Glee's Defying Gravity

Updated 6 Aug 2010: Changed Youtube link as it was removed by Sony. This Duet is not as good as the one I heard.
Updated 2 Sep 2010:  Added another Defying Gravity's video link

Just watched Glee and I think that this song, Defying Gravity is amazing. When I saw both Kurt and Rachel singing, I was thinking how well they sang together. Imagine my surprise when I heard this in Youtube. The song is amazing, but surprisingly short.

Enjoy.

Small Creatures @ Singapore Zoo

Updated 8 Oct 2013: Added more photos of small creatures

The Singapore Zoo also have some small creatures hidden away in the many corners and many of them are quite cute, especially the Leopard cat. If you're quiet enough, you can see some of the interesting things that they do when they are not scared half to death by us. :p You can refer to this post here for more information on the Singapore Zoo.

Anyway, below are some of the pictures I've taken of these cute small creatures.

Meerkat on the watch. :)

Mongoose wondering what to do

Iguana (I think) lazing around

Squirrel nibbling its food

Small goat wondering what to do

My favourite. The Leopard Cat. :)

Otters

Raccoon Dog

Meerkat on a watch

Baby naked mole rats

Mousedeer

Birds and Penguins @ Singapore Zoo

Updated 8 Oct 2013: Added more photos of the birds and penguins that I recently took

Do not think that all the birds belong to the Jurong Bird Park. The Singapore Zoo also has some interesting birds together with the other animals, especially the penguins. Yes, those cute penguins. :) You can refer to this post here for more information on the Singapore Zoo.

Anyway, below are the photos of some of the interesting birds and penguins in the zoo.

Flamingo scratching its back. :)

Curious blue bird.

African Crowned Crane with an interesting hair style. :)

Curious Ostrich

African Penguin looking around

African Penguin swimming

African Penguin getting out after a swim

Flamingo looking at a monitor lizard

Parakeet?

Not sure which red bird this is

African penguin after a swim

Back to the Singapore Zoo

I thought I would start a new topic on attractions in Singapore. After all, they are in my own backyard and I should know about them right? :)

Anyway, my wife suddenly had a crazy idea to visit the zoo. Yes, pretty random but that's her. It has been some time since I visited it so I did a little research, with a little help from the Singapore zoo website. This is a good place to start planning, especially if you want to catch all the shows.

First, how to get there. If you look under the Visiters' Info, there are instructions on how to get there. If you're going there by public transport, go down to the AMK Bus Interchange and catch Bus 138 (stops directly at the zoo). For Singaporeans, you should have your EzLink card and for DIY Tourists, why not get The Singapore Tourist Pass which gives you unlimited rides on our public transport system which includes the MRT, LRT and basic bus services for 5 days. You can find more information in the website and how to purchase it.

There are now quite a few packages that are available which you can refer to from the zoo's website. Just like to highlight some of the optionals  for the zoo's package:

• Unlimited tram rides: Good if you're not into walking. The tram brings you just about to every attraction in the zoo. However, it's not a place where you can relax, sit down and snap away on your camera. It's basically a mini transport system within the zoo with a little commentary on the attractions along the way.
• Boat ride: Basically, it's just a boat ride and that's it. I guess after going to the Wildlife cruise at New Zealand, I was kinda disappointed with the boat ride as I thought they would bring me to a place where I can see some wildlife in action. I guess Singapore is too urbanised.

For those who are into photography, it is recommended to get a lens with at least 105mm - 200mm as the animals are not exactly near. There are only a few exhibits where you can get very close to the animals but the lighting there is usually not that ideal. I mainly took my photos using a 75mm - 300mm lens. The lighting is not that good in some areas so it would be good if you have a Monopod to keep your heads steady.

Basically if you're not there for the shows, you can finish touring the zoo in about 3 hours (on foot). That's what I did as my wife and I were more interested in the animals. However, I would suggest the following itinerary if you wish to catch all the shows in the zoo (as of the date of this post):

• 1330: Rainforest fights back
• 1430: Splash Safari
• 1530: Elephants at Work & Play
• 1630: Animal Friends Show

Do try to go to the show at least 15mins before the show starts. I didn't get to watch any of the shows because the more popular shows are usually packed to the brim 5mins before it starts. (e.g. Splash Safari).

I will post some animal photos later on. Watching those animals play can sometimes be so funny and interesting. :)

Hotline for cracking down illegal subletting of HDB flat

There have always been cases of flat owners who try to circumvent HDB's rules by locking up one room and subletting the rest of the flat without physically staying in the flat. HDB has clarified that such cases will be treated as unauthorised subletting of flats if home owners did not meet the minimum occupation period and did not seek HDB's approval to sublet their flats. Even if the rooms are sublet out, they must also register their sub-tenants.

The funny thing is I do not recall that there was a hotline where members of the public can report these cases. The HDB's hotline is 1800-555-6370 for reporting any suspected cases of unauthorised subletting.

Nearest Circle Line MRT station to Marina Square

Seems like the Marina Square link to Esplanade is up and running for quite some time. The nearest MRT to Marina Square is now Esplanade MRT. The entrance/exit to the Circle Line station is next to Gain City on level 2.

Death kneel for City Link? I've seen quite a number of shops closing down along that route.

iPhone 4 Prices are all out

The iPhone plans are out for M1, Singtel and Starhub, just in time for the 30 July launch. You can take a look at the individual plans if you click on the above links.You can also take a look at my previous post here on the pricing direct from the Apple Store.

Apple is continuing the tradition of putting the previous generation of the iPhone as the lowest cost model. However if I recall correctly, all the prices seem to be cheaper than when the iPhone 3GS was launched. Hope this continues every year. :)

Based on the pricing, Starhub seems to be the most expensive, other than the Apple Store. That is surprising as the telcos will usually match each other's pricing to prevent churning. M1 and Singtel prices are almost the same, with the exception of the iPhone 3GS price (Singtel is slightly cheaper).

Starhub no longer interested in market share?

So weird. It's user friendliness that will attract

Just read something interesting. Apparently, someone has compared Ubuntu with Windows & Mac and said that Ubuntu is much better because of its

• Security Updates
• App-store like interface that allows you to install other applications

Seriously though, what attracts users to use a system is never about security updates or ease of installing applications. Will you use a system that prompts you:

• to edit configuration files to change some options
• to mount drives if you wish to plug in external devices
• some weird error codes that only a geek can understand

Well, I guess not. It's always user friendliness that will win the most users. I have not yet use Ubuntu and my experience is limited to Fedora Core. However, I do know that Linux problems are yet to be resolved. Problems with user friendliness. Linux is still a geek OS. :) Agree?

Can't find a reason to get an iPad

For someone who already has an iPhone and a Mac, I find it very difficult to convince myself to get an iPad. I've spent some time in the Epicentre trying out the iPad on the date of the iPad launch. While trying out, I was trying to figure out how will I use it.

My conclusion? There is nothing that I fancy that is available in the iPad, but not on the iPhone / Mac. However, I do see a market for enterprise customers like I have previously indicated in my post here. After playing around with Numbers, Pages and KeyNote, I do find that it's a useful tool for minor editing / approving documents on the move.

Need to modify your presentation deck slightly before the presentation? Need to look at some numbers that you've churned out previously in your spreadsheet? How about approving a word document sent to you for approval? iPad is good for that. Other than that and the obvious multimedia usage, I do not see anything else that excites me. Maybe games no longer appeal to me. Oh well.

Apple Online Store selling iPhone 4 this Friday

Apple has announced that the Apple online store will sell the iPhone 4 for $888 for the 16GB model, and $1048 for the 32GB version this Friday. Free bumper cases will be given out together with the iPhone 4.

Finally they are taking steps to address the insane queues? Oh well. At least that means the phones will be unlocked. Interesting that all the telcos have yet to announce their pricing. With Apple's announcement, iPhone 4 may be sold cheaper by the telcos.

However, the white iPhone 4 may not be available as there are rumors that it is facing production issues. This may also mean that the iPhone 4 will not undergo any major design changes for it's antenna problem as it does not make sense to continue selling a product that you are going to change.

Clarity is always good for the market. Good for us.