Wall Mural By Mural Artist Yip Yew Chong @ Chinatown

Letter Writer 

336 Smith Street

Singapore 050336

Mid-Autumn Festival

83 Pagoda Street

Singapore 059242

Dreams Of Chinatown

30 Temple Street

Singapore 058575

Coffee Shop

30 Temple Street

Singapore 058575

Wet Market

30 Temple Street

Singapore 058575

30 Temple Street

Singapore 058575

My Chinatown Home

30 Smith Street

Singapore 058944

Cantonese Opera

5 Temple Street

Singapore 058556

The Window

227 South Bridge Road

Singapore 058776

Lion Dance Maker

227 South Bridge Road

Singapore 058776

The Window

227 South Bridge Road

Singapore 058776

Mamak Stall

227 South Bridge Road

Singapore 058776

Paper Mask & Puppet Seller

227 South Bridge Road

Singapore 058776

Detective Conan In Chinatown

266 South Bridge Road

Singapore 058815

Sentosa FunFest 2018 With 300 We Bare Bear Inflatables!

This March school holidays, Cartoon Network's We Bare Bears will be coming to Sentosa for Sentosa Funfest 2018! 

There will be plenty of photo opportunities with the 300-ish We Bare Bear inflatables around Palawan Beach and Palawan Green. Apart from the inflatables, keep your eyes peeled for cardboard cut-outs and life-sized figurines scattered randomly around the island.

RAWR! Dinosaurs Unearthed @ Plaza Singapura!

Great news for all you dinosaur fanatics out there! 

Dinosaurs have been sighted at Plaza Singapura and if you like these prehistoric creatures as much as I do, then do not give this exhibition a miss! 

In collaboration with Sceince Centre Singapore, Plaza Singapura has brought in five animatronic dinosaurs for this mid-year school holidays.

The animatronics were quite realistic with their movements and sounds. One kid started crying from far while another begged for mercy from her enthusiastic parents not to make her pose for photos with the big, scary monsters!

Swan Lake @ Singapore Botanic Gardens

In my previous post, I visited the newly opened Learning Forest at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. I took a bus from the bus stop opposite Sixth Avenue MRT station which brought me straight to Tanglin gate in front of the Garden.

As the Learning Forest is just a little further down past Swan Lake, it is therefore nearer to go by this way instead of coming from the Bukit Timah gate.

This photos in this post are taken around Swan Lake before I reached the Learning Forest.

The Learning Forest @ Singapore Botanic Gardens

After my breakfast at Master Tang's, I make my way back to Sixth Avenue MRT station. The Botanic Gardens is another two train stations away but I crossed over to the bus stop opposite and took a bus instead.

The MRT will bring you to the Bukit Timah gate at Botanic Gardens MRT station but the Learning Forest is nearer to Tanglin gate at Orchard Road side.

If you go by the Bukit Timah gate, you have to walk at least 2 - 3 kilometers to reach the Learning Forest. Taking the bus, however, brings you right to the front of Tanglin Gate.

From there, it is only a short distance from Swan Lake to reach the Learning Forest.

Pang Sua Pond @ Bukit Panjang

As we all know, water is a precious resource. Other than importing water from our neighbor, we depend on reclaimed water (NEWater), desalinated water, and water from our reservoirs to meet our daily needs.

Under PUB's Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programme, Pang Sua Pond at Bukit Panjang is the latest addition to its network of stormwater collection ponds. 

Launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 25 March 2017, the new pond features an 80m-long elevated boardwalk which is suspended at a height of 7m above the waters.

Residents living nearby can jog or take a leisurely stroll on the boardwalk, while taking in the scenic views.

Thian Hock Keng Temple @ Telok Ayer Street

During the previous Car Free Sunday, I made a return trip to Telok Ayer Street to take photos of Thian Hock Keng Temple as well as the mural on the rear wall behind it by mural artist Yip Yew Chong.

Did you know that Thian Hock Keng Temple is Singapore's oldest Hokkien temple? Built between 1839 - 1842, many had contributed towards the building fund of the temple but the biggest donor is Philanthropist Tan Tock Seng.

The temple was designed and built according to Chinese temple architectural traditions by skilled craftsmen from China but what's amazing is that not a single nail was used in the construction. It has even received a plaque from Emperor Guang Xu (光緒帝) of the Qing Dynasty!

Imagine that! The great Qing Emperor knew of the existence of our tiny temple far away in South East Asia!

The temple was gazetted as a national monument on 28 June 1973 and among the many awards it has won throughout the years, it's latest win was an honorable mention in the 2001 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards.

Wall Mural By Mural Artist Yip Yew Chong @ Thian Hock Keng Temple

After my visit to the Fuk Tak Chi Temple, I proceeded to Thian Hock Keng Temple which is situated along the same street. 

I was not too happy with my shots at the 178 years old temple that day as my new lenses were not suited for wide angle shots. As I figured what to do, I took a walk around the perimeter of the temple when I realized that mural artiste Yip Yew Chong has been commissioned by the Hokkien Huay Kuan to draw a 40m mural at the rear wall behind the temple. 

For the uninitiated, Thian Hock Keng Temple is managed by the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (Huay Kuan = Clan Association).

I thought I could take photos of the mural instead since my shots of the temple were not satisfactory. However, my view of the murals were obstructed by the vehicles parked alongside the wall.

Fuk Tak Chi Temple @ Telok Ayer Street

During my search for Nam Seng Wanton Mee, I accidentally stumbled upon this Fuk Tak Chi Temple (福德祠) along Telok Ayer Street. If you exit Telok Ayer MRT Station via Exit B, this temple is just right across the road on your left.

According to the plaque at the entrance, this temple is one of the oldest around since the 1820s. The temple, founded by the Hakka and Cantonese immigrants, served as a place of worship and a social meeting place for the two communities. The temple was closed in 1994 and has since been converted into a museum.

Inside, you can find a diorama depicting a street scene outside the temple with the early immigrants going about their daily lives. If you are wondering why there is a pier with bum boats docking along it, that is because this place used to be a coastal area. Much of Telok Ayer is built on reclaimed land.

In fact, the name Telok Ayer actually means "Water Bay".

Animal Corner At Farmart Centre

Farmart Centre is a farmers' market of sorts where one can buy fresh produces such as eggs, live seafood and vegetables. During my schooling days, I go there quite often and I even brought my classmates there a couple of times during the school holidays.

Although the farm is near to where I stay, its location at Sungei Tengah is rather inaccessible if you do not drive.

Thankfully, Farmart Centre provides daily shuttle bus service and I remember the fare used to cost 50 cents. When we alight from the shuttle bus, the driver would hand everyone some discount coupons which we could utilize at the shops.

Those were the days and in the twinkling of an eye, 19 years has passed since my last visit. As the second day of 2017 is a public holiday, I decided to make a trip there for old times sake.

From their Facebook page, I learned that from 2017 onward, the shuttle bus service will only be available during the weekends but the ride will be complimentary.

National Orchid Garden *Free Admission!*

I have always thought that the National Orchid Garden is simply a small scale garden showcasing its collection of Orchids and probably not worth the price of a ticket to go in.

When I learned that Singaporeans enjoy free entry from November 2016 till January 2017, I decided to take the opportunity to check it out if it is really the "go one round and we're out" kind of small like what I had thought.

By the end of my visit, however, I realized that the National Orchid Garden is anything but small. With over 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids, the Garden is the largest display of Orchids in the world!

Collecting Magic: From Stamps To Wands - A Harry Potter Exhibition At The Singapore Philatelic Museum

Pottermania has made a comeback this year, with the release of the latest book, Harry Potter & The Cursed Child, and this exhibition - Collecting Magic: From Stamps To Wands at the Singapore Philatelic Museum!

Your favorite child wizards Harry, Ron and Hermione have arrived at the Museum, in the form of stamps as well as movie memorabilia and collectibles from private collectors.

On display are items such as the first licensed Harry Potter stamps, First Day Covers, postcards, stamps, limited edition books and DVDs, prop replicas, movie posters, toys and more.

Singapore Botanic Gardens - UNESCO World Heritage Site!

By now, it is no longer news that the Singapore Botanic Gardens was awarded the UNESCO World Heritage Site status. It is the first and only tropical botanic garden on the UNESCO's World Heritage List and also the first in Asia and the third botanic gardens inscribed in the world.

I had wanted to visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens when it was first inscribed a year ago but the usual let-the-crowd-die-down-first procrastination got the better of me.

Since the folks were out of town and I did not have anything to do at home, I decided to just grab my camera and head for the Gardens.

You can take either the new downtown line or circle line to Botanic Gardens Station (DT9/CC19).

Visiting is now made even more convenient with the train station's exit right at the Gardens' doorstep.

Since I arrived by the Bukit Timah Gate, the plan was to cover as much ground as possible while heading towards Tanglin Gate.

Science Centre Singapore - Fire Tornado Demonstration

The most popular live demonstration at the SCS has got to be the Fire Tornado. It is located at the Courtyard where the rest of the fire exhibits are.

Walk through the Maxwell Auditorium and Mendel Auditorium from the Atrium and you will come to the Courtyard outside of the main building.

There is only one show available every Tuesday to Sunday at 3pm.

Science Centre Singapore - Animal Zone And Eco Garden

Just right beside Hall B, there is a animal zone with hatching chicks, leopard gecko, tortoise, gerbils and hissing cockroaches.

To be honest, the chicks are the only memory I have of the science centre from my primary school visits.

Science Centre Singapore - Hall G

Hall G

Hall G is located on the second level above the Atrium. You can take the lift or stairs at the entrance before entering the Atrium.

The exhibits in this hall are:

• Invent!
• Quirky
• Singapore Innovation

Invent!

Science Centre Singapore - Hall F

Hall F Tuning In: Brain & Body

Hall F is all about the complex brains and how it works.

Science Centre Singapore - Hall D & Hall E

Hall D Butterflies Up-Close

Hall D is home to the latest exhibition, Butterflies Up-Close - a collaboration between the SCS and Sentosa's Butterfly and Insect Kingdom. 

I am not too fond of caterpillar or insects in general so I gave it a miss. 

*Take note that this exhibit requires additional admittance fee.