My childhood days
were spent in a village at the foothills of Mount Faber. There was only one TV
in the whole village, and nobody watched TV. We spent our days
either swimming in a canal, climbing fruit trees
to gather rambutans, or catching spiders. I think that's where I first developed
my love for the outdoors. Jewel, for me, is like
travelling back to my childhood. I get to do the things that I did
as a young boy playing outdoors, looking after plants
and looking for insects, looking after the nature
that’s in Jewel. Today, I have the entire outdoors
in an indoor setting. That is really very fulfilling. In the wee hours at night, we still have
concierge teams roaming around. What happens at night is that
we’d look out for arrival guests, guests who are lost,
who need our help. We also look out for guests
who are sleeping. Yes, we need to check on them
from time to time, so that they do not
miss their respective flights. Excuse me. The guests in the day time
are much more active. They have a lot more questions
and enquiries, as compared to the guests at night
who are much more sleepy. Usually, they won't ask so many
questions at that time of the night. After hours, when our
concierge counter is closed, if we find a lost item, we'll hand it over to our Jewel operations
manager, who will file a 'found' report. Mostly, we'd find gadgets
like laptops, iPads, and in particular, cell phones. When I was at Level 2 North,
I found a wallet. There was around $700
inside the wallet, and the guest was very happy
that I found the wallet. People think that Jewel
is very quiet at night. And yes, we do have
fewer crowds in the evening. But in the wee hours, there's actually
a lot of activities that are still going on. For example, the maintenance team is still
servicing and cleaning our Rain Vortex and other attractions in Jewel. There’s also the landscaping team who is working on
our landscaping features. For us, Jewel actually
comes alive after 10pm because the work that we have to do,
taking care of the plants, has to happen after visitors
have left the garden. It's almost as if the garden
is alive 24 hours. When everybody else is asleep, we come to life
and start maintaining the plants, making sure everything is good
for the next day. We break into small teams. A group of people does the pruning, some people handle
the insect spraying, and some handle the plant washing. Spray it evenly, make sure all parts of
the fern column get the water. We don’t want excessive water
on one side. Spread it out evenly. To date, Jewel has been receiving,
on average, 250,000 to 300,000 daily visitors. That number continues to grow. If you look through your Instagram Stories,
Facebook feed, social media, you’ll definitely see our hero shots, our Shiseido Forest Valley
and our HSBC Rain Vortex. These are the two attractions
that people will definitely come for. The HSBC Rain Vortex
light-and-sound show will be starting soon. Before every light-and-sound show, we will do what we call
the pre-show checks. This is to make sure
all the equipment and systems that are supposed to be running
are functioning correctly. What we do is make sure the pump
is running within the normal range. This is to ensure that there is
sufficient water flow to the acrylic skin. This is our main water tank. This is where
all the water collects. So from Basement 3, the water will
be pumped all the way up to Level 5. Many people may not know this, but the waterfall water itself
is actually treated, so it’s very clean. People come from all over Singapore,
and even from foreign countries, to view this unique and iconic feature
that Jewel has to offer. We have to deliver at our end, to make sure that the guests get to enjoy
the full light-and-sound show. Before the show, the team and I will go down to the site to do the pre-show checks. Are the projectors turned on? We make sure that
all the speakers are turned on too. We make sure all the pumps
are in working condition. Sometimes, the WiFi connection has
a glitch, so we have to manage that. We have to find
the proper connection. This iPad controls the Rain Vortex
and the things that go with it, like the fog, the lights, and all that. When I was handed the iPad,
it stayed with me at all times. Wherever I went, whatever I did,
it was always by my side. It’s more important
than my mobile phone. This iPad really is
my precious baby. The Rain Vortex system was created
by an American consultancy, WET Design. In the beginning, the American
consultant was the only one who could hold this iPad
and operate it. So Alex and I had to work with them. We had to gain their trust over
the course of two to three months before they actually allowed us
to touch the iPad and control the
Rain Vortex operations. The first day we held this iPad… I still remember the day,
it was 13 April. Alex and I, along with the consultant
from WET, were walking on Level 5, and the consultant felt the urge
to go to the toilet, for some reason. That was when he handed over
the iPad to us, an unofficial handover. When he passed us the iPad,
both of us felt very excited and we ended up taking a selfie. Yes, everything looks fine. The light-and-sound show
will run as scheduled. During the show,
two teams will be deployed. One will be at the Forest Valley,
observing the show. The other team will be down below, making sure the servers
and systems stay online and are not faulty. People think of the Rain Vortex
as just a waterfall, but actually, there are
many more elements to it, such as the lighting,
the background music, the speakers as well as projectors. These are things which the public
won’t normally notice, but to our trained eyes,
this is what we look out for. If everything goes well and runs smoothly,
we can go home and sleep easy, knowing that we have
done our jobs properly. When I first joined,
Jewel was still under construction. There wasn't any waterfall, so it didn't really impress me
at that point in time. But once they started to do
the testing and commissioning, when they started
to run the water feature, that was when it really struck me,
and I thought, “This is magnificent!” For me, Jewel during the day
is all about running the operations. But at night, I get this feeling
of serenity and calmness because of its ambience. At night, it’s much more peaceful. You really get to enjoy
the tranquillity of this place because it's designed
to be like a forested area. We really get to be one with nature. Much of the work starts
when it’s close to midnight. I want you to trim those
that are slightly out of shape. It’s time for the olive tree
to be given a nice haircut. One of the things that really
left an impression on us was the planting of the olive trees. That whole night, it took us six hours
just to plant two trees because we didn't want any of the limbs
or branches of the trees to break. And then, hauling them up
from Level 1 to Level 5 was a very slow and painful process. It was a painful task. It took us a long time
because we wanted to get it right, down to the smallest details like
positioning the trees in such a way that gives people the best angle
for viewing them. Here in Jewel, we have around
2,200 trees and palms, 100,000 shrubs from
around 120 different species. To source for the plants, we went
as far as Australia, Florida, Spain, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. We’ve some interesting ficus plants
called “Ficus snake form”. We got them from China. We were travelling from
one nursery to another, and along the way,
we saw these beautiful plants. It was never in the planting plan,
so we thought we'd just get them first, and later, we would decide
where they fit in the garden. It turned out very well, and they
fit beautifully in the Canopy Park. We are now inside
the water skin of the Rain Vortex. This is a view of Jewel
that not many people get to see. As with all water features, people tend to make their 'wishing well'
wishes and throw coins into the fountain. Whenever we find coins, we will just
put them aside for safekeeping. You need to be here at night
to experience this. It’s very peaceful. You really have time to observe
the Rain Vortex in its true beauty. There’s no one obstructing the view,
so you really get to see how the Rain Vortex
is such a complex system, and yet, it is so beautiful. As Experience Rangers,
we manage the day-to-day operations of all the attractions
here on Level 5. After the park closes, we will do a
thorough check on all of the attractions, such as the Mirror Maze. We have to check and make sure
that there are no cracks in the mirrors, the area is clean, and the lights and sound effects
are all working. We just want to make sure that
it's good for the next day’s operations. We’ll also do a thorough check
of the Hedge Maze. We check for overgrown plants that may be jutting too far out
into the pathway. If there are any, we’ll need to notify
the landscape team to trim them. We have the walking nets here. We will check all the ropes, make sure there are
no sharp wires sticking out, and make sure all the
metal components are in place. My first experience on the nets
was pretty scary. The moment I reached the peak and
looked down, it caused me to freeze up. Luckily, I had a friend with me
who guided me through it. I wouldn't have made it to the end,
if it was not for him. Most guests seem
very confident at the start. But the moment they start to look down,
and this is five storeys high, many would just stand still
and refuse to go down. The Experience Rangers here
are actually quite used to it, so they will offer them
a helping hand. I once encountered a lady who,
right from the start, was crawling because she was too scared. So I went over to her
and as we got closer to the end, I saw a guy filming us. She said, “That's my husband!
He left me on my own here.” Her husband was also
too scared to help her, so luckily, I was there for her. When I was a kid, I liked to
spend my time at the playground because that's where
all the neighbourhood kids were. That was our hangout spot. My childhood playground had a net, so in a way, I get to relive
some of my memories here. Working here at a giant playground
makes me feel like a kid again because I get to play
without people judging me, without anyone asking,
“What's a grown-up doing at a playground?” We check the safety of the slides but at the same time, it's also an excuse
to enjoy ourselves a little. After the park closes,
when it's much quieter, sometimes, I will just spend a few minutes
watching the planes take off and land, which, I think, is a pretty nice way
to end the day. The difference between
day and night flights is that we are a little busier
on day flights and we get to interact
with more passengers, while night flights are a little quieter
and more tranquil. I am a very active person
and I like freedom. As an air stewardess, flying allows me to be at
different places at different times, and on top of that,
I get to interact with a lot of people across different cultures. One time, my colleagues and I
were on board the Skytrain. When the Skytrain went through
the Forest Valley in Jewel, we came across the Rain Vortex. Some travellers in the Skytrain
asked us what that was, and as it was also our first time seeing it,
we were all in awe too. We burst out laughing because
our reaction time was so slow. It took us around
three or five seconds before we turned around
to answer the travellers and tell them what it was
that we just saw. After long periods of travelling,
flying for over 10 hours, when we see the lights
of Singapore and the airport, it feels really good
to be back home. When the captain announces
for us to prepare for arrival, it means coming back home
to our loved ones, and getting to enjoy
our own local delights. Having travelled so often, I’ve come to appreciate the simple things
that we have in Singapore. I remember that when I was young, the Marina Square area was mostly sea,
but now, look at the skyline. When you see it, you'd think,
"Singapore has really evolved and changed over the years." I think that at the heart of it, that's what Singapore
is really known for. We reinvented
what a garden should be. With Jewel, we reinvented
what an airport could be. The travel and tourism landscape
continues to evolve. Travellers are becoming
increasingly discerning. They know what they want. They go out, look for, and discover
all these hidden gems, to really get to know
the destination. And there's always something new
to love and discover about Singapore. Singapore by day
and Singapore by night. Sometimes, it’s two completely
different destinations. Beyond your bars and clubs at night, it's also a great place
for families at night. There was the
Singapore Night Festival. At Little India, there was
the Little India Art Walk. From day to night time, you'll definitely find something
that you love to do here in Singapore. When we started planning Jewel, we were very clear that we wanted it
to be a tourism product. We wanted to put it
on the global map. We wanted it to be a place where... If you're a tourist from afar, you'd want to come to Singapore
because you've heard of this place. And I think we're really overwhelmed
by the positive response. We never expected to have
so many followers on Instagram, although social media
is the thing of today. People always ask me,
“So, you should have a lot of pictures?” And the irony is,
if you look through my phone, when I do have pictures,
they're along the lines of... “Look, this thing is crooked,”
or “Why is the tree leaning?” It’s all about what we need to fix. So I end up having
not-so-nice pictures of Jewel. Now that Jewel is complete,
and I have less troubleshooting to do, there are more opportunities
to take better pictures. I saw all the social media pictures
of Jewel before I went, so I have to say that
my expectations were pretty high when I first went to Jewel. And yet, upon seeing it up close, seeing it for myself
with my own eyes, I was still very impressed. Singapore has always prided itself
on being a garden city. Jewel is sort of like
the climax of that. We want visitors
coming into Singapore and leaving Singapore
to have this image, that they have stepped
into a garden city. The question I get asked most often is,
“Are the plants real?” I think it’s because
people are so surprised. They’re wondering, “How did they
manage to get so much greenery into an indoor environment?” This reminds me of my childhood days
when I’d catch spiders, just for the fun of it. But actually,
I am now looking for pests. You can see some mealybugs which is quite common
on indoor plantings. When the team of architects
first presented the idea for Jewel, and they showed us these beautiful
renderings of the landscape and all, I thought to myself,
“Either these guys are joking or everybody here is crazy.” To be very frank,
I thought it was near impossible because the biggest challenge
for growing plants indoor has always been light. We need to get
the light levels correct. The key to that was choosing
the correct glass type, a glass that allows maximum light in but cuts out the radiant heat. The Jewel glass facade
is very interesting. It comprises more than 9,000
different glass panels and each of them is of
different dimensions. So each panel is special.
It has three glass layers. It keeps the heat out,
lets the sunlight in, and allows the plants to thrive. Cleaning such a
complex glass structure requires a lot coordination
with different parties. More importantly, the people cleaning this
have to do it quadrant by quadrant, and work their way downwards. Currently, our projects team is
doing the internal facade cleaning. As you can see, there're many glass panels
and they have to clean it one by one. It gets quite tedious. It has to be done on a regular basis
in order to keep the place shiny. A lot of the cleaning
has to be done at night because that's when
the crowd level comes down. That includes the cleaning
of periodic works, such as high dusting, cleaning those light fittings
that cannot be tackled during the day. You also have escalator cleaning, and of course,
let’s not forget toilet cleaning. We have to do a thorough
cleaning of all the toilets. The attractions that are interesting
to clean are the Mirror Maze, the Canopy Bridge,
as well as the Sky Nets. The one that's challenging is the Sky Nets
because there are three layers of nets. It’s a challenge to retrieve the items
or the dried leaves caught in between the nets. The Mirror Maze can
only be cleaned at night, when the lighting is low
and the park is closed. At times, you might walk into a mirror. Now, I am cleaning the Mirror Maze, and getting rid of finger marks. When I first started cleaning
the Mirror Maze, I lost track of the way out as I was trying to spot and clean
every single finger mark. After three days, once I overcame
the challenges of the place, it no longer posed a problem for me. Our central kitchen starts
really early in the morning. We start at 2am,
before anyone is up. We make all our kueh,
each one is individually handmade. They are handcrafted into
these tiny little delicacies. We have to make sure that whatever
we make is real and authentic, and that's why we still
want to do it by hand. Our ondeh ondeh
is still done by hand, our kueh dadar is still
individually hand-rolled, our kueh lapis is still hand-layered, layer by layer. That's why we start at 2am. It's to make sure that
the best and freshest products go out to our outlets
all over Singapore. Our first trip out of the
central kitchen is at about 8am, and then throughout the day,
we continue to make the kuehs, and as the kuehs are done,
they get sent out island-wide, from Jurong all the way to Changi,
and of course, that includes Jewel. Our store at Jewel
is our flagship store. We try to make it a little different by using elements of
Peranakan floral motifs. We’ve also used batik
because that's part of our heritage. About one and a half to two hours. We also have a
demonstration counter. At this counter, you can see how
our kueh lapis is made, layer by layer, one layer at a time. That’s something that's a bit unique. Keep compressing it down, be sure to make it even,
so that it is flat. Yes, it takes a lot of time. When Bengawan Solo started in 1979,
40 years ago, we already have
our pandan chiffon. We’d get tourists from China,
Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even Japan. They’d come here and would want
to get something that's truly local, so they’d get a pandan chiffon cake. Travellers who come to our Jewel store
to buy something from us… What we sell at our store here
is exactly what you’ll find at our stores in Ang Mo Kio
or Toa Payoh. It’s really what Singaporeans and locals
have been eating for generations. Food is an enormous part
of Singapore's culture, partly because we're immigrants. In those days, when people migrated,
it was due to hunger, famine, or floods. And to be able to eat well
was a sign of success. Everyone in Singapore
is a connoisseur. I think you'll experience this
even when you ride a taxi. The taxi driver is equally a gourmet and can tell you exactly
how this fish is steamed. I think that's amazing to many people
from around the world. I think that for Singaporeans,
food is actually the ties that bind. We have a photo wall that showcases
our history and food culture. Along this section,
which is very interesting, we have the chefs who are known as the “Four Heavenly
Kings of Singapore food”. They came together
to create yu sheng, which is our famous
Singaporean raw fish dish for Chinese New Year celebrations. And here is my aunt, my Mak Koh, teaching you how to pound
while wearing a sarong kebaya, doing it in a very elegant way. In the old days,
a potential mother-in-law will visit the homes of girls
of marriageable age in the mornings, and listen to the pounding, to determine if the girl can cook. If she cannot pound,
it means she cannot cook, and therefore,
is unsuitable for my son. We do feel a sense of pride
in being at Jewel. It is so important
because this is the airport, which is a gateway
for people to visit us. We want to offer a taste
of some local Malay dishes, so we have satay, and we have fish curry,
which originates from Little India. We are actually presenting
the whole of Asia on the table. -Bon appétit.
-Thank you. As a Singaporean,
personally, I feel very proud that almost half of the brands here
are Singapore brands. As Changi Airport and Jewel
is such an international location, this is a good place to
showcase these brands. “Singapore meets the world
and the world meets Singapore” is a tagline that we've
always had for Jewel. One of the things that will really
strike you, when you enter Jewel, is the lush greenery
and the sound of the waterfall, as the water flows down
from the Vortex. You see all this glass? The glass panels allow
the natural light in during the day, so we don’t have to make use
of additional energy to power the lighting
within the dome. Obviously, we look at things
from the perspective of users. We think of what they
would like to feel and see when they come to
such a beautiful place. If you walk around,
you will see some robots that are located strategically
around the mall. They serve you water and sweets. To us, they also serve as
mini attractions. I am Peter. Every day, I patrol
the drop-off point at Jewel. Whenever I spot immobile
automobiles or loitering lorries, my job is to get them to move on. No obstructing traffic on my watch. My name is Yoji. If guests need a thirst quencher
while staying at YOTELAIR, just give me a ring
and I will come rolling along. Room service?
More like robot service. Welcome to Jewel. Please select the 'stop' button
for a complimentary drink. And when anyone needs a cool-down
or a pick-me-up at the Canopy Park, just stop me for some water
and candy. With our robots,
the minute they appear, you will see people taking photos
and just crowding around them. To us, they are little stars. We do have a unique feature at Jewel, which is that our concierge team
will actually perform. We have a colleague, Arvin,
who is a magician. During our training, he told us that he loves to
perform magic tricks as a hobby. So we encouraged him
to showcase his talent on site. I just want you to say “Stop”.
Whenever you want, just say “Stop”. -Stop!
-Stop. Look at your card. Don’t show it to me,
you can show it to your mum. Put it inside. -Okay, Mum, you can keep this.
-Okay, Mummy will keep this. I need your palm. I'm going
to take a picture of your hands. This fellow is going to
pick out your card. Okay? -Okay.
-I will put this in. Look at this. -Oh my god!
-Was this your card? This was your card, right? Yes. I've been practising magic tricks
since I was a teenager. I started practising
when I was 12 or 13 years old. I watched a lot of David Blaine shows,
street magic tricks and all that, so I became interested. When I come to work, I am so happy
that I also get to do card tricks. Every day, I get to do this,
so it’s not really a job. It’s a very good feeling to delight guests
while doing magic card tricks, and in turn,
I feel twice as delighted. I want you to pick any card. You don't have to show it to me.
Show it to them. I usually practise
whenever I'm free, such as during my breaks
and after office hours. Whenever I can find the time,
I will practise. To able to work and also indulge
in my hobby, that's a great thing. I will never stop doing this. It wouldn’t be there
because it is in my pocket. Oh my god, good job! This is a photo of my baby. This was taken during
our preview for the public. I guess my baby was so amazed
by the lights that were on display that he opened his mouth and kept staring at the lights
for a good one minute. When I saw him open his mouth
like that, I felt proud. I think I will keep showing him
this photo as he grows up, to make sure he remembers it. When I first started
my job at Jewel, my son was newly born,
he was just 10 days old. I was also doing my
part-time studies at the university. So a typical day for me would be
to arrive at work at 8:30am, and my day would end
around 12 midnight to 1am. Basically, that was the most tiring
and painful time. It was hard at first. It was difficult being a first-time mum,
and also, this is our first baby. So, not having him around at home
was kind of tough. My wife, being a supportive wife, made a compromise
and actually came over to the airport to have dinner with me, so that we could at least spend some time
together in the course of the day. That was how I managed to balance
my work with my family time. But at the end of the day,
I felt that it was a good opportunity, and I was very happy
that I was able to work through it. I think the unsung heroes
in delivering this project have to be all the loved ones
of the people in our team, the people around us who had to
pick up the slack at home and really see us through
the ups and downs. Those are the true unsung heroes. We refresh the garden every quarter, and the theme for this round
is “Autumn”. So we will switch out the orchids
in one of the orchid trees to fit in with the colours
of the new season. We will change this first,
it will take about three to four hours. Later, we will try to change this. Otherwise, we will tackle this tomorrow. In the weeks leading up
to the opening, there were days when we
had to work till 2am or 3am, as we had to make sure that
everything was done correctly. I have a young daughter,
under two years old. As I have to work nights at times, by the time I reach home,
she will be fast asleep. So during the day, I will make sure
that before I go to work, I get to spend some time with her. At least, I still get
to see her every day. Luckily for me, I have very good
support from my family. My mum is the main care-giver. This allows me to
stay focused at work, knowing my daughter
is in good hands. On a daily basis, I will walk around
and check on all the trees. One of the trees that we have
been monitoring is this tree. We have observed some browning
on the tips of the leaves, so hopefully, it will recover soon. After we finished the O-level exams
and received our results, my secondary school teacher,
who was very nice, sat a few of us down. He told me that the landscaping industry
would be a good fit for me. I was always very involved in sports and did a lot of outdoor activities. I was not a quiet sort of girl, so he felt that this would suit me. I guess I was a good girl. I listened to his advice
and applied for the course, did my diploma, did my degree, and here I am, doing what I enjoy. Right now, we are preparing
for Jewel's grand opening which is happening
in two days’ time. We are expecting
close to 700 guests to join us. Logistically, it has been
quite a challenge because it’s the first time
we are hosting an event within the Shiseido Forest Valley. Right now, we are on stage, and this where our launch
mechanism is going to be. Our guest of honour,
the Prime Minister, and our VIPs will be pressing a button
during the ceremony. Jewel opened six months ago. But with a press of this button, it will
mark the official opening of Jewel. One of the key highlights planned
for the official opening ceremony is that we’ll try and surprise the guests by introducing a new
light-and-sound show. It will revolve around a song that was
written specially for this new show, and for the HSBC Rain Vortex. Dick Lee approached me
and shared with me his ideas, his plan for the song that we'll write together. I have always been waiting
for the right time and the opportunity to do
something in Singapore, for Singapore to connect
with the world, connecting different cultures and people. I was very much
looking forward to it. We thought of the image
of the Vortex and how it would come together
with the light show. We wanted to write a song
that could be epic but at the same time, very intimate. We will be unveiling
a new light-and-sound show for Jewel’s opening ceremony. We are doing the final fine-tuning. I can’t tell you about it now because
it's a secret and surprise for everyone. On the day itself, I will be the one who's responsible
for launching the show. It's a lot of pressure. We opened Jewel
to the public in April. Then we had the second phase
of the Canopy Park opening in June. And now, we have the official
opening ceremony in October. It's a ceremonious occasion. It is, in essence, a celebration
of what everyone has achieved. Jewel’s official opening, to me, is like the opening in April
all over again. The preview period
was definitely challenging. We all worked around the clock. We had to stay at YOTELAIR just so
we could catch some sleep in between. During the preview week, we saw an estimated 600,000 visitors
over seven days. Imagine having 100,000 people come to the mall on a daily basis. It’s intense. The bins would be filled up
every 15 minutes, and our crew had to, literally,
run around with bin liners and get the bins emptied
as quickly as possible before they overflowed. The first few days after
Jewel’s opening were really hectic. There were long queues at
many of the shops and restaurants. Likewise, during
the light-and-sound show, there were big crowds
around the Rain Vortex. Many of the travellers
shared with me that they had flown to Singapore
just to see the opening of Jewel. At the very first light-and-sound show
for the public, this was where
we were watching it from. I still can’t forget that day. I was standing on Level 5 with Alex. We were watching
the show from there. Before the day of the preview, we were still fine-tuning
the light-and-sound show. The first show at 7:30pm... was the first perfect show
that we ever got. Both of us were very nervous, and both of us were praying that the first show for the public
would go smoothly. The Forest Valley was
really packed with people. In the end, everything
went according to plan. After the show ended, people actually
gave us a round of applause. I think it took us by surprise, but at the same time, it gave us
a great sense of satisfaction. Set-up will continue through the night
and into tomorrow. We will be having rehearsals,
and after that, it's showtime. Today is the official opening of Jewel,
and as you can see, we’ve already closed off the entire
Forest Valley in preparation for it. Ladies and gentlemen,
please put your hands together and warmly welcome our
guest of honour this evening, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
and Mrs Lee. Jewel has become one of the... instantly recognisable icons of Singapore. Every facet of it is brilliant. Singaporeans are proud of Jewel
and rightly so. It resonates with us because it reminds us that when we
dream big and apply ourselves, nothing is impossible. Ladies and gentlemen,
for this historic countdown, may I invite you to join me, please. One, two, three! Who would have imagined that when we decided to shift our airport
from Paya Lebar to Changi, that one day, we would make it
the best airport in the world. May Jewel long continue to sparkle and bring joy to Singaporeans
and visitors alike. I've been hearing comments from
my friends from other countries. They'd say, "I hear there's going to be
this place in Singapore called 'Jewel'." When I saw it for myself,
I was very excited because I felt that
this is going to be a place that the whole world
will want to visit, just to experience it. I think what's great about Jewel is that... it's also our airport. To me, I feel that
it checks plenty of boxes, in terms of what Singapore represents
and what Singapore stands for. It's really enjoyed,
not just by visitors, but also very much
by Singaporeans themselves. I want to say that
no other country’s citizens feel the same way about their airports
as Singaporeans do. We've always set out
for Jewel to be a place where people can build
fond memories. Jewel’s officially open! Cheers! I think the team that was
involved in Jewel’s opening was definitely passionate
and committed. The fact that today, it has become
an icon that's symbolic of Singapore makes us all very proud. It’s a wrap! This is a picture of my parents. These are my mum, my dad,
and my husband, who visited me when
the Canopy Park first opened. One of the memorable things
that I want to share is this moment when my parents
came over to me and said, “I don't remember
what you look like anymore. The only time I can see you is when
I literally come to Changi Airport and meet you for dinner.” But after they came over
and saw the opening, I think they were filled with pride. They then understood why I was putting
so much time and effort into this. I was spending
a lot of time at work, including many late nights
in the Rain Vortex, working with the
American consultant. My mum actually felt that I was
spending much less time with her. When my mum first came to Jewel
and saw the Rain Vortex, she finally understood
what her son was working on, and she was proud of her son. That is me. When we first opened Jewel, friends whom I’ve lost contact with
for the last 15, 20 years suddenly found me and said, “I saw your work at Jewel and
I think it's fantastic.” That was nice. Jewel helped me
to get back in touch with friends whom I’ve lost contact with
for the last 15, 20 years. There's a gynaecologist
whom I see from time to time. Every time I see her, she will say, “You know, I am so proud of you. I'm going to tell my other patients that I know the girl who does
the landscaping in Jewel.” I think she is really
very proud of me. One of the comments
that I remember vividly was about feeling very proud
to be Singaporean, that Jewel has become
an icon to the world, and that the team behind Jewel
did a good job. Seeing comments like that
makes me feel that... all the late nights at Jewel
are worth it. The official opening ceremony
definitely feels like one milestone, like it marks the end of
all the openings that we've had. But it also feels like
the next chapter. It's time to decide on the attractions
that we want to refresh. It's time to plan
the first Christmas, and before long,
the first anniversary. It's just the first chapter
of the book. The consultants and architects
have done their part to help us realise this dream, and now, it is up to the team and me
to carry the baby forward. It is not going to be easy. It's going to be very challenging.
We look forward to it. Every day is going to be
a different day.
