Didier Robert Yeung

Didier is the first IRC friend I made, on 6 July'96. Why do I remember it so clearly? It's because that day was Youth Day, a school holiday, and I was talking to him for so long, I almost missed my high school class gathering!

I had blundered into the Brisbane server instead of Qdeck(see how blur I am?!) I used the nick "espresso" for the first time and others wereasking if I was Italian; I replied in French that I was S'porean, and immediately, "TLC" private chatted me (I never did ask why he wasusing that nick, since from then on, he always used his real name.) He told me he was a native French speaker,and was Mauritian. At that time,he was doing his final year in the Uni Of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia. He happened to be in the Accountancy faculty, a course in which I intended to do; from then on, he was always there to answer whatever questions I had about this course and the accounting profession. Thanks to him, I made up my mind to go into this line, despite alot of negative and discouraging comments from people who have a stereotyped view of this profession.

We chatted alot on IRC,and he is another one who wished to come to S'pore to work. He had come here for a holiday in Feb '96, and he felt right at home the moment he landed. It was then that he decided he wanted to work in S'pore after he graduated. Of course I was very happy to hear that, and did whatever I could to let him know more about S'pore. In April '97, he FINALLY came to S'pore to work for National Computer Systems, after a frustrating 4-month long wait for his employment pass to be approved. Real glad that he has realised his dream to work in S'pore!

He is the single person who has the longest name I've ever come across. Let me see if I can remember the full name hehe...Pierre Didier Robert Yeung Muk Ting Tat Kiat *Phew!* He is a Chinese, but back in those days, in Mauritius, the people did not know how the Chinese names were like, and so they used his grandfather's full name as a surname (family name) for his offsprings later on. That's why instead of being just "Yeung", his full surname is now "Yeung Muk Ting" (his grandpa's full name). Confused yet? Don't worry, that's how I felt when he first explained it to mehehe...I always wanted to see how he managed to squeeze all 9 names into his driving license or ID card, but hey, it was no fun at all; they just put in his more common name, "Didier Robert Yeung". All his Aussie friends call him "Robert", cos they can't pronounce the French name "Didier", a name by which he prefers to be called :)

Despite being thoroughly westernised due to his years spent in Sydney, he is surprisingly traditional in this thinking. He was appalled and dismayed to discover that S'porean women do not change their name to that of their husbands' when they are married! Poor boy was so surprised! He told me he'd like to feel like he's "the man of the house", and the wife should change her name to his hehe... Well, as far as I know, Chinese women do not change their names, unless they choose to do so.

I must use this opportunity to apologise to Didier. It is really ironic that while he was in Sydney, we managed to chat almost daily; yet since he came to S'pore, I've only went out with him for a couple of times, and since May'97, we have not been in touch at all! It's my fault really; I lost his phone number, and knew he does not have access to the internet as yet and thus e-mail is out :( I've seen that his HP is updated, so I've been trying to mail him there. Didier, if you are angry, please forgive me! Give me a call lah!

If you wish to find out more about this tall,dark and handsome cyber-bro of mine, visit his Kangaroo's Homepage! And do check out his uni, UNSW, one of the best in Australia; I was lucky enough to tour the campusin Sydney when I was there in Dec'96, thanks to Didier!