Our history is a lot more than meets the eye..

And this particular eye had thoroughly enjoyed the visual treat whilst on The Bicentennial Experience! I have never really like History as a subject finding it dull and mostly sad thus I quite promptly dropped it in Secondary Three. But being a patriotic Singaporean, missing this would be out of the question and boy am I glad I made time for it. Surprised myself with the number of pictures I had taken; it shows just how successful the organising team is in making history come to life. It was not sufficient to enjoy the various presentations in the flesh. 

Here are some of my feeble attempts to make memories and capture how impressed I had been with what I saw.. 

The Time Traveller

Right from the start at the Atrium, with some clever light trickery, visitors witnessed how rain (real water!) freeze in mid air and then rise instead of fall! The commentary stated that this "provides insights into how weather played a significant role in the rise and fall of civilisations and cities" but I much preferred the symbolism of time being turned back more than 200 years. 

Took a video but of course the optical illusion no longer works after being processed by a camera.......

  Act 1 1299 - 1613 Beginnings

As I attend this exhibition with zero expectations, it took me quite some time before I was finally convinced that the actors before my eyes were performing live. Given how close they were to the spectators, it was quite an intimate set and they were so professional even after the nth performance?! The use of the moving travelator is incredibly clever and seamless in implementation together with the multimedia projections. I noted with astonishment that the martial art choreography was the product of Lim Yu-Beng!

trying to capture how the multimedia projection is all immersive being both in front and behind the stage - and failing miserably - unless you can see shadows of flames on the transparent screen?!

 Act 2 1819 Arrival

 
I love how visitors get to sit in a pseudo ship and enjoy a panoramic view just like one would when out at sea! However, the concept of seeing the narrative through the eyes of animals was totally lost on me up till the point of the dragonfly.. it just was not that evident.. 

My History classes had taught me that Farquhar was Raffles's right hand man but apparently not....

Act 3 1867 - 1941 Connectivity

"Moving screens and rotating seats, which simulate the turning of the wheels of machinery" brought us from Act 2 to Act 3 without us even getting off our butts. And physically feeling the motor of the revolving platform really emphasised the "mechanical strength that powered the rise of industralisation". Then there was also the colourisation of actual photographs of families from that era which contrasted with the darkness and grime of inevitable social ills. The first hint of the sad component of history but totally cool presentation.

 

Act 4 1942 - 1945 Occupation

Hands down my least favourite part and no fault of the exhibition itself, just the content. The setting of dimly lit spaces and cracked walls in narrow tunnels effectively forced visitors to feel the oppressive atmosphere. The re-enactment of an actual survivor of Sook Ching also felt too real for comfort.

 

Act 5 1950s - 2019 Destiny

The most talked-about act of the entire experience! It was supposed to provide "an uplifting finale" but for a long while I could not get past the fact that I really personally bear witness standing at the Padang, drenched to the bones by the downpour that fell on the day of LKY's funeral procession. But yes, there were downs and there were ups. We have achieved so much which made me so proud to call myself a Singaporean and I am ready to weather any storm as a nation.

  

 

This part of the experience ended with a closing question asking every visitor to vote "Which DNA trait is most important to Singapore? Although I can certainly see how "Multiculturalism" and "Openness" play a part to our success, I chose "Self-Determination" because ....cue music! there was a time when people said that Singapore won't make it, but we did

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pathfinder

This part of the experience reminded me a lot of Singapore Biennale as you can explore various outdoor pavilions on Fort Canning Hill artistically designed to reveal Singapore's place in the world through different themes. Love it!

The map - of course I tried to follow it in sequence

Emporium of the East - white clay replicas of trading goods in early Singapore and some VR surprises!

House of Maps - beautiful redesign and representation of blown up maps depicting Singapore in various names

Lookout - the exterior

Lookout - interior 1

Lookout - interior 2

Seed Conservatory

Seed Conservatory - my favourite spice!

Seed Conservatory - this is one of the better surviving ones

Lightbeam - Need to visit this at night!

Pavilion of Words - Quite a collection of books on Singapore; browsed through one of TNP

Pavilion of Words - my "tweet"

Reflections of our Past - deep in thought

Observatory

Observatory - VR fun!

 So what are you waiting for? Go see it already before the tickets run out again!! You "paid" for this massive nationalistic project, you know?

Biking from Hougang to Bangkit

Cycling is one of the many outdoor activities I enjoy immensely. This skill that once you acquire you will never forget has enabled me to explore parts of Singapore I might not had gone if without a trusty bicycle - the ends of East Coast Park, Changi Beach, Pulau Ubin, Marina Barrage at night, Coney Island and most recently, the Central Catchment Area. Had not even planned on ever seeing that last one! 🤣

One good thing about working close to home had been the feasibility of cycling to work. Skip the crowded buses and unreliable bus schedules and get some fresh air and exercise at the same time! Thus when I moved into my own place, a bicycle was on my to-buy list. I was very blessed to have one of my closest pal to gift me with one as a birthday cum housewarming present. And that is how my bright red mountain bike came to be at my humble abode in Hougang.

Since changing my marital status, the address needed an update as well. As I had no need to hire a mover to shift my belongings, my first (and only) option of moving my bicycle was to cycle it to its new home. A bicycle is a form of transportation after all! Moreover, a new coast-to-coast trail of Singapore's Park Connector Network was just announced so I was reassured that there would be a safe route for me to cycle from Hougang to Bangkit.

A quick search online brought me to Bikemap which planned out a route within seconds! I was so happy that I briefly skimmed through the more obvious checkpoints on the route and decided on the best day to execute this targeted 1.5 hours journey. Long distance or duration cycling is not foreign to me especially after the overnight cycling excursion I once completed with my Pathlight colleagues. However to be on the safe side, I set a journey time of 2 hours for myself to complete the 21 km route.

The day came and although I was excited to begin, I was deterred by the blazing hot sun. I had no wish to faint from heatstroke with my bulky bicycle in the middle of nowhere! So I decided to wait till late afternoon but it started to drizzle too. 😦 Oh well, at least I would not be burnt and it was kind of refreshingly cool as the raindrops fell.

Other than the sudden downpour, the first half of the journey was relatively easy and smooth. There was only one moment when I was cycling along Lentor Avenue that I felt incredibly small beside the multiple buses and big trucks passing by me at high speeds. It got somewhat challenging when I came to Mandai Road as the route got increasingly inclined. Thankfully, I was able to will myself to continue by dismounting and pushing the bike along.

On a positive note, I was greeted with various pretty scenic views near the zoo, military camp and even at a highway overpass! I also met some fellow cyclists who were all much more better equipped than me with helmets and working lights. Incredibly thankful to one particular uncle who stopped his bicycle at a crossing to signal to drivers that another biker was on the way.





1.5 hours in when I should have reached Bangkit, I finally arrived at what I thought would be the final leg of the route. To my horror, I discovered that rather than the usual park connector paths which I am used to, it was through the off-road condition bike trail in the Central Catchment area! I was not ready for it. It was also nearing nightfall and my headlights had ran out of battery on me... I got to admit that I panicked a little.

Aware I had no other choice, I put my foot on the pedal and pushed on. Ill-prepared for the conditions present, I stayed safe and dismounted to push my bicycle both uphill and downhill whenever necessary while keeping an eye and an ear out for possible visitations by wild boars. I pedaled furiously against time whenever the path was flat and smooth with the single hope of seeing familiar grounds before it turned pitch dark in this forested area with dense overhead canopy.

With each turn that led to disappointment (and anxiety), the emotion I felt when I finally recognised the exit near Chestnut Trail was impossible to describe. So that was what laid on the other path which I had never taken when Axel and I go for our nature walks... I was drenched, exhausted, filthy and grateful. I made it!!

With still a little bit of daylight left, two-and-a-half hour after a 21 km bike/hike journey, I slowly pushed my muddy bike and my spent body the final few hundred metres back home. Not quite the journey to the west but this journey towards the west turned out to be quite the adventure I did not expect.

Dylan and Erica need to....

Finally picking up where I last left off in the Dylan-needs-to series, except given the 6 years lapse 🤯 it now becomes the Dylan-and-Erica-need-to series. And not so sure if this list for kids is still relevant to these 2 not-so-little little ones (both of them in primary school next year!) but today being the first day of the month and the first day of the second half of the year, I am feeling pretty inspired to keep it going continuously for at least a month?!? (keeping fingers crossed)

Looking at the next item on the list, I can imagine why I allowed such a long gap to transpire...... "dig a hole to China" Why in the world would kids need to do that? And unfortunately I really don't have the best opinion of China right now so that is hardly a desirable destination. If it is about being okay to get down and get dirty playing in dirt, that I can agree! The concept of Forest School is one I wouldn't mind being more involved in personally! Well, both of them are not adverse to getting muddy and playing in sand so I guess that is settled?

Next one is "need to take a nap with their dog".... but they don't have a dog... and given the discussion the family had while we were standing outside a pet shop just yesterday.. it seems highly likely that they might have one in the future... but they do have hamsters! Too tiny for them to take a nap with but probably learning the value of taking care of another living creature just the same.. They are certainly more confident in handling their Pokemon-named pets than me...

So, this reboot of the series shall begin with 6. Dylan and Erica need to search for the end of the rainbow. Both of them definitely recognize the colourful phenomenon and we often would spend at least a few minutes marveling the beauty of it when we do catch one. This endeavour of searching for its end would be an interesting extension. I mean, we all know you can never quite find the end but it does not mean that the pursuit of it is worthless or meaningless. I can already imagine the fun and possible conversation that might arise from such a hunt. And when they do find out that I brought them on an impossible search, I hope they would see the value of it in terms of the intangible enjoyment we gained from that little adventure.

Can't wait to find a rainbow with them!!

International Day of Yoga 2019

21st June - summer solstice - officially adopted by the UN as International Day of Yoga after being endorsed by 175 out of 193 member states. That is a noteworthy record where more than 90% of the countries of the world actually agreed on something. Yoga for better health of the entire world population.

Although this year is already the 5th year that it is being celebrated worldwide, I was only aware of it last year when I was on the search for a suitable yoga school to learn to become an instructor. Having decided to take up YICC at Vyasa Singapore, I was informed of the event for IDY 2018 held at CSC Tessensohn.

Then, I was a participant, quite a lonely one too. But this year, I was a volunteer and really glad to contribute as an instructor, a demonstrator, and an assistant alongside my YICC mates. Had assumed it would be a single day event but Vyasa, as one of the main organisers working with the High Commision of India, oversaw nearly 200 sessions across the island over about 2 weeks!

Preparation began a month earlier with weekly practice of the Common Yoga Protocol prepared by the Ministry of Ayuverda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in India. Volunteers were also invited to a photoshoot at Esplanade before we were assigned to the various venues and sessions.

The photoshoot was set at 7am and it had been a long time since I woke up that early for anything. But upon arriving at the outdoor theatre by the waters, I was immediately refreshed and surprisingly stayed pretty alert for the entire session adopting various asanas for the photoshoot with over 50 other volunteers (an organisation nightmare).

My first assignment was totally out of my expectation. As a first-time volunteer, I assumed I would be taking on the role of an assistant, instead, I became the only instructor available for a session to nearly 20 participants at Boon Lay. Thankfully the teacher in me took over and the session went well. I had one participant inquiring the whereabouts of Vyasa after I mentioned it and another requesting for the sequence of asanas I taught... got to mean something right? 😃

The second one was comparatively relaxed as I was one of many assistants to a regular volunteer. In fact, the number of assistants was more than the number of participants in the beautiful Botanical Gardens. Outdoor yoga was lovely although I really did not enjoy the wet grass we were practising on. The calming and healing sounds of the singing bowls during savasanah were out of the world wonderful too.

Right after that, I went along to my third session at Sunlove Whampoa where I really could put my mandarin knowledge and limited dialect to good use as we guided a huge group of senior citizens in chair yoga. Had the pleasure to meet and hear the High Commissioner of India himself who graced the event.

Later the same day, we ended the day with the main event back at CSC Tessensohn with a full programme of speeches and performances before the yoga practice. It really felt like I came a full circle to where I first started with Vyasa. 😊

My final session was on the following morning at CSC Bukit Batok, semi outdoors in an open pavilion with the pool as our view. So fortunate that the 6yo who gave the speech the previous night was invited here too! I got a much better view to her outstanding performance!! Thereafter, I took on the role of demonstrator and managed to execute all instructions successfully.

Yoga has really become such an important part of my life and it means so much to me that I am now able to introduce it and its benefits to so many more people. Still unsure about becoming a professional yoga instructor as something about linking it to monetary value feels wrong.. Anyway, looking forward to the upcoming thank-you party! And of course, many more IDY to come..