SAM // 8Q

"There's nothing to do in Singapore." 

Yes, I used to be one of them. Those individuals that had this notion that there was absolutely nothing interesting to do/see in Singapore. And it didn't help that I never considered stepping out of my bubble to see what Singapore had to offer. 

However in light of my upcoming departure from this little red dot, I figured that it wouldn't hurt to give exploring my home country a chance. So in the weeks to come I'll be picking up my trusty DSLR, boarding countless trains and buses, hitting up local attractions and documenting them all here for your viewing pleasure. #cherylsingaporetravelogue

Started our adventure at the main SAM building where we caught exhibits from "After Utopia". The entire exhibition was centered around timely questions about our ideas of the perfect world or society — Singapore.

The exhibits begin in the garden, reminiscent to Eden - the very first utopia. It then explores urban life, our modern day utopia through the likes of HDB flats, peek-a-boo metal cabinets and massive  art fixtures made out of metal and wood.

Follow the winding stairs up to the second floor where you will be greeted by a grounded flying machine that leads one to question our generation's obsession with technology and power. 

"Legacies left" offers visitors a glimpse of the bitter aftermath of social contracts and political promises. Extremely thought provoking and eerily creepy (at least in my opinion), "Summit" involves leading leftist political leaders brought together in the face of death. It's message could not be more clear - The ideology of communism like it's fearless leaders are simple cadavers preserved in lifeless shells.  

Last but no least. "The way within" speaks to how Utopia is found within oneself and the exhibits feature various individuals and their journey of  discovery their own inner sanctuary. 

The entire exhibition successfully captured the essence of deep theological questions with a pinch of good simple fun allowing it to be one that was thought-provoking yet spirited.

Here's a few key questions for you to ponder about:

"Where have we located our utopias? How have we tried to bring into being the utopias we have aspired to? How do these manifestations serve as mirrors to both our innermost yearnings as well as to our contemporary realities – that gnawing sense that this world is not enough"

The atmosphere at 8Q was a lot more lighthearted with three floors of floor to ceiling doodles, rooms filled with colorful yarn and lovely macrame pieces as well as a life sized candy house accompanied by it's very own backyard full of "sweet trees". "Imaginarium" is truly a place for everyone to rediscover their inner child and to start dreaming once again. So that's exactly what we did, we let our hair down, doodled on walls, jumped on the bicycle generators to make music, caught short films in the theater and most importantly took awesome $2 Photo Booth pictures.

Destin and I were both absolutely famished by the time we had completed our museum adventures. So we settled for lunch at the standing sushi bar right outside 8Q. Their "Puff the Magic Dragon" sushi is such eel-ly, avocado-y goodness and I am 100% smitten with it.

T'was a good day and I'm excited for new exhibitions to come up so that I can revisit SAM again.

20 for Twenty

20 facts about me

#1 ENFP.

#2 Currently taking a gap year before university to find myself and to plan for the future. The idea of being an academic year behind all my peers used to really affect me but I have learnt to embrace this sabbatical period. The time off really gives me the freedom to explore my options and to think things through before making any major decisions and I'm really thankful for that :)

#3 I loveeeeeee kids <3 Been serving in the children ministry at my church ever since I was 11 years old and it just makes me so happy and proud to see all the precious little ones growing up.

#4 I am a "great outdoors" kind of girl. Yes, I know that I don't look the part most of the time because I'm constantly seen in dresses and heels when I'm out and about but I grew up in this organisation known as Royal Rangers that has equipped me with all the necessary skills to survive out in the wilderness. Lashing, fire craft, camping, orienteering, wilderness survival etc., you name it and I can probably do it. I am also pretty sure that I got my adventurous spirit from my countless rangers expeditions too.

#5 Someday, I am going to take 1-2 years off and just travel the world. That being said, I really love travelling and I can't wait to jet off again soon. Upcoming trips include Hong Kong, Thailand, New Zealand and Korea.

#6 I am a grade 4 in ballet and a grade 5 in piano but I can do neither now.

#7 I am a shopaholic and I own way too many clothes, bags and shoes for one girl. Because of the magnitude of my closet, my friends have nicknamed my closet "Narnia".

#8 At times, I find it really hard to put thoughts that are running through my mind into actual words. hence the massive hiatus on my blogs at times.

#9 My love language is quality time and touch. I love hugs #justsaying.

#10 I consider Hong Kong to be my second home country. I guess people are what makes a place feel like home and after spending 7 months interning in HK, I certainly does feel like home. I am always grateful for the friends and 'family' I have there and I can't wait to return to my second home to be with them once again.

#11 Photography is something that I started getting into about 1.5 years ago and I am glad to know that my pictures have been really well received so far! That being said, the lengths that I will go to for a great picture can be a bit extreme at times... And also I take pictures of everything and with everyone, that's why I have over 10,000 pics on Facebook.

#12 I used to be a really awesome runner (IKR.) I would represent my 'house' in 4x100 relays or 200m runs and I would come in top 10 - 15 in the level at cross country runs in my secondary school days. But sadly, I think that phase of my life is over because I really hate running now.

#13 I am very particular with what I eat and unfortunately, I have to agree with my mum that I have very expensive taste buds because I tend to eat pricier foods than most people do. Trying to work on changing this because it will be so much healthier for my wallet.

#14 Sentimental gifts > Expensive gifts any day. Because it's really the heart behind it that matters the most and I am a sentimental person.

#15 I am OBSESSED with the sky. I love watching sunrises & sunsets because there is just something about them that brings me a great sense of hope and promise and the beautiful colours remind me of God's amazing creations. Stargazing also captivates me every time because there really is nothing quite as lovely as a sky full of stars. My idea of a perfect first date? A nice al fresco dinner where we can watch the sun set into the horizon and see the moon and stars filling the night sky.

#16 I have always been a nerd at heart and I actually do like studying and gaining new knowledge. That's why I took 9 subs in secondary school even though I knew I would be heading to poly, and that's why I spent my free time in school working on science experiments. The part I hate about the Singapore education system though is how it emphasises on results rather than knowledge which is pretty unacceptable to me. Learning should be fun and enjoyable, not stressful and sad.

#17 This is quite embarrassing to admit but I'm one of those girls that will get all emotional when watching movies, tv shows or reading books and will end up crying along with the characters. I do find it rather interesting because for some weird reason, I feel emotionally attached to the people when I know I shouldn't be simply because they are fictional characters but I can never stop myself from getting emotional. Oh, and I feel really sad whenever a movie, show or book comes to an end because it seems like I'm saying goodbye to a friend forever.

#18 For a tiny person, I have an awesome liver and a super high alcohol tolerance. This has been my saving grace so many times especially since business dinners and negotiations often involve massive amounts of hard liquor.

#19 I believe that my calling in life is to serve the less fortunate and therefore I have shown massive interest towards missions. It honestly is a life long journey and every step of the way I am always grateful to have supportive friends and family to support my endeavours.

#20 I am turning 20 in 4 days time :O It's really kinda crazy how I've been alive for 20 years now, and as sad as I am to say goodbye to my teenage years, I am actually really excited to see what the future holds for me. Time to grow up Ryl <3

Bipolar

Ello from S'pore! The weather here of late has been incredibly ... bipolar. In the span of a day, it can go from sweltering hot temperates of 33 degrees to thunderstorms and bone chilling winds repeatedly.  So yeah, it makes dressing up these days quite a challenge because I never know what kind of weather I'll be encountering that day. But on the bright side, the cooler weather means I can finally bring my lovely jackets and coats out of storage and put them to good use. The end of the year makes me especially nostalgic about Hong Kong and since I can't physically be there right now, I went for the next best thing - open air rooftops. Rooftops reminds me of Hong Kong the most simply because of all the time I spent on top of 15 storey buildings when I was there. On good days or bad days, the rooftops were always my place of solitude and somehow I've started to make a habit out of it. Having the sun beam down on me plus the euphoric feeling I get when I look down just makes me feel like I'm at the top of the world and in those moments, I swear I am infinite.

P.s. Many have been requesting me to do blog posts on my expeditions in HK and I'm going to try to do so but I'm still figuring out how to proceed because it all was so long ago and I don't want to mess up the timeline of my blog. So bear with me in the meantime while I work out the details :)

Travelogue : Japan I

I have a confession to make, I have a slight obsession with catching sunrises/sunsets when I'm cruising at an altitude of 35,000 ft, therefore I booked my flight for 2am in the morn and chose seats that were facing east ;) The lengths I go to to satisfy my obsessions. And I'm glad to say that it definitely paid off, the sunrise was absolutely breathtaking and I was completely enthralled.

Upon arrival in Narita Airport, we took the Narita Express to Tokyo Station before transferring to Akihabara to check into our hotel. Made some changes to the original plan which was to check out the Tokyo Imperial Palace and Ueno Park on day 1, however we decided to just grab a nice lunch/dinner (dunch?) and explore Ueno before heading back to grab some zzzz's.

Got woken up bright and early due to some tremors from an earthquake in the area so we decided to make the best of it and headed down to the Tsukiji district for some fresh sashimi from the Tsukiji Fish Market. Stuffed ourselves silly with all that market had to offer, especially the bowl of sashimi goodness *drools*. Following that, we made our way to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku to take in beautiful panoramic views of the city. Sadly, it was a really cloudy day and we were unable to spot the Tokyo Tower and the elusive Mount Fuji from where we were :(

Since we were in Shinjuku, we decided to go on the hunt for the ever so famous Ichiran Ramen. So after much google mapping and navigating, we found the shop and got our hands on some piping hot bowls of ramen. AND CAN I JUST SAY THAT THE RAMEN IS SO FREAKING INCREDIBLE???! Something about their amazing broth just gets to me every time, and honestly I'll never feel the same about ramen that I'm getting in Singapore anymore.

After that hearty meal, we took a train to Harajuku to visit Yoyogi Park. Embarked on an alternate, less touristy route into the park and this is the part that I love about travelling; how for that moment in time, you're experiencing a foreign culture for yourself. Honestly, you can do all the research you want, hear all the stories that others have to share but nothing will ever be able to replace the moment when you get to experience it all for yourself. How it was like weaving through the small little neighbourhoods in Tokyo, having friendly locals cycle past you on their bikes and greeting you with the smiles on their faces, witnessing a traditional marriage ceremony and being able to celebrate with the family, these are the moments that I treasure the most when I'm on the road.

Ended our time in Harajuku in Takeshita Street, taking in the extensive cosplay culture and crazy street styles all whilst I went on the hunt for Angels Heart Crepes. Yes, this is actually a thing on my bucket list "#166 Eat Angels Heart Crepes at Harajuku", and no my bucket list does not consist of shallow things like this (rofl.) And now, I can proudly say that I can strike something else off my bucket list :) #simplejoysoflife

Shibuya was the last stop for the day and I wanted to try my luck at capturing the infamous Shibuya Crossing, so like all other tourists, I camped out at the Starbucks facing the crossing and waited for the magic to begin. I have to admit that it was all quite captivating, seeing the empty streets being void of cars for a split second before being engulfed by a sea of people. After a good 20 mins, I finally broke free from the attraction of the orderly chaos and headed to Shibuya109 for some retail therapy :)

Was probably most excited to visit Hakone during this trip because I heard so many amazing things about it and I'm glad to say that it certainly did not disappoint! Have to admit that it was quite unfortunate that some of the areas in Hakone were shrouded in fog though, but hey when life throws you lemons, you take those lemons and make some darn good lemonade, so I ended up photographing beautiful fog pictures instead and I have fallen head over heels in love with those pictures! 

Started the day taking the train up to Hakone, kudos to the train drivers for working so hard, having to switch posts everytime the tracks reverse (Y) And our first stop was Hakone Gora Park to check out the lovely hydrangeas, azaleas and blossoms. Following that we took a bus down to Lake Ashinoko where we visited Moto-Hakone. Was so enthralled with the Red Torii in Lake Ashinoko that I ended up spending quite a while just sitting there whilst watching the boats go by. 

Following that, we boarded the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise towards Togendai. And the ship was supposed to offer the most spectacular views of Mt. Fuji, but once again the elusive mountain was hiding behind the fog and mist. Got my natural high fix when we took the Hakone Ropeway back up towards Owakudani where we got off to visit the volcanic valley and sulphur springs. Breathing in the sulphur tinted air, having Kuro-Tamago accompanied with the splendid view that Mother Nature had to offer definitely helped me end my day on a high note.

There's so much more to see in Hakone, but sadly we had to leave to catch the final ropeway back to the train station. Will definitely make a trip back here if I return to Tokyo in the future.

If you ever do make a visit to Hakone, do so in Spring during the Cherry Blossom season to catch some beautiful blossoms or in Fall when the leaves change and the entire place turns into a stunning autumn wonderland. 

Keep checking this space for Part II <3