And so, GE 2020 has concluded. Unsurprisingly (and thankfully), the PAP returned to power, though the “strong mandate” it was hoping for didn’t seem to materialise.
Type: Commentary
Christmas on Orchard Road 2019 — A Rather Muted Christmas
Following criticism that last year’s Christmas decorations were too commercialised, the Orchard Road Business Association has opted for a more traditional feel this year.
A Cashless Society and its Growing Pains
I was in Guangzhou this August when I realised first-hand how painful it was to have only cash with you.
Is it The Central or Clarke Quay Central?
Pop quiz time: What’s the name of the shopping mall located right outside Clarke Quay MRT Station?
I was at the shopping mall situated right outside Clarke Quay MRT station that I knew to be “The Central” some two years ago, looking for a restaurant that I read about online. After a fruitless search based on the unit number, I decided to approach the information counter, only to realise that the restaurant I was looking for was located at Central Mall.
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.
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.
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.