End of the Year Gatherings - PhotoHunt

PhotoHunt theme : Gathering/End

  Appetizer - Chinese Cold Dish in restaurant during our year-end company lunch

As year 2012 is coming to an end, I received several invitations to year end gatherings organised by companies, associations and non-profit organizations.  

Durian lovers of MENSA Singapore gathered for a buffet of the famous King of fruits.

Potluck @ Mountbatten After a busy day at work, I rushed home to prepare a dessert for a Potluck Party organised by a voluntary organization. I was delighted at the vast array of food the other volunteers prepared. For years,  these kind souls have generously dedicated their time and money for the less privileged in our community.     I am looking forward to my last celebration party in year 2012 at the Marina Bay Countdown. :)

Indian Gang-rape Victim In Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital for Treatment

Indian students and activists carry candles at India Gate

The Indian student who was brutally gang-raped on a moving bus in New Delhi, has arrived in Singapore for further treatment. The government of India has made arrangements for the patient to be shifted to renowned Mount Elizabeth Hospital which has a state-of-art multi-organ transplant facility. The medical treatment may stretch many weeks.

Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital

The 23-year-old physiotherapy student arrived at Mount Elizabeth Hospital's Intensive Care Unit at 9:05 am this morning accompanied by her parents and a team of Indian doctors led by Dr Yatin Gupta, Head of the critical care unit at Delhi's Safdarjung hospital. The victim is in an extremely critical condition and she is fighting for her life with severe multiple intestinal, abdominal and other injuries.

The victim was allegedly tricked into boarding a bus in South Delhi by six drunken men who then took turns to assault her. For 40-minutes, she was repeatedly beaten with an iron rod and raped. She had undergone 3 operations in India before flying to Singapore.

The case shocked India and the world. Thousands of people in cities all over India have taken to the streets since the attack to demonstrate both against the levels of violence and also the notoriously slow criminal justice system. Several thousand college students and activists rallied at the India Gate monument in the heart of the capital, calling for death penalty for the rapists and better security for women. Many protesters were baton-charged, water cannoned and tear gassed by the police.

Six suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack and have been remanded in custody.

The young woman is in an extremely critical condition. Let us keep this innocent young victim in our prayers as she fights for her life.

Photo credits: AFP, Reuters

Whimsical Log Cake Decorating Competition 2012 - Ruby Tuesday

Winner Jessie Hoo and Chef Alex Yen

27 participants took part in a log cake decorating contest at Marina Square Shopping Mall on 23 December 2012. I noticed several senior citizens, young children and young teens participating in the contest.

All participants were given a time limit of 60 minutes to decorate a log cake. Decorating cream (white) weighing 1kg was provided with spatula. The contestants had to supply their own decoration and piping materials, eg candies, lollipops, paper, adhesive, styrofoam and other support materials.

Mother and son team

Contestants are judged for their Creativity, Presentation, Originality and Decorative Details. The panel of judges included Pastry Chef Alex Yen who won the Food and Hotel Silver Medal for plated dessert in 1992.

First Prize : Winter Dream

Champion Jessie Hoo won a Samsung Galaxy S3 worth $998, $300 worth of shopping vouchers and a O’Coffee Club Log cake. Congratulations!

Second Prize : Christmas Dream 

Angry Bird Log Cake by a young teen

Have a Rocking Christmas!

Singapore Lions Crowned Champions of AFF Suzuki Cup

Singapore Lions, the Kings of Asean football

Singapore Lions beat Thailand 3-2 on aggregate for their record 4th Asean crown on Saturday. Singapore leaders PM Lee Hsien Loong and DPM Teo Chee Hean were among the first to send their congratulations to the Singapore national football team for their win at the AFF Suzuki Cup.


The Lions returned to a hero's welcome at Singapore Changi Airport this afternoon. More than 600 fans greeted the champions. The players, officials and family members were then taken on a victory parade via an open-top bus which travelled through Orchard Road before heading to Jalan Besar Stadium for a victory reception.


More than a thousand screaming supporters welcomed the Lions at their den at the Jalan Besar Stadium. While the celebrations was prohressing, many more supporters arrived from all over Singapore to congratulate our newly crowned champions.


Singapore has won the regional AFF Suzuki Cup (formerly known as the 'Tiger Cup') three times in 1998, 2005 and 2007. The Lions are crowned the champions of South-east Asia for a record fourth time. For departing national coach Radojko Avramovic, it is the perfect send-off on his final game with Singapore.

Skipper Shahril Ishak is named the tournament's Most Valuable Player and received a US$10,000 cheque for his efforts throughout the tournament.

 Congratulations to our Lions! Roar! Roar! Roar!

Cloud Forest @ Gardens By The Bay - WW

a mysterious world veiled in mist 

After visiting the Flower Dome, we proceeded to Cloud Forest through a side entrance. Greeting us was a 35-metre tall mountain covered in lush vegetation shrouding the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. It was a spectacular sight!

This waterfall showcases plant life from tropical highlands up to 2,000-metres above sea level. High in tropical mountains, these plants would absorb the abundant rainfall, releasing the water gradually to create a constant, long-lasting supply for the land beneath them – supporting even more plants!

The densely planted 'mountain' has a mixture of fascinating orchids, delicate ferns, colourful bromeliads, dazzling begonias and menacing carnivorous pitcher plants. All of these are epiphytic and live on top of other plants in nature, requiring little substrate and are perfectly adapted for growing on vertical walls.

As we descended from the mountaintop via two walkways in the clouds, we took in the aerial view of the canopy and mountainside below. It was an incredible sensation walking on the suspended walkway. I was a little fearful and tried not to look down.

I tread carefully as I took photos for my superiors and a loving couple. The photos turned out incredibly beautiful. Some photos seemed to show us as if we are inside an UFO.

I can't upload the photos here as I do not have the permission of the subjects. I will return to shoot my personal photos. Must take pains to dress up for the photo shoot. :D   

We learn about unique biodiversity and geology of cloud forests and the environmental threats they face within the nine unique zones in this cool-moist Conservatory.

We also stopped by the Black Box and learnt about self-sustainability at Gardens by the Bay. The numerous ecological functions of our Supertrees, like capturing solar energy and serving as exhausts while supporting a green living skin was an eye-opener. It was an interesting find how Singapore’s parks and gardens provide discarded plant matter as fuel for a biomass furnace that provides energy to cool the air in both conservatories.

In September 2012, Prince William and Catherine visited Gardens by the Bay when they visited Singapore as part of a tour marking the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Hours: Opens 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM daily
Last ticket sale at 8:00 PM daily
Last admission at 8:30 PM daily

Local Resident Admission:
Adult $12
Senior Citizen* $8
Child** $8

Local Resident Admission (includes entry to Flower Dome):
Adult $20
Senior Citizen* $15
Child** $12

Standard Admission (includes entry to Flower Dome):
Adult $28
Senior Citizen* $28
Child** $15
* Senior Citizen (≥ 60 years old)
** Child (3 – 12 years old)

Ticketing Hub: Opens 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM daily

OCBC Skyway @Supertree Grove, Gardens By The Bay - WW

Supertree Grove

Found all around Gardens By The Bay in Singapore are these unique trees. Standing up to 16 storeys in height, they are an attraction in this gardens. There are 12 at the Supertree Grove, while the remaining 6 are placed in clusters of threes at the Golden and Silver Gardens. 

 

OCBC Skyway

As the sun set, we took a stroll along the OCBC Skyway (ticket : S$5 adult, S$3 kid), a 128-metre long walkway that connects the two 25-metre Supertrees at the Supertree Grove. Please avoid if you are scared of heights.

Some playful visitors started jumping and stomping on the skyway and it swayed, not too violently though. It is still quite steady.

As we walked along the skyway, we took pictures of the different views of the Gardens and our beautiful city. We were captivated by the stunning panoramic views of the Gardens as well as the surrounding Marina Bay area. 

A view of part of the Gardens, the Marina Bay and the Singapore Flyer.

A closer look of the Supertree.

For visitors, you might want to visit the cooled conservatories in the afternoon and stayed until the evening to take a stroll on the OCBC Skyway. Watch the beautiful sunset and when night falls, the gardens and Supertrees are lighted up. Lots of photo opportunities.

There are restaurants and cafes in the gardens should you need refreshments and take short rests in between your walk.

Supertree Grove
Hours: 5:00 AM - 2:00 AM daily
Admission: FREE

OCBC Skyway
Hours: Opens 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM daily

Monday - Friday
Last ticket sale at 8:00 PM
Last admission at 8:30 PM

Weekends and PH
Last ticket sale at 7:00 PM
Last admission at 7:30 PM

Admission:
Adult/Senior Citizen   $5
Child**                     $3

**Child (3 – 12 years old)
Ticketing Hub: Opens 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM daily

Winter Wonderland @Flower Dome, Gardens By the Bay - PhotoHunt

PhotoHunt theme : Trees/Bells

For our year end outing, my colleagues organized a Hi-tea and a tour of Gardens By The Bay. My third visit to Gardens By The Bay which was crowned World Building Of The Year 2012 at the prestigious World Architecture Festival, considered the Oscars of the architectural world. It also won the best display building for its conservatories, Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.

We bought tickets to the cooled conservatories, Flower Dome and it includes entry to Cloud Forest. Ticket prices : S$20 for local adults, S$15 for local senior residents and S$28 for foreign visitors.

Gardens By The Bay was crowned World Building Of The Year 2012 

Stepping into the Flower Dome on a hot afternoon, we were welcomed by a replicate of the cool-dry climate of Mediterranean regions like South Africa, California and parts of Spain and Italy.

We stopped to take photos in front of a spectacular collection of plants from deserts all over the world. We discovered amazing plants and flowers from different corners of the globe, and we were amazed by how different parts of the trees are used in daily lives across different cultures.

To our delight, the Flower Field has been transformed into a magical Winter Wonderland. Amidst the background music of Jingle Bells, Santa Claus has arrived early in Singapore with presents for the good boys and girls!

We were awed by a spectacular floral display featuring some 2,000 poinsettias in hues of red, pink and white. We ladies had a memorable and fun moment having our pictures taken amidst adorable displays of penguins and polar bears as well as a grand Noble Fir.

It was cool to see our senior management took time from their busy schedules to stop and smell the flowers and enjoying themselves at this outing.

These unique trees of up to 16 storeys in height can be found all around the Gardens - 12 at the Supertree Grove, while the remaining 6 are placed in clusters of threes at the Golden and Silver Gardens.

We took a stroll along the OCBC Skyway (ticket S$5), a 128-metre long walkway that connects the two 25-metre Supertrees at the Supertree Grove, and taking in different views of the Gardens. As the sun set, we were captivated by the stunning panoramic views of the Gardens as well as the surrounding Marina Bay area.


Winter Wonderland @Flower Dome, Gardens By the Bay
1 Dec 2012 - 13 January 2013
9 am to 9 pm

Local Resident Admission (includes entry to Cloud Forest):
 Adult $20
 Senior Citizen* $15
 Child** $12

 Standard Admission (includes entry to Cloud Forest):
 Adult $28
 Senior Citizen* $28
 Child** $15

 * Senior Citizen (≥ 60 years old)
** Child (3 – 12 years old)