We will remember you Rajan...

It came without warning. So sudden and so painful to register.

I still remember the shock when I received the SMS. It was meant to be a day of elation and good wishes but the SMS brought me back to reality. I initially thought that it was a joke - it has to be - but no one jokes about such things.

With my fingers still trembling on the phone keypad, I passed on the SMS to friends, some of whom are still overseas in the midst of their festive revelry, without a clue of the news to come.

I hated to be the bearer of bad news. I knew some of the many friends Rajan had. He was a popular guy who had friends from Singapore, Malaysia and all around the world. He was a regular face at international and exchange student gatherings. People warmed up to him easily because of his easy nature, ever-ready smile and a heart that had nothing but warmth and humour for those who explored deeper. Among groups of friends, Rajan always had a story to share, a grievance to air, a joke to crack, and an encouragement to make.

And all of a sudden, all of these friends had one less reason to smile about for the new year. Whoever we are, wherever we are, we all felt the loss: the void in our hearts simply cannot be replaced by the jovial end-year celebrations.

I really miss the conversations I had with Rajan. He was the kind of guy that you could bump into at the entrance of the library and strike a conversation that could last for an hour or so. If you needed a meal buddy, Rajan was always in the library to approach.

I remember the meals we had where we talked about anything related to life, philosophy, religion, politics, economics and society. Rajan, being a big critique of Singapore, SMU and our way of life, would go on and on about how we should never settle for less, while I would always defend the status quo and jokingly point out that our Malaysian neighbours never had it better. He would then roll his eyes before partaking a final shot of his trademark sarcasm and diatribe that always never fails to make me laugh.

Despite his controversial views, Rajan always had a heart for the community and society. Apart from being a top debater, he was involved in Campus Crusade for Christ (where we met in 2006) and as a residential senior at the SMU hostel. He was always there to integrate new students into the community, offer advice to home-sick international students, or to share a beer or two with you because you had a bad day.

But what made Rajan stand out from the crowd was what he stood for. He was a staunch Christian, a rebel, a fighter, an idealist and an intellect, always true to himself and his beliefs, and never shirking from an opportunity to debate on many issues. With a formidable understanding of poverty and women's rights, he always voiced out against social inequalities and injustices. He would make a fine example of how civil society and non-profits should be.

Rajan truly taught me how to live life with no regrets, to be true to myself, stand up for my beliefs and never shirk from any challenge that comes my way. In his passing, I will always fondly recall the good times that we had and the memories that we shared.

In this time of adversity, together with all his friends who feel the loss, my heart and prayers goes out to Rajan's family.

With members of the SMU chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ at Metamorphosis Camp in December 2007

At a gathering with friends at the SMU hostel in early 2008. I still remembered how impromptu this gathering was, having received news about it a few hours before it happened

Taken at his apartment at the hostel. That's Rajan with his ever-ready trademark smile that shone of warmth and friendliness. I will really miss it

My biggest birthday present this year...

Has to be my dear sister Colleen getting married to a wonderful husband!

My Dad proudly walking down the aisle of the hall of the Church of St Ignatius with his daughter's hand in tow. It must be a very proud (and poignant) moment for him to be presenting his daughter to the bridegroom, Andrew.

On a separate note, I really enjoyed the ceremony, the choral music and the solemnness of the event. It's a throwback to my upbringing in Catholic schools from young.

That's Andrew and Colleen after the change of attire for the dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel ballroom. It was also a great time to catch up with relatives and old family friends, albeit with many new faces from the bridegroom's friends

The traditional pouring of champagne by the couple before the toasting of the couple by the immediate family and the bridal brothers and sisters. That must surely be one of the highlights of the evening

This marriage, being our first marriage within our direct family, is a milestone in my family history. My sincerest prayer to the newly-weds that God will bless this marriage to be blissful and ever-lasting, that you will both provide a pillar of strength and support to each other in times of joy and need, and always serve God and His community with passion and grace.

I also saw how this marriage is starting to bring our family closer together, tearing down walls brick by brick. It is indeed mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13 that "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs... It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." May we persevere on as a family that trusts, protects, hopes and loves one another.

And our next stop: the second wedding celebration at the bridegroom's side at Kuala Lumpur over this weekend!

Remember this song from The Wedding Singer?

I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad
Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
Oh all I wanna do is grow old with you

I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches
Build you a fire if the furnace breaks
Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you

I'll miss you
Kiss you
Give you my coat when you are cold

Need you
Feed you
Even let ya hold the remote control

So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink
Put you to bed when you've had too much to drink
I could be the man who grows old with you
I wanna grow old with you

Reflections about the Gulf

We have a slew of articles providing coverage on the BSM programme and our findings from our trip that will be published in the press in the next couple of weeks. It's about time I close the chapter on this. I will collate and provide the links to them soon. Happy reading!

Meanwhile, to summarise my experience during the trip, it was an eye-opening experience and indeed one of the top highlights of my SMU experience.

The Gulf have and always will remain an enigma to me. It is a region which is blessed with so much resources but for many decades, their societies and economies remained stagnant and closed to the world, their people housed in a cocoon of comfort with lavish state welfare, until new leadership realised that resource wealth will not last forever and it was critical to evolve to avoid redundancy as the world powers ahead.

Using the billions from their oil wealth, they embarked on a massive modernisation campaign, drawing up massive master plans, importing the best talent that they can find, and the best materials and equipment that the world has to offer. Dotted by futuristic-looking buildings, cranes and construction sites, cities like Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi even resemble high-growth cities like Shanghai and Mumbai. A local that I spoke to in Doha lamented that there are so many new changes that makes the city look so different as it perpetually remakes itself every year.

The region is awash with so much cash that companies from all around the world have flocked to fight for a piece of the pie. Just yesterday, the UAE awarded a US$25 billion contract to a South Korean consortium to build nuclear reactors.

However, one can never continue to buy modernity forever: one has to create them from within, capitalising on the energies and talent of its people and enterprises, and living up to their historical roots as traders. Human capital management is an area where the Gulf still lags sorely behind the world. And while some selected state-owned enterprises like Etihad and Aramco have became a brand of success, there is still much progress to be made by their small and medium homegrown enterprises.

But what really fascinates me is that beneath the glitz and glamour of modernity in the Gulf, it is still a region where politics and religion play an often combustible role in economics and society, where overt displays of Arab solidarity masks deep divisions and intense rivalry, where form often is more important than substance, and the Arab business culture emphasis on relational subtleties and well-heeled connections to clinch business deals.

The Gulf will always be a paradigm of contradictions and intrigue, but also an exciting emerging market for businesses to expand into and cut their teeth.

It is this excitement that makes me really want to go back again and stay for a longer period of time to study the region and culture. Perhaps I might apply for one of the internships netted by this BSM, and do a short stint at the independent Gulf Research Centre after I graduate before working full-time in Singapore. There is simply so much to do and learn about the Gulf.

Here are some shots from the trip:

The Saudis are legendary for their hospitality. Here, the class settles down to a meal hosted by Mr Faisal Al-Dhfeeri, Director for Public Relations of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu. Notice our girls wearing the abayas and sitting at a separate table from the guys

Next stop after Saudi Arabia: Bahrain! The world famous Bahrain Financial Harbour - still in the middle development phase - houses many international and regional banks. The Kingdom continues with its plans to diversify with the Bahrain 2030 Economic blueprint. One aspect naturally involves building on its status as a regional logistics and finance hub

Over at Doha, Qatar, Lusail City stands out as a bold mega-project to build residential, commercial, entertainment and cultural developments. With enough natural gas to last for the next 100 years, Qatar has enough finances to back its weight in gold

A further extension of the Lusail City project. The sea bridges link the City to the rest of Doha. Do however note the potential impact of such developments to the environment, especially the sea

The class prepares for a briefing at the Qatar Financial Centre. During our trip, we had the opportunity to talk to representatives of the business community, academics, policy-makers and diplomats to have a well-rounded feel of developments in the Gulf

The Atlantis at Palm Jumeria, an upscale district of hotels and residential apartments in Dubai. Check out the price tag of spending a night at its famous Poseidon Suite which boasts three well-furnished floors, a lift if you ever feel lazy to take the stairs, and an unfettered view of an aquarium that houses 65 000 fish: US$10 000

The Ski Dubai is an in-house ski park at Emirates Mall. If winter doesn't come to the Gulf, the Arabs were sure to at least import some winter, and construct it right at their very door step!

The amazing Burj Dubai - the tallest building in the world which houses offices and residences. The Burj Dubai is at least 20 floors higher than its nearest competitor: the Taipei 101 Tower and KL CC Tower

Over in Abu Dhabi, Zayed Sports City stands out as a development to cater to the niche field of sports entertainment. The Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex has hosted many world championships and will host the upcoming Capitala World Tennis Championship in 2010. The matches will be mostly be held at night to avoid the searing heat in the day

Lining the coast of the capital city, Saadiyat Island features a mixture of residential, commercial and cultural projects like the world-famous Guggenheim and the Louvre Museums, along with big-names like St Regis and Resorts in hospitality

Despite the rapid economic development, religion continues to play a pivotal role in the daily lives of the locals. The prayer clock, taken at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, one of the biggest mosques in the Gulf which is built almost entirely of marble, lists the six different prayer times of the day

Rounding up our trip at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, an opulent hotel which features an entirely gold-platted interior design theme. We had so much fun taking photos and living it up as "pseudo-guests" of the hotel

The Al-Khaleej beckons!

41 students. 20 company and on-site visits. 10 days of travel (6 - 16 Dec). 4 countries (Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE). A once-in-a-lifetime experience!

And it has finally come to the day when I'm packing and feeling the excitement, a few hours after meeting the class for a get-together potluck and briefing for the trip. As I work down my to-do list for the preparations, and look ahead at the intense work and learning we will be doing during the trip, I can't help but reflect on all that we've been through as a class.

Yes, it's a graded module which is notoriously known for the intense amount of academic rigor and non-academic contribution such as planning the trip and organising site visits. Among all of the presentations that I've done in my 3.5 years in SMU, those in the BSM module are easily among the most memorable. The stress level was astronomical and the amount of time we put into the course should be measured in days, not hours.

Academics aside, it's the hands-on learning that matters. I've never interviewed three personalities from the business sector before, not even when I was in ST. I've never handled a S$110 000 budget before. Neither have I worked my guts out for media engagement (incl. the local and Middle East press) in any single project undertaking. This module has crossed the line and in ways I have never imagined.

And in a day's time, I will be stepping into a world that I've read about so far in the Internet, papers, and magazines - a region so politically. economically and culturally diverse; a region that has a recent history of impressive developmental growth and an even longer history of war and Islamic terrorism; and a region that is moving beyond the entrapment of oil wealth into a future still brimming with opportunities that is fueled by investment in various industries, human capital development, and domestic consumption - and see it for what it is.

And courtesy of the previous BSM photography teams, here are some shots to wet the appetite.

The Arabs are renowned for building entire cities from scratch. Their master plans speak of behemoth highways with high-rise office complexes, elaborate industrial parks, and ostentatious residential and tourist spots that cater to the well-heeled. Today's Abu Dhabi and Dubai were spawned from the first generation of master plan development, and the next generation of cities will be found in places like Saudi Arabia where the government is building five economic cities over the next 10 to 20 years.

See the sophistication of their plans. While many developments were fueled by oil wealth, some (like Dubai) were financed heavily by debt which unraveled with the financial crisis. Still, the Arabs have more than enough natural resources to rely on, enlightened political leadership that is determined to reform and diversify their economies, and thousands of foreign companies that are competing for plushy contracts - to keep the region relevant like China and India for the foreseeable future.

Atlantis and the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, Lusail City in Doha, Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, and the Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia are among the many developments that the Middle East offers. All of this was previously unimaginable in a region that was associated only with static dictatorships, plutocracy, Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism and an irreconcilable culture. Today's Gulf is a break from the past.

See this huge conference hall with state-of-the-art communications technology. I'm always impressed by how the Arabs go for scale and size. The ability to dream and envision boldly - something many of us fail to do so - is also as critical as translating that vision into reality.

Ahlan wa-sahlan. Welcome to the Gulf! And Ma'a salama. The Gulf beckons!