City lights

Advertisement

Whimsical wanderings – May day

Today being a May day holiday I visited the Istana palace grounds.  The Istana is the official residence and office of the President of Singapore. Meaning “palace” in Malay, it is where the President receives and entertains state guests. The Istana is also the working office of the Prime Minister of Singapore. Visitors can tour selected function rooms in the Istana building and view a special display of gifts presented to the President and the Prime Minister. There are also guided tours of the Istana building, conducted by the Preservation of Sites and Monuments (PSM) volunteers.

Rath Yatra in Singapore

The Ratha Yātrā festival commemorates a historic chariot journey of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Balarāma & Subhadrā Devī from Dvārakā to Kurukshetra about 5,000 years ago.

The festival has been celebrated annually in the eastern Indian coastal town of Purī since at least the last 3,000 years with a whopping attendance of about 2 million people every year.

Glorification of the Supreme Lord is the ultimate perfection of all human endeavor as understood from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. During this rath yatra, the murtis of Sree Krishna, Balaram and Subhadra are placed on separate chariots and pulled by devotees.

It is also celebrated on a big scale in Singapore.  This year it was held on 19th July at the Hougang Stadium in Singapore. Devotees thronged the stadium to pay their respects to Lord Krishna.  There was dancing, singing, prasadam as well as stalls for offerings, gifts and donations.

Ripped from the Headlines

Click over to whatever website you visit most frequently to get news.  Find the third headline on the page.  Make sure that headline is in your post

(Photo courtesy: Channel News Asia)

The 3^rd headline that appears on my Google news list is “Singapore zoo to welcome four koalas from Australia”

As part of the SG50 celebrations and building better diplomatic relations between Singapore and Australia,  the Australian Government announced that 4 Koalas would be flown in from Brisbane and will be at the Singapore zoo for a period of 6 months.  This is seen as a gesture of goodwill between the two countries and as a part of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries called Project 2025.

It provides a 10-year framework for closer economic ties, as well as in defence, foreign affairs and people-to-people fields.

Quirky Singaporean habits!

Singapore is a melting pot of cultures and after having lived here for more than 20 years I have witnessed some Singaporeans with unique traits that make them outstanding from the rest of us.
Nerd
You find them carrying all the latest gadgets from smartphones to tablets to MP3 players to headphones.  He looks like he has gone for an ECG test or just dropped from Mars.
They love Candy crush and they loves their gadgets so much that they fondle them, touch them gently and buy all the accessories for these gadgets.  They treat their phones much better than their girlfriends/boyfriends.
You will find them at Funan Centre or Sim Lim Square scouring gadgets and prices.
Kiasu
You can find them mostly in queues at closing down sales.   They do not need sleep because they will pitch their tent and camp overnight to make sure they get that latest iphone, hello kitty or minion.    They have a must-win mentality .  And they will curse and swear at you if you block them.
Their favourite weapons are tissue papers used to chop seats at food courts.

Complain king
If its too hot, too cold, it rains or its hazy – the complain king likes to whine.  Is it COV or COE or ERP the complain king always has  a reason to complain.
If the workers dormitory is near his home, if the maid takes a day off or if there is a rubbish dump near the home they will complain.  If the neighbour clothes drip water or they are cooking curry then the situation will escalate.

 

Foodie
Connoisseur for food.  He has great tast buds and spends time scouring  the island to find the best eating places.  His conversation centres around food and he never gets tired of eating.
Adam road nasi lemak, katong laksa, beach road prawn noodle, hill street fried kuay teow, jalan kayu roti prata,  Tian Tian Hainanese chicken rice at Maxwell food centre, Yong Tau foo at North bridge  road etc.

 

Gracious
35 year old Mr. Tong Ming Ming  is a taxi driver who donated part of his liver to  a complete strangerr.
The Cuff road project (TWC2) donate freed food every week to migrant workers.
Quirky behaniours are there in every country but it is the gracious Singaporeans who stand out by considering their community and country above Self!

Fasten your seat belt

 

 

(This is the text of the speech I delivered at the Humorous Speech & evaluation contest of Bishan Toastmasters Club)

Fasten your seat belt because I am going to take you on a ride – a taxi ride.

Contest Chair, Judges, Fellow toastmasters and friends

After having lived in Singapore for more than 20 years, the person who strikes me as being the most worldly-wise and knowledgeable is our humble taxi driver.
Who else gets to meet people from all walks of life – the student, the housewife, the doctor, the engineer, the businessman or the lawyer?

Having said that, getting a cab in Singapore can be a nightmare on some days and really easy on other days.

Murphy has his own laws for taxis:

If you need a cab – you won’t get one &
If you do not need a cab – there is a queue of taxis waiting for you.  You feel  like a celebrity and they are all waiting to take your photographs.

If you are waiting to hire a cab and you see the signs BUSY, CHANGE SHIFT, HIRED, ON CALL etc then you better look for an alternative because that means you would have to wait for another hour

The first thing a taxi driver asks you when you enter the cab is “Which way do you want to go?  CTE or PIE or SLE or AYE?  It is a polite way of saying – I’m new to this job so could you please guide me?

Now, hoping that you managed to get a cab, you can come face-to-face with a host of drivers

The talkative driver
He is dying to start a conversation with you.  He fires a volley of questions at you.  PR of Singaporean, how many years have you been here?  Is this your own house?  Only 1 daughter – you should go for another one?  Suddenly you forget why you are sitting in the cab and by the time you recover your senses, you have overshot your destination.

The angry driver
He sizes you up in the rear-view mirror.
Uncle – North Bridge road please you say
Taxi driver – “Ah”
“I said North bridge road”
Taxi driver “You think I cannot hear ah – I have been driving this taxi for 20 years ok.”
After that you just want to be safe rather than sorry.

The mobile phone addict
This driver needs only hand to drive his cab.
“Hello Ah-boon  – I’m droping someone to Woodlands.  Can we meet today.. near the Woodlands Mart – that Kopitiam.. at 5:30 pm sharp. Me – I’m fine, happy-go-lucky”
“Sir – which block did you say”

Then there was this driver who took me all the way to his home in Sengkang.  He said that he knew the way to any place in Singapore only from his home.  He reminded me of a PC or phone that had hung and needed to be reset.

The F1 driver
Ever since the F1 race began in Singapore a lot of drivers like to emulate their stars like Sebastian Vettel or Jensen Button.  The taxi driver is no exception.  As soon as you get into the cab, you better fasten your seat belt.  The speed indicator alarm goes ‘peep peep peep’.  He cuts across lanes like he owns the road, he does not signal and when he reaches the destination – he raises his hands in joy just like he won the F1 race

The sleepy cabbie
Once I got into this cab.  The guy either went into a night club or karaoke the previous night.  He was dozing away and I was trying to keep him awake.  Ya – take the next right, then keep straight until you reach the car park.  He would wake up and say ‘Ah Ah ok’.  I was sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the journey and when I reached I said “Uncle, keep the change” and just rushed home.

The PhD cabbie
Singapore has a PhD taxi driver.  Cai Mingjie has a PhD from Stamford University and also writes a blog

Some taxi drivers are very organized.. they keep their taxis spick and span, coins neatly arranged, display some souvenirs and they treat their taxis like a little home

Whatever quirks they may have, the taxi driver is the pulse of our nation.  They are the people on the ground who are aware of almost everything under the sun – be it economy, politics, stocks, property, sports , his family, your family and so on.

So, the next take time you take a cab give the driver a big smile because he goes all out to make your journey comfortable and he could make your day!!

 

Wordless Wednesdays

Singapore Grand Prix night race – an adrenalin rush

Sebastian Vettel demonstrated his vast supremacy on Sunday when he won the Singapore Grand Prix to move within a point of becoming the youngest double world champion in Formula One history.
The 24-year-old German, the defending champion and runaway leader of this year’s title race, drove from pole position to the chequered flag in flawless style in his Red Bull car.
He won the floodlit 61-lap night race at the Marina Bay street circuit by a controlled 1.7 seconds.
Briton Jenson Button finished second in his McLaren to keep the title race just about alive with five races remaining. Australian Mark Webber in the second Red Bull finished third.
Vettel now requires just a solitary point to claim his second title in succession and can only be beaten to the title if Button wins all five of the remaining races while the German fails to score a further point.
Two-time world champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who needed to finish on the podium to keep his own challenge for the drivers’ title alive, came home fourth ahead of Briton Lewis Hamilton in the second McLaren.

Here is the link to the complete race results: http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2011/854/6903/

(sources: Channelnewsasia.com, Boston globe)

Dell Singapore – Switch On To Inspiration

Here is my blog post for this contest:

WHAT INSPIRES ME TO BLOG

An outlet for creativity
Blogging is a creative outlet for me. An outlet to express my emotions. An expression of love, a celebration of success, an inspiration on the joys of life and a search for the truth.

Blog to inspire
We can blog to inspire and motivate and develop the leaders of tomorrow. To instill values that stand the test of time. To inspire people to live a life of value based on simplicity, truth and courage. To stop the mad rat-race and greed that is leading to our downfall. To seek to know the true purpose of our life.

A stand against injustice
Blogging also enables us to take a stand against injustices prevailing in society like corruption, child labour, rape, terrorism, atrocities against women, racial distinctions etc. By blogging we can take little steps to enlighten and educate people of the ills in our society.

A fight for a noble cause
Blogging helps us to undertake and mobilise people to work for noble causes like education for the poor, the fight against poverty, environmental causes, food and water for poor etc.

The recognition of the oneness in us
Blogging opens our heart to the world. It recognises the oneness in all of us. And by sharing our joys, sorrows and successes we recognise and re-inforce the belief that a community effort is more successful than a lone voice that cannot be heard. It helps us to mobilise people towards a noble cause.

We can blog to inform, to educate, to share, to lift the spirits, to lighten the mood, to seek the truth, to inspire with poetry, stories, art, travel and photography.

And here is the link to vote for me: (Just go to the voting gallery and click on my name)

http://www.facebook.com/DellSingapore?sk=app_147044865371749

National Orchid garden

Within Singapore Botanical Gardens is an Orchid garden which has the largest display of orchids in the world.  The Orchid garden displays over 60,000 colourful orchids against contrasting appearances of tropical foliage.

A stroll in the terraced garden brings you from the freshness of springtime to the coolness of winter as colourful orchids blend with tropical plants. Inside Orchid Cool House, you find a glass conservatory displaying orchids and other plants from the tropical highlands.

VIP Orchid Garden showcasing over 100 of amazing selected hybrids named after many State Visitors, VIPs and Celebrities. Vanda Miss Joaquim , a hybrid orchid cultivar, is Singapore’s national flower.