Sin City Settlers

Seven days and seven points to note:

- The local shopping mall (Tiong Bahru Plaza) boasts the fashion houses of 'Wanko' and 'Dressy Closet'. I was shocked to discover that Wanko has more than one outlet and are clearly about to take the fashion world by storm. I'd like to hear the advice the British Council would give to Wanko on 'breaking into the UK market'.

- The local supermarket (NTUC Fairprice) sells live crabs (if you dare to approach the tank with your bare hands wielding a pair of plastic tongs) and eggs by 'Eggy the Eggs-Pert'. Until now, I had no idea that 'Eggy' stands for:

E xceptional Value-for-money
G reat Quality
G uaranteed Freshness
Y ou - It's all about serving YOU better

- Stanley, one of the local market stallholders offers the enticing 'Real Tasty Kampong Chicken' (recommended by my Auntie Dora, and essentially, free range) with the strapline, "It's Really A Taste of Different".

- Given the proximity of the Lunar New Year, the usual fast food suspects are each offering the 'Prosperity Burger', the 'Prosperity Pizza' (complete with a stuffed crust shaped into gold ingots) and a 'Fortune (Kan't Find the Chicken) Feast'.



- I have left my garlic in an open bowl and am about to hang a small bag of salt in my hallway to 'ward away the spirits of times gone by' on the advice of my Auntie Dora. (You just never know when those spirits might come knocking and you want to be prepared when and if they do.)

- The weather has been sunny all this week and it has rained once. The temperatures have been above 29 degrees Celsius and we have been indulging in two showers a day out of necessity. Thankfully, our flat has a designer shower, so it's a lush experience. Yar yar.

- We went to our first 'international party' last Saturday and it ended in a debauched dance lesson including the Filipino 'Papaya' Dance and five basic Bollywood moves. The video below gives you an idea... Just add lots of beer, cocktails and awkward 'ang mo's':





For the Lunar New Year, we will be enjoying our 'Reunion Dinner' at the swish Ritz-Carlton hotel buffet. Get in line! We then aim to become intrepid explorers of Singapore's national parks and nature reserves thereafter, as both Monday and Tuesday are Public Holidays. Rocking!

It's the Year of the Ox, in case you're wondering... so the year for all those who you know who are celebrating their 60th, 48th, 36th, 24th and 12th birthdays this year. Gong Xi Fa Cai (literally, "wishing you enlarge your wealth") and see you on the other side!

10 days and counting...

So, finally the end is in sight. It has been a wonderful few weeks, organising the big move, meeting up with business contacts to let them know the news, attending my last Aviation Club lunch at which I heard the CEO of Iberia speak, not one but two weddings, finding out that I was chosen as one of the 'Future 500' for 2009, hosting my leaving party at a warehouse in Whitechapel and finally enjoying a last Christmas and New Year with my nearest and dearest.

It has been a whirlwind ride, seeing and doing as many 'London Tings' as possible interspersed with whiling away the last days and hours at my (now) old job. Today, my parents left after spending the weekend packing up my dad's van to bursting point with items and memories collected in London over the last four years. It wasn't until they left that the reality sunk in that I'm leaving in ten days. The flat is really bare now and we are noticing our voices echoing from the lack of substance. I am sure that the emptiness is pervading my mind and inducing fear where there should not be any. Singapore is a land that I know and where I have family. However, I suppose everyone always experiences a little fear when change is afoot.

The last things to do on our list are to rent out our flat, sell the car, cancel all the utilities and ship our carefully selected items to arrive in time for the day after touchdown. Seeing our new flat is something I am very excited about. For sure, there will be things that we have conjured in our minds that we have remembered differently, having only visited it for a total of fifteen minutes. For example, my partner was confused the other day when I resolutely asserted that there is a glass door separating the living room from the kitchen. (I am now desperately hoping to avoid an 'egg on face' situation - heh heh).

And so, here's to the final stretch. May it be filled with lots of French wine, good Western food and wonderful friends. It will not be long before our time is filled with Tiger Beer, exquisite Asian gastronomy and unfamiliar faces - many of whom, I hope, will become our new friends.