Author Archives: d4vid

Sky

Posted on September 17, 2016 by d4vid

I went to the “Sky Park” high atop the iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel.  Despite being a “Girl Drink Drunk” I had never had a Singapore Sling.  What better place to try my first one than at a bar overlooking … Continue reading →

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Chomp

Posted on September 16, 2016 by d4vid

Singapore is famous for its street food.  And by “street food” I mean clean, well-regulated and inspected food shops clustered in specially-designated areas of the city.  (William Gibson didn’t title his 1993 article on Singapore “Disneyland with the Death Penalty” … Continue reading →

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Safari

Posted on September 16, 2016 by d4vid

One of the highlights of Singapore for me was the Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo.  There is both a tram ride and several winding walking paths to explore. Be forewarned:  what follows is some of the worst wildlife photography … Continue reading →

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Irving

Posted on September 15, 2016 by d4vid

A cute lion because this is the Lion City.  And Washington Irving’s ties to Singapore are so obvious that they require no explanation, of course.

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Canning

Posted on September 15, 2016 by d4vid

A short walk from the National Museum is a small hill called Fort Canning with a sweeping view of the channel and the nearby islands.  For some reason, it reminded me of Copp’s Hill in Boston.  But far more tropical … Continue reading →

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Cleopatra

Posted on September 15, 2016 by d4vid

Visited the excellent National Museum of Singapore. Like so much of the British influence in this part of the world, it bears the mark of Queen Victoria.  Rotunda?  More like So-so-tunda.  Okay, not my best.  Let me workshop that one. … Continue reading →

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Lions

Posted on September 14, 2016 by d4vid

It is said that the founder of Singapore saw a lion here and, so, named the place Singapura (“lion city” in Malay.)  But it was probably a Malayan tiger he saw because there’s zero evidence lions ever lived here. Regardless, … Continue reading →

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Sports

Posted on September 11, 2016 by d4vid

My Mandarin teacher and her husband lived in Japan for several years as he studied at a university.  Their daughter is in second grade now and attend the Shanghai Japanese School, an elementary school which teaches classes entirely in Japanese. … Continue reading →

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Photogenic

Posted on August 21, 2016 by d4vid

I continue to be impressed by how graphically interesting Shanghai is from every angle.

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West

Posted on August 6, 2016 by d4vid

On the plane flying north from Wellington to Aukland to catch my flight back to Shanghai, I caught this pic of the sun setting in the west, out toward Australia.

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Shift

Posted on August 6, 2016 by d4vid

Okay, there’s this weird thing that happened in the history of the English language called the Great Vowel Shift.  It’s the reason English pronounces vowels differently than all the other European languages.  (It’s also the reason in Shakespeare plays where … Continue reading →

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Gallipoli

Posted on August 6, 2016 by d4vid

There was a superlative exhibit on World War I’s battle of Gallipoli at Te Papa.  Each “room” of the exhibit was dedicated to story of someone connected to the war.  The Weta workshop crafted giant oversized statues of each war … Continue reading →

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Palace

Posted on August 6, 2016 by d4vid

The Embassy is the Wellington movie palace where all of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films premiered. I loved the decor, especially the hallway leading down to the bar area.  The seats & service were much like an … Continue reading →

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Ugly

Posted on August 5, 2016 by d4vid

Peter Jackson named his FX company after a truly hideous indigenous New Zealand insect called a “weta” (which a Maori word meaning “ugly”.) Had a chance to go to the Weta Cave and a tour of their shop. Photos weren’t … Continue reading →

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Shire II

Posted on August 5, 2016 by d4vid

Nerded out and took a tour of Wellington film location for The Fellowship of the Rings.  Here on Mt. Victoria is the road where the four hobbits come tumbling down the slope out of Farm Maggot’s crop. And the spot where (under … Continue reading →

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