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Commemorating the 72nd Battle of Singapore

NHB (National Heritage Board) have put in place many guided tours to commemorate the 72nd Battle of Singapore. The Battle of Singapore happened on February 8 and February 15, 1942. It was also called the fall of Singapore to the Japanese. The war in Singapore defeated the British Army. In fact, the defeat was one of the greatest defeats of British Army in World War II.

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If you can recall, the bomb at Hiroshima put an end to Japanese rule and invasion. To honour the memories of the war, NHB thought about conducting guided tours. Here are some guided tours to commemorate the 72nd battle of Singapore:

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  • Interactive Battlefield Tours

The Interactive Battlefield Tours will occur in Labrador Park and Kent Ridge. The schedule will be on February 8 and February 15. The first tour for both places will start from 9am to 10am and the second from 10:30am to 11:30am. The meeting point is set in Labrador MRT station. The maximum capacity for this guided tour is 20 participants per tour.

  • Tiong Bahru Air Raid Shelter Tours

Tiong Bahru Air Raid Shelter is the only enduring pre-war raid shelter. The schedule will be on February 8 and February 15.  The first tour will start from 2:30pm to 3:30pm and the second from 4pm to 5pm. The meeting point is set in Block 78 Guan Chuan Street. The maximum capacity for this guided tour is 20 participants per tour.

  • The Adam Park Project Tours

Adam Park Project unearthed battlefield remains at Adam Park. The schedule will be on February 8 and 9. The February 8 tour starts from 9am to 10am. The first tour in February 9 starts from 9am to 10am and the second tour is from 110:30am to 11:30am. The meeting point is set in Adam Road. The maximum capacity for this guided tour is 20 participants per tour.

  • Marsiling Tunnels Tour

The Marsiling Tunnels are used by the British Army as a fuel reserve. When the Japanese occupied Singapore, they also used it as a fuel reserve. The schedule will be on February 8 and February 15. The first tour will start from 9am to 10am and the second from 10:30am to 11:30am; there will be a Mandarin tour from 11:30 to 12:30am. The meeting point is set in Kranji MRT station. The maximum capacity for this guided tour is 20 participants per tour.

  • Opium Hills Tours

Opium Hills will be exciting because it will be on the evening of February 8 and February 15. The tour will commence from 6pm to 8pm and another one from 8:30pm and 10:30pm. The meeting point is set in Coffee Shop located in Pepys Road. The maximum capacity is 20 participants per tour.

The five tours are free. If you are interested in any of the tours, you should visit the website of NHB right away. In the website, you will be asked to register regardless of the tour. You are also advised to come on time to follow the schedule. The tours are between forty five minutes to one hour. The tours are open for people aged 12 years-65 years (excluding Marsiling Tunnels Tour).

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What You Need to Know about Dragon Boating

November 10, 2013 marked the 31st Singapore River Regatta. The main event was, of course, the Dragon Boat Competition, which was joined by 100 teams who competed in 12 categories. The competition seeks to promote friendship and strengthen ties in the community. Furthermore, the Competition aims to enhance the athletic abilities of the participants and teach them how to work together as a team.

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If you are interested in dragon boating, you should learn its basics. Learning it is not that difficult so do not worry. Here are some things that you need to know about dragon boating:

Crew

The standard number of crew members in modern dragon boating is 22. 20 crew members form the paddling team which faces to the bow of the boat. There is one drummer facing the paddling team and one steerer at the rear end of the boat facing the paddlers. Depending on the size of each dragon boat, the number of crew members increases or decreases.

Paddling

There are six parts of paddling to include recovery, exit, pull, catch, extension/reach and rotation/twist. If these parts are executed properly, the boat will move smoothly; if not, then the boat will be slow and weighty.

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Dragon boating is not only a competition here in Singapore. Dragon boating is both an international competition, with participants coming from different countries all over the world. Dragon boating is the fastest growing water sports in the world. If you’re interested about joining this sport, there are various associations and teams here in Singapore that regularly train for it.

Wedding Must-Haves

Weddings are stressful and daunting for other brides. It should not be that way. If you are getting married soon, it is important that you seek for the help of your friends or relatives and share whatever tasks you have that way it will be lighter for you. You should not deal with arranging and preparing your wedding alone but you do not need wedding planners for this because they only mean additional cost which is not a good thing. You can simply make a checklist of wedding must-haves and proceed from there. Wedding must-haves include:

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Gown and suit

Your gown will be the central part of your wedding because it represents all things. Choosing for a bridal gown is not easy but if you look for it, you will surely find it. Do not worry because there are many bridal shops here in Singapore. Do not forget about your groom’s suit and your entourage’s gowns. You should choose gowns that fit your body type so you will look good if you consider wedding videography.

Cake

A wedding is never perfect without cake. Getting it in Singapore is not hard especially to feature the cake. For the ceremonial cake cutting, you need to find a cake specialist but if you can make it, you should do it that way you can save.

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Venue

Finding the right venue is not hard but it is not that simple too. If you have an ideal venue, you should book it right away. If you are still looking for the best place, take your time but make a decision right away especially if you are nearing your wedding day. You should choose a good place for your wedding videography.

Food and Drinks

Your wedding is a celebration so food and drinks should be there. You should look for caterers so your family will not deal with the cooking anymore. There are many caterers here in Singapore that you can approach.

Flower

Flowers will give more vibrancy and colour in the reception. If you know an arranger, you should commission him/her to make you good centrepieces.

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Wedding videography and photography

Weddings should be documented for keepsake. This is where wedding videography and photography comes in. If you know a good wedding videography studio, you should the perfect videography here in Singapore and expect quality videos after your wedding. Wedding videography can also be employed by your friends.

Souvenirs

You want your visitors to remember your wedding so you should give them something when they go home. Wedding souvenirs are also given as a token of appreciation for people who joined you in this important event.

Honeymoon

Of course, the honeymoon is always there. You are free to consider a domestic or an international trip. If you prefer to stay inside the house, it is your choice.

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That should do it. If you are expecting a small and simple wedding, you should be proud of it. If in this case you are talking about a grand wedding, you are free to do it as long as it makes you happy. But you should note here that wedding ceremonies are only a part of the whole process and it will not dictate what you will have in the future. There are people who are married grandly but they failed; there are people who are married simply but they lasted. The point here is your wedding does not mean anything if two people are not committed enough.

You should be happy with your new life. Building a family is a huge step and it should not be regretted. Weddings are beautiful things. If you have the resources, make it happen because you deserve it.

Keeping Away from Online Scams

There are more than fifty cases of scam accounted by the police for the last two months. This number was declared last September 6, 2013 from the press release of the police. According to the police, the scam totalled $40,000.
Doing online transactions is widespread these days. We are lucky if we have a successful transaction but what happens if we become a victim of online scamming? That is not good especially if involves a big money. It is very important that we are aware of the risks and how to avoid it so we do not get cheated. Here are some tips on keeping away from online scams:

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Never give your password. If there is a site that asks you to join by entering your email address first and the password, it should ring a bell. You should never give your password.

Use “excellent” passwords. You should protect you email accounts by setting “excellent” passwords. If you want a simple password because it is easy to recall, think twice because hackers or scammers can use that against you. Together with your “excellent” passwords, you should also set strong “secret questions”.

Do not buy something you did not ask. Scammers will usually dump you with spam from cheap shoes to expensive jewelleries. If you are not buying something, just keep it that way. Do not buy what you did not ask or purchase. You can go straight to Amazon for instance then search for the product-that is the safest way.

Browser’s security features. Are you familiar with your browsers security features? Browsers (like Internet Explorer and Firefox) can check the certificates of websites. You can check the certificate by clicking on the lock icon.
These tips should be shared to some friends and family so they will be aware. Let us be vigilant so no people can take advantage of it.

How Guide Dogs Help Their Blind Masters

There was news last week involving a dog and her blind master. The dog was leading her master to the Holland Village’s Haagen-Dazs but a staff stopped them saying that dogs are not allowed inside, and then led them to the seating area outside. The staff did not recognize that it was a guide dog. The management is doing its best to keep this from happening again.
The staffs of establishments should be aware of guide dogs. Guide dogs are part of a blind person’s life. The basic role of guide dogs is to help their masters get around. But the dogs should be trained, and conditioning it will depend on the environment of the blind. In details, how do guide dogs help their blind masters?

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1. Direct Route – When given an instruction by its handler or master, guide dogs should follow a direct route. This means that the dog should ignore all the distractions like the smell.

2. Steady Speed – The dog should maintain a steady speed. The dog is usually at the left of the handler. The dog should be ahead.

3. Stop Until Told to Continue – If a blind person wants to stop, the dog should stop too. The dog is trained to wait for the handler’s instructions.

4. Navigation – Guide dogs can navigate. They can turn right, left, backwards, forward and stop depending on the command.

5. Avoid Obstacles – Since handlers or the blind cannot see obstacles, it is the dog’s responsibility to avoid it.

6. Board Public Transportation – Guide dogs can also help the blind with transportation. The dogs will help the blind move around the bus, train or any other public transportation. When the blind needs to go to the elevator, the dog will bring him/her there.

Beware of Spalling Concrete

Spalling concrete remained to be a problem here in Singapore. Last April 23, 2013, there was an incident that scared the Ming Family- slices of spalling concrete fell from their ceiling. They reside at Jurong East flat. The 74 year old Robert Ming suffered a cut on his left shoulder after the fall. Good thing there was no one directly below the spalling concrete.

A spokesman said that the incident is due to the normal weakening of old buildings. Spalling concrete is characterized by breaking up, flaking or erosion of concrete. Apparently there are various factors that affect spalling concrete aside from weakening of old buildings. Other factors include environment and poor installation.

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Signs of spalling

Signs of spalling can be identified easily. The surface will turn out to be flaky and rough. There are cases that mass off concrete break free from the installation. You will see some cracks too. You should know that the longer you let the spalling, the higher the risk of serious damage. You don’t want that.

How to address spalling

When you notice signs of spalling, you should look for your developers so they will act on it immediately. You can address spalling by painting your ceiling frequently, close holes/cracks correctly and offer adequate ventilation.

Residents or homeowners want to be safe in their houses but how can they enjoy the comforts of their house if they cannot foresee the falling of concrete? It is important to look out for the signs and repair or fix it immediately to avoid any further damage or injuries.

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