Gardens by the Bay - Singapore

A visit to the Gardens by the Bay on a weekday. We went to 2 conservatories within the park. Being a new tourist attraction, it attracts quite a number of foreign tourists. It has a large volume of space compared to conventional shopping centres or other tourist attractions. The facade is covered with glass to allow sunlight into this big greenhouse. While it was mentioned in one of the exihibits that the conservatories practice recycling, it would be difficult to imagine the amount energy and cost used in cooling the conservatoies and keeping them in a dry humidity. But the climatic condition within the conservatories was a nice cool and less humid when compared to the external environment.

There are many flower species within the conservatories. However, there are not many signages explaning the name of the flower nor notes informing visitors of the characteristics of the flowers on displayed. It was less a botanical garden.

The view outside the conservatories facing the marina bay and finacial district of Singapore was spectacular. Visitors should take a glimpse of it.

There are possibility many other parks or gardens in the world with similar beautifully grown flowers. But not many may be able to maintain it 365 days throughout the year. Singapore is able to do it.... at a cost.

Parker Quink Black Ink

The Parker Quink Black Ink. It was loaded on my Hero 441 Fountain Pen. Initial assessment is that the black is not as dark as Mont Blanc Mystery Black.

It costs only S$6 dollars. A lot less than the Mont Blanc ink. According to the manufacture box, it was made in Indonesia. My worry is that it will fade as bad as Pelikan ink. My Pelikan ink writes with a beautiful blue but it would fade and become very much lighter in blue which I dislike. The Parker Quink Blue is not available in the store. I have currently 3 black inks in my store, Mont Blanc, Hero and Parker Quink.

Beef Noodle at Toa Payoh Lorong 7

This is the popular beef noodle at Toa Payoh Lorong 7. The hawker stall is called Hai Nan Xing Zhou Beef Noodles. I had ordered the $4 bowl of dry beef noodles. My comments are as follow and they are made with reference to Hong Heng Beef Noodle:-

(1) The beef is slightly thicker in pieces and more stiffer.
(2) The soup is sweeter and more tasty.
(3) The gravy has a strong sesame taste.
(4) I preferred Hong Heng Beef gravy as it was tastier and has a richer taste. To me, the gravy in a beef noodle is the most important criterion.
(5) I preferred Hong Heng Beef chilli paste as it was hotter and has visible white shrimps.

Overall, I still preferred Hong Heng Beef Noodle.

Hero 441 Fountain Pen

This is another made in China Fountain Pen - Hero 441. It costs S$6.50 and has a more presentable box compared to Hero 336(plastic wrapper). In addition, the nib is also more presentable. On the surface, it looks a large improvement since the nib is following the traditional standard nib found in many western fountain pens. The chinese word for Hero is engraved on the nib. However, writing on the Fine nib does not have any significant improvement. It is still rough and noticeable effort is required to write.

The body of the pen is nicely finished but it is light and possibly made of plastic, just like the 336. The cap closes on its body with a nice click sound which is better than the 336 (no sound). Overall, I found that this fountain pen has aesthetic improvement, but writing is not smooth.

Nice Cars - 1980 Lotus Espirit

Also known as 007 James Bond car. A very sharp design with low profile seats. The design is still modern looking given that the Lamboghini Gallardo has similar sharp feature especially on its front. The rims of the car are also uniquely differet from cars of that era. This car is painted in tweety bird yellow almost identical to Lamboghini Murcielargo yellow.

Nice Cars - 1980 Mercedes 280 SLC

A more recent Mercedes 280 SLC . Notice that Mercedes has tradtionally had a long bonnet. The sport version had the 3 pointed star mounted on its frontal grill.  The side protector is an important design feature of the car. BMW also has a similar side protector for cars of that era. Quite a cool looking car especially so in silver colour.

Nice Cars - 1958 Mercedes 190SL Roadster

Old vintage car at decomissioned Tanjong Pagar Train Station. A car that is more than 50 years old. Frontal damaged with rust.

Nice Cars - 1961 Mercedes 190SL Roadster

The predecessor of the current Mercedes SLS Roadster. Beautifully designed with lines that are applicable today.

Nice Cars - 1965 Mercedes 230SL Roadster

A very well maintained 1965 Mercedes 230SL Roadster with dark blue metallic exterior and a bright red interior. This is the W113 model with 6 cyclinder engine. It is a car with character.

My Kindergarten

Blk 71 Toa Payoh Lorong 4 - Year 2012

I have studied in a kindergarten around the age of 5 and 6 years old. It was located at Blk 71, Toa Payoh Lorong 4. I remember that it was operated by 1 old couple.  It was next to a market which is still around today. However, the kindergarten was replaced by a chinese medical shop shown in the photograph above. The space in front of the kindergarten was where parents and guardian would gather for dismissal of class. Back then, the kindergarten classes consisted of many drawings lessons for a young child.