Friday December 08, 2006

A week in Singapore

Despite the fact I no longer manage staff in Singapore I was quite happy to agree to attend a meeting there where I was to meet my manager and peers worldwide. We have had these Strategy meetings in the UK and the US and I felt it was important to the lab guys here for us to hold the meeting on their turf. In fact the costs are not much different if we were to meet in the US or UK.

On Sunday a Qantas flight to my second favourite place to work took off after a wet and windy start to the Sunday morning which had given way to brilliant sunshine. During the long twelve hour flight I amused myself with a recent addition to the cd collection Gorillaz G sides and two films the first with Charlotte Rampling in Swimming pool secondly Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley. Both were good films although I thought the actor playing Mr Darcey was a bit wooden. I ought to have slept having a vacant seat next to me offering me more room to stretch my legs - but sleeping during your daylight hours is never easy.

Once at Singapore I took the MRT to my hotel and annoyingly despite having early checkinI had to wait until they found a room. A few hours sleep later and I met up with my US peer to go to the office. After work we went to SunTech city and had dinner at a place near the largest fountain in the world - The Fountain of Wealth. The five buildings of SunTech city are layed out in the shape of a hand and the fountain is the palm. I am a creature of habit here I have Pineapple juice and toast for breakfast and on arrival at the office I buy another can of the stuff usually made by the Lee Pineapple Co PTE Ltd in the shop as you enter the building. This time I was staying in the Swiss 'Otel Stamford rather than my preferred Intercontinental at Bugis. My room on the fifty second floor looked over SunTech city to the right is a DHL Balloon that takes you up so get a good view of the city before returning to ground.

The next three days we had our meeting, Wednesday evening we went to the famous East coast Jumbo seafood place and had the drunken prawns and Peppered crab which were excellent. On the Thursday evening I met up with a friend who I first met in Singapore on my first visit and we had a few beers at the Crazy Elephant, Clarke Key. Before 10pm I left him and wandered back having a fast food dinner to soak up the Tiger Beer. As I neared my hotel I was propositioned for the first time in my life in an area that is not known as a Red light district. I declined the kind offer of a massage.

On my last day I went back to the office and we had a lunchtime meal with the lab guys a thank you meal from me to them for being such great employees - as they still are of course. As their new manager was still in town he came along too, also with an admin who I also first met and got to know on my first visit here who now does lots of other stuff like program management.

Eleven 11pm is my flight home time again I will be using the MRT to the airport. The return flight is to be with with British Airways I hope I am lucky enough to come back for another visit before too long. Thanks everyone.