Third Time Lucky

Hong Kong and I have a mixed history. The first time I went, it spat exams at me, and when I wasn’t cramming, or in the exams, it just spat at me (rain and more rain). The next time, for a work conference it didn’t spit at me. But, by being a work conference, I was trapped in a Gold Coast Hotel, with just the briefest glances of the warm sunshine outside.

So, I guess, that last month’s trip was Third Time lucky. I finally managed to get out and do something. OK, it was planned that way – not for exams, not for a work conference, just the Dodgess and I going out and having some fun time together.

In many ways I had always thought Hong Kong to be a strange place to go to from Singapore – after all, it is all about a big built-up City, with food and shopping malls with A/C. As opposed to Singapore, which is all about a big, built-up city, with food and shopping malls with A/C.  Before we went we were given a whole list of restaurants to go to, and shopping malls to visit. To which we paid no attention whatsoever.

 

Instead, we headed off to a little arts and craft building, the sort of place they make Chinese instruments. Then off rambling around the islands, which gave us some nice, cool, un-humid fresh air, and some great views. We went exploring around Lantau Island, and a village without a single car – they get around by boats. We took a tour on a boat, which worked well, then went on a self-guided tour which left us with very wet feet, and a 5 minute confrontation with two dogs, who eventually lost interest and we sprinted back. 

Lantau Island has the world's biggest Buddha!

 Main Street - or River in Tai-O

 And we had a nice display from some friendly pink dolphins alongside!

Another day we went up Dragon’s back. This is a brilliant walk, if somewhat obscure – you get dropped off by a bus in the middle of nowhere, and end up at a beach. Then wonder how you are supposed to get back. There are buses, but only a few a day – I think we were lucky to only wait a few minutes.

 A trick of our fancy camera is to take these panoramic shots (not so good for the hard disk space)

For some reason I quite like these 'port-hole' shots.
 

Big Wave Beach. Wonder where it gets its name from??

It was third time lucky for getting up Victoria’s Peak as well. I had tried the first time, but I couldn’t see the Peak (buried in the clouds). Then the second time I didn’t really have the time (ok – I didn’t have it at all). Getting up on the tram is what I imagine getting onto the subway in Tokyo to be like. Unpleasant. The top also feels like a place designed solely to separate one from the contents of a wallet/purse. It need not be, there are some brilliant vantage points that are free, but why do I have to be pushed past those I have to pay for? Still – the views are very good! But, unlike our other travails on this trip, this is one place that you really do not escape the whole madness of HK. 

It all sounds very busy - and it was. We spent very little time in our hotel. I sometimes find it ironic that often when the Dodgess and I stay in nice hotels, we actually spend very little time in the room. So it was here. Our view out over the harbour was a hotel room I could have stayed in for a long time without getting bored (albeit, they don't really compare with the ones from the Peak). We could also have watched the ‘Round the Island’ race as it progressed, and only missed a little bit.

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I remember as a child my father observing that the family opposite had become a two car family. This past week, I’ve observed that the Dodgess and I have become a 4 laptop married couple, both having a work, and a personal laptop.

My work one is the latest addition to the group – given to me in theory because I do a lot of travelling (or at least more than 2 weeks per year) and that I have had to liaise with the USA, and need to do that on their time. This included being awake to respond to any early emails from CA (around midnight here) and also being able to respond to any evening emails from New York (around 6am here). Joyous indeed, as you can imagine.

For the past 6 months or so, I have done rather little other than bidding and Quality Management stuff, other than a tiny little project that took up perhaps 25% of my time over 6 weeks. The last two weeks in particular have been manic: 4 bids in Indonesia, including 450km of coal railways, an airport rail link, and a signalling upgrade study for their whole country. In Singapore, I have managed the design for a D&C contract, and I was also involved in the bid for a feasibility study in Vietnam, and 1000km (?!) of railway in Oman. Interesting stuff... just a challenge to push it out. The next one is a link from Singapore to Johor Bahru in Malaysia... at least that one is not back until next year! (Hang on – that’s not all that long away now!!)

Disorienting Seasons

I don’t like October. When I was at school, it was a long way since the Summer holidays, and a long way until Christmas. At work, it’s a long way between bank holidays, and near the end of the leave year, so you have no spare time to take off. Back in the UK the weather is just meh. By that I mean that it is not a nice Autumn generally, and nor do you get the advantages of Winter, those being the nice crisp mornings, with frost or snow, and a very pretty scene out of the window. Generally, October is grey, in the UK, literally, in more southern places metaphorically.

 Ambivalent grey weather is not something that is a problem here. There is no doubt what the weather is feeling over here. Take the last two days – both started nicely, but by mid-Afternoon there were the most epic thunderstorms, combined with biblical rain. By the evening, it was back to the clear skies and balmy evenings.

Of course, now it isn’t actually October anymore. And the shops over here are somewhat similar to those in the UK. Now that Halloween is over, they fill the space vacated by the witches outfits, by Christmas stuff.

Now this is really quite disorienting for me. So, in the UK, I would feel a little Christmasy by dint of being cold. Having been cold we can warm up by doing Christmasy things, like drinking mulled wine, sitting by open fires, eating roasted meats. Over here, I’m still wearing shorts whenever I can.

Tired......

You’ll have to forgive the tardiness of this post. The reason is primarily due to work – and the manicness of the past few weeks. Take last week – I was on a training course Monday and Tuesday, on Wednesday I had a full day quality management review, which continued into Thursday morning, then I had three meetings and a presentation on Thursday afternoon and Friday. I also prepared a tender in overtime. In the past month I have worked on two projects in Vietnam, three in Singapore, and one in Jakarta, and worked on proposals in Nepal, Oman and the rest of Indonesia. I think we can all agree that I’ve been busy. The Dodgess, has equally been busy, if not more so trying to cram a lot of music administration support into what time exists around what is a rather full time job. 

The result is that I have almost nothing of real excitement to talk about. Or perhaps I’m just too tired to think about writing anything much.

We are still in the process of sorting out our flat. We have made some progress – we have a bit more furniture after this afternoon, including some seats, and some more countertop in the kitchen. We still have one disgraceful room that I daresay we will try and sort out before the family arrive in a couple of months time. We may even have somewhere for them to sleep!

One of the things that needs to be sorted in the disgrace room are CDs. Friends of mine have recently spoke lovingly about combining her CD collection with her husband’s – about how fun it was to see what had become a joint collection get built from the individual versions.

Whilst it is exciting to think about a joint collection, organising and sorting it, is not such a prospect. Yes - we have loads of CDs. But they are in a mess. Mine have no boxes (ok – they do, but they are in the UK). The Dodgess’ have boxes, well some of them do. Other boxes exist without the CD. A result of trailing the box-free around the world as a student. I have already spent a few hours sorting them, with only some success, and I guess a few more hours is required. This is before I perhaps think about getting the boxes for my CD over, and reuniting some of them.

We have a few days in Hong Kong coming up – hopefully that we re-charge our batteries. We decided that we should go there because although I’ve been twice, I’ve never really been outside of hotels. I think I ought to get out!

Best laid plans

Mid afternoon on Thursday, I was beginning to ponder how I could spend my weekend. Perhaps I could make some ice cream. Oh how things had changed by Friday evening. By mid-afternoon we had been called to a tender interview on Tuesday morning - a little harsh from the timing perspective. But then, as the Dodgess would say, "What to do?". Soon after my Saturday morning was consumed with the compilation of the presentation with our client.


So I stayed late on Thursday, so that we could spend our Friday afternoon reviewing them before Saturday. Except that I spent Saturday afternoon poking my nose around another potential project instead. This one has a whole 4 weeks until its completion. So now I think that I will spend my Saturday morning putting them together, my Saturday afternoon changing them, and then Sunday looking through this new job.

In other work news, well, I have somehow ended up as AECOM Singapore's Quality Manager. Not sure this was entirely my intention - but we will see where it goes. My work in Vietnam, which has been more or less on hold since my manic 3 trips there in 5 weeks in June, has resurfaced, so I guess that I will be back in Vietnam in November.


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Perhaps I notice them because the Singapore Grand Prix was but 3 weeks ago, but I have to say that our new neighbourhood certainly has its fair share of 'super' cars. For example, this morning I was passed by a Porshe, on my way to get on the bus. Then by a Masaratti Quattro Porta. And then a not too unsubtle Lambourghini sailed passed. All within 3 minutes. Of course that doesn't take into account the Ferrari that sits at the end of the row of houses opposite mine. 


Ah well - we don't really live on Singapore's millionaires row, not really even the number 2 place. But such cars are the consequence of living in a neighbourhood with so many traditional houses. (Incidentally, that's not we have at all - we have a 3 bed flat)


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Anyway, it's Friday night, getting quite late, and I need to go and eat. So until I next find the time......
 

A tale of two concerts

So this week, with work not ridiculous, and life mostly under control (thanks in part to a hired cleaner) I have been to two concerts memorable for completely different reasons.

The Vienna Boys' Choir is, in fact, four boys' choirs, which for a couple of months a year are distributed onto different corners of the world to sing, and one of these choirs, made their way to Singapore.

The choir is mightily impressive - the boys have learned, by heart, their whole programme, which ranges from Motets, to modern music, and even Michael Jackson. They stand in two neatly organised rows, either side of a piano, and all face their music director. Every so often, one of them will turn around and quietly and efficiently turn the pianist's page.

The pieces that came off best were the more fun ones, which the boys enjoyed. Tritsh Tratsh Polka, a vituousic arrangement of Strauss' original was brilliant, and an Alphabet Polka, again a Strauss arrangement was memorable both for its music, and the choristers holding up the letters that they sang one by one, through the alphabet. The whole thing was rendered humerous by an upside down E.

It didn't all work - a modern piece called ottos mops, was as strange as it sounds. The small choir of 23 also didn't always manage to fill the vast Esplanade Concert Hall. O Fortuna worked less for the power that it is usually known for, but more because of the added percussion - choristers tapping or stamping. And, the first half of each half was somewhat flat. Perhaps it was the hall - hardly the most intimate of concert halls with some a small group. An emcee would have helped keep the audience involved - most works were a few minutes - somewhat fragmented, and perhaps meant that the first attempts to get the audience involved towards the end of the second half, would have been slightly less cringe inducing.

Nonetheless, the music was memorable, and the ability of the choristors was great, and by the end, they did get the audience involved, and happy - and responded with a whole suite of encores.

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The other concert was always going to be a more challenging listen. Entitled 'The Birds' the first half of the concert was dedicated to music about our feathered friends. I can't really tell you about the first piece, a second performance of 'Bird Songs' by Robert Casteels. The reason isn't that yours truly was late, but they didn't sell tickets on the door. The result was that 20 or so people stood outside for the first piece, only to be let in free after the opener - to sit in a hall that was perhaps 1/3 full.

I had just about forgiven the organisers this by the end of the first half. A small song by Ravel was pretty, but somewhat unremarkable, Messiaen's Le Merle Noir, a virtuosic flute and piano piece gave me a new admiration for both the instrument and composer. Somewhat surprisingly for a concert about birds, Lark Ascending was absent, but Vaughan Williams was present, by way of Flos Campi - perhaps not his most inventive, but lovingly played nonetheless. The highlight of the half was a sixteenth century song by Janequin, probably 200 years before its time, and a joyous discovery.

I may be wrong, but I doubt the two world premieres of the second half will be noted in concert reviews of the future as being ahead of their time. I doubt they will even feature. Both were electromusic experiences, making use of the iPad. The first a portrait of financial meltdown, with some random commentary on the crisis, spoken over a computer. Ok - I get that the composer wants to be topical - Financial crisis, tick, iPad, tick. But the electromusical aspects were dreadful. Really pointless. Fighting against the tide was a string quartet, which did actually have a little bit of musical interest.  The composition was a joint effort between Casteels, and Seah Huan Yuh - my guess is Casteels did the string quartet.

Ok. So this was not a great start to the second half. The end was probably the most cringe-worthy quarter hour of music I've sat through. I have, on occasion been embarassed on stage. Once or twice perhaps in the audience too. But if I'd been on stage for this, I think that I'd want my name removed from the programme so bad was the final piece, also by Seah and Casteels.

In fact, it was more like 20 mins of music. As the orchestra processed on they were already playing - or rather plucking an f... something they presumably did to distract from the setting up of the iPads. But that went wrong - so they faffed around endlessly trying to sort out the leads. It was painful. Sadly they got the computers set up - pity. It meant that we had to listen to the rest of the piece. A 'concertante' for iPad and harp, the poor harpist called the string players to come an improvise on the iPad. The iPad sounded like breaking glass - perhaps it was a recording of a rehearsal when the orchestra could have slung the iPads around the room? No - definitely not. We were told at the start that this was the first run-through. Why, then, deprive me of my wife for 3 evenings of rehearsals? The music went nowhere, just veered from cringeworthy to bury your head in shame. Ok - so the players moved around the stage, but it had no relevance to the music - it was just faff. For an example of how to move around the stage properly, look at the Vienna Boys' Choir who processed on singing some Lechner, and then only moved around to add to the music.

Fail. Epic. Fail.

Of course, these two pieces are a great sadness, that such music can make it to the public ear. If I did an engineering report with a similar quality, it would get nowhere near a client! The sadness is the first half was worth it, it would probably have been even better if they had let me listen to the whole of it.

A (very) musical family

I guess that most families have an occupation that most of the family go into. For example, my uncle Jim is an architect, as is his eldest son, and his brother and wife (ok, the last two stretch the point in being landscape architects - but close enough).

And those of you who have suffered my company for long enough to learn about my family will know that I am unique in not being an academic (ok - so my elder brother isn't actually employed in a university, but he does have a PhD from Cambridge). Mind you, with an alphabet soup expanding to MEng (Hons) CEng MICE MIEAust, I don't feel all that left out when it comes to letters after my name.

Another such family would be the Lim family, whose Generation Y has returned (with one exception) from various music degrees in various corners of the world. The Dodgess and I are unaware of a GYL who hasn't followed in the evergreen Lim Yau's (father to two of GYL) in becoming a professional musician. Even their spouses or boy/girl friends are musicians. And they are all distinctly on the over-achieving side.

Lim Chun, for example, is a violist. His CV includes the viola solo for Strauss' Don Quixote - the cellist - a Yo Yo Ma - you may have heard of him. Lim Yan is a pianist whose ability is enough to play all the Beethoven concertos, spread over 3 concerts in 3 days (I'll let you know how it goes next year). Veda Lin was appointed Principal Oboe of an orchestra in Madeira, Sub-Principal for one in Kuala Lumpur, and a guest of one in Germany. As I said, on the over-achieving side.

GYL decided to put on a reunion concert last month - it was so popular they sold the Esplanade Recital Studio out twice. And they followed up with a Mozart Recital last night.

The fact I preferred the reunion is more a reflection of the quality of that night, and that there was more variety of music. Lim Yan and his wife fought over a piano in Poulenc's Sonata for Four Hands - probably one of the (deliberately) funniest performances ever. At the Mozart they played another 4 hand sonata, and whilst the music was good, I was more taken with the contrast between the couple's styles - she was very prim and proper, a perfect posture, with her back a text book S, and not a hair out of place. He was kind of slumped over the piano, and is the kind of gent who buy black trainers to avoid the awkward situation of having forgotten his black shoes for a concert.

Similarly Veda Lin's oboe playing. In the reunion there was a startling piece of Jazz (introduced in the programme as a 'rare opportunity for oboeists to feel extra cool'). A revelatory piece in every way. In the Mozart, whilst the playing was as dignified controlled as ever, it was somehow restrained. 

And the Mozart didn't have the contrast - the Reunion also featured some Bach, with programme notes that are perhaps only trumped by the Dodgess' own notes in their love of musicology. The Mozart had two pieces by Beethoven, but whilst a nice performance, it wasn't played with quite the same smile as Beethoven's Eyeglass Duet in the Reunion.


I have at times heard it said by families who do things together that the remarkable thing is not so much the quality, but the fact that they still do things together at all. With the GYL, the same is true - with such quality, their talents are in demand all around the world. Yet they choose to do things together here in Singapore; they choose to play in their father's (or uncle's) orchestra, put on concerts such as last night's Mozart and last month's reunion, and in doing so, vastly improve the musical life of the likes of me!

One year on

It's not all that often that I can tell you exactly what I was doing a year ago. I've never had that great a memory... however, precisely 365 days ago I can tell you that, at this moment, me and my wife of 5 hours were having a quick afternoon nap. I mean, if falling asleep at a dinner table is not the done thing, then falling asleep at your own wedding dinner must be a significant etiquette fail.

It has been a pretty busy year - we went back to Europe and then the US to re-celebrate our wedding Had Christmas and the new years (Engligh and Chinese) in Singapore. Bought a home, and almost all of the furniture that it requires. The Dodgess has started a new job. So not the quietest year imaginable.

We've continued with things that we have done since we started dating 6 over six years ago - things like playing in orchestras together, and enjoying exploing the world - in addition to our 3 weeks 3 country honeymoon, we hav been to Malaysia twice, and by the end of the year will have also been Hong Kong and Thailand together. And we have added some new little hobbies - we like going for walks along the beach (ok - who doesn't? but we do make the most of having a beach nearby). The Dodgess has started to swim - not something she could do at all before we met. 

All in all then, it's been a pretty good year. I'm sure that the next years to come will also be great :)

An abnormal week

Once the Dodgess reaches home tonight, the two of us will go for a quick swim before dinner. It will be the fourth time this week that we have had dinner at home - not only that, it will be the fourth time that we will have eaten together this week. Trust me - this is abnormal. I think that in the previous month, we probably cooked and ate at home perhaps 4 times in total. We are completely helpless when supermarket shopping - you forget how to plan meals when you always eat out.


To be honest, such a week has been long overdue. More typical, was last week. I was in Saigon by 7pm on Monday, where I stayed for two days. I came back just about in time for the dress rehearsal of Petrushka, the day after was the concert.

The latest in the TPO's series of Stravinsky's Ballet Russes '100 years later' playing Petrushka completed the set for me and the Dodgess, having both done the Firebird last year, and Rite of Spring at Univeristy. As with the Firebird, this was an educational concert. I get the feeling if it were tried in the UK it would feel pretty poor, but it works better out here. Or perhaps TPO is just lucky with its presenter.

Anyway, I enjoyed playing Petrushka. It is a nice cross between the Firebird, and the Rite of Spring. I think the orchestra played reasonably - the review (never the most acidic in Singapore) was relatively glowing. 

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One of the critical items in any business travel bag is a book. Not only for those annoying hours waiting and on planes, but a book is second only to human company at the dinner table, and preferable to room service! For this trip to Vietnam I chose Too Good to Be True; a book that chronicles Bernie Madoff, he of the $64 billion fraud. 

I suppose, on the basis that I finished the book, it is not the worst book that I have read. There are several that I've just given up on. However, with the exception of Da Vinci Code (which is quite honestly, the most shocking waste of a forest ever committed) it is the most disappointing book that I have finished. 

My overall impression is one of laziness. Like a journalist has cobbled together their articles on Madoff, called it a book, and sent it to be published. The publisher hasn't bothered to read it, or if they have, certainly hasn't got a decent copy editor. Some facts are repeated about 5 times within a page. Sometimes within a paragraph.

Also, the whole book missed the point. There was, for example, no cash flow or balance analysis of the last few months - when did the whole thing fall to bits? There is an allegation that the true mastermind was not actually Madoff. This could have been interesting - but clearly wasn't - I can't remember who he alleges was the mastermind. And it took up about half a page, perhaps 0.25% of the book. Oh dear. (Incidentally, for a decent book about a financial scandal, try The Smartest Guys in the Room, by Bethany McClean).


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I have never, I suppose, been a traditional design engineer. By that, I mean that I have spent a minimal amount of time working out how big things have to be to make bridges stand up. I spend my time doing design reviews, and working on engineering studies - fire engineering, vibration, risk management, and some company stuff such as bidding for work and most recently, quality management. 


This is, in principle, ok. I mean, to be honest I don't love working out how big things needs to be. However, working in a group where design experience is key, is spending most of my time not designing really ideal? 


I always used to think being in a niche was a great thing to be, but it needs to be a niche that can be expanded - lets hope that this one still can be.

On IKEA

I have good memories of IKEA in Birmingham. Wandering around deciding what to buy for my home 15 miles away, then trying to squeeze all the furniture into my little Fiesta - on one memorable occasion I remember looking in the rear view mirror and seeing the Dodgess' legs around her ears. There was a little cafe there too where you could get Sweedish interpretation of fast food - nice enough, but merely something to fill the bread basket if you get hungry.

So you can imagine, with an IKEA but a few miles away from my new home in Singapore, we were looking forwards to a similar experience. Alas, not so much the case. Whilst the IKEA on the M6 could be busy, it was always pretty ok. Here, in Tampines, it's fairly ridiculous. Too many small people (no - not Asians - toddlers) who simply disappear beneath by ankles. It never struck me that IKEA could be a 'family entertainment' destination, but it is here. There are more children in the youngsters furniture area than a typical paediatricians.

Then the cafe. Ok - the meatballs have an appeal similar to McDonalds - lots of things that aren't very good for you. The chicken wings are a sort of Swedish version of KFC. My point is, it's not somewhere I would travel to. But some people here do. For example, a 3 generational meal out at the table next to us - 7 people, each having 3 courses. THREE COURSES? Seriously.

I whinged about this to my fellow whinger, a Mrs AAA (those really are her initials, at least the first 3 of them). Normally she has an equal cynicism as myself. However on this occasion she let me down disasterously - the previous evening she had gone, with her husband and daughter, to IKEA for dinner! Seriously? She did at least admit it was a poor choice for a dinner with her friends. 

So, with the cafe experience somewhat ruined, and the whole place full of toddlers who I end up kicking at least the furniture is left. Except half the time it isn't. The passed two trips we haven't been able to buy what we want as they are out of stock. Ok, so we still have the fun of fitting everything into the car. Except that I don't have a car anymore, and since we can't load up taxis in the same way, we have to get things delivered. So no more seeing the Dodgess with her legs around her ears. Pity.


Still, there is always the fun of trying to work out how to put the furniture together. Except that we don't have time. We really don't. So we pay someone else to do it. It's only 6% of the purchase price - probably less than the tools that I would buy to do it. So why not?


Nonetheless, in the space of a month, we have more or less finished 3 rooms. We still need a little more furniture. I love our dining table - not from IKEA, but rather made by Ex Cons. Hopefully we will soon find some new kitchen furniture and clear out our middle bedroom.


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The Dodgess has now started a full time job with a top school in Singapore. After 18 months of running around like a lunatic, she has settled into a job where she probably still runs around like a lunatic, just school wide, rather than Island-wide.


So far she seems to be enjoying it all - perhaps apart from the early mornings. Still - she has a fabulous alarm clock, even if I say so myself!