KeropokMan's - Singapore Daily Photo

Bayfront MRT opens...

2012-01-16T17:22:00.000+08:00

Another new train station opens!

The Bayfront MRT Station opened over the weekend. It's part of the Circle Line. Or rather the incomplete Circle Line which you need to change trains two times if you want to go a full circle. ;-)

I took it today and found it super convenient for those who wants to go to Marina Bay Sands!
You literally walk out to the basement of the Hotel side.

Looking at the photo, I like the lamp posts!
Kind of artistic isn't it?

KTM Tracks....

2012-01-05T23:45:00.000+08:00

This was taken this morning...

The news reported few days ago that the tracks clearing has completed and the tracks have been returned to Malaysia.

Looks like the mostly instant grass that has been moved here has grown for some time and it has already been mowed.

Did they dig up all the rocks and moved them to Malaysia too? I wonder...

Please be patient...

2011-12-30T16:08:00.000+08:00

Seen at Marina Bay on 30 Dec 2011.
The next day there's gonna be the countdown to 2012 here.

Taken with the iPhone4S, posted earlier on Instagram.

Last day of Logos Hope docking at VivoCity, Singapore

2011-12-29T12:41:00.000+08:00

I remember when I was young, dad will bring us up MV Doulos where we will pester him to get us books. The Doulos has since retired and the sister ship, Logos Hope is the only floating bookshop left sailing around the world.

Today's the last day that Logos Hope's bookshop will be open to public. It's open till 10 PM tonight if you want to visit the ship. Entrance is free. A few days later, the ship will sail to Cebu, the Philippines.

I went up the ship last night and bought a book.

I did not take many photos, if you want to know more about this ship and the ministry of bringing books around the world, visit: http://www.gbaships.org/

Gloomy Skies in Singapore

2011-12-28T16:22:00.000+08:00

Although there is no 'winter' in Singapore, there's the monsoon season.
Rains have been pouring and Singapore joins the rest of the world in getting floods.

Looks like man made structures can't defeat what nature intends to do.
If nature wants to pour rain down, even Orchard Road floods.

This was taken earlier today when I was going for lunch.
It looks like it's winter in Singapore. Trees with not much leaves, skies so gloomy, it looks like London a colleague said.

Let's hope for better weather soon!

Blessed Christmas Day!

2011-12-25T16:30:00.002+08:00

Wishing all a very Blessed Christmas Day!

The church service I attended at 7:30am on Christmas morning.

It was a combined service, where 3 services that usually meet at 7:30am, 9:30am and 11:30am meet together at 7:30am. If you live in the Bukit Timah area and you are looking for a spiritual home, visit www.glorypresbyterian.net

LV

2011-12-14T14:15:00.000+08:00

Different people see different things.

What do you see here?
I was just looking at this glass building, and I thought to myself, it's a huge jigsaw puzzle!
Look at the sizes of the glass panels, it seems almost every piece is of a different shape and size.

Must be a nightmare fixing them up!

Or maybe it's just optical illusion.
Most of it are of the same size and shape but the eye is tricking you into thinking otherwise.

Glass buildings are attractive don't you think?

Flyer, Supertrees and the Flower Dome

2011-11-22T01:05:00.019+08:00

Too bad it was a gloomy day, it was raining and I was out.

We were crossing the DragonFly Bridge that links Gardens by the Bay to Marina Bay Sands and saw this. The Singapore Flyer, 3 of the many Supertrees and the Flower Dome.

Probably the most interesting place that I saw over the weekend was the Flower Dome.
My brother told me that the Flower Dome and the one next to it have the world's longest span single length braces.

I think there should be some National Geographic or Discovery Channel show about how it was built probably? Can't wait to watch it if there is one.

Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay

2011-11-21T01:01:00.001+08:00

Was at the last day of the preview of Gardens by the Bay and it was awesome!

Yes, there were insane crowds. Did not know that there are so many nature lovers in Singapore. Everyone's going to the Gardens!

These are the SuperTrees at Gardens by the Bay.
They are 25-50 metres tall, which is like 9-16 storeys tall.

Beautiful isn't it?
Google / Yahoo / Bing around the net to find out more about them.

GovCampSG - The Power of Social Media in Government 2.0

2011-11-15T15:55:00.002+08:00

Have you heard of BarCamp?

It's like a conference that is not really what a traditional conference is. It's a conference that participants provide the content, asking questions and everyone providing possible solutions or maybe more fodder for thought. Technology being the enabler.

GovCamp is BarCamp with a focus on how Government and Citizens can work together to improve our lives with technology as the enabler. GovCamp Singapore to be held on 18 Nov 2011 is where the people in Singapore will discuss what is "Government 2.0"

More information provided by the organisers of GovCampSG:

The event will see citizens; government officers, businesses, bloggers and online communities come together in a dialogue on "the future of Government". Grass-root events like this one, are crucial in our growth as a nation.

Why?

Conversations taking place online today, show that Singaporeans today expect a higher degree of engagement from the government than ever before. They also expect to play active roles as citizens - in developing policies and citizen services. GovCamp Singapore brings citizens, corporations and the government together in open dialogue on how to make Singapore a better country, and a better place to live in.

The upcoming GovCampSG bears the theme "Connecting People, Data and Ideas." We will focus on two key subjects: Engagement and Open Data - how governments should engage citizens through social media; and how data should be made available and harnessed for the greater good of the country.

Sponsored and organised by Microsoft Singapore with the support of IDA Singapore and NUS, the following people have been invited to participate as well.

Jane Fountain (Keynote Speaker), Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, Director, National Center for Digital Government, Director, Science, Technology, and Society Initiative. University of Massachusetts Amherst
James Kang (Keynote Speaker), Assistant Chief Executive Government Chief Information Office Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
Rodrigo Becerra Mizuno, Managing Director of the Government Industry in Worldwide Public Sector for Microsoft
Prof Ashish Lall, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore
Prof Pallab Saha, The Institute of Systems Science, National University of Singapore
Local bloggers who are deeply passionate about Gov 2.0 issues will also play an active role in hosting conversations.
Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister-of-State for Information, Communications and the Arts will be Guest of Honour at the Event.

It's a FREE event and here are the details.

Date: Friday, 18th November 2011
Time: 3pm to 10pm (Breakout sessions start at 6pm)
Venue: The Rock Auditorium, Level 3, Suntec City (near Tower 4)
RSVP: http://on.fb.me/govcampsg
Twitter: http://twitter.com/govcampsg

I will be there, will you? See you there!
This is the 2nd GovCampSG for the year. The first was held in NUS earlier this year.

Future Memory Pavillion @ National Museum of Singapore

2011-11-04T23:24:00.000+08:00

I was at the National Museum of Singapore 2 weeks ago and took this photo.
How unique it is to have cubes of ice blocks out in the sun and letting them melt!

It's only after reading what it is all about then you realise the significance of it.

Do you know that long long ago, before there were refrigeration and ice making machines, Singapore imported ice blocks from countries with cold climate?

Click on to http://futurememory.sg/ to read more about this Future Memory project.
It's quite interesting!

Church of Our Lady of Lourdes

2011-11-03T23:44:00.000+08:00

What attracted me take the photo is the number on the wall.
1888!

I was in a moving vehicle when I took this, so the photo is not very nice.
Just discovered that this church has a Tamil congregation.

Took a sneak peak of the interiors on wiki and found out this cathedral is where many TV shows film weddings! It has such a nice interior.

The church website: http://www.lourdes.sg/
Wiki Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Lady_of_Lourdes

Free movies, all day, all night...

2011-11-02T12:58:00.000+08:00

Guess where you can get free movie screenings all day and all night?

I just discovered that you can if you are flying out of Changi Airport Terminal 3!
(Terminal 2 also has a movie theatre that is showing Star Movies)

Some might say it's not technically free, because it's included in the Airport Tax of SGD21.

Something I discovered too was that there's a clock like the one you see on the photo above inside the theatre. It's to remind you of your flight time! LOL

It's not very big inside, but looks comfy enough.
Lots and lots of leg room because you can bring in your luggage with you!

Curious to know what's being shown? This link will 'show' you.

Are you a movie addict? I think I only watch movies on airplanes!
This year I think I have only been to the real theatre once or two times only.

Theme Day: Fences

2011-11-01T13:27:00.002+08:00

It's Nov 1. Another new month, another new theme for CityDailyPhoto Bloggers.
The theme this month: Fence.

This is one of the unique fences you can get in Singapore.
The fence of Haw Par Villa.

It's probably one of the places where you have to pay to go to 'hell'.
(There's a hell exhibit that you need to pay to get in. The rest of this place is free. It's quite a nice walk inside!)

With the opening of the Circle Line, this place is now very accessible!
If you want to read more about Haw Par Villa, click on to Wikipedia!

Want to know what other photo bloggers in the other cities around the world are posting?
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

the whole household got the iPhone 4S

2011-10-31T23:21:00.001+08:00

The 3 of us in the household has been waiting for the new iPhone 4S.
BUT... we are not those who will queue for it. A colleague queued 6 hours for it on Friday (a day earlier)!

It's not us to queue that many hours for it. We are hoping to just walk into a shop and hopefully there is no queue and we could just pick up the phone and leave. Possible?

It was Saturday afternoon. We heard people had queue for hours in the morning and the phone has been out of stock in several shops. As Presbyterians our believe is that all things are predestined. If it is for us, it will be! We decided to go to Marina Bay Financial Centre to try it! We know that place is like a partial ghost town during the weekends.

Oh... there was no queue! Only 1 person in front of us! We asked if there were stocks of the phone. Oh yes! Three sets please. 2 White 16GB and 1 Black 32GB. Thanks!

Two out of the 3 boxes. A black and white one here.

After getting the queue number we walked off. We don't need to wait there too!
The system will SMS us when it's almost our turn. We walked around the quiet mall. Around 35 minutes or so, it was our turn. We had 3 numbers, so it was like parallel service by 3 persons.

Told the wife and sis. Make sure:
- phone plans are correct, check that you are all correctly tagged on Corporate Plans. (show your ID and you get around 10-30% your bill)
- opt for 'pay as you roam' for roaming and swap it for another 12 months of caller ID. (to got 24 months of free caller ID)

We realised this telco here is quite good. They offered even without us asking the things I wanted wife and sis to say! Hint: it's the telco that did not offer preregistration this round for iPhone 4S purchase.

We are happy people. The battery life, you need to configure something like what I did on iOS5 on 3GS too. Configure it right, and the battery will last....

If you are on the train or on the streets, how to you differentiate a iPhone4 and iPhone4S?
Look at the top side of it. The 'slit' for the 4S is on the side. The 'slit' for the 4 is on top. ;-)

The iPhone Queue starts at Orchard Road

2011-10-27T19:44:00.000+08:00

Aha! The madness begins yet again.
Fans of the iPhone4S have started to queue up, and I wonder what time they have been there!

I was passing by Paragon at 5:35 pm earlier today and I saw these people already waiting in queue for the phone. Young and old, they are all in the queue!

These two young teenagers are probably the first 2 persons to get the phone from telco M1.
Some folks in Singapore would have already bought it from the 'grey market'.

The queue is not as bad as I thought.
It's shorter than the recent H&M queue!

Hmm. This is not my current telco for my phone, but it's the telco for my fibre line.
I wonder if I should jump telco! My 'green' telco has not been particularly nice recently.

I have a feeling that all the telcos have been given limited sets, probably too few thats why M1 and Starhub are not doing pre-registration. Singtel's preregistration ended a short while after it started stating it's sold out.

I am still thinking if I should get the new iPhone. Maybe when I have decided, it's sold out!
The wife's gonna get hers!

Singapore Writers Festival

2011-10-24T14:44:00.000+08:00

KopiKosongGirl (previously known as Momo in this blog) and I attended one of the events at the Singapore Writers Festival yesterday.

It was a Panel Discussions titled: Drooling over Food Porn: How to Write Deliciously.
The title was already titillating? LOL

Singapore Writers Festival is back.
There are free events, events that needed the Festival Pass and many other ticketed events.

One thing that we must say though, we could not get tickets as easily as I thought it would be! Probably because we are last minute people. We wanted to attend events that needed the Festival Pass.

Sistic was suppose to the place to get tickets so we went the Sistic outlet at Wisma Atria and we were told they don't sell it anymore. Huh? How can it be? There was another person beside us who wanted to get it too! We walked out of Wisma and saw the TicketCube box. The helpful ladies there also could not help us as the event had been taken out of the Sistic system.

We did not give up and decided to go the Singapore Writers Festival main venue at the Singapore Management University. If you want to get the Festival Pass, the Sistic temporary booth there sells it!

The main venue (in a big white air-conditioned tent) has books for sale, author's autograph tables, and also a venue for book readings. We heard book readings that is so captivating there!

About the Drooling over Food Porn: How to Write Deliciously Panel Discussion, Damian D'Silva, Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan and Christopher Tan were talking about their food writing experiences. Very enlightening and funny as well. With K.F. Seetoh of MakanSutra as the moderator, any bored moments were quickly added with more flavour!

The audience asked appropriate, funny and yet intelligent questions, which added to a very enjoyable panel discussion. It was part serious, part humorous. It was an hour that was worth spending. We were kept quite entertained! If only it was a 2 hour session!

We are still looking at sessions that we want to go since we paid for the Festival Pass. ;-)

A Small Shell Petrol Kiosk

2011-10-21T00:15:00.000+08:00

Most Petrol Kiosk in Singapore are fairly big.

In fact, one petrol kiosk near where I live has recently been torn down and they are building over it shops and studio apartments. I was quite shocked that they can fit in 41 shops where the petrol kiosk used to be!

This is up to now the smallest petrol kiosk I have seen in Singapore. Well, there may be smaller ones.

It reminds me of the petrol kiosk you see in small Malaysian towns.
Come to think of it, if you are traveling in rural Australia, it is also so small!

Sungai Buloh Wetland Reserve

2011-10-20T23:45:00.000+08:00

It was so silly! Momo and I were at the Sungai Buloh Wetland Reserve, but we did not go and have a walk! When we got there, we realise it is almost dinner time and we need to be back home for dinner!

Don't be like us! Plan your time correctly next time!

We just took 2 photos and we left!
Civilization in the midst of the deep jungle!

We shall be back another day, we want to walk and see the species of plants and animals that call this place home.

SIN: A Singapore Instagram Exhibition

2011-10-19T23:33:00.000+08:00

More about Instagram and the Singapore 'Chapter'.
There's currently an Instagram Exhibition at the National Library.

A collection of photos taken using the Instagram App on the iPhone.
It's being curated by Mr Goh Eck Kheng, Dr Tan Ngiap Heng and Mr Chia Aik Beng.

It's been going on for a weeks now and it would be ending at the end of this month.
No, I don't have any photos there, only the better ones are there ;-)

Date: Saturday Sep 17, 2011 - Sunday Oct 30, 2011
Time: 05:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Venue: Level 8 - Promenade in National Library Building

Instagram Singapore

2011-10-18T23:26:00.000+08:00

If you are an iPhone user, you might have Instagram installed on your mobile phone.
With Instagram, you follow each other and like or comment on their photos.

It is so convenient that I think I am a bit crazy at times, taking photos and posting it on Instagram almost daily!

The Instagram community has grown quite a bit and there's kind of like a Singapore 'Chapter' to it.
Last weekend, I thought it would be fun to meet up with some people I follow on Instagram!

It's fun yet a bit scary as you have never met them before!
Are you also on Instagram? You can follow me at 'keropokman'. ;-)

If you don't use the iPhone, you can now also view Instagram photos on the web!
Here's my Instagram photos if you are interested!

TicketCube @ Orchard Road

2011-10-17T01:57:00.000+08:00

I noticed one evening that there was a outdoor structure that keeps changing colour on Orchard Road.
I wondered what it was and took a few photos of it.

I got home and did an online search. Oh, it's a one stop ticket shop! Looking from the other side of the road, I thought it was just some new advertisement campaign with elaborate structure on Orchard Road.

It is something similar to London's Leicester Square, or TKTS Discount booths in New York City.

Finally! A 1 stop shop where you can get tickets from the 4 major ticketing service providers, ApeSnap, Gatecrash, SISTIC and TicketBooth.

Sometimes you wished that ticketing can be consolidated instead of being handled by different companies for convenience sake. But I realized that the because of competition, ticket charges are not so expensive. You know which company charges quite a bit for 'handling' charges.

Do you think the design looks like sugar cubes stacked on top of each other?

Which show will you like to watch?

ChunkFest 2011

2011-10-15T23:30:00.000+08:00

It was a super hot and humid day earlier today, yet we went outdoors to have ice cream!

If I heard correctly, there was already 12 thousand people who have visited the Chunk Fest!
I guess people love their ice cream!

We were there with some friends. In fact many groups of friends were there!
It was a fun time eating ice cream! Bought $10 worth of FairCoins.

There were many things happening there, but I guess the most interesting event when we were there was the Vermonster Bucket challenge.

Somehow I knew this group will win and I took photos of them. They did win!

Look at how they finish up the bucket of ice cream!

Took most photos using the phone app called Instagram.
If you want to see those photos of this event, click here: http://extragr.am/tag-images/keropokmanchunkfest2011

The FairCoins were rather cute!

Sultan Mosque

2011-10-12T11:37:00.001+08:00

The Sultan Mosque or Masjid Sultan in Malay might be the most photographed mosque in Singapore. It looks so grand and beautiful and sometimes imposing too!

It looks good day or night and during the evening when the sun sets, it looks glorious! Information on Wikipedia says it is considered one of the most important mosque in Singapore.

It's designed by Irish architect Denis Santry of Swan and Maclaren. It took 4 years to be built and was completed in 1928.

It has been gazetted as a national monument on 14 March 1975.

I just realised that quite a few religious buildings in Singapore has been designed by this firm Swan and Maclaren. For example: Chesed-El Synagogue, Church of our Lady Lourdes, St Joseph's Church, Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church.

SMRT Depot

2011-10-11T23:42:00.000+08:00

Recently I noticed that the fences of SMRT Depot has been more secure.
After having their trains vandalised they announced that they are stepping up security.

Can you see the new shinier fencing that is replacing the older green and shorter one?

Botanic Gardens Bukit Timah Gate

2011-10-10T00:19:00.001+08:00

A new gate opens!

The Singapore Botanic Gardens have a new gate called the "Bukit Timah Gate" that's ride beside the Botanic Gardens MRT.

I am wondering, why are all the "big gates" at all the different entrances / gates always closed?
Visitors all have to enter by the side gates to get in.

A closed gate is good for photography though. ;-)

I like the design of this gate. Big and small squares.
How many squares can you spot?

SMRT Carnival @ Holland Village Station

2011-10-08T23:52:00.000+08:00

The Circle Line fully opens today and there's a carnival at the Holland Village station.
These two photos were taken in the evening.

Some time ago, when the authorities said that there's going to be a "Real" park instead of a "car" park, many people wondered how is it possible to have a park? Isn't the area too small?

By the looks of it yesterday, it seems it is a good idea to have a park there! It's not that big, but the greenery's a good change. Looking at trees and grass does makes the place more pleasing.

Earlier in the day, a group of "makan kakis" went for a Circle Line makan trail. It was fun to eat and also meet some 'twitter' friends in person!

Let's hope more lines and stations will be built. I am waiting for the station that's being constructed near by home to be ready. 5 more years of waiting!

Ships in Singapore...

2011-10-07T21:41:00.000+08:00

If New Zealand is known for all the sheeps there in their countryside, Singapore would be known for the ships that is around the southern seas of the island.

I really wonder at any time, how many ships are on Singapore waters and the international waters around Singapore.

The following photo was taken from Sentosa Island. When you fly into Singapore during the day time, look out the window, you can see lots of ships on the southern seas of Singapore.

See the little island after the ships? I think that is Pulau Bukom where Shell has its oil refinery in the world. There was a fire there recently and it's good that the fire lasted only 32 hours.

Circle Line Open House.

2011-10-03T00:36:00.017+08:00

Last Saturday evening, Momo and I went for the last two hours of the Circle Line Open House. It was a really last minute decision, since it's free and we could get to see the stations first before it officially opens.

This is probably the nearest Circle Line station from our home. We need to take around 30 minutes of bus ride to get to this station. Kind of far isn't it? To get to the nearest East West line, it takes around 5 minutes less.

One of the reason why we are 'bus people'.

Back to the Circle Line Open Day. Wow, it's unbelievable how many people are at all the different stations! It was so packed! Stations were not very ready, but they had 1 more week to spruce things up. It was a nice ride though. Circle Line trains seems to run faster too.

As a software engineer, so proud that software powers the train. The trains are driverless, all powered by software. Just wondering, how neat the codes are written!

Mr and Mrs Shrek

2011-09-27T21:41:00.000+08:00

A photo to liven up your week!

Introducing Mr and Mrs Shrek!
Momo and I visited them again at Universal Studios Singapore.

We are kids at heart and always feel good visiting Universal Studios.
Mr and Mrs Shrek in Universal Studios Singapore has bodyguards!

Just wondering, which weekend we will go visit other characters again.

Avalon @ MBS

2011-09-26T12:40:00.000+08:00

There are two floating structures or they call it Crystal Pavilions at the Marina Bay Sands complex.
One crystal pavilion houses the LV Island Maison. Avalon occupies the southern crystal pavilion.

The design attracts me and don't you think the buildings are 'photogenic'?
I took this photo last Friday afternoon.

One of these days when I am not rushing, I'll get into both buildings. Yes, they are both designed by Moshe Safdie.

Luge and Skyride at Sentosa

2011-09-23T23:53:00.001+08:00

Few days ago, I was participating in a 'scavanger hunt' at Sentosa and I discovered quite a few interesting things to do. I have never taken the Luge and Skyride at Sentosa and found it very fun!

I probably will come again for this Skyride.
Find it very therapeutic hanging in the air while enjoying the views around.

I always wish Singapore has a nice 24 Celsius temperature all year round. That would make outdoor activities so much more comfortable!

If you would like to find out more, check out this site:
http://www.sentosa.com.sg/en/attractions/imbiah-lookout/sentosa-luge-skyride/

Just before F1 starts

2011-09-22T23:33:00.000+08:00

It's almost the F1 season in Singapore and the roads have closed and caused some inconvenience to the people working near the F1 track.

Momo (the wife) has to wake up early and take a different route to her office the last few days. The buses stops far away and everyone has to walk all the way or join in the super packed trains. Yes, she's complaining like many others.

While she is complaining, she's also looking forward to road closures. She enjoys walking in the evening looking at people setting up whatever is needed for the show to work. She says it's only once a year that she gets to walk in the middle of the road!

While walking around, she has been taking photos. The above, camera testing going on, probably for viewers around the world to watch the race.

International Year of Forest

2011-09-20T17:19:00.000+08:00

I was walking around town (Orchard Central) and saw a poster that says this year 2011 is International Year of Forest. The United Nation has a website for it: http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/

Hmm I did not know that, and I sometimes wonder if it will make any difference when most people do not really care. I guess exposing people to it might slowly educate people.

What caught my eye was the Chinese Calligraphy. Not the nicest calligraphy around, but one of the word is my family name.

Anyone knows if furniture in Singapore has labels that says it has been from a sustainable source?

Cylon or Human

2011-09-19T16:29:00.018+08:00

The wife and I went to Universal Studios Singapore over the weekend again.
We bought an 'Annual Pass' and had to make it more worth it by going in more often.

We took a few rides except this one. We enjoyed looking at people scream their heads off. It's not only us, everyone there seems to enjoy looking at them scream!

Both of us are too 'chicken' to take the ride, but we just say "I know you are afraid, so I won't take the ride too". We timed it, it's a bit more than 90 seconds for the ride. Hmm...

If you have taken the ride, how is it? Which is more exciting? Human or Cylon?

Home Just Got Closer

2011-09-16T22:35:00.000+08:00

Once in a while, we have 'these' booklets delivered to all our homes to influence our thinking to the way we "are" to be in Singapore.

Oops, someone at home said, more propaganda.

We flipped through it, it's quite an interesting read.
Err... we at home still prefer to flip through the Ikea catalogue that came just a few weeks ago!

Was the railway, no more tracks...

2011-09-15T23:49:00.000+08:00

The railway tracks near Rifle Range are gone!
Only the stones are left.

This was taken this morning and there's someone walking along it.

Wondering how it will end up eventually. Will the stones be removed?
The next photo shows the stones section further away has been sort of scraped off.

Around 10 mins walk from where this photo is taken is the Bukit Timah Railway Station.

Bukit Timah Railway Station and the area around it will be opened to the public tomorrow - 16 Sept 2011.

Enjoy the walks!

Louis Vuitton Island Maison Singapore

2011-09-14T13:49:00.000+08:00

Louis Vuitton Island Maison Singapore as seen from one of the Suites at MBS that I was at the other day.

It's Singapore's 5th LV store, and South East Asia's 1st Maison.
The store will be launched on Sept 18, 2011.

The glass and steel pavillions are the works of architect Moshe Safdie as part of the Marina Bay Sands resort. The inside of the pavilion has been designed by Peter Marino.

Hazy....

2011-09-13T13:10:00.009+08:00

The haze this 'season' only lasted 2 days!
Hallelujah!

Let's hope the wind directions are in our favour and thank God for the rain.
It has cleared up air quite a bit.

Mid Autumn Festival

2011-09-12T12:09:00.000+08:00

Wishing all a Mid Autumn Festival.

Have eating mooncakes almost one month ahead make the day itself less of a festival I wonder?

Our family and extended family have met a few times to eat mooncakes and have some tea and pomelos the last few weeks. We also ate lots of mooncakes in the office, thanks to the vendors who provided them.

But the day itself, we did not do anything! Probably thanks to the haze that make us teary.

Kids carrying lanterns

2011-09-10T13:00:00.009+08:00

We heard loud noises from the drums and cymbals of the Dragon Dance Troupe.

Out of curiosity, I went towards the sound and saw that the kids in the neighbourhood are all out carrying lanterns behind the long dragon.

It has been a long time since I carried one of those!

Just the other day, my colleagues were talking about lanterns and they only let their children play with plastic battery operated ones.

Their kids are young, and the kids seems to enjoy burning lantern after lantern instead of carrying them around. They somehow know their parents will give them another one to 'burn' when they burn their current ones. Oh no.....

Training Bus

2011-09-06T01:29:00.000+08:00

When I see a training bus, I kind of get happy.
In my mind, I equate that to bus drivers which will lead to more frequent bus services.

In reality, I don't know.
Maybe it's to replace bus drivers who have retired or have left the job.

The reason I took this photo was because we usually equate SMRT to the train.
Train and the words on the bus says "Training bus". Get it? hehe.

Free Island Admission on Sentosa Day!

2011-09-05T17:41:00.001+08:00

What's this machine? It's a machine with a barrier that collects $1 from your EZLink card for entry into Sentosa Island. Took this photo the first time I used it some time ago when the Sentosa Boardwalk opened.

Another popular way of getting into Sentosa Island is by riding the Sentosa Express and that will cost you $3.

Here's a good news! On 10 September 2011, it's Sentosa Day and they are giving free admission on that day!

Here's a press release that might interest you:

Mark your calendar for 10 September 2011 to enjoy free island admission on Sentosa Day! As part of the first-ever large-scale charity initiative, Sentosa Gives, the public can enjoy free entry via the Sentosa Boardwalk and Sentosa Express from 7am to 11.59pm. This is Sentosa’s way of thanking all guests for their strong support over the years.

Catch the fascinating performances of 12 international buskers at the Sentosa Buskers Festival on the same day, and do your part for charity by donating generously after each performance. All proceeds will go towards Community Chest and the 70 charities under its care.

Date: 10 September 2011, Saturday
Time: 7am to 11.59pm
*Travel in by: Sentosa Boardwalk (exit near Serenity, VivoCity, Level 1), Sentosa Express (board at VivoCity, Level 3)

(Free island admission is not applicable to drive-ins by passenger cars, taxis and other vehicles)

Enquiries:1800-SENTOSA (736-8672)

H&M Singapore First Day Queue.

2011-09-03T17:06:00.000+08:00

Brilliant marketing! The people behind it must be really brilliant indeed.

You heard of the phrase "selling igloos to Eskimos", well these folks are selling Autumn wear in sunny 'forever summer' Singapore! Look at the people queuing to get into the store!

This was taken Saturday afternoon, and there was still a snaking queue of people waiting to get in.

To start the queue forming, they offered the first few people $250 vouchers and subsequent few $25 vouchers. Read that people started to queue the night before!

At around 9 pm the same night, people were still queuing!

But I heard from folks that things are really cheap inside, some say they were even cheaper than the HK store, the nearest H&M branch to Singapore. Is that true?

Maybe in the next few months I will get in, when it's not so crowded.

I have visited H&M in many countries and have always walked out empty handed. I realised they don't fit me. Maybe the sizes in Singapore might?

H&M on the first day could had stand for Herd Mentality. Everyone was just wanting to do in.

Guess what? Another great marketing tactic. If you have queued so long to go in, you 'die die' have to buy something before coming out right? So clever of them!

Botanic Garden Wavy Design Overhead Bridge

2011-09-01T21:30:00.000+08:00

Have been noticing the wavy design of the new Botanic Garden overhead bridge spans across 2 major roads, the Bukit Timah Road and Dunearn Road. It connects to the new Botanic Garden MRT Station that will open in October 2011.

The wavy design catches the eye. Probably the nicer one along Bukit Timah Road!

A notice on the bridge says it will open in a few days time. I think it's either the 3 or 11 September, I forgot to write it down or take a photo of it.

For old folks and parents with children on prams, who can't climb the stairs, this overhead bridge has a lift at both ends. (Finally, they are listening and installing new overhead bridges that will make people use it).

KTM Tracks... Bye....

2011-08-31T21:39:00.002+08:00

The former KTM tracks along Rifle Range.
Looks like they have started to dismantle the tracks here now.

I was waiting for the bus at the bus stop and saw some folks crossing the tracks from their housing estate.

Walked and snap a few photos of the tracks.
Wondering what will happen after this.

Watched a travel documentary on TV yesterday how they transformed an old railway track in Taiwan to be a bicycle track. Looks so interesting. Hopefully they will do something similar in Singapore.

Green Building....

2011-08-30T22:14:00.000+08:00

Saw this literally 'green building'.
It's in the CBD and I won't be able to afford this.

It's interesting how buildings are getting 'green' nowadays.

I wonder what other green stuff they have inside. Sometimes it might be difficult for people here who are used to certain way things should be to become green.

Eg: I was in Hong Kong airport recently and realised they used rain water for flushing the toilet. The water is not crystal clear like how we are used to here in Singapore. When I went into the toilet, I thought the person before me had not flush! Then when I flushed, I realise the water is not clean, and wanted to flush again. It was then I realised it was rain water!

Would locals here (or you) accept slightly murky water for flushing? If they are going to process it crystal clean, what's the point, that would be counter productive, it will take more energy to clean it up.

Just landed.....

2011-08-26T15:55:00.000+08:00

Just landed back in Changi Airport this evening.

While I wait to disembark the plane, I thought:

If you have lived in Australia or have seen Qantas' advert, they sometimes use the "I still call Australia home" song and though I am not Australian, I feel very attached to it. (Probably because I lived there a few years)

Maybe Singapore Airlines when the plane lands in Changi Airport, should play a instrumental version of the song by Kit Chan, "Home". It will make passengers that call Singapore "Home" very welcomed and warm hearted!

If you play the song with the lyrics, some might cringe when they hear it and say 'propaganda' again. LOL! Gentle, soft instrumental version of it will be good while people are anxious to grab their overhead luggage and standing impatiently to get off the plane.

What do you think?

Ikea's Book of Temptation

2011-08-25T15:31:00.000+08:00

It's an annual event.
Ikea sends you their "Book of Temptation" around this time of the year.

You flip their catalogue and you want almost everything in it!
Our house is already Ikea-enough!

I like how they can make a small space so liveable in their showrooms!

Free internet in Airports...

2011-08-24T15:19:00.000+08:00

It's nice to have free Wifi and Internet terminals in most Asian Airports.

The wifi works for sure in Changi Airport. But if you are not a local, you need to register.
If not, use one of these modern looking terminals around the airport.

I think Hong Kong's airport is the best. The moment you touch down and waiting for the long queue to clear immigration, you get signal! All you need to do is click OK to their terms and conditions and you are connected, no registration required!

Tans...

2011-08-23T15:10:00.000+08:00

What we have been getting in our home and mobile phones.

1. TT's brochures in our mailboxes.

2. TJS brochures also in our mailboxes.

3. TCB's SMS sent to our mobile phones. How did they get my mobile number to send SMS to me?

Approved Hor...

2011-08-22T14:34:00.000+08:00

Saw this car yesterday and wanted to laugh.
The owner of the car had a modified exhaust pipe and it says 'Approved Hor...!!' on the bumper.

Sounds so 'Ah Beng / Ah Lian'.
Well, the wife says take out your camera and take take take.. LOL

Quincy Hotel @ Mount Elizabeth (Off Orchard Road)

2011-08-19T23:55:00.000+08:00

I am having a Staycation Friday/Saturday right here in Singapore.

Got off work and check-in into the hotel, a swanky hotel called Quincy Hotel at Mount Elizabeth, which is just off Orchard Road!

It's the Top 10 Trendiest Hotel in Asia according to TripAdvisor.

Truth be told, I did not know the existence of this hotel until last week! It's an interesting hotel that with the rate you pay, everything's included, wifi/internet, breakfast, lunch, dinner, mini bar in the room!

Will blog more about it after my stay is over....
Have a great weekend!

Poll Cards have arrived...

2011-08-18T10:28:00.000+08:00

Time to choose your favourite TAN.
Most household should have gotten this in the snail mail.

Poll card that tells you where the electoral division and polling district is.

If eligible voters should get their poll cards within 3 days of Nomination Day, which was on August 17, 2011.

If you don't get it, this time round, you can print it yourself!
Go to http://www.elections.gov.sg to print it!

Which TAN would you like to be President?

Oh yes, if you are an NUS Student, you will be voting for who will be Chancellor too!
* Imagine who you want to get your academic scrolls from. Oh it only applies if your Commencement falls on the first day *

Singapore Presidential Election Campaign Posters

2011-08-17T00:33:00.017+08:00

Wow, they are fast! I just saw this at around 10 PM at Holland Village.

One of the 4 Tans have already started to put up the posters for the upcoming Singapore Presidential Election. I have yet to see the other 3's posters yet. Better hurry and don't 'tan gu gu'.

I read that there is a maximum of 9,400 posters and 200 banners that is allowed to be printed by each one of them.

Look at the bottom left of the poster, you notice the logo for his ballot paper?
So easy to remember!

So who will win on the 27 August? The winner will move in to the isTANa!

Half Naked Man Billboard at Orchard Road

2011-08-15T00:27:00.002+08:00

Abercrombie & Fitch really wants to catch everyone's attention.

Everyone can't help but look at the half naked man's on a billboard.
Not only women look at it, men too!

If you want a body like that? Well, exercise at the gym on the 2nd floor just beside the billboard!
The gym I heard has the highest subscription fee around town.

28 Sept 2011 Update:
This advert has been suspended by the advertising standards authority of Singapore. (I did not even know there's such an authority!)

Why did they ban it? Aren't all the bra adverts more revealing than this ad?

Prince Philip Avenue

2011-08-12T00:30:00.000+08:00

For some reason, I just LOVE this road.

Prince Philip Ave.

Wow...

2011-08-11T00:19:00.000+08:00

I was walking home one day and saw this.
The town council cleared off the tree that has grown over the years into the fence.

The tree must have grown quite big over the years. Guess what?
I have not noticed that there was a tree there until it was cut off!

Sometimes we are just so oblivious to our surroundings.

Oops...

2011-08-10T00:18:00.000+08:00

Sometimes it happens.
I was going to get a drink from the vending machine and saw this....

Oops, all the bottles fell.
Nope, can't get a free drink. The drinks are dispensed from the middle of the machine.

Happy Birthday Singapore

2011-08-09T21:12:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday Singapore.
Singapore's 46 years old this year.

Every year, there's a celebration with a huge National Day Parade.
Visitors from overseas, if you want to know more and view about the celebration, you can visit: http://www.ndp.org.sg

Enjoy!

(Photo taken using Instagram on the iPhone)

National Day

2011-08-08T21:15:00.000+08:00

Tomorrow's Singapore's National Day.

I saw over the weekend at the suburb of Choa Chu Kang. I seldom visit to this suburb, but was here to visit a friend's house.

I thought the National Day decorations at this place is quite unique.
Majulah!

Majulah

2011-08-05T21:26:00.000+08:00

"Majulah! The Singapore Spirit", is the theme for National Day Parade 2011.

Majulah, is a Malay word that can be translated to "Onward" in English.
"Majulah Singapura" is also the name of the National Anthem of Singapore.

The word, Majulah seems be on everyone's mind.
Guess what? I happen to see the name of the shop who is called Majulah Office Equipment!

Fire Hydrant | Wanna be a fire man?

2011-08-04T23:55:00.001+08:00

I came across this fire hydrant recently. I have not seen this before.

Fire hydrants should come under the care of the Civil Defence. But the white box has a Public Utilities Board sticker on it. I am guessing they are testing the water quality? But it's weird to test water quality of water meant for fire rescue. Is it testing the pressure of the water supply?

Recently, my colleagues and I have all been volunteered as fire wardens at our workplace. We have no idea why, but it seems the duties are rotated. We were all sent off to attend a fire safety course. After the course, our views of being a fire warden changed! We did not know it was so important!

We were taught by this former fire man and we were so amazed. So inspiring! It was a very educational course! Ladies, fire man or former fire man are super fit people! Tall, dark and some are handsome too! They also have bulging muscles! LOL

Some of us were quite into it and found out that the public in Singapore can be fireman as well!

We found out from this website: https://www.cdau.scdf.gov.sg/ecdau/index.do that there is a Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit that you can volunteer your service with the Singapore Civil Defence Force! You will even be wearing the same SCDF uniforms and have the same status and power of SCDF regulars. If your childhood dream was to be a fireman, you can realise it now! (Yet still keeping your current job!)

I saw that some of the requirements are interesting. Your BMI must be 27 and below and if you are short sighted, your degress cannot be above 500 degrees. There's height and weigh requirements too, no wonder they are tall.

Water Bubbles | Clementi Mall | Wrapped Up

2011-08-03T17:32:00.000+08:00

The sculptures at Clementi Mall is quite nice don't you think?
It's called Water Bubbles, made of stainless steel by Singapore sculptor, Chua Boon Kee. (http://chuaboonkee.com/)

I like to 'stare' at public sculptures though I can't appreciate it like most people do.
I used stare and not admire because I think what I do is literally stare at it.

What do you see when you stare at it?

I think of the X-Men movie, the bad guy who can extract iron from blood, he can also transform into different shapes, I see the water bubble above and think of Magneto! My imagination goes wild sometimes!

HDB probably thinks that Magneto has arrived in Clementi and decided to wrap the sculptures in tarpaulin. haha..

The reason they gave is that the sculptures becomes too hot during the day and people might get burnt when they touch it. They want to prevent getting burnt by wrapping the sculptures up.

They have also asked the sculptor to move them away. Why?

Don't move it away... It looks nice day or night!

Wrapping them up looks ugly.
Magneto doesn't exist, it's just a comic character. ;-)

Spiral Staircases

2011-08-02T00:56:00.000+08:00

Are you fascinated by these spiral staircases? I am!

It can be found in older / olden buildings in Singapore.
Looking at the this photo, you can see they use the small square tiles.

The older HDB flats like the conservation flats in Tiong Bahru have these spiral staircases as well. They are emergency exits and usually located at the back of the house, where the kitchen is.

I wonder why after certain years, they don't have the 2nd door or emergency exits for HDBs in Singapore?

City Daily Photo August Theme Day: Postcard-Worthy

2011-08-01T23:55:00.000+08:00

It's the first day of August and it's Theme Day for the City Daily Photo bloggers.

Here a train that I took on the last day of June.
It was also the last day of operation of the KTM Trains in Singapore.

Want to know other city bloggers around the world are showing?
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Not the usual Singapore Sky

2011-07-28T17:05:00.000+08:00

This was taken Tuesday evening at around 7:40PM.

The sky was looking different, sky's reddish and my mind ran wild. There must be a hidden alien spaceship out there. There was a bright part in the clouds. Which also makes me wonder, how will aliens power their spaceships. Nuclear power? Hmm..

A while later, probably about 9 pm, there was the strong spot lights shining into the sky. (Very common now in Singapore.) That made me think, the aliens have captured Singaporeans! What do they want to know? How to teach mathematics to alien kids? Hmm...

ArtScience Museum from the top.

2011-07-27T23:59:00.000+08:00

I happened to be at a very tall building just beside the ArtScience Museum.
I could not resist not taking a photo of it again. I took and posted a photo of it once here.

So that's where the lights are placed. It produces such a nice glow to the so called 'lotus' leaves.
Rainwater is harvested and channeled down the big 'sink plug' you see in the photo. Part of that water is used in their toilets.

I have not been in there, but I want to go there one of these days before the current exhibition ends.
I must make time to visit the Shipwrecked Tangs Treasures on display now. Must find out which credit card gives discount for the entrance ticket. ;-)

Singapore Science Festival 2011 : 22 to 28 July 2011 @ Suntec Convention Hall 401

2011-07-21T23:59:00.000+08:00

The Singapore Science Festival 2011 is back again! If you have not been attending the Science Festival, it's an annual event that celebrates the dynamism of science, engineering, technology and biomedicine. It's organised by the Science Centre Singapore and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).

One of the interesting part of the Science Festival is X-periment! where the latest innovations and research by Singapore's research and tertiary institutions are featured. I was there last year at Marina Square for X-periment, were you there too? I was a triple science student and these science and geeky stuff intrigues me till today!

Talking about Marina Square, don't you think it was getting too crowded the last few years? The organisers seems to notice it too and this year, the Singapore Science Festival will be at the Suntec Convention Hall 401 from 22 to 28 July. There are also satellite events from 23 July to 13 August.

X-periment! is on tomorrow and this weekend! Go check it out at Suntec Convention Hall 401.

To find out more about the festival, you can visit:
http://www.sciencefest.sg/
If you prefer news coming to your Facebook streams, "like" their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/singaporesciencefest

This year I had a special preview of the event yesterday.

We saw this American Science teacher which also happens to be a Science Entertainer performed for us. He name is Jim Lenz. What a cool science teacher! How I wished my science teacher was as entertaining as he was when I was a kid!

He performed some magic tricks and all of us were so intrigue. Either he was very fast, or I was distracted by his t-shirt that was the periodic table!

He did some science experiments and even showed us how to make instant ice cream using materials that we can get easily. He also showed us how to make instant ice cream with a fire extinguisher!

I am not sure if he will demo it during the Science Festival, but go down to Suntec Convention Hall 401 this weekend probably to take a look!

If you want to see what he did, visit the Science Festival Facebook page. A video of what he did has been posted up!

At the preview, we also met Yarin Kimo. He is a expert in the field of creative thinking. He uses magic tricks to demonstrate how to think differently and constantly develop new ideas.

He performed some experiments that left us so curious how he did it. He said he won't reveal to us, but will disclose the answer during the festival.

The robes on the table, it was used to cut through himself! Intriguing! Watch him do it at the Facebook page too!

Heard of a air-purifying dress?
This is "Herself", potentially the world’s first air-purifying dress!

The science centre 'scientist' explained to us how it works.

You know cars have catalytic converters in the exhaust have catalyst that stimulates a chemical reaction to convert harmful pollutants into less toxic or inert substances. (eg hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide).

The dress has nano catalyst being part of the textile used for making the dress. The catalyst works the same way and cleans the air around it.

Someone said it's a £9000 dress!
Want to take a look? Head down to the Singapore Science Festival 2011!

130 Years of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore

2011-07-18T00:09:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, all the Presbyterian Church in Singapore did not hold services in their own premises.

All 38 different congregation met one 'church' at the Singapore Indoor Stadium instead to celebrate the 130 years the Presbyterian Church has been in Singapore.

I think probably 8500-9000 people gathered together here. It was a very unique service as both the Chinese and English speaking were together.

During the singing of hymns and praises, people were either singing in English or Chinese and it sounded great!

Fly the flag...

2011-07-14T23:59:00.000+08:00

Fly the flag!

Some blocks of HDB flats are already flying the National Flag since last week.
It gives such a celebratory mood doesn't it?

Did you know that outside the National Day celebrations period (1 Jul to 30 Sep), the Singapore flag must always be flown only from a flagpole?

The Singapore Flag was unveiled on 3 Dec 1959. It was 6 months after it was self-governing within the British Empire, that it was officially adopted.

Upon independence on 9 August 1965, it was adopted as the National flag.

Have you seen the Singapore flag when it had the Union Jack long ago? It's like the current Australian or New Zealand flag. Hop on to this wiki link if you are interested.

KTM Tracks.

2011-07-13T16:58:00.000+08:00

It has been a 13 days since the KTM train tracks have closed / returned to Singapore.
Never have so many people got interested in something so 'old'. There is a sudden surge of people visiting the train tracks!

These tracks will be gone soon. Probably in less than a month, it will all be removed by Indeco Engineers (Pte) Ltd. They won the SGD 632,000.00 Gebiz Tender to remove and storage of railway including ancillary structures from Woodlands TP to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.

This was taken yesterday morning. People are taking photos of the tracks. Others are just walking along the tracks.

The tracks seems to be rusting away barely 2 weeks of not being scrapped by the wheels of the heavy trains.

I was on my way home last Saturday and saw that there are so many people on the railway bridge!
During the weekends, it's like a carnival on the tracks now!

Oh yes, traffic jams too! The last time this road was so packed was son 30 June night! ;-)

Bus Ticket Machine... and lamenting about 'to be' transport price increase

2011-07-12T18:22:00.000+08:00

If you take public transport in Singapore during peak hours, it is difficult to get up a bus or train.

Many people can't get up the bus for 2 reasons:
1) There are no more space in the bus because bus frequency isn't as frequent as they say it is, it is really full at the earlier stops.
2) People in the bus refuse to move to the rear of the bus where they are still standing space. I have no explanation for this. (I realise this is not unique to Singapore, I was in Spain, and people also don't move to the back!)

This morning, the bus I was on was very packed as usual. The bus driver yelled a few times for passengers to move inside, and after a few yells, people started moving in. I am so thankful for the bus drivers that yell. I managed to get up the bus because of the yelling.

I stood beside the ticket issuing machine when I got up. It was too packed to move in further. I have nothing to do so I flipped out my phone and took a photo of the ticket issuing machine. I think the colour's nice! The design's also nice ya! Practical too as it doesn't drop on the floor unlike the previous model.

I read the news later in the day and realise that the two public transport companies are seeking to raise fare prices. I know for sure the folks who take public transport will get angry! Packed buses, buses that don't arrive on time. (ok, not all the time, but still not good enough since the last fare increase.....)

In a country that loves press releases, you know the words they are going to use to say they have 'no choice'. The same old excuse, escalating oil prices, productivity, cost pressures etc. The only word they did not use this time is "unprecedented"!

Opening of new lines used up more electricity for the trains. Hmm. Didn't they report an increase in ridership? Doesn't that means they are collecting more fares? (Let's hope Minister Khaw will blog about this, he is not the minister in charge, but it seems his blog is powerful now and he is logical though not all the time)

When they say they are buying new buses, that I accept. The new buses are cleaner and more comfortable. But they seem to break down! I saw 2 new buses broke down in the last 2 weeks on my way home.

Anyway, you can tell the government your views. Go to http://www.reach.com.sg they are asking members of the public to voice out.

If you like reading, may I suggest the annual reports for these two companies.

SMRT 2010 Annual Report
http://www.smrt.com.sg/investors/documents/annual_reports/2010/pdf/SMRT_Summary_low_res.pdf
Revenue - $895.1m
PATMI - $162.9m

SBSTransit 2010 Annual Report
http://www.sbstransit.com.sg/download/SBST_AnnualReport10.pdf
Revenue - $720.9m
Profit after Tax - $54.3m

Fusionopolis

2011-07-05T23:32:00.000+08:00

I like to look at buildings and take photos of them. I also like to dig out information about buildings.
Phase 1 of Fusionopolis was designed by Japanese architect, Kisho Noriaki Kurokawa.

I always wondered how they can think of such nice designs in the first place.
Is that why an architecture degree takes such a long time to complete?

Who's at Fusionopolis? A*Star, Linden Research Labs (think Second Life), Media Development Authority (MDA) and even Asian Food Channel's office!

Just for your information, the architectural firm Kisho Kurokawa Architects also designed Singapore Flyer and also Wheelock Place. For some of you who thinks Wheelock Place has similarities with Melbourne Central (ie the glass cones), well, they were designed by the same architects!

NUS Commencement and the Singapore President.

2011-07-04T18:01:00.000+08:00

Today, it's the start of the Commencement Ceremonies for the NUS graduates again.

Probably the happiest time for students, where they finally get to put on their gown and receive their scroll on stage. Not everyone loves to receive that 'piece' of paper it seems, there are always people who will skip the ceremony. I always wondered why some would do that!

I have 2 degrees, one from Monash Uni down under, and a graduate degree from NUS. I don't have the brain capacity to study a PhD, and I think two is enough. Maybe one day when it becomes hip to wear the "strawberry shortcake shape" bonnet, I will reconsider.

Do you know not every university has a mortar board for the Academic Dress? It so happens that both universities that I got my degree have mortarboards for graduates! I remember friends who went to University of Melbourne complaining, they don't get to wear it! LOL

On the first day of the Commencement ceremony in NUS, the NUS Chancellor which also happens to be the President of Singapore, His Excellency Mr S R Nathan gives out the scrolls to the graduates.

Since HE Mr S R Nathan would not be seeking re-election, this would be his last time giving out the scrolls. Now we are all wondering, who will be the next NUS Chancellor. Historically, the Chancellor has always been the President of Singapore. We are all guessing, but one thing for sure, the family name of the President will be 'Tan'!

Congrats to the class of 2011!
You like many of us will start receiving letters every year to contribute back to NUS! (in monetary form haha)

Last train out of Singapore.

2011-06-30T23:59:00.000+08:00

I was on the last train into Singapore tonight and when we arrived, we realised they were preparing for the same train to leave Singapore.

We saw a huge mob of people coming towards all the passengers who just got off the train. We knew why later. The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail was the VIP in our midst. He was to drive the last train out of Singapore at 11 PM.

The Sultan earlier passed right in front of me and shoke the hands of the person beside me!
He then signed the t-shirt in front of us.

We left Tanjong Pagar KTM Station and rushed to the Bukit Timah Station on the way home after a long day. We made it just in time and caught the train driven by the Sultan of Johor. Can you spot him?

There was a huge crowd waving good bye at the Bukit Timah Station!

At the stroke of midnight, Tanjong Pagar Station and Bukit Timah Station will be returned to Singapore.

Rediscover Singapore

2011-06-29T22:29:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I attended the launched of Rediscover Singapore or in short Rediscover.SG which is also the URL of their website.

4 students from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Song Lip, Lizzy, Jeremy and Derek form the RediscoverSG crew.

These 4 brilliant folks pitched to the National Heritage Board (NHB) Heritage Industry Incentive Programme (Hi2P) and landed themselves a $75,000 funding to produce the 10 webisodes.

What's the web episodes about? Heritage and cultures that might soon be gone from Singapore has been captured on film. The series has been named Unseen/Unsaid.

Every Wednesday till the end of August 2011, an episode will be released.
The first episode is out now, head to http://rediscover.sg to watch the 1st episode.

The RediscoverSG team has also decided to raise funds for charity organisation MILK (Mainly I Love Kids) by producing a series of paper toys related to the series. They are sold at $20 for a set of five toys.

These paper toys looks interesting right?

Do you want to support Singapore's young talent?

Visit their website and view their works. If you feel you want to help them support their nominated charity, buy a pack of paper toys or postcards. I bought a pack of paper toys, do you want to help to?

Bride and Groom

2011-06-22T13:51:00.000+08:00

There was a lot of cheering and I looked out the window.
A newly wed couple downstairs! Probably the groom was there to fetch his new bride.

What was the bride doing?
Checking her shoes to see if they are dirty probably?

Clouds

2011-06-21T13:27:00.000+08:00

Saw this yesterday on the way home after work.
The clouds were so different, billowing clouds. It's as if someone's blowing them!
The skies were so blue too!

The building being constructed is a new mall and a church that's coming up in One North, just beside Buona Vista MRT Station.

I can't wait to see the finished building. It's one of the fancy buildings. I think it looks like an ark! (Take a look of it here at the church's website)

Hmm... Another 'ship' like building after MBS' Ark. Is that a prophesy that Singapore's going to be flooded?

The New World

2011-06-20T12:51:00.000+08:00

The New World

That the new name for New World Park, the earliest Amusement Park that existed in Singapore way back in 1923.

It must be the equivalent of how Universal Studios in Resorts World Sentosa is today to people long ago.

Here's a write up of history on the board at the site.
I was at Singapore's Eco Mall for some food and shopping just the other day and took these photos.

For those who likes to read even more, here's a press release given half a year ago:

Singapore, 27 January 2011 – The New World Gate was officially unveiled today at City Green, the state-owned park adjacent to City Square Mall, Singapore’s first eco-mall. With the support of National Parks Board (NParks), National Heritage Board (NHB) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), City Square Mall, owned and managed by City Developments Limited (CDL), has carefully reconstructed the gate for Singaporeans to remember the history of the former New World Amusement Park.

The gate, installed at the entrance of City Green on Serangoon Road, features the words “The New World” on its gateway arch to symbolise the interconnectivity of Singapore’s past, present and future.

CDL’s efforts to restore the gate stems from its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) conviction to conserve the environment care for the community and to promote Singapore’s cultural heritage.
"We have always been relentless in our CSR initiatives to create value for communities while ensuring we are responsible developers. Our initiative to install the reconstructed New World Amusement Park gate will help remind visitors about the history of the site,” said Mr Chia Ngiang Hong, Group General Manager of CDL.

Reminiscing about his childhood days spent at the amusement park, Mr Chia said, “I would visit the New World Amusement Park regularly with my family to enjoy the diverse entertainment options. As the "pioneer amusement park in Malaya", there was something for everyone on the fairground. There were rides and carousels, open-air cinemas, Chinese and Malay opera halls, boxing arenas, dance halls and travelling performances from overseas. One could literally spend a whole day at the park to take a family photograph, get a haircut at the barber, enjoy hawker fare, or even go for a romantic walk in the park with a loved one!”

“This gate is symbolic of the memories attached to the former New World Amusement Park, and its presence at the entrance of City Green will bring about a sense of nostalgia of the days where the amusement park was a bustling activity hub. These shared memories are a great way for the community visiting the mall to bond, where now, City Square Mall is the new community hub for families living in the neighbourhood to visit to shop, dine and relax,” said Edward Tan, Director of Operations & Human Resource & Admin at Metro, the anchor tenant of City Square Mall.

With its focus on the community and the environment, City Square Mall, like the former New World Amusement Park, is the perfect setting as a community hub where families and friends gather for social activities.

Garbage bags along the road....

2011-06-17T14:03:00.000+08:00

Every now and then, you will see lots of garbage bags on the side of the roads in Singapore.

Wonder why? It's leaves, twigs and other rubbish from the drainage opening on the roadside curbs.
The holes are usually where the garbage bags are. ;-)

It seems they are cleaning the holes more often after water can't seem to flow because the holes are blocked. Maybe the authorities can get them redesigned so that cleaning is not needed?

Smith Street Night Makan

2011-06-15T23:52:00.000+08:00

Wow! The word I said when I saw the tables all lined up and getting ready for business few hours later.
The tables were lined up so straight!

This is Smith Street in Singapore Chinatown. It is also known as the Chinatown Food Street.

It's kind of a touristy place to eat. I only come here when friends or relatives visit!

Looking again at how straight the tables were arranged, do you think the person who arranged it had some obsessive compulsive behaviour? I really want to know how they do it!

SMRT Train Depot Ulu Pandan.

2011-06-14T08:36:00.000+08:00

Everytime I pass by this place, I have an urge to take a photo of it. So here it is.
Since the last 'Swiss Invasion', I think security has been tightened.

I always wonder if SMRT is going to organise some guided tours of the depot. I think many people would be interested. Probably not for everyone, but for people who takes the trains very frequently. They could always check the transaction records on our EZ Link / Flashpay cards to see how often people take their trains.

If McDonald's have Open Doors for their kitchen, Universities have Open Days, why not SMRT having an Open Train Day?

Looking at the huge space they occupy reminds me of Melbourne. When I was living and studying there long ago, it was all ugly tracks near the Flinders Street station. What they have done is to cover it and made it into Federation Square. It's now a place where everyone gathers.

I wonder if they can do something similar. This depot is not below ground like in Melbourne, so I guess they just can't cover things up. But they can use the space below the huge depot right?

Build a flood retaining pond below it? That will be a very very huge retaining pond. Water from Bukit Timah Canal can be diverted to Ulu Pandan River along Clementi Road. Ulu Pandan River overflow can be diverted to below the Ulu Pandan Depot. Sounds ridiculous? LOL. The train depot is too far from Ulu Pandan River? That's the point right? Let is flow.....

Or divert the excess flood water into the South Tunnel of the S$3.65 billion Deep Tunnel Sewerage System?

Tree Planting Singapore Style

2011-06-13T11:04:00.000+08:00

What is this photo showing?
Tree planting Singapore style! An hour before this photo was taken, it was just a green patch of grass.

A moment later, foreign workers (a species that Singapore folks always complain about, but really can't live without them, just like Singapore folks and air-conditioning) are there to dig a big hole in the ground and then with their hurculean strength (with the help of machines) puts the plants in place.

They will then cover up the soil with some new grass patch and tada! a beautiful manicured garden.

We all live in instant world, and I think I like the way they plant tress in Singapore.
Everything looks so nice instantly.

But I wonder if the roots of these trees will go deep enough into the ground. Will they survive when there is a thunderstorm? I think their roots are shallow and don't go deep in the ground.

Here's another bigger tree that's going to be transplanted into the ground.
I wonder if these trees are planted in Singapore or is it from Johor, Malaysia?
Talking about trees, do you also know that in Singapore there is something called a Heritage Tree?
It's something like a Heritage building, that is earmarked to be preserved.

Heritage Trees are trees that has gracefully matured in this country over the years (and I am pretty sure, instant trees above are excluded even if they have lived here for a long time). In Singapore, trees and buildings have to always give way to the so called 'renewal process'. Heritage trees are given immunity just like in the reality show "Survivor".

Training Bus

2011-06-10T18:24:00.000+08:00

There seems to be more training buses around these days. I guess it's either:
- the government is putting pressure on bus companies to provide more services
- the bus companies having changed buses, so they need to train new drivers on how to drive the new buses.

It was the first time I was just next to a stationary training bus.
Ooo. The trainer just stack two chairs and sit and train the bus driver.

Guess what? My colleague thought I was mad when I said I wanted to get all the different kind of driving license in Singapore. I was thinking of getting a Class 4A - Omnibus license!
I was thinking of getting a flying license once too! (I have flown a Cessna for around 15 mins before!)

After doing all the research about getting a license, I realise that I have to submit the application through SMRT or SBS Transit. Hmm... I don't want to work for them, I just want to get the license for my own ego collection. I think the urge to get the license started when Kim Ng got a license! I want too!

Anyone also wants to get a bus license? ;-P

Sandtastic Sculpting Event

2011-06-09T17:45:00.000+08:00

Colleagues and I were having lunch at the West Coast Plaza just the other day and we saw lots of sand in the mall.

The sand was being sculptured into something really beautiful.

This man was hard at work getting his sand sculpture done.
After taking a look, we think it's not as easy as it seems!

We smiled at this most timid lion. It's like it's so soft spoken and it probably could not roar. LOL

This two headed snake looks really mean though.
Looks really evil too!

Ah.. Look at these lovely parrots.
I wonder if you can colour sand? Hmm....

Sorry for not posting this up earlier, I think the event has ended.

KTM Tanjong Pagar Station

2011-06-08T17:03:00.003+08:00

By the end of this month, the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) trains from Malaysia will stop traveling into the heart of Singapore's CBD at Tanjong Pagar.

The short story:
The governments of Singapore and Malaysia reached an agreement on 24 May 2010, (about a year ago!) to relocate the last stop for KTM's train to terminate at Woodlands Train Checkpoint. The Tanjong Pagar or Keppel Road station which opened in 1932 will cease operations on 1 July 2011.

Do you see FMSR on the pillars of the building?
It stands for Federated Malay States Railways. It has so much historical significance that this building has been gazetted as Singapore 64th National Monument.

(The Bukit Timah Railway Station will also be preserved but won't be gazetted as a National Monument, but a conserved building.)

For Momo and myself, we want to be part of history. We will be taking the last train on 30 June 2011 that will come into the Tanjong Pagar station. We are following a group of online friends that we have not met! If you are interested, go visit: http://www.facebook.com/LastTrainToTanjongPagar If you read today's Straits Times, you would have seen the article in the Life Section.

Another interesting fact that I read online is that, the Sultan of Johor, HRH Sultan Ibrahim Ismail will be driving the last train out of Singapore. The Sultan of Johor is a 'train person'. He has driven the KTMB's train a few times, and you can read it in the news.

For more interesting notes about Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, read Jerome Lim's blog. It's an eye opener. URL: http://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com

Monk's Hill Terrace Black and White

2011-06-07T15:05:00.002+08:00

There are buildings around Singapore that are known as 'Black and White'.

They are usually the colonial houses and it seems they are always painted black and white!
I wonder what were their original colour when they were built long ago.

This row of Black and White colonial terrace houses is situated along Monk's Hill Terrace.
It's just beside one of Singapore's most famous food centre, Newton Circus.

Newton Circus was old and dilapidated and a few years ago, they decide to renovate it.
Do you know the new design is supposedly based on the design of these terrace houses?
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_Food_Centre)

Who lives here?
I am not sure, but I think they are mostly businesses that are renting these properties.

Water..... Floods...

2011-06-06T15:06:00.000+08:00

There was a huge downpour yesterday and many places got flooded. I always thought Singapore IS an island, surrounded by water, of course it will flood when it rains too heavily.

It floods in the US, Europe, Australia even our neighbouring countries Malaysia, Indonesia etc.
At least when in floods here, it recedes within a few hours.

It seems that the 'cheng hu' / government reacts rather quickly now. We don't expect them to do much, but since they just promised in the recent election to do something, might as well complain to the core to get things that will supposedly be done in the future to be fixed immediately. After all, we paid our taxes.

You can see the photos of other floods online, I thought this photo looks like what Singapore was maybe 20 years ago?

Old style fencing. Water puddles. Open fields, usually a school's field.
Boys will soon play football again and they will all be super muddy!

The photo was taken yesterday afternoon at Newton Circus.

Old Folks Playing Chinese Chess

2011-06-03T00:22:00.000+08:00

When you are a man, and you have grown old, what do you do?

Play chinese chess!

These men are seen daily playing chinese chess at Chinatown.

In many places especially at 'void decks' (the empty or ground floor or the Singapore public housing flats) there are old men like this gathering playing chess.

Cash Rich Buyer

2011-06-02T00:38:00.000+08:00

We see signs like this everywhere. You think people don't simply paste notes in neat and tidy Singapore, but the reality is that Singapore's like other countries.

It puzzles many locals how some people can be so rich and afford to pay so much cash for houses when the prices are now sky high!

Probably this piece of news published on WSJ explains.

http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2011/06/02/singapore-the-place-to-meet-a-millionaire/

It says Singapore has the highest concentration of millionaires in the world. Higher than Switzerland it seems. Is the report accurate it says 16% of households have at least 1 million in assets. Well I am not one of them.

Well, we know for sure the Members of Parliament in Singapore get that much a month!

June Theme Day: Under Construction

2011-06-01T00:22:00.000+08:00

The Theme for the City Daily Photo bloggers for the month of June is "Under Construction".

This is the photo about a month ago of the kitchen in our house under construction.
So glad that everything's now fixed up and it's looking pretty good.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants of the Theme Day

Random artwork....

2011-05-31T13:19:00.000+08:00

I saw this few weeks ago and took a photo of it.

I can't seem to appreciate it, maybe I should go back and search for the title of the work or what it trying to symbolize. (Or if you know, let me know.)

Overflowing pipes?

It's located on a between Cecil St and Robinson Road.

Dhoby Ghaut Green

2011-05-30T13:58:00.000+08:00

I like the work of National Parks Board (NParks) in Singapore.
They have been creating or building new parks everywhere.

I like this new open-air amphitheatre. It looks so pleasant and yet artistic.

I am not the only curious one. Look, someone's trying to peep inside!

You can read more about this park and the design behind it at:
http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/index.php?option=com_visitorsguide&task=parks&id=87&Itemid=73

Chopin For Japan

2011-05-23T22:32:00.000+08:00

For Lovers of Classical Piano, here's a concert in support of the Japan Earthquake.

____________

Epson, a world leader in digital imaging and printing solutions, together with the Singapore subsidiaries of Yamaha and Isetan will be sponsoring a free concert entitled ‘Chopin for Japan’ in support of the relief effort for the recent Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster.

Featuring well-known Italian-American classical pianist Julian Gargiulo, audience members can expect to enjoy Chopin compositions, well known Japanese songs and Italian arias. Satsuki Nagatome will accompany Gargiulo as a guest soprano during the concert.

The concert is open to the public and non-obligatory donations will be requested during the event. All proceeds will to Mercy Relief to aid their relief efforts in Japan.

Event Details

Date: 28 May 2011 (Saturday)

Time: 6:30 pm

Venue: Singapore Botanic Gardens – Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage

The hazy view of Bukit Timah

2011-05-14T23:55:00.000+08:00

Suddenly yesterday evening, the haze 'attacked' Singapore.

This was view of Bukit Timah (Hill) last night.
Slightly 'hazy' view of the hill because of the haze.

It's good that by Saturday morning (this morning), it's not so hazy anymore...

Bowling pins...

2011-05-13T10:21:00.000+08:00

Saw a lot of bottles on the ground after a recent 'party' nearby.

I was a bit naughty and wanted to roll a ball or something towards it.
They look like an overcrowded set of bowling pins.
No, I was do it, the mess would be disastrous!

Have you ever wondered why wines cost so much in Singapore?
Well, there is a excise duty of $70 per litre of alcohol.

So say, you buy a 750ml bottle of wine with an alcohol content of 13.5%, you will pay $7.09.
Don't forget you still need to pay 7% GST on whatever amount the wine costs.

Anywhere is good to sleep...

2011-05-12T00:45:00.000+08:00

Everyone's tired. I am feeling very tired these few weeks, are you?

Just find a piece of cupboard and a water bottle as a pillow, you got yourself a temporary bed!

How many hours do you sleep a day?
Do you sleep in total darkness or with a night light on?

Flowers all dropping..

2011-05-12T00:39:00.000+08:00

I took this photo around 1 week ago, when I was rushing to work.
Since I am rushing, so I just quickly took a snap of it and it seems over exposed.

It's still early, so the cleaners have not swept the streets yet. I saw white-pinkish flowers all over! It looks so beautiful!

The tree was covered with the flower and the flowers have been dropping slowly to the ground. It's raining flowers! The place was so beautiful!

ACS House

2011-05-12T00:29:00.000+08:00

Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) is one of the many Christian-Methodist family of schools in Singapore.

Seen here, is the building that it all started, at 70 Amoy Street, with 13 pupils.
Read about the history here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Chinese_School