Before this event, Raffles Place just reminds me about work, the fast-paced, stressful life. To be quite honest, I barely go to Raffles Place in the weekends because this area is just super dead. Most of the shops ain't open.
This is the 3rd season of Unwind @ Raffles Place and I have to say this is a really great initiative, breathing new life to this ghost town. Against the familiar skyscrapers and lush greenery of the park (by the way, do you know it is named Raffles Place Park), there were lawn games, live DJ, Outdoor movie screening and even one-of-a-kind communal dining experience event.
I would have loved to stay for all the events, but because I am now a mother, I can't. But the events lined up would have kept the younger me very well occupied and chillax. We did get our Buzz Mark. Basically, it is kind of like a simplified personality test that unlock rewards in the area. Personally, the personality test was not very interesting but the rewards unlocked were pretty good, so it is still pretty worth to do it.
The other event which we did was the communal dining with strangers which I thought would be interesting. I have previously attended something similar (you can read about my experience here at Food for Thought) and really enjoyed it. So, I had high expectations when it came to Awkward Party.
Initially, I thought most of the attendees would be the young and single, ready to mingle. In fact, most came as a pair/ group and were separated. Well, after all it was supposed to be an awkward party and it sure lived up to its name. Based on the table settings, this was more of a "team event". The instructions weren't the clearest, but after a while you kinda have a clue how to get things going. I think the organisers aimed for deep conversations but it was pretty hard to bare all and be vulnerable with a group of strangers, who may not share the same sentiments.
The food was instagrammable and delicious but my biggest grouse was that there were no serving spoon and that some of the food are pretty difficult to share. Hmm...how do we share a soft shell crab and chicken leg equitably? And in the light of the rising covid cases, the germophobic in me was very anxious.
All in all, it is still a very different dining event from what we are used to. And if you would like some awkwardness in life, join their next one and maybe bring home a new perspective/ friend.
