In late March, I was hunting down accommodation for my visiting boyfriend, but it was quite an inconvenience for friends and family since it could be a tad awkward, so I turned to Airbnb and Roomorama for options that are homely and more affordable than most hotels. My very innocent boyfriend found Hotel 81 on the internet and said it sounded like a good deal, and I was like, well… it’s not quite what you think it is, babe.
Coming from his countryside dwelling, he is used to dead quiet surroundings with lots of trees, which is also a preference of mine, and so we looked for a place that is away from the hustle and bustle, full of greenery, with a good view and ideally a swimming pool. Our budget per night was around S$100.
And we found this treasure on York Road.
I’ve always wanted to see what it’s like living in a black and white house, and this experience fully satisfied my curiosity. Costing exactly S$100 a night, excluding a S$20 cleaning fee, we found it to be great value, and pretty much what we were after. The hosts were also very hospitable, and they have a lovely cat and dog.
The weather was exceptionally warm during that week we stayed with them, and we could understand why their cat was always lounging around. We felt exactly the same way.
We didn’t end up using the pool, which was a bit of a missed opportunity I guess.
If you live in Singapore and are after a staycation, or if you know of someone coming to town who would appreciate a living space like this, you can find its listing here.
Some months ago, I was brushing my teeth and wondering why light bulbs are so inefficient and how we have to throw them out when we’re finished. Also some of them contain mercury, which results in another environmental issue when trashed, and the lightbulbs contribute to mounting waste in landfills.
So I googled for the world’s most energy efficient lightbulb, just to see where we’re at, and I found this.
And I decided to back it. If all goes well, I’ll receive my lightbulb in a few months.
Since then, I’ve been visiting crowdfunding site, Kickstarter from time-to-time, to find out what innovations are on the market. Recently a Singaporean acquaintance listed his bamboo bicycle business on the site.
I decided to back it because I love that his Bamboo Bee bicycles are made from bamboo and it is a natural bicycle, it also provides for the livelihoods of bamboo artisans. And the product is beautiful, I recently saw it at the launch of co-working space, Ecosystem. If I had a spare US$800 lying around, I would buy one for myself. From US$600 on their Kickstarter page, one can get a complete single speed bicycle, although there will be additional costs for shipping outside of the US. The crowdfunding exercise is still open for a few more days, so if you wish to back his cause, visit Bamboo Bee’s Kickstarter page here.
Another project that I’ve backed is the Landfill Harmonic documentary. Watch their video below.
They have 18 more days to reach their goal, and they are short of US$20,000. Every dollar counts, because if they do not hit their intended amount, they will not receive a single cent. So far, they have raised $155,000. You may back them here, if you wish to.
If you like helping others and don’t mind contributing monetarily to start-ups, check out Kickstarter and Indiegogo. There’s also Launcht, which supports social enterprises, and Three Revolutions, which supports agricultural projects, although the latter doesn’t have many projects listed at the moment. You can also consider loaning money to people who do not have access to the traditional banking systems, a couple of microfinancing sites you can consider include Kiva and Milaap.
I was recently invited by PARKROYAL for a staycation at their recently launched hotel on Pickering Street. They have received much positive media response and I was keen to stickybeak their eco building, which is BCA Greenmark Platinum certified, and has many environmentally sustainable features, like green walls, sky gardens, double-glazed windows, recycling bins, LED lighting, solar panels, and energy-efficient devices.
Clever architectural design here also helps in lighting and cooling the building and in turn, saving energy. PARKROYAL on Pickering allows plenty of natural light into rooms, most corridors and lobbies in the daytime, while the building is kept cool and well ventilated by the way it is shaped, and foliage surrounding the building helps cool it down also.
Brenda joined me, and we both enjoyed our stay very much. We were given a corner room on the 9th floor, which meant we had sweeping views of the city. We used this time to relax, and gather our thoughts for the year ahead.
Brenda and I spent a good part of the afternoon by the infinity pool in one of the colourful birdcages and had a short swim. We had the pool to ourselves for a while, so we could splash about without getting in anyone’s way. Also located on this floor are the gym, St Gregory spa, and outdoor seating for work or leisurely purposes.
The terrace design features strongly throughout the building, as you can see from the following photos. I was told that the inspiration came from rice padi terraces.
Here is their restaurant, Lime, where I had breakfast and lunch. For breakfast, I prefer cereal and/or bread, so I wasn’t very adventurous. Plus I am pescetarian, so I avoided the cold cuts and other meat. For lunch, there are a few stations, each serving western, Asian and Japanese cuisine, and let’s not forget the dessert counter, which I saved a lot of room for. Of course I had to try the tiramisu and kueh lapis, which are my favourite desserts.
Business travellers who are after some privacy for business meetings and a quiet place to work can pay a bit extra to gain access to the Orchid Club Lounge. There were some nice desserts on display when I popped in to have a look.
For more photos, please check them out on Instagram.
I was recently asked to recommend 10 green spaces in Singapore, and it has been featured on the PARKROYAL Hotels & Resort’s Your Local Connection app, and can be viewed here.
PARKROYAL is now running a giveaway titled “Trade for a Trip”, and participants will be in the running to win a two night stay at their desired PARKROYAL hotel. The contest closes at 23:59 of 17 May.
To participate, visit this website and share 3 personal picks on things to do in one of these cities: Singapore / Kuala Lumpur / Penang / Saigon / Sydney / Parramatta / Melbourne. Nine winners will be selected at the end of the contest. Good luck!
In the last couple weeks that I’ve spent in the Byron hinterland, I’ve watched two movies that really stir the mind to question our existence and purpose.
Samsara looks at birth, life and death, and is a series of visually captivating and brief videos teamed with beautiful music and no narration, while Cloud Atlas looks at action and consequence, where characters live out different roles and different lifetimes.
I have to admit that I fell asleep momentarily while watching Samsara because the music was so relaxing, and I was a tad tired that afternoon. There was lots of beauty and realities featured, which made me question, “How did humankind get to this point where there is so much inequality and disfunction? Since when was it okay?”. In the work that I do, I already am aware of lots of disfunction for the drive for money and the impacts it causes on society and the environment, but this movie conveys it all in a passive manner, yet it is very confronting. In the movie, there are a lot of activities performed in groups, yet there is also a lot of division.
Cloud Atlas, which was screened in Singapore almost two months ago but has just started screening in Australia, speaks a lot about connectedness; how we are all connected, and how our actions result in consequences that change the future for oneself and others. As usual, the movie can’t always incorporate all the details in the book, and after reading the wikipedia entry on this novel, I’m so interested to get a copy of it, which has never quite happened before. I found the plot so intriguing, that I’m even going to watch it again once it goes to DVD.
Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Doona Bae, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, and Susan Sarandon play various characters, if you can recognise them through their make up. Halle Berry as a Caucasian and especially an Asian was quite mind-blowing, as was Doona Bae as a Caucasian. I didn’t realise till the credits rolled. My favourite character is Tom Hanks as the Irish thug. One has to pay careful attention throughout the movie to get it all.
The theme of karma is also very strong, and there is a lot that is said or not being said if you read between the lines. Spiritual messages ring through the plot. Some resonate more strongly for those who believe in reincarnation. Many spiritual texts, not necessarily religious, say that there is no past or future lives, but that we have parallel lives and each action taken in this lifetime affects the other, which is what seems to be conveyed in the movie.
Each moment, characters have the choice to take a positive or negative action, which results in the ascent or decent of a soul, and this also impacts future generations. Some characters have chosen to stick to a certain archetype throughout their lives, such as a ruthless leader, and they keep doing the same thing over and over throughout all lifetimes, unless they choose to take positive action, and they will break free from the pattern. There is an infographic of the movie and its characters if you care to look for it, it helped me understand the movie better.
A friend of mine posted this on Facebook, and it’s too true. Man is the most destructive species on earth and we are just pilfering the planet in the way it suits us, not seeing how we are so disconnected from ourselves and others, destroying our health and future in the process. We need to look at long term progress, where the focus is on happiness and not economic gain.
This is a great video and a must watch, and must share!
While I have an Instagram account, I haven’t been using it religiously. I hold a 3rd generation iPod and the photos don’t turn out so good, and so of late I’ve been using my boyfriend’s 4th generation iPod and Instagram account instead. Here are some photos we’ve been taking around New South Wales.
At the beach, with my recent hair cut. It’s rather short. It feels a lot lighter and it’s just in time for the Australian summer. We are at The Pass, in Byron Bay
The “open” sign at Utopia cafe, where we sometimes eat/drink while surfing the internets
Olives with ciabatta
Some dolls we saw in Byron Bay
I made some wholewheat bread buns today, using oat milk, honey and olive oil as part of the recipe. It was pretty dense, and filling to eat. Fresh bread is always nice. Recipe coming soon!
I’m not a gifted artist but I love the odd doodle. I found this free Paper app on the App Store and installed it on my boyfriend’s iPad. I was seduced by the other effects such as watercolour, colour pencil, pen, outline, and the colour blender, and AUD$11+ later, it wasn’t so free after all.
I’ve been having so much fun with it that I’m now considering a stylus so I can doodle more “precisely”. It picked up an Apple Design Award this year, and it’s easy to see why when you first play with it. It’s a great business and play tool, and I’ve to add that it is quite forgiving for those who aren’t artistically inclined.
Doomsday Preppers has been airing for awhile now on the National Geographic Channel, and it’s interesting to see how some Americans have been taking precautions in case doomsday comes around.
The possibility of catastrophes have been weighing on my mind and I’ve watched other documentaries on this topic. I wouldn’t say that I’m being paranoid, but looking at climate change, acts of God, acts of man, it’s hard to say.
Summer is about to hit Australia, and Dan and I have been getting a whiff of the hot sunny days that will soon be upon us. We went to the beach this week, and I decided to make a video.
