I love Durians

Can you imagine driving 350kms from Singapore to KL, resting a night, then driving another 400kms to Penang to stay a mere 48 hours? What would possess Aunty Jo Jo to do something as manic as that? DURIANS of course!

Its durian season in Penang and I had to be there for my ang heh (red prawn) and D24! Yumms..

And of course, I got to spend some time with Mum & Dad too! :-)

ArtScience Museum

The ArtScience Museum opened in early 2011 without much fanfare in Marina Bay Sands complex in Singapore. Which is rather a shame since there are three amazing exhibitions being held simultaneously

• Dali - Mind of a Genius
• Van Gogh Alive
• Shipwrecked - Treasures from the Tang Dynasty

Dali - Mind of a Genius

The word "genius" is often an overused cliche, employed by amateur art critics to window-dress their shortcomings. However, in Dali's case, it is well-deserved. I have always found his surrealist works rather disturbing until I began to understand his masterful use of imagery.

Soft clocks are the hallmark of Dali's work, and they often appeared in his dreams. The reason they appear as soft is because he views time as soft, fluid and cyclical. Unlike most of us who just declare that there are 60 minutes in an hour - hard and fast facts that would have anguished the genius of Dali. He once declared "...as for clocks, they would have to be soft, or not be at all!"

I was introduced to other religious themes in his sculptures such as this work representing Adam and Eve, as well as angels on snails.

In many of Dali's works, butterflies often symbolised the soul. These delicate nature of these female sculptures are reflected in the dainty butterflies they hold aloft.

Apart from sculptures, Dali was also a painter and furniture designer. I thought the furniture exhibition looked rather IKEA-ish, but stood to admire for almost 10 minutes anyway because it was so artfully mounted on the wall and ceiling.

Van Gogh Alive!

Words cannot do justice to this thrilling exhibition. It needs to be experienced, not just seen. Van Gogh is one of my favourites and to see his works projected on 40 giants screens accompanied by some of the best classical pieces is breathtaking!

Standing in front of these Irises projections, I felt as if I'd been magically transported into a spring day in Tuscany!

Sizzling skyline

Singapore's skyline has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last two years, thanks to the emergence of Marina Bay. The entire complex is breathtaking, be it day or night. And it's such a pleasant place to go for a walk, far from the madding crowds of Orchard Road.

View from Lantern Bar at Fullerton Bay Hotel