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As the journey from Thiruchy airport to my hotel in Madurai takes about 2.5 hours, I decided to have some food before reaching the hotel so that I can just take a shower and rest once back at the hotel.

So the driver suggested this restaurant which is just before the turn off to the hotel.

Amazing vegetarian food! For a set meal, they had 5 vegetables, biryani, white rice, chapati, sambar, rasam, pulli kari, dhal curry and 2 desserts with a banana thrown in. And all for Rp200, which is about $3.

And good service with free refills of everything.

So glad I ate here. I must see if I can make another visit here on this trip.

Now sitting on board an Air India Express to Thiruchy with my mother.

My sister had planned a trip to India with my mother during Deepavali and at the very last minute she couldn’t travel. Since my mother had set her mind on the fact that she was going to India, I now have to bring her there.

Earlier this year when I brought her there, I was lucky. They still had direct flights to Madurai then. Now they have stopped that flight. I need to fly to Thiruchy and then take a 3 hour car journey to Madurai. It is a budget airline and a full flight.

Well anyway I am just glad that my mother is looking forward to this trip.

As an update, Thiruchy airport is very nice. Appears new and is modern and well staffed. Both the immigration and customs were well handled.

A good friend from Sri Lanka, who helps me with so many things in SL was here with his newly wedded wife for a 3 day visit to Singapore.

I took them out for dinner last night, together with another couple who had come here with them.

I wanted to bring them to MBS and they suggested Lavo on the 57th floor.

A good experience with decent food and great views. And the service was really good with about 90% of their service staff being foreigners. So that explains the good service.

I could tell that they really enjoyed their visit there and so that was good.

Their chocolate cake is one of their specialities.

This morning I read that the Palace was taking steps to strip Prince Andrew of all his royal titles and that he would henceforth be called just Andrew. He will also be asked to leave his current property, which is part of the Crown Properties.

I guess after the book Entitled by Andrew Lownie came out, it was inevitable. When I read the book, I was shocked that such behavior had gone on for so long and tolerated by so many people. And that book was so well publicised and the author spoke on so many talk shows that it was just getting impossible to ignore the book’s contents and to what had happened.

I suspect that his mother, the late Queen, has to take a large part of the responsibility for how he turned out and for protecting him all these years.

Plus the recent book by his accuser, the late Virginia Guiffee, which has just been released, hasn’t helped. Am contemplating whether to read that book.

A massive fall for one who was once second in line to the British throne.

If his mother was still alive, I wonder if would still this have happened.

Kaling arranged lunch yesterday at this restaurant. I have never been here. I learnt that it’s a Michelin starred Italian restaurant at Dempsey.

The restaurant is spacious and parking at Dempsey is of course convenient and free.

Kaling wanted to have the black pepper pasta, which he had tried previously and liked and he wanted us to try it as well.

Apparently they have now taken it off their menu which I thought was strange. So we ordered from their set lunch menu and a pizza.

I found the food disappointing except for the desserts, which were alright. And I was so thirsty from late afternoon onwards and it was bad. It must have been because of their sauces or the batter they used to fry their seafood.

Surprising for a restaurant of this standing that this happened.

Anyway meeting up with friends is always good and is always cherished notwithstanding the quality of the food.

Lunch yesterday with Krist was at this restaurant called Jin Ting Wan.

I had told her that I would host lunch and this place was her suggestion. It’s on the 55th floor of the hotel at MBS.

I have known Krist for some 15 years at least. She was a fellow councillor at NWCDC and she then was helping out in our corporate communications committee.

We had dim sum and it was alright. Not fantastic. Slightly pricey.

But what surprised me was their tea menu. They had a separate tea menu which starts off by stating that they have a tea master. And then it goes for about 10 pages with tea options for 10g priced at between $150 to $800. This was the price for 10 g. I thought they were mad. I probably have better tea. Now I need to find a way to sell them my tea!

The conversation was interesting . She is more optimistic about the economic prospects for Singapore companies with AI. She thinks AI adoption by companies here is fairly decent and that the unemployment situation is under control. I was more pessimistic.

Anyway it is nice to catch up with her. She has an official view of things which is good to hear.

Last night was our usual get together dinner and this time it was my turn to host it.

I picked Candlenut at Dempsey because the food is decent and they have a set dinner menu. Also they could give me their private dining room.

Everyone was punctual and we started at 7. The food was good and more than enough for the 6 of us since Benson could not make it. Everyone was happy with the food and so as the host, that was good. They all ate so much that we ended up being there till 930 pm, which is one of the latest before we have called it a night.

Conversation as always was varied and fun. Always good to catch up!

Unfortunately they charged me corkage, which was a ridiculous sum of $65 for opening a single bottle.

I just happened to be watching FB yesterday morning when I saw a feed showing Trump’s arrival in KL. He had just disembarked on the tarmac from AF 1 and was being greeted by PM Anwar.

I have to say that he really turned on the charm at the tarmac. He was greeting everyone in a very friendly manner, smiling and even dancing to the beat of the Malay drums. He looked happy.

And then he invited the Malaysian PM to ride with him in the Beast.

Anwar was also appeared to be personable and friendly with him and it was very clear that both of them connected.

I am happy for Anwar. From having been thrown under the bus and into jail by Dr M, he has risen to the top to take center stage at the highest levels. He even joked about it in his speech.

And when I look at Trump and Anwar, I see a warmth, humanness and spontaneity they have as politicians that I do not see in many other politicians. They can go off script without worrying about the consequences and it shows their human side.

Good for Malaysia and Anwar.

After my lunch at Shangri la on Thursday, I had suggested to Kesa to have our Friday lunch here as well.

So we did our lunch here yesterday. Kesa came with his wife and Harish was there as well, since it was to be a birthday lunch for him.

I think they all enjoyed the food, especially the Indian street food, but more importantly the get together was great. Roshni is so animated. I told them about the MPO. Kesa was interested in the January Amadeus concert. Let’s see..our next catch up may be in KL?

Last night I watched a wonderful performance of Beethoven’s 5th piano concerto, the Emperor Concerto, by the celebrated Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder.

I know this piece well but cannot recall if I have seen this performed live. I must have but somehow watching a live performance just doesn’t ring a bell. But what a lovely performance last night.

The pianist is 78 and he walked slowly onto the stage and to the piano but when he sat down to play, it was a brilliant performance. The playing was well paced and there was a beautiful coordination between the piano and the SSO and just so entertaining. He played flawlessly and he had a great command of the piano. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and the encore he played after a few standing ovations.

Memorable performance and I am so glad I watched this.