Office Cowboys?

This seems to be the latest exercise 'device' in Singapore...
It looks like a wild bull ride or something and it is intended to strengthen your back by providing a figure of 8 motion (making you look like a crazed cowboy in your living room)
Wonder how many they've sold and if they come with a hat and toy guns?

Taxis

Am developing a theory that roughly 1 in 5 taxi drivers are really entertaining. (Sample size still fairly small). Got picked up by one yesterday who spent a long time explaining to me why everyone here is so relaxed, as well as pointing out that no one ever uses their horn. It basically boils down to long prison sentences for violent crime and the fact that everyone is just pretty chilled out. He then went on to demonstrate how relaxed drivers are by cutting in and out of traffic and weaving in and out of traffic for a few minutes while laughing manically...

"Walking is for Europeans"
Pernille Rørth

No one walks here... ever. I asked Nachen how to get to the university library and got the simple answer of: 'Just take shuttlebus A2'. Then went and looked on the campus map and discovered it was a few hundred meters away... So set out on foot with a typical display of 'crazy white guy'.
Took less than 5 minutes, didn't die, didn't collapse. Still slightly confused as to why no one else has worked this out....

mind reading

....not really, but I thought it was a great name for a shop....

Juice-tastic

Had a glass of Aloe juice with honey today for lunch... didn't know you could juice Aloe or use it for anything except hand cream... it was good all the same..

Lab news...

The lab is settling fine, not too many problems with life in Singapore yet.

Amusingly Smitha had start of work health check with a doctor with a v.strong accent who she couldn't really understand.... The result: she is now officially colour blind...

accents are a great thing...

last post from europe....

Well, that's it. I have officially left EMBL, no longer have strange pseudo-diplomatic status...
Spent most of the day clearing the crap off my bench and saying goodbye to people (neither of which is fun with a hangover...) Here's the proof of the tidying










Am flying to Singapore tomorrow night, so should be around there Thursday afternoon their time....

Goodbye Europe, it has been fun

Crap-herding (Part II)

Dropped off all my stuff to be shipped at Ville & Minna's place last night. Hopefully it will be packed by the moving guys (about now).... Hope they don't feel the need to re-pack some of my boxes... I think one of them is full of junk I've been hoarding for the last year, so bits of wood, metal, electrical components and work in progress things....

Am now living out of my suitcase....
(d'oh... still need to buy a suite case...)

Rørth Lab memorial

Decided that I need to preserve this before I leave. We've been building this up for a while, think it has almost everyone in the lab for ages and also a bunch of friends...
Was tempted to saw out the pillar and take it to Singapore, but I have a feeling the wall of the boss' office might fall down....

kind of sad though...

Comic genius

Used some of my pirate treasure (see previous post) to go and see 'The Simpsons, the movie'.
Great movie, kept me laughing the whole time, lots of satirical humor... go and see it.