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: