An invitation to Hong Kong!!!

Received a phone call from an hotel representative today and at first I thought it was a sales call to arrange for a meeting. However, she said that she’ll like to invite me to HK as the HK Tourism Board is arranging a familiarization trip - Cathay Pacific will be sponsoring the air tickets and their hotel will do so for the accommodation!

However, I knew that this invitaion has to be approved by my direct supervisor, followed by our dept’s VP and also the legal dept. Our company has always been very strict about compliance issues and I know that this has only a 10% chance of approval.

Anyway to cut the story short, it was rejected from my direct supervisor even before she asked what the purpose of the trip is. She gave reasons of compliance issue etc etc...la la la

Why I am so not happy over it:

1. You didn’t even know the purpose for this trip and you rejected it! After I told her that it’s an initiative from the HK touisim board, she gave another reason which goes “Oh… anyway we’ve selected the country’s hotel already etc etc ”

Don’t give me the crap la!!! This is not a invitation for site visit to the hotel, it’s from the HK Tourism board to introduce their country lor!!

2. I received a call that night and got to know that someone asked our vendor for F1 tickets!! Oooic..... so....

Invitation from a tourism authority = not compliance
Asking vendor for F1 tickets = compliance?!?!!!?

Well, I guess the bottomline is, it's always the case of who's invited and how that person is going to make the “invitation” compliant...

com⋅pli⋅ance 
–noun
1. the act of conforming, acquiescing, or yielding.
2. conformity; accordance: in compliance with orders.
3. cooperation or obedience: Compliance with the law is expected of all.

**Definition of Compliance from Dictionary.com**