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I think the best thing about living in Singapore is also the worst—space. We are a really small country with a growing population, so over the years, it has gotten a lot more crowded here. However, I feel that the fact the we are small makes it great for travelling. You can make your way from one end of Singapore to the other in 2 hours and explore all the different places. Nowhere is ever too far.
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Shop
My favourite shops in Singapore would have to be Muji, Basheer Book Store and Little Drom Store.
There are the usual shops for buying craft supplies like Spotlight and Art Friend, but I am lucky enough to be working in Chinatown, where you can find many fabric and craft shops! For example, you can go to Golden Dragon in People's Park Centre to find a huge variety of yarns.
There are fleas that take place every now and then, organised by events, museums etc. But I believe the one most suitable for crafters will be Public Garden, which Operation Overhaul has taken part in as well!
Be Inspired
I get a lot of inspiration from things I see on a day to day basis, be it on the internet or observations from my surroundings, and that applies to my design job as well. I believe an idea can sprout from anywhere, even the most unexpected object or place you see, so there is no need to restrict where you go to get inspiration from!
Upper Pierce Reservoir is a great place to take photos. That place has a sense of peace to it and living in Singapore, we don't get a lot of nature parks and are often surrounded by buildings in every view, so it is nice to go somewhere away from the "city" every now and then to just keep still, away from the hustle and bustle.
Other than that, I believe the more hip touristy areas will be places like Haji Lane and Tiong Bahru.
Eat & Drink
For a really good brunch/lunch, you should definitely visit Common Man Coffee Roasters. It is my favourite brunch place in the whole of Singapore.
Besides that, I love Japanese food and could possibly eat it for every meal. You can visit Liang Court, where there are several nice, authentic Japanese restaurants and supermarket in the basement. There's also Marutama at 75 Kililney Road, which serves chicken broth ramen and really good japanese-style homecooked dishes. For good sashimi, Teppei at Orchid Hotel makes a good bowl of chirashi don during lunch hours at a really value-for-money price!
Lastly, the best of all is still the local food you can find oly in Singapore. Go to all the coffeeshops (or kopitiams as we call it) and hawker centres to try our local food like hainanese chicken rice, bak kut teh, satay, chwee kueh and more. The list never ends.
For sweet treats, there's Lady M at Marina Square, to get good mille crepes and Max Brenner Chocolate Bar at Esplanade Mall for something sinful! There are many new cocktail bars popping up here, but my favourite so far is Jekyll & Hyde on Tras Street.
Craft
To be honest, I craft at home most of the time but Operation Overhaul did attempt several quick craft sessions in cafes! Here's one we did at Spruce, I've always thought it'll be nice to craft in parks, so I might just try that soon.
We have not been in a part of any big craft groups before, but we will be a part of a new community called "We Made It" that will be doing weekend studio and craft sessions, where people can participate in workshops and buy our items at!
If you want to make crafty friends, participate in fleas or workshops! That's the best way to meet fellow crafters who are passionate in making things too :)
See Something Special
We don't really have thrift stores here, but you can try your luck shopping at the Salvation Army or random stores in the heartlands!
Take Home A Souvenir
Grab a book by a local writer at Books Actually or bring back something locally made from one of the fleas. If you fall in love with the food here, bring back jars of kaya or seasoning packets, that's what many of friends living overseas do!
Want to take us on a tour of your town and write a City Guide for the blog? Send us a message!
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