Image via WikipediaAt the risk of sounding like Scrooge I have to say that the bargains come to those who wait.  It is a week after Xmas and the supermarkets are now putting their surplus Xmas cakes and mince pies on special.

I am 'mince-pie'd out' and now somewhat of an expert on the various brands although last night's fare proved anything but pleasant.

A packet of Ernest Adams Xmas tarts smelt and tasted rancid so these were returned this morning.  We were apparently the second customer to do so, but I noted that the supermarket concerned still had not removed the stock from display.

People who are really experienced in such matters will no doubt be consulting the Daily Telegraph who went to the trouble of publishing glowing tributes to the 'best of the bake'. Marks and Sparks came highly recommended.

While on the subject of the baked, and in this case the half-baked, today marks the 10th year anniversary of the foiled terrorist plot to hijack a plane and fly it into Singapore's Changi International Airport.  The perpetrators were a Singapore cell of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a pan-South-east Asian terrorist group and Al Qaeda affiliate.

The plan was thankfully thwarted by Singapore's domestic intelligence service, the Internal Security Department (ISD) and the plotters were clearly not as clever as they thought they were.

The other piece of news that caught my eye was a series of  DNA errors due to inaccurate reading of the instructions on a chemical bottle.  While this might seem a trivial misdemeanor, it adversely affected 412 criminal cases or which 87 required re-testing.

Flying High Again

Image via WikipediaSingapore's Changi Airport is the world's favorite once again according to Airports Council International.

It is notable that seven of the top ten airports are in Asia / Sth East Asia. Only one in the UK/Europe and a similar number in the USA make the top ranking which says something for customer design and efficiency.

The article states that :
"Heathrow in London came in 99th, with travelers criticizing its long security lines and poor "ambiance." Dublin Airport placed 98th, Germany’s Frankfurt Airport ranked 126th and Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris even closer to being the worst in the world, at 137th"

My visits through Heathrow suggest no ambience at all -  even the new terminal has no soul. Changi by comparisson won 25 'best" awards in 2010 alone.

Related articles

• ASQ Best Airport Worldwide 2010 (hasayang.wordpress.com)
• How Singapore Changi Airport has created the most lovable airport brand in the world (simpliflying.com)
• Heathrow 'risks losing status a major hub' (thisismoney.co.uk)

Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Photo: Eustaquio Santimano

When I think of Christmas I think of the lights of Orchard Road as they used to be ten or twenty years ago.  In recent years the lighting has been a 'shadow' of what it used to be.

The impact of satellite malls has made themselves felt.  This year will be the first time in five years that I will not be experiencing a Singapore Xmas.  Even a watered down version of Orchard Road lighting is better than the limp affair in New Zealand cities.

This wasn't always the case but as the spirit of the festive season has been steadily eroded by commercial greed and avarice, the little personal touches have been lost.

At least in Singapore the shops stay open on Christmas Day. In Auckland as happens elsewhere in New Zealand, everything comes to a grinding halt.  This enforced break used to last for up to three days but thankfully now the supermarkets reopen on Boxing Day and the Boxing Day sales in the Antipodes remain a feature.

If we are into commercialism at Xmas let's go the whole way!

We have had two weeks of steady rain which has broken the back of the drought we were experiencing earlier in the month.  While in Singapore the weather is cooler and wetter, here the weather is warmer and should be drier from December to February.

Our news is full of Kiwis stranded at Heathrow airport in the UK who will not be making it back to Godzone for the Xmas reunion with family. 

According to a BBC report, Heathrow can only afford one runway sweeping machine to clear the snow and ice, so departure delays are expected to continue for some time.

Having experienced the diabolical atmosphere and attitude of Heathrow on more than one occasion I am not surprised by this news.  Such unpreparedness would simply not be tolerated at Changi.

Perhaps the Brits could try amusing passengers stranded in the terminals by adopting the Bangladeshi approach to entertainment?

Dhaka's Shahjalal International inadvertently screened a pornographic film for a full five minutes before anyone realised what was happening. The presentation replaced their usual recorded documentaries about the culture and geography.

Things like Heathrow's service levels may never change but other things can change a lot.

Take the recent activity in my Singapore 'home town' district of Queenstown, an older estate in the Republic.  Apparently the locals have taken to divesting themselves of their garments if this report is to be believed.

The heat at the bus stops used to get to me, but I was never tempted to strip.  Apparently the gentleman concerned couldn't understand why he was not getting "fries with everything" when he divested himself of his gear at McDonalds.

Try doing that in the UK at the moment!

Related articles

• Heathrow snow strands travellers (theage.com.au)
• Heathrow? It's like the third world (thesun.co.uk)
• Thousands stranded as European flight chaos continues (theage.com.au)

Last Meals

Changi airport  is humming with the replays of the World Cup as I write. Various males are reclining in a variety of postures and a mock grandstand has been set up to add to the ambience.

I am feeling somewhat like a condemned man after having eaten a last meal of chicken rice at the Killeney Kopitiam on the third floor of Terminal Three.

My wife complained of a chilly right foot and we belatedly discovered that the sole of one of her sand shoes had detached from the upper.  Such are the unplanned joys of travel.

Our flight departs at 9:10 pm and ten hours later we will reach Auckland.

I shall miss Changi which has become almost a home away from home this past year as I travel back and forth throughout Asia.  It is undoubtedly the finest airport in the world.

We are feeling quite pleased with ourselves as the combined weight of our luggage did not exceed the prescribed limit of 50 kilos.

Crossing Merdaka Bridge

Queenstown MRT                      Image via Wikipedia

In the old days a funeral procession always included a trip to Merdaka Bridge to encourage the soul to cross over to the other side.

Nowadays the procession in Queenstown detours near the MRT over-bridge as a substitute.

If one believes in a spiritual presence (and I am not sure that I do) then a good proportion of my spirit will forever be in Singapore.

Arriving at Changi airport has always felt like coming home and this has been particularly noticeable during my time with the British Council as I have been travelling frequently in South East Asia.  It is a strange experience as I can honestly say that I have not felt that about any other port of entry.

This is also my first entry typed from the Queenstown library using the free wireless@sg network. I am in the "quiet" reading room of the library which has just celebrated its 50th birthday.

Yesterday we went back to the food court at Anchorpoint; hadn't been for several months since the free bus from the Queenstown MRT re-routed to Tiong Bahru. They do say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and I was really looking forward to my favourite - Village Smoked Chicken. A bit of a misnomer as an entire village isn't involved in the culinary process.

The stall no longer exists!  The long hours didn't mix with a young family and so they have closed down.  A tragedy and I will leave Singapore with happy memories of the meals they produced.

So perhaps it is time to go, as the places I frequent change hands.  Where and what we will eat when we return to New Zealand mid year has yet to be decided.

We will cross that bridge when we come to it.