Colours, Sights & Patterns At Kampong Glam

In the 19th century, Kampong Glam was essentially an ethnic district with a strong Malay-Arab influence. It was a place where locals patronized for their Arab-Muslim traditional foodstuff and merchandise...

Immersive 4K HDR Viewing Experience With Sony Projectors

Sony’s latest innovative laser light source projector is High Dynamic Range (HDR) compatible with native 4K resolution, creating an amazling clear lifelike experience, as if you are there yourself…

Back 30 Years To Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre

Iconic along this stretch of road is the rectangular block of a nondescript beige-tiled building. The facade of this building is blocked by an overhead bridge. And this is the front entrance to a shopping centre - the Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre… (USSC).

Monti - Singapore's Longest Brunch Every Sunday

Enjoy brunch by the bay concept, complete with stunning views of the Marina Bay and its surroundings, and a fabulous menu and music programme to match at Monti…

Where Freemasons Convene

In 1886, the Masonic Club was established to support Singapore freemasonry. Guess who was the first Freemason in modern Singapore?

NDP 2013 - The Merlion Goes Missing

National Day Parade 2013
Marina Bay Floating Platform
South, Singapore
09 August 2013 
 
The night segment kicked off with "Play" and bursts of rainbow-coloured pyrotechnics....
 

 
"Play" shares a part of the rich history of Singapore that Singaporeans are proud of through a playful and energetic re-telling of traditional stories one may have heard from the elders as children...
 
 
 
Telling stories about the places in Singapore...

Amidst the high-energy performances, a MediaCorp reporter interviews spectators...

"Build" pays tribute to how far Singaporeans have come as a nation, as well as the hard work and determination of past and present Singaporeans...
 
 
"Reinvent" celebrates the spirit of innovation and creativity to build a better future for Singapore...
 
 

"Express" is a musical rendition of the unique memories and stories that Singapore holds for us, which make Singapore our home...
 
 
The celebratory mood is enhanced with the MBS showing the Singapore flag and participants in the brightly-coloured light sticks...
 
"Represent" demonstrates how we continue to strive for excellence and do our best to make a difference to Singapore and our society...
 
The Merlion expresses his desire to participate in the NDP,
jumps off his pedestal into the Marina Bay, and swims to the Floating Platform...
 
A motivating segment showing Team Singapore athletes including Paralympic basketballers and equestrians, as well as athletes from lesser known sports...
 
A mass wushu display not unlike a Jet Li movie...
 
Playing ball! 
 
"Aspire" encourages Singaporeans to aim high and reach for the stars where the future is bright and there are many opportunities and paths of success for all Singaporeans to exercise their creativity and fulfill their potential...
 
 

"Embrace" is about embracing diversity in society and our endeavour to build a gracious and inclusive Singapore...
 
 

"Love" celebrates the Singapore story through the love and pride Singaporeans have for our island nation...


Singaporeans looove fireworks!

Saying the pledge with pride - We are proud to be Singaporeans...
 
 An emotional rendition of Majulah Singapura evokes memories of Singapore past and present...
 
Another round of golden showers...
  
 Goodbye Mr Tan...

"Party" is a giant celebration in honour of Singapore's birthday, and acknowledges the hard work and team spirit that brought everyone together...
 

A rousing "thank you" by BG Perry Lim, Chairman NDP EXCO...
 
Followed by a surprise round of starbursts...

 Dancing away with Psy's cartoon graphics!
 
Tweet for an instant update...
 
The energy level of the participants was unmatched - They cheered every departing spectator with the same amount of boundless energy and danced and jumped to every new song!
 
 
It was an honour to take a picture with those who have triumphed over the odds...

And then there were the people who just enjoyed the festive mood...
 
A final surprise round of fireworks - Viewed from the vantage point at the Esplanade...

 Somehow Singapore never looked more beautiful...

  



More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :

 


NDP 2013 - The Big Squeeze

National Day Parade 2013
Marina Bay Floating Platform
South, Singapore
09 August 2013
 
After the excitement of the preview ("Many Stories, One Singapore"), Merlion Wayfarer was fortunate to be able to go to the Marina Bay Floating Platform to watch the National Day Parade on the actual day itself. (Thank you, TODAY!)

Going to the NDP 2013 was no joke. Even with an arrival time before 1700h, there were looooong queues snaking around the various entry points...
 
The queue stretching from one side of the Esplanade taxi stand to the other side
- several columns long... 
 
What was not allowed - 100% of canned items, even soft drinks and food...
 
 
Bag checks were thorough - Every bottle of water had to be opened up...
 
Collecting the goodie bag was a breeze...
 
The next squeeze - Getting from the goodie bag stations to the gallery...

Climbing the stairs was uber claustrophobic! Seniors and those with young kids had to take extra precautions. Even adults had to struggle to breathe well in the limited air available...
 
A view of the massive crowd watching from outside the Esplanade.
It would be a nightmare to be watching there!
  
This was another chokepoint as snacks were given out with
the crowd trying to grab as many of these as they can as they go up the stairs...

  
Coping with the dishing out of snacks...
  
Half an hour after the pre-parade segment started, people were still streaming in...
 
How the crowd looks like on the opposite bank... 
 
No sitting space too...
 
Even up there, it was standing room only...
 
 
  



More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :