Singapore City Street Lights For Chinese New Year

 

Chinese New Year lights on Scotts Road. Photo by Angela Lansbury

Chinese New Year lights on Scotts Road. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 

This corner of Orchard Road always had striking decorations. This year, 2023, it is pink lights up the tree trunks where Scotts Road meets Orchard Road, the centre of the city.

Singapore Xmas decorations in Orchard Road, and Tang's Department Store's Red Pillars

Pillars covered in fairy lights at Tang's landmark department store for the Xmas shopping season. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Singapore is a fairyland of decorations in the centre. On the corner of Orchard Road is the landmark Tang's department store. The pillars are decorated red and white, light and bright.

The pillars themselves are painted red. That itself is an innovation. Most pillars worldwide are white. Red is the auspicious, boding well, lucky colour, in Singapore, China, and Asian countries. 

For the winter shopping season the streets are decorated and Tang's has made even more of the red and white theme familiar from the costume of Santa Claus. The white fairy lights go upwards, emphasizing the height of the vertical pillars. The ring of green holly leaves at the top echoes the dark ring around the base of the pillars.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Useful Websites

https://www.facebook.com/TANGS.SG/

https://tangs.com/

https://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltagov/en/getting_around/public_transport/rail_network.html

Hark the Xmas decorations are coming - Orchard Road, Scots Road

 I already saw the angels in Scots Road and the arch across Orchard Road, by Orchard MRT. I read that the lights start on November 12th, continuing through the New Year until January 2nd. 

New Stations to See

Mid November will be exciting because the new Thomson-East Coast Line stations will be opening from November 13th, passing through Orchard MRT station, Marina Bay, and connecting to Changi Airport. 

Useful Websites

https://www.visitsingapore.com/festivals-events-singapore/annual-highlights/christmas-light-up/

Christmas Decorations in Singapore, Free to see, Buy Paper Plates Or Gingerbread Houses

 Santa fallen over - after a heavy night in 2020. Cashew Heights condo in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Santa decorations and tree in Cashew Heights condo in Singapore in 2021. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Looking carefully, I see that the Santa on the left is the same one as last year, presumably kept in storage.

Xmas decorations on sale in Fairprice supermarket, Bukit Panjang, Singapore. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

A friend in Singapore in a Whatsapp group told us that she created a lovely vase of decorations at an even better budget price from Daiso. I saw Xmas decorations in Daiso in Ion, at the central crossroads of Singapore in the middle of Orchard Road.

Free to see, decorations in Scotts Road leading to Ion Shopping Mall, far centre, at Orchard Road at lunch time in the rain. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Ion, later the same day in the sun with Xmas lights. Corner of Orchard Road, adjoining Orchard MRT unerground railway station. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

On a budget? Paper plates for Xmas at Daiso. In Ion, Orchard Road, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Got cash to splash?

Gingerbread House in the Tanglin Club, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Useful Websites

https://www.daisosingapore.com.sg/

https://www.fairprice.com.sg/

About the Author of this blog, Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books, including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

I  also have a blog on comic poems.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Distinguished Gentlemen Bikers Going Global - Groups banned but solos allowed - worldwide

The Distinguished Gentlmen's Bike Ride was started in Australia to fund raise for men's health, prostate cancer and mental health, a serious subject. However, a prime ingredient of their fund raising is 'fun raising' (my pun). The event features classic and outlandish bikes and riders dressed up in classic and fancy clothes.  The organization has now spread worldwide.

Sponsor

Two years after the start, Triumph motorcycles joined in as sponsors. 

Singapore Plans Thwarted And Revised

The 2021 planned Gentlemen Bikers ride in Singapore had to be cancelled. The organizers had planned the route to end at The Handlebar, a longstanding bikers' bar which was there in the year 2000 when the Harley Davidson brigade paraded down Singapore's main thoroughfare, Orchard Road. This time in May, the number of participants was reduced to five, on a first come first served basis. 

After my husband had signed up, along the web came the bad news for bikers. The numbers were reduced to nil. Of course individual bikers could have ridden. They could have followed the route. Waved to each other from a distance. Met up afterwards on Zoom to discuss it and take photos. 

But the energy had gone out of the event. People made other plans. The route was saved for another time when they can all ride together.

We then discovered that what we thought was a little local event, was not just that. It was worldwide. Or would have been. However, lots of online activity continued and bikers going solo and the possibility of pockets of gatherings.

Never mind. Live and learn, as we say. The route is ready. Next time we can have the contingency plan. Maybe different riders starting at different times and sending back photos showing how the human traffic, animal life, cityscape and countryside scenery and sunlight change through the day.

Sunday 23rd May, 2021 Updates

You may choose to ride solo on a later date. If your city is closed, even if you have already registered, you could select another city.

As the event aims to raise money for charity, naturally many worldwide wished to continue.

Photos are shared in an online map.

Covid-19 Restrictions

Restrictions include not congregating for group photos along the route. Also not exceeding group size restrictions at the start and end points. In some cases hand sanitizers are provided by the organizers. Masks must be worn if required in the ride area.

It looks as though if you cannot join other families and households, in some cases you will be able  In some cases you will be able to ride with others from the same household. 

Online you can click on the name of your country and see the names or nicknames of all the riders and the amount of money they have raised for Men's Health, and the total amount raised in your country.

Movember

They have been raising money for Movember, supporting a charity involved in prostate cancer. A sponsor is Triumph.

Handlebar Bar

If you are in Singapore, you could visit the Handlebar.  You may be thinking, but I can't drink and drive. You can eat. They serve a wide variety of food

Bike Museums

If you are interested in bike museums there are several in the UK, and the USA, some specifically for bikes, others as part of motor museums.

Useful Websites

https://www.facebook.com/HandlebarSGGillmanBarracks/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Gentleman%27s_Ride

https://www.gentlemansride.com/

https://www.gentlemansride.com/about

https://www.gentlemansride.com/blog

Risk management company based in Australia

https://www.riskfacilitator.com/

Information on helmets (compulsory), burnouts (banned) support vehicles and more

https://www.gentlemansride.com/about/safety-information

Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOroHrGFCGA

Women riders promoting fundraising for men to have happier healthier lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb76Wti0GY0

About the Author

About the Author

About Angela The Author

The Author - Quick Quotations

Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books. 

About Angela The Speaker & Trainer

Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President  Public Relations, Immediate Past President.

Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK

The recent meeting of BHA included Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg . Also an educational on using Powerpoint for posters.

Next BHA meetings, (subject to revision)

1 (Saturday, May 15th, was 2 pm Singapore time, postponed because of national speaking contest.) 

After Vesak day and Hari Raya: 

Postponed to Saturday May 29th, 2021, at 2pm. Login to bha.learncool.sg earlier.

2 Next June meetings 1st Wednesday evening June 2nd at 7 pm Singapore time. 

3 Third Saturday afternoon, June 19th, Singapore time.  Thanks to the old team and Inauguration of New Team. 

Special speech with slides about teamwork in sport and Toastmasters International and life, by the President of West Coast Toastmasters Club who often help BHA with workshops and invite us to give speeches at their club.

Inauguration of new committee by incoming Area Director of S

About Angela The Blogger 

Angela has several blogs on speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

See next post on sculptor Tom Harvey.

Please share links to your favourite posts. 

The information on Toastmasters is updated regularly.

Hunukiah and Menorah at Synagogue in Singapore

I was walking down Waterloo Street with a friend to act as visiting Toastmaster of the Evening at a Catholic Club. Only a few feet from Bras Basah station I saw this Hanukiah.

What - surely Hanukah is over? I had previously see a magnificent large Hanukiah on Orchard Road which I wrote about in a previous post. yes, Hanukkah is over, so no lights lit.


Singapore. Hanukiah.

I counted carefully. Yes, the Hanukiah was indeed a hanukiah. It had supports for nine candles.

I was also lucky to see the superb stained glass windows, lit from the lights inside. On the stained glass on the right I spotted another candelabra. I counted carefully. That was the seven branch menorah, lit on the sabbath, seven for the seven days of the week.

About the author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Author and speaker.
See my earlier post about the hanukiah in Orchard road and the number of candles, 44, to light one.

Giant Hanukiah In Singapore. Why Three Candles - and the fourth?

On Christmas Day in Orchard Road, Singapore, we passed dozens of Christmas trees, candles, little red Santas swinging from the trees, a large menorah with its goodwill message.


Happy Chanukah on Orchard Road, Singapore, Christmas Day 2019. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

My family almost walked past the giant Hanukiah on Orchard Road. From the base you cannot see it. Look up, and there it is.

This is the Hanukiah or 8/9 branch candelabra for hanukah, as shown on a hanukah card we had been sent by a lovely Jewish family overseas. With that imprinted on my mind, I expected to see all 8 or 9  candles glowing on the giant hanukiah in Orchard Road.

My first thought was, what a pity that all the candles are not lit. There must be a malfunction in the electrics. 

Then somebody else realized why. It was the third day of Hanukah, so only three lights were lit. You light one every night until on the eighth night the last one is lit. The extra one in the middle is for lighting the others. (Not nowadays that there is electricity, but if you have a hanukiah at home or in a synagogue or public place.)
As Boris, member of Parliament and Prime Minister of the UK, said in his Hanukah message, the lighting of the hanukiah recalls how the bad days of persecution were followed by the good days of restitution of freedom. It is a message of light and hope.

The hanukiah should be there with an extra light each day until the eighth day when all of them are lit. For those of us who like symmetry, and the hanukiah is delightfully symmetrical, the best time for a photo is on the last day. But the previous days with a candle yet to be lit also tell the story.

Useful Websites
singaporeair.com

About the author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

White Christmas? Lights & Sleigh Rides? Novelty Christmas Street Lights In Singapore and Xmas Lights Around The World

Orchard Road Xmas lights by Tanglin Mall (right) in December 2019. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

This photo was taken from a moving bus through the closed window. This year's novelty Christmas lights idea is to show piled up parcels forming a triangular tree shape topped by a star.

To the right of the picture is Tanglin Mall.

Where have I seen the best lights?


Flag of Singapore

SINGAPORE
1 Orchard Road, Singapore, especially the corner of Orchard Road where it meets Scotts Road.
Also see all the
Shopping malls,
Hotels,especially the big hotels. The high atriums are in the hotels around the Suntec fountain.
Community Clubs


Flag of the United Kingdom. Yes, still united in December 2019.

UK
First stop is right in the centre of London.

Regent Street Light. London, England, especially both ends of Regent Street. At one end is Piccadilly Circus. At the other end is Hamleys Department store and Oxford Street at Oxford Circus.

More lights adorn Selfridges department store windows and columns in Oxford Street.

Another must see is the grand Harrods in Knightsbridge.

The out of London shopping malls near London include the famous big malls and the one at Watford.

Previous year's lights in Watford, London, England. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Watford mall interior lights. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Coprytight.

London
Trafalgar Square
See the big tree donated to the UK from Norway every year in gratitude for help in WWII.

USA
New York
In New York and other big cities sometimes an upright oblong skyscraper is decorated like a giant parcel with strings of lights up the centre suggesting ribbon and a bow.New York and Washington DC can be cold in winter (and sweltering in summer).

Xmas tree in front of Rockefeller Centre, New York. From Wikipedia.

Outside the cities in a countryside hotel we took a Xmas sleigh ride on Xmas Day or the day before or after, at the Snowed Inn, Utah.

Florida
Many malls compete to provide selfie spaces. Santa grottoes in the USA and UK malls with photo opportunities and usually for a fee a chance of a photo with Santa and a toy

One year the powers that be in a city in the USA offered a prize for the best prepared Xmas lights. Apparently this is done in many places in the USA. This is a bit like Britain in Bloom, offers prizes for the best summer flowers in gardens in the UK. Local papers take pictures in the lead up.


Finland
Finally, Finland has Santa villages and Elves and you can book a holiday featuring Santa Claus and reindeer, models and real reindeer.



Useful Websites
https://www.snowedinnsleigh.com/
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Attraction_Review-g57097-d11710338-Reviews-Park_City_Sleigh_Rides-Park_City_Utah.html

britishairways.com

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/partners-and-alliances/oneworld/frequent-flyer-benefits

https://www.finnair.com/gb/gb/plus

laplandsafaris.com

http://www.levi.fi/en/enjoy-levi/services/clothing-store-shopporo.html

(Pictures on Tripadvisor and Instagram.)

For comparisons see

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Search?geo=189896&q=santa#&ssrc=a&o=0

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/finland/articles/Visiting-Father-Christmas-in-Lapland/

I saw an ad for this comparison website:
https://www.clicktripz.com/rates/search/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts. If you wish to share any posts or photo or be a guest blogger or to have me as a guest blogger please contact me on annalondon8@gmail.com

Food and Colours In Local Singapore Street Names

Street names tell you the history of the area, what can be gown in the local soil and climate, and handy words in local languages.

Food
Orchard Road.
The centre of Singapore's shopping. The Orchard has gone.

Dairy Farm - near Hillview MRT.
No more dairy.

Lorong Lada Hitam - Black pepper lane - near Holland Village MRT (train station)
Lorong is Malay for Lane. Hitam is black. Lada is pepper. Pepper black because in Malay the adjective comes second.

Cashew Road, Cashew Heights, Cashew MRT station
Yes, the cashew trees are still there, two on the Cashew Heights condo estate. But not for eating, just decorative.

Colours
Jalan Merah Saga
Jalan is journey or road. Merah is red.

Useful Reference and Websites
Book:
Street Names of Singapore by Peter Dunlop.
Google Translate.
Wikipedia.
Duolingo - to learn languages for free online. Includes Chinese.

Author
Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English and other languages.
Please book mark and share links to your favourite posts.

How Long Should You Stopover In Singapore? Allow Time For Top Ten Sights.

The Singapore Flag.

Seasonal Decorations At Changi Airport. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Singapore is a city where everybody eats out. Hawker centres or food courts are indoors or outdoors. Buy fresh fruit.

 Buns with savoury or sweet fillings.

 Sweet fillings could be yam paste or date paste or sweet bean curd.

Green Pandan cake.

In the autumn buy mooncakes.

Mooncake with salted egg filling.

The cheap local fast food is chicken rice, rice with a few strips of chicken on top, a couple of strips of cucumber, and a thin soup.

Drinks
Singapore Sling, of course.

Singapore Sling.

Singapore is civilisation, the smart city of the future, clean and green with Stunning Gardens By the Bay and a Night Safari. Must see.

It also has history, a pronounced Chinese culture, an interesting history museum, WWII and Ford Factory museums, and Little India.

Here's a checklist of things to see and do:
Open top bus tour

1 Gardens By the Bay - At least half a day
At least half a day to walk around the two pavilions. One contains half a dozen gardens from different parts of the world, seasonal flower corners, labels on every plant and tree you pass, numerous photo stops, and
One way paths leading up and down and around so you have to do the entire circuit to get out.


Waterfall

A combined ticket lets you visit the giant waterfall, with walkways at the top, centre and base. Another hour or two.

Add on stops at the shops and for a meal or sit and drink.

A third walkway around the treetop artificial trees costs another 8 dollars and will take another hour or so.

Add on the free ground level walks around the open air gardens with plaques telling stories or trees and uses of plants in food and medicine and stories and myths about the plants and trees.

2 Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands triple tower complex of hotel, shops, observation deck, boat trips.

a) Take the lift up to the observation deck for a view over the marina far below and the skyscrapers. Or
b) Better still go up to the bar (Coup d'Etat) and see the infinity pool alongside used by hotel residents. The fee is about S20 dollars upfront, which is decucted from the cost of a pizza or cocktail.

3 Botanical Gardens
Free, pleasant walks around lakes and lily ponds, giant trees, a stadium in the water, an artificial waterfall, labelled trees.


Assorted birds hop along the paths. Photo stops in bowers and bridges. Possibly a view of a giant lizard or two roaming around. A couple of expensive restaurants for the evening - must book.

Discounts and Freebies
Your airline ticket may give you privileges at the duty free shop, the airport, or if you are stuck several hours at the airport in daytime, a free bus tour of the city.

4 Night Safari
Walk or pay extra for the open sided train to take you around the night safari and watch animals (90% of the world's animals are nocturnal) coming to water holes on mini-cliffs across artificial valleys which keep you at a safe distance but near enough to see. (Binoculars are an advantage.)
Bring your camera or get familiar with your phone settings.

5 WWII
The History Museum

6 The Ford Factory Museum
Museum about the surrender of the Japanese ending the war in the Far East.

7 Fort Canning
Museum about the fall of Singapore to the Japanese.

8 Lunch at a Hotel with a waterfall - or a Club.
At the Sheraton Towers Hotel, indoors by the waterfall.
It's now what you know but who you know.
For example: Lunch at the Tanglin Club
Tavern
Churchill Room.

Alternatively lunch in the airport's new terminal.

9 The Big Wheel - the Singapore Eye

The Singapore Flyer. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

10 Cable Car to Sentosa
Spend half a day or a whole day on Sentosa

Old Chinatown shophouses and houses. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

11 Chinatown
Peranakan Museum

Temple on Serangoon Road, Little India.

12 Little India
Indian Temple
Mustafa's Department Store
Murals
Museum

More Indian temples elsewhere:

13 Orchard Road
Start at Isetan's Japanese Department Store.

See a community centre.

 Look across to Tang's Chinese Department Store.
Walk underground to Tang's.
Ngee Ann City
Underground walk from Isetan Japanese Department Store or Tang's via Ion at Orchard to Ngee Ann City complex containing Takashimaya department store with basement food court and large bookshop upstairs alongside a restaurant with seats by the window.

15 Synagogue on Waterloo Street.

16 Take a bus

17 Take a train and LRT.
Hear MRT announcements in four languages.

Chineasy. Learn Chinese (Mandarin) online.

See artwork at:

Newton MRT

Botanic Gardens

Other stations

18 Take a taxi.

19
Hire a bicycle or scooter.

Hire a scooter.

Major Hotels
Raffles and the long bar - open from August 2019 or earlier.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. I have several more posts on the Singapore MRT. Please share links to your favourite posts.