Orchard Road X'mas Light-Up Generates Positive and Negative Excitements

ORCHARD ROAD, SINGAPORE -- It was a starry night at Orchard Road after the President officiated at the annual Christmas light-up ceremony at Ngee Ann City's Civic Plaza on Friday night.

And for the first time, the Singapore Tourism Board has brought in a French lighting designer expert, Mr. Louis Lighter, to design the light-up. Mr. Lighter is also the designer of the infamous $1 colorful disposable gas lighter that you can get in any provision shops selling cigarette.

With 35,000,000 special bulbs, costing about $20 each, on strings criss-crossing above Orchard Road, the effect is a constellation of "money" floating above Singapore's most popular shopping street.

"I really don't get it! The authorities are spending some $700 million to light up the Orchard Road to celebrate Christmas, where none of the people here have a Christmas origin! Why don't they channel the money back to the people's CPF?" exclaimed Mr. C.B. Cheong during a speech at the Hong Lim Park.

With trees along Orchard Road also decorated with glittering white ribbons, and lamp-posts with holographic rings on them, it's a cool and shimmering Christmas for shoppers this year. However this cost another $100 millions, not including the designer fee charged by Mr. Louis Lighter. And the amount paid was rumored to be around $5 millions.

However not everyone agree with Mr. C.B. Cheong. "This is great!", said Mr. H.L. Lee "The authorities should spend more on this. Our neighbors are spending billions and billions of dollars on dam, statue and antennae. It is about time that we show them who has the most money! Such decorations are disposable! We can now show them that we have cash to dump!".

On the other hand, retailers on Orchard Road offer a different view on the light-up. "This light up gives us a break from the monotonous." claimed Mr. S Delhi, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Mama Convenience Store at Lucky Plaza. "Since the light up, we have been spending time looking at the lights instead of dusting the shelves. The shoppers are so far and a few since the financial crisis in 1997, life is getting very boring. Although the authorities can help to create some excitement with this light up, maybe they can buy the bulbs from us instead of this French guy. We can give a 20% discount you know?".

The Singapore Tourism Board has brought in a French lighting designer expert, Mr. Louis Lighter, to design the light-up. Mr. Lighter is also the designer of the infamous $1 colorful disposable gas lighter that you can get in any provision shops selling cigarette.