No Happily Ever After

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl get together. Boy and girl split up. In real life, there is no happily-ever-after guarantee. Sad but true.

So, what do you with the detritus of a failed romance: dump ‘em or keep ‘em? Or, better yet, turn ‘em into art. The Museum of Broken Relationships, part of this year’s M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, is a quirky traveling exhibition revolving around the concept of failed relationships and their ruins. The collection of love artefacts from failed relationships, which include contributions from ordinary folks, highlight the symbolism of love tokens and how these items contain the memories and passions of past relationships.

By exhibiting these memory-filled objects, Croatian artists Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisic hope to create a space for “secure memory” and “protected remembrance” through the preservation of our collective scarred emotional history. The artefacts displayed include photos, a bicycle and handcuffs. Intrigued? Head down to the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, perchance to resolve some still-lingering emotional baggage of your own. Singapore is the first Asian stop for the exhibition, which has already been showcased in Croatia, London and Berlin. (Exhibition ongoing, until Jan 18. Admission is free.)

Available at:
Museum of Broken Relationships
Jendela, Level 2

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
1 Esplanade Drive
For details, log onto www.esplanade.com, or www.singaporefringe.com

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BREAKING NEWS! - Go, Go, Go To UNIQLO

I LOVE UNIQLO! The material washes well (trust Japanese quality control), the lines are stylish, very practical and so easy to mix and match. I have at least 10 of their items which rank amongst my favourites in my current wardrobe. From their foldable zip bags (great for carrying your shopping) to their basic, easy-to-match blouses and camisoles to even their amazing body shaping “keep-it-all-in” pants (which I recently discovered only in their Tokyo store), I am a devotee to this brand.

My favourite fact about UNIQLO is that this brand does not emblazon its logo loudly on every possible surface. Instead, each UNIQLO logo is nearly invisible, tucked away inside the garment. Unobtrusively understated and oh so practical! Now that I live in Hong Kong, I find myself a regular at their store which is almost always packed because they sell a wide selection of stylish, high quality, affordable basics.

Well, the good news is that UNIQLO makes its debut in Singapore with an 8,700- square-feet outlet at Tampines 1 on 9 April!!! It will carry the latest lines for Men’s, Women’s and Kid’s collections in a refreshing array of colours. Now that’s worth venturing out to! Their second outlet opens at ION Orchard in early June.

Available at:
Tampines 1 (opens 9 April), a new mall at Tampines Regional Centre next to the Bus Interchange and Tampines MRT station; and ION Orchard (slated to open early June). Store details for two locations to be finalised.

elaine@simplyfabulicious.com

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Oxpicious Picks - Part 1

Every festive period, you can trust the hotel chefs to pump up their creative juices and turn out ever more unique offerings year after year. Some work well, and some just raise eyebrows, but you can be sure they’re interesting and packaged pretty. We’ve trawled through our piles of press releases and highlight some good picks to help you ring in the Bovine Year in style.

Don’t the hotels love to play with raw sea creatures at this time of the year! Look at what Szechuan Court at Fairmont Singapore has turned out! A veritable landscape of delightful faux goldfish made from slivers of salmon and such, against a backdrop of vegetative mountain ranges! As the Chinese fengshui principle goes, “you san you sui” (literally “have mountain have water”) gets you the best chi. Called Szechuan Spicy Ox Vein Yu Sheng with Oceanic Blueberry Sauce ($188++), it's only available at the restaurant.

Available at:

Szechuan Court

Level 3 Fairmont Hotel, Singapore

Tel: 6431 6156

We like the “tropical beach bunny” spin that Peach Blossoms at Marina Mandarin Singapore put on their yu sheng. The Mandarin Salmon and Ebi Yu Sheng with Tropical Fruits ($68 for small, $136 for large) is all ‘holiday tropical’ with passion fruit, chempedak, mango, kiwi and rambutan are tossed with juicy raw ebi (Japanese sweet prawns) and salmon served with fragrant citrus sauce. Eat at Peach Blossom or take it home.

Then there’s restaurant’s Four Treasures Nian Gao ($38) – a pretty treat. Just look at the pic – how to resist? And one must admit, the price isn’t too bad either. Give it away or keep it for yourselves. It contains four small nian gao: yam cake, carrot cake, pumpkin cake and their newly launched Japanese sweet potato with lotus paste and coconut nian gao. Nice.

Available at:

Marina Mandarin Hotel, Singapore

Tel: 6845 1118 for advance orders

(available 12 Jan – 9 Feb)

Small family invited for a very civilized CNY afternoon tete-a-tete at your sun-dappled patio? Consuela’s already cleaned out your best fine china tea service? I’d serve these sweet little macaroons and pralines in oxpiciously chinois flavours of orange and pineapple. And doesn’t the gold just look prosperous? They’re bound to please Daddy! Get them from Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts. (Macaroons at $22 for 12 pieces, pralines at $17 for 9 pieces.)

Available at:

Carousel, Royal Plaza on Scotts

25 Scotts Road
Tel: 6589 7799

But if volume and quantity is an essential feature at your CNY table, Meritus Mandarin has just the thing. The mammoth Celestial Nian Gao ($68) which weighs in at 800g. Yes it looks like a massive mooncake, but it’s filled with nuts galore – macadamia, almonds, pine nuts, peanuts – and dried grapes, then coated a mixture of shredded coconut and flour, and baked. I’d say it’s worth a try if you like nuts. Hmmm...

Available at:

Meritus Mandarin Hotel, Singapore

Deli Booth (Level 1, Main Tower)

333 Orchard Road
Tel: 6831 6262/66

And finally, are you swinging through Hong Kong just before CNY? How lucky you are. But before you catch your flight home, potter over to the famous Yung Kee (well known for its goose) and grab a couple boxes of their super sought after goose liver or preserved pork lap cheong (10 pieces to a half kati, approx $20 or HKG $99). Did you know the restaurant’s got a Michelin star now in the inaugural Hong Kong / Macau 2009 Michelin Guide? So don’t miss this seasonal sausage – forge ahead with those high heels and totter up the hill, now!

Available at:

Yung Kee

32-40 Wellington Street,

Central, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2522 1624 / (852) 2523 2343

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Perk Up! - Get Yourself A Gift

Grim, grim, grim. Nothing but a deluge of bad news for months on end: companies gone bust, job cuts, pay cuts, depression looming around the corner. There’s only so much gloom and doom a girl can take. While there’s no denying the seriousness of the situation, now isn’t the time to sit at home thinking bleak thoughts, gripped by hopelessness and fear.

“FLOWERS” FOR ME

I refuse to cave in to negativity. The dawn of a new year – the Year of the Ox, on Jan. 26 – is a time for hope and change (an end to the bad, and may all good things come to pass) – and retail therapy. I am Singaporean, after all, and the occasional shopping foray is far less harmful than smoking, drinking and fatty fried foods. Belt-tightening and austerity measures are all very well in the greater scheme of things, but it is the small pleasures in life – like the warm glow of satisfaction from a well-chosen purchase or a calorie-laden treat -- that keep us going. Plus the indisputable fact that a drastic reduction in consumer spending would tip the economy into an even more perilous state.

In that frame of mind, I cast aside the money-saving articles dutifully filed away in my Money file, retrieve my dusty credit card from the back of the drawer, and head on down to my favourite new find: Shiroi Floret, a tiny gem tucked away in the basement of Parkway Parade, which beckons with its lush blooms and irresistible bric-a-brac.

I’m not quite sure what I’m looking for, until I see it. There it is: a foot-high, fragile-looking fan coral (dried, not endangered, if you care to know) mounted on perspex, nestled earthily among some dried spices and seeds. The spidery-veined coral fronds resemble a bare-branched tree in winter, stubbornly clinging onto life amid the harsh surroundings. Perfect for our times.

True, the customized piece by Ash and David (fine arts-design lecturer and former mechanical engineer, respectively, who are deeply passionate about their craft) costs three times as much as a live, six-foot fir tree. But it is beautiful. I am thrilled with my purchase. More importantly, my ‘tree’ and all it embodies – resilience, life and hope amid adversity – will last long after the season’s festivities have ended.

You can spend far more sensibly than I did at Shiroi. A simple hand-carry bouquet starts from S$18, and a floral arrangement including local delivery from S$120. Of course, if you’re feeling a little extravagant…there’s that elegant bronze Buddha statue, traditional Burmese lacquer ware, vintage European cup-and-saucer sets, a very English silver cake stand, and other assorted temptations.

Time to get out of here, before I bust my budget altogether.

Available at:

Shiroi Floret

80 Marine Parade Road,

#B1-83M, Parkway Parade

Tel: 6538 8108

Email: info@shiroifloret.com

Website: http://www.shiroifloret.com

lisa@simplyfabulicious.com

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL

Beauty doesn’t come cheap. Who doesn’t want to look good, whatever the weather or state of mind? But there’s no reason to pay full price when there are bargains galore to be had.

More bang for the buck is just what we need in these recessionary times. Best Buy Cosmetics kicks off its Lunar New Year sale with a selected range of skincare, makeup and fragrance items at up to 90% off regular prices. Brands on offer include SK-II, Dior, Chanel, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Clarins and Biotherm.

Best of all, sample sizes are available for sale, and these are great for traveling. The sale runs through Jan. 23. Local delivery is free for orders above S$50. Order online or via phone before 5pm for next-day delivery (note: delivery only on weekdays).

Available at:

Best Buy Cosmetics

Tel: 6747 5162

Website: http://www.bbcosme.com

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Increase Your "Chi"

New year, new start and nothing like a couple of ideas to get you on the road to increasing your personal “chi”.

WARDROBE REVAMP

Time to throw out the old and bring in the new… whether you are shopping for a new look or doing a spring clean on your existing wardrobe .. Mostly Mint is definitely worth a browse as it pegs itself as Singapore’s premier online consignment and resale boutique specializing in designer apparel and accessories that have been gently used, or in some cases, never worn. Think BCBG, DKNY, Tods etc. Prices start from $30 onwards.

The folks from Mostly Mint will also help you resell if you have any designer or branded items to clear. Call them to arrange a convenient pick up or just take pictures of your items and send them in with descriptions. Oh one more thing – AUTHENTIC stuff only, need we even mention!

Available at:
Email: info@mostly-mint.com
Website: www.mostly-mint.com
Facebook link: http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Mostly-Mint/32643767276



ENDURANCE, PROTECTION, LOVE - BRING THEM ON!

Its not just clothes that make the look, it’s the accessories too! Si Rock n Soul has some beautiful and unconventional designs and they use semi-precious and natural stones like agate, jade, pearl, ruby, topaz and turqoise in their one of a kind pieces, each piece offering special significance to the wearer.

Their designer Cecilia Tan is formally trained as a fine jeweler hailing from the meccas of art and design, London’s Central St. Martin’s College of Art and the Edinburg College of Art. Her work is fine, detailed and she has an eye for great pairings. Bring on some positive vibes into your wardrobe with these pieces:

Endurance – Quartz activates positive energy, supposedly enhances endurance and dispels malevolent energy. We recommend the Bronze finished, Amazonite Carved Rose, Smoky Quartz Charm bracelet (7.5 inches in length) at $78 with an autumn leaf, starfish, windmill, an angel wing, smoky quartz and amazonite carved rose.

Protection - Agate is historically known for its strengthening, healing and particularly its protective properties. This beautiful Tiger Eye Agate Necklace (16 inches in length) is $138. Each “heart” shaped striped piece carefully selected to match the next – a feat for the fact that each natural stone occurs differentl

Love – Jade, with its beauty and wide-ranging expressiveness, has held a special attraction for mankind for thousands of years. In China, it was worn only by royalty and in ancient Egypt, jade was admired as the stone of love, inner peace, harmony and balance. We love Si’s signature piece, this pair of Jade earrings in a Gold-filled setting with Chalcedony, Swarovski Crystals on Gold-filled hooks (2 inches in length when worn) at $118.

Available at:
Website: www.sfgalleries.biz
Email: info@sfgalleries.biz

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Toast To The New Year

The New Year parties may be over, but let’s face it, no one really is in the mood to hunker down with work and get real until after the next big public holiday – Chinese New Year. And since world economies are all doom and gloom anyway, we could do worse than toast the new year and hope for the best… A little positive thinking and attitude adjustment will go a long way in lifting our spirits.

WHERE TO GO?

The Keyaki Bar at the lobby of Pan Pacific Singapore may not be the most hip place around (but at 40, who cares? We’ve earned enough ‘hip’ points by now to go where we want to go, rather than follow the masses!), but its star attraction is a special range of martinis and saketinis at an incredible $9.99 nett. We like their lychee martinis - one of the best in town, there’s no stinging on the ‘alcky’ so you’ll probably feel a buzz by the end of the 2nd glass, and with nicely balanced flavours, too. We also like the fact that house wines (they have a very refreshing white, but I can’t remember the name now), beers and other liquors also go for the same price, plus a very suitable menu of substantial bar snacks including a yummy platter of their famous sausages! Plus they’ve recently introduced sake, shochu and plum cocktails (from $18), and a sushi bar. The Sake Alexander is a must-try.

Available at:

The Keyaki Bar

Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore

7 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square

Tel: 65 6336 8111

The chaps at Bodega Y Tapas, adjacent to the Orchard Hotel, claim to serve the best mojitos in town, but they also serve excellent sangria, a good choice of cava, and a dizzying happy hour from 12pm to 9pm that gives you one-for-one drinks for the better part of the day. Fancy a ladies lunch or a lengthy pre-dinner drink session? Toss back some sangria (from $13 per glass, $48 per jug), cava and cava cocktails including a most delightful cava bellini, and nibble on their ‘snacks’ which are pretty heavy stuff – enough to make a light meal. We love the trio of croquettes with green tomato marmalade ($12), platter of Spanish hams and sausages ($18) and Spanish cheese platter ($16), all made by an authentic 27-year-old from Spain. For those who drink lightly, this is one of those rare places that serve wines in tasting portions (6cl) too.

Available at:

Bodega Y Tapas

442 Orchard Road

#01-29 Orchard Hotel

Tel: 65 6735 3476

Finally, teetotallers get some candy at The Conrad Centennial Singapore if they volunteer to drive their happy friends home after an evening of good libation. Let the waiter or the cute bar guy know you’re the chauffeur for the night, and as a reward for staying dry while your friends slosh it out, you get complimentary free flow mocktails for the evening, a complimentary ‘Uniquely Singapore’ lunch voucher for one person at Oscar’s and a campy car decal that says “I’m A Designated Driver” for you to wear with pride. Outlets where you can get this going are Oscar’s, Golden Peony and Lobby Lounge as well as banquet events.

Available at:
The Conrad Centennial Hotel, Singapore
2 Temasek Boulevard
Tel: 65 6334 8888

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CNY Escapes

Ooh! Long weekend alert! Plan ahead, darlings!

Skip town on the night of 23 January (with or without the kids) and stay hidden over the CNY madness on 26 – 27 Jan. That’s 4 days out of town, Ladies! Where to go?

Check out these two packages:

For the stylish and swanky, head up the hills to Uma Ubud in Bali, a to-die-for exquisite COMO resort for a little ‘dirty’ weekend away that don’t we all deserve? Their CNY two-night package starts from US$630 for two with breakfast, a lunch at the Kemiri Restaurant, private airport transfers and an indulgent 60 minute Shambala or Indonesian massage.

The three-night package is more worth it, starting from US$965 with an added three-hour guided tour of Ubud.

The deal starts 7-31 January.

Available at:

COMO resort, Una Ubud, Bali

Tel: 62 361 972448

If you’re lugging the kids, head to Shaanxi in China. Subzero temperatures nothwithstanding, a dose of healthy history may not be a bad thing.

The Grand Park Xian’s 4D/3N Ancient Xian Winter Exploration Tour (S$621 per person until end February) includes day trips to some of the ancient city’s top attractions including the world-famous Terracotta Warriors, and the Hanguangmen Museum which features 1,400 year old artefacts and located near the starting point of the famous Silk Road and a trip to Yuanjiacun town for a taste of the countryside. Other goodies include breakfast, a gut-stuffing 11-course dinner of Xian delicacies, and for an additional S$120 you get to go a-skiing at Xian Cui Hua Mountains.

Available at:

The Grand Park Xian Hotel, Shaanxi, China

Tel: 86 29 8760 8888

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Lessons In Kindness

Some months ago, I found myself grappling with a particularly slow receptionist. I was asking her to connect me on the phone to somebody in her organization but instead of helping, she in turn asked me as slew of absurd questions: where is this woman right now? do you know if she is busy on the phone currently? could tell her exactly where she was at that very moment within the building? Is she in the pantry or at her desk?

How in the world would I know?! I lost it – freaked out in speechless exasperation, I walked out in a steaming huff, pulling the daughter along with me. She had witnessed the whole thing.

“Such a stupid woman,” I grumbled. “And did you get a good look at her moustache?”

“Mummy, it wasn’t a moustache,” came Mei Ann’s solemn reply. “It was just darker skin.”

I am not particularly religious but sometimes, I think the Higher Being up there communicates in less than mysterious ways. And this time, the big smack on the side of my head came in the form of my daughter’s words. “Maybe she didn’t know how to look for that woman you wanted to see. But at least she tried,” the daughter finished.

No, Miss Moustache didn’t try. She just stood and stared. But who was sounding petulant and spoilt here? Sigh. It shocks the system to be admonished by a nine-year-old, it was indeed true – upper lip follicles or not, it was a mean thing to say.

I have been given many unexpected lessons in kindness from Mei Ann over the years. A sweet little soul, in her young mind, life is black and white. That it’s the inside that counts, not so much the outside; that we shouldn’t be mean to other people; that effort should be praised. Aren’t those things we taught her that we in turn have quickly forgotten?

These ‘lessons’ from her have come on many occasions – the Moustache Incident being but just one.

When I grumble about a mistake the maid made, the daughter has replied, “Maybe she doesn’t understand. Maybe she didn’t go to school like you did.”

When I tried to doodle along with her and said I couldn’t draw for nuts, she applauded me for trying. “It’s good, Mummy,’ she insists. “At least you’re trying.”

Moments like these, I am reminded – like a sack of potatoes to my head – that I should be equally encouraging when I am trying to teach her math or Chinese, that I should be kinder to others like Miss Moustache, a bit more patient, a bit more forgiving, a bit more accommodating. A bit more like Mei Ann.

eewaun@simplyfabulicious.com

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Delectable Deals - Duck and Dim Sum

Considering that a main course at a swanky western restaurant can cost you over $45, we think the seven-course Peking Duck dinner menu that The Fullerton Hotel recently rolled out is fine dining at desperately great value.

At $58+++ per person, we especially like the tender skinned Peking duck pancakes, supremely smooth truffled chawanmushi (yums!), Peking duck with luscious foie gras and the aromatic, delicate pineapple fried rice with duck and crab meat.

It’s mod-Chinese cooking in the super elegant, old world interior of Jade Restaurant. Don’t forget to accompany the dessert - luscious smooth chilled almond pudding with gingko nut, snow fungus and papaya puree – with a pot of the restaurant’s special chocolate tea ($18). Very heady, subtly sweet, richly aromatic and so so unusual.

Nice! Now if only the chef will just vary the menu once in a while…..

And if you haven't already heard.....

Jade Restaurant is also serving up weekend dim sum buffet lunch on Saturdays and Sundays (11.30 am – 2.30pm) at a gob-smacking $28++ per person. 

The food’s cooked a la minute, and the 23 varieties of dim sum is more than adequate with a decent dose of creative morsels tossed in - Taro Paste wrapped with Truffle and Mushroom, Abalone Siew Mai, Steamed ‘Xiao Long’ Bun, Steamed Shark’s Fin and Scallop Dumpling, Beef Ball with Sun-dried Orange Peel…this is just a teensy little taste. 

The menu also offers some really slurpilicous double-boiled soups that you really shouldn’t miss - We tried them! We know! – even though it’s limited to one bowl per person. (No seconds….sigh!) Just a note of caution though – Chinese tea starts at $8 per person…so drink with care. Oh, and finally – MUST make reservations! MUST!

Both Menus available at: 

Jade Restaurant 

The Fullerton Hotel Singapore 

Tel: 65 6877 8188

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Pret-a-Portea at The Berkeley

Off to London with the girls? Start the new year with a taste of edible glam at The Berkeley in Knightsbridge’s Autumn/Winter 2008 Pret-a-Portea collection (daily until end February). 

Served in The Caramel Room, fuddy-duddy English biscuits, meringues and cakes get a designer makeover, inspired by the season’s latest catwalk designs. Just look at the pics! How can we resist? Expect fashion-forward nibbles like Prada lace Valrhona dark chocolate crème, accentuating the current couture lace trend; Smythson yellow “Maze Bag” banana Madeira cake, the must-have accessory of the moment; and Christian Louboutin “Pigalle” green glitter shoe biscuit. And it’s as authentic as it can get, for the Berkeley pastry chefs visit London fashion week to get inspiration before hitting the dough.



And if that’s not enough frou frou, you can also get Pret-a-Portea gift cards complete with pink tissue-lined envelops! So jump on that plane darling, forget the Queen and make a beeline to tea. (Psst! Pret-a-Portea isn’t too painful with its £35.00 per person price tag, or £43 including a glass of Laurent Perrier Champers.) 

Available at:

The Berkeley, 

Knightsbridge, London 

The Caramel Room 

Tel: 020 72356000 

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