// On a side note, I think all 3 SSS girls must be his/her god-mothers! Haha. One is his/her dad’s favourite bridesmaid, one for all the shopping and dining treat and one for piano lessons! Haha.

I have done it! Social painting at Arteastiq! It seems like this is the up and coming activity to do with your friends! Stephanie and I bought the Groupon voucher at $28 per pax (which includes a drink, a canvas, free flow of acrylic paint and a set of brushes) and it is well worth the $28!

Here are the Good and Bad about Social painting at Arteastiq!

Good

• Pictures / books available for them to make copies (this is useful if you have no idea what to paint)
• Provide free flow of acrylic paint (which can be very pricey if you were to paint it at home)
• Provide palette paper, brushes, and canvas (so you don’t have to fret what to bring/buy)
• Provide yummy tea (I tried their pomelo tea and liked it!)

Cons

• 3 hours is too short for me to paint a decent painting (we need to pick a picture, mix the colours and paint it! They do provide follow up sessions at $5 per hour if we can’t complete our painting.)
• Paint brush is of poor quality (which gave a rough texture and it didn’t pick up the paint well)
• Acrylic paint is of inferior quality (some has been exposed to the air for too long and has became lumpy)
• Do not provide palette knifes (this is crucial for mixing colours)
• Poor arrangement of the easel (With two persons sharing one easel, one at each side, I wanted to punch the guy opposite me who violently erase the pencil marks on his canvas while I’m trying to paint)

Overall, this place is definitely not for the professional or trained acrylic painters. Call me a snob or a perfectionist but I felt frustrated many times during the session. Stephanie had to remind me that this is a social painting session and not an art assignment. Hah. But this is definitely a must try for new or first time painters! I love painting and this session has renewed my interest in painting! It could probably be my new hobby. I love that in those 3 hours, all my attention was on the canvas, it is as though the time and space around me have stopped and even if there is a typhoon / war around me, I probably wouldn’t notice it. If I were to choose painting versus baking, I think we have a clear winner here! Even though both require huge efforts before you see the results, I prefer pretty painting than cakes (equals carbs) in my ever growing tummy.

I have asked if I can buy an easel and put it in the balcony and he is all for it! Friends, if I start bringing canvas to your housewarming parties / birthday parties / weddings as gifts, please don’t reject my painting! Haha.

The painting I did at Arteastiq is something which I can’t stand looking at. Not because that it is hideous (almost hideous), but because I knew I can do better than this and this picture doesn’t do my 8 lessons in NAFA justice. I spent 30 minutes mixing the green and painting the green vase only to realize that I have picked a picture which is really challenging. HUGE TIP. Never try something with so many colour tones! The blending and touching up can kill. I ended up finishing 70% of the painting in 1 hour where everything was a blur. BOO. If I can afford another 3 hours, this picture could come out perfect. Haha.

Stephanie – a first time acrylic painter with Chinese painting background – did very well!

Last week was an art / cultural explosion week for me! I went to a musical, a play, a social painting session and a piano ensemble. It was an enjoyable yet tiring week! I was supposed to spend 2 of these activities with him but his boss decided to whisk him off to Seattle for a meeting instead. So too bad for him while I had crazy nights with various groups of people!

Girls Night Musical, Girl Talk (a sold out off-Broadway musical) is a wild night of fun, dance and laughter (for people wishes to relax, dance and laugh out loud!). I love that despite having differing personalities, the three girls remain as close friends after their “last radio show”, and it is kind of like us SSSS girls!

Barbara – a tough lady who drinks like a man and shops at Walmart, Janice – the little miss perfect (or so we think), a workaholic and an uptight lady who owns expensive shoes and lastly the crowd favourite (among the girls) Dr Laura (who managed to scare off a few guys in the audience) – an energetic, crazy and sexually uninhibited lady who is incredibly flexible.

They spoke candidly on all women related topics; sex, menopause, childbirth, shopping, marriage, divorce, affairs, men and all things true in this crumbling world. Some topics are sad but true and girls should just laugh out loud with their girlies to get through the tough times.

Thank you SQ for the tickets! I’m glad it was an all girls night because I cannot imagine the boys sitting through this without their faces all red with embarrassment. HAHA.

On a side note, I love Jubilee hall for its charm and old world look.

Yama is in town and we brought him to Big Eater for chili crab. He loves it but who doesn’t! There after we went to our place to chill with Sake and Choya. Good stuff. Can’t wait to visit Japan again!

We head over to Alph and Phil new place on Saturday and gosh, I love the location of her place! Right smack in Holland Village, with various facilities and a MRT station right at her door step. The location cannot get any better! Even though their place is a tiny 3 bedroom flat, it is cozy enough for both of them and Mocha. Haha. It’s easy to clean up too!

I was amazed by how little belongings Alph has. I really need to de-clutter our home!

At the back of her place, there is a nice “Zi Char” stall and clay pot rice which we packed for dinner! Awesome food! After dinner we walked to 2AM dessert bar and gosh, it is the most expensive dessert place ever. It is nice but definitely not worth $16 to $18 for that tiny portion of constructed dessert! Definitely overpriced! But their staff’s knowledge and service is amazing.

Purple.

Frozen Chocolate.

Cheese Avalanche.

Basil White Chocolate.

We also tried their dessert wine which was carefully paired with one of the dessert. This Hungary dessert wine is yummy. All girls love dessert wine. Haha.

Will I ever go back to 2AM? No. I’ve tried it, it’s enough. There are many other dessert places which offer yummy and value treats!

It’s been one month! Don’t forget to save girls! Here’s to remind you of the consequences if you don’t! Haha.

Right after our church wedding ceremony, we had a toss the bouquet session! Some of the single ladies were gamed for it and we had a fun time! Guess what? CW caught the bouquet and yes, she is the next bridesmaid getting married after our wedding! Haha.

// All pictures by Gabriel, OEC