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#JetSetKex in Iceland - Jokusarlon Ice Lagoon

Jökulsárlón

A glacier river lagoon in SouthEast Iceland. 

The lake only developed some 60 years ago when glaciers started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. 

A little vblog :)

#JetSetKex in Iceland - Reykjavik

The 2 weeks epic trip was made in Sep 2015, with my 3 best girlfriends.
We drove from the coastal capitol of Iceland - Reykjavik,
all the way in an anti-clockwise direction, and back to where we started.

Here's a rough breakdown of our itinerary -
Day 1 Reykjavik
Day 2 Gullfoss, Pingvellir Silfra Dive, Geysir
Day 3 ATV to Solheimasandur Plane Crash Site, Skogafoss, Seljalandfoss
Day 4 Glacier Hike & Jokusarlon Glacier Lagoon
Day 5 Roadtrip to Akureryi, Selfoss & Dettifoss
Day 6 Godafoss, Myvatn Lofthellir Ice Caving
Day 7 Dalvik
Day 8 Husavik, Asbyrgi Canyon
Day 9 Drive from Husavik to Stikkish
Day 10 Stikkish to Vogar, Kirkjufellsfoss, Saxholl Volcanic Crater, Fjorhusid
Day 11 Ytri Tunga Seal Watching, Black Church, Peninsula Drive
Day 12 Blue Lagoon

I will only be blogging about some highlights of the trip!
It all began with Reykjavik...

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kex Hostel

Skulagata 28 

101 Reyjavik Iceland 

http://www.kexhostel.is/

According to the Icelandic dictionary, "Kex" literally stands for a biscuit.

The name of the hostel came about because the place is housed in an old biscuit factory downtown Reyjavik! 

It's within walking distance to the city centre and very convenient in my opinion! 

The hostel sign is not flashy so be sure to keep a lookout for the place!

We took the stairs to arrive at the door of our quaint little hostel.

MICappella 《爱》Behind-the-Scenes!

爱，是什么？

And there you have it, 

MICappella's 2nd single of the album. 

Special thanks to Chongwu and team from Sproud the excellent shoot and direction &

Sharon the illustrator for the lovely chalk illustrations (follow her @paynk)!

［那些年的小幸运］"You are the Apple of My Eye" X "Our Times"

Yeap, and that video shot right up to 1.7million views on MICappella's Facebook page!! 

Our fb Likes went insane, making us the biggest vocal band in Asia!

We appeared on local newspaper,

PomPomPurin Cafe @ Orchard Central!

I'm no food blogger,
cos if i am i would only be featuring broccoli, tofu, eggs and tuna.
Which isn't exactly appetising to most.

But this new little Sanrio-themed Pompompurin cafe
has completely turned me into a girly 12 year old,
and i was gushing and literally screaming at the dishes when they were being presented on the table.
Thank you so much Touch PR for inviting me to the cutest tasting session i've ever had!

Pompompurin and friends! 

Fun fact, pompom is actually a golden retriever who loves to have pudding made by his mom. 

In fact, he loves it so much that he sometimes take the shape of a pudding. 

Pompom also loves hanging out with his friends - 

Bagel the Squirrel, Coconut the Monkey, Mint the frog, and Macaroon the golden retriever.

SCREAM*

You can even choose to have Pompompurin himself sit next to you as you dine. 

#JetSetKex in Bali, Mount Batur!

It's amazing how simple thoughts can materialise into ways the least expected. 

A few weeks ago,

i had a sudden urge to revisit Mount Batur once again. 

My first climb up was in 2014. 

On that morning, we reached the summit only to find the sky completed shrouded in clouds. 

It was beautiful nevertheless and left a deep impression on me. 

On "Cloud 9"!

I'm a pretty restless individual and I hardly like doing the same things twice. 

But Mount Batur is different. 
I truly miss it.

I miss marvelling at the view of lake batur from eye-level. 

I miss the amazing sense of accomplishment felt at the top of the mountain.
I miss watching the orange fireball peek from behind Mount Agung and Abang at the crack of dawn. 

I even miss hating the crazy trek upslope, the occasional slip of the foot, the cursing and swearing that went on in my head with each step i took, the muscle aches and ankle pain that ensued the day after the climb. 

So i did it, i went back to the mountain and this time,
the weather was perfect. :)

#JetSetKex in Bali, The Yoga Barn!

It was the first week of the year 2016,
and i had really wanted to treat myself to a birthday trip. 

So just 5 days before take-off,
i found myself booking a trip to Ubud, with my soul-sista Serena no less!
Off we went on a spiritual journey!

We had only 2 things on the list - Yoga and scaling Mount Batur! 

The Yoga Barn 

I did my research on the existing yoga packages offered in Bali and found them all grossly overpriced!

I didn't need luxurious massages not sumptuous meals. 

All i wanted was to deepen my yoga practice, immerse myself fully in nature's embrace, 

and start 2016 with a clear mind. 

I was seeking for inner quietness and peace. 

So instead of going for Yoga Retreat packages, Serena and i bought a 10 class card with The Yoga Barn and completed them within 3 full days in Ubud! 

A Weekend Rendezvous with Lady Saigon [Day 2 - Cafe Hopping, Alternative Art Area, Seafood Feast]

Day 2,
it was cafe-hopping day!

A Weekend Rendezvous with Lady Saigon [Day 1 - Cu Chi Tunnel Tour, War Remnants Museum, Ben Thanh Night Market]

It was my first time flying off alone for a leisure trip.

I wouldn't say that it was spontaneous in a #yolo style,
and it wasn't really a solo trip also because i took the chance to visit one of my bestie from secondary school who is currently working there.
I wish I could romanticise it to say that it was a soul-searching trip,
but it was not.

It was really just a fantastic time spent catching up with a dear friend,
over a span of 2 short precious days.
We talked about the ephemeral nature of love and life,
learnt and discussed about the history of Vietnam at the Cu Chi Tunnel Tour and War Remnant Museum,
and had many heart-to-heart talks over rice-flour dishes and Vietnamese coffee.

All aboard! A Yacht trip out to Lazarus Island :)

To celebrate our 10th Year Anniversary of friendship,
plus birthdays of 2 of my girls,
we hopped on a boat and sailed out to Lazarus Island,
like ballers on a Monday morning.

We booked the 4 hours slot from 9am to 1pm and set sail from Sentosa Cove on a Catamaran.

Our Home, Singapore - A MICappella Mash-up!

When it comes to our favourite National Day songs,

there's no other contender than the piece written by Dick Lee - "Home". 

We decided to mash it up with SG50 Tribute Song "Our Singapore"... 

and there you go! 

Behind the Scenes! 

Top Deck @ Lepark SG!

[Towards The Future] with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra!

Throughout my short years of singing experience as a solo singer, 

i've had the honour of playing with several orchestras, 

including the philharmonic winds & Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra. 

It thrills me to no end being able to sing with something so majestic 

and indeed MICappella was very fortunate and honoured to be invited by the 

Singapore Chinese Orchestra for not one, but two performance collaborations!!!

"Celebrity Chow" with The New Paper!

This has got to be one of the most enjoyable interview i had thus far!

Probably because i was half drunk by the end of it...

We had a greaaat time sharing with The New Paper about our love for music and food over an amazing spread of Californian Asian dishes & drinks at Adrift by David Myers @ Marina Bay Sands!

City of London Tour 26-27June 2015

It was an overseas tour that i will never forget. 
London took on a different meaning for me this time, and i'm so grateful towards the city for giving me perspective on what life can be.

I poured my innermost feelings to strangers i just met over Pimms, 
i rode a bicycle around town alone, 
i saw babies crying and tourists buying vanilla cones from the ice cream truck, 
i saw people relaxing and chatting over coffee by the pier, 
i sang to strangers who were having their lunchtime bites at the square and some eventually bought our albums, 
i sang at a church without microphones and watched as a mother held her kid in her arms and bobbed along to our tunes. 
I went to a sunday market with my dear bandmates and tried retail therapy. 
My senses were flooded with the sounds of busking musicians and sizzling food on pans, sight of colourful fruit cups and graffiti walls, quirky hipster londeners selling vintage/leather goods, and felt the warmth of the afternoon sunrays against the gentle summer breeze. 

We were lucky to have encountered days of blue skies during our visit in London and according to a friend, it only happens 2 weeks every year. 

Life goes on no matter what happens in the head. And i'm glad London taught me that. 
One of the greatest comfort i got was the band's support, and for that i am so so blessed to have MICappella's love. 
Thank you Juni, Mingwei, Peter, Eugene, Diana and Cal for having my back. 
You guys are such gems.

Rooftop Interview!




My boys!

Lunch Time performance at Paternoster Square! 

So proud to be bearing the Singapore flag :)

Remember Dakota Crescent :'(

The Remember Dakota Crescent P‪arty was held to bid farewell to this small estate built in 1958 

by HDB's predecessor, Singapore Improvement Trust. 

These 17 blocks of low-rise flats have been untouched ever since then 

and the estate houses retro sand-pitted playgrounds, buildings, and the lovely Tian Kee & Co. Cafe etc. 

Sadly, it will be due for redevelopment by 2016, 

so hurry down there to savour the last bit of 1960s SG before it is gone!! 

Check out our stage space on the 2nd level of the building above Tian Kee & Co.! 

Old school charm.

Dayang Solo Diving Trip!

So i decided to go for my first ever solo diving trip. 

It was kinda daunting, the thought of travelling with strangers, 

but they say it will never go wrong with a bunch of divers.. and they were right!! 

Cable Car Sky Dining

It was my first time dining in the sky. 

And of course i never would have imagine myself doing something as cheesy as this, 

but it turned out to be one of our most memorable meals dining in private up in the sky :)

We had a first class sunset view!

Malaysian Roadtrip to Kota Tinggi Waterfalls!!

MALAYSIA ROADTRIP!!

I swear this was one of the most fun i've had with such a big group of crazy people!!!

We set off early in the morning for the inaugural CNY road trip 

to Ein's house and Chanel's Hometown - Kota Tinggi!

It's official, I'm now part of MICappella!!

It's official,
i'm now part of Singapore's one and only vocal band, MICappella!