Things I’ve enjoyed about my day in the Bangkok office:

1. My three-course lunch, at a proper sit-down restaurant with air conditioning, cost me about US$2. And based on my initial assessment of the place, I’m unlikely to get food poisoning.

2. I was the only man in an office full of women. Equal opportunity, my arse. I’m secretly curious as to what they’re doing with all the men, though.

3. Everyone smiles and laughs all day. I think this might secretly be some kind of inside joke about what they actually do with all the men, though.

4. On the emergency evacuation instructions, we are reminded that we should leave by the nearest exit and carry nothing larger than a briefcase. And that “teasing of colleagues during an emergency is strictly forbidden.”

5. There’s not enough parking at the office, so everyone double-parks in the parking garage and leaves their car in neutral. When you want to leave, you just push all the other cars out of the way. (Note for my French friends – you push the other car out of the way with your hands, not by ramming it with your car, a la francais!)

My hosts here have been incredibly friendly and helpful, and it’s been very easy to do business in Bangkok. Another reason Thailand remains one of my favourite places in the world.

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!

Another early start today, as I wanted to get out to see the flea market at Clarke Quay which is held every Sunday. The quizzical look I got from the doorman when I asked for a taxi to Clarke Quay at 9am on a Sunday should have been my tip-off. “Why you want to go so early?” he asked.

Trusting my guidebook (thanks a lot, Neil!), we set off for the market despite the doorman’s warning. And when we arrived at Clarke Quay, it was totally empty and everything was closed. The only other people around were a handful of other tourists. I couldn’t see whether they were clutching the same guidebook as I was, but there was definitely no sign of a market.

All dressed up and nowhere to go! After a few minutes looking around the attractions of Clarke Quay (definitely a good place to come back to in the evening) we headed across the bridge to the Swisshotel and had a coffee.

Gina scopes out a few places around Clarke Quay that she’d like to return to later…

There are nearly as many cats here as in Turkey. This one was clearly pregnant…

Around 10:30, we once again followed Gina’s hunger pangs. She’d been given the name of a good, authentic dim sum place. Given my previous experience with her “authentic” restaurants, I was a little dubious – particularly when I saw the sign for the place (and, inside the aging elevator, the “No urinating!” warning). But the food was good, and we ate like kings.

Gina only brings me to the classiest places.

Happy as a pig in mud!

True to form, we spent the afternoon shopping on Orchard Road, then back to the hotel for a quick nap. I headed out a little later on to snap some more photos of Singapore – they’ll be up on here as soon as I get a chance to edit them.

It never fails to amaze me what you can buy in Asia. And yes, it does just what it says on the tin. If you don’t like human placenta, you can also buy sheep or goat placentas. Never let it be said that the customer isn’t king here!