-- Blue sky...! Such a treat. "Blue skies, smiling at me. Nothing but blue skies do I see. Bluebirds singing a song. Nothing but bluebirds all day long..." Well, not really. But honestly, you don't realize how much you've missed clear air and bright light and blue sky until you're deprived of them for nearly two months...



-- A post-work trip to Michael's bar. They had the BeeGees playing on the sound system, and we got through two drinks each. Plus fried fish and fried dumplings. Sometimes you just need to unload... We caught the GOKL bus home. The guy drove like a maniac. BEEP-BEEP, BEEP-BEEP... Made me laugh.

-- The Deepavali mandala that has appeared in the lobby. Lovely. First it was dwarfed by protective traffic cones, but now it has its own cute little picket fence.



-- And the Deepavali build-up at Pavilion:



-- A Hijacking, a Danish film that is screening as part of the European Union Film Festival. Tense and highly psychological, it depicts the stand-off that ensues when a Danish ship is taken over by pirates, who want the owners to pay millions of dollars in ransom. The cocky CEO and the cheery cook will never be the same again. I guess my only quibble was that we weren't given any insight into the circumstances of the pirates. They came over as cruel and childish, but no doubt they had their demons, too.

-- Lunch at Al-Halabi in Pavilion. A pleasant environment, enlivened by a sulphur-crested cockatoo who took us straight back to our Australia days. And a succession of nice things. That delectable mint-and-lemon thing they do in the Gulf. Chicken on a bed of freekeh, pine-nuts, and peas. Egg-plant topped with minced lamb, served in a tomato sauce. Fluffy rice. And finally, wonderfully aromatic coffee, served with dates. Heaven in a tiny cup.