The young officer stepped into the cool embrace of the Raffles Hotel lobby, leaving the frenzied bustle and the sweltering heat of the tropical afternoon behind him. His mind awash with the duties of the day, he made his way to the bar, and that was when he saw her. With painted lips of crimson red that curled up in the slightest hint of a smile, and eyes that glittered with bemusement as she looked about her, the young woman sat by herself at the furthermost corner of the room as if content enough in the company of the boisterous chatter that surrounded her. She was the most alluring woman he had ever seen.
"Ngiam!" the officer whispered urgently to the barman.
"Hmm?" enquired the barman, glancing up at the gentleman.
"Who is that dazzling beauty sitting over there?"
"Ah, that would be Lady Chin, Sir. The youngest daughter of a local silk merchant.
Would you like me to send over a scotch, Sir?"
The officer sat himself down and shook his head.
"Goodness no, Mr Ngiam. A scotch is simply not the right drink for a woman of her stature..."
And so the Singapore Sling was created. The sweet, sparkling scarlet concoction reflected its exotic routes, with enticing fruity notes of Pineapple, Grenadine Syrup, Angostura bitters, Dom, Cointreau and Lime disguising the tartness of the Gin and Cherry Brandy.
Little India is geographically small (as the name would imply) yet lively quarter in central Singapore scattered with Hindu & Buddhist temples. There is a 5 day Hindu festival going on which added to the energy on the streets. Of course in my understated manner, I seem to capture only reflective scenes - not the chaos. I'm seeing many disparate economies of scale - not a new concept to Singapore - but my first instinct is to reflect the distinction through juxtaposition. At the risk of sounding like a dramatist, Singapore is frightening me. The censorship is rampant but never contested - a staid facade - a Disneyland nightmare. That's not a critique on the historically rich cultures merged in religious right to practice - it's the present autocratic government that is ass backwards. 
