We've been pretty quiet for the past few days because we've been busy shifting!

MONDAY

Dom (Switzerland/UK) turned up with his car to help us shift from Churchill College to the new place.


Hyunsik (Korea) gave a helping hand too!

Because we had so much help, we completed the move in all but only 2 hours?!! Amazing!!

So, this picture pretty much sums up the Churchillian MBAs.

From bottom: Hyunsik, 'Good Fren', Dom and me... as usual... taking the pic. =)))

Somehow, these Churchillians have formed quite a strong bond with one another. Maybe it's the age thing. We are old(er) people... =)))

Felt a little nostalgic about the usual route from town to Churchill. This is my favourite shop.


Oh... And it's having a sale!! UH OH!!! =)))


Dom was so kind to invite us over to his place (AGAIN) for dinner because he knew we would have neither time nor energy to make dinner for ourselves after all that shifting and unpacking.


Check out this sissy drink... light pink and all... The boys were having it, while Dania and I had real beverages aka red wine. =)))


I helped out with the garlic bread... Dom and I did not clarify our assumptions while working on the bread and it turned out to be 'different' from their usual style... =)))

Yummy pasta!!!

I asked Dom why Dania and him are working in the UK. I think it's important to explore and understand such decisions to expand one's horizons. Learning from one's classmates in the MBA course is one of the more invaluable experiences. Having a proper meal provides a good opportunity for such discussions. We cannot emphasise its importance more.

After dinner, Dom showed off his collection of Nespresso capsules.

While Dania whacked the Terry chocolate real hard while exclaiming,
"DUN TAP IT! WHACK IT!!"

TUESDAY

Via Google Earth, we discovered a wonderful little nook a few hundred metres from the new place.


It's a cemetery full of headstones of people who have departed in the 1800s and 1900s.


It is... also... a shortcut for us to get to a huge retail park, where ASDA is?!!

We were like... FWAH!!! Civilisation!!!
No more Sainsbury's!! ASDA!!! Here we come!!!

With our new place stocked up, I made a nice little dinner.
We watched TV (yes! the new place comes with tv!!), then revised more of Accounting.

And tonight... We are going for walking to the MBA New Year's Party at Hugh's Hall!! YIPPEEE!!!

And so... the post Christmas sale began in Cambridge...

Originally, I'd intended to join in the madness by turning out at Next at 5am this morning. I did stay awake... 'Good Fren' was punching away on his PSP to keep awake too! But at 4.30am, I felt the sinister morning chill and decided that sleeping in the warm bed was a better choice. =)))

We only made our way to town around 2pm, and there were people everywhere!!

In the mall...


On the streets!!

We hopped in and out of so many shops. Mostly scanning through the goods, not buying much because it's too crazy to have to queue up for the changing room.

Eventually, we ended up in Stazione, an Italian restaurant, for lunch.


We hadn't even completed lunch, and we were already planning for dinner!!

As we I shopped, 'Good Fren' called and texted our dinner mates, and placed a reservation.

Our lunch was really satisfying!
Parma ham with cheese for starters, then lamb chops and beef fillet for mains. Medium rare, of course.

After lunch, more shopping ensued...

I realise we bought mainly work clothes/shoes and winter accessories.

I'm not sure why, but the only other thing I kept wanting to buy were bedroom slippers for my mother. You know... The fluffy girlie type?! 'Good Fren' told me those on sale would be too warm for my mother wear when she gets here in May?!

Maybe I just wanna buy something but guilt does not allow me to buy something for myself. Messed up. Along the same grain, this is probably why the (mature) Women and Children departments are usually close to each other, while the (funky) Ladies departments are next to Mens'. =_=

Eventually, we made our way to the Grafton for dinner at Hong Kong Fusion again!! Check out the spread!!

From bottom: Char Siew, Capital Pork Ribs, Roast Duck, Aubergine with Fish & Stir-fried Pak Choy. Not in picture: Wonton in Soup & Fu Yong Egg. Uh oh... Ordered too much!!

The wonderful company tonight include:

'Good Fren' (Singapore), Zarko (Serbia), Stefi (Bulgaria), Janet (Canada), Jung Hoon (Korea), Simon (UK), Jacqueline (Singapore) & Priscilla (Canada)!

This may sound cheesy but I felt very happy having dinner with classmates again!! =))

We attempted to explain the concept of 'heatiness' and 'coolness' to Zarko. He was mighty confused. While he agrees that beer is 'cooling', he cannot understand how a hot cup of herbal tea is in fact 'cooling'?! =)))

Stuffed beyond words, we took a slooooow ride home, then began packing. This is gonna be our 2nd last night in the dingy flat!! I can't believe we are moving! In fact, I cannot remember properly the first day we shifted here coz I was ill ill ill!! =_=

I cannot describe how much I am looking forward to the Lent Term. I think it will be an exhilarating time, and I hope I can secure a job soon.

But first, 11 days to exams!!! 4 papers in 2 days!!
YEEEEEEEOOOOWWWW!! =)))

'Good Fren' and I somehow were talking about the following:

'Good Fren' said that his Chinese teacher had explained that the above was meant to encourage all (in his class) to study hard, i.e. if one studies hard, one can have it all, e.g. foods, property, beautiful chicks, many many horse carriages etc.

I then realised that my Chinese teacher did not explain this particular saying in my school, and why so. It must have been its awkward gender-specific context!! Of course, 'Good Fren' was from an all-boys school, while I spent some 11 years in an all-girls school.

I can imagine teachers avoiding potential questions from earnest little faces such as,

I then burst out laughing in the tiny kitchen of the dingy flat!

Something that someone (apparently the 3rd emperor) wrote in the Song Dynasty (about 1 millenium ago) still holds very true?!!

1,000 years later, we have merely learnt to say unabashedly,


So, if I didn't find a partner before the MBA, will it be harder to find one afterwards? Why ah?

No meaning.

We spent Christmas Eve collecting our Business Stats exam result from school, chatting with some classmates near the bike stand, having a late lunch at Cambridge Chophouse, stocking on more holiday supplies, and the usual surfing...

FWAH!! So happy and sooooooo handsome ah!!

Notice the neat hairstyle as compared to what it looked like a few days earlier?

Mr Polito has a new competitor in town!! WAHAHAHAHA!!
But 'Good Fren' thinks he will go back to Mr Polito's anyway.
Nobody loves me! =_=

Cambridge Chophouse was packed on Christmas Eve. Bustling with festival-celebrating souls.


We noticed something curious on the menu.

Doesn't sound very appetising, does it?

Of course we didn't order that!
We went for Scallops and Soup.


Pork Chops and Goose Breast! Super YUMMY!!


Got back from town and chatted with a long-lost friend who's working in Shanghai. Sounds like a great place to work in for a while. I wonder if Blinky and Tiger will like it there.

Gone are the days when I feel like I must go partying on the eve of public holidays, or must travel somewhere during the holidays. I think this is otherwise called the aging process. =))

Let's recap the past few Christmases:

2007 - Mooiness was in Singapore. We went to St James!!
2006 - 'Good Fren' surprised me with the Spa thing. Orrhhh!!!
2005 - I threw the party at Loof. I wonder how everyone is doing!

This is our 4th Christmas together. We have traveled many thousand of miles to stay in a dingy flat in Cambridge. At a distance of approximately 1.5m away, 'Good Fren' is killing miscellaneous undeads in the Battle for Wesnoth, while I am blogging. In a few minutes, we shall revise Accounting together.

Ahhh... The progress of a strong and sustainable relationship!!
Gone are the surprises and gifts and sweet nothings...

SUNDAY

We woke up to a rare sunny Sunday! PERFECT!!

Headed for town most leisurely and locked our bikes right outside Tatties along Sussex Street.


The establishment was packed, and the only available table was right beside a couple with 2 infants. =_=

So we chose to sit outside.


The chicken kiev was so delicious!!

I asked 'Good Fren' if he thought we would be like the elderly couple by the time we got really old.

I then realised that we were already the elderly couple, i.e. doing what they are doing. =))

Nearby, a boutique with an interesting name...

Ahhhh... It's a wedding boutique!


After a satisfying lunch, we walked around town. Taking in its sights, sounds, smells and soul.



I think the MBA Director is prophetic.

I remember in his first class, while he told us to study hard, he reminded us to look up while we walked around in Cambridge. To be conscious of and to enjoy our surroundings.


800 years later... These buildings will still be here... We are merely transient.


'Good Fren' asked why we hadn't noticed all these about Cambridge earlier. I guess it's because as soon as we got here, I was ill for the first 2 weeks, followed by raining MBA blows. We are now in the process of getting really tenderised and marinated in business and its attendant quirks. Soon, we will be ready for use (in the market). If there is much of a market left by the time we finish the course. =))

I like this pic.

I'm an MBA tourist.

Cute car along King's Parade.


We somehow ended up in John Lewis where we found a piece of home.

'Good Fren' stroking an exact replica of our kettle back home in Singapore. =)))

Scary-looking angels in the Grand Arcade.

They look like recycled mannequins from the mid-80s.

That evening, we decided to give this place which we cycle past daily a try. We went to Prezzo for dinner.


Had pizza and chicken with spinach for dinner.


Fell asleep real early and woke up at 11pm because one of my group mates called. I was meant to be on a Skype conference call to discuss our project! =))

MONDAY

Though not as sunny as Sunday, Monday turned out pretty well too!

'Good Fren' remembered this restaurant we had wanted to try earlier.


Bangkok City is along Green Street,where we had a very decent Thai lunch!!

We met the friendly owner of Bangkok City, Ahmet, who turned out to be from Cyprus?! Exactly how he ended up owning this restaurant is a long story...

A hungry 'Good Fren' sulking while I fiddled with the camera.

The starter was something tossed with fish and loads of red chillies *HOT*!!

The mains: Chicken Thigh in Sweet Chilli and Thai White Curry with Chicken (we cannot remember the Thai names, ok!)

YUM YUM!!! We must bring our classmates here!!

After battling with the tongue-numbing red chillies, we stepped outside for some fresh air...

And wondered around... Trying not to buy everything in sight.

We made many mental notes... We hope the post-Christmas sale will be good! *fingers crossed*

Somehow... we found ourselves at the market... Nothing much...


Wondered into Trinity College...

Eh... Very familiar leh... Oh... We were here about 6 months ago...

ARK opposite St Mary's.


I think my aunt will love this shop.


Soon, the sun gave up on us again... And it was time for us to stock up at Sainsbury's.

We feel like war is coming or something... We are preparing for Christmas... No shops will be opened then... We need to stock up or we will starve!!

On our way to Sainsbury's, we spotted some disused boxes which would be perfect for our impending move. Hence, that evening in Cambridge, 2 Singaporeans were spotted attempted to balance 3 bags of groceries, 2 backpacks and 3 flattened boxes while cycling along Bridge Street and Madingley Road. They must have looked like peasants. I should have tied my hair in pigtails.

That night, for the first time in my life, I made sweet potato soup with some ginger, red dates, dried longans and rock sugar.

I must say it tasted pretty professional, and it gives a warm comfort in the tummy afterwards. I hope my guests on the next dinner list will like it.

Felt like sleeping right after the soup coz of the warm buzz overwhelming my body... Zzzzzz...

Someone asked me which college 'Good Fren' and I are in. So that's Churchill College. And because between most colleges in University of Cambridge and University of Oxford have a sister college on the other side, that person asked if 'Good Fren' was from Trinity.

Since I got to the sister college wiki entry, I started reading up on the different colleges. While reading up on my own college, I found a link to a former fellow of Churchill College, Michael Young. From that entry, I recognised the title of the book which his son, Toby Young, wrote, i.e. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.

Then, from there, I ended up on Toby Young's website, and found this BBC article called "Primary School Subjects Overhaul". The British Government is reviewing the curriculum and, instead of having the 14 subjects to be learnt, has identified 6 Areas of Learning as follows:

It's so weird not having to rush around. We have been sleeping in and making lunch.

In about 3 weeks, we will be back in the crazy mode. I wonder if this has any permanent effect (damage or otherwise) on the human mind, body and soul.

There is a sale going on in Cambridge. And what better time to do your shopping! Especially when the Sing Dollar has strengthened relative to the Pound.

I'm gonna try to buy a suit today. I'm not a suit person, though I used to play many 'executive' roles in ads. My ideal suit is one that is structured and less feminine. Basically a men's suit with a little nip at the waist and slimmer trousers. Ironically, I only have suits from those feminine mass-market brands such as G2000. Usually, these suits have many feminine features such as round edges, soft fabrics, short jacket etc. Hope I find something I like today.

In the evening, we went to our latest favourite haunt, Hong Kong Fusion, for dinner. This is our 3rd time in the same week. =))

It was packed when we arrived.

Ignore the expression on his face.
Do you think if I attempted to trim the hair on his temples, that we could delay going to Mr Polito's by another month??

I've been here for 3 months and haven't had a hair(trim), ok! It's so expensive! Plus I only trust Jonathan with my hair!! ROAR!!

Back to the dinner...

Our classmate, Kristof, and his wife, Veerle, from Belgium, joined us for dinner.

We spoke of many many things.
From MBA to dim sum to wedding rituals to discrimination to personal motivation...

As you can tell by comparing the above pics with this one below...

We lost track of time and only left the restaurant at 10pm+, hardly noticing that everyone else had gone home!! Our dinner lasted for almost 4 hours!!

The owner, who speaks Cantonese and is a graduate from London, was so nice about it. He and his staff waited for us to finish very politely.

We realised that there is an 'upstairs' space!! It means we can ask more people to come for dinner! WOO HOO!!!!

After submitting our assignments at 2pm today, 'Good Fren' and I walked towards the Grand Arcade in a daze.

But it was not to be, because Thomas (South Africa) called and suggested for us to meet him and his visiting girlfriend, Cheryl-Lynn, at where else but Sesame!! =)))

It was a great lunch! We chatted and drank too much tea... =P


I cannot believe that we celebrated our post Michaelmas term assignment day by watching this really crappy movie.

Even its wiki entry has nothing nice to say about it.

I still cannot believe we watched it!











Keanu Reeves, the alien messenger, Klaatu, in human form and suit stolen from the lie detector operator.

The most ridiculous scene, amongst many, was when Klaatu, the Alien, got the human chick to drive him in her silver Honda to a McDonalds where he met up with a 70 year old fellow alien in (Chinese) human form who had been on Earth assessing humans all this while and now wishes to die with all human beings.

Wait... That's not the ridiculous bit yet...

The alien pair were initially chatting in really crappy Mandarin. The old alien was speaking in American-Chinese Mandarin, while Klaatu probably didn't know wtf he was saying at all.

Halfway, they gave up and started conversing in fluent American English instead... We were like.. WTF?! Why didn't they speak English right from the start?!! For that matter, they could have spoken in their native alien dialect?!!

And the product placement is also ridiculous!

I cannot believe it!!

With 2 assignments due tomorrow, 19 Dec 08, 'Good Fren' and I have been switching between work, house-cleaning and holiday modes.

This break is very welcomed because we now have a little time to enjoy Cambridge and its beauty a little more.

Knowing that majority of my classmates has left Cambridge for the holidays, gives me a weird sense of relief.

I never paid much attention to the Myers Briggs Type Indicators (MBTI), and laughed at my results, especially after scoring highly and clearly under 'Introversion' a few years back.

Recently, Judge Business School arranged for a MBTI workshop, which I refused to attend coz I still thought it's rubbish. Subsequently, a classmate's strong recommendation during a discussion got me wondering if I had missed something about this personality test. So, I started reading up on MBTI and the different personality types, albeit still rather cynically.

Despite taking extreme care not to read them like the horoscope and to my horror, the MBTI very aptly describes 'Good Fren's and my personality. Using these bits of structured information, we began to explore various issues and conflicts which we have experienced, hoping to find a new perspective.

'Good Fren' = INFP
Blinkymummy = INTJ

A part of me still refuses to accept this. Perhaps that's just being INTJ. =_=

Anyway, on our way to the Grafton (a shopping node) after cleaning the (new) house a little more, we found this little joint amidst a somewhat bohemian cluster.


We also found this chocolate shop with a little tea garden. I think my mother and aunt would like it.


Opposite to DeVeres is a 6-week old restaurant...

Where we had our dinner.

The new and neat establishment had some elements of Hong Kong.


With replicates of Hong Kong road signs decorating the plain white walls.

While we waited for our food to arrive, I took many pics of my new headgear from the H&M children's department!!



While holding back our pounding expectations, we approached our meal with great care... Is it going to taste as good as it looks?!

And the verdict is... GREAT!!!

The portions were generous, and the duck was so fresh that I asked the waiter if they had gotten it from the greens behind St John's College. =))

Pic from this stranger's Cambridge pics on Flickr.

We will definitely be going back for more... And probably with a few classmates!

I like my new headgear so much that I shall indulge and post another 2 pics...

I saw these boys at Macdonald's this noon. They were wearing furry HO HO HO hats and looking so cute that I had to ask for a pic.

See the boy on the right?
He was very shy... kept turning his head away from the camera. Just as my finger hit the shutter button, he covered his face with his hand. In those few seconds, despite him not wanting to be in the picture, I got to know his name coz his friends were calling out to him to show his face. His name is SAM. =))))
...........................................................

By now, I've received many comments and emails from some of you. Some longer than others. Some disliking the MBA entries, some enjoying them, some encouraging me to write whatever I like. Even one who's suggesting that I can make the Yu Sheng!!

I appreciate all of the above very much.

We engage in human interaction everyday. Sometimes, very thoughtfully. Other times, more carelessly. It is easy to assume that we know what we are doing, especially when we have had 'successful interactions' previously, and/or when we have been doing the same thing over a long period of time. We, creatures of comfort and rituals, then enjoy repetitive actions, even when we complain about boredom and problems with the existing.

And blogging is merely yet another form of human interaction.

People and I often ask myself:


This question, if one could superimpose it into the everyday interaction context, it becomes


It is very easy and fashionable to proclaim that I live my life my way. To hell with everyone else. For a while (this is relative in terms of the concept of time), some may be fascinated with one's ability to be different. But in reality, being different has its limits, especially when there is external pressure for one to conform. This attitude often leads to conflict with others.

On the other hand, if one were to live his life according to what he thinks others want him to be doing, he would end up chasing an aggregated and disjointed life of unconvincing contradictions. I'm pretty sure this would, minially, lead to conflict with oneself.

So what is the answer?
Shall we draw a matrix?

Does that provide us with an answer or will it only serve to confuse further?

Btw, the 'piggy coaster' is actually a 'piggy napkin' folded into half. It's Percy Pig from Marks & Spencer. Apart from being a sweet, Percy Pig is also a soft toy, amongst other types of merchandise. And just like us, Percy Pig has friends!!


Btw, I have blogged about 'Good Fren's little adventure at Marks & Sparks today. He spent like 10 minutes in the kids' section, attempting to work this voice-changing mask in vain.

I thought it would have been great if he had bought it. We could have Skype conference calls our classmates in different voices for our projects. Brilliant!

We went to clean up the new rented place a little this afternoon.


Kitchen is well-equipped with hi-tech appliances such as a dishwasher (Oh... What will 'Good Fren' do from now onwards?), a washing machine-cum-dryer etc.


This is called the Drawing Room.


It does have a huge oil painting and loads of art/architecture books in it, but I don't think we will be doing any drawing!

The flowery golden sofa transforms into a double bed if there is demand. Sleeping in the Drawing Room is kind of weird, isn't it?

Check out the 4-poster bed!! Especially the frilly stuff growing on top of it?!

Actually, there were more drapes and stuff dangling from the frame but we've removed them coz it's simply too much to handle!

Alas, we recently realised that there are a few huge damp patches on the ceiling.

They look very nasty, don't they?
We are hoping that the fixing will not result in excessive inconvenience because we have exams in 3 weeks!!

Ok, back to writing my assignments!

Aaaahhh... The reaction to my MBA-blogging is mixed.
Some find it boring, some like it.

Questions I ask:

1. Why are some who find the MBA entries boring still reading this blog?
2. If I announce today that it will be MBA-blogging till Sep 09, will more people stop reading this blog?
3. Why do some people in Singapore prefer reading mostly about Singapore-related issues/entries?

世界那么大
真的没有必要封闭自己
...............................................

FRIDAY

On Friday, the Overseas Chinese had a short meeting to discuss the Lunar New Year (LNY) Celebrations.

'Good Fren' went to the Singaporean/Malaysian shop along Mill Road and asked whether they could import the Yu Sheng ingredients and snacks like kueh bangkit for us. The short answer is 'No'. =_=

We shall see whether there are alternative procurement methods.

I really look forward to the upcoming LNY! I will be spending it with classmates from all over the world! So exciting!

After the meeting, Erik (US) and I then decided to go for lunch.
On our way out of Judge Business School, we bumped into this CVP group from Stream 1 making their way to DOJO.

From left: Bill (US), Ben (Singapore), Sophie-Luise (Germany), Eli (Israel) & Erik (US)

I felt like we were intruding... Group privacy mah!!
We ended up having a great conversation, including an "explosion" from Bill, sending his Singaporean Chow Mein flying all over, e.g. into his tea, on my camera, my arm etc. I think at that moment, we were talking about fertility or something...


SATURDAY

On Saturday evening, we had our last dinner cookout at dingy flat 42.

The menu from bottom: Pork with capsicum and pineapple, Singapore Chicken Curry (with some french loaves for dipping), Sayur Lodeh, Fried egg with shallots, and Broccoli and mushrooms

You see the white paper plates we were using?
They started to disintegrate halfway through the meal! ROOAAAARRRRRRR!!! So lousy!! We ended up using 2 plates per person! No meaning!

The shy Chris May (UK) was trying to hide behind the pot of curry!! =))


Ohh... Lousy pic... My bad...

Thomas (South Africa) and 'Good Fren' (Singapore)

I just realised that I didn't take a pic of Takashi (Japan) using my camera! I think I took a pic of him using his camera though!

Hyunsik and his wife, Hyojin, from Korea brought along a dish! YUMMY!!!

Don't they look relaxed? Because they had just gotten back from a SPA trip with Hyunsik's CVP team!

Hyunsik took this pic of us and he had his finger across the flash. That explains the dark shadow on me.

But hor... the real reason why I made this pic black and white is because my face was so red from Chris' wine!! =P

I was trying to convince Chris that I was attempting to transform myself into a Subservient Asian Woman, and that Hyojin was my role model. Chris just kept giving me that "I'm not convinced" look! ROOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!


Towards the end of the dinner, I started feeling a little nostalgic about the dingy flat dinners. AHAHAHAHA...

I told 'Good Fren' that maybe I'll miss this dingy flat...

That's until we got the keys to the new place this noon!!!
WOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

The new place is not exactly new. It's a little cottage-like space in the the ground floor of a house, with some opulent drapes/paintings/lights, bed with drapes, loads of crockery, 2 rolling pins, lots of ruffles/pillows, ikea shelves full of architecture and other books, gas-lit fireplace and hi-tech appliances such as a dishwasher?!

I didn't take pics while we were going through the contents of the place with the landlord this noon. He is a retired law professor who, according to Google, has written many many many law books. Our neighbour is a Professor of Classics. How's that for the complete Cambridge experience?

I can't wait for the next dinner with my classmates... I have to get back to my excel spreadsheet in which I have the class list and little annotations beside the names... It's a long list to work through...

Someone left a comment as follows:

Anonymous said...

it's good to see more pics of yourself. also enjoy your blog a lot before cos you throw up a lot of interest ideas for discussion / to think about. now it's a little boring when you blog about mundane details of you study life. don't get me wrong, it's nice reading what you are doing, but when every post is like that without even a picture of yourself it can be boring for readers in singapore who don't know those people. just my opinion.

Friday, December 12, 2008 5:11:00 PM

No wonder my readership has been falling...
Reading about the Cambridge MBA is boring?!

Nonetheless...
Here's this Thursday's dose of the Cambridge MBA! =))

Represented the Asia Pacific students at the Teaching Committee meeting on Thursday. Mr Ben Hardy, our Management Practice lecturer, was in crutches because something in his knee got inflamed.

Mr Hardy used to be a vet, so I asked him the other day whether Blinky and Tiger missed me. And the answer was a clear NO. =_=

On Thursday night, 'Good Fren' and I walked to New Hall in the freezing cold for the MBA Winter Party!

From left: 'Good Fren' (Singapore), Janet (Canada), David (Hong Kong/Canada/US), Rachel (China)

Just before dinner started, I went round the tables and took pics of people.

Kristof (Belgium) and Manasij (India) having a chat.


From left: Simon, Sam, Sam's son, Sam's wife. All from China.


From left: Jacqueline (Singapore), Dania (Dom's wife), Dominic (Switzerland/UK).


Indre (Lithuania) and Lorenz (Switzerland)


From left: Frederic (France), Director of MBA/Dr Runde (South Africa), Barclay (US).


From left: Eli (Israel), Ben (Singapore), Bill (US), Nageswar (India).


From left (it's always from left): Patrick (US), David's partner, David (UK)


Polina and Hubby from Bulgaria!


Rupert (UK) & Jed (US)


From left: Ben (Singapore), Tibor (Hungary) & Deepankar (India)

Apparently, because of my blog, the Executive Director asked Deepankar about his Paris Hilton watch. And I got an earful from him again and again and again...

Mr James Barker (UK) and Pedro (Mexico).

Incidentally, Mr James Barker, our Admissions Coordinator, has started a Cambridge MBA Admission blog. He's a prolific blogger! A must-read!

The following table is mostly made up of people from ultra freezing regions:

Alim (Kazakhstan) and Timur (Russia).


Denis and wife (Russia) =))

Back at my table, Carlos (Spain) was getting ready to stab at the tough slab of turkey.

Once we got food out of the way and alcohol in our system...

It was time to PAAAAAAARRTEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Gbolade (Nigeria) & Erik (US)

From left clockwise: Carlos (Spain), (flying) Axel (Germany), Tibor (hidden and from Hungary) & Emmanuel (France)

Carlos told me that he was trying to look sexy in this pic. =_=

Kevin (Australia) was trying to dance... erm... yes...

Like I said earlier, Business School is really like the X-Men.
We traveled thousands of miles to a secluded destination, away from family, friends and enemies, to:

1. Discover our special power(s)
2. Learn to control our special power(s)
3. Figure out whether there is a good reason to use our special power(s)
4. All of the above in a safe environment.
   

Before we metamorphose from mutants to X-Men, we tend to behave in a rather awkward manner.

Btw, because we are split into 2 streams, I recently discovered that we in fact have a Wolverine amongst us!

I need to take a pic of this classmate of mine... You'll see the resemblance immediately!

Meanwhile, more mutants...

From left: Carlos (Spain), Ben (Singapore) & Sophie-Luise (Germany)


Barbara (Italy) & Gbolade (Nigeria)


I realise that this is Erik's standard pose.


Weird dancing from the US... Jed & Erik...


But are you ready for the weirdest dancer?!

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

It must be ME!! SINGAPORE!! WOO HOO!!!!

My good old MAMBO days!! (Erm... about a decade ago... Ahem...)
I did the Ah Lian/Beng oooh oooh oooh oooh thing, but nobody understood it. Oh well...

I'm glad the student body put together this party. It marks the end of the Michaelmas term (though exams are in a few weeks, i.e. early Jan 09).

Guess what we found in the carpark on our way home?!

Samir (India) and Bill (US) scrapping the frost off the car!

We are amidst the CVP week, i.e. we present our findings to the clients and a couple of examiners for discussion.

Though this accounts for roughly 6 credits, the amount of time and energy devoted to this project is disproportionate due to various complications, especially because it is a group effort.

One can find many groups huddling in various corners of Judge Business School. Here's 'Good Fren's group...

From left: 'Good Fren' (Singapore), Manasij (India) & Igor (Russia)

Guess who this is... Working furiously on the group's presentation slides in a corner.

Ans: Janet (Canada)!!

Woah... Serious!!

Jed (US)

Zarko (Serbia) couldn't help smiling as my digicam encroached into his creative privacy.

I haven't spoken to Pedro (Mexico) before because he's from the other stream. Next term!!

Tibor (Hungary) is camera-shy?!! He very swiftly covered his face with a black folder as I approached the table, while Shelley (China) looks on...


My team made the presentation yesterday at 11am.

Here's Rupert (UK) explaining "Horses for Courses".

While our clients and examiners listened intently...


Presenting is a hungry business!!
'Good Fren' and I had lunch with Derek (Singapore) whom we met at the Sir Paul Judge Party.


Of course we went to Sesame lah!!

Had a great chat with our fellow Singaporean and public servant. Perhaps we ought to devote some time to hanging out with other Singaporean students outside of Judge Business School. To seek linguistical solace in them... Dun liddat lah!!

Somehow... after the lunch, a few of us ended up in Brown's having a drink. We wonder whether Brown's is experiencing a spike in revenues during this time of the year due to the CVP.


While I waited for 'Good Fren' to finish up his CVP presentation, I realised that we didn't bring along our copy of flat lease agreement to be signed with our landlord that evening! AAARRRGGGHHHH!!! I had to pedal my way from Judge Business School back to Churchill College to get it, then make my way to Mill Road! That's like 7km in about 45 minutes!! I was panting uncontrollably by the time I got to Mill Road.

Our landlord and landlady are an elderly couple who stay in their Cambridge flat mostly during summer. The landlord is a retired law professor who used to lecture in University of Cambridge. Of course we googled his name and realised that he is an important figure! And he is so kind. He went through the contract with us... line by line! We are going to help them load their stuff onto their car this Sunday. It's gonna be fun! Maybe I'll take a pic of them!

Ahhhh... Tuesday has been most satisfying...

Today, I went to school and met up with my next project team, i.e. the Global Consulting Project (GCP) team. I'll be working with 4 young men from/with different backgrounds/nationalities/experiences etc. The most amusing bit of the discussion was about me having a blog!

And I am glad we had the 'assumptions-clarification' session. It's not so much about the assumptions per se. It's almost as if the 'assumptions' are merely a conversational piece, an excuse, while the main objective is to have an opportunity to interact, almost like an ice-breaker game.

The group asked a really tough question today. "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" I find it really hard to answer that question in that context. This is unlike in a job interview where one is expected to sell oneself for a specific role. In group work, unless it falls squarely within my area of expertise, I tend to reserve myself for the non-specific roles so that the group can be complete. So, I said,"I dunno what my strengths and weaknesses are. It's a tough question." And one of the boys said they would let me know by the end of the project.

That will be great, wouldn't it?
Learn something about the industry, something about consulting, something about these boys, and something about myself.

Then I hung around in school, chatted with some people, and worked on one of my assignments.

Later in the evening, I joined 'Good Fren' and his CVP group in their little post-presentation celebration at the Snug.

From left: Igor (Russia), Janet (Canada), 'Good Fren' (Singapore) & Khurram (Pakistan)

In fact, I felt like I was replacing Manasij (India) as he was not present. =)))

As we were making our way to the bicycle stand, Eli (Israel) reminded me that I haven't been updating my blog regularly.

Eli: *unlocking his bike* You haven't been updating your blog.
BM: WAH... I've been busy, ok! CVP!!
Eli: You gotta get your priorities right!
BM: WAHAAHAHAAHAAH!!

I know I should have gotten used to this by now, but I have to admit it's still weird to be reminded that quite a few classmates (and their family members) read my blog. Some of whom I don't even know personally.

It was a bright and sunny Sunday in London, when we checked out of West Ham United Hotel.


The West Ham United players must have been having a practice session that morning... Check out the fancy cars!


Think this player is called Fred or something. He's very young lor!! And he came in a sporty Ah Beng Nissan!!

Sigh... Such a young boy... Driving fancy cars... while 'Good Fren' and I struggled with our suitcases and rattled our way to Upton Station. No meaning... =_=

After more than an hour of delay and changing of trains, we finally arrived at Baker Street!!

As you can see, my tropical old bag of bones is not taking the cold too well. Always wrapped up tightly in layers.


We were meant to meet up with 'Good Fren's uni friend, Zhenrong, at Royal China. We went into Royal China Club and couldn't find him.


We then realised that he was at Royal China Dim Sum a few doors away. HIYAH!! How we know?!


It's a really crowded joint with an extremely ridiculous queue. Even though we were 30 minutes late, Zhenrong, his girlfriend, Grace and friend, Freddie, were still waiting in the queue!!


Having a chat after 7 years?!!

Have I mentioned how ridiculously small Singapore is?
Zhenrong was my cousin's classmate in secondary school and junior college, while his girlfriend, Grace, was in the same orientation group as 'Good Fren' in junior college, and was in the same secondary school as me?!

So I asked Grace what she, as a St Nicks girl, was doing with an RI boy... And there was awkward silence and giggle... AHAHHAHAAH!!!
It's really weird... Tell me about it!!

And going by Facebook, their friend, Freddie (who's not Singaporean, but Malaysian) and I have at least 4 friends in common.
Ahhh... the little incestuous Singapore-Malaysia circle...

Btw, I have to highlight that I LOVE SPEAKING SINGLISH!!!
It's such a relief to be able to engage in an hour of rapid Singlish!!!
RRROOOOAAAARRRRR!!!
Lah Lah Lah!! Leh Leh Leh!! Lor Lor Lor!!

The Dim Sum was quite good. Not as spectacular as Wah Lok in Singapore or Luk Yu in Hong Kong, but I'm not complaining... This is superior to anything we can find in Cambridge.


According to Freddie, 'Good Fren' and I have a pair of His and Her Crumpler bags. So he took a pic of us while we were walking to Zhenrong's car.

Aiyoh... He should see our laptops!!
We have a His and Her pair of Thinkpads! =P

Oh oh... We drove past the Nyonya restaurant at Notting Hill. I saw it and was absolutely delighted because I was reminded of one of my readers' recommendation. Since we bought the Oyster card + Zhenrong loves the Nyonya restaurant, we must go try it soon!

Guess where we went after lunch?!!


It's WESTFIELD LONDON!! It's only the largest shopping centre in Europe?! DUH?!!

I remember visiting the Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney during a study trip some years ago, and suggested to a bunch of classmates at Judge Business School that we ought to think about arranging a study visit to Westfield London to learn about its development story. It's a really huge land parcel on really prime land. I wonder about the financial mechanics, the planning and design, the retail mix etc. I hope we can make some headway by next term!

I must say that Westfield London feels absolutely familiar... It looks and feels like Harbourfront in Singapore! No kidding!

As the shops shut their gates at 6pm sharp, Zhenrong and friends went off to the Christmas fair at Hyde Park while we had some dinner at Kiasu in Bayswater!!

Check out the little phrases on the wall!!
'KIA MATA'!!! WAHAHAHAHAH!!!

He's not amused! =))


We ordered Bak Chor Mee and Mee Siam.
This must be the most expensive Bak Chor Mee and Mee Siam we've ever had! But NAIR MIND!!
You guys back home dunno how lucky you are, and how desperate we are, hokay!!

The Mee Siam is good while the Bak Chor Mee was really a dish OD-ing on dark soya sauce and vinegar.

After yet another satisfying meal, we made our way to Kingscross where we witnessed a massive train delay. The station looked like a refugee camp with people and suitcases strewn all over. =_=

I went to the loo, then bought some drinks from Marks & Sparks. As I was walking back to 'Good Fren', he started waving excitedly. I was to watch the suitcases while he went to check out the board. Suddenly, he started shouting and running. I was like... WTF is happening?!

Apparently, the one and only train on the track was leaving the station and it would terminate at Cambridge!!

About 2 hours later, we were back in our dingy flat... thawing ourselves against the not-too-effective heaters.

What a weekend... and the start of yet another tiring week...

FRIDAY

Woke up to a freezing Friday morning.

'Good Fren' went for a rehearsal while I did some work before packing for our London trip.

We shared the train tickets with John (India) and Janet (Canada). Khurram (Pakistan) and Kunal's girlfriend (India), Karishma, joined us too! It's like an excursion. I was distributing butter mints. It felt like a scene from Enid Blyton's Naughtiest Girl series, where the boarding school children were allowed to go away from school.

Think we spent much of the train ride laughing... 'Good Fren' was trying to explain ‘临时抱佛脚’ to our non-Chinese-speaking friends. He translated it as "Hugging the Buddha's leg at the last minute". That mental image tickled everyone excessively!
Hee Hee Hee... =))

By the time we got to London, it was already dark!

And we were super hungry!!

Bought some fried chicken, fish 'n' chips and lamb kebab. Mmmm... They taste so good, especially on a freezing night.


We stayed at the West Ham United Hotel.

We were rather surprised coz we booked the room online and didn't know that the hotel was in fact part of the stadium?!

This is the view from our room?!


You can watch a match from the room!! There are seats right outside the room windows!


SATURDAY

Kunal came over to our room in the evening to prepare for the party.

He's looking very smart!!

Here we were stuffing ourselves in the tiny elevator and making our way to the party.


After a 30-minute and GBP25 pound cab ride later, we arrived at the Panoramic.

This is a view of the cloak room at the ground floor.

Where we found our dear Russian friend, Igor, admiring himself in a compact mirror. He claims his wife made him bring it and that he wasn't powdering his nose! =)))

Igor was a very important man that night, coz 'Good Fren' forgot to pack his bow tie, and Igor brought an extra one for him! =))

Taking pics in the lift again.

As you can vaguely tell, I was wearing my sarong kebaya for the first time!!

It was damn cold lor, can?!
The sarong kebaya was designed for the tropics, and there I was wearing it on the night it was 1 degrees celsius!

But got national pride mah!! Nair mind! I sacrifice! =))

One can infer the style of the apartment from this shot.


And the building is not called The Panoramic for nothing.

This is MI6. It's breathtaking!!

And this is... Sir Paul Judge, the owner and benefactor of JUDGE Business School. Read about him here.

And that's Shelley (China) beside Sir Paul Judge.

Have I mentioned why this party?

It's the annual Christmas Party which Sir Paul Judge and Lady Judge throw for the MBAs. This is the first year of the Masters of Finance programme. The students, MFins we call them, were present too!

And it was trigger-happy time!!

From left: John, Pady & Kunal (India), Blinkymummy (Singapore), Khurram (Pakistan) and Dominic (Switzerland/UK).


So many classmates were busy taking pictures!

Igor (Russia) and Bill (US)

From left: 'Good Fren' (Singapore), Axel (Germany), Manasij (India), and Dominic (Switzerland/UK)

I like these two pics. Coz you can see the difference height.

Axel and Dom decided to 'normalise' their heights for us.
Awwwww!! How sweet of them!! =))

From left: OPM (Nigeria), Hyunsik (Korean), Dr Arnoud de Meyer (Director of Judge Business School, Belgium), 'Good Fren' (Singapore)


Dr Jochen Runde (Director of MBA Programme, South Africa) and 'Good Fren' (Singapore) sharing a moment in the food queue.


From left: Wontak (Korea), Blinkymummy (Singapore) and Hyunsik (Korea)


Fast shooters! Janet (Canada) and Wontak (Korea) were drawing their guns digicams all the time!


I had to steal this pic from Wontak's facebook!

He's really good at taking funny pics!!

David (US/Canada/Hong Kong) had his hands full!!


While many were fiddling with their cameras to capture the best picture, Nageswar (India) was using his head to block my camera! BEST!


I like this pic! Everyone was smiling so happily... Almost grinning!

From left: 'Good Fren' (Singapore), Hyunsik (Korea), Toshi (Japan), Ian (Korea) and Erik (US)

We met a fellow Singaporean and Public Servant, Derek, who is reading MPhil in Technology Policy at Judge Business School. Scholar wor!!

He was kau-pehing that we didn't turn up for the CUMSA Thanksgiving dinner last weekend. Aiyoh... so paiseh... We had a take-home test lah! Next time, ok?!

Of course I had to take a pic with my Russian friend, Igor, who's always telling me that there is nothing to be afraid of.


Who then proceeds to dance like this...

He's the best! =)))
He has a PhD in Economics, and he is very humble about it.

And they danced the freezing night away...

We went ice-skating this evening... What did you do?

From left: Marina (Russia), Igor (Russia), Stefi (Bulguria), Sumeet (UK), 'Good Fren' (Singapore), Samir (India), Cesar (Peru), Muhammed (South Africa), Sophie-Luise (German), Kevin (Australia), Go (Japan), Barbara (Italy), Nadine (German) and Alex (Macau).

Photo taken by me and lifted from Cesar's Facebook album
.........................................

Following photos taken by me and lifted from Kevin's Facebook album

Queuing up to get the skates... All excited and gleeful...


I noticed that Go was exceptionally energetic. Kawaii!!


Girls putting on their skates...


Boys putting on their skates... Notice the difference?

Boys lean on each other when putting on skates...
What's up with that?!

Awkward moment... Posing for the camera and trying to regain composure!! =))


Sumeet looks like he is rock and rolling!


Meghann and Jonathan came to watch with their doggie from Canada. They look so happy... Complete family... I miss Blinky and Tiger!! They are still under quarantine back in Singapore?! =_=


Kevin... erm... attempting... erm... a twist?!


My favourite pic of the evening!!

The adrenaline is making them all smiley!!

This Jing person is ROX!!

The Catholic High Boy looks really nerdy and happy!

What I don't get... is the choice of girl schools.
Thought Cat High boys really only went for St Nicks chicks and other IJs?! And not with SCGS, RGS (like... huh?!!), and dunnowhat in the bottom left.

I personally believe that Jing ought to reshoot...
With the different IJ girls... different IJ school badges...
That will be the real fantasy!

This pic is really funny too!
The ACS boy in the middle is damn scrawny and shorter than the chicks! WAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

This colours and composition of this pic remind me of Judge Business School


I wonder why Jing hasn't used the famous Raffles Institution in his pics?!

I want a pic of an RI boy and a RGS girl in their matrimonial home looking really (in)tense(d) and powerful. The pic can be named the Raffles Family.

Then juxtapose that against the ACS-MGS family or something...

Photo taken from here.

Btw, this is my favourite Jingapore pic.

I always thought grass-cutters were rather... superhero-like.
*Batteries sold separately*