Cappuccino Thoughts 37: On Spectacular, Superb, Sweaty Singapore
Bag party date change, a surprise walk giveaway, and Kafka on the Shore
Greetings from a layover in Doha, Qatar. I am on my way back from a pretty magical week in Singapore.
If it weren’t for the heat and humidity (which had my hair looking real cute), I could honestly live here. As I mentioned, it was my first time in East Asia (previously I had been as far as India) and I loved seeing how people in a very different culture live.
The most special moments, as it often goes, weren’t in the Cloud Forest or on the roof of Marina Bay Sands (although those were cool too), but in meeting and connecting with locals.
I discovered Singapore’s only standalone independent boutique, Yumumu, located on Ann Siang Road. I spoke for an hour with the proprietor, who had recently moved home to Singapore from Shanghai, where she says there are the best manufacturers in the region and a fashion scene that will soon overtake Seoul (cue Shanghai moving much higher up my places to go list). She told me how she has been making her own patterns for ten years, and at this point doesn’t even bother sketching clothes, she just immediately drafts them. Having taken a two week pattern-making class earlier this year (real ones will remember), and coming away with a barely held together simple skirt pattern, I could not have been more impressed. I laughed when she told me how there is only one season in Singapore, summer (or if you’re being really specific, rainy and not rainy), so instead of traditional seasons, she divides up her collection by themes, like Executive and Resort. I, of course, had to walk away with a top from the executive collection. Dress for the job you want and all that…
Then there was the bookseller whose shop I wandered into on Duxton Road. Book Bar, actually modeled after New York’s Shakespeare & Co., opened only seven weeks ago. I ended up in another hour-long convo with that owner, who told me that between Singapore’s rigorous and reputable education system, and its harsh work ethic, most adults have no time or interest in reading. Why open a bookstore then? Because this man wanted to connect with people and help them through their difficulties. What better way than by matching people with the exact book they need? He talked me through almost twenty books all set in Singapore or by Singaporean authors, with in-depth summaries and his own thoughts on them. I walked away with Impractical Uses of Cake and a book about the history of Singapore. So many bookstores just carry the same bestsellers, no matter where you are in the world. I loved his curation and clear care he took with every book. I would’ve loved to join his book club if only I were staying longer.
And there was the purveyor of vintage clothes from Japan who set up shop on Haji Lane. Racks of perfectly laundered and pressed vintage. She told me about how, in her view, consumers here don’t care about clothes and the stories behind them. But she was still committed to bringing in unique finds. Since I have a body shape very far from the typical tiny woman here, I was so pleased to walk away with the tutu skirt of my dreams (catch me pulling a full Carrie Bradshaw in New York) and some vintage pieces that remarkably fit me.
The other major takeaway from Singapore is what a difference it makes when the default is safety. Singapore is, of course, famous for its safety, and it lives up to its reputation. In part because there are apparently video cameras everywhere (a little creepy, especially because I kept looking for them and could never see them), and in part because it’s been ingrained into the culture. A friend of a friend who is a new mom told me how she can go out in the middle of the night with her baby and be completely fine. People leave their laptops and wallets on tables for hours with no problem. The flip side is every Singaporean I met told me about multiple experiences being scammed, robbed, or losing items while traveling abroad.
Walking around this week with a complete absence of fear showed me just how much I carry it everywhere else in the world. Perhaps fear isn’t the right word, but the vigilance that’s required to stay safe as a woman in a big city. The scowl I often assume in New York to dissuade people from approaching me. The hostile looks I shoot at people who look too long. The clutching of my bag on the subway. Instead, to walk through a major crowd during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and be able to just look around and enjoy the luminosity of everyone carrying paper lanterns, instead of being worried about being pickpocketed, was wonderful. And this attitude has ramifications across every facet of society. Assuming positive intent makes it easier to approach and connect with people, even across languages and cultures. Upon hearing that F. is Turkish, a cab driver plugged a phrase into google translate and played it over his car speakers in Turkish, proclaiming “Wealth is not everything! Enjoy your happiness! Life is so beautiful!”
Life is, indeed, so beautiful.
If you make it to Singapore, which I truly hope you do, here are my recs:
-Baristart Coffee, where they make coffee with milk imported from Hokkaido, Japan. It’s a special milk that something like only 800 cows produce. It was delicious and didn’t upset my dairy-averse tummy. I fear I will now be one of those people who insists the best milk is really in this one region of Japan.
-Singapore City Gallery, an urban planning museum that tells the fascinating history of how the city was built.
-Kampong Galam neighborhood: Haji Lane for fun shops including Kaeru, Vintagewknd, Utopia Apparels, as well as the Sultan Mosque.
-Tiong Bahru neighborhood: beautiful pastel-colored buildings, Nana & Bird boutique, and Glass Roasters coffee.
-Singapore Botanic Garden and specifically the Orchid Garden. They have a whole section dedicated to orchids named after visiting foreign dignitaries. Singapore has, in their words, no enemies, and in fact one of the most powerful passports in the world, so maybe they’re onto something with this botanic diplomacy. I especially appreciated the Diana orchid, the only one granted in memoriam.
-Imperial Treasure for Peking duck that I will be thinking about for years to come.
-Din Tai Fung for dim sum.
-Chinatown: Tong Ah Eating House for kaya toast. (I snagged a jar of kaya, basically coconut jam, to continue making at home), Littered with Books, Yumumu boutique, Book Bar, Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Thian Hock Keng Temple (a Taoist temple, very cool for me because I randomly got quite into Taoism in high school), Maxwell Food Centre for a traditional hawker (street food) experience.
-Merilon sculpture.
-National Gallery of Singapore. Not to be missed! Housed in the old Supreme Court. I saw a wonderful exhibit of Liu Kuo-sung paintings.
-Sushi Yuki for a simple lunch.
-Glasshouse Coffee, Hvala matcha cafe, and the whole Chijmes area for yummy Japanese food.
-Raffles Hotel for a historic experience.
-Bras Basah shopping complex: Wheniwasfour and Chic Books for fun design-based shopping.
-Waterloo Street: Kurasu Coffee for some of the most amazing coffee and matcha I’ve ever had, Objectifs Art Centre, Sri Krishnan Temple, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple.
Thank you to all of you who gave me your recs. And a thank you out to the universe for the wonderful people I met here.
The Annual Cappuccino Thoughts Walk
We are two weeks out from the walk! Have you gotten your ticket yet? Here you go if you still need to.
I have gotten some questions about what the $10 ticket gets you—it gets you entry to the walk! So if you are planning to come, please snag that ticket.
Why am I charging for tickets? Studies show you are more likely to show up if you make a small monetary investment. And I really want to see you there! Plus, there are some small costs incurred through hosting the event on Eventbrite and buying merch and this helps me get closer to not losing money on this endeavor. Thank you for your support!
If you already bought the ticket at the previous higher price, I will buy you a coffee on the day of the walk!
And are you sure you don’t need a hat? Look how cute they are! On the back it says “Cap Thoughts Walk 2023.”
*Surprise giveaway: I will give a free hat to the first three people who buy tickets after this newsletter goes out!*
Look of the week
This woman, captured in the lobby of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, embodies effortless elegance to me. Each of the pieces in this outfit are quite simple, but each fit her perfectly and together cut a striking figure. The scarf is a nice detail to break up the otherwise dark outfit, and the bun adds that final touch of polish. I think her daughter could learn a lesson from her! I don’t know how she’s not dying in the 95% humidity though.
Updates on the bag project
The bag launch party is being moved from Saturday, September 23rd to Saturday, October 7th. Same time, same place: 2-7 pm at By Liv.
My jetlagged soul is breathing a major sigh of relief.
Expect: Free drinks! Tarot card readings (your fortune says there’s a beautiful bag in your future 👀)! A jeweler to make charms for your bags! Magazines for sale that the bags were featured in! And of course, the latest drop of Claire Akkan bags, featuring By Liv fabrics.
Please come hang out with me <3
What’s on the bedside table
I have in fact, not been able to stop reading Japanese literature, and finally tackled a book by Haruki Murakami. Unfortunately, I did not love Kafka on the Shore, but still wanted to include it because a surprising number of you said you also had it on your bookshelf. I have never been a huge fan of magical realism, and, while I did enjoy the strange journey this book takes the reader on, I just didn’t find the magical conclusions satisfying. There were also some slightly disturbing bits that the otherworldly elements didn’t do enough to explain away for me. I did love the rich descriptions of food, adding to my increasingly desperate desire to visit Japan. Two stars.
I am currently reading Glossy and can’t wait to share my thoughts on the analysis of DTC brand Glossier next week.
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Next week, I will finally be back home, attempting to recover from the most severe jetlag of my life. Sorrows, sorrows, prayers.