Grain Trader

Here's a food recommendation for anyone reading this blog: Grain Traders at The CapitaGreen building at Raffles Place. Healthy food that tastes so very delicious and served in a very chic setting. Not for the value-conscious folks who may frown upon a $16 salad lunch, but then again, it does do magic with your tastebuds.

The sun is out of control y'all!

It's been 10 years in Singapore & this is the worst summer yet!

Only in Singapore

I take the train to work everyday and at Raffles Place station (where most offices are), many would've noticed that SMRT has stationed an employee whose job is to smilingly and loudly say, "good morning sir, good morning m'am, don't forget to smile today!" He is a pleasant-faced grey haired man, probably in his late 40s who keeps smiling at commuters till they eventually smile back at him. 

I am sure the "smiley uncle" (as he is known to everyone) has other jobs at SMRT when he's not persuading commuters to smile during rush hour at Raffles Place, but still I found myself thinking at first, "what a waste of tax payers' money! As if you can brainwash people into feeling happy!"

But you know what, it works! Like everything else in Singapore does. On a particularly gloomy day yesterday, I found myself thinking of the smiley uncle & smiled.

China Diary

Isn't it crazy- Having spent about a decade in this part of the world, this was only our first ever visit to China! Well, there was a good reason for it. We were worried about not being able to get by without knowing the language (and we don't quite enjoy being guided by someone else when we are traveling). But then H had a conference in Beijing and we tagged along, so it just kind of happened. And we are glad it did.

Beijing, we thought, was a lot like Delhi. Wide roads, important looking government buildings, taxi drivers looking for a reason to fleece you, and lots and lots of cultural history. We also took a day trip to Mutianyu to see the Great Wall, which was pretty darn impressive for a 2000 year old structure. And then Shanghai felt a lot like Hong Kong or Mumbai - chaotic, unplanned, unstructured, vibrant, more cosmopolitan, casual. A sort of Mumbai from the future (in terms of infrastructure and cleanliness). On our last weekend, we visited an ancient Chinese water village in Xitang. At first, we were unsure of what to expect in the Chinese countryside, but it turned out quite charming and quaint, even though a bit touristy. 

Turned out the language wasn't such a big issue after all. Our little translator K did a fantastic job! :)