My favourite is watermelon. Enjoy!

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I believe I’m still a stair climber of escalators in the Underground. However, I can’t provide the evidence. I now walk to work so there is no Tube behaviour to cite.

I wrote in my last stair climbing post:

‘I’ve finally bitten the bullet and resolved to take the stairs to the fifth floor, where my desk is at work. I did it every day last week. I hope I can keep it up…

‘I’ve avoided taking the stairs because (I know this sounds weird) I felt embarrassed walking past the crowd waiting for the lift. I felt especially embarrassed if someone in that crowd knows I work on the fifth floor because they, too, work on the fifth floor. In that context, being a shown to be a stair climber seems self-righteous and snobbish.’

Since that post, I relapsed and started taking the lift again. I couldn’t get over my embarrassment.

However, there has been a development. For the past 6+ months, I have climbed the stairs to the fifth floor every day. I have discovered a set stairs at the back of the building, hidden away so that I can do my shameful stair climbing in peace.

There are 90 steps all together, enough compensation for a third of a square of dark chocolate.

It’s the mundane, really. These days, I don’t worry about global crises and whether or not I’m making an impact. (Well, I’ve stopped worried about it regularly anyway.)

Still, it’s worry that keeps me up, rather than excitement or ideas. I know people whose brains buzz with such interesting thoughts that they can’t get to sleep. That’s not me. No, I’m afraid my mental resources are lower.

I’ll struggle to sleep if I’m very worried about deadlines.  This week I have four deadlines. I began the week with one. Once again, I’ve taken on too much. It’s so easy to overshoot.

I often console myself with ‘At least I’m interested in all this work I’m doing.’ It’s true. I’d rather be stressed and stimulated by the work, than stressed and bored.

Another thing that keeps me up, but which happens infrequently, is when I’ve offended someone. When I think that someone is unhappy with me, I mull over it almost obsessively. It’s all I can do to not throw myself at his or her feet and apologise, even if I’m not sure what I should be apologising for.

Today, I will sleep easy. Today, there is nothing to worry about.

I’m sure I’ll go back to Singapore again but not in the same circumstances. You see, last month, six families converged onto Singapore from Indonesia, Taiwan, Australia and England. It was a reunion of my father, his brothers and sister and their families.

We departed from Singapore on a 14-storey cruise ship, going to Penang and Phuket. It was my first time on a cruise. I admit that I felt a bit trapped, despite the theatre, amusement centre, bar, club, bar, disco, eight restaurants, library, swimming pool, gym, spa, hairdresser, basketball court, driving range, putting course, table tennis area, giant chess boards, karaoke rooms, casino, movie theatre, two souvenir shops, ice cream parlour and sports pub.

However, I was soon satiated by food. Early breakfast at 6am, proper breakfast at 8am, morning tea at 10am, lunch at 12pm, afternoon tea at 4pm, dinner at 6pm, midnight snack at, well, midnight.

I gained a kilogram and an inch around the waist. It was totally worth it.

This is the first thing we saw on entering the ship. It's the atrium of the Star Cruises Virgo. It looks like Vegas but I was actually impressed with the quality of the finishes. No decor shortcuts here.

This is one of two swimming areas on the Star Cruises Virgo. Check out the huge water slide, which needs to be closed off when windy.

Look how excited I am! Cold treats at Penang. Mmm, chendol...

Oh my gawd, ice kacang. Me want it now. With green tea ice cream.

At our Thailand stopover, we took a boat to James Bond Island. The island has a real name but it's been called James Bond Island ever since Hollywood came.

Poor smelly spiky durians. Discrimination is universal. This sign was at our hotel.

Here I am, on the luge at Sentosa Island. It's one of the craziest things I've done in my life (and I actually have the brakes on slightly).

There goes that madwoman, Joan.

Please don’t think the worst (or the best, depending on your point of view). What interests me is the way they dress. Time and time again, I find that girls dress like each other.

It seems to me that the girls don’t realise this. They probably think they’ve made their own fashion decisions. ‘After all, I’m wearing teal with white polka dots, and she’s wearing dark grey.’

‘Ah,’ I think, ‘but you’re both wearing dresses with belted waists and that go just above the knee. Same shoulder pads, same sleeves.’ Those were the two girls I saw today on Camden High Street.

Last weekend on the way to the post office, I walked behind a trio of girls. The two on the left wore light summer (different coloured) shirts over long dark shorts. Although their sandals had different details (flowers on one, gold rings on the other), both were flat heeled and strappy. The two girls even had the same type of over-the-shoulder handbag — puffy black bags with shiny chain straps.

The third girl was interesting. She was different. While the other two had high pony tails, she wore her hair short. Her handbag was big and pink — practical but stylish in its own way. She wore a dress.

She seemed to be her own person. I admired this.

But who knows? Maybe the three of them were on their way to meet a short-haired friend in a dress holding a big practical yet stylish handbag.

As I understand it, every Starbucks customer that arrives with a reusable cup marks off a cross on a black chalkboard. The 10th person to arrive with a reusable cup gets his or her coffee for free.

This initiative is the result of a competition started in April. Apparently, ‘Starbucks was sponsoring the contest as part of its aim to serve 100 percent of its hand-crafted beverages in reusable or recyclable cups by 2015.’

Here is a link to a summary poster of the scheme.

Starbucks Karma Cup - how it works

Sounds fun. The winning initiative was only announced yesterday so I hope someone reports seeing this in action soon!

Also, I had left my mobile phone at work and couldn’t ring Vera for instructions, such is my genius.

Naturally, then, I waited for someone to arrive and I tail gated them to get into the building. Joan the burglar at work.

I hovered in the foyer, trying to figure out my next move. Vera’s flat was number 11. I logicked that it could be on the first floor but I couldn’t see a staircase.

There was, however, a lift. A woman walked passed me, pushed the lift button and entered. I rushed in behind her before realising that the lift was tiny. There was barely room for two people.

‘Floor?’ she asked graciously.

‘Erm, one.’ I was embarrassed. If I knew my way around, I would have walked.

Suddenly, there as a pizza delivery man in front of us.

‘Come in,’ my lift mate said graciously again. I gasped silently.

The pizza man folded himself in and with some experimentation, held the pizza aloft and above our heads.

‘Floor?’

‘Five.’

‘Smells good,’ I commented during the pitiful interval between the lift taking off and stopping at the first floor. I darted out before they could reply.

Well. It turned out that Vera’s flat 11 was on the third floor so I had to find and climb the stairs anyway.

Castles were on the agenda, Wales being the ‘land of the castles’ with 400 within its borders. The most magnificent one we visited was Conwy Castle.

From a tower of Conwy Castle, Wales

Joel is a keen rock climber. I could tell he was itching to scale the castle walls. He was always examining the stonework and looking up to plan his route.

The rocks call out to Joel.

He tests his footing...

...and begins his ascent.

For a moment he hangs.

Then he pulls himself up.

Smile for the camera, Joel.

Look how far you've come!

Time to come back down, Joel.

Oops! It's really time to come back down now.