Brunei
Quick trip to Brunei to check things out. It's a small country, under 500,000 people, and has both considerable wealth (due to oil and natural gas reserves) as well as some interesting history, with the water village still featuring prominently in their largest city, Bandar Seri Begawan. Was hoping to see Ulu Temburong National Park as well, but unfortunately I lost a day in Brunei due to a missed connection on the way in, so ended up with a shorter trip than planned.
Day 1: unplanned overnight layover in San Francisco due to bad weather gave an unexpected chance to hang out with the Lai family.
Day 2: flying from San Francisco to Singapore.
Day 3: evening arrival in Singapore and a brief overnight stay at Jewel Changi.
Day 4: exploring Brunei.
Day 4: Christmas morning at The Empire Brunei, then afternoon back in Singapore.
Day 5: return to the USA.