So last last weekend, Singapore was again having its annual Night Festival.
It was the only time where the museums at the Bras Basah precinct open their doors till late at nite and the word 'happening' can be used to describe them. Coz let's face it, how many Singaporeans actually go and visit the museums in their free time. Somemore need to pay money for it. They would rather go shopping and discovering new malls... like Orchard Ion which opens today! (BJ's gonna head down after work!).
Yupz, that's the sad reality of museums. But the Singapore's National Heritage Board has been doing a fabulous job in luring the crowd down to their museums, eg. Night Fest!
This is the time when admission to the National Museum and the Peranakan Museum is totally free of charge! Nothing attracts the local more than the F-word and the organizers know it's a definite crowd puller.. Haha
First time i see so many humans crowding around the Museum area... even Stamford Road was blocked to ease crowd congestion.
So BJ went around the area to see what's the buzz about this year... Looks like the naked guy in the National Museum has been replaced by a couple of tanks. These tanks were supposed to mimic the structure of a pagoda. It has something to do with war and love or something like that...
And random art pieces were placed around too. Here we see a spiral lighting where kids would run through.
And here is a light-tree. Stand under it during thunderstorm and higher chances of you getting lighted up! ...by the lightning that is!
The 2nd level of the National Museum just right next to the gallery entrance was turned into an open-air cinema. They were showing Bujang Lapuk, a classic Malayan movie. Let the people come in with their convertibles and it'll be a picture perfect drive-in cinema.
At 10.30 pm, a 'spectacular live show' was scheduled right outside the National Museum. Since we're early, we head to the Peranakan Museum for some Babas and Nyonyas... And there she was, an unusually skinny Nyonya (normally their food very fattening and they eat alot marh) performing some Jazz ala Peranakan.
A new collection to the museum. Baba Blings.
Free stuff @ Peranakan Museum: Caricature!
Muahahaha
Freebies makes us happy!
Coming 10.30, we start to make our way back to the NM only to find that it's more packed than the sardines (or tuna) in a can.
It seems that the NHB really did a great job in attracting the crowd. As a result, it was hot, stuffy, and a perfect breeding place for our dear friend H1N1 virus.
Nevertheless, awesome spot.
The show started out with some dudedess walking round and round really slowly at the opposite side (The SMU green i think). It was sooooooo boring. But then they started to shoot fire.
"Oh no! They're gonna shoot fire to the National Museum!"
And with fire comes.... errrm... trees!
and the trees turn brown cz weather too hot!
And here was the highlight of the nite. Girls playing with fire suspended mid-air!!
More fire!!
And what is a grand finale without some really expensive fireworks display!!
And firefall cascading down the walls of NM. It's amazing that the building was still intact after all those pyrotechnics. Haha.
After the show was some bazaar-flea-market shopping, also part of the Night Fest.
And that's Day 1 for ya!
On Sunday, BJ decided to participate in a walking tour conducted by this veteran reminiscing her memories of old Singapore.
Here, at the old National Library site, she was walking backwards as a way of tracing her memories of the now demolished library.
Other participants
"Come on! All the way All the way!"
Amanda (yup, that's her name) leaning on the brick pillar which was the only part of the original building that was left for conservation purposes. Why she did that? I have no idea.
We would really like to continue to see what else Amanda would lean on for the rest of the tour. But the stupid weather suddenly rained on us, forcing us to take shelter in SMU with 3 other really sweet and nice aunties who let us took cover under their umbrellas.
BooHoo!
