After the salted egg and nasi lemak chicken burgers, McDonald's Singapore is once again trying its hand at whipping up something novel. This time, they have diverted their attention to fish for a change and, as a bonus, decided to introduce throw something savoury in the mix too. How do they fare?
Back from the Future: A Look Back at 2008
Many times, people conveniently look to the 1990s and 1980s as a basis of comparison when looking back to the past. Perhaps for those born before the turn of the century, the year 2000 was a sub-conscious cut-off between the past and present. But 2000 was eighteen years ago. There are now an entire generation of school going kids who never witnessed 9/11 unfolding before their eyes on television.
So let's do something a little different here and look back to 2008 instead, which, to me, doesn't feel that long ago.
The Growing Pains of Bike Sharing in Singapore
From the moment cycling on footpaths became legal in Singapore (finally), bike sharing operators wasted no time in flooding the island with bicycles. Today, barely a year in, there are at least five bike sharing operators (Ofo, oBike, Mobike, SGBikes, GBikes and potentially Baicycle, just in case you lost count) in Singapore, owning a fleet of about 100,000 bicycles. And with exponential growth comes the inevitable pain points.
Acer Swift 1: Budget Laptop with a Unique Value Proposition
Image Source: Acer.
Laptops sold in Singapore can generally be classified into two categories: bargain-basement offerings with specifications considered mediocre even eight years ago, or premium offerings that offer the latest in display, storage and processor technologies.
The Acer Swift 1 straddles the rare middle ground, offering a Full HD screen (as compared to the dated 1366×768 offerings seen in virtually all budget laptops), 4GB RAM and up to a 128GB SSD, all for just S$500 (if you know where to look; more on that later). The catch? You're saddled with an Intel Celeron N3350 processor, an Atom-class processor that is far from the fastest thing around.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4: Still the Best Budget Phone in 2018
Introduced over a year ago in January 2017, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is still one of the best phones you can get today for under $200 and $250 (3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB version respectively). I've been using the 3GB/32GB version since February last year and I thought it deserves a special mention and a long-term review.
Orchard Central: From Dying to Thriving
When it rains, it pours. In 2009, three shopping malls opened along Orchard Road in succession–Orchard Central, ION Orchard and 313@Somerset. Prior to this, there had been no new mall openings along Singapore's prime shopping belt in over a decade.
Both ION Orchard and 313@Somerset found their footing and thrived rather quickly, in part because they were located right next to the MRT, and in part due to their selection of tenants. Meanwhile, Orchard Central struggled.
Light to Night Festival 2018: Exploring the Civic District
Not to be confused with Marina Bay’s i Light festival or the Singapore Night Festival, the second edition of the Light to Night Festival, which is currently ongoing until 26 January 2018 as part of the Singapore Art Week, spans Singapore’s historic Civic District, from Esplanade Park to Padang and all the way to the Asian Civilisations Museum.
Endless Wonder: Christmas 2017 along Orchard Road
December. It’s a month of nostalgia, of reflection, where you look back at the past eleven months, and marvel at how much you’ve progressed (or regressed?) since. It’s the Friday of the months, the season of giving, and a month of school holidays (and clearing leave, now that I’m an adult). And in the absence of snow in Singapore, at least we have the annual Christmas light-up along Orchard Road, a staple since 1984.
Windows Mobile: A Tale of Many Missteps
Microsoft's Lumia 950, its last flagship Windows phone.
Source: Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Windows Mobile, as we know it, is dead. The writing had been on the wall for many months now, but now we can properly bid the mobile platform goodbye, with Microsoft's Joe Belfiore all but confirming Windows Mobile's diminished role in the scheme of things moving forward.s
Thoughts on the Reserved Elected Presidency (and the Walkover)
The year-long debate on whether presidential elections should even be “reserved” for a particular race, as to whether Wee Kim Wee should be deemed an elected President to determine if this election should be reserved, and to the Malay-ness of the three prospective candidates, has finally come to a close. No matter what your view on the matter, Singapore will have its first female President come end of September, elected by means of a walkover.
Buying a Camera in Singapore (2017 Edition)
For a country of its size, Singapore has a thriving photography community. Walk down Orchard Road over the weekend and it’s easy to spot the latest DSLR or mirrorless camera slung around someone’s neck.
Less obvious is how these people acquire their cameras. Unlike the US where most savvy shoppers head to either B&H Photo or Adorama (both being online stores) to make their purchases and return them if they don’t like it, buying a camera in Singapore is still pretty much a hands-on experience. It’s not that Singapore is behind the times. Rather, it’s a combination of Singapore being a small city and the lack of a buyer’s remorse clause that makes shopping at a brick-and-mortar store the preferred choice for big-ticket items. Particularly for second-hand cameras, while a sale may be negotiated through the myriad online platforms, the actual deal is almost always done through a meet-up.