Vivid Sydney 2017

Vivid Sydney is one of the most beautiful time in Sydney. Over 23 nights, visitors to Sydney or the locals alike can enjoy what the world’s largest festival of music, light and ideas has to offer. Where else, would you rather be than in Sydney.

Vivid Sydney keeps on getter bigger and better each year. When I discovered Vivid Sydney five years ago, I enjoyed it so much that I keep coming back each year. Over the years, more and more people have heard and seen how good and beautiful Vivid Sydney is. Consequently, it is experiencing an exponential growth in the number of attendees.

In 2015, there were 1.5 million attendees. Last year, it grew to 2.3 million. One could imagine that the number of persons who attended this year’s Vivid Sydney would at least be 2.7million..

Vivid Sydney is growing at a rapid pace. Once upon a time, it was confined only to the CBD, Darling Harbour and The Rocks. Then, it was expanded to the Taronga Zoo and Chatswood, just to name a few precincts.

This year Barangaroo became a new precinct for Vivid Sydney. There were nice light trails. The lighting of the Harbour Bridge took on a new dimension and another level. There were also more attractions in the Royal Botanic Gardens. As it is held in the evening, the RBG can only be accessed from the vicinity of the Opera House.

Most events are free. And as it gets dark before 6pm each evening in late autumn through to winter in the Southern Hesmisphere, the events commence from 6pm through to 11pm.

As there are many events and you cannot possibly see them all (unless you are a local), you will need to plan what to see and do. Visit the Vivid Sydney website. Checkout the photos taken on Vivid Sydney’s instragram website and be inspired to take better photos.

Taking photos at night can be very challenging. But you will be rewarded if you take them well. Remember to bring your tripod, cable releaser and a mini torchlight. Experiment with different locations, angles and duration of exposure. Chances are, you will take some amazing photos that will help you to remember the vivid weekend that you had in Sydney.

As they say all good things must come to end. Vivid Sydney 2017 will come to an end tomorrow.

 

My trip to Singapore – March 2017

In years gone by, the Singapore Tourism Board used to advertised Singapore as “Surprising Singapore” from 1984 through to 1995. “The slogan came about because of an observation that many tourists were surprised to find Singapore different from what they had expected.” It can no longer use this slogan as Singapore is no longer surprising.

Singapore today has become one of the most expensive places to live and there are so many things one could do. It is no longer a stopover destination to Europe for most Australians. Consequently, it has become a destination in its own right.

I was in Singapore in late March this year as I made an impromptu two nights trip to see the sakura on its last day of display in the “Flower Dome” of the “Gardens by the Bay”. I  was also there to see “i Light Marina Bay” which was in its final week. I have seen photos taken of this event. So I thought that it would be a good idea to see and take photos of the projections on the Artscience Museum of Marina Bay Sands and the Merlion.

One of the best views of “i Light Marina Bay” is the projection on the Merlion statue shooting a fountain from its mouth and the “Esplanade Theatres on the Bay” (otherwise known as the “Durians”) and Mandarin Oriental Singapore providing a fantastic backdrop. This is one of the best views of Singapore.

Projection of Merlion as part of i Light Marina Bay

The other location that has nice features during this year’s “i Light Marina Bay” is at Clifford Square. You will find giant peonies and multi-coloured butterflies in the “Colourful Garden of Light”.

Giant butterflies and peonies at Clifford Square

I was also fortunate to get a room with a balcony-facing Marina Bay and some of the famous buildings of Singapore. This gave me some of the best views I have ever seen in Singapore.

Nightly laser light show projected from Marina Bay Sands

The last time I was in Singapore was more than four years ago. A lot has changed since then. The gardens of “Gardens by the Bay” have now matured. I can still remember when I was staying at Marina Bay Sands, the “Gardens by the Bay” was being built. It has come a long way. The “Flower Dome” is used to showcase sakura and tulips amongst other things in particular, during the first half of the year. This is made possible by controlling the temperature and perhaps the humidity in the “Flower Dome”.

At the end of the year, there is a “Christmas Wonderland” that makes “Gardens by the Bay” even more beautiful in the evening. This is what I am looking forward at the end of this year. I was also surprised to find colourful dinosaurs in the “Gardens by the Bay” (even though they are not real). Children will love them nevertheless.

Marina Bay Sands still remains one of my favourite places to go in Singapore. I like the food court downstairs and there are still many good looking branded stores in the “Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands”. My favourite store for its display is Dior.

Dior Revolution at the Shoppes of Marina Bay Sands

I leave the best to the last. That is the National Gallery of Singapore (NGS). If you like art (in particular South East Asian art), this is the place to visit. It is a massive place. You can “get lost” in it. However, do not be dismayed as there many NGS staff around that are most willing to help you or to answer your questions.

The NGS which comprises of the former City Hall and Supreme Court buildings also hosted an exhibition “Artist and Empire” held in conjunction the Tate Museum of London.

As it was in the last week of the exhibition, the NGS was kind enough to provide free entrance to the public to see this exhibition. I like three paintings  – Prince Albert with Queen Victoria, a very young Queen Elizabeth II and the most important person of them all to Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles. You can also see the portrait of Sir Frank Swettenham (a person who is well known to anyone who has studied Malaysian and Singaporean history).

Sir Stamford Raffles

Prince Albert & Queen Victoria

Queen Elizabeth II

Poster of Artist & Empire Exhibition

If Singapore’s peranakan cuisine is what you are after, you can find it in restaurant proper such as National Kitchen of Violet Oon or simply in café such as “Owl Café”.

Before you leave the NGS, do not forget to go to the uppermost floor where there is an outdoor garden and a Sky Lounge facing the Padang.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Van Gogh and The Seasons at NGVI

For art lovers, you will be in for a Dutch treat this year. Firstly, there is “Vincent “Van Gogh and The Seasons” currently showing at NGVI in Melbourne until 9 July 2017.

Later in the year, it will be AGNSW’s turn to host “Rembrandt and the Dutch golden age (masterpieces from the Rijksmuseum)”. This exhibition in Sydney will run from 11 November 2017 through to 18 February 2018.

Perhaps this will set the scene for me to make my first trip to Amsterdam to visit the Rijksmuseum and also Van Gogh Museum.

Either way, the Van Gogh’s exhibition at NGVI is a very good introduction to Van Gogh’s paintings. The exhibition is doing very well. It is the fastest selling exhibition in NGVI’s history. The queues are very long so much so that it got out of the NGVI building itself to St Kilda Road. More than 150,000 people have turned up for this exhibition since it was first opened on 28 Apr 2017.

Is it worth going to see this exhibition? If you like art and student of the history of art, then this exhibition is a must to attend.

Personally, I like some of the paintings. Van Gogh was very generous with paint and with the layers upon layers, it gives texture and a three dimensional aspect of the paintings. You can be mesmerised by its beauty.