Having "Me" Time

I love Christmas, I love New Years.  I love this time of year when everyone is in a festive mood and everything is just fun fun and fun.  Organizing parties, get-to-gethers, and gift raffles.  This is the time of year when everyone "gives" to everyone else.  It's when we forget ourselves a little and think about those around us. During this time of year we celebrate family, love and friendships.   Shopping malls are packed with people and everything is packaged in gift sets.  There are always long lines of people in the days running up to Christmas and New Years as last minute shoppers come out to get that special gift.  Here are a few gift tips on finding the perfect gift for those who need a little inspiration.  Tip 1 :  Think of the person you are going to give the gift to.  What do they like? Do you remember them eyeing something at the store?  Remember, expensive doesn't always means its going to make that pe...

With all the festivites going on, Christmas and New Years is undoubtedly one of my favorite time of the year.  I get to meet friends, catch up over lovely meals accompanied by weather that is nice and cool in winter. It doesn't snow in Thailand, but the temperature drops to the mid-twenties (celsius).  It's lovely and cool.  Perfect.  And as one of my friends put on her facebook status it is the "perfect weather to get fat."  I think this perfectly describes how we all feel. A lot of activities during Christmas and New Years undeniably revolve around eating.  We meet, we eat.  We celebrate, we eat.  We travel, we eat. Then we sleep in between those "meets" and "eats."  Oh how easy it is to pack on those pounds that won't just go away.  Nevertheless, do not fear them...there is a way to overcome them and one tip is to Plan Your Meals . I used to never plan my meals.  I'd just eat what I felt like eating each meal a...

After two weeks roaming around Singapore I have to say I am happy to be home. Although I enjoy going around and exploring new places, trying out new dishes and meeting friends, nothing beats the warmth of being back home surrounded by family and loved ones.  Even if we don't meet everyday, somehow the thought of being in the same city is reassuring.  It's warm and I feel fortunate to have such a lovely family. It's funny when you look back on years past.  There was a time when I would want to go away for weeks on end and not miss a thing.  Life was fun and I was young.  Now, I can feel the years creeping up on me ever so quietly and I find myself saying "I miss home. I miss my family." "Home" for me has always been a funny thing.  I remember being asked on countless occasions what I considered "home" since I moved country every couple of years.  I wasn't really "Thai" becaused I hardly lived there and I was hardly a citizen of...

I feel like I haven't been to Singapore if I haven't had Bak Kut Teh .  What is it?  It's pork rib soup.  What I love about it is that the soup has lots of pepper and as a meal it is not too heavy.  We have this dish also in the southern provinces of Thailand and in Malaysia but I have yet to try the ones there.   I think there will be slight variations.  There are lots of places to have Bak Kut Teh in Singapore, but my newest discovery is called " Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha ."  It's a long name.  Don't ask me what it means.. On my previous visits I'd go to the one on Rangoon road, but this trip I wasn't able to so you can imagine my delight when my good friend Dalin told me that there was one not far from the hotel I was staying at.  We walked there and it was a mere 5 minutes walk away from the hotel and is located at the base of Tangong Pagar Complex.  Mind you, this is not the same as Tangong Pagar P...

Like in every country, food comes in many ways and forms.  There are always the "elegant" and high end restaurants which just give you an experience to remember and then there's the "local" kind of foods that most people eat on a day to day basis.  If you come to Singapore and want something "local"  you should try the food at the hawker centres.  These are food that the average Singaporean would eat and is not just for tourists.  During lunch times, these hawker centres are filled with working professionals. Here are some of the hawker centres I've been to whilst exploring Singapore this trip: 1) Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre :  This place is open 24 hours and has a long history dating from the 1800's as well a uniquely octagonol shape that is quite beautiful.  It was formerly known as the "Telok Ayer Market" and dates from the times of Sir Raffles, the founding father of Singapore.   There are roughly 80-100 sta...

When you go to the gym or fitness to workout there is a certain sense of  fashion at each one.  In some places in Bangkok, the norm is just an old t-shirt with a pair of shorts, anything goes.  In other gyms (which may cater to the more young and 'hip' professionals) the norm might include form fitting tops and matching bottoms especially designed for sports.  Those were the main differences I had observed in Bangkok.  In Singapore though, there is a much more colourful sense of style in fitness clothes. The mix of clients who come to the M-hotel in Singapore is diverse and multi-cultural.  Singapore is diverse and multi-cultural.  Everywhere I go I see a mix of expatriates from the western world, indians, chinese, and people from other countries.  However, I never expected that this cultural diversity would be apparent in the gym. I never knew before how muslim females dressed when they went to the gym to exercise.  T...

This trip I've been to Clarke Quay already three times and everytime it gives me a different vibe. It's strange this area by the Singapore River but I like it and am at the same time impressed by it. The first time I went there this trip was on a group tour to take the "Bumboat."  I've been to Singapore so many times but never took the bumboat and so I decided to join it this trip.  I enjoy being the tourist no matter how "touristy" it is and I especially enjoy anything to do with water and rivers.  It's so calming and relaxing.  We get there at around 9.30am and Clarke Quay resembles a deserted town.  All the shops and restaurants are shut and not a single soul is to be seen.  It's quiet.  This part of Singapore has not yet awakened.  Only after nearing the crossing roads do we spot a few people.  They are runners out for their morning jog. Healthy people. It's quite educational this trip.  I learn that this beautiful area wher...