Must be Singapore...

If it's no longer mozzarella di bufala, tiella with scarole and olives, or pizza...then it must be Singapore! Notwithstanding the misleading t-shirt. And supposedly fried rice with kimchi, a dish I first tried when I arrived years ago and have been ordering ever since from my local food court, is also an excellent jetlag remedy. Something I need because that 6 hour difference is pretty brutal. After so many years of travelling this Italy to Singapore route, I do have my own trusty, time-tested system which consists of 3 basic rules:

1) Stay up as late as possible (last night I made it until 2 am!)

2) Wake up as early as possible with alarm clock because your body will feel like it's 3 am even though local time is 9 am⏰️ 

3) Absolutely no naps. In fact, I would say this is the golden rule worthy of being embroidered on a pillow: No Naps When Jetlagged.

And of course, if all else fails, really spicy Korean food should do the trick!

Familial Support

There's nothing like family support...at least from my brothers. In fact, I just realised that if there are any secrets I wish to keep to myself, the best place to do that is in my blog. As there is pretty much no chance at all that they'll read it. Especially if I send them a direct link to it. 

Watching movies and eating pizza together...well, that's another story. We're definitely on the same page. 

The Unpredictability of Travel

After living for so many years in tropical Singapore there are certain things one takes for granted: the sun rising and setting at the same time every day, the heat and humidity,  the availability of soup for breakfast and so on.

After the past few weeks in London though, I've had to give some certainties up. It's sunny outside? Not necessarily warm, in fact, throw in the wind and it can feel relatively polar. It's light outside? Could be either 5:00 am or 21:00 pm. 

And while I like a bit of unpredictability in my life, one thing I definitely wasn't expecting was to get my hair sucked into the hair dryer this morning and my daughter having to cut it out with a knife. Oh yes, a knife because we're staying at my brother's house and we couldn't find a scissor. In Singapore, we don't even own a hair dryer. And counting on the humidity to dry one's hair is just the kind of predictability I miss.

But did I mention how beautiful the architecture in London is?

Facing My Childhood Nemesis

When I was a little girl,  my biggest fear was the Wicked Witch of the West. And even though it was irrational, I was positive she was under my bed with her green-painted face and scary laugh. I was sometimes paralysed with fear my whole body stiffening even as I pretended to not be afraid of something that was clearly impossible. That's the thing about fear. Your body reacts to it even when your mind is busy reassuring you that your worries are unfounded. The fear itself might be irrational but the reaction it provokes is very real and leaves you helpless. To this day, I remember exactly how I felt then and I think (hope) its made me a better mother and even friend who has always taken fear at face value. Not focusing on the actual fear but on the feelings provoked by it.

I finally saw in London this week the musical Wicked and as expected its a completely different story from the original Wizard of Oz. Told from the side of the Wicked Witch of the West, its more of a morality play reminding us all that there are always two sides to every story. But even though I can sympathise with this witch (and in that respect a glass of chardonnay in my hand definitely helps), I can't forget 7-year-old me lying in the dark absolutely terrified about what can't possibly be hiding under her bed.

Next up, Hansel and Gretel...is there anything scarier than children's stories? I don't think so. 

You Can Take The Girl Out Of Singapore

After living 16 years in Singapore, there are certain things you don't take for granted. And I'm not talking about the humidity...no, it's the opportunity to eat amazing food at any time of day. So if say one were enjoying a brisk walk through Covent Garden, in the heart of London, it's perfectly understandable that the Din Tai Fung sign promising delicious soup dumplings would beckon more forcefully than Circe to Ulysses...I admit I'm weak. I love everything about London and from today that includes its dumplings.