Visual Art: Amanda Heng: Speak to Me, Walk with Me

Last few days to catch the retrospective exhibition of Singapore's respected artist Amanda Heng.

Amanda Heng is a performance artist, and some would know her for dressing as a SIA-like girl visiting various places in Singapore of cultural and heritage interests. (Singirl Revisits).  Her Let's Walk features a series of videos captured in Singapore, Japan etc walking backwards.  Of course her series of photographs taken with her mother.

One of the art work involved people plucking the roots of bean sprouts while chatting among themselves.  Did remind me of the good old days....

Exhibition at Singapore Art Museum at 8Q ends 1 Jan 2012.  Free entry on Fridays 6 pm to 9 pm.

Hot Air Ballooning in Cappadocia, Turkey

A great way to see the rock formations of Cappadocia at Central Anatolia was to take a hot air balloon. The tour agency booked us on Anatolian Balloons.   We were the second batch of tourists for the balloon adventure and thus we did not need to wake up too early.  It was great to see more than 10 balloons in the air upon our arrival at the site.

Drinks and snacks were provided, and soon we were driven to the boarding site.

Inflating the balloon.

Each balloon could hold 23 persons and a captain.

Abercrombie & Fitch Singapore

After the attention-grabbing poster ad along Orchard Road, Abercrombie & Fitch launched its second round of publicity.  By the look of it, it was successful.

It is always good to add some excitement to the Singapore scene....




Visit my entries on Sri Lanka Travels and Vietnam Travels

Qing Ming Shang He Tu 清明上河图 Animation: Singapore Expo

Song Dynasty painting Qing Ming Shang He Tu 清明上河图 (Along the River During Qing Ming Festival) by Song Zhang Ze Duan 张择端 was given some animation treatment in an exhibition held at Singapore Expo from 7 Dec 2011 - 6 Feb 2012.

The original was slightly over half a metre long but the presenter have enlarged it to fill up a large exhibition hall:

Elton John and band in Singapore

The crowd had a great time last evening.  Elton John performed for close to 2 and a half hours, singing his greatest hits.  He was in fine form and the band was great.

Kevin Spacey was in the audience.

The opening act was 2 Cellos, who played pieces by rock artistes.  They were also part of the Elton John band. 

Affordable Art Fair

I was invited to the preview and I was initially more keen on seeing the F1 Pit Building.  I have to say that the art works on sale were interesting, though you may have seen them somewhere before.  The venue was spacious enough to ensure visitors' comfort.

Dust: A recollection by Vertical Submarine

Art collective Vertical Submarine put up its first theatre piece Dust: A recollection at 72-13, home of Theatre Works.  A play about memory and sense of lost.  It was a good effort by the group. The set reminded me of Riga Theatre's The Long Life.  The lines were recited by a narrator standing in front of the set and with the audience.

The scenes were repeated three times with add-on for the second time, and minus the narrator and actors in the last.  I was trying to comprehend the group's intention for the 3rd staging - the segment was also a bit long.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the performance and hope to see the collective's next theatre piece.

Kellie's Castle, and of course Ipoh food

From Gua Tempurung, we drove a short distance to Kellie's Castle, which was commissioned by an Englishman William Kellie Smith in 1915.  The castle was not completed as Smith passed away in 1926.   The caste was located 40 km south of Ipoh and there did not seem to have public transport connection.

Entry fee is RM5 for foreigner.



The castle is not a big building and thus an hour would be more than sufficient to go round the ground.  The facade was the most impressive as construction was completed:




The other parts of the castle were not completed...

Gua Tempurung, Perak, Malaysia

About an hour and a half's drive from Kuala Lumpur towards Ipoh is Gua Tempurung (Coconut Shell Cave 椰壳洞), which is a series of caves with stalagmites and stalactites.  From information provided, the cave is 1.9 km in length and 120 m in height.  This cave in Perak is the largest limestone cave in Peninsular Malaysia.

There were several visitors on private vehicles and tour buses on the Sunday that we visited. It seemed that it was not accessible by public transportation.



Due to time constraints and the fitness level of the group, we chose the Golden Flowstone ticket which was  a 40 minute tour to platform 3 (Golden Flowstone).  Ticket charge was RM 6.  Adventurous visitors could choose the catwalk and river adventures route (wet tour) which could last up tol 3.5 hours.

Sands of Time Heritage Exhibition

I was at Paris Ris Library the other day and there was an exhibition on Paris Ris Loyang done by Greenview Secondary School.  A good effort and informative exhibition.

Not sure if it is still on. 

k.d. lang and Siss Boom Bang in Singapore:concert review

k.d. lang celebrated her 50th birthday at the Esplanade Theatre in Singapore on 2 Nov 2011.  I missed her visit few years back and so it was good to catch her perform with her new band Siss Boom Bang this time round.

The show started at 8:10 pm.  I have to admit that I do not follow her latter albums so most songs were unfamiliar to me.  But nonetheless, k.d. lang and her band quickly captivated us with their performance, and she was witty on stage.  Her rendition of Hallejulah brought the first biggest cheer of the evening.  I also liked Sing It Loud and Heaven (by Talking Heads)

It was a short performance, where she ended it with Constant Craving, which I did not really like the arrangement. Her band members later brought out a birthday cake for her.  She did 3 more songs before leaving the stage.

It was an enjoyable evening.  Credit should also be given to Siss Boom Bang.

Orlando Consort

The Orlando Consort and indian musicians would be staging Mantra - Musical Conversations across the Indian Ocean on Friday and Sat (4 - 5 Nov) at the National Museum of Singapore.  Tickets available at http://www.sistic.com.sg/

Deepavali in Singapore 2011

These photos were taken on the eve of Deepavali at Serangoon Road on 25 Oct.  The road was generally quiet..



The Market however was packed with people.

2011 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championship

It was after the rain where I walked past this event.


Maybe it was the weather, or maybe it was the nature of event, the crowd was thin. Nonetheless, good for Singapore to attract more such events here.

Dealer's Choice by Pangdemonium

Enjoyed the production by Singapore company Pangdemonium.  Script may not suit Singaporeans well but the cast generally gave a good performance and sustained the audience interest.  A balanced production overall, just lacked that special spark.

Spring Awakening next....

Thye Moh Chan Cake House and Malay Village: Farewell

Thye Moh Chan Cake House 泰茂栈饼家 in Geylang closed its doors in September 2011, and Singapore bid farewell to another old establishment.

X Simple Minds and China Crisis: 80s Nostalgia

X Simple Minds and China Crisis provided the nostalgia at Singapore Hard Rock Cafe at Sentosa Resorts World.  A modest crowd turned up and enjoyed the concert.

First act to appear on stage was X Simple Minds, featuring founding members Derek Forbes and Brian McGee.   The crowd had a good time listening to the band hits for about 45 minutes.   Of course, the crowd was excited when "Don't you (forget about me) and "Alive and Kicking" were played".








After a short break, China Crisis came up and played for an hour. 

Good to hear Black Man Ray live...

Too bad it had to end at about 10-ish as I believe the organiser did not want to disturb the hotel guests nearby.

Till next time...

Siong Leng Musical Association keeps Nanyin music alive

Siong Leng Musical Association celebrated its 70 Anniversary on 3 Sep 2011 at a venue next to Thian Hock Keng Temple.  Before the dinner, guests were treated to music and snacks at the courtyard.

Nanyin was inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

City Inn Hotel, Vientiane, Laos

Stayed at City Inn Hotel for a week.  It was more a business class-type hotel.  The room was comfortable and the service staff were polite.  The buffet breakfast spread was sufficient.

Location wise, it was near Nam Phu (the fountain).  It was also near the stadium where you could jog on the 400 m track.

Overall, the US$60-70 was reasonable.  You could however find cheaper options elsewhere.  This hotel is more for business travellers.

For more pages on Laos: Laos Travels

Barbeque (Grilled) Fish, Roadside Stall, Vientiane

A common sight during dinner time in Vientiane (Laos) would be street hawkers selling BBQ fish along the street.

The fish may look huge, but the meat itself was moderate.  The fish was marinated with salt and grilled over charcoal fire.

When served, the skin was basically removed and you just ate the flesh, dipping in chilli or spicy source.

Visitors should try it at least once.  It will taste better with Laos beer.

For more pages on Laos: Laos Travels

Chao Anouvong Park, Vientiane, Laos

After one year away from Vientiane, the river front has become become and scenic.  The main attraction of the river front Chao Anouvong Park, would be the statue of Chao Anouvong.

After one year away from Vientiane, the river front has become become and scenic.  The main attraction of the river front Chao Anouvong Park, would be the statue of Chao Anouvong.

Singapore Toys Games Comics Convention 2011 - Cosplay

I was curious to take a look at the convention, but the event was about to end in an hour's time.  Managed to take these photos in the public area.

Hungry Ghost Festival

The 7th Month of the Lunar calendar signals the arrival of the Hungry Ghost Festival, where ghosts were released from the Gates of the other world to this earth.  It was a month where offerings were made and where entertainment was staged to entertain the "good brothers", as we call them in this region.

Companies or social groups organised dinner functions during this month.  It is usually held outdoors where 8 or 10-course would be served.

Hari Raya light-up at Geylang Serai, 2011

It is nice to see bright lights along Changi Road.  The photos were taken outside Malay Village, which incidentally would be celebrating its final Ramadan. :

Walking on Singapore railway tracks

It's a Sunday and everyone took the last remaining opportunity to walk on the railway tracks before they were to be dismantled.








I used to take the train to Kuala Lumpur so in a way would miss it somehow.  The train boarding point at Woodlands would be too far away from where I am staying.



 See how packed the place was:

Found an interesting article:
http://remembersingapore.wordpress.com/singapore-railway/