River Hongbao

This is another part of the Chinese New Year festivities in Singapore. River Hongbao is a lantern installations at the floating platform at the Marina Bay that runs for nine days. The lanterns depicted were the god of fortune, the chinese zodiacs, panda playground, tiger mountain and more.There were stage performances nightly at the central stage. There is also a foodcourt in one section, a small bazaar, and the carnival rides! I was able to visit the place on the last night.

Chingay Parade 2010

This year is my second time to witnessed the Chingay Parade, dubbed as Asia's grandest annual street parade. Unlike last year where it can be viewed at three grandstands distanced apart, this time it was held at the Formula 1 Pit building, next to Singapore Flyer.

Chingay Parade is an annual event held in Singapore as part of Chinese New Year festivities. This event was introduced the next year after the government banned firecrackers as a substitute for a different kind of noise.

I was able to catch only the tail end of the parade as I have anticipated not to be able to watch it due to no free area along the parade ground. Yes it's not a free affair, you have to have a ticket to enjoy the whole parade.

My Trip to Bukit Tinggi, Malaysia

I spent three days during the chinese new year holidays in Kuala Lumpur and Bukit Tinggi in Malaysia. As the trip was not a planned one, I was having difficulty booking for a trip ticket and the hotel room.  The trip is to check the Colmar Tropicale in Bukit Tinggi in Pahang Malaysia, I bite the price for the late booking, and the land travel. The resort online booking site says there were no more available rooms for the holidays, but when I checked Agoda, where I usually book hotel rooms for my travel overseas, I was able to get a one bedroom room. I might consider myself lucky to be able to book a room on the last minute and be able to secure a bus ticket. I travelled in the morning of Sunday and arrived Kuala Lumpur at around 2:00 in the afternoon. Spend the afternoon at Bukit Bintang, and KLCC until the evening. I purposely waited until the evening at the KLCC to take night shoots of the Petronas Twin Towers. I was literally entertained by the kabayans who were there doing pose well for me is entertaining. Then I went back to the hotel to refresh and spend the rest of the evening at a bar in Bukit Bintang.

Thaipusam Singapore 2010

Another event that took place last Saturday was the Thaipusam festival wherein Singaporean Hindus in the street procession coming from one temple to another four kilometers away traversing major streets of Singapore. I caught the procession along Tank Road while I was on my way to the Singapore Art Museum. This is my second time to witnessed such event.

Thaipusam is a Hindu thanksgiving celebration in honor of Lord Murugan who represents virtue, youth and power and is the destroyer of evil. Devotees carry milk-pot offerings and others attach kavadis (large metal frames) to their bodies using hooks and spikes! The kavadi bearers were joined by relatives and co devotees  who