2010 ~ Merlion Wayfarer's Walking Singapore

Tua Pek Gong Birthday Celebrations 2010

1:59 PM East, Festivals, Pulau Ubin, Temples

Pulau Ubin
East, Singapore
May 2010

Pulau Ubin’s Tua Pek Kong festival was held on 27 May - 02 June 2010. There were live opera shows on the first 5 days followed by 2 days of Getai shows in the evening. Bumboat rides were free from 7pm to midnight.

Merlion Wayfarer was there as part of the group of 108 "heroes" (108 条好汉) to do the clean-up at Chek Jawa last weekend. They were fortunate to be greeted by the scores of colourful flags at the jetty on arrival, which made the ardous task ahead easier.

Ubin Oil Spill

| Part 1 - The Chronology | Part 2 - At Changi Beach | Part 3 - Executive Decisions |

| Part 4 - Devastating Effects Of Oil | Part 5 - Cleaning Up The Mess |

| Part 6 - Along The Way |

Tua Pek Kong (大伯公)

Tua Pek Kong (Chinese: 大伯公, Da Bo Gong) is one of the pantheon of Malayan Chinese Gods. It was believed the date Tua Pek Kong arrived in Penang was 40 years before Francis Light in 1746.

Tua Pek Kong was a man named Zhang Li (张理) from the Hakka clan. His Sumatra-bound boat was struck by wind and accidentally landed on Penang island of Malaysia, which at that time had only 50 inhabitants. After his death, the local people began worshipping him and built the Tua Pek Kong temple there. Today Tua Pek Kong is worshipped by Malayan Chinese throughout the country, including Singapore.

Doesn't this look like Cambodia or Vietnam?

More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :
Festivals - Tua Pek Kong Birthday Celebrations

Resorts World Sentosa - Opening Of Singapore's First Offshore Integrated Resort

11:31 AM Resorts World Sentosa, Sentosa, South

Resorts World Sentosa
South, Singapore
February 2010

Resorts World Sentosa is the first integrated resort in development stages on the island of Sentosa, off the southern coast of Singapore. The key attractions include one of Singapore's two casinos, a Universal Studios theme park and the world's largest oceanarium. The S$6.59 billion (US$4.93 billion) integrated resort is developed by Genting International, the overseas investment arm of the Genting Group. The mammoth resort occupies over 49 hectares (121 acres) of land and, when fully open, will employ more than 10,000 people directly.

The soft launch of the first four hotels took place on 20 January 2010, with the FestiveWalk shopping mall following on 01 February. The casino opened on 14 February, the first auspicious day of the Chinese New Year.

A welcome message at the entrance of the casino...

While the main buildings are open for business, external structures are still under construction. Over here, workers lay the foundation in the seabed...

The entrance is not yet ready with "Sentosa" still boarded up...

The unfinished structure below the new monorail...

Empty space at this amphitheatre will be rare when Sentosa officially opens...

Having fun with "snow"...

Fernando Botero's Adam and Eve at the lobby of Hotel Michael and Crockfords Tower...

Temporary paper and decal signs for directions are sufficient for now...

More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :
Places - Sentosa

River Hongbao 2010 - Fortune & Stripes

1:04 AM Chinese New Year, Festivals, Marina Bay, River Hongbao, South

The Float @ Marina
Marina Bay
South, Singapore

February 2010

Into its 24th year, River Hongbao 2010 ushers in the Year of the Tiger with a big bang. This is the second time River Hongbao is held at The Float @ Marina Bay (previously known as Marina Bay Floating Platform). The festivities will last throughout for 9 days from 12th to 20th February 2010 with the closing on the 7th day of the Chinese New Year.

Enter the tiger...

The theme of River Hongbao 2010 is 推“成”促“新”迎虎年 (Welcoming the Year of the Tiger - A collaboration with Chengdu). This is the first time River Hongbao is supported by a Government to Government level collaboration through Singapore-Sichuan Trade and Investment Committee with the collaboration with Chengdu City, China.

Prosperity from the God of Wealth...

A pair of dragon and phoenix made of porcelain spoons...

The venue comes alive at night with beautifully-crafted lanterns from Chengdu against the magnificent backdrop of the Marina Bayfront. Some of the lanterns to look forward to are the traditionally-popular God of Fortune and the animals from the Chinese Zodiac. There are also a wide variety of stage performances from Chengdu, Taiwan and Singapore, and cultural activities on-site. These include Chinese riddle-guessing, calligraphy and papercraft.

More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :Events - River Hongbao

Quest for Immortality - The World of Ancient Egypt

1:02 AM Central, Dhoby Ghaut, Events, History, Museums

"Quest for Immortality - The World of Ancient Egypt" Exhibition
National History Museum
Dhoby Ghaut
Central, Singapore
February 2010

Quest for Immortality - The World of Ancient Egypt offers an insight to the ancient Egyptian’s attitude to life and the afterlife, and the preparations they made to ensure their transition from earthly existence to immortality. With 230 artefacts spanning from 4000 BCE to 950 CE, this exhibition endeavours to place tomb objects in their social, religious and artistic context, demonstrating the diversity and adaptability of an art that has prevailed in both time and space. The exhibition will be held from December 2009 to April 2010.

More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :
Places - National Museum Of Singapore

Chinese New Year 2010 - A Roaring Countdown!

12:08 PM Central, Chinatown, Chinese New Year, Festivals

Chinatown
Central, Singapore
13-14 February 2010

Chinatown is a key focal point for Chinese New Year festivities in the few weeks leading up to Chinese New Year. It is also where local Chinese congregate year after year to shop for the necessary new year items for the home and to soak in the festive atmosphere. Enterprising merchants line Pagoda, Temple, Terengganu and Smith Streets with their bustling stalls. Traditional New Year cookies like love letters, kuih bangkit, and pineapple tarts are available here. Red God Of Wealth decorations, pussy willow, red-paper cuttings, and boxes of mandarins abound.

Welcoming the Year of the Tiger...

The Eve is when many Singaporeans congregate to get the best bargains at greatly discounted prices as the stallholders hurry to pack up for the night. On the last day of the Year of the Ox, crowds throng the streets to await the incoming new year with stage performers hosted by local and foreign celebrities. At the stroke of midnight, firecrackers and fireworks were let off to usher in the roaring Tiger Year!

Streets packed with shoppers grabbing last-minute bargains on New Year goodies...

Firecrackers and fireworks!

Amount of cleaning up that these cleaners have to do within a few hours...

Need a snack from a 24-hour fastfood outlet, anyone?

Well wishes on the door of an Indian temple...

Beautiful festive lighting...

More photos are available on Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa at :Festivals - Chinese New Year

Singapore Airshow 2010 - Metallic Statics

1:12 PM Changi, East, Events, Singapore Airshow

Changi Exhibition Centre
East, Singapore
02-07 February 2010

The Singapore Airshow 2010 is a 6-day event, taking place from 02-07 February 2010. The first 4 days are exclusively for trade attendees while the final 2 weekend days are open to public. (Read more about the aerial displays in Debut Of The Tank Killer.)

An impressive array of jets, transport planes, helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from as many as 20 exhibitors occupied 100,000 sqm of outdoor space at the Changi Exhibition Centre. These include USAF's A-10, C-130J, and F15E, RAAF's F-111, and RSAF's F-16 and AH-64 Apache.