Teachers Day 2007

When I was a student, I gave small gifts to my teachers, and cards to the ones I had something to say... I believed that every teacher meant well in their own way, and we can't have achieved what we had without them. So there was this one day in a year, you could say how much you adore them. :) Well, now, I am no longer a student, but I still like to wish my colleagues who are teachers, a happy teachers day! I know the photo does't look very professionally done, but they will receive it tomorrow anyway.

Singapore Fireworks Festival 2007

I dunno why they call it a festival when there are only two days (17th and 18th Aug) of fireworks. But I read from the STB website that it is part of the national day celebrations. Friday's one was from Spain. Pity I was too tired, else I would have gone there to take a look. I think somebody mentioned that Sat's from China. The police wouldn't allow us to go up the Sheares Bridge anymore. There was a floating platform, but you had to pay money to enter. And because they are now building the DNA Millenia bridge across the marina, most of the other part of the esplanade park was sealed off. So I had to crowd with all the other poor folks on some damp ground behind the esplanade. There were a few pleasant surprises and it was good on the whole, but I felt that there was too much smoke. Perhaps they should time the fireworks less hurriedly, and avoid excessive use of those low firing fireworks that give out more smoke than light.

Elgin Bridge

If you walked along the riverside from Clarke Quay to Boat Quay, you will not miss the Elgin Bridge that links the City Hall area with the Chinatown area. Though not very large and spans only the rather narrow Singapore river, the design of its arc allows tourists to frame the skyscrapers nicely. And doing so allows you to combine the richness of history with the advancements of modernity.

Majestic up for Sale

Last Thursday it was reported in the papers that the Majestic Building is given up for sale at $48 million dollars. Though I never frequent its stores, nor watch any shows there before 2002, it did struck me as a worthy piece of our national heritage for its artistic facade, earlier in the year when I passed by it along Eu Tong Sen Road (Chinatown). Incidentally, I learnt from the report that the Majestic was built by Eu Tong Sen (a philanthropist) for his wife to watch opera shows by performers from China. During the Jap Occupation, it became a theatre for the Japanese. With so much history behind this building, it is more than just Majestic.

Another Unusual Guest

This morning the skies cleared for a moment....and a pair of green parrots were feasting happily on the tall branches of the rambutan tree. No one could have missed this one because it was making such loud noises. But much like the eagle picture I took a few days ago, the overly bright white sky and underexposure of the bird affected the picture. I touched this up this morning and replaced the sky with a bluer one taken at Koh Samui in June. If I could get closer to the parrot, its contrasting colours may have been more spectacular.

A Very Unusual Guest

It has been here before... I sometimes see it during the weekends when I spend more time at home than other days. But it is never quite easy to snap them in action. The moment you have your camera out from the drawer and ready yourself for the shot, the eagle has long gone. This evening, as I was just about to take a shower before dinner, it appeared unexpectedly on the rambutan tree. Surely it must be quite hungry to want to eat vegetarian stuff belonging to the squirrels and parrots. Compare the bird with the rambutans and you get an idea how big this bird is. Even the mynahs kept a safe distance below the tree in the presence of the eagle.

Flame Tree

The Singapore Botanical Gardens is home to countless species of trees, both native to the country as well as of foreign origin. And once in a while, a very unusual flowering of a tree species sends nature loving people into a frenzy. For me, it offered a perfect reason to take my butt off the cozy sofa, grab the camera, and exercise my limbs. Hailing from Australia, this tree bearing the red flowers is the Illawarra Tree. Sounds like a name given by the aborigines. It is isn't very tall, and the flowers aren't sweet smelling, but the bell shaped flowers grow in bright red clusters which are so numerous that from far, the tree looks as if it is on fire....thereby the name, Flame Tree. Its at the Sun Garden closer to the entrance at Holland Road. It won't last very long, so go there quickly if you can.

Drawing the Sword

In tennis, my coach always says the backhand is played just like "drawing the sword". In my tank, the Echinodorus 'Ozelot' (Green) brought home last December from HK is flourishing. :) It is a member of the aquatic swordplants and it was a steal at HKD15 from the goldfish market. I'll call it a hardy and reliable plant, cos without any special care nor nourishments except from the detritus from the fish, it has done very well in supporting itself. Will recommend it to aquarium fanatics out there to get this plant!

My Pet Platy

After long deliberation I have decided to get myself the Olympus mu725SW for the underwater capability. You see, the holidays are approaching. :) This is the less expensive model that is waterproof up to 5m, just right for snorkelling in the sea. Couldn't wait to test, so I popped the machine in the garden tank of platies. I have had these platies for almost five years now and the black tuxedos, plume-tails and spotted varieties had "mixed" up so much to produce this "mongrel" specimen. I am so glad the luminous blue dorsal and pelvic fins, traits of the black tuxedos still remain though.

Birdcaged in Suntec City

Yesterday afternoon, traffic was so smooth (paid $3 in ERP charges for driving under two gantries lined in series from the Meridien SC to Suntec City, you know why it was smooth) I reached the Suntec City Convention Center Ballroom early for the ceremony I was to attend. So I had the chance to explore the interior of Suntec City, and chanced upon the mesh that made up of the ceiling as I was coming up the escalator on the way to Carrefour. I like the combination of squares on the metal structure that held the glass panels in place and those square windows on the Suntec City Towers.

Bright Wheel

While shopping at Metro at Causeway Point on Sat, I stumbled upon the Fun Fair now happening at the heart of Woodlands. You can see the large structure of the ferris wheel and its bright lights once you alight from the MRT. There are also the usual fun rides but no roller coaster. Not that I was disappointed, I think I am too old for these heart-in-your-mouth flip flops. Instead, I preferred the noisy pasar malam across the street, and the 20% storewide discount offered at Metro department store inside the cool but packed Causeway Point shopping mall.

Golden Spirals of Life

The fascinating fact of life is that many natural things exhibit mathematical constants, one of which is phi (1.618...), also known as the Golden Ratio. The leaves of birds' nest fern growing along the road home develops from spirals and one of these (see pic) captures the Golden Spiral quite accurately. The rectangles drawn are called the Golden Rectangles. The ratio of the areas of each set of consecutive rectangles follows closely to the Golden Ratio.

Arrival Hall at Budget Terminal

Last week, both of my parents went on holidays. They went different places, with different friends. :) We seldom travel together anymore. But anyway, I was at the budget terminal's arrival hall last Saturday to pick up my dad, and gosh was I lost for words to describe what I saw. It resembled a warehouse. Its roofs were almost bare, and the air vents were left exposed. The floor was unattractive, the toilets were not even half as luxurious as the ones in the shopping mall, the seats were not very comfy, and there were only three vending machines if you were hungry. Outside the carpark was so far away, and you had to drive in circles just to get in, and then it was the same when you want to get out. Presently only Tiger Airways uses this terminal. Just don't expect to be pampered. :)

Dash of Rainbow Colours

I was on my way up to the marina foodcourt when I passed by this colourful display of awkward lanterns. If you take the escalator, you'll not miss this. If you eat at the Secret Recipe cafe below, these lanterns will be perching right above your heads. These lanterns have been around for some years, but this is the first time I actually bothered to slow down and take a picture of it. With the reflections above the lanterns, I feel it is quite a nice piece of work.

Brands Suduku Challenge

Brands has launched an online Suduku Challenge on Stomp http://www.stomp.com.sg/BRANDSstaysharp/ . Apparently entering the contest is easy and there is a lot of money worth playing for. The top prize is $10,000. To enter the contest online, you just need to purchase a set of Brands chicken essence from the supermarket, and search for the 7 digit code inside the packaging to start the game off. 900 semi-finalists will be chosen based on the shortest times taken to complete the puzzle. Does taking Brands help you do better at Suduku?

Singapore IT Show 207

Over the last four days, Suntec City played host to the Singapore IT Show 2007. Since the evening session of tennis was to be cancelled, there was time to spare to take a look at what are the IT products on sale. I recently bought an Acer laptop from my school's IT fair, and was rather disappointed that there was another Acer laptop on sale today at $200 less, and offered Microsoft Vista. Sometimes it is just better to wait for a better offer. But guess what, this entry is typed on my new Acer laptop. Its meant for my mum, but she isn't using it as often as I hope she would. Canon was offering its SLR today with all those freebies, but I thought I should wait a few more months while I further explore my A640 powershot. Instead, I bought myself a brand new tripod, and I hope it is level, unlike the old one I keep under my bed.

Lion Dances

The past week I had been witness to at least two formal lion dances for heartland businesses. The lion prances excitedly into the store where it is offered vegetables and mandarin oranges. It crouches on the floor for quite some time, forming the auspicious word "Fu" under its chin with the mandarin segments, and occasionally spitting out the mandarin skin and vegetable stems at the audience. I have noticed that of late, there are no more lorries carrying lion dance troupes around my neighbourhood. But am happy to watch these traditional shows at the heartland shops. Every Chinese New Year is a chance for us to feel close to our roots again. :)

Singapore River Hongbao IV

It was spectacular fireworks on this Sunday night. Standing on the Sheare's Bridge, the fireworks was almost above you. There were many high explosions which my A640 lenss was not wide enough to capture. The pyrotechnics went off 5 minutes early at 8.55pm and all the photographers with me on the Bridge were caught off guard. We were lucky our tripods and cameras have been set before-hand and we missed just the opening shot. The last fireworks for this lunar new year celebration will be this coming Sunday at 9pm.

Singapore River Hongbao III

On the right is the River Hongbao 2007. The bright streak is where the street food can be found. Prices are rather high, and be prepared to be pushed around, or push around to get through. The Thai food at the left side end is quite nice, but avoid the over-priced $3 tasteless green mangoes. The moon is superimposed. Remember the posting "Moon"? Its the same moon. :) I especially like the rainbow colours which are reflected off the slightly calm waters of the Singapore River. It comes off the decorative neon lights of the River Hongbao.

River Hongbao 2007 Fireworks II

Yesterday's fireworks was rather disappointing. Most of the blame should be attributed to the wind direction. When the wind blows the smoke right towards the spectators at the Fullerton and Esplande side, what you get is smoke and lots of bright flares that spoil your pictures. And last night, I noticed the fireworks were all rather low. That they are fired on the new IR site also meant that unless you zoomed in, you'll get fireworks that barely reach the center of your photo frame. Well, there are three nights to go. I won't be able to go for this coming Sat's. I'll probably go again on Sun.

River Hongbao 2007 Fireworks

Singapore is celebrating the chinese lunar new year with events at the annual River Hongbao 2007 (at marina) until the first week of March. To entertain the locals and tourists, fireworks will be shot on six evenings, beginning last Friday evening, when I was just five minutes late. On Sunday night, I made sure I arrived early on the bridge between the esplanade and the merlion and booked a spot where I managed to take a few good pictures of the colourful fireworks. However most wouldn't look nice superimposed onto the merlion picture, except this one with orange fireworks. If you are interested, go down to marina at 9pm on Mon 19/2, Sat 24/2, Sun 25/2 and Sun 4/3 for more fireworks!

Mochi Selldown

Just two days ago, the price of mochi was already depressed to $1 per 100g. (Originally these costs $1.80 per 100g) After receiving word of $5 a bag mochi deals from my cousin at reunion dinner, I was back in Chinatown with my brother. The traffic this time was tremendous. And the barricades placed by the homeland police caused a lot of inconvenience. Luckily I remembered where the stores selling mochi were and went straight to them. When I arrived, the konnyakku was also going for the $5 a bag price so I bought a total of three bags of mochi and konnyakku!

Lion Roar

Wu Shi...the lion dance...the auspicious and energetic chinese tradition practiced at the Lunar New Year (and usually the openings of new companies) brought luck and festive cheer to my school today. I especially like this one because it has white cuddly fur and cute red nose. May this adorable lion bring you the best of luck and prosperity in the new year, the year of the pig! Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Mochi

The soft glutinous rice ball with a sweet filling and powdery exterior from Taiwan are making a big scene at Chinatown again. And the competition among the pasar malam stores here are just heating up. Last weekend when I was here the price was $1.80 per 100g. Last night, the usual was $1 per 100g. But this store, right in the center of all the action, was going at 80 cents per 100g. I am quietly confident the price is going to be further depressed today. The other Taiwan product which is popular this year is the Konnyakku fruit jelly. Its also going at the price of the mochi. Hear the perspiring vendors shouting "Jin Tian Lao Ban Bu Zai" (Boss not here today) and "Hao Chi Cai Mai" (Buy only if it's nice) into their loudspeakers to entice customers.

Bottle Gourds

A must for some chinese families during the lunar new year. This year, there is a huge abundance of this ornamental fruit in Chinatown and even some bigger supermarkets like Giant in Tuft City. If you are looking for an environmentally friendly, bio-degradable water bottle, this fruit, when dried, may be helpful. You just cut off top of the neck and improvise with a stopper to keep the water from flowing out. Some sources say this fruit may be eaten like squash, but I think I'd rather be safe and stop at admiring the sexy hour glass figure of the Hu Lu!

New Blooms for the New Year

Nursuries around the island of Singapore are making brisk business selling pots after pots of gold kumquats, gold marigolds, gold cosmos, etc. Chinatown allows you to immerse into the festive, loud, sweaty atmosphere of the chinese lunar new year. But it is at the nursuries where you feel the warmness and freshness of the natural thousand blooms, the happy families choosing their pots of flowers that symbolises new life, fortune and good luck, that completes the experience of lunar new year. This is a ritual I go through annually. The picture shows the nursery opposite the Clementi Camp. Prices here are slightly lower than the nurseries over at Thompson Area.

Chinatown Lights Up

The crowds have decended on Chinatown again. The other time I came here was in the afternoon and I scouted this nice vantage point from above the old chinatown wet market. The latter is unfortunately is presently under renovation, and that's bad news for the tourists who come here to catch a glimpse of the real Singapore. Though it was really tiring at work on Fridays, I came tonight so the offices in the CBD would be lighted, and this strikes a contrast with the noise and excitement along the streets of Chinatown. I wished my canon camera had a wider angle on its lens...f4.5 at 4sec exposure.

Sunset at Marina Square

The foodcourt at Marina Square offers diners a free view of the Singapore Skyline with the Esplanade at the foreground. If you reach this place before 7pm on a clear evening, you'll be treated to a fantastic sunset such as this one. (It has been enhanced though...it wasn't that dark, but you get the feel right?) When I was there on Sunday, the wind was very strong and the surroundings was kind of blanketed with a light haze, creating a feeling of heaviness.

Ole Ole Ole Ole....

Singapore 1 - Thailand 1. That's the score at the soccer match held in Bangkok this evening. On aggregate, Singapore wins Thailand 3-2! It is just exhilating. Singapore retains its position as having the best soccer team in ASEAN. :) Thanks to the controversial penalty awarded to Singapore last wednesday, plus Amri's fantastic shot at goal with just five minutes left in the game. This is great entertainment! Watch out for more Singapore soccer!

Moon

It's the first day of February and the moon is approaching its fullness again. This was the full moon roughly a month ago and it was shot using the zoom function at f8 at 1/50s. But you'll have to shoot it at a higher resolution so that after you crop the photo, you'd still have a moon that does not appear pixelated. When I have time, I'll superimpose this moon onto a night scene of the skyline to achieve the surreal feeling.

Thai Coup - Singapore Wins!

The Thais played Singapore in the first leg of the finals in the Asean Championships tonight. I watched only the last few minutes of the match after a message from Teddy. The controversial decision by the M'sian referee to award a penalty to Singapore led to a 2-1 loss for Thailand. Apparently a coup was staged and the Thais walked off the pitch in protest. Well, what can I say? Its entertaining right? The second leg of the finals will be held this Saturday at Bangkok...the shopping haven! Too bad can't go

Johor Short Trip. Anyone?

This advertisement was on the Straits Times paper last week. Coaches leave from Newton Circus on Friday and Saturday 6pm. Inclusive is a seafood dinner plus a trip to Aeon Tebrau City. Maybe can get some lunar new year stuff? There are still trips for the 2/2, 3/2 and 9/2, 10/2. Anyone interested to go....?

Giant Purchase

I was at the turf city's Giant store this afternoon and saw this great bargain: A 1GB Kingston SD card at S$17.90. The sale is on for five days and ends on the 31st of Jan. The last time I received a 512KB Kingston card free for my purchase of the canon A640, I threw the whole package away the night before I boarded the plane to HK...and who on earth would have known the card would self-destruct on the plane journey to HK. Then, in HK, I bought a 1GB Toshiba SD card at SGD30 and was quite happy with it. Now at S$17.90? Very soon, you'll see 2GB SD cards selling at that price. But for now, I think you guys should stock up on one or two of these cards from Giant.

Chomp Chomp has Grown Up!

It was like popeye downing a can of spinach. It was Chomp Chomp chomping down the iron tree's leaves. It was like the Hulk growing larger, becoming greener, and shedding all clothes except those elastic pants. It was Chomp Chomp shedding those baby green pyjamas and putting on the armour meant for adult hardcore grasshoppers aka known as locusts. Yeah, the ones you see on TV in flying in swarms, decimating crops that lay in their path. When I thought Chomp Chomp had fallen prey to the birds or rats, it has actually grown so quickly into a fine adult. It has also learnt to fly but was really nasty when I tried to get near it today. I say its time to send in the StarShip Troopers!

Want these? Superman?

Perhaps Superman may be inspired to change his old red trunks after seeing these in Chinatown. And he can be exotic without going through the traumatic experience of tatooing any part of his body and which, haha, are also very auspicious and lucky....perfect for the Lunar New Year. As for me stocking up on these essentials and maybe even wearing them on new years' eve?...hmm...still thinking, still thinking. I'd probably like the "wang" word, actually. :)

Past and Present Singapore

The majority of Singaporeans live in high rise dwellings. I envy these people whose bedrooms allow them to look at the skyline without obstruction. Though I did not trespass into a stranger's flat, I found a good spot along the corridor on the 8th floor of this HDB flat in Chinatown where you get a good view of modernised Singapore and its Chinese heritage of shophouses. I got the idea after noticing many nice pictures on the internet (like this one) taken from high vantage points. Lunar New Year is coming soon, and these streets will be lined with bright lights and huge crowds. At night, this scene will be very pretty. Anyone knows other spots good for photos of the city's skyline?

Tanjong Beach

Well the rains did take a break on this Sat morning (and returned in the evening :p) and I took the chance to go to Sentosa to enjoy the island life with a group of friends, most of whom I'm meeting for the first time. Tanjong Beach is the most secluded of three beaches at Sentosa, and it was safe enough to leave our things under the hut and swim out to the small island (see picture). The water on the small island was warmer and clearer! Just the perfect reward for the hard work. This is the first time I swam out to an island and it was really fun! I always thought it was dangerous, but it's not when you are not alone. I had less stamina and made it there and back just three times. Now nursing a moderate sun burn on my face.

Chomp Chomp

School work is getting heavier these days and its more difficult to find the time (and energy) to write into the blog. But still have to try. This photo of a grasshopper eating up the iron-tree in my house was taken on tuesday night. I have not seen the grasshopper ever since...I presume it must have been eaten up by birds or my dog. Well, its at the lower end of the food chain, so its difficult. If the rain clouds avoid Singapore this weekend I may be able to "go out" and "have a life".

Wind It Up Stefani!

Remember No Doubt? The group that sang "Don't Speak"? Gwen Stefani was the lead singer in No Doubt. Now a solo singer, she remains one of my favourite singer. After Harajuku girls, she now has a new song called "Wind it up" and the mtv is quite cool. You can view it on her official site by clicking here. Look under videos. You will like it. :)

Wang Lai

In cantonese, the "pineapple" sounds like "incoming fortune". While the pineapples sold in the markets can be theoretically grown in a pot, why grow the large ones when you can grow the bonsai variety like the one in my garden orchard? The spike supporting the fruit has grown taller over the last two weeks, but today I noticed a ring of stiff blue flowers forming around the fruit. And those ants too. You get the feel how small this pineapple is. For certain, this fruit is not worth the trouble eating.

Rain On My Parade

After the temporary reprieve over the weekend last week, rains are lashing our island city state again. The air is damp and the sun rays can't break through the thick black storm clouds. If not for work I would have been bored to tears staying indoors. In fact the rains were so mean they pounded me real hard on the back the moment I got out of the car when I reached home. And then it was indoors all over again.....at least I have good reason to shelf jogging plans tonight. Haha.

3000.00

The Straits Times Index performed a unusual feat on Monday, ending the day's trading at a whole number (well, a mathematician will tell you it is 2 dp and thus not a whole number) of 3000.00. If it was say 2999.00, I believe the impact wouldn't be as great. While the index has never parked itself into such a neat number lot, it has also never reached such high levels in its history. Based on the records provided in the article, the probability of observing a whole number ending for tommorow's trading day is a mere 0.66% or an odds of 1:151. Getting the precise 3000.00 is however not anywhere close to that! If you dare, place your bets on the table!

Hooke's Law

The nature's spring is at work. If you had seen the pumpkin posted yesterday, then you're now seeing the essential supporting feature of the pumpkin plant. This tendril, among many others, belongs to the pumpkin plant and is responsible for the safety of the plant as the latter climbs on top of the bamboo structure we have erected for it. Inconspicuous, easily overlooked while we marvel at its fruit, but nevertheless resilient and pivotal to the plant's survival.

Halloween Fruit

The Secret Recipe along Bukit Bintang once sold the pumpkin cake in 2005. Ever since, the delicious cake has become extinct. Why aren't they making again? Right now, in the middle of my little garden "farm", this medium sized squash fruit is storing all the goodness of potential energy within its green hardy skin. We grew the plant on an elevated mesh structure to protect its fruits from the damp grass and hideous worms. When it's ripe it's going to end up on the dinner table :) Yum yum! A recipe from www.spywriter.com suggests a pumpkin soup. Here's how it works.

1. Boil chicken, celery, onion, carrots in 4-5 L of water. When done, remove onion and chicken. Blend everything else untill smooth.

2. Peel pumpkin, dice, cover with water and boil for about 1/2hr. Blend until smooth. Mix with chicken broth.

3. Add salt, pepper, to taste.

4. Add 2 Tbsp of cream per dish to taste (optional).

And even the seeds can be roasted to become "gua zi".