SINGAPORE SHORT STORIES

This morning, I read on the newspapers the stories of the people behind APEC Singapore 2009, an event which will be held in Singapore from 8 Nov 09 to 15 Nov 09 . Though the event was spearheaded by a committee, there are also many common Singaporeans volunteering for the event, which include the students and others who are looking for jobs. They are deployed in one of the many logistical functions which are required in this grand event. I feel a tinge of regret not having learnt more on how to go about volunteering for the event. Imagine, if you are able to catch some of the world leaders, like President Obama at close range, this will be an opportunity in a life time! Further, I would really want to do a part for Singapore! Anyway, I really hope that the delegates will have a nice time in our little country and have fond memories of what Singapore can offer.

What a beautiful Christmas tree! If you look carefully enough, this Christmas tree is not a tree at all! This Christmas tree is made up pieceing together many star-shaped metallic sheets together so that they form a cone, resembling a Christmas tree. Isn't it creative! With Christmas just coming in one and a half month, I will be again hunting down Christmas trees (only those noteworthy ones) and presenting them on my blog for everyone here to see, irregardless whether you are living in a country far away from Singapore! So where does this Christmas tree reside? The answer: at Raffles City shopping centre! If you want to see the Christmas tree last year at the same shopping centre and other great Christmas trees, be sure to read further here ! President Obama and other world leaders will be coming to Singapore on 8 Nov 09 for the APEC Summit. In view of this, the Christmas Lights up at Orchard Road will commence a week earlier than in other ordinary years. Another year will soon b

Mobile phones have grown to be indispensable to our life. It is common these days to witness Singaporeans having not one, but two to three mobile phones and conveniently upgrading them with the latest models on the market on a whim. While mobile phone owners may be versed or expert when it come to using the myriad of functions on their mobile phones, one piece of vital information mobile owners might not be aware of is the IMEI number of their handphone. IMEI stands for 'International Mobile Equipment Identity number ' and this number is particularly useful if your mobile phone gets misplaced, lost, or stolen as you can inform the the network provider who can then put the IMEI on a shared database to stop this particular phone from registering on any network, eliminating attempts by anyone to use the phone. With so many personal contact information and data stored on the ubiquitious mobile phone, you do not your phone to fall into the wrong hands, thus write down your IMEI num

Not able to sleep, I searched online and tried the most talked-about Primary School Leaving Examination 2009 most difficult Maths questions which has flummoxes all Primary 6 candidates, unsettled many bright alecks, caused many top students to cry, created a furore among parents. And this was the question: Jim bought some chocolates and gave half of it to Ken. Ken bought some sweets and gave half of it to Jim. Jim ate 12 sweets and Ken ate 18 chocolates. The ratio of Jim's sweets to chocolates became 1 : 7 and the ratio of Ken's sweets to chocolates became 1:4. How many sweets did Ken buy? The answer is 68 The question can be solved using simultaneous equation, though I did not try, looking at the question enough, I am happy as I am able to sleep now! Anyway, the question is too difficult for a Primary 6 student in my belief. Injustice may be done to students of average ability as they would be definitely caught in a panic by the series of difficult questions. If I were one of

It was announced yesterday that Singapore's fourth public-funded university has been named the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SU). An institute professor with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Thomas Magnanti has been selected to head the University which is slated to open in year 2011. Some details of the university as follows: Date of opening: Year 2011 4 Degree programmes on offer: Architecture & Sustainable Design, Engineering Product Design, Engineering Systems & System Design, and Information Engineering & Design. Size: Medium, eventually the university will eventually cater to some 2,000 to 4,000 graduates. Location: Changi Business Park, by 2015, interim campus will be announced by early next year With the fourth public university, there may be more opportunities for local students to garner a place in local universities. On the other hand, it may be harder for students to decide on which local university to enroll in to pursue the

Which parent does not want his or her young children to grow tall and healthy? Of late, I have started to observe a guideline in Singapore, which may be quite discriminatory to young tall children as well as their parents. Called it the ‘0.9 metre’ guideline, basically this guideline in effect at places like restaurants and MRT stations stipulates that young children of height 0.9 metre and above must pay for taking of train rides or for buffet dinner whereas their shorter counterparts enjoy these for free. On what basis is this guideline founded upon? A group of children who develop healthily and reach 0.9 metre very fast should be congratulated. However in Singapore, it seems that growing too tall that early may not be a good thing at all for parents of the young children as they would have to incur more expenses when bringing their charges to public places and using public transport; in a way growing tall too fast for children may hence become a penalty! In my opinion, I believe thi

In conjunction with World Heart Day 2009 , a Heart Fair was held at the open field next to Woodlands MRT station yesterday and today. The statistics are grim: Cardiovascular disease accounts for over 17.2 million annual deaths globally. In Singapore, 1 in 3 people dies of heart disease or stroke every year. With many of our hours spent working, it is paramount that we practise good health habits during our working hours and to spend a part of our leisure time exercising and keeping diseases at bay. My wife and I visited the exhibition and learnt many useful tips about cardiovascular activities and facts from the event.

I hopped off the plane at LAX with a dream and my cardigan welcome to the land of fame excess, am I gonna fit in? Jumped in the cab, Here I am for the first time Look to the right and I see the Hollywood sign This is all so crazy Everybody seems so famous My tummys turnin and I'm feelin kinda home sick Too much pressure and I'm nervous, That's when the taxi man turned on the radio and a Jay Z song was on and the Jay Z song was on and the Jay Z song was on CHORUS: So I put my hands up They’re playing my song, And the butterflys fly away Noddin’ my head like yea Movin my hips like yea I got my hands up, They’re playin my song I know im gonna be ok Yea, It's a party in the USA Yea, It's a party in the USA Get to the club in my taxi cab Everybody's lookin at me now Like “whos that chick, thats rockin’ kicks? She gotta be from out of town” So hard with my girls not around me Its definitely not a Nashville party Cause’ all I see are stilletos I guess I never got the m

At first glance, today's blog topic seems to be a little bit weird. Singapore Exercise? What does that mean? Is it an exercise by the Health Promotion Board to engage Singaporeans towards a healthier exercise? The answer is No, this term is nothing but a term coined by me for an exercise that should be carried out by all Singaporeans, and if not, people the world over. This is a very meaningful exercise which I have taken during one of the workshops that I attended which will make you reflect on life and more. To do this exercise, you would need just 15 minutes all to yourself and preferably do it during the day. Do you have all the above 2 prerequisites ready to take this exercise? If yes, give yourself a pat on your back, you are on your way to find out more about life and more. Okay, now with time on yourself, go out of your house, ya, I mean literally. For the 90% of Singaporeans who live in HDB flats like me, just leave your house, go down to your void deck and wander around i

Tonight's topic revolves around Singaporeans' favorite pastime: eating and the theme of today's food: seafood. Singapore has a number of places where one can try a sumptous seafood dinner but to me, there is no better place to enjoy seafood than East Coast Park. East Coast Park boasts, in my knowledge, 4 seafood restaurants. There is a cluster of 3 seafood restaurants: The Little Red House, Long Beach Seafood and No Signboard located close to the Ski 360 park. The other restaurant is another Long Beach Seafood located on the other side of the park. Why do I enjoy eating seafood at East Coast Park? Well, needlessly to say, the reasons are clear and evident: great night breezes and magnificient sea view which double enhance the joys of tucking in a great meal! I ate seafood at East Coast only on special occassions and thus I ate no less than 10 times at East Coast Seafood restaurants hitherto. The seafood meals are also more expensive by nature. I learnt how much cheaper plai

It does not take a rocket scientist to ascertain what I have for dinner with my wife yesterday from the photos below. Steamboat buffets! Yummy! Taking about steamboat buffets, the cluster of steamboat buffet restaurants have already shifted some years ago from their enclave in Marina Bay to the swathe of land stretching from Kallang, Lavender and Bugis. This is due to the make-over plans for Marina Bay as it becomes transformed into the next financial district with the Integrated Resorts, 2nd Botanic Gardens and other impressive buildings and offices in the pipeline. Gone were the days when one could fly kites in Marina Bay before tucking into a piping hot steamboat dinner, coupled with iced-red bean ice-creams and then go bowling at Marina Superbowl. Fast forward to the current year, Marina Bay is now a hotbed (figuratively and literally.. literally as in being too hot) as tower cranes, wheelbarrows, heavy trucks ceaselessly work to transform the area into a next world-class icon. Wow

The picture above shows some photos of what greets Singaporeans everyday: The Sun. Why am I writing this post today? Well, I have been suffering from EXTREMELY HOT local weather for the past few weeks! It is okay during weekdays when I am holed up in air-conditioned offices, save for the going out at lunches when I have to face the blazing hot sun. However on weekends, when I stay at home more, the very hot weather that envelops Singapore is really unbearable! How unbearable it is? Well it is so unbearable that I take two naps as the heat makes me so drowsy. If you guess correctly, I do not have an air-conditoner at home and the fans which I operate at full blast, though help to create some coolness but nevertheless, the heat one feel even at home is really much more intense! I can experience heat but not heat coupled with high humidity! Singapore has a hot and very humid climate. When I was in Japan one month ago, the UV there was strong and it was hot but I did not complain for there

As an avid traveller, I am starting a new blog to collate all the tour stories of all different countries in the world. Would appreciate your support of my new World Travel Blog ! I would update my new World Travel Blog daily, looking forward to the same Great support you have given me as for this Singapore Short Stories blog! Many Thanks, Singapore Short Stories

Geylang is famed for its great food. One of these delicacies is Frog Porridge. My wife and I passed a stall selling frog porridge and other frog-related dishes in Geylang last week. I seldom eat frog parts though I have heard that eating frogs will help to detoxify the blood and makes one run faster! I am not sure how true is that: is this a belief or a fact? Many people consume 'unconventional' food due to certain beliefs they have. China Chinese eat monkey's brain thinking it would help them become clever. Some men have also eaten the penis of bull etc thinking it would help them in their sexual prowess! These may all just be thwarted beliefs and not facts and these poor animals are unnecessarily sacrificed for food! My Dear and I watched sadly at the bags of frogs inside the bags outside the stall, all being packed like sardines with not much breathing spaces around. They move around helplessly and it is sad to know that they will land in the stomachs of man soon. I eat

What is New York Lemon Law? If you buy, lease or transfer a car or motor home, new or used, and it develops serious defects that cannot be fixed by the manufacturer you can get even with the dealer or manufacturer under a law called New York Lemon Law regardless of the warranty clause or waiver signed by you. What defects qualify for redress? New York Lemon Law takes up and determines all major defects i.e. engine trouble, transmission problem, wobbles, stalling, starting trouble, leaks, rattles etc, except the normal wear tear. What the law requires? · That your car should be registered with New York State and covered with warranty. · That serious defects must have developed within first 18,000 miles or two years from the date of original delivery, which ever is earlier. · That even after four or more repaires for the same defects the problem has not been solved completely. · That it remained at the workshop for a period of 30 cumulative calendar days. · That driving such a car is fra

In life, the most talented man may not hold the highest position, the mediocre man may hold a higher position, this is the fact of life. Some positions of work we often hear everyday (in descending order). If you own a company, you can practically have a whole list of work titles (including prefixes and suffixes) to give to your staff! Consider this list: Chairman Group CEO / CEO President / Vice President Chief Executive Director/ Senior Executive Director/Executive Director Senior Managing Director/Managing Director Director General Senior Director / Director /Deputy Director /Assistant Director Senior Head / Head/ Assistant Head Lead Manager / Senior Manager / Manager /Deputy Manager /Assistant Manager Senior Executive / Executive Chief Supervisor , Principal Supervisor , Senior Supervisor , Higher Supervisor / Officer Technician

If you were to google on the “Best Tau Huay (Beancurd) in Singapore ”, there are high chances that you would be advised that the accolade would go to the beancurd shops in Geylang, that notorious swathe of land which is the world-infamous red light district renowned for its crime, sex and food. I did that aforementioned check on Google and two names came to my radar: Yong He eating house Tau Huay as well as Rochor Beancurd House. Rochor Beancurd House is touted to sell the Best Tau Huay in Singapore while there are others who confer the award to Yong He eating house Tau Huay, though a majority still favored Rochor Beancurd House. My Wife and I have eaten Rochor Beancurd House Tau Huay, and it was really Great! We have not eaten the Tau Huay from Yong He eating house and there we went, last Saturday all the way to Geylang on a fiery-hot afternoon, just to taste the Tau Huay from this shop! We managed to locate Yong He eating house somewhere between Lorong 27 and Lorong 29 of Geylang. Th

Ever wonder what Singapore looked like in the past? Now you can catch a glimpse of the landscape of Singapore in The Image of our landscape exhibition at the National Musuem. The exhibition takes visitors through a walk in Singapore history through the many posters, drawings and photos of early Singapore. I visited the exhibition at the Museum last Friday and learnt some worthwhile lessons about early Singapore. In the past, tigers roamed freely in Singapore. I am glad these days we see only cats on our streets. Life at that time, for many Singaporeans was not as comfortable as now, but these days, I find it increasingly stressed living in Singapore due to the hectic pace of work here as well as the rising cost of living in Singapore: things are getting more and more expensive and somehow Singaporeans I find are getting more and more stressed.

Singaporeans are renowned die-hard foodies and are proud of Singapore's local dishes which are knowned internationally, thus it was inevitable that an uproar was caused among our people when Malaysia Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen claimed our local signature dishes such as nasi lemak (fragrant coconut milk rice), laksa (spicy soup noodles) and bak kut teh (pork ribs herbal soup) among others are uniquely Malaysia. Ng was quoted as saying: "We cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food. Chili crab is Malaysian. Hainanese chicken rice is Malaysian," in The Star newspaper . Ng's comments came on the back of her tourism ministry's move to brand these dishes uniquely Malaysian as part of a new campaign to promote Malaysia cuisine. I am indeed shocked that Ng Yen Yen want to stake claim on local food. It is akin to trying to patent or copyright food. There is seriously no logic. In my opinion, every country can create its own dishes of laksa, nasi lemak, bak

As I was passing the music store of Raffles City shopping centre this afternoon, I heard a song I love emanating from within the store! I am a lover of classical song and have been trying to find the title of this piece of music, immediately I approached the sales lady and asked her what this song was. I was indeed thrilled to have finally found this song! Sit back and enjoy this song!

"The Second Decade", a historical exhibition launched by the National Archive of Singapore has now made its round at Illuma Shopping Mall in Bugis till 13 Oct 09. I was at the mall tonight, looking at the various exhibition panels tracing the paths Singapore's forefathers have taken to bring Singapore to modern day success! The First decade 1965 t0 1975 was about Singapore finding its path to Survive, the Second decade 1975 to 1985 was about how Singapore finds its path to Succeed, the exhibition noted. Singapore has indeed come a long way to what it is today! Singapore does have its modern day challenges which I believe, in my opinion, is summed up in one word: Identity. How do Singaporeans, especially the young see themselves as Singaporeans and not a part of the globalised, cosmopolitican and online world, even amidst the background of an increasing number of foreign citizens in Singapore, especially to be 1 million and more who are coming to this country in droves

Free Stock Photos for websites - FreeDigitalPhotos.net Did you see it- The Moon, yesterday night? Befitting the mid-autumn festival yesterday night, the moon was at its brightest yesterday night in 100 years! Great if you have seen it for yesterday night, the skies over Singapore were cloudy as the dark clouds, accompanied by intermittent rain, have cast a pall over the usually bright moon on the night of mid autumn, obscuring the glory of the moon in its fullest for Singapore. However, the clouds casted away after midnight, so I believe you would be able to see the moon if you are awake after midnight yesterday and if the skies over your locality in Singapore are clear by then or you may have been wakened by the moonlight too! Our friends in regions of China have seen the brightest moon in 100 years, unobstructed, which are Great for them. It must be a one-in-a-hundred years opportunity to witness a moon so bright yesterday night while indulging on the great mooncakes as well, acco

Today is moon cake festival! How time flies, another year has gone in a flash! Just a year ago, I remembered playing with my then-girlfriend who is now my wife in a neighbourhood park (playing with lanterns la, what are you thinking of??) and we even attended a mooncake festival in Chinese Garden, and all was very fun! Actually, it can be fun this year too as my wife has earlier asked me whether to carry lanterns once again... hmm, so sorry, I have to spoilt the fun, as I find it a little boring la, I apologized to her for my boredom, and maybe to the whole of Singapore for being a wetblanket ... anyway, I just wanna rest after a long overseas tour. Talking about mooncake celebrations, where is the lantern festival at Chinese Gardens this year? There is none this year, probably because of the economic downturn, which is quite true, considering that a number of events are not held this year, one of which I remembered very clearly is the National Day Firework Festivals. Anyway, if you wo

Have you tried the Mega Big Mac from McDonalds? If you have not tried, please try it now as I believe it features only for a limited period only. Anyway ,Mega Big Mac comes with 4 beef patties, thus it necessitates one to open his or her mouth..... very very big hehe . These few months, I have been eating mega burgers from a number of restaurants. One such Giant burger is from Swensens, it is the biggest burger I have eaten so far and I have reasons to believe it is one of the biggest burgers in Singapore! Another large burger I tried is the Blue Mountain Burger, from a restaurant whose name I have forgotten. Care to share any Bigger or Biggest burger you have eaten which deserves to be crowned the King of Kings of Burgers?

Mooncake festival is just two days away (3 oct 09), have you bought your mooncakes already? If not, and if budget is not your constraint, you may want to drop by Ngee Ann City to 'shop' for the mooncakes you love amidst the slew of different offerings there! My wife and I have tasted a number of these offerings at the atrium and there are indeed many flavours of mooncakes these days: durians, green tea, mango, cheese, XO, blue berry, ice cream, besides the traditional flavours. Prices for many of these mooncakes are not cheap as they are from the established hotels and confectionaries. A typical box of 4 durian mooncakes sells at $48 or so. After tasting a number of these mooncakes, my wife and I still preferred the traditional-flavored mooncakes. No doubt, the durian paste in the durian mooncakes are great but with the price for the box of mooncakes, one can buy quite a number of baskets of durians and eat till satiation! Same theory goes for those mango and newer flavour moon