In My Hands Today…

A Frightfully English Execution (Inspector Singh Investigates #7) – Shamini Flint

28015744Inspector Singh is irate. He’s been instructed to attend a Commonwealth conference on policing in London: a job for paper pushers, not real cops, as far as he is concerned.

And as if that isn’t bad enough, his wife is determined to come along to shop for souvenirs and visit previously unknown relatives.

But it isn’t long before the cold case that lands on Singh’s ample lap turns into a hot potato and he has to outwit Scotland Yard, his wife and London’s finest criminals to prevent more frightful executions from occurring on his watch – or indeed, from being added to their number.

Top Travel Destinations for 2018: World

Trip Advisor comes up with a list of top travel destinations at the start of each year for that year and I really look out for these lists. It’s super helpful to me when planning my holiday for the year (and I also know which destinations I should avoid that year because it will be overcrowded and overpriced!).

For 2018, the top 25 destinations in the world are:nature-mountain-volcano-asia.jpg

1. Bali, Indonesia

pexels-photo-460672.jpeg

2. London, United Kingdom

pexels-photo-338515.jpeg

3. Paris, France

city-capital-italy-historical.jpg

4. Rome, Italy

new-york-skyline-new-york-city-city-37646.jpeg

5. New York City, United States of America

crete-nightlife-harbour-nighttime-xlarge

6. Crete, Greece

pexels-photo-358289.jpeg

7. Barcelona, Spain

DSCN0143.jpg

8. Siam Reap, Cambodia

pexels-photo-126292.jpeg

9. Prague, Czech Republic

teaser-jpeg

10. Phuket, Thailand

tarihi-istanbul

11. Istanbul, Turkey

5104226627001_5222667852001_5214854492001-vs

12. Jamaicapexels-photo-92090.jpeg

13. Hoi An, Vietnam

pexels-photo-372300.jpeg

14. St. Petersberg, Russia

roatan

15. Roatan, Bay Islands

marrakech

16. Marrakech, Morrocco

2

17. Ambergris Caye, Belize Cayes

o-que-fazer-no-rio-de-janeiro-cristo

18. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

mao-bay_st_martin_tcm55-176609

19. St. Martin, Saint Maartendestinoplayadelcarmen_tcm55-176480

20. Palya del Carmen, Mexico

sea-beach-holiday-vacation.jpg

21. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

grand-cayman

22. Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

kathmandu-oy-lt2

23. Kathmandu, Nepal

pexels-photo-753626.jpeg

24. Bora Bora, Society Islands

cusco_015_800x450

25. Cusco, Peru

Some of these places are there almost every year and some are already on my bucket list. Some places, I’m hearing for the first time so these will go on my bucket list after more research. Click the link to see the full list available on Trip Advisor

Trip Advisor also does individual continents, of which I will do Asia in more depth in a later post.

Disclaimer: Most photos are from the WordPress free photos. Siam Reap is a personal photo. For the other photos, the links are embedded in the name of the destination. Crete, Phuket, Istanbul, Jamaica, Roatan, Marrakech, Ambergris Caye, Rio de Janerio, St. MartinPalya del Carmen, Grand Cayman, Kathmandu, Cusco

 

In My Hands Today…

Along the Bosphorus – Orhan Pamuk

A shim11690mering evocation, by turns intimate and panoramic, of one of the world’s great cities, by its foremost writer.

Orhan Pamuk was born in Istanbul and still lives in the family apartment building where his mother first held him in her arms. His portrait of his city is thus also a self-portrait, refracted by memory and the melancholy–or hüzün– that all Istanbullus share: the sadness that comes of living amid the ruins of a lost empire.

With cinematic fluidity, Pamuk moves from his glamorous, unhappy parents to the gorgeous, decrepit mansions overlooking the Bosphorus; from the dawning of his self-consciousness to the writers and painters–both Turkish and foreign–who would shape his consciousness of his city.

Like Joyce’s Dublin and Borges’ Buenos Aires, Pamuk’s Istanbul is a triumphant encounter of place and sensibility, beautifully written and immensely moving

2018 Week 2 Update

Another week for us at home. The weather in Singapore has been very good for the past week. It’s been raining continuously for the past week, almost 24/7, and the result has been a windy and chilled country! This weather won’t last long according to the meteorological department, so we have to make the most of it while it lasts. As I write this, I can hear the wind singing outside my window. For those who live in countries which actually have seasons, this may be routine, but for those of us living in tropical countries, which only have one season – hot, this is novel indeed!

In other news, I’ve had a passive-aggressive thing going with someone in GG’s school parent support group. This person, whose child has already graduated, got in touch with me and started asking me what I am going to contribute to the group this year. I replied that it would depend on the activity, the time commitment needed as well as my schedule. Then this person came back and said members can’t choose the activity they want to get involved in. I lost it then because this is completely voluntary and so when pressed, I responded by saying in such a case, I am willing to become an inactive member. I expected this person, who is the admin of the WhatsApp chat group where all this was taking place, to remove me from the group, but this hasn’t happened yet. There’s a meeting this week, for which I am still in two minds about attending or not. Let me give it some more thought before I make a final decision.

 

 

 

 

2018 Secondary 2 Week 2 Update

The school life is in full swing for BB & GG. They have homework everyday and I see them spending more time doing schoolwork than before.

GG is planning to stand for elections in her CCA to become an executive committee member. They have already started working with the current leaders. I really hope she gets what she wants. She is also finding this year a bit more stressful, but she is a trooper and has a will not give up attitude which I really admire.

As for BB, he is enjoying school, but since he is in the so called best class this year, the stress of doing well is there.

It’s early days still with the first common tests coming up in a couple of weeks time. I guess we’ll know for sure how well the children have adapted to secondary 3 then.