This Christmas

...and may all your dreams come true. I know it all sounds cliche, but - hey - what to do? And by the way, the title of this festive post isn't trying to rip off Wham! in any way, just in case you're wondering.

Tour Europe

What's your dream holiday? Where's your dream destination? How about a tour of Europe? That's gonna cost. But think about all the world-famous landmarks you get to visit: Big Ben, Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Catacombs of Paris, ... Oops, scratch the last one :-X

Nature in a Bottle

As my Facebook caption for this picture goes, "trees can sport Afros, too". The symbol of Bottle Tree Park is - as its name suggests - this unique looking Calabash tree, which is native to Central and South America. Kudos to the Venue of Choice for cultivating it here.

Singapore Food

Look no further than within our own shores for delightful delicacies that even abroaders are so fond of. Chicken rice, fishball noodles and nasi lemak are only some of my many local favorites. And these don't cost you above $3.50 on the average. That's what we mean by eating smart and getting the best bang for buck.

Rebirth

The Chinese - rather, Buddhists - believe in the concepts of Karma and Rebirth/Reincarnation, which is why they always strive to do good (for fear that they may end up as a fish or tortoise in the next life). Does this explain why so many good people die young in this life? Because they were probably bad people in their past lives? I don't know. But don't ask Pastor Rony Tan for advice.

Where Art Is Born

Mr. Lim Mu Hue was an alum of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), and so is my friend Doreen Tay. Incidentally, I attended a free one-hour orchestral concert organized by The Esplanade (as part of their monthly Beautiful Sunday series) yesterday afternoon - and guess what? The cellist at the front row dropped her bow midway through a performance. I know it's no biggie, but the audience went "ooh...".

Dragon's Tooth Gate

Tucked away around a quiet bend of Labrador Nature Reserve is Dragon's Tooth Gate (or 'Ya Men', because of its shape), a replica of the actual rock structure that helped China's most feted explorer Admiral Zheng He navigate through Singapore's waters aeons ago.

If you ask me, I'd say it looks more like something for rock climbing :-S