the whole world is up in the air

So Gaddafi is still hanging on, while Portugal's PM quit in a row over the country's messed up finances. Germany is reiterating its vows to go nuke-free and leaning towards renewable energy, while the paranoid Swiss have been warned NOT to take them iodide or iodine pills to avoid jeopardizing their health in the absence of a speck of radiation.

Meanwhile some market punters are advising people to buy timber stocks on a reconstruction theme for Japan - a very good fact pointed out was that a good number of people are dead and more likely than not the survivors would be getting their asses out of Sendai and Fukushima faster than you can say Jack Sprat once they actually get their hands on some petrol. So who exactly would you be building houses for?

But I've shed tears for Japan, not because CNN's Anderson Cooper or BBC did a particularly good job of covering the poignancy of the situation there, but because the truth stood out even when no words were said. And today I cried again because I thought Elizabeth Taylor was beautiful.

I suspect its PMS but whatever.

Credit Suisse is taking clients to the Sevens in Hong Kong, while we're trying to work on upping our market share. My friend in UBS got a 60% pay rise last year and he still complained about a bad bonus.

CPO Boy and I were lunching at Shangri-La when both our peripheral vision picked up on Jacob Yeoh, heir apparent to everything under the sun. We had initially been speculating about the table he subsequently approached, wondering if those were the Rothschild bankers.

I was of the opinion they looked more 1MDB than Rothschild, but CPO Boy said they had an air about them. I still think they're 1MDB.

At this point I need to categorically state that our lunchtime conversation is in no way a reflection of our professional selves - in fact, we spend 13-14 hour weekdays working hard not to drop the ball, speaking to clients from New York to Tokyo, pouring our soul into writing kickass and classy reports that we're not even sure anyone reads, to be honest.

But its a tough life.

I realized how bad it had become and how involved I have been in work when I decided I wanted to have a little night out with friends this Saturday at Velvet and found that I could only call one person.

The rest would probably scream at me and say where have I been for a year.

It's been so long since our days at Velvet - I clearly remember our episodes of downing Moet (looking back, who the hell downs champagne?), becoming totally best friends with people you just only met and seeing them week after week. I certainly do not miss it, but a work-imposed hermit-like existence isn't very ideal either.
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Oh bollocks. A reporter just called me and asked what I think about a new acquisition and I realized I forgot to check the stock exchange today after market close.

yeah, life is bitchin'. -_-