they attempted to operate. Thus, their team had kept adjusting the code and parameter.

Generally speaking, the environment and type of exhibition was very similar, but the scale was much bigger than what had done in Taiwan. Thailand have been the great industrial country in ASEAN and located in the center of Indochina. Thus, the related-industry exhibitions are able to attract the nearby countries to participate and visit. Due to the dynamic equipment we had showed, more visitor could be attracted to go closer for taking the deeper inspect. For diverse culture, I generally introduced our product in English so as to communicate with our colleague. We had been familiar with each other in short time, and I had accepted a vast amount of assistance.

The First Day in Bangkok

It was merely four days left when I received the mission which was the business trip for manufacturing exhibition in Bangkok. Although, there were not exactly the sufficient time to make the well preparation, I still had the great deal of expectation for this trip because it would be the first time I would be able to introduce and promote our developed product in the foreign exhibition personally. Last exhibition I had participated was the automation exhibition in Taipei, I had a formal presentation for introducing our new technical features and functions of our product, but in the following period there were fewer opportunities to stand on the front line to face the client and market. Fortunately, in the Bangkok, we had the complete branch where could provide the utterly support for the period when I stay in Thailand.

The next few days, I tried my best to study and receive any information about Bangkok via books and Internet. In the trip, I would have one free day and I have to responsible for my own transportation everyday in the downtown. Thus, I had to understand the fundamental profile of this city. In the beginning, the colleague in Thailand helped me to arrange the airport transportation and hotel. On the other word, I could arrive at the hotel where I would stay each day in the trip. The distance between hotel and exhibition center is suitable for the taxi. Unfortunately, there is no MRT station near the hotel that I could walk to, so I began to seek something special near the hotel. I had found the shopping center and night market where I could go after work in the evening. Truly speaking, it is impossible for me to go only one place in the whole six days trip.

Acceptable Ready

After exhausted process of seeking the appreciate house for living, the next stage, the house renovation, would be much greater tasks which would take the entire three months. In the beginning, as usual, we exactly wanted to put our whole ideas into our new house which including the wood, mud working or even corporate with the professional designer. However, after the requirement evaluation, we had found out that our current demands couldn’t support the completely renovation. Thus, I had made the decision that all of the following renovations would be carried out by ourselves as possible as we can. Afterward, we had analyzed and listed the bigger items, such as the bath and kitchen renovation, the light installment, painting, paving the wooden floor and purchase the home appliances.

First of all, the renovation of the bathroom and kitchen was what impossible for us to be finished by ourselves. Furthermore, it was also the largest engineering tasks on our list which would make the enormous effects and take the longer time. Therefore, this works had been put in the beginning and we could make another preparation for other tasks. Thank to the set had been planned well; we only had to choose the specific colors and types of the material required to be used in the renovation after the study the basic knowledge in this domain. Unfortunately, what the more disturbed things was that the lots of dusts would be generated in the process which made us not to execute several items prior to what it had been done.

Finding New Area

In fact, we have been lived in the Taoyuan city for over four years. The first two years I had lived in Neili and the next two years I had moved and lived in Lunggang. Two of them had their own characteristics and show absolutely distinguish aspects of the environment and social atmosphere. Although, more convenient the Neili is where including the completely transportation system, the slower and leisurely in Lunggang might more attract me. Furthermore, there is the much better library here which was the major reason why I had moved to here two years ago. After going the last two years, we had exactly got used to live here. However, for last several years, what made me not to determine live here was the location of my own uncertain workplace. In my plan, I required to change the better job after the end of the three-year contract. Fortunately, I eventually found the work in the same industrial zone as well, so I could live in the same place continuously. After the one year of adaptation period, I have made the decision to stay here and find the new house.

In the last year, we had rent the apartment which is not too far from where we had lived in Taipei. However, due to the quiet environmental requirement, I gradually was not able to endure the noise from the other floor. On the other hand, the smaller space in the apartment is also not sufficient for our demand. Thus, since the last year, I had started to seek the appropriate townhouse for renting. Unfortunately, the affordable items for us won’t satisfy our expectation. We had no any progress in the next half year until we want to buy the house.