Recently, a colleague expressed surprise that I hadn't taken a holiday at all in six months.

I thought about it, and grew a little incredulous at myself too. Most of us have a precise inner clock that tells us when it's time to escape, but what happened to mine?

Singapore is encircled by alluring holiday spots so a change of scenery in Shanghai or Bali should be quick to plan. But I hadn't even compared airfares.

Plus, every other job in Singapore is demanding, so even a little weekend jaunt can soften life's rigours and routines.

It's two months since my colleague sounded the mini-alarm, and I fully love vacations. So why am I still rooted here and not wandering carefree in Kyoto, Prague or Seattle?

One little reason I haven't been too holiday-deprived is that I did leave Singapore for eight days in late January.

But it wasn't a vacation. It was a working trip to Qatar and Dubai. Yet it was amazingly eye-opening since it was my first encounter with the Middle East.

Amid the intense hours, time was carved out in the official itinerary to experience the Gulf's tourism potential. We rode down sand dunes in jeeps and visited souks. I must say it felt like half a holiday.

A new friend showed us where to relish grilled Syrian seafood late at night, and we found chocolate-covered dates in a mall the last day.

When I returned, I had a luxurious stretch of 5½ days off during Chinese New Year. It was restful and extra-special, as I'd not spent the holiday with my family in ages.

But the bigger reason for my energy level is that Singapore is a rediscovery after many years overseas. I'm a traveller in my own land.

Now that I'm lingering permanently here, it's really sunk in that the skyline has grown distinctive, while mature estates have deepened in character or taken on more colour.

Everywhere I turn, I hear the accents of the world. The city is overcrowded, and every expressway too.

The very soul of Singapore is changing, though I haven't figured out if this is uniquely and confidently Singaporean or it's a presentable pastiche of global trends.

Singapore is new again and I'm busy constructing new mental maps. The multiple changes take some edge off my natural wanderlust.

Another major reason why I still feel fresh is that I left journalism for four-plus years. The change in direction - I went back to school and took a new job - has made me greatly alive to possibilities and returned a jolt of energy.

These are the very things I seek in a great holiday.

My return to Singapore and to journalism, combined with my Middle East interlude, has kept me zestful. I want to explore more of Asia and have made up my mind to go away soon.

In the past couple of weeks, I've been playing with holiday permutations.

I got in touch with my sister Ping in Melbourne.

A well-travelled friend sent me e-mails rich in ideas on Tokyo and Kyoto.

I also thought of Seattle, which I'd visited every summer when I lived in the United States. It will be lots of fun, as I have so many friends there. And of course, the exchange rate is in Singapore's favour these days.

Or what about Bali or Phnom Penh, which I've never visited?

Now it seems entirely possible to plan two holidays. One simple, and one involving detailed decisions.

Then I started dreaming of the next year. Margaret River in Australia? My sister was telling me about its serene beauty and good life. Then last Sunday I popped into Oh Deli which sells Australian gourmet food and I was sold.

There's more. I'd love to revisit the US and possibly take a road trip to Montana and other points West that I'd discussed so often with a friend.

Before I get carried away, I know it's better to cultivate an inner sense of rest.

That's an intangible mix of being still, refusing to be too stressed, and holding on to a bright attitude - whatever the circumstances.

It's often born of solitude, which is itself a momentary holiday from the world.

This spirit of joyful restfulness is far more reviving than any vacation can ever deliver.

This article was first published in The Sunday Times on June 1, 2008.