Feng Shui

This will be the face of Singapore's next biggest and most happening place to be: the new Marina Bay district which will comprise of the new integrated resorts, the new financial centres, residential condominiums for the ultra-wealthy, new botanic gardens, new offices and shopping districts.

I was there with my wife just a week ago, and the place, as you can see from the photo is still taking shape.

While year after year, a new skyscraper will loom in Singapore's landscape, one must not forget that the planning of these skyscrapers and new developments may not only take into factors the physical and practical constraints, there is also an element of Fengshui (Feng Shui) or Chinese Geomancy which comes into play.

One evident example where Feng Shui or Fengshui comes into play is the Singapore Flyer, the world's largest observation wheel. The management has tweaked the direction of the spinning of the wheel from one direction to the other direction (clockwise/anticlockwise sense).

Another application of Fengshui (Feng Shui), many says is in the design of Singapore Exhibition and Convention Centre, Suntec City. The five towers seem to represent five fingers and the fountain of wealth site at the centre of these five skyscrapers seem to symbolise the pot of wealth. Thus in Feng Shui or the Chinese Geomancy view, it seems to represent the five fingers of a hand flexing in the wealth for the country.

Believe it or not, Feng Shui continues to be studied and applied across the masses today. Believers of Feng Shui in my opinion are those who have try Feng Shui Methods and see them work.

Singapore Lesbians

I have just come back from a night shopping with my wife in a neighbourhood shopping centre. The night was cool, the dinner we partook was nice but guess what, I was disturbed at a scene in a lift: two girls, each looking no older than 16 years old, were blantantly kissing, surrounded by other female friends of theirs, in full view of  us and other passengers in the lift!

These girls wore showy clothes, had some piercings and it is not hard to see that these girls are really in some sort of life conflicts, trying to waste time hanging around in shopping outlets and public places, doing nothing practical and may be involved in some minor offences or what.

It is really shocking to see young girls kissing, fondling with their counterparts of the same gender here. This is not my first time seeing young girls showing affection to her partner of the same sex. Does this problem reside only in those problematic youths or is it becoming an increasingly common problem as Singapore becomes more liberalised, more westernized against the backdrop of a readily available internet-connected society where negative websites can be easily reachable within a click?

Oh no, I hope this observation is not a tip of the iceberg as if left unchecked, young influential minds will think that it is an accepted norm and like wild fires, this trend may become unchecked.

Many years ago, our youths are all proper and treat chasity as priceless, nowadays with the negative influences in society, teen pregnancies, abortions and the rise of sexual diseases has become a worrying trend. Do not tell me that the next worse thing would be where youths of same sex do unconceivable things together and it become an accepted practice among our youths?

Singapore Universal Studios at Sentosa

Having visited Hong Kong, Japan and living in Singapore, I have this thought: if Hong Kong has idyllic Lantau island for domestic sight-seeing and Japan has its lovely Hokkaido for similar purposes for its residents, what is Singapore's equivalent?

It is easy to arrive at an answer and that would be none other than our very own Sentosa. As a citizen of Singapore, Sentosa used to hold many beautiful memories during my childhood days with it many first places of interests such as the Pioneers of Singapore (oops, so long ago, I don't think I get the name correct) and butterflies park, just to name a few. Sentosa was not that developed yet.

Fast forward a decade later, the development plans of Sentosa did go awry, I no longer enjoy Sentosa, with some very unattractive places of interest like volcanicland, its so unexciting and come to think of it, it is so ironical right? Our neighbouring countries are having those volcano problems, here we are building a fake one and aims to attract tourists to come!

Anyway, these plans did not bear the fruits as expected and Sentosa did not do really well few years back. Fast forward again to today, Sentosa is on a revamp once again, with the building of the integrated resorts as well as the up and coming Universal Studios!

Wow, Universal Studios at Sentosa is real great! But there is one aspect I do not like and I sure applies the same to other tourists, which is the very hot and humid climate of Singapore. It is hard to enjoy oneself and with family and friends in such hot and humid weather.

I hope Singapore Universal studios will really live up to its name. I visited Hong Kong Disneyland in April and was so disappointed! There was an article today in the Straits Times today that highlighted how Hong Kong Disneyland is making a loss and there is now even further points of concern as Disneyland Shanghai is on the cards and there is a lot of expectation for a great Disneyland that lives up to its name in Disneyland Shanghai.

Thus, I really hope Singapore Universal Studios will offer visitors a great experience! This experience needs not be a replica of the experience of Universal Studios in US or Osaka, but it must be an experience which is truly memorable, unforgettable to tourists, else Singapore will lose its competitve edge in tourism to other countries which can easily build large entertainment districts with the vast expanse of land they have.

For the record, Sentosa is now doing fine and the expectation, as well as the crowds which hit the island is rising in numbers by the day and yes, Sentosa can be our equivalent of Japan's Hokkaido and Hong Kong's Lantau island!

Vernon Leong Jun Wei

What happens to the 31 year old bride groom, Vernon Leong Jun Wei?

As the news of this latest unnatural and bizzare death developed, it seemed that Vernon did not jump from the 24th storey of Hilton Hotel as was believed earlier. There were 3 video camera footages which might prove otherwises for the cause of Vernon's death.

The first video footage showed Vernon at the 24th storey, making his way hurriedly into the fire escape staircase. The next video footage showed Vernon at the 2nd storey which also holds some shops and the final footage showed an unconscious Vernon motionless at the ground of the hotel.

Vernon was cladded casually in a T-shirt and pants and have left his hotel room while his wife was taking a shower. It seemed that he might be escaping from something or somebody or that he might be chasing after something or somebody.

What did Vernon see and experience at his last moments? The police is still investigating the case. It is really a very tragical and sad episode for his family as Vernon's happiest day at his Chinese wedding dinner turned out to be the day he bade farewell to all his relatives and friends.

Is there any supernatural links to this case? Did Vernon see any supernatural bodies which cause him to be so petrified and make for a quick escape?

Japan Jigokudani Hell Valley

As soon as the tour guide announced that the next place of interest we would be visiting was Hell Valley, the whole of the tour group which included my wife and I were thrilled and ecstatic!

We have read of this hell valley in the many itineries we have gathered during our preparation for the Japan tour!

Oh Hell Valley! What a name! What is this place that merits such a heavily-worded name? We were soon to find out.

Within minutes, we arrived at Hell Valley, which is a valley that has clearly discernible steam vents, yellow sulphurous streams and some trees and grasses on the periphery.

The weather was very hot and harsh and it just accentuated the hellish feeling of the valley. Our group proceeded on the trail which led us to hot fuming lakes, sulphurous streams, it seem that the name is befitting of the place which makes life almost inhospitable there!

Cameras were up by the dozens, followed by clicks and clicks of the camera buttons as we lapped up pictures after pictures of the scenic valley.