Singapore Tourist Guide

(Something that I wrote in an email to a friend. Rather useful, I must say!)

I don't want to waste your time and mine. I just found this comprehensive
site that is absolutely great http://www.visitorsingapore.com/

Meanwhile, here is a summary of my recommendations. Hope you find it useful.

Getting around in Singapore:

1. Get an EZlink card from the airport. This allows you to take the MRT and
bus services all around Singapore. You can top up the card with cash at all
MRT stations. The MRT passes by most of the major attractions and
sight-seeing places in Singapore. You can simply take the MRT along the
whole line to explore the island.

2. Get a Mighty Minds travel map with details of the bus and MRT services
around Singapore. This is available in any bookstore like WHSmith or Popular
Bookstore, 7-Eleven, convenience store, etc. Just ask!

3. For more details about the bus services, simply get a copy of the bus
guide from any ticket sales counters during their opening hours. You can
also try the bookshops.

Communication: If you have roaming enabled, you might be able to make local
calls directly once you are connected to the Singapore network.
Alternatively, pre-paid SIM cards are available from Singtel, M1 or Starhub
shops located at various places around the island. You just need to provide
your name and show some ID like passport. It is a very cost effective way to
call in Singapore.

Chinatown is the early settlement of the Chinese migrants into Singapore. It
is not much different from the other Chinatowns in other places. It will be
interesting to see how the place has evolved over the years

Sim Lim Square and Funan Center are the computer and IT centers of
Singapore. Nowhere else is there a greater concentration of computers and
peripherals. Must visit places for any IT fan!

Take a stroll, and enjoy the breeze along the Singapore River and watch the
much touted Merlion in its splendour, en-route to The Esplanade (durian),
which is the cultural performance center of Singapore. Besides a wide
plethora of cultural and musical performances, there is also speciality
shops as well as an arts library to suit all tastes. Beside it is a
two-storey night club called Embassy, famous for its transparent glass
celing on the first floor. :) Marina Square will be your next destination.

Shopping is never complete without visiting evergreens like Raffles City,
Suntec City, as wel as the shops along Orchard Road. You can start off at
Suntec City after walking over from the adjacent Marina Square, and if you
survive the ordeal, you can walk via CityLink Mall (yet another shopping
stretch) to Raffles City. After Raffles City, you can walk out and start off
towards Dhoby Ghaut, located at the east end of Orchard Road. Both sides of
the mile-long Orchard Road are filled with shopping centers, shops, and
restaurants! Walk all the way up to Borders bookstore, and further up to
Forum Galleria where there is a huge Toys'R'Us. You better stay at the
Shangri La, cos that's where you will end up at the extreme west end of
Orchard Road, so you can get your well deserved rest!

Holland Village is the expatriate locale in Singapore. There are a wide
variety of restaurants, pubs, and massage parlours (decent ones) for you to
explore. It is located between the Ghim Moh and Commonwealth MRT stations.

East Coast Parkway is the most popular destination for locals and tourists
alike to swim, barbecue, cycle, jog, rollerblade along the south eastern
coast of Singapore. Of course, there is also a wide variety of seafood there
for visitors to recharge after a hard day of playing!

Newton Food Centre, located just outside Newton MRT, is a wildly popular
tourist attraction for a wide range of local food fare. Have Indian murtabak
while dissecting a fried stingray, and washing that down with freshly
squeezed sugar cane juice. Simply delicious.

If you haven't had your fill, or feel that the touristy Newton Food Centre
is not to your liking, then the next destination is Geylang. Despite having
a main reputation as a red-light district, it is also the local food
capital. Just keep to the main road and do not venture into the side roads.
:)

Sentosa is the most popular offshore destination located off the Southern
tip of Singapore. You can get there by cable car from Mt Faber, taking in
the magnificent view of the south side of Singapore as well as the southern
islands. Notable attractions include the Underwater World and Siloso Beach.

The Night Safari is one of the foremost places that any visitor to Singapore
should visit. It houses an interesting range of nocturnal animals, showing
you their life, and behaviour up close. http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/

The Jurong Bird Park is a 20.2 hectare open-concept park. It is the largest
in the Asia Pacific and one of the finest bird parks in the world. Its
collection of more than 9,000 birds from 600 species is among the largest in
the world. The Park specialises in birds from Southeast Asia and the more
exotic and colourful tropical birds. http://www.birdpark.com.sg

The Singapore Science Centre was established for the purpose of:
- displaying exhibits illustrative of the physical sciences, life sciences,
applied sciences, technology and industry, and
- promoting the dissemination of knowledge in science and technology.
http://www.science.edu.sg

Little India is where the early Indian settlers lived in the early years of
Singapore as a British colony.
http://www.littleindia.com.sg/stb/stb_index.htm

Shenton Way is the business and financial hub of Singapore. Along it there
are many banks, financial and business institutions. Visit it during office
hours to experience the hustle and bustle of the earliest and busiest
business district of Singapore.
http://www.visitorsingapore.com/photo_gallery_shentonway.htm

Boat Quay / Clark Quay has a bustling nightlife scene. A string of pubs and
restaurants along the Singapore River spoils the visitor for choice. Sunday
mornings will see a flea market with peddlars selling their excess or old,
valuable wares.

Definitions

From the Sharpie permanent marker FAQ:

Question: I purchased a marker that stated it was waterproof, but when water came in contact with the writing, the ink smeared. Why is this?

Answer: Within the writing industry, a marker is defined as waterproof if the writing is still legible after it comes in contact with water.

Passing on the Spark of Love

Quoted from a forwarded email ...

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning
disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that
would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question.
"When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
children
do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural
order of things in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. "I believe, that when a child like Shay comes into the
world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it
comes, in the way other people treat that child."

Then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
playing baseball.

Shay asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?"

Shay's father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on
their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to
play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging. Shay's father
approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play.

The boy looked around for guidance and, getting none, he took matters into
his
own hands and said, "We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth
inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in
the ninth inning."

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was
still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the
outfield. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just
to
be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father
waved
to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two
outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay
was
scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, would they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win
the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was
all but impossible 'cause Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat
properly,
much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved in a few steps
to
lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The
first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took
a
few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
right
back to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have
easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and
that
would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher took the ball and turned and threw the ball on a high
arc
to right field, far beyond the reach of the first baseman.

Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first! Run to first!"

Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the
baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!"

By the time Shay rounded first base, the right fielder had the ball. He
could
have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood
the
pitcher's intentions and intentionally threw the ball high and far over the
third-baseman's head. Shay ran toward second base as the runners ahead of
him
deliriously circled the bases toward home. Shay reached second base, the
opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base,
and
shouted, "Run to third!"

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay, run
home!" Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero
who
hit the "grand slam" and won the game for his team.

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
"the
boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into
this
world."

Fit for Action

I've passed my IPPT! Hurrah! I've made the Silver timing by 2 seconds! Nothing to be proud of actually, but well, my efforts have paid off.

I've been putting in effort to run 3 times a week to get into shape. Seriously, it is not easy, especially since age is catching up with me. I'm no longer the 21 year old chap who can regain his fitness with a few weeks of training!

Alright, having another $200 in the bank, my next goal is to make the Gold standard by the next IPPT. Hope I can really do it!

That's it! I have booked my IPPT date for 16 June 2004 (exactly mid month)! Time to bite the bullet! My last book date is 31 July 2004, which gives me another chance to book a date for retest in mid July as well. There is not much time left. Really hope that I muster up enough discipline to train, go for runs to get into enough shape to get back a silver medal. I used to think to myself, after ORD, that I would be able to keep up with the training and maybe run a time of under 10 minutes consistently for 2.4, but I just got lazier as time went by, and fatter. Sigh ... now I have to rely on the lower Category Y fitness standards. Argh!

What a productive pre-Labour Day April 30th has been! I collected my two free gift fruit blenders from UOB, updated two bank passbooks, terminated my extra Singtel and M1 lines which costed me an extra $50/mth, and watched a performance staged by my old school RJC in the evening, catching up with some old friends in the process.

Hmm, why am I putting all these in a BLOG? Interesting!

Now to get back to work and beat that deadline! Positive my man! Must be positive!

The office had a massive redesignation exercise. It is not called a promotion because it is free. No salaries were raised - only work load and job responsibilities. Also because it is free, many people were redesignated 3 to 4 ranks higher.

New Firmware - NA3000

A new firmware for Aztech NA3000 is being finalised finalized. It is waiting for unit test and then it will see the light of day. All the features that people have been wanting but did not get are mostly available. Exciting new features in this new firmware release will include

• Stateful Packet Inspection firewall
• Range Port Forwarding with Popular Application shortcuts
• Triggered Port Forwarding
• Dynamic DNS Client (Supporting DynDns.Org)

Sorry, NAT loopback is still not supported, but I have seen how it is done on competing products and will be implementing it on the NA3000 soon. Note that this development is done on my own time. I am supposed to be working on another product now.