When Freshening Can't Wait

Sometimes you end up having a drink at Harry's.

 One can find a Harry's (sound alert) bar just about anywhere in Singapore. I can assure you that almost every new mall, office building, or retail development that opened in the last four years has one of these corporate watering holes. The drinks are just on the wrong side of overpriced. The house wine is usually undrinkable. Harry's Premium Lager is a weak, stale brew. Yet multiple locations regularly host quality live music, and they will most likely have a television tuned to the F1 race, cricket test, or tennis final that you want to see.

Quick! Call the Freshening Singapore Hotline. We haven't a moment to lose.

More importantly, I had to show you all this towelette packet from the Harry's underneath the Esplanade theatres.  It came with some very specific instructions. However, if a freshening emergency does arise, you can call their hotline.

The parent company Harry's Holdings Ltd also operates a boutique hotel, a nightclub, and three restaurants.  They also have a catering business and the license for the Gymboree franchise in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Keeping it Clean Online in Southeast Asia

MICA Minster Lui Tuck Yew. (Image: Straits Times)

The Minister of Information, Communications and the Arts in Singapore said today that the internet is too expansive for the Singaporean government to block viewers from accessing all undesirable content online.  However, internet service providers (ISPs) in Singapore are required by the MICA to exclude users from 100 websites as "a symbolic statement of our community's stand on harmful and undesirable content on the Internet."  The ministry uses censorship in pursuit of its rather milquetoast stated goals "to nurture, amongst Singaporeans, a deep passion for the country, and to inspire Singaporeans to explore, take pride in, and celebrate our identity."  Of course, these measures don't come close to censorship practices in China, where the government recently boasted that in 2010  they blocked 60,000 websites filled with obscenity and pornography, a category that includes political satire.

Men in Jakarta, Indonesia, checking their smartphones. (Image: Yahoo! News file photo)

In similar news, the majority Muslim nation of Indonesia announced today that it has won concessions from with the makers of Blackberry smartphones to keep pornography off the popular handheld devices.  The Communication and Information Technology Minister in that country has given Blackberry manufacturer Research in Motion two weeks to placate the ministry.   The Minster baldly stated, "If in the next two weeks, RIM fails to comply with the order by January 21, we will revoke its permit." The encrypted and unfettered connectivity provided by RIM's addictive business gadget drew scrutiny in 2010 from Indonesia and the governments of Saudi Arabia, India, and the UAE.

You know what this needs? More cheese.

7 cheeses: Because 6 was not sufficient. Click the picture for a larger image.

 I first saw this food product advertised on the MRT. I was shocked. 7 cheeses? How do they all fit on one pizza? How does the fat fit in one person's arteries? What are those freakish globes strewn across the topography?

I would love to know if this 7-cheese extravaganza is available in the USA, Britain, or wherever is your country? Click the link below left to leave a response in the comments.  I am curious about this because Singaporeans are not wildly enthusiastic about cheese.  I have a hard time getting quality fromage here at a good price. It's not part of the local diet, and it even keeps a low profile on the menus of restaurants with international cuisine.  I'm not sure why Pizza Hut thinks this product will sell.

Pizza Hut Singapore is certified halal. That's the little green logo underneath the Facebook tag. This is the reason that the one time I ate Pizza Hut pizza in Singapore I was very disappointed by the sausage, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, and any other toppings usually made from pork. A 7-cheese pizza would get around that problem, but I still don't think I would like it.

Creepy Medical Advice – Singapore Turf Club

The cover.

An addition to yesterday's post about a day at the races. The racing schedule Punters' Way gives out lots of details about the horses and jockeys competing in the day's meeting. I can learn about the pedigree and past performance of a particular horse; I can see what color silks the jockeys will wear for a given race.  I can even find details of how to place a variety of bets, which is especially helpful to racing neophytes like me.

Creepy advert on the inside.

What I did not expect was the above advertisement offering me the kind of personal medical promises usually found in the Junk Mail folder of my Hotmail account. Those who would like to read the hilariously detailed and optimistic text can click on the picture for a larger view; I warn you that it is frankly worded but PG-13.  You will definitely learn about the Thai herb kwao krua. The Sean Connery of Celebrity Jeopardy! (video link) would definitely be interested.

Depressingly, the advert copy claims the product is available from real Singaporean chemists who sell lots of real, useful, scientifically valid medical products: Unity, Watsons, Mustafa.

Singapore Turf Club, Gold Cup

The action along the final quarter of the Singapore Turf Club. 

A few weeks ago Passenger J went to the Singapore Turf Club to watch the ponies run for the Longines Singapore Gold Cup.  The venue is way up on the north end of the island but very accessible on the MRT.  As with so many places in Singapore, the venue is shiny and new and filled with all the latest amenities.

Tiers of tables in @Hibiscus overlooking the course.

We had a group of nearly a dozen gathered around a front row table at @Hibiscus, the mezzanine-level dining club.  We sat in the air-conditioning and watched the horses run in the warm mud on a rainy day.  The place offered adult beverages, but soft drinks and coffee were included in the ticket price, along with a big buffet of tasty Chinese and local dishes.  I plumped up on fried carrot cake, an honest-to-goodness savory dish here in Singapore.  Then, I had the apple crumble with vanilla sauce.

The starting barriers are wheeled into position for the 2200m Longines Singapore Gold Cup.

Oh, for the record, I am no good at backing a winner.  One win-place bet came good at 4-1, but I had to use that cash to repay the gracious organizer who purchased our tickets en masse.  The Turf Club is pretty good value provided one stays away from any high rolling antics. Admission, buffet, racing schedule, a S$5 betting voucher, and a tacky souvenir could all be had for one S$60 ticket (GBP 29/USD 46).  Not bad to watch a race meet with a S$1,350,000 (GBP 657,000/USD 1,037,000) stake. Actually for just S$3, payable with the same ez-link card that works for the MRT, one can watch on the non-air-conditioned lower level. Spend S$7 and one can sit in the air-con cool of the upper grandstand. Risky Business came on late and ran away from the Gold Cup field. 

More photos after the jump; click below left to see the parade ring.

Love Your Ride

Last year Singapore's Public Transport Council made a crazy music video encouraging a bit of courtesy from straphangers on buses and the MRT.  The new campaign stars the campy Dim Sum Dollies.

The "Love your ride!" catchphrase plays every time a train rolls into a station. That's a bit excessive.

Deck the Malls

Happy Birthday, baby Jesus, from your favorite brand names at United Square.

It's Christmastime, even here in Singapore.  It's 31 C (87 F) outside, but the festive spirit is in the air. OK, even if the holiday spirit isn't outside, it's definitely thriving inside the malls.  Singapore is the the land of malls, and right now they are all filled with outrageous Christmas décor and canned holiday music.  Here's a selection from our local bulwarks of commerce United Square and Velocity.

Inside United Square.

The kid-oriented mall United Square has a very large high voltage Christmas tree outside, and every day last week they hosted a show of carols sung by no one's favorite purple dinosaur.  I happened to walk through one afternoon while the performance was in progress.  The big, purple protagonist was accompanied by spritely adults wearing headset mics and bright, bright clothing.  Additional, smaller dinosaurs also participated, and I suspect the overly cushioned costumes were staffed by midgets.  the whole thing ended with a confetti cannon.  Go Diego Go! The Iguana Sing-along will be next.

Outside Velocity.  The parcel on the right simply reads "Glitz."

Across the street we have the sports-themed mall Velocity, home to our local gym California Fitness Jackie Chan Sport.  Seriously, Jackie Chan Sport. The venue has gone with a "white Christmas" sort of theme, mostly using purple.  More on their festivities after the jump; click the link below left.