Three Things that are Trendy in Singapore Right Now

Cake Shakes from The Benjamins

1. Cake Shakes - It is an incontestable fact that Singaporeans love food. They like all kinds of food, especially delicious, trendy food - the more photogenic, the better. One of the latest food trends here is the cake shake. Adopted from Australia, it's a heaping mound of milkshake-goodness that will have you doing cardio for months to work all that dessert deliciousness off your butt. The base of one of these bad boys is a milkshake (any flavor) that is topped with cake (of course), an assortment of cookies, chocolate, whipped cream and other goodies. The shakes are so big that sharing them with a friend is a must.

2. Kendama - When my little students began showing up in class with something similar to the classic ball-and-cup game, I thought it was a just a child's toy. When I saw some shops, including a convenience store, that sold them, a mall promotion that featured a giant kendama, and some older teenagers  playing it on the MRT, I suddenly realised that kendama was a thing. A kendama is a wooden toy that has a ball attached to a handle by a string. There are also three cups affixed to the handle and a spike at the end that can all be used for catching the ball. I guess that could lead to hours of challenging fun or twenty minutes in the case of my primary students - which, for them, is a lifetime. 

3. Coloring Books - Walk into any Popular Bookstore here and in the middle aisle near the cash register, you will see one to two tables laden with mounds of coloring books. The most popular ones are the Johanna Basford series (a whimsical nature-based set) and Colour The Lion City (a book which features Singapore icons and landmarks drawn in a steam-punk aesthetic). Other favored authors here include Millie Marotta (known for her intricate animal drawings) and Daria Song (known for her visual stories about a fairy and a clock). From personal experience, I have to say coloring is not a bad way to pass an afternoon during the rainy season.