The first flames of October

The first week of October started with a blast - literally.

We were just out of the Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) after watching the Spanish film El Bola. Was on our way to look for dinner food, when we heard loud blasts, and echoes of them. I had thought it was going to rain until I saw the reflections of the fireworks on the buildings and a mad rush of crowd charging in one direction.

We managed to catch it - a good 20 minutes of fireworks, with children around us going Wah Wah WAH each time the blasts went off. I love the red and gold and blue ones the most. The green ones somehow remind me of alien invasion - i don't know why.

You held me in your arms and we just watched the fireworks go off. Watching fireworks together is probably on the list of 'Top romantic things to do' for a lot of people. But somehow, that was not the first thing on my mind.

I thought of the previous fireworks I had watched with my significant others at different points in my life and I start to think that yes, everything beautiful will end - just a matter of when.

If you're lucky, you get the next burst of flames, an ongoing parade of fireworks one after another. If you're not so lucky, you just have to wait for the next parade, some time later. Time .. is relative.

I really shouldn't have thought so much and enjoyed the moment with you, and kiss you and let you know i'm happy to be with you right there and then.

Nonetheless, thanks for making such a lovely evening.

The spanish film was thought-provoking and rather unsettling. It speaks of domestic violence, repressed childhood, inner conflicts and a ray of hope. I was particularly appalled at how kids can taunt one another to play silly games like grabbing a bottle placed right in the middle of a track just seconds before the train whizzes past, with the two players on either side of the track. Winner is the one who picks up the bottle first. Or more accurately, the one who doesn't have his brains flattened by the oncoming train.

It was a very good film, very real. Go watch it if you have the chance.

Dinner was good too - we sat on swings and had too much salad, anti pasti, and pizza. You shared with me stories of your fraternity and we spoke about how our parents fell in love. The night could have gone on with endless conversation if not for the fact that it's a working day the next day and you have to start earning your 'brownie points'. ;)

I realised it's not youtube that's slow.. it's my broadband at home... hurhur.
So uploaded this clip from work.

taken in dec last yr, when we were at the kelong. If you see hard enough, you'd see little human bodies jumping up and down near where the fireworks shoot up from. Heeee.

now here's the fireworks on NYE

Not sure how i can post this video clip of the NYE's fireworks.........

National day fireworks

yeah, it was very smoky up there.

Shooting fires!

we were the blurred figures just next to the flames!

smiley face at kelong made with sparklers

fireworks from kelong

This is my favourite pic of the fireworks we released that night.

My love affair with fireworks display...

My love affair with fireworks had been amazing the past few months. Witnessing the national day fireworks lighting the sky from the four corners of Singapore on the balcony of Swissotel brought along a brand new experience of fireworks viewing. (To be exact, just 3 corners since we can’t see the displays at the back) Given the bad direction sense I have, it took me a while to figure out where the fireworks were coming from (yishun, tampines, marina). Then there was the Fireworks festival a few days after NDP.

And then I got the chance to light my own fireworks at the kelong during xmas. The fireworks powder is actually stored in this phallic looking “tube” with a long wooden stick to prop the “tube” upon shooting. We got the medium-sized fireworks which cost about S$10 per tube; all for that ten seconds of wows and oohs and ahs and oh my gods. The lighting up part is quite exciting, almost like lighting a bomb and then you’ll have to run off to safety after you lit it. We weren’t allowed to light the tubes when planes are flying by (the kelong is pretty near an airport). But can you imagine sitting by the window and seeing the sprouts of light and colour appear right before your eyes/reflected from the windows?? How cool is that. You may never ever get closer to fireworks than that.

But I was wrong, the New Year’s eve fireworks at the esplanade were even more bombastic. A full ten minute of fireworks display. They appear right before your eyes and draw you so much closer to them, as if twirling you into their vortex. Spell-bound. And then there was the CNY fireworks at esplanade too, for all the 15 days of cny. Singaporeans are really spoilt with the amount of fireworks over the past 2 months. Then again, I guess it’ll boost our tourism industry. (I was surrounded by Malaysians, Indians, Chinese and a few hongkong pp)

I don’t know when I first started to fall in love with fireworks display. The awe and fascination with something so beautiful but yet so short-lived (and expensive). You’d be kept in anticipation before the display begins and be surprised once in a while with the occasional outbursts. And you never know when the display will end but you’d wish it goes on forever. But I guess the best part of all is to watch it with someone you’d want to spend forever with.

I almost lost this love relationship with fireworks some time back; when I felt it’s such a pain to squeeze among thousands sticky and sweaty persons and I’m losing the effort to catch it. Plus, fireworks display got tired and there weren’t any for me to catch. It takes two to tango, really. To want to keep things together, to dance in sync. I just wish the music will not stop playing and we’ll still be able to catch fireworks display again next year.