holey baloney

So… First working day of the year, I got locked out of my office. My access card couldn’t be used! Apparently it’s because of some activation date or something. My IT guy has yet to come in so he hasn’t fixed my issue yet..

The funny thing is, (Yes I see humour in almost anything) this is like a scene from those Hong Kong serials, where the person has been fired but wasn’t informed. They cancel his access card, subtly signaling that “Hey dude, you’re fired! You’re not needed anymore!”

Oh the hilarity of it all…

BTW, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL YOU GUYS!!!!!

Wow.. I received a christmas present from a colleague today.. When I opened it just now, what do I see!? A nice red Oroton slim purse! NICE!!!!!

I really didn’t expect this and I’m a little shocked to be honest. This is not a cheap Christmas present! And all I got her was this cheap toilet paper holder in the shape of a toothpaste from Hong Kong!

I need to go shopping over the weekend!!!!

If you use Excel on a regular basis to handle all your work issues, big and small, I think these links below are AWESOME. For those who don’t, click the links nevertheless.. Be positively amazed at how much Excel can actually do for you!

These folks are truly the Excel experts! I’m so impressed!

Anyone has more Excel-related blogs/sites to share??

I was reading Cooler Insights on my Google Reader today and his newest post is really quite interesting.

He basically recalls a sharing session with David Shaw, Director of Effective Brands, which he attended. In the session, a few pointers were picked up about the problems that Global Brands face in terms of marketing their product, as well as some solutions that came up in the ensuing small group discussions.

Do click on this link here and read it in it’s entirety. I think it’s an interesting read. And might be useful if you are a marketer in an MNC.

Personally, I think the problems listed are truly issues faced at hand in most, if not all, multinational companies.

1) Lack of alignment. This seems to be a common point, when HQ and local offices do not see eye-to-eye.

2) Internal focus. Internal politics and turf wars are a major sapper of time and energy, leading to inward looking corporate cultures that are damaging.

4) Lack of roll-out speed. I am sure you all heard of time-to-market, and this sometimes becomes awkward in a behemoth-sized global organisation.

6) Pockets of excellence. What this means is learning tends to be concentrated locally without valuable lessons being shared globally.

I’ve seen the above happen around me, even though I’m really just a little fry in a big frying pot. I’m not sure if the strategies will work, since I’ve never been in a managerial position, nor a decision-making one, but I’m sure it’s a good point of reference. Afterall, these are tips given by top marketers themselves.

Latest to join the ranks is VMware. But honestly. Why should anyone be surprised? Majority of IT MNCs have been on hiring freezes for a long time. *shrugs*