The Force Awakens - Star Wars @ Changi Airport

Location: Changi, Singapore

The Force is almost Awakened, with less than 2 weeks to go! As a Star Wars fan, I am certainly excited by the exhilarating trailers unveiled since last year, my excitement building to almost suffocating levels. I was in Changi International Airport to pick up my wife and I was surprised to see a life-sized TIE fighter and a menacing troops of First Order troopers on the Departure level.

I searched online (Star Wars @ Changi) only to realize that I almost missed the chance to capture the moment of both the First Order and the Resistance in action - from 12-Nov this year to 5-Jan-2016, Changi International Airport will play host to an X-Wing in T3 and the aforementioned TIE Fighter plus First Order troopers in T2.

Prepared for The Force Awakens

Nothing Important Happened Today – An obituary to Lee Kuan Yew

An ironic title for the sad passing of a giant. This title was not chosen as an insult but to reflect a few things in my mind upon reading the news of his death.

“Nothing important happened today” is a phrase familiar to history buffs and X-Files buffs for this is a phrase supposedly written into the diary of George III, reigning English monarch on the day when the USA ratified their Declaration of Independence (Jul 4, 1776), signifying the irony. It was recently debunked with the revelation that the king did not keep a diary, and it was the French monarch, Louis XVI, who wrote something similar (he was referring to his empty-handed return from a hunting trip) that on the day Bastille was stormed (Jul 14, 1789). X-Files employed this ironic title for one of their milestone episodes as well and I believe my point of choosing this title should be obvious by now.

Banner tribute to Lee Kuan Yew by Channel News Asia.

When MH370 never turned up...

There are more road fatalities than flight related deaths, yet when it hit the news, a world grieved with their family members. Maybe it was the fact that there is little we could do when a plane comes roaring down, even less so when nobody knows where it is. And with this knowledge of our helplessness, we questioned our faith in even the safest of all transportation mode, even more so at the company operating it.

It affected every one of us. Even reporters broke down. The social media was filled with retweets and reshares. We all had been following the news and discussing the possibilities. We grieve for MH370, for the family they left behind and for the destinies they never fulfilled. 

A dedication to a lost friend (image adapted from DailyMail).

Deep in our hearts we couldn't ignore the tiny voice asking, "Am I safe in the next flight?" "Will this be the last time I see that face?" Already creeping into some minds is the question over the safety of budget airlines mushrooming as budget travellers roamed the Earth unchecked. "How much cost have they cut to maintain that low airfare?"

Farewell, my friend. It has been an honour to make your acquaintance and sorry for not getting to know you better when circumstances allowed. May you find peace at wherever you are, and may this post serve as a dedication to your memory.

Announcements taken direct from MAS website dedicated to the MH370 incident.

Headline Places - Kiev Riot Turns Deadly

Location: Kiev, Ukraine

Kiev had captured tourists' attention as a cultural and scientific centre of Eastern Europe, but recent events had captured the world's attention - in a negative light. Three months of protest recently turned ugly as shots were fired upon, leaving as much as 82 people killed and the capital city of Ukraine, especially Independence Square, the site where most of the protests had been held, devastated. With the embattled Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovich fleeing the capital, and the parliament declaring him constitutionally unable to perform his duties (Feb 22, 2014) and setting an early election on May 25, Kiev may see a positive turn of events. Unfortunately that is not to be the case as masked gunmen tried to overtake key buildings in Crimea and Russia flexing its military muscle for a possible intervention.

Question: Where is Kiev in Ukraine?

One of the most powerful and viral image submitted to Imgur - a composition of the beauty of Independence Square before and its devastation after the riots (image taken from Reddit).

Headline Places - Sochi Winter Olympics

Location: Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia

Sochi recently garnered international attention for being the host of XXII Winter Olympic Games as well as XI Paralympic Winter Games this year (2014), although infamous and revealing photos of hastily set up resorts and Olympic villages in their sad state were much more memorable. Early images tweeted by journalists revealed confounding toilet configurations and doubtful water quality, imparting a disastrous preparation by the city for the Winter Olympics running from 7 - 23 February 2014.

With the location being one of the host cities of 2018 FIFA World Cup and Russian F1 Grand Prix from 2014 to at least 2020, they would have to do better in improving their facilities to leave a positive image with every departing visitor.

Question: Where is Sochi in Russia?

Two toilet bowls lying side by side in Sochi, one of the most viral image from Sochi's Winter Olympic woes (image from The Guardian).

Headline Places - Eruptions of Mount Sinabung

Location: Sumatra, Indonesia

Volcanologists are having a field day while surrounding inhabitants fled amidst the clapping eruptions and spewing smoke from Mount Sinabung. Active and dormant volcanoes straddled the world's fourth populous country of Indonesia, itself a collection of islands along the Pacific Ring of Fire crossing the Southeast Asian region.

There are approximately 130 active volcanoes across Indonesia, but Mount Sinabung has recently garnered headlines when it started erupting in September 2013, and has not stop to date. Indonesian government has evacuated everyone in a 5-km radius zone, a zone which may expand depending on the situation. Dozens of eruptions were recorded on Saturday (Jan 4, 2014), a number which varies from 30 to 77 times, from the 2,500 meters tall volcano, triggering a flurry of panicked evacuations and igniting a scene not unlike an apocalyptic movie.

Question: Where is Mount Sinabung in Indonesia?

The deadly beauty of Mount Sinabung eruptions as captured in this photo. Dozens of eruptions on Saturday triggered panic evacuations in a 5km radius zone (image taken from Los Angeles Times),

Headline Places - Deadly Russian plane crash in Kazan

Location: Kazan, Russia

The unfortunate accident of plane crash today (Nov 18, 2013) in Kazan, Russia raised fresh alarm over the aviation safety of the country. The plane involved was a Boeing 737-500, operated by regional carrier of Tatarstan region in central Russia, Tatarstan Airlines. 44 passengers and 6 crews on board were killed when the pilot tried a second landing in the Volga city after departing from Moscow's Domodedovo airport.

A criminal investigation had been launched to determine the exact causes as well events leading up to the point of the crash, a scene which could only be described as apocalyptic images taken of the fiery and debris strewn runway. The plane exploded upon impact at about 19:20 local time (15:20 GMT).

Question: Where is Kazan in Russia?

Video taken from Yahoo News (original source from Reuters Videos) elaborating the plane crash in Kazan, Russia.

Contaminated Food Products from Taiwan

With the recent news on the ban of Taiwanese food due to the involvement of an illegal element, I have tried to look for more information on this. I find it surprising that the coverage was quite limited in local news. Some online search shows more scattered coverage around the world, with most concentrated around Taiwan itself.

Taipei Times:
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/05/29/2003504450
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2011/06/05/2003504998

Focus Taiwan News Channel:
http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?ID=201106040009&Type=aTOD

News Straits Times:
http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Taiwanfoodcheck/Mobile/article_html