A sunny day out to Gardens By The Bay!

Updated: Apr 3

With the sun shining brightly and a gentle breeze in the air, the atmosphere was charged with excitement and anticipation. Everyone was looking forward to a team bonding day for the non-teaching staff at Gardens by the Bay - it was a well-deserved day off from the everyday hustle and bustle in the Centres. As everyone gathered at the meeting point, laughter and chatter filled the air as colleagues caught up with each other and shared their excitement for the day ahead. In fact, some staff were so ‘on’ that they arrived over an hour before the meeting time at 9am! Once we had rounded everyone up, we started our leisurely stroll from the MRT station to the Gardens By The Bay conservatories via their outdoor gardens. Most could not help stopping along the way to admire the lush flora and fauna, and of course snap some ‘selfies’ with their surroundings. With some effort, we even managed to get a lovely group picture of 90 over of us at the Indian Garden!

At last, we arrived at the entrance of the Cloud Forest! Splitting into our teams, we committed the day’s activities to God in prayer before going in. Greeted by the iconic waterfall the moment we stepped in, we soon realized that it was just the first of several picturesque spots that we would encounter! Immediately, everyone started to pose for photos that they would later submit for the ‘Most Creative Photo Contest’.

The exhibits and activity stations that were part of the additional Avatar experience added an ethereal and immersive dimension to the journey in the Cloud Forest. A favourite amongst all was the theatre, where there were mesmerizing projections on the screen and floor which were interacted with your movements on the ground. Many of us stood there in wide-eyed wonder as we were transported into another world, enthralled by the creatures, nature and stars and dancing around us.

After such an invigorating morning, we were starving! We headed to the Jurassic Nest Food Court for a fulfilling meal where we could finally rest our legs after a few hours of walking.

We then took the time to do a simple team bonding activity with LEGO bricks. Each person was given a handful of blocks to build a mini structure that they felt best represented them as an individual.

After that, we placed our own creations onto a large plane to create a mini city or town. This activity helped us to understand that we all play our own unique role in the organisation, and together we have a beautiful tapestry of stories that make us one PPS.

Proud of our final products!

The last stop of the day was the Flower Dome, which is home to unusual plants and flowers from all over the world. The highlight was the Sakura display, which showcased landscapes with cherry blossoms and peach blossoms similar to the ones found in Japan. For that few moments, we could pretend that we were on a train in Japan participating in the tradition of hanami, which literally means ‘flower viewing’, often an activity done in the company of family and friends and colleagues. What a treat!

After enjoying the Flower Dome, some continued to explore the massive outdoor gardens and hunted for more locations to get their scenic shots. It was indeed a wonderful day out – we made precious memories and had conversations that we will all treasure for a long time.

Congratulations to the 3 Centres who were the ‘Most Creative’ in the photos they submitted for the contest. Take a look at their photos below:

Pasir Ris 21