Healthy Signage

Here's a photo one of our mates snapped while walking by Freshness Burger on the ground floor of the Central mall at Clarke Quay here in Singapore. An establishment that promotes its "healthy meals" will sell you a "Butter & Sugar Burger" plus coffee for less than S$2 (1.63 USD/1.00 GBP).

This is the Singapore outlet of the Japanese burger chain that is currently promoting a vinegar drink. I will have to stop in and compare their wares with their Nipponese competitors Mos Burger. If I bring a ten-dollar note to Freshness, I might be able to sample breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Urban Density of Singapore

If the entire population of earth was squeezed into a city as dense as [blank], how much land would it need Click the image to enlarge. Source: Per Square Mile.

I have been known to complain about the suburban nature of life in Singapore, especially when we lived near the malls of Novena. Among air-conditioned palaces of commerce complete with multi-story parking garages one misses the thrill of discovery that comes from strolling along the streets from neighborhood to neighborhood. Here in a wealthy city-state where many families own cars and the weather makes it unpleasant to walk too far outdoors pedestrians often get second-tier status. The island can seem like a boring, sprawling landscape to someone familiar with the walkable streets of Manhattan and Central London.

However, as the above graphic from Tim de Chant at Per Square Mile illustrates, Singapore houses a population of 5.35 million on less than 700 square kilometers, making it more dense than London or the five boroughs of New York City. As a modern city the urban fabric simply has better provision for automobile traffic, and the government tries hard to ensure that cars don't overrun the island.

Actually, the population density of Singapore is even more intense than expressed by Per Square Mile, as Tim de Chant acknowledges in comments below his post, because the island maintains a number of nature reserves, reservoirs, and military installations that have not been planted with the ubiquitous government-sponsored, tenant-owned HDB apartment towers. The map above from the CIA Factbook shows built-up areas in grey. The Factobook also provide this satellite view, which shows distribution of settlement.

Deck the Malls 2011: Sub-Zero

Welcome to another tropical Christmas.

Last year this blog showcased some of the festive decorations at our local mall, and the festooning this year is again baffling enough to warrant another post. I took some pictures on Saturday at Velocity in Novena, one of the numerous malls stationed atop an MRT (subway/underground/metro) station.

The mall starts Christmas season on 11 November. There is no Thanksgiving to hold back Xmas.

The theme at the mall this year is "Sub-Zero Christmas," an even chillier variation on 2010's "White is the Color of Christmas." I am continually bemused at the winter themes on display for customers in a tropical climate, and I am a still surprised by the pervasiveness of a Christian holiday within a country where the largest religion is Buddhism. Of course, Singapore has many, many Christians, and here we live next door to a church. Either credit the country for being inclusive or blame capitalism for cultivating a retail holiday in unlikely soil. I will opt for the latter given all the non-denominational  bedecking.

Shoppers on Level 2 are just about eye-level with a rather threatening penguin.

Alright, no more musing because once again the highlight of Velocity's decorations are the disturbing white animals. Several of them are perched on top of the main awning in the first photo above. Here are some more sculptures that dangle from the ceiling.

The tiny skating rink is back! In the ad copy this year it's called the Velocity Arctic Village. 

Click the link below left to behold a Photoshop disaster.

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.