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RSAF Open House 2011 – Bloggers Exclusive

Victor TAN — Sat, 28 May 2011 08:51:55 +0000

On an Apache Helicopter

I went for a preview of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Open House 2011 on Monday afternoon, by the invitation of MINDEF Public Affairs. For the first time in my life, I managed to get up close to an Apache Helicopter!

RSAF F-15SG

Of course, this is not exclusive to the Bloggers invited – The public will be able to get up close with the latest RSAF aircraft and weapon systems like the F-15SG fighter aircraft at the RSAF Open House 2011 too!

The Red Lions

I was truly wowed by the aerial display by the RSAF fighter jets and helicopters, as well as the parachuting by the Red Lions! The display will takes place twice daily at 11.00am and 4.30pm.

Taken from the Chinook helicopter

We also managed to get a ride on the Chinook Helicopter! The aircraft rides on the RSAF’s C-130 and Fokker-50 transport aircraft, the Chinook helicopter and the Singapore Youth Flying Club’s DA-40 will be made available through a balloting system! Each ride will last about 30 minutes and each winner will be entitled to two boarding passes!

Fighter Jets

There are a lot more at the RSAF Open House 2011 that we did not get to preview as they were still setting up, so do visit the RSAF Open House 2011 official site at www.mindef.gov.sg/rsafopenhouse for more information!

RSAF Open House 2011 – When, where and how to get there?

The RSAF Open House 2011 is open to the public on 28 May 2011 from 9.30am to 7pm and 29 May 2011 from 8.30am to 7pm. Admission is free and visitors are advised to take the free shuttle service from Eunos and Hougang Bus Interchanges as there are limited car parks at the Paya Lebar Airbase.

For the rest of the photos that I’ve taken, check out my facebook photo album! Thank you MINDEF Public Affairs for this invitation!

Potong Pasir – The End of an Era

Victor TAN — Tue, 10 May 2011 03:59:46 +0000

The latest phototaking hotspot

In the early morning of 8 May 2011, Potong Pasir was the last result to be announced by Mr Yam Ah Mee for the Singapore General Election 2011 and it will no longer managed by Mr Chiam See Tong and his wife, Mrs Lina Chiam.

On that very afternoon, I went down to Potong Pasir with my photo-kakis with the objective to “record history” – capture the moments of this small estate before it is handed over to the new hands.

Provision Shop in Potong Pasir

A humble town along the North-East MRT Line, it looks like any regular HDB estates. The town is well taken care of, but if you get really anal about amenities in Potong Pasir, you will realise that there is no NTUC Fairprice Supermarket, food centre and wet market here. Instead, you see a few provision shops and coffee shops in this estate which serve similar functions.

Sheltered Walkway

The walking paths in this estate are well-sheltered, though you will realise that it is done on a smaller-budget and yet still serve its purpose.

Blk 108 lift lobby - Uniquely Potong Pasir

An old-school lift co-existing with a newer HDB lift is probably something “Uniquely Potong Pasir”, and the newer lift doesn’t stop at every level either. Given to the budget that they get to maintain this small estate, this is probably the best Mr Chiam could do for his residents and I believe a lot of them do not really mind that.

Supporters signing petition for by-election

Supporters of Mr and Mrs Chiam were gathering that day at Blk 108 void deck, which is also the location for Mr Chiam’s Meet-the-people session, to collect signatures for the petition to request for a by-election in Potong Pasir.

At about 5 plus in the evening, Mr Chiam and the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) candidates went on a “Thank You Parade” around Potong Pasir and there was a huge group of supporters following their party vehicles. The atmosphere was full of emotions… I saw people crying, people screaming “Chiam See Tong” and “Lina Chiam” in unison…

When Mrs Chiam saw one of her supporters crying, she said to her supporter, “Don’t cry for me. Think on the bright side, ok?” That really touched my heart…

: Mr Chiam’s Welcome Signage

I am not sure how efficient will the new management of this estate be to update this welcome signage, but I am sure the current one with Mr Chiam’s photo is not going to stay for long. It’s right at the entrance of Potong Pasir. For the rest of the album, it can be viewed on my Facebook Album titled “Potong Pasir – End of an Era”.

Update: Apparently, my post shares the same title as Clauds’ blog post! Great minds think alike! Haha!

My trip to Washington D.C. and London in Nov 2010

Victor TAN — Mon, 02 May 2011 14:06:29 +0000

At the Lincoln Memorial

Sorry for this long overdue post, but the recent happenings in Singapore have gave me the final push to put this post online. I spent a total of 2 weeks in the Capital City of 2 First World Countries in November 2010, namely Washington D.C. of United States of America and London of United Kingdom. This experience has certainly made me appreciate Singapore a lot more.

Public Transport System in Washington D.C. and London

Van Ness-UDC Metro Station

When I was in Washington D.C., I was taken aback by the cost of travelling on the Metro. A 5-station trip between the hotel that I am staying in to the Metro Center cost me USD$2.35 during peak period, USD$2.15 during regular time and USD$1.60 during off-peak hours. The frequency of the trains was about 3 mins during peak hours and 25 mins during off-peak hours. During peak periods, the trains were as congested as the ones in Singapore.

One of the London Underground Stations

Over in London, I was lucky enough to miss the London Underground (a.k.a The Tube) strike as it was scheduled to happen on the day after I have left London but the frequent break-downs have caused me to change my routes. Apparently, “a body was found on the tracks” is a pretty common sight in London. The Tube Map App was definitely a life-saver for planning my routes. The frequency of the trains are pretty high in London though, but given to the size of tunnels that were inherited from the 1800s, the trains are pretty packed during peak periods.

The Oyster Card (similar to our EZ-Link card) fare starts at £2.50 for peak hours, £1.90 for off-peak hours and the cap for the fares in Zone 1 and 2 is £8.00. Thanks for the “7 days Travelcard” Oyster Card tourist package, I paid a flat fee of £50.20 which included a 2-way trip for Heathrow Airport.

UK Student Protest in Nov 2010

I was “smart enough” not accept the invitation from my friend’s classmate to attend the Student Protests which happened in London on 24 Nov 2010. I was told that “this is something that you wouldn’t get to see in Singapore” and I should take a look and experience it! Imagine yourself stranded on the streets for 9 hours with an unbearable temperature of Zero degree. Erm, not my cup of tea.

But why the student protest? Prior to the UK Election in 2010, the leader of the Liberal Democrats pledged that he would vote against any proposed increase in tuition fees if elected to Parliament. However when the Liberal Democrats and Conservative Party formed a coalition government after the UK Elections, the new government increased the cap of the tution fees from £3,290 to £9,000.

Safety in Washington D.C.

Given tat the cost of travelling is pretty high in Washington D.C., I did a lot of walking when I was there. When I was in Chinatown in one of the evenings, I was approached by a black man to buy him dinner and another to pay for his train ticket. I was in the state of shock as they do not look very friendly or helpless, but aggressive. My reaction was act blur, turn and walked off really fast. For the latter incident, I walked to the next metro station which is located in Metro Center. On route, I walked past the Public Library at about 9pm and a group of rowdy black men hanging out there got me worried. Reading about the high crime rates in this capital city prior to my trip had got me even more worried.

This short trip to Washington D.C. and London had reminded me not to take things for granted and the broken promise by the Liberal Democrats really got me thinking about promises made by politicians.

Chinese Lion Dance gets modernised too!

Victor TAN — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 02:47:57 +0000

Happened to catch this series of Chinese Lion Dance on my Facebook and guess what? I think this Chinese Lion Dance was commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board last year!

Apparently, even the Chinese Lion Dance is not spared by modernisation – Adding Hip-Hop and Ballet moves into a Chinese Lion Dance is certainly very Uniquely Singapore.

Happy 45th Birthday, Singapore!

Victor TAN — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 16:17:09 +0000

This will be the first time that I’ll get to catch National Day Parade at the Padang! Hope it will not be too warm later today! I will sing a the national anthem and recite the pledge proudly at the Padang!

Woot! This is so exciting!

Fly your flag SG flag proudly, online!

Victor TAN — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 03:11:14 +0000

My Paper, 6 Aug 2010

A big thank you to My Paper and Asia One for the Plug! “Live Our Dreams, Fly Our Digital Fly” is a ground up initiative started by @NickPan and me.

Join us to fly our digital flag proudly online!

NDP 2010 Theme Song – Song for Singapore

Victor TAN — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 02:50:47 +0000

It has been awhile that an NDP Theme Song have touched me. The last one which did was “Home”, written by Dick Lee and performed by Kit Chan.

Written and performed by Corrinne May, “Song For Singapore” is the NDP 2010 Theme Song. I love the MTV story line of a young girl who eventually become a central choir conductor for NDP!

Did it touch your heart? It has certainly touched mine. Great job, Corrinne May!

Now, I need to learn this song so that I can sing it proudly when I attend this year’s NDP! Yup, I’ve been balloted a pair of tickets for NDP 2010 Parade!

Let’s sing a Song For Singapore during NDP 2010!

“Song For Singapore” Lyrics

Verse 1:

It’s a brand new day a brand new story
I remember the way it used to be
We’ve come so far
You’re my history you’re my beginning
In all I’ve done I’ve been nurtured in your arms
and you’ve carried me this far

Chorus:

I want to sing
sing a song for Singapore
with every generation there’s more to be grateful for
So come and sing
sing a song for Singapore
You’re my brother you’re my sister
I’m thankful for my Singapore
My Singapore
Singapore

Verse 2:

Come together everybody
Fly the flag and share our story
Live our wildest dreams
Celebrate the red and white
The moon and stars in harmony unite
Let every colour every heart

Chorus:

Come on and sing
sing a song for Singapore
with every generation there’s more to be grateful for
So come and sing
sing a song for Singapore
You’re my brother you’re my sister
I’m thankful for my Singapore
My Singapore
Singapore

Bridge:

We’ve had our ups and downs
Sometimes the best things are taken for granted
You’re my family you’re my home
I want to sing
sing a song for Singapore
with every generation there’s more to be grateful for
So come and sing
sing a song for Singapore
You’re my brother you’re my sister
I’m thankful for my Singapore
My Singapore
Singapore

Thank you, Dr Goh Keng Swee

Victor TAN — Sun, 23 May 2010 08:50:19 +0000

Today, Singapore held the state funeral of Singapore’s Former Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Goh Keng Swee.

He is a man of vision and have made great contributions in bringing Singapore from Third World to First.

Singapore made it to twitter trending list again - This is how much the people of Singapore respected him.

Dr Goh Keng Swee, you and your contributions will be remembered.

Bloggers Preview at Navy Open House 2010!

Victor TAN — Sat, 22 May 2010 06:51:50 +0000

Naval Ships... and more naval ships!

Together with Singapore’s Blog Father, Mr Brown and other fellow blogger friends like DK and MoleMole, we had the privilege of attending the Navy Open House 2010 preview on 20 May 2010! On that day, organised groups from schools, grassroots organisations and MINDEF/SAF personnel were also there to experience the whole excitement of the Navy Open House!

Military Police Precision Drill

Before the Naval Sea Display, we were treated with the Military Police (MP) Precision Drill, which we only get to see at National Day Parade.

Chinook dropping the Naval Divers for the rescue mission

The Naval Sea Display was impressive! Naval Divers jumped off the Chinook near the mission area and off they go on for their mission.

"Cameo appearance" of the Submarine

One of the Navy’s submarines also made a “cameo appearance” during the naval sea display. Yup, it was quite random.

RSS Steadfast

To better understand how the Navy works during operations, we had a tour in one of our Frigates, The RSS Steadfast – The ship with the number 70!

CPT Augustine Lim of RSS Steadfast

CPT Augustine Lim gave us a quick introduction through demo videos as we proceed through the various stations of RSS Steadfast – If not this poor guy will have to repeat his script for 4 days! Haha. The Frigate truly demonstrates the thinking behind the 3G SAF – Operating a huge ship with a lean crew with the help of technology, and able to communicate with the land and air forces via the integrated combat network!

RSS Valour

The most exciting part of the whole Navy Open House for me is probably the ship cruise on RSS Valour! The wind were so strong when we were cruising in full speed!

LARC-V

At the Navy Open House, visitors can also get to experience the LARC-V (Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo, 5 ton), which is more commonly known as the “Ducktours”!

Greeting every visitors with a friendly smile

From what I understand from the Navy Open House organisers, more air-conditioned tents were set up after getting feedback from the public – So that the visitors can escape from the heat while getting to know more about the Navy. Very thoughtful of the organisers

The Navy Open House will be open to public on 22 and 23 May 2010. More details can be found at the official website. If you are still unsure about it, visit their facebook page to see the happenings at the open house! I am sure it will give you more reasons to make a trip down!

Just a word of caution… Remember to put on sunblock and drink plenty of water. And for the ladies, please do not wear skirts if you intend to go for the Frigate tour and Ship cruise! And did I mention that you need to ballot for the frigate guided tour and ship cruises? So remember to head to any of the three Information Booths for more information once you reach there!

Lastly, I would like to thank my ex-colleagues from the MINDEF Public Affairs and the Navy Open House organisers for invitation to the event and the great hospitality! Well done for your first foray into Bloggers Engagement!

P.S. If you like to see more of the photos taken during the event, remember to view my facebook photo album!

Special Preview at Navy Open House – Akan Datang!

Victor TAN — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:34:20 +0000

My ex-colleagues from the MINDEF Public Affairs has invited me for a special preview at the Navy Open House on 20 May 2010! Can’t wait for it to happen!