Situated just five minutes away from bustling #orchardroad , the Singapore Botanic Gardens is a lush sanctuary in the heart of the city.   The Gardens has been developed along a Four-Core Concept. The four cores are #tanglin , which is the heritage core retaining the old favourites and charms of the historic Gardens; #central is the tourist belt of the Gardens; and #bukittimah the educational and discovery zone. A fourth core, #tyersallgallop was created with the opening in 2017 of the Learning Forest which is designed to integrate with t ..read more

The last few nights in the Lion City… The last few nights were spent with family, site seeing, chitter chatter, laughter, reflections and so much love and appreciation, so many mixed emotions. #expatlife #expatemotions leaving family behind. An unplanned visit, a blessing from my Creator, #myheartisfull of #gratitute. Allah SWT fills your heart with what you need. HE provides the #ultimatebalance . We visited the Mirlion – the official mascot of Singapore. It is depicted as a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Why does the Merlion spit water? This according to t ..read more

Arab Street #kampongglam Rather than just one road, Arab Street actually refers to the area including Bussorah Street, Haji and Bali Lanes and Muscat Street. Part of the culturally rich Kampong Glam heritage trail, Arab Street — surrounded by brightly colored fabrics and textiles, hand-knotted Persian rugs and aromatic Arab teas — is Singapore’s Muslim quarter. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Umm Suhail – أم سهيل (@_ummsuhail_) Its heart is the Masjid Sultan Mosque, with a history that reaches back 200 years. But this is also an area of indie boutiques, restored shop-house ..read more

Exploring #orchardroad #spoiltforchoice Get yourself a good pair of walking shoes, because you will be walking Orchard Road for days! (I kid you not) Something has to be said for the MRT in Singapore. Clean, Efficient and user friendly and safe. AC and Wi-fi available. Best mass transportation ever. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Umm Suhail – أم سهيل (@_ummsuhail_) #orchardroad ..read more

These light modules made from upcycled cookie containers and solar lights are co-created by local artist @LeeYunQin and underserved communities. The units are designed and individually painted by beneficiaries from social service agency Brighton Connection based on two themes: “In the Woods” and “In the Deep”. The installation reflects a collective hope for a better future for Singaporeans and for Singapore as they further ease COVID-19 community measures. Istana Kampong Glam, also Istana Kampong Gelam, is a former Malay palace in Singapore, located near Masjid Sultan in Kampong Gla ..read more

It’s been a while… I have so much to share with you . This year I got to spend a few days of Ramadan and celebrate Eid in Singapore for the first time. I know, I know it was 3 months ago . My advice to you, be sure to spend your next Eid-ul-Fitr in #singapore . The last 2 weeks of Ramadan were very challenging for me for various reasons, anxious to get home and see my Dad who had been in unwell the yearning for my kids and all that goes with it, emotions running high, and a sad turnout of events led us to cancel our plans. With an aching , I for comfort and easy and the next few da ..read more

How time flies…. It seems that it was just the other day that I shared my thoughts and emotions about being a mother in law for the first time, little did we know that no sooner we would be welcoming another daughter into our home. Today marks the first wedding anniversary of my first born Hafeez Suhail, my heart is as full as it was a year ago. Despite my experience in planning my youngest son’s wedding, it did not diminish the rush of emotions that came with the planning of Suhail’s wedding. In our attempts to organize the afternoon tea ,the wedding cake, henna and wedding favors, the s ..read more

It was a cold wintry morning.  It was still dark as we made our way to the meeting point at Al Saad.  The stillness of the morning did not prepare us for what was to come.  As we arrived , the headlights of a vehicle beckon us and lo and behold, we started to make out the balloon that was laid out on the ground, yet to be inflated. The preparations took some time as it had to be “stretched” in order to make it easier for it to be inflated.  While the rest of the operations team were preparing the balloon, Ed Chapman, our pilot took the opportunity to give us a safety brief ..read more

This is a regular spot of ours whenever we are in Johannesburg. Perfect Saturday venue where you can relax at one of the many coffee shops and restaurants. Chill with a cappuccino under the trees on a couch or a lounger sipping your warm cappuccino. This little precinct, tucked away between high rise buildings, offers you manicured courtyard packed with trees and dotted with surprisingly intriguing little shops focused on sustainability, speciality coffee shops and restaurants. This quaint place with it’s election retail collection makes for a great place to wonder around, s ..read more

The sound of the gong chime announcing that breakfast was ready. We both sat silently, admiring the view and so grateful for the experience. We arrived at this beautiful Pretoria station, happy to be home but sad to leave @rovosrail . For the better part, I was lost for words to describe the amazing experience we had. If we would have to rate this experience on 1-5 with 1 being the lowest, 5 is the only way to describe this experience. Stepping out of this magical experience into reality… Beyond the train ride… We were treated to a very interesting tour of @rovosrail workshop. We ..read more