SCENARIO A...

Ten years ago, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a British court for crimes against music they didn't commit. These men and women promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Singapore underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as musicians of fortune. If you have a gig, if no one else can sing, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire ... The Scenario A Team. Tom and Rachel's next gig is on October 9th at The Prince of Wales, Boat Quay from 5pm! 

BEAUTIFUL BALI...

I have had the most relaxing weekend in Bali with Mikey. Landing late on Thursday night Mikey was there waiting to greet me at our resort. The Breezes Resort and Spa, Seminyak. After a few hours catching up (I can't believe it's been 7 months already since the last time we saw each other!) and a great nights sleep I woke up Friday morning and was blown away. Our room opens out onto a private deck which ends where the pool starts! Bliss!

Since the last time we saw each other in Singapore it seems Mikey and I have so much to chat about. We spend the morning chilling by the pool, sat in the pool at the bar and lounging by the pool in the sun. Just what I needed after a busy (shortish) week in work. As the day gets on we decide to go for a stroll to have a few drinks and dinner. Seminyak beach isn't the most amazing beach in terms of sand that I've ever seen but it is so vibrant and colourful! A perfect opportunity to take some nice shots! There are loads of children playing football and plenty of local women selling their handmade bracelets and jewellery. As I wander along the beach I find it hard to get my head around the fact that I am on a long weekend break...in Bali! Literally 2 hours 20 mins from Singapore. The same time it used to take me to drive from Windsor to Wales. Mad! 

We perch outside a bar that has a stage set up ready for what we hope is going to be some great live music. And that is exactly what we got. We literally spend the next 4 hours slumped on bean bags on the sand, watching the sunset and listening to live music. The sunset is beautiful. It's something I certainly don't see everyday in Singapore which makes it extra special. To eat, we decide to wander back towards the hotel where we stumble across a restaurant called Lucky Day. It was extremely busy but the host was happy to seat us, and we discovered later that actually we were sat amongst a wedding party. The food, a selection of both Western and Indonesian, is delicious. Local seasoned snapper wrapped in a banana leaf and served with rice and vegetables. Yummy. My highlight - the toilets.  This might sound like a bizarre thing to say, but they were incredible. Adorned with hundreds of frangipanis, the natural smell of flowers filled the room instead of normal toilet fresheners. A lovely touch! An earlyish night ready for our adventure to see the monkeys the following day!

Saturday we hired a driver to take us South of Seminyak to Uluwatu Temple. One of Bali's nine key temples. The entrance fee is Rp. 6,000 (approx. 50p) and you need to be dressed properly to enter, so Mikey and I are given purple sarongs to cover our legs. The temple is inhabited by a huge amount of monkeys. Very cheeky monkeys! You have to keep all your belongings very close to you as they will snatch anything off you including flip flops which you then have to exchange back for fruit. The monkeys certainly give the temple a lot of character and provide a lot of entertainment. I'm so glad that I invested in a long distance lens for my camera. I managed to get some great shots of the monkeys without having to get too close. I was ever so slightly scared to be honest! 

We ask the driver to recommend somewhere nice for us to have seafood for lunch and we head to Jimbaran, a fishing village with a white sand beach and seafood restaurants on the beach. We choose "Blue Marlin" and sit on the beach eating king prawns and red snapper. Bliss!

Back to the resort and another evening perched on bean bags on the beach listening to live music. A lie in on Sunday morning and a few hours in the sun by the pool before my flight home to Singapore at 5pm. Sad to say goodbye to Mikey but I am totally relaxed, and whilst I write this five days after coming back I still feel totally relaxed! Bali is a great place and I am already thinking about my next trip back there, possibly with Amanda when she visits in January. It was amazing to catch up with Mikey and create even more great memories. Am really looking forward to hearing about how the rest of his trip has been.

And for me...a quiet weekend this weekend. Afternoon tea with the girls tomorrow and a day of rugby on Sunday. The Welsh match is on at 11.30am on Sunday followed by the England game. Next weekend is Formula 1 weekend! So there is a lot of hype surrounding that at the moment. Last year was a fab weekend so hopefully this year will be equally as great. My next trip away will be to Penang in October followed by a trip to Sydney in November and then my trip home in December! My passport is certainly filling up fast!

IT'S HOLIDAY TIME AGAIN...

So tomorrow I am heading to Bali (which I have been desperate to explore since I came to Asia) to spend some time with Mikey! Watch this space for plenty of pictures. 

SAFRA SINGAPORE BAY RUN & ARMY HALF MARATHON

Congratulations to Victoria for completing the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon this weekend! I know you have not been feeling 100% recently so it certainly was a great effort. Running 21km in this heat is not easy. I'm very proud of you! Well done! 

SWAN LAKE ON ICE...

This weekend has been rather busy celebrating three birthdays and welcoming Chris and Caroline to Singapore but yesterday Vic and I managed to fit in a visit to Marina Bay Sands theatre to see Swan Lake on Ice. Absolutely magical. The skating and dancing was beautifully choreographed and all performed on a small 15x15m rink. The show is visually stunning and the cast are incredible athletes and dancers. We saw some incredible feats -  with the dancers getting up to speeds of 20 miles an hour at some points. 

Paul Mansfield, the Production Manager of "Swan Lake on Ice", said: "We brought everything with us here from the UK, and we installed a full ice rink...We start by putting down five tonnes of crushed ice, which has been supplied locally. Then we have a person stay here overnight, all night, and every 15 minutes, they’ll spray the ice rink again so that each time, it slowly builds up a layer of ice, getting thicker and thicker, until it’s about 20cm thick. And then after that, it just needs to be maintained. Normally it takes three days to build a rink but here, the crew only has about 14 hours to do so in the lead up to the show. And when that is done, the 26 skaters are ready to wow the audience."

A YEAR AGO TODAY...

...I left the UK with no idea of what the year ahead had in store for me. It took me a lot of courage to make the move to Singapore and I never dreamt that I would be where I am today. One year later with absolutely no regrets I can honestly say that I have had an incredible time so far in Asia. Over the past year I have not only met an immense amount of people who have been so welcoming, but I have made some incredible friends. Jill and Victoria ... after living on my own for six years I never thought that flat-sharing was going to be such a great experience. Now known collectively as the RPG (River Palace Girls) the three of us have a great deal of fun! Many more memories to be made over the next year I'm sure of it! My work colleagues make every day such an enjoyable one and I thank Richard, Steve and Addison (and the rest of the team) for making me feel so welcome at Holmes and Marchant. They have made the last year of my career such a fantastic one! I look forward to what the year ahead has in store! I knew working in Asia was going to be a challenge, and every day is a learning curve, but I am loving every minute of it!

SEPTEMBER - ARRIVING IN SINGAPORE / FORMULA 1 / A VISIT FROM TOM AND PHIL

OCTOBER - MOVING INTO "THE PALACE" / THE BEDOK BALL

NOVEMBER - RUGBY 7'S WEEKEND / HOUSE WARMING

DECEMBER - A PRE-CHRISTMAS RPG CELEBRATION / CHRISTMAS IN THAILAND WITH TOM AND RACHEL

JANUARY - NEW YEAR WITH MIKEY / VISITING INDIA / ANZ BALL

FEBRUARY - CHINESE NEW YEAR / VISITING HOME AND CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS AGAIN / AN RPG ADVENTURE TO KUALA LUMPUR

MARCH - NICKS "IRONMAN" VISIT / PANCAKE PARTY AT THE PALACE / PINK CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH

APRIL - MUM AND DAD'S VISIT

MAY - SPENDING MY BIRTHDAY IN NEPAL AND FLYING OVER THE HIMILAYAYAS / MY BEACH RETREAT TO TIOMAN / DIM SUM BIRTHDAY BRUNCH / THRILLER LIVE / UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

JUNE - BEERFEST ASIA / KYLIE MINOGUE / BARE YOUR SOLE WALK / THE BOTANIC GARDENS

JULY - LITTLE INDIA'S LONGEST TABLE / VISITING MALACCA / VISITING HOME / LOUISE AND ANDREW'S WEDDING

AUGUST - WHITE COLLAR BOXING / ZOE'S BIRTHDAY BOAT / SINGAPORE NATIONAL DAY

SEPTEMBER - ROUNDING OFF THE YEAR IN BALI / CHRIS AND CAROLINE VISITING / SWAN LAKE ON ICE

So, a year over, just like that! I honestly can't quite get my head around how fast the last 12 months have gone. A massive thank you to everyone who has supported me through the highs and the (very few) lows I have had since I have been here, especially my fantastic parents for their non-stop encouragement...I really hope that I am making you proud! I'll never stop missing you! 

And as I go into my second year of my Asia adventure, I already have so many things to look forward to! Jennie's baby arrival, Christmas in Wales, another visit from mum and dad at Easter next year, Jo's baby arrival, Amanda visiting in January, a trip to Penang in October, Nicks next visit, Lauren and Ken's wedding, going to see Westlife, Formula 1, a Pink Ribbon Charity Walk, Carley and Regan stopping off, going to see Elton John, another Bedok Ball, Rugby 7's again...and many more adventures to new places...

FIGHT NIGHT....

Last weekend I attended a boxing event in aid of "Dan's Fund for Burn's". An event set up to support the charity established by Polly Miller after her husband Dan, best friend and seven other friends were killed in the 2002 Bali bombings. 

This year, four boys from Bedok rugby club, including our friends Sunny and Paul took part, and after as little as four months training we finally got to see them in the ring along side 14 other boxers.

Although, I'm not a massive boxing/fighting fan, so I can honestly say I wasn't really looking forward to watching it, but it was a fantastic evening and winning 3 out of the 4 fights our boys did really well! Sunny won his fight. Unfortunately Paul didn't. But that didn't mean that he didn't put up a good fight and we were all super proud of both of them, as well as the other Bedok Boys, Paul Scott and Desmond Wee.

If anyone wants to watch the event video, follow the link to the Buffalo Group facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150261601796415

SUPPORT CARL BART...

Since being in Singapore I have made many wonderful friends including Greg and Melissa Brogan. Last week they received terrible news that their dear friend Carl had been in an accident which has left him in a coma in a hospital in Thailand. His family want to fly Carl home from Thailand to recover back in the UK. But, the costs are immense and the family are looking at having to pay 65,000-70,000 pounds in total. To help Greg and Melissa, and Carl's family, I am posting the details of the "Support Carl Bart" fund, that has been set up to help raise money, with hope that those who read my blog will be able to help in any way possible no matter how small. There are lots of fundraisers going on, including a night in Havanna's, Windsor on 9th September. I know Greg and Melissa will appreciate any help whatsoever.


For more information on Carl and what can be done to help please follow the link:
http://www.supportcarlbart.com

SINGAPORE NATIONAL DAY 2011...

On Tuesday of this week it was National Day here in Singapore. A national ceremony that commemorates Singapore's Independence. This year Singapore turned 46, celebrating it's first National Day in 1966, one year after Singapore's independence from Malaysia on 9th August 1965.

The parade is huge and there have been practises taking place for well over 3 months. Participants include members of the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force, representatives of the different unions and Ministries as well as students in uniformed groups, the Singapore Red Cross, the Boys' and Girls' Brigades, the Scouts Association, the Girl Guides and representatives of various Singapore business entities including one of the designers from my team, Lijuan.

This was Grant's second Singapore National Day so we took his advice and before settling on Boat Quay, we wandered around Esplanade to take in the atmosphere. It was clear that Singapore citizens take a lot of pride in their nation. Thousands and thousands of people had gathered from as early as 11am to pitch up and get ready for the celebrations to begin at 6.30pm. A long day in the heat here! From Boat Quay we were able to watch the whole thing live on TV and I was able to photography the parachutes, the fly by and also the fire works from above the Fullerton Bay Hotel. The view was incredible. 

EXPLOSIVE ICE-CREAM...

Diver & Aguilar have captured these stunning and explosive visuals for Magnum's latest campaign. Magnum Temptations already exist in the market however, the ice cream maker has developed a new technology to put liquid-filled chocolates in their ice cream bars. Diver & Aguilar were commissioned by advertising agency, Lola Madrid, to creatively capture this new concept on film. The concept was to create art out of the creative reformulation of the ingredients. I'm really excited to finally see the launch of the new Temptations range after starting work on in back in September 2009! The campaign will run as an all media print and digital motion campaign in over 20 countries. I hope they make it to Singapore

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD...

Happy Birthday to my amazing dad! Hope you have a great day and enjoy your birthday day at the races. Hopefully you'll have as many winners as we did in Windsor. Looking forward to catching up on Skype on the weekend. Miss you. Love you. 

ZOE'S BIRTHDAY BOAT...

This weekend we celebrated Zoe's birthday...in style! We chartered a boat out of Sentosa Cove and spent the day sailing around the south islands surrounding Singapore! A perfect way to spend a Saturday!

MALACCA/MELAKA...

Victoria and I took a trip a few weekends back to Melaka, Malaysia. Located approx. 245 kilometres from Singapore we took the bus, on a journey which takes approx 4 hours each way. A small town, completely doable in just two days, it is full of character and charm. The trishaws offer a good vantage-point from which to see the town. The drivers double as guides and do their best to describe all the attractions around you. They also do their worst to make their trishaw stand out. We were attracted to ours for his colourful flowers which covered the bike...that and the fact as soon as we got on he started blasting Michael Jackson for everyone around us to hear! He must have sensed I was a fan!

On Sunday we visited Villa Sentosa. A little known tourist attraction in the town, it is a small house that exhibits the typical lifestyle of a Malay family. The house was built in the early 20th century and the owners sill live on the premises. In fact, they show you round. 

It's definitely a must see if you visit. Even better if you appreciate the things of the past, Malay rich heritage and fine architecture. It's owner, Abdul Ibrahim, the descendant of patriarch, the late Hasim Hadi Abdul Ghani who manages the place together with his siblings take their time to show you around the house. Previous visitors include royalties, head of states and a former King of Malaysia. Lucky enough to be a in a small group of six we got to spend quite a while listening to his stories...and we all got to make a wish whilst hitting the 200 year old gong before we left. 

As always people watching was fascinating. Especially along Jonker Street, a narrow street located in Chinatown. It has several of the oldest houses in the country, and is famous for selling artifacts of different periods. You can find stuff from the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. Apart from shopping Jonker Street has another speciality...food! The street sells some of the best cuisines in the town. Along the way Vic and I sampled, spiraled potato on a stick, dim sum, sushi, and most interestingly...curry inside a loaf of bread. Victoria was brave enough to buy what seemed like a large bread bun, only to discover a carton of chicken curry inside. Weird...but yummy!

THANK GOD...

And I am so glad to see the end of this week. I've been feeling a tad home sick this week which has made it a struggle, but I'm hoping the weekends events will help me snap out of it. Tomorrow I will be helping Zoe celebrate her birthday, on a boat that she has chartered for the day! And Sunday should be a nice relaxing one...hopefully I'll get chance to update the blog with all the latest events.

Happy Birthday to Jennie for today! I hope you have a great day and get spoilt rotten. Love you and miss you millions! 

EXCITING NEW LAUNCHES...

A few exciting new launches both here and in the UK. I recently spotted new Marigold Yoghurt Drink on shelf in Cold Storage. One of the my first re-designs since working in Asia. A great feeling seeing all your hard work and effort produced and being sold in so many stores here.

Secondly, in the UK, a massive project for Lauren that has had great publicity this week. The re-design of Maynards confectionery range, including Wine Gums, Wine Pastilles, Sours, Sports Mix and Midget Gems. And this week Lauren made Design Week quoting "The existing design was a little tired and lacked clear differentiation across the portfolio. Maynards wanted to give each product its own unique personality based on the individual chew experience, whilst still retaining great impact on shelf. Our solution – create a swirling chewy vortex, inviting consumers to lose themselves in the ‘Maynards Chew-niverse.’’ The new packaging begins to roll out this week so keep your eyes out everyone! Well done Lauren...they look fab!