Skip to main content

Happy Chinese New Year !

The time is now 3.08 a.m Singapore time. I am not asleep as I have just returned home an hour ago.
Where was I earlier? Yes, if you have guessed correctly, I was in the thick of the Singapore Chinese New Year action, right in the heart of Chinatown.
Chinatown was a sea of people and it was a chore to walk amidst the thousands of people who have congregated there.
It was still orderly in Chinatown as the police has set up demarcation zones to confine and streamline the crowd. As some public areas were used for such demarcation purposes, the walking areas became even smaller.

I was in Chinatown about 9 p.m, after a hearty reunion dinner with my family. Chinatown is the place to be in, if you want to savour Singapore Chinese New Year in its fullness.

I entered Chinatown from Outram Park MRT station. To my surprise, the Pasar Malam (a public bazar) which is an annual fixture was not there.... a casualty of the economic downturn?

Entering Chinatown from Outram MRT station really belied what was to come. Just a stone's throw from the MRT station, I saw the policemen setting up the barriers cordoning the roads and many members of the public just wandering leisurely on the road and pavement, taking in photos after photos.




The road soon led to the heart of Chinatown where all the action would be taking place at 10.00 pm (on the eve, yesterday) with a live variety show featuring popular local artistes and VIPs include Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, several MPs and key community leaders of the Kreta Ayer- Kim Seng Constituency.
The crowds soon coalesced into a significant number at the heart of Chinatown near the platform where it would be bursting with performances an hour later.




Many member of the public have come some hours earlier, say 6pm to obtain a vantage point to view the variety show, the firing of the fire crackers and the procession of lion and dragon dances.










The variety show commenced at 10 pm sharp with a lound bang literally and figuratively. Spectators wow as balloons were set off to the sky, a symbolic gesture for good luck.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vernon Leong Jun Wei

What happens to the 31 year old bride groom, Vernon Leong Jun Wei? As the news of this latest unnatural and bizzare death developed, it seemed that Vernon did not jump from the 24th storey of Hilton Hotel as was believed earlier. There were 3 video camera footages which might prove otherwises for the cause of Vernon's death. The first video footage showed Vernon at the 24th storey, making his way hurriedly into the fire escape staircase. The next video footage showed Vernon at the 2nd storey which also holds some shops and the final footage showed an unconscious Vernon motionless at the ground of the hotel. Vernon was cladded casually in a T-shirt and pants and have left his hotel room while his wife was taking a shower. It seemed that he might be escaping from something or somebody or that he might be chasing after something or somebody. What did Vernon see and experience at his last moments? The police is still investigating the case. It is really a very tragical and sad
Post a Comment
Read more

Kampong Lorong Buangkok

Amidst the blazing afternoon sun today, my Dear and I made our way to Kampong Lorong Buangkok. The visit was a timely one as there is such a high buzz being generated over the last kampong in modern Singapore. After alighting from Bus 854 from Eunos, it was not difficult to find our way to the kampong. The entrance of the kampong was distinct as you could see from the picture: the 'ulu-ness' (rural charm) is evident from the attap-roofed buildings and more unkempt conditions. A signboard with hand-written text welcome my Dear and I to the last kampong in Singapore: As we entered the kampong, I spotted a middle-aged woman talking to an old man. I had seen the old woman before on TV. She was none other than the owner of the kampong land. In the documentary, I learnt that the whole kampong land was passed to her by her late father. She has kept the land and have not gone on to sell the land to the government. If she were to sell the land, she would be an instant multi-millionair
Post a Comment
Read more

Performance Bonus

It is the time of the year civil servants receive their performance bonuses (PBs). In the coming two weeks, civil servants will not only receive their performance bonuses, special ‘growth bonuses’, would also await them for the very first time. These PBs and growth bonuses are only applicable to performers, defined as officers with assessed performance gradings above the ‘D’ grade. Typically, civil servants receive their performance bonuses in March, a 0.5 month of bonus in July and a 13th month plus AVC in December. Are all the bonuses good? To be frank, the bonuses dished out in Civil Service are averages at best. With the various bonuses being given out in these months: July, December and March, a civil servant who would like to quit would most likely try to find a ‘suitable’ month to quit so as not to forfeit his bonuses. The December bonus is generally the most generous portion. To quantify for this bonus, an officer would have to be in service till the end of January ne
1 comment
Read more