I have no love for the one arm bandits nor the famous strip of lights and fake monuments- but I have to say that it is amazing nevertheless to see the Bellagio all lit up with water and lights dancing to the rhythm of beautiful musical scores.

The insides of the hotels in las vegas are also mesmerizing. The illusion is so well done you completely lose track of time and a sense of space as you enter not rooms, but streets flooded with pretend daylight and covered in blue skies and a smattering of clouds.

There are too many stories though – far too many sad stories – for any of these types of places to muster any sense of gratitude within me as say a simple but well appointed bed and breakfast would.

For every smiling group of tourists and families in tow to experience Paris and Venice in the deserts fo Vegas, there are thousands of struggling addicts who have lost not only their own money, but those of their friends and relatives and still they borrow and beg at the doors of fake hope.

But first I thought I’d be the the one who rents the sublets to see how the process goes. How do they ensure that strangers don’t come and destroy my home? Fortunately (in light of what happened with one of the subletters having her place trashed and identity stolen), each transaction I tried on a planned visit to Ho Chi Minh yielded no results. I had several brief exchanges with a few people where I repeated myself and he asked the same questions over and over again. Each one ended with there is no room available for the dates requested.

Curious, I checked out the “background” of these subletters and they all had US qualifications -or- experience of some sort but then could not communicate in simple, functional English.

I decided to just use Agoda and got my booking at a reputable hotel, for get this, the same price I would have paid at AirBnB.

Now, there seems to be quite a number of people who have had good experiences so I am not discounting this system altogether. And after the earlier incident they have beefed up their insurance and protocols, so, I may just use them yet.

Open House: Tiong Bahru Feb 25 and 26, 4pm to 9pm, MEET/START at the Tiong Bahru Community Ctr, 67A Eu Chin Street. Tickets at S$15 at the door.

With the growing number of tourists from the mainland as well, many of the area’s former retail outlets or offices have become backpacker’s inns or proper hotels. Here is one that is looking quite good, at least from the outside.

Wishing everyone a blessed and healthy 2012!

Aside from Spanish food which I love, I also adore its language, its people
and architecture. Antoni Gaudi’s genius is beyond belief and up until now I’ve ever only seen pictures in museums. Mind you, several of Gaudí’s works have been granted World Heritage status by UNESCO: in 1984, the Park Güell, the Palau Güell and the Casa Milà; and in 2005, the Nativity facade, the crypt and the apse of the Sagrada Família, the Casa Vicens and the Casa Batlló in Barcelona, together with the crypt of the Colònia Güell in Santa Coloma de Cervelló.

Yes, I believe it’s time to go check out some Barcelona vacation rentals and finally make my way there after a 20 year hiatus.

Barcelona here I come!

Almost all the trees and vines that turn colour have reached their vibrant hues and will soon fall away, leaving the bird nests exposed and empty as their little wings fly south for the winter.

A time of death will come soon, and after that a time of renewal.

The museums will be free of charge to all visitors on National Day (August 9) and Hari Raya Puasa (August 30). For Singaporeans and PRs’ all permanent galleries in the museums from August 1—31.

Which museums are participating you ask? The Asian Civilisations Museum, the National Museum of Singapore, the Singapore Art Museum, the Singapore Philatelic Museum, the Peranakan Museum, Memories at Old Ford Factory, and Reflections at Bukit Chandu.

They face each other, two guards, soldiers, of different races, not young, not old, but certainly not looking very fit.