Jewel at Singapore Changi Airport!

Yesterday after work, I was excited to explore Jewel, the latest attraction at Singapore Changi Airport. It is a mega shopping mall with about 280 retail shops and restaurants literally from around the world! Famous burger chain from United States like the Shake Shack is finally in Singapore and the Mushroom burger is filled microbial cheese which is free from animal rennet. In addition, there are local popular eatery and snacks like BreadTalk, Lim Chee Guan.

Besides the world tallest indoor waterfall, there are also canopy bridge where the centre portion is suspended 23 metres above ground, petal gardens to see beautiful blooms and topiary walk. However the canopy bridge, petal gardens and topiary will only be opened in June this year.There also Shaw movie theatre, bookshop, Southeast Asian first Pokemon shop.

Thanks to my cousins who passed me the preview ticket to explore the Jewel before it is officially open to the public tomorrow, 17 April 2019.

To find out more, visit the link here.

 I wanted to buy the cake at Rich and Good cake shop but it was sold out already. A few people told me that their Swiss roll cakes are delicious. 

 I'm looking forward to eating Mushroom burger!

 Very happy to see Times Junior! 

We Live in Singapura

Still remember this hilarious song by local comedian, Hossan Leong? He did a great job in summarising Singapore history in this 5 minutes song in English mixed with Singlish. 

25th Star Awards 2019

Growing up, my entertainment was indulging in watching local broadcast Channel 8 local Mandarin dramas besides China and Hong Kong dramas.  Now with the advance of technology, we have more options. Currently, my family and I enjoy watching Hong Kong dramas TVB from Starhub cable television and I also watch Taiwan variety shows from youtube so we rarely watch Channel 8 dramas. Worse, they stopped publishing I magazine, a local Mandarin magazine that promotes local shows and actors and actresses last year. 

Today is the first that I watch Channel 8 show as they have invited many overseas artistes.

Sadly I don't find current local drama interesting and there are not many actors and actresses with charisma. Also I don't like the actress that MediaCorp is trying to promote as lead actress. If you look at my previous post, I purposely hide her face on the last 8days magazine post.  

I think earlier Channel 8 drama production are of better caliber. Current shows have rather boring storylines.

Its rather sad that one of the award winners can't speak Mandarin in this Mandarin star award shows. She works in Mandarin show but not able to converse in Mandarin? In my opinion, she don't respect the Mandarin speaking audience. Those behind the scene staff don't put in the effort to converse in simple Mandarin. 

Anyway, I'm very happy that local veteran actress XiangYun has won the Best Evergreen artiste. She is one of the few female actresses whom I like. 

I like this old local drama, the Awakening. Both my maternal and paternal grandfathers came to Singapore by ships when they were teenagers from China, Chaozhou. Both left their family in China and did not return back. I feel like going to China Chaozhou 潮州 to explore my late grandfathers' birthplace. 

Polish Weekend at Singapore Tampines Hub

It was a good surprise to see Polish Weekend at Tampines Hub today. If you love Poland stuff, you can head down to Tampines Hub today to try Polish hotdog, jam, pickles and sauerkraut. I have not been to Europe yet, so it might be a place I explore in the future.

Polish hotdog costs $7.00. 

Beautiful dinnerware and cups.

They are showing a video on Poland at Tampines Hub today.

Singapore SMRT Trains with Tip-up Seats

This week I finally fulfilled one of my wishes to travel in MRT with tip-up seats in North-South train. The seats are in cheerful colour and it look sleeker compared to the other seats. The tip-up seats seem like a great idea but its not to passengers who after a long day of hard work just want to sit and rest instead of folding it and standing up. 

The problem is only the train driver can fold and unfold the seats. So during off-peak hours, the seat will be unfolded and during peak hours, the seats will be folded for more standing space. 

So far there are only 12 new trains with tip-up seats feature.

 SMRT New tip-up seat

Packaging Matters at National Museum

I went to National Museum to view Packaging Matters exhibition that was just launched yesterday. It will run till 15 September and admission is free.This exhibition is part of Singapore Heritage Festival. 

It features a wide range of vintage packaging from popular brand and show how packaging designs and materials have evolved with technology. There are also craft activities and audio-visual stations. I participated in one craft activity and I like the activity book though its meant for kids. Maybe I visit again in June. 

National Museum of Singapore
Nearest MRT: City Hall MRT 

Different types of packagings in Singapore

 Glass bottles used in the early days

 Packagings made of metal

 Interactive corner for kids

Visual Arts : Self-Portrait

I kinda like the visual arts: Self-Portrait by Ari Bayuaji showcased at Esplanade Tunnel from 17 Jan to 31 Mar this year. Perhaps its the combination of light coloured wood and pastel colour which I find attractive. I'm looking forward to next visual arts exhibition at Esplanade. 

From Esplanade Theatre by the Bay website This 17 Jan – 31 Mar 2019

A portrait is not just a representation of a person’s likeness. It is imbued with cultural references and speaks of the milieu in which it is created. In the past, only the affluent and influential had their portraits painted; while in today’s technology-driven world, everyone has access to creating images of themselves. Self-Portrait investigates the value of a portrait in contemporary society and how this value has evolved over time.

The installation features a diversity of portraits drawn from different eras, cultures and sources. Bayuaji juxtaposes Indonesian wooden masks with images of faces appropriated from paintings by old European masters and advertisements. Pivotal to the work is the use of mirrors that capture the expressions and appearances of people passing through—a subtle hint at today’s prevalent “selfie” culture where anyone can create their own portraits. The installation presents different interpretations of portraits and attests to their power to tell stories about the human condition that transcends time, cultures and geographical borders.

About the Artist
Ari Bayuaji (b.1975, Indonesia) works between Montreal, Canada and Bali, Indonesia. Proficient in a range of techniques and mediums, Bayuaji has developed an installation practice that incorporates the use of found and readymade objects accumulated from different parts of the world. His work has been exhibited internationally, including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Canada; Kunsthal Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Redbase Foundation, Yogyakarta, Indonesia and Nunu Fine Art Gallery, Taiwan. He has also been invited to participate in artist residencies internationally.

The Ship and the Moon

Saw this interesting sight last month at Marina Bay Sand in early evening when both moon and sun are up in the sky.

Chinese Vegetarian Menu at Holiday Inn Hotel

Recently I attended wedding dinner and I chose vegetarian menu. To my shock, they requires additional payment of about a hundred dollars plus for the change. I was thinking it should be cheaper since its just gluten, vegetables and mushroom. 

I don't like mock meat since its just gluten. I prefer natural fruits and vegetables. Alas the Chinese vegetarian menu here include lots of mock meat which I don't normally eat. Thankfully the mock meat here are quite palatable.Given a choice I still prefer fruits and vegetables which are more healthy. Maybe Vegetarian cold dish can include a little mock meat with fruit salad, and maybe vegetarian prawn salad instead of vegetarian fried chicken. Instead of lotus leaf rice with chestnut, we can also have fried ee fu noodle with mushroom with vegetarian sauce. 

Holiday Inn Hotel at Orchard Road

Nearest MRT: Orchard Road MRT

 Vegetarian cold dish combination. It really taste like meat. 

Deep fried vegetarian chicken. 

I like the vegetarian soup which is light and refreshing.

 There is one empty seat so I had this ee fu noodle with mushroom.

Yam paste with pumpkin is a must have dish for Teochew.

Sketching

I decided to improve on my sketching so I set a goal to practise sketching everyday.  When I opted for pure Science in upper secondary, I stopped sketching for many years. 

Now I aim to sketch at least one hour everyday. I actually enjoy the process of sketching as it is relaxing and fun.