Soon after blogging about [Border’s closure in Singapore](http://vantan.org/archives/2011/09/a_life_without_borders.php), we were hit with news that another popular bookstore, Page One, [was exiting the Singapore market](http://sg.news.yahoo.com/end-of-chapter-for-page-one-bookstore.html). Another crying shame, even more because Page One was a homegrown company that seemed to have found its own niche with its design-oriented collection of books and related products. I visited …
This Christmas, three of my friends encountered very different life-changing experiences. First, just before Christmas Day, I was elated to hear that a close friend of mine was going to become a mother. My longstanding prayers for blessings have become that of thanksgiving, and now I can only ask for the pregnancy to be uneventful, …
So, I’ve gone nearly 3 months without a blog post here. The hectic life of (relatively) young couples in Singapore leaves little room for leisure, especially when tying the knot. In October we finalised our choice of home. In November we got married. In December we came back from our honeymoon. Who knows what lies …
Borders, as everyone should know by now, has closed its chapter in Singapore. Many of us took for granted that it would always be there, and it was said that this branch was more profitable than the stores in the US. What happened? I have a few theories: **1) Too many “Read-only” users** Borders’ closure …
With less than 3 months to the wedding and me wanting to be a generally sharper and more effective person, I realise I need to heal quickly, tone up a little and be mentally alert. In order to achieve this, I have thought of a new schedule which involves sleeping by midnight (which just passed, …
I sought a second opinion this morning and learned that I had been walking about for the past 3 months with a fracture in one of my metatarsals. Interestingly, I had correctly diagnosed my own condition when I first hobbled over to see a private GP 3 months ago, only to be told (wrongly) that …
Yesterday morning, I attended a lecture by German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Ritz-Carlton. Due to the nature of the occasion, I was dressed formally, in a black pants suit and white shirt. Then I headed back to my office to attend a meeting, walking briskly into an open lift. Two little elderly men were …
Hopefully so. This is the year that I’m getting married and moving out; moving into unchartered territories at work as well, and realigning my priorities; realising I can’t do everything and should rather focus on doing a few things well. That includes upkeeping various social media profiles, including one on this blog. Most of my …
Last week, I was invited, as part of a select group of bloggers, to dinner with the BBC’s Economics and Business editor, [Jeremy Hillman](http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/news/jeremy_hillman.shtml). Jeremy and I happen to come from the same law school, and he just completed his MBA. So we had plenty to talk about! I also met his boss, [Francesca Unsworth](http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/news/francescaunsworth.shtml). …
Travelled to Spain (Granada, Valencia, Cuenca, Madrid) and Thailand. Saw 2 world heritage sites in Spain. Had 4 massages in 2 days in Bangkok before flying back to Singapore. Decided to look up an English friend from Bristol whom I haven’t seen in over 10 years, and drop her a note. Delighted to hear back …