You get a lot of time to think when you're not feeling well enough to go out and do stuff. The alternative is to simply occupy your attention with mindless videos and games. I did a fair bit of latter, to the point that I figured that I'd better do something more productive.

I headed down to Golden Mile Complex to get some Thai brand goods on Saturday and saw many locals there. I've always thought of the building as a seedy, dank place. Once there, however, I realised how wrong I was. The place was not the swankiest of malls, but it had a definite character - something sorely lacking in our mainstream malls.

Having heard news of how bad the retail environment is, I cannot help but wonder if it's simply the generic nature of almost every mall we see near the MRT stations. Though they are brightly lit and sparkling, they feel uninspired and insipid.

The same products (usually from the same brands) are repeated in every other mall, making consumers wonder what the point is of travelling all the way to the city area if their heartland malls have the same goods.

Perhaps, in order to 'save' our retail sector, we need to allow malls to build a 'flavour' of their own. If there isn't anything remarkable about it, why would people bother going there?

I'm still a fan of some of the old malls: Far East Plaza, Lucky Plaza and Katong Shopping Centre (which I hear may be sold soon). Now, I have Golden Mile Complex to add to the mix.