So 2010 is ending. It's been a busy year. It started in snow, and within a week I'd moved to Singapore, and 3 days later started a new job. Within 2 months I had a new flat. That's probably enough for most years, but this year I also decided I would sit for chartered engineer status - weeks of preparation, and a weekend of exams. And 2 weeks after that I got married, then held a second reception 2 months after that. Not bad work.
So my aim for 2011 is not to undo all my good work of 2010.
Having been in Singapore for almost a year I have to admit that I rarely miss the UK. The big exception is friends. One of the very strange things is that on a typical day, the only person who I see who has known me for more than a year is my wife; this can be a strange feeling. Still, having no history can be an advantage. (And this is just a little harsh - there are quite a few Singaporeans whom I made friends with when they were in the UK).
In many ways engineering life out here is pretty similar to the UK - we use the same codes, we worry about the same sort of things. I stay far more in the same place - in fact, there hasn't been a work day when I haven't been in the office at some point. This has meant a lot less time in cars which has got to be a good thing.
I think that Singapore is gnenerally happier than the UK that I left. This is not quite a sad a reflection on the UK as it may seem - Singapore is a very nice place to live. Part of this is that Singapore hasn't slowed down economically - people are mostly in work. There is not news each week of another corporate disaster, and people are looking forwards hopefully rather than with dread. Then there is the weather - being cold is far worse than being hot. It only takes me a few minutes to cool down after over heating. Warming up takes far longer, and can be very hard to achieve if you don't want to spend a fortune on gas.
The Dodgess and I really loved both the Singaporean and UK weddings - we had a great time at each. The other day I'd had a bad day at work... by the time that I left I was fuming. I had a couple of hours to let this brew, and then I had decided that I would lease off all my frustration at the Dodgess. As soon as I saw her, all my problems were gone... and work was not a problem... that's why I married her.
Professionally, I passed my chartership exams. I thought doing them in Hong Kong, would be great. It wasn't. The only time the weather was nice was when I was in the exams. Which led to hours spent in an unmemorable hotel room. Possibly not a bad thing. I hear from a most reliable source (the Dodgess) that Hong Kong can be great, and I think that I will probably go there again next year to find out. Still, I'd far rather have had a poor weekend and passed, than have to sit the thing again!
So looking back - I did alot in 2010. As I said above, I really hope that I don't undo all that good in 2011. Looking forwards, in 2011 I hope to have some new and exciting projects at work and I hope we can do a little more exploring of Asia. And, within 12 days, there will be more than just my wife who I will have known for more than 1 year over here :)
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Christmas Time
A year ago I had a white Christmas. I think it was even by the Met Office's description a white Christmas - which is to say snow actually fell on me. The day started in Birmingham, and the Dodgess and I drove to Cambridge, and we had a traditional family Christmas meal, inasmuch as anything that we do is particularly traditional. Still, it contained roast meat, roast potatoes, wine, crackers, and a traditional English pudding with brandy set into blue flames.
This year, all a little different. For a start, lets look at the temp - last year about 32F, this year still 32, but C. So I've spent pretty much the entire day in shorts and a t-shirt. It was white at times, but only because the rain was so heavy. As for the food, well, not quite the same. Our Christmas dinner was sausages, with cabbage, and potato gratin. A strangely Germanic lunch given those present: from Singapore, France, Singapore and me, from either side of the Atlantic depending on whether England or USA is doing better at sport. Perhaps the Germanic influence is a nod to my maternal ancestry?
Having opened some presents, we then went for a walk along the beach. We had a couple of cameras to play with - the Dodgess had our latest. I had my first camera, circa 1990, which doesn't even require a battery to operate. In fact, all it does it take photos with a 35mm lens. But, it does seem still to be working.
Dinner was effectively from a hawker centre, albeit a rather posher one. A seafood platter consisting of sea bass, chilli crab (the first time I've had the Singaporean speciality here) and clams. Served with the smell of sea water nearby too!
So it's been a good Christmas nice and relaxed. Nice and happy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas dinner was the second time that the Dodgess and I had eaten fish this week. The first was a complete disaster. Wanting a late dinner, but something more than a gobble down takeaway or hawker food, we opted for Fish and Co. Why? Well, we had eaten a couple of really nice meals with them previously this year, so why not?
Well, they had changed the menu this time. Taking off some of the more varied dishes, and offering instead 6 choices of fish and chips from 'around the world'. Seeminly, all they do is add a different cheese to the fish. Err... Sorry? Cheese? with Fish and Chips.
Now, I'm British (at least today I am, maybe after the ashes re-start I'll reconsider and become American). Being British, I have been exposed to a vast array of fish and chip shops. Not one has ever offered me cheese with fish. It had to be tried, if only for the same reason people stare at crashed cars. The Dodgess didn't fancy the cheese, so opted for the Pollock version. This was off, so back to the cod then.
My 'Japanese' version, served with some pathetic watery soy sauce (why??? it's vile with the batter - use vinegar!) also had that most Japanese cheese of mozarella stuffed inside. So, a British dish, served with Italian cheese, and called Japanese due to the presence of soy sauce and some seaweed?
On tasting, I discovered why I've never been offered cheese within battered fish. It's dreadful. The cheese only detracted from the flavour of the fish. It sort of leached it away without adding any flavour itself -- just the texture of slightly spongy rubber. FAIL
Still, at least my fish was cooked. The Dodgess's (and lets not forget that her first choice had run out) was not even that. Raw, progressing to frozen in the middle. As time was late we suggested they just abandon serving the Dodgess, and we'd get something on the way back for her. They insisted that a new portion would be ready within 3 minutes. It came 8 minutes later as I finished. So we packed it - then they gave us the bill, which included not only the Pollock (more expensive than the cod), but a service charge too - what for, pray tell???
Eventually, we took the cod home for free, but if they had really wanted to fix things, it wouldn't have been on the bill in the first place. Never again methinks, it was a truly hateful meal (company excepted, which was, as always, fabulous, even if a little hungry!)
This year, all a little different. For a start, lets look at the temp - last year about 32F, this year still 32, but C. So I've spent pretty much the entire day in shorts and a t-shirt. It was white at times, but only because the rain was so heavy. As for the food, well, not quite the same. Our Christmas dinner was sausages, with cabbage, and potato gratin. A strangely Germanic lunch given those present: from Singapore, France, Singapore and me, from either side of the Atlantic depending on whether England or USA is doing better at sport. Perhaps the Germanic influence is a nod to my maternal ancestry?
Having opened some presents, we then went for a walk along the beach. We had a couple of cameras to play with - the Dodgess had our latest. I had my first camera, circa 1990, which doesn't even require a battery to operate. In fact, all it does it take photos with a 35mm lens. But, it does seem still to be working.
Dinner was effectively from a hawker centre, albeit a rather posher one. A seafood platter consisting of sea bass, chilli crab (the first time I've had the Singaporean speciality here) and clams. Served with the smell of sea water nearby too!
So it's been a good Christmas nice and relaxed. Nice and happy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas dinner was the second time that the Dodgess and I had eaten fish this week. The first was a complete disaster. Wanting a late dinner, but something more than a gobble down takeaway or hawker food, we opted for Fish and Co. Why? Well, we had eaten a couple of really nice meals with them previously this year, so why not?
Well, they had changed the menu this time. Taking off some of the more varied dishes, and offering instead 6 choices of fish and chips from 'around the world'. Seeminly, all they do is add a different cheese to the fish. Err... Sorry? Cheese? with Fish and Chips.
Now, I'm British (at least today I am, maybe after the ashes re-start I'll reconsider and become American). Being British, I have been exposed to a vast array of fish and chip shops. Not one has ever offered me cheese with fish. It had to be tried, if only for the same reason people stare at crashed cars. The Dodgess didn't fancy the cheese, so opted for the Pollock version. This was off, so back to the cod then.
My 'Japanese' version, served with some pathetic watery soy sauce (why??? it's vile with the batter - use vinegar!) also had that most Japanese cheese of mozarella stuffed inside. So, a British dish, served with Italian cheese, and called Japanese due to the presence of soy sauce and some seaweed?
On tasting, I discovered why I've never been offered cheese within battered fish. It's dreadful. The cheese only detracted from the flavour of the fish. It sort of leached it away without adding any flavour itself -- just the texture of slightly spongy rubber. FAIL
Still, at least my fish was cooked. The Dodgess's (and lets not forget that her first choice had run out) was not even that. Raw, progressing to frozen in the middle. As time was late we suggested they just abandon serving the Dodgess, and we'd get something on the way back for her. They insisted that a new portion would be ready within 3 minutes. It came 8 minutes later as I finished. So we packed it - then they gave us the bill, which included not only the Pollock (more expensive than the cod), but a service charge too - what for, pray tell???
Eventually, we took the cod home for free, but if they had really wanted to fix things, it wouldn't have been on the bill in the first place. Never again methinks, it was a truly hateful meal (company excepted, which was, as always, fabulous, even if a little hungry!)
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Becoming Chartered
If you are to believe it, then I have been an amateur engineer until now. See, whilst everyone knows that it takes 7 years to become a doctor, and 7 years to become an architect, they don't realise the same is true of engineers. We, having spent 4 years racking up debts at university, then have to work for another 3, 4, or more years to prove our competence.
It is possible that you remember reading a post about a trip to Hong Kong - it really wasn't an enjoyable trip overall, however the main aim was achieved. I passed my Chartership exams.
That doesn't really do justice to the achievement. I PASSED MY CHARTERSHIP EXAMS.
That doesn't either, if I'm honest: I PASSED MY CHARTERSHIP EXAMS.
Now that... is better.
It's very hard to know how you have done in the chartership exams. They are rather like a driving test. They test what you can do, and judge it against a set of criteria, as opposed to a uni exam where they test you to, frankly, break.
So, having submitted two reports about my work, I turned up on the only nice day of my 3 in HK, and had a 15 minute presentation and 1 hour interview about my work. It was knackering. Then, on the Monday, I wrote about health and safety for 2 hours. 6 hours after I finished I was on my plane home.
And then I waited. Forgot about the whole thing whilst I got married. Waited a bit more, forgot about the whole thing whilst I got married again (well, held a second wedding reception), then figured I'd just been forgot. See, it never takes 3 months for exam results to come out.
The Institution of Civil Engineers, of which I am now officially a member, does not make a large song and dance of this. A letter attached to an email just lets me know I have to pay a bit more in fees. But still - it's nice. It's very good to have passed, and it should help me go forwards.
Of course, what Chartership really is, is a mark of ability. A symbol that you are trusted by the Engineering Community. A mark of respect. Something which employers value highly. That employers reward.
At least that is what it is in the UK. Or, rather more correctly, was, in the UK. Not so much any more I would suggest. Over here it means little more than diddly squat. They have their own exams, their own system - which takes a few years, and a few exams...
It is possible that you remember reading a post about a trip to Hong Kong - it really wasn't an enjoyable trip overall, however the main aim was achieved. I passed my Chartership exams.
That doesn't really do justice to the achievement. I PASSED MY CHARTERSHIP EXAMS.
That doesn't either, if I'm honest: I PASSED MY CHARTERSHIP EXAMS.
Now that... is better.
It's very hard to know how you have done in the chartership exams. They are rather like a driving test. They test what you can do, and judge it against a set of criteria, as opposed to a uni exam where they test you to, frankly, break.
So, having submitted two reports about my work, I turned up on the only nice day of my 3 in HK, and had a 15 minute presentation and 1 hour interview about my work. It was knackering. Then, on the Monday, I wrote about health and safety for 2 hours. 6 hours after I finished I was on my plane home.
And then I waited. Forgot about the whole thing whilst I got married. Waited a bit more, forgot about the whole thing whilst I got married again (well, held a second wedding reception), then figured I'd just been forgot. See, it never takes 3 months for exam results to come out.
The Institution of Civil Engineers, of which I am now officially a member, does not make a large song and dance of this. A letter attached to an email just lets me know I have to pay a bit more in fees. But still - it's nice. It's very good to have passed, and it should help me go forwards.
Of course, what Chartership really is, is a mark of ability. A symbol that you are trusted by the Engineering Community. A mark of respect. Something which employers value highly. That employers reward.
At least that is what it is in the UK. Or, rather more correctly, was, in the UK. Not so much any more I would suggest. Over here it means little more than diddly squat. They have their own exams, their own system - which takes a few years, and a few exams...
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