an early 21st

hairin and fui are currently on their respective exotic spring break

vacations so i'm standing in as a guest blogger this week.

(me, in sunglasses, wearing a wolf shirt from union square, reminded me of christopher kane. haha)

i recently celebrated my 21st birthday at Capella Hotel and Resort in Sentosa, Singapore. the capella group launched the world's first six star hotel,

and the one located on our humble island didn't disappoint either.

i reserved a 2 bedroom villa with a private plunge pool and invited the boys over to spend the weekend.

the hotel provided chauffeur driven buggies to ferry their guests around, on top of complimentary champagne and snacks .

the hotel was really lush, and it was just perfect to celebrate the end of my army term as well as my 21st birthday.

in the evening, i held my dinner for 19 friends at the hotel's restaurant, The Knolls.

the past few birthdays, i've always worn shirts with loud prints, so i wanted to go in a different direction for my 21st.

(from top left clockwise, yellow polka dot shirt by agnes b, floral print shirt by d&g, blue/white polka dot shirt by paul & joe)

so i turned to Singaporean label Antebellum which makes some of the most artful pieces of clothing. i found this amazing white shirt with an extended bib-esque appendage.

(shirt by antebellum, pants by paul smith, shoes by louboutin)

the highlight of the dinner was the cake, which was whimsical and fun,

sort of like a final nod to youth.

we continued to have champagne in the villa after dinner,

before heading to velvet for more festivities.

velvet was more fun than usual, with an appearance by a special bottle of moet.

i've never made it into a club on any of my previous birthday because i've always been too incapacitated to manage, so i was glad that i was able to maintain my dignity this year.

the next day, the boys and i headed to universal studios singapore to sample the rides and explore the park before the grand opening on the 18th of march (my actual birthday).

i've been dying to go to universal studios ever since it was announced, so it was a nice surprise when the boys informed me that they had gotten tickets in time to celebrate my birthday.

also, because it was a preview ticket, the park was not intensely crowded and wait times for rides were manageable and relatively short.

i have to say, our little version of universal studios did not disappoint. sure, it was significantly smaller and there were less rides, but the rides offered a variety of options for kids and adults that i found pretty damn exciting.

the personnel in the park were professional and helpful, and the shows were creative and quite spectacular.

it was pretty much the perfect end to a wonderful 21st celebration.

- ivan