Public Holiday Morning Rendezvous

A visit to Northpoint Shopping Center ...

Levi's Footwear for All Sizes

Levi's Giant Shoe for the Oversized

Japanese Food Street @ Northpoint

Japanese-Styled Noodles
with omelette, nori (dried seedweed), bonito flakes, tomato and sauce

Japanese Ambience @ Food Street

Wedding Anniversary

Married on this day some years ago! (",)

Japanese Feast @ Vivo City

Had sumptuous lunch with my colleague today at
Shin Kushiya restaurant, Vivo City ...

We are the World ... Let's Start Giving

Let's start giving to Haiti!

Pen Mightier Than Sword

Cartoon of the Day

Cartoon of the Day

by USA Today

Stargate: Continuum

I'm hoping this movie will come to our TV!

Quake moved Earth's axis

The Chilean quake shifted the Earth's axis by even more than the 9.1-magnitude temblor off Indonesia that set off the deadly tsunami in Asia in 2004, Gross worked out. — PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON - THE powerful earthquake that shook Chile on Saturday probably shifted the Earth's axis and made days slightly shorter, a Nasa scientist said.

Dr Richard Gross, a research scientist at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, calculated that the planet's axis would have shifted by 8cm during the 8.8 magnitude quake, Nasa said in a statement.

Earth days are 24 hours long because that's the amount of time it takes the planet to make one full rotation on its axis, so shifting the axis would affect rotation.
If, indeed, the planet's axis did shift by eight centimeters during the Chilean quake, days would have shortened by 1.26 microseconds, Dr Gross calculated. A microsecond is one-millionth of a second, so there is no need to adjust watches just yet.

The Chilean quake shifted the Earth's axis by even more than the 9.1-magnitude temblor off Indonesia that set off the deadly tsunami in Asia in 2004, Dr Gross worked out.

That's partly because the faultline responsible for the earthquake in Chile 'dips into Earth at a slightly steeper angle than does the fault responsible for the 2004 Sumatran earthquake' and is more effective at moving Earth's mass vertically and shifting the planet's axis. The 2004 quake in Asia caused the Earth to move by around 7cm and chopped an estimated 6.8 microseconds off the length of a day, Nasa said. — AFP

Photos of Recent Trip to Turkey

Getaway @ Johor Bahru

Mini Getaway to JB ~ 22-23 February 2010

The ZON Regency Hotel by the sea @ JB

Looking out from Room Windows of ZON Regency

Asiana Restaurant @ Danga Bay Marine Club, JB

HappY LunaR NeW YeaR

I'll be away on my holidays in Turkey during this period!

Have a BLessed n HappY Chinese NeW YeaR! (",)

Workers' Strike in Greece

Maybe this is why my wish to go Greece did not materialize. God knows what's best for me. Read news ...

Greek public workers strike against austerity drive

CNY Shopping @ IMM

It's that time of the year for Lunar New Year shopping again. Here's a preview of the decorations at IMM, Jurong East!

All This is for Your Own Good!

I read something in the Bible several days ago which I find somewhat funny because it reminds me of a popular quote by Singaporean parents that says "All this is for your own good!" The Bible verse states:

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:15 NIV)

Hmm, however we like to put it, many things in life are done for our own good and for our sakes, so we ought to be thankful always!

Happy New Year!

WisHing YoU a FabuLous 2010! (",)

New Office Block @ 1A IBP

My New E52 Mobile Phone

I've just purchased a new mobile phone. The Nokia E52 black.


My reasons for buying: Because I need a new phone as my current 2G mobile is old and dying. The Nokia E52 offers me 3 things I need most: a built-in dictionary that provides a translate function to define words like a real print dictionary, extensive writing capabilities with active Notes and MS Word compatible word processor, and support for large applications with memory up to 16GB.

I'm now still at the exploring stage, but should be no problem because this model is quite user friendly.

Christmas Shopping @ IMM

It's that time of the year for Christmas shopping again. Here's a preview of the Christmas decorations at IMM, Jurong East!

Hooters-Style Coffee Shop @ KL

Posted on 28 Sep 2009

KL's kopi tiam Hooters': An idea for
S'pore coffee shops?

You can say that this is a case of Kopi C served in a C Cup, literally. But it is not happening at a Hooters' outlet. Believe it or not, this is at a humble Kuala Lumpur kopi tiam.

Singapore kopi tiam owners, please take note, says Stomper DJAM, who received the story and photos via email. Instead of the grubby atmosphere and well-covered up and unattractive beer ladies at Singapore kopi tiams, they should employ these Malaysian girls.

Customers will be better served and the kopi tiams will be able to boost their business if they take a leaf from this Malaysian bright spark at a kopi tiam in Cawangan Bandar Perdana in the Malaysian capital.

A bevy of sexy, young and pretty women serve the beverages and food. They will also talk, play cards and watch the football channel with customers.

One catch though: The price of kopi, beer, teh, milo, nasi goreng, nasi lemak, nasi ulam, mee goreng, seafood tang hun, beef kway teow are all double what one usually pays at other kopi tiams.

Surprisingly, the kopi tiam is owned by a group of women, who employ good-looking and well-endowed girls.

The salary paid to these girls is comparable with what they would get working in an office.

Disgusting Behavior

Parents allow kid to poo in public

at crowded Ion foodcourt

A STOMPer's friend was disgusted when the family seated at the table next to hers at Opera foodcourt in Ion allowed their daughter to poop in a potty right in the middle of the place.

Says this STOMPer's friend:

"My friend showed me this photo while she was at Opera foodcourt at Ion.

"It's at about 7 pm on a Saturday, meaning there are a LOT of people and this family of three generations were seated at the table next to her.

"One of the girls' needed to take a dump, so they took out a pot for her to dump in...right in the middle of the foodcourt.

"She said it was damn smelly and gross because she was seated right next to them.

"So uncivilised."

Price Up by 100% for IBP Shuttle Service

JTC announced to the IBP community yesterday that the fare for their shuttle transport to and from Jurong East will be increased from the current 20 cents per one-way trip to 40 cents.

This means people like me who rely on the shuttle service regularly will have to face a permanent income cut, while businesses at Jurong East, especially the food courts and coffee shops, will also be indirectly affected. Currently, many workers at IBP take the shuttle service to and from Jurong East to go for lunch which fare is 40 cents per round trip per person. Come December 1, this will mean an increase of 100 per cent of the cost at 80 cents per person.

Looks like I'll have to consider walking to office from Jurong East MRT station in the future, and will certainly cut down my frequency of having lunch at Jurong East!

So much for boosting the economic downturn and cutting cost!

Christmas Shopping Already?

It's that time of the year when Christmas shopping begins again!

Here's just a preliminary introduction of what's in store at Metro Causeway Point this year.

Toilets and Building Management

I work in an office at IBP. Recently, the management of the office building announced they will be upgrading the toilets, and that is supposed to be good news.

Over the last weekend, the contractors commenced work, starting from the floor I am working in. All the toilets of that floor (3 for males and 3 for females) are now closed for the upgrade and tenants are expected to go to other floors to do their toilet business for the next 6 weeks.

This floor-by-floor approach to renovating all the toilets for the building is to me an act of STUPIDITY. I have never seen such a BRAINLESS act in my entire life. Under normal circumstances, toilet renovations are usually done in the same area or segment for different floors at the same time so as to allow tenants of each floor to have at least one male and female toilet to use while the other toilets on the same floor are being renovated.

Obviously, it's too late for me to make any complain now as the work has already commenced, I guess what I can do, just for my own satisfaction, is to show some reactive responses by having the following notice pasted on all the doors of the toilets currently being upgraded.


I am fighting for a cause, hopefully to help increase the intelligence of the building management, not to do the same for the other floors!

Gardening

I have written several articles on the topic of gardening last quarter.

Recently, I started playing a gardening game called 'My Farm.' So far I have plowed and harvested several crops, bought myself several plants, and some animals. My crops include strawberries, tomatoes, corn, rice, wheat, potatoes and sunflower.

Depending on the type of crops, the timing for reaping will be different. Some are ready for harvesting within a day, others within two or three days. I can also reap fruits from my plants/trees.

This game teaches me short term patience to wait a day or two to allow the crops to grow before harvesting.

Daily Shuttle Madness

Take a look at the picture below and you will understand why I am suffering every morning simply to travel to my office located at Jurong East's International Business Park.

Photo: October 13, 2009 at 08:27

The photo shows a typical daily scene of the morning queues for shuttles at Jurong East temporary shuttle 'interchange' near the JTC building below the Jurong East MRT staton.

This morning, I have to wait for more than half an hour before managing to catch the shuttle to IBP, causing me to be rather late to work.

Wonder why the shuttle 'interchange' cannot be arranged like the interchange for public buses. Presently, it is just a place to jam up all the company shuttles around the area.

Disney's A Christmas Carol

Release Date: November 6, 2009 (conventional theaters and IMAX)
Studio: Walt Disney
Pictures Director: Robert Zemeckis
Screenwriter: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Cary Elwes
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG (for scary sequences and images)
Official Website: Disney.com
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: One-Sheet Teaser
Production Stills: View here
Plot Summary:
"Disney's A Christmas Carol," a multi-sensory thrill ride re-envisioned by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis, captures the fantastical essence of the classic Dickens tale in a groundbreaking 3-D motion picture event. Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey) begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (Gary Oldman) and his cheery nephew (Colin Firth). But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it's too late.

Next Travel Destination

There are 195 countries in the world and I have only traveled 35 so far; 7 countineunts and I have only covered 5, short of Antarctica and South America.

Where should I go next for my Valentine's holidays next year? Spain/Portugal or Greece?

Scandinavia Photos

My Scandi photos are now ready for viewing ... (",)

HappY Mid-Autumn Festival

My Travel Profile

Destinations traveled so far ...

Profile

Cities

I've been to 145 cities in 36 countries

Virtual is an explorer that:

does their own thing

doesn't mind roughing it

lives on the edge

Travel cred: high

I rank in the top...

0.1% most cities visited - Holy See (Vatican City)
0.3% most cities visited - Taiwan
0.6% most cities visited - Egypt

Africa

Egypt: Al Jizah

Egypt: Al Uqsur

Egypt: Al Uqsur

Egypt: Alexandria

Egypt: Aswan

Egypt: Cairo

Egypt: Idfu

Egypt: Isna

Egypt: Kawm Umbu

South Africa: Cape Town

South Africa: Cape of Good Hope

South Africa: Johannesburg

South Africa: Pretoria

South Africa: Sun City

Asia

China: Hangzhou

China: Huangshan

China: Jiangnan

China: Jinan

China: Penglai

China: Qingdao

China: Qufu

China: Shenzhen

China: Suzhou

China: Tunxi

China: Weifang

China: Xinzhuang

China: Xinzhuang

China: Xinzhuang

China: Xinzhuang

Hong Kong (SAR): Kowloon

Indonesia: Jakarta

Indonesia: Pulau Bintan

Japan: Hiratsuka-Shinjuku

Japan: Izumi

Japan: Tokyo

Japan: Yokohama

Malaysia: Cameron Highlands

Malaysia: Genting

Malaysia: Johor Bahru

Malaysia: Kota Tinggi

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia: Kukup

Malaysia: Melaka

Malaysia: Petaling Jaya

Singapore: Singapore

South Korea: Incheon

South Korea: Incheon

South Korea: Seoul

South Korea: Sorak-tong

Taiwan: Feng-shan

Taiwan: Kao-hsi

Taiwan: T'ai-chung

Taiwan: T'ai-nan

Taiwan: T'ai-pei

Thailand: Ban Pang

Thailand: Chiang Mai

Thailand: Chiang Rai

Thailand: Phangnga

Thailand: Phuket

Turkey: Istanbul

Vietnam: Ha Long

Vietnam: Ha Long

Vietnam: Ha Noi

Europe

Austria: Innsbruck

Austria: Salzburg

Austria: Vienna

Belgium: Bruges

Belgium: Brussels

Czech Republic: Kralovske Vinohrady

Czech Republic: Prague

Denmark: Arhus

Denmark: Copenhagen

Denmark: Odense

Finland: Helsinki

France: Nice

France: Paris

Germany: Berlin

Germany: Frankfurt am Main

Germany: Koln

Germany: Munich

Holy See (Vatican City): Vatican City

Hungary: Budapest

Italy: Florence

Italy: Pisa

Italy: Rome

Italy: Venice

Monaco: Monaco

Netherlands: Amsterdam

Norway: Bergen

Norway: Karlstad

Norway: Kristiansand

Norway: Laerdalsoyri

Norway: Latefoss

Norway: Oslo

Norway: Sygnefest

Norway: Utne

Norway: Vigeland

Poland: Krakow

Russia: Moscow

Russia: Suzdal'

Russia: Vladimir

Slovakia: Bratislava

Slovakia: Stary Smokovec

Sweden: Huddinge

Sweden: Karlstad

Sweden: Stockholm

Switzerland: Luzern

United Kingdom: London

North America

Canada: Athabasca

Canada: Banff

Canada: Calgary

Canada: Edmonton

Canada: Jasper

Canada: Kelowna

Canada: Lake Louise

Canada: Montreal

Canada: Niagara Falls

Canada: Ottawa

Canada: Toronto

Canada: Vancouver

Canada: Victoria

United States: Anaheim

United States: Baltimore

United States: Boston

United States: Corning

United States: Honolulu

United States: Kaua'i

United States: Lancaster

United States: Maryland City

United States: New York

United States: Niagara Falls

United States: Orlando

United States: Philadelphia

United States: Washington

Oceania

Australia: Adelaide

Australia: Brisbane

Australia: Fremantle

Australia: Gold Coast

Australia: Hobart

Australia: Katoomba

Australia: Launceston

Australia: Melbourne

Australia: Perth

Australia: Port Arthur

Australia: Sydney

Australia: Tasmania

New Zealand: Christchurch

New Zealand: Dunedin

New Zealand: Moeraki

New Zealand: Queenstown

Get your own widget

GeckoGo

Lots of places in the world yet to visit! (",)

Photos of Scandinavia

I'm back to Singapore and I've enjoyed my holidays at Scandinavia, although it's too early to see autumn leaves change color or fall.


I'm still tired and recovering from jet lag. On the whole, the trip has covered much with fabulous views which cannot be captured through photography, partly because of regular rain and the motor coach traveling at high speed most of the time. People in the group are not all that fun although some are quite nice. Privacy of time is nearly zero with busy bodies chattering lots of unimportant things and constantly blocking camera views.

Why Do Leaves Fall in Autumn?

I am now enjoying my holidays in Scandinavia, north of Europe, taking in the beautiful scenes of autumn, the colors and the falling leaves. Have you ever wondered why leaves fall during autumn?


Many people believe tree leaves fall and die during the autumn season because of weather changes, but studies have shown the real reason for the fall is drought. This is because the primary function of leaves is photosynthesis, and photosynthesis requires the use of water, carbon dioxide and light to create food in the leaves to generate organic compounds and oxygen. In order to induce a suction force, the leaves will need to constantly sweat, and in winter season shed them so as not to get dried. Daylight, however, gets shorter during fall and causes the leaves to suffer thirst because of the reducing absorption of water with the shrinking daylight. This means even when trees live in wet climate with abundant snowfall and rainfall or even when in the warmest of autumn seasons, the trees will still lose their leaves, triggered by the shorten length of daylight.

Many changes occur in the leaves before they finally fall from the branch. According to Joe Lamp’L of DIY Network who wrote an article on ‘Why do leaves fall in autumn?’ at ScrippsNews.com, changing colors of leaves during fall is part of an important and complicated process known as abscission which ends in the leaves being shed at the end of each growing season. The trees, in protecting themselves, purge diseased, damaged or dead leaves, while they seal the point where the petiole connects to it. As the climate and light conditions of autumn evolve, tree hormones change as well, the most notable of which is auxin, a hormone in trees that promotes root formation and bud growth. The balance of auxin levels between leaves and branches is the key to determining if and when the leaves drop.

During the active growing season, production rates of auxin in leaves are consistent with those in other parts of the tree. As long as these rates are steady, the cells of the abscission layer remain connected, which in turn, keeps leaves attached. However, as days shorten and temperatures cool, auxin production in leaves starts to decrease. As a result, fracture lines develop at the base of the leaf petioles and scarring builds up at the same point to form a protective barrier. Eventually, it's just a matter of time before wind or rain provides that last nudge and the leaves are released, at least for most trees.

Although leaves falling in autumn are a predictable event, leaf drop is not only seasonal. Trees can lose leaves for other reasons as well, such as drought and other physical or environmental stresses. So this autumn, enjoy and savor the brilliant display of color, but be thankful always for the deciduous trees, because in spite of all the leaves on the ground, they are doing more good than you can imagine, because these leaves provide vital organic matter to the soil, returning to the soil nutrients and building structure and water holding capacity.

Source of Information: Why do leaves fall in autumn?