A Photo Canvas

Having seen adverts on it, as well as the synopsis, I thought that this might be an interesting play to look forward to, as the Boy and I made our way down to the Singapore Repertory Theatre for the first time.

The play was not bad. There were funny moments, there were laughs, and at least Raphel was enjoying it from what I saw, perhaps more so when the bimbotic secretary Pippa occasionally flashed her underwear/butt for all to see =)

But then, there was this nagging feeling inside of me, as I felt that there was still something missing. It was not until I saw Tara Tan's comment on Monday's Lifestyle that I realised what was wrong.

Indeed, like her, I did feel like there was just too much rapid bantering. On a few occasions, I was lost, much to my slight irritation, as I did sometimes wish that they would speak a little slower. Perhaps it was their accent, though I never had problems with understanding foreigners' accent. I have to agree with her too that the chemistry between the lead male and female was not there.

As much as the play might have its flaws, it still had its laughs, and I did enjoy moments of it, mature themes and all. At least it did keep me wondering if Andy (male lead) would really leave his wife for Jo, the new office colleague of his. But true to its synopsis description of 'The Office' meets 'Love Actually', Andy stayed on with his wife, reminding me very much of the love story between Juliet, Peter and Mark in the film 'Love Actually'.

No, that's not a name of a space station, but the new club that just opened in Singapore. With me having free entry from Wednesday to Friday, we decided to only check out the new club last night, since it was suppose to be TGIF!

Even though the poor boy was slowly recovering from his flu, he was naughty enough to head for the free flow of drinks that were from 9.30pm to 11.30pm. But I guess it was partly because of my influence too, haha!

Anyway, the place was actually quite cool. You get to see exotic vignettes of performances consisting of aerialists flying gracefully overhead (who were actually dressed in all white, of which was quite scary!), contortionists, risqué Cabaret and Burlesque shows (who were dancing in brightly sequined dresses either on stage or on the catwalk just above the dance floor), death-defying stunts and poi jugglers!

The only bad thing I would say that the club constantly played house music only, as in my opinion, I'm not really into that. If it was R&B or anything else, I'm sure I would have been able to jive for Raphel to see, as he was really keen to see me move, haha =)

That I discovered that Raphel cannot properly blow a raspberry!! =D

Seems like we are on a food hunt, if not, our sweet tooth are really calling out, as Raphel once again had a craving for desserts! With us returning from the Botanic Gardens after checking out the Yellow Ribbon Exhibition, we were near Palais Renaissance.

The layout of the place was pretty interesting. It was circular in nature, and they had mirrors all around the restaurant. Raphel was so intrigued by it, he was trying his darnest to signal to a waitress via the mirror whenever we needed some assistance. Too bad, he failed, haha... =)

We tried out the Basil Crepe with Caramelised Banana, and boy did it give an interesting taste. Due to the basil, it was the first time we had a green crepe much to our amusement. Not only that, it also gave a very mild spice flavour, mixed with sweetness from the banana, caramel, and ice cream. Pretty good I would say. And my craving for ice cream was fulfilled incidentally as the crepe actually came with vanilla ice cream! Wahaha... Yummy! =P

Another dessert that we tried was the Brownie Cheesecake. We forgotten to take a picture, but it was extremely sumptuous. The thickness and smoothness of the cheese, coupled with the slight sweetness of the brownie chocolate, it was a lovely combination.

Maybe next time when we are there, we'll try more of their other desserts, as well as their starters and main course, especially since Raphel is such a foodie person! =)

Our last day in Bangkok...

Being at Baiyoke Sky, our breakfast venue is actually on the 77th floor!! Ok well, not that much of a difference since we were already staying on the 74th storey. But hey, it's still higher up. Besides, the view from my room wasn't very nice, which explains the lack of photos. So while at the restaurant, Raphel took a few pictures of scenes which were nicer. It's just too bad that it's not a night scene.

Anyway, their breakfast was really good! They had a wide variety of cuisines for you to choose from, of which Raphel and I really enjoyed our meal.

And I guess he got a little bored after eating, as he shot an unglam picture of me as seen above!

As it was just a while more before we had to check out, we decided to return to our hotel room and relax, making full use of our room before having to leave. That's when we decided to just grab a snapshot of us in the room itself =)

Upon checking out (sadly), we had more shopping at the nearby roadside markets, before making our way back to Chatuchak Weekend Market. Unfortunately for us, as we were planning to head to the airport after that, we were in jeans. Add on to the fact that it was such a hot day on this particular day, we were dying from dehydration and exhaustion! And poor me, the city girl who really cannot live without shades, did not have one with her as they broke back in Singapore!!

Anyway, as the weather, crowd and lack of space was so bad, we left just after one hour. It’s a pity though as perhaps having more time to shop might allow me to end up with more goodies… But at least now we know, next time when we come back to Chatuchak, we'll have to wear extremely light!! =D

As our 'adventures' in Chatuchak ended earlier than expected, we actually went back to Platinum Mall again to do more shopping, or more so to look for the zebra-print top that I've been eyeing for a few days now. And after that, we went back again to the roadside markets to scout for more polo tees!

Ok, I might have forgotten to mention that the boy really went high, buying lots of polo tees! In fact, in our whole shopping trip, up to this day, I think he went back with at least 6 polo tees. Hell, he even ‘psycho-ed’ me into buying 2!! I can imagine his gleeful and cheeky face now just thinking about it =)

Dinner was once again back at the hotel where we had our breakfast. Being curious to try out their meals, for just about 20 SGD, we got to enjoy lovely scenes of Bangkok’s night lights finally. Unfortuntely, we were a little too lazy to snap pictures of it, haha... Anyway, besides enjoying the scenary, we were spoiled with good buffet food. Tis especially so for their otak and tom yum soup! The boy just couldn’t get enough of it.

Anyway, on our way back on the plane, we were looking through the plane magazine, only to find out that on the very first day we landed, the very friendly taxi driver was telling us about their festival Loy Krathong. Unfortunately, he spoke in an accent that I couldn't really catch it, and as he also ran out of brochures, we didn't think much about it. It was only until I saw the magazine that I realised what he was talking about (with some help from Raphel). I guess I was quite disappointed that I did not get to see it, because I do love to observe and participate in festivals where possible, but oh well, next time I guess...

Anyway, it was a good shopping trip overall. So for now, la-gon-kaa Bangkok... Till the next time!

It was time to check out of Baiyoke Boutique, and upgrade ourselves to the very spacious Baiyoke Sky Hotel!! It’s Thailand’s highest hotel, up to 88 storeys. But when we were checking in, we got a little lost in fact, as we had no idea that the lobby was actually on the 18th floor instead. Thankfully, after some helpful directions, we finally made it in, staying on the 74th level =)

After which, we joined the pair again for some Korean lunch.


Thanks to the cousin, we got to enjoy authentic Korean dining along Sukhumvit Road. They even had Kimchi Tofu soup, which was really tasty! Unfortunately, I'm unable to tell you where exactly the restaurant is as we took a cab there, and it was directed by the cousin. But hopefully the picture will help you guys out if you are interested =D I do know however that it is near Asok BTS station.

Anyway, we went our separate ways again after lunch, of which we explored around the area, chancing upon Robinsons and Times Square. And since it was a Friday, we thought of trying our luck at Chatuchak Weekend Market, as we heard that some shops might be open on Fridays too. To get there, we decided to try out their train system, so on we hopped onto the BTS service, and made our way to Mo Chit station.

I must say that their train service is pretty good and high tech. Their mode of payment is very much like our own EZ-link card, in which your value can be stored for a maximum of 2 years, though the card is valid for 5. You can even watch short adverts and mtv on their mobile tv system, very much unlike our very own NEL line where it is muted, and it is constantly showing the ‘Be Aware’ video on repeat mode. Besides, their air-con is constantly on full blast, which serves to be a welcome relief from the hot weather outside =) Sadly, when we arrived, most of the stalls were actually not open. So off we went back to our town area, where we decided to shop at Zen at Central World.

I forgot to mention that during our time here, it was actually the mourning period for the passing of Thailand's Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra. And I must say on the way to Zen, we actually got a chance to witness the Thai's love for their royalty. Dressed in black, many Thais came to the nearby temple to pay their last respects to Her Royal Highness. The city even broadcasted the ceremony on television, of which we managed to watch a little.

At the end of it all, they played the National Anthem. And it was during this time when the anthem was broadcasted out on the streets, all movement came to a standstill (except for the transport). Thanks to Raphel's sharp observation, he noticed that all the Thais suddenly stood still, as a music was being played in the background. And remembering that the cousin previously mentioned that when the Thai National Anthem was being played, everyone would stand, we also gave our respect to the nation by standing still and observing a moment of silence.

So moving on, dinner this time was spent at… KFC!! The boy had cravings to check out how their chicken there is like, so we decided to give it a try.

Check out the way they serve!! They actually provide glasses for your drinks, knife and fork for your utility, trays for your food, and their sauces are in bottles that are on every table!! It’s soo interesting, because for the first time in my life, I can eat KFC without having to dirty my hands! The poor boy however found it a chore, haha… Too bad for him =D I like this idea anyway, as it helps to cut down wastage and save the world. The only bad thing is that with all these glasses and utensils, the tray ends up being pretty heavy…

Anyway, I was so tired at the end of the day, we decided to just head back and rest. That's when I switched on the television, and discovered a very nice channel. FashionTV!! I love FashionTV!! Poor Raphel felt so left out, hahahaa =)

The second day was spent on shopping, shopping and more shopping again. This time, we decided to explore the buildings around our hotel. Little did I expect it to be filled with more shops. And not just shops, wholesale ones!! This got me truly excited, as I felt that Bangkok was like many many Lai Chi Kok(s) of Hong Kong. And I was so happy, Raphel can testify to it, as I kept smiling =)

The ‘highlight’ of the day I felt was actually me trying to search for a pair of white denim shorts. I did not believe that Bangkok did not sell any, but after a long time walking through the many markets and shops, I just could not find any!! The shops either sold shorts of other colours, or the material was just not denim. I was about to give up and lament when finally, after almost a whole afternoon of searching, I spotted a nice one hanging on the wall of a shop, selling for only about $8. Whee~~

Anyway, with my feet aching, we decided to return to the hotel for a quick rest as we had more plans in the evening. Bingrong’s friend and his friend's cousin were touching down in Bangkok on this day, and had decided to meet up for dinner.

Dinner this time, was at Siam Paragon, a place where I would never ever shop at due to its expensive items.


And after much discussion, we decided upon Orangery as the place for dinner. The restaurant had quite an interesting concept, as Orangery featured 9 dining restaurant cuisines in just one place, ranging from Lebanese cuisines to Japanese cuisines to their local Thai flavour.

Once again, it was an almost impromptu plan to head to Bangkok, as Raphel had never gone there before. Besides, I had a love for shopping, so we decided to make this a simple explore-the-shopping-areas-of-Bangkok trip =)

Upon landing in Bangkok, off we went to the taxi stand to take a cab back to our hotel. And boy were we amazed at the colours the cabs all came in!

Anyway, just to share a story with you about our cabby. It was actually pink in colour, driven by a really cool driver. While we were talking in the cab, mixed in English and Mandarin, little did we know that our driver actually knew how to speak both! Plus, he was really nice. Upon reaching the city, he gave us some quick directions as to where the shopping malls were, and which markets were nice to look around and check out for stuff. In fact, thinking back, he was the nicest cabby we met during our entire trip.

But anyway, back to our trip, as we were on a slight budget, we decided to stay in Baiyoke Boutique Hotel for a couple of nights before upgrading ourselves to the Baiyoke Sky.


And apparently, the Baiyoke Boutique isn't that bad, as can be seen from their lobby.



The only bad thing was that the toilet was at the back of the room, unlike most hotel rooms, where the toilet is nearer to the front of the room. This irked me as I would seriously love to clean my feet before entering my room, rather than to walk to the back of the room to enter the toilet in order to clean my feet!

Anyway, as we were earlier than the check-in time, after dropping off our luggage at the concierge, we went to explore the surrounding areas, as well as to start off our shopping!! Little did we realise that just ouside our hotel and around the corner, there was already a roadside market! But since it was so close, we decided to give it a miss first, though not before scouring around to check out their items =)

Our first stop was... Platinum Mall.


And I must say: It was my haven!! Packed with wholesale stores that were 6 storeys in total, I went crazy shopping!! They had everything that you can imagine. From tops, tees, jeans, dresses, to lingerie, costumes, shoes, accessories and many more! Although they focused more on wholesale, the shops also do sell the clothes individually, just that it is priced a little more expensive. Plus, most of them are quite friendly, and some are even nice enough to let you buy 3 that are of different styles/design in order to get the wholesale price.

After 'finishing' Platinum Mall, we went on to the nearby shopping malls like Central World, Siam Paragon, Siam Square, MBK Mall etc. to check it out. That's when I actually found out that I'm not actually a departmental store girl, but more of a wholesale store shopper. So with me not being to find my type of styles, we decided to ‘played’ around. Like this:


And I guess being a girl, I knew how to pose better, hahaha =)

It wasn't long before we both felt hungry. And with recommendations from his friends that MK was quite a nice place to dine in, we decided to give it a try during dinner to end off our day.


(And thanks to my sharp eyes when walking around the streets, I actually remembered that MK was situated somewhere near Siam Paragon, and not in MBK mall, even though it has 2 of the mall's initials)


Served in steamboat style, their food was not bad. They even have packages for 2-3 people, just that you have some difficulty understanding some parts of the menu as they are only in Thai. But I have to admit that their soup was actually really good! Even Raphel loved it =)

When: 12-15 November 2008

More more more shopping!! =D

The cafe had such lovely and cute names on their menu, we just couldn't really make up our minds. But we finally settled on Mini Cakes, and Bread and Butter Pudding. While the former had a really lovely presentation (which I could not resist taking pictures of it), the pudding was simply marvelous!


The blackies having fun with their desserts. I got to apologize to the pudding though. Despite me liking the pudding more than the cupcakes, the latter had a nicer presentation, and it was also easier to hold on to than the pudding's plate =P