Around Singapore

They tell me rainy season is drawing to a close, but I don't believe them. It's still raining as much as ever--just an hour ago it was thundering above my head. Thankfully, the heavens withheld their torrents while I took time to explore Singapore with my friends.

Henna in Little India. Sometimes it's okay to look like a tourist.

A lion dance inside Far East Plaza on one of the last days of Chinese New Year. 

Chinese New Year decorations inside the Paragon. 

And jazz. We musn't forget jazz. 

Hanging at the Starbucks in Somerset 313 with Elaine. 

Mandolin photobomber in the background.

Traditional tiling outside Peranakan Place on Orchard Road

 A cool pub

Elaine

This is Elaine. She is currently curled up on a corner of my couch, watching the pilot of Burn Notice. We took a poetry class together in college but not much else, and she has been living in Korea for the past year and a half, working as an ESL teacher at Kosin university.Elaine has been traveling in New Zealand, and the above picture was taken on a trail near Mount Cook. On her way back to Korea, she took a flight here to Singapore, and though we are not terribly well-acquainted, us world travelers have got to stick together. We shall be getting along splendidly. 

The Fungus Amung Us

And I'm not even kidding about the mold. It's been raining for almost two weeks--great, torrential downpours which work well for keeping me inside coffee shops, but that do absolutely nothing for my little place next to the nature reserve. As much as I like living near the rainforest, it does mean that the humid air stays humid, despite my attempts at running the fan at all hours of the day and keeping the windows open. I have had to wipe mold off my white heels and my leather belt, throw away a pair of shorts, a backpack, and a pair of shoes. The musty smell is beginning to settle into my cushions. I feel like I am in a Hitchcock movie. What do you want from me? You gonna take the curtains next, huh? How about the carpets? My closet?

 If I do not report back in within two days, assume that I have been overtaken by killer fungus and send out a recovery team. 

Another Story

My Long Skirt

I haven't worn this skirt in a very long time, and I thought it was about time to dust it off. My black top has a spiderweb design to it, which reminds me very much of Morgana's dresses in the Merlin series (worth a watch), though hopefully I am more capable of keeping my rampant madness under wraps. Can I just say that I am especially pleased with my red hair at this point in time?

Rejected

For the most part, Facebook tries to be helpful by recommending people I may know, if we are connected vaguely by a friend or two. Sometimes the recommendations are a little less than helpful. Alastair Dunsmore-Rouse appeared in my People You May Know column with absolutely no mutual friends attached to his name, and of course, there was only one thing to do.

I sent him a message, saying something to the extent of "Dear Alastair Dunsmore-Rouse, you do not know me, but I just wanted to let you know I think you have a wonderfully imaginative name; it makes me think of classic literature and Charles Dickens."

He never wrote me back. I still feel the sting of rejection to this day.

How to Tell a Story

 Storytelling is necessary for my well-being, whatever form it may take. I have been finding more time to write, but today Pat and I found other ways to tell a tale or two.

What stories can you see?

What adventures can you imagine?