Why Should You Be at the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2015?

With the last day of the year approaching in less than 3 days, the question posed to you by friends is “How are you spending your countdown?”

Here is one of your best options if you are still uncertain. Be a part of the Marina Bay Singapore countdown.

1. Bask in a night of lights, camera and action.

By lights we mean 3D projection on buildings such as the Fullerton Hotel Singapore. Titled “Reflections of our Past, Present and Future”, it features a montage of sketches and graphics depicting scenes of Singapore’s history as well as present-day Singapore.

Be prepared to whip our your phone and take photographs or video of the projection as the three minute extended version of it plays every half hourly from 8.15pm to 11.15pm on New Year’s Eve and a final run at 11.55pm.

Enjoyed watching the video clip of the projection? Nothing beats watching it live for yourself, so grab your friends and family and head down to Marina Bay on the 30^th.

2. Themed Lighting on Selected Buildings

If you think that you will enjoy the 3D projection on the Fullerton Hotel, 5 buildings in Marina Bay will also feature a synchronized themed lighting in our national colours.

The Ocean Financial Centre, OCBC Centre, Maybank Tower, One Raffles Place and Millenia Tower will be lit in red and white and feature the number ‘50’, lasting 5 minutes every half hourly from 8pm to 11.30pm.

3. Lighted Wishing Spheres

Do you observe red and white spheres floating in the Bay? Wonder what they are for? No, they are not just part of the decoration. For the first time, 5,000 red spheres have been added to the usual white spheres to form a giant number ‘50’ in the Bay. They are wishing spheres because they carry more than 600,000 wishes from members of the public.

4. Fireworks with Music

Photo Credit: Darren Soh

The firework display this time round will last 8 minutes and this display is specially choreographed to a score composed by local talents Julian Wong and Riduan Zalani. Think fireworks with music, like a music video. A segment of the Music will feature 400 drummers performing ‘live’ at the lower boardwalk in front of the Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza.

5. Events and More Events for Everyone

A map of the activities around the Bay:

Celebrate December will include a range of activities including music performances, craft workshops and other activities for all ages. Entry is free.

Drumgaia feature drum performances as part of the firework display.

Marina Waterfront Bazaar offers a shopping experience for the public and there will be tidbits and drinks available for sale.

Celebrate with the World 2015 is a ticketed concert that features local artistes and both international and local DJs. There will be a carnival zone with games for families.

Celebrate SG50 features superstars and celebrities such as Stefanie Sun, Kit Chan and Dick Lee and an outdoor party with DJ Tinc. 

Go Chinese This CNY Season with Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant

Does the traditional Chinese food you know of bore you? Perhaps the best dishes are still those cooked by your grandparents. While this may be so, give them a treat this Chinese New Year and let the chefs at award-winning Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant cook up a storm for all of you.

At Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant, you will step in hungry and leave with a satisfied, full tummy. While the food may be traditional, the ingredients used are of high quality and the flavor of the various dishes will not disappoint you.

So when you think of Chinese New Year, the first thing that comes to mind is the Yu Sheng. Look at the design of the Yu Sheng. It says 2015 and even shows a goat, if you are fast to observe.  Have fun tossing Yu Sheng as a family and enjoy a time of family bonding.

We, as Chinese, love soups.  It’s not all about the ingredients but most importantly, it is about the way the soup is brewed. Good soups usually take many hours to brew and with one sip you can tell how flavorful it is.  That is the case for the Double-Boiled Supreme Bird’s Nest in Whole Chicken.  The thing about this soup is that it doesn't consist of your shark fin soup which all older generations rave about but at the same time, I am certain they will have nothing but compliments. It is so good that if my grandma was there to taste it, I am sure she will agree with me.

One special dish that was offered at this restaurant was the Wan Hao Deluxe Abalaone Pen Cai. Before this, I knew not about the existence of this dish but it has its origins in China and Chinese New Year would not be what it is if this dish was not prepared during the festive season.

It includes 3-head fresh abalone, conpoy, sea cucumber, fish maw, dried oyster, mushroom, live prawn, roasted pork belly with yam, roasted duck, chinese cabbage, sea moss, fried bean curd sheet, mustard green and radish. Yes, that’s a lot of ingredients and seafood lovers will definitely enjoy this dish.  We had a great time indulging in this dish and were pretty much full after this.

Perhaps I should mention that I have a lot of complaints about Chinese restaurants simply because I am a picky eater. I don't eat spicy food, can't stand the smell of fish and due to a drug allergy, I can't take herbal food. So I must say that the food served at Wan Hao was overall rather pleasing to my taste buds and I didn't face any of these issues. Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant is the place you should head to if you are looking for a restaurant which serves tasty Chinese food that appeals to family members of all ages.

Visit www.singaporemarriott.com/CNY for more information.

Dining reservation hotline: 6831 4605

Are Theatrical Productions Just Meant to Entertain?

As I write this blog post, I have watched three productions, namely Frozen, Mamma Mia and Peter Pan, The Never Ending Story. I never thought I would say so but each production has thrown me into a contemplative state of mind as I watched them play out in front of me. Each of them had something for me to think about.

Frozen was a production by Pangdemonium.

Plot:
One sunny morning 10-year-old Rhona goes missing. Her mother Nancy (Karen Tan), retreats into a state of frozen hope...for the next twenty years. Does “closure”, mean forgiveness? Or revenge? Agnetha (Janice Koh) is a pioneering psychiatrist with a controversial theory on serial killers. Does she really believe what she preaches, even as she fights her own demons? And then there’s Ralph (Adrian Pang), a loner with a fractured history and a deadly obsession...Is he a monster? Or a misunderstood man-child? Drawn together by horrific circumstances, these three individuals embark upon a tangled, twisted journey, uncovering one another’s skeleton.

It was a play which was morally grey in the sense that there was no right or wrong. The audience would come to their own conclusions. To me as a Linguistics major, the nature vs nurture debate was all I could think about. If Ralph wasn't abused as a kid, would he have become the person he was now? I stand on the side of nurture, meaning I blame his environment. Why? I believe that all of us, our nature, are similar in the sense that we are selfish beings, prone to making mistakes and we need law and order to be in place. The environment, on the other hand, is what is different for every kid. The environment in which a kid grows up is super important in my opinion; his parents, the way they teach their kid, that determines the people they grow up to be. The principles, the habits, they live by, all these have to be taught. 

On that note, let's move on to Peter Pan, The Never Ending Story, a Music Hall Production. 

Plot:
It tells the enchanting story of Peter Pan, a mischievous boy, with the ability to fly and refuses to grow up. One night, he visits Wendy, John, and Michael Darling in their London nursery and takes them on an unforgettable flight where the Lost Boys, Indians, mermaids and pirates await them at Neverland. In adventures beyond their wildest imaginations, the villainous Captain Hook hatches an evil scheme that crescendos to a dramatic swordfight with Peter.

Photo credits: Leslie Artamonow

I saw Peter Pan in a different light. Watching the play unfold before me, it suddenly struck me that this was one fairy tale I would definitely want to tell children about. No, not your Disney princes and princesses, there are enough of these lousy personalities in real life; kids who are spoiled rotten and think they are 'above' everyone else in terms of looks. It is a story of friendship, of sacrifice. Tinkerbell, the fairy in the story, was more human than she seemed. She experienced jealousy when a close friend neglected her and ultimately sacrificed herself for Peter, prioritising friendship above all. While there are many Chinese wuxia novels which speak of loyalty and sacrifice, Peter Pan seems to be one of the few fairy tales that convey these values. That scene whereby she nearly died, was one that really touched me there. Sacrifice. 

Besides that, it once again reminds me of the innocence of children. Lets not be in a hurry for them to grow up. They should have the right to enjoy their childhood, to be unburdened by the troubles and responsibilities of the adult world. Let children be children. You will be surprised by how fast they grow up. 

Talking about the adult world, it brings me to the next musical production, Mamma Mia.

Plot:

Inspired by the story-telling magic of ABBA's timeless hits, this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship tells the story of a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father on the eve of her wedding, bringing three men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago.  

Although this musical doesn't seem to have a serious note to it, the beginning and end of the musical seem to suggest that we should chase our dreams. It tells us that we shouldn't let tradition hold us back. That despite the harsh reality of the world, how we are expected to marry at a certain age and hold a stable job, we shouldn't give up our dreams, not while we have a shot at fulfilling them. 

Hope that you enjoy reading my thoughts inspired by these various productions. If you haven't watched them, what's stopping you?