How I spent Valentine's Day

My Valentine's Day wasn't spent on 14 Feb because celebrating it on that day was too mainstream.

We celebrated a few days later. After all, I think Valentine's Day is just a good opportunity for couples to find something special to do and remind each other that you're in love.

We made use of my Palate card and went to the The Moluccas Room, located at MBS for our dinner.

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An old couple volunteered to take pictures for us because "the bouquet is beautiful".

I was absolutely charmed by the jovial waiter who greeted us and ushered us in.

We ordered a glass of malbac each, under the recommendation of the waiter, and it was pretty good.

The waiter also volunteered to help us take pictures and took several for us until he was pleased with it. Oh, and note that very thoughtful hook by the chair that allowed me to hang my bag.

Food came rather quickly. The waiter had asked for all of them to be served at the same time because we were going for a show. I thought it was really thoughtful (you'd keep seeing this word) of him to check with us after we made our orders whether we had a show to catch.

Besides the great service, food was really good too. I never knew Indonesian cuisine be better by notches when it reaches fine-dining level (I think the regular ones are already fantastic).

After dinner, we went up to the theatre to catch Wicked, the musical. It's the Boyfriend's first musical and he enjoyed it. Now that I've cultivated the appreciation of musicals in him, I shall introduce him to the less mainstream ones, heh heh.

After dinner was a walk by the river.

The Boyfriend requested for this picture because he was inspired by one of the songs in Wicked. I'm glad that I can show off those prints I have on my wedges too.

Here's a close-up shot of my bouquet, which I absolutely love.

Red roses are still the most timeless choice when it comes to bouquet.

Club Med Night 2011 at Avalon

So much hype surrounding Avalon and so when I receive an invite from Club Med for the opportunity to party with them at Avalon at MBS.

It was a night of appreciation to the media and travel partners for Club Med. And for us guests, we got to watch fabulous performances, dine, booze, and for some of us, walk away with something from the lucky draw :)

Okay, pictures time! I was there with Leslie, as well as Ah Han and her brother.

Avalon is super beautiful. You could probably tell from the pictures. It offers the perfect view of some key landmarks of Singapore - me likey!

And... Ah Han and I both won something from the lucky draw. Hey, we were really lucky okay? There were something like six prizes in all, and at least a hundred guests there. And guess who walked away with the grand prize of the day. EHEM!

Club Med Sahoro - here I come! The resort has a unique all-inclusive concept where staff and guests are like friends in a village. I can't wait to feast on fantastic food, go for the entertainment sessions put together by the talented Club Med staff, and of course - attend ski lessons :D

P/S: I've been extremely excited about the prize for a few days. It's the first time I won something from a lucky draw! And OMG, I mean, first time I won something and I won big!

Singapore Women's Fashion Week 2011 presents Haute Couture Week in October

You must have heard: Singapore's among the top 10 global fashion capitals, according to a survey result that was released in August. We scored #8 in the ranking, above Tokyo.

I know, most people are skeptical. Many wonder what we have done to deserve the honour.

Let me tell you what we have done. We are so excited about fashion that we have been blogging about it , tweeting about it, writing about it - that's what we have done.

Apparently, the survey that's conducted by the Global Language Monitor produces the top 10 list by tracking the frequency and context of buzzwords across the internet, blogosphere and 75,000 print and electronic media sources.

So here I am, blogging about another of our biggest fashion event, and playing my part to make sure Singapore makes it to the list again next year. Do you part too, share this on your Facebook! Reblog this! Tweet it!

Those who are a little more conscious about fashion would probably have heard about, or maybe even attended some of the shows at the Men's Fashion Week 2011, held in March/April this year. Following the success of that event, the same organisers bring you Women's Fashion Week 2011 (WFW 2011) - the first ever in Singapore.

Gustavo with models wearing apparel from his collection.

What's even more exciting is that WFW 2011 will be presenting Haute Couture Week, making Singapore the second city in the world to stage this high fashion showcase. (The first city is Paris, of course.) At least nine haute couturiers, including Gustavo Lins and Stephane Rolland, will be presenting their Spring/Summer 2012 collections. The full list of participants has not been revealed. The week-long event will be held, once again, at Marina Bay Sands, from 26 to 30 October 2011.

Stephane Rolland with models wearing apparel from his collection.

What Frank Cintamani, chairman of WFW 2011 said about the event resonates deeply within me, "In achieving this unique event (WFW 2011) in bringing Paris to Singapore, it is our aspiration to likewise bring Singapore and Asia to Paris.".

Yes, perhaps we have yet to come to terms with the idea of being a "fashion capital", but don't ever think it's not ever possible for Singaporeans to ditch our denim shorts and slippers, and be trendsetters with a distinctively Singaporean style.

Besides the runway shows, other programmes for WFW 2011 include:

Prêt-a-Porter  
21-23 October
This is a showcase of the latest collection of selected fashion brands that can all be found at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Asian Couture Showcase  
26 October
This is a showcase of couture collections of Asian designers, including Singaporeans.

Haute Couture Exhibition  
6-31 October
Held at The Shoppes at MBS' Jewellery Lane, this exhibtion will feature past and present haute couture creations from different fashion houses.

Guess who I saw at MBS?

Guess who I bumped into when I was at Marina Bay Sands around a week ago?

Yes, you're not seeing things... It's  Raul Meireles and Jonjo Shelvey from Liverpool FC, who were in town for their 2011 Asia Tour. I went up to them, asked them for pictures, they obliged, and even bought me a drink later. They are cool like that.

Raul and Jonjo playing at the MBS infinity pool

Another shot of them playing ball.

The Liverpool hunks posing in a shot for me.

A sneaky shot of them at an interview.

Okay I lied. These pictures were sent to me by a PR from MBS. But hey, a girl can dream, can't she? Plus, I know you guys will be interested in them, no? :)

Free admission to ArtScience Museum at MBS

In July and August, you'll get to enjoy complimentary programmes, movies and lectures related to Van Gogh Alive and Dali: Mind of Genius. Yes, ALL FREE! Great weekend activities :)

A few interesting ones that I want to highlight:

ArtScientist Workshop, where you get to exercise your creativity by creating collages using Van Gogh Painting. Bring your kids, nieces, nephews, neighbours' kids, friends' kids there! Kids shouldn't just go for tuition, they should practise getting creative too. It's held every Sunday and Tuesday, 4pm-5pm

Photo courtesy of ArtScience Museum.

A Surreal Concert: Live Concert by Lirio Salvador & Elemento. They will perform eclectic music using string, wind, electronic and percussion instruments and integrate the music with performance art, new media, sculpture and audio art. Sounds damn funky. This will happen on 15 july, 7pm-7.45pm

Photo courtesy of Elemento.

Another interesting activity is the Dance with Dali dance workshop, led by Vincent Yong, choreographer and dancer. It's five sessions and would include a final showcase at the end of the 4-week training. Held on 19, 26 July, 2, 9, 16 Aug, 7pm-8.30pm. This costs $150 for 5 sessions.

Photo courtesy of Sylwia Kujawska.

Entry fees into the ArtScience Museum is $30 for adults; $27 for senior citizens; $17 for children.

P/S: I went to the Van Gogh Alive! exhibition and it was AWESOME.

What do you do on weekends? 

Cirque Eloize id at Marina Bay Sands

Last Sunday afternoon, after doing sourcing for a shoot, I made my final stop at MBS for 1. the last venue for the sourcing 2. to meet a client 3. to go for the Cirque Eloize id performance!

It's held at the Grand Theater:

The performance has a series of stunts. See pictures:

The most memorable performances would probably be from the stunt biker, juggler, contortionist and trampoline performance. All of which were performed with fantastically rhythmic music, a joyful storyline and perfectly executed stunts.

The show will play from June 1 to June 26 at Marina Bay Sands Grand Theater. There are shows everyday except Tuesday, at 7.30pm, and on weekends, 1.30pm as well. You can get your tickets by visiting
www.marinabaysands.com/ticketing, call 6688-8826 or book in person at Marina Bay Sands Offices (Museum, Theaters, SkyPark, Retail Mall and Tower 1 Lobby).

See my full review here.

What's your favourite circus stunt?