Fabian Lua | Making sense of my days

A simple list of events I'm going for or would have gone for.

Talk by Victo Ngai, New York-based editorial illustrator (Thu 6th March, sold out)
Tiger Beer is best served really really cold, since it doesn't really taste of anything. To get us to buy, big beer brands flood us with advertising and grab the supermarket prime spots. 

It was near the entrance of the King Albert Park Cold Storage, right before Chinese New Year when I saw Victo Ngai's gorgeous work on the Tiger Beer cartons. She's in town to speak this Thursday. The event is sold out, but catch the rest of the series by the Organisation of Illustrators Council (OIC).  

[Did you know? The KAP Cold Storage is closing down. Even supermarkets pay the price of Singapore's progress.]

Jazz by the Beach (Fri 7th March, 8pm - late, Coastes on Sentosa, pay for food & drinks)
I enjoy Sentosa because most of the island (other than Resorts World) remains laid back. And listening to jazz, by Siloso beach is probably as close to a 'staycation' as a Friday night on Singapore can feel.

Sustainable Architecture Adventure (Fri 7th March 7pm + Sat 8th March 830am, Somerset + National Library. $15)
While rehearsing for my WOHA Architecture Walk late one night, I saw the National Library building from the Bugis+ rooftop, and finally fell in love with that building. I was originally annoyed that this cold steel and glass version replaced the old, warm red-bricked building. 

The Hub Singapore is screening a film on sustainable architecture, then guiding a walk - both include the National Library building. 

Late Harvest Shiraz tasting (Fri 7th March, until 10pm, PasarBella - off Bukit Timah Road)
The same way remixes and acoustic versions amplify the beauty of their original songs, adventurous use of grape varietals teach me new ways to appreciate the usual methods. I'm really excited about sparkling Shiraz, and Merchants Wine Cellar is pouring Late Harvest Shiraz this week at their PasarBella store.

I once overheard a Singaporean 'uncle' say of PasarBella, "Wah, no need to go overseas anymore!" This indoor market does have the vibe of Sydney or San Francisco on weekends. But what I like about it on weekday nights is how quiet and personal it feels.

Jungle Beer brewery tour (Sat 8th March, 630pm - 11pm, Admiralty - almost Johor Bahru, $40)
I don't think anyone really cares how beer is made. The real reason people go for brewery tours is to taste the freshest beers. Jungle Beer offers five hours of free flow of craft beer for $40. And they've recently updated their labels - looking beautiful!

Young Dreams (Norway) (Sun 9th March, 10pm, Esplanade)
Since I'm addicted to every single song of Kings of Convenience, I assumed every Nordic band must be good. And I dreamt of catching gigs at the Esplanade studios ever since I caught Au Revoir Simone there. So there, I bought tickets to Young Dreams.

(Speaking of Au Revoir Simone, they're going to be at Zouk).

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I rented a simultaneous translation headset for this 8 hour play in Chinese, out of worry that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the language. And I thought I might become bored.  "A Dream Like A Dream (如梦之梦)" turned out to be the best performance my wife and I have ever seen - and we didn't ever need the headset.

The play is classified as "Chinese" but that's like calling Oxford-born, Japan-residing writer Pico Iyer "Indian".  Key scenes take place in a tiny apartment in Paris, a Chateau in Normandy, a train on its way to the UK and a hospital ward in Taipei.  In between, characters fly through time and space.

At these moments I'm particularly grateful to my secondary school education in Chinese and specifically in Chinese music. During our insecure high school days, being part of the Chinese Orchestra was terribly uncool - not only was the music outdated, China was, after all,the place our families left, for a better life in Singapore. My education gave me the courage to appreciate things without caring for whether they are considered cool.

But sometimes I wish I went deeper. I'm catching Singapore Chinese Orchestra's performance "Dream of the Red Mansion Suite" in two weeks, and realise that although I know the songs by heart, I barely know the novel well.  Almost like not knowing the details of Romeo and Juliet.

I'm also incredibly curious where China is headed. Other than reading external voices of the Economist, New Yorker and Guardian, I try to catch a glimpse based on what's popular in China.  Reading the trashy bestseller "Tiny Times" and watching "I am a Singer."  But maybe it is time for a trip to China, after 16 years.  When I was last in Beijing, it was still filled with bicycles.