31 Mar 2020 - Javier is "wiser" by a year, Happy BDay!

It's Javier's 11 year old birthday today.  At his request, we once again went to Swensens @ Nex for dinner.  

Due to the current Covid-19 situation, there are lesser people at most restaurants and food outlets.  Swensens looks quite empty at that time as we had to sit one table away from other patrons.

Javier shared his Topless 5 ice cream with Jerlene while I had the free Firehouse ice cream, thanks to him.

Happy Birthday, Javier!  You are now one year "wiser"!

30 Mar 2020 - Clap for #SGUnited

Across the island at 8pm today, the sound of people clapping can be heard all around the neighbourhood. The applause was part of Clap For #SGUnited, a campaign to get the public to show their appreciation for those on the front line of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Just before 8pm, we went up to our roof terrace to get ready to join in. Initially we were a bit skeptical as to whether anybody will bother to participate. And at exactly 8pm, we started hearing a few claps and soon, many people started joining in.

Well done, Singapore!

28 Mar 2020 - Another Case? Hope not...

Saw an ambulance at the lobby of another tower at our place.  Was told that it was a suspected case as the resident had recently come into contact with a confirmed case.  Hopefully it's just a false alarm.   So far it's two confirmed cases and one suspected case at our place in three consecutive days.  Let's do our part by practicing all the precautionary measures.  Stay safe everyone!

27 Mar 2020 - COVID-19 getting nearer...Stay Vigilant!

Received the below two emails on two consecutive days.  Yes, two COVID-19 confirmed cases in two days at our place, though different tower.  Seems like the virus is getting closer and closer.  Really must be vigilant and take all the necessary precautions.  Stay safe everyone!

 #SGUnited

22 Mar 2020 - Flowering Season once again

The weather is dry and hot recently.  However, it seems to have stimulated my plants as most of them starts to bloom.

20 Mar 2020 - Flower Dome by Night

Since we did not manage to visit the Supertree Observatory, we returned to the Flower Dome to experience the conservatory under the night lighting.  The crowd was significantly reduced at that time.

Once again, we were at the well-loved cherry blossom festival Sakura Matsuri area.

Following is Momotaro, a popular hero of Japanese folklore, together with his companions.

As we about to leave, we realized that we had missed one entire section in Flower Dome, the Succulent Garden.

Here we were able to venture into the desert without experiencing the heat and learn more about these prickly plants.  As water-storing desert plants, succulents belong to families such as Cacti, Aloes and Crassulas.

At about 8:30pm, we passed through the Flower Dome Gallery before exiting by the gift shop.

The view from the exterior of the Conservatory is superb and we had a nice view of the Singapore Flyer.

Before driving home, we went to Lickers for some ice cream before calling it a day.  :-)

20 Mar 2020 - Supertree Grove (Garden by the Bay)

After dinner, we continued on our adventure to the Supertree Grove.  Along the way, we passed by an interesting Floral Clock.

Supertrees can be found all around Gardens by the Bay where twelve of them are located at the Supertree Grove, with the tallest one measuring up to 16 storeys in height.  These Supertrees are designed with large canopies that provide shade in the day and come alive with an exhilarating display of lights and sounds at night.

Each Supertree consists of a trunk core made of reinforced concrete wrapped with a steel frame.  Planting panels were installed on the trunk, which is now home to over 158,000 plants comprising more than 700 species and varieties of bromeliads, orchids, ferns and tropical flowering climbers.

We had purchased the tickets to the Supertree Observatory.  As we approached the entrance, one of the staff informed us that the observatory is currently under partial maintenance and the rooftop deck, which is the main highlight, is closed to visitors.  Since our tickets are valid for 30 days, he suggested that we return on another day to fully enjoy the observatory.  We took his suggestion and we will be BACK soon!  :-)

20 Mar 2020 - Cloud Forest (Gardens by the Bay)

From Flower Dome, we walked over to Cloud Forest, which is just next door.  Cloud Forest is a Cool-Moist Conservatory where we could explore the tropical highlands amidst orchids, pitcher plants and ferns from the Tropical Montane region.  The moment we stepped into it, we encountered the world's tallest indoor waterfall at 30 metres and descend through the surreal mist-filled Cloud Walk and Treetop Walk.

Cloud Forest is not short of amazing flowers, just like Flower Dome.

The mountain is densely planted with fascinating orchids, delicate ferns, colourful bromeliads, dazzling begonias and carnivorous pitcher plants. All of these are epiphytic and live on top of other plants in nature.

The path led us to a lift which we took to level 6 where we entered the Lost World, the highest point of the mountain, which showcases cloud forest vegetation typically found at around 2,000 metres above sea level.

From the Lost World, we arrived at the Cloud Walk and slowly made our way down to the plateau below, which took us outside of the mountain for a close-up view of various epiphytes plant species that clad the side of the mountain.

At specific timing throughout the day, the entire Cloud Forest will be covered by mist.

Next, we stepped into the Crystal Mountain Cave and discovered the many interesting shapes of real stalactites and stalagmites.

As we approached the bottom of the mountain, we went on a Tree Top Walk which took us close to the forest canopy for a spectacular bird’s eye view of the treetops.  As we looked up, we had a spectacular views of the Cloud Walk which we had "conquered" earlier.

There were many interactive boards around the walk which provides information about the various plants in great details.

Then we arrived at the Cloud Forest Theatre where we find out how we as individuals can do our part to help conserve nature, veer away from potential disaster, and move towards a more sustainable future.

The last section of the walk is the Secret Garden.  Here we discovered a new landscape of more than 7,000 plants of more than 135 species and hybrids in a representation of limestone forests and caves. Many of the plants belong to the gesneriads, begonias, orchids and ferns families, as these plants are commonly found in these habitats.

Throughout this trip at Gardens by the Bay, Javier had been busy taking photos to be uploaded to his Instagram story.

As it was getting late, we decided to have our dinner (Tim Sum) at Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant, which is located near the entrance/exit of the Cloud Forest.