Accommodation Recommendations

[arsenal]

Gerard Depardieu is a shoe-in for Francois. As for Matt well I think Wentworth Miller from Prison Break would capture his sense of adventure.

[francois]

Obviously, arsenal, you have never met Francois. Although Gerald and Francois have a taste for fine wine.

[francois]

Perhaps Matt is really a French-Canadian, which explains his desire to live in Laos, formerly a French colony?

Maybe François is really a French-Canadian which would explain everything?

[sglad]

Obviously, arsenal, you have never met Francois. Although Gerald and Francois have a taste for fine wine.

You mean Gerard Depardieu enjoys a box of Mont Clair with his meatloaf too?

[sglad]

Maybe whoever said that is not an idiot.

Sglad said
“I'm not much of a drinker on holiday or at home. I suffer from terrible hangovers and am usually the designated driver!”

In Singapore?? Where public transport is so cheap and available people go drinking by car? Most couldn’t even afford a car there.

Sure you’re not in the UK where that term is used, frequently (god what Horrible word)?

I'd like to thank you for your comments because they prove the dangers of generalising, stereotyping and pidgeon-holing based on limited knowledge or a set of facts taken out of context that paborn and I have been talking about.

Buses and trains don't run for 24 hours in Singapore. Except for special days, for eg, New Year's eve, they roughly operate between 5 am and midnight. I'm sure you were young once and remember that the fun doesn't start until late so buses and trains are out if you intend to stay out late. So you drive if you have access to a car.

It's easy for you to say that our buses and trains are cheap because as a senior citizen, you'd be entitled to discounted travel! Not so for students and working folk; the cost of public transportation is relative to how much money you have/make. Taxis are expensive and are subjected to a 50% midnight surcharge and if you're planning to hit four or five places in different parts of the island, including an early morning supper, it's going to add up. Moreover, taxis and Grab cars can be scarce in the early hours. We have a huge expatriate population, most of whom without their own vehicles, with whom we have to compete for these services. So you drive if you have access to a car.

It's true that cars are expensive but many people own them, some out of sheer necessity. A young family with three children, where the children have to ferried here and there, almost can't do without. My parents own a car; they can probably afford two being mid level professionals in their fifties. But they only need one. I can't afford one yet but will probably be able to in a few years so I borrow theirs when I need to. Some of my friends with rich/indulgent parents got their own cars when they started uni. My boyfriend, who is a few years older than I am and has a great job, has a nice car which he's worked hard for. So you see, it's all relative as to whether people in Singapore can afford cars or not. Moreover, think back seventy or eighty years ago. Remember what it was like to have your own wheels and the sense of freedom and independence it gave you? Well, those feelings haven't changed for those of us in the younger generation.

Incidentally, I first heard of the term 'designated driver' on an American sitcom and we use it simply to mean someone who is fit to drive during a big night out where alcohol is consumed. That's all. If I quote lines from 007, does it mean I'm James Bond? No, it doesn't. Are all Australians wannabe geronto-porn stars because we happen to know one who is? Of course not. As we know only too well, some are looney wombats running restaurants.

[arsenal]

And why has Francois suddenly started using the third person to talk about himself. Mr Arsenal is worried about him. And so am I.

[paborn]

I must be missing something about this board. Why would I spend any time thinking about where someone is from? I was born in Pennsylvania. worked in New York and retired to Miami. Do you really care. Sglad is from Singapore and I have no doubt of that. Francois is French, whether by nationality or avatar of cultural preferences, it matters very little. On the other hand, it is rather amusing as long as we don't take it seriously.

[francois]

You mean Gerard Depardieu enjoys a box of Mont Clair with his meatloaf too?

Gérard Dépardieu drinks wine from a bottle, or rather 12, 13, 14 bottles in one day according to a quote by him. But now he abstains from drinking he says “I haven’t been drinking for some time now. I really no longer like drunkenness"

[joe552]

I should, perhaps, clarify my earlier statement. As I sat in the Green Chairs bar in January, a man claiming to be francois joined me for a drink. On another night, this same individual joined me and Kwan at Double Shot. This person, francois or not I don't know, is of North American lineage. Just sayin'

[frequent]

I should, perhaps, clarify my earlier statement. As I sat in the Green Chairs bar in January, a man claiming to be francois joined me for a drink. On another night, this same individual joined me and Kwan at Double Shot. This person, francois or not I don't know, is of North American lineage. Just sayin'

It’s an anonymous forum, you have not much chance of verifying that someone is who he says he is. I always introduce myself as “arsenal”. People usually run a mile