Travel Journal | Singapore

It’s been a little while since I last updated my blog. Life has been wonderfully full lately, so both my blog and Instagram have taken a bit of a back seat. But I wanted to share a recent trip that has already become a favourite in my travel journal.

A couple of weeks ago, my team and I travelled to Singapore for our annual trip, timing it with a three-day public holiday to minimise time away from work. Before we left, my weather app insisted it would rain every single day we were there. Thankfully, the forecast was far more dramatic than reality, and we were treated to plenty of opportunities to explore.

This was my third visit to Singapore, and of course, my travel sketchbook came along for the ride. I also packed a small journal a friend had given me, featuring Graham Byfield’s beautiful drawings and watercolours of Singapore. It felt rather fitting to have it with me on this trip.

After dropping off our luggage, we headed straight to Clarke Quay for dinner. The seafood was so good that I almost forgot I had intended to sketch first! By the time we’d finished eating, the rain had stopped, giving me the perfect excuse to wander over to Merlion Park. Despite the crowds, I managed to find a small spot on the steps and squeeze in the first sketch of the trip.

Here’s some art on buildings that caught my eye.

But if I’m honest, the places weren’t what made this trip so memorable.

The highlight was spending two wonderful days with friends, Yin, Gim and Lee. We wandered through the Joo Chiat Road and Haji Lane together, shared meals, caught up over ice cream, explored neighbourhoods, and laughed—a lot. Somewhere along the way, Yin and I even squeezed ourselves into a photo booth and came away with a wonderfully quirky strip of photos that still makes me smile every time I look at it. Those two days were full of the simple moments that often become the ones you treasure most.

In between, I still found time for a few of my favourite travel rituals. I visited a lovely quilt shop I’d discovered through Instagram, where I ended up chatting with the owners and fellow quilters for nearly two hours. I wandered through the colourful streets of Joo Chiat, sketching the beautiful Peranakan shophouses as I waited for friends. I hunted down a post office to add a few more stamps to my collection, watched the sunset from CapitaSpring, and, whenever possible, if we’re eating somewhere memorable, the food usually has to wait a few minutes while I pull out my sketchbook.

My final day was spent with Urban Sketchers Singapore. Meeting both new and familiar faces, sharing sketchbooks, and simply enjoying the day together reminded me why I love this community so much. It felt like the perfect way to end the trip.

Throughout the journey, I filled my sketchbook with drawings, notes, and little observations. On the flight back to Shanghai, I caught up on the journaling I hadn’t managed to finish, and once home, I printed photographs, added tickets and other bits of ephemera, and finally completed the pages.

Looking back, I realise the journal captures so much more than the places I visited. Between the sketches are conversations, laughter, shared meals, little discoveries, and even that quirky photo booth strip. Those are the moments I find myself returning to most.

I hope you enjoy this flip-through of my Singapore travel journal. There is still half left, and who knows, this may be a sign that I will be back in Singapore to fill up the rest of the notebook.

Thank you for stopping by.