How did you spend your New Year’s Eve this year? Were you: (a) at a party with friends (b) at a pub or restaurant getting ready to toast in the New Year (c) at home in front of the television watching the count down from various parts of the world?

If you have answered yes to any the above, then you would have ushered in the new year in the same way as almost everyone else.

Every year, like most people, I have always spent my New Years Eve either at some restaurant or party with friends. So this year, I decided it was time for a change! If I was in Sydney I would probably be inclined to do a picnic at a prime spot while waiting for the fireworks. But since I am based in Singapore, I decided I wanted to usher in the New Year in a unique unconventional way. At the end of the day, there were endless possibilities depending on one's creativity, but here my top 3 hassle-free choices :-

1. Dine at The Jewel Box
The Jewel Box is an iconic hilltop destination, on top of Singapore's Mount Faber tourist attraction. For Christmas and New Year, there were several activities being organised on The Jewel Box, including The Sky Symphony Countdown, which has to be the highlight of The Jewel Box every year, as it keeps getting better and better! This year, there was a choreographed pyro-display with pyrotechnics emitting from cable cars and climaxing with a jaw-stopping fireworks show set against one the World's Tallest Artificial Christmas trees at The Jewel Box. There was also a Musical Light Show & 'Snow' Show as well as personalities from popular radio station Yes 933 and Class 95 DJs to help bring up the atmosphere.

This sounds like a really happening place to do the Countdown! The only down side is that the location of The Jewel Box is on top of Mount Faber. So you really want to make sure that you have the appropriate transportation arrange to get back down to civilisation post-countdown.

2. Take a DHL Hot Air Balloon Ride
Launched in April 2006, the DHL balloon is the world's largest tethered helium balloon designed in France. For now, it is owned by Singapore's premier tour organiser, DUCKtours. For the regular ride, which last only for 10 minutes, you would be floating on a balcony with nothing under your feet except a bird's eye view of Singapore. Very exhilarating ride, but not for the faint hearted with a height phobia! For the New Year celebration, they have a special countdown balloon ride, where you will take off at around 11.15 pm, giving you ample time to reach the maximum height, hype up a little for the countdown, do the actual countdown and watch the fireworks from 150m (40 stories) above ground, with a maximum of 40 people in the balloon. For a price of around $33 SGD, you will also be given a complementary cup of sparkling juice (trust me, you do not want to be drunk or high at 150m!!) and some party poppers. Pretty cool way to welcome in the new year, watch the fireworks and be one up (pardon the pun!) on the rest !

3. Ride the high waves in the Singapore Duck Tours
The Singapore Duck Tours is the first and only amphibious attraction in Asia. I remembered having taken the ride before in Wisconsin, USA. Over there, it is called the Wisconsin Duck tours. Since this one is in Singapore, therefore it is called the Singapore Duck Tours. The vehicle is an authentic Vietnam war craft that glides on land as well as on sea. So during the regular tour which lasts for an hour, the duck would spend 30 min on sea and 30 minutes on land. Commentary would be provided by the trained Ducktainers onboard. As part of the New Year special, a special tour will take place at 11:00pm, where you would be ferried straight to the middle of the marina bay where the fireworks are being set-off. The ducks would dock while you sit back and enjoy the fireworks being lit from directly above you against the beautiful backdrop of the CBD Shenton Way area. For a price of around $33 SGD, you will also be given a complementary cup of sparkling juice (trust me, you do not want to be drunk in the middle of the high seas as well!) and some party poppers as well.

Any guesses as to which one I opted for in the end?? Yup, I decided to go with option 3, the Singapore Duck Tours. Since I planned this out way in advance, I was able to take advantage of the early bird special as well, which gives me 30% off the regular price of the ticket. Being able to see the actual fireworks from right over my head in the middle of the waters was just too tempting an opportunity to pass over.

In the end, the experience was an unforgettable one and I managed to take some fireworks pictures to the best of my ability, (hey, it was not easy, ok? not being able to use a tripod on the boat and with all the intense rocking!), to share with everyone.

If you happen to be around Singapore, you might want to consider trying one the recommended attractions mentioned above. It does not have to be during New Year, as they have regular daily trips and attractions as well. But just in case, you might want to check if they have anything special planned for any upcoming events anyway! You might never know!!

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