Had a banana fritter today. Is that the south East Asian equivalent of a deep fried Mars bar?

To some this will come as a surprise, but it have been far less angry out here than I normally am. Working, earning, doing something creative, in a positive location, with a generally upbeat population, nice lifestyle. I also feel a bit more broad minded, maybe travel does just that after all. I feel a little less dogmatic about things, because, you know what, there are other ways of doing things that do actually work. It’s not perfect here of course (homosexuality, limited opposition, strange race issues (see Philippinos)etc.) but I do see credible alternatives to things we say can’t be changed. There is a positive feel here, but I’m sure underneath there are greater issues, unlike Britain which feels totally the reverse. A lot more sun too.

Need about of England though. Came into rehearsal early and blasted some Vaughan-Williams.

This evening I had a bit of a yearning to go home, felt homesick. Rehearsals have hit that tricky stage, the scary in between time where foundations have been laid and your now hoping everything will go on top. Loads of questions and too much uncertainty. So I went for a walk.

I walked down to the barrage at the mouth of the bay, the mouth of the huge freshwater reservoir. There is a large grassy area built on top of the pumping station (why wouldn’t the be?) with magnificent views of the city. The barrage is at the other end of the gardens which at night are stunning, truly moving. There was a strong wind blowing but so warm, it felt odd to be battered by a wind that doesn’t freeze your tits off. I saw close up the size and number of ships using the lanes also saw the planes coming in which didn’t help the homesickness. But one look at this bizarre city from there eases the gloom.

The gardens by the bay are really amazing. They are filled with large modern architectural constructions, civil engineering feats and wild imaginative fancies, they are great. The children’s play area with magnificent water sculptures for children to play in, all choreographed to music are lovely.

Probably one of the highlights of the whole place is seeing the Grove at night. These are about 12 giant tree like structures, ferns planted all up the trunks and the tops a fan like structure filled with LED lights. The structures just glow in the dark, looming, delicate and very very beautiful. There is a silence to the place though filled with people, it feels very magical. Obviously one them has to have a bar at the top and thought might be nice to have a drink before I wandered back, but was, of course, quite pricey to go up. Love to go back there and just sit for a long time.

It makes quite a difference to the soul just to be able to walk around in guaranteed warmth. I’ve only worn shorts, t shirt and sandals for 3 weeks. To sit out at 10 at night in 30 degrees, really helps the spirit