Anna & Michael

Plunket update

2012-01-27T09:05:00.001+13:00

Camden is now a whopping 7kgs!

Visiting Nana and Granddad

2012-01-27T08:52:00.003+13:00

Those rings looked tasty, so I had to try them myself!

New Zealand's final Big Day Out 2012

2012-01-27T08:33:00.002+13:00

Due to a combination of low ticket sales and it being the final Big Day Out for New Zealand, the festival organisers announced that you could gain entry in the last few hours with tickets from previous years. I still had my stubs from the Nine Inch Nails and PJ Harvey years, so I grabbed Aran and we popped down in time for Röyksopp and Soundgarden.

Fare thee well, BDO!

Visiting Orewa

2012-01-27T08:16:00.001+13:00

Madge tries on her new glasses.

Cam graduates to the big bed

Xmas holidays in Mahurangi

2012-01-11T11:55:00.001+13:00

View from our house.

Cam in the front pack, ready for action.

The decorated roof of the Matakana Cinema.

Who's the boss?

2012-01-11T11:33:00.000+13:00

Cammy's first Christmas

2011-12-28T15:53:00.001+13:00

Moods

2011-12-13T22:58:00.000+13:00

Resolving to stay up past his bedtime

Having a well-earned rest after tormenting Mum and Dad

Thoughtful

Planning successful world conquest

Noisy boy

2011-12-13T22:51:00.002+13:00

Camden has started talking to us a lot. He's particularly fond of singing opera - usually the more jaunty tunes.

"Ah! My beauty, past compare! These jewels bright I wear!"

Wedding Anniversary

2011-11-21T21:58:00.001+13:00

Out and about in Takapuna on our one night off!

Cammy learns to smile!

2011-11-21T21:49:00.001+13:00

Captions

2011-11-21T21:46:00.001+13:00

Cammy playing air guitar...

Camden reading his "newspaper"...

Mummy and happy boy...

Visiting Gan'ma

2011-11-21T21:22:00.001+13:00

Dumping ground for babies and cats

2011-11-21T21:17:00.001+13:00

Halloween

2011-11-21T21:13:00.001+13:00

Camden in the spotlight

2011-10-30T12:03:00.002+13:00

Oh yeah, that feels good...

Hey Dad, don't forget to wash behind my ears!

Argh! Stubble burn!

Pop quiz hotshot. Am I smiling because I enjoy pram rides, or because I've just filled my pants?

Camden meets the whanau

2011-10-30T12:02:00.002+13:00

Wow, it feels like Mum and Dad only just got married, and here I am!

Still, I've crunched the numbers, and it's been more than 9 months...

Check me out! I'm the third generation of Travis.
Think I'll call myself Master Camden Travis III.

Camden Joseph Travis

2011-10-15T12:01:00.000+13:00

I've only been here 5 minutes, but I already love my Mummy!

Baby shower

2011-08-30T11:45:00.004+12:00

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

2011-03-09T14:39:00.003+13:00

The Temple was built in Chinatown to house relics of the historical Buddha. After his death, Buddha's body spontaneously combusted and his remains (śarīraka) were divided into eight portions. These apparently contained some bones, as well as crystalline formations or bright jewels formed during the cremation. Afterward, these relics were enshrined in stupas wherever Buddhism was spread (actually against his instructions).

The Temple contains a tooth, as well as a large number of these crystals, found in a collapsed stupa in Myanmar.

There is a rooftop garden, with 10,000 miniature Buddha statues. On the left, you can see the dharma prayer wheel.

Crappy museums

2011-03-09T14:32:00.007+13:00

The Red Dot Design Museum is free on the first Saturday of every month, so we went to check it out this weekend. Since it's open to the public, they allow people to set up little merchant stalls, selling homemade products, jewelery and the like, which was a nice touch. The museum had a collection of interesting products from an industrial design or engineering stand point, but was ultimately underwhelming. I did, however, buy an excellent ice cube tray from the shop!

On Sunday, I dragged poor Anna out to the Science Centre Singapore at Jurong East. Ever since I was a child, I've loved these kind of museums and exhibits, but they're somewhat lacking as an adult. It also didn't help that everything that looked like fun was broken, pawed to death by the sticky hands of thousands of kinderfolk.

Still, we did get to see a demonstration of a large Tesla coil arcing through the air, and exploding hydrogen balloons, which I enjoyed. Other interesting items included:

Pangolins! Carefully placed to screw-over the English speaking audience members.

Funny mirrors...

Chicken incubators...

And me as a freaky looking old man...

APAC legal conference

2011-03-07T16:54:00.003+13:00

We had a legal conference at work with a few overseas visitors, including the General Counsel of the whole company! As well as the various seminars we had at the office, we also squeezed in some sightseeing. Hot on the heels of a few drinks at the Fullerton Bay Hotel rooftop bar, this included a superb dinner at LeVeL 33 at Marina Bay Financial Centre, which has spectacular views across the Marina Reservoir.

I learned that the Marina Barrage was built to dam the reservoir, so that it will eventually desalinate, thus providing a new freshwater reserve. Coincidentally, the following day we chartered a tour bus around the city, ending up at the Marina Barrage itself. Surrounded by the grounds of the new botanic gardens (a work in progress), there is a small rooftop park here, and more wonderful views, this time back into the city.

Dinner that night was at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant at Riverside Point (opposite Clarke Quay). There was a rather terrific prawn fried rice, and the back pepper and chili crabs were very popular too (especially with Han and Clarence). We topped it all off with an evening of karaoke at Lunar.

February round-up

2011-03-07T16:42:00.002+13:00

Caught up on our Oscar nominee viewings, seeing Black Swan, The King's Speech and True Grit.

I filmed a Jägermeister-branded Lion Dance troupe performing in Clarke Quay:

Yahoo! Chinese New Year party. "Around the World" theme. Legal team went as the All Blacks, and I taught them the haka.

Working on a secret film project with a local production company...

Went for Dim Sum with Michelle and Peter, then had some exquisite chocolate ice cream...

My birthday...

2011-03-02T20:12:00.001+13:00

...and Yahoo!'s too :)

Malacca

2011-02-21T23:23:00.005+13:00

Beside the river, behind the remnants of the Portuguese fort:

The Dutch town hall, Stadthuys, and Christ Church:

There are pineapple tarts for sale everywhere. I love these things, but alas, we only managed to buy some bad ones...

We did, however, find an excellent local eatery that was overflowing with people and was far too hot. But we put up with all this for a couple of great laksas, and a superlative cendol (the dessert):

There's a shoe store here where they used to make the traditional footwear for women who had bound feet ("lotus feet"). YIKES!

Weird ugly statues at a temple:

Gravesite of a semi-mythical character:

St Paul's Church, at the top of the hill:

The remains of the guardhouse, Porta De Santiago, from Fort A Famosa:

Tasty dried lizard for lunch?

Giraffe at the Cheng Ho museum. Unbelievably, early Chinese explorers managed to ship one of these from Africa to China!

Yahoo! paintball

2011-02-21T23:15:00.004+13:00

Our legal team challenged the editorial team to combat by paintball, and a date was duly set for the match. Full of nervous excitement, but quietly confident thanks to a battlefield and tactics assessment and briefing by Captain Clarence Lee of the Singapore Armed Forces, we turned up to do battle. Fear increased all-round as we were given a demonstration of the punitive speed/force of the paintball guns. The owners were proud of their new high velocity equipment, freshly delivered.

Under a blazing sun, my legal squad went first, taking our positions at the far end of the field, and squinting through our face masks. At the whistle, we ran to fulfill our prearranged goals. Dodging incoming pellets, I made it to the line marking no man's land, and proceeded to nail a dozen or so opponents. Best of all, I hit many of them a second and a third time as they re-entered the arena at too casual a pace.

Alas the heaven's opened up and the game was cut short at the halfway point. We were drawn, though would have been the victors but for one point lost to a technicality. In any event, it was clear that legal dominated the field, and were a force to be feared...

Chinese New Year #3

2011-02-11T16:25:00.002+13:00

Took a taxi to the Labrador Nature Reserve, a coastal area on the southern part of the island.

The seaside cliff here led the British to identify Labrador as a defence site to protect the entrance to the harbours of Singapore, and Fort Pasir Panjang was built here to house a series of batteries. Two six inch 37-ton guns were installed in 1938, together with searchlights that faced the sea.

While an “impenetrable fortress” from any seaward approach, the Japanese invaded Sinagpore via the Malaysian peninsula, and much of the equipment at the fort was put to waste. However, contrary to urban legend, the guns did not stand idle, and were turned to fire on the mainland. Just ineffectively.

Machine gun post on the beach:

Flying a Chinese lantern. This little fellow went all the way out to sea, disappearing over the hundreds of cargo ships at anchor:

No fishing?

This lizard had an extremely long whip-like tail:

View from up top:

Chinese New Year #2

2011-02-11T15:53:00.006+13:00

After spending too much time inside, we had a super big day out and about as tourists in Singapore. Started out with a walk up to the river, and across the historic Cavenagh Bridge (no cattle please):

Caught a lion dance outside the Asia Civilisations Museum:

Walked through Esplanade Park to see the Cenotaph, and the Lim Bo Seng memorial (below), which remembers a World War II anti-Japanese resistance fighter:

Along Esplanade to "the Float", a floating performance platform, currently filled with CNY light displays:

Crappy Tom Cruise picture at a temporary amusement arcade:

Fish head soup anyone?

Went on the Singapore Flyer, a London Eye ripoff:

And then on an open-air tourist bus, driving around the city:

Finishing up at the incredible Marina Bay Sands hotel and shopping complex:

With its in-door canal and gondola rides!

Chinese New Year

2011-02-10T20:59:00.004+13:00

We've just had Chinese New Year here (aka Lunar New Year), which is a bigger event than Christmas. There are decorations galore, and since it's Year of the Rabbit, that means a proliferation (how appropriate) of neon rabbits, golden rabbits, red paper rabbits, rabbits shaped out of flowers... you name it. I enjoy getting into the spirit of things, so we've even hung up a string of cute cartoon rabbits on our door and window at the flat.

CNY also means 5 days off work! So we popped our heads out of the flat a couple of times see what was going on...

Inside a colonial shophouse fulled with second hand stuff (including Japanese occupation currency):

A cup of kopi at the Singapore Coffee Museum:

Queuing up for the sliced fish porridge at the most popular stall at Maxwell Centre hawker market:

Poor Anna having to wait for me...

Burning papers for good luck:

At work...

2011-02-01T21:49:00.002+13:00

Yahoo! legal is doing a "picture per month" for 2011. January's theme is "self-portrait at work". This is mine...

Our pet Indian Mynah birds

2011-01-31T15:09:00.003+13:00

A couple of Mynahs have decided to nest on our balcony, where the air-conditioning units are kept. They've built a little nest inside the metal railings, which are hollow. One of them tends to stand watch for the other, often doing a funky little dance from time to time and fluffing it's feathers.

Looks like I've been spotted - but they don't seem to mind...

Singapore's rainy season

2011-01-31T15:07:00.001+13:00

It's been particularly wet this week. Going to work is like waking up at night! Am hoping it clear for Chinese New Year...

Random Singapore - Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

2011-01-31T15:02:00.003+13:00

Random Singapore - Being a hawker is tiring

2011-01-31T15:01:00.003+13:00

After a hard day selling pap, this guy couldn't take it anymore. But nobody's stealing his favourite camel!

Random Singapore - Hitler cat

2011-01-31T15:00:00.002+13:00

Unfortunate markings on an otherwise-lovely cat!

January update omnibus

2011-01-24T15:37:00.009+13:00

January is popular month for religious/cultural holidays in Singapore. Coming hot off the heels of Christmas and New Years, there is the Hindu festival of Thaipusam (celebrating Parvati's vanquishing of the evil demon Soorapadman), and Chinese New Year (the most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar). It's wonderful really, because there are colourful decorations everywhere and a bit of a buzz in the air...

We finally did a proper visit to the National Museum, which uses an advanced audioguide system. It all works rather well, except there is far too much audio for the amount of content on display. In order to hear everything, you need to stand in front of any given object for 5 or 10 minutes, which quickly becomes unworkable. And because of the reliance on the audioguide, there is otherwise very little writing or identification of objects, which is frustrating when you decide to move at your own pace!

Still, it was interesting to follow the history of Singapore, and they have done an excellent job of recreating the feel of the original housing, the opium dens, and so on. They also evoke the war era very well, and I enjoyed the examples of Japanese propaganda that were dropped on the city, urging the British to abandon the war to make love to their wives back home instead.

We also bought tickets for the touring Pompeii exhibition, which had excellent mosaic displays and some stunning artefacts. In truth, nothing we hadn't already encountered in Italy itself, but we still gleaned a few new bits of information - plus one doesn't turn down the rare opportunity to see this kind of stuff in our neck of the woods.

Home-made Gladiator mask:

The following weekend we caught the touring New Zealand performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Esplanade Theatre. As always, its the first half that's more captivating, with more memorable songs. Still, it was a blast, and the guy sitting next to us certainly seemed to be having a good time - dorky dancing in the aisle and everything.

During the week we hopped on the MRT to Little India to see some of the Thaipusam activities. To show the sincerity of their faith, or to fulfil vows, devotees were making the 4km pilgrimage from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple (Serangoon Road) to Sri Thandayuthapani Temple (Tank Road). This is difficult enough given the burning hot weather on the day, but many of these had also pierced their cheeks, tongue, face or other body parts with sharp objects. Particularly hardy participants carried a kavadi, a cage-like structure that is 'worn' over the body. Adorned with peacock feathers and bright art work carved in aluminium, it also features dozens of sharp spikes criss-crossing its lower section. By virtue of these spikes, the some 15kg of its weight is thus secured on the devotees body! Grisly indeed, but it could have been moreso had the Singapore government not banned the carrying of milkpots on hooks at this year's festival...

Enlarge for the gruesome details!

This Sunday just passed, we had an exciting expedition to IKEA, to investigate storage and furniture options for our new house back home. IKEA is a wonderland of cool homewares - even I love it! I just wish we they had a store in New Zealand. We're looking into our shipping options now :)

Afterwards we went for a big walk around the newly-energised pre-Chinese New Year Chinatown! All the usual pap has been swapped-out for holiday themed pap. There are red decorations as far as the eye can see, and plenty of ornamental rabbits (this year is Year of the Rabbit). We bought a small hanging to decorate our front door. I then spent an hour queuing at the insanely busy Maxwell Rd food centre to get a fish porridge I had been thinking about all week...

Flowers and mandarin trees for sale...

Red paper decorations for sale...

From a series of artworks on display outside Chinatown Square, cut from red paper. This one shows the Singapore river. Very beautiful!

They love to sell masses of a single fruit. Makes for wonderful visual imagery!

2011-01-20T09:27:00.000+13:00

Yahoo! legal is doing a "picture per month" for 2011. January's theme is "self-portrait at work". This is mine...

Malaysia - Pulau Pinang - 3 Jan

2011-01-05T20:34:00.001+13:00

At Suffolk House, home of Francis Light, founder of the British-colonised Penang:

The amazing Kek Lok Si temple in Air Itam. The largest Buddhist Temple in Southeast Asia, this sprawls its way up the side of Penang Hill via a series of discrete, but interconnected temples, pavilions and other buildings. Very colourful and bewilderingly ornate...

If the buddha statue is chubby, then it's probably Budai (aka the "laughing buddha") from China, as opposed to the original capital-B Buddha...

Enormous statue of Kuan Yin, another bodhisattva like Budai:

Chinese calendar animals. Anna is Year of the Horse - I am Year of the Goat:

Malaysia - Pulau Pinang - 2 Jan

2011-01-05T20:33:00.002+13:00

A light lunch in a breezy 'five foot way':

Inside another heritage property, very similar to the Cheong Fatt Tze mansion - except with the added ability to take photos. They both have the same layout, predicated on the principles of feng shui. This includes the following elements:

facing the sea
riding on the dragon's back, ie. with either a hill behind (in this case Penang Hill), or an artificial slope within the house by adding a few rising steps at the rear half of the property
incorporation of the Chinese elements - fire (by having the atrium open to the air/sunlight), metal (cast iron from Glasgow), water (pipes channel the rain under the house), and earth
gold is buried under the house for good financial fortune

No lucky ch'i for this fellow:

Malaysia - Pulau Pinang - 1 Jan

2011-01-05T20:32:00.003+13:00

Out and about in George Town:

Chew Jetty, or Seh Chew Keo, is the biggest of the waterfront settlements in George Town. In the olden days (over a hundred years ago), different clans built sprawling jetties out into the sea to live and work from. Utterly fascinating, and a UNESCO World Heritage site:

At Fort Cornwallis, built by Francis Light:

January 1st is also the day that George Town celebrates it's City status, so we were back at the Esplanade in the evening to watch a procession of different performances - a wushu troupe, Indian dancers, a brass band playing a rendition of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance", a Chinese lion dance, etc.

Malaysia - Pulau Pinang - 31 Dec

2011-01-05T20:31:00.003+13:00

Did a round-the-island tour, and it ended up just being the two of us! This is the 3km bridge back to the mainland...

At the Snake Temple (where there are poisonous vipers all over the altars):

Our driver showing us around a random fruit stall half-way up a mountain. Sells all the weird local fruits - jackfruit, durian, longans, rambutan, starfruit etc. We bought a bunch of small, tasty bananas:

The island's main water supply:

Local fishing village:

Local Batik market (a tradition cloth, made with a manual wax-resist dyeing technique):

Cheong Fatt Tze mansion:

New Year's Eve party down at the Esplanade:

Malaysia - Pulau Pinang - 30 Dec

2011-01-05T20:30:00.007+13:00

On the bus between KL and Penang, watching bottom-of-the-barrel crappy movies on the entertainment system, or gazing out of the window:

Penang is a lot more 'run down' than Singapore, but therefore more 'colourful' to look at!

Enjoying char koay teow and briyani at the local food market:

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur - 29 Dec

2011-01-05T20:29:00.008+13:00

At the Batu Caves:

View from the top of the stairs:

Looking down into the caves:

Cave chicken:

I'm tougher than Indiana Jones:

At the Royal Selangor pewter factory:

Trying our hand at the "School of Hard Knocks":

Pewter Petronas Towers:

The world's largest pewter mug:

View from the Manara Telekom (like the Sky Tower):

The Petronas Towers:

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur - 28 Dec

2011-01-05T20:28:00.000+13:00

We visited the old mosque, Masjid Jamek:

It is located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak Rivers, which give Kuala Lumpur its name ("muddy confluence"):

Around the streets of KL on a heritage walk:

Dried octopus:

Inside a Taoist temple:

At an old underground shop, where we bought a porcelain tea caddy:

A pharmacy that offers home delivery:

Street pastry vendor, who has been in the same place for 30+ years:

Pigeons on the altar at a Hindu temple:

At the Islamic Arts centre:

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur - 27 Dec

2011-01-05T20:27:00.000+13:00

Planning our holiday with Liz

Heritage centre

Arts and crafts centre

Malaysia: Meet the Moggies

2011-01-05T20:26:00.001+13:00

The Moggie clan (plus one Dutchman):

Bulan (Malay for moon):

Spike the tortoise:

Xmas 2010

2011-01-05T20:25:00.001+13:00

Anna organised a wonderful Christmas Day this year. Trifle, eggnog and other yummy treats...

Santa sacks...

And a Xmas puzzle/present hunt (here's me finding a clue among the towels)...

Went out for drinks that night at the posh Fullerton Hotel with my friend Michelle and her husband, Peter.

End of year office parties

2011-01-05T20:24:00.001+13:00

The legal team here is obsessed with food challenges, to the extent that they've even put up a Hall of Fame for successfully completed entries (and a corresponding Wall of Shame for failed attempts). This also explains why our office party had the Food Olympics theme.

One of the recurring challenges, is to stuff as many marshmallows into your mouth as possible, and recite "I am a chubby bunny". I wasn't impressed with the current record of 7 marshmallows, thinking I could make a dozen easy. Imagine my dismay when I could only manage 8. Still, at least it's the current record. I reckon I can manage 9 next time...

Anyway, we wound down the year with some spontaneous challenges (I introduced the concept of the dry Weetbix to everyone), karaoke and go kart racing. Alas, I had a disastrous final race in the go karting (someone else drove into me), but am sure I would have won otherwise, as I hold the best overall lap time record!

Haw Par Villa (AKA The Tiger Balm Gardens)

2010-12-15T23:24:00.006+13:00

Haw Par Villa is a Chinese mythological theme park, originally called "Tiger Balm Gardens", and built in 1937 by the developers of Tiger Balm. The park contains over 1,000 statues and 150 giant dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese folklore, legends, history and illustrations of various aspects of Confucianism. The most well-known attraction is the Ten Courts of Hell, with gruesome depictions of hell in Chinese mythology, all set in a 60 meter-long trail of a Dragon...

Laughing Buddha:

Anna and I (Horse and Goat) are apparently not well-matched :(

Your guess is as good as mine:

Kiwis!

Crab-lady?

Tiger Balm car:

The entrance to Hell:

Random sights of S'pore

2010-12-15T23:12:00.003+13:00

The old Malaysia train terminal, with its Art Nouveau statues and tiles:

Chinese business embassy:

Raffles Hotel (we'll be back for a Singapore Sling):

Monkey Magic!

Sultan Mosque (Masjid Sultan):

Yahoo! Food Olympics

2010-12-15T23:06:00.002+13:00

One of my promotional posters (that's the big boss chowing down on Buffalo wings):

Me in Yahoo!-purple suit:

Anna as honorary Yahoo!:

Our branded cupcakes:

Fort Canning

2010-12-15T22:53:00.003+13:00

An archaeological dig site:

Believed to be the tomb of Iskandar Shah, a King of Temasek:

Cannon:

Inside "The Battle Box":

Chinese temple rises and disappears in my backyard

2010-12-15T22:49:00.004+13:00

Honeymoon

2010-11-25T23:03:00.000+13:00

Wedding

2010-11-20T09:23:00.000+13:00

We thought that 14 years, 4 months and 29 days was a sufficient courtship period, and finally tied the knot on 20 November 2010.

Venue: Mantells Mt Eden

Itinerary: Saturday 20 November 2010

4:00 Doors open
4:30 Ceremony
Special music performance/photographs/refreshments
6:30 Dinner
7:30 Speeches
8:00 Cutting of wedding cake / Dessert
9:00 Dancing/dessert
11:00 Anna and Michael depart

Hens/Stag nights

2010-11-10T11:43:00.000+13:00

Hens Night

Masquerade! Every face a different shade...

Anna, Anna and Kate

Pippa and Anna

Watch out boys!

Bucks Day

Intrepid individuals await their turn at Tree Adventures

Monkeying about (Jaimz/Dov/Johan)

Chili peppers and warm Guinness: a hazing favourite

Heath loves Titanic

Yahoo! vampires

2010-10-30T22:22:00.003+13:00

We had an office party for Halloween this week, and the legal team went dressed in a vampire theme (but strictly no Twilight crap). We had several of the traditional Chinese vampires, or "Jiang Shi" - reanimated corpses that hop around (literally), killing living creatures to absorb their life essence. We also had one Malaysian vampire, or "Pontianak" - women who died during childbirth and become undead, seeking revenge and terrorizing villages. Think of that terrifying girl from The Ring and your'e in the right ballpark. I went as the vampire King of the Western tradition, none other than Count Dracula!

Our costumes won first prize (a pizza party), and I had lots of girls wanting to have their photos taken with me (while I pretended to terrorise them).

Haze From Indonesia Disturbs Neighbouring Countries

2010-10-21T20:42:00.005+13:00

I noticed that things were looking a bit foggy the past couple of days. then again, it's also been raining heavily, so I put it down to high humidity. Except:

JAKARTA, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- Forest fires burning in Indonesia began to affect neighbouring countries, spreading thick clouds of smoke and haze to Malaysia and Singapore, news agencies reported Thursday. ...

Indonesian news wire Antara reported that the skies over Singapore were slightly hazy on Saturday, attributing this to the smoke haze from the fires in Sumatra brought in by the prevailing southwesterly winds. ...

Officials said that the haze is resulted from land clearing, which is enveloped frequently in Sumatra, Borneo islands of Indonesia up to some Asean neighbouring countries, which causes billions of dollars financial loss.

Looks like I picked the wrong time to start reading Cormac McCarthy's The Orad!

Chariot procession

2010-10-18T23:54:00.005+13:00

Went on a walking tour this weekend around Oxley Rise. Went inside the Chesed-El synagogue, which was built by Manasseh Meyer a little over 100 years ago, and which is very pretty. It also has an excellent collection of Torah scrolls. Also wandered through a neighbouring church before moving on to the nearby Hindu temple for the final night of Navarathri.

This time they had a big silver statue of a man on a horse, with a lance, which they hoisted atop their shoulders with the aid of long wooden poles. It was paraded outside, while a priest stood atop and shot wooden arrows into the crowd. Apparently it's good luck to catch them, and there was quite a scramble each time one landed - rather like Trent Reznor throwing pieces of broken guitar into the audience.

I bought a wooden spear, and got it blessed at one of the shrines. Got a smudge of ash on my forehead for my troubles too! There was a queue of people waiting to enter a small temporary pagoda, where they poke a banana tree with their spears. Really. I kind of wanted to go through the whole process, but the queue went all the way around the building. Maybe I'll buy a banana, and lance it with the spear.

Random Singapore - peanut ice kachang

2010-10-14T00:53:00.004+13:00

A dessert, rather like a snowcone, but with sweetcorn, beans, and crushed peanuts. And hopefully no durian!

Random Singapore - the old and the new

2010-10-14T00:53:00.002+13:00

Random Singapore - more lanterns

2010-10-14T00:52:00.001+13:00

Random Singapore - how to dry your laundry

2010-10-14T00:51:00.002+13:00

Random Singapore - thirsty coconuts

2010-10-14T00:50:00.003+13:00

Random Singapore - Chinatown lanterns

2010-10-14T00:50:00.002+13:00

Navarathri

2010-10-14T00:26:00.001+13:00

Navarathri

2010-10-14T00:22:00.004+13:00

Monkeys!

2010-10-04T16:10:00.005+13:00

Alistair took me for a walk around the Lower Peirce Reservoir, with it's variety of terrain - jungle bush, treetop walks, residential roads, golf courses and boardwalks! We encountered several different animals on our journey - Long-tailed macaques (monkeys to you lot), turtles, lizards, a green-looking squirrel, a rat, giant ants (about the size of a bee) and fruit bats.

Random Singapore - Make sure it's got aircon

2010-09-28T00:19:00.000+13:00

Random Singapore

2010-09-28T00:18:00.000+13:00

Where'd you buy your suit? At the... toilet store?

Random Singapore - Doorway cat

2010-09-28T00:17:00.000+13:00

Random Singapore - Coconut Breaking Place

2010-09-28T00:16:00.002+13:00

Your guess is as good as mine...

Random Singapore - The Chewing Gum of the Orientals

2010-09-28T00:13:00.003+13:00

It's... dried squid!

Formula 1 Night Race

2010-09-27T23:38:00.003+13:00

The Birthday of the Monkey God

2010-09-27T23:34:00.002+13:00

Qi Tian Gong, a temple at Eng Hoon Street/Tiong Poh Road junction, is about 80 years old. Twice a year, it celebrates in honour of its resident Deity, Qi Tian Da Sheng. Today was it was the birthday of the Monkey God.

This normally sleepy corner of Tiong Bahru estate came alive with colours, movement and noise. A procession walked through the streets with lion dancers, dragons, Kong Kuan (a traditional Teochew troupe of gongs and cymbals directed by a big drum), three sedan chairs carrying statues of the Deities, one of them being the Monkey God, followed by the medium and devotees.

Back at the temple, the lions and dragon were there to greet the Monkey God back, with the dragon forming an arch for the medium and his entourage to walk through. The devotees went across the street to have dinner with the buffet offered by the temple. (So did we!) Some stayed back to watch the Kim Eng Teochew Opera, but our time was up and we walked home…

Singapore 2010 - Saturday

2010-09-19T22:56:00.001+12:00

Today we followed a Lonely Planet walking route around the Colonial District, starting at the Esplanade Theatre. This is a modern complex that resembles two halves of a durian, with sparkling glass and metal cladding. Inside is a shopping mall, the city's premiere theatres, and an art space - where we saw a neat collection of pixel art versions of famous paintings, such as David's Napoleon and Botticelli's Birth of Venus. You could even tailor your own version of Michelangelo's Creation of Man from the Sistine Chapel.

Got a bit lost outside, as the streets are all fenced off for next week's Formula 1 night race. We eventually made it through some underground malls, resurfacing at the War Memorial, and then walking along the City Hall, Supreme Court and Parliament buildings. The sun was scorching, so we had lunch at the Clarke Quay, which is on the riverside. Despite being dressed in shorts, sandals and Army of Darkness t-shirt, we gained entry into the upmarket Peony Jade, where the food was exquisite. The highlights were the baked cod with mango sauce, and the large prawns with curry leaf.

Fortified, we assaulted Fort Canning park, an intimidating hill that rises abruptly out of the flat city. The British had their war bunkers up here, which I will visit another time. It's quite a sight to be up so high, looking across at skyscrapers through a dense jungle! Down the other side, we wandered through a few exhibits at the Singapore National Museum. There was one on women's fashion over the years, the local film and changi (Chinese opera) scene, and our current favourite subject: food! We've already talked about the food here, but it really is a central part of Singapore's cultural fabric. The way different ethnic food styles have hybridised over time reflects how the different peoples here have integrated. It was actually quite touching to read how the food courts mix customers from all backgrounds and social classes. Well, food this tasty should make everyone feel agreeable all the time!

Zipped home via Doby Ghaut MRT station for some poolside RNR, before heading out again to Outram Park to join a Chinese lantern procession. By mistake or boldness, we managed to nab a couple of free lantern (and snack) packs. We lit these up and entered the happy throngs, marching behind drummers, a swooping, circling dragon dance troupe, and some men with an extremely tall flagpole which they were balancing on their heads (with mixed success). Ended up at the waterfront once more, but could now see the displays lit up. We then had an appointment to meet Alistair, the brother of a friend of ours, who has been living here for years. Had a good time drinking extremely expensive Asahi and meeting some fun new people.

Sunday was a big recovery day!

Singapore 2010 - Friday

2010-09-18T22:21:00.003+12:00

Yesterday we bought the "Makansutra", an indispensable guide to Singapore's cuisine. We have already tried some of the local delicacies, and could tick off a couple of the recommend places. For lunch, we aimed to knock out a couple more at the frenetic Maxwell Centre. Started with a snack of Ngoh Hiang, or Szechuan (ie. Chinese) street fritters. These were OK, but not amazing. We had better luck with our follow up, Anna trying the Prawn Mee (Hokkien noodles with prawns and chili) and my eating a yummy white 'Carrot Cake' or Chai Tow Kueh, a kind of omelette with julienned radish and rice flour.

Spent many hours wandering the endless expanse of malls and shops at Orchard Road once again, this time trying to pick some essential items such as a watch that shows two time zones (for me), a nice new belt from Massimo Dutti (one for me, one for Anna), a clothes drying stand, a computer/TV cable, singlets (me) etc. I had an appointment at Mohan's to be measured for my wedding suit. Seemed to go well, though I need to come back in a couple more times. It's a family business, and they used to make the uniforms for the NZRAF who were stationed in Singapore during the war.

Had a much needed pick me up at a little kopi tiam, or coffee shop. They do little cups of strong black coffee, but with a deliciously smooth flavour. I had mine with sweetened condensed milk, which I can see becoming a new favourite. We also tried the ice cream toast, which was like an eskimo pie, but with toast. How odd!

Singapore 2010 - Thursday

2010-09-18T22:03:00.003+12:00

It's a long trip out to the zoo! First of all, it's in the center of the island (where they have actual wild jungle), so that's a dozen MRT stops. But then it's a long-winded ride on a rickety public bus, before you arrive. We suspect most tourists go on hotel-organised tours, so don't have to experience all this. But it was interesting to see the outer neighbourhoods, and to note that the high rise living continues out that far.

Singapore Zoo is sited alongside the island's rain catchment (ie. water supply), and has a unique semi-open plan to the enclosures. This makes you feel much closer to the animals, and there are even some that are allowed to range freely, such as macaques and even orang utans.

Saw some interesting beasties we hadn't seen before, such as the proboscis monkey (ugly), hamadryas baboons (nasty butts) and sun bear (world's smallest bears!) plus old favourites like the tapirs, meerkats, banded mongoose, otters, rock hyrax and a assortment of squirrels and squirrel-like critters. Watched some of the animals being fed, including the meerkats who had a good tussle over a chicken leg, plus I fed a pair of white rhinoceros, who also had a good chomp on my hand. A bit like sticking your fingers in a pool filter. Shlorp!

We were hot and tired, but stopped at Orchard Road again on the way back for dinner at the fabulous Ling Zhi vegetarian restaurant. Quite novel food! Here was our set menu:

Shredded Rice Flour Skin with Chef's Special Salad Dressing, Beancurd Skin Rolls and Fresh Truffle
Braised Shark’s Fin Melon with Bird's Nest, Lily Bulb and Golden Mushrooms
Crisp-fried Pumpkin Roll with Mushrooms and Chef's Special Blended Sauce
Braised Bai Ling Mushrooms with Chestnuts
Braised Noodles with Shredded Vegetables
Chilled Apricot with White Fungus

We also bought a tin of mooncakes, which are being sold everywhere at the moment as part of the Chinese new moon festival. They're expensive, but are beautifully decorated. An unusual taste and texture, but like all things pastry, I love 'em!

Singapore 2010 - Wednesday

2010-09-17T14:27:00.003+12:00

Had our first rain today, and what a show it was - thunder and lightning, the works! It's a lot more frightening when you're part way towards the sky where all that noise is taking place. But it was all over fairly quickly, and we took our chances with the elements, walking to a recommended Indian restaurant called Annalakshmi. It was a buffet set-up, with signs proudly proclaiming that all food was prepared 'without onion or garlic', a statement whose significance was rather lost on us. After yesterday's over-indulgence we were careful to stop when no longer hungry, though it was so tasty I could have eaten a second meal if I could have found somewhere to put it. All washed down with some lovely pineapple juice. The restaurant has a policy whereby you pay what you thought the meal was worth. I'm sure we paid more than anyone else there.

Afterwards we wandered at our leisure, dropping into the Thian Hock Keng Temple (The Temple of Heavenly Bliss), the oldest and most important Hokkien temple in Singapore. The main temple is dedicated to Mazu, the Taoist goddess of the sea and protector of all seamen, while a second temple at the back is a Buddhist one dedicated to Kuan Yin, the bodhisattva of mercy. We saw a few people pray there, including a newly wed couple with the groom's mother. The colours and ornamentation were splendid, and there were many strange and monstrous statues throughout. Pantheist iconography sure is fascinating!

Also in the neighbourhood were several enormous food courts, plus the Fu Tak Chi Museum, a restoration of Singapore's oldest Chinese temple, which oddly now serves as a pedestrian through-route to a shopping mall. Passing through the CBD with its towering glass spectaculars, we ended up at the waterfront promenade where the ghastly Merlion sits spewing water into the harbour. More authentic sights were available as we followed the river inland, walking under the historic Cavenagh and Elgin bridges, and between various Chinese paper lantern and flotilla displays.

Anna was feeling worn out by the heat, so we hopped on the MRT home, pausing to visit the Seng Wong Beo Temple by our apartment complex, where they still perform 'ghost marriages'. We lazed by the pool for the afternoon, before Anna sent me out for food. I walked to the well-known Maxwell Road hawker complex, with its endless array of stalls, to pick up the famed (Hainanese) "Number 10" Tian Tian Chicken Rice for Anna.

Singapore 2010 - Tuesday

2010-09-15T12:58:00.003+12:00

Got up early and hit the gym again. Cooled off in the pool afterwards, where I tried the massaging waterfall feature - very nice! Went to Orchard Road - Singapore's Champs Elysees - for an appointment with my recruitment agency. The roads in this area are not pedestrian friendly, with the crossing lights taking a very long time, and many 'underpass' diversions that take you into an underground shopping mall, and leave you there not knowing how to get out again. We got some maps and info at the tourism building, then headed off for the Botanic Gardens. It was a long, long walk, and we were starving. Tried to find another recommended Indian restaurant - this time it seemed to no longer exist - eventually settling for a food court out of desperation. We were disappointed at first, but I did find some veggie curries, and they were fantastic! Another great meal.

The gardens were picturesque, but not stunning. There were also some insects or other animal making loud noises, which we originally thought were mechanical in nature! They were like sirens, crossed with dentist drills, plus the sound that trucks make when reversing. Beastly little sods, whatever they were...

Saw a nice ginger garden, I found a turtle in a pond, and we payed the entrance fee to wander the National Orchid Garden. This was very beautiful, and would have been a big hit with my mum. Took lots of nice photos, but by then the heat was doing me in. I was desperate enough that I eve drank a can of something called 'Pocari Sweat' to see if it would restore me! We caught a bus back to the MRT station, and whipped back to our lovely pool. After recovering with the help of a poolside nap, a few salutory dips, and a frappucino, we had enough zest to go wandering again. This time I was keen to check out the mid-Autumn festival in Chinatown, where everybody was busy hanging coloured lanterns and making mooncakes. Had a spot of dinner, this time courtesy of a Tibetan vegetarian restaurant (I say restaurant, but it only cost $8), which served us a wonderful pumpkin soup and an assorted brown rice and veggie platter. Walked around some more, saw one interesting temples, plus a mesmerisingly cheesy pop music performance.

Singapore 2010 - Monday

2010-09-15T12:57:00.001+12:00

Monday morning we had a bit of a sleep in, a lazy breakfast, followed by a session in the gym. All the equipment have built in TV screens! We explored the complex a bit, marvelling at the views as well as the giddying sight-lines down to the ground level. Afterwards we bought MRT cards, and took the underground train to Little India so we could do some household shopping at the famous Mustafa Centre. It's actually a crummy old place, with a decidely op-shop feel to it. We bought some towels, mugs, glasses, bed linens, which all have a pretty ghastly cast to them, plus I found a so-bad-it's-good wall hanging of a sexy lady with a snake.

On the way back, we began our culinary adventure, as I sought out, then joined, the longest queue at the local foodcourt. I ordered a ramen with bean curd (a delicious, spicy soup with noodles and tofu) and a 'fried fish salad sauce' (fish on rice, with mayonnaise). The ramen was fantastic. Plus, super cheap - each meal only cost a few dollars.

Back home, we spent several hours in the wonderful pool complex, sunning ourselves, floating about, and playing with the bubble jets. The water was warm and silky smooth. We had thought that it was late afternoon, but it turned out to still be early. This threw us a little bit, and were pretty zoned out. But I perked us up with a couple of iced coffees, and we journeyed out to find an Inidian restaurant that was lauded in our Lonely Planet guide. Alas, it turned out to be a lunch-only affair, so I convinced Anna to join me at a hawker court, where we tried the Singaporean delicacy 'char kway teow' - delicious ribbon noodle, served with fried clams, chili and black bean sauce. Num nums! And all for $5 in total!

Singapore 2010 - Sunday arrival

2010-09-15T12:56:00.000+12:00

So, starting a new job in a foreign country... how best to go about this? My approach was to leave 1 day after finishing my current job, after squeezing in my stag do and a heap of admin for our November wedding, and buying a house, arnaging finance, opening new bank accounts and generally getting all that palaver sorted. Fortunately, I at least have the good sense to arrange for a week off in Singapore before heading into the office. I think I'm going to need it to get accilmated to the heat!

We spent Sunday travelling, leaving Auckland at midday and arriving in the evening of the same day (Singapore is 4 hours behind). We didn't sleep on the plane, instead watching about 4/5 films, and seemingly eating every half hour or so. It was an easy flight, and I had no issues bringing my Pelican camera case on board the plane, and getting through baggage claims and customs.

Stepping out the front door, we were hit with that familiar pillow of dense warm air, but it wasn't long before we were in an air conditioned taxi, winging our way into the city. The apartment that I had organised (or rather, which was organised for me by my super-helpful colleague Mimi, and her family - thanks!) is actually right behind the building where I will be working. It's right in the CBD, but there is a nearby fruit market, and it is a short walk to Chinatown and lots of great sights and eateries. It's got a whopping 39 floors, and has a sprawling pool network on the 7th floor, and a gym with a sky-touching view on level 39. There are groovy amenities all over the place, and the architecture is great. The apartment is only small, but nicely appointed, and with 2 air conditioning units.

It was a slightly fraught arrival, as our agent wasn't there. The concierge was also not letting us in. Eventually he lent us a phone, and we called the agent. Thoughts about the various rental scams danced through our heads until she arrived, and let us in. Once all the paperwokr was sorted, we had a sroll around the block, and bought a few basics at a supermarket. Saw our first durians at the fruit market, and plenty of odd things on the supermarket shelves: Quail eggs, Jackie Chan-endorsed hair darkening shampoo, all sorts of unusual canned drinks, dragonfruit, green tea Haagen Dasz and piglet-shaped mooncakes.

Last week in London 5

2009-11-14T11:36:00.002+13:00

Farewell to our St Pauls flat

Tour of the Houses of Parliament

Jewel Tower

Cartoon Museum

British Museum

Last week in London 4

2009-11-14T11:35:00.000+13:00

Trial at the Old Bailey (Central Criminal Court)

Last week in London 3

2009-11-12T09:41:00.002+13:00

St Paul's (including Triforium tour)

Grant's Museum of Zoology

Petrie Museum of Egyptology

Auto-icon of Jeremy Bentham at the University College London

Mew (Shepherd's Bush) 10/11/09

2009-11-12T09:40:00.001+13:00

Setlist:

Hymn
Reprise
Hawaii
Special
Zookeeper's Boy
Am I Wry? No
156
Apocalypso
Saviours Of Jazz Ballet
Bamse
Uda Pruda
Beach
Introducing Palace Players
Sometimes Life Isn't Easy
White Lips Kissed
Silas the Magic Car
Repeaterbeater
Snow Brigade

Encore:
Comforting Sounds

Last week in London 2

2009-11-12T09:39:00.001+13:00

Hunterian Museum

Last week in London 1

2009-11-11T00:34:00.003+13:00

Last week at Yahoo!

Leaving party

London stuff:

Gresham College
London Silver Vaults
London Transport Museum
Roman Bath (behind King's College)
Magpie Alley Crypt

Max Reeve's "Londinium" at the Barbican

Heather Nova (Union Chapel) 06/11/09

2009-11-11T00:32:00.002+13:00

Setlist:
Ride
Truth And Bone
Walk This World
Talk To Me
What A Feeling
Gloomy Sunday / Bare
Sugar
Heart And Shoulder
Fool For You
Doubled Up In Love
Paper Cup [with contest winner playing flute]
Spirit In You
London Rain
Drink It In
Motherland
I Miss My Sky [with Sophie Solomon on violin]
You Left Me A Song
Maybe Tomorrow
Out In New Mexico

Encore:
Walking Higher
Beautiful Storm

Shooting/Halloween

2009-11-11T00:31:00.002+13:00

Clay pigeon shooting

Halloween party

October round-up

2009-10-29T08:26:00.004+13:00

Lucky Quid screening at the Raindance Film Festival

BFI interviews:

Gaspar Noé

Jane Campion

Clive Owen

Julianne Moore

Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit)

Yahoo legal conference

Farewell Bethlem drinks

Dinner and drinks with Simon and Alex

Watt's Memorial

Liverpool weekend break

2009-10-29T08:24:00.005+13:00

Nerina Pallot (ICA) 21/10/09

2009-10-29T08:24:00.004+13:00

Setlist:

The Right Side

Learning To Breathe

Why Did I Become Such A Bitch

Geek Love.

Coming Home

English

Human

Everybody's Gone To War

Idaho

Real Late Starter

I Don't Want To Go Out

Encore 1:

Your Song / Benny And The Jets / Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting [Elton John medley]

Encore 2:

Sophia

Manchester weekend break

2009-10-29T08:23:00.002+13:00

Arrived in Manchester to find hundreds of police officers lining the streets through the centre of town. Turned out there was going to be a couple of rival groups staging protests that day - some lefty outfit vs the usual bunch of racists. Some of the shops had even been boarded up in preparation, so it clearly wasn't going to be a place for us to hang around. Instead we found our hotel, which was nice and close, and spent a few minutes acquainting ourselves with a map.

Wandered about for a while, past Chinatown and St Peter's square, then killed a couple of hours in the superb art gallery. This had a very eclectic collection, but everything was either very beautiful, or very interesting. There was a little display of etchings by Goya, which were suitably frightful and grotesque. I was especially impressed with their pre-Raphaelite collection, which had another luminescent pastoral scene by William Holman Hunt, and by the grand staircase with its frieze reproduced from the Elgin marbles.

Afterwards we took a guided tour, which was useful, but too slow-paced for our taste. We saw the lovely Midland Hotel, where Mr Rolls first met Mr Royce (and the rest, they say, is history), the old stock exchange (now the Theatre Royale), a flower garden dedicated to Princess Diana, a statue of Abraham Lincoln thanking the city for its anti-slavery stance, the magnificent old library with its carved wooden interior, and finally the site of a massive IRA bombing (a post box was the only surviving structure).

Afterwards we hopped on the shabby little Manchester Eye, that although giddying, gave great views of the city.

The next morning we took the electric train out to the Docklands, which have undergone substantial regentrification, and now provide a variety of interesting architecture to admire. First stop, the Imperial War Museum North, which has been designed to serve as an anti-war memorial. We caught a terrific exhibition on Prisoners of War, which had the actual hobby horse from Stalag Luft III, and took an elevator up to the observation tower.

I then tracked down some moth-eaten old Roman ruins, before entering the Museum of Science & Industry complex for a nosey.

The Pixies (Brixton Academy) 09/10/09

2009-10-11T22:49:00.002+13:00

Setlist
Dancing The Manta Ray
Weird At My School
Bailey's Walk
Manta Ray

Doolittle:
Debaser
Tame
Wave Of Mutilation
I Bleed
Here Comes Your Man
Dead
Monkey Gone To Heaven
Mr. Grieves
Crackity Jones
La La Love You
No. 13 Baby
There Goes My Gun
Hey
Silver
Gouge Away

Encore:
Wave Of Mutilation (UK Surf)
Into The White

Encore 2:
Vamos
Gigantic
Where Is My Mind?

Londonstuff

2009-10-07T05:22:00.003+13:00

Virgin building's rooftop gardens

Waterhouse retrospective at the Royal Academy of Arts

Samuel Johnson's House
Wellington Arch & Apsley House
Raindance Live!Ammunition!

Paris - Day 5

2009-10-03T03:49:00.003+13:00

Monday 28 September

Breakfast at the famous Les Deux Magots cafe in St Germain, then a brief visit to the Saint-Germain-des-Prés church, before heading to Place du Concord to visit the Orangerie. A gallery of minor impressionist works, the stand-out feature are the two large rooms with wall-length Monets. Quite magnificent, and certainly the best way to get to the heart of what makes Monet such an important artist.

Afterwards we walked to the Louvre, and pulled a good several hours exploring the lesser-travelled galleries. Saw lots of interesting work from Asia/Africa/South America/Pacific, and we particularly enjoyed the Ancient Persian rooms with their exquisite glazed terracotta bricks.

Popped back to our hood to say goodbye to Anthony, grabbed our bags from the hotel, then headed home on the Eurostar (with another delay - this time at the entrance to the Channel tunnel).

We really enjoyed not having to rush about with the other tourists, clamouring to visit the must-sees. Instead we had a leisurely and very pleasurable holiday. Many thanks to Anthony for being such a good guide and a gracious host!

Paris - Day 4

2009-10-03T03:39:00.004+13:00

Sunday 27 September

Had brunch outside the Sorbonne University before another day exploring the streets and shops. Walked through a big underground shopping complex near the Pompidou, before picking up some amazing pastries in St Germain and walking to the Jardins du Luxembourg for a picnic (albeit on a park bench).

Went to Anthony's favourite restaurant for dinner, with Maggie and Julian as well. Pretty rich foods (soup with foie gras, duck breast covered in foie gras, you get the idea...), and unusual decour (bras and people's business cards). Capped it off with a little bicycle ride around the Pantheon and our local hood. Great fun!

Paris - Day 3

2009-10-03T03:35:00.005+13:00

Saturday 26 September

Found a nice street market to have breakfast in, before visiting the Natural History Museum. This is spread across many buildings, each with their own ticket costs, so we plumped for the Evolution building - which had a great interior, and many interesting stuffed animals, but was light on information - then the outdoor Menagerie.

Effectively a miniature zoo, we still managed to kill about 3 hours in the sun, and saw some great animals - capybaras, bush dogs, Russian wolves (renards des Steppes), armadillos, and a surprisingly active sloth.

Took the underground RER train across the city to see the miniature Statue of Liberty, before walking around underneath the Eiffel Tower - this time to admire the tenacity and perseverance of the crappy merchandise touts. Returned home on the RER and ate dinner once more at the crepe restaurant.

Paris - Day 2

2009-10-03T03:31:00.004+13:00

25 September

Another late breakfast, at a different cafe near the Pantheon. Great coffee, and excellent squeezed orange juice to accompany our Croque Madames. Visited the Pantheon afterwards - formerly a church but since converted to a memorial to the French Republic. It is beautifully decorated inside, with a recreation of Foucault's Pendulum demonstration, and houses a tomb below where famous patriots are interred (Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo etc).

Walked across the river to the Pompidou Centre, then back for a boat cruise from the Pont neuf. More soak-in-the-culture walks, and some Nutella street crepes, before going to meet Maggie and Julian for dinner. Had some drinks in a little Spanish place on the Ile de la Citee, before moving north to a great Italian restaurant.