Here's what I do to deal with jet lag. I don't go to sleep much before I travel. I think I was a hamster in my past life. I'm the type who wants to get every last project done, every last dish washed, every last chore behind me before I head out the door. I ruminate. I become more compulsive than usual.

Sometimes, I stay up so late that going to bed may not make sense. That's what happened before the good-deed travel Mexico trip. It got to be 4:00 a.m. and I thought, I'm getting up in two hours anyway, so why bother? I slept on the plane on and off, and went to bed early the following night. When I travel across time zones, this staying up late makes me tired enough that the jet lag is not as noticeable. I'm thrown off already, what's a bit more?

When I was living in Singapore, one of my closest friend's parents visited from the U.S. They are the hearty, cross-country skiing type who stay on a scheduled routine. Their answer to jet lag was to go on a long hike through the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve almost as soon as they arrived at our apartment. Our complex edged the preserve which made hiking there pretty darned convenient. They went to bed when they normally do, and seemed not to suffer much. Getting out in the air and sunshine is one way diminish that groggy, disheveled feeling.

There was an article recently in the New York Times that explains how a combination of coffee and naps can help thwart jet lag. I suppose this is what I do, but less scientifically. I always order coffee and a club soda when I fly. Coffee for the boost, and soda water for the hydration. It feels fancier than regular water. Anything one can do to spruce up travel in my opinion.

The photo is of my 2nd cup of coffee on the Southwest flight. It's slightly out of focus, but then, so was I.

I saw Les Misérables the first time in Singapore when the touring company came through. There were Chinese subtitles of the lyrics projected on screens at the sides of the stage or across the top. I can't remember which. Three of the cast members came to the school where I was teaching to talk with students about their lives as actors and about touring internationally. Afterwards, for a brief while, I had Les Mis fever. The symptoms being: the songs play over and over and over again in your head; you feel deliciously depressed and uplifted at the same time; and you feel like stopping repression somehow--somewhere--some way.

One of the wonderful things about living overseas is being a part of something that has universal appeal, even if it just means sitting in an audience. Here's something that tops the feeling I had when I sat in the 12th row of the orchestra to the left of center stage.

For the 10th anniversary celebration of Les Misérables there was a concert at Royal Albert Hall that included 17 different Jean Valjeans from different countries, each singing a few lines of "Do You Hear the People Sing" and "One Day More" in their native language. I found it on YouTube. Watching it gave me a touch of Les Mis fever.

Andrew Zimmern spit out durian. He ate a beating frog's heart in the Asia overview episode of Bizarre Foods, but the durian was a no go. As Neil wrote in a post on another foul food, durian is one nasty smelling fruit, unless you're a person who likes the smell. Some do. Some must. There are piles of the fruit in Singapore and Malaysia. Why would there be piles if people don't like the smell?

We had a durian tree in our backyard in Singapore, but let other people have it when it was ripe. We were told that it didn't smell when it was on the tree. The only time I smelled durian were the piles in the market. I used to wonder how people got them home since durians aren't allowed on buses or subways because they smell that bad.

Although durian smelled so foul that I never managed to eat any in its fruit form, I did eat durian ice-cream and cookies with durian paste filling. Both of them are good. Here's a Web site that highlights different ways durian is prepared. The chips look interesting. I'd eat those just to see what they taste like. If you want durian fruit in its pure form, chill it. It's supposed to taste better that way. Hold your nose, though--unless you like the smell.

The fortune cookie isn't the only food that is not authentically Chinese. There are others--some I knew about just because many dishes served at Chinese restaurants in the U.S. didn't originate in China, or if they did, have been altered to suit American palates. Most of the Chinese food I ate in Taiwan or Singapore didn't look or taste similar to the food we pile on our plates at the China Buffet near our house in Columbus, Ohio. Although, it is a perfect place to eat with young children, unless you're Anthony Bourdain, and, in that case, the food barely resembles food at all, authentic it's not.

Back to Chinese food that didn't hail from the "old country" meaning China. In this photo essay, Jennifer 8 Lee, New York Times reporter and writer of the book Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food, presents info about food related items associated with China, but they aren't really Chinese. Broccoli, for example, is not Chinese. That broccoli-chicken dish is an American version, although broccoli has made its way to Taiwan. I imagine there's probably an altered American/Chinese version there. I don't recall. I was too busy stuffing my face with other dishes.

Lee also knows a lot about what is Chinese culture and not Chinese culture about other food related topics, such as food containers. Cardboard cartons for Chinese take-out were created and popularized in the U.S., but Taiwan has a love affair going with Styrofoam. Environmentally friendly habits are not Taiwan's strong suit. I do know that from experience. The few details presented in the photo essay, besides making me feel a bit hungry, put me in the mood for checking out Lee's book.

Grant wrote about the first Airbus A380 grounded by Singapore airlines because of fuel pump problems in February.

Today, BBC reports that Singapore Airlines grounded another A380 with similar problems. The official line from Singapore Airlines is that "it is not the same problem, and not the same aircraft." Which, I suppose, is supposed to make us feel more confident in the A380?

The problem last time was with the electrical relay powering the pump, rather than the pump itself. This time, the problem was identified as "premature failure of the pump." Sounds like some sort of sexual dysfunction to me. You know what they say about those big planes...

I once heard that stress is "nothing more than a socially acceptable mental illness." If that's true, there must be a lot of mentally ill walking around Singapore.

A recent survey found that 90% of all Singaporeans consider themselves stressed out, despite (or perhaps because of) the city-state's booming economy and material wealth.

Now, a search is under way for the happiest person in Singapore, with the winner receiving a free week's stay at a resort in Phuket, Thailand. Shouldn't that go to the most unhappy person?

Singaporeans can nominate any resident over 18 by explaining, in 300 to 1000 words, how their nominee contributes to society and is happy "no matter what life throws at them." The winner will be announced April 4.

More here.

Check out my recent chat with happiness researcher Will Wilkinson here.

Thaipusam has passed and I'm wondering where I was. Back in November I planned to write a post, but it was too early. Now I'm late. But, considering that this festival is probably the most astounding event I've ever attended, consider this is a lesson in religion and culture--and perhaps some politics. The first year I lived in Singapore, one of the few countries where the holiday is celebrated, I blearily got out of bed 4:30 a.m. to head to Little India to catch some Thaipusam action. I had no idea how far people would go to prove their devotion. Intense is putting it mildly. This picture is just the beginning.

As with many aspects of Hinduism, this holiday, celebrated between the end of January or beginning of February, depending on the Tamil calendar, is a bit complex. Here's the condensed version. As with many religious holidays, Hindu and otherwise, Thaipusam celebrates good winning over evil. In this case, the celebration commemorates the birthday of Lord Murugan (also called Subramaniam) the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, as well as, his victory over the evil demon Soorapadman when he used the lance given to him by Parvati to vanquish the demon's powers.

Anna's post about IKEA brought back fond memories. Going to IKEA in Singapore and Taiwan were wonderful outings that helped us add affordable, aesthetically pleasing items to our apartments. IKEA saved me from despair in Taiwan. Not that I didn't absolutely love our Taiwan apartment's glass coffee and end tables with their chrome legs and the aquamarine colored vinyl-sided couch with its matching chairs.The chairs and couch had chrome legs to match the tables. When the apartment came furnished, I wasn't quite counting on the colors and chrome. Let's just say tastes differ. IKEA area rugs and throw pillows helped me tone down the noise a bit.

Each time I visited IKEA, a part of me wanted to live there. Mark Malkoff, a comedian/filmmaker did live in IKEA in Paramus, New Jersey for 6 days in January when his Manhattan apartment was being fumigated for cockroaches. Here's the YouTube video of Mark's first day. You'll see some of the items Anna mentions. All the videos from the six days are on Mark's Web site, Mark lives in IKEA . Here's a link to the ABC News clip that gives a rundown of the story.

Living like Matthew McConaughey may involve taking your shirt off, as Matt Damon says in his hilarious impression of the often shirtless star while Damon was a guest on David Letterman. (Here is the YouTube video. It explains why I chose the photo I did.)

Another way that is less dramatic, perhaps, is by living with a family overseas. McConaughey was an exchange student to Australia in 1988 and lived with a family who he still visits. (YouTube video)

When I was in college, I was an exchange student and lived with a family in Denmark who I am still in touch with and plan to visit again on my next trip to Europe. I have visited two times already. My Danish sisters have also visited me and my family in the U.S.

When you live with a family there is an impression about a country you can get that's much richer from traveling there. Although Abha found Copenhagen not worth traveling back to, which I can see if I didn't know it better, I found the Danish culture a fascinating place to hang out for awhile. When you live with a family, you get to know more about the values and psychology of a place.

Tonight at 10:00 E/P, Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations makes its season premiere, as he travels to Singapore and samples some of their unique culinary fare. From the show's website:

"Singapore is a country devoted to food. Located in the midst of a gastronomical crossroads, Singaporeans have adapted Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, and Indonesian cuisines into plentiful, cheap, but exquisite foods that can be found everywhere you look."

I'll be flipping back and forth tonight between No Reservations and the LSU-Ohio State college football championship game, but I'll be sure to check out the whole thing during one of its ubiquitous reruns. I've often cited the show as one of the few remaining reasons to own a television, and that has nothing to do with the fact that there's probably an advertisement for it a couple inches away from this post. Honest.

For more from Bourdain, check out his blog here and a slideshow of his Singapore trip here.