What a stormy week it's been... HEAPS of work; lots of post-holiday catching up; ever more depressing political and economic headlines.

What's been good?

-- Eating juicy, sticky rambutans till my nails hurt so much that Nigel had to peel them for me;

-- Enjoying Pixar's Inside Out (I'll never feel quite the same about my brain -- or my sadness);

-- Savouring Teochew Cendol's version of Penang rojak (fruit, veg, fried tofu puffs, and the odd squid tentacle, coated in a sweet, spicy sauce, and dusted with peanut), and washing it down with hot nutmeg juice;

-- Recognizing my good fortune in life after watching the Flower Girl, possibly North Korea's most famous movie (with a tear-jerking theme song that has nested in my brain);

-- Listening to Dina Zaman discuss the complexities of religion, ethnicity, and identity at a book event at Silverfish, and feeling grateful once again for the fascinatingly mixed up region we live in.

Not bad for a week, I guess...