Bedok Town Park

Bedok Town Park

Hugging the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), Bedok Town Park is a 14.6-hectare sized public park catering to the needs of families nearby. Bedok North Avenue 3 to the east, Bedok North Road to the west, a canal to the north and the PIE to the south mark the four boundaries to Bedok Town Park.

Photograph: Bedok Town Park.

Many bridges lead to this quiet park in Bedok. Visitors can use five bridges to cross the canal from Bedok Reservoir and another four bridges across the Pan-Island Expressway to get from Bedok North.

Image of Park Connector Network at Bedok Town Park.

I like this spacious park because of its long shady paths for cycling and jogging. If your lungs are itching to do more, you can use the Siglap Park Connector to cycle or jog to Bedok Reservoir, or to East Coast Park.

The Pan Island Expressway doesn't irritate with noise as I expected. The hilly terrain helps to block off road traffic noise from the streets. There appears to be little airborne pollution from vehicular emissions as the open space helps to disperse such irritant.

Photo: Bedok Town Park's Taiji Area.

There is a designated place for tai ji exercises here. According to this sign, instructor-led tai ji classes are conducted on Saturdays from 7.30am to 9 am. Other amenities include fitness stations, foot-reflexology and park shelters.

Fruit trees can also be found on this undulating park. Here, mango trees are the notables although none was fruiting at the time of my visit.

Photo: Playground at Bedok Town Park.

The children's playground, located near Block 722, is also a desirable place for families as it is often not crowded. Another plus point for this playground is the convenience of washing facilities nearby. This facility allows the practice of good hygiene with hand washing.

After all, at the end of the day we would rather bring home joyful memories of family togetherness - not nasty bacteria or viruses.

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I’m Not Expensive: Singapore Biennale Art

I’m Not Expensive: Singapore Biennale Art

Eyes half open,
Hot like oven.
A car with manners
Follows you like voyeurs.
On windowless wall,
Not Paris but City Hall,
Mona Lisa eyes thrill
Visitors of their will.
-- by SeenThisSceneThat

In this City Hall art installation at the Singapore Biennale called “I’m Not Expensive, 2008”, the work of Lee Yong Deok, a native of Korea, is an intriguing three-dimensional wall art installation.

Made of Aluminium plate, fibreglass, urethane paint and neon light, “I’m Not Expensive” has street scenes with figures like a dancing couple, a mother carrying a child, an old car and a seated person that appear unremarkable at first glance.

Take a second look and your impression of it will improve. As you shift your footing, colourful elements on the wall come to life. This SB 2008 artwork’s illusion of movement captured my imagination. Like a gleeful kid, I spent some time to ‘play’ with this art piece, shifting my position across its width.

The clever use of materials with slopes carved into the artwork challenged my perception of flatness. It tricked my mind into seeing magical movements in the deceptively simple characters created by the artist.

As long as you keeping moving and looking at the objects, these Singapore Biennale figures will appear to move before your eyes. This unique installation will playfully engage you, if you visit the Singapore Biennale and will it to.

Read more of Singapore Biennale art in SeenThisSceneThat:

1. Singapore Biennale visual arts exhibition

2. The Swing

3. Bitter gourd with faces

4. All of SB 2008 posts

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Nparks Message To Dog Owners

Nparks Message To Dog Owners

I believe most dog owners in Singapore love and care for their pets. These owners also act responsibly when they bring their pets to public parks for walks. Yet there may be a black sheep or two who would tarnish the image of dog owners. As a reminder to those inconsiderate ones, these are the messages provided by National Parks Board (Nparks) on a sign at Yishun Park in Singapore.

I reprint the messages below in view of my poor quality photograph:

Please keep dogs on leash.

Please clean up your dog(s)'s droppings.

Dogs to be muzzled in public.
(12 breeds and related crosses are mentioned
with photographs: Akita, Boerboel, Bull Terrier, Doberman Pinscher, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, German Sheperd, Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Pit Bull, Rottweiler and Tosa.)

We also seek your cooperation to ensure that your dog does not urinate at pillars and trample on planting beds.

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A Short History of Yishun Park

A Short History of Yishun Park

What has SeenThisSceneThat come up with this time, on the topic of Yishun Park's history? Well, the simple answer is that this prominent sign was staring at me on my visit to the park, located next the SAFRA Country Club. The profound answer is this: with the recent financial turmoil and recession fears, I thought that perhaps I could learn a thing or two about frugal living from people of the past in Singapore who led difficult hardworking lives.

Photograph: Make a short visit to Yishun Park for its history.

Quote from information board, located at Yishun Park, Singapore:

“Located at the heart of Yishun Housing Estate, this park was the site of a former rubber plantation. In the 1920s, this was also the site of Chye Kay village, the inhabitants of which were mainly rubber tappers. Besides tapping rubber, most of these frugal hardworking people also reared poultry and grew fruit trees for home consumption.

The site was rich in natural vegetation and Nparks capitalized on this, by retaining most of the natural vegetation in the central part of the park, to provide the much needed contrast to the manicured and landscaped areas of the surrounding HDB housing estates.

We can still see some rubber trees and fruit trees in this area, a stark reminder of the frugal and hardworking people of Chye Kay village who once lived here. All that we need is a little imagination to go back in time and visualise the life led by the people of this small Chinese village. This area would also provide a refuge for people who would like to spend some time with nature."

Photograph via Picture Archives Singapore: Workers at a rubber plantation

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Happy Deepavali

I wish all my readers

A Happy Deepavali !

Enjoy your holiday.

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Deepavali, Festival of Lights

Photo: Decorations for Deepavali Festival of Lights.

Deepavali, Festival of Lights

Deepavali falls on a Monday, 27 October this year. Most calendars would have indicated 28 October 2008 as the calendars were printed before the final confirmation of date.

According to Infopedia, Deepavali is also known as Diwali, which means "row or garland of lights". In Singapore, we are used to calling it "The Festival of Lights".

Not many would know that there are many legends about Deepavali. To summarise all these legends into a tongue-in-cheek one-liner, good triumphed over evil in most of these legends resulting in the celebration known as Deepavali.

Another point to note, Deepavali is not the Hindu or Indian new year. The Tamil New Year falls on either 13 or 14 April each year.

I am no expert on the traditional festivities of Hindus during Deepavali. Some like feasting, visiting friends and relatives, offering of prayers, lighting of oil lamps in homes and children celebrating with sparklers are known to many of you.

For more details, check out the notes at the Hindu Endowments Board. http://www.heb.gov.sg/mainhindufestivals.html#deepavali

Have you visited Little India to take a peek into its customs and culture?

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Sungei Api Api Park Mangroves

Photo: Sungei Api Api Park Mangrove view

Sungei Api Api Park Mangroves

Sungei Api Api Park consists of narrow strips of land on either side of Api Api river in Pasir Ris. Together with a park connector, it stretches from Pasir Ris Drive 1 to Elias Road.

Besides the usual neighbourhood park facilities like playgrounds, fitness stations, park benches and walking paths, Sungei Api Api has a quiet stretch of mangroves along the river. This small patch of mangrove swamp is home to creatures like mudskipper and small longkang fishes. Compared to the mangrove swamp near Downtown East in Pasir Ris Park, the Sungei Api Api mangrove swamp can be considered a baby in terms of size.

An observation deck sits near Block 506 and Block 507 allowing visitors to enjoy the unique ambience of mangroves and multi-storey-high flats. As an example, as you listen to the light banter of birds and cicadas, do not be surprised to hear the chorus of beeps from a HDB lift.

Like many man-made structures in Singapore, Sungei Api Api has also undergone reconstruction. During low tide, you can see the concrete flooring of the riverbanks. Many pedestrian and vehicular bridges criss cross Sungei Api Api. The guardrails, the lamp posts and the cycling tracks allow safe and mud-free approach to witness a slice of nature on Sungei Api Api.

Of all the mangrove swamps in Singapore (such as Pasir Ris Park, Admiralty Park), the Sungei Api Api mangroves can lay claim to being sited closest to residential flats.

See more places. Live more life.

Read more in Seen This Scene That:
1. Pasir Mangrove Swamp
2. Admiralty Park

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MacRitchie Nature Trail: Tree Top Bridge

Photo: A section of MacRitchie Tree Top bridge.

MacRitchie Nature Trail: Tree Top Bridge

This 25-metre high bridge, smack in the midst of Singapore’s Central Water Catchment Area at MacRitchie Reservoir, is a must-see nature-trail attraction for many reasons. Visitors who dislike walking with crowds on nature trails will love to know that they can enjoy the bridge nowadays without fear of being elbowed by passers-by. At the Tree Top Bridge on a recent Saturday mid-morning, I discovered more surprises at this pleasant nature trail.

See rainforest panorama
For a bird’s-eyed view of Singapore’s natural rainforest scene, this must qualify as the best. Look to either side of MacRitchie’s Tree Top Bridge and be impressed by the amount of greenery that our built-up island still possesses.

See canopy’s flora and fauna
Like me, if you do not have any inkling about the names of various flora and fauna that hide within this green trail, do not fret. You can still enjoy the lovely sights of nature with the aid of many signboards. These useful letters pinned on the bridge educate visitors on the various plants, trees, insects and creatures that make up the inhabitants of the MacRitchie nature trail.

See a suspension bridge
I had expected this HSBC TreeTop suspension bridge to oscillate like a pendulum upon crossing, But the steel mesh beneath my shoes did not move a centimetre even when I jumped. Only the impact of my landing seemed to resonate across the entire bridge length. As I grabbed the railings for support, it swung like a pendulum, and I am sure those walking behind me must have felt it and shot me with their dagger-eyes.

Photo: MacRitchie Tree Top Bridge guardpost.

See guardpost and a ranger
Security at high places extends to the Tree Top Bridge in MacRitchie. This is the highest public bridge in a Singapore nature trail that is guarded by security personnel. The shy guard was not keen to have his photograph taken but my approach allowed me to peep at his rather bare booth. I think the guard’s duty is to enforce the one-way route across the Tree Top Bridge and to look the gates after closing time.

Gate on MacRitchie Tree Top Bridge.

See a swing gate
This bridge has two gates. Walk pass the second gate only if you are done enjoying the Tree Top Bridge. Once you pass this second gate, it will swing shut and lock you out automatically. These gates must also qualify as the highest gates installed on a bridge located in a nature trail in Singapore.

The Tree Top walkway spans Bukit Peirce and Bukit Kalang, the two highest points in MacRitchie. This 25-metre high walkway was completed in July 2004 and cost about S$1.6 million. It is the first suspension bridge to be built in Singapore.

Read more in Seen This Scene That:
1. Mangrove Nature Trail, Pasir Ris Park
2. Henderson Bridge, Southern Ridges’ Nature Trail
3. Anchorvale Street Bridge in Sengkang

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The Merlion, Sentosa Singapore

Picture of Merlion, Sentosa Singapore.

The Merlion, Sentosa Singapore

This 37-metre-tall tower of The Merlion, located at Imbiah Lookout on Sentosa Island of Singapore is a must-see tourist attraction for visitors to Singapore. For locals who have grown used to the Merlion, you do not need me to tell you that this mythical creature, designed by an executive at our tourist promotion agency as a marketing logo, does not look handsome, beautiful nor aesthetically seductive.

In fact, some bloggers have gone on record to describe how the lion-head and fish-tail combo sculpture makes them want to regurgitate their bowel contents, in the way that is demonstrated by the other Merlion statue at Marina Bay. This creative work may look like rotten cheese to some, but there is a thriving tourism industry behind the sunken eyes and wide jaws.

Visitors to the Merlion at Sentosa get to meet legendary sea dragons and mythical mermaids. They get to be enchanted by animation features on the myths and legends of the Merlion. At the top of this tower, visitors can enjoy a 360° view of Sentosa and Singapore's southern shores. At the back of The Merlion, a 120-metre-long Gaudi-inspired mosaic walkway known as the Merlion Walk is ready to spring a surprise or two.

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Tanjong Beach Sentosa

Tanjong Beach Sentosa

Tanjong Beach Sentosa is located near the eastern end of Sentosa island. You may remember this beach better if I mention that it is next to Sentosa Cove, the first development of its kind to offer a marina-oriented lifestyle with quayside retail, marina and an upmarket residential enclave.

Picture of Tanjong beach, Sentosa island.

Compared to Silosa Beach and Palawan Beach, I notice that Tanjong Beach can claim to possess the most peaceful stretch of beachwater. A walk around Tanjong Beach will reveal clean sand hugging the cresecent-shaped seashore.

If you stay long enough, you can observe the most popular activity on Tanjong Beach. Surprisingly it is not sunbathing, swimming, picnics or frolicking in the sea. This activity has to do with babes, bathing trunks, black eye-shades and plenty of balls. Young men and women seem to like to gather here for beach volleyball games.

A close second in the popularity stakes for Tanjong Beach sports is dog running. Pet-lovers congregate in numbers to have fun with their pets on the beach and in the water.

Nearby you can find Tanjong Golf Course, Sentosa Golf Club and Sentosa Resort and Spa. KM8 is the resident beach pub and cafe. A car park sits to the west of Tanjong Beach where free parking is awailable.

For those keen on finding your way to Tanjong Beach in Sentosa, check out the Map of Tanjong Beach, Sentosa here.

The entry to the beach is free although visitors who drive need to pay a small fee to cross the causeway into Sentosa island.

Read more in Seen This Scene That
1. Palawan Beach Sentosa
2. Punggul Point Beach
3. Sembawang Park Beach

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Singapore Sun Festival

Singapore Sun Festival 2008

Theme: A Celebration of the Art of Living Well.

Singapore Sun Festival is positioned as Singapore’s premier arts and lifestyle festival encompassing Music, Visual Arts, Literature, Film, Wine, Cuisine and Wellness.

The inaugural Singapore Sun Festival held in October 2007 started off with high calibre world music and jazz acts.

This year, the flavour appears more contemporary and the range of events more ambitious.

Over 90 premium arts and lifestyle events involving more than 250 artists, musicians, chefs, writers and celebrities spread over many locations along the Singapore River and Marina Bay will entertain visitors throughout ten days from 17 October to 26 October 2008.

To kick off the Singapore Sun Festival 2008, a Gala Opening Concert will take place on 18 October 2008 at 7.30pm at the Esplanade Concert Hall. But instead of featuring Academy-Award winning director and actor Robert Redford (as promised), Golden Globe, BAFTA, Emmy, AFI and Academy Award winning actor, Geoffrey Rush, will take over the role of the narrator of Peter and the Wolf in a last minute change of plan.

Other notable performers like grand dame of opera, Kiri Te Kanawa, and the world-renowned Vienna Boys Choir – will be present to perform an unforgettable evening of music, story-telling and popular opera classics.

For more details on other performances and events at the Singapore Sun Festival, check out the official Singapore Sun Festival website:
http://www.singaporesunfestival.com/home.php

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Singapore Biennale: Sugar Sculpture Short On Sweetness

Singapore Biennale: Sugar Sculpture Short On Sweetness

This five-foot high sculpture made with strong doses of sugar and sweetness looked sublime on paper. The sweet images shown in the publicity booklet featured a regal looking temple with fine construction inspired by architecture from Myanmar.

Photograph: September Sweetness at Singapore Biennale South Beach Development

The made-of-sugar installation September Sweetness is a life-sized Burmese pagoda constructed from a special sugar-based compound. This sculpture is a collaborative work of art by artists Rich Streitmatter-Tran, Chaw Ei Thein and Aung Ko. They designed and built this exquisite exhibit for the Singapore Biennale to highlight recent events that occurred last year.

The use of sugar as a building material was a deliberate choice. On exposure to the rain and shine in an open-air corner of the South Beach Development, their sculpture will “deteriorate…melt and spill… crack and fall … ants will dismantle … granule by granule”.

I would describe their satire with a hokkien phrase, “ho kua bo ho jia”. Roughly translated from dialect into English: “good to see, not good to eat”.

As expected, after so many days under the elements, this sugar sculpture appeared short on visual sweetness. At a forsaken corner of South Beach Development the exhibit looked different from its publicity material.

Firstly this was the first exhibit I’ve seen that carried a verbal warning from the ticketing officer. She had genuine concern in her voice when she warned about the smell and the bees at the exhibit.

Secondly, this exhibit that greeted me at South Beach Development was not in the best shape for gallery viewing. Crumbling parts were visible, marked by moderate discoloration. Ants, dead or alive, were scattered around the open space near the exhibit. Fortunately the bees stayed away during my visit.

I would have added a third reason, for the aromatic fragrance, but fortunately my stuffy nose saved me.

Catch the Singapore Biennale before it ends on 16 November 2008.

Read posts on Singapore Biennale in Seen This Scene That.

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The Swing

The Swing

This high-tech swing will never be seen in any respectable neighbourhood playground. It was designed as an exhibit in a stuffy room at South Beach Development. During the Singapore Biennale that runs until 16 November 2008, visitors can get cozy with this swing. A warning is warranted: stare too long and you may succumb to its vertigo-inducing effect.

Constructed of neon glass tubing with light-emitting diodes, this one-of-a-kind swing can even rock to-and-fro without being manually pushed. A hidden mechanical arm pushes this Singapore Biennale swing the way an old pendulum of a grandfather clock does. Peer hard and you can imagine a ghostly figure sitting on this hot swing. No human will ever get to sit on it for fear of causing breakage.

Conceived by artist Su-Mei Tsu, born 1973 and bred in Luxembourg, who is a trained classical cellist with strong musical family background, she examines the “cultural conflict between East and West” in her Swing, 2007 sculpture. According to her write-up in the Singapore Biennale guide book, she also examines how that conflict is “reflected in individual freedom, social norms and the notion of others and one’s Self.”

Children may be awed by the swing but adults should ensure their kids do not jump on it.

Read Seen This Scene That's posts on Singapore Biennale 2008.

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Civilian Memorial Park

Civilian Memorial Park

The Civilian Memorial Park at Beach Road houses the Civilian War Memorial, erected to remind of the shared experiences and struggles that the major races of Singapore faced during World War II.

Four pillars rise more than 60 metres high to symbolise the shared experiences of the four major races of Singapore - Chinese, Malay, Indian and other races.

The remains of unidentified war victims are buried beneath the monument.

National Heritage Board’s inscription on the Civilian War Memorial:

"This memorial is dedicated to all those who perished during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, 1942-1945. Four vertical pillars soar to over 70 metres symbolizing the shared war experiences of the Chinese, Indians, Malays and other races. The remains of unknown victims are interred beneath the monument.

The site was given by the Government of Singapore which also met half the construction cost. The balance was contributed by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce. The monument was unveiled by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on 15 February 1967, the 25th Anniversary of the fall of Singapore to the Japanese.

Among the civilians who lost their lives were numerous Chinese targeted by the Japanese under the Sook Ching (literally “to purge” or “to eliminate”) operations. On 18 February 1942, large numbers of Chinese were forcibly assembled at designated mass screening centers. Many were unjustly accused of involvement in anti-Japanese activities, or arbitrarily condemned. No one will ever know how many were taken away and massacred. Unofficial figures put the number of dead at about 50,000. "

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Free Family-Friendly Things To Do In A Recession

Free Family-Friendly Things To Do In A Recession

The unthinkable nine-letter word has officially arrived. Singapore has slipped into recession under the worldwide financial turmoil. Instead of global warming, local newspapers have published prominent economists’ discourse on the technical recession with gloomy warnings. While some may quibble over the semantics – technical versus real-world recession, the undertone behind the two are hardly distinct for individuals like me.

What can a blogger, living on an island and trying to live more life, do in a recession? There are many recession-proof family-friendly things to do that will bring smiles. Today I shall only outline a few. Other resource-rich bloggers can surely think of better family-friendly to-do lists.

List of Free Things To Do In A Recession

1. Play games at home
While most individuals and families would vegetate in front of the TV at home as a form of family activity, I recommend that families play games together for some family bonding instead. Dig out old games from dusty corners of your flat but do not squeeze them out of electronic games nor from the computer. Traditional games of the past like Scrabble, Monopoly, card games like Happy Family and paper / pen games like Tic-Tac-Toe have entertained families for generations. They could continue to provide free family-friendly things to do in a recession.

2. Have fun at neighbourhood playgrounds
These commonplace neighbourhood playgrounds are accessible and free. Bring the kids for hours of fun and family entertainment. Opened 24-hours a day, playgrounds come in all shapes and sizes to suit different tastes. Many new-generation playgrounds look more like mini-amusement parks that should remain popular during any recession.

3. Visit public library with family
It’s cool to be in a library these days. Cool because of the low temperatures to beat the heat of our equatorial climate. Cool because you get to read and learn new things. Cool because there are new gizmos like PC with internet access, music CDs and videos to use. Cool because entry is free. Cool because of plush sofas and comfortable seats. Definitely cool as a free family-friendly thing to do in a recession.
* National Library website
* Public Library website

4. Picnic at a park
There are wonderful parks, beautiful gardens and haze-free spaces in Singapore that are free and family-friendly. Take a look around my site on these parks and discover for yourself the many parks that you can go for a picnic and the things you can see at these parks during a recession.

5. Activities at the beach
At the public beaches in Singapore like the East Coast Park beach or Sembawang beach, sandcastle building is just one of the many free activities to do. Family bonding can also occur when you walk, jog, cycle or roller-skate using your own equipment. Just sitting by the beach to watch waves lick the shore or to listen to the songs of the wind can be a relaxing way to calm your thoughts amid these financial turbulence.

6. Volunteer for charity
Add a new dimension to life by stepping up as a volunteer for charity. Look for an area that sparks your interest and gives meaning to you. Start on a small scale and a short term commitment to see if it’s suitable. Helping charities need not imply giving cash all the time. Your contribution of time, effort and ideas can mean a lot to the less fortunate, especially in a recession.
* National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre
* Children’s Charities Association

7. Learn new things on nature trails
Inside nature parks like Sungi Buloh Wetland Reserve, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, MacRitchie Reservoir, Bukit Batok Nature Reserve, Labrador Nature Reserve are many beautiful fauna and flora that few see and even fewer treasure. But thanks to the efforts of organizations and individual volunteers, families with children get the opportunity to appreciate these precious natural resources. You can learn more about nature trails with free guided tours at Wild Singapore Happenings, Singapore Reefs, Naked Hermit Crabs and Nparks to name a few.

* WildSingaporeHappenings Free Guide website
* Singapore Reefs Guided Walks website
* Chek Jawa Boardwalk with NakedHermitCrabs website
* Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve website
* Nparks website

8. Visit museums during free opening hours
Museums like the National Museum of Singapore, Peranakan Museum and Singapore Art Museum are a treasure-trove of artefacts that enlighten us and enhance the quality of our lives. Most museums now offer family-friendly services and special activities for children and their parents. While museums charge nominal sums for entry, there are special periods when museums open their doors free of charge to the public. Seize these windows of opportunity to bring the entire family for a free visit.

* National Museum Living Galleries Free from 6pm to 9pm daily.
* Peranakan Museum Free on Fridays 7pm-9pm
* Singapore Art Museum Free on weekdays 12pm to 2pm, Fridays 6pm to 9pm

If you have more ideas to add, feel free to comment.

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Events At Hortpark

Events At Hortpark

(1) Hortpark Container Gardening Workshop
Date: Every Last Sat of the month until 27 Dec 2008
Time: 12pm – 1pm
Venue: Hands-on House, HortPark - The Gardening Hub
Fees: $30 (includes materials)

This workshop is an excellent opportunity for those looking to install mini-gardens with pretty flowers for the home table or balcony. Learn how to make beautiful gardens using simple containers, planters and dishes in this one-hour long workshop at Hortpark. Teaching and materials (planting dish, soil, flowers and plants) are provided. At the end of this Hortpark practicum, you get to take home your own creation.

To register, call the HortPark Hotline at 6471-5601 or email NPARKS_HortPark@nparks.gov.sg.Registration closes 2 days before the event date. Organisers at Hortpark will only proceed if 15 persons apply each session.

(2) Laughter Exercise At Hortpark
Date: Every Tue, starting from 23 Sep 08
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: HortPark - the Gardening Hub (Bamboo Labyrinth)

Do you believe that laughter is the best medicine? Find out for yourself at HortPark every Tuesday evening and laugh your way to a healthier you with Laughter Yoga, a fun programme has taken the globe by storm. Ms Zaibun Siraj, experienced trainer and speaker, will lead a unique workout at Hortpark that blends different forms of 'tension-releasing' laughter and breathing exercises.

Each weekly 20-minute exercise session is so simple that no special attire is needed. An enjoyable invigorating exercise held outdoors at Hortpark will help smoothen frowns and relax tensed muscles at the end of the session.

Some claims about the benefits of laughter for all to share: anti-stress measure, combats insomnia, depression and anxiety, increases endorphins levels, tones up facial face and makes you look younger, brings people together and improves interpersonal relationships.

Encourage your family and friends to laugh and exercise by bringing them to Hortpark. For enquiries, contact Ms Zaibun Siraj at 64608132 or email szn@np.edu.sg

(3) Free Guided Hortpark Tour
Date: Every last Saturday of the month
Time: 10.00am – 11.30 am
Venue: Register at Visitor Information Counter @ HortPark - The Gardening Hub
Contact: 64715601

Attend this free guided tour of HortPark - The Gardening Hub to check out many of the Hortpark features. Learn about HortGardens, a collection of 20 theme gardens and the Garden Patch, a patchwork of display plots showcasing garden designs, concepts and products by local gardening-related companies. Witness how nurserymen work to propagate plants for Singapore's parks and gardens.

After the guided Hortpark tour, visit the plant sales corner at the visitor centre to check out the variety of Hortpark plants available for purchase.

Registration begins 15 minutes before the tour on a first-come-first-served basis.

(4) Be A Volunteer at HortPark

The HortPark volunteer programme offers opportunities to share knowledge and skills on gardening with others. Those who like to interact with other people are welcomed to provide customer services at Hortpark's Visitor Services Desk as ushers for special events, tour guides for HortPark, photographers, researchers and many other positions.

Volunteers are an important part of Hortpark's work in research, conservation, education and recreational programmes. If you are keen to make contact as a volunteer, e-mail Hortpark at NPARKS_HortPark@nparks.gov.sg.

Related reads:
1. Nparks' Hortpark location maps, current events and other Hortpark-related matters.

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East Coast Seafood Centre

Photograph: East Coast Seafood Centre

This is a photograph of the East Coast Seafood Centre's signages. I'm sure you must have sampled dishes from one or more of these restaurants at this famous East Coast Seafood Centre.

Some readers would want to wax lyrical about the seafood at East Coast Seafood Centre while others may reserve their comments. I have uploaded this photograph of the East Coast Seafood Centre as many readers have asked about the restaurants at East Coast Park. There are many other restaurants along East Coast Park which I may cover at a later date.

If you are going to the East Coast Seafood Centre for the first time, look out for Area E at East Coast Park along the roads or your street directory.

Address of East Coast Seafood Centre:
Blk 1202, Blk 1204, Blk 1206
East Coast Parkway
East Coast Seafood Centre Singapore 449881
(at Area E of East Coast Park:
near East Coast Lagoon,
also known as water ski park)

Map of East Coast Seafood Centre:
Npark's website of East Coast Park.

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Bottle Gourds With Faces

Photograph: Bottle gourds with faces.

Bottle Gourds With Faces

Han Jong Gun took a year to create his art installation of bottle gourds with faces for the Singapore Biennale 2008, entitled Evolutional Mythology. His bottle gourds wore many creepy facial expressions that stared at me through tall glass bottles. While many readers would be familiar with bottle gourds as sources of food or as containers, using bottle gourds shaped into faces as art was rather unusual.

cc photo via flickr by Ivan Lian

Bottle gourds (scientific name Lafenaria siceraria) are also known as birdhouse gourd, trumpet gourd, calabash gourd and white-flowered gourd. The term bottle gourd also describes the plant’s use as a container. The fruit is green in colour and can grow up to 12 inches in diameter and 40 inches in length. Most often they are eaten as a boiled vegetable. To create bottles out of bottle gourd, bands are used to constrict the fruits into desired shapes.

At this art installation located at the former restaurant of City Hall, Han Jong Gun’s painstaking work required him to plant gourd seeds, grow them to maturity and then painstakingly fashion the gourd fruit into human-like faces as they matured. His one-year dedication and perspiration produced many faces on gourds that were later kept in glass bottles for exhibition.

There were happy faces, sad faces, angry faces and faces with weird expressions. Placed inside tall acid-filled cylindrical glass bottles, the gourds reminded me of scenes from X files and other movies featuring aliens that kept human species as specimens for scientific research. Best to see this alone, when the evening lights flicker and dim during a thunderstorm to let an icy chill massage your bones.

Read more:
1. Singapore Biennale

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Protected Places In Singapore: Pedra Branca and Others

Protected Places In Singapore: Pedra Branca And Others

Pedra Branca is an island to the east of Singapore that is declared as one of the protected places in Singapore. In one of my earlier posts, I had expressed a lunatic desire to visit Pedra Branca.

Today I just learnt that trespassers of protected areas and protected places in Singapore are liable to be fined or jailed if caught without a valid permit or permission. If you are interested in the finer details, you can read up on the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act here. I guess I'll have to wait for the official Pedra Branca open house ......

Pedra Branca is not the only protected place in Singapore. There are many such protected places in Singapore. In my travels around Singapore for my Seen This Scene That hobby, I have seen several protected places with a big red warning sign of a person pointing a weapon at another; but at that time, the need to snap a photograph was not apparent.

Currently I have only two photographs of such protected places in Singapore. Do you recognise where these protected places are?

Protected Place Number 1 (below):



Protected Place Number 2 (below):


If you have more pictures of such protected places, why not put them up on your blog and leave a message in the comments below so that I can take a look?

Do you know of any other protected areas and protected places in Singapore?

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Garden Places To Play With Sand

Garden Places To Play With Sand

Blackfield (2008) is an art installation that reminds me of garden places to play with sand. Inside City Hall during the Singapore Biennale, you can see ten thousand plants made of metal rise from a floor-bed of sand that recreates the feel of garden places with lots of sand to play with.

This visual garden installation looks like a botanic creation that one may attempt to reproduce in the parks and garden places of Singapore. Stick multiple cutouts of synthetic flowers into a bed of sand measuring 100-square-metres in size. Paint one surface in different bright colours and keep the other surface black. Call yourself an artist and invite visitors to play with sand at your garden cum art museum.

Created by artist Zadok Ben-David who was born in a place called Yemen and works in another place called the United Kingdom, his playful plot of fine white sand has been converted into a delightful bed of flowers. Instead of flowering plants that require sunlight, fertilizer, soil and places with water, this garden plot of sand contains bionic cut-out plants that stand upright on metallic stems with painted metal as petals.

If our authorities set it up in a housing estate, this unusual garden of sand for residents to play in would stand out from other neighbourhood garden places. Passers-by and resident park visitors would likely produce plenty of oohs and aahs as they wander around this garden. I am sure children would love to play at such garden places and plant their footprints across the sand. Your housing estate would be endowed with more places that support the visual arts with this beautiful garden.

On closer inspection, the plants in this garden demonstrated very intricate patterns in their structures. As I moved from one place in the garden installation to another, the shifting play of colour and perspective was visually mesmerizing. With a garden theme that sits well with Seen This Scene That, I was inspired to place this article here for my art and nature loving readers.

Read more about art gardens to play in:
1. Singapore Biennale (SB2008)
2. Art Places inside City Hall at SB2008

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Bougainvillea Garden East Coast Park

Photograph: Bougainvillea Garden, East Coast Park.

Bougainvillea Garden East Coast Park

For beautiful garden views of Bougainvilleas in bloom, visit the Bougainvillea Garden on East Coast Park. Formerly called the Shrub Garden, this patch of land at East Coast Park’s Area F (next to carpark F2) has been transformed into a flowering paradise where one can enjoy the flowers next to a picturesque beach.

Best of all, a three-storey-high tower sits on this beachside location. (For my regular readers, you will know that I have a soft spot for towers.) Access to the top of the tower is through a spiral staircase. There does not appear to be balcony space for visitors to stand on the higher levels. This makes me wonder why it was built in the first place.

Photograph: Tower at Bougainvillea Garden, East Coast Park

Visitors can only walk up the circular slope to the first level for a bird’s eye view of the Bougainvillea Garden. Moreover, a locked gate prevented my attempt to reach the apex of the Bougavillea garden tower. There was no other way to reach the top of the tower, short of scaling the outer walls.

The well-maintained Bougainvilleas were pruned to various shapes and sizes. When in bloom, expect bouquets of colours to greet cyclists, joggers, skaters and other passers-by. Pub-crawlers keen for drinks can sit at the patio of a restaurant (Sunset Bay Beach Bar) at one corner of Bougainvillea Garden.

Photograph: Tower view of Bougainvillea Garden, East Coast Park

East Coast Park’s Area F is also a designated place for barbecues. BBQ pits (numbers 57 to 66) are found a short walk from Bougainvillea Garden. There are also Bring-Your-Own-Pit (BYOP) designated areas further along the beach. Convenient public toilets and washrooms are available next to the carpark F2.

For a scenic place along East Coast Park to enjoy views of the sea, sun and flowers, Bougainvillea Garden is a recommended spot to visit.

Map of Bougainvillea Garden in Area F, East Coast Park (click link to see).

Read more in Seen This Scene That:
1. Castle Beach, East Coast Park
2. East Coast Park Playground
3. East Coast Park

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Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF)

Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF)

The inaugural Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) will be the first ever photography festival that includes exhibitions, workshops, talks and forums on contemporary photography.

To be held in Singapore, The Singapore International Photography Festival will showcase more than 800 carefully selected photographs by 66 regional and international artists around the world.

The Singapore International Photography Festival aims to discover, nurture and propel new Southeast Asian talent to prominence and on to the international stage. It also aims to promote audience development through a slew of outreach programmes that will take photography to the man on the street.

You can catch the biennale Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) at six different locations across Singapore. They are: 2902 Gallery, the National Museum of Singapore, Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore Art Museum, The Arts House, Singapore Management University, Lasalle College of the Arts and the Heeren Shops.

Events of the Singapore International Photography Festival start on 8 October 2008 and will end on 31 October 2008. Besides exhibitions, there will also be a wide range of programmes for both professional photographers and the public alike in the Singapore International Photography Festival. These include hands-on workshops for youths, master class workshops by internationally acclaimed photographers, curators and festival directors, evening lectures, and various other satellite programs.

One of the main highlights of the festival will be the Singapore International Photography Festival Party on the evening of October 10th, which promises to be a fun-filled night of photography to remember.

Ticketing For Singapore International Photography Festival:
Admission to the exhibition is free.

Singapore International Photography Festival Workshop Highlights:



SIPF TALKING POINTS: EXPERIENCING THE PRE & POST IRAQ WAR
Date: Saturday, 11 Oct 2008
Time: 2pm -3:30pm
Venue: LASALLE College of the Arts

SIPF EVENING PRESENTATION: A PICTURE IS WORTH MORE THAN A THOUSAND WORDS
Date: Tuesday, 14 Oct 2008
Time: 7pm – 8pm
Venue: Seminar Room, National Museum of Singapore

SIPF TALKING POINT: 21ST CENTURY AND BEYOND: IMAGES TRANSCENDING CULTURE
Date: Wednesday, 15 Oct 2008
Time: 8pm – 9pm
Venue: Seminar Room, National Museum of Singapore

SIPF PUBLIC TALKS: CROSSCURRENTS OF FASHION AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY 1920-2000
Date: Saturday, 25 Oct 2008
Time: 2pm – 3:30pm
Venue: Seminar Room, National Museum of Singapore

Office of Singapore International Photography Festival:
Official SIPF website: http://www.sipf.com.sg/

Old School
11 Mount Sophia Road
11B #B02-09
Singapore 228426

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Google Earth Satellite Map of Singapore

Photograph: Google Earth satellite map of Singapore inside City Hall.

Google Earth Satellite Map of Singapore

While you would be familiar with the sight of Google Earth satellite maps of Singapore on your LCD screen, have you wondered how a similar map of Singapore would appear under your feet when it has been enlarged to fill a cavernous chamber hall of City Hall?


View Larger Map

Map: Google Earth satellite map of Singapore.

In this art installation entitled Singapore 2008, a huge Google Earth satellite map of Singapore is laid on the floor of the Chamber insdie City Hall. One can pretend to be Godzilla and trample the streets and parks of Singapore. You can also jump over tall buildings on a Google Map in a single bound to reach your own residential address. If you like F1 racing, you can race over the Marina Bay street circuit faster than Fernando Alonso.

Once done with a bit of circus fun, paste a paper label to mark your home in Singapore and ponder the significance of your presence as a blip on this map of Singapore in the larger scheme of things.

Wit Pimkanchanapong from Thailand created this Google satellite map of Singapore artwork to encourage people to come forward and have some fun with the large-scale map of Singapore. As more people place tags on the map face of Singapore, it will mess up the expanded Google map.

The idea behind the Singapore map artwork according to Wit Pimkanchanapong is to use it as a "metaphor for nation building where individuals contribute and add meaning and understanding to a new land as they live and work in it."

"Singapore 2008" is one of the less abstract Singapore Biennale artwork that generated a bit of fun for me. The super-cool air-conditioning in the chamber is also one of the better Singapore Biennale venue to hide from the oppressive afternoon heat.

Read up on what the Singapore Biennale 2008 is about here.

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Visual Arts Exhibition Singapore Biennale 2008

Visual Arts Exhibition Singapore Biennale 2008

Singapore Biennale 2008 is a contemporary visual arts exhibition with more than 130 artworks by more than 60 artists from Singapore and 36 other countries and regions around the world. The National Arts Council is organizing this exhibition that carries the theme of “Wonder”. The artistic director of the Singapore Biennale is Fumio Nanjo who will be assisted by curators Joselina Cruz and Matthew Ngui.

Photo of Singapore Biennale 2008: Maggots overrun City Hall.

Who's the alien among us all? Is this the end for Singapore?

Three venues were chosen to showcase their visual arts creativities. City Hall, South Beach Development and Marina Bay’s Central Promontory are the places to examine the bulk of artworks in the visual arts exhibition of the Singapore Biennale 2008.

In the words of the Singapore Biennale guidebook, “to experience wonder is to open one’s mind, to face reality and be amazed by the marvels of reality – the beauty of this world, the emotional sensations caused by it and the discovery of new truths.”

The official Singapore Biennale guide continues to extol the virtues of art, like this: “Art is becoming an important tool for a modern and well-rounded society. Public art becomes an amenity for everyday life.” Yet at the same time it tries to moderate Singaporean’s expectations: “Art has always been the platform for ideas without necessarily having a pragmatic purpose.”

So is this a useless and aimless visual arts exhibition? Should time-pressed individuals who need to multitask a hundred and one things in their lives visit the Singapore Biennale? Is this exhibition meant to show foreigners how wonderfully cultured we are in the field of the arts?

I have seen selected exhibition works at the Singapore Biennale 2008 and will share my thoughts on the art pieces later. Seen This Scene That has always been on the lookout for places of interest. The Singapore Biennale 2008 visual arts exhibition is one of those that fit my criteria.

But please do not wait for my review. Go see it for yourself to determine whether these visuals at the Singapore Biennale 2008 generate sufficient wonder for you. After all, only you can allow your own emotions to respond to the beauty of these visual exhibits.


Details on Singapore Biennale 2008

Singapore Biennale Exhibition Date:

11 September to 16 November 2008.


Singapore Biennale Exhibition Hours:
Weekdays: 11 am to 8 pm.
Closed on Mondays.
Catalogue, tickets, short guides, merchandise, information available from City Hall and South Beach Development.

Singapore Biennale Admission Charges:
Single Entry Pass $10
Each entry pass allows entry to City Hall and South Beach Development. Entry to Marina Bay site including Containart Pavilion at Central Promontory is free.

Singapore Biennale Discounts:
30% for Passion Card holders,
50% discount for Citizens above 60 and
students with valid ID

Singapore Biennale website:
www.singaporebiennale.org

Singapore Biennale Scheduled guided tours:
Conducted at City Hall and South Beach Development.

Singapore Biennale SB2008 Audio Guide by Bloomberg:
Can be downloaded as MP3s for free.
Free MP3 players with pre-loaded audio tours
available free at information counter and ticketing counters.

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Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri From Seen This Scene That

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

I wish all my readers, supporters, friends and fellow bloggers, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Seen This Scene That

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