Cristmas Pictures In Singapore

On this day, the celebration of Christmas in this island of Singapore is in full force especially for the Christians like the Filipinos. I was grateful enough to at least attend three out of nine night masses (simbang gabi) in different Catholic churches spread around Singapore.

Here's my share of pictures I took while enjoying various trips along the heavily decorated (and overly chaotic) Orchard Road, Raffles City, plus a peak to the food feast my friends and I had partaken for our Noche Buena.

These are red poinsettias found inside a church.

Here are some dangling Christmas decorations adorned at the entrance of Lucky Plaza.

Here's the wonderful Filipino choir singing before Tang's mall one night last week.

I experimented with taking shots of speeding cars at the Orchard Road intersection. Look closely at those long light trails. Those are the cars and buses' headlights.

This is a simple shot of golden Christmas balls used as table decorations by my friends inside their flat.

Inside UOB building in Raffles city, here's a giant toy soldier guarding an equally giant Christmas tree.

This was our Noche Buena feast last night: Cold Storage styled vegetable salad, some KFC fried chicken (in the picture above), baked macaroni, butter cake, spaghetti and oven toasted chicken (again).

Merry Christmas to all!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Xi Fa Cai! Congratulations and be prosperous (or so the saying goes). Wishing all a warm greeting of Happy Chinese New Year (Year of the Pig) here from Singapore.

I'm used to back in the Philippines being greeted by my Chinese-Filipino friends and my Binondo raised classmates in college with Kung Hei Fat Choi (using Fookien or Cantonese dialect). Mandarin is mainly used here in Singapore, thus people greet one another "Gong Xi Fa Cai!" while presenting hong bao red envelopes (I assume filled with goodies such as money or gift checks). Whatever.

Hoping for a better year. Or better yet, praying and doing something positive and productive in order this year to be a better one.

Happy New Year To All!

Happy New Year to everyone! Advance Happy New to others living in different timelines! May the next year 2007 be better and brighter for everybody.

As I write this post, it's approximately 40 minutes before 12 midnight or 40 minutes left for year 2006 before 2007 creeps in and takes center stage.

This is also very significant to me since it's my first time to celebrate New Year away from my family, outside of the Philippines. It's awfully quite around here, well within the vicinity of neighborhood flats. I had a talk with a local taxi driver; he told me that traffic is not that bad even if some major thoroughfares towards Marina Bay and Vivo City were closed since a lot of people stayed at home. It will be a holiday tomorrow and on January the second. So a longer holiday period for everyone here.

But as I've mentioned, it's awfully quite here (a far cry from the noisy yet happy tradition of celebrating the coming New Year, back in the Philippines). I'm used to hearing every December 31st (and even before that day) lots and lots of firecracker explosions that could literally make all pet dogs wince and cower in fear. But now, I am writing this post with only the background sound of the whirling ceiling fan above and outside engine noises of buses at the nearby intersection.

I mark this night as something special. And now it's approximately 30 minutes left before 2007. I want to spend the few minutes left contemplating the year that was. What I have done, what happened, what should I have done, and what could have happened if I did them. Just like I saw in the news about other Muslim nations celebrating Hari Raya Puasa today when they kneel down in prayer and silently contemplate (instead of boisterous celebrations).

I'll stop for a while. I'll post back tomorrow.

Meantime, have a great Happy New Year to all!

More Christmas Pictures

More pictures I've taken of Christmas celebration here in Singapore.

Yesterday afternoon, on the eve of Christmas, I got to be invited by a church friend over to their flat and join in a simple Noche Buena gathering with other friends.

It was awfully quite outside as dusk creep in slowly. Actually, it was raining when we got to the flat. I think we were the only group (all Filipinos) who were loudly celebrating that Christmas eve with lively music, movies, soul food, and some treats for the children of couples who came in the gathering.

As some Filipinos would say: Grabe, ang saya-saya talaga dito ng Pasko sa Singapore, no?

Ehem.

After the event, me and my couple of friends hurriedly went home. I thought I would be able to arrive back to my flat before midnight, but I wasn't able to. Christmas Day came by 12, and I was still inside the bus. I just silently greeted Jesus a happy birthday.

A shot of poinsettias, taken from a church altar

Most of the pictures were taken this afternoon down in Orchard Road where the area was closed to traffic and thousands of people flocked around the vicinity to see the events and free concerts.

Lamps along Ngee Ann City Mall decorated with yellow and red gem like lights

One of the colorful parade floats featured in the event

Just too many people criss-crossing Orchard road

A dragonfly paper figure on a float

This one has a paper butterfly and some flowers and lights used as decors on another float

A terracotta figure playing a harp

I always liked this Paragon Mall Christmas tree decked with hundreds of stars

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

Now I go back to work tomorrow.

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Well, technically, tomorrow is December 25 (Asia-Pacific timeline) so tomorrow is Christmas day. But let me greet in advance everyone, especially my family back home, my good and true friends, blogger friends, and my old and new officemates a warm Merry Christmas (Maligayang Pasko).

Below are some of the pictures I've taken around Singapore, particularly at Orchard Road where a thousand lights and Christmas decors are out on display to celebrate a colorful Christmas.

An picture at Orchard Road with Christmas decors

Tangs Mall beautiful gem decors during daytime...

...and at night

Small Christmas trees

The star studded Paragon Mall Christmas tree

Same Paragon Christmas tree during the night

This is so cold

Tangs Mall colorful Christmas decor that dangles from the ceiling

Remember the tree like blue glass structure of a mall featured in my March blog? Well here is the same one, inside, with Christmas lights

Hitachi. Inspiring the next... the young and old with its colorful tree

Really, last night was so crowded

Giant Takashimaya mall Christmas tree

Up close and personal picture with the Christmas balls

This is the carton Christmas tree

A Christmas kiosk

Terracotta figures and the aunties. The aunties are real; mind you

"I am not part of the painting!"

I remember I featured some silver students before last September blog post. Not meet the silver man...

This is one of the stilt mans along Orchard road giving away flyers and paper ads

The tall stilt man posing

Underneath the Christmas lights...

On The Eve Of National Day

Here are other pictures I took on the eve of Singapore's National Day (anniversary celebration of this nation's birth) last August 8. I tried to be early at Marina Bay, but since next day is a holiday, thousands of people came in and decided to stay and make the most of the rest of the night with families, friends and loved ones.

It's a good thing I had an excellent camera zoom function. Actually, I had a not so good position to watch the fireworks as there are two trees blocking my view.


I was taking some shots while my hands were quite shaking. But the photographs that came out became more interesting because of the shaky effects.


These look like forking red lightnings.


And these look like camp fires gone wild.


Sunburst fireworks. I heard may “waaaahs” at that night.


Too much light here.


Too many people around the bay area.


The beautiful Singapore nightscape. I took this after the fireworks display.

Enjoy!