Singapore Day @ Shanghai 2011 (part 2)

... So continues part 2 of my rendezvous at Singapore Day, Shanghai. If you haven't read part 1, you should scroll down for it.

From the massive photo spam in the previous post, it's not hard to imagine the wonderful food and fun the Singapore Day organisers have put together for the attendees.

I am sure most of the attendees would agree with me that the event was awesome. And one of the biggest highlight of the event would have to be the star studded stage performance.

The list of performances includes Singapore's funniest family, Moses lim, Koh chin mun and Irene Ang (not from the same family but you get the point). The cast from little Nyonya , Pierre Png, Jeannette Aw and Xiang Yun. Of course there were also people with the voices such as Singapore Idol Sezairi, Cai Li Lian and Kit Chan.

And my personal favourite, Babarella Chantal Thomas and Jacques Ooi. Really wanted a picture with them but luck was not on my side =(

Highlight of the performance for me would have to be the skit by the funny family (Moses Lim, Koh Chin Mun And Irene Ang) , Dolly's epic singing, Babarella getting booed for criticising the performance (jokingly of course) and THE DURIANS!!!
Oh yeah, the best surprise/gift of the day for the Singaporeans there would be the free durians.

Like FREE. DURIAN!! An entire box with 5 huge chunk of durians !!! I mean, look at the faces xD!

The durians were gone within 5 minutes. I swear I tried to record the struggle but was knocked over by the gush of durian fighters and everything ended before I could reach my camera that somersaulted 20 meters away.
Okay, fine. I was just kidding about the last part. My camera just decided to pull a stunt on me and I ended up not recording anything.

But I have photos .


And there was a lot of cute children there! I know I sound bias but seriously, is it the air or something? Why does the Singaporean kid there look so much cuter?! Everyone of them are so pinch worthy!!

Parents playing traditional games with their children.

I ate the Camel Spicy tapioca and lost my paper ball.

I must commend the organiser's thoughtfulness in the goodie bag. Not only have they included traditional games and treats for the younger generation to get a feel of how playtime was like for their parents, they have also included useful things like picnic mat and concert bangers.I was swear I got a little haughty when I saw everyone layering newspaper on the grass. Was wondering why weren't they more prepared?! Singapore Day's a big thing you know?

Then I realise the complimentary picnic mat mimics the local papers xD

The organisers also arranged a balloon master for the children.


Can you guess what happened? (arghhh random guy walked into my scene).


It seemed like the children were playing chase and sword fight when the little girl fell and burst her balloon.
And what happen next? the eldest boy with the green sword turned around and offered his sword immediately! Yes, I saw him holding his sword out as soon as he turned around and saw that the little girl had lost hers. What a chivalrous young gentleman! The family has definitely taught him well =)

With all the raving balloon sword fights and babies sighting, it's not hard to notice that many Singaporeans here came with their families in toil.
It was a heart-warming sight to see amidst all the bustling and queuing. Because like what our Theme song implies, Home is the centre of it all. Even though many Singaporeans have moved here with their family but no matter where they move to and no matter how long they’ve been away, Singapore will always hold an irreplaceable place in their heart. It will forever be a place to go back to and a place they miss.
The 5900 turnout is solid proof of that connection.
The feeling of home(sickness) is further emphasised when everyone got together and sang the 1998 theme song with the original singer, Kit Chan.

The event ended on a very heart-warming note and I'm sure everyone went home with a rekindled Singaporean spirit. I really appreciate the government’s effort in organising big scale events like these for Singaporeans living abroad. Not only does it remind them that they are not forgotten, it also gives them the chance to remember their identity as a Singaporean.
I personally shall feel sad that nobody will understand all the durian jokes I shall make in the future =(

Singapore day @ Shanghai 2011! (part 1)

Thanks to the kind people from MICA, I had a blast at Shanghai for the Singapore Day on the 16th April!


It was a refreshing carnival of free local food, games, stage performances and picnic on the grass! Something not quite suitable to do in humid Singapore but something oh-so enjoyable in Spring Shanghai!!

Alright, kick starting the entry with some a cargo load of photographs to help illustrate the settings!

The colourful stage with it’s mega LED screen on both sides. I really liked the usage of colours here, definitely brought about the familiar identity of Singapore as a multi-racial and multi-facet society.

All the booths rushing to get everything in place before the crowd floods in. The booths this year was sorted by colours!

Coniferous trees in the park creating a classy backdrop. I can feel the cold air just by looking at this picture.

The stalls before the crowd came in. Yes, you bet it’s not so ‘quiet’ after that.

The Ice kachang themed playground with an array of traditional games! Cheyenne randomly asked if I want to enter the Ice Kachang thing and I replied “Are we allowed in?” . She took a double take at me =_= |||

Giant Graham Crackers tin with MONEY inside You bet we were intrigued!

For those of you who don’t get it, this display is a take on how long ago before banks were secured, people would store their money in random tin cans such as these.

Of course we couldn’t resist a Photo opportunity!

The closest I’ll ever get to hitting someone with MONEY! Fear my $50 bill!

And we’re not the only ones intrigued, look who's taking pictures

Took the chance to ask for a photo opportunity and Mr Moses Lim kindly obliged! So nice ! He even entertained my cheesy request of shaking hands ala Prize Giving ceremony style xD

HDB styled sign post! with gigantic T-shirts that measured 4 storey high !

The MINDEF booth with it’s array of Physical Simulations for the public to try their hands or feet at. Photos at the bottom are the mobile kitchen.

The kind officer at the station teaching us about how the Standing Board Jump equipment measures our score automatically.

Here’s me agonizing over my Standing Board Jump score

After much struggle with the chin up, I managed to nail 12 pulls!

I went on to score full points for the rest of the test and was awarded GOLD!!!!!! hurhurhur =X

People streaming into the event!

The Sports simulation booth had a cycling simulation which Cheyenne and I both tried. Everyone’s cycling speed was recorded and the one with the fastest score at the end of the day wins the bike. I don’t own any bikes at the moment.

The coolest simulation imho, was the F1 race simulation. Not only was it in 3D, it was also a real life representation of the F1 race tracks in Singapore complete with the Esplanade and Old Supreme Court in the Backdrop.


And of course, there’s the MICA booth!

 

Post cards to take away for all. Nothing better than a practical gift!

The MICA Staffs really hard at work!

Merlion hats!

Local designer reinvented items on display. Please ignore the random humans in frame, the booth was so packed it was hard to capture anything without a random Mr or Mrs popping in.

I thought the colourful windows idea was pure ingenuity xD

This area was the goodie bag giveaway area and one would think the snaking queue was never going to end!

The really cute T-shirt inside the goodie bag.

The goodie bag given away by MICA. I mad looooove the artistic direction of the entire thing! Everything from the bag to the T-shirt, to the little notebooks were done so tastefully yet meaningfully!

SO CUTE RIGHT ?!

Because the Singapore Day was so full of awesomeness, one entry is not enough to justify it. Hence I will be ending part 1 of my Singapore Day entry here. Look forward to more photo spammage, videos and insights about the event!

Ps: I don't want to sound like a bootlicker but the event was really pretty cool.Part 2 to come soon =)
and I'll be uploading video of my AWESOME hotel room xD