Hello and welcome to Embrace Space! Thanks for coming by! Today's post talks about my recent promotion to Senior Analyst and my business trip to Singapore! So, let's jump in!
For context, I have been working as an analyst with Northern Sky Research for just over two and a half years. A lot has happened in that time, and I have learned a lot about the satellite and space industries. The experience and knowledge I have gained have helped me take on greater responsibilities, and that initiative has been noticed. While I was planning on reevaluating my performance and responsibilities here with my team by the end of the year, my good work was noted and the promotion was offered!
I am very proud of my work here at NSR, and proud to take on this new role as a Senior Analyst. The work continues to be interesting, exciting, and just the right amount of challenging for me, and I relish new opportunities!
Speaking of new opportunities, right around the time of the promotion, we started a new project with a company based in Singapore. One of the first tasks for that project was an on-site meeting. So, my boss and I packed our bags, and made the trip!
This was a series of firsts for me. First time flying business class (yay reclining seats and drink service!), first time in Asia, and the closest I had ever been to the Equator!
Business class was neat; it was interesting to see the difference in seating arrangement, how much more spacious, and to see fully reclining seats on an airplane. I was very thankful for this, as I do not imagine we would have been in great shape for our meetings if we flew a 12-hour flight in Economy.
So, after a long flight and a good sleep, we made it to Singapore! Now, I had only done a little research on the country and my boss had booked the hotel, so I was kind of just along for the ride at first.
The first three things I learned about Singapore were 1) that it was a British colony and, as such 2) that everyone drives on the left side of the road and 3) all electrical outlets are in the UK format. Also, as a former British colony, and as such a hub of international cultures, everything in Singapore is labeled in English. Students are primarily taught English in school, along with Malay, Mandarin, and others. We'll talk more about this later.
After a quick taxi ride, we arrived at the hotel. I was practically astounded by it. Situated on the 48th floor, this is what I saw when I unlocked my hotel room door.
The Marina Bay Sands hotel is a jewel at the heart of Singapore. The hotel overlooks the cityline on one side, and the bay and gardens on the other. It has 8 restaurants, a rooftop pool, a gym, a casino, and directly connects with a large shopping centre, the Art and Science museum, and the waterfront. It was incredible, very accommodating, and you'll see a lot of pictures in this blog post.
After checking in, and getting settled, my boss and I went out to explore the city. We had heard of some districts for good food, so we made our way downtown. The metro system was easy to navigate and incredibly efficient and clean. Sounds like a silly comment to make, but we were so impressed that we couldn't help but remark on it.
Unfortunately, with it being a late Sunday night, many of the places were closed. Still, we had a cool drink on a rooftop bar, before finding a British pub.
Back at the hotel, we grabbed a drink on the 57th floor/rooftop bar, and went over our schedule and presentation material. Between making editing changes and updates, I took some pictures of the view.
The next two days were full of work. Meetings, discussions, questions and answers, it was a full schedule. Admittedly, we had been a little skeptical of the necessity of an on-site meeting, as projects normally kick off over a phone call. However, considering the many teams we needed to interact with, I can see, in retrospect, that it was an excellent idea.
Back at the hotel, we went back up to the roof, this time to try out the rooftop pool! I had heard there was a pool and brought my swim suit, but I was not prepared for this! It ran the length between two towers and the view was fantastic! (As I think you'll agree)
We also caught an amazing music and light show down by the waterfront. This went on every night at 8pm and was simply lovely to behold. Singapore's national holiday was this past Thursday, so I imagine much of this display was in preparation for the festivities.
On the last day, after our meetings, we explored more of the local area. Right behind the hotel was a 101 hectare (250 acre) garden! It stretched all the way out to the bay and included smaller gardens, each with their own specific features. There was the garden of local plant-life, the garden featuring prominent Singaporean spices, and the main site, the Supertrees!
These vertical gardens measured between 25-50 metres tall and were adorned with plantlife and lights! As you can see, they even featured a walkway. Unfortunately, the queue was quite long, and we didn't have that much time before our departing flight, so we took our pictures and decided to leave it until next time.
That's right, I said next time! We are expected to go back two more times for interim and final meetings and I am just as excited for it! I do not like the idea of being away, and traveling, even in business class, can be quite tiring, but I am excited to get to know Singapore even better!
The city was beautiful, the people were friendly, and the international aspect really added to the experience. I was able to try traditional Singaporean food, Taiwanese food, and I even enjoyed a root beer, which I really did not expect! Globalization is even more prominent here, given that Singapore is literally surrounded by other countries and cultures, but the people seemed quite well off. Of course, one cannot judge a book by its cover and tourists often only see the lavish side of things, but I found two Singaporean policies interesting.
First, the local casino, which was huge, had a policy that nationals had to pay to enter, but foreigners could enter for free. It was a good thing I brought my passport because it was checked three times! Second policy, was that health and physical fitness were incorporated into both public areas as well as at work. The government had set up a programme, giving nationals step-counters, and those who exceeded certain step thresholds could redeem gift cards and other gifts.
In any case, I had an excellent time, and am very grateful for this opportunity. I have a lot of work ahead of me, both for this project and otherwise, but I welcome the challenge, the responsibility. While I am still learning how to embrace lavishness, I do admit that it all helped me to stay relaxed in my off time and thus more focused during business hours. I look forward to going back, learning more, and taking more pictures for you all here!
If you have any comments, questions, or related stories to tell, feel free to leave them down below! I thank you all very much for reading, and hope you have found this post interesting and fun!
Thank you, again, for stopping by, remember to be excellent to each other, and until next time, stay safe and positive out there!
For context, I have been working as an analyst with Northern Sky Research for just over two and a half years. A lot has happened in that time, and I have learned a lot about the satellite and space industries. The experience and knowledge I have gained have helped me take on greater responsibilities, and that initiative has been noticed. While I was planning on reevaluating my performance and responsibilities here with my team by the end of the year, my good work was noted and the promotion was offered!
I am very proud of my work here at NSR, and proud to take on this new role as a Senior Analyst. The work continues to be interesting, exciting, and just the right amount of challenging for me, and I relish new opportunities!
Speaking of new opportunities, right around the time of the promotion, we started a new project with a company based in Singapore. One of the first tasks for that project was an on-site meeting. So, my boss and I packed our bags, and made the trip!
This was a series of firsts for me. First time flying business class (yay reclining seats and drink service!), first time in Asia, and the closest I had ever been to the Equator!
Business class was neat; it was interesting to see the difference in seating arrangement, how much more spacious, and to see fully reclining seats on an airplane. I was very thankful for this, as I do not imagine we would have been in great shape for our meetings if we flew a 12-hour flight in Economy.
 |
| And look at how much room I have! |
The first three things I learned about Singapore were 1) that it was a British colony and, as such 2) that everyone drives on the left side of the road and 3) all electrical outlets are in the UK format. Also, as a former British colony, and as such a hub of international cultures, everything in Singapore is labeled in English. Students are primarily taught English in school, along with Malay, Mandarin, and others. We'll talk more about this later.
After a quick taxi ride, we arrived at the hotel. I was practically astounded by it. Situated on the 48th floor, this is what I saw when I unlocked my hotel room door.
The Marina Bay Sands hotel is a jewel at the heart of Singapore. The hotel overlooks the cityline on one side, and the bay and gardens on the other. It has 8 restaurants, a rooftop pool, a gym, a casino, and directly connects with a large shopping centre, the Art and Science museum, and the waterfront. It was incredible, very accommodating, and you'll see a lot of pictures in this blog post.
After checking in, and getting settled, my boss and I went out to explore the city. We had heard of some districts for good food, so we made our way downtown. The metro system was easy to navigate and incredibly efficient and clean. Sounds like a silly comment to make, but we were so impressed that we couldn't help but remark on it.
Unfortunately, with it being a late Sunday night, many of the places were closed. Still, we had a cool drink on a rooftop bar, before finding a British pub.
Back at the hotel, we grabbed a drink on the 57th floor/rooftop bar, and went over our schedule and presentation material. Between making editing changes and updates, I took some pictures of the view.
The next two days were full of work. Meetings, discussions, questions and answers, it was a full schedule. Admittedly, we had been a little skeptical of the necessity of an on-site meeting, as projects normally kick off over a phone call. However, considering the many teams we needed to interact with, I can see, in retrospect, that it was an excellent idea.
Back at the hotel, we went back up to the roof, this time to try out the rooftop pool! I had heard there was a pool and brought my swim suit, but I was not prepared for this! It ran the length between two towers and the view was fantastic! (As I think you'll agree)
We also caught an amazing music and light show down by the waterfront. This went on every night at 8pm and was simply lovely to behold. Singapore's national holiday was this past Thursday, so I imagine much of this display was in preparation for the festivities.
These vertical gardens measured between 25-50 metres tall and were adorned with plantlife and lights! As you can see, they even featured a walkway. Unfortunately, the queue was quite long, and we didn't have that much time before our departing flight, so we took our pictures and decided to leave it until next time.
That's right, I said next time! We are expected to go back two more times for interim and final meetings and I am just as excited for it! I do not like the idea of being away, and traveling, even in business class, can be quite tiring, but I am excited to get to know Singapore even better!
The city was beautiful, the people were friendly, and the international aspect really added to the experience. I was able to try traditional Singaporean food, Taiwanese food, and I even enjoyed a root beer, which I really did not expect! Globalization is even more prominent here, given that Singapore is literally surrounded by other countries and cultures, but the people seemed quite well off. Of course, one cannot judge a book by its cover and tourists often only see the lavish side of things, but I found two Singaporean policies interesting.
First, the local casino, which was huge, had a policy that nationals had to pay to enter, but foreigners could enter for free. It was a good thing I brought my passport because it was checked three times! Second policy, was that health and physical fitness were incorporated into both public areas as well as at work. The government had set up a programme, giving nationals step-counters, and those who exceeded certain step thresholds could redeem gift cards and other gifts.
In any case, I had an excellent time, and am very grateful for this opportunity. I have a lot of work ahead of me, both for this project and otherwise, but I welcome the challenge, the responsibility. While I am still learning how to embrace lavishness, I do admit that it all helped me to stay relaxed in my off time and thus more focused during business hours. I look forward to going back, learning more, and taking more pictures for you all here!
If you have any comments, questions, or related stories to tell, feel free to leave them down below! I thank you all very much for reading, and hope you have found this post interesting and fun!
Thank you, again, for stopping by, remember to be excellent to each other, and until next time, stay safe and positive out there!
Wow, Dude! That was obviously an amazing trip! Congrats on the Señor Analyst upgrade!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I got to come back two more times for meetings and presentations! It has been a very good project!
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