One photo I took during CB

 

very appropriate isn't it? a masked face to represent the CB period. But but but I took this selfie because it is a Hello Kitty mask!! So much more breathable than the government issued ones and ten times more aesthically pleasing 😍

PS: couldn't resist including a second photo while reviewing my album. check out this odd-shaped egg! Took a photo (and ate the egg) but forgot about posting it so ta-da! Not all eggs are egg-shaped.

T-talks over K-dramas and N-flixs

During long commutes on public transport, beside Two Dots, I really enjoy my TED app.

On this particular day, out of the long list of suggested videos, Alejandro Duran's "How I use art to tackle plastic pollution in our ocean" caught my attention. Of course, the issue of plastic pollution has been on the forefront of my mind and especially so having witnessed the devastation on many of my dives in various parts of the South East Asia. This is exceptionally intriguing as it brings in the art aspect which I enjoy too!

The beauty of TED is it suggests other related and relevant videos right after you finish one. Having only completed a quarter of my journey, I let Jason deCaires Taylor's "An underwater art museum, teeming with life" to play. It reminded me of a phrase I heard from Dr Goodall about the "resilience of nature". Naturally (pun intended), she finds her own way regardless on land or under the sea.

The next video which continued to play was Zaria Forman's "Drawings that show the beauty and fragility of Earth". From the coldest and most remote of oceans to beautiful low-lying islands, nowhere is spared from the damaging effect of human behavior.

I chose the first video because I wanted to know how others deal with this seemingly unsolvable issue of pollution. By the end of the third video, I definitely felt uplifted. Which is really why I enjoy TED talks so much. To be made aware of amazing people, incredible projects and unimaginable ideas from all over the world every single day. Watching one TED talk is actually an item on my daily habit tracker list.

Perhaps none of the three speakers, all of them artists, made any direct difference in the production of plastic or the pace of climate change but I can see the potential impact of their art. Art is not useless. In fact, I feel it is very relevant. In our current situation, we need to tug the heartstrings more than ever to effect change. The work of these artists are beyond words and I can't think of a better way to stir emotions than being dumbfounded by what you experience.

I hope to participate in a beach cleaning that yields art materials, and personally swim through the underwater art museum, and behold the magnificence of the finger painter's compositions. Three items on my bucket list which would not come to be if not for these short and sweet TED talks.

What have you learnt from TED recently?

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?

8. Dylan and Erica need to see our faces in the crowd.. cheering

Unfortunately, I have yet to find the chance to be there for the kiddos in this regard. The closest I can think of is smiling and cheering them on from the other side of the glass window while they were having fun in The Little Gym.

Again, their parents are really good in doing so, I think. I believe they have not missed a single session of either of their sports days or school concerts. There are always lovely photos taken at those events of them grinning brightly in sporty action or colourful costumes. Although, I can imagine my brother yelling in addition to cheering them at the same events though... 😝

I did volunteer myself to accompany Dylan on his next school outing! That should be fun and Dylan was rather excited about the prospect. Most importantly, our presence and engagement in their lives will make such a positive difference for them.