I always joked that during the weekdays, regardless of which day, regardless of weather, I would see my home in the same light – the dim early morning light just before I leave for my work at 6.30am and the dim evening light when I return close to night fall. That, sadly, is also sometimes how our children see us, figuratively and literally (they see us briefly when they wake and before they turn in to bed, sometimes even after). As working parents, our time are consumed by work commitments, leaving only remnants for our loved ones. Which is why when the weekends or public holidays roll along, or when there’s a special occasion where we can make it extra memorable for our family, we will jump at it.
Our magnificent skyline…
On weekends, it’s common to find us at the theatre, playground, pool or park, just to forge happy memories for our children; memories that would strengthen our family bond.
One of those special memories we treasure as a family is chasing fireworks. Specifically, catching National Day Fireworks. Yes, from rehearsals to the actual NDP. Every year since Dana turned 2 (when we felt she was ready to brace the crowd), we would spend our Saturdays evenings leading up to National Day, ‘camping’ at strategic locations around Marina Bay to catch the fireworks without fail.
Tiny Dana and Mommy camping out for a glimpse of the fireworks at the Sands SkyPark, circa Aug 2010.
We would invite our extended family members and close friends to join us, volunteering to ‘chope’ (Singapore lingo for ‘reserve’) strategic spots for them – yes, with generous swaths of sun block, large umbrellas, water, snacks and picnic mats notwithstanding. We were delighted when different family members joined us on different weekends. After all, though Singapore families are generally small, we hardly have time to visit one another so it’s wonderful to catch up at these ‘outings’ where we would do nothing else but to wait and chat. Each year, we would also bring Dana’s Great Grandma along. The evening would turn out extra special with her joyful banter and gentle smiles lighting up our hearts even before the fireworks begin!
One of our fav spots for chasing fireworks – the Esplanade, where we can treat Great Grandma to a nice Chinese meal before camping out at the bayfront.
As dusk approached, we eagerly anticipated (along with the massive crowds) what the evening had to offer. We soaked in the NDP revelry to witness the National Day proceedings with our children, our siblings, our parents and Grandparent. What joy! Chasing fireworks as a family strengthened our shared identity, from the youngest to the oldest, in calling Singapore, ‘Home’.
Resplendent in its full glory…
2014 was the last year the National Day Parade was held at the Floating Platform – a place synonymous with NDP as far as my family is concerned since we’ve started camping around the Marina Bay area for fireworks since 2010. Sadly, 2014 was also the last year we had Great Grandma’s company in ‘chasing’ fireworks. She passed away in February of 2015.
Her last fireworks outing, circa August 2014 outside MBS.
Herein lies the truth behind these precious fireworks moments: they are tough to come by; it takes patience and effort to connect with our loved ones in the midst of our busy-ness. But, just like fireworks, our family lights up our lives in their special ways, leaving imprints no one can replace. These moments that we have with them are as fleeting as the fireworks that lit up the night sky. Don’t wait till it’s too late to make time for those we love; cherish the family moments. #FrisoMoment
Chasing fireworks at the Padang…and we will carry on this family tradition with Buddy!
Friso Experience More Together Photo Contest
Share with us your family’s favourite family outdoor experiences in the ‘Friso Experience More Together’ Photo Contest!
How to Participate
- Go to the Friso Experiences Tab at apps.facebook.com/FrisoExperiences.
- Upload a photo of an outdoor activity your family love doing together, describe what it is and why it’s special to you. You may submit one photo a week.
Bonus: On your personal FB pages, re-post photos your family’s sharing special outdoor moments with the hashtag #FrisoMoment.
Prizes to be Won
For each photo submission, you will receive a Friso Experiences Journal and a Friso Voucher (worth S$5, S$10 or S$20) instantly. Friso will also select and print one photo in 4R size with a Friso frame and mail it to you!
All entries will also stand a chance to win different weekly prizes and the grand prize of a year’s supply of Friso milk powder!
Weekly Prizes:
Week 6 (14 Apr – 19 Apr): 3 x Port of Lost Wonders Party Packages
Week 7 (21 Apr – 30 Apr): 5 x Fujifilm Instax Share Printers
Grand Prize:
A year’s supply of Friso milk. One winner in April will be selected from the top 25 most voted entries for the month. You may vote once per day for each entry.
For more details on this Friso Experience More Together Campaign, please visit Friso’s FB Page.
Mummy Edlyn says
Your photos are amazing! It’s really not easy to take nice photos of fireworks!
Susan says
As a family, we love watching the sky light up with bright burst of fireworks too! And we always tell Sophie how lucky she is to have fireworks on her birthday every year as she’s a National Day baby 🙂