Snippets of Singapore's Life

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On 11 Oct 2020, a new attraction, Jurassic Mile, just opened at Terminal 4 of Changi Airport. It was sort of like a walking and cycling track flanked by dinosaurs. This path connects to the East Coast Parkway next to the shoreline on the eastern end of the island.

East Coast Parkway links all the way to Gardens by the Bay with a path for running and cycling.

This is first time I think that we could finally go to the airport by foot. Previously I don't think there is a such a path.

Jurassic Mile is open 24 hrs and is free.

https://youtu.be/goMMMG_S0aU
I also made a short video on it.


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Recently I also went to Chinatown and this was the main decoration there for mid autumn festival 2020 which falls on 1 Oct 2020 this year. It is a date where people celebrate with mooncakes and lanterns. People would also buy for parents and in laws. Businesses would also gift their clients with them.

I didn't eat any mooncake at all this year as they are very expensive and I don't think they are worth the money.

I usually go to Malaysia to buy for past years. But due to COVID-19 we cannot go there.

https://youtu.be/RcH4rhe9PCk
A video of my recent visit to Chinatown


https://i.imgur.com/JXtnuxl.jpg

On the news 14 Oct 2020, a group of 12 revellers got into hot soup when one of them posted Instagram photos of their 8 Aug excursion to an off shore island. Gathering is limited to only 5 due to COVID-19. The 12, consisting of 10 Britons, 1 Vietnamese lady and 1 Singaporean lady now face fines.

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One Briton has been fined 3000 SGD or he can choose to have a six days jail. His job was also terminated by his company. The sentencing for the others are pending.

Recently attended a small birthday gathering at a very expensive Chinese restaurant here under the TungLok chain

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This one TungLok Signatures located at Central in Clark Quay river area. The Signature chain takes traditional Chinese dishes and adds to it some modern touches.

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The menu for the day.

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When you visit a traditional Chinese restaurant and told them you are celebrating birthday, they would likely serve you complimentary Chinese longevity bao/ pau/ bun/ peach.

In this particular plate served, it contained writings of various good wishes

In Chinese it is called shoutao. It is a type of lotus seed bun mimicking the shape of a peach. The longevity peach is a representation of Peaches of Immortality based on folklore.


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In the story of Monkey King, in his early days, he was appointed to look after the garden of Peaches if Immortality but he ate and got into trouble.

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The peach was also carried by the longevity god, Shou Xin. He is one of the three gods that traditional Chinese homes like to decorate with to bring in good vibes. The Fu Lu Shou gods for Fortunes, Prosperity and Longevity.

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Amazing presentation of lobsters in the form of a waterfall. The young waitress posed for a photo.

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The portion of lobster I got after dividing. I got no recollections of when was the last time I ate lobster. Maybe more than a decade ago.

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Goose liver with slice of duck meat and crispy duck skin.

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Close up of the item. It might be the first time I ate goose liver

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Top grade shark fins soup served with crab meat and roe. For visual purposes, they lit up a fire at the side of the dish. You can feel the texture of the shark fins. I have not had shark fins in more than a decade. In the past, the only time I had was during wedding banquets but generally the amount of shark fins used in such events were negligible and you could barely feel any.

As of 2018, many top Chinese restaurants here have committed to removing shark fins from the menu. Frankly I was indifferent to the movement and in fact viewed the local celebrities called for the end of shark fin with disdain as I believed they should have had their good share of shark fins while I hardly had any as they are simply too expensive. During food fairs, food stalls would sell shark fins soup cheaply targeted at the common people but we know that there are zero shark fins in it. They used ingredients to mimic the texture of the fins.


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A very tasty fish soup noodles. I believe they add carnation milk to make the broth white and milky.

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A strange display of the dessert

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The happy waitress bringing in the birthday cake which was procured separately. The waitresses were all smiles as the birthday guy that organised this is a regular and he gave good tips on top of the 10 percent service charge.

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The chocolate cake is from a popular chocolate cake chain here known as Awfully chocolate.

I don't know how much the feast cost but it should be very expensive. After this I would be eating like a common man again.

Happy Halloween! Halloween is not a big event here. During normal times, it is mainly celebrated in clubs where revellers appear in costumes. Universal Studios would also celebrate it in a big way. Other than that, no one does any treat or trick.

Nice big hard candies including jelly beans from US are hard to find here. The local Supermarkets hardly stock them. Probably can find them in candy specialty shops but they are generally quite expensive.

Below are some decorations set up by my town community hub. The Simpsons family couch looks like the one used by cinemas back when The Simpsons Movie was screened. I think Homer is missing the remote controller.

I could recognise all except the trolley one from Japan and the Games of Thrones character. Can you recognise all of them?


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An example of bad mask wearing on the left and good mask wearing on the right. Mask wearing is still compulsory here at all times outdoors except during eating and strenuous exercises.

Our National Museum currently has a special exhibition on Doraemon called Doraemon’s Time-Travelling Adventures in Singapore.

These are some of the shots that I had taken.

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The bulk of the exhibits are 13 figurines of Doraemon in the compound for photo taking. Due to COVID-19, we are not allowed to remove our masks and they controlled the number of visitors and we have to scan QR for contact tracing to get in.


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Doraemon Anywhere Door. This door allows you to go to anywhere you want instantaneously.

Doraemon is carrying a Convenience Purse or Obtaining Bag - Think of a item and the user will be able to get it from the purse. But if item is not available, the user will get an electric shock.

The National Museum was established in 1849 and moved to this permanent location at Stamford road in 1887.

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This particular exhibit is housed indoor with an animated background and with the theme song of Doraemon cartoon playing in a loop.

This is the time machine and it is housed in the table drawer of a boy that Doraemon was serving and protecting.


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This is another indoor exhibit. This is supposedly the original look of Doraemon, In yellow and with ears.

In the future, due to miscommunication, a robotic mouse bit off the ears of Doraemon, a robotic cat and this caused him to cry so much that the yellow paint was shed away, turning him blue. And this is also why he is so afraid of mouse.

The pouch of Doraemon contains a ridiculous amount of gadgets with all kinds of weird functions.

Doraemon was sent back in time by the descendents of a boy to take care and protect this boy. The boy is frequently being bullied in school. He dislikes studying and is also secretly in love with a girl. Every storyline mainly was about how Doraemon uses one of his gadgets to help the boy to get out of sticky situations.


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Octopus ink - When the ink from this octopus is applied on a person, they will be hated by everyone.

Doraemon, a Japanese manga character, was a big icon here for people growing up in the 70s and 80s. This is probably due to the easy accessibility of its comics back then, translated from Japanese to Cantonese Chinese by HK publishers from the collections I have. In fact it might have been the most popular cartoon character in that era.

It is possibly popular for children growing up in the 90s due to the TV anime in that era.


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Time Belt. Time travelling functions but location cannot be changed. You will be time transported to the same location, which can be risky.


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Substitution stickers mailbox. This mailbox produces special stickers. The stickers allow their user to substitute an item for another by writing that object’s name on the sticker, and applying the sticker to an item that they want to “substitute”.


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Computer pencil - When one writes with it, it will write the correct answer no matter what.


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Absconding Leaf - Place this leaf on the head of a dog and it will transmit its thought waves to a nearby human, causing him to hallucinate like a dog.


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Ace Cap - The user can throw anything to anywhere without fail as long as there is an exact location.


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Finding Person Umbrella will point you in the direction of a missing person you are looking for.


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This could be a floating scarf, which allows its wearer to glide in the sky like a goddess.


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Super Gloves allow the user to perform various physical activities with increased strength, similar to Superman

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Sword of Light or Electrical Sword acts as a parrying weapon and also doubles as an instant knock-out finisher. 

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Copying toast. This is like a photocopier, placed it on any text and it would be copied. When you eat the toast, it would be stored in your memory.


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The obedience hat comes in a set of two different hats.

When one hat is worn, it requires the wearer of the other hat to follow all the commands of the user.


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A wedding couple taking their photos. Staff didn't chase them. A staff chided me when I took off my mask.


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People queuing to get up close to the indoor Doraemon exhibits.


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My Doraemon t shirt which I wore to the museum. Luckily I was not alone in wearing such t shirts but I might be the older one.


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My own Doraemon souvenirs. Bought as an adult.

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A Doraemon snack I saw in the supermarket.


https://youtu.be/8S1QP8CH7CI

A short video clip I took of the visit.

I realised that I never really know how the story of Doraemon ended as I only read the early stories in my childhood.

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14 Nov 2020 was the Deepavali holiday. This is the decorations at my community hub. The event is celebrated by the Hindus Indians here, the early batch of Indians were mostly from the South and they use Tamil. Tamil is one of the four Official languages in Singapore.

These days there are a lot of Hindi Indians and they called Deepavali as Diwali.

Peacocks and lamps are always used in their decorations.

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The Deepavali Decorations at the neighbouring town of Bedok.


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21 Dec 2020 was Winter Solstice. The Chinese here celebrated it by eating glutinous rice balls. In old days they did not have filling. But now it comes with fillings like peanuts, yam, red bean paste etc. The traditional religious Chinese would also use it to pray to their ancestors. It is also a day meant for gathering with the family. It is not a public holiday though.

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A Xmas decorations at the hub of a neighbouring town of Bedok.

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The promenade walk along Marina Bay Sands is currently lined with Xmas decorations.

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At The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, the shopping wing of MBS casino, a Gordon Ramsay restaurant operates there. First time I am seeing it.

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A advertisement board of a to be opened skin care brand at the MBS. This is a famous Korean actress, Jun Jihyun or Gianna Jun. She shot to stardom in the must watch hit of My Sassy Girl. Once I considered her one of the prettiest actress I ever saw.

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Another view of the beautiful MBS Shopee with xmas decorations along the railings.

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Over at my town hub, this is the Xmas Decorations set up

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The Simpsons has become a permanent decoration at my town hub where free movies are screened.

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Free movies screenings has started again since December. It started couple of months back but then stopped abruptly after a week. I suspect it was due to presence of community cases then.

We have to wear a mask with social distancing. The place is not air conditioned but it is quite an open area with gigantic ceiling fans.

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A sample of the schedule they would put out on the movies to be screened. This week they just reopened a second screen in a smaller area.


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A beautiful Xmas carriage at my town hub. My town Community hub can be considered the largest model hub in Singapore. But the Government never released the cost of the construction and the operations though.

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Over at the west end of the island, Jurong Garden is having a festival of lights known as A Better Tomorrow. My friend shared the pictures with me.

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I didn't go to this as it is considered far and the MRT journey would probably takes 1 HR 5 mins. And I do not want to spend on the transportation. The event is free though.


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Our Government has conducted a third round of gifting it's citizens reuseable face masks from 1Dec 2020. With xmas so near, it feels like a Xmas present. Each pack contains two masks and now it comes with sizes. Based on guidelines, I got a big face and need a XL. We collect our masks via vending machines with our identity numbers


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The statistics of Covid 19 in Singapore. Generally for past weeks, we are getting only imported cases from people coming into Singapore. Community cases are zero except for one case.

The current total cases are 58,482, Recovered are 58,322, total Deaths 29. Bulk of the cases are from the outbreaks at foreign workers dormitories.


An investigation is currently ongoing on a imported case of 13 different People serving a stay home notice at an Hotel for potential links to getting infected from a common source.

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The Government announced last week that we would be going into a phase 3 opening from 28 Dec 2020.

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The Government introduced a tracetogether token using Bluetooth to track your interactions for better traceability. The people are strongly encouraged to collect it. By end of Dec, public places like shopping malls and cinemas can only be checked in via these tokens. Alternatively, we can use an HP app with Bluetooth on for the same function.


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In a ceremony on 16 Dec 2020, Hawker Centre culture in Singapore has been listed as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Picture shows kway chap. I ate this quite often.


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There are currently 114 Hawker Centres in Singapore managed by the Government. Because they are regulated by the Government, the rentals are cheaper and food can be offered at a more nominal price. Coffeeshop serves similar food but they are private entities and generally are slightly more expensive.

Picture shows Hokkien mee, also known as prawn mee or Sotong (squid) mee

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Street hawkers existed since colonial times in the 1900s to serve the needs of the early immigrants working here. During the 70s, the Singapore Government started to implement the concept of hawker centres for better control and hygiene (and to collect rental)

Picture shows a Nasi Lemak set


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A queuing scene at a hawker centre. It tends to happen at popular stalls. Some hawker stalls owners managed to become very rich plying this trade.

The hawker centres in the business district areas are struggling during the circuit breaker as their customers were working from home.

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With tourism halted, Singapore Airlines offered for those with excess cash to burn, a unique dining experience on board the A380, complete with boarding and in flight entertainment.

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The price ranges from SGD50+ to 600+ depending on the class of the seats. The response was very good and all 400 plus seats were snapped up in no time.


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The annual countdown and fireworks at the Marina Bay area is cancelled for 2020. Instead, sixty lamps were set up to create an animated light pattern for the whole month of Dec. The show is titled as Shine a Light.

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We are in the midst of Lunar New Year 2021. It is the year of the Ox and this is the main decoration at our Chinatown.

Today is the eighth day of the Lunar New Year
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Usually in normal years, a temporary market place would be set up to sell festive goodies and decorations. But due to Covid-19. This was not done this year. In fact, the government discouraged the citizens from visiting the place by turning off the decorations lights during the weekend just before the Lunar New Year / Chinese New Year (CNY).

Above are some decorations sold by permanent shops at Chinatown.

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Some street decorations. The design of street decorations in recent years were generally outsourced to tertiary institutions. It frequently stirred up unhappiness and controversy due to the non traditional nature of it. In this case, some people are uncomfortable to see animals strung up in the air.

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Other street decorations with a series of different good wishes. In this example, the wish says that May your 10,000 endeavours be smooth sailing.

There was an early gaffe when someone notice an error in the sequence of two sets of phrases. Once in a while, mistakes in Chinese languages occurred even in established museums. This led to widespread unhappiness that the standard of mandarin is abysmal with years.

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A samsui woman decoration in front of Chinatown heritage centre, a museum dedicated to the story of Chinese in Chinatown in early Singapore. Samsui women were a group of very hardworking immigrants from Cantonese regions of China who worked in our construction and domestic workers sectors in old Singapore. They were highly respected for their values as they wouldn't want to go into trades of vices. Many of them also took vows of staying single. They were characterized by a red Bandana.

In modern Singapore, construction sector is dominated by workers from India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and China.

The Domestic helper market is dominated by Indonesians, Filipinos and Myanmars.

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A Samsui woman. The name samsui was based on samsui district of Guangdong, China. Samsui means three water in Chinese.

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A God of Fortune decoration set up at the front of Smith Street - a street set up to give you the early hawkers experience albeit a highly sanitised one. A sculpture of how an early hawker operated can also be seen. The street was sheltered with a glass ceiling to protect diners from the elements.

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The Smith Street. Actually locals rarely patronise this place and in normal times, mainly tourists visit it. The prices are slightly more expensive than an authentic hawker centre but the ambience is more comfortable.

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In Westworld Season 3, they did some shots here as the black lady walked through the city.

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The Smith Street back in the 70s. I don't really remember going to Chinatown as a boy as it was like a place so far away and probably too messy.

There were prostitutions in the buildings along Smith Street, which probably explained why hawker stalls flourished there.

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Wall murals in Chinatown depicting life in the old days.

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Bak Kwa, mainly BBQ pork is extremely popular during CNY. Often used as a gift. They are kinda like Beef jerky but softer and sweeter. Very delicious. I have not bought in many years as it's prices get more and more expensive. The price now is approximately 1 kg for 60 SGD. I would eat a bit if available during my visiting.

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I have never taken a closer look at this very low profile building in Chinatown and noted that it still bears the facade of an old theatre previously owned by the Shaw Brothers Organisations.

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A video clip I took during my walk

Last week I went to this annual event known as River Hongbao 2021. Hong Bao means red packet. This is a big festival with lantern display and performance over days during the Lunar New Year. But this year the event was very reduced in size due to the Covid-19. The location was also changed to Gardens by the Bay for the first time. Entry to the place is by tickets only with designated slots.

Below are some of lanterns I saw, mainly the zodiacs

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Rat, Ox, Tiger

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Rabbit, Dragon, Snake

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Horse, Goat, Monkey

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Chicken and Dog fishing. Fish in Chinese sounds like excesses, a sign of prosperity

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Pig, modelled after the character in the story of Journey to the West (Monkey King)

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Peacock lantern

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A beautiful lady with moving eyes

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The key highlight, the God of Fortune, in the midst of Supertrees. Behind is a skyway which requires a paid ticket.

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A lantern depicting the reunion dinner, which typically happens on the eve of New year

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Modern musicians titled Melody of Spring

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Different lion dance designs at the entrance of a Singapore lion dance exhibition.

https://youtu.be/L3SjH554hTY

A video I took of the day visit to the River Hongbao 2021.


Last night 26 Feb 2021 is the last day of the lunar new year celebration. It is the fifteenth day. In Singapore the locals called it Chap Gor Meh which means the fifteenth night in Hokkien Chinese.

Most people do not really observe this day but religious prayers to ancestors and deities may be carried out by some. Lovers may consider it as a Chinese valentine's day. It is also a good night to see the round moon. Some families may carry out reunion again.

For me, I was asked to go on a dinner at an expensive restaurant, Yans Dining Fine Shanghai Cuisine in Mandarin Gallery. It was opened by a former Chinese newscaster who came from China.

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Newscaster Wang Yanqing

It is the first time I went there and many of the dishes are new to me too. The final bill of this dinner with taxes and service charge is about 190 SGD for two persons. In 2020, this restaurant went into social media to say they were on the verge of winding up if there were no diners supporting in the midst of Covid-19 measures.

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Yans Dining Fine Shanghai Cuisine

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A duck soup, one of their signature dishes. Very nice. (Old Duck Soup with Dried Bamboo Shoots SGD 38.00)

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Braised pork belly meat to be eaten with Bao (Pau). (Braised Pork Belly in the Clay Pot SGD 48.00)

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A steamed fish heavily sprinkled with chilli in Szechuan spicy style. (Yellow Croaker Fish SGD 38.00)

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A bigger version of the xiao long bao, little dragon dumpling. Shanghai seems to be famous for this. Inside the dumpling, there is hot soup. It is served with a condiment of ginger and black vinegar. (Pan Fried Bun 15 SGD)

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Complimentary dessert, glutinous rice balls. In China they eat this on the fifteenth day.

I think the diners in this small restaurants were almost all from China based on the accents I heard.

This year Chinese New Year was very low profile and quiet due to Covid-19 measures. Though I think some people are actually glad that they have more time to rest than going out for visiting and to save on red packet money.

Each household are only allowed to received 8 visitors at one time. And each visitor is supposed to only visit two households per day.

One of the biggest news here happened on the second day of lunar New year when a speeding (like 200 km/hr) BMW M4 coupe crashed into an empty shophouse and burned. Five young men in late 20s in the car were killed. The girlfriend of the driver who was recording the speeding was badly burnt when she tried to save the occupants. Videos of this incident can be found in YouTube known as the Tanjong Pagar accident. Majority of the netizens were angry with the driver but sympathetic to the lady. This accident was said to be the worst accident here in a decade


There are also a few other high profile unnatural deaths that marked this festive season, like murder of ex wife with suicide, another passion murder , a woman killed by a tree, three workers killed and five others in critical condition in a potato powdered starch explosion. And the day before, a death on the track of the MRT.

Hopefully the year would now get better after these incidents.

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This is an island known as Lazarus Island. Some said that it is Singapore's best kept secret. I think it may be true as I didn't know it existed until last year in a Covid-19 related news

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On 8 Aug 2020, when Singapore was in phase 2 of the Covid-19 circuit breaker, 12 people got onto that island for a mass party. In Phase 2, the covid law stipulated that only up to 5 patrons could intermingle for social gathering with masks. The 12 people consisted of Britons, a Vietnamese lady and a Singaporean lady.

The Singaporean lady must be so proud and happy of the event and posted a series of photos of their gathering in Instagram. Very soon the photos spreaded in the social media and created unhappiness.

All of them were hauled to court and the case finally had its closure in Feb 2021. All of them were fined 3000 SGD each. All the foreigners lost their jobs and their working passes were revoked permanently and they couldn't work here anymore.

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The Singapore lady responsible for the downfall of the Brits. Her association with the Brits brought to mind a sub culture here known as Sarong Party Girls. It is a name given to ladies here who have a proclivity for white men, preferably the rich ones. The name was said to originate from the colonial days when whites organised parties and ladies in sarongs would be arranged to appear for companionship. Sarong is a kind of fashion of wrapping a cloth around the waist.

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The Vietnamese lady, a PR.

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The famous Singapore Girls' uniforms of Singapore Airlines is also based on a form of sarong design.

These SPGs also like to have mixed blood children coming off the union with a white man. Indeed the children from the union are usually exceptionally pretty and handsome. They generally received more attention and did well in their adult life.

Books on the subject matter have come out in the past.

https://i.imgur.com/PSqp3XK.jpg
This book was quite recent in 2016

https://i.imgur.com/rCSYmlk.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/HZP5LSw.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/sJVUosv.jpg

These three books were from the 90s

The idea of SPG is not really trending in the current context anymore. Most people now are used to seeing such relationships. It was highly talkabout during the 90s and the 2000s.

https://i.imgur.com/3penXVu.jpg
On 26 Dec 2020, this yacht of merry making people were also spotted off Lazarus Island. All 10 people have been charged and as of Mar 2021, 2 out of the 10 have been convicted and fined 3000 SGD. The 10 are Brits and one permanent resident. The convicted Brit has lost her job and work pass while the PR would also have a shorter validity of his re-entry permit upon renewal.

https://i.imgur.com/cH3j6Zg.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/V5yMikK.jpg
This is the current status of our Covid-19 situation. Cases are mostly imported cases, people coming into Singapore.

On 28 Dec 2020, we entered phase 3 of the circuit breaker, rules are loosened a little. For example, up to 8 patrons are allowed for intermingling activities like dining out.

https://i.imgur.com/0tf9TUY.jpg
Vaccination programme is also in progress here. Priorities were given to front line medical workers and at the moment, seniors. It is not compulsory but I think maybe the medical workers don't have a choice. And military personnel probably also has to get it. We are using vaccines from BioTech-Pfizer and Moderna. The one from China was purchased in advance but has not been approved for use by the local health authority.

https://i.imgur.com/ogEXC2k.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Tyql1ne.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9uJxuHf.jpg
In the past 2 weeks, buskers performance are allowed to take place again at my community hub.

https://i.imgur.com/sZPUw16.jpg
Seated audience with masks and social distancing at the buskers performance.

https://i.imgur.com/y0wXagP.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/LWHrXcU.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/RW5kHoZ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/w4aG7Zu.jpg
Disney + brought it's streaming service to Singapore and had a huge launch party in the Marina and City area with light projections and artists performance on the night of 24 Feb 2021. Strangely, I wasn't aware of it at all and didn't even watch the live telecast on TV. I think maybe they didn't want the people to crowd the city area.

https://i.imgur.com/84Tchov.jpg
This scene in Falcon and the Winter Soldier created a buzz here as the Soldier was drinking a Singapore brand - Tiger Beer.

https://i.imgur.com/1i5lvA4.jpg
Singapore Flag

https://i.imgur.com/Kxw1W7e.gif
Official Lion Head Symbol of Singapore

https://i.imgur.com/znN0LqT.jpg
The fictitious flag of Madripoor in Marvel comics

https://i.imgur.com/HgE7YBF.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/VQN8dhp.jpg
City views of Madripoor in Marvel comics, looks like Singapore

https://i.imgur.com/LP6KSHf.jpg
The Singapore Botanic Gardens is the first and only tropical botanic garden on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It was established in 1859 by the Agri-Horticultural Society.

Actually it might be the fourth time I went there. First two times went there at night with lady friends and once dragged there by a lady to watch a free concert. This fourth time was the first time I really walked through the huge garden in the day light to visit a newly upgraded National Orchids Garden within the Botanic Gardens.


https://i.imgur.com/7n3uUJ8.jpg
This is cold room inside the Orchid garden known as Cool House. The orchid garden requires a nominal fee to enter but for this reopening, entry is free.

https://i.imgur.com/WBOeohA.jpg
The Cool House feels like a mini dense version of the glass domes at Gardens by the Bay but with a focus on Orchids.

https://i.imgur.com/iIcgpdj.jpg
These photos I captured were orchids from places like Ecuador, Peru, Australia, China, India, Vietnam, etc

https://i.imgur.com/RLtdjAo.jpg
Entry to the Botanic Gardens is free. I think I hardly go there is because the place is not really at a convenient place for me.

https://i.imgur.com/CW8d9Ec.jpg
The location of the botanic gardens is in the midst of rich people estate. And I could feel the vibes when I was there. People were dressed better and they engaged in serious conversations.

https://i.imgur.com/HG9I8cz.jpg
Many embassies are located around the place which include the United States and China. The Interpol is in the area too. Recently I saw the embassy for the first time in my life. It was majestic like a Fort. I stood at the gates and took a photo. A local guard immediately ran out and demanded to see my photos and asked for it to be deleted. He also forbade me to take a photo of the stone hedge of the sign.

The embassy can be seen in photos in the Internet and Google map though.

Mist would be released in the cold room. The China lady in the background really took her time to take her selfies and of her mother. She was totally oblivious to me waiting for her to finish.

https://i.imgur.com/apDGa3q.jpg
There are many other attractions outside the Cool House. This is called the Golden Shower Arches.

https://i.imgur.com/a2gVlY9.jpg
An elderly couple engaging in trick eye shot

https://i.imgur.com/u9KJp4o.jpg
A beautiful new extension of the orchid garden to showcase orchids from different altitudes of the mountains.

https://i.imgur.com/CDwKa9U.jpg
At one point, I was trapped in a colonial house due to a thunderstorm. I took this picture from the entrance.

https://i.imgur.com/R0vtb0c.jpg
In an old colonial building in the orchid garden, there were walls with photos capturing the visits of VIP. Flowers would usually be designed and named to commemorate their presence.

This is a flower for President Joe Biden

https://i.imgur.com/LGunjZi.jpg
China's Xi Jinping

https://i.imgur.com/eWPPgbj.jpg
Dendrobium Margaret Thatcher

https://i.imgur.com/yFAUyLj.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/UP6XG4d.jpg
The Iron Lady

https://i.imgur.com/8LCMcc8.jpg
A Prince.

https://i.imgur.com/TyNehoT.jpg
In memory of Princess Diana

https://i.imgur.com/5tccc9y.jpg
Dendrobium Elizabeth
https://i.imgur.com/YP27NxM.jpg
An Orchid for the Queen.

https://i.imgur.com/oTNfLh2.jpg
Dendrobium Barack and Michelle Obama

https://i.imgur.com/URHoQ6O.jpg
The former president.

https://i.imgur.com/gamPi0D.jpg
The entrance of National Orchid Garden

Overall I like the Botanic Gardens. In fact it has its charms, very different from Gardens by the Bay. I do feel a bit out of place though, being a commoner there. The National Orchid Garden is worth a visit too. It was the first time I visited as I didn't want to spend the entrance fee.

My mum used to keep Orchids long time ago. If people visited our block and couldn't find us, they just need to look for the unit with the greatest number of orchids in the common corridor.

Her hobby was abruptly curtailed when one day, thug like guys appeared to throw out the bricks stands so that the plant racks could not be so high. I think it was a Government reaction to a few accidents involving children during an era of Superman and Ultraman and they thought they could fly too

https://i.imgur.com/objVLgZ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/sizFTr1.jpg
In the case of 9 Britons & 1 PR caught merrying on a yacht in 2020 boxing day which i had written about, the remaining 8 Britons were each fined 3000 SGD and also banned from working in Singapore. This is for offences of not wearing masks and intermingling when social groups of only five was allowed then.

https://i.imgur.com/joOth92.jpg
This Singapore lady was caught on video for refusing to wear a mask when requested by Social Distancing Ambassadors (SDA) at the Marina Bay Sands shopping mall. She asked to see a badge. SDAs are employed to guide people to adhere to social distancing measures. Her video has gone viral and many memes were made. She was a high flyer, an ex Navy Officer and commanded a ship in the past before. Social media found that she was a recalcitrant offender with other videos and photos. She has a pending case and this case is also under investigation.

https://youtu.be/JUZQ_nXNtqk

This is one of the many videos circulating about her.

https://i.imgur.com/nIEEB1F.jpg
This Caucasian man was caught on video that went viral for refusing to wear a mask on the MRT. He gave reasons why he wanted to be free. When he sat down, the passengers on his left and right both moved away from him. Another passenger offered him a disposable mask and he threw out an expletive on the mask. According to the news, he was arrested.

https://i.imgur.com/usILP7j.jpg
In a high profile case which I had written about, of a Singapore lady who claims to be a sovereign and refused to wear a mask back in 2020, a verdict was reached. She was sentenced to two weeks jail and a fine of 2000 SGD. She didn't have to serve the jail sentence due to her stay at the mental hospital here. She was born in Singapore but spent 20 years in Australia before coming back in 2020.

https://youtu.be/UDXecjWs3mc

A past video about her.

https://i.imgur.com/LsD5Q4D.jpg
On 4 May 21, the Government introduced a set of heightened measures to the then phase 3 of Covid 19 opening up. This was because of a sudden rise of community cases. It started at a hospital on 28 Apr where a nurse was infected and very soon more cases appeared. This measure was supposed to act from 8 May to 30 May 2021.

On 5 May, a cleaner at the Changi Airport was infected. He set off the largest cluster in Singapore. Changi Airport announced on 12 May to forbid the public from visiting the airport for two weeks 13 May to 26 May unless a person is a passenger. As of 20 May 21, 100 cases were attributed to Changi Airport.

https://i.imgur.com/CsYAxSD.jpg
With multiple clusters appearing and also a number of unlinked community cases, the Government announced on 14 May to move the Covid-19 back to phase 2 and introduced a new set of heightened measures as shown.

The biggest inconveniences are that no dining in is allowed and social interaction has been reduced to 2 persons. Indoor Gyms would also be closed.

https://i.imgur.com/Ubky1uJ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Jufa9MD.jpg
This is the statistics of our Covid-19 situation. The community cases are rising. The Government said that the new Indian variant could be very contagious and that vaccination may not help. This was after some of the vaccinated people were infected by the new variant virus. However, they generally exhibited minor symptoms as compared to the unvaccinated ones. Two elderly persons had died from complications.

The Government forbids, with effect from 22 April 2021, 2359hours, until further notice, all long-term visit pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history (including transit) to India within the last 14 days from entering into Singapore, or transiting through Singapore. Only Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents of Singapore will be allowed entry.

On the ground, citizens are generally unhappy that the Government has continued to allow Indians and their dependents to visit Singapore this whole time. For many weeks, the country was generally dealing with imported cases. But Government said that the door must be kept opened as their services are needed to keep the country running. Many menial jobs here are taken up by them. Although a big group of them are also in executive, IT, Financial, white collar roles. News about the use of fake certifications for employment also contributed to the negative sentiments about them, on top of the issues of stealing the jobs here.

Lately I learned the meaning of South Asia. News these days tend to use this term generally to avoid using Indians in their reporting.

https://i.imgur.com/Ewe5jsg.jpg
The Government released new guidelines on the masks. I am disappointed they took so long to advise against using masks with valves.

https://i.imgur.com/IgIwXEU.jpg
A snapshot of the active clusters in Singapore

https://i.imgur.com/IA93vAO.jpg
A chart showing the development of the phases of Covid-19 measures so far.

On the ground, quite many people are predicting that we are heading towards a circuit breaker again (lockdown).

https://i.imgur.com/Xkch8FO.jpg
On the night of 15 May 2021, a coffeeshop was clearing away the sitting area to get ready for the no dining measure the next day.

https://i.imgur.com/yCLedtD.jpg
An eatery providing take away services only in the current no dining in arrangement.

https://i.imgur.com/l2jeraM.jpg
Enforcement officers here wearing black. They have the authority to issue fines for failing to wear masks or follow social distancing measures.. It would cost 300 SGD. Repeated offenders would be 1000 SGD. If the person is not cooperative or if the case is egregious, they could be persecuted and fined up to 10,000 SGD, six months jail or both. Repeated offenders could be fined up to 20,000 SGD, twelve months jail, or both.

https://i.imgur.com/b1AiOQM.jpg
A chart from a news dated 21 May 2021 documenting the spread of the Covid-19 infections in the schools. Some were linked to a tuition centre cluster and because some students attend multiple tuition centres, it also spread elsewhere and also in their own schools. On 19 May 2021, all primary, secondary and junior colleges are back to home based learning again.

https://i.imgur.com/O13WImp.jpg
This group of beautiful foreign ladies are from SPA9. One of them was infected with Covid-19 in the current outbreak. A commenter in a forum shared that he used her service, supper and followed with a hotel trip. He said he was in trouble as he received a call to be quarantined and he did not know how to explain to his wife.

https://i.imgur.com/cx8St6o.jpg
On a lighter note, I like to look at animals. I think this is a frog. They generally appeared after a rain and like to gua gua gua. I think she is beautiful.