That Little Something

Most Singaporeans you approach on the street detest our year-round heat, but many foreigners we’ve spoken to can’t get enough of it. Eleonore is once such person. “It’s nice to have summertime all year round!” she says. “I don’t even like air-con.” After we recover from our incredulity, we find out that Eleonore comes from Paris, but has a Sino-Vietnamese grandmother, who gave her the intriguing Chinese coin pendant that she wears — the pendant reads ji xiang ru yi, which means “good luck and happiness.” Although she misses the French restaurants in her hometown, Eleonore has adapted well, and enjoys having her own barbecues with friends over the weekend. She has also tackled local shopping haunts, such as Bugis and Bali lane, but she still oozes that enviable French je ne sais quoi even in this simple getup.