THE END OF AN ERA...

So, leaving behind Mr. Kipling when I left the UK was kind of like the end of an era after working on the brand for five years. However, the era has well and truly come to an end now with the redesign of the packaging. But credit where credit is due, JKR have done and a great job and I look forward to seeing all the packs on shelf when I get back to visit the UK in May.

Meanwhile here in Asia I am very lucky to be working in some completely different categories to cake! Lot's of alcohol and beauty brands. Hopefully I will be able to share some new launches soon. Watch this space! 

ME, MYSELF AND MY...

I was really pleased to hear this week that a piece of packaging that I had worked on whist at 1HQ had won a Bronze Packaging DBA Award. Great news! I was actually served a "Me, Myself and My" pack whilst on my way home from the UK in December on board and Emirates flight.


"En Route offers premium bakery products to the Travel Catering market. With the economic downturn impacting airline catering budgets, En Route wanted to create a product range for the industry that would offer an appealing ready-to-eat snack rather than the usual meal tray.

In response, 1HQ created the Me, Myself & My brand – a nod to the insight that, once settled on board their flight, passengers enter a self-contained bubble. 1HQ used a bold, confident logotype and strong, simple visuals and colours to reflect the brand’s distinctive personality, create impact and help with easy product identification. The packaging also featured games and puzzles to extend brand interaction and as a means of alleviating in-flight boredom.

The brand achieved over six times its already ambitious sales target. It can now be found on major airlines including long and short-haul British Airways, Ryanair, BMI and Emirates flights. Sales soared by 330% and En Route have built a reputation as the point of reference for premium bakery in the market" 

For more, please head to http://www.effectivedesign.org.uk/packaging/me_myself.php

AMANDA'S ADVENTURE...

It was so lovely to have Amanda visit at the end of January and for her to finally get to see where I live now. We had a jam filled fortnight and managed to do and see plenty of things. As it was Chinese New Year whilst she was here it was the perfect opportunity to experience Asia during the most important festival in the Chinese calendar...

The decorations in China Town this year revolved around the theme of the dragon as the coming year is the year of the "water dragon". Every evening I walk home along the outskirts of China Town and was wowed by the most striking decoration ... a huge red dragon that drifts along the main road. Probably viewed better from above I managed to get some great shots from some of the better vantage points lower down. Visiting during Chinese New Year the atmosphere was great, everyone in high spirits and brightly illuminated. Although part of the market was closed (we turned up a little late) we were still able to get some fantastic pictures painted, by a very talented local man for the special little ones Tommy and Jack. I hope that this will be a reminder to Tommy that his Aunty Karen lives in Asia. Even more special as it was hand painted on Chinese New Year 2012.

We also managed to get to Universal Studios. Despite already having gone last year, this year there were more rides open including "Transformers : The Ride". It was incredible! A hyper-realistic 3D ride which has you racing through the city and hanging on for dear life. I've never really been a massive Transformers fan but can honestly say that this blew my mind!

So, what else did we get up to? Singapore Slings at Raffles, Tapas at Chjimes, Brunch at The Swissotel, drunken drinks at Tanjong Beach Club, birthday pancakes at Steve's, bike riding on Pulau Ubin, local food tasting at Glutton's Bay, drinks at 1-Altitude, a fantastic evening watching Wicked followed by drinks at Ku De Ta, "Surf and Turf" at Hot Stones, the hottest Indian ever in Little India, an adventure wandering around Mustafa's and of course and a fab week in Bali! I hope Amanda enjoyed her stay!

WICKED...

Another incredible show at Marina Bay Sands recently, Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz. I had heard so many good reviews of Wicked and the show lived up to all of them! "Long before Dorothy dropped in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good". http://wickedthemusical.com.sg

Wicked is a visual feast! With flying monkeys, a huge mechanical dragon, incredible costumes and floating bubbles, the set is award-winning. The music and lyrics by Stephan Schwartz are powerful and the show entertains from start to finish trying to determine the answer to the question posed as the show opens, "Are people born wicked or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?". Towards the end of the first Act I actually found myself close to tears when Elphaba (The Wicked Witch) discovers her inner strength and sings "Defying Gravity" whilst floating in mid-air. Wicked is actually quite a thought-provoking musical. It also provides an insight into how the Scarecrow, TinMan and Lion all end up in the Wizard of Oz, and you will get to learn why Dorothy and Toto were sent to the Land of Oz. Wicked is an epic musical...I'm very tempted to book again!

BALLET REVOLUCION....

I've been lucky enough to see some incredible artists here and some fantastic shows at the theatre and the latest one, Ballet Revolucion, certainly did not disappoint. Thanks to Victoria for booking us some tickets last minute on Saturday I spent two hours with my jaw and eyes wide open memorised by the perfomrance! "Straight from the heart of Cuba, the undisputed home of dance, Ballet Revolucion is an energetic fusion of ballet, contemporary dance and modern hip hop. It is a raw fresh and dynamic Cuban cocktail of unbridled passion, pure energy and athletic skill. Together with the accompaniment of a live All Star Cuban Band that plays hits from Shakira, Santana, Enrique Iglesias, Chris Brown, Beyonce and Usher to tantalise your senses." Check out the website here : http://www.balletrevolucion.com.au/australia/home

I would really recommend getting your hands on tickets to this show! Unfortunately it has come to a close in Singapore but I have just seen on the website that they are traveling to London. If you can't make it to the show here is a short trailer to give you a little taster of what it was like... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3U2oVjpizA&feature=related This however doesn't come close to the sensation of being in the audience and watching these incredible athletes perform right in front of your eyes.

SCISSOR SISTERS...

This Monday we were lucky enough to get hold of some free Scissor Sisters tickets for their gig at Fort Canning Park. I've always enjoyed their music, more the early stuff compared to the more recent. Although the gig started at 8pm we had to wait until 9.40pm before they came on stage ... the reason for being late revealed as "Bali Belly" from their previous concert. But, this didn't really show as they gave the concert their all and performed a collection of and new and old songs. 

Lead singers Jake Shears and Ana Matronic along with Babydaddy, Del Marquis and Randy Real were absolutely brilliant. Hits included "Laura", "Take Your Mama", "Filthy/Gorgeous" and of course my ultimate favourite "I Don't Feel Like Dancin". A great gig to gig start the year. Just a shame I wasn't able to take my own pictures.

ALL ABOARD THE HOLMES & MARCHANT PIRATE PARTY BOAT...

This year's Holmes & Marchant Christmas party was held on a boat sailing around the south islands of Singapore. The theme ... pirates! Not a bad effort for last minute organisation. What more did we need...a boat, canoes, alcohol, a BBQ and 23 pirates! Our Holmes & Marchant parties/holidays are seem to be going down in history. I'm very much looking forward to the next one!

EMIGRATION...

A very good friend of my Dad's Vince writes poetry and I've taken this one from his new collection "A Medley of Rhyme" :

Some folk leave home for far away,

They're youngsters living for today.

And thinking of their future time,

Decisions made while in their prime.

The world outside's a great big place,

The other side of the earth's face.

Is where our youngsters want to go,

They've never been, and do not know.

Their eagerness is evident,

The sun and sea is heaven sent.

If they can work and earn their keep,

A nurse, a doctor, herding sheep,

And many other jobs as well,

Their 'Shangri La', or living hell.

But, time will tell how they get on,

Some will return, some are 'long gone'.

The grass seems greener far away,

And some will go, and some will stay.

Very apt for me Vince! Look forward to reading more of your work in the future. You are now world wide published. 

IT'S CHRISTMAS...

Scenario A recently bought Christmas to Singapore with a fantastic gig at the Prince of Wales on Boat Quay. A great gig complete with snow machine that got everyone in the mood and kick started the festive season perfectly. 

CONGRATULATIONS JENNIE AND STUART...

ELEPHANT PARADE SINGAPORE...

Craig recently invited along to join him at the launch of Elephant Parade Singapore on the 11th November. TANGS on Orchard Road launched its highly-anticipated yearly Christmas campaign with a spectacular light up of the building’s façade and decorations, while at the same time unveiling the most precious elephant of Elephant Parade Singapore 2011, “Pretty & Pink” by jewellery designer Sabine Roemer (below centre). I missed the Elephant Parade London so I'm really excited to be able to see it here in Singapore.

Image courtesy of http://elephantparade.com

The evening began outside the main entrance of TANGS Orchard, where 10 life-sized painted baby elephants were installed the night before as part of the launch of the Elephant Parade Singapore 2011. In amongst these elephants are two designed by Cat Deeley and Leona Lewis. To officiate light up the guests-of-honour each placed a crystal vase of tulips, symbolic of TANGS’ enchanted forest Christmas theme, on individual light boxes to initiate the store’s Christmas light up sequence to Johnny Mathis’ “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” The 300-strong crowd of invited guests from TANGS and Elephant Parade, including business partners, artists and media, were then ushered up to The Christmas Shoppe at TANGS Orchard Level 4 for the next part of the evening – the unveiling of the most precious elephant of Elephant Parade Singapore 2011, “Pretty & Pink” by Ms Sabine Roemer, featuring a 3.3 carat diamond in a one-of-a-kind brooch worn by the elephant. I'll write more about the elephants early on next year as I have made it my mission to photograph all 162. So, I'm sure there will be rather large blog entry coming for that! Watch this space!

JILL'S 30TH BIRTHDAY PUB GOLF...

On 19th November Jill turned 30 and we celebrated her birthday by starting off the day with a Champagne Breakfast at the apartment followed by a round of Pub Golf along Boat Quay. Typically, we had been planning this for a few months time and the week leading up to it I fell ill. So, despite having my outfit ready to rock, I didn't feel up to drinking and didn't actually technically play "pub golf". It was a great night nonetheless watching 23 very very drunk people move from bar to bar and try to out do each other by scoring the lowest "par". 

The rules ...

The drinks...We had set a round of 9 holes, starting at The Penny Black and then finishing off at Bungy Bar (The Clubhouse) with a par of 26. On reflection I think I made the best choice deciding not to drink. Not sure how well this lot would have gone down on top of a heavy cold! 

I still can't quite believe that the winner of the game was Bel (dressed as a human scorecard), who completed the round in 10, taking each hole bar the first as a hole in one! What a legend! I wouldn't want to take her on in a drinking game! 

I hope Jill had a fantastic birthday and enjoyed all her celebrations. Jill was also at Elton John the following day - nursing a hangover of course! As part of her gift I put together a special edition RPG card...

ELTON JOHN CROCODILE ROCK-ED MY WORLD...

I know I've been a bit slack in keeping my blog up to date recently so I'm going to spend some time over the next few entries. Heading back to the end of November when Rachel, Tom and I went to watch Elton John at the Indoor Stadium. Wow! What a show! Despite the weather being absolutely awful, the stadium was packed and I knew as soon as Elton came on stage we were in for a good show. I think his words were "Singapore - we're gonna rock tonight!" and ironically opening the show on a Sunday with "Saturday Night's Alright". The last time Elton John was here in Singapore was in 2008. He seemed pleased to back stating "it's good to be back" shortly after belting out "I'm Still Standing". 

Elton's band was incredible! A prior to the three hour long concert kicking off he warmed the show up by introducing 2Cellos, a duo who made many people see the humble cello in a brand new light. No one really knew who they were, but they appeared on stage and blasted their way through a version of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal followed by U2's "With or Without You" (a massive favourite of mine) "Welcome to the Jungle" Guns N' Roses, and "Smells like Teen Spirit", the Nirvana number. Originally from Croatia and according to press, a YouTube discovery, these boys were so impressive. Very talented boys. Check out some of their videos on YouTube. Here's Smooth Criminal:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjOQac1vOEc 


They stayed on stage for the duration of the show playing with Elton John and his band, who included drummer Nigel Olsson, the very first member of the band. The jam packed concert saw delivery of hit after hit:
Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
I'm Still Standing
Levon
Madman Across The Water
Holiday Inn
Tiny Dancer
Philadelphia Freedom
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Candle In The Wind
Rocket Man
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
Hey Ahab
Gone To Shiloh
Monkey Suit
Sacrifice
Honky Cat
Sad Songs (Say So Much)
Daniel
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Are You Ready For Love
Bennie And The Jets
The Bitch Is Back
Crocodile Rock
Your Song
Can You Feel The Love Tonight
Circle Of Life

Elton John is a true performer and didn't just sit still at the piano and play. After every song he was up and acknowledging his fans, thanking them and showing off to the who crowd, including those sat behind the stage with minimal view. He even called out to his dear friend Kevin Spacey, who was in the audience (he's recently been in town touring with a theatre group performing Richard III) At one point he clambered up on to the top of the piano and kicked his feet into the air! 

Spending the day and evening with Rachel and Tom to celebrate Rachel's 30th birthday was perfect and  the encore of "Your Song" and Lion King hits "Can You Feel The Love Tonight / Circle Of Life" nearly had me in tears. Another musical legend ticked off my list of acts to see! 

SEVEN BILLION PEOPLE AND ME...

The world's population is expected to hit seven billion in the next few weeks. After growing very slowly for most of human history, the number of people on Earth has more than doubled in the last 50 years. Where do I fit into this story of human life? From the BBC website it was calculated that when I was born I was the 4,685,375,517th person alive on Earth and the 79,412,631,235th person to live since history began. Pretty incredible stats. You can find out your place in human history too. Just follow this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15391515

SYDNEY 2011...

Joe and I have just spent a lovely week in Sydney relaxing in the sunshine. It was really nice catching up and finally getting to spend time together. Arriving on the Saturday and spending a few hours out and about, we met up with Mikey and his new girlfriend, Caroline and Chris and Steve for a few drinks. Well, maybe a more than a few. Oops! I fell in love with Sydney back in 2008 and it was such a great feeling to be back. Lots of walking, wandering around the zoo and strolling along Bondi, where "Sculpture by the Sea" was on and thankfully lots of sunshine! A fab week!