I am particularly happy with the National Parks Board’s (NParks) way of sending e-invitation cards such as the one used in the current Singapore Garden Festival (SGF) because this is much more environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Once the event is over, the e-invitation card can be deleted without creating unnecessary waste which is created when people chuck their hard-copy cards into the dustbin.
I was so tired from the previous night’s worth of preparation work for the SGF that I almost could not wake up early enough to attend the Opening Ceremony that took place at 8.45 am at Suntec City this morning. But I finally managed to make it to the venue just a few minutes before the arrival of the VIPs.
The SGF Opening Ceremony commenced on Level 6 of Suntec City where the designer landscape gardens were located. The Guest-of-Honour was Mr Mah Bow Tan who was accompanied by Mrs Mah, as well as, Mrs Christina Ong (Chairperson NParks) and Mr Ng Lang (CEO NParks). Ms Zhou Xun, a special guest of the SGF, was also present. She is the Best Actress in the Hong Kong Film Festival 2006 for ‘Perhaps Love’ and Best Supporting Actress in the Hong Kong Film Festival 2007 for the ‘The Banquet’.
The SGF was declared open by Mr Mah after he cut the ribbon. The mascots for the SGF, namely, Lindy Ladybird, Benny Bee and Gary Grasshopper came out soon after to welcome them and rest of the guests who were present with their little dance.
After the Opening Ceremony, I was introduced to Mrs Ong by Mr Ng Lang and I also got to meet and speak to Mr Mah briefly after that. I was extremely glad that Mr Mah actually remembered me despite it has been quite a while since I was last introduced to him and his numerous encounters with other people. I did not expect that.
The SGF was thronged with people today which came as quite a surprised to me as yesterday as it was a weekday, probably due to the better ticket deal. The crowd, I noticed, was made up of mainly senior citizens and school children. Quite a lot of visitors visited the Societies and Associations corner and many dropped by our booth to ask questions so as to get to know a little more about what Green Culture Singapore (GCS) is all about and our activities. Fellow GCS members also came by our booth to say hello.
The members who came to help out at the booth today were Chong Ren, Eng Ong, Richmond and Lily. Phillipe came by later in the afternoon while Xuan Hong and Lynnette visited us later in the evening, after work. Whoever who came by the GCS booth would have noticed we were a little ‘rowdy’ as there was much chit-chatting and interaction. Good chemistry was present and everyone probably was also happy to be able to meet and catch up. The session was fun and broke the overwhelming monotony of having to man the booth for long hours.
My guest from the Philippines, Mrs Jimenez, also visited the SGF and it was nice to be able to meet again. She told us that it was well-worth the effort, time and money to have delayed her flight so as to extend her stay in Singapore.
Today’s edition of My Paper had some coverage on the SGF and the landscape design competition winners. Two of my members who are airplant enthusiasts, namely Kelvin and Yoke Fong, were also featured in a separate column. In the article, they both shared with readers of the paper on their experiences and tips on how to grow airplants successfully. Many thanks to Kelvin and Yoke Fong for accepting the request to be interviewed.
