singapore (1): work

during my one week stay in Singapore, i had to attend full-day training for the first 2 days and work at the booth from 10am-6pm on june 17-20. it was a packed schedule, but also a very good experience, because i learned the latest japanese mobile phone technology and trends from NTT DoCoMo, and also met some interesting people from the industry. it really amazes me on how advanced japanese telecommunications has evolved. with the latest cell phone models, which they call the "osaifu-keitai" (mobile wallet), one can use it as a house key, train pass, credit card, coin/change, even boarding pass for airplanes (currently only available on japanese domestic flights). and of course, not to mention the basic usage such as phone calls, emails, internet, games, and tv programs. maybe one day i'll get one of these osaifu-keitai myself.

some pictures from the expo center...

DoCoMo booth


junko, the lovely staff and trainer from DoCoMo


maria, my mentor and partner from the translators team (also my good eating/shopping buddy!)


george, another translator, who is good at multi-tasking as well


chermaine, the talented MC of the show. she had to repeatedly present 3 different workshops throughout the convention - memorizing word-for-word! (and hiroshi, the all-time entertainer, whom the translators worked closely with)


last but not least, 8 cute and young local Singaporean girls, whom very diligently remembered their materials and presented the latest phones and technology to the clients. (they're so fun to hang out with during our breaks!)


besides work, i also got to try a few authentic Singaporean dishes. check back again next time to see what i had!