A Special Place

Just at the end of my street lies a pocket of nature known as Fort Canning Park. It's steeped in history dating back to Singapore's inconsequential existence as a fishing village in the 15th century. This 60m hill was known as Bukit Larangan (Forbidden Hill) when Stamford Raffles set foot on the island, and subsequently became the site of his first home.

One afternoon last week, I was looking to retreat from the bustle of my city home and decided to spend a few hours in the quietness of Mother Nature. And I couldn't have wished for a more private oasis.

Fort Canning was home to my father during the years that he was based in Singapore as part of the Malaysian signals in the 1960s. On his last visit here, Daddy discovered that his barracks had been converted into the visitor centre, while his offices are now part of the salubrious Fort Canning Hotel.

I spent a lovely afternoon sitting on a wall hidden under a canopy of trees quietly thinking about the past, present and future. I counted my blessings, thought about my business, sang a few songs and was even inspired to pull out some oil pastels to capture the moment.

That afternoon, I found one of my favourite places in Singapore.

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

Potato Head Beach Club

I sneaked a quick trip back to Candidasa, Bali in May this year with seester Li Ki to catch up with old friends and make new ones. While propped up at the bar one evening, we heard rave reviews about a new club called Potato Head in Seminyak. Having been sorely disappointed by the arrogant service at Ku De Ta several years ago, we were a little hesitant about this one.

We were pleasantly surprised!

A stunning facade of colourful screen doors greets visitors at the entrance of Potato Head

The Infinity Pool is a great place for kids to frolick

Sunset views of the Seminyak horizon from the bar

The drinks, food and service staff were all superb! We had the undivided attention of Oka, a waiter who anticipated our every wish and catered to every need (almost!). Li Ki and I thoroughly enjoyed the day out at this new club and will definitely be back the next time we're in Bali.