we were in indonesia last week for the better air quality (baq) 2006 workshop. it was the culmination of half a year's work, blood and sweat all rolled into one of the biggest parties of air quality and sustainable transport peeps in asia and beyond.
picture this.
four months ago, we started writing at least four country + city synthesis reports on urban air quality in asia. mine were those for hong kong s.a.r., singapore, cambodia and indonesia. we wrote the drafts and had them checked and verified with our local partners in each area. this exercise made us gain new friends and unfortunately, break some old ties. it was also a test of patience and a chance to evaluate our job quality criteria and management skills. all of these were done while....
...preparing the final editing stages for the sustainable urban transport in asia main report. this is officially my first book which was co-authored with cornie, lee, and wei shiuen of cai-asia and embarq. the report was published in time for baq 2006 but a preview of the strategic framework on sustainable urban transport in asia has been presented at the transportation research board last january 2006.
...coordinating the best practices exhibit for baq 2006. in the end the exhibit was composed of at least 50 booths and at least 200 poster exhibits. too bad the weather did not cooperate with us on some of the days of the exhibit but it sure was fun and enlightening to interact with the exhibitors. note to self: the cliche on french guys is just that - a cliche.
...coordinating the bus rapid transit technical working group for metro manila. there was a welcome lag in the latter part of the year but the knowledge and ties we gained from the BAQ events on BRT and NMT would not go to waste. the meetings resume on january.
...keeping abreast of the latest development on AQ and SUT in Asia. as always.
during baq week, we even managed to squeeze in some shopping nights at malioboro, dining with new friends at jogja and jakarta, sing along at the vredeburg fort in jogja, toured the borobudur temples for more shopping, toured Jakarta through our TransJakarta field trip, and go to singapore for more shopping and sightseeing c/o chow kuang, nancy and ninette. we took lots of pictures to document the whole thing.
the hell on earth at jakarta airport where our flight to singapore was delayed for five hours was replaced by the blessings that we got after the ordeal. net's special powers were mightier than someone we know, even getting our friends flights confirmed and getting them booked at one of the finest hotels at orchard road with free meals, hotel-airport transfer, and international calls all at the airline's expense.
more to come.
