The Singapore Airlines lounge in Singapore, where I had a very nice curry and a Tiger beer

Okay, I admit it. I sold out for points, and I’ve suffered for it.

American Airlines were good enough to give me a platinum card this year on the basis that I’ll throw a fair amount of business their way – my part of the deal means that I’ll fly American and their OneWorld alliance partners whenever I can. So for the majority of my flights back-and-forth to the US this year, I’ve been flying American, and for the majority of my trips back and forth to Asia, I’ve been flying either British Airways or Qantas, their partners.

Flying BA seemed the logical thing to do. My colleagues fly BA all the time and it saved the hassle of justifying another airline. They have a reasonably good business class product and a convenient schedule between London and Singapore.

Boy, did I back the wrong horse. Don’t get me wrong – the BA bed is probably the most comfortable business class seat in the sky right now. But as I boarded my Singapore Airlines flight to Bangkok this evening, I was reminded just how good they are. And just how far behind BA / Qantas are in the service stakes.

Instead of a gruff greeting, I’m met with warm smiles. I’m greeted by name by every flight attendant on-board (how they remember all the names still amazes me – on this short, three hour flight to Bangkok they need to memorise the names of 42 business class passengers). The flight attendant remembered what I was drinking, and had a replacement waiting for me almost before I’d finished the first drink. I can “book the cook”, preordering my favourite meal before I fly from a menu of about 15 choices…

I’ve flown Singapore before, and was hugely impressed then. But I was afraid that I might be seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses, with the misty-eyed gaze of nostalgia – the sort that accentuates the good and erases the bad. But no, they really are just as good as I remember them, and worthy of every award they’ve won for being the best in the business.

I thought all the joy had gone from air travel. But it turns out that there’s a little left.

One of the highlights of my day in Singapore is reading the Straits Times, the local newspaper here. There’s a sort of innocence that makes me smile.

Each morning, there’s a section called “Bouquets” where people can write in with praise and thanks for others who have done something nice. Here are today’s:

CABBY RETURNED EXCESS FARE

On Oct 17, my daughter, together with two of my nieces, boarded an SMRT cab to Causeway Point and mistakenly paid the driver $110 for the $12 fare, receiving change of $8. When she realised the mistake and called me, I called the SMRT hotline.

I would like to thank Mr Teo Hock Swee for going of his way to return the money, and the hotline operator for being prompt in handling the matter.

– Nooraida Ramli (Ms)

THE DENTAL CENTRE IS TOPS

My son has been undergoing treatment at the School Dental Centre for the last two years. I commend the centre for doing an excellent job. Systems and processes are well in place and, within an hour, we are out of the centre. The fees are also affordable.

Most importantly, the people and environment make the experience less traumatic for the children.

– Long Tien Ho

A JOY TO DINE AT TAO’S

I would like to thank the staff at Tao’s restaurant for a very enjoyable lunch my family had on my husband’s recent birthday. Special thanks go to Gregory for all the birthday surprises he had arranged.

Dining at Tao’s restaurant has always been a wonderful experience. The restaurant staff never fails to impress us with smiles, humour and sincerity. That’s what great service is all about.

– Jenny Koh Geok Hwa (Mdm)

CABBY, 60, RETURNED PASSPORT

I would like to thank taxi driver Wai Ling (SHB 9034M), for returning my passport that I left behind in the taxi.

She is more than 60 years old but I did not see any sign of her age in the way she conducted herself. My congratulations to Smart Cab for hiring her without worrying about her age.

– Venkataramani Srinivasan

WALLET HANDED TO POLICE

I would like to thank the anonymous woman from West Coast who handed my wallet to the Clementi Neighbourhood Police Centre on Oct 6.

– Dr Sherrida Y. Chua

My cabbie the other day was on his way to return a Blackberry to a businessmen who had lost it. He explained to me that each cab driver received points for returning lost items to their owner, and that at the end of the month, the driver with the most points received a prize. Can you imagine that happening in New York?

Another cabbie looked in the rear view mirror and complimented me on being handsome and young looking. Although he may have just been looking for a tip…

It may be a little boring here, but what’s not to like about Singapore?

I’m off to Bangkok this afternoon for a few days there – sadly not for the weekend, though, as I’ll be working. Tomorrow’s a holiday in Singapore (it’s Diwali) so everyone else has a four-day week, but I’ll be working six. No rest for the weary!

Well, my plans for a nice weekend exploring Bangkok have more-or-less gone out the window… My client has asked me to work on Saturday to help him pull together a presentation, in Singapore. So what should have been a weekend exploring all that Bangkok has to offer is now a weekend working in Singapore. Boo!

This is the third weekend I’ve worked in the past month, which is rapidly growing old. On one hand, I’m earning loads of “time off in lieu” which I’ll be able to redeem in January when we’re planning the move to Paris, and I’m sure it will be invaluable then. Right now, thought, I’d just like the chance to have a couple days off and a chance to sleep in…

I’m back in Singapore again, at least for a few days before I head off to Bangkok. British Airways tried to stick me in a middle seat again, but after a little negotiating I managed to snag an aisle.

I was running late. It was all the taxi driver’s fault – he arrived at the house 30 minutes early, so I went racing around the house to get everything ready. We set off about 15 minutes ahead of schedule and were making good progress towards the office when Aude phoned be to ask whether I’d left my keys at home on purpose? Normally it wouldn’t be a big deal, but my remote access token is on my keyring – and without it, I’m pretty much incommunicado. So we made a quick u-turn and were headed back to Canterbury. Aude met us mid-route, so it only cost me about 45 minutes in all.

I made it to the airport on time, thanks to a very heavy-footed taxi driver. Raced into the lounge, grabbed some dinner, then slept for most of the 14 hour flight back to Singapore. Headed to the hotel and did a little work, unpacked, basically got settled for the week.

Decided to treat myself to a Japanese steak for dinner, then a massage (how great is it that the massage places over here are open until 10pm on a Sunday?), now going to head into a hot shower and hopefully get some sleep. It’s a busy week this week and I need all the help I can get…