Last Thursday Sam and I got a 20 minutes tarot reading session. The practitioner, Jeff, is a round face young man. Although it was quite expensive, $190 for a session, we still thought it was worth.

Tarot is a deck of 78 cards originated in Northern Italy 500 years ago. The cards contain various symbols deeply rooted in Medieval and Renaissance Europe, many relate to myths or legends. It is a tool of divination and is believed to reveal the hidden reality or psychological thoughts. People always associate tarot with magic, gypsies, spell or witchcraft. As the idea of 'New Age' is growing rapidly in the recent decades, more and more people believe tarot is a effective tool for guidance.

I always have great interest to study the 'supernatual' stuff. Remember that my most favourite course in Anthopology is 'Magic, Myth and Supernatural'. Divination is one of the topics in this course, anthropologists could not prove whether tarot or other fortune telling are 'true', but we assume that they make sense in cultures and fulfill human's psychological needs.

We were excited while having the tarot reading but kept reminding ourselves with skeptical attitude. You know, being market researchers, we should be rational to everything we see and hear. After we had asked questions, Jeff drew out several cards and made interpretation. His interpretation was greatly influenced by the depth of question we provided. For example, Sam asked him several specific questions, he could guess her current situation accurately and then provided her some guidance. However, the questions I asked were very vague, then his interpretation was not that satisfactory. That is why I commented that tarot reader is like psychiatrist, he/she helps you to unwind your inner struggle, and through rationalising the interpretation, you could find your direction in the cloudly situation.

It was a very amazing experience, and I will encourage my friends to have a shot of it. I do not think people who believe tarot reading is superstitious, as long as they do not totally depend on it to make any single decision.

Yesterday was my direct boss, Jelly's birthday. (Surely Jelly is a nick name). I did not know until 5:15pm, whenI came over his office to discuss about fixing up some charts, he then updated a file name and asked me what the date was.

'um.. 21st.' I replied.
'No.' He said
'No?...' I wondered.
Then he cried out 'Today is my birthday!!!'
'Oh so happy birthday!' It was a conditional response, no need to pass through the brain.
'So you better remember that.' He said in a funny voice.

Then today me and another colleague treated him lunch in a Japanese restaurant downstairs. He looked very cheerful, like a Santa Claus (he has all the features of this fairy tale character - round face, little hair on the crown but lot of hair around the chin, full and rosy cheeks, and blue eyes). He promised he would pay us a lunch next time.

Then today afternoon I don't have much work to do, I could even have a drink with my buddies after work and go for the dinner with my hubby and his friends. This is the life I missed in the last 4 months.

I feel very sick this morning, feel dizzy and tired. Luckily now is not the ‘peak season’ of submitting reports, otherwise I will screw up the whole schedule and have to work late.

I've been in this company for more than 4 months. Time past fast and I have already received an oversea training in Indonesia – right; I have been there during the date with bomb blast in front of the Australian Embassy. Jeff told me he had a sixth sense that there would be something happened but not dared to tell me before the trip. He was one of the persons terribly worried me when I was in Indonesia. It was god blessing that I could arrive Hong Kong in complete eventually.

The Indonesia trip should be an unforgettable event in my life. It is the first time I experienced terrorism in such a short distance. Le Meridien, the 5-star hotel I stayed was lovely, tidy and superior, but when we traveled around the city, I could tell the place is totally different; poor, messy transport and polluted air. However, those Indonesian colleague I met are friendly and with sparkling eyes. I believe I have yet seen Indonesia as a whole.

Another major part of the training was to understand the company culture, philosophy and some practical skills for being a market researcher. Some thoughts I agreed but others I totally objected, but it was useless to speak out because the company is not as open-mind as I believed in Day 1. This is still an Asian based company, it embraces the strong traditional and Confucius values.

The precious gift I got from this multi-nation joint function is meeting colleague from other countries or place, like Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Most of them are nice and out-spoken, we spent good time together.

As there was miscommunication in the transport arrangement, in the last day, there was no coach to pick me and other Hong Kong colleague back to airport. Then we hired two ‘silver bird’ taxis in the last minute to airport. When the Cathay Pacific counter appeared in front of my eyes, I felt so peace because I believed that I was safe then, even though it is politically incorrect.

Mom and dad were worrying me a lot also, I heard that mom was sobbing and could not speak when I gave her a call after arrived Hong Kong. I wondered that whether I have joined some TVC programs like ‘Amazing Race’ or ‘Lonely Planet’ to experience an exciting trip and to fight for any intangible gifts.