1 Out of 7 Billion
The world is getting smaller everyday but a lifetime is not enough to explore it. My adventure starts in Singapore.
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Who Says Singapore is Boring?
April 3, 2010
My weekend activities this month have either been food adventures or artsy events. Here’s a glimpse.
1) Why I could not hit my target weight by end March
Lemon Cake from The Cookie Museum (8 Raffles Avenue, Esplanade Mall, #01-02/04 Singapore 039802 Ph: +65 63331965)
Korean BBQ (Hansang Korean Family Restaurant in Holland Village)
Marinated beef tenderloin strips, fried rice & fried egg from Tapa King (Lau Pa Sat)
Try Tapa Queen (sweet/spicy)
Lunch Buffet at Starz Restaurant (Hard Rock hotel, Resorts World)
Breaded pork cutlet (Tonkichi, Orchard Central)
2) Artsy
Emerge 2010 (Zirca)
Annual concert organised by NUS CAC Voices. Saw the performance of a few members several months ago along Orchard and sought info on upcoming shows. The show lasted for 3 hours and involved more than predominantly Mandopop performances. Amateur talent with lots of potential.
Asian Civilisation Museum
Mark visited Singapore for the first time so brought him to one of the best museums I’ve ever been to. You need at least 2 hrs to do justice to this place.
Here's Mark trying one of the turbans for this photo
Several hours later... Post-dinner drinks at Brotzeit Vivo City.
To Kill a Mockingbird
I read the novel in secondary school so when I learned about the production, I did not think twice about booking tickets for me and my sister. Brilliant script, highly engaging, creative treatment.
During the intermission
Jae Leung (played Jem Finch) told me he was going out after the show to chat briefly.
My sister and Jae
More concerts and events in the coming months so watch this space.
F1 Rocks (Singapore)
September 27, 2009
“F1 Rocks” rocks. At least, that’s what I can say for Day 3 which I bought tickets for shortly after I learned Beyonce and Black Eyed Peas were coming to town.
Arrived at Fort Canning at around 630pm. Hassle free entry. We bought food good enough to last til midnight when Beyonce was expected to appear onstage. We were also prepared – with small plastic chairs and picnic cloth in tow.
After not going out for one-too-many Friday and Saturday nights, such weekend was truly an awesome way to get back to partying.
Arriving early has its benefits - we sat a few meters from the stage - a distance my digicam's 10x zoom can bear.
BEP at 9pm, Beyonce at 12midnight
Also saw Daryl several meters away. He trooped over to chat and take a photo. (Photo courtesy of Daryl Pan)
Now with my sister who is an expert in pop music, among other things... (Photo courtesy of Daryl Pan)
Now the main event …
Black Eyed Peas
Beyonce
Hong Kong
August 11, 2009 — 2 Comments
I had been thinking of heading to HK for a few days and I finally did it. I decided to book a flight one week before the actual trip so I didn’t get to fly with my favorite airline as the suitable flights were fully booked.
Instant holidays are costly (more expensive air tickets, lesser time to research clean but reasonably priced hotels, etc). However, having a relaxing trip and doing what I really wanted to do (shopping, spending time on my own, catching up with friends & meeting new ones) is truly satisfying.
Welcome back to HK! (Photo taken in one of the newer posh areas near Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui
I was impressed at my ability to go on impulse and whirlwind shopping.
After 1.5 days of :
- hopping from one train to another and enduring the congested MTR walkways
- shielding myself from the sun
- sweating like a pig(let)
- exercising my arm muscles with the clothing-filled bags; and
- eventually forgetting I had set a shopping budget …
I felt the need not to do anything much on my 3rd and last day. I just walked around a few areas with very minimal purchase and had a haircut (as I was seriously getting bored).
Some interesting info about my trip:
- Number of hours being restless in the plane : 3 hours (most of the Singapore to Hong Kong journey)
- Number of people met : 5 friends (including 3 new ones) + 2 acquaintances
- Liquor : only 2 bottles of beer and 1 cocktail over two night outs (really don’t like drinking)
- Favorite train stops : Central, Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
- Pleasant discovery : IFC Mall near Hong Kong station, Jia Hotel in Causeway Bay
- What I wanted to do but ran short of time : Explore Lantau Island (I attempted but could not get out of Citygate outlet mall) ; clubbing
- First set of purchases : 2 Gorilla pods (funky short tripod for electronic gadgets) and a Belkin adaptor for multiple iPods
- Last purchase : Pictionary Man boardgame – believe it or not, I got the item from a shop next to my boarding gate. And I thought I was done with shopping by the time I reach the airport.
Thanks to Ron and William for hanging out with me during the weekend and for introducing their friends to me during my trip.
Photos
1) Accommodation
Jia Hotel, 1-5 Irving St, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong ( http://www.jiahongkong.com/JIA.html )
Thanks to Vincent A for the recommendation!
Jia Hotel is the 1st boutique hotel in Asia designed by Philippe Starck
The other side says "Seriously Messed Up" :p
Playing around in the lobby
2) Shopping
IFC (Nearest station: Hong Kong)
City Super -mostly food. I bought some useless stuff from this place.
Club 21 Outlet @ Citgate Outlet Mall (Nearest station: Tung Chung)
Harbour City (Nearest station: Tsim Sha Tsui)
3) Catch Up’s and Walkabouts
With good HK buddies - William and Ron
Cathy and Lydia - new friends I met during my trip
The bar we went to had some function rooms -- Heaven, Hell, Eden. Took a photo of my target destination.
Awesome Sunday night food in the Whampoa area
With William, Larry, and Ron
Drinks by the harbour. Panasonic Lumix at its best.
Haircut at HH Il Colpo Group (Harbour City mall)
This is the "benchmark" hairstyle. You have to see me in person to confirm if the result is the same!
4) Random
Ad for the HK subway system
Yeah, clean is in.
Taken at IFC mall. These kids were initially body slamming the in-house ad, with parents watching them from a few meters away. The kids were acting like human mops here.
"End of the world" scene. Rainy Monday afternoon in HK.
Best dessert I've tasted in recent memory. Too bad, I have to travel all the way to HK for this one.
Also took two days of leave and spent them in Singapore so I could say I was able to rest, re-energise, and enjoy the local scene before heading back to work.
Two Saturday Nights @ the Esplanade
July 26, 2009
I feel very artsy whenever I go to the Esplanade. Dunno why but it’s a good feeling.
Clouds trying to imitate the Esplanade "durian" roof structure
I spent two consecutive Saturday nights there with friends :
18 July – Short+Sweet Singapore Gala Night
Short plays (10 mins each) – the ten best ones from about 40 entries in either English or Mandarin.
Watched together with Wish, Nikki, Jenna then later met up with Ben and Anthony at Loof in Bugis for a second round of drinks (coz our first was at 7AteNine).
Wish and Jenna
With Nikki
Ben on the far left, Anthony on the far right
25 July – $ing Dollar
Musical comedy featuring the who’s who in Singapore theater. Worth every $ing Dollar I paid. :p
Watched with Kristy, Lynn, Wilson then supper at Glutton’s Bay (Makansutra) just outside Esplanade.
Me, Kristy, Lynn, Wilson
Yummy. I didnt get to sleep at once after this.
Ben’s Party
April 5, 2009
I’ve attended several parties and gatherings since I moved to Singapore. However, I knew almost everyone in those events.
What makes Ben’s party last Saturday different from the rest? I only knew around 10 people out of the estimated 30-40 who turned up. It also had a catchy title/theme : “BENasty, BENaughty, BENice”. If Ben gets to read this entry, he should let me know which category he falls under. Haha.
Ken, one of Ben’s friends, hosted the party over at Icon condo in the Tanjong Pagar area. I’ve always been intrigued how that property looked like whenever my bus passed through TJP. I initially thought it was a hotel.
South of Singapore
This one leads to the Chinatown area
Party in the common area ended around 1130ish (to the delight of security). Spent a few minutes with some of Ben’s guests who moved to Ken’s unit shortly thereafter. As I had church the next day, I decided to head home around 1230am and did not attempt to go clubbing til the wee hours.
Happy birthday, Ben! May the Lord continue to shower you with His abundant blessings!
Cake greeting says, "Chocolate for our chocolatepistol"
