Folding Hearts printed on the newspaper...

For 11 years, SingTel, a local telco has the SingTel Touching Lives Fund that has been raising funds for children and youth with special needs.

Since 2002, many would have seen advertisement similar to the one below asking people to cut the paper and fold a heart following the instructions. After folding the origami heart, you drop it into any post boxes in Singapore. SingTel donates $1 for every origami heart collected.



This year the advertisements are placed in the Today newspaper.
We know Today Newspaper is a free sheet that also has online access. I was wondering if I print that page out and fold it, would SingTel also donate $1 to the fund. The screen shot above is from the online newspaper.

Then I found out, I don't need to!

Those of you sitting in front of your PC / Mac, iPads, various tablets, various smart phones with a browser, go to: http://FoldAHeart.com

You can actually fold an online piece of origami heart!
For every fold submitted online, SingTel also donates $1  to the SingTel Touching Lives Fund.


.............

For your info, these beneficiaries will benefit from the donations:
Beneficiaries of SingTel Touching Lives Fund 2012

APSN Chaoyang School  www.apsn.org.sg/chaoyang-school
The School provides special education for children with mild intellectual disability and autism, aged 7-12 years. The aim of the school programme is to provide education and training to enable the children to have the necessary skills, attitude and personality to lead normal, independent lives in adulthood.

APSN Tanglin School  www.apsn.org.sg/tanglin-school/
The APSN Tanglin School provides special education for children with mild intellectual disability, aged 13-16 years. The special education programme aims to enable children to have the necessary skills, attitude and personality to lead normal and independent lives in adulthood.

Eden School   www.edenschool.edu.sg
Eden School provides education and training to help children with moderate to severe autism aged 6 to 18 years old to acquire the necessary skills, attitude and personality to lead normal independent lives in adulthood.

MINDS Lee Kong Chian Gardens School   www.minds.org.sg/LGS/
The MINDS Lee Kong Chian Gardens School provides a basic foundation in independence and employment skills to serve children aged 5 to 18 years with intellectual disabilities. It aims to develop each child to his or her fullest potential with the long-term objective of enhancing the child's prospects of integrating into mainstream society.

Singapore Cancer Society (SCS)   www.singaporecancersociety.org.sg
The Singapore Cancer Society is a community-based voluntary health organisation dedicated to minimising the impact of cancer through public education, screening, patient services, financial assistance, research and advocacy.

Spastic Children’s Association School   www.spastic.org.sg/
SCAS School serves students aged 7-18 years, diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Due to their condition, students often require specialised and intensive rehabilitation through therapy intervention. SCAS School provides individual or group therapy sessions with speech therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

Dragon on the wall....

Look up and you will see very interesting buildings in Singapore, especially in the many conservation areas in Singapore.



Look at the green dragons on wall!
Or are they huge green lizards?


On the sideline....
This building is at the corner of Joo Chiat Lane and Joo Chiat Road.
Over the weekend, I met Philip Chew (same firstname as me!) who's grandfather was Chew Joo Chiat. The name that Joo Chiat Lane / Joo Chiat Road / Joo Chiat area is named after!
How interesting isn't it? He shared with me how the buildings were like in the past, what a knowledgeable man!

You can read more about Mr Chew Joo Chiat at: http://mychewjoochiat.blogspot.com

Chuang and Ngiam Clansmen's Association

Walked around town and stumbled upon this.
Looked a bit dilapidated, but maybe inside might look fabulous, but I did not venture in...



I just checked my phone contacts, I don't have anyone with the surname / family name of Chuang or Ngiam as my contacts.

Do you know any Chuangs or Ngiams?

Fuel Pump of the future....

The news reported that there's some new "Carbon Emissions-Based Vehicle Scheme", which you get some rebates that's quite enticing for those getting new cars. Looks like people will be attracted to cars with low carbon emissions or maybe zero emissions like electric cars.

In Singapore now, there's some testing of electric cars going on.
It's only for companies and not individuals though. It's been "on testing" since 2011.



With electric cars, the cars needs to be charged and I saw these charging stations at the Bosch South East Asia HQ in Singapore. Interesting isn't it?



Here's an example of charging on a Nissan electric car. 
I wonder how many hours of charging is needed.



Another example of the electric car.
This should be a Daimler Electric Drive right?



I wonder if the general public can 'test drive' these cars.

.........

If you are geeky person too, you can actually rent 'eCars' or 'eBicycles' now in Singapore.
You have to be living or working near Buona Vista / One North area though.

Geeks can proceed to http://smove.sg/ to find out more.

Adventures of 2 Girls...

If you would like to read a very interesting book of how 2 best friends from Singapore travel around the world, pick up this book!

"Adventures of 2 Girls". 



I was following them on their journey on 'instagram' over the months and when the book finally is out, you read the 'full story'!

Ning Cai is a magician and Pamelo Ho a journalist.
I bought the hardcopy and got them to sign it at a meet the author event.


If you are in Singapore, you can get it at most bookshops.
If you are elsewhere, amazon.com sells it too!

Wifi Bra

OK laugh at me!

When I was out with the ladies at home shopping the other day, I really thought this was a Wifi enabled bra.



Till I read the small print - "without underwires".

There you go, having geeks for husband / brother.

Building a new house for the 3 Dinosaurs in NUS.

Was passing by the so called OED (Office of Estate and Development) or sometimes known as Estate Office in NUS and it's being boarded up and the building going to be demolished soon.

OED has moved to a new modern building build around trees facing Clementi Road.
Their old building will be making way for the "Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum".



The Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum will be the new home of the 3 dinosaurs found in Utah and bought by the museum.



The museum will look like a huge rock with moss over it. Looks quite interesting.
You can see the artist impression at this link, the NUS Newshub link.

You can read more stories about the dinosaurs here and here if you are interested.

We love to queue and wait...

People in Singapore love to queue. Queuing for hours, even 3 hours is no big deal for some.
There was so so so many people queuing everywhere at Sitex. 

There are a few IT Fairs or IT Shows in Singapore in a year. Over the weekend, it was "Sitex" held at "Expo".

We wanted to renew our cable TV subscription and saw a great deal advertised. If we re-contract our subscription at Sitex, we get a $30 Robinson voucher too!



When we saw the queue to get to our turn was going to be 3 hours, we decided it was not worth our time standing in queue. We walked around the show looking at other stuff like cameras, notebooks etc but left without buying anything.

Oh yes, we did re-contracted our Cable TV subscription. We did it at the Starhub shop later at VivoCity within 10 mins! (without the $30 voucher of course). We did however got quite a good deal too, served by someone who knows their products better and configured quite a good plan for us.

Salvatore Ferragamo Motorcycle

We saw this the other day and had to snap a photo of it!



It's a Salvatore Ferragamo Motorcycle!

Singapore Flyer... please keep to the 70 km/h speed limit...

I saw this photo in my camera a few days after I took it.
Thought it was funny that the 70 km/h sign beside it.



No, the Singapore Flyer does not rotate at 70 km/h!
It would be fun if it does right?

Red Ring...

The Singapore Flyer as seen from the waters beside Gardens by the Bay.



It has been raining in the afternoon and having night stroll at the Gardens by the Bay is quite cooling.

There have been quite a few dining places that has opened and it's a nice place to dine and then have a nice stroll after...

Bar Bar Black Sheep Have You Any Beer?

Hmmmm! Another black sheep! We were at new 'underground' kind of restaurant and it's called Bar Bar Black Sheep.

We thought this new branch was not as nice though. We prefer the original one further down the road.




Why are sheep always black? Lambs are always white?

Eg:
Baa Baa Black Sheep have you any wool?
Mary had a little lamb, it's wool is white as snow.

Are you the Black Sheep?

Saw from a far the signboard 'The Society of Black Sheep"....



Then when we got nearer, realised it's a shop selling most things black!

Oh, well, I did not go in, as I don't want to be the black sheep! LOL

Sunrise...

Early morning sun....



I am not an early riser... it was difficult to wake up so early!

Samuel

Just saw a waiting bike at the traffic light and saw that it's named Samuel.
Do you think the biker's name is Samuel or it's the name of the bike?



Do you have a motorcycle license?
I don't.

Wooden Elephants...

Elephants, wooden ones as seen at the beautiful Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.



Reminds me of the real huge ones at the Singapore Night Safari that I visited a few weeks ago.
There are quite a few things to do in Singapore, it's not that boring as people say it is...

Happy Birthday Sis!

Today's my sis' birthday.  This is wishing her a very Happy and Blessed Birthday!



My cousin, like sis, loves to bake. We had big family dinner and she made this beautiful and delicious birthday cake. The cake's name is 'Jaime'.  It's a Strawberry Yoghurt Cheesecake.

It's such a delicious cake that you don't stop at one mouth and will finish it all off!

Newspaper Delivery...

Clearing off photos of my phone and saw this that I took some time ago.



It's amazing how every part of the motorcycle can be stacked with newspaper for delivery.

For you viewing this, are you a physical newspaper person or you prefer reading the same softcopy of the newspaper.

Or you totally don't trust the newspaper and just get your news from blogs, twitter or word of mouth.

Employees Must Wash Hands

I know you should not whip out your mobile phones in toilet to take photographs. People will get different ideas.
 
I checked that there were no one inside and took out my mobile phone to take a photo of this.



Are the employees of this food and beverage place having problems with cleanliness or is it just for fun? Probably an indirect way to tell all toilet users to wash hands? ;-)

Are you a compulsive hand washer? Do you wash your hands with soap for at least 10 seconds?
8 out of 10 times, I will wash every single finger when I have access to soap and water. I might have a mild obsessive compulsive behaviour? haha....

Holiday!

The wife and I love to travel. Our port of departure is Changi Airport. (SIN).
I always wondered if we can go up the control tower.



We were off for a short holiday 1 hour up north and we were so glad we made it in time.
The previous holiday, we missed our flight, because we were late! Has that happened to you?

Took this photo inside the taxi on the way to the airport using the iPhone 4S.

Spiral down...

Traffic is so bad nowadays that it affects the car parks.
Cars queuing to get out of ION Orchard.



It's only in traffic jams that you observe things around you. The lane is actually quite wide and there are so many lights too!

Palawan Beach

I am not a very beach person, but I was on the beach recently.
Just a random photo because it looks cute!




The Singapore cute version of Captain Hook?

2012 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix

It's on! The practice race has started although it's been raining this afternoon!
It's gonna be a very exciting wet race!



A big thanks to Singtel, Asia's leading communications group for Saturday's tickets.
Singtel is the event sponsor for the 2012 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.

Lights are ready to shine for the Singtel Singapore Grand Prix

The lights are ready for the night race. The super bright lights have been tested and the city seems brighter than usual.



The safety barriers have also gone up and the city looks a bit weird with so many fences around.

Now, if you have been on the roads these few days, you would have noticed the buses, cars, van and motorcyles are now pretending to be F1 drivers! Suddenly everyone's driving so fast. It's a bit of madness, a cheeky kind of madness.

Are you a F1 fan?

Oh yay, the Milo Truck!

This green truck catches everyone's eyes kilometres away!
Somehow the brain registers that the most awesome Milo you can ever taste is coming!



It's always seen at Sports Day for schools, or during 'Bazaar Days' at the universities.

There's always a queue when the Milo Truck is around.
Everyone will take at least 2 cups of the ice cold milo which we can never replicate at home.

Are you a Milo fan?

Secure Device

The banks in Singapore have been sending updated versions of the 'secure device' to customers.

The 2nd generation devices are supposed to have more functions, but I guess it will only be used later.



I prefer the old smaller one.

There are so many banks in Singapore. Every bank is giving out their own version. Each person has at least 2 or 3 banks. Let's say half the population have bank accounts, about 10 million or more being distributed around Singapore these few months?

YourSingapore - Food Edition

Saw this at the bus stop. The Singapore Tourism Board's bus stop billboard.

The map of Singapore designed using signboards of the famous food in Singapore and a few Singapore 'origin' restaurant.



My eyes zoomed in on the most Lim Chee Guan! I suddenly wanted to have BBQ Meat slices (Bak Kwa)! It was 10:30 pm when I saw this.

What's your favourite food?

Single Seater Micro Electric Vehicle (EV)

These single seater micro electric vehicles looks really cute don't they?
They look a bit like a mini one eye monster!



This was seen at NUS. The vehicles don't leave the campus grounds it seems.
The partner is Toyota Tsusho Singapore.

Singapore is testing out electric vehicles. Have you seen other electric cars around Singapore?

White and Red Dotty Worms....

Seen at the Luxury Retail Shops at Marina Bay Sands...



Wormy don't you think?
You like it?

You can read more about the creator of the little red dot, Yayoi Kusama here or do an online search on 'Yayoi Kusama LV'.

Old School Stuff....

Saw these super old school style of selling biscuits and sweets in a super technologically advanced building!




If you are old enough, you might remember buying biscuits from metal tins like this.
This shop has quite a lot of choices!

I remember we got to choose 1 or 2 kinds a week when mum bought stuff from the sundry shops. After that, it was mostly biscuits from supermarkets with nice packaging!



I remember I was not allowed to buy any sweets by mum, probably that's why I don't have any cavity in my teeth?

Old School Barber Shop

Today's newspaper had a report about a school teacher ruining the $60 of a primary school kid.

 

I guess the boy definitely did not have his hair cut here.

I was walking at Beauty World Centre (ya, what a coincidence that the shopping centre is called Beauty World!) and saw this super old school hair dressing shop still around!


I am wondering how long has this shop been around?

A World United by Huang Yifan

Another art work for this blog. I love taking art work or sculptures around Singapore.



This can be found at Marina Bay, where the Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
The artist is Mr Huang Yifan.

The following details of this art piece, I found it at the URA Website:

Concept: “A World United” illustrates the unifying spirit of peace and sport through a stylised and dynamic depiction of sportsmen engaging in the 26 sports of  the inaugural Youth Olympic Games.  

Symbolising mutual respect of cultures shared through sport, the circular shape of the work is a reflection of the esprit de corps, friendship, along with willingness to engage in the exchange of ideas and knowledge.  

Through sport, unity and connection between individuals can be achieved – and more importantly, peace and harmony between nations.

Dimension:  4.0m diameter, 1.5m width
Material:   316# Stainless Steel with 2k auto paint in Signal Red & Black

London Traffic Jam in a bottle.

I was doing grocery shopping a few days ago and noticed there was this thing about UK Food in Singapore.

There's some British promo by the British High Commission in Singapore about the Diamond Jubilee where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be here in Singapore. There's some contest or sorts where you can get to meet Prince William and Kate. Details here.

I guess the supermarket must 'joining' in the fun.




I was laughing when I saw this. London Traffic Jam! British humour at work again.

I sent this to my siblings in UK residents and they were laughing at us. People in Singapore will buy it that's why they sell it there. Maybe they can bottle congestion charge too?

No, I did not buy it. Too expensive a bottle to buy.

Happy National Day

Wishing all Singaporeans a Happy National Day!



Today's photo: Explanation of the National Day Parade 2012 Logo - The OrchidStar. 

Numbers

The City Daily Photo Theme Day is "Numbers".



So I am posting a 'numbers' photo. ;-)

Getting ready for the night's business

Getting ready for the night's business.



Saw the boards for hot plates and chafing set all sunning after being washed.

I am suddenly dreaming of hotplate tofu, hotplate beef, curry dish head etc...

Use your Senior EZ Link card for longer crossing time

I heard about it, and I finally saw it yesterday.

Senior citizens using their Senior 'purple' EZ Link card can tap the reader to alter the timing of the pedestrian crossing lights.



I just realised I should have tap my normal card to see if it works too!
Next time perhaps.

The Shopping Gallery - Hilton Singapore

I saw this and took a photo of it just because I see my name on it!
(yes, I am conceited and vain)

It's my brand, but I can't really afford the clothing and accessories from that brand!



Haiku for the day:

oh, who can resist
walking along Orchard Road
credit card screams help!

LEDs Street Lights for NUS

Saw this a few days ago at NUS. Contractors replacing the street lights. OK, I am weird because I like to look at street lamps!

I have seen some street lights at the car park near my home using LEDs. I noticed that the street lights inside NUS are being replaced from the High Pressure Sodium bulbs to Light-Emitting Diode (LEDs). These looks more high tech and the casing nicer than the ones near home.



I don't have bionic eyes, but I think these are the Philips LED lights.
I think there are 'lower hanging' ones near the NUS Engineering canteen. Maybe I should take a closer look at those to see how many lumens they are.



The NUS campus is quite well lit at night, so probably these changes will save them quite a bit of money. These gizmag and Forbes articles show that that savings is between 85-88%.

I have not seen how bright these lights are at night though.

Wonder if the rest of the street lights in Singapore will be converted soon. Many HDBs in Singapore have switch to LEDs for the corridor lighting.

The National Art Gallery, Singapore

Akan Datang...
That's "Coming Soon" the local Malay language.

"City Hall" and the old "Supreme Court" is being renovated and will host the National Art Gallery, Singapore in 2015.





It's said that most people only visit Art Galleries or Museums that are not in their country.
Is it true?

Haiku for the day:

visual arts galore
national art gallery
feast our eyes oh yes!

Lego Mural at Changi Airport

Are you a fan of Lego?
I am! When I was a kid, grandma bought us lots of Lego, we were spoil then.


(click on photo to enlarge)

There's a mural made from thousands of Lego at Changi Airport!
It seems it has been there for some time, but I never noticed it.

Changi is the name
My favourite airport for
Hello and Good Bye!

Warm Humid Nights

It was a dark and stormy night.




No it wasn't. It has been so so so hot and humid in Singapore recently!
Looked up and saw the building of the leading telco in Singapore.

It has been humid
Even night time the heat stays
Aircon I need thee.

Airport from the runway...

Changi Airport as viewed from inside a plane from the runway.
Can you guess the plane I am on by the colour of the tip of the wing?



I realise that in many airports that I have landed, the aerobridges are always plastered with adverts from HSBC. Is that the case with the airport in your city?

What's the thing that you do when the plane lands?
Do you turn on your mobile phone to search for signals?  ;-P

Nepal Circus

Nepal Circus. I saw this near Fusionopolis.

A road sign with a small patch of green and a semi, almost circle road.



Just wondering what was this previously.