It's the start of a new and the last term!!

SUNNY CAMBRIDGE

The weather has been kind lately. It feels schizo to imagine that there was heavy snow just a couple of months ago. As far as possible, the class has been spending quite a bit of time under the sun. Here you see the class role-playing for Negotiation class under the sun on the Judge Business School lawn.


Dom (Switzerland/UK) reading his script and calculating his profits.

Since I was a kid, I knew I was allergic to grass. So I never really fancied sitting on grass. Nor have I imagined taking wedding pics in a field of lalang somewhere in Tuas.

So this "Let's sit outside" thing is kind of weird for me. In addition, after I got to the UK, I developed Eczema. The steroids-rubbed skin is thin and extra sensitive to sunlight. I think I am physiologically unstable for the great outdoors. =_=

NON-MBA LECTURES

Yu Dan was in Cambridge. She gave a lecture at the Law Faculty. She's the figure in green.

This is a bonus reason for reading the MBA at Cambridge. There are tonnes of such talks and lectures going on all the time. By famous people whom I'd never dream of meeting.

That lecture was little disappointing though. The problem was with the translation. Ms Yu would give a para or 2, and this little Chinese on her left would translate it haltingly to English for the non-Mandarin speaking audience. This format broke the momentum of the lecture and doubled its length. On top of that, some people brought children to the lecture to catch a glimpse of the Chinese philosophy superstar, while others kept taking pictures and talking throughout the lecture. 'Good Fren' and I left after 30 minutes.

BIRTHDAY BOYS

I must have celebrated at least 3 birthdays in the first week of school.

First, we have Takashi (Japan).

We bought him a Fitzbillies chocolate cake that was incredibly sweet.

Then it was Kristof (Belgium).

I think more than 1/3 of the class turned up at the Snug. Heh Heh...

Last but not least was Axel (German).

The cosy little group (which 'Good Fren' has labeled as the Nutella Group) had a little celebration at Little Seoul for Axel.

This was followed by desserts at SF3 aka our little apartment in Wolfson College.

Axel's wife, Sandra, baked a carrot cake (bottom right) and brought it from Germany! Best carrot cake I've had. YUM!

SIDNEY SUSSEX FORMAL

Because there are 31 colleges in Cambridge, some people attempt to attend at least 1 formal per college to 'complete' the Cambridge Experience. Because you need a member of the college to bring you in the formal, this formal-attending activity becomes one of reciprocity. I kept asking those who have invited us,"Are you sure you wanna go to Churchill for a formal? It's so damn faraway!"

This time, Erik (US) invited 'Good Fren' and me for a formal at Sidney Sussex. 'Good Fren' could not attend because he had a dinner with his GCP mentor and team.

Anyway, somehow... there were 17 MBA classmates who attended the formal that night.

(Pardon the lousy pic. My digicam is dying a slow death... Afterall, it's been abused by me constantly since Valentine's Day 2006.)

The evening started with some champagne calmly.


Dinner was an orderly affair with Lady Sidney looking on in the background.

But one could tell the signs of trouble... Just casually count the number of bottles on the table, divide that by number of people you see in the pic, and extrapolate.

Another sign... Even Kevin (Australia) was drinking!!


Dinner was followed by yet another drink. This time, it's port. I felt like an old grandmother having her daily fix after dinner. =))))))


I went off to the loo for a while and Erik thought I'd ran off without telling him. He rang me like 4 times!! =)))

Somehow, champagne + wine + port wasn't enough... We began to make our way to the undergrad bar in Sidney Sussex. HUH?! Did you say UNDERGRAD??


Yeah... Undergrad! And I thought they were gonna be making too much noise.


Turns out...

The MBAs were the culprits.

Erik wandered off from the group and came back with this beer thing.


As Erik tried to make Chia-Yen (Taiwan) drink it, Aymen (Bahrain) dropped a penny into it and exclaimed,"Quick! Save the Queen!!!"


Of course, it took a Brit to save his Queen!!

Here you witness a Norwegian, Ketil, helping the Brit, James, to save the Queen. Like all collaborations, there were a few hiccups. By the end of the attempt, James was soaked in beer. And Eoin (Ireland) started to point at James' nipples. =))))

As if the night was still young (actually it was... before midnight), the group headed for the Fez Club. I was like... Huh?? On a Tuesday night?!!

Ketil, Chia-Yen and I slipped away... and made our way back to Judge Business School to collect our bicycles. Ketil was such a gentleman to walk with us. He even made sure that we were riding in proper straight lines before allowing us to make our way back to Wolfson on our own. =))

I hear someone from that night injured himself somehow. =_=

'GOOD FREN' & ME

We have been catching up on lost time. 32 days apart to be exact. Longest ever since we got together 3+ years ago.

Nothing in the world can top the experience of shopping for groceries and having tea together.

I can't believe I watched 红星大奖 2009 on SKYPE.
Erm... Yes... I saw it on SKYPE... It's not a typo. All because SS was trying to prove to me that 周海媚 was in Singapore. I ended up watching the last 20 minutes of the awards via SKYPE.

Mediacorp Artistes & GOD
Apart from being surprised by the fact that Kym Ng did not get into the top 10, I was even more surprised at how quite a few mediacorp artistes thanked GOD in their speech. Immediate thought:

High Profile Religion
It seems Christianity has proliferated and become highly visible... more so than before. High-paying pastors, rock concerts, building of huge churches and shopping centre etc. All high profile ventures. And the latest being the AWARE saga. Let's not pretend that it does not have anything to do with a bunch from the same church pushing its agenda by taking over an established secular vehicle.

Network Effect
I see a very powerful network effect at work here. This network consists of many people (across age and gender), a lot of resources (cash, time, members etc), physical icons (place of worship, shopping centres etc). In other words, this network is made up of 3 layers, i.e. physical network, psychological and online networks. Each extensive in its own ways. All able to carve significant mindshares.

An obvious comparison is the broadcasting station. It broadcasts to all (sometimes for free). To make a profit, the broadcasting station sells airtime for advertisements. Sometimes the station partners a commercial client to produce a 'promotional' programme for the latter. And the list of examples goes on. The fundamental principle is the exploitation of the station's network, i.e. its existing viewership aka its 'following'. This vehicle is amoral. Its content may not be so.

So by stretching one's imagination, any large network reaching out to many people is very attractive and can be instrumental to agendas which (i) require a majority vote, or (ii) generate high volumes of transactions through mass consumption at a relatively low cost to the individual. Such agendas range from economics, to national security, to politics, and now... to the civil space.

In fact, I think it will be useful for the local press to concentrate its resources on an exploratory piece, i.e. Top 20 Most Influential (Social Capital) Persons in Singapore, instead of covering some pregnant ping pong player's wedding to her country mate. Depending on the methodology, I will not be surprised if a few religious leaders top the list and even be ranked higher than some political and business leaders in Singapore.

Beyond Network & Winning
There are many ways to win a game. But the key is not merely playing by the rules. The key is to convince most, if not all, that one has indeed played FAIR.

The New Guard from AWARE did not manage to convince its audience (which now has expanded from its membership to the Singaporean public and beyond) that it has played fair. Like I mentioned earlier, it is obvious why the new guard did not start a new organisation and wanted to take over the existing AWARE. 2 reasons:
(i) No need to reinvent the wheel (just take over existing premises, membership, application for government approval etc.), and
(ii) To eliminate existing competitor, i.e. the Old Guard.
一石二鸟. Sounds very smart.

However, the New Guard miscalculated the reaction to its unpopular tactics. This may well become the New Guard's Achilles' Heel.

I gather that there will be an EGM (initiated by the Old Guard) for a vote of (no) confidence. It will take place at Singapore Expo Hall 2 SUNTEC CONVENTION CENTRE, Exhibition Hall 402 , 12pm, this Sat, 2 May 09. If majority of the turnout votes in favour of the new Exco aka the New Guard, then they will stay in power and run AWARE. If not, there will be a fresh round of elections.

Meanwhile, the membership of AWARE has shot up more than 300% from 250 (and is still increasing). It is not clear whether the increase in membership consists of:

• New Guard sympathisers
• Old Guard sympathisers, or
  
• Women who are just kaypoh enough to pay SGD40 for some kicks. (I know a few who are doing so. It's like watching a 3-hour concert at Sing Expo mah! Reality TV!)

Whatever it is, minimally both Guards are gathering members.
招兵买马. Awaiting for the showdown this Sat.

With the Feminist Mentor under fire, let's hope the EGM will not turn out like this... literally speaking.

The Demonstrated OB Markers of A Nation
Some ministers say the AWARE issue is not a national dispute. While I understand that the petty nature of politics within a civil society organisation should never be publicised as a national issue, I personally believe that the scale of this issue has rendered this dispute one of significant interest to the nation.

Apart from outpour of condolences and money to Huang Na's family, I don't think I've ever seen members of the Singaporean public react in such a pro-active and compelling manner. Not even to announcements of major public policies. Though in terms of absolute numbers, those personally involved in this incident may be very low and may not be representative of the population of Singapore, the strong reactions from various groups of Singaporeans (e.g. forum contributors, online commentators, people signing up for AWARE etc) are clear psychological/emotional signposts or 'OB markers'.

Like I said earlier, I think religious tolerance is one of my favourite qualities of Singapore. This is something we have built up painstakingly over the years. It is a practical symbol of an inclusive society. I personally do not condone anyone who or any organisation which attempts to upset (in even the tiniest act-blur manner) this little fragile ecosystem we have built and been protecting.

Woke up late today... Missed our bus to the Singaporean event in London. =_=

Haven't been blogging lately...

School has started and I've had lectures everyday, except for Wednesday. I was told that I would be getting the blood test results on Friday, but I was disappointed by the highly reliable system this country offers.

Since I got back from Singapore, I have been secretly consuming this wonderful piece of work from Hong Kong. It is called "學警狙擊" or E.U. aka Emergency Unit.

A story revolving round a bunch of police officers from E.U. and O记 aka Organised Crime Unit, and of course the baddies from a triad in Hong Kong which owes a dance club called Mega, some billiard saloons and massage parlours.

(Btw, I prefer the uniforms of the Singapore Police Force. The light blue shirt worn by the Hong Kong police people is a little too informal in my opinion.)

The cast of this story is rather strong, especially when it's propped up by old-timers such as 苗侨伟 and 周海媚. My friend says these old timers lost quite a bit of money because of Lehman Brothers and the financial crisis, so are acting once again.

My favourite character is Laughing 哥.

Many share similar sentiments.
Check out the number of Facebook groups set up for Laughing 哥!! I is confused... Dunno which one to join...
Apparently some fans made a video for the dead Laughing 哥 to marry the dead 芯姐!
I am told they are gonna make a film on Laughing 哥 leh! Win oredi...

I suggest for interested parties to watch this series in Cantonese, instead of Mandarin. Because I cannot imagine how the dubbed version is gonna pronounce 'Laughing 哥" without sounding too stupid. Ideally, it should sound like this: "LAAAAA-fing Gor" =))

You know how when 2 gangs face-off with each other with a lot of pointing, shouting, table-thumping... then shoving... before breaking into a major fight... The police will usually arrive right after the shoving. As I was watching those scenes, the image of the on-going AWARE quarrel kept flooding my mind. I suggest for interested parties to watch this series in Cantonese, instead of Mandarin.

I personally believe... Once there is enough shoving, the authorities will step in and say,


The 名门正派 will run over to the authorities and say,


Authorities will put on a very serious face and say,


On the way out of the venue, someone will point at someone else and say,


And the bickering will stop... At least for a while...

If you want a good cry like I did on the flight back from Singapore to London, do catch Departures.

The cast is power-packed in a gentle manner.

I got SS to gimme an executive summary of the AWARE saga that has been hogging my online newspapers for the past few days.

I like the simplicity of this person's response: Form your club lah!

From what I can gather, taking over the existing AWARE makes more 'sense' than starting a new one, simply because of Brand Equity. No need to reinvent the wheel. Just acquire lor! It's a contemporary business-like perspective. And it works... At least in terms of form... No need to build from scratch. You acquire the entity and at the same time wipe out the competition, i.e. the old Exco.

I wonder what will happen if someone convinces a bunch of housewife-aunties from a Tau Pek Kong temple or XYZ market to do the same. I'm sure these aunties are not inferior in terms of numbers and affluence.


BEST! Auntie ma see Zhar Boh! Eligible eh leh!

Cambridge feels weird without 'Good Fren'. Maybe it's the jet lag.

He left me some apple and orange juice, 3 skinless chicken thighs and some long beans.

Yesterday, I went to town to buy a hairbrush. I left mine in Singapore. (Mummy, if you find it, you can throw that away. I've been using it for years.)

I was over optimistic about the weather. I thought the Wallabies were gonna protect me from the terrible UK cold.


It's a gift from the Australian client. It felt really warm when I put it on. Nothing can shield me from the British chill. =_=

Dropped by Judge Business School to pick up a book from the library. Chatted with some poor souls who were still struggling with their GCP presentation before heading for John Lewis in search of the hairbrush. In the end, I bought one with wooden bristles from the Body Shop.

Just as I was getting of Marks & Sparks, it started to rain heavily. =_= Oh well... I shall have to hop into GAP for some shopping till the rain stops.

I think the rain made me hungry. Since the Cambridge Waffle Company is finally in operation (our earlier attempts to eat there ended in disappointment), I decided to have a waffle.

Their waffles are named after the colleges in Cambridge. I had a Robinson. Somehow it's less tasty than I'd expected. Maybe because 'Good Fren' was not with me. =_=

Came by the college and surfed the net quite a big. Watched many youtube videos. Including that one about Susan Boyle. I must say I am nauseated by the reactions of people to Susan Boyle's performance. If Susan Boyle had looked like the Spice Girls/Cecilia Cheung/Penelope Cruz, I pretty sure no one will cry watching her sing.

These images of the ideal we have been ingesting have distorted our ability to distinguish why something is appealing. I read an article about 2 weeks ago about how porn deadens desire. Using the analogy of fast food, the article claims that

"If your appetite is stimulated and fed by poor-quality material it takes more junk to fill you up."

Just like how females can't keep up with porn stars, males can't keep up with gallant princes/rock stars.

Tried to finish the Great Gatsby, but fell asleep at around 6.30pm. If I remember correctly, the fire alarm went off at around 11.30pm and a quick thought of jumping from the window if it turned out to be a real fire. Damn those people who burn food, instead of cooking it, in the common kitchens.
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Woke up at 5am this morning. Almost choked on some bananas with nutella and clementines because there was an email in my inbox that said that Anthony Giddens would be giving a lecture in Cambridge in a few weeks!! Climate change isn't my cup of tea, but I have to see the man who wrote my Sociology textbook.

'Good Fren' had booked a blood test for me at 10.30am. Was supposed to do it before I left for Brisbane, but couldn't because of timing. Thought about the draining of blood and the light-headedness which would accompany it, and hesistated to make my way to Mill Road. I didn't want to pass out along Mill Road without 'Good Fren' around. But I guess it's important to eliminate the possibility that the skin problems are symptomatic of a liver problem. Fixing another appointment would mean more delay. So I hopped onto my bike and peddled furiously.

The nurse was really warm and nice. While she extracted blood from my left arm, we found out that we had a pair of cats each and were slaves to them.

This is the part where Angry Doc is gonna get pissed off. The British nurse suggested that I should give Chinese medicine a try because 'Western medicine does not tackle at the overall well-being'. =)))

I was expecting to pass out, but I didn't. So I made my way to the city centre and had a slice of clotted cheese cake and pot of tea.


I sat there for about 30 minutes and watched many females stop at the Karen Miller display window. All age and size. They were looking at a specific pair of shoes. It would have been a great 30 sec ad.


In no hurry to go anywhere, I made use of my student card to visit a few colleges. After the first two, they started to look the same, and the space by my right felt more empty than usual.

Just as I was boarding the A380, my friend and former colleague texted then called me.

HJ: Oi... Remember you told me on Sunday that you think Singapore is better?

BM: Yah?

HJ: Was in review with bosses today. They were saying people who have left Singapore for work or studies prefer elsewhere. I said,"No. I know people who have worked or studied abroad and still prefer Singapore." So hor... I need to get a quote from you.


BM: *gathering the super heavy hand carry and the backpack which I couldn't check in because I've exceeded the baggage limit* Ok... I'm boarding now... Will write to you after I get to Cambridge.

In 7 months, Singapore has definitely changed. How does one begin to explain the changes?

In terms of form, I was shocked by 3 recent developments.

1. The Marina IR looks smaller than I'd expected it to be.
2. That single-lane flyover thing along Cross Street - I was in so much shock that I wanted to stop the car and scream at it. It felt like Bangkok. I was later told that it's temporary. I certainly hope so!
   
3. The crazy Christmas-like building opposite Bugis Junction, called Iluma. I'd expected something more timeless, and not something so freakish. When will they be taking down the Christmas lights?
   

But form is not the only dimension. Feelings are evoked by something else beyond form. Or perhaps what is 'sense-able' has to ultimately be of 'form'. Not clear about this.


Do I like Singapore because it is familiar?
Or because Singapore indeed makes more sense in more ways than some?


I think it is difficult to disallow that fuzzy feeling of familiarity to cloud one's judgement. But there are a few solid points which, regardless of familiarity, score highly on any sane person's marksheet.

(A) Potable 'soft' water with fluoride
I don't mean to sound like a boring Baby Boomer or something, but the flowing potable water with fluoride is not a basic provision around the world. Back in Singapore, I could drink from the tap (and not worry about limescale building up in my kettle or intestines) and never had any problems with eczema.

I think we got the fundamentals very right and have been building upon them conscientiously. I hope the new(er) leaders understand this and continue to lead for the correct reasons.

(B) Expeditious no-nonsense reliable service
From the supermarket check-out to the polyclinic to the vet to the bank to the online tax-filing... We may not get responses such as a smile or 'We are so sorry to hear that', but we certainly get service with substance. I know such real service comes at a price which is most often paid by the frontline staff, i.e. discipline, achieved by fear and highly rationalised division of labour, which inevitably leads to alienation of the individual.

I felt that service staff has become more polite as compared to before. My friend who has been here also makes the same observation. He says it's possible due to the economic downturn.

(C) Religious tolerance
Our tolerance is institutionalised. A couple of classmates have expressed their disbelief. It's unheard of in their world. Enuff said.

(D) Compactness
I'm a little ambivalent about this point. Regardless it is significant enough for me to highlight it. On one hand, being compact reduces time spent on traveling between activities. Being compact means more are within one's reach. We are not only compact in terms of physical distance, we are also compact in terms of social structure. Social mobility is relatively more fluid.

On the other, we look into one another's apartment just a few metres away. On Day 3, I could feel the impatience on the roads. People are always in a rush. Perhaps it's because there are too many things to do/enjoy/run away from in Singapore.

This is a good question to think about:

• Is it because of the good times you have had earlier?
• Or the potentially good times you will have in the foreseeable future?
• Or because someone else told you this is good and so you believe?
  
• Or simply, that sense of familiarity which cannot be replicated elsewhere and so makes it unique and 'own-able'?
• Or because you have no choice because this is the only one which you can get?

There may not be an answer... Or any answers.

Har??? So fast?!?

Tomorrow going back to dreary town oredi!!

*sulk*
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Let's see what I've been up to for the past few precious days...

On Sunday, I picked up SS and headed for Tiong Bahru Market. Super happy lor!! Chwee Kueh leh!!

Somehow I stared at the price board for the longest time. 8 for SGD2. Unbelieveable... I kept converting that to GBP. You can't get anything for less than GBP1 in the UK.

Soya milk and youtiao... MMMmmmm...


Out the blue, the intro to a popular hokkien karaoke song filled the air.

This guy was pushing his make-shift karaoke station around the hawker centre... busking... He sang 爱拼才会赢. Where's 'Good Fren'? He sang this in Cambridge once. Nobody knew what he was singing.

After Tiong Bahru, we headed for Tampines 1 in search for the newly opened Uniqlo, but did not find it because the traffic was ridiculous. Went to IKEA instead. Need to get some bedsheets for the flat in Wolfson College. SS bought a blue baking glove which she later left in Xiaobai.

I have a list of stuff to bring back for 'Good Fren'. It's the list of 3 Bs.

• Bedsheets
• Bak Gua
• tianlong Babu =)))
  

Next stop, Chinatown, Lee Chee Guan!! WOO HOO!!! Uncle! 1kg!! 要做飞机的!
Actually, 'Uncle' was a young boy. He said he couldn't seal the bag because the BBQ pork was fresh off the stove!! =P~~

So, we left the pack to cool down and headed for the dessert stall nearby. MANGO SHAVED ICE!!! 赞!

After we collected the BBQ pork, we decided that we needed some foot reflexology. I was enjoying myself so much that I forgot to take pics! =))

Dinner was with my mother. We seldom get to dine together. I didn't take pics... It would have been weird.

Perhaps the F&B scene here is feeling the pinch of the economic downturn. Wah Lok was surprisingly quiet that evening.

Sent my mother home and headed for Wala's to meet up with HJ. Didn't expect to run into Jack and Rai that night.

It's weird how once we started counting that HJ and I realised that we've known each other for 20 years.

I don't think we could have imagined that 20 years laters, we would be who we are... doing what we do... The future in the eyes of 13 year olds was probably rather standard. By 33, we would have had a husband, 2 kids and saddlebags. We only managed the last item. =))
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I met up with a former boss on Monday for lunch. Had a Korean-style Japanese lunch. MMmmmm.... Raw tuna!!!

Somehow... I have not adjusted to the Singaporean rhythm. I couldn't finish my lunch as fast, and she had to rush off to a meeting. Meeting her, especially her slimmed down body, reminded me of the Singaporean way of life. Left me pondering about my past, my present and my future.

To stock up on more facial wash, I went to Great World City. Bought some fruits. I've been consuming more fruits than usual since I got to Australia. I think it's a good habit to have.

On my way home, I received a text from another former 'distant' colleague. Ended up in the line at the famous 发起人 Bak Kut Teh for dinner with him.

The shop wall is plastered with pics of celebrities. We tried to look for Mayday, but only in vain. We concluded that Mayday has to be loyal to 新海山 la!

To complete the Balestier experience, we had guilinggao!! MMMMmmmmm...

Been trying to take more pics with Blinky and Tiger...

But they wouldn't stop struggling!! RROOOOOAAAARRRR!!!

Got back to Singapore last night.

Blinky met me at the door, while Tiger hid in fear. He's such a scaredy cat. After settling in a little, we managed to group-hug for 2 secs. =))

The first thing I did this morning was to give Blinky and Tiger a shower. As usual, Blinky was cooperative, while Tiger screamed, struggled and scratched. After the shower, Tiger refused to talk to me... and went sulking in a corner.

Quote of the day:


After the struggle, I headed to the vet to buy cat food and Frontline before making my way to Holland Village. It's weird to be driving in Singapore. Firstly, XiaoBai is much lower and smaller than the beast I drove in Brisbane. Had this feeling that the cars around me were too close for comfort. Secondly, quite a bit has changed in the past 7 months. The speed of physical developments in Singapore is a little unsettling.

Had a good lunch at Crystal Jade. Wan Ton Mee (dry) with cold barley water and desserts. All for less than GBP10. =_=

Mmmmmm... Wish 'Good Fren' was there with me.

Went to look for Jonathan... FINALLY!!! After 7 months, I am getting a haircut!!

Hair has become unruly!!

This is the shortest my hair has been in more than 10 years.

The reason is really quite simple... Out of necessity...

The water in Cambridge is rather hard. As a result, my hair gets very dry and difficult to manage, especially at considerable length.

I feel 'light-headed' after the haircut... Not sure whether it's the change in mass or the rush of adrenaline as I watched Jonathan snip at my locks. =_=

Caught up with 2 friends today. Hope to squeeze in a few more over the next few days.

Saw something weird while meeting up with a friend...

Where's the East Coast Lian?

On the last day of work, i.e. presentation day, Lucy, aka the female voice from the GPS, confused us with her odd directions. Luckily by now we oredi know the way to the office by heart.


Traffic was quite bad that morning.


But it made it easier for me to take this pic.

An empty shop sign says 'RENT-A-BOMB'.
I deliberately not drive that morning so as to take a pic of it. =))

We got to the office and prepared for the presentation in the afternoon. #3 and #5 expended lots of energy while binding the documents.


Lunch was at DFO. #2, #5, and I waited mighty long for our usual lunch option. I had #19: my Tom Yum Chicken Noodle Soup.


#5 had Kway Tiau which I refused to try because it's not gonna match up to Char Kway Teow in Singapore. Mmmmmmmmmm...


After lunch, the 2pm presentation was only an hour away. #4 asked for gum on the drive back to office and #2 found exactly 5 pieces in his bag.

#2 took a piece of the gum and passed the bag to #3.
#3 took over the bag, popped 1 piece in his mouth, before handing 1 piece to me. In a split second, he dropped my piece of gum on the floor. =_=

Now we do not have enough gum to go around. Even if #3 wanted to make up for it, he couldn't because he oredi had a piece in his mouth. Not wanting to disappoint #4 and #5 who haven't had any gum, I relinquished my chance.

Regardless, the piece of dropped gum should not be wasted.

#3 unleashed his creativity...

And the gum was smiling in no time. =_=

Probably really happy coz it ain't gonna end up getting violently crushed in anyone's mouth.

20 minutes to the presentation, we started to set up the room.

I'll never forget the meeting room. It's definitely eclectic.

My fellow presenters, #3 and #2, psyching themselves up. The younger two members took the questions.


The presentation document.


I thought it was mighty surreal to watch our mentor (I didn't take a pic of him) get out of the cab, then to hear him speak in his thick accent. It's like having a piece of Cambridge in Brisbane.

I thought the presentation went well. I felt good presenting the info which the team had gathered for the client. Somehow it reminded me of those presentations I used to make in the public service, and starkly illuminated the difference between.

After a 2.5 hour presentation and discussion, our client presented us with huge goodie bags. He said we were now 'half-Aussies'. =)))


We also had something prepared for him.

We bought 3 bottles of wine, maturing at different times, for him. The first bottle for now. The second bottle for next year when his Melbourne branch is opened. The last bottle for the opening of his first branch in Asia in a few years. =))

Afterwards, we went back to the apartment for a quick change before heading for the celebration dinner at Oyama in Fortitude Valley.


There was just too much food and drinks... I had to stop eating about two thirds through... #5 was sitting on my left. He did some kind of stretching just before the 2nd last course to 'make space' inside of him for more food. I tried the same... But there was no space. =_=

I was wearing the Intero cap found in the goodie bag at dinner.


Teppanyaki at Oyama is highly interactive. The chef laid out the eggs on the hot plate like this, before throwing the egg at the panicky customer who's waiting to catch it with plastic bowl hesitantly.


Afterwards, the chef gathers all eggs from around the table, and got me to help him with the next step?!


I was standing beside #3 when he told me in a serious voice: Whatever I was asked to do, that I should make it's edible. =_=


My job was to cut up the fried egg lah! Easy peasy... But dunno who later told me that it was quite ugly!! =_=


During dinner, the man in yellow was very rowdy. #4 got quite drunk and these two were loudly exclaiming something Americans. Then somehow, some girl from another group starting talking to our client across the teppanyaki bar. She later proceeded to ask #4 if he knew a song which consisted of US state names. In the chaos, #4 started singing the US National Anthem and was interrupted halfway because it's not what the girl had asked for. Before we knew it, the elderly gentleman in dark red stood and got everyone singing and acting to some Austrian song?!!

(I have some video footage of the process, and will upload as soon as I stitch them together but I'm not allowed to upload them. =_=)

It was indeed a bizarre dinner.
A bunch of Cambridge MBAs having dinner with a Brisbane-based company in a Chinese-owned/run Teppanyaki restuarant with customers from all around the world singing and dancing to an Austrian song. What a night!!

After dinner, we walked over to the latest club in Brisbane called Cloudland. Apparently, its renovations cost AUD10million?!! Also read about the history of Cloudland.


Here we were... Immortalised in Brisbane with our client.

#4 is missing from the pic coz he had gone back to the apartment.

To say Cloudland exudes an eclectic charm is an understatement.




Though #2 was visibly tired, we persevered and eventually made it to The Beat to check out the gay and tranny scene for a while before heading back to the apartment.

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

I have learnt a lot through this project.
The business of fit-out, the business of consulting, the business of teamwork...

More significantly, I realise that I've never worked in a small organisation. It's always been in large organisations with thousands of people under the same name. Perhaps it is time to explore such options.

Somehow, the scale of our client's company, his generosity and the warmth of everyone from the company made this project feel like what I'd imagine a home-stay programme would be.

My 3-week cosy home-stay in Australia is ending...
And tomorrow, I'll be back home with my cats.

On Saturday, the boys woke up around 9am+ and went for breakfast, while I took my time and lounged around. Chatted with 'Good Fren'.

Before heading off to DFO, I found this boy band called Fahrenheit or 飞轮海 online.

The second boy from the left is called JIRO!! WAHAHAHA!!


WAHAHAHHAAHA!!! What a silly Ah Beng name!! I like!! =)))

This boy band is the 'brother band' of S.H.E.. While they on the whole look good (at least 3 out of 4 are pleasing to the eye), they, unlike S.H.E, cannot sing for nuts! I was checking out their live performances on Taiwanese variety shows on youtube... WAHAHHAHAAH!! They sound really amateurish! In order to purge my system of lousy music, I ended up youtubeing for Mayday MTVs instead. =)))

Anyway, after a good laugh and a few great Mayday MTVs, I set off on my shopping trip.

This was the first time in a long time that I was driving alone. First time in such a big car. I haven't taken a pic of the car, but I ripped one off the net anyway.

According to #4, it's a beast. I enjoy the moment just before I hop off the car every day, i.e. when my legs are dangling from the car. =)))

I love driving it... Because when I wanna change lanes, the other cars give way. Size does matter! RRROOOOAAAARRRRR!!!

Back to my little shopping trip... So I drove to DFO, near the Brisbane airport, where we lunch at least twice during the work week. Spent around 3 hours there... Bought some stuff for 'Good Fren' and me... Popped over next door to Woolworths and stocked up on juice and fruits. You have no idea how much I miss grocery-shopping with a car. Back in Cambridge, it's grocery-shopping with a bicycle, can?! Very trying, I must say...

Around 5.30pm, I received an sms from #3, informing me that we were to meet up at 6.30pm at the lobby. So I drove back to town and prepared for dinner. We were meant to go for one of the best steaks in town.

I got to the lobby and found the boys were all dressed up in their shirts for fancy steak! They then started walking towards South Bank... Huh?? Aren't we going for steak?? Apparently, no one told me that the steak dinner reservation was placed for 9.30pm?!! I dun get such group dynamics... 'Cultural differences' has become a cliche which I have no choice but to use mockingly.

Ok... So we walked towards South Bank... Some of the boys have not been there.

Here we were... reading menus again...


Looking for a nice pre-dinner drink...


After the first drink, we walked along Little Stanley Street... because we were still too early for dinner... We went for yet another round... =_=


#4 walked into this wine place...


We found lots of glasses...


And bottles of wine... looking like they were sitting in cryogenic cells...



So we learnt that night... The dispenser set up was for wine-tasting. One buys a stored value card from the cashier and so will be able to taste different types of wines by slotting the card in the machine and dispensing 3 different volumes through these machines.


Imagine how much fun we had!!

There is something addictive about pressing a button and catching the wine in a glass. It's like adult slurpee or something. It's so modern! =)))
(Apparently this system was installed at Cuvee at the Tower Club, Singapore. However, I can't find it online.)

After spending at least 45 minutes at the wine place, we headed back to our side of the river. Here's a pic of the boys going up the Goodwill Bridge.


While walking through the Botanics Garden, #3 - #5 started pointing at a trash can and got really excited.


And I found this little guy...

And his friends hanging around...

Finally... After a lot of wine and walking... We got to Cha Cha Char.


We waited (im)patiently for the famous steak.


The famous rib fillet which got #4 and #5 raving for the past couple of weeks.

The thing is... All 5 of us ordered the same steak... Unfortunately, the waiter got our order wrong, served #3 and me T-bones, and insisted that they were the same steaks. =_=

#2 gave me a chunk of his rib fillet. A strong tasting piece of meat. I'm not exactly a steak person, but I can imagine 'Good Fren' enjoying it. Made me miss him more.

The boys ordered 2 bottles of wine to wash down the steak with. I was really stuffed by then. Had problems trying to finish my only glass.

I thought the night was gonna end as we were headed in the direction of the apartment... when the boys stepped into yet another bar. O_o


And ordered more drinks...


I hung around for while, before walking home... alone...

They started yet another long night...
..........................................................................

We were meant to meet up at 11am on Sunday to head for Gold Coast. #4 decided against it, #5 was nursing a hungover, while #3 woke up at 11am. =_=

The weather report said it was gonna be heavy showers in Gold Coast. Regardless, #2, #3 and I headed for Gold Coast, Surfers' Paradise.

After an hour's drive, we got to the world-famous Gold Coast.


It's a surreal sight. Super tall buildings by the beach. It's like Dubai.



#1 & #2


有海市蜃楼的感觉哦!


Horizontal infinity.


A line of surfer-learners marching along the beach with their boards.


We had a late late brunch at the Coffee Club along the pedestrianised Cavill Avenue.



I hopped off the dining table halfway through brunch to catch this hot chick.


We also headed south... just a few kilometres away... to Broadbeach where the atas locals stay...


Penthouses are going for AUD4m. A regular 2 bedroom will set you back by AUD800k. How's that for a piece of Gold Coast and its world-renowned Surfers Paradise?

Looks and feel familiar?

Apart from the weather, this could be in Singapore.

Hanging out with the locals...


It felt vaguely like what I was used to in my younger years...
Must be the salt in the sea breeze...


On the way back to Brisbane, Lucy aka the GPS was acting up. She kept insisting that we ought to turn into the river. Once we avoided crashing into the river, she kept telling us to 'make a turn if possible'. =_=

The weeks have become somewhat of a routine rather quickly.
Human beings like routines. Tend to get lost without them.

6.00am - Wake up

7.20am - Meet at the lobby

7.25am - Drive to office. Wisecracking along the way. To break the monotony of wisecracking, I would try to raise issues that I've come across in the news, or ask personal questions in an attempt to get to know the boys better.

7.50am - Arrive at office + set up lap top

7.55am - Check emails

8.00am+ - Short briefing on to-dos for the day + more wisecracking


I like this picture. It tells a rather accurate story.


Sometimes we get bored and doodle during discussions.


11.40am - "Where are we going for lunch?"
Up till last week, there has been only 2 options, i.e. DFO or Get Grilled. Then, we discovered Ascot (which turned out to be on the way to work anyway =_=)

11.50am - Get into the car, punch the address into the GPS, and head for lunch.


1.00pm - Back from lunch + short briefing before starting work again.

5.00pm+ - Start packing and head home. On the way home, more wisecracking.

Late 5.00pm - While walking from car to lobby, we would agree on when to meet for dinner. Usually #4 would prefer to have a jog or something... We would meet later say 6.30pm/7.00pm for dinner.

6.00pm - I would be in the room. Checking the Cambridge clock. Oh... Too early... 'Good Fren' is not up yet. I'd then put the laundry in the washing machine. Sometimes, take a shower, put the damp laundry in the dryer, before meeting them at the lobby.

7.00pm - Meet at lobby and walk to dinner location.

The default dinner location is called the Beach House where it's self-served food and beer with naturally ventilated seating and live acoustic guitar and some singing.


One evening, we managed to make it to Redcliffe for some fresh seafood at Morgans. It was a really long drive. Like going to JB for seafood.


8.30pm - Dinner is over. Either go buy groceries or go back to apartment directly.

8.45pm - Chat with 'Good Fren' online before passing out... I've been trying to finish reading Roald Dahl's "Tales of the Unexpected", but I usually cannot make it past 1 story per night.

As much as we try to make our life here in Brisbane a routine, surprises kept springing up. There were 3 special events last week.

SPECIAL EVENT (I)

On Monday, #2 and I went to the trade show where we saw all sorts of stuff related to the gaming industry.



SPECIAL EVENT (II)

We had 2 back-to-back SKYPE calls on Friday morning. The first with our client who's away, and the second with our mentor who's in Vancouver. We ran through our work so far and the feedback was tremendous. After getting some external perspectives on our work, the team felt reassured. We still cannot believe that our mentor will be coming to Brisbane for the final presentation. I felt a strange sense of familiarity when I heard his accent on SKYPE.

SPECIAL EVENT (III)

And most surreally, on Friday night, we met our classmate, Scott, on a bar round the corner from the serviced apartment. It was even more surreal then hearing our mentor's accent on SKYPE.

Ok, Scott is an Australian who is currently residing in the UK. His parents and our client's folks are good pals. And Scott told our client about the Global Consulting Project. So when our client agreed to sponsor a project, we got into the picture.

Last Friday, we met Scott at Port Office Hotel, and noticed he had 2 reddish bruises just above the space between his eyebrows. He then told us, while looking at me, that he was in Singapore for the transit when he decided to get a haircut at the transit hotel. Along with the haircut was a head and neck massage. The middle-age auntie apparently got over-zealous during the head massage and left those 2 red marks on his face. He was to attend his sister's wedding in a couple of days. =_=

After the drinks with Scott, we left to seek dinner by walking around the tiny city centre once again.

The main shopping street, i.e. Queens Street Mall, was buzzing with lively activities.


We walked and walked and walked... Even lost one member along the way.

In terms of distance, we must have covered miles, but in terms of displacement, it's probably like 2 inches or something.

Finally, we gave in and settled for a little joint which we walked past earlier.


After dinner, the boys were energised and opted for a showdown at Timeout. This is our 3rd time there.


Somehow we ended up in #5's room for chocolates. I couldn't figure out why on the way, because the team tends to mumble alot.

Upon entering his room, #5 started to tear open a box and revealed this bouquet of roche, chocoloate strawberries, lindt (#3 got very excited coz he is Swiss) etc. We even bought a bottle of champagne to wash it all down. (Which reminds me... Who paid for the champagne? I owe someone money...)

So... Allow me to explain the situation... #5's chick is currently also reading her MBA... But at some other school which I shan't name... Apparently, these 2 young people often send each other flowers and stuff... So this time round, she sent him a bouquet of chocolates/strawberries.

I felt a little weird consuming stuff from his chick though. As I ate the strawberry chocs, I could almost hear the thing say,"This love is not yours!" O_0
Dun ask so much... Just enjoy...

After some time, #2 passed out on the sofa... intoxicated by all that love in the chocs and strawberries... That's when #5 and #3 started to 'attack' #2 with the iron and whatever else they could get their hands on.


Here we witness #2 getting up from his coma.

At that point, I was all ready to go to bed. What's more... It was raining cats and dogs!! But the little boys just wouldn't give up... Just then... #4 called to ask if we were going back to the Port Office Hotel... and we did... =_=

I was so tired... But I went along...

Because I saw that the boys were gunning for a big night, I generously offered them a Tequila Pop each. No one at the Port Office Hotel, including the 4 boys in the team, Scott, his high school friend and the bar tender had any clue what a Tequila Pop was. HUH?? Is it a Singaporean thing then?? How do people party WITHOUT Tequila Pops??

Well... That wasn't gonna stop me. I got the bartender to make 7 of them and gave a demonstration how to consume it. After that, #4 declared that if anyone was to buy him a shot, he would pour it on the floor. #2 was threatening to convulse as he has had bad encounters with it. So... Apparently... Tequila Pops are not too popular...

Anyway... We finally got our act together (group decisions are tough) and started walking out of the Port Office Hotel to make it down the streets. The clubs are only 2 streets away.

That's when it started to rain... SERIOUSLY...
Like biiiiiisssshhhhhhhh... RAIN!

We were stuck between the clubs and the serviced apartment. We would get drenched either way. There is only one way to describe that feeling... KNN...

In the end, the younger boys made a run for it... And one of them slipped and fell... #2 and I watched from across the junction with opened mouths... then waited for 3 more changes of traffic lights before we dashed across the street.
No meaning... I still can't believe I was doing that at my age... It must be peer pressure.

Finally, we made it into this club... I can't even remember its name... It has a huge karaoke lounge on the ground floor and a dance for upstairs... The tiny space reminded me of Madam Wong's back in my uni days. The crowd is rather Madam Wong's-like too... Just replace the Ah Bengs and Ah Bengs with Angmoh Bengs and Lians... with a sprinkling of Asian faces.

Since I was there... I might as well dance... in the only way I know how to... aka... the Ah Lian Zoukette way... I think it shocked the boys a little bit coz they were still talking about it the next day. They even 'analysed' me and decided that I would love to go out for parties, but something was 'holding me back'... Yeah... In short... That something is called AGING... In long... It's a long story which the younger ones would hardly begin to understand till they get older.

The naughty boys get together!!!

If you look at the bottom of the pic, you see that, apart from the fun and alcohol, they are doing the ironing too!

SO CUTE!!!

Miss you all!