RIP Mr. Lee Kuan Yew

Received news early this morning about the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the First Prime Minister of Singapore and one of the founding fathers of Singapore.

Mr Lee has been a prominent figure in Singaporean politics for years, and has certainly contributed a lot to Singapore - turning it from a 3rd-world country to a bustling metropolis, with low crime rates, low unemployment rates, world-class education and one of the most booming, developed economies in the world (amongst many, many other accolades). His valuable contributions are evident in Singapore's cityscape today, and of course, in the hustle and bustle of everyday life...

I may not be in Singapore at this time, but looking back at some of my pictures of the Singaporean cityscape and landmarks, I feel blessed. I am blessed - to be able to enjoy (amongst lots of other things) a smooth-sailing childhood, an intense but highly rewarding education system, exposure to a myriad of different cultures (food included!), and of course, the many beautiful landmarks that Singapore has. I feel blessed too - to be able to walk around the city and anywhere with a sense of security...and to be able to venture out to places like night without feeling hypervigilant. I am also thankful that there're lots of convenient locations for me to hang out in - be it food places, shopping, or even just simple chillout sessions with my friends.

Look at how far we have come...Words can't describe how significant Mr Lee's contributions are to Singapore, so I will just sum it up with some of my favourite pictures of Singapore - my home. 

"I can no other answer make, but thanks and thanks" - William Shakespeare.

Thank you very much, Sir, for all that you have done for us. May you rest in peace, Sir!

Australia Day Skyworks!, Rooftop Cinema, and the Giants Perth

First bottle of cider in many months! I finally had a chance to chill out on Friday...thank goodness! 

Over the summer (yes I spent the whole summer in Perth and even endured that 'fateful' 44.4 degree Celsius day!), I actually did have quite a number of photo opportunities. First of all - I managed to make it to the Australia Day Skyworks celebration along the river...something which I've always wanted to do since ages ago. Secondly - I went to the Rooftop Cinema at Northbridge (saw Monty Python and laughed so hard till I cried) as part of the Rooftop Movies experience that occurs every summer. And thirdly, I saw the Giants - a once-in-a-lifetime experience involving giant (literally!) puppets! Here's my account of the three major events.

OK let's start off with Australia Day, since it happened before the other events.

My mates and I were fortunate enough to be able to get a good vantage point along the Swan River, after going for Korean food for dinner. We anticipated that the roads were all blocked that day, so we parked at one of the train stations and took the train down - that turned out to be an enormous blessing...and check out the lovely sunset! Weather wasn't too bad too!

When the Australian flag was flown in front of us, lots of people started waving miniature versions of the Australian flag...and gosh everyone was so enthusiastic! I even dressed in red, white and blue, specially for that day. Many people did so too - and of course there were many others dressed in Australia Day attire...

Perhaps the highlight of the day was the Skyworks - the 45-minute long fireworks show. I was totally ready for the Skyworks - in fact I did not even put down my camera throughout the fireworks display. I was literally snapping away...picture after picture...trying to get as many pics of the fireworks as possible. I'd say that I ain't the most experienced in fireworks photography - because I rarely do it...but I'm satisfied with the pics I managed to retain!

And here they are - in all sorts of different colours, shapes and sizes. The last picture at the end shows the final bursts of fireworks - that was when ALL the fireworks were set off at one go, and then the show ended.

OK moving on to the Rooftop Cinema. One of my mates from Melbourne came over to visit - and she told me about this event (which I didn't even know about because I was so preoccupied with my PhD work!). So she bought tickets and all, and we went there one beautiful summer's evening. I had my car by then (yay for getting my little red baby!) and so it was pretty convenient.

While waiting for the movie to start, we waited for our pizza and got some drinks...and chilled out. I love summer evenings in Perth - especially the clear skies and all. So peaceful!

And I just HAVE to quote these lyrics from the song Somewhere: "Peace and quiet and open air...wait for us...somewhere......." (don't ask me why I suddenly thought of the song...it just came to my mind at this moment and I just felt like quoting the lyrics...)

And that's the big screen, amidst a backdrop of skyscrapers. We got really good seats in front - on comfy beanbags. The movie of the night was Monty Python: The Holy Grail. I've never seen a Monty Python movie in my life...and the movie itself was darn hilarious! I literally laughed throughout the movie...and at one point I laughed till I cried! It was - indeed - a 'cultural' experience for me. I'd love to see another Monty Python movie - laughter is good for health!

A couple of weeks after my Melbournian friend left, the Giants Perth was held in the Perth CBD! The Giants Perth was an arts event that followed an Aboriginal story of a girl who came to Perth (Noongar Country) - the full story can be found here.

Since it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I just HAD to catch it. Two marionettes were involved - a girl and a diver - and they were meant to meet, and sail away on the river at the end. Unfortunately I didn't catch the diver and his reunion with the girl as I had other commitments. But I did manage to get pics of the girl marionette! She was MASSIVE.

Well - she came in surrounded by lots of people, "Lilliputians" (who were actually French and were controlling her every move via cables and all), and others who chose to follow her as she took her journey through the CBD.

The main stunt we saw involved the "Lilliputians" putting the girl onto the roof of a car. Gosh - it took so much effort just to even lift one limb! But they did it in the end - it involved so much coordination and so much planning...eventually someone got in and drove the girl away from the street, to her next destination. It was so cool!

Oh yes - and I'm really impressed by how the marionettes were made, designed and all. I really admire the creativity and craftsmanship of those who created the marionettes.

I wonder what my next adventure will be in Perth. Till then, I've to get back to work. Stay tuned!