Singapore

Weekend getaway

The title normally means castle hunting or museum visiting when I'm in England. However, when in Asia, it's translated to having fun in a foreign land that's not too far away from home. And given the limited timeframe (i.e. Saturday and half of Sunday only) for travelling, Singapore appeared to fit the bill (and around my work schedule) perfectly.

It wasn't long after the screening of "Inside Out" that our plane descended gracefully onto the little metropolis's runway.

(Memorable) surpirses through spontaneity

Planning what to do during a trip is an absolute must for me. It honestly makes life easier and less hectic. On this occasion though, this action seemed completely inappropriate. Instead, I decided to go with my gut feeling for once (or rather with the results of a quick "eeny, meeny, miny, mo" on the tourist guide from the hotel's concierge) when choosing my first destination. That initially landed me at Marina Bay Sands, where cash splurging comes in two unique forms (i.e. shopping or playing at the casino). The shops weren't that spectacular to me (only because we have the same brands at home), but the interior definitely was.

Honeslty, just LOOK at my photos if you don't believe me.

 

 

One place I did enjoy was the Superheroes cafe (especially their rainbow cake --> truly a winner). I like the idea of combining fiction with food, as you get a story to go with your meal. It's absolutely worth the very, VERY long wait in queue!

Thank you spontaneity for bringing me to Marina Bay Sands - 'twas a perfect way to start my Singaporean adventure.

Animation: East & West

No trip is ever complete without a museum visit. The ArtScience museum (aka. the large lotus flower building) was the first one I headed to. There I guided myself through an inspiring movie exhibition by Dreamworks Animation. The models and art created for films like Shrek & Kung Fu Panda were all captivating, but what I became wonderstruck by was the amount of pictures the creators had to draw in order to produce just a single minute of an animation. The phrase "hardwork pays off" is definitely appropriate here in my opinion.

Another form of animation I enjoy is Japanese anime. I wouldn't call myself an overly obsessed fan, but I have been interested in anime ever since my younger years. It's no wonder I sub-consciously found myself headed towards the annual Toy, Game and Comic Convention. If I had to describe the main features of the showcase through a list, I would say that there was cosplay, manga, Sailor Moon figurines, cosplay, plush toys from Japan, fan art, cosplay, guest speakers, card trading and did I mention, COSPLAY?

 

       

  

 

The anime convention wasn't on my original itinerary, but it was surely a good choice! I then spent the evening wandering down Orchard Road, feeling content with my day and bedazzled by all the glittering lights.

 

Lucky last

It's hard saving the best till last at times, mainly because it's so unbelievably tempting to have immediately. However, if you can wait, it does make things seem much more memorable. And that's what happened with my day at Universal Studios. Despite the sweltering heat, I managed to go on a couple of rides and take lots of photos.

 

 

Here they are, FYI:

 

 

  

Clearly, I have an obsession with movie merch:

 

And obviously, I HAD to take a picture of the Fluffy Unicorn from Despicable Me (it was indeed incredibly "fluffy").

Oh yes and I had food, lots of it. Apologies for the lack of foodie pics (hunger made me forget to take my camera out).

 

 

 

I also captured many quirky sights on my Canon camera. Examples include...

 

 

 

  

This little fella here was particularly cute:

  

Last thoughts

Clearly I haven't even scraped the surface of Singapore's touristy sites (there's many more amazing highlights to see, believe me). Just walking around Sentosa was already enough fun for a day. But my weekend getaway is definitely something I will cherish for a very long time...

Well, long enough until I decide to head back for even grander adventures.

Like taking a spontaneous trip to Singapore :)

Hong Kong (Public Holiday special)

Venture through my day

To me, every day is special. Even if it happens to involve the most mundane of all tasks, it all ends up being a moment in the past. And even if the same day does repeat itself, there’s often a minor difference in the schedule somewhere. The place where I keep these memories is obviously my blog, and although the majority of the posts I've written tend to be based on an overarching theme (i.e. travel, food & fashion), last Thursday proved to be interesting enough to be blogged about.  

It all started with an extravagant dim sum breakfast...and two tickets to the C All Star concert later on the day.

Then it ws a nice leisurely stroll to the flower market.

 

Clearly, I have a slight obsession with roses (especially colourful ones)

Lunch was at the delicious Spanish restaurant, Espumo.

Lunch with a view

Here's a couple of pics of what we ate!

Calamari

Tortilla espanola

Ok I know eggs benedict with avocado is not technically Spanish but it was too tempting to resist. Especially since the below photo shows that it's perfect for breadstick dipping.

And here's a couple of photos of the artistic motifs in the restaurant. Pretty cool huh?

Last but not least was the C All Star concert. I'll blog about this in more detail in a separate blog post but here's a quick taster for all those who are interested/ fans of this band.

Arriving at the concert arena

Photos with our dear friend/ singing sensation

Getting ready for the show

Obviously not every Thursday is a public holiday like this one was, and clearly not every weekday can be packed with fun filled events. But I think it's fair to say that when they do occur, I tend to seize them enthusiastically and cherish every moment during the 24 hours of freedom.

Stay active & positive - enjoy each day while it lasts.