The one thing I hate about the tropics

It must be Tuesday, the guy with the smoke monster is here

Fogging for mosquitoes is a National obsession

Despite the sketchiness of this practice from a bygone era I'll take it over Dengue fever any day.

Gold Class Cinema win

courtesy of Timeout Singapore

Joel arrived home from Montreal last night at two am after flying for nearly two days. Needless to say it was the best Valentine's Day present. Today we had a reservation to see the King's Speech at Golden Village in a gold class theatre. Big plush reclining chairs, blankets and a call button to keep the champagne coming. It was a dream come true. I had to nudge Joel and few times to keep him awake since for him it was the middle of the night and he felt like he'd been upgraded to first class.

Packing for Singapore

I have a few guests heading my way this year so this is for all of you soon-to-be Singapore explorers. My list of things you might want to consider when you pack your suitcase.

Bags
You don't really need to pack light or be very mobile with your luggage because as soon as you get off your flight you get a trolley and as soon as you get outside there are cabs and chauffeur services waiting. Cabs aren't expensive and well worth it after a long flight. Just make sure you can physically lift your bag off the conveyor belt. Alternately look helpless enough that someone else will do it for you. Not that I've done that.

Bring a purse or side bag you are comfortable with carrying for a whole day of walking and then something smaller for an evening out.

Clothing
You really don't need to (and frankly shouldn't) dress for a safari. While you may see lots of other pale, disoriented tourists taking this approach it's really overkill and gives all the fashionable Singaporeans something to really laugh about.

Chinatown at New Years

Finally got out to photograph the "cherry blossoms" at night

The arches over the road with the bunnies on top

Sentosa

I was on Sentosa yesterday which I think was probably the busiest day to be there given that the whole city is off work for Chinese New Years and the new boardwalk to the island JUST opened. Despite the crushing crowds I still like being where things are happening.

Egalitarian mistakes

Cultural sensitivity lesson number 1. When we first arrived in Singapore we stayed in a serviced suite as many people do. Four weeks in a little furnished flat with a maid coming in every day to clean. Mine arrived around 10am, barefoot and oddly submissive. It seemed excessive for her to be washing our tiny floors 6 days a week and I became very aware of my things being in her way. When she'd arrive I'd feel guilty about my dishes and quickly leap up to speed-wash them while she tackled the bathroom. I noticed that she seemed to avoid me if possible and gave me the stink-eye when we made eye contact. Oh my god she hates me, I thought. I must have insulted her or maybe she hates white people. I get it, white people suck. I'll try to smile more or maybe do the dishes earlier and not be still in my PJs when she gets here.

I shared my feelings with Joel who thought my maid issue was amusing but had no idea what to do. I started to greet her at the door with a big smile and would say "hey it's OK, I you don't need to clean up today" hoping she'd be thrilled to have a shorter shift.  I was met with dagger eyes. I just made it worse.

Home cooking re-loaded

I've discovered that when I cook I should close the kitchen door to keep the spicy vapor and heat away from the air conditioned rooms of the apartment. Then I swing open the balcony door (just off the other side of the kitchen). It's like a mini sweat lodge in there. Cooking becomes meditative because I can't wander round the apartment or fiddle with my phone while I'm shut in there and all I can hear is food sizzling, cicadas in the garden next door and the far off hum of the city. I emerge in a blissful warm, spicy bubble with a steaming bowl of curry.

This is a vegan, organic Thai green curry I made for myself this evening. It turned out great considering I'm not a Thai cooking expert. I was delighted to find that it was spicy enough to melt paint.

There's a gecko in my pencil box

The first fixture for my studio here, a cutting table (which is the temporary 

home for absolutely everything)

It's true, there was a gecko in my pencil box today when I opened one of my art cupboards. Starting Monday I am back to full time school online and am saying good-bye to the Tai-Tai life at least till late May. In an attempt to treat school more like a client I've decided to track my entire semester with time management software and I've put a dollar amount on the hours I track. I'm curious to see how many productive, billable design hours I can do when I go full out for that long. I'm also curious to see if I can get by with only putting in 12 hours a day. If I succeed I get to sleep at night and have weekends. If I fail... well I'll be back to living on coffee and trying to be productive after being awake 20 hours at a time. It will be interesting either way.

Sounds like Singapore

There is nothing quite like going for a walk after an evening rainfall. I captured this using the memo app on my iphone4.

Stacy and Stacey

When I landed in Narita the other day I went to the connections desk for my boarding pass and after an hour and a half I was handed one with the wrong seat number on it. "This isn't my seat" I said handing it back with what little tact was left in me after the long line-up. The exasperated flight attendant said "Plane full" to which I also pointed out "my name is not right." It was true. My name was there but it was missing the e in both my first and last names and I had a different middle initial. She snatched the pass back and typed in my last name with the 'e'. "Ahhh, you are right" she said tearing the boarding bass in half and printing another. With my new pass in hand and window seat secured I wandered into the lounge wondering "is there another person on this flight with my name?" It's one thing to find another Stacey but someone with the same last name too and in Japan?

After sitting on my laptop for a while catching up on emails I became aware of a young couple sitting near me who were discussing their trip to Singapore. I was intrigued and asked them if this was their first trip here. We had a nice chat pouring over maps and I dished advice till we needed to get on the flight. Feeling that we should try to connect during their visit the girl reached into her bag and produced a business card. I took it and gasped. Not only had I found the other Stacy but we were the same age and both headed for Singapore. Crazy!

I actually started to piece together who she was at this point as I had run across a name twin when I was checking my website googleability and had seen a site for a singer. This is she, and she's playing in Singapore this week for all you expats in the hood.  http://www.myspace.com/stacyclark