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Bugger, so I didn't manage to get inside the lecture hall; it was already packed hours before Mayor Ma arrived. By the time I got there, a large group of oriental people + a small number of Caucasians stood outside hoping that they could still get a glimpse of him. Hang on a minute, there appears to be quite a few Mainland Chinese amongst the crowd. I should have guessed; Mayor Ma is like a political superstar to people on both sides of the strait. I heard one voice proudly saying that he's a president hopeful. At 18.30, a tall, handsome figure wearing a smart wind coat walked through with his entourage, smiling. Gosh, he was so close to me I could even shake his hand... but was blocked by an annoying giant. Then that was it, as swift as ten seconds, with the disappointed ones left on the cold winter street. Whatever, when Mayor Ma and I lived in the same city, I never bothered about him. I turned around and was surprised to find my friend SM and her friends, so off we went for a nice meal at Chinatown. I suppose the Mayor might do a publicity stunt such as jogging in Regent's Park tomorrow, like he always do in Taipei. But with the pressure from China, his visit is like a breeze that seemed to have never happened.