I think this sums up 2011 for us!

What a fun-filled year! I treasure every moment I get to spend with my family (including my dog)! There were lots of exercise that came about from regular weekend badminton sessions ... but Wendy's ice-cream got the better of me and I didn't lose any weight! sigh... temptation...


While I cut down on food but never seem to lose any weight... (yes, even attempted a low-carb diet at night!) my wife seems to have developed a much bigger appetite but never seem to put on any kilos... this world is so unfair!


Key highlights for the year has to be:


1. Our 2 weeks' visit to Singapore and Cambodia in November - see my earlier posts on Cambodia... what a fine destination!
2. "Look see" visit to Detroit Michigan, ok much of it has to do with the tonne of shopping we did in that place... not much else!


I think 2012 will be a significant year for Pearly and I. I would like to visit Yellowstone National Park & Disneyland in LA one more time! ok... and maybe visit Times Square for the 2012 year end count down.... and Niagara Falls... 

Another photo I took in Detroit...

Ok, I am counting down... less than 30 days to go.

Get ready... here I come!

So much to do but so little time...

RWS - am I missing something?

A recent visit to Resort World Sentosa has left me perplexed... on one hand, I was proud of the achievement of Singapore as a nation and how it was totally transformed from a developing country to a first-world nation in little over 40 years. On the other hand, this visit to Sentosa was to fondly re-live some of my childhood memories - for which I found none. 


You see - the island of Sentosa was so totally transformed that it almost seems "foreign" to me. I remembered the Fort Siloso beach... the cycling tracks, the World War II bunkers filled with sparrows and scorpions, the camping trips, the SAF bungalows that I used to holiday in. There was definitely a "rustic" beauty about the Sentosa of old which I now sadly miss.


Interestingly, I had tempura in a Japanese restaurant yesterday. Sitting next to me was a very pleasant Australian couple... we spoke of of travel experience in Japan. Then he asked me if I had grown up in Melbourne, I promptly responded that I am from Singapore. "Ah... Singapore." he said. "There is a lot of changes in that city state...." he followed, "Everytime I visit that country, I see drastic changes in the city's skyline." 


I smiled and nodded in agreement. Then, I was swiftly reminded of my experience in Sentosa... Yes, I was missing something. I have missed the country that I once remembered...

Comerica Park - Home of the Tigers

It was a "sunny" day by Detroit's standard in winter... well, at least there were some rays of sunshine in the city, so we decided to explore the real Detroit city. After taking the people mover away from Renaissance Center... approximately 6 stops later, we chance by the Comerica Park (it's the home ground of the Detroit Tiger - a US major league baseball team). There was no one around except for 3-4 tourists like ourselves outside the park... I took out the 5D and started snapping away. For a stadium that is built in the city of Detroit... this place feels very quiet (really, there was no activity). Perhaps it was because the holidays season is near and most office workers are on annual leave or because it's just the wrong time of the day... Coming from Melbourne Australia, the quietness of the Detroit during the day took a bit of getting used to, had it been Melbourne at this time of the day, the streets will be filled with office workers, tourists and street buskers.


I find it mind boggling ... the effect of Detroit's bad rep (high crime rates) on me - I only dare to take out the 5D on limited occasions when there is no one near me (when I felt safe to do so),,, so I had taken only a handful of shots. In contrast... I felt safer to walk around the streets of Siem Reap (Cambodia) with the 5D on my hand. There was really no real signs of danger on the streets of Detroit... yet I cannot find a logical explanation for feeling safer in a developing country like Cambodia compared to Detroit, USA.