Behold!
Neil Gaiman drew me a RAT. One of THE top ten moments of my miserable, unfulfilled life. XP
He also signed off that he loved me. Possibly because I buy his books and continue to contribute to his already immense personal wealth. 
And here he is with his GF, Amanda Palmer (of the Dresden Dolls). Shitty angle because I was too star-struck to ask for a picture with them.
A picture of Amanda during a VERY good one-time only private gig at the Chambers, Arts House Singapore.And now, to the proper update: Pictures that I took during my trip; not much inside the Arts House itself, but that's because one does not take pictures like a friggin' tourist inside the building that once used to be the Parliament. The Arts House is an amazingly historical place and also very sombre, a perfectly fitting place for a Writer's Festival.
Okay, so I was put into Ibis Hotel (not Peninsula, THOSE guys overbooked themselves) which is very pleasant and perfectly nice. As you can see, I started making it a mess from the get-go.
From the table of the little cafe at the Parliament area itself where I had my first meal in Singapore.
The front of the Arts House
More Arts House. Yawn. Sorry la. Pictures not so good coz I was too busy trying not to look like a gap-mouthed tourist.
People crossing the pedestrian walkways. Very, very nice walkways indeed and cars RESPECT YOU. HEAR THAT, MALAYSIAN DRIVERS?
Apperantly, Singaporeans are very serious about 'catch cheating spouse'.
The very beautiful St. Joseph's Church; I went for Saturday evening mass and got properly caught in the rain after. Damn fun.
Orchard Street! With X Mas decor edy!
More Orchard Street!
A slightly artsy picture of what also I forgot edy. Haha.I wish I could put up more, but it's raining now and I need to complete my chores.
Let me just leave you with this:
My trip to Singapore was amazing. I saw how the other half lives. Their MRT is beyond efficient, their buses reliable and not LATE AND POORLY MAINTAINed and their people, civilised. No random spitting on the ground. No vandalised busstops.
Sure, their food can't hold a candle to what we have in Malaysia (no country in the world can, IMHO) and their people tend to be a tad hurried. I also got the feeling the GOVERNMENT IS WATCHING ME which in a sense was disconcerting.
But we have a lot to learn, us Malaysians, or at least THE DAMN BARISAN NASIONAL have a lot to learn. How can you fuck up public transport here so badly when really, KL isn't even bigger than Singapore?
I also envy how they pay a lot of emphasis to arts, and can hold water with big names like Neil Gaiman. Don't see him coming to KL now, eh?
I love my country (but not it's government). I love the food. I love many aspects of life in Malaysia. But we can do and be so much more if THE DAMN BARISAN NASIONAL would just get their heads out from whatever dark hole they've been in and DO SOMETHING GOOD.
That would be a nice complement to the fantastic satay, nasi lemak, bak kut teh, tose, and char kuey teow.
But my fingers are too tired to type out the blow-by-blow account of Singapore Day 1,2, 3 and 4, so you'll just have to wait for Parte Two; coming soon.
Ciao ya'll.
