Back home

It's good to be back! 
We returned to Singapore last night, to a rapturous welcome from Lola and an equally excited one from the heavens in the form of a gigantic thunderstorm.  Thank you, Thor - a nice touch. 

As always on returning from holiday we were met by a gigantic mound of post.  My first reaction is to ignore it for as long as possible, whereas Chris likes to dive straight in.  Much of the mail is made up of publicity material of one sort or another, and it's clear (to me at least) that Singpapore is well on the way to economic recovery, judging from the number of flyers about new property developments that have arrived in the course of just a few weeks. I've mentioned peoperty in the blog before, but let me share with you today how new property is sold.  Most new property comes in the form of high rise condominiums, many of them with exotic names like Amaryllis Ville, Aspen Heights and Palm Beach Garden, to quote just a few.  When a new condo is being developed, it is pre-sold long before it is completed.  This is done through the construction of a show apartment on the site of the development, which potential customers (and people who just fancy a nosey round) can visit in order to see what the finished article will look like.  If you'd like a virtual wander round, have a look at http://www.ascentia-sky.com.sg/.  I swear you'll want to buy one after reading this, so compelling is the "lifestyle" sell!

If property (owning and investing in) is a key component of the Singaporean psyche, so too is a fierce national pride.  Singapore has been through a lot in the last half century, and some of this is reflected a new exhibition, which we're planning to go to this week, hosted by the National Archives of Singapore.  The exhibition is called “Coping with Vulnerability: The First 50 Years. Posters from our Past” and traces Singapore's trials and tribulations on its journey to nationhood through posters, news clippings and other visual media.

One of the focus areas is water, which has been a big problem for Singapore over the years.  It's strange to think of water shortages in a country that gets so much rain, but the issue is catchment.  The solution to the catchment problem is reservoirs, and there are several on the island, the latest of which is the Marina Barrage - a wonderful piece of engineering and construction - have a look at it on wikepedia at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Barrage.  We haven't been, but reading about it really makes me want to visit.