KTM Tracks... Bye....

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....

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.....

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

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...

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...

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...

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)

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...

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

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

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

For some reason, I just LOVE this road.



Prince Philip Ave.

Wow...

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...

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

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

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

"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?

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

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

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

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