Monday, April 16, 2012

FAMILY TIME...

I was so chuffed to have mum and dad visit for a second time. Although sad that its seemed time went by so fast whilst they were here. As they had seen a lot of the "tourist sights" last time round, this time they spent a lot of time relaxing and enjoying lovely dinners and drinks in the evenings with Joe and I. Below a couple of highlights from their trip. I really hope to see them here again soon (well maybe not too soon...2013 with a bit of luck!)


To welcome Mum and Dad back and to wish them (a late) Happy Mothers Day and (an early) Happy Fathers Day I treated them to Afternoon Tea at the Ritz Carlton. Delicious food and a fab catch up followed by sundowner cocktails at New Asia Bar. A great start to their trip!


The last time around we didn't manage to get around to tasting the famous Singaporean Chilli Crab. We enjoyed a fabulous meal at Red House on Robertson Quay. Our feast also included Black Bean Beef, vegetable rice, Cereal Prawns, Honey Roast Chicken and lots of squid! 


It's been over a year since I first visited the Arts Science Museum so we went along to visit the latest exhibitions. 

Titanic : We were able to step on board RMS Titanic for the first time in Asia and experience what it would have been like on the maiden voyage almost 100 years after it set sail in 1912. It was fantastic to see the ship's conception, construction, sailing day, life on board, the famous iceberg, the sinking, the discovery of the wreck, as well as the incredible stories of the crew and passengers. On entering you are given a replica boarding pass as towards the end of the exhibition you discover whether or not you were lucky enough to survive or not. Mum and I were both 1st Class passengers who made it off the ship in one of the lifeboats. (I was actually the wife of the richest man on board!) Dad on the other hand was not so lucky. Travelling 3rd class, he unfortunately did not survive. Oops! With authentic artifacts throughout and re-creations of the First and Third Class Cabins, the Grand Staircase, Boiler Room and other locations on the ship this exhibition was so much more engaging compared to the last time I visited the museum. I am really pleased I got to share the experience with my parents.

Andy Warhol : On the opposite end of the scale, the Warhol exhibition is an intense collection of the legendary artists artworks covering all of his artistic phases. With over 260 paintings, drawings, sculptures, film and video it was really interesting to see where he found his inspiration and how these lead to masterpieces like the iconic Campell's Soup Can (1961) and numerous iconic Self Portraits. I would highly recommend.  


Despite already seeing Wicked The Musical whilst Amanda was in town I knew that mum really wanted to see it. We spent the afternoon at Marina Bay Sands, cupcakes and tea at High Society followed by the show was a great way to spend part of the Easter Weekend. I absolutely love the show! And this time round there was a different actor playing the Wizard which gave the show another dynamic.


What better way to finish off the day, but with an all you can eat BBQ Buffet at the Hyatt with free flow alcohol! Another thing I would highly recommend to do in Singapore. The food is delicious and the setting (tables spread out next to one of the pools) is fabulous.


Easter Sunday was spent at Mum and Dad's hotel, the Grand Copthorne enjoying a free flow Brunch with plenty of Easter themed food. 

I'm always so sad to say goodbye to Mum and Dad when they leave me. There are so many times that I wish we were all closer together, but actually, when we're so far apart for the majority of time it just means that when we do see each other the time we spend together really feels like special quality time. I know have many more memories to add the amazing ones we created when they visited in 2011! I very much look forward to seeing them when I head home in May.

CREATING YOUR OWN CREATIVE LIFE...

This morning I attended my first "Creative Mornings" session. CreativeMornings is a monthly breakfast lecture series for all sorts of creative types. Each event is free of charge and includes breakfast (tea/coffee and pastries) as well as a short 20-30 minute lecture. I only recently heard about CreativeMornings so was intrigued...but I was extremely impressed this morning and came away feeling very inspired. Today's speaker, Fredrick Haren, author of Ideas Book, gave a humorous, engaging talk which was extremely insightful. He has become one of the most talked-about names in our industry and lucky for us he is based in Singapore! His talks focus on creativity, idea generation and entrepreneurship and today's "Creating Your Own Creative Life" was an insight into Haren's life and how he approaches "new ideas".


Image courtesy of www.speakermix.com

Haren began be introducing us to "four things he loves and combines":
- CREATIVITY
- THE WORLD
- IMPULSES
- SITTING AND THINKING
So how does he combine these to generate new ideas. Well, he spends two months of every year, sat on his own island (bought on impulse) in Sweden (his home country) simply "sitting and thinking" to generate new ideas and write his creative books. He then spends another two months of the year on another island he owns just off the coast of the Philippines. When he's not there, he lets other people live on the island in order to help themselves be more creative...what an amazing idea! 


"Ideas Island was created as a safe haven for creatives. A place made to inspire and motivate people with great ideas to make those ideas happen. Created to give people the time and space needed to sit down and focus on their ideas - while at the same time feeling great. Ideas Island is a 30,000 sq/m big, private island in Palawan, Philippines that you get exclusive access to. Yes, you get the whole island to yourself so that you can focus on finalising whatever idea you want to make happen. It has been created to make it as inspiring, relaxing and enjoying as possible to sit and work on ideas." Check out the website here : http://www.ideasisland.com/

I left the session completely inspired. Within such a short space of time Fredrik really got me thinking. A) about how I can look at my life differently ad B) how I can help to inspire the other designers within my studio in the same way that Haren inspired me. I look forward to the next CreativeMornings session. If anyone is interested in learning more about CreativeMornings you can check out the website here : http://www.creativemornings.com/

Friday, April 13, 2012

THAI TIME...



Joe and I have just returned from a really relaxing trip to Krabi, Thailand. Gorgeous weather, fabulous food and a resort set in the jungle. Bliss. Ao Nang (previously known Ao Phra Nang - Princess Bay) is probably the most westernised beach in Krabi, but it provided us with a spot to stay at whilst we explored. We took a day out on a boat and visited five islands. After my experience of Phuket and Phi Phi in 2010 I knew that we would have a fantastic trip.


Starting with Daeng Island, a huge rock coming out of the sea, we were able to snorkel. Well, when I see "we"...Joe snorkeled and I just stayed with my head above the water! The sea here is gorgeous. So warm and full of wonderful fish. On from here to Rai Island, with is fine sand and turquoise waters this place is extremely peaceful and when the tide is low you can actually walk from one island to the other as the beach appears and disappears at high tide. The long boats all sat bobbing up and down in the water make wonderful pictures and a wooden swing hanging from the tree made me feel like I was in paradise on my own little island.  


Lading Island up until a few years ago was free from tourists as they were not allowed to stop here. Instead it was left for the people who collected swallow nests an lived there. Today it is sometimes called "Paradise Island and a trip here is like stepping back in time.    We stopped here at the beach for lunch and met a few American school teachers who were working in Korea. The beauty of travelling. Getting to meet individuals who are all on different journeys and getting to know their stories. 


Hong Island is beautiful. We entered the unique narrow passageway into the green and blue watered lagoon. Completely surrounded by limestone mountains and mangrove forests. We spend a few hours here swimming and sun bathing on the beach. I could stay here all day! Its so blissful.


I really do love Thailand. The pace of life is slower and we joke that everything runs on "Thai Time" and although it frustrates me to start with actually when you are on holiday that is exactly what you need. To chill out and take things easy. I came back feeling refreshed and relaxed. But was super jealous of Joe getting to stay on for an extra three days! At this point I would normally have another sunshine trip planned...but my main focus now is my trip back home to the UK for Lauren and Ken's wedding. After that...who knows where Asia will take me!