This blog is contributed by a Tampines 1 shopper, Shi Hui who had recently won the first prize – a trip for two to London Fashion Week – in our Spring to L1fe Lucky Draw.
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Who can ever imagine a Liverpool jersey and a birthday cake could bring you an all-expense-paid trip to London?
Those were the stuff my sister and I bought when we first visited Tampines 1. With the receipts, we participated in the Spring to L1fe lucky draw. We did not imagine ourselves winning anything as all we wanted was to redeem a gift umbrella with our receipts.
Weeks later, I received a call from Tampines 1 saying that we had won the grand prize – an ALL-EXPENSE-PAID TRIP TO LONDON FOR TWO! And the prize included entry passes to the exclusive London Fashion Week!! “It must be a scam!!” – That was what most people around me (including myself) thought initially (well, it’s like those scenes we often watched on TV. Ha!). However, the dream soon became a reality when I received a confirmation letter and subsequent follow-up phone calls from Tampines 1. I could hardly contain my excitement when I realized that I was about to embark on a trip to London! Everyone around me was envious of my luck. I couldn’t stop smiling to myself and I wouldn’t be surprised if I had actually laughed in my dream. Hahaha… For my sister who had not travelled out of Singapore since she was 6, the London trip was like a dream come true.
- Me and my sister Shi Mei on our flight to London
16th September 2009 – THAT DAY was finally here! After a 14-hour flight, we finally reach Heathrow airport. The weather wasn’t good when we landed. It was freezing and both of us were shivering. Still, nothing could dampen our spirits. The first thing we did was to purchase Oyster Card for travelling around London. Oyster Card is almost like our EZ-link card which you can use on their tubes and buses. With that, we took the dot-dot transfer to our hotel – Saint Georges only to know that we could only check-in at 12noon.
- Our nice comfy hotel room
Unkempt and tired but full of anticipation and excitement, we were so awed by the shopping scene at the streets of London. We also noticed that there were many cyclists on the road and some of them were dressed in office suits. It could be due to the high transportation cost or the fact that they wanted to squeeze in some form of exercise admist their busy schedules. I don’t think I will try to do that in Singapore. Hahaha…
One of the London trip’s highlights was the free fashion styling and a shopping spree at Topshop! We were so thrilled when we met the fashion stylists at Topshop in Oxford Street. The store is a multi-storey boutique which is much much much bigger than any Topshop store we see in Singapore. During the styling session, we were given the chance to shop around Topshop and we even had the exclusive use of their VIP changing rooms! While we shopped, our style advisors went around getting clothes for us. According to them, sequins is in fashion this season and jumpers too. Pair your jumper with leggings and you will look fantastic!
- Many thanks to the Topshop Style Advisors who gave us many invaluable fashion tips and style advice.
- Some of the fashion items we got duringthe shopping spree at Topshop! Love them!!
Apart from the fashion styling and shopping spree at Topshop, we also had the privilege to attend the Unique Topshop fashion show during the London Fashion Week. It was a once-in-a-life-time experience. We managed to reach there early, hoping to meet celebrities at the event. We noticed that most of the guests had different fashion styles: from classy, elegant, casual, unique and trendy. It is not common to see people dressed in such fashionable styles.
As the fashion show was about to begin, we could not find any ideal place to stand and watch the show. Most of the standing area was already occupied, so we could only stand behind the crew with cameras. Honestly, we were too short. My sister, who was shorter than me, could only catch few glimpse of the fashion show while I tried to watch the show through my digital camera. We did not really get to see everything. Neither did we spot any celebrities. We regretted so much that we did not make use of the Kiasu-ness of Singaporeans. We could have bought a ladder or something. Hahaha. However, it was still an eye-opening experience and we were glad that we were given the chance to attend. When the show ended, we saw photographers on the streets, asking people who were dressed uniquely to stop and take a photo. It was a nice experience, seeing how people were dressed for the event.
- Check out the models on the runway!
- Love the clothes the models are wearing!
We were so glad that Tampines 1 had also arranged orgainzed tours for us. We visited various popular tourist spots like the Tower of London, London Eye and Buckingham Palace. The tour was fun and enriching.
- London Eye
- Big Ben
- Tower Bridge
- Guard Changing Ceremony at Buckingham Palace
What a treat to London! A BIG THANK YOU TO TOPSHOP & TAMPINES 1 for making our dreams come true! We really appreciate it and look forward to such lucky draws from Tampines 1! It’s a trip that we will never forget! =D
Muacks! Love Tampines 1!
Cheers, Shi Hui
