Restaurant Week

Yay Restaurant Week is back from 9 - 16th October! $25++ for a 3-course set lunch and $35++ for a 3-course dinner is one sweet deal.. Especially considering the list of participating restaurants, which include atas places like Absinthe, Au Jardin etc (see complete list here).

Hurry and make your bookings! Reservations are supposedly only open to the public only on 21 September (Amex cardholders are entitled to exclusive early booking privileges from 14 September) but let me let you in on a secret:

Even if you don't have an Amex card, just go to this link - http://www.restaurantweek.sg/lang/en/cities/singapore/restaurants/

Yes, no need Amex also can early book!

I'm a bit disappointed that Fiftythree is not in the list of participating restaurants this year. But oh vell. At least I managed to snag reservations to Kudeta, Le Saint Julien and the Salt Grill. These restaurants are awarded the "dining star" so there's a $15 and $20 supplement for lunch and dinner respectvely, but I did my homework and overall it should still be a good deal!

Wicked

I watched this musical in London a few years ago and loved it. Clever plot, interesting twists, hilarious dialogues and great special effects - BRILLIANT!

Good news, WICKED is coming to Singapore from 7 December 2011 to 29 January 2012! Tickets range from $55 to $165, a tad pricier than the 30 pounds I paid, but trust me, it's worth every cent. It's really one of the best musicals I've been to and I enjoyed every minute of it.

This is the "untold story" of the Witches of Oz. Before Dorothy dropped into the land of Oz, there were two little girls - a smart but unfortunately green-coloured girl, and her best friend, a beautiful, popular little miss sunshine. Watch how these two friends fell out and came to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. The Wicked Witch was sorely misunderstood! I won't spoil it by telling you more, but do grab tickets yeah. You won't regret it.

Retrolicious 2011

Yes it's here again! Retrolicious 2011!

Last year, we saw Debbie Gibson, Rick Astley and Johnny Hates Jazz and it was a blast. This year, it gets better. Bananarma, The Human League and my very beloved Belinda Carlisle. Oooh Heaven Is A Place On Earth, Mad About You, Leave A Light On, SUMMER RAIN! I grew up listening to her songs lor.



The concert is on 8th October at Fort Canning park (http://www.live4music.com.sg/events/profile/452). Still a long way to go but me and my fellow 80’s-phile friends are all psyched up. Some of them have even booked a room at Fort Canning Hotel (I know, very kiasu right) - pre-empting a long night and it's the perfect excuse to also check out the boutique hotel heehee.



Tickets go at $100 but there's a 10% discount with OCBC cards (20% if you book before August 7th). Hurry, get off the couch and go buy your tickets. Yay, the 80s was a very danceable decade - FUN!

Now, to go dig up my stonewashed jeans and shoulder pads *grin*

A Quickie

They were giving out these pamphlets outside the office. A quickie during lunch, anyone? I mean a nap (ah bu den!)

Not sure whether the idea will fly though. $36 for an hour ain't that much cheaper than my $50 hour-long massage which I can sleep like a baby right through. I wonder why they are charging the premium - expensive massage chairs? Sound-proof rooms? Can somebody go check this out and share your experience please?

Pink Dot 2011

Looking for something meaningful/interesting to do this Saturday June 18th? Go down to Hong Lim Park to form a human pink dot!


Yes, it’s PINK as in gay, lesbian, transsexual/ transgender/ bisexual/ intersexual/ queer. This will be its 3rd year running and like previous years, Pink Dot aims to nurture an all-inclusive, non-discriminatory society which appreciates diversity and understands the basic human need to love and be loved. Everyone deserves the freedom to love!

Kudos to Google for supporting the event and making the concert possible. The event this year promises to be BIG, with a whole slew of celebrities performing, including the Dim Sum Dollies and the Broadway Beng.

Tips
1. Go at 4pm or earlier to chope a nice picnic spot right in front of the stage. Concert starts at 5pm sharp and the whole event is expected to end by 6:45pm.

2. There’ll also be a lot of other activities going on around the park so feel free to bring the whole family along. Going by last year's experience, I think it will all be very subtle and tasteful.

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change

I love romantic comedies. Isn’t it surreal, the idea that if someone is meant to be with you, then they should know what you want without you telling them? Unrealistic yes, but surreal.

A new friend WS suggested going for the musical “I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change” and so I did some homework on it. it’s been staged in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the UK and Australia before. Reviews look good. The musical supposedly does a comedic take on all things taboo about dating, marriage, spouses and in-laws. Romantic comedy? NOT. Which is just as well, given my current state of mind. “A tribute to those who have loved and lost, to those who have fallen on their face at the portal of romance”. Yeap, that’s me. See you there!

Details
Date : Jun 9-19, 8pm; 11-12, 18-19, 3pm
Cost : $69.00-89.00 from Sistic
Venue : The Drama Centre, National Library

Go Watch NDP With Me

I feel a bit ashamed to say that I’ve never attended a single NDP my entire 33 years. Sis was just asking how she could get tickets for her kids so I decided to check it work today. Guess what, my timing is perfect, applications for the ballot start TODAY!

Singapore citizens and PRs can apply, and there’s a choice for either the preview (30th July) and actual day tickets (8th August). Ballot closes on 29th May so hurry. Ticketing application can be done via 4 channels:

1. Online at www.ndp.org.sg or any AXS and SAM stations.
2. NDP 2011 Mobile Application, free download
3. Ticketing hotline 1900-112-4551 to ballot for preview tickets, or 1900-112-4559 to ballot for actual day tickets.
4. SMS: Key in “NDP” and send it to 9395-2855 to start the application process. An SMS reply will be sent to the applicant shortly. Follow the instructions as prompted.

Good Luck!

Starbucks Promotion

I love the frappuccinos from Starbucks but at $6 a pop they cannot be a daily affair. They are also sugar-laden and that can't be good for me. So imagine my happiness when I heard about this promotion.

As part of their launch of the However-You-Want-It Frappuccino, Starbucks will holding Happy Hour event from 16th to 20th May 2011, 3pm to 5pm, at all their outlets. Customers can enjoy their personalized Frappuccino for half price.

Ion Sky Bar and Bobby Chinn

I attended the launch party for Discovery's TLC channel on Thursday at Ion Sky. TLC is a lifestyle channel which will replace Discovery Travel & Living and it promises to be "bigger, better and bolder"… featuring new faces, new genres and new places. "TLC celebrates everyday life and special occasions by offering both new perspectives and shared experiences from real-life people in remarkable circumstances."

Ion Sky is located on levels 55 and 56 of the Orchard Residences, the highest point in Orchard Road. The view was fantastic indeed! It was kinda surreal, looking out at the night view, sipping the freely flowing bubbly and eating the delicious canapes (I am so coming back to the Salt Grill for dinner). The highlight of the evening was taking a picture with celebrity chef Bobby Chinn! Justin Quek was there too :)

I thought the event was well planned - the turnout was good and guests were kept well entertained with activities such as a lash bar, caricature drawing and tarot card readings. K and I dressed up and had our photos taken for personalized luggage tags. Lovely freebie evening!

Royal Wedding

With the Singapore election fever raging, it's no surprise anyone is hardly talking about the Royal Wedding. Personally, other than an interest in how the wedding dress looks like, I'm not too psyched about the union of Prince William and Kate Middleton either.

But I suppose there are some amongst us who are keen to watch the proceedings. BBC is showing its coverage through Starhub to viewers here in Singapore. If you want more buzz by watching it public, you can check out the following places:

1. The British Club : These guys are celebrating the event in a big way - ten days of happenings up to the event. Tomorrow they do a live screening, followed by dinner. You can choose to splurge on a 4 course dinner in the ballroom (wedding style, no less, $198+ for members, $218+ for non-members, with wine, beer and a special souvenir) OR for poorer peasants, a buffet dinner at the cafe ($68 for members, $78 for non-members). K is going for option 1 on company account, lucky him.


2. Cricket Club: From 5pm to 9pm, feast on drinks and food while watching the live broadcast. $70 for members, $100 for non-members.

To be honest, I'm sure there will be other places screening the event live without charging a fixed fee. I'm really not too fussed about where to go. It's likely I'll just watch the re-run on Saturday. So much easier when there's the option to fast forward!