I’ve been looking at the amazing photos and reading about how spectacular the SG50 celebrations had been.
We so wanted to be part of this magnificent milestone, but being such chillax and unstrategic people, the weekend didn’t quite go as desired…
So many fun events, so many free admissions! I decided to narrow it down to just a handful so we wouldn’t be frazzled by the end of it.
Checking out the Art Science Museum for the afternoon sounded fabulous, with an early dinner at Satay by the Bay, followed by the dazzling display at the Super Trees seemed like the perfect way to enjoy the first day of the jubilee weekend.
All set. Or so I assumed.
We seriously underestimated the crowd and queues. Everywhere.
It took us more than an hour to get our breakfast.
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Faizal & Aziz Curry Muslim Food |
That took up the whole morning and it was almost time for Kate’s nap. The museum would have to wait.
#2 broke her guitar strings so since we were waiting for Kate, we went to get it fixed.
I had enough of queuing and was easily persuaded by the kids to skip the Art Science Museum and head to our club for a round of bowling (glad we did, as I read that the queue closed early due to the overwhelming crowd).
Brilliant idea, kids! People were busy queueing all over the island that we had the whole bowling alley to ourselves.
Onward to Gardens by the Bay!
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Well. You can guess what happened. The queue to enter the carpark was even longer than the one at the mall. It was hardly moving as people wouldn’t be leaving until at least the first show had ended.
This was one time I wished the hubs was with us so that he could have dropped us off while he figured something out.
I decided to hang around in the car, and hopefully when it started, we could catch some action. Light and sound travel, right?
Argh. Not even a whiff came our way.
Defeated. Tomorrow will be better! We are going to Marina Barrage to celebrate a birthday with friends I have known since I was a child. So looking forwards to watching the Black Knights do their stunts. Fingers crossed that the weather would hold out.
Picnic baskets packed, spirits running high, kids all up bright and early.
But… It was pouring! Never mind, we’ll squeeze with the crowd at the sheltered lower level and wait it out.
In the end, we decided it might not be wise to battle the rain and crowd as the event organisers informed us the place was already packed. We had a lovely party indoors, and on hindsight, it was a good move as we heard that there was a massive jam around the Marina Barrage area, and even if we had managed to get in, we might not have been able to find a spot to plonk the whole group of us down on our mats.
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Spagetti Carbonara |
Back from the party, the kids had friends over and this time, I had wised up. Better stay home and cook. I googled some recipes for dinner and am so proud to announce that I made successful spaghetti carbonara! The kids loved it and polished everything up. We had a swell time playing Pictionary and it was a fun way to end the night.
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Pictionary |
On National Day, the hubs was back and as we didn’t manage to get tickets to the NDP, we decided to join the crowds, soak in the atmosphere and catch the aerial displays and fireworks.
We waited for Kate to wake from her nap, got everyone ready, and drove towards town. Traffic signs warned that all carparks were full in the Marina Bay area.
The hubs suggested we try boat quay as the whole Padang, esplanade area would have been cordoned off. We’ll grab some snack or quick dinner before settling down to wait for the fireworks.
Wrong again. No way to grab anything that night! Everywhere was packed. Dinner can wait. Time to search for a good spot.
Wow. We have never seen so many people converging on boat quay before. There must have been tens of thousands of people around.
Finally, as it was nearing 8.15pm, we decided that the middle of the bridge provided the most unobstructed view and stayed put.
Then it dawned on us. These smart people had figured out what was happening.
It was such an epic fail that it was simply hilarious. Everybody burst out clapping!
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Chilli crab |
By the time we had dinner, it was 9pm. The kids were hungry, tired, and bewildered. Talk about an anti-climax.
Of course, we had to order chilli crab and fried man tou.
Ah well. We can always find comfort in our local cuisine.