Book City

There is a building in Bras Basah Road next to the National Library, known as Book City to the generations of Singaporean school children. Amongst the many book stores in that building, there is a cool book store called "Basheer Graphic Books" and they specialise in books on architecture, design (interior, landscape, fashion, product etc), art and craft and photography. They carry a very comprehensive range of such books and magazines and one can just spend hours browsing and getting lost in the dazzling array of design books in there.

There's also some cool products like lomo cameras, origami-making sets and a humorous set of real plywood stickers which you would stick on convenient locations like your mobile phone in case one needs to "touch wood" for superstitious reasons and one can't find wood conveniently! Next time you are in the area, remember to drop in to check out all the cool stuff in the book store.

Vintage Online Shop

Vintage lovers in Singapore are simply growing. Many young people who are setting up their first home are turning to vintage furniture and housewares such as clocks, drinking glasses, candy trays to make a statement. Retro designs are classic and the quality of those products which have lasted the last 30, 40, 50 years are proof that they are well-made and have stood the test of time.
Ipreloved Reloved is a cool online vintage shop that my partner-in-grime, K and I have set up together since mid March this year. We also have a Facebook page where we aim to have a gathering of the like-minded especially in Singapore. We stock vintage wares that are in good condition, sometimes even mint condition as we get new old stock and items which have probably been sitting proudly in a display cabinet and never been used by the owners because they "couldn't bear" to use them like this half dozen 1950s drinking glasses with gold/gilt rim and printed purple and black floral design from Sydney.

Another popular vintage category of beauties we offer is retro handbags. Why pay $80 or more for a vinyl handbag which is available at all the departmental stores? Why not spend the same amount (or less) on a well-made and uniquely designed bag which will definitely get you compliments and a demand to know where you got it. If you are selfless and kind, you will tell them you got it at Ipreloved Reloved, a cool virtual shop in Singapore!

Yan Kit Swimming Pool/ Duxton Plain Hill

Yan Kit swimming pool is the first public pool to be opened in Singaopre. It is on Yan Kit road, a little hillock where Duxton Park is, behind Cantonment Road, near to the Pinnacles, the tallest HDB blocks in Singapore. So I guess it is in the area of superlatives - the first, the tallest etc!

Yan Kit is after Look Yan Kit, a wealthy and popular Cantonese dentist who migrated from Hong Kong to Singapore in 1877.

The art deco pool may have been disused and closed for years, but it still brings back lots of childhood memories for me. I used to visit the pool every once in a while, I was about 4 years old and still remember the snack of a rice dumpling with sweet sauce mum used to buy on the way home after a swim as we walk through the unique walkway tunnel that runs under Neil Road. I can smell in the vestiges of my mind, the tobacco leaves as they undergo processing in the nearby factory, where plumes of white smoke would be pumped up through the chimney and we would be able to see if from the pool. Perhaps that accounts for why I actually like the smell of tobacco leaves in a cigarette although I hate the smell of cigarette smoke!

Go check out the architecture of the old pool before the authorities decide to pull it down for yet another condominium development in this prime district. The area where the pool is situated, Duxton Plain Park is a lovely place to have a wander. There are big old mature trees and benches to rest when you get tired. Heritage shophouses back into the park so you can admire the old spiral staircases and other architectural features.

This makes for a nice little walk around a heritage area, end your walk with a cold drink at one of the old coffeeshops nearby.

Helix Bridge

The Helix Bridge which links the Marina Square/ Esplanade area to the Marina Bay Sands is one cool structure, mostly stainless steel and glass. Designed by a team of Australian and Singaporean architects, the Bridge affords you a great view of both sides of the water - the old CBD side with the familiar skyline, helmed by the Fullerton Hotel (old General Post Office), and the new side with the distinctive design of the Marina Bay Sands casino and hotel. The Bridge lights up at night with the contribution of the lights of the Singapore Flyer in the background.

Furniture With Character

Folks who are setting up home in Singapore and looking for cool furniture, read on.

For people who:-

1. do not want a whole house decked out in Ikea or Courts

2. have a love for nostalgia

3. are looking for furniture pieces with a bit of character

4. do not have a huge budget to blow

5. want friendly service and a free beer when furniture shopping

you need to check out Likethatone. You will probably need a map or a GPS to get there as it is tucked in the boonies amongst HDB (housing development board) flats and in a light flatted factory area, but it is not difficult to get there on the PIE (I think) and parking is plentiful and free on the weekend.

The stuff is way cool, with mostly Mid-century local pieces, some of which have had a creative twist added to them by the proprietors. There are so many pieces that are just calling out to me to give them a place in my home but unfortunately, there is the real life issue of space constraints (and of course budget). The folks at Likethatone have a great eye for fabrics and the new upholstery on the armchairs, wing chairs, sofas and stools are often enough of a motivation to want to make those pieces a part of your home.

They have also inspired me to get a move on to restore my own 2 1960s teak armchairs. My family couldn't quite believe how these babies now look as compared to the last thirty plus years we remember them in their old and horrid state sitting forlornly at my mum's house.

A little inspiration, a little imagination, research and effort will get you far. Check out this shop and be prepared to want to bring a lot of gorgeous furniture home.

Red Dot Design Museum

This building on Maxwell Road holds very dear memories for me because my late father used to work in this building when it was the Headquarters of the Traffic Police. I think he was based there for a short period of time and I remember going with him into his office there, I must have been about five years old.

Now it has got a new lease of life as the Red Dot Design Museum. I am glad the wrecking ball didn't get to this old dame the way the old National Library and the National Theatre went.

The Museum shop carries some really cool stuff like the Photo Curator and the best part about this place that I like is the flea market on the first weekend of every month (when there is also free admission to the museum). This is a really high quality market which only admits sellers who sell handmade items. You can get unique and gorgeous things like fabric journal covers, customised key chains, knitted scarfs, origami earrings (see picture below) and other accessories. I am definitely going back to the market to get some more special gifts for some special people.

A Slice Of Bohemia

Haji Lane in the Arab area is way cool. It is bohemian, chill-out cool.

Murals such as this and other street art/graffiti adorn the ways of the buildings in the alleyways. Photographers (usually young people) with colourful Lomo cameras prowl the laneways for a good shot. Not difficult at all to find an interesting composition in this area. Photo shoots take place each time I have visited - from wedding videos to blogshop fashion shoots.

The low shophouses are architecturally very interesting, the things sold are unique - clothes by young local designers (although the pre-pubescent sizes leave me disappointed), collectibles, knick knacks, retro-style furniture, handmade jewellery and all sorts of bits and bobs to attract the shopper who has wearied of the same-old, same-old ubiquitous shopping malls in Singapore.

Stop for a coffee, a teh-halia, a beer or a smoke of the shisha pipe. There is even earl gray and fig ice-cream. What more can you ask for?

Over The (Ann Siang) Hill

Ann Siang Hill is an area on the fringe of Chinatown and the CBD. It is a fusion of old businesses and clan houses still thriving next to new, hip joints such as design businesses, book stores, cafes and bars. I fear in due course the older, more traditional businesses will be completely displaced by the new businesses as rents continue to climb sky-high.

The lovely architecture of traditional Peranakan or Straits Chinese shophouses co-exist with the other more functional-looking 60s architecture.

Of particular interest to us is the Shots cafe cum photo gallery which serves pretty good coffee, pizza and they also serve shots of sake which we have not tried. The Screening Room has a roof-top bar terrace which overlooks the other shophouses and the interesting mix of skyscrapers and low-rise buildings.

We return to Ann Siang Hill over and over again to wander around this cool area, potter around the book stores, handle the vintage wares and admire cool Scandinavian designs.

Wine Bar Where Angels Fly

After coming across various cool stuff since we relocated back to hot, muggy Singapore from Sydney, we decided that we should start a blog to document these cool places and things to do since most people have the impression or preconception that Singapore is a boring place. There are nuggets of interesting places to visit, things to do in this little island city. One just needs to know where to look and this blog is here to help.

So if you are a newcomer to the little red dot, or a tourist, or even a local who hasn't really explored your own backyard, we aim to to pass on little gems of information.

For a start, there is a building I call "Gotham City". It is of course not its real name, in reality, it goes by Parkview Square and is along Beach Road opposite the Gateway buildings, a pair of diamond-shaped skyscrapers designed by the famous American architect, I.M. Pei who designed the Louvre glass pyramids in Paris. Gotham City has a slew of "fengshui" features in order to counteract the sharp edges of the Gateway buildings, which are believed to bring bad luck to his neighbours especially one which is directly opposite and hence absorbing most of its sharp edges cutting into the "qi" (life force) of the surrounds.

Gotham City is an OTT building with pomo (post-modernist) features, inside the lobby especially, you will be overwhelmed as you look above and around you. Check out the wine bar housed in the lobby, wine angels hooked up to wires, "fly" around to bring down bottles of wine as you order. Prices are steep but it's a nice ambience to have a conversation, admire the design features and have a drink or two.