The film I'd gone to watch DEVOUR was Bride Wars which I loved. I absolutely adore Anne Hathaway and she was just amazing in the 'dance off' scene with Kate Hudson. The movie is unabashedly a chick flick, so I was glad to have watched it by myself. Bitchy, witty, bang on - every detail in place.
This expedition was followed by dinner in the red light area of Singapore - yup - it exists. Gehylang is as seedy as Foras Road in Mumbai, and the sex workers represent the South East Asian melting pot - with girls from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, strutting their stuff cheek by jowl with the local Malay and Chinese. The pimps here look less menacing as compared to their desi counterparts.Oh - the food was outstanding, especially the steamed garupa. The place is called 'No Signboard Seafood', and is featured on most travel guides as Singapore's 'best kept secret'! Ha!!!
The rent- by -the- hour hotels near the restaurant had charming names like 'Fragrance Hotel'. Not exactly the Raffles or The Peninsula , but neon- lit and functional.
Met Jayapriya and Priya, both of them are literary agents based in Singapore whose agency is called Jacaranda. They are always on the lookout for fresh young authors. So.... if any of you guys think you have it in you - google the ladies. The author I'm rooting for at present is Abha Deweswar. She has just published her second novel called Family Values. Lives half the year in Paris, and is hugely talented. Read her.
Got to run. Dinner at Jumbo, East Coast Park. Review tomorrow.