Cloudy Day

I’m back in Singapore to recharge and repack as I’ll be traveling again in 2 weeks time. When I’m back I’ve been keeping a pretty low profile, doing tons of laundry, spending quality time with my dogs and meeting only family and some close friends. I haven’t even been taking much photos except on my iphone for instagram and facebook. But it’s a good time for me to post all the photos that I took previously and never got round to posting on the blog. 2012 was a crazy year with crazy schedules and I’m super appreciative that I get to start 2013 on a slower pace and putting my time where it matters most.

My dear friend, Regina spent a large part of her time in Sydney in 2012. She has just returned back to Singapore for good but the photos you see here were taken some time back on one of her short little trips back to Singapore.

We had a gorgeous Sunday brunch together with my hubby at Halia Restaurant at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. I’ve had tea there a couple of times but this was the first time I’ve tried their lunch menu and it was pretty good!

There were lots of catching up to do as some drama was unfolding in her life at that time but the scenic relaxing atmosphere helped to keep things chilled. The weather that day was cloudy and extremely humid so I was  glad we sat indoors.

I’ve always believed that “Happiness shared is happiness doubled and troubles shared is troubles halved.” That’s why, brunch, lunch, tea or dinner with friends always soothes my soul.

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

After brunch, I met up my mum to take her to visit the famous Singapore icon, Gardens By the Bay. As you can tell from the pictures, the cloudy day turned into a rainy drizzling one but we decided to dig out the umbrellas from my car and go ahead with our plans.

It was the first time for all of us to be at the gardens and to be honest, when it was first build I wasn’t too keen on it. In fact, it was my overseas family and friends that seemed all excited about this new attraction and convinced me to go  check it out for them. In the end, I’m really glad that I went. There were as much locals there as there were tourists and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

With more than $1 billion invested in it, Gardens by the Bay is the most ambitious project of its kind in the world. Set in the heart of Singapore’s new downtown on prime waterfront land, it has become a source of national pride for all Singaporeans.  I’m glad that they chose to develop this valuable land into something green instead of building more shopping centers and residential buildings.

The conservatories comprise two spectacular structures, which minimise their environmental footprint by smart use of location, structure, systems and materials. Intelligent design,  including de-humidifying technologies that combined with other innovations, results in 30% power savings compared to conventional cooling technologies.Described as “Glass Arks”, the conservatories support a rare collection of plant life from every continent except Antarctica, furthering the understanding of man’s relationship with these fragile ecosystems and the importance of conservation.

Mum really enjoyed herself that day and both the cloud forest and flower dome were cool and fun to explore. They offered a wonderful respite from the gloomy weather.

For photography enthusiasts, Gardens by the Bay has so much to offer. I personally liked the Cloud Forest because the temperature there is perfect. I wish Singapore could be that cool all year round.

Cloud Forest conservatory replicates the cool-moist climate typically found in Tropical Montane regions between 1,000 to 3,500 metres above sea level. It is also home to the tallest indoor waterfall covered in lush vegetation. We may not have natural waterfalls in Singapore but we are pretty good at constructing manmade ones!

We took the lift to the top of the waterfall and started our unique walk down in a spiral fashion around it.

The walk down was littered with lovely discoveries of flowers, plants and cute ponds.

Walking from the top down, you could have a bird’s eye view above the trees and it provided a beautiful view of the Marina Bay Sands and surroundings.

I wished it wasn’t so crowded but since I decided to explore this attraction on a Sunday, I really can’t complain.

The Gardens symbolises Singapore’s ambition to become Asia’s leading leisure destination and represents the nation’s ongoing commitment, as well as providing state of the art green space for public education and enjoyment.

New York has Central Park. London, the gardens of Hyde Park.
Now, Singapore has Gardens by the Bay

After the walk in the Cloud Forest, we went back to the open spaces to have tea and snacks at one of the many restaurants that you can find in Gardens By The Bay before continuing on to the Flower Dome.

Offering a sense spring time all year round, the Flower Dome replicates the cool-dry climate of Mediterranean regions like South Africa, California, parts of Spain and Italy and semi-arid subtropical regions like Australia. The nucleus and the very heart of the dome houses the Flower Field that reflects different seasons and festivals.

Mum loved the flower dome and it was not hard to see why. It’s absolutely pretty everywhere!

There were so many new and odd flowers and plants. We found this area with ginormous trees and it made me feel like I was Alice in Wonderland!

Mum and I are such tree huggers! LOL.

The flowers at the flower dome will constantly be ever-changing so you might get a new surprise each time you visit. I know that my grandmother will love this place and I have to take her here someday soon.

There were enormous hibiscus to be found here as well! Although you are seeing one flower at a time in my photos, there was actually a whole row of huge hibiscus in that area.

Among the gorgeous scenery, we were treated to beautiful opera music as well. It’s a really swell place to just chill and literally smell the roses. It was so perfect indoors, I forgot the cloudy weather outdoors.

We left the conservatories refreshed, relaxed and ready to face the rainy, summer climate that Singapore is all year round. A final walk near the giant manmade Supertree grove before heading back to the car and ending with a yummy dinner in the city.

I really enjoyed my day there even though I wasn’t too keen on it in the beginning. I guess one must always be open to new experiences. You can’t know if you like or hate something if you’ve tried it yourself, right?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Outfit of the day

Dress: Anna Sui

Earrings and necklace: Chanel

Hair Clip: Korea

Bag: Hermes

Heels: Miu Miu

Umbrella: Gift from Yitian