Meeting Cooper

In this cyber age, meeting new friends online is easy, but all the fun is in seeing them in person, or persons. Last month, my teddy bears and I got to meet Kay and Brian Cooper from Australia! Kay is the bear artist behind Cooper Bears. Thanks to Esther (the artist who creates all the lovely Esther Bears), we ~ Esther, Paula (a porcelain doll teacher whom I will introduce in another post) and I ~ met Kay and Brian for coffee in town. Of course our teddy bears had to come along too! Bucket, their famous travelling bear, came to coffee, and all the bears chatted excitedly among themselves.

Sugar with our coffee?

After coffee, the group adjourned to Gardens by the Bay. As we went through the entrance to the gardens, in the distance, there was the cluster of Supertrees. We gasped at the magnificent 16-storey-high structures that juxtaposed the varieties of trees and shrubs. According to the official website of Gardens, 11 of the 12 Supertrees have been embedded with environmentally sustainable photovoltaic cells to harvest solar energy.

Not to be missed is the OCBC Skyway, a 128-metre-long walkway at a height of 22-metres that connects two Supertrees at the Supertree Grove. Although the walkway was a steel bridge, it felt a little wobbly, especially with a bunch of us strolling on it.

From left: Esther, Kay, Brian, Marcia and me

 We managed to cover a small area of the gardens, and are impressed.

Marina Bay Sands is just opposite the Gardens.

The joyful koi in the gardens

'Planet' by Marc Quinn (b. 1964) is a sculpture that depicts the sculptor's son, Lucas.

As night fell, we headed for a scrumptious meal at Satay by the Bay, a hawker-style eatery that featured local cuisine. The spread was totally mouthwatering.

From left: Marcia, Esther, Kay, Brian and Paula.

On our way out after dinner, we were treated to a light display that lit up the gardens. You must see them for yourselves! It's magical.


Does this not remind you of the neon forests in 'Avatar'?