v&a museum of childhood

We went to newly renovated V&A Museum of Childhood in East London. It's a nice place to spend a few hours with your little ones. Apart from traveling back in time as you get to see many of the old toys you played with, the museum carries an interesting message about creativity and it's truly inspirational as they show how kids all over the world make their toys using very simple materials.


Play with words and use your imagination
A bus toy made by a boy in Uganda, using wires and wooden wheels.
The donation machine

top news in london

These were the main events taking places during our short stay in London:
1. The row in Big Brother involving Shilpa Shetty, a Bollywood star, and Jade Goody, a local "celebrity". Ms. Goody was accused of bullying Ms. Shetty with racial slurs. The incident made headlines when more than 20,000 people called the TV station to complain. It reached global proportion when crowds in India angrily protested against the treatment their star was receiving. It didn't help that Gordon Brown was visiting India at the time. The discussion reached the Parliament and it was front page news in every single newspaper. Ms. Goody was later evicted from the house with a record 82% of the votes and is now considered one of the most hated people in the UK.
2. The worst storms to reach the island in more than 10 years, with gusty winds up to 100mph. The Hyde Park was closed for the public (to protect them from the falling trees), many roads and subway stations were closed, and most local flights were cancelled.

back in singapore

I'm back in Singapore. Well, sort of, still jet-lagged. Traveling across so many time zones (11) is just damn hard. I try to sleep during the night but my body simply refuses to accept the darkness as a clue to sleep. At the same time, during the day, I have to battle an irresistible urge to doze off.

michelin gps

Have you ever unknowingly driven through a major landmark or a nice restaurant only to find out about it when you return back home from your trip? Well, it happened to me a couple of times and I can tell you I was not exactly happy about it (you usually become aware of it only when a somewhat amused friend says "don't tell me you didn't go there!").Now Michelin, the European map and guide company, has launched a GPS that contains information from their guides and maps. Currently it's available only in Europe and in the US. The European version lists 51,000 establishments (29,000 restaurants and 27,000 hotels). Plus it has a feature called POI (Point of Interest) Alert. They claim to put "the pleasure back into driving". I think what it does is bring more context and meanings to our trips. As we drive, suddenly the GPS flashes, "One-star Michelin restaurant 2 km ahead". No more missed opportunities!

Reference:
Biggs, John. Electronic Navigation With the Michelin Touch. The New York Times. December 14, 2006. (here)

long trip

We're traveling to Sao Paulo for the holidays, with a short stop in London. It's a long, long trip (twelve hours from Singapore to London, and another twelve from London to Sao Paulo), so I'll probably won't be posting anything for the next few days.