Singapore Break and a Wedding

Friday the 18th of July, we packed our bags and flew to our neighbour down south. We got a little lost finding our way to the hotel but come on, who gets lost in Singapore? However, getting lost enabled us to discover that we were staying just a stone's throw away from the Singapore National Art Museum.

Reached Singapore!

Settling into our hotel room, we suddenly realised that hunger was knocking at our stomachs - the RM12 nasi lemak kosong at KLIA2 had only kept us going through the morning. Thanks to foursquare, K found a highly recommended pancake place on nearby Prinsep Street - Strictly Pancakes.

Strictly Pancakes on Prinsep Street

Our verdict: Pancakes soooooo good and Nutella shake so calorie-sinful! Do we even have such things back home? We were already Googling how to make them while eating the pancakes!

Our order - Nutella Shake, Garlic Butter Prawns and When Bacon Met Nutella

With tummies well fed, we wandered around the area visiting the Selegie Arts Center where the Photographic Society of Singapore was having a photography exhibition on some rural place in China. We were the only visitors there and the lady mopping the steps turned on the gallery for us.

While walking back, we decided to drop by the Singapore Art Museum. Interestingly Medium at Large was on display and free entry was available for Fridays after 6pm. I'm not too artsy and depended on K for some of the more abstract forms interpretation. The ones I was really stumped at was the rice stuck on a coal miner and the butter dance.

Singapore Art Museum

Again captivated by mosaic and colonial architecture

Shadow play (of two stomachs) right next to the huge Korean figurine in underpants made of multiple photographs (not seen here)

There was a particular series of portraits which were intentionally ruined to look like water had dripped all over the canvas and the face was messed up. This really brought back that creepy feeling of reading The Picture of Dorian Gray. Somehow throughout that particular hall of displays, I came out feeling spooked like something I don't want to know about was behind it all. Sadistic?

Then we sat in for this 30-minutes mini movie The Cloud of Unknowing which was about several characters' encounter with the cloud. Seemed haunting to me, especially the climax - where a guy in white was reclined on the ceiling looking down on the bed after the cloud cleared - freaked me out for a second! Their smoke machine effect in the room made things even more vivid.

Smoke machine in action to create the atmosphere

The display on the ground floor was more accessible (to me). Modern art with humour and a message behind them. The huge inflatable bunny named Walter in the midst of several Singaporean backdrops by Dawn Ng was delightful. Some others that I found interesting was as below:

Big Country, Narrow Mindset by Eko Nugroho (top), Boom Box Liberty by Terra Bajraghosa (bottom)

No More Tears, Mr Lee by Jason Wee using plastic shampoo bottle caps

We spent 3 full hours in the museum until it was closing time. Still amuses me to walk back in the night and not feel like I should be looking behind my back every other second.

Saturday was the event that we had come to Singapore for - our good friend's wedding!! We took a cab to Hort Park and was part of the photo session. R looked so different with makeup on yet she didn't look heavily made up. I saw her well-planned schedules and spontaneity in action that morning. My friend was all grown up and happily by the side of her chosen husband. It was a really pretty sight to see all so happy and cheerful. And our whole gang (save for one) was in the same place at the same time! Ah rare!

Unfortunately I didn't manage to take any photos - our bags were locked up in one of the cars!

We then followed the entourage back to the groom's home where the tea ceremony was held. C's family had a huge German shepherd named Warrior who had the friendliest face ever! Was told that he was a retired army dog. So cute.

The little baby in our gang drew many pats and cuddles from everyone too and she put my phone in her mouth! Aiyaya... Baby saliva better than full grown human! Self to remember. Anyway, thankfully the rain only started after everything was done and we were on the way back to our hotel.

The dinner was intimate. I loved the simplicity and easy-going-ness (hehe) of the whole setup. R's video montages were awesome and the happy couple's speech was so cute - finishing each others' sentences. All in all we had good fun and there was a chartered bus to take us to the nearest MRT station!

All dressed up, some of us decided to do what we had been saying for some time (but never got down to doing before this). We went to Clarke Quay for some drinks. What happened there stays there. ;)

We were at a loss of what to do on Sunday - go to a park, have awesome breakfast, or shopping? We ended up doing the latter. Amazingly, we spent pretty much the rest of the time we had in Singapore at only one mall! And I can't remember what it's called! I had my Hokkien prawn mee and oyster omelette, as usual, in Food Republic. This seems to be becoming my routine and personally, I think our version of Hokkien mee is much nicer! So am clueless why I still go back for the same thing.