SPOILT FOR CHOICE?

Too busy for all the festivities in March? Then block your diaries, calendars, gadgets or gizmos or whatever else you use to block dates for some other fine festivals.

In July, its Byron Bay, tons of coffee and stimulating conversations in wind-blown marquees.

In September, get ready for 'The Seen & Unseen' or 'Sekala Niskala' at the Ubud Writers Festival. Lots of vocal writers have confirmed their attendance. Let me assure you any festival that gets the likes of Catherine Lim and Shashi Tharoor has a lot to talk about. That's not all, they've also got nods from Mohsin Hamid, Kiran Desai, Peter Goldsworthy. More names are likely to follow, so keep watching their seen space.

In December, Singapore hosts its own festival. The website isn't out but it will be soon. Lots of exciting venues are being explored as I pen this. So here's as good an excuse as any to visit us, even if you don't want to be part of the legendary shopping extravaganzas.