funny thing, this globalisation phenomenon. these few days i really experienced what thomas friedman described as 'the flat world' syndrome and i am quite ambivalent about it.
nowadays there is just nothing new to buy anymore when you travel. everything is available everywhere, anytime. shopping overseas just became less of a big deal. i saw some japanese snacks in cute packaging in tokyo, and decided to buy them for my students because i thought they were unusual. last week, i saw the same products in..BISHAN NTUC. i am very sad. actually, this isn't the first time it has happened. (jen, remember the tinned smoked oysters in sydney?) this means that before i go anywhere in the world, i should go and tour the supermarkets in singapore first :P
the denizens of the north pole have commented that the clothes i bought from Harajuku look like they can be found in This Fashion. i got really cross with them, the truth can be too honest. but it also means that i might as well buy things from This Fashion and pretend that they are from japan. or maybe i should try shopping in tibet instead. i heard that they just got a new train service.
Yesterday a few members of the cast of the Tempest met up for yet another farewell dinner to see yucky off to work in Hong Kong. the funny thing is, after a while, it is easy to lose track of where that fella is. the other day he called me and announced that he is BACK, and my first question was...from? did i even notice that he was gone in the first place?
after all, he comes back so very often, from all strange corners of the world. in fact, he said that he would be returning to singapore every fortnight or every month. i might end up seeing him more often than i see other friends.
funny thing, this globalisation business, that makes Hong Kong look like next door.
