Singapore | 24.06.10

Those are pretty much all the photos i'm going to post up for Singapore. Yeah, I know. It's not much. But as I said, it wasn't much of a sightseeing vacation for me. So, there was very little posing in front of buildings and phototaking. Shopping was the name of the game, and we did just that. And of course it was awesome. The weather was for the most part, cloudy which was great in keeping out the heat. It did drizzle on occasion but not heavy enough to drench us. Food was mostly had in the malls, I mean let's be honest, I wasn't particularly aiming for a gastronomic expedition in Singapore. Although, I wanted Katong laksa so badly. Maybe someday, I would be more prepared and return to Singapore to do all the touristy things I missed out on.


Stay tuned.

Singapore | 23.06.10

I know I haven't been posting day pictures of Singapore. It's because I just think Singapore is so beautiful at night. Well, that and the fact that during the day, we were mostly hibernating in the air-conditioned confines of the malls. I'll try to post pictures of Singapore during the day in my next post.


Stay tuned for more pictures.

Singapore | 22.06.10

My last trip to Singapore was nearly 20 years ago. Hence, I have no recollection of that island nation. And since then, I haven't been back there. The only memory I still have of Singapore is the swimming pool of the hotel my family and I were staying in. I just remembered the pool. That's it.

Sure, I have been to Changi Airport during my layovers, but I've never had the urge to set foot onto Singaporean earth, to which I now fully regret. My recent trip to Singapore was beyond my expectations. It blew whatever perception I had about it right out of the water and in it's place was the image of an incredibly developed nation, systematic in its everyday life, glossy in its exterior and fast on its pace.

Incredible shopping malls with floors and floors of shops that I could spend countless hours in. And the streets are filled with stylish people taking large strides towards their future. The buildings were diverse and modern, the transportation was efficient; The streets, clean; The people were lookers; And the escalators were tuned a little faster then the normal ones in KL.

One thing though, this trip of mine was more of a shopping trip than a sightseeing one. Which is why, by the end of the trip, I was already wondering when could I ever come back here again.


Stay tuned for more pictures from Singapore.

Redang Island | 09.06.10

Our whole group vacation was a joyous ordeal filled every minute with fun, jokes and smiles. I feel as though this trip brought us closer than ever before. Why hadn't we done this before?

We stayed in chalets on Redang Island. Basically the cheapest we could get, although it came with 3 snorkeling trips and meals throughout the day which kept our schedules packed and our stomachs filled. But of course what I was really there for was the company. Nothing, not even the slight drizzle on the last day, the slightly below-average chalet conditions or even the fact that I lost my contacts could have hampered my euphoria. It was just that simple: I was in good company.

This is a scheduled post because I'm trying to keep you guys entertained with pictures while I'm gone for a short while.


But fret not, I'll be right back.
Stay tuned.

Redang Island | Night

Redang Island | 08.06.10

Day 2 started with a subtle sunrise amidst the heavily clouded skies. It was a day filled with activities. I only managed one snorkeling trip for the day because while swimming, I accidentally lost one of my contacts and had to wear my glasses for the rest of the trip. So, instead, we decided to build sandcastles and wade in the not-so-crystal clear waters.

Pure island bliss.


Stay tuned for more.

Redang Island | 07.06.10

Our Redang Island vacation was the culmination of the 3 years we spent together in our diploma course. It was a gathering of sorts before we part ways and carve out our own paths towards the future. The time we spent in college all these years would have been impossible without the company of each other and I wish to thank everyone who have shown me such kindness and embrace and have inspired me in their creativity and work and those who manage to put a smile on my face.

The 4 days 2 nights trip was a highlight in my calendar. There wasn't a moment without laughter and not a moment without euphoria. We talked, we shared, we ate and drank, we played, we swam and basically did everything together with the wind, sun, sand and water as our backdrop. I shall post pictures and just pictures in the coming posts. There is nothing else that could better express the emotions than the faces in the pictures.

Stay tuned for more.

Zaha Hadid, Why you do this to me?!

Rewind a few months back and I was still happily trotting down Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. And my visit there happened to be in conjunction with the beginning of the Burnham Pavilion exhibit where architects Ben Van Berkel (of UN Studio) and Zaha Hadid put on display a sculptural pavilion which was supposed to run from late July to sometime in October if I'm not totaly mistaken. I managed to molest catch a glimpse of the one by Ben Van Berkel:

- Ben Van Berkel's Burnham Pavilion



- under the undulating structure

But the one by Zaha Hadid was unfinished and unfortunately delayed for so long that I didn't manage to see it. I only saw it while it was still in it's construction phase:

- Still under construction: curved steel tubes create the structure



- Synthetic fabrics stretched over the skeletal steel frame

And now, the thing is like totally done. Not only is it finished, it's mysteriously attractive and just tugs at my curiosity begging me to explore the structure. Its synthetic fabric-like skin stretched over an organic steel frame of confusing dimensions. Oh, why did I miss this:

 

Stay tuned for more.

OMG Japan! : Misc

These are the last of the Japan photos i'm planning to blog. So, please enjoy.

These are some of the other sites we visited but I could not cetegorize them in any one area, so let's just file these under the misc section.

- 21-21 Design Site which houses a gallery and cafe and is designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando.



- The cafe entrance.



- Precast concrete slabs for walls



- GA gallery, a gallery/bookstore



- Along some random street at night while exploring the suburbs



- Tokyo International Forum building



- Walkways



- Looking down from the higher floors



- On one of the connection bridges of the forum.

Stay tuned for more.

OMG Japan! : Ginza

Ginza is fantastic. How could it not be since it's the shopping destination in Tokyo. Unlike Omotesando, Ginza has a wide combination of stores ranging from fashion to food and departmental stores. And the prices span from affordable and economical to high-end. So there's something for everyone. I was fortunate enough to visit the Muji store there even though I spotted it by chance and wasn't planning to go there in the first place. But I soon found myself completely won over by Muji's 'brandless' concept. No Frills. Things there are affordable and to some extent, very reasonable.

The only let down for me was not being able to go to Uniqlo. Uniqlo is one of those affordable fashion stores, similar to H&M. When I was there, they were preparing for the launch of Jil Sander's collaborative effort with Uniqlo, the +J collection. I would have loved to shop the line as well as the other things available. I was actually planning to pay a visit to Uniqlo even before the Japan trip. But because we had such a tight schedule and we kept missing out on the stores, I wasn't able to visit the sore let alone shop there. Now I'll just hope Uniqlo makes its way to our shores.

Pictures!

- Ginza



- Louis Vuitton building by Jun Aoki



- Mikimoto by Toyo Ito



- Dior



- Swarovski's glimmering facade



- Inside Muji



- At Ginza, Tokyo



- From the middle of the road



- Along Ginza

Stay tuned for more.