Few things suck quite as much as being sick when you’re on the road. I managed to catch a cold in Istanbul, and it’s managed to reach that really unpleasant stage where my nose runs constantly. I must have really looked poorly, because even my slave-driver of a client suggested that I should probably take myself home and get an early night (mind you, it was already 7:30pm, so it’s not like I was working a half-day or anything). I figure giving him my cold will be a sort of parting gift…

Drugged up to the gills!

I’m using up the remains of the cold medicine I bought in Turkey. It seems effective enough, but I suspect it’s actual a combination of horse tranquillisers and morphine, because it leaves me high as a kite. So each morning you’ve got to make that fateful judgement call: do I suffer and sniffle all day with a clear head but a blocked nose, or do I take another sachet of the Turkish cold medicine and struggle through the day with a clear nose but a foggy head?

Not quite Mom’s chicken soup. (Who are we kidding — even she’d admit that she used to heat up a can of Campbell’s!) The closest thing I could find to chicken soup came in a coconut. A bloody coconut.

The second challenge with getting sick on the road is actually tucking yourself up in bed. It’s bad enough that there’s no one nearby to whinge to (in a last-ditch attempt for sympathy, I was even tempted to pour out my heart to the woman at room service, but was thwarted when she misunderstood my lamenting for “one prawn cocktail starter”). No, worse still is the fact that it’s awfully hard to find comfort food when you’re a long way from home. So you either have to drag yourself out someplace (not fun, especially when it’s pouring with rain outside) or you have to settle for what’s on offer at the hotel.

The Mandarin Oriental have gone all out to welcome me back. Thank goodness this is my final stay here — I’m not sure what they’d do to up the ante next time!

A bath full of rose petals…

Orchids by the sink…

Tea waiting for me…

Sweets and snacks…

Fresh fruits…

…and a bottle of wine!

They also brought by a selection of deep-fried vegetable chips this afternoon, which was nice. I’m half-expecting a Geisha to be waiting for me tomorrow!

It’s my last day in Singapore for a couple of weeks. I’m headed to Paris tomorrow to spend the weekend with Aude, then off to Istanbul for two weeks on business. The plan is that all of her friends will meet in Paris to celebrate her 30th birthday, but the party may turn out to be smaller than anticipated if her friends get held up in the transport strikes. The latest news was that very few long-distance trains are running, but that situation may clear up in time for the weekend. In any case, I’m flying in so it shouldn’t be a problem.

A tailor was recommended to me, so I’ve managed to have loads of clothes made this week – although that leaves me with the rather awkward problem of having to cart them around with me for the next three stops on my trip, which might be tricky as I think I’m considerably over the permitted baggage limit.

Shopping in Singapore can be a little overwhelming. There’s lots of visual noise and bright colours vying for your attention!

Had to capture a picture of Spiderman, if only for the sake of completeness after the comments I got in Bangkok!

You can eat very well at the food courts here. US$2 buys you all this…

I also had to go shopping for a winter coat last night – I packed for Singapore weather, and consequently have nothing warmer than a shirt. Weather forecasts for Paris are below freezing.

Buying a winter coat in Singapore presents its own problems – given the year-round warm weather here, they don’t keep many in stock. I finally managed to find one, but you’re not really spoiled for choice out here.

Christmas decorations along Orchard Road in Singapore

Christmas decorations along Orchard Road in Singapore

All against a very Asian backdrop…

A pretty impressive tree at the Takashimaya shopping centre in Singapore

All the decorations are up for Christmas already, although the characters aren’t quite as I remember them. Christmas is clearly commercialised, so Jesus Christ has no part in the events whatsoever. And apparently, neither does that rather secular fellow called Santa Claus. Princess Noel, on the other hand, does make an appearance – whoever she is? It’s all a bit surreal seeing all the Christmas decorations (many of which have a “Winter Wonderland” theme to them) when the temperature outside is brushing 90 degrees.

My next challenge is deciding how I’m going to celebrate Thanksgiving. I’ve made some preliminary enquiries, but it turns out that it’s very difficult to find a turkey in Turkey.

I’m not sure that I’ll ever get my head around life in Singapore. News in this morning’s Straights Times described how a man was stopped by police for dropping a cigarette butt. Rather than face the shame of arrest, he ran away from the police and jumped 15m to his death.

Meanwhile, life has a more pleasant side in today’s Bouquets:

STUDENTS HELPED TO GET PUPPY TO SAFETY

On Oct 31, I was travelling along Bukit Timah Road when I saw a lost puppy running along the right-most lane. I pulled over and tried to get the puppy to safety.

A group of Singapore Institute of Management students stopped to help, and tried to keep the puppy away from the road. Thank you, boys!

– Lynn Chau Li-Ming (Ms)

Awwww…

The Singapore Airlines lounge in Singapore, where I had a very nice curry and a Tiger beer

Okay, I admit it. I sold out for points, and I’ve suffered for it.

American Airlines were good enough to give me a platinum card this year on the basis that I’ll throw a fair amount of business their way – my part of the deal means that I’ll fly American and their OneWorld alliance partners whenever I can. So for the majority of my flights back-and-forth to the US this year, I’ve been flying American, and for the majority of my trips back and forth to Asia, I’ve been flying either British Airways or Qantas, their partners.

Flying BA seemed the logical thing to do. My colleagues fly BA all the time and it saved the hassle of justifying another airline. They have a reasonably good business class product and a convenient schedule between London and Singapore.

Boy, did I back the wrong horse. Don’t get me wrong – the BA bed is probably the most comfortable business class seat in the sky right now. But as I boarded my Singapore Airlines flight to Bangkok this evening, I was reminded just how good they are. And just how far behind BA / Qantas are in the service stakes.

Instead of a gruff greeting, I’m met with warm smiles. I’m greeted by name by every flight attendant on-board (how they remember all the names still amazes me – on this short, three hour flight to Bangkok they need to memorise the names of 42 business class passengers). The flight attendant remembered what I was drinking, and had a replacement waiting for me almost before I’d finished the first drink. I can “book the cook”, preordering my favourite meal before I fly from a menu of about 15 choices…

I’ve flown Singapore before, and was hugely impressed then. But I was afraid that I might be seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses, with the misty-eyed gaze of nostalgia – the sort that accentuates the good and erases the bad. But no, they really are just as good as I remember them, and worthy of every award they’ve won for being the best in the business.

I thought all the joy had gone from air travel. But it turns out that there’s a little left.

One of the highlights of my day in Singapore is reading the Straits Times, the local newspaper here. There’s a sort of innocence that makes me smile.

Each morning, there’s a section called “Bouquets” where people can write in with praise and thanks for others who have done something nice. Here are today’s:

CABBY RETURNED EXCESS FARE

On Oct 17, my daughter, together with two of my nieces, boarded an SMRT cab to Causeway Point and mistakenly paid the driver $110 for the $12 fare, receiving change of $8. When she realised the mistake and called me, I called the SMRT hotline.

I would like to thank Mr Teo Hock Swee for going of his way to return the money, and the hotline operator for being prompt in handling the matter.

– Nooraida Ramli (Ms)

THE DENTAL CENTRE IS TOPS

My son has been undergoing treatment at the School Dental Centre for the last two years. I commend the centre for doing an excellent job. Systems and processes are well in place and, within an hour, we are out of the centre. The fees are also affordable.

Most importantly, the people and environment make the experience less traumatic for the children.

– Long Tien Ho

A JOY TO DINE AT TAO’S

I would like to thank the staff at Tao’s restaurant for a very enjoyable lunch my family had on my husband’s recent birthday. Special thanks go to Gregory for all the birthday surprises he had arranged.

Dining at Tao’s restaurant has always been a wonderful experience. The restaurant staff never fails to impress us with smiles, humour and sincerity. That’s what great service is all about.

– Jenny Koh Geok Hwa (Mdm)

CABBY, 60, RETURNED PASSPORT

I would like to thank taxi driver Wai Ling (SHB 9034M), for returning my passport that I left behind in the taxi.

She is more than 60 years old but I did not see any sign of her age in the way she conducted herself. My congratulations to Smart Cab for hiring her without worrying about her age.

– Venkataramani Srinivasan

WALLET HANDED TO POLICE

I would like to thank the anonymous woman from West Coast who handed my wallet to the Clementi Neighbourhood Police Centre on Oct 6.

– Dr Sherrida Y. Chua

My cabbie the other day was on his way to return a Blackberry to a businessmen who had lost it. He explained to me that each cab driver received points for returning lost items to their owner, and that at the end of the month, the driver with the most points received a prize. Can you imagine that happening in New York?

Another cabbie looked in the rear view mirror and complimented me on being handsome and young looking. Although he may have just been looking for a tip…

It may be a little boring here, but what’s not to like about Singapore?

I’m off to Bangkok this afternoon for a few days there – sadly not for the weekend, though, as I’ll be working. Tomorrow’s a holiday in Singapore (it’s Diwali) so everyone else has a four-day week, but I’ll be working six. No rest for the weary!