Celebrating The Festival of Lights Singaporean-Style.

How did you spend your public holiday? Well, my friends and I did what most Singaporeans would do (at least once in our lifetime) - visit the Istana Open House. For those non-Singaporeans who ain't familiar, Istana is the official residence of the President of Singapore. Situated in the heart of the CBD, it is opened to public during public holidays. $1 per entry for foreigners, and free-of-charge for residents.

It was our first time! The beautiful golf course greeted us as we strolled in thru' the long shaded path.

When will we ever have the chance to tee off with the President?

And moving on, we came to the top of the hill. An old canon faces the Singapore skyline, defending the residence. But from an angle, it looked like being blocked by the palm tree. :p Nevertheless, a significant and symbolic gun.

Behind the canon is the Istana House. It is where the President hosts the foreign dignitaries, where cabinet ministers were sworn-in, and other important national decisions are made.

Just before entering the Istana House, we had a little picnic near the fountain. We were carefree and relaxed. A contrast to the bustling city life outside the sanctuary.

Unlike cats, kids love water!

The boys just outside the Istana House. No photography inside. Otherwise, I will be able to show you the beautiful chandeliers in the halls, and gifts from the foreign visitors - bowls, sculptures, boxes, boat models, not forgetting the jewel carpet.

And what other things would Singaporeans do on a public holiday after visiting the Istana?

We went to the NMS. Free entry on public holidays as well! The last time I went there was for the "Masterpiece", when I was seen as the "mad guy trying to take pictures in front of her face". And of course, the previous occasion before that was my first visit when it reopened. At the museum, the beautiful Indian floor art greeted us!

We had our lunch (milkshakes) at the ever-so-slow-but-still-considered-as-service-thus-the-bill-includes-service-charge Nuvos Cafe. We nearly had to "consume outside food" to get their attention for the bill. :) We also had plenty of time to discuss about the swinging chandeliers.

There were ongoing photography exhibitions, organized in conjunction with the Singapore International Photography Festival. One of them was photography by Taiwanese, Chang Chien-Chi. His works were thought provoking. In particular, the set of photos "New York Chinatown" made me question if the family of the migrant workers, back in China, are really as sad as the photos portrayed. Do the children care only of the money their Dads bring home to support their lifestyles? And when asked, one of the workers said that he made phone calls home everyday, but there was nothing much for them to talk about. That's sad. He probably missed his family, miserable and lonely, working his ass off everyday in a foreign land, and ran out of words...

Then it started raining...

So we got to enjoy a special indoor performance on the origin of Deepavali.

Somehow, throughout the day, we were never too far from this guy with an interesting haversack. We wondered if the flags represented the countries he had been, or those places he wanted to go...

It wasn't long before it stopped raining and we made our way home. But not before spotting a suspicious character on the video wall.... hmmmmm....