SINGAPORE SHORT STORIES

Tomorrow is SAF Day and while I am a NS Man, I think I am more attracted to the promotions that will take place at a slew of outlets tomorrow! When I flash my 11B tomorrow, I will get Free upsize when I order any McDonald's Extra Value Meal! To see the whole listing of SAF Day Promotions, click on this link .

Channel 5 is not showing FIFA Confederations Cup Finals Brazil vs Spain TV screening though it will telecast live the third placing match between Uruguay and Italy at 11.30pm tonight. As Channel 5 has been showing every match of the FIFA Confederations Cup, not showing the final and most anticipated finals between Brazil and Spain is really an anti-climax! Given a chance, soccer fans here definitely want to watch the final match than the third-placing match! Is it due to higher cost for showing the finals? [Correction: Mediacorp did show the finals afterall at 0545hrs on 1 July 2013]

Today, PSI is really good, with PSI under 50. Today's weather is not what the authorities forecasted yesterday as slightly hazy. But despite today's good rain and weather, the PM2.5 is still above average, hence I am not going to restart my jogging routine still.

Buying or Selling Hello Kitties? If you are looking to buy or sell Hello Kitties, you must know that Hello Kitties is really very hot in Singapore, hotter than N95 masks, hotter than our country when the thick haze envelopes our island.

It was reported that there was a lukewarm response to SMRT Travel Early Discount Scheme but as a traveller on the MRT train after 0800 hours, I could really see the difference in the carrying-load of the train after the scheme commenced. I could now stand comfortably in the MRT train though the scheme is not such that one would find more seats in the train. I hope LTA will continue this good scheme as it is a scheme which will reward commuters on both sides of the camp: those who travel before and after 7.45 am.

Today, it rain hailstones in western parts of Singapore. Hailstones are not quite frequent weather phenomena here hence I think people who experience hailstones in Singapore are quite lucky. I am not surprised that hailstones rained in western part of Singapore today as with the very hazy days we have seen in Singapore last week, the haze pollutants are good platforms to give rise to hailstones. Western parts of Singapore are more hazy than others, with a higher PSI than the others, it is no wonder that hailstones rain in western part of Singapore too.

Singapore Haze goes for a holiday today and hence Singaporeans go out of their house into the streets as Singaporeans welcome clear blue skies with the PSI hovering around the 70 to 80 mark throughout today! According to NEA, the change in the direction of the wind contributes to the blue skies that Singaporeans see for the first time in days. This set me thinking though the causes of the haze were man-made, it seems that nature is the solution or at least it is nature which gives Singapore a respite from the haze today!

The haze which has clouded the skies of Singapore seems to show signs of abating with the PSI reading as at 10 am at 96. This "good track record" of haze has been with us since yesterday night. Yesterday evening, I went outside without a face mask for the first time in 3 days. The haze has kept me indoors so much so that I keep blogging and turning this blog into Singapore Haze Blog.

The 3-hourly PSI readings have been downplayed ever since the Ministers told Singaporeans to emphasize more on the 24-hourly PSI; even the NEA webpage features the 24-hourly PSI readings more prominently on its haze information website. Despite the reason given by the authorities, I still stand firm in taking heed on the 3-hourly PSI reading than the 24-hourly PSI as it is more relevant to me. I mean a 24-hourly PSI will take into averages the readings of PSI in the hours of midnight and early morning for which I am sleeping; I need the latest average and hence 3-hourly PSI reading is more relevant to me.

This afternoon, the skies over Singapore finally cleared after the PSI hit 300+ in the morning. I took the opportunity to sweep and mop the floor of my house and opened the windows, 1st time in more than 5 days. It does not really feel like a Saturday being cooped up at home.

Singaporeans are snatching N95 face masks off the shelves. But what is N95? "95" in N95 means that the mask can filter at least 95% of air-borned particles.What about the "N" in N95? N stands for Non-Oil resistant. Do you know that there is O95 face mask and P95 face mask as well? There is also R95,R99, R100; P95,P99, P100 face masks as well (see reference )?

At this time of writing, even with my windows all fully shut, I still cough with the PSI level outside at 326 (hazardous level)! Health is not the only aspects of my life affected by the thick haze, here are other aspects of my life which are affected too: a) No unnecessarily outdoor activities: with the reigning haze, who would want to go out and breathe in all the haze particles? I stay indoors most of the time now and with some time on my side, blog a little more on this blog. I may even have to wear a N95 at home as I keep coughing in my house even with all windows shut.

PSI reaches Hazardous level once more! Singapore PSI reaches 323 this morning (9am)!When I looked at the PSI readings last night which were below 200, I have thought that the PSI readings would improve today, but I was not correct. I believe PSI readings may head even northwards later in the day!

Singapore stocks closed the session today at 0.28% lower, this is much better than the 2.45 southward direction of the previous days. The STI is now at 3,124.45, below the 3,200 support. The Singapore stock market performed in line with the performances of other markets as US Bernake gave a hint that the US may be scaling back the Quantitative Easing. The question on the mind of many is whether is this the time to go bargain-hunting good stocks at discounted prices? For me, my answer is No as there may be better opportunities to enter the market. Many stocks are now still not overly sold.

Where to buy N95 Face Masks? I was at a neighbourhood shopping mall this evening to buy more N95 face masks as that very precious N95 face mask which i have gotten and which I have used for many days have become quite unhygienic and one of the rubber hands have become torn. Imagine my shock when I saw the long and snaking queue from the pharmacy outlet all the way at least 40 metres into the middle of the shopping mall! I proceeded to another outlet in another location and N95 face masks were again sold out!

It was interesting to read the PSI was just 94 at 6 am today. I opened the window and immediately sniffed burnt ash smell. How could this be 94 in PSI?