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Saturday, August 29, 2015

SG50 Golden Jubilee Weekend

For the first time in our short national history, we had a 4-day long Jubilee Weekend from 7 - 10 August 2015 to celebrate our 50th year of independence.

2015 is the year when you see the SG50 logo and term everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE in CAPZ. Discounts, promotions, campaigns, events and the likes are all held in the name of SG50. The term was so overused that someone (either in annoyance or in jest) created the Singlish hashtag #SimiSaiAlsoSG50 which loosely translates to "whatever shit also SG50".

Well, this 4-day long weekend was the best SimiSaiAlsoSG50 event that all Singaporeans welcome. It was certainly a well-deserved break for me.



[Photo taken by my friend, Paul Christian]


~*Jubilee Weekend Day 1*~

The first thing I did during the Jubilee weekend was to replenish my sleep. I went home that Thursday night and slept like a koala drunk from eucalyptus juice till the afternoon and had late lunch with the hubz at Chock Full of Beans the next day.

Oh yes, I painted my nails with the Singapore flag theme in mind but failed miserably.




We were feeling patriotic and were all decked out in our national colour - red and white! My red was not the right shade but I was saving the top with the right shade for National Day itself.




After having a 3D kitty drink on my own the other time at CFOB, I was excited to choose another character for my mocha. I requested for Totoro from the options that the server gave. I had expected a melancholic Totoro but this Totoro looked kinda like he was high on drugs.




From our prior experience, we assumed that the limit of only one 3D latte foam art per table still held and that the rest of the art would be random. Hence, the hubz did not bother stating any character preference. Imagine my utter amusement when the server came with My Melody for him!




The hubz wasn't very amused as you could see. I had the time of my life making fun of him the next few minutes. To be honest, we felt that the server should have had higher situational awareness. If the lady of the table requested for Totoro, the server should have told the barista that the other order belonged to the man of the table and to choose a character suitable for a guy.




As usual, The Destroyer loved to destroy art...
As for me, my Totoro self destructed. ie, it fell apart before I could even snap 473047336 pictures of it.




Ultimate Swiss Rosti!




At our new home...
You know what our interior designer friend told me about our inbuilt wardrobe?
"Tell your friends that you have a walk-in wardrobe. You open the sliding door and you simply walk into your wardrobe. There, a walk-in wardrobe."




I ended the day with bullying my BIL's cat.




~*Jubilee Weekend Day 2*~

I ended the previous day with bullying The Cat and started the next day with The Cat bullying me. She photobombed me when I was trying to take a picture of my Asics.

Just so that I don't embarrass myself on social media by revealing the fact that I was bullied by The Cat, the caption for this on Instagram was:
"You could tell that the focus was really The Cat 🐱 who was photobombed by the shoes 👟👟."




The sky was overcast and perfect for running even when it was approaching noon. But once I started jogging, the sun beams peered through the grey clouds announcing their arrival. Then, the dam in my nose called Sinus started leaking and by the 15th minute, my chest was hurting from sucking in too much. I can't run for nutz but I try my best to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I'm no longer that girl who loved to run back in school. I'm the middle-age lady who struggles with a 15-minute run and with Silver Peanut.

I can't believe how patriotic I am. Even my running attire is in red and white, or rather white and red.





~*Jubilee Weekend Day 3*~

National Day falls on this day, 9 August. Happy birthday, Singapore! I'm all decked in red and white again and this time with the right shade of red.




As usual, the hubz would be involved in National Day. Instead of squeezing with the millions outside on this day, I had arranged to go back to my family home to watch the National Day Parade (NDP) on TV with my parents.




I brought my work laptop with me to finish up some work while watching the NDP.




I simply love my parents' cooking! Simple, delicious and healthy. Somehow, the lotus root was in the shape of a heart that day.




Since we are on the topic of food, here are some favourite local dishes that we ate over the weekend.

Nasi Lemak -- My favourite local dish back in school!




Otah!  Love it when the whiff of otah permeates through the air and lulls me to the direction of the makeshift otah stand. Often, they smell better than they taste so when they taste just like they smell, those are really ho eh (good)!




Adopting the SimiSaiAlsoSG50 mentality, I handed these to my parents. This must be the most #SimiSaiAlsoSG50 "bonus" that they would gladly welcome.




After the screening of the NDP, I met up with Tiffany and Paul for some post NDP fun around the whole Marina Bay area. This arrangement was so spontaneous and I'm so glad she managed to convince me to go out. I had lots of fun imbibing the post National Day late-night revels.




Acting stupid since 1989... Wait was that when we first knew each other?



We had wanted to do a 50 years of Singapore History walk around the whole Marina Bay area. What better way to start the night with old school wafer ice cream! So we had chocolate mint, nata de coco and chocolate chips but they all tasted like durian!!!




Let our ice cream sandwiches powers combine!




As part of the effort to light up Marina Bay, there were 50 specially designed light-installations around the Bay, taking the shape of the numerals 1 to 50. Each had a panel of contents that highlighted the major historical event of that year. Our main agenda that night was to discover these 50 light-installations. We started from 50 and walked down memory lane. The whole walk took about 2 hours and it was certainly good work out!




We had to shift barricades and sneak in through metal gates just to get some shots (since it was late and closed to public) but the mini adventure (and chasing away by securities) was well worth it.




There were lots of road closures and we had fun standing in the middle of the road to snap a picture with Fullerton Hotel. We also managed to catch the start of the 8-minute long music and visual display right when we reached the front of the hotel.




Entitled “A Celebration of Our Heritage”, the spectacular show showcased iconic moments that took place at the Fullerton Square and would play every night from 1 - 9 Aug. Tiffany and I were glad gto have caught this on the last night! This is an anigif I made. You could watch the whole video here.



"The spectacular show will showcase significant moments in Singapore’s history, taking viewers through decades of our nation’s triumphs and tribulations on the façade of our well-loved landmark. Taking place on the evenings from 1 to 9 August 2015, watch history unfold in fabulous 3D detail – tracing the early days of The Fullerton Building as the General Post Office, through a 50-year walk down memory lane as told through postage stamps, before culminating with a dramatic finish to mark Singapore’s 50th birthday." - Fullerton Hotel website




























After all the acts kindness displayed from Singaporeans from all walks of lives during the last time majority of Singaporeans gathered together, we were surprised to see volunteers handing out free bottled waters to the revellers by the bay.




The Merlion was spewing booze after a night of wild merrymaking.




The Singapore flag light display from the Fullerton Hotel continued to stand out amongst the towering skyscrapers of the financial district.




It was the first time we walked on this portion of the The Float @ Marina Bay. As I walked, I pretended to be waving to the audience as Tiff shot me an "I dunno why am I hanging out with you" expression.






Call me suaku but that was the first time I stepped onto the Helix Bridge.




We completed the walk!




Paul was nicely booted out from the picture so that we could have a photo of the full Dragon Playground. My fondest childhood memory of one of the dragon playgrounds was when my cousins and I used it as our base to fight the mean neighbourhood kids. My older male cousins gave my younger female cousin and me pebbles to throw at the kids while we hid in the covers of the dragon's body. Yeah, that sounds mean but they were even meaner to us.




We celebrated the end of National Day by indulging in unhealthy local cuisine like Maggie Goreng and Roti Prata.






~*Jubilee Weekend Day 4*~

I spent the last day of the Jubilee Weekend bawling my eyes out as I was hit my the realization that the 4 days had whizzed by just like that.





~*Post Jubilee Weekend Outing*~

That Tuesday after the Jubilee weekend, Tiff and I caught The LKY Musical.




It was a rather last minute buy and we were seated right on top. What drew me the most initially was the wonderful multifaceted set and then after that Adrian Pang blew me away. From where we were sitting, it was difficult to make out facial features. Adrian Pang certainly do not resemble LKY physically but I swear I could see a young LKY on stage. He managed to capture the speech and gravitas of LKY almost to perfection. I particularly love this review a lot as it articulates my exact sentiments.




After the musical, we hung out at High Society for some tea and cakes... and coffee.




This rose cake is phenomenal!





Totally decadent!




Tiffany looked so good in her red lipstick while besties being besties, that's the best photo she snapped of me!




And then after that week, all jubilant feelings came to a halt as I picked up speed on other busy areas of my life. I've been drowning in the sea of "God knows what I'm busy with" recently! Catch up with you peeps soon!

40 comments:

  1. Fun pictures! You and your hubs are so adorable! :) Looks like you had a great week! :D You guys always get to eat the most delicious looking things! I am also very jealous of both of your 3D drinks! lol!

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    1. Thanx for your sweet comment, Anna. I wished I could send you a virtual 3D coffee art over to you!

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  2. Lovely post, have a beautiful weekend dear! <3

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  3. Omg! You still blog! I love this! As you can tell, I have a new blog yet again, but I think I'm going to stick to this one. It's pretty fun!

    xoxo,
    Abby

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    1. Yes, Abby. I would still be blogging for now as it has since become my hobby. I'm just a little sad that I don't have much time for it recently. And I'm soooooo happy to see that you have a new blog and gonna stick to it. I'm so gonna follow you after this. Glad we are still connected on Instagram!

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  4. I miss the famous ice cream sandwich. :D
    That drinks look too cute to drink though. The art is amazing. :)

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    1. Ah, did you use to eat those kinda traditional ice cream sandwich too?

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  5. ohhhhh that 3D latte looks too cute to drink! haha. It's always so fun to see that you are always having fun Jo! :))

    xoxo, rae
    http://www.raellarina.net/

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  6. I don't think I ever saw a 3D latte drink before! It looks pretty cool...and your hubby looks so funny rolling his eyes- so what if he got a cute drink with a female character? if life gives you 3D drinks, snap a photo and drink them:)

    It's good to know you had a lovely golden jubilee...watching the celebration at home with your parents is something I would have opted for myself...but later on (in the evening or another day of the weekend?) you also went out, so that seemed like fun too. I guess in life it's all about balancing...and sometimes we do need to sleep like a coala!!!

    You and your husband looks so cute in your red and white outfits...how nice to celebrate the national day by wearing national colours...and evening choosing a red and white combo for jogging. Croatia is often symbolized by red and white as well, more specifically red and white chess pattern that has been our coat of arms for a long time. Our flag is red, white and blue (like more nations in Europe , only the order of colours varying). I went to read about the meaning of Singapure flag on the wikipedia and suprisingly I found more information on the Croatian version of the article than the English one. I would have figured it would have been the other way around. For example, English version says :'The elements of the flag denote a young nation on the ascendant, universal brotherhood and equality, and national ideals.' while the Croatian version explains what the colour red and blue mean as well as what the crescent and every individual star symbolize.

    As usual the food in this post looks yummy, especially those cakes (I'm craving sweet at the moment)...and you bestie does look cute with that red lipstick....and how adorable is that cat??

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    1. Hi Ivana, Yeah, it was a funny shot all right. Should have seen our expression when we saw the My Melody character for his drink. Oh on National Day itself, I went back to my family home to watch the parade with my parents and it was on the same night that I went out too. We were exploring the whole area where the NDP took place and imbibing the post NDP ambience.

      My jogging attire happened to be in white and red. Lol... I wasn't that patriotic. I wouldn't have expected the Croatian version of the article would have more info on our Singapore flag than the English version! That's so perplexing. Always great to learn new things from other people across the globe!

      Thanx for your interesting comments always. I look forward to reading them!

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  7. Wow great photos. You look so cute btw. Followed you via GFC!

    Lou of, Steal the Style

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    1. I love seeing newcomers here and thanx for the follow. Will drop by your blog soon!

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  8. Hello Jo! Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada, and thank you so much for visiting me via Launna's blog and for leaving me such a kind comment.

    Your photos are lovely! The food looks so good, and you look beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing. :)

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    1. Hi Linda, Thank you for popping by here and for leaving me a note. =) Hope to connect more with you!

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  9. the drinks look so adorable and so are you both! looks like you had a blast!

    Lyosha
    Inside and Outside Blog

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    1. Hi Lyosha, I love seeing newcomers around. Thank you for your comment. =) Hope to connect more with you!

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    1. Hi Vanessa, I love seeing newcomers around. Thank you for your comment. =) Hope to see you around more often!

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  11. Beautiful pics of an exciting event. Your DH looks so cute rolling his eyes, but you're right, the barista should have known better. Thx for sharing these precious moments with us.
    xox
    Lenya
    FashionDreams&Lifestyle

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    1. Hi Lenya, It was a funny shot all right. Should have seen our expression when we saw the My Melody character for DH's drink. Thank you for dropping by.

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  12. Hello Jo! Ah, this sounds like a lovely and very important event for your country and I see you had such an amazing time and fun! The 3d kitty drinks made me so laugh, especially the one Kh got lol! Your friend Tiffany looks really stunning in red lipstick, tell her! And, what about the wardrobe in ur new home? Speechless!! xo

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    1. Hey Lilli. Yup it is very important as we celebrate 50 years of independence this National Day. It may not seem like a huge thing to many huge nations around for long but it is huge thing for a small nation like us. I've told Tiff what you said!

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  13. Oh that husband of yours Jo! Hehehe! I feel like I know him so well from your Instagram captions and FB tete a tetes! I love the walk in robe ;o) it's actually a very cool way of seeing something with rose tinted glasses (as they say). I'm pretty sure your BIL's kitty was LOVING the attention. I smoosh my poochies face all the time and let me tell you, she lurves it! Ice cream sandwiches that tasted like durian?! Isn't that that "smelly" fruit?! I've never tasted nor smelt it per se, but heard horror stories hahaha! I've noted your love for it, so I hope I don't offend you with my snobbish, fussy-food-eating ways. Humans are stubborn and resistant to change and I will forever embody that when it comes to food dislikes ;o)

    Sxx
    www.daringcoco.com

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    1. Hey Sonia, Hahaha... That's a nice way of knowing how my hub is like. He always says I portray him in such a bad light on social media. My BIL's cat isn't a very loving cat. I wished she would be more affectionate but yes, she might like attention. Yes you are right! Durian is that "smelly" fruit. Oh you still remember. No worries, I'm not offended. I'm very sure you would dislike durians.

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  14. This sounds so amazing and important for your country, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. All the food looks tasty and your new wardrobe is perfect!! I hope you have a great day xx

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    1. Hey Kizzy, I suspect my new wardrobe isn't enough for all my clothes and that I would need to use the wardrobe space in another room. Hehehe...

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  15. Hi Jo! I laughed hard to your hub's face haha. The 3D coffee drinks are so cute! You still look so good btw, and seems that you had an entertaining jubilee weekend! Hope you're doing fine, girl! Kisses!

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    1. Hey Sany, Definitely doing fine other than bz-ness and the being upset that I can't blog as often. Gotta catch up with you more! =)

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  16. What a happy and proud time the Jubilee celebration must be for everyone in your country Jo! And it looks like they go all out as well. It looks like you had so much fun with different activities for every day. You definitely know how to make the most of your off days don't you haha :) This reminds me of July 4th in the US but I don't think the festivities are quite as grand and we only get one day off. Red is a great color for you btw!

    Thanks for taking the time to catch up with me. I really appreciate your kind words girl! Believe it or not I was feeling like I was in abit of a rut with my blog awhile back but then all of sudden, the ideas and events kept coming and I have my editorial calendar filled through Sept. My Rena & Ian history post keeps getting pushed back but I promise it will be up sometime. They seem to have some fans ;p

    Oh yes I watched The Myth a long time ago. I know the actress you're talking about. It's Kim Hee Sun. Yes I like her and she's a beauty - natural too! Now that you ask I haven't featured a full editorial with her but she was in a compilation I posted once - http://www.rolalaloves.com/2013/11/eye-candy-11-of-16-muses-for-harpers.html# She used to appear more in the media before she got married and had a child.

    Hope you're having a fantastic week!

    Rowena @ rolala loves

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    1. Awww... Rowena. You could never be in a rut for your blog. I really really admire you for churning out such great posts and when you shared with me about your blog editorial calendar once, I was impressed. Your blog is such a joy to read with varied themes that all fall in place. Really nicely done.

      Yes our National Day is equivalent to US 4th of July! However it is a grand affair for us this year as we celebrate 50 years of independence this National Day. It may not seem like a huge thing to many huge nations around for long but it is huge thing for a small nation like us.

      I'm gonna read that blog post about Kim Hee Sun after this!

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  17. Oh wow, you certainly packed a lot into your four-day weekend, Jo! The 3D latte foam designs are beyond adorable, I love how you painted your nails with the flag and the Helix Bridge looks so lovely illuminated at night - you can feel the atmosphere throughout this post :)

    Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice
    x

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    1. Thank you, Gabrielle. Yeah... Our first 4-day national holiday in years and I find that it passed way too quickly. I think I packed quite a bit into it.

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  18. Oh you really did managed to get into that spirit and spend your 4 days well! I've never in my life been to any parade, whether during a practice or the actual. I've considered it now that I'm older but I really love the view at home!! I loved those 3D lattes! I've seen that place on a couple blogs before or in a magazine but have never visited, I really want to now seeing them again! Love how the hello kitty looks like its melting the more you drink it! Also that Nasi lemak looked great, I love the sweet spicy sambal and also I'm craving for a prata or murtabak right now!! Glad to see that you got to spend some time with friends, I recently have managed to spend a bit more time meeting up with friends and it really perks up my week!

    Oh and about the fondant and my birthday cake! The key apparently is to NOT keep the fondant in the fridge in the first place. I was advised by the bakery that the fondant is not to be refrigerated otherwise it will eventually become soft and so far I've kept my figurines in a box in my room and they are just as hard and dry as when I first got it more than a month ago! I hope they last for a while, they are too cute! Also, you look brilliant being a decade older than me Jo!! I hope to look as youthful still and as slim in 10 years!! I've always been on the fat/chubbier side growing up but I still have a bit of extra weight to shed but haven't really got into an exercise routine yet!

    And yes, you totally won't need to look up how to pronounce my chinese name!! I'm glad! I've had lots of people pronounce my name is "lynn" because there's no 'g' at the end. Also I managed to use that passport up until fall of last year when I applied for a new passport! I had been told many times by immigration at OTHER countries that I needed a more up to date photo but I wasn't going to get a new passport when I had 10 years validity on mine! (although that photo was taken when I was like 12...HAH, so I understood why I was asked to) Anyway, thanks as always for stopping by my blog! Take you time to catch up with your blogging! I tend to do it in big chunks, it's my relaxing time!

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    1. I've always enjoyed reading your comment, Sharlynn. I've been to a preview and an actual NDP once. Believe me, you would love the atmosphere! Of course there are things to zoom in clearly to be seen when watching on TV so there's a give and take. Haha... you mean the Totoro? It feel even before I drank it! That's really bad. The last time, my kitty was quite firm and could last till the end if not for the hub destroying it with the straw.

      Oh yes... my bad! Now I remember that we are supposed NOT to keep the fondant in the fridge. I'm recalling my fondant cake and yes, the figurines really lasted so long outta the fridge. Though something always gnaws at the back of my mind -- how can something so sweet be untouchable by ants and other crawlies? It makes me wonder there's anything so toxic about fondant.

      I've to be really honest and say "more than a decade". Lol... ok now you know. Diet plays a huge role other than exercise. But then again I believe in not dieting, but rather to eat everything in moderation while enjoying food. I started modifying my diet to be more balanced and exercising coz of health and vanity and then I started loving this healthier lifestyle. I hope you would be able to embrace it when the time comes for you to want it!

      I gotta catch up more on blogs, definitely especially to people who matter like you!

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  19. Sorry that you caught a stomach bug, it never feels so good when stomach bug hits you. The only best thing to fight a stomach bug is to drink a lot of liquids like Seltzer water helps me fight it off. I hope you get better. Your food post look amazing Jo, I wish I can eat and not have to worry of my weight. I try to train myself to jog as much as I can. Anyway hope you had a great summer.

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    1. I'm so glad to see you here, Cynthia! I think your comment is meant for the post after this. Thanx for your concern. I had to google "Seltzer water" to know what it is. Hope we continue to see each other in our blogs. It is summer all year round in Singapore and I'm so jealous that everyone else I know on blogosphere are going into fall.

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