I’ve started to post pictures from my New Zealand trip to my Flickr account. The first set is a 360° view from the top of […] Read More
Author: Shawn Smith
Two weeks in New Zealand and only one blog post? And kind of a terrible one at that. Several points in my defense (defence, in […] Read More
One problem with living in a city like San Francisco is that it’s hard for other small cities to compete. For its size, San Francisco […] Read More
Lots and lots of people have passed this video around, but it puts a giant, ridiculous grin on my face everytime I watch it. This […] Read More
OK, not that big a deal I guess, but I saw Ric Ocasek near Dam Square today and snapped a couple pictures with my iPhone…
It’s one of those mornings. As I was getting dressed, I checked the Internetz to see when the next 9 or 19 buses were coming, […] Read More
I spent several hours on Friday unsuccessfully trying to install Parallels and then Windows XP on my Macbook Pro. I was able to get it […] Read More
Today on my way home from work, walking a couple of blocks in a bad part of town, I craned to see whether my bus […] Read More
I finally posted my pictures from the Khao Lak trip. Enjoy. My last post from Thailand was somewhat cynical, and I owe this blog a […] Read More
Today I started to question this whole gig. It feels more than a little strange in a country where labor is cheap to have paid […] Read More
Tonight I went to see some sort of celebration. It was no big production, and it wasn’t all that interesting, but the vibe was good. […] Read More
It’s a cloudy Sunday afternoon here, relatively cool. I woke up very early this morning, tossed and turned in the pitch darkness for a while, […] Read More
I’m in the Bangkok airport right now, with a couple hours to kill. Friends have asked me whether this trip is for business or pleasure, […] Read More
As I mentioned previously, I’ve been working in LA. My hotel, the LAX Plaza, is across the street from our office, and our office is […] Read More
My job has me traveling again already. This time it’s just to LA for a short project, so I can come home on the weekends. […] Read More
I had brunch at The Ramp this morning with my friend Bee. The Ramp has been my default Sunday post-laundromat stop for the past couple […] Read More
To kill the best part of an hour at Changi Airport, I went for a foot massage. That, incidentally, is another thing I’ll miss about […] Read More
For the past few days, I’ve taken every opportunity to tell people here that I’ve been in their country for close to a year, and […] Read More
Soon after I arrived in Singapore last October, the Straits Times ran a series on customer service in Singapore. The paper’s assessment was pretty grim. […] Read More
I had to check out of Fraser Suites this morning, even though I’m not leaving Singapore until tomorrow. After staying there for nine months (minus […] Read More
She was walking a few steps ahead of me, on the the way back to the hotel from the market on the ground floor. I’d […] Read More
I recently went to see a fortune teller named Marwan. Three of my colleagues visited him the week before me, on a referral from our […] Read More
You know your work has gone to a bad place when you feel guilty for working only a half day… on a Sunday. Which is […] Read More
I jetted off to Bali over the weekend to visit my sister (who’s there for a month with her husband and their four kids) and […] Read More
Raymond Seet, our dive instructor, is the Singapore embodiment of a “dude” – dark-skinned and constantly grinning, with the kind of impressively wild hairstyle that […] Read More
Last Friday, eleven of us packed ourselves and our dive equipment into Raymond’s small van and headed off to Malaysia for the weekend. Our mission […] Read More
A while back, I met a woman named Sharon at a bar. I have to say, I have no memory of what she looks like. […] Read More
For this weekend’s trip to Malaysia, I’ll be joined by a few of my colleagues and a couple of their girlfriends. That’s a story in […] Read More
At the Mexican dinner on Saturday night, I spent some time playing catch with James, the five-year-old son of my colleague Judy. He asked me […] Read More
My first meal in California after six months in Singapore was Mexican food. So was my next meal, and my next. So, when I was […] Read More
It’s amazing how often I get comments here about my chopsticks technique, or the fact I don’t mind chili sauce. Even my Singaporean colleagues who’ve […] Read More
A few months ago, my colleague Crystal declared that one of the first things she will do after she returns to the US is go […] Read More
I’m back in Singapore. It’s good to see my incredibly hardworking colleagues, and it’s been nice to begin to reconnect with my Singapore friends. I […] Read More
At the start of 2001, the twin towers stood confidently in lower Manhattan, Iraq was languishing in the back of the news pages (Afganistan was […] Read More
Last week was the first week of the San Francisco International Arts Festival, and there are a lot of good things to see. I saw […] Read More
Since I’ve been back in San Francisco, I’ve completely neglected my blog. One posting every two or three weeks is not what I’m aiming for. […] Read More
I’ve been back in San Francisco for more than a week now. I’ve mainly been reconnecting with friends, eating a lot of Mexican food and […] Read More
I’m leaving today. I’ve packed up my humble home of six months, and I’m ready to board my flight back to San Francisco. I have […] Read More
I lost my camera somehow. As I left my hotel in Hoi An, I peeked into my carry-on bag to make sure I had my […] Read More
On my last full day in Hoi An, I went fishing on the river with Dao’s father. Dao was there with her sister and cousin, […] Read More
By sheer coincidence, I bumped into Anh last night. He’s the old man who drove me around Hoi An and the surrounding villages during my […] Read More
I woke up feeling pretty poorly today. I’m still shaking something off from last week, and mornings are the worst. Last night I had a […] Read More
On my way back from the beach on Muoi’s motorbike yesterday, she stopped about a kilometer from my hotel and asked, “you walk from here?” […] Read More
Yesterday, before I went to the beach – and after – I was somewhat apprehensive about spending four lazy days in Hoi An. My friend […] Read More
I spent most of yesterday at Cua Dai beach – reading, dozing, fending off vendors. The vendors have a captive audience at the beach, so […] Read More
I spent most of my one full day in Hanoi with Van. My original plan was to look at some paintings, with the hope of […] Read More
This morning my Malay friend Elena, whom I met in Hanoi, called me while I was waiting for my ramen to cool at the Lucky […] Read More
I woke up feeling a little under the weather today. I think it’s mainly a result of working too hard, sleeping too little and exercising […] Read More
Every place has its rhythm. The rhythm of a place is expressed in the pace and density of foot traffic. It’s expressed by the number […] Read More
As my Sunday was getting started, I received a text message from a friend asking, “is it u in the papers 2day?” I thought, oh […] Read More
Work has thankfully slowed down a bit… Well, that’s not quite true. There’s just as much work as ever, but I’ve decided to return to […] Read More
I was supposed to go for my Bachelors Finale “fitting” tonight, to try on the “sporty” wardrobe and learn how to walk the catwalk. I […] Read More
Monday was Tracy’s birthday, and we spent the morning wandering through the Yu Gardens and Market. It was in the Yu Gardens that we suddenly […] Read More
In all my experiences of international travel, I’ve been able to get by in English without too much difficulty, and where I’ve had trouble with […] Read More
We saw nothing interesting about the architecture as we walked through the French Concession district of Shanghai, and our language issues persisted. There’s literally an […] Read More
Shanghai has not felt warm since we arrived, in any sense of the word. It was 5° C last night, and I woke up to […] Read More
I’m in the chilly city of Shanghai this week, in a neighborhood called the Bund. I’m here with my colleague and good friend Tracy, at […] Read More
My last post – about writing fearlessly and honestly – generated a few concerned emails, including one from my mom. And, folks, that’s exactly why […] Read More
I met D for lunch and a movie today. We’ve been exchanging phone calls, but I hadn’t actually seen her in about two months. I […] Read More
I was in thailand for 28 hours over the weekend – from touchdown to takeoff. The occasion was a stag party for one of my […] Read More
I had to report to CLEO’s offices today for an “image consultation” and briefing about the “bachelors finale”. I came straight from a meeting in […] Read More
I saw a dance performance tonight at the Esplanade by Shen Wei, a Chinese choreographer now based in New York. The first piece was called […] Read More
I’m back in the little lion city state after a week in San Francisco. In the end, I was able to get one night of […] Read More
A funny spam from my boss. Probably nothing new to Singaporeans, but as Homer Simpson might say, “It’s funny cuz it’s true!” The following signs […] Read More
It’s early Friday morning in San Francisco. I can’t remember ever feeling so exhausted. Between fatigue and the rest of this time-travel head trip, I’ve […] Read More
I’m in San Francisco this week, and because I have tenants living in my apartment, I’m staying a hotel near Union Square. I thought it […] Read More
WARNING: I’ve hardly posted anything these last two weeks. I’ve been working long long days for a difficult client. So, there hasn’t been a whole […] Read More
So there’s a bit of news I’ve been too embarassed to share until now, but I might as well get it out… I’ve been named […] Read More
I spent yesterday cycling around (the island of) Pulau Ubin with Tracy, Crystal and Jimmy. It’s an easy day trip from the center of Singapore, […] Read More
The Lucky Hotel in Hanoi sits on a quiet street a few hundred meters from Hoan Kiem Lake (the only lake in Hanoi that matters). […] Read More
En route from Vientiane to Hanoi, I met a frenchman named Fabrice. He and I crossed paths again in Hanoi and exchanged stories over dinner. […] Read More
I survived most of my trip through Bangkok, Laos and Vietnam on street food, and although many other travellers – as well as friends back […] Read More
The other day in our food court at Singapore Airlines, I bought lunch at a stall called Fish Head Noodles. That’s not such a notable […] Read More
I’ve been back in Singapore for a week now. Since I returned, I’ve worked five 16-hour days, and my culture shock has recovered enough to […] Read More
I have more to write about my trip, but I’m completely buried by work for the next few days. In the meantime, I’ve whipped up […] Read More
Well, I’ve returned “home” to Singapore, and it’s going to take a bit of time for me to readjust – especially to Singapore prices. I […] Read More
As I’ve travelled the Vietnam countryside, I’ve seen many many times the folkloric image of the bamboo-hat-adorned farmer stooping among the chartreuse blades of a […] Read More
I went for a massage yesterday, and at the end, my masseuse took the liberty of waxing my back hair. That may be too much […] Read More
The other day I met a couple of post-middle-aged social workers from California. The wife was half Vietnamese but looked somehow Peruvian. The husband was […] Read More
In Laos, the boys play a game that looks like a cross between footbag and volleyball. They kick a small wicker ball back and forth […] Read More
I’ve had a lot of delicious food on this trip, but one of the highlights has been a local Hanoi creation called cha ca, which […] Read More
a family of five a live pig three dead pigs two dead pigs and a passenger six computer monitors bags and bags and bags of […] Read More
A popular joke in Hanoi says that when you buy a car or motorbike, the first thing you check is the horn. After five days, […] Read More
I heard once that whatever you’re doing when the clock strikes midnight on new year’s eve will define what your coming year will be like. […] Read More
My nightlife on this trip has included a lot of billiards, mostly because a game like billiards provides a good venue for a solo traveller […] Read More
I just checked my work email for the first time in a week, and I was very moved by all the emails you sent me, […] Read More
I met a Malaysian woman at breakfast this morning, and she and I will head north tomorrow to the mountain villages around Sapa. She’s in […] Read More
I just received word that I have been shortlisted for the 50 most eligible bachelors of Singapore issue of cleo! I’ll have to cut this […] Read More
The tourism opportunity represented by the rapid changes taking place in Laos is not lost on the people there. My monk and novice friends, for […] Read More
ON the beaten path… There were many many tourists in Vientiane. My first impression was that there were more tourists than local residents, and I […] Read More
Yesterday, I met a young novice (monk-in-training) while taking pictures by the river. Phong Sawaph is his name, and the first words out of his […] Read More
I stopped into my favourite Internet cafe to check email, and I was hugely relieved to see Crystal and Jimmy are OK!!! in my inbox. […] Read More
I’m too far inland to have felt anything myself, but two of my colleagues are travelling in southern Thailand. Thankfully, I heard from Tracy last […] Read More
I have to revise my earlier prediction about updating this blog. As it turns out, not only are there Internet cafes everywhere, but I’m actually […] Read More
Bangkok was fun but hardly relaxing. It’s a shopping and partying destination mostly, and I’d like this trip to be about winding down, not winding […] Read More
It’s Christmas day here, ahead of the US. I’ve tried a handful of times to reach Angie’s sister, but I haven’t had any luck, so […] Read More
Bangkok is a bustling, crowded, smoggy, lively, dirty, vibrant place, on par with any major world city. The roads are packed with cars, Tuk Tuks […] Read More
Well, I’m off to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam until 9 January. I had been planning to buy a motorcycle in Hanoi for my trip down […] Read More
I called Thavy tonight to see if she was up for having dinner before I depart. She was game, and we met at one of […] Read More
I have a few butterflies about my trip. It’s been a while since I was a solo tourist with complete control over my itinerary. I’ve […] Read More