Thaipusam in Singapore - Photographs

Thaipusam has been and gone for another year. The photo walk was a great success and enjoyed by all, including me! As usual, the atmosphere was heady with the sights and smells of Little India melting in to a pot of photographer's delight.

If you think you would enjoy a photo tour when you come to Singapore, take a look a Noodle Photography's Stopover Photo Tours. Learn a bit about your camera and Singapore at the same time, it's great fun!

Here are a few of the photos I took of this year's Thaipusam celebrations....

Kids parties in Singapore

As some of you know, I have started business in Singapore as a photographer now. At the moment my Children's New Year party package is on special offer and it's available to book until 31 January. Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone!

Take a look at Noodle's website for all the information.

Thaipusam photography walk in Singapore - Noodle Photography

Come and join me and Noodle Photography to shoot Thaipusam this year. It's going to be great! Click the link for more.... Thaipusam photography walk in Singapore - Noodle Photography

Thaipusam Singapore - 2012 - Blood, Sweat and Tears

Well, would you believe it's a year since the last time this was happening on the streets of Singapore? Yet another blue skied, hot, sunny day.
Perfect for the viewing public and photographers but alas, I fear, less so for those devotees demonstrating their faith in such an extraordinary way. Dehydration must be extreme (I drank in excess of 1.5 litres just trailing these guys around), especially for those with their tongues pierced making consuming water almost impossible without choking. Indeed, this year the devotees seemed to be suffering somewhat more than last year with a couple I saw passing out. They were up on their feet (with help), in no time but it just shows the extent they go to to demonstrate their faith. I feel I spent more time taking the spectacle in this year as opposed to last year when I took photos like it was going out of fashion. I also felt much more at home on the streets of Little India and Tank Road as the year in between has served to teach me more about the people here and become more in tune with the way they live. I felt much comfortable and less intrusive whilst taking photos and generally chatting to people about the experience that is Thaipusam.
It's amazing that such a large festival (around 36 hours and thousands of devotees walking the streets. Not to mention the friends and family, helpers, hangers-on, volunteers handing out water and cooking food and of course the massive numbers of those coming to view the spectacle), barely spills outside the confines of the temporary fencing put up to contain it. Indeed, a street or two back from Serangoon Road (the main road through Little India), you wouldn't know it was going on and the locals are sitting back having a kopi and cigarette just like any other day. The usual infusion of incense, flower garlands and spices emanating from the shopfronts gives the place it's usual, comfortable feel. Inside the temples the Hindu worshippers enter into a much more personal, yet no less meaningful, form of adulation. Prayers are said, some silent, some not so silent. Candles, made at dazzling speed on site, are lit and the Gods are idolised in among the men, women and families clammering to pay their respects. Each person clothed in their finest attire lest they be accused of falling short of the level of reverence expected of such occasion. The atmosphere in the temples felt truly a family affair, very relaxed with a lot of smiling faces. Yet, in the background, an underlying tempo being struck up by the drumming followers of the devotees leads you back into the throng. As you negotiate your way to the front of the crowds you start to see the real meaning of blood, sweat and tears. The immense amount of apparent physical effort being put suddenly in doubt as the kadavi-barers break into a dance and twist and twirl down the street, their kadavis suddenly coming to life and bending and bowing under their owner's efforts. The followers continuing to keep up the tempo to encourage the trance-like state that these men and women get in to to complete the challenge.
This year as well as treading the streets during the heat of the day I also ventured out in the evening after dark. It feels and looks different at that time. Many more people spilling out of their work places to line the streets, part in support and part in wonder and awe. Some watching family and friends come past, some in it (myself included) for the photo opportunities. Some of the kadavis are lit and some appear to tower over the offerings seen earlier in the day. Maybe it was the lighting or maybe they really were bigger, but to carry them looked almost unfeasible. The cool breeze of the night was definitely a help to those walking and the streets were packed, much more so than during the day. It was also evident that the general population of Little India (and Indians in general) were out to pay homage in the evening meaning the kadavi carriers were even more obstructed from walking than during the day. Indeed, I felt having to wait at each set of traffic lights (and trust me, there are a lot of them in Singapore), was a little harsh. But if that what it takes, then these guys are up for the challenge.

For a view on what I saw and felt last year about Thaipusam have a look here.

Fort Canning Park - Singapore

The ‘Forbidden Hill’ or Fort Canning, as it now known, is one of Singapore’s most centrally situated parks. Set on a small hill, it overlooks Orchard Road on one side and Clarke Quay on the other, two of the busiest areas in town. Although with it’s central location you may expect it to be a noisy affair it actually is a serene get away from the hustle and bustle of the main shopping area and can be walked to from Orchard Road without needing to get a taxi. As with many places in Singapore, there is plenty of history, places to find and of course eat in close attendance.

It was known as Bukit Larangan ('Forbidden Hill' in Malay) before Stamford Raffles’ arrival in 1819 and was renamed Government Hill to reflect it’s position as a seat of power. Indeed, so taken was Raffles with the area that he set up residence here. It gained its current name in 1860 when a fort was built and named after Viscount Charles John Canning, the Governor-General at that time.

Set as it is on a small hill, in times past the lighthouse towards the top of the hill was a focal point of mariners needing a point of reference at sea. Today, this seems quite unlikely as the park is set a considerable way from navigable water (the pleasure cruisers along the river being the only mariners close by these days). Land reclamation has set the park back from the coast by a considerable margin and the lush vegetation and buildings surrounding it now conceal the lighthouse.

Another notable point of historical interest is a little fresher in our memories. The Battle Box, buried deep beneath Fort Canning, was used for command and communications across Malaya throughout the Second World War. It is also the site for the infamous surrender by Britain to the Japanese in February 1942. The former ‘Underground Far East Command Centre’ is now a museum, which costs around S$5 to visit. It is well worth a look if only to see the size of the place, which at one point accommodated around 500 military personnel. Although relatively simply done, the experience is quite evocative with a dark, dank slightly perturbing feeling as you walk around it and serves as a reminder of how un-glamorous war really is. It leaves quite an eerie impression on the soul.

Just up the hill from the Battle Box is Fort Canning Centre, a magnificently grand building that served as a barracks for the British Army and stands at the top of the slope of Fort Canning Green. Singapore Dance Theatre, who gives performances throughout the year, uses the building as a dance centre. Fort Canning Green, its grassy slopes dropping away from the Centre’s terrace, is the site of many of the concerts, carnivals and performances held in Fort Canning. The levity of the entertainment here belies its history of being a cemetery and tombstones can be seen set in to the boundary walls of the Green.

As you continue to wander the myriad emerald pathways that bisect the park, you find all manner of historic artifacts confronting you and nearly every turn; 9- pounder cannons, an excavation site containing 14^th Century relics, the Old Lighthouse, Fort Canning Gate, Keramat Iskandar Shah (a sacred place dedicated to the last ruler of 14th century Singapore) and the James Brooke Napier Memorial. You may even come across the occasional wedding held in the lush, serene area by Raffles’ House.

On the fringes of the park are plenty of eateries (as one finds all over Singapore) with many places to sit and picnic or read at your leisure. 

I ate in Flutes at the Fort with friends the last time I ventured there. A very nice, intimate and secluded venue for brunch (which is what we were there for) with a wooden verandah or inside space so you can choose to eat au naturel or air-cooled. However, slightly disappointingly (but not surprisingly) the usual Singapore build-it-up, knock-it-down works were going on nearby.  Sufficed to say we ate inside and that was fine. The noise quiet enough not to be intrusive, especially once we'd started talking. Service was very good as the pricing might suggest it should be (although I would say in Singapore, as a rule, don't make a judgement on what the service is likely to be like based on the pricing!). The food was excellent (although they were a little shy about the amount of strawberries on my wife's waffle) and I had a little trouble deciding what I was going eat. Find the 'brunch menu' here if you'd like to look. A very nice way to spend a lazy late breakfast though.

When the party's over.....

Over the last couple of weeks the River Hongbao has been on at Marina Bay. This is to celebrate Chinese New Year and people come from all over Singapore to see it. Beside it is the fairground and Sunday was it's last day (for this year). I thought I'd take the opportunity to take some photos of the aftermath and the ensuing clean-up operation. Something rather melancholy about seeing all the fantastic lanterns and decorations being set aside.

But there's always next year.....

Haw Par Villa

I'd never expected or desired to go to Haw Par Villa. It really didn't look like my kind of thing. But, as we have the in-laws here, all bets are off and my mother-in-law took a fancy to having a look-see. So on Monday morning we went. From all the reports/blog accounts I had read it looked pretty strange, utterly gaudy and totally bizarre. And rest-assured it is! On arrival you are greeted by two life-size Sumo wrestlers who stand guard on the edge of the 'park' (I say park because it's a bit of a struggle to know how to refer to it!). Behind them are some evil looking seals with crazy eyes.

Courtesy of http://www.loneleeplanet.com/

Let's just say it sets the scene for a walk through the fantasy world of the brothers Tiger Balm, Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par (and if you haven't tried their products then you really should!). The park follows the accounts of the Ten Courts of Hell in Chinese mythology involving (amongst many other things) the famous story of "The Journey to the West", also know as the legend of the Monkey King. Now, this particularly caught my attention because, as a child, I spent hours (well, it felt like it) watching the Japanese series, "Monkey Magic," on kids TV. At the time I didn't even realise it was badly dubbed from Japanese to English, much less that it was Chinese mythology based on a true life pilgrimage and the adventures of Triptaka, one of the stars of the TV series. Sufficed to say, the characters portrayed at Haw Par Villa are not quite as friendly looking as their televisual counterparts. For example, this is Pigsy. Scary huh?

See the other photos on Flickr

Anyway, you can go away and read about this show for yourselves as probably 99% of the readers of this post will never have heard of it! But I loved it and this brought fresh colour to it in no uncertain terms.

Another surprising thing to come out of the visit was that once I had posted my photos of this weird and wonderful place on Flickr, I found that one of Huffington Post's blogs had picked up on a photo I took and had made it photo of the day on Gadling.com (a travel blog)! It's a photo of a series of giant masks that adorn a wall right at the back of the park.
This is the image in question. I must admit, I do quite like it as it seems a pretty good visual representation of everything I saw that morning.....

Chinatown

Having just sat down for some lunch after an arduous few minutes buying all manner of Chinese New Year gifts for the nieces, nephews and God-children back home, I get a chance to do what I really enjoy and people watch. Chinatown is particularly good for this especially during the run up to CNY when it is busier than usual (although not the mayhem that will ensue this weekend, the last before CNY). The English couple in front if me have just been brought two large bottles of Tiger beer and are staring at them in astonishment (the bottles are 633ml each, more than a pint). The business of ordering lunch looks a hard task too. Menus are large, with a raft of unfamiliar looking food (although all printed in English with Chinese subtitles) and some of the items are apparently live.
'Euw, I couldn't eat anything living',
'It'll be dead by the time you eat it,' I interject, 'don't worry'.
They seemed to take this in the spirit it was meant although when the fish, still flapping in it's bag, was presented for their approval they did blanche slightly. The panic is starting to rise slightly I sense and a discussion ensues about the merits of ordering sweet and sour pork. The spring rolls arrive and much to their relief look 'just like the ones from the Chinese at home'.

Phew, the fries have also arrived. Just in time, it was all starting to look a bit 'Eastern' for my liking.
I must say the white faces and voices (mine amongst them of course), are quite prevalent today. Last Saturday the mayhem was very definitely in favour of the locals. We we're warned by one that it was a human traffic jam in there. He wasn't wrong. This was the evening for Singaporeans to do their CNY shopping. I found it quite enjoyable, however, I wasn't trying to shop.
So, remarkabley the beers have both been sunk and they've just asked for another. I think they're starting to get into the spirit of things. That's the thing about Singapore. It never takes long to relax into it if you give it a chance.

posted from Bloggeroid

Marina Bay Sands - a photo set

Finally.

I got round to seeing a sunset from the top of Marina Bay Sands. There were, I guess, a couple reasons for this. One - the excuse. My in-laws are here and they 'needed' to get up top to see what all the fuss is about. Two - the sun. It's been in short supply over the last month or so leaving the opportunities for sunset spotting pretty slim. It is, in fact, only the second time I've been up there since living here. The first time was for free (which involved a generous bit of BS to get them to let us up to Ku Da Ta without charge). This time we paid the $20(!) fee, although the oldies got away with $17 each. At that price it could be a while until I venture up there again. But it's worth it once in a blue moon (and if one of those occurs I'll definitely be there). Anyway, that aside, the sunset was pretty good with minimal smog so the camera came out and then later the tripod. The other excuse, if one was needed, is that my father-in-law is photo mad which gave me the perfect reason to have to stay up there for a few hours while the 'girls' went to watch 'Wicked' (which seems to have taken Singapore by storm) at the theatre. Very definitely not my cup of tea so the option of photos from the top of MBS was certainly a winner!
The results were variable, but here are some of the more acceptable photos that transpired (in my opinion).

Marina Bay, a set on Flickr.

Superlative Singapore: A Tiny Island’s Quest to be the ____est Anything

Love this blog entry by Tanya Procyshyn (Find her on twitter - @idreamofdurian). It's spot on!

idreamofdurian - superlative-singapore

West Coast Park in Singapore

So the last time I came over to West Coast Park was at least in April when we still lived in Dover Park View. Several months and a lot of work (not to mention money) later and the kids play area has been transformed into a veritable adventure playground for kids of all ages (yes, of course I had a go!). It was just staying to happen as we moved away but I didn't think it would end up looking like this!
Previously the kids area looked like this.


Now there are myriad areas to explore and they aren't all aimed at my two's age group (2 & 4 years old). There are even some quite scarily high climbs to be had which is quite a surprise given Singapore's usually conservative approach to kids and potential danger.



There are some additional younger kids play things which my two thoroughly enjoyed. Having said that they eventually gravitated back to the original play area with it's ships and slides and sand.





Sufficed to say the kids had a great time and I don't think it will be the last time we venture out this way as pretty much the only thing missing from East Coast Park where we live is a kids playground (somewhat unbelievabley)! Oh and the parking's free too. Bonus!

posted from Bloggeroid

The Chapman's Singapore Christmas

Christmas 2011, a set on Flickr.

So Christmas has been..... and gone just about. All-in-all it's been a real nice time and a lot more fun than last year's somewhat forced affair. This year we were lucky enough to have genuine friends and family here to celebrate with. Thirteen for lunch (including three under fives) and not a hitch, probably because I stayed out of the kitchen! Good food and good company. The dinner was a traditional turkey affair (and beef.... and ham) although there were suggestions (threats?) of salads from the antipodean faction (thankfully quashed). The food was great thanks the work of the girls (and a boy, not me) and we all sat down with paper hats on heads and proceeded to eat more than we should for any normal week. As is traditional, evening approached and the remaining survivors settled down with the Monopoly set (Singapore edition) which remained completely untouched as the 15 year old malt made an appearance and with that Christmas Day was slowly put to bed.
New Year's Eve now and getting ready to go to Marina Bay with the in-laws to watch the fireworks. That, of course, is on the assumption the our daughter gets rid of her 39C something temperature or it's going to be a quiet one at home!
We're finally getting some blue skies and sun after several weeks of rain, rain and more lightning and thunder. The in-laws have been stunned about the lack of sunlight. Granddad had visions of a sunny Christmas with BBQs, Aussies and beers. Well, he's had the beer part! Maybe we'll manage the BBQ and Aussie bit in the New Year before they depart for the UK.
Time for a G'n'T before the sun disappears I think!
In other news, I believe this is my 100th blog post. Seems it should be a milestone so, HURRAY!