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Archive for the ‘Art’ Category

Singapore Photo of the Day

Posted in Asia, Chinatown, Food, Food Photography, Food Stalls, Foodie Photo of the Day, fruit, Fruit Stalls, Hawker Food Diaries, Photography, Raw foods, Singapore, singapore photo of the day, travel photography, Uncategorized, Weird Asia, tagged Asia, asian fruit, banned fruits, Chinatown, durian, Food, food photography, foodie photo of the day, fruit, Fruit Stalls, Photography, Singapore, Singapore photo of the day, smelly, Street Food, travel photography, weird Asia on April 15, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Durians in Chinatown.

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Art Science Museum: Hermes Leather Forever

Posted in Art, Events, Exhibition, Fashion, France, Free, Museums, science, Singapore, tagged Art, art science late, art science museum, bag, birkin, brand, champagne, collider, Design, exhibit, Fashion, free, marina bay, MBS, Museum, nobel, prize, science, Singapore on December 9, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I had a visitor in town a few weeks ago and we decided to head to the Art Science Museum. It’s such a lovely piece of architecture and having it situated right on Marina Bay makes it’s hard to resist.

Currently there are two free exhibits on display, Hermes Leather Forever (until December 13) and The Nobel Prize: Ideas Changing the World (until January 2016). We decided to check these two exhibits out and pay to see the Collider exhibit if we had time and energy afterward (spoiler alert: we did not.)

Unfortunately, I think we should have skipped the free exhibits and forked out the money for the Collider instead. Or better yet, made it to one of the ArtScience Late sessions where the museum is open for free in the evening.

I wasn’t all that impressed with the Nobel Prize exhibit and the Hermes exhibit felt like an overt advertisement. It’s not like I didn’t learn anything though- I got some historical perspective on the Nobel Prize and learned a bit about the beginnings of the Hermes brand. Did you know they got their start with horse riding?

We met Shanna for a drink at Overeasy on Collyer Quay after the museum session. She was surprised to hear that I was less than impressed with Hermes Leather Forever, but then again she attended a Champagne premier of the exhibit. Looking at luxury goods you can’t afford is always better with a glass of Champagne in hand.

One thing I can say is that the Hermes exhibit was artfully crafted. But you wouldn’t expect less, would you?

Hermes Motorcycle Gear VROOM VROOM

Can you spot the Birkin Bag??

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Singapore Photo of the Day : Sri Mariamman Temple

Posted in Chinatown, city life, Photography, Religion, Singapore, singapore photo of the day, temples, Travel, travel photography, Uncategorized, tagged CBD, old meets new, Photography, Singapore, Singapore photo of the day, skyline, Sri Mariamman Temple, temple, Travel, travel photography, views on November 24, 2015| Leave a Comment »

The Sri Mariamman Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore and was founded in 1827, eight years after the East India Company established a trading settlement in Singapore. Today it is a stone’s throw from Singapore’s Central Business District.

The rural South Indian mother goddess Mariamman is a protector against diseases.

Views in Singapore’s Chinatown are a mix of the old and the new.

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What to Expect When You Are Expecting In Singapore: Belly Henna

Posted in Art, Asia, buy local, celebration, Culture, henna, india, Pregnancy, Singapore, support local, What to Expect When You are Expecting In Singapore, tagged Art, Asia, buy local, celebration, culture, henna, india, pregnancy, Singapore, support local, what to expect when you are expecting in singapore on September 10, 2015| 2 Comments »

While a pregnancy spent in a diverse environment like Singapore may invite unwanted opinions and suggestions from every culture and subculture on the island, it also subjects a mother to a large spectrum of worldwide birthing and pregnancy celebrations.

And why not celebrate?

A cruise through Pinterest got me all giddy about a full belly decorated with henna.

While we all might associate henna with Indian, Middle Eastern and North African weddings, it’s also quite common to adorn expectant mothers in these cultures as a blessing to both mom and baby. It’s also a super awesome way to make a mom to be feel really bad ass about her exquisitely round shape.

Make sure and do your research to get good quality natural henna. Pre-made tubes sometimes contain toxic materials.There are routinely horror stories appearing about people receiving poor quality henna and having bad reactions, so let me say it again- ask questions if you are using an artist’s mix. (Also, prenatal henna is not recommended for those with conditions like Advanced Anemia, Hyperbilirubinemia, a G6DP Deficiency, or a significantly repressed immune system.)

My decoration was done by Mona, who charges $75 and up for belly designs. The henna will last from one to two weeks.

Husband and I were having a celebration the next day with our friends in honor of the upcoming addition, so we invited Mona back to decorate our guests. She charges $8 for a simple design and upward from there.

Shanna’s Henna

Her work was definitely a hit!

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Life Imitating Inanimate Objects Imitating Life

Posted in Art, Jurong East, Law, LTA, performance art, Police, Roads, safety, Singapore, traffic, Weird Asia, tagged amanda palmer, Art, Cop, Fine, Fine City, Jurong East, Land Transport Authority, living statue, LTA, Performance art, Police, roads, safety, Singapore, Ticket, traffic, Traffic Dummy, weird Asia on August 31, 2015| Leave a Comment »

It’s a common sight to see a Singapore LTA (Land Transport Authority) dummy acting to control traffic. The first time you see one, you might have a giggle as I did. It can seem a strange tactic and you may wonder if it works.

LTA Mannequin – Photo not mine.

But what if we spin that scenario on it’s side? What about an LTA officer standing so still that you THINK he’s a dummy. This is what I saw on foot near Jurong East the other day. It took me watching for a while to realize this was an actual officer. I’m not sure if this was on purpose or not, but I have to think it was or the officer was practicing for a future career transition as a living statue ala Amanda Palmer.

Well done sir on the discipline. Standing that still takes a lot of hard work! In the end it was the small movements in your hands that gave you away.

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Singapore Photo of the Day: Sunset at Tanjong Beach

Posted in Asia, Beach, island, Photography, Sentosa, Singapore, singapore photo of the day, sunset, tanjong beach, Travel, travel photography, tagged Asia, Beach, island, Photography, sentosa, Singapore, Singapore photo of the day, sunset, Tanjong Beach, Travel, travel photography on August 30, 2015| Leave a Comment »

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Films at the Fort

Posted in Asia, Events, Film, outdoor, Parks, picnic, Singapore, tagged activism, Architecture, cinema, city life, Documentary, events, Film, films at the fort, fort canning park, free ice cream, movies, outdoor, parks, picnic, Singapore, The Two Escobars on August 20, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Much like visiting Fort Canning park itself, attending Films at the Fort is something I have been meaning to do but never got around to. Last year I didn’t go because by the time I got my rear end in gear to buy tickets, the shows were mostly sold out, not cheap and ugh, what if it rained? This year I was a bit less worried about inclement weather, a bit more organized, and I am glad for it.

Wednesday night, a few friends gathered to watch the documentary, The Two Escobars, a story of Columbian soccer in the 80s and drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Truth be told, I couldn’t believe how much we lucked out with the weather. We set up our blankets on the slope in front of the screen and set out our picnic.

The event allows outside food, but not outside booze. Food is also purchasable at the event, courtesy of The Providore and your ticket comes with a free serving of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

So what of my initial concern that the event was not cheap? If you gather 5 or more people you get a discount of 20%. I also noticed that bottles of Casillero del Diablo purchased at the grocery store came with a 20% off coupon for the event. In the end, this discount makes the event about $20 a ticket.

“You know, I thought this event was a little pricey for a movie at first,” I told a friend. “But I think by charging it keeps the event from being too crowded and actually really pleasant.”

“Well, when you count the ice cream into the price, it probably brings the cost down by about half,” joked my friend.

Touche. Ice cream in this town is not cheap. Need proof? Here’s a pint of Haagan Das “on sale” at the grocery store for $14.45 SG a pint (that’s about $10 US).

Films on the Fort ends for the 2015 year on August 23rd. Tickets are still available for the 21st and the 23rd. Get on it now, or you’ll have to wait for next year.

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Singapore’s Clean Public Toilet Campaign

Posted in Campaigns, culture clash, Interior Design, Restrooms, Singapore, Singapore Campaigns, Weird Asia, tagged campaigns, culture clash, interior design, restrooms, Singapore, Singapore campaigns, toilets on June 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »

One thing about having interior designer friends is you get a totally different perspective on building design and public spaces.

For instance, I had long ago succumbed to the fact that establishments in Singapore don’t always have their own bathroom. You have to leave the premises to find a shared bathroom used by the building. While I find it a little off putting but just one of those quirks about living in Singapore, my interior designer friend was highly annoyed.

“How can an establishment this big NOT have a toilet?” moaned Lee.

“I don’t know, but speaking of, can you tell me where the toilet is?” I answered.

She pointed me out the building and around the corner. While there, I snapped a photo of this.

I sent the photo to my friend in the US who has spent some time in Singapore and also finds these campaigns fascinating. As I have mentioned before, the number of campaigns in this country is staggering.

“Hrm… is that really a problem?” she asked.

“I guess so,” I answered. “Otherwise there wouldn’t be a campaign for it.”

I shared the conversation with Lee and the other folks at the table and received back a unified “Yes, yes, YES. It is DEFINITELY a problem.”

“There you go,” I answered.

Here in Singapore, sometimes the loos are completely spotless, like at Changi Airport or the Zoo. At other times, not so much. It really shows you what an effort is put into keeping the clean ones clean. The next time I use the facilities at Changi Airport and am asked to rate my experience, I am giving the attendant full marks. It’s not an easy job, and often a thankless one.

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