In As Good as It Gets, Jack Nicholson played an anal, obsessive-compulsive curmudgeon. He was lovable. He had a soul, an undeniable love of pleasures.

Singapore is that kind of city.

Here are our favourite pictures from our week spent there.

Not one among the dozens of beach-facing restaurants in Varkala have beer and cocktails in their menus.

But ask a waiter for alcohol and he’ll produce a tattered home-printed sheet from his pocket listing Tom Collins, mojitos, Cosmopolitans, all the classic mixes. Order a beer and an ice-cold Kingfisher bottle will appear in seconds.

The restaurants aren’t allowed to sell alcohol. But like anywhere else, in Varkala, the rules are negotiable if the price is right.

Barring columnists, journalists never talk about themselves. We’re supposed to remain neutral, self-effacing, mere transmitters of facts and opinions.

All that suppressed narcissism builds up inside. The pressure grows, distends our bellies and swells our skulls, and one day it becomes so unbearable that we slip in a bias in a politically-sensitive story.

Chennai

Longest beach in world
By a sea of rickshaw fumes
Get me out of here.

Four more haikus inside.

I started to like India more when I saw that their tourists can be just as goofy as our own.

Indians, too, flock en masse to touristy spots in India. They also eat at overpriced yet bland restaurants overlooking the sea. They buy plastic made-in-China knick-knacks from souvenir hawkers.

And they hold the sunset in their hands or pinch the top of a palace for pictures. Just like we do.

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1. A motorcycle can easily carry a family of five.
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2. The role of police is not to protect citizens, but the highest bidders.
why? Bribery has long been a part of Cambodian society. The police and the military have been known to kidnap and threaten citizens for cash.
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3. The [...]

Why settle for three square meals a day when you can have five or six?

Only tourists should be allowed to lose their money pointlessly in a casino.

Durian is revolting until you spend money on a good one. Then it’s divine.

And more wisdom from the world’s sweetest-smelling city-state.

Kuala Lumpur is a city on the move, but it takes its time. It’s Hong Kong Lite, a modern, former British colony that loves business but doesn’t forget to smell the hibiscus.

We spent 17 hours there between Singapore and India – Air Asia flights from KL to Chennai are dirt cheap. We cherished every second.

Click the images below to see a slideshow.

I understand now why India is a major innovator in mediation, patience, and inner peace. You really need it here.

After one week in India, I’m still waiting for the payoff.

So far, three cities in, I’m not seeing many reasons to stay.

Singapore is a trickster, but it doesn’t know it. It makes you think it’s a business city with obsessive-compulsive disorder and no sense of mirth.

What a farce. Singaporeans take their pleasure very seriously. Venture past the tourist trail of Chinatown, the malls of Orchard Rd. and the overpriced cafés of Sentosa Island and you’ll a city contending for a spot among the great capitals of fun.

If you’re there, don’t miss these delights.