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| Melbourne Moves 2 Roger Smith 2011 |
Click on the image then click again to see the larger print
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Friday, 29 July 2011
Today's Print - Tai Chi Fort Canning
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| Tai Chi Fort Canning Roger Smith 2011 Click on image then click again to see larger version |
Sweet Spot and Sweet Victories
I don't know which has the most cataclysmic possibilities; the news that a trojan asteroid called 2010 TK7 has been quietly circling above or that our earth's population is reaching 7 billion.
Apparently trojan asteroids need not be feared as they are not the same as the one that wiped out the dinosaur population some sixty five million years ago. According to the media "the 200-300m-wide rock sits in front of our planet at a gravitational "sweet spot", and poses no danger".
One would certainly hope that they have got their calculations correct. Science has been known to get things wrong before but if this proves to be the case there is little we can do about it anyway.
As to the global population we have apparently slowed our birth rate since the 1960's but even then there will be yet another billion mouth to feed twelve years from now.
In Singapore however life is focusing on more mundane matters. A woman has been fined $4,000 for stealing $390 worth of products from a pet shop in Sengkang in June last year. She is reported as having a penchant for feeding stray cats.
The national football team vanquished their bitter rivals Malaysia to progress to the third round qualifiers for the World Cup for only the second time in its history. They did so in the face of overt intimidation in the crowd, were some idiot brandished a kris knife.
But the sweetest spot of all belongs to Marina Bay Sands casino in Singapore which has contributed US$737.6 million to its parent company's coffers and is on its way to become the most profitable casino-resort ever.
It's a rich now ( if you will excuse the pun) for Minister Grace Fu to express in her Facebook pages that she is now "concern(ed) about the social effects".
As part of the then government that introduced casinos into Singapore she, and other members of her party, were made well aware of the downside of such a decision at the time.
Apparently trojan asteroids need not be feared as they are not the same as the one that wiped out the dinosaur population some sixty five million years ago. According to the media "the 200-300m-wide rock sits in front of our planet at a gravitational "sweet spot", and poses no danger".
One would certainly hope that they have got their calculations correct. Science has been known to get things wrong before but if this proves to be the case there is little we can do about it anyway.
As to the global population we have apparently slowed our birth rate since the 1960's but even then there will be yet another billion mouth to feed twelve years from now.
In Singapore however life is focusing on more mundane matters. A woman has been fined $4,000 for stealing $390 worth of products from a pet shop in Sengkang in June last year. She is reported as having a penchant for feeding stray cats.
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| Senior Minister Grace Fu |
But the sweetest spot of all belongs to Marina Bay Sands casino in Singapore which has contributed US$737.6 million to its parent company's coffers and is on its way to become the most profitable casino-resort ever.
It's a rich now ( if you will excuse the pun) for Minister Grace Fu to express in her Facebook pages that she is now "concern(ed) about the social effects".
As part of the then government that introduced casinos into Singapore she, and other members of her party, were made well aware of the downside of such a decision at the time.
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Monday, 25 July 2011
Today's Print - Asleep Over London
Click on the image, then click again to see the larger version
'Asleep Over London' is a montage of two images I took during a visit to the British Council HQ in Spring Gardens and the British Museum.
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Death in the Key of D
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| Mozart |
The l'enfant terrible would have had a hard time in Singapore with his non-conformist attitude and all-consuming focus on his own being.
Somehow I can't see him playing a leading role in any national courtesy campaign either.
A touch of Mozart is also a reassurance that not all the world is balmy, countering today's revelation that an organic farmer from Norway has killed 80 people with a bomb in parliament and a later shooting rampage at a youth camp. A diet of organic vegetables no doubt contributing to his insanity.
I doubt if we will ever know what drove Anders Behring Breivik to commit this act but it does remind one that even in a supposedly peaceful society such atrocities can occur.
No wonder Singapore keeps reminding its citizens that it too is an iconic target for acts of terror. In the past fortnight 11 suspects have been arrested in Indonesia as they planned to attack the Singapore embassy in Jakarta.
As to Mozart,he could have avoided a premature death if he had spent more time basking in the sun and thereby absorbing Vitamin D, recent research suggests.
"Mozart did much of his composing at night, so would have slept during much of the day. At the latitude of Vienna, 48 degrees N, it is impossible to make vitamin D from solar ultraviolet-B irradiance for about 6 months of the year," the authors write. "Mozart died on December 5, 1791, two to three months into the vitamin D winter."
Given the amount of sun in Singapore perhaps he should have relocated to the island republic. At the very least he should not have come to Auckland in the middle of a New Zealand winter.
Thursday, 14 July 2011
SQ Web Woes
The CEO of Singapore Airlines Goh Choon Phong offered me his apology today (which came as somewhat of a surprise as I had neither requested nor expected it). The text of the epistle was a follows:
"On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to offer our sincere apology for the inconvenience caused as a result of issues that arose from the launch of our new website on 22 May 2011.
As with all new initiatives that we undertake, the intention behind the website revamp was to improve on our customers’ experience with us. I am truly sorry that the new website, with its technical problems, has instead caused much aggravation for many of our customers. We make no excuses for our failure to deliver an acceptable level of online service.
We have committed full resources to resolving the website problems and have made significant progress in rectifying many of the defects. We will continue to relentlessly pursue all other outstanding issues. An in-depth investigation as to how the issues that arose went undetected is well underway, and we are treating this with utmost importance.
At Singapore Airlines, we strive to put our customers at the centre of everything we do. I am well aware that there is a wide range of travel options to choose from, and thus, am grateful that many of you have continued to support us. We do not take this for granted.
Thank you for your continued patience during this period. I know that you have high expectations of us, and we failed to meet those expectations. On behalf of the Company, I offer our unreserved apology, and pledge to win back your confidence."
Now there are two reasons that I have reproduced the above. Firstly it is rare for any airline to be so upfront about such issues and secondly it speaks volumes for the Singaporean business ethic, and SQ in particular, that they have chosen to communicate in this manner.
While it is true that I was a Silver Kris flyer with the airline, I have not used their services for over a year. The newly launched design has been panned by business travelers who have found it "a haemorrhage of colours and links which have been haphazardly meshed together".
The functionality has also been labelled a debacle and the SIA call centres have been swamped. Frustrated passengers who could not get through on the call services vented their spleen on the SQ Facebook page.
It's a great pity that the best airline in the world is being subjected to such ridicule and knowing the country as I do, heads will surely roll.
SQ must be losing a lot of custom and money as a result of this amateurish web offering. For a country that prides itself on being at the cutting edge of digital innovation the new SQ web site sends all the wrong messages. I would love to know which company built the new web site for them?
"On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to offer our sincere apology for the inconvenience caused as a result of issues that arose from the launch of our new website on 22 May 2011.
As with all new initiatives that we undertake, the intention behind the website revamp was to improve on our customers’ experience with us. I am truly sorry that the new website, with its technical problems, has instead caused much aggravation for many of our customers. We make no excuses for our failure to deliver an acceptable level of online service.
We have committed full resources to resolving the website problems and have made significant progress in rectifying many of the defects. We will continue to relentlessly pursue all other outstanding issues. An in-depth investigation as to how the issues that arose went undetected is well underway, and we are treating this with utmost importance.At Singapore Airlines, we strive to put our customers at the centre of everything we do. I am well aware that there is a wide range of travel options to choose from, and thus, am grateful that many of you have continued to support us. We do not take this for granted.
Thank you for your continued patience during this period. I know that you have high expectations of us, and we failed to meet those expectations. On behalf of the Company, I offer our unreserved apology, and pledge to win back your confidence."
Now there are two reasons that I have reproduced the above. Firstly it is rare for any airline to be so upfront about such issues and secondly it speaks volumes for the Singaporean business ethic, and SQ in particular, that they have chosen to communicate in this manner.
While it is true that I was a Silver Kris flyer with the airline, I have not used their services for over a year. The newly launched design has been panned by business travelers who have found it "a haemorrhage of colours and links which have been haphazardly meshed together".
The functionality has also been labelled a debacle and the SIA call centres have been swamped. Frustrated passengers who could not get through on the call services vented their spleen on the SQ Facebook page.
SQ must be losing a lot of custom and money as a result of this amateurish web offering. For a country that prides itself on being at the cutting edge of digital innovation the new SQ web site sends all the wrong messages. I would love to know which company built the new web site for them?
Thursday, 7 July 2011
A Year On - Pandan Thoughts & Hot Soup
This week marked the 1st anniversary of our departure from Singapore and arrival back in New Zealand; for me a moment of sad reflection.
Being one of those people who did not go to Singapore to live an Expat lifestyle, I found myself welcomed by colleagues and made good friends over the four years of our stay - most of the time living in Queenstown.
I admired Singapore before I went to live there and I admire it still. It's not perfect but no place is. It is a safe and there are no winters! The sound of night birds and the lushness of tropical foliage even goes some way to mitigate the omnipresent heat and humidity, although I confess July in the Republic can be very trying.
By contrast, here in Auckland it is the season of porridge and hot soup. Prices of good quality, tinned soups such as the Watties brand are great value; two servings for $NZ2.50 and these keep us fortified.
It is also the season for multiple layers of clothing and a quick sprint across the cold bathroom tiles first thing each morning. At least as I write there are patches of sun between the strong westerlies and showers, which meant that I could get out for a walk.
It remains somewhat of a challenge to circumvent slowly pacing pensioners, their dogs on leash, as they hog the pavement and force one into the muddy slush on either side of the concrete.
Quite a change from my walks to the Queenstown library in Singapore where I hugged each patch of shadow under the HDB's to avoid the cranium-boiling sun. A bottle of water was always in my carry bag as was my small umbrella, its silver side upwards to deflect the worst of the rays.
One of the more distinctive and welcoming smells of Singapore is that of the pandan leaf, which is used in a variety of kueh kueh and gives kaya toast its sweet aroma. Now these same leaves are being used in Asia's first aquatic science centre to filter out nitrates and phosphorus which promote algae growth and effect water quality.
While the NEA has problems stopping people littering their condos and HDB's to their credit they are on the ball when it comes to water quality.
Being one of those people who did not go to Singapore to live an Expat lifestyle, I found myself welcomed by colleagues and made good friends over the four years of our stay - most of the time living in Queenstown.
I admired Singapore before I went to live there and I admire it still. It's not perfect but no place is. It is a safe and there are no winters! The sound of night birds and the lushness of tropical foliage even goes some way to mitigate the omnipresent heat and humidity, although I confess July in the Republic can be very trying.
By contrast, here in Auckland it is the season of porridge and hot soup. Prices of good quality, tinned soups such as the Watties brand are great value; two servings for $NZ2.50 and these keep us fortified.
It is also the season for multiple layers of clothing and a quick sprint across the cold bathroom tiles first thing each morning. At least as I write there are patches of sun between the strong westerlies and showers, which meant that I could get out for a walk.
It remains somewhat of a challenge to circumvent slowly pacing pensioners, their dogs on leash, as they hog the pavement and force one into the muddy slush on either side of the concrete.
Quite a change from my walks to the Queenstown library in Singapore where I hugged each patch of shadow under the HDB's to avoid the cranium-boiling sun. A bottle of water was always in my carry bag as was my small umbrella, its silver side upwards to deflect the worst of the rays.
One of the more distinctive and welcoming smells of Singapore is that of the pandan leaf, which is used in a variety of kueh kueh and gives kaya toast its sweet aroma. Now these same leaves are being used in Asia's first aquatic science centre to filter out nitrates and phosphorus which promote algae growth and effect water quality.
While the NEA has problems stopping people littering their condos and HDB's to their credit they are on the ball when it comes to water quality.
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
150,000 Air Miles Of Fame
In April I wrote an article in TheDigitalConsultant blog about an innovative, promotional campaign by the airline KLM.
Put simply, one had to choose an inspiring phrase and submit it online, as a 'delft tile' portrait in the period costume template provided.
The campaign was promoted heavily using social media and was a clever cross fertilisation of online promotion and advertising creativity.
I chose to adapt a line from one of my poems and duly sent it off, only to learn later that I was one of the 4,000 people chosen to have my tile adhered to a new aircraft.
My win may of course put would-be passengers off for life and I am not sure what routes the plane will fly. Suffice to say, I am unlikely to see it in person as KLM does not fly to New Zealand.
Maybe by friends in Singapore will spot my beaming visage on the fuselage as they prepare to board at Changi?
It was Andy Warhol who said that everyone has 15 seconds of fame. I seem to have achieved 150,000 air miles of self promotion, or (to put it another way) my poetry seems to have reached greater heights!
The video of the tile application can be viewed here.
Put simply, one had to choose an inspiring phrase and submit it online, as a 'delft tile' portrait in the period costume template provided.
The campaign was promoted heavily using social media and was a clever cross fertilisation of online promotion and advertising creativity.
I chose to adapt a line from one of my poems and duly sent it off, only to learn later that I was one of the 4,000 people chosen to have my tile adhered to a new aircraft.
My win may of course put would-be passengers off for life and I am not sure what routes the plane will fly. Suffice to say, I am unlikely to see it in person as KLM does not fly to New Zealand.
Maybe by friends in Singapore will spot my beaming visage on the fuselage as they prepare to board at Changi?
It was Andy Warhol who said that everyone has 15 seconds of fame. I seem to have achieved 150,000 air miles of self promotion, or (to put it another way) my poetry seems to have reached greater heights!
The video of the tile application can be viewed here.
Friday, 1 July 2011
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