About Me — Ching Ching
I write about my daily conversations. I am fascinated with the way children see the world.
“I thought she is a bit peculiar as a person” — from my friend, IZ
Yup, that’s me. I guess.
I was thrilled when Quy Ma invited me to write a profile for About. Me. Stories.
I started writing on Medium at the end of 2019 and never thought of putting up a profile.
So, I am grateful to have this opportunity.
And it happens to be my 1st-anniversary writing on Medium. Plus I have a birthday coming this month.
I started writing because I wanted to remember my conversations with my friends. I wanted to record experiences that have shape my thinking and beliefs about this life. I wanted a place to document the context of where and what took place.
I felt it would be interesting to write this article with some help from my friends. They are people I have crossed paths with either in school, at work, or through volunteering. They each have made their impact on my life.
So, I started by sending a text message and asking them for a favor to describe me in 20 words or less.
Some wrote back immediately; some wrote a few days later, and some did not. And this friend thought, he could finally get his revenge. (I was his manager then.)
As I share their 20 words with you. I will also attempt to share a bit of context of what could have led to those 20 words.
What I have been doing in my career
“My first impression about Ching Ching, I thought she is a bit peculiar as a person. For example, I still remember during lunch she talked about how our dead cells travelled around the globe (true story!)
But the more I got to know, I appreciate her honesty. We could find common topics to talk about besides dead cells!!!!! but it is the truth..you the only one watching the discovery about dead cells traveling around the globe and make us related to each other” — from my friend, IZ who clearly has a problem with 20 words.
IZ was the first person I met and had managed to talk her out of quitting the company. I had started as the HR Manager. My role was to launch the company culture integration program. The head of finance had left the company, and the team was disintegrating. Thankfully, IZ stayed, and today, she has taken an expatriate assignment in Dublin.
I had a good laugh when I saw her feedback. I remember watching Tom Chi’s video about how connected we are in this world.
Tom Chi is the inventor and co-founder of Google X. I was so amazed by this discovery and could not stop talking about it. In case you are interested, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyr4qORDu2A
I spent the majority part of my working career as an IT consultant. I managed project around Asia and travelled a lot. I met so many people in this job. I had the opportunity to move to China and spent two years setting up a shared service center in Chengdu.
It was an incredible time. I learned to manage teams of multi-disciplinary and multinationals. This career journey taught me that job description are written for utopian conditions, and hiring the perfect person is like looking for a unicorn.
There is no short cut in building a functional team. We need to put in long hours and hard work. Conversations matter, and it is the listening that will make the difference. And if you succeed, the rewards are amazing.
I moved to Paris a few years later. My career in HR started in this fabulous city. One of the most significant milestones in my life. It has changed so much of my beliefs. I have always dealt with data in IT. The shift to HR forced me to make hard decisions that may not have any concrete numbers to support.
Note to readers : ‘mati’ is a Malay word which means died.
Note to readers : ‘xxx’ is not a Malay word but it’s V’s way of sending an encrypted message.
As a HR Manager, conversations matter even more. Listening became a critical skill. Judgments and bias became a topic of intense debate. French food became a necessity to comfort the soul.
Life in the French capital turned out to be full of questions and romantic notions. This led me to learn about what people think, say and do may not necessarily be the same.
For example, we ask people about their qualifications during an interview, but we don’t remember any of it after.
What most people will remember are the conversations and the stories people share. They will remember how warm or cold they felt with that person in front of them.
Note to readers: The word ‘Fun’ is highlighted. I have a lot of questions already. ‘Muka Garang’ is a Malay word which means face fierce.
What I do in my free time
After leaving Paris, I started a rule to explore a new skill or a hobby every year. I try to look for things that are not related to work.
Since then, I have taken lessons in metaphysics, started a volunteer club to read English storybooks to underprivileged children.
Note to readers: After this article, I dont get to be ‘private’ anymore.
I wrote three children’s storybooks, organised children writing competition and had the opportunity to work in the first inclusive school in Malaysia.
I volunteered at the Acton Academy and was fascinated about the possibility of a school with no teachers but guides to support, only when necessary. I believe children are capable of more than we think. If only we could trust and give them the space to nurture on their own.
I took solo trips and I have created a small mobile app to sell books. When I get the chance, I volunteer to do marcotting for lemon trees.
I journal since I was in school and now helping a friend as a ghostwriter.
Art and writing are my usual outlet of expression these days. It’s
therapeutic.
My long time friend PS, inspired me to explore art instead of whining about life. She got me to paint on tea bags, which led me to write about the experience.
Simple facts about me..
I am the eldest daughter of a Chinese family of 5. I was born in hot and humid Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
I tried my best to fulfill my parent’s wish for me to be a professional accountant. I really tried.
At home, I speak Malay and English. When it came to learning Chinese, TV was my teacher. (I wrote about that experience too)
I love picture books and read them before I sleep. (I have an article about picture books)
I love a good old fashion butter cake. Even better if it comes with buttercream icing.
Sometimes I am called Ching Ching or just Ching or Ching Lee. The lazy ones call me ‘CC’, which I choose to ignore.
I am often curious about life. Sometimes I forget that one must be patience, as the universe only shows you the answers when you are ready.
