How safe is Singapore & The Flag

The latest Singapore crime statistics were released this morning and in a nutshell there has been a 7% drop in 2011 resulting in a 20 year low in this regard. My Personal view, Singapore is one of the safest cities in the world. Check out the full report here Singapore Crime Stats

The How Safe is Singapore question I often get asked is however not related to crime but more from a natural disaster point of view with the favourite comment, That's where the Tsunami struck. So lets take a look at the history in this regard. In the past hundred years apart from "Floods" in 1969, 1978 and 2011 there has been no other natural disasters of any kind in Singapore.

The floods were also not major, but rather flash floods due to heavy rain over a very short period with the drainage systems not coping. This problem is currently being addressed with new drainage and prevention systems being implemented. Floods in Singapore

I do not include WWII and the invasion and occupation of the Singapore by the Japanese. Those were some very dark days and a whole story on its own. Singapore has had some other disasters over the years with the collapse of the Nicoll Highway (2004), Cable Car Accident (1983), and Spyros Tanker explosion in 1978 killing 76 people and post war the worst accident in terms of lives lost in history.

All said and done Singapore is a very safe place to live in. Read up on the details here. Singapore Disasters

One of the Founding Fathers of modern Singapore, DR Toh Chin Chye and former Prime Minister died on Friday aged 90 and was buried yesterday according to his instructions in a private funeral held at the Mandai Crematorium. "Singapore has lost a Great Man"

RIP


The colours of the Singapore flag represent red for brotherhood and equality; white for purity and virtue. The crescent moon represents a young nation on the rise. The five stars stand for Singapore's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality.

The crescent moon originally served as a symbol of assurance to the Malays in 1959 —the year the flag was designed— that Singapore was not a Chinese state. Today it is generally said that the moon signified a young nation rising. The flag was designed initially to have three stars, until leaders such as then Deputy Prime Minister Toh Chin Chye expressed concern that Singapore might be perceived to have associations with the Malayan Communist Party, the flag of which also had three stars. The flag was originally meant to be red as red is a very traditional Chinese colour. But because of the fear of Communism in those days, a completely red flag was abandoned.

Haw Par Villa - Tiger Balm Gardens

Took the MRT to the Tiger Balm gardens yesterday. It's an attraction that is not on the most popular Singapore attractions lists but certainly worth a visit. Just 70 meters from the Haw Par Villa MRT station it is very accessible. Entrance is free and the gardens are very interesting and beautiful. A leisurely 2 hour stroll in the gardens, entertaining for both adults and kids. Very good destination to take the family for a weekend outing.

The gardens have cold drink dispensing machines so make sure you have some coins on hand or take your own food and drinks along. Toilet facilities are very good. There are loads of benches, dungeon walkways and other areas to take a sit down and enjoy the scenery and present some great photo opportunities.

Haw Par Villa, formerly called Tiger Balm Gardens, was originally constructed in 1937 by "Tiger Balm King" Aw Boon Haw as a grand residence for his younger brother, Aw Boon Par, who helped create their fortune with the analgesic balm. In English, Haw Par Villa translates as Villa of the Tiger and Leopard. Aw Boon Haw created an entertainment park to teach and preserve Chinese values.

The gardens contain more than a 1000 colourful statues, and 150 giant tableaux centred around Chinese folklore, legends, history ad Confucian ideology. Morality tales included classic battles between good and evil and tributes to Chinese cultural heroes such as the famous pugilist Wu Song, who tamed a ferocious tiger with his bare hands.

I include some of my favourites as it is obviously impossible to share all whole experience with you. Take your time to study the statues as you can easily miss some of the incredible details. There are thousands of story boards to read which could turn this into a interesting learning experience.

The Erotic One - A woman breastfeeding an old man

The Weird One - One of the new attractions. It's a vintage car dressed up to look like a tiger. It's a replica of the 'Tiger Car' that the late Mr. Aw Boon Haw owned.

The Gory One - Animal biting someones leg

The Suggestive One - Not sure what to think

The Big One -  A 7000 Kilo Scowling Gorilla

The Skinny One - This guy needs to get some food soon

The Human Crab One - What the hell ??

The Liberty One - A Bit Small but still

I highly recommend a visit to the gardens and include a collage of some of the other interesting photos taken during my visit. Look carefully at the details of the statues and you will be amazed. Weird and wonderful.

Nonya Achar, Movie Awards & TV Shows

It's been a slow past two weeks with not much exploring and time spend at home. Actually very nice to just lounge around as our next visitors arrive in just under 6 weeks and then the roller coaster ride start again. Time flies and I can hardly believe the first month of 2012 is already behind us. Don't forget, this is our last year on earth or at least according to some prophets. More on this in a separate post.

After recovering from my little stomach bug, I have spent some time on two of my favourite past times. Movies and Food. So here goes. Since discovering my special Mutton Curry from the little shop in the middle of Ang Mo Kio Hub I have been trying to find out what the vegetable stuff is they give me with the rice. Last weekend when Jen was here I asked her and she said it is Achar. Now, I know South African Indian achar and it certainly did not look anything like that.

I did some Internet research starting with photos to match the dish and eventually, Eureka, I found it. It is Nonya Achar, or Peranakan Spicy Pickled Vegetables. I love the stuff and can eat it with everything, okay maybe not ice cream. Perenakan cuisine is a whole new dimension that I can explore and enjoy and the first step was to re-create the Nonya Achar. I found several online recipes ranging from the original Homemade recipe, very complex to some much easier Simplified recipes. I had to do my own version and here it is.

I used thinly sliced red onion, cucumber, thinly sliced lenght wise and cut in halve, cabbage thinly sliced, carrots thick Julienne style and finely two fresh red chillies chopped with pips. To make the pickle sauce I used 2 teaspoons white sugar, 1 thirds cup white vinegar and 1 third cup water. Mix together until sugar dissolves. And here is my own touch. Add a good splash of fish sauce and balsamic vinegar. Mix together the sauce and the vegetables and let it stand in the fridge for a few hours before use. It is to die for. Tangy and crispy with a sour and spicy kick from hell if you add the chillies. I have been having little bits for the past 4 days and will make a new batch tomorrow.

Been searching in the shops to see if you can buy it and found it today. They keep it on the shelve where all the Tofu is in Fairprice. Bought a tub for comparison purposes but my version rocks.

One of the benefits of being a Trailing Spouse and not working at this stage was the fact that I could watch the Goldenglobes and the SAG awards live for the first time in my life. Back home it was always on a Monday morning and even if I did record it the results would have been all over the news and media and that is like reading the last page of a book and then trying to enjoy it. Just not on. So, there are some seriously good  movies and TV shows in the running with the Oscars round the corner and the nominations finalised, not too mention some outstanding acting.

I have seen most of them and can highly recommend, The Descendants, Moneyball, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and Warhorse. The Artist is a black and white which I just do not like but sure it must be good based on the wins so far. My personal favourite but does contain some shocking scenes and not for the faint hearted. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

There is also some great TV shows like Boardwalk Empire, Boss, Modern Family, Episodes and Homeland. I have watched the trailers but the one that stand out is definitely Homeland. I watched episode 1 and it's one of those shows you just have to know what happens next. Thankfully, I had the whole season 1 downloaded and ended up watching all 12 episodes in two days. Bloody magnificent.

Homemade pizza tonight. Yippie.