Saturday, December 31, 2011

Fireworks and Music worth 8 minutes long! Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2012 Preview - Music and Lights Rehearsal

Counting down... are you ready for the New Year Celebration and countdown at Marina Bay Singapore later? I was there on Thursday to speak to the working crew and was very lucky to be able to catch the technical rehearsal, here showing you some sneak previews !

Dino, 34 years old.
Senior Technician Sound, 10 years experience

 
 Dino told me that the "heart" of the team are mostly situated here, people incharged of lightings, stage manager, main coordinator, will be at the control station situated at the rooftop of the Esplanade. Apart from the main team, there also other crew members at the ground floor controlling the event. In case of any technical glitches, Dino and his team at the main control station will served as the redundancies - or better known as the back-up system.


 
The crew has been rehearsing since Tuesday, till about 1am. They are very confident that the backup system here will be able to function well, even if any technical glitches happen on the actual day. Looks like the team are all ready for the event itself! 
 
 
They seriously have a team of experts and experienced crew working for this event. While you are celebrating the countdown of 2012 at Marina Bay Singapore tonight, remember the hardworking crew supporting this event!
 
 
 Dino also mentioned that this year, there's going to be some difference in the fireworks music, composed by Iskandar Ismail. Unlike last year, the music was exactly the same as what was being heard on the radio. However, this year, Mr. Iskandar had given the working crew 20 stems of music separately, and the crew at the Esplanade will mix the different percussion according to their own "feel" . This also means that audiences at the Esplanade will get to listen to the "live" version of the music, controlled by the Esplanade crews!

 
You will be able to hear the music of the fireworks clearly, blasted from various speakers, around Marina Bay. However, according to Dino, to experience the best music for your listening pleasure, it's best to come down to the waterfront at the Esplanade! Oh btw, there will be 8 minutes long of music, together with fireworks played on the actual day countdown!
*Picture taken by HTC Sensation XE


We had our countdown to New Year before you guys actually. Haha


The emcee rehearsing too!


Catch the beautiful night scene at Marina Bay Singapore tonight!


If you have written down your wishes on the white spheres...here they are! (Those colorful balls floating on the water!)


This scene was taken from Esplanade angle...not sure if I will be able to capture this tonight, since I'm stationed at Marina Bay City Gallery.


The official bloggers having fun!
William , Kelvin and myself!
*Picture provided by Shoel 


The bloggers working hard!
*Picture provided by Shoel 


Haha, big boys and toy.
*Picture provided by Shoel 


The bloggers group picture! Together with Andy, featured blogger for Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2012.
*Picture provided by Andy


Thought this picture look quite cool yea. Like some typical movie scene. Lol


With my girlfriend, Shoel at the rehearsal...


So whatcha waiting for! Come down to Marina Bay Singapore to join us at the countdown! We will be situated at our locations from 8pm onwards! Hope to see you there too and let's celebrate the new year with a blast!

However, if you aren't able to join us, there's also a "live" telecast of the fireworks at the following address!
http://www.marina-bay.sg/Countdown2012/live


See you there!

*Pictures taken with Nikon COOLPIX S8200 unless otherwise stated
Powered by omy.sg & Urban Redevelopment Authority

Friday, December 30, 2011

Countdown at the float with Mediacorp Channel 5! Free tickets to be given away!


Giving away free tickets to Mediacorp Channel 5 countdown party at the float! Read on to find out how!


Expect to see familiar faces like Gurmit Singh, Michelle Chia and 987FM's Divian & Jacqui, as they lead the crowd to celebrate the new year 2012! On top of that,  Singapore Idols - Sezairi Sezali and Sylvia Ratonel, Sheikh Haikel, Nat Ho and Inch Chua will also be there too!

Doors will be opened from 7pm on 31 December 2011. Pre-show performances start at 8 pm to 10.45 pm. The `live' TV show is from 11 pm - 12.15 am, followed by the biggest dance party in Singapore with music by DJ Thryce and DJ Vault until 3am.

Source: xinmsn.com

So now you ask... how can I win the tickets!?
Follow these simple steps!



Step 1: Take a picture of yourself with a piece of paper stating: I luv MarinaBay2012 (be as creative as possible!)
Step 2: Post it on twitter with the tag #marinabay2012 and write a short reason why you should win the tickets! You can add me on twitter too! Hahaha... https://twitter.com/kevinskh



That's it!
The most creative entry will receive a pair of Mediacorp countdown tickets at the float worth $50!
10 consolation prizes (for your hard work and effort!) will receive exclusive Marina Bay Singapore notepad! (See above!)
Contest ends on 31st December 2011, 12pm.
Winners will be notified via twitter latest by 3pm and you can collect your prizes outside Marina City Bay Gallery (I will be stationed there!) from 7pm onwards. 

That's it! =) Looking forward to your creative entries!

*Photos taken with Nikon COOLPIX S8200
Powered by omy.sg and Urban Redevelopment Authority

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2012 - Road Closure

Hey guys, if you are driving down to Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2012, please take note that certain roads will be closed at stipulated timings. Source: http://www.onemotoring.com.sg
So please avoid driving into this areas, or you may want to consider parking your car within walkable distance.


Close up view. Please bear in mind not only the red zone, but the yelow, and purple zone are also closed.

 
Here's the list of roads closure with the timings. Most of the roads will be reopened from 1.30am onwards.  Source: http://www.onemotoring.com.sg

Hope this is useful to you yea!

Yay for the New Year!

This time last year I wrote this post telling you how I feel about New Year's.

I think I did a pretty good job of explaining myself, so I'm directing you there instead of saying it all again.

Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

I love new beginnings!

I'm going to use today and tomorrow to think about what I really want from 2012.

How about you? Are you a fan of the New Year?

Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2012 Survival Guide!


Counting down to 2012, 3 more days! As the date draw nearer to us, let's find out some places which you can capture good photos, and allow me to orientate you the event area!





Before we moved on, while I was looking through some information on the web, found this video which was still on youtube. Probably you will like to check out Marina Bay Countdown Singapore 2011 highlights here! Was there last year together with my team, Fifth Avenue to cover the event!

 

The most important thing that you must bear in mind is the ease of accessibility to Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2012. My advised is that, don't drive, take the public transport. Don't worry, having the same dialect surname as Saw Phaik Hwa doesn't mean that I'm promoting SMRT. Haha, but seriously right from the bottom from my heart. Trust me, I was there last year. There will be 4 MRT stations available, but, the one nearest to Marina City Bay Gallery will be Marina Bay MRT station. Best place to capture firework pictures. =)


And most importantly, I will be stationed at Marina Bay City Gallery to give "live" updates on my twitter on 31st Dec 2011 : http://twitter.com/kevinskh , follow me as I bring you the latest updates on the countdown event! Also, I will be giving away free mediacorp countdown tickets at the float. You need to know where am I to collect your tickets yea. Haha.


Marina Bay City Gallery
This place is open to the public and there's an interactive 3D map of the Marina Bay skyline. It's pretty unique and you can get to know Marina Bay better.


The Water Fountain
It's just located outside the Marina Bay City Gallery.
A pretty nice spot for many who enjoy taking pictures with family and friends. Now you don't have to travel all the way to Marina Barrage! There's one at Marina Bay too!


The Mist Walk
As the name suggests, this metal pipe structure gives off mist when the sensor detects someone is there. It's just less than 100m away from the Marina Bay City Gallery. 


Breeze Shelters
Tired? Need a resting spot? Well, these breeze shelters has really gigantic fans attached to it, making sure that the restless souls will be energize again! Well, but the cooling weather these days, I don't think you will really need it right?


The gigantic fans ...


Marina Bay Financial Centre
Now, look at the picture, do I have to explain further? The lighting is simply awesome! 


The Promontory @ Marina Bay
On New Year's Eve, there are various activities out there which will keep you entertained. It's free!
Check out performances like Happy 3+65 New Year's Eve Countdown Show from 6.30pm to 8.30pm and Rhythms by the Bay with FM Pop Music School from 9.30pm to 12.00am.



If you intend to come from Raffles Place MRT, locate exit J, and look for the sign along the way. It will be an estimated 10 - 15min walk, but it will lead you to actual event area. Have a dinner in the Marina link mall, and walk abit to digest your food!


 Here's the map in Marina Link Mall. As I've said, it's abit of distance from the MRT to The Promontory exit....one end to the other... print this out if you're afraid of getting lost!


There are also a couple of events going on at Esplanade to keep you occupied too! Check out my post here:
http://double-image.blogspot.com/2011/12/marina-bay-singapore-countdown-2012.html


Alright, after the picture trail around Marina Bay area, let me introduce to you some good spot which family can lay their picnic mats to catch up with one another, and photographers can locate to take excellent firework pictures.


Spot 1: Big and spacious. Suitable for the families who need to find a place to sit down and relax.


Spot 2: Not sure if this place will be accessible to the public on New Year's Eve. But it's a good spot for many to view the fireworks!


Spot 3: Good Spot for photographers to capture highlights of the fireworks. Look at the photographers in the picture...ahha.


Spot 4: Just a nice spot to view the night scene of Singapore...

Alright! Please check out my blog, stay tune...I will be giving away free mediacorp countdown tickets in my next entry!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Thankful Thursday

Today I need a bit of a lift. I'll be honest, I'm feeling a bit out of sorts.

So I'm doing something that I know usually works for me, which is focusing on the positive.

Please go visit Kate says stuff to join in with Thankful Thursday.



Today I'm having trouble looking at the big picture. I'm having trouble finding something profound to say.

But I do have much to be thankful for.

So today I'm thankful for the little things...

I received a Christmas card from a dear friend that I haven't seen in years today. How lovely that she included some photos of her daughter that I have never met. And how wonderful that I will be able to see her in person next year when my family travels to London!

I guess that's not such a little thing after all! That's what I love about taking the time to be thankful. Once you start counting them, blessings multiply!

I have an appointment to have my hair cut and coloured tonight. Isn't it lovely to sit back in the hairdresser's chair and be pampered? I especially love it when they wash your hair and give your head a massage. Bliss!

I have books to read! How delightful to be able to have a little lie down with a good book!

How about you? How are you feeling today? Maybe a little thankfulness would brighten it.

Monday, December 26, 2011

HTC Sensation XE - Beats Audio Branded Smartphone


 
Thanks to HTC Singapore & Omy.sg, had the chance to review HTC Sensation XE! HTC Sensation XE comes with Beats Audio headphones, and when my colleagues and friends know about this, the first thing that many told me was, "Better keep your headphones in a safe place!" This headphone easily cost about SGD$200++  at retail price.  


 
Am used to having wide screen phones. I find the HTC Sensation XE, 4.3inch display just nice for me. Especially useful for me to check and send my emails, facebook, and watching youtube videos too. Now personally as someone who's working in the marketing line and have to meet my client often, having a wide screen phone also allow me to have certain "status" in bringing out the smartphone. =)
 
 
(Please ignore my jeans at the background!) The cover of the HTC Sensation XE also comes with beatsaudio logo yea. The size is good for me to carry around as well, sleek design also allow me to put into my pocket easily. You know, especially for guys, we hate to have so many stuff in our pockets, that is why most of us like to carry our wallet instead of tucking into our back pockets. ;)
 

 
I was using HTC Sensation initially, the size of the phone is the same, just that the touch buttons at the bottom are of different color. HTC Sensation XE bears daring and striking red buttons, unlike the normal HTC Sensation with white key buttons. On the camera, there's also a red finishing along the edge which does not appear in the normal sensation phone. And as you can see in the picture above, HTC Sensation XE(left) has a better color screen resolution as compared to HTC Sensation(right).

 

On performance wise, I find that HTC Sensation XE was faster, and much smoother when running games and other applications. The result could be due to the difference in the processor's speed between the two phones, the Sensation XE’s processor is clocked at 1.5GHz – up from 1.2GHz. However, the RAM for both is the same at 768 MB RAM and both devices support microSD card slots that can handle up to 32GB.
 
 
The 8 megapixel camera and the different effects of the camera function adds wonder to pictures. Take a look at the above picture I've taken with my colleagues.By the way, was CK (guy in white, sitting) farewell lunch. Before effect, you can clearly see that the picture was already rather clear, and the resolution is good enough to be developed from your nearby photoshop outlets.

 


 
Look at the effects I have created using HTC Sensation XE functions! Actually, the HTC Sensation XE camera effects function has no difference compared to it's predecessor. Both are able to add wonders to the pictures within one single touch! 
 




 
And next, I can easily bluetooth these set of pictures to my computer for viewing!


HTC Sensation XE also has the friendstream widget, which conveniently synchronize all your friends updates from twitter and facebook. I can now view the updates easily! Within a one easy view! On top of that, I can also update my own status both on facebook and twitter within one single step. However, the widget also allows one to update his/her status either on one of the social media platform, rather than both.



In addition, I can also choose between Airplane mode, activate my Wi-Fi or Hotspot within a single touch too! Seriously, HTC Sensation XE is so user-friendly! Making my life easier yea!



Also, the "people favourites" function also allow me to reach out to my love ones, more easily and conveniently. =)


When listening to music on HTC sensation XE, I can also choose if I want to enable beats audio. Seriously, it really, really make hell lots of difference. Enabling beats audio allow the music to be more enhanced with greater definition, and you can now listen to every beats of the music clearer now.


Once again, thanks to HTC Singapore and Omy.Sg !
What are you waiting for?
Drop by your nearest phone shop or HTC Concept Store @ NEX #03-26, 23 Serangoon Central, 556083  to check out HTC Sensation XE now!




 
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