The Sepang Circuit And What To See, And Say - the rain tyres, the favourites, the medicals

Problem
What must you spend and book to watch the motorbike races at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia? What will you see?

Sepng Circuit, Malaysia. Photo from Wikipedia by Mondayblues.

Answers
Track Entry and Seats
The good news is that my motorbike enthusiast tells me that entry to the track and seat prices are down this year.

Accommodation
 The bad news is that during races the hotel prices and homestay prices double. The good news is that if you go with friends you have company and can also share accommodation. and it may be worthwhile renting an apartment.

Where To Sit
You need to book early to get the seats overlooking certain points of the circuit or to be with your friends. Nowadays, to prevent trouble, the supporters of different countries and teams are in different areas. This makes for great photos in newspapers and on TV, a sea of yellow for supporters.

Are all the entrants from one country friends? Are the competitors from different countries friends? Some are, some aren't. Sometimes the top people from different countries have known each other since they were all young hopefuls, not competing for vast sums the way they are now, and the friendships have endured.

Others are deadly enemies, refuse to smile or shake hands. One rider may think that another tried to force him off the track on a previous occasion - or rides dangerously all the time, endangering all the other rides.

A week before the race, the seat allocation for the supporters of  'the favourite' had sold out.

Who is your favourite? It could be the person from the country where you live, or used to live. It could be the person who has won the most previous races and has gathered so many points that whether or not he wins this race, he is still ahead of the other competitors on total points.

Apart from points, what makes spectators want to watch a particular rider and sit with that rider's supporters, wearing the team colours? It might be the style of riding. Some riders are in such control of the bikes that they seem to go around a corner almost horizontally and actually push the ground with their hands or arms to propel the bike more upright.

What About Rain?
As we discussed this before my friends left Singapore, from my window I could see grey clouds foretelling rain.

I asked, "What if it rains?"

Rain Tyres
The riders have a second bike with rain tyres. Can anybody have rain tyres?

My relative was in Hong Kong on business and extended his stay. He hired a bike which had rain tyres to grip in the rain.

It costs you more to buy a second set of tyres for rain. You need somewhere to store them. Why not wear rain tyres all the time, as a member of the public? Not practical, I was told.

What about the racers? The same applies.

But they don't change the tyres. That wastes time. They change the bike. The rain tyres are on the second bike. They can afford  a second bike at that level. The expensive bike. The cost of moving it and insuring it in transit. (But not unlimited numbers of bikes. Just one spare.)

The rain could stop. You might need to change back to the non-rain tyres.

Timing Is Critical
All the time the seconds are being logged, counted. Every little delay - means one person could win this race against a rival, or move up the league table, or break a record, their own previous best time, or a world record, or not break a record.

Stopping A Race
But if the track becomes a river, even the rain tyres won't grip and the race may have to be stopped. Who can stop the race?

The race might be stopped by the leader or favourite, by prior arrangement. When he signals, everybody pulls off.

You can also have marshalls who have a veto. They are in contact with each other.

Damaged Bikes
In a race, if a bike is damaged, you might use your second bike. If the second bike is damaged, the repair team have to literally work all night to have the bike ready for the next day.

Preview Of The Track
You can pay to view part of the track. You either walk across it or go around on wheels. You can be taken around as a pillion passenger on a scooter.

My Family's Memories
My relative has been at Shanghai and in the Malaysian programme race during the GP weekend practise sessions.

In his younger days a member of my family was in the MSS, the Malaysian Super Service, a support race. The riders use the same track, but the personalities are not world famous and do not appear on TV.

Ex-pats who were bike enthusiasts approached the Singapore authorities, the SMA, about car racing. In those days Singapore did not have a circuit to match the one in Malaysia.

However, the Malaysians were keen to have extra car racing days for the semi-professional having an hour or two's coaching by the big boys of the day.

The Malaysians had circuit open days and granted international race licenses. They sent a doctor down to Singapore. He gave all the hopefuls medicals, a blood pressure meter test, and so on.

The way the story is told, recalled, the doctor was very jolly, the whole occasion was very jolly. The doctor has his meter in one hand and beer beside the paperwork on the desk ready to drink and celebrate when he finished and passed everybody.

Thinking about it, as the Muslim Malays don't officially drink, possibly the doctor was a Chinese Malaysian, happy for a day out in Singapore. Or maybe the expats drank beer and in their embellished memories projected their celebration to include the kindly doctor. Think of it whichever way you like, if that brings a smile to your face.

Useful Websites
Singapore
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com (Singapore Airlines)

Malaysia
visit-Malaysia.com
malaysiatourism.gov.my
www.sepangcircuit.com

Australia
australia.com/en
www.lonelyplanet.com/australia

Japan
see_japan.co.uk

See previous post.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Motorcyclists Planning Routes To The Races in Malaysia and Malay words

 Singapore flag.

Problem
A member of my family and their friends on motorbikes have left the civilised skyscraper city of Singapore, new, modern, clean and green. Why?

A keen biker can't pass a row of bikes parked in Singapore without stopping to admire every one.

They have gone on their motorbikes to marvellous Malaysia with its miles of palm tree plantations on open roads. Their aim is to watch a big bike race near the capital, KL, next weekend, the start of November.

Preparations
Before the departure date, there are trips to buy helmets and gloves. What size of helmet to buy? What about the spare helmet in case you take a passenger?

Buy gloves in a sale? But are they padded, with double stitching?

The languages of Singapore are English (with taxi drivers sometimes speaking Singlish, a kind of pigeon English which includes words in Malay and Chinese, meaning Mandarin), plus Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

I am practising my Malay language on Duolingo. Terimah Kasih is thank you. Malay and Indonesian are very similar, like American and English. Malay uses the English alphabet so is easiest of the local languages. Bahaya means beware, hey! Stay away. Danger.

In Singapore I was visited by my new Chinese friend, who has a Japanese husband. They lived in Australia.

My friend displaying her Australian flag on a beach towel

They sat watching TV, watching the previous races on Philip Island in Australia.

 Previously, the bike races were in Japan.

Japanese flag.

 We must plan a big trip to Japan or Australia. With Megan Markle and Prince Harry in Australia, the newspapers were full of stories about Australia.

But before taking a trip there, my relatives planned something simpler and near to Singapore, Malaysia.

Malaysia. Twin Towers, KL

They talk of nothing else but bikes and bike races. I am not a bike person. I listen politely, show an interest, try to make sense of it all.

My family includes supporters of Formula One Races (cars) as well as Moto GP (bike races), although some people are into either only one or the other.

Freedom Of The Open Road
A whole group of motorcyclists will go up on their bikes from Singapore to Malaysia to watch the race. Some people ride in motorbikes in Malaysia every weekend. It makes a change to be in the wide open spaces, instead of the motorways crossing the small city state island of Singapore off Malaysia's southern tip.

Preparing For The Bridge Crossing
The building of the second bridge helped eased the early congestion which some drivers and tourists remember from earlier years. We have also been across from Singapore to Malaysia in a car or hired car. Many Singaporeans go across to visit friends, staying with friends and family. Pedestrians take the bus from Singapore to 'JB' for a change and for shopping.

What do you need to take with you? A passport. You will be stopped on exiting Singapore and a few yards further on for entering Malaysia. Cyclists have separate crossing points from the cars, buses and big vehicles, with automatic barriers.

Passport Check
You go through two stopping points, one is the passport control, next customs. What are the officials on passport checkpoints looking for? Passport checks, in addition to stopping criminals, are looking for people overstaying their visas.

Customs
What about the security and customs check? Cigarettes. Petrol. The Singaporeans don't want people going across to Malaysia to fill up with cheap petrol (Americans say gasoline).

Petrol Points
Make a note of the restrictions, but also where the garages are. You used to be able to stop at a garage in the Malaysian border town of Johor Bahur (Bahru is Malay for new). But now the road bypasses the city. That speeds you on your way. But you don't want to run out of petrol in the middle of nowhere on an empty road.

Stopover Choices
Tourists would spend a day or two in the pink city of Malacca. We have done that at least twice.

Stopover at Ipoh
Ipoh is a sleepy trading post. We stopped for coffee at tea time once in the big hotel. Like British station hotels, it had run down.

Stopover at KL
Or in KL, with its must see Petronas twin towers where Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones were filmed in the 1999 movie Entrapment.

If you go as a group, even two or three, and staying not for just one night but a weekend of a week, you might find it cheaper and more fun to rent an apartment.

Malaysia. Petronas Twin Towers. KL, filmed in Enrapment.

In KL with my late mother-in-law, who was already frail, we stayed at the grand hotel beside the Twin Towers. We visited a museum in the basement about the construction of the towers and surrounding area and learned how they overcame the problems of finance and construction which threatened to derail the plans.  

I can't recall specifics but I can recall the stress on the people involved and the types of hazards you face in a large project which takes years to complete. Once a building is up, running, a success, it's a marvel. You assume it was easy. 

But I had not appreciated why builders of major projects, the architects, surveyors, project managers, are given awards. I thought, they are just doing their job. Spending somebody else's money. However, you know how long it can take just to get a simple repair done. The workman arrives and says, 'when we quoted for this job, we hadn't realised there would be ...'

All sorts of things can happen. Governments change and want to change plans. Backers go out of business. To fund the project, for commercial backers you need to add a shopping mall, hotels and restaurants. But to make up the money, for permission to go ahead as well as for more funds, you need government and local government, you need public projects to enhance the city such as parks or gardens.

You find water tables or rocks which you had not expected. Drought, flooding, earthquakes, upset the architecture or frighten off the workers, backers, or delay opening day celebrations. The backer or architect can die, funds frozen, supervisor not available, and workers can be injured.

The area suffers flooding or earthquakes. You need to add a religious building or remove it to get backers. You have Indians with auspicious days, Chinese with feng shui and lucky numbers, Moslems with holy sites, religious holidays, stops for prayers, Ramadan for a month and religious buildings must face Mecca.

Then we went up to walk across the bridge. We went early to avoid queues (long line-ups) and had timed tickets.

Timing Of Journey
If two or more of you are leaving Singapore, if you live nearby, it is easier to go together. It is also safer to ride with a partner or in a convoy.

I listened to stories of two accidents. On one occasion, an injured person went back to Singapore and his friend followed on a bike.

On another occasion a bike rolled over and caught fire. The rider came back without it, having had it delivered to the repair shop as instructed by the police who would not take it. So far so good, and so bad.

But the insurance company in Singapore insisted on having the bike returned to Singapore. Their assessor had to inspect it. Why? To ensure it existed and had not simply been sold after a fake accident. to check it was not still roadworthy.

Meanwhile the shop in Malaysia had already sold it to a breakers and it had to be retrieved by them, the money they received reimbursed, the driver to pay the cost of transporting the broken bike back to Singapore.

You can get an estimate of time taken to drive to meet your friends. But some drivers allow an extra half hour for at least one rest stop to refill with petrol, buy a drink or something to eat and eat it, and go to the toilet. (That's without losing your way, stopping to take photos, or stopping at a tourist site or city, stopping to phone your fellow travellers or reply to their queries.)

Weather and Police
In addition, you might drive slower, or pull off, if it is raining hard. You might also be stopped by police doing a speed check.

Sepang
The race course is at Sepang, about 60-70 miles south of KL, a circuit near the town.  More about the races and tickets and what you see in my next post.


Useful Words
Malay - English
bank - bank
bas - bus
hotel - hotel
jalan - road
imigresen - immigration
kastam - customs
klinik - clinic
minuman - drinks
pos - post (American say mail)
restoran - restaurant
stesen - station
teksi - taxi

English - Malay
bus station - stesen bas
clinic - klinik
customs - kastam
drinks - minuman
immigration - imigresen
restaurant - restoran
road - jalan
post - pos
taxi -teksi


Useful Websites
Singapore
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com (Singapore Airlines)

Malaysia
visit-Malaysia.com
malaysiatourism.gov.my
www.sepangcircuit.com

Australia
australia.com/en
www.lonelyplanet.com/australia

Japan
see_japan.co.uk

Also see TripAdvisor, Wikitravel, Wikivoyage
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Cat Cafes and Museums in Holland, Malaysia and Singapore and cat songs

Cat museums and Cafes



Cat Museum in Holland
Contains tributes to the creator's late cat, a mummified cat, called Morgan after JP Morgan the banker. Paintings sculptures and artworks are by famous names such as Dutch painter Rembrandt, and Picasso Two real cats are in the museum. See posters and photos and admire music.
The cat song by Rossini is an amusing favourite rising to a crescendo with little surprises.


Useful Websites
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KattenKabinet
https://www.bbc.com/reel/playlist/worlds-strangest-museums?vpid=p06kws0d

Rossinis' cat song Meow by boy choir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3nIScO592Y

Cat song duet composed by Rossini and sung by Kiri te Kanawa and Norma Burrows
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNyR6rsGDyg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFKd0WzMg1Q cute modern song about cats.
See my other posts on cat cafes in Singapore and the Cat museum on Malaysian island.

The Smart City with green malls, driverless transport and offices on the move

Worldwide experiments are being made with driverless cars.Singapore already has driverless trains. .On the MRT stations you can see plans for the future. Get out at Farrer Park (not to be confused with Farrer Road) and above you is City Square Mall. It looks much like any other modern mall. However, you can read posters inside and out telling you how the building collects and recycles water and a host of other ideas, which were innovative at the time they were inaugurated.

ERP
Electronic Road pricing.
Definitely an improvement. You don't have to keep buying payment stickers. The money you owe is deducted from a card, with automatic time of day, day of week or seasonal increases and reductions made automatically, so no hunt for machines and change or shops open and stocking coupons and no fines for getting it wrong.

Singapore's seasonal decorations for Diwali on the underground train. In the UK in England and Wales special trains run with a character dressed as Santa on mainlines and special lines, particularly steam trains. But holograms could also be added on trains, perhaps sponsored in major cities by Madame Tussauds.

MRT station Downtown Line display of vision of the future by local schoolchildren.

An exhibition on the smart city of the future at one of the stations showed a phone kiosk turned into ta miniature office where you could sit down, type into a computer and print off a document. You would have to pay, like using a business centre in a hotel. But you could even do without an office if you were constantly travelling, and use an office briefly when needed, the way we used to use public phones on a pay as you go basis.

So many people want to do their homework on cafes, write their novel over a cup of coffee, or even have a business meeting in a pub or cafe, it's time that rooms or areas were set aside, perhaps business  booths, separate from others who might overhead.

Instead of restaurants banning phones, they might offer seating with phone plugs. We already have internet cafes, but they are basically internet, with a cup of coffee. Instead we could have something more like a miniature meeting room.

Cars and Vehicles

Rock stars have caravans kitted out like mobile homes combined with rehearsal rooms and offices. 

?Why aren't cars and taxis set up like offices on the move.

Conferences have press rooms with refreshments, even if it's only water or coffee, and desks with computers. Tables for meetings are set up for sales to be made behind booths. 

How do you expand your city? That depends on the terrain. Down to basements one and two with . underground walkways and malls sheltered from the weather. Up to skyscrapers with linkways from one to the next. Rooftop gardens. Greenery providing warmth or cooling, or soothing, or shade or even food. Parks or swimming pools in the sun with a view on rooftops. 

The latest planning departments in Singapore are specifically designing satellite cities, with inputs from adults and students and children and the disabled. For example, to see how long it takes a person in a wheelchair to cross from a busy road from a car park to a shopping mall.

All over the world, all sorts of ideas are emerging and being pooled. For example:

Shanty towns being painted in rainbow colours.

Water supplies.

Unemployed Mafia type gangs and hooligans stopped from destroying business by employing them or their wives and children to work in the business.

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, author, speaker, trainer.

Travel to London, Europe or Asia, Especially Singapore, to see the smart transport and the smart city of the future

London has driverless trains on the light railway which takes you to the exhibition centre for the World Travel Market held every November.


Elizabeth Line
 London is building the Elizabeth line.

My visit to the World Travel Market in 2017.

World Travel Market
Travel industry people will be there, and you will read reports about the World Travel Market on the local London newspapers and online. Of course, at the world travel market, cities worldwide will be promoting their attractions. In one section of the exhibition are the airlines with their newest luxuries in first class and business as well as economy.

Some cities make a feature of what is old, cobblestones and old trams.

Planes
To travel overseas most people will take planes.I can remember the noise of earlier generation of .planes. Yes, a great improvement. Also eyeshades. You can take your own - even make your own, neck pillows. Seats have ear pieces which bend forward to support your head as well as cutting out distracting sights and sounds.

Choosing Seats
Choosing plane seats online in advance is a great advantage. I am waiting for them to assign me the best seat according to availability at the time of booking, or even to suggest seats, such as by the window, on the aisle, near the exit, away fro babies, according to my preferences. One day I hope they will re-assign me a seat if a large person or baby moves alongside. Even a child-free section of plane.

One day, I hope, you will be able to specify that you wish to recline, (sleep through the entire flight) or stay upright (doing work or watching movies). They could then group or reassign seats.

I have various strategies. I used to choose window seats. Why - firstly to get the view during takeoff and landing and even take photos. During the flight you can lean against the wall. At least one side nobody is invading your space.

Now I opt for aisles to get a long vision to beat claustrophobia. I don't look down at the ground outside so much, which overcomes fear of heights. I am able to attract the attention of a passing member of staff to grab a glass of water. I can get out fast to go to the toilet afterwards when the water descends my internal pipe.
You can take the MRT train from under the airport into the city.

New Trains in China Including Hong Kong
 Both Hong Kong and Shanghai are known for their train systems to the airport.

European trains
I think in Europe the most advanced system is in Switzerland where the luggage trolleys are designed to go up steps and escalators.

When I was in Switzerland they had live music on one of the stations, a ukelele band.
When you board the train, you will probably see a rack where you can hang your jacket and coat, at least in first class. Economy seems to be first class.

Notice the racks on trains where you can hang your summer jacket or winter coat.

Let's fly from Europe to Asia and see what we can find.

Changi

Singapore's Award Winning Airport
On arrival Singapore's Changi airport, award winning, the current terminals are a delight. Far less queuing than at Heathrow.

Taxi From Airport

As you drive into the city you can see the cranes building the new terminals. Look at the terminal plans and artists' impressions online. A giant waterfall, would you believe, like the one you can visit at the major attraction of the city, the Gardens By The Bay.

You can take the MRT train from under the airport into the city.

New Trains in China Including Hong Kong
 Both Hong Kong and Shanghai are known for their train systems to the airport.

Singapore Stations

Singapore Trains
If you go to Singapore you will see driverless trains on both its light railway and the regular MRT (mass transit train) system and it plans to be a smart city.

Next post, the smart city.

The Green City and The Smart City

Singapore has plans to be the smart city as well as the green city of the future. The newspapers are full of it. The city planning departments are in to it. The schools are doing projects on it. Exhibitions are held in the MRT (train) stations.

You probably know of the plans in other parts of the world to develop driverless cars.

Singapore already has driverless trains. That doesn't mean that people are unemployed or that you don't see people in charge. Staff are in the ticket kiosks to help answer questions if you need to find your way. Although you top up your cash card on the nearby machines. Staff are on the stations in ticket offices to give advice and on security desks to keep an eye out and on platforms.

I once saw the platform staff usher a handicapped person ahead of the people on the platform who were waiting to board the train. The staff member was insistent and efficient in ensuring that the person was given a seat - the seats by the door are priority for the handicapped.

You have to be quick boarding and stand back when the red lights flash and bleep because the trains are driverless and have doors which close automatically, as signs tell you.

A station on the Downtown line has artwork for a school project envisaging the future city:

Walk Along Wonderful Waterloo Street - Campers, Catholics, Cyclists, Dancers, Jews, and Cheap Chinese Food

So much to see and do here, something to interest everyone. 

Start from Bras Basah MRT station. A glass roof lets in light.

Upstairs, across the street is the Singapore Art Museum.

Even without going inside, you are treated to the view of a large sculpture.

A little further along the street is the wonderful old synagogue building.

High security here. But plenty to admire from outside.

Should you want kosher food, an Orthodox Sabbath or festival meal or to attend a service, phone them or write in advance. Security is tight.

Singapore has a second synagogue. The story goes that, like the Disraeli family in London, the VIP Jewish member had a difference of opinion. He built himself another synagogue next to his house around the corner and up the hill. (I first heard about this in the History Museum. I was also involved with  Friends of the Museum who had a research group, so I researched the Jewish community and went on a tour of the synagogues and saw the mikvah or ritual bath which has to have access to running water. if you are interested read up the history.

If you are just passing by admiring the building, notice the six-point star, known to Jews as the star of David and to Moslems as the shield of Solomon. If you want to brush up your Hebrew, use Duolingo. 

Look at this colourful building with its yellow, red, green and white and the exquisite rooftops. Plus some restful arches. You are now in the dance and drama area.

. . The sign at 51 Waterloo Street tells you that you can contact the Ballet Academy. How about the EV Dance or the Musicademy? If you don't have a guitar or never learned to play, there a A Cappella Society (singing without musical accompaniment). The Curious Thoughts Academy, or the Serendipity Centre. The Private Museum Ltd. The Campers' Corner Outdoor - outfitters  a regular shop.

If you want a quick way to recognize a Catholic church, they have the traditional, elaborate crucifixion with the body on the cross. Protestants simplify, with a bare cross.

Beside the church is the Catholic Centre containing an eating place.

Buildings alongside house the theatre and dance schools.

Next a camping shop. Backpacks, waist packs, hats, everything you need for your trip. 

If you are out of cash there's a pawn shop.

Then upstairs in an old-fashioned shopping centre with galleries, bicycle rental.

 Beyond this is a large hawker centre, outdoor and open to the air at the sides food court. The chicken rice stall has a good reputation and had a long queue. However, I wanted to eat with friends, so instead I ordered chicken with Indian bread, a paratha. My friend Susan told me that if I wanted to eat chicken rice, with less of a queue (Americans say line-up) I should come back midweek, not at a weekend.

Getting There
My route map on my phone tried to send me to another Waterloo street in east Singapore. Make sure you look for a specific building with a postcode, or the nearby MRT station.

Useful Websites
hellobicycle.com.sg
camperscorner.com.sg
visitsingapore.com
singaporeair.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Shelter For Shoppers Needed On Rainy Days In Singapore

Problem
Shelter from rain and sun is not a new idea. Raffles introduced the five foot way. Five foot wide, wide enough for two people to pass without forcing somebody out into the rain, the sun, the gutter.

I walk along the pavement and a pram, bicycle or scooter forces me against the wall which ladders my clothes, or out into the road and passing cars. I bump people with my bag or get bumbped by their when i walk along. A husband and wife with two children block the entire pavement. I am passing in the corridor. I reach the ladies toilet and there is a queue at the ladies toilet, no room to enter and exit and get to the wash basins. The idea of the five foot way was great.\

Waiting for a bus or a taxi, where are the benches with backs, and the shelter. Even the long shelters for bus passengers fill up fast.

Covered ways are being built between the stations of the MRT (mass transit railway) and the nearby housing estates and schools. That is excellent.

 But what about Orchard Road. Between the Paragon shopping mall (with Metro department store  and lots of upmarket shops), local people and foreign visitors are stranded or drenched.

I came out of Paragon and along with many tourists was stranded. Waited twenty minutes. Yes, if you can afford it you can get a taxi - but then you would be leaving the Orchard Road shops and denying them purchases of clothes, souvenirs, food and drinks. I eventually got drenched going back towards Orchard MRT via Tangs department store. Yes, Tangs is linked to the MRT. But the shoppers here at the Paragon are cut off from Tangs.

I thought: How about crossing the road from the Paragon to Ngee Ann City opposite? On second thoughts: I am not dashing across a busy road in the wet. Yes, there's an underpass from the next mall to Ngee Ann City. But how do I get from the Paragon to the next mall?

 Am I going to cross to Ngee Ann City to visit the Kinokunia boostore? No. My bags and clothes are soaking wet. I am not buying books to get soaking wet.

To attract shoppers from one end of Orchard Road to the other, and from one side to the other, the street needs covered ways all the way along.

The same applies to other cities. Pedestrian ways in London's Oxford Street,or Windsor, are no use in the rain. Shopkeepers know that on rainy days shoppers don't come out. Do they realize that shoppers who are already out won't stay out?

Come on, business associations,city planners, councils and governments. Do a favour to the shops, shoppers, tourists, economy, and the ordinary citizens. You only have to look at a rainfall calendar to see that cities worldwide need shelter for shoppers.

In England we say, if you want different weather, wait five minutes. If you want to visit England or Singapore, here are some useful websites:

Useful Websites
singaporeair.com (Singapore airlines)

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Water bottles and drinking water when travelling

You need moisture in Singapore where it is so hot that you are perspiring all the time. At a morning meeting I looked for a drink. No water provided. 

The days of giving everybody a small plastic bottle of water and coming to an end (October 2018). Even if you stay in air conditioned offices and use cars and taxis, only a proportion of the car parks are underground. You spend a lot of time in overground car parks or bus stops or open air taxi stands. So you need water.

Yes, going green, saving trees, not using plastic, all very well, but people need a drink. I went to two meetings in a day with no water provided.

I used to carry water bottles. Then I got backache. I ditched the umbrella and water bottle, just carrying too much. 

We are in transit over water in Singapore. Early days - no water fountains. Then along come the gyms and hotels and coffee shop. Now you are expected to carry a water bottle and fill it up from a water fountain which has paper cups or no cups. You can buy a collapsible cup.

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Colours to brighten your day - orange, pink or red building?

I stopped to photograph this bright orange wall with the windows. A friend asked me, "why are you photographing that?"

Mostly when somebody takes a photo it is obvious why you are taking a picture. If you photograph a beautiful bride or a huge bright yellow sunflower others understand why and might get out their camera.

I replied, "The colour! The colour!"
On a sunny day the colors are more vibrant.

Orange, red, pink? It probably changes according to the time of day.

Bright building in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Look at those odd shape windows. Not set in a line. One square, one oblong vertical.

 I prefer curves. But the building could have been a straight slab with no windows, and all grey. In an otherwise dismal outlook, this bright building brightened the view and brightened my day. 

Author

travel writer and photographer, Angela Lansbury.

Cakes, which is the durian cake and which is the pandan cake - green or yellow?

Yellow or green? Yes, this yellow cake must be the durian.

The green one in my previous post must have been the durian. 

On top is a kind of cream, a bit like a blancmange. Advantage, more moist than the usual cakes which look like sponge cake. 

You need moisture in Singapore where it is so hot that you are perspiring all the time.

 Underneath is the cake. Maybe the flavour is only in the topping. Even so, not much flavour. Not enough for me. If you are scared of durian, try this. You will wonder what the fuss is about.

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Durian cake in Singapore and durian comparison

I love durian cakes and ice cream although I don't like the fruit. This cake had very little flavour nor aroma. Could not offend. But not sufficiently exciting to make me want to buy it. I did not eat a second piece. Interesting. 

I am glad somebody bought it and I am glad I tried it. Saved me from wasting my money. Oops - I think the green was pandan and the yellow was durian. I also find pandan cakes have almost non-existent flavour which does not match up to the enticing colour.

The Japanese would say, "very subtle flavour". 

I thought the durian season was over, because McDonald's had changed their formely durian flavour McFlurry (flavoured melting ice cream in a drink carton) 'drink' flavours to strawberry and chocolate. Flavour of the month.

 I asked an assistant and she thought her branch changed every two months. I presume although they have some autonomy that the bulk buying of McDonalds meant the same flavours were available to all branches. You either stock it or you don't.

I have to say nobody else has supplied a durian flavour to match the one from McDonatds which I tried and wrote about previously.

How to send a rhyming greeting or wish

Problem
No time to send a card for a birthday or even a greeting or wish you were here? Here are some options:

Answers
You have choice of: foreign card (photographed and emailed),
1 Facebook greeting - with added emoji (miniature funny face symbol)
2 Send a picture of the recipient on previous birthday or you are them with the greeting
3 Write a rhyme. and send a picture for someone special if you have time

How To  Improve A Rhyme
It's easy to improve a rhyme
All you need is a little time.

I just made that up. To find a thyme, pick a key word to end your opening and closing sentences.
From your own head, pick out some rhyming words, going though the alphabet.
You can do this with one word or two, eg
love: a/b above , d dove
love you
above you

Check rhyming dictionary and thesaurus for more.

Try changing rhyming couplets to alternating lines ie
instead of end rhymes aa bb
abab

Count syllables. The easiest is to make all lines end with the same number of syllables
eg 8 or 10.
Another popular scheme is second and alternating lines shorter eg 9797.

If your lines are different lengths, it is often easier to lengthen the shorter ones than to cut the longer ones.

Author
Angela Lansbury
zon See my books on writing poetry on Lulu.com and Amazon

Dancing to music in public places and public spaces

Dancing in the public space between Bras Basah MRT underground railway station and Singapore Institute of Management.

I have seen dancing sessions outside shopping malls in Singapore. It attracts and entertains shoppers. A cheerleader and amplifying system is involved.

What I saw at Bras Basah station seemed more informal. Set up your own music, or dance to the music coming through the public address system. The music echoes around. You have a large space. You can fill in time while waiting for a class to start.

Useful Websites
http://journey.smrt.com.sg/journey/mrt_network_map/ (train station map Singapore)

aingaporeair.com (Singapore Airlines)

Author

Angela Lansbury

Almost human flashing traffic light

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Seen in Singapore. I walked back to a car park past this figure. It attracts the attention of both pedestrians and drivers. My new Singaporean friend (who kindly gave me a lift home from a Toastmasters international meeting at Singapore Institute of Management nearby) told  me that she had seen other variations on this figure.

It is signalling a yellow warning with a series of small lights. Presumably they change to red aand green. I took the photo when the lights were yellow. It looks as though you can set the figure up anywhere when you are doing roadworks.

Instead of a real life policeman or woman standing in the middle of the road with a whistle, or a lollipop lady, you have an almost human mannekin.

There's always something surprising to see in Singapore, and indeed travelling anywhere. Travel -beats boredom, distracts you from depressing thought, produces genuine joy.

Useful Websites

Singaporeair.com

Author

Angela Lansbury

Fort Canning, Singapore, illuminated at night

See the elaborate white grand gates and the giant tree. 

Fort Canning, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I walked past Fort Canning from SIM (Singapore Institute of Management), a complex of university and college departments linked to Bras Basah underground train station by a series of underground corridors. I had travelled to the area by Bras Basah MRT station.

 My new friend had parked her car at a cheaper car park. An uphill walk.However, I was rewarded by passing some interesting sights.

 Fort Canning is the hilltop fort which gives its name to the entire hill and area. We are on the roadside pavement circling the bottom of the grassy slope. Opposite this illuminated gate was the entrance to the museum. I saw two or three grand gates. I took the photo of this gate with my phone, in a hurry to keep up with my friend who was pacing ahead.

 I thought that if the photo was not sufficiently good quality to use, it would still be a useful reminder. I I had noticed only the white gate against the black sky, accentuating the outline of the was pleased with the results. When I I took the picture I was concentrating on the white gate silhouetted against the dark sky. Only afterwards did I notice the orange, green and yellow stripes on the ground.

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speakar.

Label your photos and certificates - here's why

Problem
I inherited boxes, deed boxes, of old papers and certificates after the deaths of my parents and uncle. Some of the documents were clear. I was awarded a pass in a speech test as a child. I had totally forgotten it. Bu there was my name and the name of the organization and date.

Holiday Photos
  Later I looked at notes I was making. I had a photo with the name of an Italian restaurant, IO, in Singapore. I had other photos of an Italian restaurant in London, Osteria Modigliani. If I simply labelled the photo 'us in Italian restaurant', that would be meaningless years later. Since it was a restaurant I went to the previous week in Singapore, I knew where it was. However, if I had looked at it back in the UK twenty years later, I would have forgotten.

Awards And Ribbons
  Similarly, I found myself writing on the back of a ribbon for Best Speaker, from Toastmasters International, the date and place. What was missing? My name!
I know my name. I know I won the ribbon. But if I dropped it in another meeting, nobody would know which of the twenty people in the room the ribbon belonged to.

  My husband also won a ribbon. Which was his ribbon and which was mine? When we both die, our son will inherit all our possessions. He won't know which ribbons were won by which of us. If a stranger were to be your executor, and they find a certificate with no name on it, there's no record of who won it and what date.

Diary of a Nobody
  Why would anybody care? Maybe you are not a VIP. Let's look at a few scenarios.

AA Certificate
  I have an AA award to my father from the 1900s. Maybe not very important to anybody but him when he was alive. Not important to anybody but me now. But in a few decades time that could be important to my grandchildren or even to the AA.

Roman Records, Victorian Victories, Recent Way Of Life
   A Roman inscription is fascinating to children and teachers nowadays. The everyday life 100 years ago is fascinating to schoolchildren.
   Cemeteries worldwide show that after people have died their relatives, and even strangers, think that a recording of somebody's life should be made and kept.

Language Preserved In Captions
Even the way you record names and places and people and events can be important.

Lockerbie Plane Crash
 Do you recall the Lockerbie plane disaster? A plane came down over Scotland caused by a bomb. All the possessions of the people were stored for decades afterwards. They were used to identify who was  on board. They were treasured by the relatives and descendants. The curators of the possessions meticulously recorded every item.
  We went to Scotland and on the drive back to London, England, from Edinburgh (where we attended the jolly Edinburgh Festival with its street comedy acts) we passed the sign to Lockerbie.
If you go to Scotland you can visit the cemetery. At the far back, right, at the top of the slope, is the semi-circular memorial with the lives of each of the passengers and crew victims around the front and on the wall at the back. The lives of each person are meticulously recorded.

Labelling Award, Documents & Photos
   If an entire family dies in an accident, there's nobody left to ask. But the papers, photos, certificates, awards and other items with dates and names tell their story.
  So please label every photo and certificate with the name, date, place. Your moment of happiness and success will be recorded for the information and pleasure of your descendants and even complete strangers.

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

The most luxurious - or the cheapest pull-on dresses in Singapore

I was intrigued by the name Homade Zakka. It sounds like home made. But it isn't. Mostly items made for the home, hangers and so on, but also inexpensive scarves and dresses.

Problem
Where do you buy a cheap dress in Singapore? I felt guilty after I made the impulse purchase of a 10 dollar dress from Homade Zakka. I could have spent only 5 dollars in the same shop on a satiny caftan in many prints, mainly of flowers.

Later that day I went into Robinsons Department Store on Orchard Road, Metro in the Paragon. Tangs. All had signs saying this percentage off and last chance. Lovely stuff.

But not in my price range.
I saw the pattern and had to have it. Lively reds. Soothing but vibrant royal blue.

Above all the pattern - Indian dancing girls.

I love my ten dollar dress. I wore it straight away.

The shop was Homade Zakka.

I asked, "May I try it on?"

"Cannot," she said. I wasn't sure whether she meant no fitting room or no trying because that creases the garments and you risk not wanting it if it doesn't fit. It looked like it might be too small. In which case I would have to cut the side seems and make it into a tabard with a waist level ribbon linking front and back, either pieces tying into a bow, or just fixed to make it larger, or maybe elastic.

I said, " I must try it to see if it fits" Before she had time to protest, I pulled it over my head.

"Yes, I said, "It fits. I'll buy it."

I always like to buy the item I have tried on - not another already wrapped and folded. The other one could be a different size, have a defect, or be a different pattern altogether. I once made a mistake, twice I think, and ended up with an item which was not what I wanted.

In a trice, I was out. Mission accomplished. Not a brilliant item. No cut. Not ankle length. I would need to wear it over a long underskirt. But with four colours, white red, royal blue, green, yellow and traces of black, I would be able to find something to co-ordinate.

If it did not turn out to be a firm favourite, or not nice enough to wear out, only good enough for lounging around at home, never mind, worthwhile at that price.

I thought it was good value. It even had a string-width belt with two loops to tighten it.

I happened to like the pattern which reminded me of my paintings.

The painting is religious, with the God born on a lotus flower in the middle, with his milkmaids and holy cows. 

My painting's design, I presume will cause no trouble offending any religious sensbilities, is a tree with a bird, with horses below.

You might like something else. If you arrived in Singapore and lost your luggage and needed an instant outfit, or need lots of gifts at reasonable prices, dash along here.

Cheap clothes have certain disadvantages, they may pull apart if you put them in a washing machine. The colours could run even if you wash them by hand. So hang them to drip dry over a plastic bowl or something which won't stain.

If you'd rather buy designer clothes, go into Isetan in Nex next door, and read my next post.

Zakka
Zak-ka is Japanese for miscellaneous things. Cutesy and kitch.

Homade Zakka
Ground floor
Near the bus station at Serangoon MRT beside Nex shopping mall.
I searched online for Homade and found several locations and qoo10 had other items from the same store and different dresses at budget prices from other stores.

Homade Zakka
#B2-21 Serangoon Nex
23 Serangoon Central
Singapore 556083

https://www.qoo10.sg/gmkt.inc/Search/Default.aspx?keyword=Dress
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakka

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Sculpture on Orchard Road

Outside the right hand entrance to Robinsons department store. A short walk from Somerset MRT. Only a bit further along the road to Orchard MRT underground station.

What is good about it? People. Movement. One person helping another.

Happy Train Travel - Blow-up Giraffe and Balloon

Always somebody or something to admire. I asked where she got her blow-up giraffe and balloon. She said artbox. She and her half a dozen friends amused themselves at that spot taking photos before setting off for another photo frame spot.

Deepavali decorations on trains in Singapore.

The River Walk Indian Restaurant On The Singapore River

Problem
Where can we eat an Indian meal, for a set price (no surprises from the management or a fellow guest who eats double).

Answer
An Indian buffet lunch. We chose the River Walk Tandoor restaurant. A tandoor is an oven, traditionally clay. tandoori, means tandoori style food. Restaurants in the UK are frequently called  (X... X... ) tandoori restaurant.  Here in Singapore in theory you have a choice of outdoor and indoor seating.

We went for a Sunday lunch and were told to eat outside. In theory you can't make a reservation for an individual or small group. There's no reservation number. However, a large party had booked the whole of the inside so they could be together - or maybe the restaurant kept them together for ease of  counting the number of them dining and ease of payment.

Luckily we took our main course just before they arrived.

What was good, bad, or indifferent?

Good
You can wash your hands in a basin below a mirror near the eating area without going out to the toilets.
Service was smiling and obliging.
Fruit for our health conscious family member and a diabetic family friend.

Bad / Indifferent / mixed
Toilets
The toilet seems to be part of the restaurant at the end of a corridor - then I wondered whether it was communal to the building's occupants. It has, as the popular saying goes, 'seen better days'. Beautiful blue tiles. If you concentrate on the tiles, you will be happy. If you frown at the state of peeling and dirty paint on the back of the cubicle door you will be less happy.

Best of All
A little aquarium by the door to the outside seating.
Gulub jamun - my family's favourite
Proper chairs - no problem with chairs being high backless bar stools nor backless low stools. (I have sat in gourmet restaurants in London paying high prices to perch on a high stool several miles away from my handbag which was on the dirty floor, bag kicked by passers-by, with hankies and business cards out of reach.)

A board

Cat Cafe

Cat Museums and Cat Cafes
You can find cat museums and cafes all over the world. See my other posts. Call before visiting as these places tend to run limited hours, exclude children below the age of six, relocate, or close for private events.

Cat Cafe
Facebook
CatCafeNekonoNiwa

Meomi (closed Monday Oct 22), usually 11 am to 10 pm,
66 N Bridge Road, Singapore 188801
Tel: 6926 0339.

https://www.facebook.com/thecatmuseumsg/?tn-str=k*F