Linksys No More

Our Linksys wireless router broke down some time last week or so. As a result, we could not log onto the internet without being 'cabled'.

I got so frustrated with this because there were occasions when I promised WF some computer time and he couldn't log on to his preferred sites (now he is very much into Youtube - searching for various video clips of Thomas & Friends, The Magic School Bus, Mr Bean etc).

So when we finally had some one hour to spare last Saturday, we went to Challenger at Funan the IT Mall and grabbed a new router. There was some $10 discount for members, I think.

So, the new router is now a Buffalo. I hope it lives up to its name.

Ouch!!

On Sunday, after we returned from WY's ACT20 show in the afternoon, WY proceeded to do his school work after his shower. WF, too, had his shower and then began to play his Thomas & Friends engines next to the balcony's sliding glass door. R set about ironing the heap of work clothes which had grown into a mountain while I finished up the other chores.

Then, as I prepared to go for my shower, I cautioned WF, "WF, Papa is ironing the clothes in the room now. Can you please stay away from that room? Don't go near the iron because it is very, very hot and it will injure you if it drops on you. Understand?"

WF nodded and casually said, "Ok, understood."

All was fine until about 10 minutes later (as I was getting dressed). I heard WF screaming at the top of his voice and wailing away in the other toilet. The 1st thought that came to my mind was: Aiyah! What is it now? Argument over using the potty versus the toilet bowl again, is it?! (When WF is with R, WF still sometimes 'threatens' to use the potty and both he & R will still argue over it, with their argument escalating to eventually become R scolding/punishing WF - which makes me quite fed-up with both of them.)

So, the minute I got out of the shower, I yelled angrily at WF to stop his wailing! And surprisingly (I had expected him to wail even more loudly), the loud wailing stopped although I could still hear WF sobbing away.

When I went into the other toilet, I asked him what had happened and why he was wailing away. All I saw in the toilet, however, was WF standing pitifully by the half-filled wash-basin with his left arm stretched out into it. His left hand was submerged in the water. And his face was, of course, thoroughly wet with his tears.

R, who had returned to the ironing board, said simply, "He scalded his thumb touching the iron."

Huh?!?! I thought I just reminded him to stay away from the iron?! Aiyoh!!

So I checked WF's submerged hand, and the poor boy broke into loud wails as I asked 'scoldingly', "Why did you touch the iron? Didn't you stay away from the iron like I just told you only just now?!"

Then I continued (intending to make him feel even more regretful at disobeying the instructions to stay away from the iron), "Now it looks like we might need to cut off the burnt skin or even the thumb already. Or, maybe we need to slice off this part," as I pointed to the newly-formed blister on the thumb.

On hearing this, WF naturally wailed even more loudly and pleaded, "No, no, no! I don't want! I don't want to cut my thumb!! I still want my thumb! Woah......"

Sigh.

After letting him stand there with his hand stll submerged in the water for another minute or so, I let the water drain off and patted dry his hand before bringing him out of the toilet. Then I proceeded to apply some antiseptic lotion (which we universally call at home 'the yellow medicine') over the blister.

WF cried, sobbed and cried and then sobbed as I dribbled the yellow medicine carefully with a cotton-bud. WF did as he was told and in between sobs, obediently blew hard at the blister to help dry the medicine quickly. Then we got the thumb 'roughly' bandaged - just in case it gets scratched accidentally.

After that, I told him to rest on my bed as I needed to see to WY's work after I kept the medicine etc. WF quickly 'counter-offered' to wait for me by resting on WY's bed instead. I agreed.

As I checked WY's work (WY completed a Chinese composition all by himself - with some help of the 好词好句 from his Chinese tuition file - which was quite good), WF rested on WY's bed. Very soon, WF fell asleep.

The next morning, I changed the bandage after WF had changed into his CH school uniform. Then R and I placed some fresh cotton swabs and surgical tape in his school bag so that the teacher could help to change the bandage after WF's shower later in the day.

The teacher did as we requested, and all was fine. By the evening, it was no longer necessary to bandage the thumb because the blister had subsided. According to WF, it was also 'not painful anymore'.

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Perhaps, it was because R had gotten WF to promptly soak his hand in water to soothe the scalded thumb immediately after the accident, the blistering was very well-managed. All the time, the blister was very 'limp' and fortunately, quite minimal. By last night, it was almost completely flat.

Just before bed last night, WF asked for a bedtime story. I offered, "I will tell you the story called Cry Wolf, ok?"

WF said, "Ok." Then he paused momentarily, and asked, "What did the Wolf touch?"

Huh??!.... Hahahahaa.......

Wait! Woah!!!!!

Now really, really in a rush! No time to think, no time to talk, no time to pause! Many many things all scheduled in succession.... Hardly time to breathe!

Wait, ok? Will share all that has happened + is happening + will happen, once there's some breathing space........ *pant* *pant* *pant*.....

快开锣了！

一转眼，WY 参加文化艺术团的儿童演艺班已经有四年了。在这四年里，几乎每个星期天，我们都得载送他到大巴窑上课。说辛苦，其实也不是很辛苦；说不辛苦，又好像有些辛苦。

我还记得，当WF还在肚子里时，有好几次我因为觉得非常累，在等WY下课时，我坐在车里等着等着，不知不觉就睡着了。还好，那时上课的时间是傍晚，所以停车场里没那么多人。要不然，我大着肚子、留着口水打瞌睡的那副狼狈样，一定不堪入眼！

去年，WF也参加了亲子班的演艺班。R和我轮流跟他一起上课。这样一来，我们下课不久后，WY也下课了, 我们就不用‘空空’地WY等了。

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今年， WY升上了演艺团。

听老师解释说，演艺团的成员都是由老师从演艺班里挑选出来的学生。虽然‘班’和‘团’都有类似的演艺活动，‘团’的课程比较富有挑战性，也比较精彩。当艺术团举行大型演出或者受邀参加演艺活动与表演时，老师们都会从‘团’里召集演员。演艺团由年龄分级，最年轻的是绿团，接下来是红团，然后是银团和金团。

所以，我们也就让顺着老师的提议和决定，让WY从‘班’升上‘团’了。

这半年多来， WY很积极地参加绿团的课程。每个星期天早上，WY还是像往年那样，到大巴窑上课。而WF也从亲子班升到了演艺班，独立上课，不再需要R或者我一起上课了。



几个月前，艺术团决定为庆祝创团二十年举行一场大型演出。他们把这个庆祝活动称为童言儿戏画20。从8月24日至26日，在维多利亚剧院举行公开售票的四场演出。

身为绿团团员的WY，这几个月来，当然也都为了这个画20而忙着彩排。彩排多半是在每个星期天早上上课的时间进行。

自上个月来，彩排次数和时间加紧了一些。有两、三个星期六的傍晚，他都为了参加彩排而牺牲了跟WS和WP每周六聚一聚、玩游戏的时间。可是，庆幸的是，WY不但没有任何的怨言，还反而充满兴趣的一一出席彩排。

前几天，他还把舞步示范了让我和WF看，同时也把他们这一团的表演项目跟我们说了说，让我们了解一下他在台上将会唱些什么歌、做些什么动作。看起来，参加‘团’真的是顶好玩的！

画20将在明晚开锣。这个星期，除了星期一之外，每一个傍晚WY都得到剧院参加彩排。为了方便载送WY到那儿彩排，R这几天都请半天的假期，下午到学校把WY接回家，让他吃午餐、做功课，然后傍晚再带他到剧院报到。

彩排时间说长不长，说短又不断，每天都从六点钟到晚上九点左右，大概3-4钟头。艺术团也对这些团员照顾得挺周到，又为他们准备晚餐、又给他们茶点。昨晚，因为彩排有些延误，老师们还另外多分面包给这些待装出场的小孩子们吃，以免他们肚子饿！

在公开发票的几个星期前，演员们的家人都受邀以特价订购演出的票。为了让家里的人能了解一下文化艺术团到底是做些什么的团体、为什么R和我这几年来都像是24孝的父母一样，把WY和WF送来这里参加演艺课程，我总共买了十张星期六晚上的票（这一场的票没有特价！），请大家去观看演出。这也是作为给WY的一种极大的鼓励和支持吧。

其他三场的演出，R和我会轮流出席。星期天的最后一场，我们也会再一次带WF一起去观看。WF说，他要看看哥哥怎么跳他的舞蹈，还要看看为什么哥哥在家里不时都哼着那首“烧肉粽”的福建歌。

烧肉粽啊，烧肉粽。。。。卖烧肉粽。。。。。。

The Next Project

In the Pipeline:

Date = Saturday 1 September 2007

Venue = Singapore City Gallery + Cafe

Cast = Star + Supporting Crew + Guests + Vendors

Programme = Video Screenings + Tour + Hands-On Exhibits + Gameshow + Tea

Very exciting, leh! :)

WF's Birthday 2007

We all had a simple National Day Feast on the Saturday following National Day this year. And because it was close to WF's birthday, YP also bought a Cappucino Cheese Cake from Secret Recipe for our after-dinner dessert.

All the photographs taken of the dinner that day are with CP. I hope she does up an entry on her blog soon.

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WF is a new member of the Brands Junior Club. So, we used the BJC's cake voucher to redeem a free Polar 0.5kg cake for his birthday this year.

We had dinner at home after work as usual. Then, as we finished dinner, Mother came upstairs and we decided to have the cake-cutting before she went home again. So, R and I had our showers quickly after we were done with the dishes. Then, we took out the cake and set the table.

WF was, of course, thrilled at being the Birthday Boy. He also gave that no-frills chocolate-flavoured fresh cream cake 'thumbs-up'! I think he has simple taste.

Anyway, Mother had only a small slice and after finishing her 9pm-10pm episode of Chinese serial on Channel 8, she went home. WY and & WF had 2nd helpings while R and I also ate some of the leftover cheese cake which YP had forgotten to bring home on Saturday.

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We arranged for WF to celebrate his 5th birthday at CH School the following afternoon. This was the most suitable day for the bash because there would be no enrichment classes in the afternoon and so, it wouldn't be a rush for everyone. The plan was that we would join the school for tea at about 3:30pm, then bring the boys out for dinner at Plaza Singapura after WY finished his piano lesson there (his piano teacher was teaching there that day).

So, WY and WF were at CH School when R and I came after our half-day work. WY was all ready for the celebration - I didn't assign him any work that day although he had to finish the school teachers' assignments. WF and his classmates had just woken up from their nap and were washing up & tidying up the place.

When everyone was finally ready, we had the customary song-singing & cake-cutting. The children were delighted to see the Lightning McQueen cake which WF had personally selected! As the enrolment of the children at CH School had increased sharply over the past year (they now have a total of 86 children including the Before-&-After School Care Group), we ordered the cake to be a 3kg Jumbo!



With WY's help, WF gave out his goodie bags for his friends after he had finished his cake. WF's classmates were especially delighted to receive the Winnie The Pooh soup spoon! Many could hardly contain their excitement as their teacher ushered them to the shelves to have them keep their goodie bags in their respective bags. The girls, especially, kept talking about the spoon and sweets in the goodie bags!

Following this, WY and WF also distributed the Teachers' Day presents which I had prepared for the teachers & staff of the CH School. Each was a pretty animal mug which my colleague and I had used our 'shopping bonus points' to redeem from OG, our favourite store. My colleague also helped me to have them wrapped prettily. All others at the office were so envious when they saw the presents. :)





When all the gifts were presented to the teachers, they were elated and many were surprised to receive the gifts 2 weeks ahead of Teachers' Day. I explained that we are unlikely to take leave to come by for their Teachers' Day celebration at end of the month, so we had decided that we would give out the presents that day. Even some 'less smiling/friendly' part-time teachers of the younger children (whom I had not expected to meet that day) grinned widely and broke their silence to say "thank-you" and "bye" as we prepared to go off.

Then, we proceeded to Plaza Singapura so that WY could have his piano lesson at Yamaha that day. This was a special arrangement made by his teacher.

While waiting for the teacher, we all tried the uPapa back massager installed on an armchair just next to the escalator by Osim. Woah, it was really not bad! 够劲又够力！Only thing is, R said we will probably need to buy an armchair specifically in order to enjoy this gadget. Where got space at home for an armchair?! So that saved me from the temptation & 'trouble' of having to think whether we should invest in one of those uPapas.

Anyway, R, WF and I shopped around as we waited for WY's lesson to end. When he finally came out of class, we had dinner at Crystal Jade Kitchen before doing some grocery shopping at Carrefour. Then it was time to go home for our showers and then go to bed.

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Some weeks ago, R, WY and I discussed with WF how when he turns 5 years old, he will become a "Big" boy. And with this "coming of age", WF will have to become less of a baby. So, we secured WF's agreement to the following:

a) Once he turns 5 years old, there will be no more potty. Henceforth, WF will use the toilet bowl "full-time";

b) Once he turns 5 years old, the 'tray' of the high-chair will now be flipped to be its back. Henceforth, WF will sit on the high-chair and dine using the dining table;

c) Once he turns 5 years old, there will be no more 'carrying'. Hencforth, WF will have to walk and not pester R or me (more R than me) to carry him when we go out;

d) Once he turns 5 years old, WF will have to sleep with WY in WY's room during the night. Henceforth, WF will come to sleep on my bed only on the weekends.

So far, WF has kept his deal about the potty and high-chair. Most times when we go out now, he agrees to walk.

As for sleeping in WY's room, we probably have to 'work' a little harder on it; for the past week or so, WF has slept in WY's room through the night for 3-4 days or so. For the other 2-3 days, he has run back to my room in the middle of the night, accusing me of not bunking-in in WY's room at the same time!

When I teased WF about his 'running back to my room' and hence not keeping his deal, he said with an innocent look on his face, "But that's because I have not grown big yet! Look! (placing his palm on the top of his head) I am still a small boy only! I haven't grown BIG yet!" :)

NDP2007 - Part 3

After the arrival of the various groups of VIPs culminating with the arrival of the President, we rose to sing our National Anthem. It sounded ok, though I think acoustics were no good at this venue because it is simply too 'open'. I personally still prefer the good old Kallang Stadium - somehow, there was a 'surrond sound' stereo effect there. At Marina Bay, it was purely 'mono'.

Anyway, the giant flag was flown past in less than a minute. Soon after, the President mounted a polished-till-it-shines jeep to inspect the contingents (this year, because he didn't need to walk, they made him inspect all the contingents!). We could hardly see anything from our seats, so I didn't bother to try to crane my neck to take any pictures.

Although my colleague had warned me earlier about the nearness of the canons this year, we were still 'shocked' by the very 1st shot of the canon salutes! And it was so smoky after several shots, the whole of the opposite bank of the Bay was quickly engulfed in smoke! I am sure all Aedes mosquitoes wold have been smoked out, for sure!

I didn't try to get any photo of the flypast. Reason was simple - I had no idea which direction the jets would be coming from! But CP got a few good shots, good for her! The jets were really booming and sounded a little scary. No wonder some parents swiftly covered their children's ears; WF covered his own. Hahahaa...

The water and air-borne displays by the various armed forces were quite impressive. There was the Chinook which hovered just above the waters (right in front of the blue sector seats - lucky Mother & CP!) to 'let off' several pairs of Naval divers. The divers were then swiftly picked up by some speeding Naval dinghies. Actions all very swift and neat.

Then there were the 2 agile Apache assault-helicopters which performed some low-flying manoeuvres (again, right in front of the blue sector seats!). To the delight of the audience, these choppers also did some 'bowing' action as a form of salute to the spectators! Wow, this was new and quite impressive!

The Police Coast Guards' speeding crafts also looked quite powerful when they did the 'circling' formation which the MCs told the spectators was called 'Donut Formation'. I tried to imagine how terrifying they would all look to some ignorant/blur illegal immigrants trying to swim into our waters - it must be very scary to be surrounded by all these powerful speedboats, especially when armed and stern-looking Coast Guards are standing atop them!

Then the MCs announced that the Red Berets were rappelling from the Sheares Bridge, so we all turned to our left. Woah, finally, some action closer to our side of the gallery. But alas! We couldn't see anything except some dinghies waiting under the bright lights hanging from the Bridge - where were the Commandoes?! Even the TV audience agreed with me the next day that they didn't see any commandoes. What a letdown.

The spectators got a breather from all these action-packed stunts when the SCDF showed off some of their sophisticated vehicles armed with multiple hi-tech equipment. Most looked like normal fire-engines (ok, lah, maybe with just that little bit sleeker look). Maybe it was because we couldn't see them properly from our seats.

For all that stunning display of our 'formidable military prowess' (?!!), we have no photos of our own. So here, I borrow some from the official NDP website for viewing only. Rights of owner fully acknowledged.



As the skies got darker, it was time for the more leisurely mass-display performances. I didn't try to take any photos here because from my past experience, I knew we would have to contend with pictures like these (with dizzy + 'ghostly'-lights look):



Awful, right?! So, I will spare you all the agony of looking at such photos. :)

There was nothing exceptional about these mass-display performances, but WY and I were very impressed by the fountain-cum-light shows. They were almost like Sentosa's musical fountain - what with simulated doves flying against a curtain of water sprays & laser rays etc. Quite pretty, actually.

I took some video clips of these performances only selectively. I was trying to conserve the tape for the Grand Finale - the Fireworks. So, as the performancers re-gathered on the floating platform, WY and I got our cameras and video-cam ready.

When the 1st shot of fireworks was finally let off, it was a loud burst of colours in the sky and the crowd cheered at the top of its voice! WF also shouted, "Mama! Look! Fireworks!"

Yes, this was the Highlight and the Finale we had all been waiting for. The array of bright sparkles and accompanying cheers of "oohs" and "ahs" from all over the gallery probably more than made up for whatever letdowns there had been earlier in the programme. Never mind the resulting 'smoky' air; the proximity to the Fireworks always makes watching it 'live' a thrill, somehow!

As with all other NDPs, when the Fireworks ended, it was time to rise for the Anthem again. The Pledge followed immediately after that, and then it was the official end of the evening party.

We packed up, checked our bags and waited in our seats till there was some walking space before we headed for the stairs. The walk back to our car at Suntec City took a long long time, and was full of detours and was rather confusing. There was also much trampling on the grass verge and planting strips along the way.

Poor grass and poor shrubs - R and I agreed, this was the result of poor crowd dispersal because unlike past NDPs, there was no sign or notice anywhere in sight to guide the people where they should go or should not go. The police & quasi-police personnel stationed at some selected points outside the nearby hotels merely told people that they were not allowed to enter the hotel to get to other points.

Going by my observation of crowd-control measures in past mega-events like NDPs and Orchard Road Parties (they no longer have these nowadays, I think), I think the organisers could have done better in this dispersal 'process'. Positioning armed Gurkhas at 'strategic' points does not help, does it? I wonder why they did it anyway.

WF fell asleep on R's shoulders as we trekked to the carpark. So WY and I relieved R of all the loads of goodie bags except one. And between WY and myself, we took charge of one camera bag (luckily, we put all cameras, video-cam, binoculars into one single bag), 3 goodie bags and the tripod (also luckily, this is not too bulky and has a sling bag).

By the time we got to our car, it was almost 9:30pm. The moment R put WF into the car, WF awoke and asked to go to the toilet. So, while R went off with WF again in search of a toilet, WY and I sat in the car to 'rest'.

After R and WF returned, WF asked enthusiastically, "So, where are we going for dinner?" At the mention of 'dinner', WY promptly supported and said, "We are hungry, leh, Mama."

So, after much deliberation as R made our way out onto the road, we decided that we would give that much talked-about Taiwanese Porridge Restaurant at The Oasis a try. Afterall, the Floating Restaurants will be gone by end of the year to make way for the 'grand' sports complex being planned for. So, we might as well try it out before it becomes just another page of history.

At this restaurant, we had scalding-hot sweet-potato porridge with some simple dishes like chai-po omelette, stir fried prawns, sotong balls (these were rather big)& french beans. Food was so-so, price also so-so; service not very good and overall ambience, nothing to cry about. The view outside, though, was quite refreshing. A gentle breeze brushed against us as we stood briefly at the corridors overlooking the tranquil waters of the Kallang Basin.

As we got into our car to go home, I told R that the entire place felt so different from past National Days. Just 365 days ago, the whole area was still abuzz with activities and crowded with NDP revellers. The Oasis, which WY and WF know as 'The Floating Restaurant' (collectively), was still very much an 'in' place.

With the move of the NDP to Marina Bay (so near and yet so far), the crowds are now almost completely gone. Only a shroud of eerie silence surrounded this forsaken soon-to-be-gone area. It felt really sad.

After getting home, we all went to bed after our late-night showers. Fortunately, we had taken the following day off because both KHS and CH school would be closed. So we could rest. And we did just that.

Now, just for completeness, here are some pictures of the can-light-up gadgets in the goodie bags this year:

NDP2007 - Part 2

YP had specifically requested me to try to get a purple goodie bag and a XXX colour (I call this XXX colour because I couldn't remember at all what this other colour was supposed to be!) goodie bag for the person who had kindly offered us the 4 tickets. So, when we reached the green sector and came to this bag-collection point, I asked the army boy for 4 bags, including a purple one.

There was a gigantic heap of bags behind the army boy, but the only purple ones were beyond his reach - he would have had to climb onto the heap of bags to get one. So he very obligingly opened a new carton right at the foot of the heap and started to take a purple bag from there. I was of course very grateful for his 'extra' effort, so I said happily to him, "Thank you very much. This is really great!"

To my shock and dismay, however, another army person handing out the programme booklets nearby started to tell this army boy in a less-than-friendly tone, "Next time, say cannot choose colours. Just give whatever colour you take. They have to just take whatever you give them. No choice of colours. Otherwise later will get jam."

The smile on the army boy vanished instantly. To make him feel better, I just uttered a "Sorry" to him and repeated my "Thanks" to him. Darn that other army person. Where got jam behind?! Excuse only. I think any jam (actually, there was really none) would have been caused more by his 'instructing' than my request for specific colour bags!

Anyway, I didn't want to spoil our own mood for the Parade, so I just let things go. R held WY's hand while I did WF's as we all started to climb the 3-storey flight of stairs up the gallery. When we finally emerged from the 'opening', it was such a relief! There was a pleasant breeze although the sun was blazing!

After some confusion amongst some 'senior citizens' just ahead of us in the queue who wanted to 'choose' seats, we finally got to our light green seats. We quickly put the bags on the floor and tried to settle down. Surprisingly, the leg space was more generous than that in the Kallang Stadium although with 4 bags stuffed with NDP 'gadgets' and drinks & snacks, it felt like we could do with just a bit more leg space still.

R, WY and I looked around. Hmm, the elevated view of the Marina Bay from our seats was new. We have never had this view before, so it felt quite refreshing. This was our view of the city's skyline. The giant balloons by the side of the much talked-about floating platform were some NDP accessories which some soldiers later moved to the back of the gallery.



Meanwhile, WF was more keen to check out the goodie bags. Luckily, before we set off from home, I had already explained that we were going to reserve the purple bag and another bag for YP and so, we all knew that we would keep these 2 bags' content intact (except for the drinks which we would take). So WF opened one of the non-reserved bags.

To his delight, there was a big pack of crackers and some other smaller packs of nuts etc. And so, those snacks from "our" 2 bags kept him occupied for the next half hour or so as R and WY set up the tripod for the video-cam. We also ate the Sunshine Buns which were distributed to us at the gate.



The pre-Parade show was largely a scrambler-bike show. We didn't have a good view because the angle from our seats was a little awkward and we were too far from the slides/platform. But with whatever little I could do with our cameras, I managed to take several photos of the bikers in their mid-air stunts. I did not like this segment though, because it was simply too boring to watch 4 bikers going about their stunts over and over again for almost an entire hour!

Then I helped WF put on his tattoos. WY saw us and quickly declared, "I don't want the tattoos, please. No, no, no, not me! Thank you!" The henna painting of the cars was done by WF's form teacher at CH school the day earlier.

Unlike the usual red & white caps/hats which were used in the previous NDPs, the headgear given in this year's goodie bags was an animal visor. We only took out one from our bags and it was a lion - Singa, I suppose?! Hahahaha.... When I looked around, it was quite interesting to see that there were so many other animal designs: giraffe, shark, hornbill, zebra, butterfly etc.

Notice also the "Singapore Flyer" in the background of the photo above. They have started to install the capsules on the ferris wheel already.



Soon, they sent in the brightly-clad student 'cheerleaders' and balloon-twisting lads. The 'cheerleaders' looked rather odd in their polka-dotted costumes. I think they were supposed to resemble some sea creatures although they looked more like mini-dinosaur costumes. One of the young men who went around with a goodie bag to twist balloons for children made a 'gun' for WF.

It was a pity that the MCs were no good. Unlike veterens like Gurmit Singh and Sharon Au, these newer persons somehow could not conjure up that special NDP atmosphere and excitement. Even the 'Marina Wave' was like a half-hearted ripple and felt nothing close to our Kallang Wave.

It was difficult to capture pictures of the ripple, although I tried very hard. In the 1st photo below, I also have no idea what that awful-looking elderly uncle was trying to do - secure some buckle or something. The rest of the photos simply show some flag-waving while we waited. R and WY also kept themselves occupied with our video-cam & binoculars.



I was quite surprised that the SSO was actually part of the pre-Parade show this year. It was seated just right in front of the blue sector (where Mother and CP were seated) and so very far from us. I didn't attempt to take any pictures of the SSO or choir. I only took one of the dance performance by the Singapore Dance Theatre with the main focus on the fountains at the front of the floating platform.

After some awful song-singing by some artistes I have never heard of, and some even more ear-piercing crowing of old national day songs re-organised in new music arrangements by some 'opera-sounding' sopranos (imagine singing 'Singapura' trying to sound like an Italian opera maestro, accompanied by the SSO!!), it was finally time for the Red Lions' jump.

Five 'red dots' gradually decended and let off their customary trails of red smoke. The Red Lions won the loudest cheers and appplause from the spectators when they touched down.



Soon after that, the contingents marched in. And with the march-in of the Guards-Of-Honour and the Colours Party, the pre-Parade show finally ended.