TLE Travels the World

Youth Olympic Games- YOG in Singapore Ends

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:52:41 +0000

Unfortunately, the coverage of the YOG has been pretty dismal in my opinion. The only time I was really excited about the games was when the torch ran through my neighbourhood. Other than that, the matches on TV have not been that interesting to watch, partly due to the poor commentary (some reporters seemed to not know what was going on) and also the lack of cameras to switch from one event to the other for a broader coverage. (Let's face it, we can't all be interested in all the sports!)

Hardly anyone outside of the participants seem to know about the games either.

"Huh, 'YOG?' What's that?" and this bewildered look doesn't disappear after explanation of what the YOG is.

The games have been good, the participants remarkable. It's wonderful to see the young people at their best and not only when they are "on" but also the way some are so courteous with the judges, coaches, opposing team, and just the genuine smiles and cries of agony they had on their faces.

The lesson here though is: Marketing is supreme in our world of all sorts of distractions, ehrm information, at our fingertips.

Sad Bear

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:53:44 +0000

This is what I felt like after a long day of walking around Beijing's hutongs. Hot, dry, and smelly at turns, several hours on my feet outside just was not the way to go.

I spotted this handsome thing while walking along Nan Luo Gu Xiang street behind Hou Hai. They're trying to save this place from destruction as the city government is planning to tear down the decrepit buildings and make it look like Qian Men - i.e., empty and with no sense of history.

They really shouldn't as the place is thriving as it is. Landowners and tenants alike should just ante up and renovate their units so that there are no electrical and water hazards while keeping the place "real". Beijing should learn from Shanghai's Tai Kang Lu which is doing well although it does receive threats of being shut down every now and then.

Sometimes, it's the stuffed animals on display who really know how we feel.

Stunning Singapore Skyline

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:40:52 +0000

We had dinner at the Singapore flyer last weekend to celebrate some friends' birthdays and had a fantastic time inside our capsule. It was a bit unnerving to have so many people snapping pictures of us inside but at the same time it was fun to actually be served dinner as we went around, watching the sun set and then seeing the Singapore night sky come alive.

This picture was taken by my iphone camera using the Pano app, stitching together 3 pictures.

A Good Host for All Seasons

admin — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 14:31:14 +0000

I'm not referring to a good party host in this instance, but a good webhosting host. Ever since my last scare a few days ago where I had inadvertently deleted a folder, it's gotten me thinking about the possibility of getting business hosting services. My current host is lovely, but sometimes I need additional services that they cannot provide.

What has aided me in my quest are aggregators of web content/services/products such as web hosting geeks which let's you do a very targeted search, ranking hosting companies and showing information based on budget, type (windows, unix, php, etc), resellers, email, ecommerce, multi-domain, domain hosting, etc. They also have a section that focuses on getting free domain names, marketing and even adwords.

For those of us who blog with some income to cover the cost of actually keeping the blog (domain, hosting, etc), the marketing aspect is key and its really important to look into this area which a lot of people neglect. It's kinda silly to think that throwing up some ads will do the job. It's really important to do your homework if you want to be truly successful.

What's amazing is this website provides incredibly detailed information on each hosting company, from general info to reviews which are key in figuring out what's between the lines in hosting services. So if you're looking for a web site hosting company, they are definitely a good starting point to check what's out there and who's the best.

When Dogs Need to Pee

admin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:20:58 +0000

I couldn't help laughing at this picture of dogs queuing up to use the tree. Wonder what kind of photo manipulation was done. Brilliant!

When Poets are more Accurate than Scientists

admin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 04:18:10 +0000

Science can sometimes make something extraordinary and beautiful into a mundane and boring phenomenon. For example, look at this gorgeous picture which can really resonate something unutterable within our being. Science would have us believe that all we are seeing is "an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere".

I beg to differ.

What we are seeing is much more accurately described by the poets:

Rainbows are visions
They're only illusions
And rainbows have nothing to hide
So we've been told and some chose to
Believe it
But I know they're wrong wait and see ...

Someday well find it
The rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Waste not, Want not

admin — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:36:01 +0000

We went to visit a Singapore company the other day and our nostrils were assaulted in ways never before. IUT Global turns food waste into fertile compost and captures methane, converting it into biodiesel fuel to run everything in the factory and more. The stench was hard to take, but the work is absolutely commendable.

It's not a new thing. Companies such as http://www.nviro.com have been turning bio-organic wastes into biomineral agricultural and soil-enrichment products with real market value since 1993.

Rather than sending the waste into incinerators, the biosolids are converted into clean and valuable organic matter that can be used to supplement and even replace commercial fertilizers.

Lomography in Singapore

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:04:22 +0000

Check out the Objectifs Gallery at Arab Street which is featuring works by photographers during their trip to Chennai, India. Make sure to read the little notes on the walls about the photography because a little background makes a lot of difference. And then of course, if you want to get your own Lomo Camera, they have some for sale as well.

Photos here taken by my Toy Camera.

OBJECTIFS
56A Arab Street, Singapore 199753
(corner of Arab Street and Baghdad Street, 2nd floor)*

Tel: +65 6293 9782
Fax: +65 6293 9723
Email: info@objectifs.com.sg

Opening Hours:**

Monday to Friday: 11am to 7pm
Saturday: 12pm to 6pm
Closed on Sundays and public holidays

Travel Tips for Thailand

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:03:43 +0000

First, let's get things squared away. Thai food is hot, hot, hot! So unless you can handle spices, I suggest having a nice, cold, sugary drink next to you whenever you have a meal. "Sugar" is the key here- without the sweetness, all the water will do is move the heat around in your mouth and throat.

Next, you must know Thailand's border countries which are Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and Myanmar (Burma). Why? If you're travelling around, you probably will want to pop over the other countries to taste some of the real Asia as opposed to the tourist-friendly Thailand.

Thailand has a population of around 66 million people, and a few hundred thousand of those are avid Thaksin supporters!

Most Thai, around 95%, are Buddhist and literate (over 90%). But it seems that they like to sing more than read with many Thai bands and singers releasing VCD's that fill karaoke halls. Oh yes, they also love their comic books which makes for a jovial nation.

Currency Exchange Rate: US$1 - THB 32.50

Bing Tang Hu Lu

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:10:08 +0000

Nature's version of the candied hawthorn snack of Beijing. I wonder what that frozen fruit is though underneath. Some starving animal will sure be happy to see sustenance in an icicle.

This photograph was forwarded by a friend in one of those chain emails so she has no idea where the photos originated. Supposedly it is one of the National Geographic backgrounds but I can't find who to credit. Would also love to know where this photograph was actually taken and what that luscious looking red fruit is.