Hello, August! I pulled a little disappearing act over here for a bit, which was very much not intentional and at many points throughout July, I kept trying to pull myself to share the blog post I wanted to share (which is this one today) but I just wasn’t in a great headspace. 

Ever since I started citygirlcitystories.com (almost 7 years ago!), I’ve made it a point to keep it light and positive here, because this blog is my happy place and it’s a space for me to share great things that I enjoy and love and hope others do, too. But if I may just press pause for a moment and say that July was tough: I was tired and overwhelmed, cranky and frustrated, stressed and not at my best. 

I really do realise and try to always remind myself how lucky I am in so many ways, especially with an ongoing pandemic. But not going to lie, a pandemic with changing rules and restrictions, semi-lockdowns, worrying about daily figures, learning to work from home (I got used to it, but I’m team office), and starting a new job is incredibly challenging. 

Some days are just worse, and I guess July was tougher than usual. But life is really full of ups and downs and in much happier and exciting news, I’m going on vacation next week! I took a much needed few days off and I have a staycation calling. I’m so excited and I’m going to share all about it here, watch this space!

How has 2021 been for you so far? Despite the challenges, 2021 has been absolutely flying by for me – FLYING. I was updating my work planner and was just thinking to myself how is it August? Christmas is going to be here before we know it! :)

The saving grace for me personally about living through this pandemic in Singapore is that we still get to visit places like museums, bookstores, libraries, parks and shopping malls. One particular event I was actually very excited about was the art exhibition Glass in Bloom held in Gardens by the Bay featuring works by famed American artist Dale Chihuly! 

(Side note: I’ve really been enjoying the fact that Gardens by the Bay has been hosting and bringing in special exhibitions like this one and Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express to Singapore! The prices could be a tad lower, but what’s new.)

Anyway, Glass in Bloom covers 4 “sections” in total, but I decided to get tickets for just 2 of them – the outdoor gardens and the indoor art gallery. Even though it was a sweaty day out and I ended up with a mosquito bite, I did get in thousands of steps and got to see and capture Dale Chihuly’s amazing glass sculptures! Absolutely loved it and was very happy with the large selection of works brought in to Singapore! 

You might recognise that some of my pictures in this post were taken in the Serene Garden at GBTB, which I had earlier shared a post about!

The outdoor gardens section is actually quite confusing to navigate and it covers a huge area, so do expect quite a lot of walking in Singapore’s humidity, but the gallery section was like a museum exhibit, which I really enjoyed! In the process of locating the artworks, I discovered certain sections of GBTB that I’ve actually never been to before, which was excellent. :)

Exhibitions like this truly brings me joy in the midst of challenging times. :) If you like gardens and art, I hope this exhibition brings you joy and a chance to slow down too. Stay safe and keep well, talk soon!

Dale Chihuly: Glass in Bloom is ongoing from 1 May 2021 to 3 October 2021.

Location: Gardens by the Bay
– Flower Dome
– Cloud Forest
– Outdoor Gardens
– Gallery

Opening hours:
Mon – Fri: 9am – 9pm
Sat, Sun and PH: 9am – 10pm

Price: Prices range depending on which sections you want to see. I paid S$16 for the Outdoor Gardens + Gallery on a weekday. (Click here for a list of prices)

Glass in Bloom: Website – Instagram – Facebook

Dale Chihuly: Website – Instagram

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P.S. Came across this video on Youtube that captured the whole exhibition so well!