Sands SkyPark Singapore

By P Chong                                                                Monday 22 August 2011

Gone are the days when only junk boats plied the waters of Singapore. Today Marina Bay boasts of a spectacular ship in the sky – a ship that Sands finds it hard to sail in the arid landscape of Les Vegas. SkyPark sits on top of the US$5.7 billion ($A6.8 billion) Marina Bay Sands Hotel & Casino Integrated Resort.

In Singapore, June 24, 2011 dawned the opening of a new wonder of the world. “Sky Park” Marina Bay Sands. It’s located on the 200-meter height on the three skyscrapers, as if on three pillars. Here is the most expensive & spectacular Integrated Resort in the world of casinos, bars, restaurants, the largest outdoor swimming pool, 150 meters long and even the Museum of Modern Art.

Stretching longer than the Eiffel tower laid down or four and a half A380 Jumbo Jets, with an impressive 12,400 square meters of space, the Sands SkyPark can host up to 3900 people. The gravity-defying cantilever is one of the largest of its kind in the world. From this privileged observation deck, hundreds of visitors at a time can feast their eyes on the unforgettable panorama view of Singapore.

The resort employs 10,000 people directly and generate up to £48m each year. Entrance to the casino alone is nearly £50 a day – but an average of 25,000 people have visited the casino daily since its initial phased opening two months ago.

Thomas Arasi, president and chief executive officer of the resort, said he expects to attract an astonishing 70,000 visitors a day once it is fully open. It was due to open in 2009, but was delayed thanks to labour and material shortages, and funding problems due to the global financial crisis.

                Just take a look at these wonderful photographs of Singapore pride:

Swimming on top of the world

 

The Marina Bay Sands Experience

Karaoke Dinner Night Celebration

By P Chong                                                                     Sun. 3 October 2010

It’s a pity that celebration doesn’t last, no matter how joyous or jubilant. Our friend Tom, a retired engineer, bears a significant birthday which coincides with the National Day Celebration of the Peoples Republic of China. I thought we’ll give him a celebration that he won’t forget with the Roasted Suckling Pig as the big surprise. It was in a way to bid farewell to my two visiting sister-in-laws Anna & Jenny from Singapore & Malaysia after their month long stay as our guests, and last but not least, to welcome Michael our visiting “Singing Lawyer” cousin from Johore Bharu with his wife Lily.

As with our usual practice, it’s customary for the invited guests to bring along a dish to share. I must say there was a good array of delicious food display with every choice to satisfy the hungry stomach. Wow . . . the speed with which the roasted suckling pig disappeared from hand to mouth told me  too clearly that other dishes are of little compare.

13 Kg Roasted Suckling Pig

We were lucky to have the presence of Dr Yap Chin Fah, the “Singing Doctor” to render his expert hands in cutting up the 13 kg pig. Just look at the photos.

Birthday Boy Tom with his Architect Wife Florence

Dr Yap Chin Fah scissor cutting the pig with his expert hands.

Heng, a lawyer by profession, an international chef as a professional hobby, rendering a helping hand. (Below)

Four at a time elected to play mahjong
Tom & Florence Ong
Karen Chiang singing in Mandarin
Dr Yap Chin Fah - "The Singing Doctor"
Michael teoh - "The Singing Lawyer"

There was no shortage of Karaoke singers. Melody flowed . . . joy glowed . . . and we all had a wonderful time.

Some unfortunately couldn’t sing because of cough!

Best Political System in Practice With the Best Talent There Is

By P Chong                               26 April 2010

A government of the people, by the people & for the people.”

Clearly in this light, tiny Singapore City State & giant Peoples’ Republic of China stand supreme.

US is no longer “a government of the people, by the people, & for the people”, but a government of ‘Wall Street, by Wall Street, & for Wall Street.’ What does it mean when Wall Street is contributing $500 million to both the Democrats & the Republicans for their political campaign? People in the Main Street are deprived, cheated & in more ways than one given a very bad deal . . . homeless, high unemployment, burdened with a national debt beyond their wildest dream, while the culprits & perpetrators are being baled out & rescued. Imagine the big crooks or “Financial Mafias” escaping the full justice of the law & the average & poor public reeling with pain & suffering!

If ever any justice is to come to pass, it will be anything but a show trial or theatrical act!

It’s the quality of leadership together with the system of government that will determine the health of a nation.

The best political system there is must be evidenced & seen to be in practice. You don’t have to dominate or elect for “a change in regime” in order to impose a good government system. If it is any good, it will be copied generally by all globally. Leadership is by example & no involvement of a bargain or gamble. Goodness is clearly seen in practice devoid of all hidden agenda or any real motive.

If a system is good & operable, it’s bound to be duplicated & copied by many without any unwarranted imposition, threats of war & domination. The worst crime ever committed by any nation is the invasion & intrusion upon the sovereignty of other nations, with the resultant cruel & unnecessary deaths of women & children plus the millions of displaced refugees.

The time-tested system of leadership selection, qualitatively & quantitatively, as practised by ancient China to the present, is through examination grading or academic attainment & performance, to be followed by a period of internship & training. Singapore adopts, adapts & adjusts to the method very well indeed . . . the proof is in the pudding, so to say. I must say it’s a rather laborious way of candidate sourcing for election, filling & fitting the various political portfolios.

Singaporean politicians are well paid, from a lowly ranked minister starting with a salary of $1.5 million (Singapore dollars) to the Prime Minster with $3.8 million, with the President commanding $3.9 million. These salaries may seem excessive, but they ensure a totally “clean & transparent” government unlikely to be tempted with greed, graft or corruption. Singapore has always been known for its squeaky clean image.

 

Americans are faced with heaps of problems – self-arising from within not instigated from without (as what the US government is adept in doing with other nations in the world).

The biggest democratic system of governance is India with a population second only to China. There in India, the corporations are controlled by elite bankers, pretending to be a government of the people, by the people & for the people. Parties like Congress & BJP have changed this definition to be “a government of the relatives, by the relatives & for the relatives”.

In US, the talk of freedom in the democratic world is misleading – more like big fish eating small fish. The Free Enterprise System is really the big oil companies & corporations. Where do small enterprises stand?

 

Western democratic system is a money power game with greed, corruption, cronyism & nepotism overtones attached. It’s a system fraud with conspiracy & a network of wheeling & dealing. It’s the survival of the fittest.

 

It’s all very well to see great performances by politicians on television, repertoire of oration, great campaign speeches & promises, but when it comes to implementation & delivery, nothing or little happens. Vested interest groups got to be strong to exert enough pressure to get their demands.

 

When the late Deng Xiaoping visited Singapore & was awed by the achievement of the little city state under the capable leadership of Lee Kuan Yew, he was assured that China would do far more better. Lee Kuan Yew, while flattered by the admiration, told Deng Xiaoping that Singaporeans are after all descendants of peasants & workers from China, but what China possesses is the great reservoir of true talents & scholars from the upper society elite who never had to leave the motherland in search of economic survival & wealth. Given the right motivation & opportunities, the whole nation of 1.3 billion could be mobilised to attain far greater success than Singapore within the shortest time frame possible.

Yes, indeed . . . how prophetically true!

Never in the recorded history of mankind has any nation come close to be of any compare with China! It’s amazing to witness its phenomenal leaping success. China’s leadership & government can truly & deservedly claim the accolade of success.

A nation must sail under good captainship with the crew working in unison not opposition. Everybody got to pull together to brave the storm & then only get to savour its triumph.

 

With a scenario as below . . . what would you expect?

  • Wall Street dominating & cheating the Main Street
  • Democrats fighting the Republicans in Congress
  • No less the infighting in the Senate
  • A lame President who attempts to look good on the outside
  • Greed hovering above the political-economic-socio problematic scene
  • Vested interest groups pressuring & carving out their own goods
  • 80% of the general public not trusting Washington
  • Sinking ship braving not the storm but remaining sinking beneath the dilemma of economic ills
  • Divergent forces & influences ripping the nation apart
  • A carton portrayal: “The Bush disaster is over! The Obama catastrophe begins!” in full display by the general public
  • Unconcerned Secret Elite or Illuminati, the real power behind the throne, only laughing to the bank, which they own anyway!

How do you hope to dominate, propagate or even duplicate

when the democratic system is ripped with rot right to the core?

You can only stay strong together but weak apart.

Nations should work together in the spirit of co-operation not domination!

Chaos reigns when order feigns!

And catastrophe sets its claim!!

There’s every danger of the US destroying itself from within like the Fall of Rome.

“What does it mean” asked Stacy Herbert from Keiser Report on RT-TV, “to be a Banana Republic without the Banana?”

 

Comments by:

Mike Chong: “Many will nod their heads to this . . . the so called land for the free is land of the greedy, selfish and “live at others expense” Government/public.”

Richard Chiang: Yes, very well said! Yet, the Americans, etc, try to impose their system on other countries.  Unfortunately, many of the people in these countries are misled into believing the so called Western democracy is the only system.  Also, in the name of the so called human rights, they try to impose their will on other countries while their indiscriminate bombings of unarmed people, including women and children, have often been ignored!”

 

 

Good Personal Relationship in Marriages

Good Personal Relationship in Marriages

W020080215323536711575A Traditional Chinese Wedding


In this modern era of health consciousness, we talk of

good Cholesterol & bad Cholesterol, vitamin C & others.

In marriages, it helps to look into the “Cs” for good personal relationship.


Apart from the few Cs as mentioned above, what other Cs come to your mind that you might consider as important? Of course, we all need the great C as in Cash for our daily survival or to live in comfort & luxury. But that’s not the be all & end all of things. You’ll find that the richest of men are not necessarily the happiest. They are more than likely to have problems of greater magnitude than the less fortunate.


I believe Singapore girls, when selecting a partner or contemplating marriage, purportedly take into consideration these Five Cs – Cash, Condominium, Car, Career and Character. Modern Singapore is so full of slogans, and more recently I heard that the Five Cs have given way to Five Bs – Bachelor, Bank Account, Boss, BMW and Bungalow. The order of priorities varies from individual to individual. Whatever they are, it’s essentially confined to materialism or tangible assets. Love and marriage is traded like in the stock market or the choice is likened to the auction where the highest bidder merits the prize.


Going by the above there’s no basis for a long and enduring partnership in marriage. Physical attraction and materialistic assets soon fade with the passing years. The bond of love breaks loose from its weakest link and the link of Five Cs or Five Bs is not strong to begin with. Fragile link leads to fragile relationship. Human relationship is without a shadow of doubt the most fragile, in that it is complicated by emotion. A house that is not built upon strong foundation soon collapses. The fire of love cannot burn indefinitely or brightly without the right fuel of marriage.


They say that love makes the world go round. Spinning round and round makes you dizzy with headache setting in as you sail through rough waters. Material things can dwindle with time or disappear through misfortune or poor management. The meaning of things take on a different perspective too with the passage of time.For an enduring and lasting partnership, it calls for the right ingredients which are not provided for by the Five Cs or Five Bs. The greatest test of true love is through the test of time – what endures and what not.


The marriage vows spell out “for better or for worse”. Sadly enough, the latter means absolutely nothing. It’s all a question of money. Oftentimes, money problem breeds marriage problems. Many seemingly good marriages have collapsed under the weight of financial struggle. One wonders the whereabouts of love, fresh air and sunshine and all those rosy promises of getting the moon and the stars and dying for each other. Evidently, all the heartaches are spelt out in the court of law or the mediator’s office in terms of property settlement. All other considerations are thrown out of the window.


The bond of love is only secured through the commitment of one for the other through all kinds of weather, rain or shine, stormy or calm. Commitment will take care of the Five Cs or Five Bs. It seals the question of security, love, faith and hope – all vital ingredients that will withstand the test of time. Commitment takes care of the doom and gloom, war and peace, rain or shine, giving or taking, and unimaginable human problems. No more talk of complaints, criticism, or condemnation – all the negative ‘Cs’. Suffice to mention one good positive ”C” says it all for peace and harmony for always!


There are others, which you can ponder & discuss, such as being civil, content, considerate, comforting, consoling & compromising. To command & control will have to take back stage to avoid falling off the edge.

Try communicating & cooperating with each other

to chase all the blues away.

The picture of the divorce court is often one of ugliness

& the divorce lawyer is often portrayed in the middle

happily “milking the cow” with the husband & wife

pulling in opposing directions.


Say “Cheese” to bring on that smile for always!

Would you like to comment?

© Paul Chong



Dawn Princess Cruise

Dawn Princess cruise ship, berthed at Port Cha...
Image via Wikipedia

Dawn Princess Cruise

Sydney-New Zealand

(5 – 18 December 2008)

(By Paul Chong)

Dawn princess berthed at Port Chalmers, Dundedin, New Zealand

Dawn-PrincessThe magnificent Dawn Princess


Cruising down the river

On a Sunday afternoon

With the one you love

The birds above

Waiting for the moon

The old accordion playing

A sentimental tune

Cruising down the river

On a Sunday afternoon.”

Not sure how many can remember the old pop song “Cruising Down The River” of the early 50s. This hit tune crops to my mind when talking of cruise. My mind conjures also the romantic cruise on the Seine in Paris, which provides one of the most relaxing & expedient ways to view the sights of Paris in all their grandeur in the glass-covered decks of the Bateaux-Mouches. The European Rivers such as Rhine, Danube are also worth noting.

I guess the TV series of “Love Boat” promoted the greatest thrill & advertisement re cruises on the high seas, with romance filling the air. After a couple of traumatic experiences of rough crossings in the English Channel, I was going to give cruising an entire miss until persuaded to try the Star Cruise on the Virgo from Singapore to Phuket in Thailand, with a stopover in Langkawi Island, Malaysia. No more sea-sickness was encountered then, and the four-day cruise was very delightful indeed.

SANY1297Monica – Our main waitress

A Princess cruise holiday is a dream holiday. You are pampered & given royalty treatment from room services to dinning in style. Some people do plan their dreams & romances by going on cruises. Some are habitually living on these love boats. Because of time & space, there is little to distinguish dream from reality. They say that dreams do come true, but then dreams fade and whatever reality there is remains only in your memory. Just when you are having such a good time, the end comes sooner than desired. Then you wonder was it all a dream? If you are young or young at heart, modern cruises are really adventurous, romantic & escaping into the world of fantasy, similar to the popular TV series “Love Boat”.

In planning for a perfect holiday, there are no shortage of exotic places to lure you. Travel brochures are full of glorifying descriptions of holiday escapes – compelling destinations like the new artificial Beach Resort in Japan, the new “Skywalk” at the Grand Canyon, play a game of tennis atop the the ultra modern 6-Star Dubai hotel, or the “themepark” at Las Vegas with all its thrills & spills. Or come 2010, the Resort World of Sentosa, Singapore will provide a kind of new excitement & experience.Whatever you are after, they range from the boring normal escorted tours to the extreme adventurous.

S001smOur cruise itinerary

To me, to really enjoy yourself, you must have the luxury of time & leisure. Tight schedules & rush always spoil many a holiday for most people. For this reason, the fully escorted land tours are out, where you are trying to cover sight-seeing & shopping all within a limited time scale. I guess I’ll be tired out each day and at the end of it all finished up with nothing but glimpses of the tour.

SANY1538Casual Self-Service (24-Hour) – The Horizon Court

Cruising is increasingly popular. There were over 2,000 passengers. It affords escapism, high sea adventures, thrills & spills, the luxury of time & leisure, aboard ship galore of activities & first class entertainment. You can have breakfast, lunch & dinner – all served with the finesse of well-attired waiters & waitresses. Be served as lady & lord in fine dining, lunch & breakfast too.

But if you are one of those who care more for your extra snooze, just stay in bed & have the meals delivered to your stateroom, or you can have access to the convenience of 24-hour food service at the Horizon Court. Here there is no shortage of choice & variety, also fruits & other desserts. If you love eating, you can eat as much as you want – you just help yourself.


SANY0042 Dawn Princess docked in Auckland Harbour, within walking distance to the City centre.

There is however one down side to cruises. The land content tours or shore excursions are not inclusive, even shutter buses from the docks to the city centres are charged. Usually the ship will dock in the morning & sail away again by six in the evening. Too rush for a satisfying sight-seeing & you are confronted with a variety of tours & pretty pricey too.

No holiday can be perfect or completely satisfying. I guess the important thing is that you’ll be able to say “Been there, done that.” It will be an experience well worth savoured.

The sheer pleasure of seeing the magnificent fjords of New Zealand in all their awesome wonder alone makes the cruise worthwhile. Though when sailing through the fjords region that day it was raining & cloudy, we get to see hundreds & thousands more cascading waters down their edges. Herein below are some beautiful photos by Google:

Cruise on the Fjord
Doubtful Sound Fjord
Cascading Waters
Milford Sound Fjord
Milford Sound

Paul Chong

Sunday, 11 January 2009.

Durians Galore

Durians Galore

“Smell like hell, but taste like heaven”!

3716663975_14aa0ac478_o3716662033_40c62c72e5_o

Durian season in Malaysia & Singapore coincides  with most of the other tropical fruits such as mangosteen, rambutan, langsat & manggis as from June to August.

Durian is ‘King of the Tropical Fruits’, unique in Malaysia, Thailand, Borneo & some other South East Asian countries. It is utterly delicious described as “Smells like hell but tastes heaven.” Most Westerners shun the fruit because of its odour, strong & penetrating to the point of overpoweringly offensive. Most Asians however are hooked developing an insatiable urge for it.

3717476472_98282788a2_o

Durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odour & formidable thorn-covered husk. Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown & its flesh pale yellow to red, depending on the species.

For those of us who have long migrated from Malaysia or Singapore, our urge for durians is secondarily satisfied by the Thai variety. The Thai durians somehow taste not quite as good, possibly because they are plucked or harvested before being ripened, freight overseas & stored in frozen form. In Malaysia, only fallen ripe durians are harvested & marketed & they are really rich in taste & aroma.

These days genetic durians are available throughout the year. The imported D24 genetic variety is pricey here in Perth. As they are also in frozen state, they don’t come up to the same mark of deliciousness.

unknownunknown_4

(The Red Variety as found in Kalimantan)

In SS2 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, there are stores promoting eating durians in buffet style. For R$10 customers can feed themselves as much as they can eat. This is definitely good dollar value for a durian dinner.

An Exceptional Prolific Durian Tree
Durians Galore – Within East Reach Off The Tree

3716661257_45364ffd77_o3716693841_ded62eaf93_o

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Health Benefits of Durian

Traditionally the durian fruit was seen as a powerful aphrodisiac, while women would eat the ashes from burnt durian skins to help them recover after child birth. But concoctions made from the leaves of the durian tree were also used to help reduce swelling and cure skin disease. More recently nutritionists have claimed that the durian fruit can help lower cholesterol andcleanse the blood as well as cure jaundice and alleviate fevers.

Experts even say that you can rid yourself of yeast infections such as thrush through eating the durian fruit. This is because of the durian’s high iron content that helps the white blood cells in our body make specific chemicals that kill off the infection.

The durian is also packed withamino acids as well as Vitamins B, C and E and many people are even comparing the sweet custard like centre of the durian fruit to the goji berry for its high levels of anti oxidants. These anti oxidants help slow down the destruction of cells from free radicals such as pollution and smoking; in doing so, they decrease the effects of aging on the skin giving you a younger more refreshed look.

Among the amino acids found inside the durian is tryptophan. Tryptophan is essential for making and maintaining serotonin levels in the body. Serotonin is the hormone in the body that regulates our happiness. People with low serotonin levels tend to have short tempers, are often moody and suffer from depression. This means that not only will eating the durian fruit help keep your body running smoothly but it will also increase your general happiness and well being.

 

 

Filipino Maids in Hong Kong

Statue Square, Central, Hong Kong. Statue Squa...
Image via Wikipedia

Stature Square in Central is an ideal rendezvous for Filipino maids on Sundays when they have their day off.

HSBC_with_maids.jpg

Filipino Maids at HSBC

On any typical Sunday in Hong Kong, don’t expect to get a seat at the popular McDonald’s in Pacific Place. The whole place is swarmed with Filipino maids, just like they congregate in Central, also at the waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Wan Chai area and most of the popular public places. Whenever you go to Hong Kong, try to visit Statue Square . . . it also serves as a place where hundreds of Filipino maids flock there to meet, to chat or to sing. They are everywhere. Never has such gathering been more evident elsewhere in Malaysia, Singapore or Taiwan – that’s because in Hong Kong, the maids work busily through the week and Sunday is their day of rest. On such a day, they go to church, socialize with their friends, lunch and dine out, do their personal shopping and attending to personal affairs, and then gathering together in groups chatting, singing or simply lazing around. Some of the large churches are largely frequented by them.

In Hong Kong, more than any other cities in Asia, this social phenomenon is to be seen to believe. These Filipino maids are a great export from developing Philippines. Their monetary remittances are much needed at home where unemployment or poverty necessitates the separation or sacrifice of the maids from their loved ones. In Hong Kong, they earn a good salary which contributes towards a better life at home. Most Filipino maids flock to Hong Kong because of the comparatively high pay and working condition.

Be not surprised that many a Filipino maid is college or university educated. Elsie (not real name) for instance is a qualified nurse with four college years of training and has been away from her family for 6 years now. Even as a nurse she won’t earn as much in the Philippines as working as a domestic help in Hong Kong. It pays for her to be away from her house husband and three children. She speaks and writes good English. In Hong Kong where Cantonese is the dominant dialect, she gets sparsely by with few essential words when doing her day’s shopping. With the family she works for, her English is an asset.

She would be the first to rouse preparing breakfast, getting ready the kid(s) for kindergarten or school to be followed by her daily routine of general housekeeping, shopping for the day’s meals and preparing them. A typical family she works for would be a young couple, both professionals, whose day begins at about 7.30 am and ends at about 8.00 pm or even  later by the time they get home. She is virtually in charge of the household in the absence of her employers with multiple duties and responsibilities – a cook, babysitter, and general household chores.

Her life is not entirely just that. Every now and again, particularly whenever her employers are off work or on holidays, she gets to be part of the family’s activities. She does benefit from the family’s outings to restaurants for “dim sum” or lunch/dinner and even on trips to Macau and other places of interest. For instance, Elsie is looking forth to going into China again with the family during the coming Christmas break. The pay is good and the variety of activities do compensate for her absence away from home. It was her birthday a few days before Christmas. Dinner with the family was followed by the cake at home with photo shots and video clips which she could forward and maintain contact with her own family.

With the growing affluence of the Asian families and where the extended family assistance is no longer available, such domestic service would be irreplaceable. Through a recruiting agency Elsie like other Filipino maids found her employers. Each contract is for a two-year basis. The initial first contact she would benefit for a two-year work permit and subsequently, she would need to leave Hong Kong after one year to get re-entry immigration extension of the other year.

In Hong Kong where space is a luxury and certainly pricy, she is fortunate, as some do, to have privacy in a room of her own with adequate storage facility and a small attached toilet. In some families, two maids are employed instead of one, each with specific duties. There’s a couple I know with three maids, but they have five children and are both business professionals. They have one maid just to drive the kids to school and back. One to cook and the third for general cleaning all three floors of their condominium apartment – combined, designed and refurbished into one luxurious apartment. They have even an additional driver specially for the gynaecologist husband. Once a year the maids’ highlight is getting the privilege to accompany the family on their overseas holidays and cruises. The affluence of the Hongkees does stretch on a great economic scale of needs. One would be a largely absentee employer because of her constant travel or another would be a single mother.

From time to time, we do hear of horror stories reported in the media relating to these maids of fighting, stabbing their employers and even murder. One particular horror story that I know was of a young and pretty maid infecting two equally young masters of the house with HIV through illicit sex. These stories however are far and few in between their tremendously needed household performance. Oftentimes, I notice there’s a clear good relationship between the maids and their employers .Extension of contract is often the norm with the same employer.

At the end of the day, all that is said and done, we each find the niche in the society we live in according to our skills and standings. If you like crowd and the hustle and bustle of life, Hong Kong has plenty of. On ordinary days, the shopping streets like Nathan Road or Mongkok area see crowd of people edging their way around. On Sundays Filipino maids have their preferred locations of congregation. If you’re getting home late by buses or MTR, be prepared to be hemmed in with them. Tagalog sounds pretty musical and clear above the drowning Cantonese dialect for once. Their day’s R & R being over, the crowd gradually all disperse like homing pigeons only to rise again happily for that busy day & week ahead.

©   Paul Chong

Saturday, 24 December 2005 @ 3.45 am

Hong Kong

Note: The Australian Government might well consider this worthwhile service and import such help in the Aussie households.