… What we usually do outside is:

1. Walk. Walk. And…oh wait, walk!

2. See people rushing to go to work then rush through their lunch wondering what they’re talking as they breeze through their lunch hour.

3. Meet other similar folks, who like us, don’t have a specific work time.

4. Get inspired by the outdoors and the sights we see along the way.

5. Sit down and do some actual work sans cubicle or 4 walls. The world is our office!

About Sidekicks’ Adventures: Everyday is an adventure! And with that in mind, we’re chronicling (or trying to) all our adventures, ideas, inspirations & stuffs we learnt /found out inspirations from these experiences!

Are you the vigilante STOMP-er who goes around snapping any sign of moral misconduct on your fine shores?  Are you the super kiasu Singaporean who’s always on top of every fad, every new interest and every new product that has just arrived in Singapore?

Or are you the laidback chilled out Singaporean who secretly feels pride for the country but don’t show it?

Now you can find out what type of Singaporean you are!

A tongue-in-cheek look at the little quirks of Singapore that makes us…Singaporeans, It’s My Turn is a quiz that contains different aspects of our lives. The questions are asked at random. In fact, each time you try the quiz, it’ll ask you new questions.

I took the quiz recently and here are my results!

Pretty interesting eh? Of course, the results is by no way scientific or accurate (maybe some of it) & of course, the test is merely for fun.

If you’d like to know what kind of Singaporean you are, click here (& have a laugh while you’re at it!).

It was my first ever Vans shoe and the thing was, because it was so cheap, I saw a lot of people buying the same shoe as I did. Of course, it meant that we all had the same good taste (shameless but true, haha). It also means that there would be a lot of other people who would have the same shoe design as mine (Vans Classic Slip-ons in Light Blue).

Anyway, my hands were itching to just modify the shoe a tad bit & after much contemplation, I finally did! To be specific, I highlighted the trimmings and stitching in a darker blue and added a ribbon.

And voila! Meet Mr. Cheery!

The best part of this design that I really love is that I can inter-change the ribbons to any colour that I feel like.

———–

In case you too would want to jazz up your shoe, here’s what you need!

1. A basic idea of what you want to add on.
2. Acrylic / fabric paint  (can be found at Artfriend or Popular)
3. Paintbrushes (think or thin one will do)
4. Masking tape (to tape off the sole and sides)
5. Rag (in case of any errors)
6. Ribbons or gems or iron-ons (completely up to you)

If you’re wondering how much it’ll cost you well, here’s how much I spent:

1. Vans shoes – $19
2. Paints – $ 6 – $8.00 (small pack of fabric paint)
3. Roll of ribbon / paintbrushes – $2 each (from Daiso)

Total amount spent: $29.00

Not a bad amount yeah? (considering that you get the shoe exactly as how you want it!)

Remember that you don’t exactly want to totally revamp it – just ‘funkify’ it up to make it more you!

Be as creative as possible and add on anything else if you want to (brooches, lace, cloth, streaks…anything!). Also, if you’re not confident of your painting try it on paper first. Practise before you start on your shoes.

Here’s to more thrift-things!

Notes To Self:

1. The weather is temperamental like a woman on her cycle.

2. When it rains, it really pours.

3. When one’s umbrella is too small for two, find an alternative.

4. Sometimes it’s just common sense to bring both umbrellas & ponchos – because hey, then you can share it with others too.

5. Plus, ponchos are just really fun! It brings back childhood memories of playing in the rain.

6. Where to get adult raincoats / ponchos – Daiso (for just $2.00 too!).

About Sidekicks’ Adventures: Everyday is an adventure! And with that in mind, we’re chronicling (or trying to) all our adventures, ideas, inspirations & stuffs we learnt /found out inspirations from these experiences!

Here are some of the (normal + not so normal) things you can do this wonderful (& certainly much needed break)!

1. On CNY Day 1, go to town & Have an URBAN PICNIC!
(read: Orchard Road, Somerset, Raffles Place)!

Usually almost all shops will be closed and the whole town will almost seem like a scene out of a horror movie sans zombies (or rather, in this case, the only zombies you’ll see are other aimless people enjoying the peace).

(you can check out the opening hours of the shopping centres and what’s open here!)

Grab a bunch of your friends, have a themed picnic in the middle of the road or in a shopping centre or any other open space you might see (like the old youth park, or open space in front of Takashimaya or beside the SG River). Bring picnic mats; potluck food, and maybe your theme can be…Funny Hats – or any other crazy theme!

2. Play HIDE & SEEK!  (v.2.0). Bring this old-school childhood game to somewhere outside of your comfort zone – like Botanic Gardens or Orchard Road (I’m pretty inclined to town because it’s probably quiet & closed!) or City Hall.

It’s simple – Set some rules, playing time & a playing boundary then break up into two teams, ‘Hiders’ & ‘Seekers’. Well, you know the rest (‘Hiders’ hide & ‘Seekers’ hunt them down).

3. OUTRAGEOUS Sports Day. Have you ever heard of Faceball? No? Well, that’s one of the outrageous sports out there!

Google ‘Outrageous sports’. Pick an outrageous sport (or a couple if you’re feeling adventurous). Then decide your playing area (open area, void deck) and start playing. This is really fun especially if you have a big group of friends.

4. MUSEUM-HOPPING! I think SGTTDT has always been pro-museums so it would be no surprise that we list them here too!

National Museum, Singapore Art Museum and Asian Civilisations Museum are all having Open Houses – you can enter for FREE! All 3 museums have some pretty interesting activities & exhibitions lined up. If you can’t decide which one to go for, Museum-hop! You’d probably have time to go all 3 (and slip in some chow time in the middle).

5. Bring Some CHEER (to anyone!). I’m sure when you’re walking out or around your neighbourhood or town, you’ll notice people who should be celebrating CNY not celebrating it at all. I usually see elderly aunties gathered under the void deck, just chilling. Won’t it be nice to do something for random people on this fine holiday? Like go around distributing CNY goodies, cookies, oranges or even chocolates?

Walk around, wish random people (or the elderly) and give them whatever you have.

Think about it – if you have 30 such goodies, you would’ve already put a smile on 30 people’s faces. (if you have 5 friends who did the same thing as you, you would’ve helped 150 people!) Sure, it might cost you a bit of $$ but I think it’ll be worth it.

6. Grab your best Camera & EXPLORE THE HEARTLANDS. With easy access to any place in Singapore these days, how about heading to the opposite end of where you live & just get lost.

I’ve been staying in the west and I can practically count the number of times I’ve gone to the Eastside (say, Tampines) in my 25 years of living!

Some places that might seem boring but actually have a lot of pretty quirky stuffs & structures – Hougang, Katong (quirky shophouses), Lakeside (there’s Chinese & Japanese Garden), Eunos… Just pick a place that you’ve never alighted at before.

7. TAKE A HIKE at new places – Labrador Nature Reserve, Punggol Waterfront, The Green Corridor, Sungei Buloh, Park Connectors, Tampines Eco Green… (you get the drift). If you’ve been slogging at work all this month, some green will do you good!

Nature has a way of calming a person (and I’m paraphrasing from some scientific study out there). Take a slow (or doubly slow if you’re not used to walking) walk around these new areas. Don’t do anything (no handphones, except to take pictures, no games, no hailing a cab). Just soak in all that green and enjoy the breeze.

(Check out NParks’s website for a list of places you can go!)

8. UNPLUG - Take a 24Hr Break from Technology. Yes, that includes the TV, the Internet & the Iphone. (I can almost hear your cries of ‘WHAT?! Siao ah!’, ‘Nooooooo!’, ‘SUPER DISLIKE!’ & other cries of anguish and proclamations of love & your supposed death should you be separated from the phone / net.)

Why? Well, because sometimes a break should really mean a break! Take the time to go back to the old school – call people instead of whatsapp /  texting. Really sit down and have a conversation with your friends without having to update your Facebook status or playing on your Iphone or tweet about something smart your friend said.

Just Unplug. Listen to the crowd & refrain from plugging in your Ipods or playing on your Iphone (even if it gets a little bit annoying). Read a book or magazine or comics. Switch off your computer – whatever’s on the Internet will still be there when you get back.

Admit it, how many times have you wished you could just get the full attention of some of your friends? Or wish that you didn’t have the irresistible urge to just tweet something or check Facebook even if you just did like, 10 seconds ago?

Just take a 6 – 8 hour break if you really feel you cannot abandon your tech stuffs for a day. Also, this will somehow prepare you should there be a technological blackout endemic one day (Choy!).

9. MAKE NEW MEMORIES at Old (about to be demolished / re-developed) Places. There’s a few places that’s already announced for re-development– Bukit brown Cemetery, the colourful buildings at Rochor Road, Old School @ Mt. Sophia.

Before they are really gone and their existence only found in history (boo hoo), go and visit these places and take pictures, have a photoshoot, take a video – anything really, to remember them by.

10. Say Hello to the Guards at the ISTANA OPEN HOUSE. (CNY 2^nd Day) The Istana is one of those places that is charming & quaint, especially with the green pastures all around the compound.

It’s only open to the public 5 times this 2012 and it’s a great opportunity to go. The programmes change almost every time, but usually there’ll be a performance and animals (from the zoo or JBP) for you to interact with. You can also go into the Istana or shake hands with the President (who would usually be roaming around too).

The thing I like to do the most is to disturb the guards. Say Hello or smile or give a little funny joke (of course, the fact that they have to remain in position is just too amusing).

(For more details: http://www.istana.gov.sg/content/istana/istana/istanaopenhouse.html)

——–

So there you go! 10 kooky things that will definitely keep you occupied this CNY Holiday. Whatever it is that you do, we hope you have an adventure!

To those celebrating, Have a blessed Chinese New Year. Happy Long Weekend everyone!

[ Editor's Note: Whilst some activities are pretty wacky, do make sure you carry them out without breaking any laws & without inconveniencing others. Have fun!]

Called ‘A Little Light Magic’, these monuments will have huge light installations done up by artists, art collectives and art students’ around the area.

Do you know that the Bras Basah + Bugis precinct has some of the oldest buildings in Singapore?

What ‘A Little Light Magic‘ does is highlight the structure or the beauty of these buildings itself through cleverly positioned lights that accentuate these buildings that you probably won’t notice in the day.

Some of the buildings that will be lighted up includes the Singapore Art Museum, SAM 8Q, National Museum of Singapore, The Peranakan Museum and a couple more.

I’m pretty excited because I like looking at lights & installations (it’s the first thing I look out for during Night festival too)! It also going to give the buildings a refreshing look don’t you think? (- think of how lovely the pictures will turn out).

When you’re in the area, slow down and take a chilled-out walk – you can’t miss it!

A Little Light Magic: Bras Basah + Bugis Monuments Light – Up invites you to get to know more about these buildings through light installations. Why? To quote from their website, “these buildings aren’t just architectural monuments, but are vessels of rich histories, untold stories and forgotten memories, inextricably linked to their contextual surroundings”.

Date: now – 29 January 2012
Days: Friday – Sunday
Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm.

For more information, visit their website here.

This project is presented by the National Heritage Board.

I mean, if you go on a holiday you too would walk the streets of that country to explore the place & see what other little quirks it has. So why not do it in your own country?

The Singapore Footprints Project has a couple of guided tours for anyone who loves to walk or are looking for fun activities to do during the weekends!

It’s fuss-free, educational, FREE (!) and most importantly, fun!

Supported by NHB (that’s the National Heritage Board), the Singapore Footprints Walking Tours is formed by a bunch of tourism and hospitality undergraduates from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) who are passionate and enthusiastic about sharing Singapore’s heritage with the public.

Their main tours focuses on the Singapore River, the Civic District & the Bras Basah + Bugis precinct.

Usually when we walk or go to Bugis, we just head straight to the shopping centres or to grab some food. We’ve had the opportunity to go on the preview tour and we discovered plenty of other interesting stuff about Singapore right along the same area!

Think about it – you can go on a walk with the Singapore Footprints (their t-shirts are aptly name Walkaholics) & get your dose of heritage, then when the walk is over, you’ll still have time to shop!

The thing about going on these walks is that you can see how the tour guides are brimming with information & how enthusiastic they are in sharing all that information with us (& you).

The students, who will be your tour guides, are obviously not doing it for the money (all the tours are absolutely free) but they do appreciate any tips or monetary contributions. Not for pay of course, but just to sustain all the good work they’re doing.

You don’t have to sign up either. You just need to show up (preferably with a good pair of shoes, water & a whole bunch of friends) on the timings stated. You can even go on all the tours in that 1 day – no one’ going to stop you.

& I’ve got a feeling the enthusiastic guides will be really thrilled to see you again! We’re definitely dropping by one of these days to join in (yes, again!). Have fun walking!

———————–

Tours are happening everyday Saturday & Sunday. Here are 2 tours that you can go for:

1. SINGAPORE RIVER ROUTE
Time: 4.15PM @ Raffles Place MRT Exit B, Street Level
Tour starts: 4.30PM
In case of wet weather, meet at: Raffles Place MRT Exit G, UOB Plaza Foyer, Street Level

2. BRAS BASAH-BUGIS ROUTE
Time: 5.45pm @ Bras Basah MRT Exit E, Street Level, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Tour starts: 6.00PM
In case of wet weather, meet at: Bras Basah MRT Control Station

For more information, follow the Singapore Footprints on their Facebook Page for updates or visit their website.

It’s been a week & everyone’s busy settling into (or groaning into) the usual routine of the year after all the holiday revelry.  That also means almost everyone is or would be talking  & Facebooking about their new year’s resolutions and how they’ve been keeping or not keeping it (yes, already).

As I scrolled through the statuses of my friends on New Year’s Eve & the whole of last week,  the collective theme that’s really obvious, (all partying aside) was change.

I mean, that’s technically what resolutions are about aren’t they? Improving one’s self. Curtailing the bad & working on the good.

While I do believe that change is a constant and self-reflection & resolutions shouldn’t just be specific to New Year’s, I applaud anyone who are up for improving their own lives.

So last week I was being all kay-poh (read: nosy) with what’s happening all around Singapore (& checking up on what my friends are doing of course), when I came across a couple of interesting websites that were posted on various profiles on Facebook.  These ‘life lessons’ are pretty darn good,  realistic  & very useful to know.

And of course, all of these are meant to motivate, bring enlightenment & invoke change. (I hope it does for you too).

——
1.     16 HARSH TRUTHS THAT MAKE US STRONGER

“The only person who can make you happy is you. – The root of your happiness comes from your relationship with yourself.  Sure external entities can have fleeting effects on your mood, but in the long run nothing matters more than how you feel about who you are on the inside.”

(from: http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/04/11/16-harsh-truths-that-make-us-stronger)

2.    STEVE JOBS’ 2005 STANFORD COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love.

And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.  If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.

As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” - Steve Jobs

(from: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html)

3.     STEVE STOUTE’S SECRET TO SUCCESS

(read full text: http://www.selfdiscipline.com/2011/09/secrets-to-success)
(image from: http://xxrhian.tumblr.com/post/6557716690/steve-stoute)

4.    A FATHER’S RULES FOR FINDING FULFILLMENT (MESSAGE FROM THE GRAVE)

• Show humility. Stand your ground but pause to reflect on what the other side are saying, and back off when you know you are wrong. Never worry about losing face. That only happens when you are pig-headed.

• Learn from your mistakes. You will make plenty so use them as a learning tool. If you keep making the same mistake or run into a problem, you’re doing something wrong.

• Avoid disparaging someone to a third party; it is only you who will look bad. If you have a problem with someone, tell them face to face.

• Hold fire! If someone crosses you, don’t react immediately. Once you say something it can never be taken back, and most people deserve a second chance.

(from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2017876/A-fathers-message-grave-My-darling-children-heres-live-lives-Daddys-gone.html)

5.     DALLAS CLAYTON

(So this is totally not a list of things  but Dallas Clayton has a really fun way of looking at things & telling it. And I really think all of us could use a little bit of childlike fun & colour!)

(from: http://dallasclayton.com)

6.    NEIL GAIMAN’S NEW YEAR WISH

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.” - Neil Gaiman

(from: http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2011/12/my-new-year-wish.html)

7.    11 THINGS TO KNOW AT 25 (ish)

(Even if it says at 25-ish, I think it’s applicable to anyone – older or younger! )

“Don’t be like that. Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming. Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either. Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal.

Ask yourself some good questions like: “Am I proud of the life I’m living? What have I tried this month? … Do the people I’m spending time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that’s keeping me from moving forward?””

(from: http://m.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/features/25956-11-things-to-know-at-25ish)

8.    30 THINGS TO STOP DOING TO YOURSELF

• Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.

• Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.

• Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.

(from: http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/12/11/30-things-to-stop-doing-to-yourself)

————–

Here’s wishing you plenty of fun, exciting moments & a meaningful 2012. Personally, I cannot wait for the exciting adventures we’re going to have this year!

And that one of the biggest dinosaur animatronics exhibition is happening right now?

Called Dinosaurs – Live!, this dramatic exhibition features close to 50 life-sized dinosaurs (actually almost all of them are bigger than your size) and is housed at Singapore Science Centre.

I was pretty excited when I found out. I was 8 when my parents brought my siblings & I to our 1^st dinosaur exhibition (I can’t remember where it was).

All I remembered was riding on a mechanic triceratops, getting up close with a ferocious T-Rex, buying ringer tees of my favourite dinosaurs (& then crying when my mom accidentally damaged the picture on my tee) & taking pictures with all the dinosaurs there. Fun times!

You can imagine why I was so psyched for this one when I found out the dinosaurs are coming & got even more excited when we were invited to feature it (Thank you Science Centre)!

I won’t call myself a dinosaur fanatic but I do like looking & getting to know creatures because they are interesting. At this age, I guess I have forgotten why I liked dinosaurs when I was younger (I think part of it has got to do with the movie Land Before Time).

Still, when we entered the exhibition, it was pretty remarkable to see the dinosaurs! Technology and more findings, have since made the models look life-like and pretty realistic (the skin textures and eyes look real).

Every time I walked past a dinosaur, I kept on reminding myself that it was not a stuffed dead thing but a fake thing. That was how real it looked!

Anyway, besides the obvious drawing factor of the dinosaurs, here are 7 interesting facts of Dinosaurs-Live & why you should go!

Good Things Must Wait!

It took the good people of Science Centre & their other collaborators 1 year to plan, coordinate and pick the event / exhibition. The whole setting up of Dinosaurs – Live! took two weeks. Some of the dinosaurs came in separate pieces, so everything had to be pieced and fixed together (pretty interesting puzzle I must say!).

I think we Singaporeans have waiting perfected that it can probably be a national sport and you probably know what I mean when I say, “good things must wait” (said to me by an uncle who was waiting with me for good ol’ tehtarik)!

Gathering of New & Old Dinos

What makes Dinosaurs-Live! the biggest dinosaur exhibition is the number of animatronic dinosaurs on display. Animatronic models are machines that can move and really mimics the real dinosaurs. There are also about 50 new dinosaurs on display and a total of 58 dinosaurs that’s exhibited.

As we walked the trail, you can literally see the dinosaurs breathing. They are sensors strategically placed too, so that when you’re near, the dinosaur will move.  And though they don’t move freely, they can move their heads or their tails and their eyes. Makes you feel like you’re dinner, walking among your predators.

Enormous-saurus!

Some of them are pretty huge, like taller than your head, jump and you still cannot reach – huge.

The tallest dinosaur in the exhibition is standing at 6 metres & 19 metres long. Some of the dinosaurs are pretty cute too.

Like entering a Mini Jurassic Park!

Have you ever watched Jurassic Park (famous Steven Spielberg movie, handsome hero, dinosaurs running amok)? Dinosaurs – Live! has the same jungle-like setting.

The background noises of various dinosaurs (preconceived by research) and convincing background added to the ambience of the jungle setting the whole exhibition portrays. There’s also a little corner that the TV series Terra Nova adopted.

The simulated jungle setting, light, placement of dinosaurs and the guides wearing cool explorer vests make the whole exhibition look realistic, almost like you yourself is trekking through a dinosaur jungle!

Get to know the Dinosaurs!

Of course, what exhibition is complete without facts & information on these dinosaurs? There are boards and details explaining each dinosaur all along the trails. And if you’re not the reading kind, just approach and ask any guide around (& they’re all along the trail) anything you want to know.

My enthusiasm got the better of me & I couldn’t really stop asking questions but the guide still entertained my queries and even explained to me in detail.

Interactive Dino Activities (for kids)

Dig Pit, Dino Rides, Dino Kiosks, Dino Workshops and Dino Trails await kids! We really wanted to ride the Dino Ride but unfortunately, I don’t think the robot can take our weight. The kids will definitely be thrilled though – they have plenty of interesting things to do and share with other dino-loving kids.

I especially like the Dig Pit – you get to dig in a sand pit just like a paleontologist (or Ross from Friends!). Of course, the Dig Pit is only for kids, hurhur.

On top of all the activities, Singapore Science Centre is also showing an IMAX Movie about Pterosaurs, the flying reptiles that once dominated the skies. Called Flying Monsters, this new movie is set in an era 220 million years ago and shows the reptiles’ journeys.

When we left, I was still pretty enthralled by the dinos and the meeting of my favourite dinosaur Triceratops! They still looked as cute as I remembered them.

Have fun meeting the dinosaurs!

Dinosaurs-Live! is happening from now ’till 26 February 2011 & is located at Singapore Science Centre The Annexe.

Time: 10.00 am – 6 pm
Tickets: Adults – $23 | Children (3 – 16 years old) – $18 | Family Package (2 Adults, 2 Child) – $75 (tickets include admission tickets to Science Centre Singapore

For more information, visit their website (http://www.science.edu.sg) or stay updated through their FB Page.

(pictures [without labels] are courtesy of Singapore Science Centre!)

If you’ve seen big elephant statues all over Singapore, that’s because Elephant Parade Singapore 2011 is happening all the way ‘till 2012.  If you don’t already know (where have you been?), Elephant Parade is an international charitable enterprise born out of the intention to support the conservation of Asian elephants.

And while the statues are great to look at (we’ve got some ideas on what you can do too), you can get replicas at the Elephant Parade Gallery Stores at TANGS (Vivocity & Orchard), there is another activity you can do that is totally cool AND you’ll get your own customized elephant – the ‘Paint Your Own Elephant’ Workshop!

We’ve had the opportunity to attend the workshop and unleash our creativity on a 15cm-size elephant statue. Don’t worry, we’re not art experts either – it really is a wonder how we got our elephants done at all!

If you’re worried you might be paisey (read: shy) at not knowing how to paint, don’t fret. There will be an artist & an artist assistant who will help and guide you along the way. They’ll even help you to brush on a few strokes at the hard to reach places.

Held in TANGS, amidst all the other Christmas goodies, the quaint elephant painting workshop corner is cosy and friendly.

What you’ll get when you attend the workshop  – an Elephant Parade art apron, a design template, 15cm elephant (with box) and a very nice ‘I <3 Elephants’ paper bag. The rest of the materials you need (like brushes, sponges, palettes, paints) are all provided for so you literally don’t have to bring anything.

Before the whole painting-shmainting starts, the instructor explained the procedure, what’s the best way to paint & gave us a lot of pointers along the way.

We didn’t have any idea what to paint, so we did take quite a while to figure it out. We could even take a walk around the gallery store to get inspiration. Honestly, we thought we’d just paint an elephant quickly and write a story about it and then go for lunch (yes we haven’t had the chance to eat & thought being hungry was a good motivation to leave).

Turns out, we enjoyed painting so much, we took our time and ended up painting for about 2 and a half hours! We didn’t even realise that many hours has passed until we were pretty much done with our elephants.  It was pretty therapeutic! Watching everyone’s elephant come alive was fun too!

All the newly painted elephants look so shiny & colourful, we can’t help but feel proud of our work, hurhur. Our elephants (I named mine Luna) were photographed and will be displayed on the TANGS website (along with all the other participants).

And if you enter the workshop, you might just win a $100 TANGS voucher! There’s 10 vouchers to be won! (I’m secretly hoping I get it!).

Of course, you might be wondering whatcha gonna do with the elephant statue (because we had that same thought when we were looking at our elephants!).

Besides the obvious – as a decorative ornament – you can also use it as a bookend, as a huge (but cute) paperweight, as a Christmas gift (think about it – you can customize it & give a loved one), as a place to put your hats / caps, to put your plants (just paste a pot on top), as a table top decoration (lay flowers around & under) and many other creative ways!

Our one-of-a-kind elephants are in the safe hands of some of our students who are going to use the elephants as bookends for their new bookshelf!

We would encourage you to do this activity with your friends or family – it’s a really fun activity (trust me, you won’t feel so bad laughing at each other)! Plus, you get to contribute to a worthy cause together AND have fun!

—

Paint Your Own Elephant Workshop is part of Elephant Parade Singapore 2011. All proceeds of the workshop will go to Elephant Parade 2011. The workshop is happening from now ‘till 11 January 2012 (except for 25 & 31 December 2011 & 1 January 2012).

Location: TANGS Orchard, Level 4
Time: Monday – Friday: 7 – 9 pm | Saturday & Sunday: 12 – 2 pm & 4 – 6 pm

Location: TANGS VivoCity, Level 1
Time: Monday – Friday: 2 – 4 pm | Saturday & Sunday: 12 – 2 pm  & 4 – 6 pm

Price & Registration: $45 / person | $40 / person for TANGS members. Registration can be done at TANGS Customer Service Centres at the respective locations. You can also e-mail junaidi.lim@tangs.com for registration or go to http://www.tangs.com.sg/elephantparade for more details.