1st Triathlon in Singapore

A solid 4-weeks of training and never a cold day... seems like paradise right? When never-a-cold-day means everyday is 80F+ and 98% humidity [at 5:30AM], the training plan needs to be adjusted. It has been challenging acclimatizing to the heat and humidity as it relates to my training pace. So far, it looks like I'm a good 10-15 secs slower per km on the run than when I was in Melbourne. Of course, Melbs couldn't be anymore different than Singapore. People would complain when the relative humidity cracked 55%. "Oh no, we're becoming just like Sydney!" people would say.

The Tribob Singapore Triathlon is the only sprint distance race on the island consisting of a 750m swim, 20km bike, and 5km run. This first race will give me an indicator of how my training is going and what to expect during a race in these conditions. The goal is to have a new PR for the Bali race in June. The race was a good one to break off the rust. I have not raced since Noosa in early November. With the move in March, I really stopped training all together and didn't start up again until April.

You'll notice from the pictures that something else is new. I'm now donning a black race suit. Since my traditional [smurf] blue suit is still on a cargo ship somewhere on the ocean, I needed to improvise. I suggested and Melissa vetoed my Nike shorts and Noosa Tri singlet. A shame and a good thing all the same time. So I picked up something new that would be a good long-term addition to the collection. But going from blue to black, I dunno, I feel like it's my alter-ego version - like in Spiderman.

Overall, my performance was pretty good. My time of 1:13:34 was good enough for 15th out of 262 competitors in my age group and 59th out of 647 male competitors overall. Not my fastest time, but now I know what I really need to focus on - other than ultra light-weight, portable air conditioning.

Next up is the Bintan Triathlon [Olympic distance] and the Adidas Sundown 1/2 Marathon.

Singapore Week 2 - Employment Pass

So there are three types of people in Singapore:

1. Singaporeans

2. Expats with an Employment Pass

3. Expats with a Dependent Pass

Nothing against the local Singaporeans - they are so friendly, warm, and helpful - they just aren't the focus of this entry. Through these first-hand experiences, you will understand the difference between a dependent pass holder and employment pass holder.

Week 2 was all about establishing our life in Singapore. Interesting thing, all that really entails is a mobile phone and a bank account [and somewhere to live too - see subsequent posting]. Once those two services are locked down, you can pretty much do anything. The challenge was how to determine which service provider to use and how to get the best deal.

I started with the mobile phone. A new acquaintance in the Accenture Singapore office [also a fellow UMD grad - go Terps!] turned me onto the Accenture corporate discount provided by Starhub. Good deals on minutes, texts, data and even some well-priced devices. I was set. All I had to do was repel the instinct to get the iPhone. With Melissa in my ear about my current Palm Treo and the fact the plan was only a fraction cheaper than the plans in the US, it wasn't that hard. I easily picked out plans for Melissa and me and headed to the closest Starhub retailer to sign up.

"Proof of address," the sales clerk asked.

"What is that?" I replied.

"To prove you have a real address here in Singapore."

Well, I only have a couple of documents at my disposal at this point. One is the lease for our serviced apartment but that has the name of a 3rd party realty company Melissa's company used for the lease. Not the best option. [not to mention I don't have it on me] The other is my temporary pass signed and approved by the Singaporean government. Sounds good, except the address on there is another 3rd party service provider CEB used to handle our passes.

I lay the temporary pass down and say, "here you go."

The clerk replies, "great, is this [address] where you want to have your bills sent?"

I thought for a minute and wrestled with the options here: a) I say 'yes' and my billing address becomes this non-sensical business/agency that will likely toss the first bill and any subsequent mail to me or b) say 'no' and run the risk of trying to provide another form of 'proof of address' that I clearly will not have. So I answered in really the only way I could. "Yes, please." I had hoped to pick up Melissa's phone/plan as well, but unfortunately, the phone was out of stock. I would return.

I returned another day to finish Melissa's transaction and after a painful Q&A, document producing, and slightly stressful explanation process, I was stopped just short of the finish with this statement, "You are only on a Dependent Pass."

The statement was true and I couldn't really see a reason why I should think of an alternate answer, so I confirmed, "yes."

Lesson #1: Dependent Pass holders may only sign up for one mobile phone line.

This is something I wish I had been told from the outset. I was trying to do Melissa a favor by getting her phone situated but being the 2nd class citizen that I am, no dice. Melissa, you're on your own.

Next up was the bank. We were both somewhat ambivalent about which bank to go with, but secretly we both had our preferred option and for very different and not-so rational reasons. Melissa liked UOB because she works in the UOB Plaza and a major branch with several ATMs is in her lobby. I like OCBC for the color scheme, font, and overall marketing image. [I should mention that we both agreed on Citibank from the outset, but once we learned that an account in Singapore could not be linked to an account in the US, there was no reason to pursue.] Since we both live by online banking, I pledged to Melissa to take the online tour of all the major banks to see if there was a differentiator. Following that exercise, UOB was the clear winner.

Next day, I headed into the city with Melissa to get the bank account application started. I signed up for a savings account. I also tried to sign up for a checking account when the bank rep uses a somewhat familiar line, "You are only on a Dependent Pass."

Lesson #2: Dependent Pass holders may only sign up for a savings account, unless the account is to be co-owned. Thankfully Kevin, our bank rep, was very nice and super-helpful. He allowed me to set up the accounts and Melissa just had to swoop in, show here Employment Pass and sign a couple of documents. As an addendum to this lesson [2.a], only EP holders are able to sign up for credit cards as well.

It's a tough life for a Dependent Pass holder. So far, I've not seen special seats reserved for 'Employment Pass holders only' on buses or trains. It's a good thing I'm not prevented from taking a taxi. Melissa has all the freedom and I'm beginning to question if I should even leave the apartment anymore. All will be right in the world soon, once Accenture Singapore figures out what to with me.

Singapore Week 1 - Its a Small World

The first couple of days were well and truly all about 'getting settled'. The jet lag must have been substantial as we were in bed early and waking up early for several days - and I mean early. Let's lay down for a nap at 5PM and whoa, wait-a-minute, what-the, its 6:30AM?!! We both managed to book in some transition time with our jobs - OK, mine is a bit longer than Melissa's - so we didn't have to race to our respective offices on Wednesday morning.

On Friday, we took advantage of the free shuttle to the city provided by our hotel/serviced apartment. Its really a nice service since we're a good 10-15 min walk from the closest MRT (metro/tube/train) station, and although it doesn't seem like that long of a walk, you melt in the heat and humidity. The shuttle departs every 30mins and stops at both of our offices - how perfect?! As we board the 7:30AM shuttle - the first one available - I hear but a familiar voice call out, "hey Sean!" I looked up to find Pei Sia, who I worked with previously at Australia Post in Melbourne. What a small world. Apparently our hotel - Fraser Suites - is a popular spot for Accenture people working overseas in Singapore. She went on to drop several other names of Accenture-Melbourne peeps who are not only working in Singapore but staying at Fraser Suites. What a small world! What are the chances I'd run into someone I know let alone on the morning shuttle!

On the weekend we got out of the apartment to explore a bit. I joined a group ride with the boys from SwissValley Cycles on Saturday. Really nice group and couldn't ask for a better meet-up spot - the shop is directly across the street from the hotel. They took me out to Changi Village via the East Coast Park and Changi Coast Rd. Flat, straight and well paved - can't ask for much better ;-). The one drawback is that on Saturdays, they stop and have breakfast breakfast in the village. A fine tradition and a very common way for the group to stay social. I'm not a fan of mid-ride meals. But the guys were super-nice and it was great to have an escort while checking out this great ride. I have a feeling I'll be doing this circuit weekly from here on out.

The hotel is right on the Singapore River and along side there is a nice walk that links several parks, cafes, and shopping areas. On Sunday, we ducked into a cute little breakfast place and took a seat overlooking the walk and river. The hostess asked if a seat 'without a fan' was OK. Seemed fine at the time. Never again! Surprisingly, a ceiling or wall mounted fan makes all the difference. [Think Clam Bar in July] As I wiped the sweat away before it dropped onto my breakfast burrito, I learned that you always request a table 'with a fan'.

Our Fraser Suites set-up is only temporary. We have 4 weeks there and then we're on the street! Well, it's not that emphatic, but at that point, it becomes our expense and let's just say Fraser Suites isn't the cheapest option in town ;-) Knowing we need to find a place fast, we need to generate some leads... fast. Several people had suggested we check out Townerville. The neighborhood is a cluster of colonial-style conservation houses each with 3 bedrooms, dark hardwood floors throughout, a maid's room, and a large terrace. [Note, at this stage of our search, the only characteristic/amenity we can agree on is 'it must have a large terrace/patio'.] There are several houses in the neighborhood available immediately and its a 5 min walk to the local MRT station. Sounds like a dream, right?! Well, kinda. The immediate neighborhood and the houses are beautiful. They come as advertised. The surrounding neighborhood - eek. Although its close to the MRT, the area is not so pedestrian friendly. We walked a couple of blocks in each direction and could not find a grocery store/shopping center - that's pretty uncommon. The neighborhood is also surrounded by several high-rise block housing which doesn't exactly give me the warm-and-fuzzies if you know what I mean. And you know the 3 most important aspects of real estate - location, location, location. It was a no-go. And the process begins...

Check out the short video below to take a tour of our corporate apartment at Fraser Suites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7WYy4ZWBc

Singapore, here we come!

The blog is back! I know many of you were unsatisfied with our blog upkeep over the last year. The blog was great for sharing all of our NEW experiences - the first time we went to the Australian Open, the first trip to Queensland, SE Asia, New Zealand, etc. As we became immersed in the Melbourne lifestyle, nothing really seemed that new anymore. And who wants to read a blog about going to work, running errands, and the typical weekend outings. We were in a rut! Then came the end of the year. Knowing we were set to leave Melbourne in April - following our last 'summer down under' - we realized there were so many new experiences that we needed to cram in before we left. Check back periodically as we retro-actively update the blog with our trips to Ayers Rock/Uluru over Christmas, sailing the Whitsundays aboard our own yacht, exploring the south island of New Zealand, and some other odds and ends.

Now, back to the present. We arrived in Singapore this morning and were met with warm Singaporean hospitality. A driver was sent from our serviced apartment to greet us outside of customs and take us to our new, temporary home. We were also met with heat and humidity - a common theme I think ;-) The flight was a bit harder than usual. Some say that it's much harder to travel east and based on this experience, I'd have to agree. The good news - we were upgraded to business class for the London to Singapore leg which made all the difference!

It was a sad last couple of weeks saying good-bye to friends, work colleagues, and the wonderful city of Melbourne. I had several 'last drinks' with friends and made sure I did one last 'Tan run and Beach Rd ride. We take with us so many great memories and one day, we will return. Thank you Melbourne!

Brrr BEIJING!

This time in Beijing was a lot harder, but a lot more fun. I am not sure if it is because my Chinese is worse than before or because I was there longer and did more.

Starting with the fun. I continue to travel a lot and see very little. This trip I decided to get in a day early and see some of Beijing. It's a hard decision to add an extra day away from home, but one of my long time friends at the company, Catherine, was going to be in China too so we convinced each other.

I don't know when I have ever packed so much into a Sunday. After 17 hours in transit to Beijing - we did the Great Wall, Tian'amen Square, The Forbidden City and the Olympic Village - and none of those places are close to each other.

The hotel tried to convince us not to go to the Wall - saying the weather wasn't good. Well, we only had one day so it was good enough.

Did you know when you barter in China you are supposed to go down to 15-20% of the starting price? Yeah, me neither...I think we did alright. The morning started with the Great Wall. We had to negotiate with a taxi driver to take us there (2 hours), wait for us and bring us back - we were speaking English, he Chinese, the bell boy "translating" (you never really know do you?). I think we made the right choice, not only did we get a fair price ($650 RMB), but he shaved 30 minutes off the Lonely Planet estimated time, while providing a thrilling experience.

The Wall was spectacular. We chose to go to Badaling. Badaling is further from the city, but worth it. After being harassed by hawkers (they convinced Catherine to buy a hat and gloves with the promise that it would be very cold up there),

we took a cable car up to a section of the Wall. The sm/fog made the Wall look like it was suspended in the clouds. The climb is challenging and invigorating. One of the more surprising things was the lack of white people. It was crowded, and everyone was Asian. When we had seen enough, we took the cable car back down. Within a couple seconds of arriving in the car park, our taxi driver had spotted us (super impressive) and we were on our way back to Beijing and on to the Forbidden City/Tian a'men Square.

Upon arriving in Tian'amen Square (later we found out that what we thought was the square wasn't actually the square, it was in fact the one across the street!), we realised that everyone thought Catherine was Chinese (she is Korean). Throughout the whole trip people were approaching her and speaking Chinese. Then they were taken a back when I told them (in my very broken Chinese) that she didn't speak Chinese, followed by confusion that she wasn't actually Chinese. I am not saying it wouldn't have been helpful if she was.

We met up with the rest of the team for some Peking Duck at one of the most famous restaurants in Beijing. Fortunately, we had an actual Chinese colleague with us so it was ensured that we would actually get the duck.

Time to get to work...

We woke up Wednesday to about 4 inches of snow. Snow makes it impossible to get around!!Realising that my feet were still wet, my throat was getting sore, I wasn't going to get to Shanghai until midnight and I was meeting with one of the biggest, most important companies in the world the next morning (GE), I called the hotel and arranged a car to pick me up. Best decision ever!