Bugis Junction

The crossing at Bugis Junction has been an ongoing problem. It sometimes takes up to 10 minutes to cross that section of the road since barriers in the middle of the island restrict the passage to a narrow lane and the hundreds of pedestrians get blocked in the middle. You often have to wait for two or three traffic lights before progressing to the orther side. I am surprised the Singapore Land Transport Authorities are reluctant to take actions for a problem that has been plaguing this very touristical area for years.

Record(s) of the Week: Manchester lives on! (808 State and New Order)

Following Joy Division's reissues last year, the remastering / repackaging treatment applies to two monuments of the pop culture this time around. The importance of these two mancunian bands had repercussions all around the world. New Order somehow became the pioneers of the 80s dancefloors bringing electronic music to indie fans. In my opinion they were at least 8 years ahead of the game and when the (acid) Summer of Love came in 1988 everything was ripe for another mancunian outfit: 808 State. I clearly remember as if it was yesterday the moment I entered the Hacienda during the second Summer of Love (which was probably even better since Manchester's energy had comfortably invaded the whole world by then) and found myself floating in another world to the sound of Pacific State. As we say... 'You had to be there!'.

Nota: each 'Collectors Editions' CD comes in a double disc package featuring both the album remastered from the original master tapes as well as a bonus disc containing non album singles, B-sides and remixes.

Singapore Biennale '08

Singapore's City Hall has been invaded by maggots! No, it's not a joke...! Or is it? The Singapore Biennale '08 is on and one of the places of choice to see some of the sharpest modern Arts in the area is in the old City Hall that has temporarily been converted into an exhibition hall. Yemenite Zadok Ben-David's Blackfield, Desiree Dolron's portraits, Taiwanese E Chen's installation, Korean Jong-Gun Han's bottle gourds or Argentinian Charly Ninjensohn's video installation are some of the highlights. But the creatures nobody can avoid are the giant maggots invading the corridors leading to City Hall's former restaurant. This comes from the creative mind of Vietnamese Artist Ngoc Duong Pham. The biennale is on until the 16th of November so don't waste time...

East Coast Park Wildlife

Wildlife is a big word since I do not think those turtles are actually native to this pond and surely have been introduced but it was a lovely day today cycling around East Coast Park under beautiful skies and stopping by that pond where only the bravest turtle decided to stay for a photoshoot. All the others plunged back into the water afraid I might eat them.

Bird Nest

Some time ago I reported about the Birds Nest breeding places in Indonesia but I never actually showed how a bird nest looks like. Well, as you can see from the picture above it has nothing to do with the bird nests we are used to in Europe. They actually come from a little bird called the Edible-nest Swiftlet of the swift family which is found in South-east Asia. Its nest is made of solidified saliva and is used to make the famous bird's nest soup.

F1

So here we are, here we go. Back into Singapore's life. And what is on everyone's lips at the moment has to be the Formula One. Not much I can report on this since I have absolutely no interest in the whole thing but what you can see on the picture above is a view above Singapore at dusk. The lights over the Formula One track are on which really highlight the path. As you may know this will be the first City night race in the world.

Port Hedland

Since the 1960s, Port Hedland has been the center of a thriving iron-ore industry; its natural harbour handles the largest tonnage of any Port in Australia and it is here that the iron-ore is unloaded, screened, crushed, stockpiled and conveyed out onto the pier for export. But more than the iron-ore, what is striking at this time of the year are the huge pyramids of snow-white salt which are stockpiled alongside the main road, solar-produced by the Leslie Salt Company in the area. They are rushing to export all this salt before the typhoon season kicks in.

Aboriginal Petroglyphs in the Pilbara

The Burrup Peninsula between Karratha and Dampier is recognised as the most prolific Aboriginal art site in Australia (and in the world). Over 40,000 individual rock engravings and etchings have been identified in the area. It is quite amazing to find yourself in the middle of 20,000 year old etchings in the vicinity of a booming mining as well as oil and gas industry. Thankfully all this is protected and the memory of the Ngaluma and Yindibarndi people who are traditional landowners within this region should continue to remain there for ages.

Record of the Week: TV on the Radio 'Dear Science'

The reason some of the tracks are played non stop on Triple J here in Australia probably adds to the fact I have also been listening a good dozen times to the new TV on the Radio album over the past week. From the highlights I would recommend the fabulous 'Shout Me Out', the clever and inventive 'DLZ' and the dreamy 'Family Tree' but honestly the rest is totally worth more than a listen. It is good to see that despite the very bad market atmosphere some bands continue to be extremely creative. I now urge you to dish a few dollars out and purchase this album. A band that good deserves to be rewarded.

Western Australia Art Gallery

Another revelation. Aboriginal modern Art is something very special. From political paintings to an adaptation of the famous dreamland themes updated to today's realities, it is an amazing fusion that creates a very distinctive Art and should deserve to be shown in galleries around the world. Unfortunately, it goes pretty ignored outside of Australia at the moment but the day the Art world will have enough of the current Asian 'Mao big heads' trend and will realise the creative potential going on Down Under there is no doubt that the prices will skyrocket. In the meantime, you should really discover what is going on and the best way is to visit the fabulous Western Australia Art Gallery.

Above: Three different paintings from Julie Dowling

Darwin from above

After suffering damages from the war and more recently from the terrible typhoon Tracy, not much is left of the original Darwin. It is not a particularly attractive city as there are not many historical remnants but it has a very nice atmosphere and vibe. As I did not find any interesting street views to capture you will have to settle with an aerial view of the city centre as available from Google Earth to see how its location remains interesting (and how small it is)...

Sweetheart

Here are the facts: 780 Kgs, 5 meters 10, Male, 50 years old.

What you see above is the real 'stuffed' croc that was finally captured and accidentally died in 1979. For approximately five years a large male crocodile, locally known as “Sweetheart”, was responsible for damage to aluminium dinghies and their outboard motors on a large billabong on the Finnis River in the Northern Territory.
Early in 1979 the pattern of attacks changed and became more frequent, and this was cause for concern for the safety of participants in a proposed fishing competition on the “Sweets Lookout Billabong” even though no one had been hurt.

Northern Territory News

The local news are very interesting and nothing like what I am used to. Here are some of the titles from the local newspaper, The Northern Territory News, today: "It's official... beer makes you healthy", "Autistic boy's dog stolen from yard", etc... But the best of the best is the front page: Boat runs aground after shark attack. So the most important news of the day is the story about a prawn trawler crew that was forced to make a 20-hour mercy dash to Darwin yesterday after a crewman was attacked by a shark. And they almost didn't make it to shore after their large steel trawler - Xanadu I - got stuck in the mud at low tide and almost rolled on its side less than 50m from docking at Fishermans Wharf. That should even be international news shouldn't it? And if you only read the title and look at the picture you really imagine something completely different from the real story.

Darwin - Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory

I had time to branch to the Museum s and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory and on exhibition was the 25th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. Lots of very interesting aboriginal paintings, bark paintings and three dimensionals. I was mostly impressed by a work by Suzy Evans called 'Bengerang'. Her own words describe it best: "Most signposts came to me after seeing the Sidney Nolan exhibition and after the apology. There are 57 aboriginal people and 1 Ned Kelly. A community infiltrated by outlaws".

Singapore - Perth

Today is not Friday but here is another airplane picture. I am on my way from Singapore to Perth (just briefly) and it is for work this time. So as usual, when it is work related, there is no much to talk about. Just the time to spend a short night not too far from the airport and I am off to Darwin in the morning. I promise to try and post something else than a plane picture tomorrow!

Record of the Week: The Streets 'Everything is Borrowed'

A true return to form for Mike Skinner. His new single 'Everything Is Borrowed' definitely is the highlight. I only had time to listen to the album a couple of times so far and can strongly assure its Record of the Week status. The main track is a meditation on the meaning of life, noting that we come into this world with nothing and leave the same way, and the stuff we pick up along the way is just borrowed. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and so on. Enjoy the video in case you have not laid your hands on the promo CD yet.

Video through YouTube here

Traffic Jam

Today I went to explore the Mekong Delta and some of its smallest rivers buzzing with activity! It is quite extraordinary to paddle along these tiny overcrowded streams and difficult to negotiate some its narrow bends due to the heavy Sunday congestion. It was an interesting experience and left me wanting to explore the area deeper.

Fish Tour!

Don't you think that it is an amazing way of travelling for fish? They seem to have a free tour of Ho Chi Minh. At least they must be quite protected from the pollution but just imagine being a fish living peacefully in a protected environment somewhere on a nice reef and suddenly finding yourself among the humans in the chaos of the city. It must be a real shock!

On my way...

The 'Check In' is done, the immigration card is filled. I am ready to escape Singapore once more. This week-end will take me to the Mekong Delta area at Ho Chi Minh Ville (Saigon). I did not have time to really prepare the trip and I am not quite sure what to expect but it is very good to keep a few surprises. Life would be boring without them...

TiTi's best friend

Without any contest my best friend has to be the Fisherman's friend. I am totally addicted. I do not believe I ever mentioned it but it has been going on for years. I am totally lost without my white FF pills. I only recently read about the content and discovered it was nearly pure sorbitol and supposed to be as a result quite laxative. But my body must be so used to it that I do not recall experiencing any such related problem. My flavour is the 'Strong Mint'. I have tried them all but nothing gives me as much pleasure as the white and green stripes packet. I forgot to add it was sugar free, if it matters at all?

In the park

I don't think the above picture really needs any explanations. The nature is very... generous at this longitude. So while walking in any park you'd better watch up and down. It reminds me that I even read recently about that 3 meters long snake they found while constructing the new Circle Line subway tunnel here a couple of weeks ago. Right in the middle of the city!

Public Transports

Is it just me or are the things that I used to appreciate in Singapore are getting bad? Let's take the public transports for example. The authorities announced some months back that the MRTs (Trains) frequencies were increased. Indeed, at peak time I used to have a train every two minutes. But for the past week the frequency is back to 4 minutes or more which creates a chaos as at peak time the trains become so crowded you sometimes have to wait for several to pass through. And what about the feeder buses which are a disaster. Off peak, and if not rushed I continue to enjoy the buses though even if it takes much longer to reach my destination but these are only handy on weekends for me. And what about the cabs? 90% of the drivers do not actually know how to drive, they are not necessarilly pleasant and they always find false excuses to refuse your credit card as they prefer cash. And I am not talking about the masses who prefer to hide in a corner or refuse to stop when hailed at peak time as they much prefer to take an "On Call" course which will add a few $$ to their fare (on top of the peak time surcharge, the ERP surcharge, the CBD surcharge, etc...). Not a pleasant situation.

Record of the Week: Saint Etienne 'London Conversations'

An Oldie but Goodie! Kind of... If I had to pick some bands representative of the pop 90s, Saint Etienne would come in the top 5 somewhere with The Beloved and the Pet Shop Boys. It really summarises and mixes all the ingredients of my early twenties. An Indie feel with club beats sometimes dirty and bordering on acid house and sometimes clean and discoid. Add to that the lovely voice of Sarah Cracknell singing clever lyrics and what you have is the perfect pop band. Interesting they remained kind of 'underground' throughout their career. It is nice to be reminded of that happy era with the issue of a double CD / double vinyl compilation that includes all their groundbreaking tracks ('Only Love', 'Join Our Club', 'Who Do You Think You Are') as well as a couple of new tracks ('Burn Out Car' a re-make of a 'lost' track incidentally produced by Xenomania who are also producing the new Pet Shop Boys album). And I was going to forget there is even an edition with a DVD comprising all the band videos.

For the love of bread

It is interesting how whenever I happen to read a French expat blog there is always someone complaining about the local bread and how no other bread can match the French baguette. I admit it is difficult not to resist a cracking golden crust but I am always sad to read how French people can never admit something good can also be produced elsewhere. No Camembert? Try the local cheese, it can bring some unexpected and wonderful new tastes. No white Bourgogne? Why would a Chardonnay from Chili or South Africa be inferior? To make a long story short, it is impossible to find a good French baguette in Singapore - or if you do so it will get all soft after a few minutes due to the high humidity levels - but as the local newspaper was reminding us this weekend there are hundreds of amazing local offerings.

Ramadan

Continuing on the seasonal delicacies, not only are we enjoying what the mid-Autumn festival has to offer but the ramadan also is full on. On top of the moon cakes introduced yesterday there is a huge array of dates products. Imported from Iran come the rounds. Rounds can be found in different flavours added to the dates: nuts, almonds, etc... The round pictured above is made of dates and pistachios. And as advertised on the packaging: "Each bite is rewarding from its delicious beginning to its nutritious end. So tear one open and always finish satisfied".

Looking for the perfect Mooncake

It's mooncake season madness! Mooncakes are traditional Chinese pastries typically round with a crust filled with lotus seed paste and containing a full egg yolk in its center. They are mainly produced and eaten during the mid-autumn festival and it is right now pure madness everywhere. In the newspaper this morning there were maybe 30 different pages of adds full of moon cakes. Chinese colleagues in the office spend hours discussing new flavours and where to find the perfect mooncake. When asked about my tastes I was directed to Hong Kong's Peninsula Connoisseur' mini egg custards mooncake. I went to trace them at the big display in Takashimaya and my colleague was right! It is exactly the kind of pastry I like. They come in a big box of eight and the cakes themselves are pretty small which is a good thing since they are very rich. Price tag: 35 SGD.

Celebration

I will celebrate hereby a very personal event. After a few years being a 'Provisional' Australian resident I have been confirmed today as a permanent Australian Resident. I do not expect many changes in my day to day life in the very near future but a few personal decisions will surely have to be taken sooner than later and it is more comfortable to be in a more secure position. That said I am used to change residency for professional reasons (I am currently a Singaporean resident as well as a French citizen and have been American, Brazilian, Nigerian, Angolan, Emirati, Indonesian, etc... resident over the past 10 years) but it is the first time it comes as my own personal choice. I will now have to make good use of the privilege!

A stark reminder!

I am just back home and I found this leaflet in my letter box. I am used to see some similar posters around the city but the condo I live in seems to be quite well fumigated. Nevertheless, it is true that dengue is Singapore's number one enemy. There are also a few cases of malaria as well as chikungunya recently. The climate has also been quite humid those past weeks (well... it always is humid but it has been very humid for the season).

Back to School!

It is funny how things that you usually take for granted can be different in other countries. In France (and in most of Europe) it is the new school year. It has always been logical to me that the new school year should start after the summer holidays. But it is very different in many countries and particularly in the southern hemisphere where the new school year starts, well, after the Christmas summer holidays... logically in January. In Singapore, a country of many cultures, there always seem to be some kids at school. They officially follow the calendar year (starting school sometimes in January) but many - mainly European - schools were having their own start today as well.

What's playing in my iPod?

Things should be starting to heat up when it comes to new releases as the summer holidays are over and the new school year is about to start. I checked the 'Most played' playlist in my iPod and they appear to be as follows:

1. Calexico 'House of Valparaiso'

This album - which I made Record of the Week a month ago - has been growing on me big time with that particular track having not only reached the status of the most played track over the past week but for the complete 2008 year so far!.

2. Basement Jaxx 'Planet 1 EP'

Nothing to do with the Tucson scene but a good return to form from the Jaxx whom I had kept my distances with for some time. Tracks that make me feel like dancing the night away.

3. Bloc Party 'Ion Square / Biko'

Equally played from an album bearing 3 or 4 great tracks. I have not been captivated by the rest of the record though which I find to be quite disposable. Too many fillers.

4. Sister 'Lovers of Today'

The good surprise of the past weeks from this London band, hailed as the Blondie of the 00's / A lovely 10"

5. Engineers 'Three Fact Fader'

I have never understood the reason behind my attraction to this band. Just when I thought they had disappeared from the music scene they reappear with this interesting EP.