My Hourglass

BenQ held the annual appreciation dinner yesterday. I was lucky enough to win a new toy for myself, an ebook!

Yep, once again it is made by BenQ, and its likely to be full of problems as it is a new product.

Then again, I cannot complaint too much, as it is the third year that I was actually picked to win something over the last three annual appreciation dinners. 2007 was a crappy mobile phone, 2008 was a digital camera and this year, an ebook.

Like every other year, I will end up selling this.

If you like to know what it looks like, here it is:

I spent the whole afternoon watching planes take off and land…

I also saw one of our netbooks at the Sound and Vision electronics stores…

Then I just wandered around aimlessly for three hours with a mask on because of swine virus.

It was a painfully boring afternoon.

My wife was lucky enough to win herself a new bicycle from a company event yesterday.

The chances were small, but I guess it was her day, and took the top prize.

It’s a small bicycle, the exact model is a 6-speed Giant FD806. Nothing really fancy about it, but it is still good to have, at least it is something I can use to get me around places without the need of walking long distance, or driving.

My wife, on the other hand, wants to get rid of the bicycle. I don’t blame her, because stupid management people at work is practically forcing people to buy bicycles and join them on their weekly bicycle rides. I promised myself not to buy a bicycle because personally I thought it would be a waste of money just to ride with them, and a waste of time too. Now I have a bicycle, so I guess I cannot have anymore excuses now.

Still, I have no complaint, a new bicycle is better than nothing. Maybe I will post some pictures once I get it.

Not the Sony Ericsson, but the BenQ T51.

I started at NTD 3,500. No sell.

Lowered to NTD 3,400. No sell.

Throw in a phone chain. No sell.

Lowered to NTD 3,100. No sell.

Finally, at NTD 3,000. Sold.

This tells us, BenQ phones are really cheap.

Maybe I shouldn’t include the exclamation mark, because I am not exactly excited at getting this phone.

It was in fact, free. I got it from a draw at yesterday’s annual appreciation dinner.

A BenQ T51. What a piece of shit phone.

Well, better than nothing. I think the first thing I do when I get my hands on it is to sell it.

Just a few days ago I got a new laptop, and today I got a new monitor!

A BenQ X2200W, a 22 inch wide. It is supposed to be the current top of the range LCD monitor we have to offer.

Again, this is a sample unit.

Since I cannot bring it home, I am using it at work.

I am located on the 12th floor, but the screen is so big that people can see what I have on screen from the 13th floor.

Anyway, the rule still follows. I just hope people can forget and let me keep this monitor for good.

Well, not mine, but a sample unit.

I am kind of surprised, as this is the first time I get a sample laptop to take home and play around with. I just hope they forget so I can keep it forever.

Anyway, it’s a BenQ Q41.

Design is rather ordinary, but the main feature is not the inside, but the outside…

Oh, what is this? A second screen on the outside? It is actually called Windows Sideshow. Personally, I find this more of a gimmick than something that is actually useful. Again, I have to test it out to find out more.

This is only the third laptop in the whole world to have this feature, so as you can guess how unpopular this Sideshow feature has to offer.

Anyway, I just hope they forget so I get to keep this forever…

I still remember the first day I joined BenQ, and it felt like yesterday. Even before I knew, it has already been three years.

A lot of things happened, but as long I am still here, I am going to make the most out of it.

Not me, but the new company.

Qisda, the new parent company of BenQ, closed the trade today at a daily stock market upper limit of 7% at NTD 37.50. This is the third consecutive day Qisda has closed the trade at daily upper limit. An increase of 20% share price in just three days.

The re-enlisted company is certainly looking good. Back to its root of performing ODM, with excellent track record in the past and from branded business, no wonder they are collected a handful of new orders since separating the two companies.

Maybe I shouldn’t be too optimistic, because I am not working for Qisda. I still work for BenQ, the smaller company that is UNDER Qisda. Anyway, I am sure we will benefit from them, but I guess it will take time.

Finally, there is something positive about working at BenQ again.

My God, last night was absolutely crazy. We had a combined farewell and birthday party last night. Two of my very close colleagues are leaving this Friday, and my birthday is also this Friday, so we combined the two events together at Cashbox KTV.

I got so absolutely destroyed. They fed me as if I could have drank anything, and they did good indeed. I got so drunk I pretty much had trouble inserting the key to enter my own house.

We drank, ate, and sang for four hours straight. I still do not get how I managed get to work in the morning. I was still tipsy at 9:00am.

It was a blast, it was great, but for some reason, it mixed sadness.

Kelly and Peter are leaving this Friday. They are my very very very best of friends here at BenQ. I always show a lot of emotion when I see close friends leave, and I just get so sad to see them go.

There is this saying that Friends Forever, I wonder how much truth is left to this statement.