HKB's 'ALICE'

Hong Kong Ballet’s (HKB) ‘ALICE (in wonderland)’ spared no expense on costumes, sets and colors. It was a riot of fun and laughter at its shows. We opted for the Sunday matinee since that suited our schedules. And yes, we know that ballet or theatre matinees of this sort would be attended by many children and their parents. 

I appreciated how the HKB cooperated with Singapore dancers too. There were 100 young dancers (from 7 to 17 years old) from Singapore who danced alongside the company as 'baby flamingoes', 'small doors', 'piglets', 'gerber daisies', 'junior cards' and 'hedgehogs'. They were rather adorable.

It wasn't too noisy along our row and around us. Any random chatter was quickly shushed by the parents. I was feeling in rather forgiving mood with the chatter since this wasn't a formal ballet performance in that manner. It was meant to be a fun ballet anyway — see the visuals, skip the critique of the techniques — the music told me as much. IMHO, the company isn't technically superb. The dancing was earnest and effortful though. It still made for an enjoyable show for the adults. 

Baia is a convenient stop after a matinee show at the Esplanade. It's also a nice venue to chill out at between shows. But it isn't a place I want to be at during the F1 weekend since I'm not keen on the whole shebang associated with the event. I rolled eyes at Baia's own description as a "high octane lifestyle destination". Even its cocktails are described as "high octane". 

Well, overall, this place isn't that new anymore. It opened to much fanfare. Unfortunately it didn't impress us much. The food is brainless and thoughtless since it's really not a restaurant per se; its service staff are still very noob. The menu for wines and cocktails are decent, but super pricey for whisky and gin. 

We stuck to a simple bottle of pinot gris, and some light bites to fill the stomach. Portions are small but perfect for us three who didn't want to eat a lot. We had the loveliest conversation after not seeing one another for a few months!