kpop idol from BigBang TOP (@ choi seung-hyun) paid a visit to SAM (singapore art museum) in Singapore 20-22 january 2015

3.49pm

i gotta admit i havent done that many crazy shit in my life but well here we are again. hahaha one more tiny one added to my crazy list. 

well my little adventure begun yesterday. whilst the husband was away on a business trip, i went and did little trip of my own in to town. why? because i've been reading (as well as following) online that some of the "people" that i've been following on facebook, twitter or on instagram, that my boo, TOP (from my favourite korean group Big Bang) was in singapore for a short visit. impromtu or what, i have no idea but i obviously didnt know shit that he was coming to town.

after browsing and scouring the internet as well as reading from people's postings here and there, i decided to "re-trace" TOP's "footsteps" as much as i could, so that i could "feel" closer to him. hahahahaha...ok im a truly a diehard fan of his, not to mention the groups as well! 

so yesterday morning, i hopped on the bus, and headed into town. 

here we are. my first stop was to re-enact or to re-trace back from the photos people have posted a day before (well if i'd known TOP was going to be visiting singapore let alone the singapore art museum (which was where he was walking towards to!), i would've "stalked" him like how i kinda did when the guys (Big Bang) came for the YG family concert last year!). right so dont you think the picture that i took on the right is almost similar to where my boo was walking? i even tried to count the blocks on the road and stood on the spot where he walked by. hahahahaha.. yup...call me crazy, call me diehard, call me a nutter but hey, do i look like i care what people think? hey, you only live once and my motto is do what makes you happy and no regrets!

moving along swiftly...

here you can see, TOP has indeed stopped by the singapore art museum. when i was there, i overheard a couple of people talking. to be precise, it was a lady who was working there and some bloke, who was asking questions. they were already talking when i arrived. so anyways, i heard the lady saying to the guy that TOP came unannounced and nobody knew he was coming, so it was indeed a huge surprise and soon word quickly spread like wildfire that TOP (from Big Bang) was at the museum, paying a visit. if you didnt already know, TOP is a huge art fan. he collects art. (not quite such what type of art though..you can always google). after eavesdropping for a short while, i decided to check out the reception/information area (as per the picture). again, i tried my darnest to "stand" where TOP stood, (the day before) so it should be roughly around where i stood (photo of my 2 feet hahaha). after that, i asked the chap mending the counter if i had to pay to enter or was it free, thankfully it was free for citizens and permanent residents. need not say more, i was going in! one ticket please mr!

as i was heading upstairs towards the first floor of the gallery, there was this huge mural on the wall aptly named "water stains on the wall" (@ trace). it was done by an artist from china named liu jian hua. hmm..what do i know about art? frankly, nothing much. i look at a piece of art, any art, im like "oh hmm..ok...cool..er..dont get it..whatever..boring.." nevertheless, i made my way up the stairs to level one of the gallery/museum. 

turned to my left and i stepped into a room that was almost pitched black except for a big showpiece being showcased in the centre of the darkened room. 

ya there we go. this was what darling TOP was looking at! i spoke to a girl that was on duty and "looking" after the art work. she told me that TOP came to see this and also went into the next room. i asked if she was on duty the previous day and unfortunately she wasnt but she was told all about it by her colleagues, and passing on the message to me. she asked me if i was a fan of his and i told her that i was a huge fan of his as well as big bangs. need i say more..look at what i was trying to do for goodness sake! (no, i didnt tell her that, dont be silly!) but aaagghh... i was trying to sense his presence, trying to see if i can "feel" him as if im some kinda psychic hahahahaha

thats the art work that was done by a south korean artist named choe u-ram. and the art piece was called guardian of the hole. what hole i have no idea, dont ask me. its made out of metal and and those metal gold leaves are moving as though its being blown by a gentle wind. while staring at this i was only thinking of one thing and that was of TOP, who was standing in the same room (as i was) only the day before! its amazeballz i tell ya!

and soon it was off to the next room, where TOP made his next pitstop and so shall i. 

unfortunately, i forgot to take down the artist who did this. so just enjoy the picture. i cant tell you much. if you're in singapore, do stop by the singapore art museum as its being showcased now but i dont know for how long though. 

and so that concludes my little adventure. after spending about roughly an hour, i was famished! had me some mexican fast food nearby (first time trying it out and it was pretty good and i had my favourite - churros!) 

here we go. lunch! yummy! again, if you're ever in singapore and dying to eat mexican, try baja fresh at bras basah road (please google it). its a mexican fast food chain. at the salsa bar, there was freshly made salsa which was unlimited which means you can take as much or as little as you want, hot sauces and tostada chips which was given to me by the cashier (but whether its refillable/unlimited or not, i have no idea coz that was more than enough for me!). and thats how i ended my day. would you do the same thing as i did? are you crazy enough? 

oh yeah, im just adding this last picture in of taeyang (another hot member of Big Bang) who is doing his solo concert here in singapore on february 8 at the singapore expo near changi. this is only for your information, just in case you might wanna attend. 

ok im bidding you adieu for now. i dont know when i'll be blogging next but until then..god bless and be good to others!

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4.46pm

p/s almost forgot, TOP was awarded the visual culture award for his artistic talents and potential to grow as an art curator along with his interest in furniture and construction design at the prudential eye awards held here recently at marina bay sands. (and thats part of the reason why he was in town!)

pp/s -  if only TOP knew how utterly dedicated i am to him (not to mention a TRUE VIP fan) it would surely make him feel touched,  dont you reckon? lol

happy new year 2015

5.00pm

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY! wow...we've made it through to 2015!! didnt last year past by so fast?? i dont know about you guys but to me, it did. where did the days go, i have no idea. as i look back on 2014, the only highlight of the year was attending my brother's wedding in the middle of the year and that was it. 

overall, for malaysians it hasnt been a smooth ride. first it was mh370 that went missing (and still is!), then it was the downing of mh17 where all lives on board was lost (due to evil people raging war against each other and killing innocent lives!) and finally it was the budget airlines airasia that went down recently. so tragic! imagine not seeing your loved ones ever again, and they are gone .. just like that, without any rhyme or reason. 

but nevertheless, we still have to push on and try to move forward and hope that 2015 will bring us better luck and no more tragedies. i think 3 in one year is more than sufficient to last us a lifetime! indeed it was a bad bad year for us malaysians. 

anyways, on a lighter note, how did you all celebrate the long holidays? how was christmas (to those who celebrated it) and how did you usher in the new year? as for me, well christmas is usually all about family and spending quality time with them. oh and lets not forget all the eating and merry making in the process. for the new year, i was home with my family, playing board games (cluedo) which was fun coz we havent played it in ages! and in between, i was just chilling out with my close friends, having get togethers, dinners, coffee sessions etc. thankfully the weather wasnt as bad and there were some good days (when it wasnt pouring like crazy!)

christmas tree and a mini keg of german beer to kick off christmas! 

will you feast your eyes on that!! how bloody amazing does that look? all i can say is YUMMYYYY!

delicious home cooked food made by my aunt, almost everything made from scratch. my aunt told us that she was busting her chops in the kitchen the entire day! no joke ok! anyways, i couldnt ask for more! it was a darned good meal! you know, all i did this holidays was eat eat eat! shucks i've piled on the pounds! ugh! but hey it was bloody worth it.

more glorious homecooked food made by my aunt, this time doing chinese style! hey, she's one great cook not to mention baker as well! and this is only her hobby as she loves cooking and baking, making us her guinea pig. hahahaha but whose complaining!

more home cooked food but this time done by my mom (also a good cook/baker! indeed it does run in the family hahaha). and i can proudly say that made sangria with cut fresh fruits! oh boy... *hic*  

last but not least, since it was good weather (although it did drizzle a lil bit), my friends and i chilled out by the pool, having drinks, snacking away and catching up with each other. let the good times roll. 

well thats about it. i've nothing much to say except that i hope 2015 will bring all of us more joy, fun, happiness and laughter and enough of all this bullshit thats going on around the world. we should try to live in peace and harmony and make this world a better place for all to live in, not kill each other every single day..it will never end in a good way, trust me. we should also stop being greedy, selfish and get power hungry! instead count our blessings!

alas, i'd like to leave you with these wise words by the dalai lama. we bought this piece of canvas back in december and we are going to try to live by these words! maybe you guys should try it too and keep this as your 2015 mantra?! good luck one and all!! i wish you well!


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5.50pm

batam, indonesia revisited (2 days 1 night)

11.27am

recently, my husband and i decided to just have a quick and fast getaway so i suggested batam, as its relatively cheap and very near to singapore. within an hour, voila! you're in a totally different environment and atmosphere. i call it extreme! hahahaha go figure

you know what, i've realized after my second trip to batam, there's actually not much to do there, i mean besides going for the usual spa and massage (which was just great, no doubt about that!), stop by factory outlets for some quick shopping or even to browse and finally to have relatively cheap seafood. 

oh just so you know, singapore is an hour ahead of indonesia, so if unsure just set your watch back an hour upon arrival into batam and when you are leaving indonesia, set your watch back to an hour ahead. easy peasy. by the way, there's a few ferry terminals in batam, so choose the correct one that you are supposed to be heading to and board the correct ferry. hehehe

ok, here's a rough itinerary of our 2 days 1 night stay in batam. but frankly speaking, i think a day trip will be sufficient unless you go in a group or with some close family or friends and just to chill out, then yes, do stay the night otherwise go early and come back later in the evening. that's my take.

journey start from harbourfront, singapore to batam ferry centre terminal, batam, indonesia

day 1(singapore time)

630am get up
715am leave home
725am bus arrives
805am arrive at harbourfront and purchased 2 ferry tickets (by sindo ferry/penguin operator) at the sindo ferry counter on level 2
855am waiting at boarding gate
905am journey begins
10am arrive at batam centre ferry terminal 
1030am hotel pickup from ferry terminal
1055am arrive at our hotel but not ready for check in until noon (i booked nagoya hill mansion and residences that cost around S$70 per room per night inclusive of breakfast for 2 pax)
1130am decided to start our day with foot reflexology at the hotel (they have a spa) a bit pricey though compared to going to the spas/massage places in town (138,000 idr per pax)
1245pm after the foot reflexology, walked to nagoya hill shopping mall (was about 10-15 minutes walk from our hotel). did some browsing
145pm had lunch at grand duck restaurant at nagoya hill shopping mall
3-5pm found a pretty decent massage/spa outlet called everyday spa and we took the package for aromatherapy massage for 2 hours (140,000 idr per pax)
515pm walked back to hotel to check in
645pm went to another mall called bcs. took inhouse service/private car that cost 55,000 idr per way to take us to the mall (it all depends on which location you are heading to and so the price varies from there). it only took us less than 15 minutes to get to bcs mall from our hotel
720pm wanted to do a creambath (some sort of like a hairspa) so we walked into this hair salon called christopher hairsalon. we chose option 1 (there's 2 options to choose from and its based on what kind of hair product you wanted to use). i had to pay 98,000 idr coz my of my long hair and my husband paid only 52,500 idr for his hair coz its short). fyi, you pay according to the length of your hair and if you wanted to blow a certain kind of style, you had to pay for that too. they only do a simple blow dry. oh yes, besides having your head/scalp massaged with the salon's products, you'll also get a good neck rub and both arm massaged as well! this all took roughly about an hour or so. it was great! actually i wanted to go to johnny andrean (as they are pretty popular in indonesia but unfortunately, they didnt have enough staff at that time when i went in to check when we were still at nagoya hill shopping mall.) 
830pm dinner and walk around a bit more
930pm rung for the hotel driver to come get us (paid another 55,000 idr)
945pm back at hotel. what a day!

day 2 (still on singapore time)

830am breakfast at hotel
1030am decided to checkout early since we did all the things we wanted to do the day before (told you there wasnt much to do in batam except for massages and spas)
1050am arrived at the batam centre ferry terminal that cost us 85,000 idr per way from hotel to the ferry terminal
1115am at boarding gate
1143am departure
1250pm arrived at harbourfront, singapore

and that was that. all in all we didnt spend that much. just for your information -

a return fare from harbourfront singapore to batam centre ferry terminal per pax is S$34 (excluding singapore departure tax which is only S$6)
and you must set aside some rupiah (idr) which you must pay for the batam terminal tax of idr65,000.


so basically that was our super quick and fast getaway. in and out of batam within 24 hours. of course as i did mention earlier, going in a big group would be more fun and staying the night, coz there's stuff that the group can do for example go karting (which is out of the city centre) or a visit to see how the famous layered cake is made etc...but more often than not, for all you first timers i reckon that buying the day package is the way to go (its much cheaper and there's a guide that would show you around and land transfer provided to kart you around) and thats my advice. 

here's the latest ferry schedule for sindo ferry for your information.

boarding area in singapore at harbourfront and our ferry awaits.

departing from harbourfront ferry terminal in singapore.

inside the ferry. lots of people going to batam for meetings and as you probably know, batam is an industrial area and lots of factories therefore people normally go into batam for a few hours and then head back to singapore. 

cable cars in the background from mount faber to sentosa. 

i took a very short video as we were on our way. 

upon arrival into batam centre ferry terminal. was a good day thankfully as it didnt rain at all. otherwise i would have to get ready my "puke" bag. hahahaha but i do get motion sickness especially if sea is rough and choppy or when im sitting in a car (in the backseat) and going thru winding roads. oh boy! i so hate that! oddly enough, once upon a time, when i first started flying, i remembered i did throw up due to some air turbulence/bad weather but subsequently, as time went by, i was fine, even during a turbulence. i used to describe it like, riding on a mechanical bull at a rodeo. hehehehehe

after exiting the ferry and going into immigration and customs. it was pretty quick as there weren't that many people travelling on a monday morning.

after clearing customs and immigration, you'll come out to this is the main entrance of batam centre ferry terminal. and directly across the street as you can see (there's a bridge connecting both buildings) there's a mall called megamall batam. 

this is the entrance/exit of the ferry terminal. you can grab a taxi from here. i heard that they dont use the taxi meters so please try to bargain/negotiate the fares and do read up or google on how to negotiate with these drivers. thankfully for us, i had arranged for pick up by the hotel (one way was free for us).

as we pulled up at the traffic lights, there was this dude selling newspapers. amazingly enough, no vehicles would knock them. when i was living in jakarta, along the highway especially when there was a bad traffic jam, (my god, everyday there's massive traffic jams and worst when it rains and people get stuck in it for hours! im not playing with you, its bloody true!) there will be men/women weaving in and out of traffic selling newspapers, mineral water and even snacks so that you dont get hungry/thirsty whilst in the jam, hahahaha...or hey, read a paper even, since cars aint moving. once in a while you'd get a mother carrying a baby/toddler and begging for money, by knocking on your car window. sad but true!

ok so here we are at the poolside of our hotel. its called nagoya mansion hotel and residence. average sized pool, nothing super fancy. 

the reception area of the hotel.

i told you we started our day off with an hour of foot reflexology and this was the in house spa, wangsa spa. we were the only customers coz it was still early around 11ish in the morning (singapore time).

this is the view of the hotel. 

main entrance of the hotel.

right so this is our room, i booked a double or a superior (cant remember) but it was indeed spacious. big bed, relatively comfy. basic amenities provided like coffee, tea, kettle and 2 complimentary bottled water. please dont drink water from their tap or if you are out and about, please buy bottled mineral water. and if must, make sure you boil the water before drinking.  this applies throut indonesia. their water isnt very clean and filtered properly. dont say i didnt warn you folks!

the bathroom was kinda small. lets put it this way, for us asians generally we arent that big in size, so this was good enough for us. but if you were any bigger and need room to move about freely, then i think this bathroom is a tad bit small unless you dont mind (hey afterall, how long will you be using the loo right!) then by all means. 

so this was our breakfast area at the coffee house. its pretty basic. had breads, some local delights, fried noodles, rice, baked beans, potatoes, waffle and eggs station, fresh fruits, buns etc. not too bad, its just to fill the stomach. 

about 10 minutes walk from our hotel, was nagoya hill shopping mall. there's an older wing and a newer wing. its the usual type of mall selling knick knacks, food, clothes, dvds, electronic items, snacks/sweets, pastries etc. spent a couple of hours there. didnt buy much only my favourite peanuts from bali (somehow i managed to find it at one of the little shops) and some instant noodles. folks, if you like eating instant noodles, one brand that i like(and hard to find in singapore or malaysia, and if its sold, it has limited choices) is none other than INDOMIE. and i usually buy the dry noodles coz to me (and to my hubby as well as my brother) they are the best! 

look at that. as far as the eye can see, its all instant noodles! i grabbed several packets (each different flavors) to try. spoilt for choices here innit!

more instant noodles to choose from! did you know that lots of singaporeans when they come to batam, they would carry back a carton (or 2) of these instant noodles? yup. its true ok!

these are the shoplots that's facing the nagoya hill shopping mall. let me tell you there's tons of spas and massage parlours to choose from. so what i did was i  googled before the trip on the best places to have a good massage/spa but when we were at nagoya hill, i didnt expect to see this (as per the picture) so we decided to walk into a few of these spa outlets and ask for the price list and also to check out the place whether its clean or small etc. alas we settled for one which was called Everyday (you can see it in the picture with the red letterings). price was right and quite clean. it was done deal. 

this was the view from the shopping mall of the shoplots down below (where the spas/massage parlours were). 

you must be wondering why the hell am i taking a photo of this fast food joint. well from what i've heard, this place/joint is one of the reasons why singaporeans like to come to batam (coz its one of the nearest places to pop by and eat A&W till their hearts content not to mention cheap). famously known for their rootbeers, rootbeer floats and even their waffles with ice cream! i have no idea why there's no A&W chain in singapore at all  but we do have it in malaysia (i think one of the first A&Ws opened in petaling jaya and it was a drive in!). anyways, that is the story and that's why i had to take a picture of it. hehehehe  but please if any singaporeans reading this, think that im wrong, kindly correct me. 

finally for all the smokers out there, if you dont already know, you can smoke indoors when you are in indonesia but of course at the designated smoking areas. like if you're at a restaurant that's airconditioned, you can still smoke inside. get what i mean? 

night scene of batam city that i took from our hotel room. pretty colorful huh. 


so wnywho, i've come to the end of my blog. hope you've enjoyed my story and pictures. thinking that next time i will have to try out bintan island, indonesia. right, im outta here and have a great week! 


ttfn

1.21pm

pasarbella at the grandstand, singapore

11.05am


if you guys are in singapore and if you have some time to spare, why dont you pop by this place called pasarbella over at turf city, also known as the grandstand. over the weekend recently, my husband and i decided to check this place out. my cousin mentioned to me a bit about this place - like there's lots of food to eat plus its a kid friendly place. 

they've got painting classes, ballet, enrichment programs etc all catered to kids! so for all you parents who want to catch up with your friends and have a chat or two, just plonk your kids in one of those activities for a couple of hours and then get your friends to meet you there. good idea right? hey, its like killing 2 birds with 1 stone!

well basically what i can tell you is this. the area/location of this place is at turf city. the grandstand is like a family lifestyle destination. and inside the grandstand at turf city is pasarbella. inside this pasarbella (which is a pretty huge area) there different types of unique stalls selling stuff from around the world from various types of coffee, gifts, fresh produce/flowers, seafood, desserts, cakes, cheeses, wines, beers, breads, etc. 

and outside of pasarbella which is the grandstand, there's other types of food joints like omakase burger, curry gardenn, a seafood restaurant, some japanese restaurants, jack's place etc .. trust me you guys will be spoilt for choices! oh and if you're planning to grab some groceries, you can do that too as there's giant hypermarket! 

there's this new concept store which is called chillax market that recently moved into the grandstand and inside the store, they've got clothes, shoes, flowers, home deco pieces...just to name a few. oh yes, and a small cafe too. 

anyways, we got there early so not all of the shops/stalls were not opened yet. however, there's places to sit and have your morning fix ie coffee/tea etc and different types of breads like gastromania da paolo which is some sort of gourmet boutique selling an array of breads, desserts, sandwiches, pastas etc and thats where we had our coffee and shared a crodo, a combination of a croissant and a donut and was indeed yummy! sorry i forgot to take a picture of the crodo as my greedy husband dived into it before i could whip out my iphone! haiz!

see just as i told you, fresh produce! from fresh seafood to rustic looking potatoes! ooh i love these baby potatoes being sold in little tiny punnets/baskets. reminds me of the farmers market( or victoria market) in australia or even portobello market in london. i just love looking at stuff like these, being a housewife and all...ah...am i turning into a domestic goddess? nah...i seriously doubt it! 

found this keep calm signage. it says - "keep calm and carry food". hmmm...fruit for a thought there..things that makes you go hmmmm...

look at those beautiful cakes!! so inviting innit?? well its russian cakes! yep! i told you they sold stuff from around the world at pasarbella! dont you think that that raduga cake looks so pretty, with its rainbow colors? i wonder if it tastes just as good. nope, we didnt buy to try unfortunately. 

as we were strolling around, i spotted this brightly lit (not to mention super colorful) shop called lemon zest (also within pasarbella) selling all sorts of baking and cooking stuff! oh my gosh. i wanted everything! so cuteeeeee! quite hard to resist the urge of buying. i was in utensils heaven (if there's such a place/thing! hahahaha) i was oohing and aahing at almost everything until my husband (who hardly has any interest in cooking or baking) called out to me to get a move on. sigh...nevermind i told myself, there's always a next time! always a next time! 

now this picture i took was at the chillax market, the concept store i was telling you guys about earlier. its not inside pasarbella but at the grandstand. anyway, i had to show you guys this shot because let me tell you for all you ladies who love shoes, especially wedges or espradrilles, these shoes are handmade from spain and it only cost S$150.00!! to die for! and definately affordable right?? yeah well go get yourself a pair and you wont regret it. you know, i did try on the white pair of the sling back wedges (shoe is in the forefront of the pic) and it fitted me perfectly plus it was super soft and comfy too! (pssttt..i also like the gold ones too). 

lastly photos of the entrance into pasarbella.oh before i forget, just to let you know, there's free shuttle service provided at different locations. you can read all about it in the links i've provided down below. so dear friends, now you know where to hang out when you're in singapore next and if you're living here, go have a look see, you've nothing to lose except a couple of hours. 



http://www.pasarbella.com/

 http://thegrandstand.com.sg/about-us.aspx



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12.33pm