Snippets of Singapore's Life
Sharing some sights of Singapore as the game feels very monotonous to me. To start off, this is a Peking opera I watch over the weekend. The stunt work of the Monkey King was impressive. http...
Forum Discussion
My walking trip on Friday night brought me to Little India. This area is hugely popular with tourists especially the westerners. It is also a popular place where Indian foreign nationals and workers like to hang out to party, to have a picnic and to drink.
If you go there you would feel as if you are in a different country, maybe India. Locals, however, seldom go to that place. Because it can be very crowded and a Chinese would become a
minority there.
https://i.imgur.com/Il0LuPE.jpg
On my way to little India, I walked past this massage parlor. Such gaudy looking Spa can be found in town in numerous locations. They usually have happy ending services. Though they are not supposed to do so and police have been known to raid them from time to time.
https://i.imgur.com/N8SpyvX.jpg
A traditional looking Barber shop runs by Indian. Hard to find this type of Barber shop in town anymore. In old days, Chinese also operated such shops. They also provided shaving services with a long razor and ear digging services with a standing lightbulb and many long metal sticks back then. Totally never see this anymore.
In the foreground is a police security officer. Little India is a place where police can often be seen. Another place is Geylang, the famous brothel district.
https://i.imgur.com/cbGSzrL.jpg
Generally westerners like to chill out in Indian restaurants. This is one with a nice mural. Quite heartening to see that the business was brisk. Many shops in Little India complained that they are on the verge of collapsing as many foreign workers had been isolated and quarantined due to the covid 19. This is first time I saw this mural after I took a new turn in the area.
https://i.imgur.com/flydpch.jpg
A shop selling perishables operating late into the night.
https://i.imgur.com/tqrQIPx.jpg
A shop selling simple things like newspapers, magazines, sweets, etc. We used to call it mama shop here. Very popular with children in old days.
https://i.imgur.com/yVOJQkL.jpg
Another mural I saw in one of the lanes. In fact a first time for me as there are so many small lanes in the area. Each time I went there, I would see something new. Three security officers were resting there.
https://i.imgur.com/Yr5Swrp.jpg
A shop serving the needs of mobile phones.
https://i.imgur.com/IhdalAX.jpg
One of the few Hindu temples there. This one is called Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. Hindu temples have very nice carvings of multiple figurines.
https://i.imgur.com/MDg9D2N.jpg
Another mural I saw. A first time for me.
https://i.imgur.com/OpCU04p.jpg
A mural along Desker Road. This road is known for providing the one of the lowest level of brothel services in the island. With horrid looking ladies and lady boys from what I heard. Generally their clients are usually the foreign workers. Desker road is also used in our communications at times to make fun of friends.
https://i.imgur.com/OfbF88F.jpg
A grocery shop. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the Indian man looking menacingly in my direction.
https://i.imgur.com/rPC8RuK.jpg
Mustafa centre is like a default must visit in Little India. It is a 24 hr air conditioned shopping mall with crazy availability of goods. Anything you want you can almost get it there. I believe currently they are not operating 24 hrs due to the covid 19. This centre is also suspected to be the origin place for the outbreak of the Covid-19 in the foreign worker dormitories. At one stage it was a covid 19 cluster. There are around 54,000 foreign workers cases as opposed to around 2200 local community cases to date
https://i.imgur.com/2twl4YI.jpg
This might be the fast food equivalent for Hindus. I ate once in my life. I am not very familiar with Indian food in fact and not really into vegetarian food.
Generally, Little India is not a place that I would go so often as I always feel a sense of danger when I am there. Not from the people but more of the fear of falling down. There are a lot of sights, sound and smell there and you could easily forget to look in front of you. If you walk along the pavement, we have to watch out for some steps that would suddenly appear in front of some shops. Also if you walk on the roads, you have to look out cars going around you. During normal days before COVID-19, locals will definitely avoid going there as the place will be completely swarmed with Indian foreign workers.
https://i.imgur.com/ctuF8Tn.jpg
Back in 2013, Little India was the site of the first modern day riot since the racial riots in 60s, with the last one in 1969. A drunk foreign worker tried to get into a full private bus but fell and was run over. The picture shows the bus involved.
https://i.imgur.com/CQDpqwD.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/7CQy6dK.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/uxWgIi0.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/VuAmsoL.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Vtjpc1q.jpg
This triggered a riot that involved almost 400 Indian foreign workers, many intoxicated. They burnt and damaged ambulances and mostly police vehicles. At least 5 was overturned, a total of 25 vehicles were damaged.
Police and ambulance workers were seen running away in some videos.
37 Police Officers, 5 Auxilliary Police Officers and 12 SCDF Officers sustained injuries and lacerations during the riot. SCDF is Singapore Civil Defence Forces, composed of firemen and medics.
The bus driver and a time keeper was also injured during the riot.
The riot was finally subdued without a single shot fired. In general, local police exercises a lot of restraints when arresting a perpetrator. I think this would be better though some felt that they should have used more force and to learn from the US police.
Little India, from that incident onwards, has been under close monitoring by auxillary police.
One of the biggest repercussions of the incident was the enactment of a liquor control act in 2015. Between 1030 pm to 7 am, liquors could not be sold from stores and supermarkets and consumption of liquors publicly is also disallowed. This include ice cream with alcohol like rum raisins, though this was excluded in 2019. Purchase and consumption of liquors are allowed in night clubs though.
This liquor control act doesn't affect me as I don't buy alcohol except when I came back from an overseas trip and could buy duty free. Though now I wouldn't do so too as I realised that I didnt drink it after I bought.
https://i.imgur.com/iasDgIo.jpg
I was at the cinema on 4 SEP 2020. With only 10 more mins to spare, I managed to purchase one of the last two remaining seats in the largest hall of this Lido Shaw Cinema. In the current phase 2 opening of Covid-19, cinemas could operate but each hall could only have 50 pax and masks must be worn unless you are eating or drinking. I went to watch Tenet. The film gave me an headache.
https://i.imgur.com/pHT6Gaz.jpg
One of the Shaw Cinema was in the limelight last week for the wrong reason when movie goers were treated to a 5D effect during a fighting scene in Tenet. A ventilator came crashing down and two moviegoers were injured. One was more serious with suspected head injuries while the other was slightly injured. This was the first time in Singapore that such a freak accident occurred. This month is still in the hungry ghost month.
https://i.imgur.com/nwHWYBq.jpg
I think this display wasn't very enticing. I wouldn't watch it if it was not a Christopher Nolan's film
https://i.imgur.com/4k6IiZp.jpg
The actress Liu Yifei is so beautiful and almost gives you a fairy like feeling. She acted in mostly chinese and HK films, one of the more famous one was A Chinese Ghost Story remake as a trapped enchanting ghost. She makes the hearts of many male fans melt.
https://i.imgur.com/KYHgoJM.jpg
Gal gadot is such a beautiful actress. Though I think she is too thin and devoid us of the bouncing action when she runs as wonder woman.
If you go there you would feel as if you are in a different country, maybe India. Locals, however, seldom go to that place. Because it can be very crowded and a Chinese would become a
minority there.
https://i.imgur.com/Il0LuPE.jpg
On my way to little India, I walked past this massage parlor. Such gaudy looking Spa can be found in town in numerous locations. They usually have happy ending services. Though they are not supposed to do so and police have been known to raid them from time to time.
https://i.imgur.com/N8SpyvX.jpg
A traditional looking Barber shop runs by Indian. Hard to find this type of Barber shop in town anymore. In old days, Chinese also operated such shops. They also provided shaving services with a long razor and ear digging services with a standing lightbulb and many long metal sticks back then. Totally never see this anymore.
In the foreground is a police security officer. Little India is a place where police can often be seen. Another place is Geylang, the famous brothel district.
https://i.imgur.com/cbGSzrL.jpg
Generally westerners like to chill out in Indian restaurants. This is one with a nice mural. Quite heartening to see that the business was brisk. Many shops in Little India complained that they are on the verge of collapsing as many foreign workers had been isolated and quarantined due to the covid 19. This is first time I saw this mural after I took a new turn in the area.
https://i.imgur.com/flydpch.jpg
A shop selling perishables operating late into the night.
https://i.imgur.com/tqrQIPx.jpg
A shop selling simple things like newspapers, magazines, sweets, etc. We used to call it mama shop here. Very popular with children in old days.
https://i.imgur.com/yVOJQkL.jpg
Another mural I saw in one of the lanes. In fact a first time for me as there are so many small lanes in the area. Each time I went there, I would see something new. Three security officers were resting there.
https://i.imgur.com/Yr5Swrp.jpg
A shop serving the needs of mobile phones.
https://i.imgur.com/IhdalAX.jpg
One of the few Hindu temples there. This one is called Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. Hindu temples have very nice carvings of multiple figurines.
https://i.imgur.com/MDg9D2N.jpg
Another mural I saw. A first time for me.
https://i.imgur.com/OpCU04p.jpg
A mural along Desker Road. This road is known for providing the one of the lowest level of brothel services in the island. With horrid looking ladies and lady boys from what I heard. Generally their clients are usually the foreign workers. Desker road is also used in our communications at times to make fun of friends.
https://i.imgur.com/OfbF88F.jpg
A grocery shop. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the Indian man looking menacingly in my direction.
https://i.imgur.com/rPC8RuK.jpg
Mustafa centre is like a default must visit in Little India. It is a 24 hr air conditioned shopping mall with crazy availability of goods. Anything you want you can almost get it there. I believe currently they are not operating 24 hrs due to the covid 19. This centre is also suspected to be the origin place for the outbreak of the Covid-19 in the foreign worker dormitories. At one stage it was a covid 19 cluster. There are around 54,000 foreign workers cases as opposed to around 2200 local community cases to date
https://i.imgur.com/2twl4YI.jpg
This might be the fast food equivalent for Hindus. I ate once in my life. I am not very familiar with Indian food in fact and not really into vegetarian food.
Generally, Little India is not a place that I would go so often as I always feel a sense of danger when I am there. Not from the people but more of the fear of falling down. There are a lot of sights, sound and smell there and you could easily forget to look in front of you. If you walk along the pavement, we have to watch out for some steps that would suddenly appear in front of some shops. Also if you walk on the roads, you have to look out cars going around you. During normal days before COVID-19, locals will definitely avoid going there as the place will be completely swarmed with Indian foreign workers.
https://i.imgur.com/ctuF8Tn.jpg
Back in 2013, Little India was the site of the first modern day riot since the racial riots in 60s, with the last one in 1969. A drunk foreign worker tried to get into a full private bus but fell and was run over. The picture shows the bus involved.
https://i.imgur.com/CQDpqwD.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/7CQy6dK.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/uxWgIi0.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/VuAmsoL.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Vtjpc1q.jpg
This triggered a riot that involved almost 400 Indian foreign workers, many intoxicated. They burnt and damaged ambulances and mostly police vehicles. At least 5 was overturned, a total of 25 vehicles were damaged.
Police and ambulance workers were seen running away in some videos.
37 Police Officers, 5 Auxilliary Police Officers and 12 SCDF Officers sustained injuries and lacerations during the riot. SCDF is Singapore Civil Defence Forces, composed of firemen and medics.
The bus driver and a time keeper was also injured during the riot.
The riot was finally subdued without a single shot fired. In general, local police exercises a lot of restraints when arresting a perpetrator. I think this would be better though some felt that they should have used more force and to learn from the US police.
Little India, from that incident onwards, has been under close monitoring by auxillary police.
One of the biggest repercussions of the incident was the enactment of a liquor control act in 2015. Between 1030 pm to 7 am, liquors could not be sold from stores and supermarkets and consumption of liquors publicly is also disallowed. This include ice cream with alcohol like rum raisins, though this was excluded in 2019. Purchase and consumption of liquors are allowed in night clubs though.
This liquor control act doesn't affect me as I don't buy alcohol except when I came back from an overseas trip and could buy duty free. Though now I wouldn't do so too as I realised that I didnt drink it after I bought.
https://i.imgur.com/iasDgIo.jpg
I was at the cinema on 4 SEP 2020. With only 10 more mins to spare, I managed to purchase one of the last two remaining seats in the largest hall of this Lido Shaw Cinema. In the current phase 2 opening of Covid-19, cinemas could operate but each hall could only have 50 pax and masks must be worn unless you are eating or drinking. I went to watch Tenet. The film gave me an headache.
https://i.imgur.com/pHT6Gaz.jpg
One of the Shaw Cinema was in the limelight last week for the wrong reason when movie goers were treated to a 5D effect during a fighting scene in Tenet. A ventilator came crashing down and two moviegoers were injured. One was more serious with suspected head injuries while the other was slightly injured. This was the first time in Singapore that such a freak accident occurred. This month is still in the hungry ghost month.
https://i.imgur.com/nwHWYBq.jpg
I think this display wasn't very enticing. I wouldn't watch it if it was not a Christopher Nolan's film
https://i.imgur.com/4k6IiZp.jpg
The actress Liu Yifei is so beautiful and almost gives you a fairy like feeling. She acted in mostly chinese and HK films, one of the more famous one was A Chinese Ghost Story remake as a trapped enchanting ghost. She makes the hearts of many male fans melt.
https://i.imgur.com/KYHgoJM.jpg
Gal gadot is such a beautiful actress. Though I think she is too thin and devoid us of the bouncing action when she runs as wonder woman.
