Quirky Singapore XX - Before and After Pictures...Singapore

It is a must read (& see), a blog post on "22 Incredible Before and After Pictures that Reveal the Transformation of Singapore".

Singapore Sights - Marina Bay by night

My pictures from around Marina Bay at night. (I had issues with my phone camera re picture quality up until now as well, but I think I have found the limits of its capabilities last night - sorry!)

Concert at the open air theater in front of Esplanade Theatres.

Esplanade Drive (the bridge) and the Central Business District. There is Fullerton Hotel in the middle, and there should be Merlion on the left, but it is being spring cleaned.

Quirky Singapore XVIII - Utilities

There is some blogging going on about Singaporean utilities bills.

I write this post on account of the news that: Singaporeans can soon compare water usage with their neighbours
"Are you and your family using more or less water than your neighbours? The authorities will soon provide households with this information, as part of a new tactic to spur water conservation.
Currently, water utility bills give information on the average water consumption of households of the same housing type across Singapore. But in the second half of this year, national water agency PUB will include data on the average water usage of households of the same housing type in your block or on your street." (Source)

And then I find this: What do Singapore utility bills look like?

With a pointer to this: Sample utilities bill

Btw, hasn't this "comparison with your neighbors"-business turn out to increase consumption of some people in the Netherlands?

Fate of Malaysian Airlines

This is a Singaporean blog post entitled "What is the post-MH370 future for Malaysian Airlines?"
Why I am posting it is Scenario 3... Have a read if you have the time!

Quirky Singapore XIX - Negotiation styles

This is based on classification or characterization of negotiation styles from around the world by a British linguist (see the whole article here)

These are the comments about the negotiation styles of the three nations I am focused on:

Hungarians value eloquence over logic and are unafraid to talk over each other.

The Dutch are focused on facts and figures but “are also great talkers and rarely make final decisions without a long ‘Dutch’ debate, sometimes approaching the danger zone of overanalysis.”

Singaporeans generally take time to build a relationship, after which they can be shrewd negotiators.

But the best in the post is the illustrations. Unfortunately I couldn't copy them here one by one, or make it bigger. So you might need to visit the post itself...

Local news V

Rooftop farming
Tucked away in the heart of Orchard Road is a uncommon sight for Singapore's main shopping belt.
A vegetable and fish farm called Comcrop is located on the rooftop of *SCAPE. With 6,000 square feet of space, it can produce eight to 10 times more than traditional farms over the same area by using vertical farming techniques. (Source)

Population

Singapore citizen population grows 0.9% to 3.31 million. More than 31,000 Singaporean babies were born in 2013, giving the country a total fertility rate of 1.19. ... The government also granted citizenship to about 20,000 people and permanent residency to about 30,000. (Source)

PM Lee (of Singapore) in The Hague
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrived in The Hague on Sunday and met his counterpart Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit. Both leaders reaffirmed warm bilateral ties between the two countries. ... Singapore has thanked Netherlands for its support of the European Union-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. (Source)

Parking fines
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) said it issued an average of 740 summonses each month in the last five years to drivers who park illegally in reserved lots.
These include the lots set aside for disabled drivers, police and Singapore Civil Defence Force vehicles.
HDB said it takes a serious view of such "inconsiderate acts".
Among those inconvenienced are drivers in the car-sharing scheme because users locate these shared cars at reserved lots, which are sometimes taken by other drivers.
HDB said those who park illegally face a S$50 fine.
Repeat offenders may face a fine of up to S$400. (Source)

Flight MH370 consequences
Robust security measures are already in place at Singapore's Changi Airport to manage threats against the aviation sector, but these have been reviewed and stepped up in light of the recent Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 incident.

Quirky Singapore XVII - A gift

A short film, without comment.