Only in Singapore

When I'm not dancing, teaching, doing yoga, painting, chanting, preparing vegetables, singing, playing piano, writing, reading, swimming, or other typical daily activities, I find it always exciting to explore new things in Singapore! Let's see what Courtney has been up to recently:

1. Chingay Parade.
   Let's just say I had absolutely no idea what I was in for when I happily accepted an invitation to join friends at this yearly event held at the end of Chinese New Year. This 2+ hr parade consisted of multi-cultural performances from all over Asia. The magnitude of the parade was insane. Especially when witnessed from front-row seats at the very start of the parade line-up. The parade was quite a spectacle- just goes to show what can be done with an unlimited budget!- one dance alone had 1000 performers in it to give you an idea...
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   Lots and lots of dragons were there...celebrating the year of the Dragon!
   (My Chinese zodiac sign as well!)

   
   
   
   
   

   

   The grand finale shown above

   
   
   
   
    2. Bird Park!
   Singapore is home to the largest bird park in the world, and I have been meaning to go since I arrived. On a Tuesday afternoon, my friend and I had pretty much the whole place to ourselves (minus the 5000 birds!!).My favorites were a HUGE fuzzy owl (couldn't get a photo because of no-flash rules) , the crowned pigeon (see photo below) and the hot pink birds also shown below! The flamingos were also pretty cool! And the pelicans! And the Loris...ahh too many to pick favorites!

   

   That's me

   
   

   

   Crowned Pigeons!

   

   Flamingo Lake!

   

   Brightly Colored birdies!

   
   

   3. Thaipusam This is a Hindu festival where devotees stick numerous large skewers in their body, and march down the street accompanied by a small mob of friends and family singing, playing instruments, and cheering their loved ones on as they endure what must be excruciating pain. Definitely a sight to behold. Gruesome. Bizarre. The skewer thing is banned in India...so if seeing people with skewers in their body is what you're into, then come on over to Singapore where there's one of the biggest Thaipusam festivals in the world!