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!