Daily Archives: October 22, 2007

Trouble in the Bubble

Posted on October 22, 2007 by | Leave a comment

My greatest trouble at the moment is thinking of something to say.

Now this is not to say that I am speechless. Those who know me will know that this would be an unlikely event. However, this MBA lark is completely engrossing. I can talk about what NPV means (well sort of), I seem able to think about means and standard deviations with some insight (which is lucky as there is a test on Monday) and tonight I did my first balance sheet that balanced! But there is no connection to the outside world at the moment.

I am ashamed to say that I have not read a newspaper since September. Not even the ‘chick’ sections of the Sunday paper. The closest I seem to get to the world is the flat screen in the common room which has BBC world news playing with no sound.

There are rumours about the Cambridge Bubble and I believe in it now. So I am planning on popping the bubble – well after the exam on Monday – and heading out to the theatre and maybe off to London to see my friends. Or maybe I should start easier with the newspaper…..

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Posted in Living in Cambridge

Cycling Cambridge Style

Posted on October 22, 2007 by | Leave a comment

Cambridge is full of bikes. It is the main form of transport for people going to work or just popping to the shops and of course those of us trying to get home after a few drinks. Rather a precarious business I must say. The advent of the darker and wetter side of the weather has led to a couple of horrendous accidents for my fellow class mates. One poor fellow has been hiding an impressive shiner behind some dark glasses for over a week now.

However, it is the native Cambridge under 10′s that are truly awe inspiring. These little people take on buses, round-abouts, and keep up with their parents and siblings who have much longer legs! This is not to say that there are not any road side tantrums. These seem to be solved by the parent just cycling away leaving the young’un no choice but to get back on that bike!

The dependence on pedal is wonderful and is certainly one of the wonderful aspects of Cambridge life.

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Posted in Living in Cambridge

Singapore Girl is Hip to the Drive

Posted on October 22, 2007 by | 1 Comment

Singapore is hardly the most fashionable or stylish place on earth, but have to give it full marks for trying.

Last week a CD-like package arrived in my mailbox (the physical one out the front of my house that is).  It was a slickly produced pocket of information about … would you believe it … the new KPE Expressway that is to open in a few days time.

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The ‘CD’ that arrived in the mail

Promoting itself as “Sounds on the Underground” it contained the lyrics for a series of songs commissioned by, that doyen of cool, the Land Transport Authority.  Performed by what are presumably Singapore’s hottest young artists, titles of the songs include “Look at the Signs”, “Turn on Your Headlights” and “Don’t Change That Tyre”. (Hilarious given the poverty of driving skills here – but that is food for another post).

A visit to the website (http://www.kpeunderground.sg/) demonstrated the same graphic sophistication and what sounded like pretty good mood electronica.

It seems so bizarrely Singaporean.  Here is another fantastic new infrastructure project for the island (as I write I am reminded of the horrors of arriving in Japan; James is still stuck in traffic, 2½ hours after landing in Tokyo).  And the promotional material is a combination of earnest civic-minded self-improvement with a desire to transform the image of Singa-bore into a modern, sophisticated urban metropolis.

Weird certainly, but it works for me. Like I said, full marks for trying …

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