After my operation I had a few days back at school before it was Easter Holiday time. Will and I were off to Singapore for my brother Warren and Norshidah's wedding. Now Changi might be my favourite airport in the whole world, but their Easter displays were a little surreal to say the least... I can't say I've ever heard of a bunny hatching from an egg!
In Singapore we had booked a 3-bed apartment through AirBnB for just over a week. Will and I had one room, mum and dad another, then my sister, her husband Shane, and their little one Evelyn took the third. It was lovely spending some time with family as it is very rare that we are all in the same place at the same time. It was especially nice spending some time with Evelyn, as she was just a small baby the last time I had seen her.
The wedding was on Easter Saturday at Fort Canning Park, which is an oasis of green in the middle of the city. Singapore was incredibly hot and humid at that time of the year (as it probably is most of the year!) so it was a welcome relief that the pavilion building where the ceremony took place was air conditioned!
Mum took care of all the flowers for the wedding and did an amazing job, although Will and my claim to fame is winding the ribbon around the bridal bouquet that mum is holding below!
The wedding was a very relaxed affair, as you can see from the pre-ceremony shot below!
The 'official' part of the wedding was reasonably short. It was a Muslim wedding and I found it interesting that Norshidah didn't really have too much to do during the actual service. It was her father and brother sitting up at the top table with Warren and the official during the formalities.
Here's a pic of the gorgeous newly married couple.I have gained a beautiful sister-in-law.
Soon it was 'Makan' time. Like most Singaporeans, Norsh takes her food very seriously, and the spread that was put on for the wedding certainly didn't disappoint! Below is the sweets table.
Norsh wore a traditional long-sleeved dress for the formal part of the ceremony, but changed into a gorgeous lacy 'party number' for the rest of the evening.
Here are some more pics of the happy couple...
And some family shots...
After the wedding we had a few days to chill out in Singapore. One of my favourite things to do is eat at the various hawker food markets. Below I'm in dumpling heaven...
Our apartment complex also had a couple of very good swimming pools, so that offered some respite from the heat, and knocking out a few laps was also useful rehab for my knee. Will spent some time sitting poolside and working on his book he is currently writing.
Singapore is also very good for shopping for badminton supplies. The Queensway shopping centre has loads of small Yonex shops in it. I had been playing with Nanoray 700fx racquets, but decided to upgrade and try a couple of Nanoray 750's. I also picked up some new shoes (SHB02 limited edition in case anyone is interested...) for less than half the price I could buy them for in NZ.
Will and I had done a lot of the touristy things on our last trip to Singapore. However, we never made it out to the Jurong bird park, so that was on the agenda this trip. It was pretty cool. I can't say I'm a fan of some of the displays of birds in 'normal' aviaries, but I loved the huge big free-flight aviaries that you walk through. We started off with a falconry display that was pretty cool. I love seeing the big birds of prey doing their thing.
It does seem a bit odd in hot and steamy Singapore, but the penguins were super cute!
However, speaking of cute... The snow owls were absolutely beautiful.
Our favourite thing was the parrot enclosure. Here you could buy a container of food for a couple of dollars and be absolutely swamped by beautiful brightly coloured birds. Will and I spent ages in here. When sorting out the photos I discovered we took about 300, no exaggeration! I think I did well to get it down to just these few...
Yes, that really is two parrots taking up residence in my hair... They would have been in trouble if they'd pooped!
So, that was Singapore done and dusted. A very enjoyable (and rare) family holiday.
