Yes, very nice, I buy from Bangkok.....

I have a cold today, I always get one when I first return to Singapore. I think I caught this one from a smaller Liverpool fan. Spent a night bunged up, and then went to the gym to feel even worse!

Later, we are going to try to take a bus from the house here to my office. It looks like it is going to be a bit of a task, but I guess the commute is no longer than that which I might have had in London. And at least the buses here have air-con!!

Yesterday something very odd happened. A total stranger approached me in Ya Kun Kaya Toast in Toa Payoh, and complemented me on my t-shirt. Then asked me if I was a tourist. Then asked how I like Singapore. And then gave me his name-card. I'm not sure why I seem to attract such oddities, but the same kind of thing has happened before. So, I just make nice, leave a reasonable amount of time, then run for my life.

So tell me again: which one did I order before?

Elena and I found a new microbrewery in Singapore, quite by accident. Unlike Brewerkz and Paulaner, this one serves beer that is quite Singaporean in flavour, with the lager having lemongrass in it, and the bittter having gula melaka, the brown palm sugar tapped from the coconut tree. Even got free bar snacks. And, even round the corner from the Penny Black pub.



Corporate sponsorship of the Smith Jones and the odd Barham trip next year? Already on it.....

Merlion seeks development for friendship, company and long walks

Visited an old friend today. He's still there, but he is going to be getting a lot of company soon when the IR and Marina Bay developments really get going.

Also in today's news: Bought shoes, had shoes resoled. Looked at more shoes. Elena gets blister.

What time's our connection....?

We've arrived in Singapore finally, after a mammoth flight from Gatwick to Singapore, via Dubai. Miles of checking in, endless queues, and overweight baggage, but at least we got a couple of free food vouchers, heh heh! Emirates managed to delay our flight from Gatwick, meaning that we had a very tight schedule for the connecting flight on to Changi. I reserved the lamb before we flew for my main meal, and Elena got the airline-ubiquitous chicken and mash, but it's all good.

We managed to run through Dubai airport, spurning the opportunity to buy a Lamborghini (again), and made the flight to Changi with a few minutes to spare. A few bumps later, and we are here in Singapore. Hot as hell, but in one piece.

Shangers and Singers......

The more erudite of you will notice that the pic at the top is not Singapore. Aha! Caught! Well, I've been playing around with the title to the blog, and have settled on this picture from Shanghai. I'd hoped to use one from Singapore, but I don't have one quite as clear as this one of Pudong.

What's key is getting the sky in so that the blog title shows up. And anyway, I love this picture for two reasons; one, its a great picture on a clear day in a town i love, and; two, it was taken by my better half. So there.

George, George...George of the Jungle

It's amazing how much George has grown; from a stroppy ball of fur to a stroppy big ball of fur. But at least she doen't keep her claws out now, and we have donated far less blood to the carpet than we used to.

Leaving the Bosom of Academia

I left Nottingham today, not for the last time - I still have my viva - but I pretty much moved out. Most of my stuff had been moved out before we left for Ningbo, but there were a few odds and ends to be tied up, forms to be signed (of course), and one last beer at the Sir John. All in all, another frantic day.

I'm not sad to be leaving - I've had five great years there - but there were one or two moments when I remembered some of the fun times I have had there. After all, it was where I met my future wife! But now we must look forward, and into employment, and beyond the warm bosom of academia, and those long mornings and late lunches.

Boxed Up

So we have only a few days left before we fly out to Singapore. There's lots to be done, but we are getting there, we think. We've nearly packed up our boxes to send to the freight company soon. We might even be able to do it tomorrow.

Then there are issues of tax to clear up, various accounts to cancel, handphone contracts to cancel (done), and so on. We've done most of it, and my car has been sold (and insurance cancelled) et cetera. It's a frantic period for both of us, because we both have work to do on our PhDs as well.

There are a lot of loose ends to tie up, but we are both looking forward to the BBQ on Sunday, and eating lots of nice sausages!

The Uncharitable Shield

It always feels good to beat them. And it's a feeling we're getting used to as well. Thanks Jose for another enjoyable Sunday afternoon. And thanks Rafa for another piece of Silver at Anfield South. YNWA.

Brownies!

Went to our favourite deli today, we just can't get enough of the brownies there. The nice man was even kind enough to let us take a picture.


Elena had the Brownie (although I helped quite a lot!!).


And, for me, the sticky date fruitcake. I guess that you just can't escape your nationality.


It's hard to describe the Brownie; melt in your mouth gooey, and the kind of richness that makes you wish you had a bigger mouth. But there are Brownies elsewhere, and half of the fun is doing Brownie research. I think that that can be a recurring theme of the blog; the quest for the perfect Brownie. Watch this space!

Air Travel

Dreadful and scary news coming out of the UK at the moment, with serious threats to trans-Atlantic flights. Let's hope that this is resolved soon.

We fly out to Singapore in two weeks; it's a little unnerving, but you have to have faith in the security folks at our airports.

Up To Date with 07/07/07

I forgot to add...you can also stay up to date with our wedding plans; the link is on the right ------>

We'll try to put pictures and other exciting links on there as well, so you can see what we've been up to.

The First of Many....?

I've decided that I'll keep a blog whilst in Singapore, to allow everyone to stay in touch whilst I'm away. I'm not sure how often I'll update it, but I'll try my best!

I might even try to do a podcast if I learn how, but I'll try to walk before I run.

Just to start us off, here's a pic of Elena and I a couple of years ago, having a beer at Paulaner in Singapore. Great place for a beer, nice and warm outside, as long as Christian fundamentalists don't grab hold of you!