Christmas Trees light-up in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

We went there with our kids and friends and their kids. Getting educational institutions and corporations to take part in this activity is a jolly great idea and makes the Singapore Botanic Gardens a place to take the family even at night. Not too late though for the festive mood was not present when we were there at around 10 o'clock.

The good thing was there were very few people and we almost had the whole garden to ourselves and we could take our time to look at the tree decorations one by one but I feel that the trees would take on a different glow if there were people crowding around them admirng and posing for photos and generating more noise and excitement. I may dislike crowed places but this is one time and place where I think I would have preferred to be there when there are more people. The atmosphere will be very different from the empty and almost eerie kind of feeling I had that night walking around the place.

Alexandria Arch

There was a full moon above our heads as we walked in the cool of the night across this bridge. There was nothing much to distract us because everything else other than the lighted bridge and the streetlights and the cars was cloaked in darkness. So we just walked and enjoyed the night with a full moon above our heads.

What to do on a Sunday

The SITEX fair is on again this weekend and the hordes will be flocking to the Expo Convention Hall to buy, buy and buy - pcs, laptops, printers, handphones etc etc. There are other fun things to do if you have nothing to buy at the fair this time round. First, you could lunch at the food court at Raffles City. Try this bamboo steamed rice topped with delicious minced meat and try the chicken ginseng soup.

Head towards the exit to Bras Basah Road and find your way to SMU (Singapore Management University) Concourse where there is a Peranakan Festival going on. It ends at six and tomorrow is the last day. In the afternoon we enjoyed a fantastic Peranakan performance of songs and dances that got people doing the joget and clapping along with the music. See nonyas decked out in authentic Peranakan sarongs and kebayas and if you want to shop, you will not be disappointed as there are stalls selling genuine Peranakan clothing and beaded slippers and jewellery too. On top of that, there are food stalls selling traditional Peranakan dishes.

This year's Christmas lights at Orchard Road are really magical. Go!

Christmas tree

Christmas tree at Vivocity. Which is your favourite picture?

Singapore Science Centre

A waffle with a skirt but without my beloved ice-cream. The latte was superb! I had all these instead of the presentation of Van Gogh's work at the Omni Theatre in Jurong. Two days late and what did I get? Calories in return.

Give your eyes a break

Kentridge park is green and cool even on hot days. On cool days Kentridge Park is the best place to go to for extra oxygen intake. As there were not many flowers other than the fading Tembusu flowers, I devoted my attention to the trees, ferns, shrubs and plants. I saw colours, patterns and shapes that I had never noticed before because flowers have always taken priority in my line of sight.

Jalan Besar area

Jalan Besar is road flanked by old pre-war houses. The architecture of those days against the backdrop of towering apartments serve to emphasize the unique character of each shophouse that makes itself distinctive through colour, carvings, pillars, window design and the presence of balconies and balustrades. When I view this slideshow I could feel the intrusion of the modern buildings and fear that one day the beautiful buildings of an era gone by will be completely replaced by faceless facades that reach into the clouds but are totally devoid of historical and aesthetic appeal. Perhaps my fears are baseless. I hope so.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

Today is the 15th day of the Lunar month and there was a religious ceremony in the temple. There was a group of monks probably from Thailand or Sri Lanka leaving the temple and inside there was a prayer session led by a senior monk. We were free to wander around the temple to take photos. There were a number of tourists, cameras in hand, taking pictures of the beautiful carvings and artefacts in the temple. This morning, I was fascinated by the lamps and lanterns and also the wood carvings of a dragon and lotus flowers.

Little India on a Sunday night was lighted up with festive Deepavali lights. The crowds that congregated on the narrow streets off Serangoon Road were the usual foreign workers enjoying their well-earned day of rest. I have never been to Little India on a Sunday night and walking from the carpark that was a few streets away from Serangoon Road, I felt like I was entering into a sea of humanity.

Ordinarily, I would steer clear of places that are crowded but yesterday was an extraordinary day and I found myself in a place where the women I came across could be counted on the fingers of both hands two times at the most. Other than the colourful lights swaying above the streets, the Indian tidbits on sale, a musical event happening below a huge white tent, Little India at that time did not make me feel like it was any different from any other Sunday that I imagine would be like.

Foreign workers were sitting or standing around, on the move, quequing up to remit money home, quequing up to withdraw money from the ATM, buying groceries and making calls on their handphones. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to walk through all that crowd and traffic with ease. I think people did not push their way through and somehow all that time of being crammed into a small area every Sunday have given them a familiarity with every curb and corner and they knew how to weave their way efficiently around traffic and other people without making them feel intimidated in any way.

This post is for the foreign workers who build our roads, our houses, our flyovers and make our city a beautiful one. To these hardworking people, I am thankful for their labour and I wish them a Very Happy Deepavali!