My 2011*

2012-01-07 11:09 p.m.

This is a late entry, but I had far too many things to work on and still do. Anyway, 2011 as like any year had quite a number of fruitful events and challenges. First off was of course going through the weather which supposedly adversely the UK economy—of course it didn’t but which of course sometimes affects individual humans. Anyway, research wise was going slow over there and there were still modules to take. I won’t bore you with the details…

First major event was the CNY event which well, organisation-wise and location wise, wasn’t that great. Not my leadership anyway. Second big event which was way better was a guest speaker, specifically an ex UN or International Organisation official speaking on the future of global economic governance and the Millennium Development Goals, something definitely up my alley. I fired a question on China and India’s aid programmes (in general) but didn’t exactly received a full answer. Typical of course. The third major event was the ACS Founder’s Day celebration, held more than a week after the actual date due to logistical reasons. It was my inaugural attendance and quite a success, even though the food was so-so (the cake made up for it). One small condition for me being a first-timer was to write up a report for the ACSOBA magazine, but that was ok.

By April, it was time for Prince William and Kate Middelton’s wedding, but for a IPE researcher like me, it was to attend the BISA conference in Manchester (google this to find out what it is). There in Manchester, I tried one of the best Thai restaurants ever and made a couple of academic contacts. Rest of the time till the middle of the year was scampering towards the finish line for research. Somehow, along the way i managed to squeeze in time to meet up with Jade after many years, dicuss common topics, and have a look around Market Harborough. Summer came, and work still needed to be done. That meant trips to a certain capital and my first adventurous into a very elegant building which is part of the British political structure.

In between, I took a day trip (or rather weekend trip) to an (in)famous town on Scotland, infamous for its supposedly high crime rate, famous for being the location of the of DFID’s second headquarters. I had a wonder time there, taking photos in the blazing sunshine and re-learning Scottish accents. I would soon return to Scotland, albeit Glasgow, to meet up with one of my best pals from Cambridge, John. While I failed to try Haggis, I attempted a step climb up and down a mountain that would put any Singapore Army Special Operations Task Force or Singapore Navy soldier a run for his money and failed to dance some traditional Scottish dancing.

Towards the end of the year, things were the same, with significant events being a Christmas dinner and a Christmas lunch where the desserts were both about the same. Oh yes, meeting people like Ionela, Cherry and Professor Mike Tierney. An abrupt ending here as I moved to work on other stuff.I'll edit this later

Here’s to 2012

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