I'm just back from a quick trip to Singapore.  It's always nice to drop in on the city-state, but also just as nice to get back home to Bangkok.  It's a good time to visit Singapore, as the weather is reasonably nice and the annual Singapore Sale is in full swing.  The sale takes place every year from late May to mid-July.  Every retailer has specials of some kind, reducing what may already be cheap prices even more.

Singapore continues to develop and expand, with new projects being announced all the time.  The island playground of Sentosa is in the middle of a multi-billion dollar makeover to make it more attractive to Singaporeans as well as foreign tourists.  Three or four more hotels are being added, including one of Asia's first six star properties.  A big chunk of the island is being put up for development as either a theme park or possibly another casino.  'Insiders' are betting on the winner being a casino.

Meanwhile, on the main island, a huge shopping mall is going up on the shores of Singapore facing Sentosa.  The high end mall is set to feature many fashion brands making their first appearance at Vivo City, as it's being called.  Whether people will abandon Orchard Road for this place is a very good question.