Here are a selection of photographs. Click on a thumbnail to load a
larger version of the picture.
Most
of the people I worked with are here. Boss' son, Rohan, 3rd from left at
the front, in case you think he looks a bit young! An incredibly friendly
(and talented) group of people. This was taken during a BMC barbecue that
happened during my first weekend there. It really helped break the ice
for me.
The view from BMC's office. The sea is almost as busy as the roads - lots
and lots of container ships out there! Apparently Hong Kong processes the
most ships, but Singapore can turn them around the fastest.
This is how the local mosque looks from the bus stop outside the Plaza
Hotel! This was taken early in the morning, when the camera was still cold
from being in an air-conditioned room overnight. Condensation formed on
the camera lens immediately, and gave the picture a slightly soft look.
Two
views of Sir Raffles. What a guy!
A view from the restaurant ("Compass Rose") at the top of the Westin Stamford:
floor 71. As you can see, light pollution isn't something they worry about
in Singapore. It's a shame - I saw only two (2!!!) stars while I was there.
And one of them was probably a planet. You should be able to see thousands!
A view from the rotating restaurant at the top of the Mandarin ("Top of
the M"): floor 38 I think. |
 There's
construction everywhere. |
 Clarke
Quay - pretty lights, eh? |
Part of the central business district. |
HMV
music store on Orchard Road. Busy place. Just like the rest of Singapore!
Even though it's busy, I wasn't too worried. I was told Singapore is a
very safe place to be, and I believe it. Nobody felt threatening and I
never sensed pickpockets or gangs lurking. People are very friendly and
honest.
Many times I'd see people enter a fast food restaurant, put their jacket and briefcase down on a table, and then go and order their food. I can't imagine anyone doing this in the USA.
Unfortunately working in a shop affects people and some succumb to "used car salesman syndrome".
I went shopping for a camera to get price comparisons. Most quoted more than one price, dropping them significantly as I started to walk away. One went from S$489 to S$385 - the cheaper price for one made in Taiwan rather than Japan. I'm pretty sure this model is made in Japan only. Naturally, when I asked, he couldn't show me one made in Taiwan and told me he'd have one tomorrow. Right, after he's doctored the label no doubt. The chances of me buying anything from that shop are zero. Why can't the shops just be honest and give a fair price?
Virtually all the shopkeepers, when asked how much an item is, would type it into a calculator and show me, rather than voice the price. Were they afraid another shopper might overhear what deal I'm getting? This is very off-putting.
Lately the local newspaper ("The Straits Times") has been looking into
the practices of the photographic stores. I'm not the only dissatisfied
customer - but it seems there are some honest shops around. I checked some
of them out one evening but they all closed early. I suppose the honest
guys can sleep well at night.
This
picture shows the Merlion spouting water, the Westin Stamford Hotel, and
in the distance just to the left of the bridge, the Chopsticks memorial
to civilians killed during the Japanese occupation 1942-1945. When you're
closer to it, you can see that it's made of four uprights, looking like
four chopsticks sticking up! They represent the four main cultures of Singapore
- Chinese, Malay, Indian, and "Others".
Millenia
Tower (with the pyramid thing on top - BMC, where I worked, is on the 18th
floor) and Suntec Towers - they were outlined starting on National Day
this year. Looks jolly lovely at night.
The
Plaza hotel, where I stayed.
This
place reeks of car exhaust. Most of the taxis are diesel, and you
can see their black exhaust pumping out. I had to go this way on my walk
to work and back, and it wasn't pleasant. In the distance you can see the
Chopsticks and the dome of one of the parliamentary buildings. Look, they
drive on the left! I was a bit surprised to see that although they drive
on the left, there are no roundabouts. I love roundabouts.
They do go for their antique churches, don't they? Looks smashing though.
Bath time!
Me and some of the guys in the pool. Knowing what this crowd is like, the
photographer was probably trying to take a picture of the two Japanese
girls in the background, and got us in the frame by accident! |
 The
houses really contrast with the car. |
This old-style church's spire used to be the highest thing around. Now
it's dwarfed by the Westin Stamford, the World's tallest hotel. |
 Just
to show that people in Singapore have taste! |
 Martyn
Judd, my boss while at BMC Singapore. |
 The
Raffles Hotel. Very nice. |
A play involving lots of high pitched singing. To the side, a board shows
an English translation. It's either a very bad translation or the original
doesn't make much sense either! |
 Some
of the money I brought back with me. |