Singapore – Page 5 – Bradley's Old Fashioned Weblog

MyTransport.SG: Why LTA Really Killed the ‘Park-a-Lot’ iPhone App

March 16, 2010 Bradley Farless1 Comment

A few days ago I wrote a post about how LTA had told Park-a-Lot developer, NiiDees, that his wildly popular iPhone app could no longer access real-time parking information from garages.

The reasons cited were that the information leased to LTA was only allowed to be shown on its site, and not through iPhone apps. They also said that they would consider leasing the information out, for a hefty price I’m sure. Thinking about it now, that in itself is a contradiction. If the information was only licensed for their site, how could they license it out?

From an article in today’s online edition of the Straits Times titled “Mobile service for commuters”:

“There is also information on premium buses, Electronic Road Pricing gantries and rates as well as updated information on available car park lots, among other things.”

via StraitsTimes.com

I suppose the truth of the matter is that they were blowing smoke. It seems as though they were killing free competition in advance of their release of a new web portal called MyTransport.SG which was launched today and will provide parking information, among other things. If LTA were a public company I could understand if they wanted to limit competition or use of public data that’s being paid for by citizens, but that’s simply not the case here.

MyTransport.sg standard browser incompatibility message.

Regardless, I took a look at the new mobile site, which is only accessible via a mobile browser, and it looks like they did a fairly good job with it. The design looks like an iPhone home screen (lawsuit pending?) with the functionality of a native iPhone app, including a “Home” button and a “Location” button along the bottom of the screen. Here are some screenshots:

The Parking Guide, and probably the reason why LTA shut off Park-A-Lot’s Access

You can use it to find the nearest MRT or LRT station. If you don’t want to enter a search term, you can press the location button towards the bottom of the screen (crosshairs icon) and then allow your location to be broadcast to automatically get results.

Allow MyTransport.sg to use your location pop-up.

The results are really accurate. It gave a good list of all the bus stops near to where I am.

I’m not sure I like LTA’s questionable business practices, but I have to say they did a good job with their web interface for this data.

Discovering What Halal Really Means

March 12, 2010 Bradley Farless24 Comments

I recently came across an article about an ongoing problem in a town called Colne in the UK. According to the article, the KFC there has switched to serving halal foods as part of a trial. A KFC representative said this was done because there have been quite a few requests in the UK for halal restaurants.

So… what does that mean? The article explained that halal meat is meat that has been prayed over and blessed by a Muslim cleric at the point of slaughter. Also, for a restaurant to have a halal rating, all food products served in the establishment must be halal, and the establishment can also no longer serve pork products, which were on KFC’s menu previous to this trial.

This has angered a lot of non-Muslim local residents who don’t appreciate having food blessed by another religion forced on them.

The first time I ever ate something that was ‘halal’ was at a Hardee’s on a US military installation in Kuwait. When I saw the phrase ‘halal certified’ on the outside of the restaurant I thought it was amusing, but didn’t give it a lot of thought. I assumed that it just had something to do with how the food was prepared but I had no idea that it was being blessed by a Muslim cleric. Thinking about it now, I suppose that was set up to cater to the Muslim foreign workers that were employed on the camp.

I’ve been living in Singapore for almost two years now and I’ve never given much thought to halal food at all. I always figured that hey… halal, kosher, whatever. It’s just prepared a special way and not mixed with what those people find ‘unclean’ right?

Now that I understand the true significance behind the meaning of food being halal… I suppose I still don’t really care all that much. It does bother me a bit that the food is being blessed by another religion, because it reminds me so much of the rite of Communion, which is considered holy and something only Christians should take part in. On the other hand, if I’m right and they’re wrong then the blessing isn’t going to amount to anything in the long run, is it? Besides, halal or not it’s still just a piece of chicken. A fried chicken leg isn’t going to jump off my plate and try to convert me.

I feel bad for the people in Colne, though, because in switching over the restaurant to halal to suit the needs of the Muslim minority, they’ve effectively alienated the Christian (minority?) who may not want to bend their religious principles to eat food blessed by another religion. Depending on the size of the town, those people may have just lost their only KFC. I also feel bad for them because people are labeling them as bigots just for standing up for their religious beliefs. People from one religion not wanting to eat food blessed or ritually killed by another religion is nothing new. According to AsianCook.co.uk, sikhs will not eat kosher or halal foods either.

What’s most interesting about the situation to me, though, is KFC’s religious insensitivity in the matter. When confronted about the issue, they replied that the food they’re serving is “still made from the same great ingredients”, effectively dodging the primary issue.

[Note: Keep in mind that I don’t personally know the people in Colne that are protesting this. All I know is what’s in the article I read. They may certainly be bigots that are using this as a platform for grandstanding. Regardless, I believe in letting people believe in whatever they want, without putting undue restrictions on their religious rights, insomuch that it doesn’t cause harm to others.]

Aggressive Bicyclists Are Disregarding Laws And Endangering Pedestrians

March 11, 2010 Bradley Farless15 Comments

This evening while my wife and I were walking to the hawker for dinner, we were almost run down by a bicyclist. We had stopped at the cross walk in front of Loyang Secondary School in Pasir Ris and waited for the pedestrian light to change to green. When it did, we glanced quickly right to insure that the cars were braking and then stepped out to start crossing the road.

Without a warning, an incredibly fast moving bicyclist on the roadway sped through the red light and narrowly avoided running into us. As he passed us, he made an angry grunting noise, as if we were the ones who were in the wrong for stepping into the crosswalk.

Do bicyclists in Singapore realize that if they’re using the roadways they’re subject to the same road rules that vehicles are? If there’s a red light, they have to stop. Plain and simple. They can’t speed through and expect everyone to make way for them.

I shouted angrily after the man, telling him just that. Of course, he didn’t stop. Instead, he continued his dangerous behavior and swerved quickly onto the pedestrian sidewalk at another intersection a little further down the road, haphazardly weaving past other pedestrians.

Singapore is a country with low crime, and as such there isn’t a very visible, active police force. Unfortunately, it seems as though bicyclists are taking full advantage of this fact to do whatever they want without fear of repercussions.

If the man had struck me and my wife it would’ve caused serious injury, like in the case where a bicyclist struck and killed a man, and I have no doubt he would’ve sped off just the same, leaving me to foot the hospital bills. If he didn’t care about the laws to begin with, why would he stop to accept the repercussions of his actions?

Singapore’s police need to take a more active role in enforcing safety regulations. Simply issuing these laws isn’t enough. This is an ongoing issue that isn’t improving. I wrote about this last month as well in a post called “Bicyclists vs Pedestrians, Battle For The Pavement“. There need to be police officers along the roads, preferably in plain clothes, monitoring behavior and issuing citations. Otherwise, who will ensure the safety of pedestrians?

LTA Trying To Scam Singaporeans’ Money?

March 10, 2010 Bradley Farless26 Comments

The Park-a-Lot Lite app, developed by local developer NiiDees, has removed its live parking data feature which displayed which carparks had vacant lots, following a notice from the LTA.

via zdnet asia

Park-a-Lot Lite is an iPhone app that was previously able to pull data from the LTA’s website, which then showed Singaporean drivers, through a convenient interface, what parking garages around the city-state had open spots.

However, LTA ordered the developer to disable that function of the app, which more or less killed the app’s usefulness. It was one of the most popular iPhone apps in Singapore prior to this move.

So, what’s LTA’s reasoning? Money. They want more of it.

That said, the LTA is open to licensing the data out, the spokesperson added.

via zdnet asia

LTA says that this data is collected from garage operators to be displayed only on the LTA website. I assume that means they have a contract set up with these garage operators, paying them citizens’ tax money to have this information made available for display on their government website, which is itself also funded by citizens’ tax money.

Now, this offer to license out the data is where I think LTA is trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes in an effort to create a double-taxation. You see, citizens are already paying for this data to be made available to them via the website.

When you think about it that way, you could in fact say that LTA has failed the public and is misusing tax money. I looked over the LTA and OneMotoring sites briefly and didn’t see any prominent links to this service, and until now I didn’t even realize it was available. I wonder how many other people in Singapore were in a similar situation? Doesn’t that mean the revenue that was being used to license that data was being misused by LTA? Doesn’t that mean they failed to make the data properly available to the public when the public was paying for it? This is a useful service that was being paid for and that the public obviously wanted easy access to, yet they were denied. And now they’ve been denied again.

What Park-a-Lot Lite did was package that information into a convenient, easy to use interface that allowed citizens to use data that they were already paying for with their tax money. There’s really no difference between an iPhone app accessing the data on LTA’s site, and a web browser accessing the data on LTA’s site. The same amount of data is transferred. Less actually, since only the data is requested, which puts less strain (not that there was much strain before) on LTA’s web host and any bandwidth limitations it might have. One could argue that the data was only licensed to be shown on LTA’s website, and I would argue that the App isn’t a website and is merely acting as a window to LTA’s site. Additionally, I would argue that with the rapidly changing tech scene in Singapore, and with more and more people going mobile, LTA should have taken the initiative to amend their contract to specifically allow for mobile access to the data from their site.

Instead, what’s going on here is that LTA has recognized an opportunity to try to shaft people out of more of their hard earned money by making them pay for something they’ve already paid for and is moving quickly to capitalize on it.

Shameful, and it should be illegal.

Blood Trail Leading Through Downtown East and E-Hub (Pictures)

March 5, 2010 Bradley Farless9 Comments

My wife and I were in Downtown East tonight when we noticed this trail of blood leading past the entrance to Sakura. At first, I thought that perhaps some poor girl was having an unfortunate night, but then I realized it was way too much blood for that. The trail led to the door going out of the mall. In the other direction, it headed down the stairs into the lower level of the mall.

As I started taking pictures, three police officers walked by, following the blood trail out the door. I went the other way, following it further into the mall.

This is the handrail on the steps that go down from the entrance of Sakura into the mall. You can see blood splashed on the wall and on the metal railing.

This is the post on the wall by the ATMs, just past the Indian restaurant towards the sliding glass door where the long escalators are that go to the 2nd level of E-Hub.

These are pictures of the stairs that lead up to the 2nd floor of E-Hub, between the escalators.

At this point I ran into a guy that was wearing a mall uniform who was taking pictures of the blood trail. I asked him what had happened. He said there was an incident outside the mall. He also kept saying “8 plus” “8 plus”. I couldn’t quite understand him, but what I’m thinking is that 8 kids attacked a 9th kid, who fled into the mall for safety after sustaining heavy wounds. The photos only tell a bit of the story. There was a LOT of blood on the ground and walls the whole way along. I wonder, can this much blood come from a broken nose, or is it a knife wound?

These three photos are from the landing at the top of the escalators, where you enter the E-Hub mall.

This is inside, in the “alley” area where the walkway skirts the children’s playground.

This is right in front of the virtual reality arcade game that sits under the escalator that goes to the movie house and arcade on the third floor.

This was the last bit of blood we saw. I wonder if this was another incident of gang violence, like the gang fight masked as a lion dance reported in the news, or if it was “schoolyard” bullying taken to an extreme.

Singapore’s Native Cat Breed

March 4, 2010 Bradley Farless2 Comments

Meet the Singapura:

CC-BY-SA-2.0; CC-BY-SA-2.5 squeezeweasel

Singapura is the original name of Singapore, and is also the name still used for Singapore in the Malay language.

But… did you know that there’s also a cat breed called the Singapura? This cat breed was discovered here in Singapore in the 70s and originated from cross-breeding between community cats. The cats were exported to the US were the breed was refined, with undesirable traits being bred out until we have the Singapura of today.

At the time, the Singapura became a popular icon for tourists and the Singapore Tourism and Promotion Board (now Singapore Tourism Board) decided to use the cat breed as an iconic Singapore mascot. The name “kucinta” (kucing + cinta) was chosen for the cats after a naming competition and statues of these cats can be found along the Singapore River.

Singapore community cats, or strays, produced a recognized breed of cats that are valued the world over, sometimes pulling upwards of 600 GBP each. When they became popular and could be monetized, they were recognized and made into a mascot to attract tourists.

So… why is it that these days community cats are rounded up by Town Councils and executed at the slightest provocation?

Chingay Fiesta Tampines 2010 Floats

February 28, 2010 Bradley Farless5 Comments

My wife and I went to Tampines 1 last night to have dinner at Manpuku. There’s a stall there called Hokkaido Aoba Ramen that’s really, really good! We always get the Sho-yu Cha-shu Ramen and a side of wafu gyoza.

Anyhow, on the way in we noticed that the field by Tampines 1 and the MRT station was filled with a stage area and the round-about area where the Giants / Courts shuttle bus usually picks people up was filled with floats. After a little walking around I saw a sign announcing that it was for the Chingay Fiesta Tampines parade.

There were quite a few people there, and after my experience with the crowds at New Year’s Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve, I wasn’t in the mood to try to put up with it again, especially on an empty stomach.

So, I did the next best thing. I took a look at the floats, snapped some photos, enjoyed part of the show on the stage area and then went to dinner! I didn’t have my camera with me unfortunately, so I just used my iPhone, but the pictures came out pretty well anyway.

Have a look:

I was really impressed with how much effort went into the floats. As we were getting ready to leave we saw a woman show up in what appeared to be traditional Indian garb. I think she was going to accompany the float that had the big head (pictured above) on foot.

What impressed me more is that this much effort was put into a regional parade, considering that the official Chingay parade had already taken place. If you’d like to see some really good shots of the actual Chingay 2010 parade, please click HERE to see a beautiful Flickr set. The following photo is a sample from the set:

Haagen-Dazs Boutique Ice Cream Stores in Singapore

February 27, 2010September 4, 2021 Bradley Farless9 Comments

Singapore was the first place I got to sit down at a fancy restaurant that was designed just for the purpose of serving ice cream, like the Haagen-Dazs restaurants that are so common here in Singapore.

There are, of course, places like this in the US, but they’re mostly in major cities like New York City. I wasn’t aware of them, so I never went to visit one. I thought the ice cream you get in the grocery store was only available in the grocery store.

Two cones from the Marble Slab Creamery in Columbus, Georgia.

There were ice cream places I went to like Baskin Robbins, Brewster’s and Marble Slab Creamery, but these places are set up as fast food ice cream parlors. The seats, if there were any at all, are the hard plastic kind that encourage you to enjoy your ice cream, but to do it quickly and make room for the next person.

Since I’ve never been to a Haagen-Dazs restaurant in the US I have no basis for comparison but the experience here was a good one. The seats were cushioned and comfortable, the table we chose was low-set, and the dishes and silverware were good quality. The ice cream was served with presentation in mind too. So, eating Haagen-Dazs ice cream in Singapore can be a very luxury experience.

Unfortunately, it comes with a luxury price tag as well. The two plates shown in this post came up to around 42 SGD (about 29 USD) and I remember being stunned at the bill. In the US you can get a half-gallon of premium ice cream for about 13 or 14 bucks. Or at least you could the last time I was there. I’m finding out that a lot of foods I took for granted as being cheap in the US are a lot more expensive abroad. I think it has a lot to do with how the corn industry is subsidized by the government in the US. Ya, that’s kind of a weird stretch, right? Watch Food Inc. and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

Anyway, it’s still a nice way to pamper yourself from time to time, if you have the money to spend.

Smart and Contemporary Cat

February 23, 2010 Bradley FarlessLeave a comment

Meet the Smart and Contemporary Cat:

This cat used to hang out in the business area in Tampines and he looks sort of like he’s wearing a black suit. We don’t know if he had a name and we didn’t really give him one. We just always called him Smart and Contemporary Cat. My wife would see him on her way to work every day. I saw him myself a few times. He was laying around by the entrance to a parking garage.

He seems to have disappeared. We haven’t seen him lately. Hopefully someone decided to take him home and he wasn’t run over by a car entering or exiting the car park.

Malay Wedding Reception

February 22, 2010 Bradley Farless2 Comments

In October of last year I had the opportunity to go to a Singaporean Chinese wedding reception and I was really impressed. The food was incredible. Everyone was dressed well. It was formal and elegant. It was also a sharp contrast to the Malay wedding reception we went to. Not in a bad way of course.

I suppose the best way to put it is to say that the Malay wedding reception was more lively. There were drums, bright colors, dancing and the atmosphere was much less formal. I felt a bit overdressed in my fancy slacks and button up shirt.

We arrived just in time to see the groom arrive. In fact, we were kind of lost and when we heard the drums I said, “I wonder if that’s the wedding?” So, we walked quickly over and saw a group of guys wearing red shirts playing drums, with a guy in a light purple garment walking at the front. Sure enough, we’d found the wedding reception.

The music was really, really cool. I tried to take some video of the event. You can see it embedded below. I had a problem where my camera didn’t want to focus properly and I think it has something to do with the shade of red that was being worn by the drummers, and the red cloth that was hanging behind the bride. My camera uses a reddish colored light to focus its picture. Regardless, it’s worth watching if for nothing more than to hear the drummers.

In the beginning, the video shows the groom’s retinue approaching the reception hall. Then, it shows the groom sitting on the opposite side of the hall from the bride, with one of the drummers doing a ceremonial dance. It looks almost as if the drummer passed something off to the groom. The last two portions are when the groom is already seated beside the bride.

Here are a few photos of the event:

Year of the Tiger decorations in front of the reception hall.

The bride, waiting on the dais next to her mother, with a fan hiding her face.

The groom at the stage, with his friends offering small envelopes (presumably with money inside) to the bride’s mother, to secure the groom’s position by his bride.

The bride and groom leaving the reception.

The car they’re taking. They’re definitely riding in style!

We had a great time at the reception and enjoyed the music, the dancing, and the food. I’m glad we had the chance to take part in the celebration. It was a learning experience for us, and one I’m glad we didn’t miss out on during our stay here in Singapore.