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Stepping Into the Modern – Impressionism at National Gallery Singapore

National Gallery Singapore was conceptualised in the early years of this century, officially opened in 2015 and became another grand building I did not step into .  This one is a grand  old  building, more accurately,  two  grand old buildings (built in the late 1920s) – the old Supreme Court and City Hall – now functioning as one.   It was the Impressionists who brought me here!   With extremely poor knowledge and conventional preferences in art, this is no surprise, I suppose.  I do like the Impressionist style for its pretty, float-y feel, and I like knowing what I’m looking at.  For example, if it’s a tree, I need to know it is a tree, and if it’s the sea, I need to know that’s what it is.  This exhibition is just right for me!   Visit to a Museum, Degas, 1880 Enter... People were enjoying Renoir Pissarro, Monet, Renoir Monet more Monet, and probably the seats as well and some hands-on tryouts ...
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Playing on the global stage – World Aquatics Championships Singapore 2025

It was because a certain country launched itself at another that the World Aquatics Championships came our way.   It was because it was held here that I got to see today’s superstars.   It was because I was reading about our temporary pool that I realised I had been in the inceptive temporary pool at the Fukuoka World Swimming Championships 2001.     It was because I was thinking about Ian Thrope as the Big Story of Fukuoka (and a “rising star” then was none other than Michael Phelps!) that I thought of the Perth World Swimming Championships 1998, where he made a mark at just 15 years old (and I saw him swim!).     A ( The ?) huge story at Perth was a certain other country’s swimmers being caught, and not caught (syringes and empty bottles found in hotel room bins and so on), for consuming banned substances.  All quite exciting being near the thick of things but that was my first ever world event so in itself, the event was ver...
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Well played, Chloe!

The Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay opened in October 2002, and who are the Singaporeans who did not step into the concert hall even once these 20+ years?  Me!  Me!!   Finally, the time came, for my friend AL and me! Such an impressive concert hall, but a bit large, no?   I don’t fancy sitting right up there in the last few rows and also, there is a toilet problem with such a huge audience capacity.  Let me just say that the toilet to concert-goer ratio is far from ideal.   First time I knew of seats behind the orchestra but there we were!  It’s an interesting angle to watch from and I liked being near the musicians.   However, those seats aren’t comfortable, with what I assumed to be a sort of backrest at the wrong position.  Also, you’re in full view of the majority of the audience so the whole time, I felt I had to sit up straight and not move – a bit stressful!     Still, we were that clos...
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Well played, Nadal!

What a guy, what a career, what fun we had watching him!   I’m not sad to see him go as I thought for years that his body had had enough.  He pushed on for more, and the last few years were still exciting, the highlights for me being   - the very unexpected and wonderful AO 2022 win [sorry Medvedev, don’t know how the match turned around the way it did] tennisworldusa - the big four playing at Laver Cup 2022  Getty - Federer playing his retirement match with him Getty - playing doubles with Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics afp - final match at Davis Cup 2024 for Spain -- but of course! Well done, he who fighted to the end! atptour Who else regrets not getting this when it was available?   People are re-selling it for a few hundred... 
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