Why you should hold your Wedding @ the SEA Aquarium in Singapore.

So, I recently performed at the most beautiful wedding yet, 

within the comforts of one of the top tourist destination in Singapore - SEA Aquarium. 

Now, i know that the aquarium has been a popular choice for many corporate functions & company DnDs, 

but THIS Wedding, was a whole new underwater wonderland. 

Believe me, 

i perform for an average of at least one wedding per week, 

and this one exceeded all expectations. 

Anyone who has been to the SEA Aquarium will know that the last observatory, 

where the humongous aquarium for the Open Ocean Habitat stand, 

is the perfect ending to the aquarium tour, 

and probably worth the entrance fee by itself as an attraction. 

Imagine that space being transformed into a dining hall with

raining glitter, 

tiffany chairs, 

underwater-themed decorations, 

starfish and shellfish trinkets, 

all to set up for a backdrop of soaring manta-rays and squadrons of marine life frolicking in their natural habitat. 

No wonder my Facebook post of this photo garnered so many likes.

So here are some reasons why you should totally hold your wedding at the RWS SEA Aquarium, if you happen to be pretty rich. 

Screw flowers and half-hearted tea lights!
With a backdrop like this,
cake cutting and champagne pouring has never looked more magnificent. 

You are allowed to have ridiculously pretty table decor, 

like starfish centrepieces, and reflective lazy susans, 

and yet they will not look over the top. 

Tiffany Chairs look better in an aquarium than on a lawn.

And you get a sky full of stars, indoors.  

Imagine dining in front of fishes,
while having a nice piece of cod fish. 

Instagrammers be snapping' with glee.

Shots like these will probably garner a tonne of likes.

Photo Credit: ht_americanbeauty

 Meanwhile, on my own Instagram...

I just had to!

Photowhoring is allowed because every corner is a photo point! 

You can place a band at the top of the space to perform for your guests. 

You can even get to sing a song for them.

At least that was what the bride did, she did a special surprise performance for her hubby :)

And with the tiered ballroom, everyone was able to have a grand view of the bride singing.

You are free to roam around the other areas of the aquarium,

champagne glass in hand. 

You get to champagne-tease fishes. 

The stroll towards the ballroom will be lined with mini aquariums and different 

underwater habitat displays,

so much so that you would already have taken 13942309854 pictures 

before you even reach the final destination.

The build up to the climax is important, they say :)

 

The Wedding Band of the night -
Sparkle Live Music [L to R]
Melvin Wong on bass,
Matthew Siew on keys,
Kexin & Leon on Vocals,
Clarence Yeo on Guitar
& Nazreen on Percussions. 

A groupshot with the Bride and Groom and their families :) 

Vendor List 

Live Band Sparkle Live Music 

Wedding Planner The Wedding Atelier 

Floral Decor Fiore Dorato

Venue RWS SEA Aquarium

Perfection, or chasing a unicorn?

I always thought i'll be a corporate slave upon graduation,

i even worked for a short stint in the corporate world, 

i didn't hate it, neither do i like it, 

but my life was draining away, and the flames of my passion were diminishing. 

I thought it was a sign of weakness, 

that i could not balance between 2 jobs, 

so i hung on and my days dragged into months. 

I'm glad that i later decided to focus on my dreams and start living a life that i want (: 

I recently watched this very inspirational documentary onboard SQ, 

called "Jiro Dreams of Sushi". 

Jiro's a master sushi chef, 85 years old, and has been making sushi for the past 75 years. 

He's easily the best sushi chef in the whole of Japan, 

yet he still thinks there's more to improve. 

Ramping up 3 Michellin Star, his unassuming restaurant tucked in a corner of Tokyo 

only serves 10 customers each time, 

reservations have to be made 1 month beforehand, 

and his menu only contains sushi. 

No appetizers, nothing fancy, just good'o traditional sushi made to perfection. 

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is now showing in Singapore

Here's the official trailer 

Even Anthony Bourdain was smittened,

but then again what do these ang mohs know about sushi.. haha

Everyone should watch it, to rediscover what true perseverance, 

hardwork, dedication, and perfection is about.

Jiro does the same thing, day in day out, 

yet he does not get bored of it, he simply find ways to improve it. 

And most of all, sushi-making is his passion, 

he never felt like he has worked a day in his life. 

Jiro's my newfound idol. 

I may not have his drive for perfection,

but i think one way to go about it is to really focus on what i'm doing, 

and hammer on them, constantly looking for ways to improve my performance. 

For me, it's not about the destination, but the journey towards perfection that really matters. 

At least for now, i'm enjoying my chase for the unicorn, 

and i'm grateful that i know what i really want in life (:

I'm really proud to say that my friends are also a very passionate and entreprenerial bunch!

Meet Kong from Wicked Favours, 

the fairygod mother of all hen parties, 

mamasan of delicious hot-bodied male strippers (qc guaranteed), 

and the one-stop station for all kinky party favours, 

from penis straws to penis chocolates, you want it, they have it! 

It's as real as penis can get 

 They look good, taste good too! lol

If strippers' not your thing, 

fear not for they offer a range of packages, 

from indulgent mani/pedi girls-day-out, exclusive VIP pass to the hottest night clubs,

to special packages for yatch and beach vacations!

Click to visit their website and facebook now for more information!

Meet Jessica, the wedding planning guru,

having being part of MTV Asia's World Stage for 4 years running,

(she was once host to Justin Bieber's and his 40 people-strong entourage),

Jessica's all ready to take your wedding by storm!  

From wedding planning and coordination, decor (car, wedding day props, singage), 

photoshoot styling, to even vintage vehicle rental, 

her list of services is endless! 

Lovely decor and flower desgined by Jessica Chew 

She specializes in roman catholic weddings!

Fetch your bride in style! 

Honda 1972 ST70 Minibike

Volkswagen 1968 Beetle

Volkswagen 1974 Kombi

Check out her facebook and website to find out more! 

Our businesses are so closely linked it's a service chain! 

You can look for Kong for hen parties, 

Jessica for Wedding planning 

and me for live band for your wedding dinner! 

I'll offer a special package price i promise (: 

Go Beach Bintan, Indonesia!

When the going gets rough, the tough goes for a getaway!

alright that's not exactly the best advice,

in fact i agree with Jason Mraz's saying, that
"you don't need a vacation when there's nothing to escape from",

unfortunately, i think we all need a lil' break from time to time,

explore a little outside of our country,

bond a little with our favourite girlfriends (:

It seems like the older i get,

the harder it is to make true, long-lasting friends.

And because of that, i cherish my favourite girls so!

From our crazy jc days till today,
these are the girls who stuck by,
they watched me grow from my first time on stage to what i am today,
always quietly supporting me in my music career,
they accompanied me through make ups and breakups,
and share the same travelling passion as i do (we've been to taiwan, italy, france, spain, scotland etc.),
And i'm proud to say, they are a very entrepreneurial bunch!
Read my other blog entry on what my friends do!

Finally a year after our backpacking trip to europe,
we managed to find time within our busy schedule for a short weekend getaway!
Nothing fancy, but good time spent bonding on the boring island, Bintan!

The 6 Most Memorable Weddings i've done... yet.

Till date, i've sung for over hundreds of weddings, 5 years & counting now..
and since it has been such a big part of my life i thought i should create a list of
some of the most Memorable weddings i've ever done!

So here you go, after careful consideration/privacy issues, i've shortlisted 6 most memorable ones!
Be warned it's a giant of a post....

In no order of merit...

1. Beachside Bliss 

Audrick & Jenny, 2011 

I truly enjoyed this wedding because i'm by nature a beach-lover,

and though the weather turned my face into a oily-paradise, 

Sentosa's Coastes Sand Bar had such a nice ambience, 

with fireworks from Songs by the Sea show right across the island at night..

it was almost perfect!

plusplus, cherry on top of the icing was the wedding decor by
Chere Wedding & Parties (http://www.chere.com.sg),

& the most amazing part was that Weiwei, owner of Chere, was my primary school penpal whom i've lost contact with since i was 9!

It was also my first time witnessing a sand-pouring ceremony (instead of the usual cross toast),

2. Heartwarming cake art 

Joseph & Hooi Ling, 2011

I was the emcee and wedding singer for Joseph & Hooi Ling's night and 

they were so hospitable and accommodating! 

In fact, their whole family was a testament of overflowing love..

This castle of cake was specially handcrafted & pieced together, bit by bit, 

by Hooi Ling's father, who's a Pastry chef from Montreaux Cake House & Patisserie

http://www.montreux.com.sg/

It was so popular that night it quickly became a photo-point..

Apart from the beautiful lightings on the outside, 

the intricate designs on the inside was astounding (i swear i have no better word to describe it)
Check out the sculpted horses carriage!

Impressed TTM, i almost wanted to cry when i watched the making-of video..

3. A wedding dedicated to others in need 

Ivan & Shirleen, 2011

Ivan & Shirleen is a beautiful couple, inside out,

they've always been avid volunteers of Radion International (http://www.radion-international.org/), 

a Christian relief & development agency dedicated to helping marginalized communities.

but volunteering wasn't enough as they even took their wedding as chance to help 

spread the word for doing good. 

Each table had this little card to spread awareness about the organization

An introduction video about Radion was also played before their wedding video.. 

4. It's a family affair

Mandy & Irene, March 2011

It was double the joy & fun (名正言顺的喜喜) at Mandy & Irene's weddings, 

because both twins decided to get married with their respective husbands...

on the same night! 
If only their husbands were twins too.. haha

6 months later, they got us again to sing for their sister's wedding! 

Mavis & Ming tye, Sep 2011

5. My first Malay Wedding 

Faizal & Divya, 2009

It was really an eye-opener,
seeing the elaborate malay drummer troops lead their majesty into the ballroom,

the couple then proceeded to their thrones to watched a dance item..

i guess they couldn't stand just watching,

so they joined in the fun! 

6. My first Overseas Wedding

Suki & Jame's Overseas wedding in Bangkok, Thailand

10 & 11Jul '10

It was a whooping jam-packed 2 nights in Bangkok!

Day 1,
We took the early morning flight,

and upon reaching bkk, we satisfied our famished souls with authentic pad thai,

soundcheck, and it was showtime!

Suki's part-thai and Jame's from hongkong.
They both met while studying overseas
so the first night was a cosy dinner held at Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit,
specially organized for their dear friends from all over the world (:

Did i mention, Suki's super pretty??

Day 2,
we seized the daytime and headed straight for chatuchak!

There, we met Jack Sparrow,

witnessed the world's coolest teh-tarik man (IMHO), you gotta see the video to believe it...

& to daniel's joy he found some young & fresh "thai coconuts" hahaha

Then, it was back to the hotel for some serious business..

the 2nd night was meant for families all around the world,
so the turnout was really very impressive,
we didn't expect such a huge crowd!

Round 2 Soundcheck & show time,
introducing the band members from left to right, Ein on keyboard, WahYong on bass,
Leon on vocals with me & Daniel on drums!

Check out the crazy floral display/photo point

It was amazing travelling for music and weddings (:
the night ended with a pretty awesome foot massage at Suan Lum night market! bliss....



That pretty much sums the most memorable wedding encounters i've had..
i'm truly looking forward to more in years to come!