Laura in Singapore: 2023

Monday, December 25, 2023

Happy Holidays with Camels

We had a very traditional Christmas, with camels!

And donkeys.

And goats. Look, I got the goats to pose for a picture! The artificial intelligences just told me that the baby Jesus had sheep, not goats, but whatever.

Even more traditional, we were in the land of frankincense, below. But it's just a fragrant resin for incense. Not an ideal baby gift, but easily exchangeable? Unlike Bahraini dinars in Singapore.

Here's a wise man we could ask?

Gold is more practical. Here is what I'm asking for from Barry.

He suggested golden light-up reindeer instead.

So I gave him a gift of upgraded Christmas eve cheese fondue.

Anyway, let's see what you can find in the Manama Souq.

Festive clothing:

Festive footwear: Spuer and Adios brands.

The spices are amazing! I learnt about black (dried/fermented) limes, and why they should be in my life.

Cinnamon the size of umbrellas, and festive pasta!

We didn't go to the homeland this year, but we toured the Canadian coffee trio.

Hoping that Singapore Tim Hortons increases their donut selection. It was nearly 3x larger here. Which is still only the selection at the average Canadian gas station.

Sunday, December 3, 2023

Adopt Donut the Cat?

Hello, my name is Donut. Would you like to adopt me?

I was found abandoned, severely undernourished and infested with fleas.

Now I am a healthy sterilised 2-4 year old mid/long-haired orange boi who likes to cuddle. I'm chill, quiet, litter-trained, FIV/FELV negative, de-wormed/de-flead etc. I have a delightful personality and am very sweet.

I'm clean, soft and floofy, with big white feets that I still need to grow into.

I really love to be indoors and to sleep on a soft bed, where I sometimes make biscuits.

I seem to have had a previous hip strain, so I don't jump too high, and I don't love my back legs being touched too much, unless you're brushing me.

My favourite things in the world are being brushed, sleeping, cuddling, the zoomies, and catnip.

Other fun facts - I have a brown lower lip and a few freckles around my eye that give me an inquisitive expression.

I like to explore, and some of my toys, but I am still learning to play. Luckily, I don't use my claws.

I have a loving foster home, but they can't keep me because of allergies, so I'm looking for a new home.

I would be good with a family without small kids, but we're not sure if I like dogs or other cats, yet.

Please reach out to @laura_slamdoozle if you are interested in adopting Donut. No fees, but standard CWS guidelines apply.

Friday, November 17, 2023

Joel in Singapore

My friend Joel came to Singapore to see the Gardens by the Bay, since his son built them with Lego. (I got the same set, but did not assemble it quite as correctly.)

The gods were smiling on him, and gave us photogenic skies.

After all, Joel is an avatar.

Given this, we've modified our "weekend in Singapore" itinerary to include a walk by the Avatar trees.

The trees and the monstera plants made us look tiny.

But the merlion made Joel look huge, because only the regular merlion was under merliononic rehabilitation.

Joel did not hate durian, so this is the best/worst face that we got.

Fun fact: teeth subject to strong dental hygiene will glow under UV light. Barry...

We took normal pictures too.

Here we are eating delicious chili crab like normal tourists.

We got to the flower dome in time for the misting.

But Joel's avatar was not in exactly the right place, so this was our best shot.

Here are my favourite orchids of the month: Green snakies,

And the Peranakan slipper flower (that reference will only work for 2 of my 4 readers).

Shamefully, the quintessential boat quay picture was cropped.

But we made a stellar recovery at one of our favourite subtle yet fabulous bars.

And, let's close with a Year of the Bunny shot.

Sunday, November 5, 2023

Beachliness Review 7: Nikoi Island

In the seventh LIS Beachliness Review, we are in Nikoi Island, Indonesia, which is close to Singapore as the crow flies. But we are not crows, so it takes a bit longer.

Sandliness: full points. Nice sand, no junk. In fact, sand across the whole island. Boatiness: well, there is an occasional fishing boat, and here are Laura and Barry kayaking elegantly. I thought I might be rusty at kayaking, but I forgot that I'm Canadian, so we're always good at canoes and at least one winter sport (mine's skating). Anyway, I think that's full boatiness points.

Prettiness: Nikoi is very pretty. It was a bit cloudy when I was unlazed enough to take pictures, but all the pretties were there.

Desertedness. Well, it's a resort, so there are people, but it's pretty big, so I think still full points. You could avoid almost all humans if you wanted to. Oh my gosh, will we get a perfect score?

Wildlife: yup! Below, you can see the surprisingly elegant tracks of a monitor lizard. In the sea, we saw many things, including a big cuttlefish and a moray eel.

We also saw these creatures! You just never know when you will see the Irish.

This is Barry's "The boat is late and I'm worried I'll miss tomorrow's flight" face.

Availability of cocktails: stellar. This is the frozen nutmeg daquiri, which was creative and refreshing. It was so good I'd consider bonus points, but I was generous on the boatiness already.