Ezlink, the public transport payment card.

Do you take public transport? In Singapore, taking public transport is very convenient. To make things easier, there's a RFID card which we use to pay for public transport. It's called the EZLink card.

Using it is really simple. On buses, you just need to bring it near the entrance reader and it will detect it. When you get down the bus, do the same, it will then calculate how much the cost is and deduct your card accordingly.

You can also use the card on the train system. Well, this card also feeds you! Yes, you can pay for your burger at McDonalds too.

Here's the picture of the card. There are new designs now, this is the old design.



Do you have such public transport payment card in your country?

What keeps you cool?

What keeps you cool? In Singapore the day time temperature is around 30-32 Celcius. During the night it drops to around 25-27 Celcius.

What keeps people in Singapore cool? Air conditioning. I love it at around 24 Celcius.

Here's a picture of the compressor unit that is outdoor. This of course is a commercial unit which cool a building.



In fact I am now in the comfort of an air condition room posting this picture up. Do you love air conditioning?

Little Greenies - All over...

I saw this while walking after lunch the other day. Tiny green leaves all everywhere.

Is it clean enough?

Everyone says Singapore is a very clean city. Yes it is! We got to thank all the armies of cleaners that are working everyday to keep the city spick and span.

The following photo must be familiar with most people. The trolley that the cleaner pushes that has all the things they need to clean up our mess.



This trolley seems very empty though. Anyone here a clean freak? Or are you a messy fella? Hmmm...

Fire Engine Access - Keep Clear

There must be a million of these signs all around Singapore. It's for the safety of occupants of buildings all over. That in case of any emergencies, the fire engine is able to park and the civil defence will take over.



They really go to the extreme here. Where they are these signs, the grounds have been "reinforced" where it will be able to withstand the weight of the fire engine. Shall spare you all the details.

Talking about Fire Engines, when you were growing up in your country you are reading this, do you have visits to Fire Stations? When you get to climb around the fire engines :-)

Terminology, if you are from elsewhere, Fire Engine = Fire Trucks.

Mercedes Benz Bicycle.

I saw this during lunch time. Good thing I had my camera with me, and quickly snap it up. Mercedes Benz Bicycle. Home made version.



My colleague said that the owner must be very brand conscious. Are you one of those brand conscious people around?

Space Age Series - Sunday

Here's one more spaceshop on top of buildings. This was taken just this afternoon, above the HDB apartments. I think those who live nearby will know the location of these spaceships on top of buildings.



That's all for today.

Space Age Series - Saturday

How do you communicate or keep contact with people from outer space? Well, maybe people working in this building are doing it right now...



The satellite dish is looking up right now, sometimes it is pointing at the side towards the building opposite. Sometimes I have too rich an imagination, I can picture blue or red rays shooting from the satellite to rival buildlings. (Maybe I grew up watching too much cartoons.)

Guess what. After a successful contact people on the moon, folks from the moon sent some of their cakes over. Here's a picture of a mooncake. It's Double Yolk with Lotus Seed Paste.



Enjoy.....


*Latest News* We made contact! The satellite made contact with the Space Age Twin Towers in KL. View it here at the KLDP.

Space Age Series - Friday

Hmm look at this building. Does it look space age? It looks like some space ship right? Or maybe some an unidentified flying object that has landed on some building here.

Yesterday's post was about Lonely Planet, now we know we are no longer our planet is no longer lonely. We have friends from outer space! LOL....



Can anyone make a guess what this is? I will reveal the answer in a few days time.

Autograph from founder of Lonely Planet

Do you know who are Tony and Maureen Wheeler? Most of you have probably read the book published by his company. They are the founders of Lonely Planet.

Here's a picture of Tony. This afternoon he was having an autograph session.



I bought the book and had it Tony autograph it. It is someone's birthday gift actually. Hope that person will like it.

Such a coincidence. I had a "Best of Sydney" lonely planet book and brought it to work today for a colleague who is going for a conference in Sydney in a few days time.

You can visit Tony's blog at: www.lonelyplanet.com/tonywheeler or if you want head down to Borders or Kinokuniya and buy or browse the book. Speaking of that, so many people just browse or even read the whole book at Borders or Kinokuniya right? Are you one of them? haha...

Sleepless in Singapore

Long day at work, so on the way home, thinking its already dark, what shall I snap to post up? I looked up and saw this. A night shot of one of the many HDB blocks where people in Singapore stay.



It was nearly 8 pm and you can see there are still many houses without lights on. Most probably still at work I guess. They can't be asleep, because 1 out of 2 Singaporeans are still awake past midnite. (And I am still posting photos at 11.20PM! )

Read the report here if you are interested. Link to Survey by AC Nielson.

All things Tofu...

What do you picture when you hear the word tofu? Well, below are 2 different kinds of tofu I had today. Cold Tofu and Tartofu, both at a Japanese Restaurant for lunch.


The Cold Tofu.


The outside of the Tofu Ice Cream - Tartofu


The inside of it, sorry my photography's bad today, it is not focused correctly.

Lunch was at Starhub Centre, at Waraku Japanese Restaurant. Shall not tempt you all with food of shashimi, etc today. (ah yes, it's a treat from one of our colleague to the whole group of us)

Malaysia in Singapore...

There's a strip of long Malaysia land in Singapore. It's the railway belonging to Keretapi Tanah Melayu. (Malayan Railway). This strip of land starts from Tanjong Pagar near the Financial District all the way to Woodlands. (and then across the causeway into Malaysia, all the way till Thailand).



The stones on the tracks have recently been refurbished. You can also see 775.75 on the sign. I guess this must mean KM 775.75, but from where? KL?

Stones for health....

Guess what this is? They are stones, but what are they for? Laid out so neatly on the ground.



These are the many reflexology paths in many HDB housing estates around Singapore. You are to walk barefoot on them. Supposedly, if your health is good, you won't feel the pain walking on it. But to me, it's painful. Ouch!

It usually has different type of stones, with different shapes and surfaces. The photo above is only part of the track of stones. It shows only 2 different kind of stones. It is arrange with the sides up, so walking on it, to me is painful!

Well, as my cardio instructor shouts in class, no pain no gain. arrghhh...

Multicolour lights

This was something different, so here it is.. Lights at a shopping centre called Marina Square.



Interesting?

Rainy Day - Slow Down with the baby snail.

The last two days, I have been attending this superb workshop by a wonderful lady called Ms Rebecca Low. The name of the workshop Voice Charisma. If you want to read more, go to her website at: www.vocalcharisma.com


Why this snail photo? This was taken just outside our workshop. It was raining (the whole day) and I saw this baby snail, that's so small, slowly crawling.

How does this relate to the workshop? We learnt many many things over the last two days. How to breathe correctly, vocal mechanics, Loving Breath, etc. One of the things that I learn is to slow down. It is practically relearning to speak correctly. It's a procecss that we have to slowly relearn. It's such a revelation that our voice is such a powerful instrument that is God has blessed us.

OK. Maybe one more picture. This picture thankfully is not so clear, so people inside would not be easily identified. (phew!) It's at the end of the workshop that it was a time for reflection. Fun eh? Colleagues we never knew existed got together these 2 days and tremendous bond and friendship was formed. Just listening to testimonies of our colleagues really warmed our hearts.



It was a wonderful session, and the whole class really appreciate what she has done for us. Thanks again Rebecca!

Data Centres ....

This should be something many of you have never seen before. Do you know what is this? This is a Data Centre that is still empty.



Still can't figure out what that is? This data centre is under going the air-conditioning testing. What you see are heating elements that simulate the heat that huge server will generate in the Data Center. Usually a hundreds or thousands of servers will be mounted on racks. The heat they generate is a lot! I stood behind them before.

The air-conditioning has to be strong enough to cool down the data centre. This is so that the machines can operate. In the test above, one heating element is put on top of the many aircon vents. The vents are on the raised platform. The cool air will be pumped from the bottom and all the hot air will rise, and be extracted out of the room.

The above is just one of the thousands of Data Center in Singapore or one of the millions of Data Centers in the world.

Yes, the blogger account that most Daily City Photo bloggers used are housed in a similar kind of data center.

Changi Terminal 2 Departure Hall (again...)

Check in counters at Terminal 2. There was a time where there were X-ray machines, etc all outside. Where you have to queue up once to get things scanned and another time to check in.

Nowdays, to make things easier for passengers, you just check-in your luggage, everything else would be done in the background. Heard they have super power x-ray machines too.




Those machines in the middle are self service check in counters, for those without luggage?

Changi Airport Terminal 2 - Departure Hall

Continuing with Changi Airport. This is the Terminal 2's Departure Hall. It's at the time where there are not many flights. Most flights are coming in.



Flights depart from 3 different Terminals in Singapore. Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Budget Terminal. Soon Terminal 3 will be ready.

Different airlines use different Terminals. The following airlines operate from Terminal 2. Air Canada, Air France, Air New Zealand, Lufthansa German Airlines, Malaysia Airline System, Philippine Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, SilkAir, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways. All others are at Terminal 1.

Just follow the signs...

While at the airport yesterday, I saw all these banners all over at the Arrival Hall.

In today's newspaper, it was said that red carpets have all been spread out at the Immigration Counters. wow!



For delegates of the IMF/World Bank Annual Meeting, all their transports been arranged. Just follow the signs....

Click here for a pic of Changi Airport from the other Singapore Daily Photo blogger - Newbie.

Airport Trolleys

I happened to be at the airport Sunday evening. What do you find in all airports? Trolleys! These are trolleys from Changi Airport Terminal 2.



Visiting Singapore? Well, if you travel by air, Changi Airport is where you will have the first taste of Singapore. Visit www.changiairport.com.sg for details. It's one of the best airports in the world.

Holy Smoke - It's Satay

This photo was taken recently at a friend's church wedding reception. Satay is cooked on the spot and served to guest.

For visitors from other parts of the world, Satay are pieces of marinated meat skewered on bamboo sticks, cooked over charcoal.



I love satay. I remember having satay eating competitions with dad when I was young. He will order like 30 sticks for a start and we will see who can eat the most. We will order more if we can still eat. yum yum..

Electric Lizard

Saw this on the way to lunch yesterday. A lizard on top of the stone marker for a high voltage electric cable. Colleague said, take it for the photo blog! So, here it is..




I did not take anymore close up, I was hoping it will not jump on me.. This one already has its head up.



They are called Changeable Lizard. Calotes Versicolor.
Also known as Bloodsucker Lizard, Crested Tree Lizard, Garden Fence Lizard.

Coffee and Desserts - The Continuation....

These are part of yesterday's desserts. I will show max of 4 pics again.
Coffee Club is one place that my colleagues and I love to go. We usually go for the mud pies. Nope, not shown here today :-p


Their menu. You can find Coffee Club on the net, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.


A cup of cappucino. Served with cinnamon sticks. (for you to stir your drink :-p )


This is something new on the menu. Apple Crumble Ala Mode. The Apple is nice and warm with crunchy peanut on top, served with Vanilla Ice-cream.


This is Tiramisu. Soft and delicious, sweet while retaining the flavor of chocolate. Our vote for the day went to the Apple Crumble. You should try it when you visit.

Birthday Lunch Treat

I got older today. I work with a superly crazy and fun bunch of colleagues. If there's an occasion to go out for a meal, we will do it. So colleagues and I went to Holland Village to have a birthday lunch. We all have a common trait: Fellow gluttons. We ate so much things. Ate at 2 restaurants and took hundred over pictures. 4 of us were armed with cameras.

But since this is a photo a day blog, so I will put up a max of 4 today.


We went to "Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao". This is a nice place for chinese food here in Singapore. For namesake, we obviously ordered Xiao Long Bao. (chinese for Meat Dumplings, literal translation means Little Dragon Buns) They come in 2 pairs served in a bamboo steamer. The thing about Xiao Long Bao is that there is broth wrapped inside. White cabbage is lined below, to give the dumplings a fragrant cabbage smell.


This is the inside of the Xiao Long Bao. Ready to be devoured by me. The moment the dumplings are opened you gotta quickly slurp the broth. Yes, I have done that.

The taste: light savoury broth that is not too salty. The skin's not chewy, but soft and succulent, it is firm when you pick up with a chopstick, but it melts gently in your mouth. The mince meat is mixed with chives and served with ginger strips with vinegar.



We also had Beijing Duck (some called it by its old name Peking Duck). Eating Beijing Duck is to only eat the skin of the duck that is wrapped in chinese pancakes with light crisp long strips of Spring Onions and Cucumbers. Some places it is DIY, where you wrapped them yourself. As this is a little upmarket place, we have the wonderful ladies wrapped them nicely for us, and served on a platter.

The taste: the roasted skin is crisp and not too oily. It is savoury and very fragrant. The strips of cucumber and spring onions make the taste light and fresh. The skin is also light in taste and not too chewy. It gives you satisfaction when you bite it. The crispiness of the veg and duck skin together with sweet and savoury soybean paste in it, is simply heavenly.


What happens to the duck meat? Usually the restaurant will cook a dish for you. Most people will like it to be fried with noodles. Just like the picture above. Delicious. We opted for noodles, because this restaurant is famous for its La Mian - which means pulled noodles. It's dough that is pulled and stretch till they look like noodles.

The taste: Noodles are cooked just nice, not rubbery and chewy, but just right. The roasted duck itself is tasty, now with additional seasoning for the noodles makes this dish delightful.

Tonite, my sis will be treating me for dinner as well. Wonder where we are going. Hmmmm....

September is Science Month

September is Science Month.



Science Month is organised by Agency for Science, Technology and Research with The Singapore Science Centre. Find out more at www.sciencemonth.org.sg



This is X-periment Exhibition pictures I took on Sunday at Marina Square.

Outside: Botak Trees Icon, Inside: Real Botak Trees.

I was walking around Orchard Road, and the new development that is coming up called Orchard Turn. They had the contruction barriers that had pictures botak (bald in Malay) trees. When you peek inside, you can really see botak trees!



Wonder if the trees will get a new home. Many trees in Singapore shift homes. If they have good owners, they might be transplanted somewhere else and continue to grow...

Frenzy flower planting in the CBD / Tourist Belt

If you happen to be anywhere in the CBD or tourist spots these few days, you will see lots and lots of beautiful potted flowers everywhere. Lorries loaded with hundreds of pots and water tankers to water the plants and clean up the roads. (yes, water tankers will water the plants and make sure the soil, mud is wash off the roads too, leaving everything clean. this is Singapore! haha...)


I think these are yellow Chrysanthemum, they are still in the small bulbs, in a few days times when visitors from all over the world arrive for the IMF/Work Bank meetings, it will be in full bloom.



Workers are busy transplanting them from pots to the ground. I wonder how many plants he has transplanted these few weeks. This photo was taken right along busy Orchard Road, wheel barrow along side all the cars...

Wrapped Up Trees Along Orchard Road - Red with White Polka Dots

It was a pleasant surprise when I took the bus today along Orchard Road in search for photo for today. I saw the trees all wrap in red, with white polka dots.

For those who knows Orchard Rd, Singapore, the wrap up is only from Tangs to around Paragon. After that it stops.



Interesting? Well, I guess it is part of the welcoming all the partipants of the IMF / World Bank Group Annual Meetings. Yes, Singapore is ready with the 4 million smiles. Visit http://www.singapore2006.org/ for details.


Update: Just found out a few days ago, the wrap up tree is in conjunction with the Singapore Biennale 2006. Visit http://www.singaporebiennale.org/ for details.

Hong Lim Food Centre

Hong Lim Food Centre is right in Chinatown, Singapore. There are lots of good food there. Colleague drove us there yesterday for lunch. It was a cold wet day, and we wanted to have "Bak Kut Teh" (pork rib soup), but the stall was not opened.



Food centres like this picture are all over Singapore. Some looks not so good, some look even better than this ones. It all depends when they are being built or refurbished. People do not go there because of the building, people go there because of the food!



The above is Mee Goreng and Prawn and Crayfish Rice Noodles. The Rice Noodles stall always have a long queue. If you are visiting Singapore, try it. Its called "Hay Poh Hor Fun".