19th - 23rd Jan 2009

On the 19th Jan 2009, Yolande took a midnight flight to Seoul, Korea, for business. She was not looking forward to it as temperatures in Seoul had fallen to -8 degrees celsius! Travelling during winter is not exactly one of Yolande's favourite activities since it involves heavier lugguage and having to put on many layers under that thick winter coat. Having grown up in a tropical country, the extra weight of clothing on the shoulders is not what Yolande is used to.

Yolande has never really thought of visiting Korea. Neither does she speak the language nor know much about the culture. What she knows about Korea (which she believes are distorted facts) are from Korean dramas. The lead actress usually dies from a terminal disease (leukaemia or brain tumour), the lead actor is usually a SNAG (sensitive new age guy) who runs for miles after a bus (and Yolande thinks "He might as well represent Korea in the Olympics"). Last but not least, Korea always seems really cold in the dramas.

Anyway, the weather was not much of a problem since Yolande had all the necessary layers on when she got to Seoul. One major problem however was the FOOD. Yolande is not exactly a picky eater, but one thing that is really not to her liking is kim-chi. It is one of Korea's national dishes and it is served every meal - kim-chi soup, kim-chi chicken, kim-chi whatever... It does not taste bad, but Yolande does not like the aftertaste of kim-chi. Also, why is the soup served cold in a metal bowl during winter? BBQ chicken itself sounds great to Yolande. Kim-chi flavoured BBQ chicken was a bit too much for Yolande to take. But out of politeness, Yolande ate a few mouthfuls of it and called it a day.

On the 21st Jan 2009, Yolande flew to Tokyo from Seoul to visit the HQ of Mitsui. Japan was not as cold as Seoul, and it was definitely a more familiar place to be in. With the crazily tight schedule, Yolande really could not be bothered with the business trip. She was looking forward to being back home, celebrating Daniel's first Chinese New Year.

Daniel shall keep everyone updated on what happens on Chinese New Year in Singapore - where it is warmer...