i Light Marina Bay 2016

This year is the 4th edition of i Light Marina Bay, and this year’s event is brighter and seeking to reframe perceptions of light and sustainability, the team hopes to inspire artists and festival-goers to re-imagine and reconsider sustainability issues in a new light and come together to create and sustain a harmonious relationship with the environment.

As a person who likes photography, lights and shadows have always been something fascinating for me. After the first introduction to i Light Marina Bay 2014, this is the second time I am bringing the girls back.

This year the stretch just outside The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands, was transformed into a bit like “Artbox” in Bangkok. With small little stalls selling different sorts of arts and stuff. It would be nice to see more of such setups happening in Singapore.

Before we walked through the i Light, we were greeted by this colorfully bright rider, sometimes we are able to see a few other riders together but this night there was only one. Hence, he absorbed all the lime light. He has unofficially became part of the event exhibits.

Ground Control to Major Tom
This multi-colored rocket piece is like a childhood dream coming alive. As simple as it seems, many people were queuing up just to have a look from within, at the world outside. I guess all of us need to see things a little different some times.

Blot
Inspired by how the lightning behaves, this installation aims to bring the irregularity behavior of the lightning closer to earth. By a simple touch of the steel structure, one gets to activates the flashes of the LED tubes attached.

Lampshade
Totally the coolest and most environmentally inspiring piece of installation. During day time, this unique art piece prevents sunlight to shine through and at the same time conserve energy which is used during night time as solar energy enough to power up thousands of lamps.

Shadow Bath
Playing with light and shadows, this is one piece of art I would love to have at home. Maybe a miniature size that could sit nicely in a living room as a coffee table. Imagine the mood it would create at night when you are enjoying a nice glass of wine with your love one. Awesome!

Angels of Freedom
This year, kudos to the organizers for placing many of the light installations against the beautiful Marina Bay night scene. One of which is this angel wing (there are 5 sets of them), and you will be expecting some queue to get your chance for a photo. The halo was a brilliant idea to enhance the structure but also as a great illuminator for the visitor’s face.

Moon Haze
One of the most photographed light installation. The Moon Haze also functions as a monitoring system for air pollutants, picking-up and responding to the ambient air quality – the better the air quality, the brighter the installation. Maybe an idea will be to place this piece on the waters? The reflection will be awesome.

The Cloud
Seriously, I do not understand this art installation. However, this is one of the few installations that captured my attention the most. Maybe it’s the inert nature of man that is drawn towards things we do not understand.

Ping Pong Table
Mini table-tennis tables for visitors to test their skills. About a quarter size of the usual table, this cool piece is lighted underneath with changing lights to create that mystery feel. The game is not about winning, but it’s all about fun and innovation.

There are a few installations that are not really related to lights, but nonetheless it was super creative and simple. The simplicity of the creation amazed me and many others, providing much fun to all.

Started the walk with the multi-colored rider and ended with the same guy on the Helix Bridge.

Heard that i Light Marina Bay will be back starting this year as a yearly event. I’ll raise both hands and legs and shout hurray! Looking forward to more creative installations in 2017.

Singapore Duck Tour

If you are a traveling guest, I would recommend this tour. If you are a local, I would highly recommend you not to miss the Duck Tour. This is probably the best way to tour around the city landscape of Singapore. For an hour, embark on a land & sea tour on the remodeled WWII amphibious Vietnamese war craft that will bring you up close with some of the iconic and historical landmarks around the Marina Bay.

The girls got their wish to sit in the pink boat.

Every tour has a tour guide that will introduce some of the facts around the area. Our guide is an elderly auntie who speaks pretty good English and is quite humorous too (tho quite dry at times).

If you choose to sit on the front two rows, especially on the side, be prepared to be a bit wet as the vehicle goes into the water, nothing a few tissue paper cannot clean.

Sights of the dragon boat sports are common along the bay.

 

As we cruise along, it is the best opportunity to bring out your cameras or mobile phones and take some photos of the usual scene we see on land, but now from a different point of view.

Marina Bay Sands which has 2,561 number of rooms.

  

Our tour guide introduced the ArtScience Museum as the ‘Lotus Museum’.

Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC)

DBS Marina Bay Sailing, gliding slowly along the Marina Reservoir. Interesting fact, with the completion of the Marina Barrage in 2008, the reservoir which contained salt water, became freshwater and in 2010. Now the Marina Reservoir provides 10% of the island’s water needs.

We passed by one of the few 6-stars hotel – The Fullerton Hotel – previously known as the General Post Office Building. Another tourist attraction is the Merlion.

The tour makes a u-turn at the Merlion and we get to see the Floating Platform and F1 Pit Building. Do you know that starting this year (2016), we will no longer have our National Day Parade (NDP) at the Floating Platform? This August, we will shift the NDP to the new Singapore National Stadium.

Also this year is the 9th year Singapore is hosting the F1 Night Race, next year 2017 will be the 10th and last year based on contract.

Before we go back to land, the last attraction will be the largest observation wheel in Singapore, opened in 2008.

The Singapore Flyer used to be the largest Ferris Wheel in the world at 165m, until Las Vegas overtook the prestige with High Roller which is 167.6m tall. We lost by a mere 2.6m. Blah!

Back to the land.

We went one round towards some of the Colonial buildings like the Fullerton Hotel, and the Victoria Theatre.

Another building is the former Supreme Court, now part of the National Heritage and converted to National Gallery Singapore.

As a Singaporean, I was quite embarrassed when I realised that I was so ignorant of the history and facts surrounding me. Which is why I highly recommend anyone who is staying in Singapore to join this tour. It will be quite insightful.

DBS Marina Regatta 2014

Received a surprise message from one of my Instagram friend and was invited to cover this year’s DBS Marina Regatta @ Marina Bay. It was quite an honor to be involved in such a huge event and truly a rare chance for me to try out photography on various theme – Dragon Boat, Cosplay, Drum Challenge, Carnival, Social Enterprises and Food Festival.

DBS Marina Regatte is the biggest water sports festival in Singapore, and was first introduced in 2012 as DBS supports the Asian sport of dragon boating and brought international dragon boat races back to Singapore after a 12-years hiatus. Over 10,000 people took part in the DBD Marina Regatta as athletes, spectators, volunteers, etc each year.

This year, besides the usual local and international dragon boat teams paddling, there were also many other interesting programmes such as the Asian Cosplay Meet and Asian Drum Challenge.

 

This is the first time I shoot for a cosplay event and was pleasantly surprised that our local cosplayers are quite good.

  

   

 

  

The international representative team from Singapore.

The international representative team from Taiwan.

My favourites from the entire group.

 

 

#selfiesforgood, this is a chance for charity. As we hashtag our selfies taken at DBS Marina Regatta 2014, DBS will provide a free lunch to a primary school student of Student Advisory Centre.

 

I did my part too with Spiderman and Kaname-san who is a world cosplayer celebrity.

 

Check out the number of photographers focusing on just one cosplayer. Amazing!

Just besides the Asian Cosplay Meet, was the Asian Food Festival featuring cuisine from 6 Asian countries and 2 social enterprises.

Malaysia – Roti John

The team from Indonesia.

Thailand – Phat Thai

Bamboobee, a social enterprise which employs ex-offenders, at-risk youths, single mothers, people with disability to make bicycles related products using bamboo, set up stall to provide free cycling experience around Marina Bay.

DBS Family Day with exciting fun for all ages of children.

 

The event won’t be complete without the most anticipated Dragon Boat race.

One of the fiercest competition grouping. The guys are all ready and very focused.

For the teams waiting, it’s the moment for the coaches or captains to inspire the team one last time.

Put on your vests and take up your paddle. The race is on!

The crowd were also highly anticipating a close race.

Before the men’s team go out, the women’s team just finished their race and the British team was in high spirit.

 

Rowing with all their might straight off from the starting point.

And the winners were …

After a long day of fun and competition, it doesn’t matter who won or lost, everyone had fun and basked in the sportsmanship shown.

Till next year, it’s the closing of DBS Marina Regatta 2014.