Singapore

Hello from the Fullerton.

I am typing this on the laptop in the lobby, having had a Fullerton breakfast on the terrace, and just spent a little while catching up on some emails. We will be heading out for a lunch meeting soon, followed by a couple more meetings this afternoon, and then tomorrow we are off to Kalimantan.

First night was a typical jet-lag broken sleep effort - read, sleep for a while, read some more, and so on. I finished my first book - Anthony Horowitz's 'The Word is Murder', which was quite an amusing read. In a break with tradition, I've brought an actual, physical, book with me on this trip, and have made a start on it this morning. I've finally bought a copy of Matthew Walker's 'Why we sleep', which already looks very interesting - even if it was a little close to home dealing with the problems of jet-lag already!

Well it is just about time to head off for lunch. Lunch looks like being a short walk from the hotel, but then our next meeting is a little further away so we will probably take the MRT. Jake would be impressed to know that I have even brought my MRT card from our previous visit with me - although I have no idea how much credit I have left on it ...

Fifth Risk

I don't know much about the workings of government: not our own, and certainly not that of the United States. For any democratically elected government, one of the biggest problems seems to be that it requires long-term thinking. It is asked to take on some very long-term projects to develop the country, and to take some long-term decisions about how best to look after its population. However, politics keeps getting in the way. No sooner have the elected officials managed to get their head round the challenge that they face, the electorate have booted them out and given the job to someone else.

This is where, putting politics aside for a minute, a good handover becomes absolutely critical. As I say, my knowledge in these matters is seriously lacking, but I presume that the British civil service gets to provide the continuity and a large amount of the knowledge transfer here. I get the impression that the number of new political appointments made when an administration changes in the UK may be fewer than are made when things change in the US, and if this is the case, having an orderly and structured handover in the US becomes even more important.

This is where Michael Lewis' fascinating book 'The Fifth Risk' comes in. As he explains, during the Obama administration, new legislation had been passed specifically requiring the outgoing teams in all government departments to prepare for the arrival of their successors. So, in their final year, each Obama department invested heavily in this task, drafting thousands of pages of useful documentation, and preparing presentations to give to the new teams.

Then Trump won the election.

And the outgoing teams waited for the Trump transition teams to come in.

And no-one showed up.

The Fifth Risk explains just some of the important, and largely unnoticed, work that a big government does on behalf of its citizens. It focuses on three departments: Energy, Commerce, and Agriculture. These departments (amongst many other things) help to make sure that the population are safe from nuclear weapons, that people get fed, and that people get as much warning as possible from natural disasters.

Unfortunately it was left up to the new president to decide who the right people would be to hold some of the most responsible and important jobs in the country. And it took him a long time to decide, and a transition didn't really happen. In the end, it seemed like the US ended up with the Department of Energy being run by someone who had previously forgotten about it and suggested it should be abolished, the Department of Commerce being run by someone who thought is was all about business (which it isn't) and then not being very interested in what it does do, and the NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) being run by someone who owns a private weather company - spot the massive conflict of interest.

Overall a fascinating read, and should be considered necessary reading to avoid voting for a president (certainly for a second time) without appreciating the consequences.

New beginning

Epiphany today, and I got to do the 'Visitors from the east' reading at church from Matthew 2 - all the way up to the wise men being warned in a dream, and going back to their own country by another route.

Jake has returned to London today to start term 2 - he has exams tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday (yes, the same young man as the one featured in the picture in this post is at university now - still getting used to that!). However, he'll be back after his exam on Thursday to collect some more of his stuff.

Rummaging around online this evening, I came across a preview on the Guardian website of books due to be published this year. A very interesting and exciting selection, with quite a few things I didn't know about. Of particular note there is going to be a new Jackson Brodie novel by Kate Atkinson coming out in June. Having failed to go to a signing of Transcription, I may have to try harder to track down an opportunity in June.

And the other news of today, I have sold the Cayman. Still here right now, but due to be collected in the next day or two.

Magic

Ah the magic of the FA Cup. Last night went with form, and Spurs gave a footballing lesson to Tranmere, beating them 7-0. Today, however, when the majority of games have been played, the first to be shown on MOTD came from Priestfield Stadium, where Cardiff were visiting Gillingham. Sure enough the Cup magic appeared in full force, and the Gills won 1-0. Love it - will be interesting to see who they get in the 4th round draw on Monday.

Kitchen prep

Maybe the end of the road is now in sight. The cheque from the insurance company arrived today, and that in itself is a major milestone. Nicky has been starting to buy a few nice things for our new kitchen. The electrician was round today, and met with Nicky's approval. The kitchen fitter is coming tomorrow to make sure that a plan is in place for the work coming up. We should be able to order our floor tiles once Nicky has confirmed with the fitter. All heading in the right direction.

Tapas

First day back at work today, and judging by the traffic, I was in the minority. Either that or the schools really do make that much difference. Nicky had a visit at home from one of the car-buying services, and they gave us an offer for the Cayman - for us to ponder for the next few days.

This evening Nicky took Jake and Owen to Bluey so they could go for a meal and to see a film, and so I met her there, and we enjoyed some tapas together. I had a sneaky trip to Waterstones with my book token (Christmas gift from Margaret), and found the latest John Niven at half price in the sale. I'd already been to the T Wells branch at lunchtime and snagged the latest Michael Lewis (The Fifth Risk), also at half price in the sale, and Stephen King's Gwendy's Button Box, not in the sale this time as it came out in 2017, when I somehow managed to miss it, and only became aware of it because there was an excerpt at the end of Elevation. Still £20 left to enjoy on my token.

Saving Christmas

Christmas holidays just about done, and back to work tomorrow, and spot the New Year's resolution! Looking back at last year I see that I managed 14 posts in January before things fell apart, so it'll be interesting to see how I get on this year ...

My last read of 2018 was Matt Haig's 'The Girl Who Saved Christmas', and as always with his books, even if written for a younger audience, in amongst a lovely story, he doesn't shy away from more difficult topics, even the most difficult of all.

Here's Father Christmas talking to the girl who saved Christmas:

"The love of a person never disappears," he said softly. "Even if they might. We have memories, you see, Amelia. Love never dies. We love someone and they love us back and that love is stored and it protects us. It is bigger than life and it doesn't end with life. It stays inside us. They stay inside us. Inside our hearts."

Amelia said nothing. She thought she might burst into tears if she spoke. So she was quiet for a while. And it helped.