First stop of my whirlwind holiday outside of the enclaves of picturesque Hanoi was a trip to my dear old ex-colleague from my old multinational and multi-cultural communications days in Bangkok.
Ann and Roland basically built up Front Row, a hip fashion boutique catering to the upwardly-mobile professionals of Singapore. Housed in a 3-storey shophouse on hip Ann Siang Road, the street itself is dotted with cafes, antique and curio shops, restaurants, galleries, etc. Housing seven labels from young Singaporean and Malaysian fashion designers, the place is literally hip, with a bookstore and cafe on the first floor, the women’s and men’s apparel on the 2nd and private function rooms on the 3rd to cater to parties, launches and the odd gallery exhibiton that dots Singapore’s fashion and lifestyle scene.
But the best thing about my visit to Ann is seeing her cute baby Sophie and her ever so lovely mother-in-law.
Fabulous in Hanoi visited her old haunts in Singapore – and got a shock of her own. The old Raffles Hotel didn’t look like the old Raffles Hotel. There were more boutique shops, spas, skincare salons, etc. at this colonial icon of Singapore’s British heritage. Nevermind Fabulous in Hanoi didn’t even try a Singapore Sling at the famed Long Bar of the Raffles Hotel. She had her brownie sunday anyway at the little delicatessen at one corner of the hotel.
A chat over her old buddy Al was enough to make Fabulous in Hanoi contented with seeing the Lion City again. The Great Singapore Sale was however not that great anymore. Pretty watered-down. What happened to all those 50-70% reductions on MNG and Zara at Orchard Road? Only Fossil had a 50% reduction!
Tags: blogging in Pondicherry, Blogging in Singapore, India, Pondicherry, Raffles Hotel, Singapore, Singapore sling, Tourism in Pondicherry
