We’ve just had Dress Up As Your Favourite Book Character Weekend at school, and we all took it extremely seriously. I had my Professor McGonagall costume imported from England (thank you, Anthony) and then spent hours in front of the mirror working on my role. The stance was very important – But the facial expressions…
Month: April 2017
Cockroach in a coma
What do you do when you suddenly realise that a cockroach the size of a fist has materialised from the cloth you’re carrying and is crawling across your decolletage? Well, if you’re anything like me, you scream, drop the cloth and jump around like a demented dervish until the creature flaps its wings –…
Hurrah for the Rotating King!
Today is yet another holiday in Malaysia … I think they have more public holidays than any other country in the world. Today’s holiday is in honour of the Installation of the Rotating King. I’m just hoping he can stand still long enough for them to put the crown on his head. The installation of…
I’m no purist, but …
… tulips in Singapore? I’ve always wanted to go to Holland to see the tulips, so it seems ironic that the place I get to see them is in a specially cooled biosphere in Singapore. But the crowds loved them – and some people dressed up specially for the occasion. Or tried to have an intimate…
Singapore Botanic Gardens … so much more than a collection of plants
I have never been to a garden before where every plant was screaming – ‘Take my picture!’ ‘No mine!’ ‘No mine!’ it has the National Orchid Collection With little orchids Medium-sized orchids And orchids as tall as a house. And this is as close to a selfie as I’ll ever get Me in the orchid…
A rose by any other name …
I have had my portrait painted … … or crayoned to be more precise. But it’s a very good likeness, and I shall be keeping it on my fridge. And here is the artist, displaying another of her latest works – I am slightly alarmed by the current trend among the…
Local papers – don’t you just love them?
There are two newspapers in KL – The Star and The New Straits Times – and I have become an avid reader whenever I’m sitting in a waiting room with papers available. As an expat, I think it’s essential to find out what the current hot topics are among the locals – and…
You either love it or you hate it
Did you know that Marmite is very popular in Malaysia? It’s used in Chinese Malay cooking, where they make Marmite chicken or even better – Marmite prawns – I’m sure that even Marmite haters would be converted by just one of these luscious little mouthfuls … it’s practically an umami-overdose, if such a thing…
Let’s be honest – it’s all about the food
OK – so Malaysia has beaches and sunshine. It has history too, and the rainforest/jungle is a walking zoo – but all anyone here is interested in is food. Malaysians talk about food in much the same way that Brits talk about the weather. “Have you eaten yet?” is a common morning greeting, which switches…