Katelyn Tan | A Singapore Beauty, Travel and Lifestyle Blogger

Army Open House 2012

Saturday 26 May 2012

Have you all heard about the Army Open House?
I was one of the lucky few bloggers who were invited to the bloggers preview :)
Do note there are lots of photos below!
Also, at the point of visit, not all the decos were up yet.
BUT it was already not bad looking already!
So if you all are going tomorrow(last day for the public to visit), it will be even nicer!
Also there will be Military Show with pyrotechnics (like fireworks but lower scaled) at night!

Reached the venue! 
As you can see right at the entrance there are lots of military vehicles already!

My Bloggers' Engagement pass :)

Lieutenant-Colonel Anson Lim giving us the briefing!
He's a really nice and friendly guy :)
He saw I was without a cap and even offered me his! 
But I really don't have a habit of wearing a cap :(
And I tied my hair and clipped my fringe up that day. 
So my hair clip would actually come in the way if I wear a cap.
So sorry Sir but thanks alot for the offer, appreciate that! :)

Now, a little intro about the Army Open House 2012!
Branding: AOH@Our City
Theme: Celebrating 45 Years of National Service: From Fathers to Sons
Objectives:
1. Engage the public emotionally so as to energise Commitment to Defence
2. Showcase the 3rd Generation Army capabilities
3. Showcase NS45 (45 Years of National Service)
4. Inspire confidence in the Army 

So what's so special about AOH@Our City?
1. It's the first time AOH is held in the City! In the past in was always in the army camps!
2. NS45 Showcase (past to present)
3. Military Shows with Pyrotechnics (it's super cool)
4. Land & Sea rides (it's a fun and unique experience)

Here's some photos of the main display area!
Army Avenue!
You can even go into these vehicles and aircrafts to take photos!

Parachute performance by the Red Lions!
It starts 15-20mins before the each Dynamic Defence Demonstration!
Usually you can only watch it on tv during NDP (unless you have the tickets to NDP)
But now it's real life parachute demo okay!

The Dynamic Defence Demonstration!
Lots of photos above right?
But photos are never enough! It's still better to watch live! Don't you agree?
And okays I must admit I jumped at the first few "explosions".
So those who are going, please be prepared!
But it's really really a great demo! Must watch!
Can see the abilities of the various military vehicles etc!

Something I learnt:
The NDP helicopter (that one that carries the flag) can actually go very near to the water and allow the NSmen onboard to jump into the water easily! See the 5th and 6th last photos above.

Then all the "performers" came back out on "stage" to conclude the demo!

MANY MANY PARACHUTERS!
Believe me?
Go watch the Dynamic Defence Demonstration to find out what it is ;)

Here are the timeslots for the Military Demos!
(Remember the parachute demo starts 15mins before these timings)

On our way to the next section! The NS45 Showcase!
Okays I believe this photo above is the undeco-ed part!
We were told that not all decos were up yet.

Lots of photos above right?
It's the NS45 Showcase!
And it's follows the "From Fathers To Sons" Theme.

It's actually a showcase of NS past and present!
You can see lots of old NS stuff and the current NS stuff!
Letters, Clothes, Bags, Weapons, etc!
And there are also multimedia showcase of a conversation between the father and son.
They were comparing NS in the past and how much more advanced it is now.

See the last few photos above?
It's a place for you to pledge your support to the army!
And the kids were soooo cute!
They started spamming lols! They made the count went from 1500+ to 2000+!

Back to the outdoor area with the displays.
At the side there are also "Combat Zones"!
One of it is Sharpshooter.
If I'm not wrong, it's actually where you can try out the military guns!
We didn't go there to play though :(
But I played with guns before! At Air Force Family Day.
It was a "game" to use handguns to hit the balloons and my aiming sucks lols! But at least got hit okay!
And for AOH@Our City it's even cooler! It's not handguns.
If I didn't remember wrongly, it's SAR21? Find out and let me know k!

Another of the combat zones!
The adventure tower!
Okays. This was something that I was "complaining" about on twitter before the event.
I'm scared of heights! Done flying fox and abseiling a couple of times already.
But still... Each time I do flying fox/abseiling/any height related stuff, I'm still scared :(
And thank god this time I don't have to try it! 
Else I think I will only disgrace myself by screaming around :(
For those who like such stuffs, it's definitely something to look forward to at AOH! :)

The Sea Ride!
It's really cool! A rare experience!
Okays maybe not for the NSmen.
But for us, people who do not serve NS, it's something we dont get to take normally right?
And you can actually try it out at AOH! :)
Also, they took all the safety precautions possible!
Having a safety video before the ride, and having everyone to wear life jackets before boarding!
Scared of wearing stinky, sweaty life jackets worn by others?
No worries cause they will clean it after every ride! They are really thoughtful right?

The Land Ride!
I only managed to try the Bronco there due to time constraint.
Cause they have a schedule to bring us bloggers through the whole event :(
Those who are going to AOH, remember to try other land rides too! :)

Helmet for safety purposes!
Same thing as the sea rides, we have to watch a safety video before the ride.
And we have to wear a "shower cap" before wearing the helmet for hygiene purposes.
After the ride, the "shower cap" will be thrown away and the helmet will be cleaned with wet wipes :)

Photos taken during the land ride!
Actually nothing much to see in the Bronco :(
But still... it's an experience =P

Feeling hungry and tired halfway through the event?
Canteen Break!
A military themed food court serving local delights and international fare situated at the heart of the open house.  This air-conditioned marquee is able to house up to 800pax!

Brought your kids to the event?
Why not go to the...
Kidz Boot Camp!
Your kids can dress up as a soldier, have fun at the obstacle course and have a try in military-style face painting! :) And there is also a free photo booth there for parents and children to capture memories of their first boot camp!

Lots of AOH@Our City banners around :)
I enjoyed myself at the event!
It's really stuffs that you don't get to see in your everyday life :)
A really good experience (especially if you are not serving NS)!
Also, they are giving out goodie bags at the event ;)
I'm not sure if they have unlimited number of goodie bags of what.
But if you are there, try your luck and see if you can get one?
Lots of cute stuffs inside :) Pins, Tattoo, etc :)

Will look forward to next year's Army Open House! :)

2 comments:

  1. hi hi, glad u enjoy AO2012. Our kids love it too ! (spamming haha)

    cheers,andy
    (SengkangBabies.com)

    ReplyDelete
  2. hellos! glad your kids loved the event too and they are very very cute hahas! hope to see you all around in future events again :)

    ReplyDelete