Malaysian Ringgit

Singapore Dollar to Malaysian Ringgit is S$1 : RM3.

Historically new high for Singapore Dollar and historically new low for Malaysian Ringgit.

Good for those who intends to buy assets in Malaysia. Bad for those who had bought assets a few years ago when exchange rate was less favourable.

It is currently a period of financial turmoil with the stock market crashing to below 16,000 (Dow).

Germany Part 29 - Interesting Observations

Munich Hbf at 6:10am- Notice the tactile?

1. Germany has built cycling track next to walking footpath. This is to segregate cycling with the rest of the human traffic and cars. I had seen one cyclist on the road and was horned by driver of cars. But the cyclist didn't seem bother and continued to cycle on the road.

2. Senior citizens working as farmer in fields. I suppose as a form of semi-retirement.

3. Senior Europeans travelling with crutches or trekking sticks. This was not the first time I had seen senior citizens touring Europe. Back in 1994, I had seen an old man lining up for train tickets. Their perseverance is admirable. Nonetheless, Germany had many convenience designs in public infrastructure that encourage seniors to travel.

4. Blind man using tactile at Munich Hbf alone.

5. Munich city trains were not as crowded on a working day peak hour as compared to Singapore and Tokyo. The population of Munich is only about 1.4 Million. Compared to 5 Million in Singapore and more than 13 Million in Tokyo. It was much pleasant to live in with not so dense population.

6. Commuter can eat and drink on city trains, yet the trains are still clean. There is a rubbish bin at the side of the seat for throwing rubbish.

7. Acceptance of graffiti. Plenty of them in the city and train stations.

8. City and suburbs were rather clean.

9. Germany inter-city train could travel up to 250km/h. But it would slow down when it reached residential estate.

10. Gays.

Germany is a country blessed with natural beauty; mountains, lakes, rivers and wealth created f rom its economic and technological power house. One can work on weekdays and over the weekends take a train to various natural attractions throughout the country. Its main problem lies with its current association with European Union which is currently facing the Greece debt crisis. Prior to my visit, each Euro dropped to less than SGD$1.50.

Germany Part 28 - Letomotel Ost

Letomotel Ost Munich

This was the hotel which I had stayed for 7 days during my trip. There was a mistake in my reservation and I had thought the hotel was Letomotel at Moosach. I was told only when I had reached Moosach that my booking was at Letomotel Ost (East) which was at Trudering. This hotel is about 45 minutes from Moosach. I had to plan all my schedule again with a starting point at Trudering.

The hotel was basic with no frills. It provides a basic room and wifi. It was built fairly recently as the room looks new. The bed and pillow were comfortable and clean. The only issue is that it was a 5 minutes walk from the train station to the hotel.  Underneath the hotel, there were a pastry shop, a meat shop and a convenient stall which I found them good. (Haven't tried the meat shop though) Another new convenient stall located just across the road had just opened during the week I was at Trudering which offered reasonably priced daily necessities. The toilet had a shared door between the water closet and the bathing cubicle.

The counter in the hotel was manned 24 hours, hence no problem if you need help. They were very strict with the check in and out time. Check in time is 3pm and check out time is 11 am. There is a room for luggage storage.

The price is also relatively reasonable considering the prices of other hotels in Munich. If you are there to sleep comfortably without need for much amenities, then Letomotel Ost should be fine.

Germany Part 27 - Vincent Van Gogh Sunflowers

Vincent Van Gogh Sunflowers

This is probably the most expensive object I have seen in my trip to Germany - The Vincent Van Gogh Sunflowers being displayed at Neue Pinakothek, Munich. It would retain its value even after more than 100 years from now. The painting was painted in the year 1888.

The feeling of seeing the real Sunflower is different from photograph or image. The actual one has depth as the brushes applied by Van Gogh was thick. One can physically see the brushes coming out of the canvas. The background behind the sunflowers is pastel blue which is different from the more common yellow background. The good thing about Neue Pinakothek was that the Sunflowers was not enclosed or placed at a distance. Visitors could come close to the painting and observe the texture and details. The museum was also not crowded.

The last transacted price of sunflower made in 1987 was 24.75 million pounds. It is not surprising that Van Gogh's painting can be worth more than US$100 million. It was breathtaking that I was looking at a painting of this value. (Although I had seen the mona lisa in The Louvre many years back).

There were many good paintings in Neue Pinakothek. They include water lilies by Monet, ploughing by Giovanni Segantini, Munich Beer Garden by Max Liebermann. They were masterpiece created with skills and patience. These paintings would last generations, even longer than classical cars.

Sunflowers were common in Europe. I had seen some growing between the Hotel I stayed and the train station (Trudering). I walked passed these sunflowers everyday.

Germany Part 26 - F4 Phantom II

An unique airplane of the 60s which was used intensively in Vietnam War. This model is parked at the Deutches Museum Flugwerft in OberschleiBheim.  The museum requires about 20 minutes walk from the train station. When walking to the museum, one will pass through the backyard of Bayerisches National Museum Altes.

Due to its twin General Electric powerplant, it can reach speed in excess of Mach 2. That's make it easier for pilots of the F4 to out run and out climb enemy aircraft of that era. While the F4 can be equip with various armament, it does not have guns, unless specially modified.

The aircraft is easily identifiable by its unique tilted tail stabilizer, long body and pointed snout. As a teenager, I had a model of F4 built and sent it for competition but didn't win a prize.

F4 in formation / Source: War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Germany Part 25 - Munich Marienplatz

A nice city centre filled with restaurants and commercial shops. According to Wiki, Marienplatz has been the city centre since 1158. There are both U bahn and S bahn in front of Marienplatz.

Marienplatz in 2015

Marienplatz in 1933 during Nazi Uprising

Source: Old photo of Marienplatz from Dachau Concentration Camp

Germany Part 24 - BMW E21

There are at least 2 E21 at the BMW Museum.

I made 2 mistakes during the visit to BMW Museum. Firstly, I arrived at BMW Welt only to find out that the museum was not opened on Monday. Secondly, I revisited again on Saturday at 8:45am and thought that it would open by 9am, only to find out that it would open at 10am.

The first E21 was located with a family of 3 series. It was a 323i in gold colour. Back then the '23' in 323 referred to the engine capacity and in this case 2315 cc. This produced a power of 105 kw and 143 PS in the 6 cylinder engine. A maximum speed of 190 km/h was specified. The car was manufactured from 1978 to 1982.

The second E21 was located within a family of 1970s car which also include the 5(520), 6(633 CSi) and 7(745i) series. It was a grey 323i right at the bottom of the stack.

The interior of the grey 323i has a blue carpet and fabric finishes. I recalled my E21 had a black leather seat and cream carpet finishes.  The tachometer in the museum also did not look like mine on the E21. My speedometer had a VDO shown. The other big difference was my car was a right hand drive car. I remember the hazard light next to the air conditioner vent would pop up whenever the weather was hot. The manual window winding handle was so classical. The steering had no power steering.  In memory of my old E21.

 

A photo of my old red E21 can be found in the link below:-

http://e21s.blogspot.com/2008/07/cars-year-1998-2001-bmw-e21-3-series.html

Germany Part 23 - History of World War II

As taken from Dachau Concentration Camp.

The beginning

The Division

 

 

 

The Propaganda

 

 

The In Charge

 

 

Torment in the Camp

 

 

The Dead

 

 

Germany Part 22 - Porsche 911 der Moderne 2004 to 2015

A. Porsche 997








B. Porsche 997 (Hybrid)




C. Porsche 991 (Targa) - Porsche advertisement on the 911 targa which has a black body looks so good. This one on display in Porsche Museum looks plastic.

Germany Part 21 - The Unusual Porsche 911

A. Porsche 993 - A very strange line designed at the front next to headlamp. The rear looks good.






B. Porsche 996 - Not the conventional headlamp. Likewise the rear looks good. For 911 to continue its iconic heritage, the front, rear and the unique C pillar must abide by its ancestry design.







C. Porsche 996 ~ Sally Carrera with a shortened wheelbase.




D. Porsche 911 Flachbau (Slantnose) - No photo available. Again a different front that is different from original 911.

Germany Part 20 - BMW M4 vs Audi TT S Interior

Which one do you prefer?

BMW M4 - Classical BMW look
Audi TTS - Its more sporty looking

Germany Part 19 - Iconic Porsche (1970 to 1993)

These are my favourite 911 series:-

A. Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 (1973)

Nice colours including the rims.

An unique rear spoiler that resembles a bucket

B. Porsche 930 (circa 1978)

C. Porsche 964 (1993) - This is a Turbo S version

SG50 - National Day 2015

Singapore celebrates SG50 today. We have achieved 50 years of outstanding growth and development since independence on 9 Aug 1965.

While we celebrate our golden jubilee, there are certain things I hope Singapore can achieve in the future:-

(1) Better policies on car ownership.  Example: Pay base on car usage. Do not overtax the burden of car ownership in Singapore.
(2) Better policies on classic car ownership. Example: Reduce road tax on classic cars. Giving car owners opportunity to continue driving car beyond 10 years. Currently there are disincentives to owning cars beyond 10 years.
(3) Better relationship and integration between Singapore and Malaysia. The KL Singapore high speed rail is a good start.
(4) More social development. Not by building more social hard infrastructure but through better social behaviors from individuals. This will need time to change through education but hopefully some day it will happen. Nothing starts better than from thyself.
(5) Be alert on some of the global environmental changes that could affect Singapore. These includes volcanoes eruption, climate change, pollution, raising sea level.
(6) A better work life balance in which citizens can take a step back to enjoy the fruit of success. More inclusive of citizens who can't take the stress (drop out of the corporate race), are old and slower learners. Citizens who wish to excel can continue to do so in a conducive environment.
(7) Less focus on management, more focus on engineering and sciences.

I wish Singapore peace/stability and achieving sustainable growth.

Germany Part 18 - Messerschmitt Me 262

Amazed by the Messerschmitt Me 262 since young. It is still modern looking and looks functional even though more than 70 years have passed. The plane body is rounded in shape similar to the propeller planes of that era.

It was the first operational jet plane during World War 2 and it marked the era of the jet fighter plane. It could fly up till 900 km/hr.

I felt elated at seeing this plane in real life. It was very well maintained by the Germans.

During the trip, I bought a plastic model of the Me 262 in Deutsches Museum Flugwerft.

The other world war 2 plane which I like to see in real life is the British Spitfire.

Germany Part 17 - Nice Cars: Porsche Classic (1959 to 1969)

A. Porsche 754 T7 - The predecessor before the 911 (Year 1959)



A history of 754 T7

B. Porsche 911 2.0 Coupe - The first generation of 911 (Year 1964)

A history of first generation of 911 2.0 Coupe

In Singapore, someone tried to sell a 1967 Porsche 911 2.0 Coupe for S$250,000 (equivalent to about US$182,000 or 164,000 Euro).

C. Porsche 912 Coupe (Year 1967)