A mixing blessing with my job is that I end up travelling fairly extensively. That’s good, in that I have a deep-seated wanderlust and love exploring. It’s bad, very bad, in terms of the amount of time it keeps me away from home.

My current trip sees me in Singapore thanks to a customer who booked flights and hotels for me, then cancelled the event I was supposed to be running. As the travel was non-refundable, it seemed rather a shame to waste it!

I’ve already had one of the biggest startles ever, on the way in from the airport yesterday morning. The breakfast presenters were discussing a news item about some teenagers who’d misbehaved. “Last time they were naughty, they were locked in their bedrooms”, commented the female half of the presenting duo – somewhat to my horror. She continued:

“Do you think it’s now time for the rotan? It’s still the school holidays, so call us. How do your parents punish you?”

Then, she turned to her co-presenter, asking, “Did you used to get the rotan when you were growing up?”

He didn’t, and quickly played the next song rather than asking her the same question. Drat! And the cab arrived at my hotel before the phone-in began :-(

The rotan – the local name for the cane – still appears to be in surprisingly wide use here for parental discipline. According to one report from the Singapore Sunday Times, hardware stores are the place I need to head while I’m here for my souvenir hunting:

Cane facts

COST: 50 cents, made in China and guaranteed to last a lifetime.

WHERE TO BUY: At neighbourhood shops selling household items. Usually found stacked with the brooms and mops on sale or hanging, tied together, from the ceiling of the shop.

NEW LOOK: Rotans today have a plastic hook at the end, which comes in a variety of colours.

At that price, pennies per cane in UK currency (even if the report is a few years old), I may have to purchase a bundle. (And if there’s anyone reading in Singapore, do please recommend a suitable shop)!