Singapore is buzzing this October with experiences that blend play, culture, and wonder. From Japanese adventures to pastel pop fantasies and prehistoric giants, the city is alive with color and curiosity.
At Guoco Tower, The Japan Rail Fair brings a taste of travel magic with its Stamp Rally inspired by Japan’s famous station stamps. Visitors can collect 23 beautifully designed stamps while exploring over 20 booths that showcase the charm of prefectures such as Yamaguchi, Nagano and Fukuoka. Each booth offers a slice of Japanese culture from tourism highlights to regional snacks. Completing the rally earns you a shot at winning round trip tickets on Japan Airlines and AirJapan, JR East Passes and rail inspired souvenirs. The event runs from 9 to 11 October from 11am to 8pm and entry is free.
Image Credits: facebook.com/JAPANRAILCAFE
For something colossal, Science Centre Singapore presents Dinosaurs | Extinctions | Us in collaboration with the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. This 3,000 square meter exhibition invites visitors to stand beneath a 40 metre cast of the Patagotitan mayorum, one of the largest creatures to have ever lived. The showcase features 33 fossils and 60 full scale models tracing 400 million years of history. Beyond the spectacle, the exhibition reflects on how past extinctions connect with the environmental challenges humanity faces today. Tickets start from S$25.90 and come with a free dinosaur plush toy while stocks last.
Over at Bugis Plus, POP LANDPop-Up makes its overseas debut and transforms the atrium into a pastel wonderland. The pop-up store celebrates the irresistibly cute world of MOKOKO with exclusive merchandise, whimsical photo corners and a joyful dose of kawaii fun. It is the perfect stop for those who love collectibles and crave a feel good escape in the middle of the city. The store is open from 15 to 26 October from 10am to 9.30pm. While it is not happening this weekend, consider this an early heads up as the event tends to fill up fast and registration slots often get snapped up quickly.
Image Credits: facebook.com/popmartsg
For a night of theatre and thrill, Cirque Alice takes over the Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands. The show reimagines Lewis Carroll’s beloved tale with breathtaking acrobatics, puppetry, dance and contemporary music. It is a world where Alice tumbles through wonder and chaos guided by performers who twist, fly and balance between fantasy and artistry. Tickets start from S$78 and performances run from 9 to 26 October.
Image Credits: facebook.com/cirquealice
If you are chasing nostalgia, art or awe, Singapore offers something extraordinary this October. Step out and let a little wonder find you and your loved ones!
NewJeans x LINE FRIENDS pop-up store has officially opened its doors in Singapore and being the humble K-pop fan that I am, I had to drop by.
It’s at Orchard Central anyway.
In all honestly, I was expecting to just walk in and have a look around but it was much more crowded than I expected it to be.
I’m going to spill the beans and explain my camera roll, plus show you the prices so you can compare them with the Kpopmerch Official Store on Shopee.
Give me your attention as I reveal everything I’ve seen and experienced.
Scan a QR code to join the queue
So I reached there slightly past noon and a staff was holding a QR code that you have to scan to join the queue.
I was told that it would take about 15 minutes and was urged to come back later.
But this was what I was greeted with after entering my particulars:
The queue situation looks okay though, so I thought I would head elsewhere to run my errands first before coming back to join the queue since it would probably take me more than 15 minutes.
But just as I was on my way to pick up some stuff, I received a message asking me to proceed back to the holding area:
It was only about 10 minutes since I joined the virtual queue so I was secretly happy that it didn’t take too long. Well, at least for now.
I went back to the holding area, right opposite Equate Coffee, showed the staff my message notification, and joined the queue.
12.25 pm.
The long wait starts from now
Silly me as I wasn’t expecting to wait that long.
But minutes passed, the line moved little by little… But it still wasn’t my turn.
I was almost close to leaving because I was starving.
12.45 pm.
Oh yeah, I was nearing the end of the queue and was given a little “Q ticket” by the staff:
“Finally…” I thought.
But nope.
The holding area was just the first batch.
Oh my, oh my God.
Here’s the second “holding area”:
But at least there are seats so you can rest a little while waiting.
1.14 pm.
Finally, it was time to enter.
I returned the “Q ticket” to the store staff at the entrance and received a little freebie in return:
Store experience and prices
Okay, so here’s the real deal.
When you enter, here’s what the store looks like:
To your left, there will be BT21, LINE FRIENDS, and TRUZ.
But everyone was crowding around the right side of the pop-up store, which is where you will find all your NewJeans display and merch.
This is right near the entrance:
And then there’s more when you walk in:
Last look at the display before we move on to the prices:
Here are some of the photos I took and I’ve listed the product names together with the in-store prices so you can compare them to the Kpopmerch Official Store on Shopee and decide if you want to get them offline or online, yeah.
There’s also a phone zone right in front of the check-out counter so you can snap your pics and videos before paying for your merchandise.
FYI, their carrier bags are not free so you might want to bring your recycling bags if you don’t want to pay extra on top of your already pricey goods.
The carrier bags are priced at $0.40, $0.60, and $1 according to sizes anyway.
All payments are to be done via cash or nets only and items sold are not exchangeable nor refundable.
Here’s more to note:
Should you buy online or offline?
If you’re as impatient as I am, I would suggest that you get your NewJeans merch online.
The above image shows you the two holding areas I had to go through, which took me about an hour all in all.
I’m not the sort that likes waiting so I think shopping online would make things a lot easier (and cheaper for selected goods).
However, I do have to highlight to you that some merchandise is already sold out online so it’s your chance to get them offline if they still have it when you visit.
Also, there are a handful of items that I can’t seem to find in the Kpopmerch Official Store on Shopee (those that I didn’t input any links to), so it’s a good opportunity for you to get them in-store.
Anyhow, I’m writing this on the launch day of the pop-up store, which is on a Friday. I cannot imagine what the queue situation is going to be like during the weekend.
I would highly recommend that you visit on a weekday if you have the freedom to do so.
The event will last till 23 November but the merch won’t wait so you should visit early before the items get sold out.
MUJI, originally founded in Japan in 1980, offers a wide variety of good quality products including household goods, apparel and food.
From 17 August – 11 September 2016, shop for garment and household items with up to 50% discount at MUJI POP-UP located in ION B4 Station, from 10am – 10pm.
