Pavilion Decoration Video

Williams

I had always been fascinated with Formula 1. Not just at the glamour of it all, but at the engineering and the skills behind it.

In the last decade, with the retirement of drivers such as Schumacher, certainly some of the charm from Formula 1 had been lost. They are no more than a commercial ventures nowadays. Gone were the risk-taking and attitude which made racing so enthralling to watch. They are now sterile.

After work the other day, I was flipping through Netflix and came across this documentary about of the characters in motor racing, Sir Frank Williams. The title was simply "Williams". And it told the story of the great man.

Fascinating watch and at the end, I couldn't help but appreciate that the gentleman was from a different time. A different breed, from the era where motor racing meant something else. Well worth a watch. And I will be supporting Williams next season on the back of that ...

Here is the trailer of the documentary of you are interested.

Night Safari

It was a much-touted destination. The Night Safari at Singapore Zoo had garnered worldwide attention for their work in preservation as well as good experience all around.

In the last trip to Singapore, this proves to be the main event for the four of us.

Anita booked up a package which worked out great. This being a Saturday evening during the peak season meant that the place would be full. The package she booked included transfer from the hotel to the Zoo, entrance ticket as well as a priority tram ride - the best way to enjoy the park.

From the hotelOur guide, RobinAll badged upWithout the priority access, waiting time for the tram would be around 90 minutes. We got on ours in less than 5. Great value. The tram ride on the whole took about half an hour snaking along the various attractions in the zoo, almost a touching distance at some of the animals.

The place was hot however despite the ride starting after 8 pm. The lights were pretty dim and since flash was not allowed, snapping photos was almost impossible during the tram ride. Despite using my X-Pro with an f1.4 lens, the captures were still blurry with shakes. I should've brought my Alpha 7R with the 85 mm f1.4 instead. Well, originally we did plan to fly. I wanted to keep my gear to a minimal.

The queue for the tram was crazy!Unfortunately I wasn't able to snap muchThis one was relatively clearAfter the tram ride, we had the choice of either taking a shirt all down a designated path or went straight for dinner. We decided to do both.

The path only took us 15 minutes before Irfan complained of being hungry. Dinner then came at the food stalls there. Plenty of selection. You can also get a package with buffet dinner but we decided to give that a miss since we weren't sure if it was halal.

We did the trail after the tram, before settling for some dinnerThe return bus right was at 10 pm, and half an hour later we were back in the comfort of our room. Time for shower and some hot chocolate. I decided to have some sandwiches before bed.

All together the ride was expensive and novel. Not sure if it was worth doing it again but should I had the chance, I'd probably went straight along one of the 4 paths available. There were also animal shows if you decided against walking or taking the tram every hour at the main entrance.

Apple Store Singapore

Apple opened their first official South East Asia store in Singapore. Located right at the heart of Orchard Road, the store proved quite tricky to find. Yes, there was the big Apple logo at the front of the building - typically an all-glass facade - but it proved difficult to spot.

Ironically, I had to use Waze to find it.

The main entrance to the storeWhat was there? Nothing special actually. The only item which caught my eyes were a portable printer, connectable via wifi where you could print directly from the phone wirelessly.

It uses heat to print, so there were no need for ink. Unfortunately I didn't have time to explore the device. It uses a disposable cartridge for the prints, which may be tricky to get hold of in KL.

The unmistakeable symbolOn the retail floor. Yes, the staffs were wearing red.They displayed the usual fare but nothing I wouldn't be able to find back home. But what was unique about the store was the upper floor. To get up, you would use the gorgeous stone staircase, at each end of the store. That was where they had an open space, used for events and product discussions. I had to queue to get upstairs and decided to give that a miss.

I ended up coming out of the store without spending a dime. Frankly, there was nothing there which I craved. Maybe next time ...

Across to Times Square

The devil is in the details. That was how the saying went. At first glance, the decorations at Bee Jay's Times Square appeared modest and plain. But if you look more closely, it was very well put together with plenty of elements to explore.

Well done!

The foyer appeared very plain with stalls built up to mimic the high street of the old town. But each space were filled up with small little items to reflect the good times of the 60s. Replicas aplenty, from an old saloon to grocery shops, certainly there were plenty to see.

I spent a good half an hour there when I visit just looking at what in display. It happened to be a weekday, hence the place wasn't as packed. There were also some food truck parked outside at the main entrance of the mall, attracting the crime say from the foyer. I had my own sweat time to explore the area.

I have also uploaded a video of the decorations on YouTube if you guys fancy a look.