Monthly Archives: August 2011
Will Madam Be Having Lard With That?
I really think I must have a food intolerance. After ten days in Singapore and a couple of weeks in Malaysia, I’m mysteriously bloated. My stomach’s the same size it was when I was four months pregnant. It bulges over the top of my pants in the manner of late-era Bukowski. It’s all most peculiar. [...]
The Sunday Six: Volcano Holidays
We love volcanoes: under the sea, on land, volcanoes within volcanoes — we just can’t get enough of them. Here’s six of the best places to get up close and personal with volcanoes. Antigua, Guatemala A pretty little town in the highlands of Guatemala, surrounded by smouldering peaks, Antigua was briefly the capital of old [...]
The Friday Photo: Singapore By Night
At night, Singapore’s malls shut down eventually, though their adverts still beckon and gleam. But the skyline comes into its own. Down on the waterfront, at Marina Bay, the Fullerton Hotel is lit up like Christmas. The One Price Store on Emerald Hill shut up shop long ago. But there are Singapore Slings. And Japanese [...]
The Best Rollercoaster Ever?
When it comes to rollercoasters, the boy and I are fully-fledged coaster junkies. So a trip to Universal Studios Singapore, on Singapore’s resort island, Sentosa, in company with both Vagabond Kids and one rather hungover Vagabond Dad, was pretty much a must-do. For a small park — space is at a premium in Singapore — [...]
Like Internet Dating, But Not
I’m atypically nervous as I walk into Changi Airport, belongings on back. My phone begins to ring. I rummage. I don’t get a lot of calls on my Singapore SIM. “Miss S?” says the lady on the other end. “Your son…” “Yeah?” I say. I can’t see his flight listed. He should be coming in [...]
1: Go Dog Sledding There are few more exhilarating things in life than soaring over the snow towed by a team of yelping huskies, struggling to steer as they pound towards the finish. Dog sledding — well, it rocks. One proviso for single parents planning Lapland holidays? You need more than one child’s weight in [...]
Me Singlish Damn Powerful One, Ah?
“You buy now,” says the girl in the shoe shop. “You buy now.” It’s less a question than a statement, less a statement than a command, and almost — not quite — enough to tip me into buying the shoes straight away. I will gain, in fact, approximately ten pounds in Singapore just through a [...]
The Singapore Sling is not only a quintessential Singapore experience. It’s arguably the world’s girliest classic cocktail. It’s pink, it’s frothy, it comes in its own special glass — and, best of all, it’s garnished with a slice of pineapple, a sticky cherry, and a bright pink umbrella on the top. Now, it’s pretty much [...]
Welcome to Singapore!
There is a right frame of mind to enter a new country — wide-eyed, alert, well-rested, on the qui vive for new things to see, smell, taste, experience… When you’re in this zone, a stamp on your passport is the opening of a new chapter. A news stand is a mine of cultural curios, intriguing [...]
The Eagle Has Flown
Bustling around the room in his new black T-shirt and jeans, gathering clothes, piling belongings on his bed, Z looks — well, I can only say grown-up. His shoulders have broadened, lately. He’s grown about an inch over the last couple of days. And as he packs for his trip to Oz to see his [...]
