Bucklands Beach Roger Smith 2010
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Friday, 30 July 2010
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
New Car Smells
I could never understand why people bought aerosol cans of pseudo "new car smell". The smell of rubber, solvents evaporating, plastics out-gassing and carpet are a combination that is far from edifying.
This is noted with some feeling as we have just brought our new car home from the showroom. The Volkswagen Polo is the 2010 car of the year in its class and while driving it is a pleasure, the smell is something else; although this will subside.
What particularly impressed me was the customer service of the Continental Car Services team and in particular our salesman Patrick, who arranged a free courtesy car for use for a fortnight while we awaited the ship carrying our vehicle.
He consummated the sale with a lovely bouquet of flowers which he presented to my wife. These appeared with a flourish when we went into the yard to collect the car - a nice touch and good service at its best.
More sobering is the news that the suicide rate amongst young people in Singapore is on the rise. Last year more than 400 Singaporeans took their own lives. This rate rises and falls in direct correlation with the effects of a recession or similar financial crisis.
The suicide rate in New Zealand has fallen in recent years but as with Singapore, the rate is highest in people aged 15–24.
The youth of Singapore are under tremendous pressure to succeed within the education system and places in the best universities are much sought after. In New Zealand the pace of life and education is more subdued.
This is noted with some feeling as we have just brought our new car home from the showroom. The Volkswagen Polo is the 2010 car of the year in its class and while driving it is a pleasure, the smell is something else; although this will subside.
What particularly impressed me was the customer service of the Continental Car Services team and in particular our salesman Patrick, who arranged a free courtesy car for use for a fortnight while we awaited the ship carrying our vehicle.
He consummated the sale with a lovely bouquet of flowers which he presented to my wife. These appeared with a flourish when we went into the yard to collect the car - a nice touch and good service at its best.
More sobering is the news that the suicide rate amongst young people in Singapore is on the rise. Last year more than 400 Singaporeans took their own lives. This rate rises and falls in direct correlation with the effects of a recession or similar financial crisis.
The suicide rate in New Zealand has fallen in recent years but as with Singapore, the rate is highest in people aged 15–24.
The youth of Singapore are under tremendous pressure to succeed within the education system and places in the best universities are much sought after. In New Zealand the pace of life and education is more subdued.
Monday, 26 July 2010
Fauvist Fervour - Lucky Plaza
A tropical deluge, a 2 megapixel phone camera and a taxi queue outside Orchard Road's Lucky Plaza were the starting point for this image. The "wild beasts" of the shopping belt in action!
Saturday, 24 July 2010
Car Pumping Power
The university I worked for, before heading to Singapore, (AUT University) has developed a PowerTread system, in which "tubes that are compressed by vehicles and pump hydraulic fluid to turn a turbine and generate electricity".
Powertread has already been successfully trialled on the Causeway providing lighting for one of the border booths for a couple of days.
The Singapore government is getting behind the product's further development and commercialization and one of the country's malls is going to be the next test bed..
They might have been best to put a unit on the road leading to the Integrated Resorts as the volume of gamblers making their way to Marina Bay Sands and Sentosa would give Powertread a real work out.
Half A Mo
There are a few moments in one's mortal journey when a life altering is decision takes place. I had one such epiphany two days ago.
Staring at the mirror on a cold winter's morning I decided to shave off my moustache. This carefully cultivated zone of self indulgence first sprouted on my upper lip some thirty five years ago.
It has also survived and flourished in its various manifestations over 26 years of marriage despite suggestions to the contrary.
I blame this sudden and rash decision on my change of diet after leaving Singapore. Soup and porridge have now become staples and a moustache is not the best item of body adornment in such circumstances.
The rationale for my earlier decision to wear a moustache are now lost in the mists of time. No doubt the influence of Hollywood's leading men such as Clark Gable had something to do with it, but more likely it was the 1970's rock scene where long hair and a droopy moustache were de rigeur.
I may have been no Rhett Butler I but I did have a passing resemblance to Ringo Starr on the Sgt Pepper Album's cover art.
Historical evidence suggests that the mosutache has been worn for thousands of years. Eighth Century Latin refers to the "mustacium" and Hellenistic Greek to "mustax". The Pazyrik horseman pictured (circa 300 BCE) sports a pencil thin moustache.
My morning decision had no such historical context. The sobering reality has been that no one actually noticed I had shaved off the offending appendage!
Even the pair of eyes that can observe a sock out of place in the tallboy at forty paces failed to notice the physical change as she passed me by.
Either I have become as superfluous as the furniture, or the colour of said moustache has now changed to such a degree that it matches the skin colour of my upper lip - I suspect the latter.
Staring at the mirror on a cold winter's morning I decided to shave off my moustache. This carefully cultivated zone of self indulgence first sprouted on my upper lip some thirty five years ago.
I blame this sudden and rash decision on my change of diet after leaving Singapore. Soup and porridge have now become staples and a moustache is not the best item of body adornment in such circumstances.
The rationale for my earlier decision to wear a moustache are now lost in the mists of time. No doubt the influence of Hollywood's leading men such as Clark Gable had something to do with it, but more likely it was the 1970's rock scene where long hair and a droopy moustache were de rigeur.
I may have been no Rhett Butler I but I did have a passing resemblance to Ringo Starr on the Sgt Pepper Album's cover art.
Historical evidence suggests that the mosutache has been worn for thousands of years. Eighth Century Latin refers to the "mustacium" and Hellenistic Greek to "mustax". The Pazyrik horseman pictured (circa 300 BCE) sports a pencil thin moustache.
My morning decision had no such historical context. The sobering reality has been that no one actually noticed I had shaved off the offending appendage!
Even the pair of eyes that can observe a sock out of place in the tallboy at forty paces failed to notice the physical change as she passed me by.
Either I have become as superfluous as the furniture, or the colour of said moustache has now changed to such a degree that it matches the skin colour of my upper lip - I suspect the latter.
Friday, 23 July 2010
Hype Over Substance
The Straits Times has a report about the launch of the iPad tablet in Wellington today and the frustration experienced by those in the grip of "iPad mania"
Why people bother queuing overnight for a piece of technology that will be superseded within the year by a later version, is beyond me?
Evidently Apple have gone to the extreme with the latest launch of not wanting to reveal in advance where people can buy an iPad. Surely a basic tenant of marketing is that a sale can only take place when one can discover the product?
The launch seems a classic case of hype over substance and I for one will not be beating a path to my local retailer to purchase an iPad.
Singaporeans are into the latest techno-fads as this video demonstrates.
Not that I am opposed to technology, far from it. Since returning from Singapore a couple of weeks ago we have been busy buying a house lot of electronic wizardy.
One such purchase has been a Samsung full HD television. I was surprised to discover that thanks to the recession, the prices for the latest sets here in New Zealand compare very favourably with those in Singapore.
Within three years New Zealand is moving completely to high definition and away from analgue television so it makes sense to get full HD now. Coupled with a simple UHF aerial, this new set will allow me to pick up all of the free to air channels. We made sure we did not purchase an "HD Ready" model which is not full HD and needs a decoder box.
When we left in 2006 there were fewer options but now the channels seem to have spawned several more. The content is a lot better than what was on offer on the Mediacorp free channels and of course the global news broadcasts are far more comprehensive and less controlled.
There is even a dedicated Chinese Channel which is Auckland based so Cantonese dramas and variety shows will be on the menu.
Prime Television is my personal pick and is Australian controlled. It has good sports coverage (albeit often delayed) and old favourites such as the Antiques Roadshow.
One free channels I will be giving a miss is the parliamentary channel which is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Watching the PAP MPs answering prepared questions on Singapore's Channel Five of an evening was enough to put me off for life and our parliamentarians are no better.
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Up The Creek Without A Paddle
I was of the belief that this item was to do with dragon boat racing or some other water sport, but given the recent spate of flooding in Singapore perhaps mine was an incorrect assumption?
Maybe they are simply preparing for the Great Flood?
In the above video MM once again makes an astute observation; it is simply not possible for Singapore to become flood free.
One only has to look at the enormous volume of water that roars through the canals during a heavy tropical rainstorm to realise that it is impossible to engineer for every eventuality.
Environment Minister Yaacob Ibrahim (pictured above) is getting a lot of stick in the blogosphere regarding his previous statement that Orchard Road flooding was a "once in 50 year" event.
If you think things are bad in Singapore spare a thought for China where more than 6 million people have been displaced by recent flooding.
No doubt the authorities are keeping their fingers crossed that the next deluge does not coincide with the soon to be staged Youth Olympics. The highways are already being prepared for the YOG and motorists will be expected to be especially observant of blinking lights and YOG number plates.
There is evidently a Plan B according to the chairman of bus operations at the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (Syogoc). Here's hoping they won't need to use it.
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