When one has been in Tokyo for too long... (a Singaporean version)

- one pauses before a trashcan, wondering if it is for Combustible Trash (燃えるゴミ).
- in a train that is 85% full, one wonders if most people have gone out of town.
- one gets irritated when someone's cellphone goes off in the train.
- one gets an inexplicable urge to smack the bugger who actually started to chat loudly on the phone.
- one pays for everything in cash... what's NETS?
- one is taken aback to be addressed as a peer, a little boy, a delinquent son, anything but a lofty, revered customer by store attendants.
- one considers a S$3.50 plate of chicken rice to be sooooo cheeeeeap!
- half a second before biting into a delicious sambal-fried-pomfret, one wonders how the fish would taste like if it was served raw with some soy sauce and wasabi.
- one wonders why the escalators and elevators (nah, lifts) aren't saying anything.
- one thrusts one's hands in front of every public faucet and waits, expecting water to spurt out automatically...

Random thoughts on the MRT

After rushing into a MRT train just before the doors slid shut, I had a funny thought: Would I rather be a Japanese person coming to live in Singapore knowing a little English, or an American guy who knows Spanish (besides English) living in California? Anyway, having not come under the sun for a few months, I stood out like a sore thumb amongst my mostly-tanned countrymen. I swore to get more Vitamin D over the next few weeks. The weather doesn't seem so warm this time. Apparently there was a record cold day last month when temperatures plunged to an icy 21 degrees C! Brrr...

Today I re-did my national identity card--you know, the card that proves one's existence within the man-made geographical boundaries called one's country. How many countries can boast of a civil service who can deliver a new identity card complete with photo, microchip and instant update of a centralized database within 60 minutes? Note: The aforementioned 60 minutes included photo-taking, waiting in a air-conditioned lounge, having a nice chat with the motherly clerk while having my fingerprints scanned and finally waiting in air-conditioned comfort for the new card to be made! Take a bow, Singapore!

Mr Miyagi blogs in the bathroom...

On a flight out of Narita, I happened to read a copy of the Sunday Times. As the plane took off, the view from my window seat was beautiful--the setting sun shone through a thin layer of clouds, casting a warm orange glow over the plane and into the cabin as the 747 climbed steadily. Leaving the Land of the Rising Sun just as the fiery orb was setting, eh? I chuckled at my cheesy little joke.

The Sunday Times had apparently gone through a makeover; it proudly announced on a side column that as a result, sales went through the roof on its first day of launch. I was reminded of Jeffrey Archer's "The Four Estate" and how the media could be used to interpret truth in many ways. No one can accuse the Sunday Times, or any newspaper for that matter, of being impartial, I guess. On the front page, there were the latest English Premier League scores (darn it, Man U looks like they're gonna win it again), Ronald Susilo's and Li Jiawei's unfortunate romance (Oey, just leave them alone okay) and sections on food, cultural events, fanatical bloggers, etc. The writing seemed better from a few years ago. I was amused to read an article about how Singaporean celebrities were supposedly ridiculed by Taiwanese talkshow hosts for having a poor command of English (Is the irony lost on them?!) ! Hahaha!

All these are inspiring me to blog more often... I need to find out how to blog by phone. Anyway, in-flight entertainment's starting soon and I gotta go catch Will Smith in I am Legend. See ya in 7 hours, Changi Airport!

A time of change

The past year has been indeed a year of many changes... things that I wanted to remain in my life longer, hopefully permanently, things that have been almost cornerstones of my existence. Moved to a foreign and fascinating land, lost the girl I loved, quit the job I adored, and eventually found enjoyment in "embracing change", as L said. Moral of the story is that the good old adage, "Change is the only constant." applies. Not having close friends within a train-ride's reach presented new challenges and brought about a rush of gratitude for the creators of Skype :) But things could be much worse so I am thankful for being able to choose my next steps.

I just want to pause, get some water, munch some trail mix and lean against a nearby log for a second, take a look at the trails taken so far and think about the terrain ahead. Being positive and treating everything objectively as a learning experience helps. The murkiest, foggiest swamps with hungry leeches ready to pounce have been traversed. I am confident that better things lie ahead, or at least I gained new energy to hike upcoming trails.

She left a deep, deep wound that I hope will heal eventually; perhaps I'll even understand why but I'll stop asking and wish her the best. After all, we shared many happy times together and I learned quite a bit from this experience. It seems true that guys are often the ones who find it harder to move on. Nary a day goes by without thoughts of her, even dreams of her drifting up from some suppressed memory. Take care of yourself, dear.

In a way, leaving my first company was like parting with one's first love. The week I resigned was a pretty sad one, kind of like going on a long hike, sharing provisions and campfires with a group of strangers who eventually became close friends, and now realizing that there is a fork in the trail ahead which I must take alone. Company politics is one thing I must adapt to but I must never become one of those executives who treat people as pawns. I seriously don't understand people who makes company decisions based on negative emotions and not business reasons. Anyway, this whole exercise gave me renewed passion for technology. Bringing home some textbooks from the office a few nights ago, I started reading "Probability and Stochastic Process for Electrical Engineers" on the train and suddenly felt a return of the thirst for knowledge that was last experienced back in college. Suddenly I was back in Wean Hall, staring wide-eyed at the slides and wondering how to complete that programming assignment :P

Change change change!

Farewell, until we meet again

I remember showing up nervously one fine morning in 2003 for an interview. Prior to that, I was asked to complete a multiple-page pre-interview essay :) You guys bought me breakfast but I barely had any appetite because of all the butterflies in my stomach (lunch too, was the same for that matter). A full day of interviews followed, during which the best part was, of course, the grueling lab. By the end of the day I was physically and mentally exhausted and was quite certain that the other candidates would get the job before I did. Wonders of wonders, I was invited back for a second interview, and man, was I ecstatic to receive your offer email the following week! Embedded systems, the chance to be one of the geeks--what more could a starry-eyed new college graduate ask for?

Since then, I've had the privilege and honor of meeting more of you--all of whom left indelible impressions on me. Good-hearted, salt-of-the-earth engineers / people / role models. I have been so lucky to have met you all. May I take this opportunity to thank you for all that you have taught me over the past few years? What can I say--you have been the best managers, mentors and friends anyone can hope for. To me, our group is the epitome of solid, honest, old-fashioned engineering. No matter how much we complain, we are always ready to dive into the unknown and make things that just work. When the sky falls down, we will be there to keep the machines running and to keep spirits up with our humor. I will sorely miss your Dilbert cartoons, random games, cube-wall comics and all-round quirkiness. You taught me perspective--that it is possible to have fun and work at the same time. You showed me how to treat people the right way and how to meld a chaotic bunch of differing opinions into a synergistic whole. Thank you for supporting our efforts and making sure that we have the resources we needed. Your passion for the work we do never ceases to amaze me, even when the bugs pile up and bitstreams don't meet timing. I will always cherish memories of our picnics, soccer games, hiking and camping trips.

I wish I could say goodbye in person. I wish I could visit that rib place again sometime. I wish I can be there to witness Linux booting on the Nth iteration of one of our boards. A Chinese proverb goes, "There is no never-ending banquet in all the world." Perhaps that just means we will feast again at another table.