Seeing as how I have no life these days...

I might as well blog a little. I have a few monkeys on my back that I have been feeling ever so guilty about. Here we go:

Singapore:
I was in Singapore for almost a week, staying with the fab-u-lous Mr Wootton. His flat was the perfect Singapore launching ground. He has gorgeous wood floors, a rooftop pool that looks over the city skyline and a location that makes not shopping impossible. I walked to Orchard Road everyday.

The Rob and the Shaun had warned me that the number one past time in Singapore was shopping but I don't think I ever really believed it until I arrived. If you are looking for a uniquely Asian experience...well, this is definitely unique in Asia. Singapore is extremely western tourist friendly. Everyone speaks English. The signs are all in English. The stores and brands are almost all familiar to Westerners (except the Japanese grocer where I got the best grocery store sushi EVER). There's a Borders Books, a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and we ate lunch at California Pizza Kitchen.

I kept trying to compare it to something I knew, because it felt like somewhere I had been before. I decided it was a hybrid of LA, London and Vegas. Everything was extremely clean and orderly and in most places shiny new and the warm/muggy temperature never changes (like the hotels in Vegas). Image was pretty important (like LA) as were labels and fine luxury goods (like London).

Then again, I don't think you'd ever see a Hello Kitty themed wedding in the USA or be invited to choose your own frog out of a tank on the street for your dinner (well, maybe in Vegas).

Tourist Highlights include: The botanical gardens, Chinatown, the constant queue to shop at Louis Vuitton, eating under the stars at IndoChine in Clarke Quay, eating in a hawker center, the midnight swim in the pool on Rob's rooftop and the spa on Sentosa Island.

Oh, and if you ever do make it Singapore, don't be disappointed if you spend a lot of time in the Changi Airport, the noodle bar, pedicure place, and outdoor pool are a holiday in and of themselves!

Many many thanks to the Rob and the Shaun for the good times.