My Perfect Weekend with Singaporean model Vivien Ong

Singaporean model Vivien Ong is a familiar face in the local modelling scene. PHOTO: VIVIEN ONG

Who: Vivien Ong, 31, is a full-time model who got her start winning the New Paper New Face competition in 2010.

The Singaporean worked a stint in Paris walking for designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Anthony Vaccarello during Paris Fashion Week, before relocating to New York City – where she was cast in global advertising campaigns for brands including Coach, L’oreal and Shiseido.

She returned to Singapore in September 2019 to complete her bachelor’s degree in media production, and stayed on during the pandemic. The self-professed sustainability advocate does a variety of modelling jobs – from campaigns to editorials – and works mostly with brands in the fashion, luxury and sustainability space.

“It has been super nice to be based in my home country for the past 3½ years, but I have been making plans to move back to America at the end of this year.

Because the week is usually packed with photo shoots and events, I make sure to block weekends out from work entirely so I can properly reset and ground myself.

Friday nights are usually low-key, with pizza and movie nights with my partner, who is doing his PhD in management and organisation at the National University of Singapore. We usually order from Alt Pizza – it has great vegetarian pizzas – and our favourite is the Lean and Green. It has a killer chocolate lava cake too.

We are huge walkers and walked 500km in two months when we first started dating. We also completed a 36km coast-to-coast trail on my 30th birthday, so a typical Saturday is spent on a long hike that takes anywhere from three to five hours.

It’s a great way to reset by being detached from digital devices. Just being in nature helps me balance out a week of being in an urban landscape.

Singaporean model Vivien Ong with her partner, Mr Jack McGuire, who is Scottish. PHOTO: VIVIEN ONG

We don’t have any fixed routes, but really enjoy walking from the start of Rail Corridor North in Kranji and ending in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (the length is about 12km). Then we’ll walk over to Beauty World Food Centre for a bowl of Ye Tang Chendol and a pint at rooftop bar Wiped Out.

Sundays are usually reserved for checking out new and fun activities. We love novelty and new experiences so we take turns to plan these dates. We recently found a new 18-hole mini-golf cum investigative mystery adventure in Circular Road called Kulnari Mystery Golf.

In the past, we’ve also dined in complete darkness at Nox – Dine in the Dark, played a virtual reality game where we were space soldiers at Sandbox VR, and channelled our inner lumberjacks by throwing axes at Axe Factor in Turf City.

Vivien Ong and Mr Jack McGuire at Axe Factor. PHOTO: VIVIEN ONG

I love the Duxton area for the plethora of restaurants, cafes and bars. I particularly love having dinner at Xiao Ya Tou and then going to Lucha Loco for drinks after. Xiao Ya Tou has an amazing vegetarian menu on request and my favourite is its mushroom dumplings and mala bowl.

When in Lucha Loco, my go-to is always a shot of mezcal neat – mezcal is a liquor made of smoked agave and not a commonly found spirit in Singapore – and a michelada. It’s basically a Mexican Bloody Mary.

This Friday I’m checking out a class at the newly opened Yoga Movement studio in Holland Village. Then on Sunday I’m headed to a pool party by Crust, a B-Corp certified company aiming to reduce food waste by turning surplus ingredients like bread or fruit peels into beverages such as beers and sparkling sodas. I can’t wait to try the drinks.”

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