Mid-Autumn Festival at Gardens by the Bay

Supertrees at night

Since my visit to the Gardens by the Bay back in June 2012, I have made numerous trips to the same destination. The latest being during the Mid-Autumn festival period where fascinating and captivating lanterns of various themes were displayed.

Lovely-Dovey Birds Lanterns

Cartoon Characters' Lanterns

This event used to be held at Clark Quay. The lanterns would be mounted on boats which floated on the edge of the iconic Singapore River. This year, it has shifted "in land" to the Gardens by the Bay. I must say I was impressed by the bigger scale displays, more creative themes, massive firework, deletable food available and mostly importantly the blending into the Gardens. The themes were adored by children as they were captivated by the lanterns display at the 'Dragonfly Lake', 'Jurassic Park', 'Birds and Insects Paradise' and 'World of Fairy Tales'. There was also a section where one could take picture with your star lantern and also your fortune foretold.

Nice Reflection in the Lake

Jurassic Park

 We went to the Gardens by the Bay in the evening. Many people were already there for the same event. Families with their little ones, romancing couples,bewildered tourists  were among those in the crowd, savouring the atmosphere of the Mid-Autumn Festival in the garden. Photographers with their comprehensive gears, were capturing unique moments and scenes. I brought my camera too, not to miss out collecting photos of ourselves in this once in a year event.

Majestic India Lanterns

Little Monks Lanterns

The Three Little Pigs Lanterns

The moon was especially round on that night, as if the fabled Chang' e, the Moon Goddess of Immortality was doing her part to commemorate the celebration. On the humour side, it also reminded us on the many moon cakes we have consumed uncontrollably for the past few days ;-).

Full Moon at the Bay

Family Caption

My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed the event. A BIG thanks to the organizers, we will be back next year :-)

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Charlotte with Oriental Face Mask Lantern

Myself with my Star Lantern-Pisces

My Singapore Story

The Singapore Skyline

This year National Day's slogan is "Many stories. One Singapore". As a true blue Singaporean, I felt complied to contribute my own Singapore story for this year cause. Born in the 70's, I was one of those who was "evacuated" from our Kampong (local slang for village) and moved into the current concrete high rise buildings. Since then Singapore have never look back.

Haw Par Villa

I have witnessed Singapore's tremendous transformation over the past 40 years. In my early days, there were not much places of interest which our children have the privilege to enjoy today. The only places our parents could bring us were The Singapore Zoo (I have a blog on this), Haw Par Villa and the occasion fun fair grounds. This is the reason why I have such strong affiliation with The Singapore Zoo and Haw Par Villa. Perhaps those from my generation share similar thoughts too. 

The Singapore River

Marina Bay Sand

I remembered not enjoying the bus trip (there was no MRT then) to China town. The reason was that we needed to get past Singapore River. Whenever we got near the river (where the current Clark Quay resided), there was always a strong pungent smell in the air. It was so repulsive that at times I felt like vomiting. The hot and stuffy environment in the then non-air conditioned bus did not help the situation. Of course, the smell has long gone after the authority put in strong effort to clean up the river. The Singapore River has now become one of Singapore famous landmarks. Tourists visiting Singapore today consider touring the length of the Singapore River in the trademark bumper boat as a must do in their itineraries. The boat tours bring them to many Singapore famous icons like The Merlion, The Marina Bay Sand, The Esplanade, The Fullerton Hotel and The Singapore Flyer etc.

Resort World Sentosa

Universal Studio Singapore

Another destination comes to my mind is Sentosa. Sentosa of today has totally shed it's "abandoned island" image to become a Resort island. I recalled not many people want to visit the island as it was deemed a exiled prison for political criminals during my young days. All these have changed. Now, we have USS (Universal Studio Singapore), S.E.A Aquarium (World largest aquarium), Adventure Cove (Water theme Park) and the lists go on at Sentosa. Visitors coming to Singapore now will surely stay a day or two at Resort World Sentosa. Singaporeans, myself included would also consider Sentosa as a great retreat instead of visiting other countries during holidays.

S.E.A Aquarium

 We shall always remember that Singapore have achieved today first world status due to the hard work of everybody. Our children get to enjoy the fruits that were planted by our parents. We can be proud but shall never let complacency set in just because what we are today.

Happy belated birthday, Singapore!

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The Merlion

The Singapore Flyer

The Singapore Flyer

Unless you observe carefully, you are not to blame if you think the 28 capsules on the Singapore Flyer are not moving at all (They are moving, trust me :-)). The number of capsules were planned with a reason. In fact, each capsule was actually constructed to a size of 280 sq ft and can accommodate 28 passengers.

Although now a modern city, Singapore majority population is Chinese and many still believe in the art of Feng Shui. 28 in feng shui resembles prosperity and wealth. That explains the number's affiliation with the Singapore Flyer. And again for feng shui reason, the Singapore Flyer's revolving direction has been changed in August 2008 with advice from the feng shui masters that the original direction was "taking fortune away from the city".

The Singapore Flyer in the City Skyline

With the Marina Bay Sands and the newly opened Gardens by the Bay as it's neighbours, the Singapore Flyer has received increased attention. If you are a fan of Formula one, you would not missed it's presence in  television when the race was held in the night in Singapore. It was supposedly to be the star attraction before the Marina Bay Sands was completed and all the racing vehicles would have to drive pass it for 19 times!

For those who like to take photograph of the giant structure, the Marina Barrage and Gardens by the Bay have good photo-taking spots. It's a big day when Singapore equivalent to the London Eye in England was completed and opened to the public on 1 March 2008. Blamed it on my engineering background or superstitious instinct, I would always wait for at least 1 year before taking the plunge to take a ride on any new attractions that involves mechanical and especially moving structure.

Sad to say, I was proved right numerous time. Most, if not all of these attractions were completed with tight time line (and sometimes budget) and I was always not too surprise if they neglected some little details. These neglected small details could sometimes lead to big problems. I was bingo yet again with the Singapore Flyer. Within 1 year after it's grand opening, the giant wheel has broke down three times. The worst one was when 173 passengers were trapped in their capsules for almost 6 hours and a few of them have to be lowered down to safety in a sling-like device!

Night view from the Singapore Flyer#1

Sticking to my decision (and proved right), I finally took the ride after my self-declared "Safety Period". In fact, I have taken two rides in the Singapore Flyer after that. The tickets were not cheap especially when you were bringing your whole family.

But as a Singaporean, I would always like to show my gesture of support to my country's newest national icon. In fact, after taking the 30 minutes ride, I thought it was really not a bad idea at all. At the highest point of 165 meters above ground level, you could enjoy the panoramic views of the city skyline. Many Singapore's landmarks-The Marina Bay Sands, Fullerton Hotel, The Esplanade, The Merlion and now The Gardens by the Bay could be captured in a glance.

I recommend all of you to take the ride in the night. In my personal opinion, the captivating night view at the top would always be my highlight of the ride. I was also well assured that your young ones will be excited by the ride. My daughter enjoyed it and has always asked me when we can take the ride again.

Night view from the Singapore Flyer#2

If you are planning a visit to Singapore, remember to pay the Singapore Flyer a visit. This is the official site.

The Singapore Flyer and Gardens by the Bay

For Your Pinning

Trip to Gardens by the Bay, Singapore



Flower Dome and Cloud Forest

29 June 2012 is a great day for Singapore. The long-awaited "Gardens by the Bay" was finally opened to the public. The garden in the city is set to be the new national icon among the likes of the Merlion statue and Marina Bay Sands. Eager to be among the first to witness the new chapter in Singapore history, I brought my family to the new attraction on 30 June.



The Supertrees

We chose to go down in the evening as I want to capture some night scenes on my DSLR camera and the weather was to be cooler. As predicted, the place was crowded with locals and foreigners. I guessed many people were not left disappointed. The Supertrees would have left a great impression on them. Standing at about 25 to 50 meters tall, they were like giant guardians overlooking and protecting the gardens below.

The gardens were divided into different themes to symbolize the different races, cultures and history of Singapore. To name a few were the Malay garden, Chinese garden, Colonial garden etc. Many who visited there would not have missed the two domes which were the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. They housed exotic plants from around the World in a controlled environment and need a fee to access. We did not enter the domes but make it a point to visit next time.

Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands

The night scene there was a different playground with all the Supertrees lit up in fascinating colours. Together with the captivating reflections on the many lakes and rivers in the gardens, they combined to form a mysterious beauty of the night. Photography enthusiasts would certainly have a good time snapping their cameras away and losing track of time in the gardens.



Gardens by the Bay and The Singapore Flyer

As a Singaporean, I am proud to see Singapore growth. From a "kampong" boy to the city dweller today, I have witnessed Singapore transformation. The Gardens by the Bay is a testimonial of our successes. Despite the many voices of dis-satisfactions on the government policies, due credits must also been given on the good work they have done. For those visiting the new attraction in town, have an enjoyable day! 

For more info on the Gardens by the Bay, please go to the official site.

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Supertrees in the night