Graffiti the Singapore way!

It is graffiti Jim but not as we know it. This particular art work was the product of a competition from the national planning authority, the URA. It caused a stir when the police were inundated with calls to report the criminal offence which it would normally be (with upto 3 years in jail and 8 lashes of the cane as witnessed recently by a Swiss national who painted on a train). There's some debate in the local media as to whether the URA's project encourages 'unsanctioned graffiti' or acts as a release given the shortage of space for urban art or graffiti (and ending up spraying on the skate park floors).

There was a graffiti mural at the Night Festival a couple of weeks back which was absolutely drenched with paint ...I could not get near it for the kids ... and some digital and non-digital street art ...see pix of projections and a very funny 'slow' SMS board below...I will look out for more urban art ... formal and informal ...

Mosquito misting in Singapore

No, that strange looking man with a huge gun IS your friend! This is what mosquito control looks like in Singapore. Dengue fever is the commonest danger from mosquitoes, but vast quantities of insecticides (chlorinated hydrocarbons, organophosphates etc.) are sprayed every week around residential blocks, car parks etc.. Of course the best risk control is to avoid getting bitten, i.e. staying away from dank places where they like to breed. They spread dengue dever (aka breakbone fever because of the accompanying joint and muscle pains) from one infected person to another. Unlike mosquitoes that spread malaria which like to bite in the evening, these ones are not fussy and bite any time of day. They are found elsewhere in the world, and apparently are on the increase along the Texas-Mexico border.

more street sitting

After my last street sitting post I began to wonder if I was exaggerating. I mean people all over the world sit on streets depending on the circumstances and many of the big groups may just have to do it - Philippina maids on the traditional Sunday off, Indian labourers waiting for the a bus back from a night out in Little India ... but the more I see in Singapore the more I am convinced people here are just have a better relationship with the ground than we do in Europe. This picture shows the Saturday night crowd in Dhoby Ghaut in quite an upmarket part of town. Most people are sitting on the ground as it is shaped perfectly for sitting with an arc of steps, but look at the group of men right in the centre of this shot - one of them has chosen to sit in front of the others on the ground. It's warm dry and clean so I suppose why wouldn't he.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.5

Late night ping pong at orchard road

Kelvin cleaning up, at a random late night ping pong session on Orchard Road. Night life takes many forms at Orchard Road, mainly shopping and eating but also just strolling down the boulevard, and soaking up the bright lights, music and other shop displays that spill over onto the sidewalk. This next pic is taken around 11pm and it's still busy & note the Visitor Centre though shut is all lit up in the background.

Prinsep place

shop houses converted into places to eat & night spots cheapish beer & karaoke as backgroundish Muzak.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.5

when all else fails...

there is always music! their words not mine ... experimental stuff with accordians guitars and sacred sounds from 2 zhai s in the aptly named " black hole" . good stuff makes me think of beaches and Floyd.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.5

Genius or Greenwash?

LOHAS or lifestyles of health & sustainability is a brand that promotes these things run on marketing principles. looks like they are having a lot of success - here is Adam Horler from the Asia Pacific branch talking at Singapore Management University about the Hong Kong MTR station that is called LOHAS park ... he makes the case for the pragmatic mainstreaming of the LOHAS brand as a symbol to change the priorities of big companies and consumers. it's a social conversation of course and the challenges to him are to prevent brand dilution and greenwash...my view...it's a good realistic step forward.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.5

Asian street sitting

it's a particular habit in Asia to sit on the street in groups - mostly men and not on street furniture. the people here are just enjoying chatting outdoors on a balmy Sunday evening ...

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.5

Food, food, food...and bananas

Just like the houses, Singaporean cuisine draws on the best of the different regions... fast food comes not just in plastic pots but also on banana leaves! This is a veggie biryani 'meal' with puffed up 'batura' breads, fried rice, 'sambar' lentil soup, pappadum, chickpeas, coleslaw, cocacola and a surprisingly spicey lentil 'dessert' ;0 behind is dosa bread and a load of dips. Not bad for a fiver.

Here people also make much better use of bananas than I do...it's not just the fruit you can eat and the leaves for plates, but the whole tree including the trunk and the fruit that are turned into soups and curries. Below you see the head of the flower and embryonic bananas which surrounds it. Each one starts a few leaves and a blob of honey you can eat these too except the stamen which is discarded and called a "theif" kallan in Tamil!

First week in Singapore

So far so good, Singpore is being hospitable "only" 30 degrees and no major thunderstorms...I'm just blogging what I see for the moment ... the major architectural attractions are chalk and cheese. The oldest type of building now considered cultural heritage and well preserved are the shophouses. This pic shows a couple in the 'Little India' district.

I like this shot because it gives a flavour of the cultural mix in Singapore, Chinese and Indian blend here without the blink of an eye. Often brightly painted and two or three stored, they are known for their '5foot walks' providing a much needed shaded walking strip on the pavement privately managed and publicly enjoyed. There are various flavours and styles of shop house I love them all and promise to bring more to the blog as I snap over the coming months...
By contrast the other talking point is the construction along the marina bay area, Singapore's waterfront district (as distinct from the beating heart of its port...more on that later). Here is a vista of the area taken on the drive from the airport into the centre of Singapore on 4/7/10, on the left is the nearly completed Marina Sands resort & casino, a massively tall offering from the same people that brought the new Wynn towers to Las Vegas. On the roof there is a park, yes a 'SkyPark' 200 metres high joining the three towers of the development. Casinos are not a typical Singaporean phenomenon, and Singaporean nationals have to put down a hefty fee for the pleasure of playing something like £35 a day.