Showing posts with label quirky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quirky. Show all posts

Friday, 25 September 2015

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 :)

Thursday, 26 June 2014

Quirk of the Day


Goat cheese mousse - meeting the colorful, summer salad

I'm all for cheese, be it Parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, leicester and even blue (not everyone's cup of tea, I know, but hey, I find it yummy). Goat's cheese is another all time favorite but goat's cheese mousse (the white poofs of cream in the picture)? (Khoo, 2012: 21). Now that's not something you hear of everyday (in my life anyway). Despite this, my daredevil instincts pushed me to give it a go. Obviously I couldn't eat it by itself (unlike chocolate mousse), so I paired it with a nice summer salad made up of roasted capsicum, baby spinach and sausage slices. I absolutely loved the colors...and then it was time for the taste test.

The final verdict? Absolutely scrumptious.

Recipe from: Khoo, R. (2012) The Little Paris Kitchen. London: Michael Joseph


Friday, 27 September 2013

Never forget...



Whether it was romantic, breathtaking or on the spur of the moment, we (well, the lucky few that have had theirs already anyway - sobs!) will never forget our first kiss. Photo taken outside the Hollister store (one of my favorite shops) on George Street in Edinburgh - it was originally a photo of the entire building as I thought it looked pretty (I take random photos - deal with it). As I looked more into the photo however, I noticed something different. There were characters, there was a scene. There were emotions, there was time - the photo held a hidden story, something of which I felt I had to share with everyone. It is indeed satisfying to find surprises like these - sometimes it just takes a little bit of patience and attention to notice the beautiful things that are already around us. Forget about perfection and strategy, let whatever wants to come to come and try to see it through different angles. Sometimes, the best way to live each day is to accept fate and take on chances - it adds color to everyone's lives, and a chapter to everyone's stories.

AND NOW...A WORD FROM THE HEAD OFFICE (again)

I'm back! Sorry for the sudden hiatus - I've had bit of writer's block + have been really busy with my life (there's just not enough time everyday to do everything!). I'm writing to everyone from a faraway land (that I travelled to via my personal chariot/ the East Coast train service), where castles lie just behind the town centre and figures of the past still roam the street (or maybe they're just actors trying to get people to sign up for the Edinburgh dungeons tour...hmmm...). I've got new ideas and plenty more things to talk about so please continue to follow and read my posts - blogging has become a part of me now and it's been devastating not being able to write for the past few days, so I'm totally glad that I'm back.




Sunday, 22 September 2013

A very food good morning to everyone...

It's Sunday - the start or end of the week (depends on how you see it/ remember your days of the week). Who started off this morning with something homemade and yummy/ setting-the-fire-alarm-off-because-the-muffins-in-my-oven-were-apparently-"too"-hot-but-oh-well-at-least-they-tasted-fine-so-be-quiet-and-leave-me-alone-because-I-really-can-actually-cook-and-bake-without-setting-the-house-on-fire?

FOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!

Thursday, 19 September 2013

Just a quick word from the head office...


Announcement(s) --
Apparently there was something wrong with my comments box where only some people (the lucky few, lol) could actually post their comments on my blogs. I'm pleased to say that (I think) I have now fixed it -- yay!

So let's see some comments coming in then!

ALSO
There's a new section on my blog called "QUIRKY PICS" A section dedicated to all the funny, cool, weird, interesting etc. pictures of life that I and YOU (yes you, you in the front row), have noticed. Send me some cool and awesome photos and you may have the chance to be featured on MY BLOG (yay!!! I am being legit happy here btw :)

Hope everyone's had a splendid day


xx The Amateur Anthropologist

My love for pasta and colors - simple as that


Wednesday, 18 September 2013

A very belated morning to everyone - who went out for a morning stroll/ paddle with family or friends today?

More cooking, fashion and travel posts to come soon. PLUS some new themes too (think books and quirky pictures :)

An early day out with family :-)