Singapore – Orchard Road…a shopaholics mecca

January 21st, 2012 § 0

Orchard Road

Orchard Road

If you love shopping and you’re in Singapore then you should go straight to Orchard Road – it is every shopaholics mecca!

Singapore is the country where you will find the worlds most luxurious cars but also people wearing high fashion brands. I’ve been living in Paris for two years, Paris – known as the city of fashion…and as soon as I started to have a walk on Orchard Road I saw so many people having handbags from Chanel, Miu Miu, Prada, Dior, Balenciaga etc etc…I saw so many handbags in one minute than I’ve ever seen in Paris (and the fashion weeks included). Orchard Road is crowded with malls, big malls with stores such as Dior, Cartier, Chloé, Armani, Bread & Butter, Prada, Rolex, Tiffany’s, Hublot, Dolce & Gabbana, GUCCI, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga etc So you had practically maybe 10 stores of all those brands on the street because there were one of each in every mall. For me, it was just fun going there window-shopping…..but for those of you who are shopaholics…Orchard Road is the place for you ;-) Here you will find high fashion clothes, handbags, watches, jewelleries, shoes and also electronical products.

Note: Shopping seemed to be a very popular activity among the Singaporian people and the Western people that are living there because of their work. If its a good or bad thing going shopping all days long and just consuming is up to each and every person. If you can keep a healthy balance and focus on buy things you really need I think it’s good but if you just spend time on pure consumation I think it’s sad. That’s my point of view and I will write more about my personal reflections from my trip later.

Orchard Road – Orchard MRT Station

Orchard Road

Orchard Road

Orchard Road

Orchard Road

Orchard Road

Orchard Road

Orchard Road

Orchard Road

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Raffle’s Hotel Singapore

January 20th, 2012 § 0

Singapore Sling

Singapore Sling

On one of my last days in Singapore and while my sister and dad were in Malaysia, I went alone…accompanied with my book “One Day” to the Raffles Hotel to try the famous cocktail “Singapore Sling” where it was created a long time ago.

Raffles Hotels & Resorts is a luxury international hotel company and they opened their first hotel in Singapore (Raffles Hotel) in 1887. They have hotels in a few countries and in Paris it’s the award winning Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris. It recieved the Condé Nast Traveler 2012 and is recognized as one of the world’s Best Hotels for Ambience and Design.

The Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore is where the cocktail Singapore Sling was created in 1915 by Hainaese-Chinese bartender Mr. Ngiam Tong Boon.

There are now also a Spring Sling, Summer Sling, Winter Sling, Autumn Sling, Tropical Sling and a Courtyard Sling apart from the Original Singapore Sling.
When I was there, first of all I didn’t had a seat in the Long Bar (where the cocktail was created), it was too dark and too crowded with tourists…instead I went to the courtyard that had a more peaceful and relaxed ambiance and where I at the same time could enjoy the beautiful weather.

I had a Original Singapore Sling which consists of the following:
30 ml Gin
15 ml Cherry Heering
7,5 ml Dom Benedictine
7,5 Cointreau
120 ml Sarawak Pineapple Juice
15 ml Lime Juice
10 ml Grenadine
A dash of Angostura Bitters
Garnish with a slice of Pinapple and Cherry

I was so excited about having my cocktail so I totally forgot about telling the bartender to put as little as alcohol possible because I had not been drinking any kind of alcohol for several months…
The cocktail was great, perfect blend of fruity and sour…but a bit too much alcohol for me so I couldn’t even finish it.

Raffles Hotel – 1 Beach Road Singapore

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

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Sentosa

January 19th, 2012 § 1

Sentosa

Sentosa

Sentosa is an artificial island that belongs to Singapore. I really wanted to go and see the island so one day we all went there but as soon as I stepped out on the island I was dissapointed. After have been travelling on beautiful paradise islands in the Philippines…this artifical island was so fake I could almost not stand it. I even didn’t go into the water because I thought it was dirty since there were many ships not far away. We only stayed there for two hours. Its a great place if you want to work on your tan…which I did in a sunbed next to the water.

The island has an area of 5 square km and you can go there by either a cable car or by Sentosa Express Monorail that you take at Harbour Front (MRT station). Around 5 million people visits the island yearly and there are two 5-star hotels, 2 golf courses, a Universal Studios Singapore, Butterfly and Insect Kingdom, Underwater World and Dolphine Lagoon, Fort Siloso (used during World War II) and many other attractions and activities to do. Since 70% of the island is covered by secondary rainforest you can see animals such as monitor lizards, monkeys, parrots, peacocks and other fauna and flora.

If you will be in Singapore for several day and want to hang out on the beach (but not IN the water since I thought it was pretty dirty) or if you are a family with children who are bored on the city life…then a tour to the island would be great break.

Sentosa

Sentosa

Sentosa

Sentosa

Sentosa

Sentosa

Sentosa

Sentosa

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The Singapore Botanic Gardens

January 18th, 2012 § 0

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

Whenever I travel and visit a new city I always try to locate and visit their Botanic Garden. When my dad came and visited me and my sister in the end of our trip we went to discover Singapore’s Botanic Gardens (one fifth the size of Central Park in New York). I was not disappointed…it was so amazingly beautiful! There were sections with Orchids (The National Orchid Garden) a small tropical rainforest, ginger garden and other sections where you could see different kind of plants…flowers etc. There were also a couple of restaurants and we took a break and had some slices of fresh fruits and a carrot cake with Philadelphia-cheese frosting on top…yummie :-)

You will find the Botanic Gardens in Singapore here:

1 Cluny Road  Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

 

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National Museum of Singapore

January 17th, 2012 § 0

At the National Museum in Singapore

The National Museum of Singapore is definately worth a visit! When I was there they also had an exhibition from Musée D’Orsay in Paris, the name of the exhibition was “Dreams & Reality” with masterpieces of paintings, drawings and photographies from Vincent Van Gogh, Monet, Gustave Courbet and many others. One of the painting that really caught my attention was the beautiful one below. A young girl surprised in her bed by Death in the guise of a black angel.

If you want to know more about Singapore and their history there is a section of 2,800 sqm gallery with objects, art, photos etc telling about Singapore’s history. It includes the struggles the early settlers had to overcome, you will be taken through the drama of major national events as well as the personal stories of individuals. Before you enter this section you will be handed a multimedia handheld device designed to guide you through the Singapore History gallery and it’s available in English and other languages. I really liked that gallery and it gave me lots of knowledge about the country’s history and past from different perspectives.

National Museum of Singapore – 93 Stamford Road Singapore

"The young girl and Death", Marianne STOKES

National Museum in Singapore

Outside the National Museum in Singapore

 

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Breakfast in Singapore

January 16th, 2012 § 6

Fruitsalad deluxe

Fruitsalad deluxe

A typical Singaporian breakfast at campus with my sister :-) This is how we used to start our days in Singapore. Kaya toast, eggs and tea is the most common set and then you can add a fruitshake, fruitsalad and other delicious things from the menu. Kaya is a typical South Asian spread made of coconut milk, duck or chicken eggs and flavored by pandan leaf and sweetened with sugar. It has a creamy texture and is sweet and just totally delicious :-) I became a kaya addict immediately ;-)

Breakfast in Singapore

Breakfast in Singapore

Breakfast in Singapore

Breakfast in Singapore

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Singapore – subway

January 15th, 2012 § 0

MRT Singapore

The photo above shows a sign that is placed outside the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit = the subway) in Singapore. Their subway is considered to be one of the most modern, the world’s cleanest and smoothing running. It runs daily from 06h00-24h00.

What I didn’t like about the MRT in Singapore was the AC inside the cabins that blowed ice cold air from all kind of angels, it didn’t matter if I tried to lean back towards the wall…the AC blowed ice cold air from there too, from the corners…the ceiling..had it in my face wherever I turned to. So what I learned was to always bring a hoodie to protect myself from the annoying AC.

Apart from the coldness the MRT was really reliable and fast running. But something that is important to remember…if you get hungry while you’re in the cabin….whatever you do…DO NOT bring up your waterbottle (or any other drink) or snacks to eat if you’re hungry. WAIT till you get out of the train, otherwise you will end up with a fine on 500 SD. And I guess that is also the reason why it is the worlds cleanest subway…no graffiti…no dirt or trash ;-)

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Singapore

January 13th, 2012 § 0

Singapore

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

On December 2nd 2011 I landed on the airport in Singapore :-) My sweet sister was there in the arrival hall with a big smile waiting for me and I was so happy to see her! I had only a backpack with me, so we went straight to downtown and had an early dinner on her favourite restaurant. Afterwards we went to her room at campus at Nanyang University where we were going to stay until our departure to the Philippines. Our plan was to go to the Philippines first and then to Vietnam and then going back to Singapore to meetup our dad who would come on December 29th and then stay there for a week.

The first thing I noticed when I stepped out of the airport was the humidity, 90% on daytime (because it’s close to the equator) ! Like walking around in a sauna…but rather that than cold weather.

Singapore is an island country made up of 63 islands, the capital and the only city is Singapore and the country is separated by Malaysia. Approximately 5 million people are living in Singapore. The country is a world leader in areas such as: finance, casino gambling market (note: the Singapore citizen has to pay an entrance fee while tourists get in for free, the entrance fee is made to regulate the gambling), oil refining centre and the port is one of the five busiest ports in the world. The citizens are mainly of Chinese, Malay or Indian descent and there are four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

Singapore

The Helix Bridge and Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Singapore

The Helix Bridge, Singapore

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On the move….

January 13th, 2012 § 4

Me on the beach in Malapascua, Philippines

Im organizing my photos from my trip in Asia and I’m trying to figure out in what way to write about my long journey…..hold on ;-)

 

 

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Happy smiling

January 12th, 2012 § 0

Me at the campus where my sister was living (Singapore)

Back from my wonderful trip in Asia :-) Wish I could stay there and do more travelling but life was waiting for me in Sweden. I promise to share all my photos with you and to share my travelling stories as soon as I’ve organized them all ;-)

 

 

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Oven baked potatoe

January 3rd, 2012 § 0

oven baked potatoe

oven baked potatoe (photo taken by Solli Kanani)

Sometimes when I’m not in the mood to stand in the kitchen making a dinner that takes hours I use to make oven-baked potatoe.

It’s really easy and doesn’t take much of your time. Wash a baking potatoe, make a deep cross in it with a knife and wrap it in foil and put it in the oven for about 50-60 minutes (220 degrees).

For the topping I use to use the vegetables my refrigerator has to offer ;-) On the photo above I used the following: cottage cheese, squeezed lemon, red onion, cucumber, tomatoe, avocado, shrimps and dill. To slice and chop those things doesn’t take more than 5-8 minutes ;-)  Mix everything together! When the potatoe is ready, take it out, put a slice of butter inside of it and serve it with the topping!

 

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

December 31st, 2011 § 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Photo: Solli Kanani

It’s time to enter a new year and a new beginning in many perspectives…I hope this new year will bring you lots of love, joy and happiness!

Love, Solli

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Go bananas!

December 28th, 2011 § 0

Fried bananas

Fried bananas with coconut and caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream

Not long ago I  made this delicious banana dessert for her and would like to share the recepie with you. In fact it’s very simple to do.

Recepie for two persons:

Start with the sauce, take 2 dl coconut milk and let it boil up with 1 dl cane sugar. Let it boil until it turns into a thick texture. Fry thick slices of bananas (1 banana / person= 2 in this case) with some butter (let’s say one spoon) and some cane sugar (2 spoons) in a frying pan on low heat. When the bananas have gotten a golden burn and you can see they’re pretty soft it means they’re ready :-)

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and pour over the delicious coconut caramel sauce over the bananas and the ice cream and enjoy!

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Merry Christmas

December 24th, 2011 § 0

Merry Christmas

photo taken outside my moms house in December 2010

Merry Christmas! God Jul! Joyeux Noël! Hope you all are having a beautiful Christmas with your loved ones :-)

Christmas for me symbolizes family gathering, and I wish instead of giving and opening more presents…we should be better in giving love and open our hearts. Christmas should be a magical day full of joy and happiness, to spend time with the people you love.

Love to you all!

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Happiness

December 21st, 2011 § 0

Happiness

The word happiness created by some letter biscuits...photo: Solli

“Happiness is not a destination….it’s a journey.” Ben Sweetland

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