Close encounters of the S2006 kind

I finally got to see the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Centre in IMF/WB Conference. Turned out that unlike what I thought earlier, that space was not for demo. It was too good for a demo site. The room was more like a mid-sized office partitioned into several smaller rooms and furnished with various laptop stations for activists to plug in their laptops and work, shared printers and copiers (the reason I went there), plasma TVs broadcasting key newschannels, sofa, and a spread of finger foods like pandan shortcake, coconut cupcake, etc. As one of my crews said, only in Singapore are demonstrants treated this lavishly. I don't know for sure if elsewhere IMF/WB conference does not provide this level of amenity, but I tend to agree with my crew's assessment. Perhaps the Singapore government intend to extend hospitality in return for civility from the activists. From the atmosphere I saw, it's working. Although in the first place there might not have been a threat from people who are there anyway. Besides seeing the CSO reps, today was a good stargazing day of sorts for me in Suntec. In the morning I passed by Jackson Tai (DBS CEO). I was later in the same lift with whom I believe to be Rodrigo de Rato, the World Bank Managing Director. I didn't really realise it, even when a plaincloth security officer tugged me from in front of the lift door to give more space for the foreigner gentleman. Only when some other foreign members of the entourage told him not to get off yet "Sir" when I was exiting at my floor did I get curious and a trigger in my mind flashed up the face of the person who was on the CCTV during the morning press conference. Would have been fun had I created a commotion, say like drop my laptop on his toes, in the lift where I couldn't run. heh. The afternoon I sat by a nearby sofa as Chuck Prince, Citigroup CEO, paid a visit to Citibank staff in the Suntec counter. And the final VIP of the day was none other than MM Lee Kuan Yew himself. I passed by him as he was inspecting the temporary office in Suntec. I was busy on my handphone as I walked so I had to ignore him and not pay much attention ;-) With that, I have now had close encounters with PM, SM, and MM (or at least close enough - within 20 meters). Took me 11 years since arriving in Singapore to do that ;-) Suntec is really teeming with high-profile people, and I think I may have unknowingly had close encounters with even more than what I have listed above, just that I don't know e.g. the finance minister of Uganda even if I saw him. Never mind, there's still time to brush up on the list of famous people before attending the reception of the Board of Governors ...