First Time in 3 Decades!

For the first time since we moved to this estate, there was a MacPherson Town Day on 12 July 2009!

The banner went up several days before the event, so we all knew about it. (The fact that the information is available before the event is already a vast improvement compared to the organisers' previous practice of not letting people know about such community events - unenlightened residents often had to guess amongst ourselves what event the RC was holding because there had been no publicity except amongst the organiser's own 'in'-group of RC people.)

On the Thursday evening before the event, WY, WF and I were playing badminton in the open space outside the B121 RC when a truck carrying kiddy rides (helicopters and trains etc) came trundling by. The excited WF suggested that perhaps, the pasar malam was coming to our place?! Then, WY pondered a while and concluded, the rides must be for the MacPherson Town Day! And so, the boys pleaded to be allowed to go join the carnival that day.

That Sunday morning, we had breakfast at home. Then R took WY and WF downstairs to check out the carnival. As WY and WF had lessons at LW and with CP respectively that day, our deal was that they were to return after an hour or so.

But alas, their 'an hour or so' turned out to be much longer - according to R, F gave the boys some tickets and so they happily went about the rides and queued up for some snacks etc. WF later told me that at first, there were no more tickets for sale but Ah-Gong gave them tickets when he saw them at the carnival! How gleeful WF was when he related this to me!



After the boys returned and went about their respective lessons, I took some time off to go take some photos of this never-before spectacle right at our doorstep. As expected, some people stared a bit but probably because everyone was in a 'carnival' mood, there was no unfriendly looks.

It was incredible how long the queue for the various rides were - our people are really this deprived, ah?! Luckily, the weather was great that morning (having a heavy, stormy downpour the night earlier) and in the cooling breeze that came along so often, I guess everyone felt ok even though the queue didn't move very fast.

In the big tent (which we later know was meant for another big community 'prayer' event later that day), the children were riding their stallions! Not bad, hor, how they galloped!



In the compunds of the CC, there were some stalls selling confectionery, cotton candy and some popcorns, but these stalls were relatively quiet by the time I went there. Next to them was a photography stall where families could take photos - I think the A5 digital photo each cost $1.



Then there was a station where children could get stickers 'tattooed' onto their hands. And a balloon-twister man commanding a formidable queue of fans. The balloon-twister had an elderly man kaypoh-ing around (just look at his posture!). They were both just opposite the by-then-almost-empty booth for depositing lucky draw coupons.



The children must be the happiest of all. They giggled a lot, bursting into squeals of laughter every now and then. They were everywhere - on the giant slides, train rides, helicopter rides, and some maze thingy.



I think those in the water-based play stations must have been the happiest because such water-playground was truly a rare treat! (WF told me that he had also gone on the bumping-boat ride earlier.)



Then I took a stroll just before the stalls handing out snacks. I think the donuts must have tasted not too good because I saw several part-eaten ones had been tossed onto the grass under the trees a little away - I cannot imagine anyone doing that to the donuts from Donut Factory, for example.

There were also candy floss, popcorns, Yakult, bottled water etc handed out to people browding around the stalls. Those manning the stalls were the typical 'RC'/'CC' group of people.

Then, I cheekily asked the man at the potong ice-cream stall whether the ice-cream were for sale by cash, he quickly said in a most unfriendly, anxious and irritated voice, "No, no, no! Only for those with coupons!"

The man next to him must have noticed my shock at his colleague's unpleasant demeanour, so he quickly added in a better tone, "Because we have limited supplies, so we must limit to only those with coupons."

Actually, I wasn't really thinking of buying the ice-cream from the stall. It was just that I was so curious that an elderly auntie who had just passed me by had a whole plastic bag of at least 8-10 sticks. Wow, she must have had many coupons to redeem!



Then I saw an 'empty' stall only with some brochures for PassionCard membership - yes, it was the ticket stall! But the sign said it all.



The turn-out at this event was, I believe, quite good although at the time when I was there, the crowd wasn't exactly thick. But it's a good start. A good start to remind the people running this place that MacPherson is not really an old folks' estate only.