lplp: 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.