Ooh we're tumbling down
We're spiralling
Ooh, tied up to the ground
We're spiralling
Ooh, tied up to the ground
We're spiralling
Photo Source: AFPTune into an Urban Symphony. That is the theme of the Singapore Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai.
We arrived at the Singapore Pavilion, having seen Angola, Brazil and Canada pavilions. There was a happy feel around the Singapore Pavilion with hawker favourites and local "produce" such as Roti Prata, Laksa, Eu Yan Sang products being sold in the vicinity.
We were really proud and expectant when we flashed our red passports to cut the long queue into the exhibit area.
Until we entered the area, that is.
Before I continue, I have to apologise for the lack of original photos. Yakki refused to take any for the Singapore Pavilion.
The concept of an Urban Symphony evoked artsy-ness. You would expect a vibrant kaleidoscope of music, colours and media on the first floor.
Instead, we were treated to low-quality musical displays and plastic-paneled exhibits depicting the costumes of the four races in Singapore. I don't remember seeing any Singaporean Chinese women wearing KTV hostess-styled dresses as a cultural dress-up, but apparently that was what Singaporean Chinese women wore back in the day.
We had a replica of an F1 car randomly placed in the compound, with little fanfare to do justice to the Singapore GrandPrix, the crown jewel in Bernie Ecclestone's F1 circuit. An accompanying STB or F1 video advert or highlights of the past night races could have generated more buzz.
Reusing a 2008 STB video/photo montage would have sufficed
Photo Source: STBWe quickly browsed through the first floor and made our way to the second, hoping for some redemption.
To our delight, there was a queue to the second floor. What were we queuing for? We had no idea. What's next? No one told us anything.
We suffered in the hot weather as the pavilion, despite one of the few non air-conditioned ones, had few windows to allow humane ventilation.
Finally, we entered the auditorium on the second floor. The 8-min feature film was on how Singapore diversified its water resources by applying technology. Maybe not, it was more of an interview, no, it was a lecture by our Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on the topic.
I love the old man, but it seemed like someone wanted to milk on MM's reputation and popularity in China to enhance the whole pavilion experience. They could have showed an educational video on how NEWater's made or the desalination plants around Singapore or the Marina Barrage. Or how Marina Bay was developed from nothing into the brilliant skyline we have today. Or put on a YOG video.
Anyway, if we had tried to impress the Chinese, we didn't as comments such as "Wake me up when the show's over," or "等了这么久听他胡说什么" were heard in the crowd.
We gave up on the entire Singapore experience and headed for the exit. Except that the only exit was to head up to the 3rd floor and complete YourSingapore experience before you can leave.
Reaching the top of the pavilion, trees, plants and Chinese people engulfed us as we sought for the way out. The view would have been perfect from the roof of the pavilion, but the architect decided that in Singapore, your view should be blocked by trees. You should not have a great view of other countries' pavilions. You should have an inward perspective of the world.
We felt quite disappointed with the whole visit to our country's pavilion. Of the three we visited earlier, Singapore's underwhelmed us. We visited Japan's later on, and they had a 3D-model of a water treatment process, something that we could have placed in our own.
As we left, I overheard a Singaporean remarking that the exhibitions within the pavilion felt very juvenile, very primary school. We couldn't agree more. We went on a complaining marathon about the pavilion.
So, if there's one thing the pavilion did excel in, it stirred the true blue whiny Singaporeans in us. And for all the bad valid reasons.
To our delight, there was a queue to the second floor. What were we queuing for? We had no idea. What's next? No one told us anything.
We suffered in the hot weather as the pavilion, despite one of the few non air-conditioned ones, had few windows to allow humane ventilation.
Finally, we entered the auditorium on the second floor. The 8-min feature film was on how Singapore diversified its water resources by applying technology. Maybe not, it was more of an interview, no, it was a lecture by our Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on the topic.
I love the old man, but it seemed like someone wanted to milk on MM's reputation and popularity in China to enhance the whole pavilion experience. They could have showed an educational video on how NEWater's made or the desalination plants around Singapore or the Marina Barrage. Or how Marina Bay was developed from nothing into the brilliant skyline we have today. Or put on a YOG video.
Anyway, if we had tried to impress the Chinese, we didn't as comments such as "Wake me up when the show's over," or "等了这么久听他胡说什么" were heard in the crowd.
We gave up on the entire Singapore experience and headed for the exit. Except that the only exit was to head up to the 3rd floor and complete YourSingapore experience before you can leave.
Reaching the top of the pavilion, trees, plants and Chinese people engulfed us as we sought for the way out. The view would have been perfect from the roof of the pavilion, but the architect decided that in Singapore, your view should be blocked by trees. You should not have a great view of other countries' pavilions. You should have an inward perspective of the world.
We felt quite disappointed with the whole visit to our country's pavilion. Of the three we visited earlier, Singapore's underwhelmed us. We visited Japan's later on, and they had a 3D-model of a water treatment process, something that we could have placed in our own.
As we left, I overheard a Singaporean remarking that the exhibitions within the pavilion felt very juvenile, very primary school. We couldn't agree more. We went on a complaining marathon about the pavilion.
So, if there's one thing the pavilion did excel in, it stirred the true blue whiny Singaporeans in us. And for all the bad valid reasons.
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