One month assignment to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

In mid-Nov'13, I was told by my boss that I would be posted to the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) office for a month to stand-in for the office manager, who was to go on leave throughout December. I was initially upset with this piece of news - I would have to forego Christmas with friends and family in Singapore to man the Vietnam office; and it appeared likely that my assignment to the New Zealand office in the first quarter of 2014 would similarly prevent me from celebrating Chinese New Year with my dear ones.

Despite arriving in HCMC with a heavy heart, I made efforts to settle in quick. The daylight hours were spent in the office, learning the ropes of how to manage a satellite office; and most nights were spent with William, one of my ex-colleagues stationed with HCMC with one of the Big Four accounting firms. William had been a wonderful host, taking me to his favourite bars and restaurants in HCMC, and I swiftly discovered the food and cultural diversity amongst the organized chaos of motorcycles, taxis, shopping malls, tall office buildings, and little alleyways.

I first came to HCMC in 2010 for a three-day management conference. I had a little taste of the local and french cuisine, and made time to visit the Cu Chi tunnels, Cao Dai temple and Mekong delta tour. To be honest, I was not impressed during this virgin trip. I found the traffic situation chaotic, the distances between landmarks too far for walking, and the highlights did not give me that "Wow" factor I so enjoyed throughout my travels to other cities.

On this second visit in 2013, William turned my impression of this city 180 degrees. There was always a cafe around the corner, excellent bars/restaurants at a fraction of the cost of Singapore, and nightlife options aplenty. In one month, I had tasted authentic Vietnamese, French, Singaporean, Indian, Middle Eastern, American cuisine. And did I mention the best streetside breakfast of baguettes each morning!

Lesson learnt:

As a traveller, my focus was to see as many highlights within the short duration to maximise experiences, whereas as an expat living in a foreign land, the focus would be on quality of life.

HCMC has proven that despite its stigma of being a developing South-East Asian city with chaotic traffic, this city is constantly sprouting up little surprises to keep foreigners entertained whilst still retaining strong local traditions and culture.

Work-Related Travel Beckons - and my first set of wheels

6 September 2013

It has been a few months since my boss mentioned that I was to be posted overseas to take a field office admin & accounting manager position, and in these months living in Singapore, I assessed what I had - a decent job; a small but great apartment; good friends; and I even picked up a number of new skills (cooking and bottle-cutting(!)).

I obtained my driver's license in 2000 and had less than 20 opportunities to drive a car over the past 13 years in Singapore. I have incessently bitched about the prices of cars in Singapore, though I did get by with the public transport system. I presumed the lack of a car reflected a lower social status and a key reason why I remained single. I shall not share my views on materialism and the Singapore girl.

My Aberdeen experience provided me much needed driving practice, and since those 4 weeks and 1,100 miles covered in June 2013, the seed of owning a vehicle had been planted in my mind.

The evening of 6 September 2013marked another milestone in the fulfilment of the material-based Singapore dream. I BOUGHT A CAR. A second-hand Fiat Grande Punto. Despite the ridiculously high prices, the dodgy car dealer, the free rides my friends have been providing me all my life thus far, and more importantly, the fact my boss told me in confidence that I will be posted overseas for a long term assignment within 2 months from 6 September.

Impulsive but necessary. That's how I felt. I was not going to let a few words from my superior determine my lifestyle. After all, the messaege was only verbally communicated and nothing had been presented to me in writing.

It has been less than a week since I collected the vehicle - there are loose parts vibrating at startup, the car has transmission issues on occassion, and I am threatening to take legal action against the dodgy car dealer. But my life has changed. I feel empowered. I can go anywhere, meet anyone, fetch a friend, at anytime. My only limitation would be to drink less alcohol to stay out of trouble with the law.

And then this posting to New Zealand kicks in. New Plymouth to be exact. Population 50,000. 4 hours away frrom the nearest major airport. At least a year or two away from my friends, family, apartment, and now my very own new used car.

FML.

Thoughts on Home

It was a sunny Friday afternoon. I had knocked off at noon, and drove to Stonehaven hoping to catch pictures of Dunnottar Castle in the afternoon sun. The sun was not to last though, as fog overcame the town within minutes of my arrival, which was followed by storm clouds, then rain.

Whilst waiting for the rain to subside, I had lunch at the Marine Hotel bar, one of the oldest establishments at the Stonehaven harbour, and it was with great fortune that an elderly man and his son of 40ish years sat at my table. I came to know the following during our half hour chat:

• The old man lived in the southwest of Scotland, and his son was based in London. They were in Stonehaven to visit the old man's sister, who was 81 years of age.
• The Marine Hotel used to be the only 'local' around, and it has grown and become more family-friendly over the past 60 years.
• The old man still enjoys his beer and an occassional whiskey, though Laphroaig would be considered too peaty.
• The old man was born in Stonehaven, and despite living and experiencing many parts of Scotland, still considered Stonehaven his home.
• The son had left Stonehaven aged 9, but had a lot of affection for the town, as he had many pleasant memories upon returning each summer.

The last 2 points set me thinking. I have lived in Singapore most of my life, changing residences 5 times in my 30 or so years, each time within the same district. The question is - How attached is one to his place of birth/first residence?

Personally, I feel quite attached to District 15 of Singapore, the East Coast District. It could be due to a number of factors:

• I was born here
• I attend church here
• Many friends (previously from church) live around the area
• It is close to the beach, where the air is fresher without the smells of industry (e.g. chocolate, paint etc)
• It retains a sense of history, with the neighbourhoods of Katong and Joo Chiat granted Heritage status to be "preserved", despite the rest of the district redeveloping at a rapid pace
• I feel it has a majority English-speaking community, with a large number of Eurasians living in the Siglap area. I could be wrong here, but it's just the vibe I get.
• I do not feel enveloped by high-rise buildings unlike other "new town" neighbourhoods

These 2 Scots, both older than me, had their own reasons for calling Stonehaven home, having spent a majority of their lives many more miles away from "home" than I have been.

I guess there is not much of a point to make here, but I do hope that in 40 years time, I can walk around District 15 with the same positive feelings the 2 Scots have towards their hometown, with all my reasons above intact.

Scottish Humor/Driving in Aberdeen

In May and June 2013, I was posted to Aberdeen, Scotland for a rotational assignment.

I had a wonderful time here, most memorable for it was the first time I had a car - in 13 years since I passed my driving test, I had probably less than 20 occassions to take the driver's seat, including an incident when I reversed into a carpark pillar. Julie never let me drive her around again...

My first introduction to Scottish humour was upon seeing the allocated vehicle. I had requested for an automatic transmission car, preferably a small model, which would be easier to maneuver around the narrower streets of Scotland. What the car rental company offered was a Kia Sportage, a 2 liter SUV. I managed to scratch the side of the vehicle on the first day, destroying a parking lot post during a hasty 3-point turn. Guess the joke was on them this time.

I am still overly grateful to my employer for financing my driving practice, and giving me the opportunity to explore the Aberdeenshire.

I am also hoping that they can increase my salary soon such that I can finally afford a car in Singapore to boost my social status.

The Elusive Northern Lights of Norway!

Seeing the northern lights is on many a bucket list, and I am glad I managed to cross it off my list aged 34 and 2 months. For readers who wish to know more about the aurora borealis, this link is pretty useful.

It took four trips, yes, FOUR trips(!) to arctic Norway, three of them in Tromsø and one in the Lofoten Islands, before I got to see the lights in their full splendour.

Before getting to the pictures, a summary of my three failed attempts:

November 2008 - Tromsø, Norway - 1 night - camped under the stars with David, my Czech colleague, next to a sami tent (lavvu) for four hours in -20 degrees celsius temperatures - clear sky; no lights

February 2009 - Tromsø, Norway - as above, with three Singaporean girls on an university exchange program, this time in -25 degrees cold - cloudy; with some green spotted through the gaps

April 2009 - Lofoten Islands, Norway - 6 nights - My solo trip to the Lofoten Islands. Winter was ending, and I missed the final northern lights show of the season as I was on the wrong side of the mountain 

Success arrived in March 2013 - Tromsø, Norway - 4 nights - This winter was said to be the best year for northern lights in 12 years. I made sure I gave myself adequate number of nights to increase my chances of catching the elusive lights.

Night 1 - Just arrived at 2200hrs. Decided to defrost and rest.

Night 2 - Booked a northern lights hunting tour (5-7 hours for NOK 950) to chase the northern lights around the islands. Efforts from Lionel and Terje, our northern lights hunters, was commendable. After 2 hours of driving as far away from the lights and clouds of the city, we made it to Hilleoya, but alas, conditions were extremely windy and cloudy, and I only managed these pictures:

Night 3 - The weather forecase was clear, with low wind and temperature of -8 degrees. I stood outside Wendy's (my hostess) apartment and looked up for the lights. Now knowing how to spot them, the moment the lights started their show, Wendy and I went down to the nearby pier, away from the city lights, and got our cameras to work. And what a show it was....

Night 4 - Again outside Wendy's apartment, but it was cloudy, and within an hour of waiting, snow began to fall...