Nov 21, 2008
Nov 25, 2008
Dec 2, 2008
Dec 5, 2008

Shopaholics Alert! Shopaholics Alert!
The Great Singapore Sale is on! Well, not now i guess. But every year, when the sale is on, the entire city of Singapore is transformed into a land of sales whereby all shopping centers and retail shops island-wide would offer up to 70% off items! This is a much anticipated event as the whole island is filled with irresistible discounts and offers. (Oh Germ and I declare this the best event in the entire history of Singapore! But we are biased.)

Shoppers can start their shopping along Orchard Road before venturing into the heartlands. Take your time to shop as the shops would be extending their closing time till late every weekend during the Sale. If you’re a tourist, here’s some good news for you: There are tourists’ privileges that is inclusive of extra benefits and rewards; this would definitely make your shopping holiday much more enjoyable.


I always thought that the months of the great Singapore sale are always the best months of the year. Just imagine, walking around town and seeing every retail store with big posters shouting out to you “up to 50% off!” wouldn’t anyone be tempted to just walk in? I would always walk in empty-handed and walk out with many bags filled with shoes, clothes and accessories! All at a cheap price!

So come on down to Singapore during the great Singapore sale! We can assure you that there would be great buys! Whether you are a certified shopaholic or just someone who’s in need of retail therapy, just head down to Marina Bay and start buying! Every year credit card companies take advantage of this event, line up tons of promotions and privileges. This year it was especially rewarding if you had your MasterCard with you, it would be more rewarding for you with all the different benefits offered by the card.

So now, take out your diary and mark down the dates for a wonderful time of shopping! Hope to bump into you guys on the streets of Orchard Road.


Credits:
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/staff/voices/0605/calendar.htm

Where to go if you are an avid plant lover? Well, the best place to go would be the Singapore Garden Festival! This is a show event held once every two years and it’s a joint event by National Parks Board and Singapore Tourism Board.

Germ and I attended the garden festival in July as we were attracted to all things green and pretty. (Germ: It’s us again!) and there was like a big crowd of people. It was so crowded. Who knew there were so many avid people interested in horticulture?

These were the three main highlights of the festival:

• Trade Exhibition

A display area showcasing the latest technology, products and services from the industry

• Conference

It’s a forum whereby people discuss the upcoming trends. This facilitates knowledge sharing

• Technical Visits

Educational excursions providing insights as to how the Singapore City Garden vision was came up with

For people in the industry, there are even conferences to help you stay in touch with the emerging trends in the market.

To say the truth, I was super reluctant to go to this festival, (Germ: she got dragged by me!) because I was never into the idea of looking at plants and flowers but after going to this garden festival, I definitely did not regret my decision as it was indeed an eye-opener for me!

We only managed to visit the Trade Exhibition though. But it was enough for us to feast our eyes and noses upon.

Landscape and Fantasy Gardens
This sector showcases creations by award-winning designers from all around the world and all the different kinds of garden decorations really amazes me, everything looked so pretty! If only my house had such a beautiful garden like that, but I am sure it’ll cost a bomb to actually make my garden so pretty. Not to mention the fact that my house has no place for a garden.

the “Season of Mist”, the work won a Silver Award under the Fantasy Garden category of the SGF Awards 2008, captivated us the most.

It’s so unsual and gorgeous.

another display. I forgot the name of it. But personally, I think that this picture does not do it justice but when I saw it, I just had to stop for a while and just stand there for a few minutes. It was so serene and breathtaking. Just listening to the water flowing in the pond and the koi swimming made me feel so relaxed.

Floral Windows to the World
These were colourful and vibrant cut-flower displays and floral masterpieces with stunning set design and lighting by international floral designers. All the displays here completely blew us away. (I had to drag Gen away from the displays, because people were giving us the evil eye from blocking their views.)

Singapore Orchid Show
Delightful showcase of Southeast Asia’s rich and diverse heritage of orchids. Now, we know why Singapore chose the orchids as our national flower. We never knew how unusual and delicately pretty these things were.

Garden Fiesta
A host of educational, recreational and entertainment activities catering to the public, families, serious gardeners as well as hobbyists. There were interesting performances that entertained us while we were looking and staring at the flowers.

Vibrant MarketPlace
There was also a wide array of plants, gardening and landscape products and services, and arts & craft.

There was a sector on landscape and fantasy gardens and it showcased some of the top creations by award-winning designers from all around the world. There were so many pretty little flowers we wanted to buy, but our wallets were kind of empty, not to mention, I seriously doubt anyone of us had green thumbs.

Gen and I cannot wait for the next Singapore Garden Festival Expo that will be held in 2010. We hope you’ll be there too! ^^

A slideshow of photos for you to feast your eyes on.

Credit:

http://www.singaporegardenfestival.com/expo2008/event.html, Jewel Kwong

Are you a food-lover and looking for something different to do during your visit to Singapore? The Food Safari might just be the thing for you! This ‘food theme park’ lets visitors explore the sights, fragrances and tastes of new and interesting food and beverage from different cuisines all at one destination.

Venue: Suntec Convention Centre Hall 402-404

Date: 14-16 November 2008

Time: 11am to 10pm

Admission is FREE

At this food carnival, produced and organised by Sphere Exhibits, you can try out cuisines from 15 countries such as Turkey, Africa, Korea and Thailand; 100 food exhibitors presenting everything from Saudi Arabian prawns to speciality Spanish cured meats. You can also join celebrity personalities at the Food Safari Trail that explores an international ‘village’ filled with diverse culture, fun and flavours.



Food editors, columnists and renowned critics Wong Ah Yoke , Teo Pau Lin, Tan Hsueh Yun and Thng Lay Teen of The Sunday Times, will demonstrate and present their favourite dishes to the public, accompanied with our food celebrity Violet Oon. Mr Wong (in the photo below), whipped up claypot lo shi fun, a type of rice noodle that looks like rats' tails. His twist to the dish came in a dash of XO sauce to give it a Singaporean flavour, since the locals 'need their chilli kick'.

The event will also feature a cooking competition to be held over the three days. Sphere Exhibits has teamed up with the Singapore Chefs' Association, Violet Oon Consultants and International Enterprise (IE) Singapore to host The Safari King Culinary Challenge, which is open to all Singaporean young and aspiring chefs under 30. They competed to come up with the most unique Singapore dish.

Furthermore, interested parties can take part in numerous culinary workshops that cost $5 per head each. Each workshop is limited to 40 participants and range from French Dessert Making and cheese tasting to tea pairing and appreciation, and how to host a party. Such great deals are just an enhancement to your trip, what more are you waiting for??

The event will also feature a sector with kitchenware, home appliances and electronics on sale at special Food Safari prices. They also introduce interesting food such as the metre-long pizzas and premium Spanish jamon Iberico (below) for people to sample and buy direct from the supplier.

Those who want to take a break from the action, you can head to the Watering Hole, with a seating area for people to dine and chill out with live salsa and African tribal music, over cold beer, wine, cocktails such as the Singapore Sling (below) or just a cup of coffee.

There were more than 250,000 people attended this year, which made the event a successful one. If you missed this event this year, DON'T miss it again in The Food Safari 2009!!

More information available at www.thefoodsafari.com.sg/

The biggest and most exciting beach party in South East Asia is back again this year! ZoukOut 2008 is returning this December to mesmerize all with a fusion of music, dancing and festivities.

This party will aim to bring everyone from different parts of the world together to have fun and bond together till sunrise on the beautiful Siloso Beach at Sentosa. A party that allows open-toed footwear and basically anything you would wear to a beach from bikinis to tank tops, board shorts to singlets.


This year's ZoukOut is also starting earlier to allow everyone to enjoy the beautiful sunset together and with all the entertainment for the night, you will want to stay till the next day for the sunrise and have the best of both worlds!

Homegrown bands and DJs as well as others from all around the world will be spinning discs, strumming guitars and basically playing good music from the past and the present on Siloso Beach. Mesmerizing lighting coupled with great music, this is definitely an event that one would not want to miss.


My team and I were there last year and the beat of ZoukOut 2007 is still ringing in my ears today. I can still remember the mesmerizing art performances before sunset and the crazy music that was to follow after sunset. Many famous DJs from all over the world rocked the whole beach alive and for one moment, I could feel the coconut trees on the beach swaying their leaves, joining us in a rhapsody of music and dance.

Althought worn out by the time sunrise arrives, everyone was able to end the night in a more serene and peaceful way by gathering together to watch the sunrise even though some eyes were barely able to be opened. For me, there is no climax or main event in ZoukOut because every moment is a great moment to me and every minute is packed with something exciting. All I can do now is countdown to this year's ZoukOut.


ZoukOut is definitely not about the music and dance but it is more of a festival for all to savour. There will also be out-of-this-world performances from acrobats, carnival rides, drumming lessons, food vendors and even the premiere of the World's Largest Control Kite which is one of the highlights in this year's event.


For those of you who are not too familiar with the beautiful island of Sentosa where Siloso Beach is at, fret not as this is a highly accessible venue. Just be at Harbourfront on mainland Singapore which can be reached by the very convenient MRT service via the North East Line and everything gets easy. From there, there are buses, light-rail and even by foot for those who feel you need to warm up for your dance moves at the event!

By sunrise, you can follow the same route as how you got there to get back to mainland Singapore as the first light-rail train leaves at 7am. Well, my suggestion or things to bring in this event will probably be a little pouch to put money and your mobile phone. Try not to bring anything too bulky as you do not want to party while carrying something bulky. Also, there will be bag checks conducted and you are not allowed to bring your own alcohol into the venue. For myself, I guess I will just be wearing bermuda shorts with enough pockets to put whatever I need.

Information aside and a little more about the event to make it shine even brighter in your eyes. In this year's prestigious Singapore Tourism Awards 2008, ZoukOut 2007 was awarded with the coveted "Best Event Leisure Experience". So what are you waiting for? Come on down to Siloso Beach on the 13th of December and we will party with you there and have the best clubbing experience of our lives! I am ready for ZoukOut 2008, are you?

Ticketing Information:

Tickets are available from Friday 24th October at the Zouk ticketing booth or through phone bookings. All major credit cards are accepted, call +65 67382988 or fax + 65 67383988 Office Hours Tues–Sat 10am – 3am).

**$38 Advance Happy Hour tickets **entry to ZoukOut venue before 9pm only. Limited to 2000 tickets,available at the Zouk ticketing booth only.
- Live Fresh DBS Visa Platinum Cards enjoy 15% discount off tickets

$48 - Advance tickets (up till 12th December)
- Live Fresh DBS Visa Platinum Cards enjoy 15% discount off tickets and all other DBS/POSB Credit Cards get 5% off

$58 – Event Day tickets on 13th December available from the Zouk ticketing booth (all day) and at the venue (from 6.30pm onwards)
- Live Fresh DBS Visa Platinum Cards enjoy 15% discount off tickets and all other DBS/POSB Credit Cards get 5% off

Advance tickets are also available at www.sistic.com.sg all SISTIC authorized agents, SISTIC Hotline: +65 63485555, and at HMV Heeren +65 67331822 and Citylink +65 62387218.

Minimum age of entry 18, photo ID required to gain entry.
Note: The entire Zouk complex will be closed on this night.
*This is a rain or shine event. Swimming is strictly prohibited during the entire event.

More information available at www.zoukout.com