Lion Dance with a difference

Celebrating traditional with a difference. Promoted by Singapore Tourism in 2010
Singapore- never forgetting your roots and yet championing new ideas..

While it serves as great entertainment to the spectators, it is undoubtedly a huge mark of disrespect to traditions?? No, shame on you. For not having an open mind. Tradition is something created by man and yes it is respected by many for many generations, but there is nothing wrong by presenting it in a different manner.

Source:You Tube 1 & 2

The story goes that once upon a time a monk had a dream in which there were many sorrows and evils plaguing the land. The monk prayed and asked the gods how he could prevent these evils from occurring. The gods told him that a lion would protect them and fight back the evils. The Chinese people had never seen a lion before, but had heard stories that the lion was the king of all the other animals, so the monk combined all the lucky or magical animals he could think of and so made a lion.
Source:Wikipedia

Read more about Lion Dance activity Singapore

Miniature Wonderland Hamburg

Miniatur Wunderland (German for miniature wonderland) is a model railway attraction in Hamburg, Germany and the largest of its kind in the world. As of January 2011, the railway consists of 12,000 metres (39,370 ft) of track in HO scale, divided into seven sections: Harz, the fictitious city of Knuffingen, the Alps and Austria, Hamburg, America, Scandinavia, and Switzerland. Of the 6,400 square metres (68,889 sq ft) of floorspace, the model takes 1,150 m2 (12,378 sq ft).

By 2020, the exhibit is expected to have reached its final construction phase, including at least a total of ten sections in a model area of over 2,300 m2 (24,757 sq ft).The section covering an airport was opened in May 2011. The exhibit includes 890 trains made up of over 11,000 carriages, 300,000 lights, 215,000 trees, and 200,000 human figurines. The creators will work on models of Italy and France now that the airport section is completed. The airport is named Knuffingen International Airport and is modeled after Hamburg International Airport. Possible future additions include Africa, England, or a futuristic landscape.

The construction of the first part started in December 2000 and the first three parts were completed in August 2001. The project was created by two brothers Frederik and Gerrit Braun.

Source:Miniatur Wunderland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg Homepage

High Line (New York City) converted to urban park

Video:Robert Hammond on The Highline which is an old, elevated rail line that runs for a mile and a half right through Manhattan. And it was originally a freight line that ran down 10th Ave.

A green park created from a dense Manhattan by recycling of the elevated railway into an urban park similar to the Promenade Plantée in Paris.

“4.5 km-long elevated park in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France.”

Notably three buildings straddle the High Line & rail used to pass through many factories. The park's attractions include naturalized plantings that are inspired by the self-seeded landscape that grew on the disused tracks and new, often unexpected views of the city and the Hudson River. Pebble-dash concrete walkways unify the trail, which swells and constricts, swinging from side to side, and divides into concrete tines that meld the hardscape with the planting embedded in railroad gravel mulch. Stretches of track and ties recall the High Line's former use. Portions of track are adaptively re-used for rolling lounges positioned for river views. In addition there is the rusted, disused mullions of the old Nabisco Factory loading dock where the window bays are reinstalled with a series of 700 purple and grey colored glass panes. Each color is exactly calibrated to match the center pixel of 700 digital pictures, one taken every minute, of the Hudson River.

The High Line Park currently runs from Gansevoort Street, one block below West 12th Street, in the Meatpacking District, up to 30th Street, through the neighborhood of Chelsea to the West Side Yard, near the Javits Convention Center.

The 30th Street Cut-Out is located at the northern terminus of Section 2, where the High Line curves to the west. When Section 2 opens later this spring, visitors standing on the Cut-Out will be able to take in sweeping views of the Hudson River to the west, and the Empire State Building to the east. To the north, visitors will see the High Line at the rail yards. This rail yards section of the High Line comprises one-third of the entire historic structure. It is still owned by CSX Transportation Inc., the railroad company that donated the High Line below 30th Street to the City of New York in 2005.


See New Gallery of High Line Visitor Photos
See Construction Update: 30th Street Cut-Out
Wikipedia
Video Source

Driving to Singapore

The latitude and longitude of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is: 3° 10' 0" N / 101° 42' 0" E
The latitude and longitude of Singapore is:1° 22' 0" N / 103° 48' 0" E


YourSingapore.com -Experience
Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP), Toll Charges and Electronic Road Pricing matters

Driving distance from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Singapore, Singapore is:232 miles / 374 km
Bearing SE; Drive time 2 hours, 45 minutes
Fuel cost of driving from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Singapore is:
USD32.44 or MYR97.174 one-way / USD64.88 or MYR194.348 round trip
Gas mileage: 25 mpg - 9.409 L/100 km
Gas consumption: 9.279 gallons 35.125 litres
92.35128 (US cents/litre) 3.496 ((US Dollars/gallon)
RON97 Malaysia Premium grade petrol, effective midnight15th June,2011, MYR2.80 per litre or MYR10.599 per gallon.
*Toll charges class 1 Passenger cars from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Singapore is
Normal Rates:MYR42.20 USD13.86 Total Distance:KM 306.7(Toll gate is Putra Jaya - Skudai)* Source
Also see expressway route
Straight line flying distance- 110 miles / 177 km
Map at Source

*Additional cost: Johor–Singapore Causeway*

Malaysian toll charges Passenger cars MYR 2.90 USD 0.956 *Note: Toll charges can only be paid with the Touch'n Go card. Cash payment is not accepted. Second link Tanjung Kupang Toll Plaza (TTK) (Malaysia) Passenger Cars RM7.50 Singapore toll charges SGD 1.20 MYR 2.937 USD 0.969 SGD$3.70 for cars entering via Second link, Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim at Tuas Additional cost: The Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) Scheme for foreign-registered cars into Singapore. Vehicle Entry Permit Charges for cars 20 SGD per day. Acquire an Autopass card at checkpoints to (VEP) fees, toll charges and/or ERP(Electronic Road Pricing) charges. Consider Autopass Cards slots known as In-Vehicle units (IU) installation in the vehicle. For foreign motorists intending to pass through ERP-priced roads during its operational hours, they can either choose to install or rent an In-Vehicle Unit (IU) to pay ERP fees. For those who do not wish to rent or install an IU, they can choose to pay a fixed ERP fee of S$10 per day, regardless of the number of times they pass through an ERP gantry in the day. This will be paid together with their VEP and toll charges via the Autopass card when they depart from Singapore. This fixed fee scheme starts from 1 September 2003 onwards and is only applicable for those who do not have an IU installed in their foreign-registered cars. Authorised IU Service Centres Temporary IU installation booths TIU rentals cost SGD5 a day (minimum 2 days' rental) with a SGD120 refundable deposit, from which the daily rental will be deducted. Each TIU is valid for two weeks, although extensions may be made at TIU sales outlets. 1)Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim (Slip road along Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim towards Tuas Checkpoint - Drive through) Telephone : (65) 6863 0756 Operating Hours : 24 Hours 2)Turf Club Avenue (Outside Kranji Turf Club - Drive through) Telephone : (65) 6367 7686 Operating Hours : 08:00 - 20:00 Hrs 3)Woodlands Centre (Along Woodlands Centre Road - towards Woodlands Checkpoint) Telephone : (65) 6368 1807 Operating Hours : 24 Hours * All foreign-registered vehicles entering Singapore are only granted free entry on weekends and during off-peak hours on weekdays (5 p.m.-2 a.m.) However, during the Singapore mid-year and year-end school holidays, VEP fees will only apply from 2AM to 12PM. Exemption of VEP charges on Singapore's Public Holidays apply. Foreign-registered cars and motorcycles are permitted to drive into Singapore for 10 days in a calendar year without paying Vehicle Entry Permit fees, although toll charges still apply. Hint: Do fill up your petrol tank or risk paying twice the price @ SGD2.14/liter premium grade (See Is Petrol in Singapore Overpriced?) , in Singapore. Malaysians driving into Singapore are also advised against traveling during peak hours (6am to 9am driving into Singapore, and leaving Singapore 5pm to 8pm during weekdays) as the traffic flow is usually quite heavy. It is projected from late 2011, the Johor Bahru Causeway toll will jump sharply to more than 200%.

N.B. ( Nota Bene)Malaysia: the "regular" unleaded fuel is 95 RON, "premium" fuel is rated at97 RON (but for Shell 97 RON is V-Power, and Shell's V-Power Racing is rated at 97 RON.) (Research Octane Number] Higher octane ratings correlate to higher activation energies used in more powerful engines which are designed to operate with a high maximum compression. However, detonation(uncontrolled ignition) is undesirable in a spark ignition engine( contrasts with diesel-fueled compression-ignition engine), and is signified by audible "pinking" or in more extreme cases "knock". A common misconception is that power output or fuel efficiency can be improved by burning fuel of higher octane than that specified by the engine manufacturer.

Transportation in Vietnam

Not known for modern conveniences, Vietnam has an inconvenient transportation system. This in itself has been an obstacle for the Vietnamese to overcome while advancing economically. The most common way of transportation in Vietnam is motorbike. You can see the whole family of 4 people on a small motorbike on the streets of Saigon or Hanoi. Motorbikes are used for everything from "xe om" (motorbike ride) to transporting goods including pigs, chickens, refrigerator... At every corner of streets in Hanoi or Saigon, you can see motorbikers waiting for customers. Bicycle rickshaw and bicycles are also popular and are used for transport to and from work for most Vietnamese. Others use it for carrying groceries and other items as well and have managed to make packing the bicycle almost an art with the tremendous loads that are carried. Although improvements have been attempted, particularly with the major roadways, the main source of transportation for goods is by barge, utilizing the many rivers and canals.

Outdated ports, even major ones for international shipping, are still behind the times, as is the state-run Vietnamese Airlines. The airline does have both domestic and international flights, but the fact that the majority of their planes are outdated Soviet models hinders growth. The government is taking a more active role with the airline in that it is attempting to purchase new planes from Europe and the U.S.

Britain's long loved pubs under closure threat

The Great English Drinkers and Their Times, Britain's national pastime in taverns and inns coming to an end? The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) released startling figures in the first week March that there are now 39 pubs closing in Britain each week. The closure rate has been creeping upwards for the past six or seven years. The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) asserts that about 2,000 pubs have closed in the past 12 months, with the loss of 20,000 jobs. Factors leading to pub closures are:1)Smoking ban 2) Pints of beer will be followed by cups of tea at closing time 3) higher alcohol duties 4) the wide availability of cheap beer and wine in supermarkets and corner shops 5) converting the underperforming pub building into flats could bring more money 6) weakening consumer confidence. 7) soaring utility rates.

Tim Haworth, an antiques dealer, and his wife Alison revived The Bear At Home which was named Oxfordshire's Pub of the Year by Camra in 2007. They transformed it to a profitable pub by opening seven days a week, providing good food not ridiculously expensive, held a beer festival to help to celebrate Moreton Cricket Club's 150th anniversary last year, allocating beer garden for traditionalists who can play Aunt Sally while neophytes can log on to the pub wi-fi - a homely boozer good for family, dogs, hikers, bikers, whoever.

Co-editor of The Good Pub Guide, Fiona Stapley believes that the pubs best placed to survive are those that diversify. A lot of pubs are starting to open for breakfast, as well as offering internet facilities or running shops. These are the pubs that are going to survive: pubs with hard-working, flexible landlords who really care about their pubs and really care about their customers. For rural pubs, diversification often means broadening the business (like providing post office service) far beyond the traditional parameters of selling beer and packets of prawn cocktail crisps.
Many old haunts have gone to the wall. People are more and more becoming isolated in their homes and ordering in Pizza's, takeaways, drink etc. Many shop on line even for groceries. Drinking pints at home (where you can smoke if you must) instead of down the pub. How acurate was the film Soylent Green?.
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Clothed guest spoiled a nudist colony's swinger sex party

The White Cockatoo resort owner, Tony Fox, said a guest refused to take his clothes off at a swinger sex party and created mini riot. Four naked female guests felt uncomfortable with the the fully clothed man eyeing them off, protested when confronted by the lewd behaviour clothed man. When asked to show some respect and take his clothes off by the owner, a squabbling argument erupted with the offender threatening to bash Tony Fox who ordered him off the premises and police were called. The police arrived and removed the Brisbane man and his wife from the adults-only "anything goes" sex party, much to the relief of all the nudist swingers.


For the whole of March the White Cockatoo resort at Mossman, near Port Douglas, is promoting swingers and sex parties in a month of hedonism in a bid to boost sagging tourism figures. Once billed as the nation's top group-sex hotspot for swingers, the resort made international headlines last year when The Courier-Mail first reported plans to lift a self-imposed swinger ban. The White Cockatoo is a unique resort style property with a 3 1/2 Star AAA Tourism rating, 23 fully self contained chalets in a glorious tropical garden setting with Pool - Spa - BBQ's - Bar....., with only 10 minutes from Port Douglas and 1 hour north of Cairns Mossman - Tropical North Queensland - Australia.

The White Cockatoo Has Three Distinct Seasons with Three Different Methods of Operation:
For March '09 Only - Adults Only - Clothing Optional - Almost Anything Goes.
From 1st April '09 to 1st October '09 - The White Cockatoo will operate Primarily as a Fully Clothed Conventional Family Resort.
From 1st October '09 - The White Cockatoo will Operate Primarily as a Nudist Resort - Not Clothing Optional.
The White Cockatoo is Also Available For Hire! Rent Your Own Resort! Exclusive Use! Make Your Own Rules!

Picture Left: White Cockatoo resort

Picture Below :
Tony Fox

"A body is a living entity. It represents life, freedom, sensuality, and it is a mechanism to carry out our thoughts. A body is always beautiful to me. It depends on the individual work and what I do with it and what kind of idea lies behind it — if age matters or not. But in my group works, the only difference is how far people can go if it rains, snows etc.” (Spencer Tunick)Spencer Tunick (born January 1, 1967) is an American artist. He is best known for his installations often situated in urban locations throughout the world that feature large numbers of nude people posed in artistic formations.

Gallery: Naked Enthusiasts around the world

US Photographer Spencer Tunick, c, gives directions to more than 100 naked models at the Basel Barfuesserplatz Undated of the cast of the musical revue Naked Boys Sining which was shut down by Milwaukee police Josh Schumaker, Anthony Huntoon, Jeffrey Trowbridge, Josh Perkins and Josh Wetzel Sunleisure Resort's first Nude Fun Run at Logan Village Spencer Tunick's Photograph of massive landscape of nude human bodies in Melbourne Spencer Tunick's mass nude photo shoot in Melbourne. People lie naked in Alexandra Gardens Some of the hundred naked runners participating in the first Naked Bottom Race a 5km beach race, which returns to the Mari Baja nude beach, at Zandvoort The Netherlands Some 2,000 people stretch out in the nude on a street to pose for a photograph by NY photographer Spencer Tunick SA nudists Gordon and Judy watching fellow club members playing tennis naked at Tindo Nudist Club in Barossa Valley Photographer Spencer Tunick (R) photographs almost 150 nude volunteer models in New York City Photographer Spencer Tunick (C) walks among his subjects as he directs the photographing of almost 150 nude volunteer models in New York City Nude students from 15 universities in Britain at Thorpe Park amusement park, London set an inaugural Guinness World Record for the most people to ride a roller coaster ride naked Nude students from 15 universities in Britain at Thorpe Park amusement park set an inaugural Guinness World Record for the most people to ride a roller coaster ride naked Nude students from 15 universities in Britain at Thorpe Park amusement park set an inaugural Guinness World Record for the most people to ride a roller coaster ride naked Nude protesters at Byron Bay Nude bathers at beach protest at Byron Bay Naked teenagers waving as the pack passes on the outskirts of Pau during the 10th stage of the Tour de France cycling race Naked runners take part in the annual Patxi Ros nude 5000m race at La Salvaje beach, near Sopelana Naked entrants in Weipa's annual Running of the Bulls to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service Naked entrants in Weipa's annual Running of the Bulls MMM personality Greg Martin (Marto) and Jonothan Batterham practise for their nude run Megan Nass production manager of 'Skinny Dipp' advertisement, with nude men auditioning John Robert Burck II, known as the Naked cowboy is admired by passers-by in New York's Times Square Around 8000 loinclothed men jostle to capture a pair of 'Wood of Luck' thrown to them at the climax of the annual naked festival at Sai Dai Ji Buddhist temple, western Japan Almost 150 nude volunteer models lie in New York City for photographer Spencer Tunick About 9,000 naked male devotees jostle each other to catch a pair of wooden sticks named Shing , or lucky wood A protester taunts a line of riot police by dropping his trousers during an anti-capitalism demonstration in central London A nude team photo of Melbourne Storm going the 'full monty' for charity A nude cyclist rides past the Parliament buildings in Ottawa A demonstrator stands naked in front of the police during clashes against the visit of US President George W Bush to Sweden A Canadian flag flies above a crowd of naked Montrealers as they participate in a photo session for Spencer Tunik 200 naked males protest at Byron Bay against war with Iraq 18,000 thousand naked volunteers at Mexico City's Zocalo square

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