Event: Industry Conference in US
Date: February 2014
Venue: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Having pretty much lived in Singapore all my life, with a couple of years in China, this experience was nothing short of deep and memorable. Snowstorm, icy rain, fallen trees and power outages were not written in my autobiography until last week.
I left Singapore for New York on the second day of the Lunar New Year, a time where families, relatives and friends get together for sumptuous feast and celebration. The flight SQ26 took more than 24hours with a short transit at Frankfurt. Upon arrival at New York John F Kennedy Airport, we had to travel in a car for another two hours. Weather was cold but sunny (wishful thinking on my part that the weather will stay this way).
What transpired over the next three days was an experience of a lifetime. Snow came down fast and flurry on my second day in the US. Started in the morning and I thought it was beautiful (bear in mind I am living near the equator). Over the next few hours, snow accumulated and roads and schools were closed. Our car couldn't leave the hotel carpark as the entrance was piled with snow. We were pretty much welled up in the hotel the whole day.
Snowstorm cleared and next day we had the first day of the conference. Everything went fine and conference participants had a fruitful day. At night, it started raining with ice forming. Next morning, the conference venue and many other offices, homes and shops were down without power. Families in homes were stranded without heater and started checking into hotels. The conference was cancelled.
I was worried about my flight out the next day as I have to arrive in Singapore by Saturday without fail, to host an event in the evening. My flight was scheduled to arrive on Saturday morning and any delay would jeopardize my hosting engagement that evening. Luckily the weather cleared and we departed US. At this point, I am safe and sound back in Singapore. It's showtime this evening!
Some photos of the snowstorm to share:
