A surprising find

Such is the power of the internet – you never know what you’re going to find. I was looking for the credit card ad on Youtube (see Cantonese speaking), and one of the ‘related videos’ available was one made about my alma mater (from 1992 to 1997)! The link between them is the acronym DBS – which can stand for Development Bank of Singapore (who’s advertising their credit card) or Diocesan Boys’ School. English subtitles available for this one! I’m getting goosebumps just watching it…

Cantonese speaking

Not much to add today, but just wish to share with you this one credit card ad that I love. The Western boyfriend meets the parents, and makes an effort to break the ice. Unfortunately, his attempts invariably go awry: the lid falls off the pot as he pours them tea, the food rolls off the spoon as he serves them, and he unwittingly eats a piece of sushi dipped in – judging from his expression – super-strong wasabi. The latter eventually did the trick: the parents cracked up! It’s quite impossible to dislike him though – his Cantonese is so cute!

First day

My first day at work went by with very little drama. Getting up in the morning wasn’t easy, but my circadian clock will entrain, one of these days (OK, enough geekspeak). I have to admit that I was slightly apprehensive on my way to work, mainly because I wasn’t so sure that I’d fit in. This alien has not been near Earth for a few years, so who knows if the Earthlings would embrace or crucify me? As it turned out, my colleagues seem to be nice people, even though one of the more talkative ones also happens to be slightly eccentric (not the type of eccentric I’m used to anyway). Sure, I did feel…different. I was the only person who returned from abroad – most of the others have been at this university since their undergraduate days. I don’t own a PSP or NDS or any such acronym. I don’t follow Premiership games (even when I was physically in the UK). They did their best to make me feel comfortable though, and made the effort to introduce me to various members of the department. One bossy lady in particular cracked me up, instructing me about protocol – like taking off gloves when touching doorknobs – like I was a five-year-old, even though she was told that I had a PhD. I spent the afternoon reading papers online, but it proved difficult to absorb anything as I was sleep-deprived and couldn’t concentrate well. For a first day though, it went relatively well.