Jalan Besar in Singapore

I used to come to this place a lot when I was still studying. Besides looking for bike shops and taking buses from school to the National Library, we used to pass this stretch of road all the time. It has all changed now. You still can find some old shops dealing with all sorts of stuff and I dare say that if you look really hard, you can find some pretty good bargains there. there are lots of hotels here and more seem to be springing up, to say nothing about the hundreds of backpacker hostels springing up as well. Interesting place and well worth the walk if you are a tourist reading up about this place,

The rock outcrop off Changi Point

I was at a chalet at Changi Point a few days back and when I went out of the chalet to take a look at the beautiful sight in front of it, I saw this rocky outcrop and the orange beacon placed on top of it. This rocky outcrop brings back memories of my parents and I when we used to go to Changi Swimming Club, now called Changi Beach Club, when I was a very young. The club is located next to the chalet. The reason I remember it is because I used to see this out there in the distance when I used to sit by the beach in the club. At night, when we were having dinner, the reassuring blinking red right from the orange beacon warned ships that the outcrop was a danger. It just brought back memories of younger and happier days when my dad was still alive. Wonderful memories…that is what some things can bring up and this rocky outcrop, probably deemed insignificant by many, does seem to precious to me in some ways.

The National Library Building Singapore

This is the National Library Board in Singapore. It is a huge building with several study rooms that I have been using to study for my upcoming exams. The study rooms on the fifth floor are nice and comfortable and I really think that the conducive environment helped me in my revision. Besides that, there are some function rooms that can be hired for seminars, talks and meetings. More can be found on their website here. I highly recommend this for the excellent facilities.

Singapore-Johore Express Terminal

Before all these Singapore-Johore buses were located in most of the bus exchanges like Woodlands, Yishun and Jurong East, there was this express terminal. I remember catching a bus from here every Saturday once to go into Johore Bahru, the Singapore-Johore Express. Ah, memories. There are now some other Malaysian coaches here that utilise this terminal. Also, there are many Malaysian taxis that come here, hoping to pick up passengers to go into Malaysia. This is a slice of old Singapore and sincerely hope that this does not get knocked down, like many of the other slices of old Singapore.

Fashion for funds??

At least, that is what I think the owner of this shop is trying to imply. I came across this shop while having breakfast one day at a wet market close to my home. Things like these capture my attention. maybe it was the rather bad English of the shop’s name on the sign or it could have been the fact that in a dim wet market like this, this shop was like a beacon with its bright lights and rather nice displays…things sorely out of place in a wet market. Whatever it is, I am placing it here to show that there are gems to be found, even if it is in a wet market

Berseh Food Centre

Jalan Berseh Food Centre. The wife and I go here pretty often, and mostly after church on Sunday evenings, to have dinner. There is some very nice Western food served there, along with oyster omelette, which my wife likes very much. Not many stalls are open on Sunday night but there are enough open for one to choose their favourite meal from. I have heard that there is a very special stall that serves very good coffee and toast in the mornings. I need to check it out one day…

The Nightmare Before Christmas…

I came across this hostel here in Singapore that had these two life-size dolls of Jack Skellington and Sally from Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas. I had heard so much about the film but I had never got myself around to seeing it myself. This year, it will be 20 years old. I must make an effort to see it one day. It does look cool!

Fixies @ Haji Lane

I was in this shop at Haji Lane in Singapore and I saw some of these fixies on sale. Nice looking bikes but the components were not exactly the best. The pink bike in this picture did not have cranks on them so I think that some customer comes into the shop, sees the crank and persuades the shop owner to sell it to him. Now there is nothing wrong with that but to sell a bike without its original stock crank will turn some buyers off. In any case, this is not a bike shop per se, but merely a shop that caters to the fixie market, in a bohemian place like Haji Lane. There are two “bike-shops” there…this is one of them.

Blu Jaz and the controversial graffiti

There was a news report that this shop-house along Haji Lane in Singapore came under fire for having graffiti on it. It is owned by Blu Jaz, a rather popular nightspot in that area. The thing is, I think that this has been very tastefully done and I cannot see in any way how this impacts the external facade of the building. This building is located in a place where the arts are thriving and the people that complained about the graffiti would do well to realise how it has beautified the area. Honestly…some people are just morons

The usual Starhub bull

I saw this at a recent computer exhibition and I felt I had to capture it. Yeah right. Starhub the top-scoring ISP in customer satisfaction? Lets see:

1. Takes 3 weeks to solve internet connection issues
2. Blames all internet connection issues on your router
3. Customer relationship staff eager to pass the buck
4. Incompetent technicians who cannot solve issues
5. Lying managerial staff, who say they will call back when they will not

I could go on but I will not want to. So…looking at the picture…dramatic irony?