#Sammy Hawker | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ezrabridgerwrites · 4 months

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samantha howlett;

The last time the New York Yankees won the World Series, you were a pint-sized nine-year-old anxiously chewing on the straw of your long-finished soda cup. Your dad had bought you a cap from one of the hawkers outside the stadium but forgot to tighten the clasp on the back for you, meaning that it fell down over your eyes every so often so you had to stubbornly push it back up to see the game. Mind you, the players were little more than ants to you, all the way up in the nosebleeds.

“These are the best seats in the house, Sammy,” your dad had reassured you. “You can see the whole city from here.”

Even though you were still a kid, you’d pretty much seen all there was to see in the city already. Your dad took you all over, going as far on the L as the dimes in his pocket could take the pair of you. Or, when money was tight and Joe from the mechanic shop a block over was too busy with repairs to watch you after school, he’d smuggle you into the front of whatever fancy car he was driving that day to chauffeur one of Manhattan’s elite around. So long as the visor went up between you and the one percent - and you stayed quiet with whatever comic he’d stuffed into your hands, always making sure to keep your sneakers off the dashboard - he got away with driving you around the city, shoving your head down and out of the sight of the window when he reached his destination and had to stop and let whatever rich or ramous client he had in the back out.

You know that wasn’t the only way your dad made a buck back then. He was always careful, but your uncle wasn’t. Loud-mouthed and too bold, he was always vocal about the next car your dad had helped him fix up for his dealership. Overpriced and with adjusted odometers. Not that you knew what the hell an odometer was when you were nine, but you knew they shouldn’t be tinkered with. Your dad would always shush your uncle, tell him to hush up before they both got into trouble, but Uncle Hank never listened. He always wanted people to hear him.

That game though, your dad didn’t tell him to be quiet. He was as loud as Uncle Hank was, even though he’d been voicing his worries to you across the breakfast table that morning. The Phillies were a sure bet apparently, and were looking to be World Series Champions. But you figured your dad had long since left those doubts at the kitchen table with the way he was acting now.

He was loud and jubilant and was smiling like you’d never seen him before. Not when he got a good tip, not when Joe and his wife invited the two of you over for dinner and he made you hand a bouquet of flowers over to Alberta that were bigger than you. Definitely not the way he smiled in that sad but weirdly proud way, like when he got called into school again to hear you’d been fighting with another kid who’d made fun of you for not having a mom.

This smile was full of joy, as was the resounding scream when the Yankees took the Phillies out at second base and cinched the title. You were immediately hoisted onto his shoulders as your uncle loudly yelled the happiest profanities you’ve ever heard spill from someone’s mouth. In all honesty, the too-big hat your dad had bought you had slipped down over your eyes about five seconds before that pitch so you didn’t catch that winning moment, but it was hard for you to care when you were higher up than anyone else in that stadium, watching Hideki Matsui get lifted onto the shoulders of his teammates, kind of like you were right now. The crowd was going wild and you were pretty sure you’d struggle to find another moment where you were this happy ever again. You know - unless the Yankees took home another World Series.

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Suffice to say, they did not, and your cynical instincts had apparently honed themselves rather well at such a young age. True, you hadn’t meant to sound pessimistic way back then when you claimed that was the happiest you were ever going to get, but you were correct. You didn’t get to smile like that again and the Yankees never won another World Series.

They lost the American League Championship Series the year that your dad was arrested. Theft had been the initial charge when he was caught lifting from the people he drove from, pawning jewelry that he had stupidly thought wouldn’t go amiss to those making seven figure salaries in the Upper East Side kingdom that you only ever got to see from the tinted windows of a car you weren’t supposed to be in. But apparently rich people very much liked their things to stay theirs, and for their chauffeur to keep their hands on the wheel instead of in someone else’s pockets.

Then the cops went digging and during the raids you were left in the company of Joe who let you sit in his garage and taught you how to repair a bumper and laughed when you said you didn’t mind getting your hands greasy and covered in oil.

“Well, Alberta will,” he told you, fondly ruffling your hair. “And if you want pizza for dinner, you better clean ‘em.”

When your uncle’s dealership was investigated and those damn odometers became a problem, you realised your dad wasn’t going to be coming home for a long, long time.

“You can cry if you want,” Alberta told you kindly, wrapping you up in the duvet on the bed in her and Joe’s spare room. She tugged you into a hug and spelled so comfortingly of marinara sauce and Black Opium perfume that the lump in your throat nearly gave way, but your dad and uncle had always been of the opinion that people didn’t cry. Even kids your age whose dads were locked up in prison because his name was on the lease of his brother’s dealership. Even kids who would go to school on Monday morning and face the taunts of middle schoolers who would grow up to claim they didn’t have a mean bone in their body, even when they tugged on the braids of a girl who clung tightly to a New York Yankees baseball cap with a clasp that remained untightened through all the years she’d had it.

Eventually, further down the line, it began to fit you. When you visited your dad in jail, unable to bring yourself to reach across the table in the visiting room despite him stretching a hand out towards you. Maybe you were angry at him, but you honestly weren’t sure. Putting a name to your emotions had never really been your thing.

It stayed on your head when you began fixing cars on your own with Joe. When you graduated high school and stayed with him and Alberta making repairs and scowling at customers who recognised you as Warren Hopper’s daughter and began to question whether the things they left in their car would still be there when they got back to collect it or not. You were too old for playground fights now, but Joe was always there to defend you. According to him, clients would come and go. But his business wasn’t a priority when you were a round, which was a pretty damn stupid thing to say about his livelihood. You told him as much instead of thanking him and telling him you loved him, but you think he got the message anyway.

You resolutely did not wear your hat when Alberta was buried at the Green-Wood Cemetery on a drizzly March day, but you did push your discomfort aside when you walked up beside Joe and slipped your hand into his, ignoring the dirty looks his flesh-and-blood children were giving you. They hadn’t been there when she’d been in the hospice, and they weren’t there either that night when Joe sat silently in his armchair, staring into nothing. You walked into the living room and gently set your cap on top of his head and he managed to give you the first watery smile he could muster in days.

You didn’t cry over Alberta, but you did cry over Joe.

When he passed, the sun was shining and you wished you could send your fists swinging at it. You put your hat in the coffin with him when they buried him and stood stoically by his graveside when they lowered him down next to his wife. You didn’t bat an eyelid when his daughter hissed something to her husband about you, something about handouts and charity cases which made it clear that she knew Joe had left the garage to you. You didn’t let yourself cry.

Not until you got back home. Not until you flicked the light on in the garage and realised he wasn’t coming back to help you with a leaky exhaust that you’d both fix together while his tinny radio spilled out Credence Clearwater Revival and you’d pretend to hate it while he sang along.

Then you sat down and cried, because it’s been a pretty miserable few fucking years.

And those damn Yankees still haven’t won another World Series.

#c: samantha howlett

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usafphantom2 · 2 years

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Ronnie Bell Following

Pilots of No. 85 Squadron RAF 1939

Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940. Pilots of No. 85 Squadron RAF pause for a photograph between sorties at Lille-Seclin, at 9am on the first day of the German invasion of France. They had been intercepting German formations since 4.15am and were to continue to do so until 9pm that evening, claiming a total of seventeen enemy aircraft destroyed for the loss of four Hawker Hurricanes. Back row, (left to right); Flight Lieutenant J R M Boothby Flying Officer T G Pace Squadron Leader J O W "Doggie" Oliver (Commanding Officer) Pilot Officer J H Ashton Pilot Officer J W Lecky. Killed in car accident 18/05/1940, age 20. Flying Officer S P Stephenson Sergeant G 'Sammy' Allard. Killed in accidental aircraft crash 13/03/1941, age 28. Sergeant L A Crozier Warrant Officer Newton Front, (left to right); Flying Officer K H Blair Sergeant J McG Little. Missing in action 19/05/1940, age 22.

Via Flickr

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dailykhaleej · 4 years

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Beyond the 3 Rs: How can Singapore move forward on sustainability?, Brunch

GETTING folks to care about the setting is an uphill battle that advocates round the world have been preventing for a very long time. The battle is particularly pertinent in Singapore, a rustic beneath direct risk from rising sea ranges, and the place the tropical warmth is a continuing reminder of how insufferable an increase in temperature of some levels can be. It has taken a pandemic to spotlight the affect our life and enterprise actions have on the setting. Carbon dioxide emissions and air air pollution are plummeting globally as financial exercise is slashed and folks hunker down at residence.

On the different hand, Channel NewsAsia reported in late April that city councils in Singapore are dealing with as a lot as 40 per cent extra waste than regular. Takeaway meals packaging is one contributing issue, however the quantity of waste we generate can be extra apparent when concentrated round our houses as an alternative of unfold out throughout the nation.

Even the constructive outcomes have a darker facet of worrying implications. Based on an evaluation by Carbon Transient, carbon dioxide emissions may fall by greater than four per cent in 2020 in comparison with 2019 ranges, due to the pandemic. But even when this discount could possibly be saved up yearly this decade, it might nonetheless fall wanting the 7.6 per cent yearly lower wanted to attain the 1.5 diploma Centigrade goal restrict for international temperature rise.

In different phrases, if even a number of nation-wide shutdowns can’t sluggish local weather change, how a lot can be completed by particular person actions like “reducing, reusing and recycling”?

As Singapore ultimately overcomes the pandemic and readjusts to a brand new regular, environmental advocates know these laborious truths will slowly fade from reminiscence too. What is going to stay are the greater disaster of local weather change and the challenges that the sustainability motion continues to face right here.

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Particular person vs systemic change

The concept that local weather change can’t be halted by the actions of people alone just isn’t a brand new one for the sustainability motion in Singapore. It’s the driving power behind efforts to information particular person actions alongside a extra impactful route, encouraging engagement with the authorities to name for wanted systemic change and putting strain on firms to scale back environmental hurt.

As an illustration, the World Extensive Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore and ground-up initiative Communicate for Local weather created impartial assets to boost participation ranges for a public session that the Nationwide Local weather Change Secretariat (NCCS) performed final 12 months, targeted on Singapore’s Lengthy-Time period Low-Emissions Improvement Technique (LEDS).

WWF-Singapore ran a social media marketing campaign to encourage customers to assist its suggestions to the NCCS, and created a digital platform to simplify the submission course of. Communicate for Local weather put collectively layman explanations of the coverage beneath assessment, an electronic mail kind and instance submissions that the public may mannequin theirs on.

Their efforts considerably affected the success of the public session – 1,600 of the 2,000 responses obtained have been gathered via these two channels.

Says Sammie Ng, one in all the environmental advocates behind Communicate for Local weather: “It’s not that individual actions are not important, but that it’s not just about changing your lifestyle. Through your lifestyle, do you advocate for change? There’s a lot of individualised guilt over our role in the climate crisis, but it’s not very productive if we don’t channel it to changing structural issues.”

That is key particularly as a result of many structural points are an impediment to particular person actions having most affect. For instance, the manner our “blue bin” recycling system features signifies that whereas most individuals might accurately deposit solely clear and recyclable objects, it takes only one individual to discard liquids or meals into the bin and break everybody else’s efforts.

Extreme packaging is one other drawback that can’t be simply managed by the finish person; the change wants to come back from the firms concerned in the packing and manufacturing course of. “Sometimes we walk out of the supermarket with our own (reusable) bag, but contained within it are all packaged produce – pre-packed vegetables, plastic-wrapped bananas, containers of fruits,” notes Janet Chia, founding father of sustainability initiative Sayang Hijau.

“Even if these can be recycled or are biodegradable, was it even necessary in the first place? Recycling should never be viewed as the justification to unnecessary consumption.”

The record goes on. Such points are as quite a few as the campaigns and teams which have sprung up on this area – Cheryl Lee, an environmental advocate and neighborhood supervisor of non-profit organisation Up2Degrees, has counted greater than 55 massive organisations in Singapore targeted on local weather change points alone. But underlying these efforts is an consciousness that whereas many of those points would require authorities intervention to impact change, they’re additionally linked to industries essential to the nation’s economic system.

This pressure typically leads to official messages that appear to battle with actions taken – like when Singaporeans are requested to change to vitality environment friendly mild bulbs at residence, whereas oil and fuel large ExxonMobil is allowed to develop its refinery on Jurong Island. However environmentalists hesitate to overtly query these contradictions, conscious that their place could possibly be interpreted as simplistic or hostile to the industries involved.

Says Melissa Low, a analysis fellow at the NUS Power Research Institute: “It is hard not to empathise with the government’s position, and that’s where a lot of environmentalists come from – their approach is cautious. We know there are constraints, but how does Singapore overcome those constraints? How do I project a message that is not ignorant of them?”

The Singapore authorities is thought for its practicality, and it’ll not rush into actions that have an effect on industries and the economic system, she stated. “I think these issues are being evaluated, but until we can find real cost-effective alternatives to Jurong Island and plastic for hawkers to package food, some things are red lines. The market forces just will not allow for it.”

Ho Xiang Tian, co-founder of environmental group LepakInSG, realises that Singapore is constrained by how a lot it can accomplish on its personal as a small nation. “It’s not like we can set an agenda and everyone else will follow us. We can try to do something about climate change, but if countries in the region or globally don’t, we can’t make much of a difference. If our economy suffers in the process, climate change will still affect us, but by that time we won’t have the resources to adapt to it.”

Nonetheless, he thinks there’s nonetheless room to dial again the concept that fixed financial development needs to be Singapore’s primary precedence.

“There’s this thought that if we take action on climate change, we will harm the economy. But I think inaction will harm the economy even more. We’ve seen Covid-19 hit the economy quite hard, and it’s just a taste of what will happen in the future, as global temperatures rise and these outbreaks become more common.”

Authorities efforts

The Singapore authorities has proven that it takes local weather points severely, establishing an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Local weather Change in 2007 that leads a whole-of-government method to nationwide plans for lowering carbon emissions and tackling the results of local weather change. Authorities ministries even have their very own initiatives to deal with local weather change and sustainability points related to their scopes. For instance, the Ministry of Commerce and Business affords corporations focused incentives to encourage adoption of vitality environment friendly applied sciences, and is working with private and non-private sector stakeholders to maximise the use of accessible surfaces to deploy photo voltaic panels.

The Ministry of Setting and Water Sources (MEWR) leads sustainability initiatives like its thematic 12 months campaigns (the Yr of Local weather Motion in 2018, the Yr In direction of Zero Waste in 2019 and the Singapore Meals Story in 2020). Initiatives beneath these themes don’t finish after the 12 months is over; as an alternative, they kind the foundation of long-term methods that proceed to be executed over the subsequent a number of years.

MEWR and different ministries have additionally engaged non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the public in dialogues on sustainability points, via means like focus group discussions and the NCCS’ public consultations.

Whereas it’s laborious to know whether or not or how the suggestions shall be included into insurance policies, there have been indications that it doesn’t disappear into the void after the classes.

As an illustration, following the LEDS session, NCCS requested permission from contributors to publish their submissions on-line, and in addition compiled the suggestions right into a doc with corresponding responses from 23 authorities companies.

Ms Low says such an initiative was shocking, since nowhere in the Paris Settlement is there a requirement to interact residents on this method to formulate a rustic’s long-term emissions plan. “It shows they are concerned about citizens’ views about climate change.”

Nonetheless, she feels residents’ involvement stays restricted by parameters set by the ministry or company internet hosting the dialogue. As extra belief is constructed between the authorities and sustainability teams, she and different advocates hope the two sides will be capable of work extra collaboratively, reduce the energy asymmetry and create higher transparency round how stakeholders are engaged and their suggestions included into insurance policies.

Transferring forward

There’ll all the time be room for enchancment, and Singapore has barely scratched the floor of what can be completed to fight local weather change. Coco Oan, founding father of zero-waste group Venture bECOme, notes that a lot of our efforts are focused at lowering our affect on the setting, and are a great distance from progressing to a dialogue about reversing harm.

To really take possession of Singapore’s carbon emissions, the nation should look into lowering its Scope 3 emissions as properly, says Mr Ho of LepakInSG. These are the emissions that aren’t generated by immediately owned or managed sources or electrical energy era – Scope 3 emissions are related to items bought from abroad, for instance.

“We can look at where our food and products come from, and if we are able to re-source them from places or companies that produce them in a more responsible way, we will be able to cut our Scope 3 emissions,” he says.

Pek Hai Lin, government director at inexperienced group Zero Waste SG, suggests that non-public corporations work collectively to seek out methods round the obstacles to changing environmentally dangerous enterprise practices. “Private-sector wise, there has to be better collaboration efforts between companies to streamline supply chain and waste management issues, as cost can only be reduced through shared infrastructure.”

Inside the sustainability motion itself, the manner forward appears to lie in remaining in fixed dialogue and supporting each other’s efforts. Most advocates are of the opinion that trying to unite the teams or campaigns beneath one umbrella shall be impractical and even detrimental to sustainability efforts.

“As resources are limited and there are diverse environmental concerns, there might not be bandwidth (for NGOs) to come together on a single issue… However, organisations with similar scopes can collaborate on a project basis to increase impact of the message, and there have been many forms of collaborations happening over the years,” says Ms Pek.

The breadth of the motion is not going to pose an issue so long as the teams keep mutual respect and assist for each other, says Ms Lee of Up2Degrees. “In Singapore, the people and organisations are quite open-minded; there’s no such thing as ‘my issue is bigger than yours’, which is an attitude I’ve seen when I travel.”

Most significantly, the motion should not lose sight of the affect particular person actions and advocacy can nonetheless make on progress.

Ms Low says: “Firms are made up of individuals too. These sitting at director stage are dad and mom, brothers and sisters. Somebody of their community is anxious.

“The plurality of actions needs to be considered. Everybody needs to act, individuals, businesses, governments – everybody needs to chip in, otherwise our efforts will not work.”

The circle of life

AMONG the many strategies of lowering environmental affect, the round economic system is one which has been taking off extra efficiently in some purposes right here.

Over the final eight years, Singaporeans have embraced shopping for and promoting second-hand items on on-line market Carousell. Additionally standard are vogue rental subscription providers like Model Principle and MADThread which provide common closet refreshes at a fraction of the regular price.

These companies have managed to seize a considerable following that features many customers who might not think about sustainability one in all their key considerations.

MADThread CEO Nicole Hu says that whereas its core mission is to “spread confidence” via a high quality, accessible wardrobe, with the ability to assist cut back environmental affect makes MADThread’s work extra significant.

The rental mannequin not solely permits for designer items to get extra use via rotation amongst a number of prospects, but in addition provides a brand new lease of life to clothes which may in any other case be uncared for or mishandled.

“We’ve seen clothes that have become discoloured and washed out because of frequent use get restored to their previous glory through conscientious, careful cleaning and repair,” says Ms Hu.

Lucas Ngoo, co-founder of Carousell, says the firm began with a objective to deal with the international drawback of overconsumption and extra, by encouraging a way of life the place “second-hand is the first choice”.

“It’s the better option; you find meaningful and unique items, save the earth, save money and make money,” Mr Ngoo says.

Itemizing, discovering and exchanging second-hand items can be a laborious course of, and Carousell has labored to simplify it and take away frequent ache factors. All customers really want to do to begin promoting is to snap a photograph and embody some fundamental details about their merchandise. The app now leverages synthetic intelligence and machine studying to assist Carousellers record and discover objects extra simply. For instance, a brand new object identification characteristic permits Carousell to advocate a reputation, product classes and optimum promoting worth when a person snaps a photograph for an inventory.

Cost (or non-payment) points are one other wrinkle it has labored laborious to iron out. Utilizing a Stripe funds product that permits it to just accept and make funds on behalf of third events, Carousell affords the Carousell Safety possibility for consumers and sellers to have funds held securely by the market till each events confirm that they’re glad with the transaction.

Getting extra companies to embrace the round economic system mannequin shall be difficult in the event that they really feel the adjustments don’t make enterprise sense. Ms Hu notes that collective effort between the authorities and personal sector is required to pursue options that can considerably cut back carbon emissions. “Businesses often lack (resources for) massive investments and the network to leapfrog into implementing innovations that are commercially acceptable and financially sustainable.”

Moreover offering subsidies and investments, the authorities may additionally permit corporations to collaborate and share assets throughout sectors, akin to permitting deliveries to be built-in into current Seize journeys, Ms Hu says.

Cheryl Lee, a neighborhood supervisor at non-profit organisation Up2Degrees, says corporations additionally have to be held accountable to create reverse provide chains for his or her merchandise, and penalties needs to be imposed on shoppers who dispose of things irresponsibly when correct strategies can be found.

“There needs to be a ‘carrot and stick’ element,” says Ms Lee. “It’s a motivator for people, just like food and comfort are.”

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fayewonglibrary · 4 years

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Heavenly pop stars edge out God (2002)

By Philippa Hawker

Every year, some of the most successful pop stars in the world come to perform in Australia - unobtrusively, without mainstream fanfare, although they play to packed houses and ecstatic fans. They are the celebrities of Cantopop, Hong Kong’s popular music voice.

Two weeks ago, its biggest male star, Jacky Cheung, played the Rod Laver Arena. Tomorrow, Hong Kong’s movie and pop princess, Sammi Cheng - who is like Britney Spears and Julia Roberts rolled into one - has a sell-out show at the Crown Palladium.

Cantopop isn’t known for originality or innovation. Its specialities are wistful love ballads and dance-floor jingles. Songs are frantically churned out to a formula, with a McDonald’s-meets-Motown efficiency.

Performers are quickly created and constantly made over: it’s a market insatiable for novelty yet highly dependent on familiarity. Promotion is crucial. Performers often have sponsors, and there are vouchers for clothes and haircuts given away with discs: a new single by the latest teenpop sensation, The Twins, comes in a hexagonal pink box with sweets, coupons and a calendar; when you buy a new Kelly Chan disc, you get a watch. The music is regularly dismissed as saccharin and sappy, a triumph of hype. Yet Cantopop has enduring careers, distinctive styles and an intriguing history.

It developed in the late 1960s and early ‘70s with a demand from Hong Kong audiences for popular music in their own dialect, Cantonese.

It has subsumed a range of influences from America, Japan and Taiwan, and has adjusted to new markets and political climates. Its stars also record in Mandarin for the Chinese market, and occasionally in English and Japanese.

There’s a constant pressure to perform, tour, make publicity appearances, maintain a fan base, keep a flow of singles and albums coming - at least three albums a year. A snappy turnover of looks and hairstyles is also mandatory, especially for female artist.

The more the performers do, the happier fans are. “Working hard is Hong Kong style,” says Agnes Au, manager of Melbourne’s Chinatown Cinema and a promoter who has been bringing top Cantopop stars to Australia for 10 years. There are usually three or four tours a year, at Chinese New Year, and in June and September. The audience is mostly under 30. And there are the movies. Rising Cantopop stars are offered movie deals the way new Australian cricketers seem to be given book contracts along with their baggy green caps. There is often little correspondence between the pop singer image and the film roles. Stars can appear in comedies and crime thrillers, period films and arthouse movies. Musicals are rarely made in Hong Kong. According to director Johnnie To, they are labour-intensive, don’t suit the quick-turnover approach of Hong Kong film making, and audiences think of them as old-fashioned.

Leslie Cheung was one of Cantopop’s first pop idols, and he also happens to be one of the cinema’s most compelling actors. His breakthrough film role came in 1986, when he played a young police officer whose brother is a triad member in John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow. His musical career began in the late '70s, when he sang American Pie in a talent contest. He retires occasionally to concentrate on his acting, then makes comebacks, in the Nellie Melba tradition. He has a light, crooner’s voice and a flamboyant stage presence: he has been known to wear long wigs, dresses, gold hot pants, a white tuxedo with angel wings.

The male singers have a higher profile and draw bigger audiences: they can stage 30 to 40 consecutive live shows in Hong Kong, while a top female star might have to be content with a mere dozen.

Four male artists have dominated the industry: they are known as the Four Heavenly Kings. Jacky Cheung (sometimes called the God of Songs) is widely acknowledged as having the best voice. He was a reservations clerk for Cathay Pacific when he was discovered in a talent contest - alongside beauty pageants, one of the main ways that the industry finds new faces and voices.

The second king is the dapper Andy Lau, a TV actor turned film star, famous for once making nine films simultaneously. He was the first Asian face of Pepsi.

Then there’s Leon Lai, known as the Heavenly King of Fan Support, and Aaron Kwok, the Heavenly King of Dance. And, keeping this older generation on its toes, there are always new faces, new acts, Heavenly Pretenders, figures such as Chan, Nicholas Tse, Andy Hui, Eason Chan and the Twins. Of the female stars, the best known are Sammi Cheng and Faye Wong. Cheng is famously nice, consummately professional. There is some wonderful footage of her shot during a 1999 concert tour, when she was driven around the stage in a dune buggy to greet the maximum number of fans in the shortest possible time. Pressing more flesh in one night than the average politician does in a lifetime, accompanied by bodyguards, she has toys and gifts thrust upon her, almost has her arm wrenched from its socket, and keeps on singing, a trouper to the last agonising handshake.

At 29, she has already made 30 albums. She still lives with her parents. Her film career is flourishing: she has best-actress nominations for three movies in this year’s Hong Kong Film Awards, as well as singing one of the best song nominations.

If Cheng has a girl-next-door image, Faye Wong is known as “the difficult one”. She is not as popular as she once was, but she’s the closest thing the industry has to an alternative star. Her film debut was in Wong Kar-Wai’s Chungking Express, where she played a gamine behind a fast-food counter and could be heard on the soundtrack singing covers of songs by the Cranberries and the Cocteau Twins.

There is a procession of up-and-coming stars, a vast industry to promote them, and a passionate, obsessive fan base. In a recent survey of the people admired by Hong Kong teenagers, nine out of the top 10 were Cantopop stars.

The odd one out was God, and he came in ninth, trailing Gigi Leung, beating Cecilia Cheung.

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SOURCE: THE AGE AU

#2002

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ericadownunderpart2 · 5 years

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Singapore, living the glossy life!

In the immortal words of Boyz II Men, “we have come to the end of the road”. Final post. Sorry it’s a bit late. No, I did not die in Singapore. I made it home safely and then got too lazy to post about it. Apologies. Anyway, Singapore is amazing, Alicia is the best tour guide/host ever and I have so much to tell you...

Day 1: Bright lights and the red lights

After a 6 hour flight from Cairns to Singapore, I was thrilled to be met at the airport by my dear friend Alicia, who I grew up with in Milwaukee (Brew City baby!) and has been one of my best friends ever since. She has been living in Singapore for the past year and a half for work and was the hostess with the mostest on the Singapore leg of my journey. On a side note, the Singapore airport is a dream. Which I can not say for any other airport...in existence anywhere. A dream.

Seriously!?! This is what the airport looks like!?! Amazing.

After a much needed real sleep, in a real apartment, with a real shower, Alicia planned a fabulous day out on the town for us. One of the things that I love about Singapore is the truly international feel to it. It is awesome to be in a place where people of color are the majority. And I mean, all kinds of color. Very “We are the world” in a non- Coca-cola commercial way! We were able to explore Little India, Chinatown and Arab Street on our weekend adventure. It was like taking a world tour without needing to go through customs. Awesome.

In general, Singapore has to be one of the cleanest, safest and most impressive cities I’ve ever seen, with massive skyscrapers, high rise apartments and beautiful tropical parks. It has some of the most iconic buildings in Asia and waterfronts to match. As Alicia calls it, it is truly “Asia 101,″ with the ease of navigation and picturesque city living that makes weak-sauce American travelers feel right at home. But with a distinctly cultural feel, that keeps it interesting. This may come at the cost of what could be seen as a slightly oppressively lawful and regulatory state with clear social castes and displays of extreme wealth, but from an outsiders perspectives, it seems pretty congenial.

Chinatown

Little India, preparing for Dewali celebrations

Alicia and I started our Singaporian adventure with a stroll through a few of the ethnic neighborhoods of the city and high tea at the Flower Garden by the Bay. An amazing garden dome overlooking the famous Bay, Botanical Gardens and the iconic Marina Bay Sands (boat) hotel.

Why don’t we have high tea in America? It is the best thing ever. Fancy tea, an excuse to get dressed up, drink tea, champagne and coffee while eating adorable and delicious tiny snacks. So many little sammies and desserts. This is what it must be like to be rich and/or famous. I am going to try harder to be both in the future.

Flower Dome by the Bay

I am almost certain it is against some sort of cultural or actual law to take picture of Buddhist Monks, but they were so photo-ready, stopping to smell the flowers. I apologize to Buddhists everywhere.

Following our high tea, we strolled through the iconic Marina Bay Sands area , with the classic Singaporean skyline, the park with the incredible “supertree” sculptures and the impressive skyscrapers of the “downtown” district.

On Saturday night, Alicia arranged an awesome tour of the infamous legalized Red Light Districts in Singapore. The Geylang district. This is perplexing to me, because Singapore has A LOT of rules. Rules for all kinds of things that probably don’t even need rules. There are cameras everywhere and security guards and posted signs outlining the numerous things you are not able to do. But prostitution, totally legal...well, within a complex set of rules that is.

But not surprisingly, like most of Singapore, even the Red Light district was, totally glossy. In fact, it was one of the nicest, cleanest “skectchy” neighborhoods I have seen in a city the size of Singapore. I felt entirely safe and in fact, a little disappointed by the severe lack of seediness in the area. I would gladly sit down and have a cup of tea on any of the Red Light district’s corners.

Our tour guide, a lovely lady who calls the Gelong her home and is an advocate for the neighborhood, showed us around and introduced us to the complicated, complex and fascinated issues of the area and policies.

Alicia, me, Angela, Kathe and our amazing Gelong advocate and tour guide (center).

In classic Singapore style, they figured out that the best way to control illegal activity is to legalize and regulate the practice. There are strict regulations for brothels and an intense level of camera and police surveillance to limit the non-legal (i.e. streetwalking) activities. What does that do? Create a totally chill and clean and glossy red light district. Not to say, that the area doesn’t have it’s fair share of drugs and sexual exploitation that are problematic, but it does at the very least, give off an air of controlled chaos. And with the advent of the internet and increased policing, whatever debauchery that was once the scene, has now moved indoors, giving way to a charming and safe feeling street scene. You could probably eat off the streets here and as it turns out, some of the best restaurants in town can be found here. Fascinating.

Speaking of eating off the street. Our fun tour group stopped after the tour for a delicious authentic Chinese dinner...and for a Singaporean delicacy, Durian fruit. Durian fruit is known for its horrendous smell and odd savory and sweet flavor that to me resembles a garlic-y citrus fruit that smells like rotting flesh and is the consistency of lumpy pudding. The ladies were sure I needed to try it. So I put on a pair of protective gloves, held my nose and dived in. It tastes better than it smells, but that isn’t saying all that much. It’s not terrible, but I don’t think I would spend the $100+ price tag per Durian to eat it for funsies again. But it was ...an experience. Across Asia, although considered a prized delicacy for many, it has actually been banned from carrying on public transportation in Singapore, Thailand and Hong King due to the offensive smell. Of our group of die hard Singaporeans and longtime ex-pats, everyone was excited to have a bite, but no one wanted to have it in their refrigerator. Enough said.

Durian...it smells like it looks...disgusting.

We concluded our evening with a stroll through Alicia’s neighborhood all-night food market, called the Hawkers Center, which we hit up another day, when not full on rancid forbidden fruit.

Day 2: Rain...bringer of mud and magic

The next day brought the monsoons, or as they refer to them in Singapore, light rain. :) We headed inside to check out the National Museum of Singapore, which houses amazing art by Singaporean and other neighboring Asian country artists. Absolutely amazing. It is housed in some of the former judicial and state buildings on the island. It was extremely well done and an interesting glimpse into the marriage of formal, western art forms with the history and traditionas of Singapore melded in. Absolutely stunning.

With a break in the weather we took a break on the rooftop bar to have a “Singapore Sling” overlooking the amazing Marina Bay Sands hotel and the Durian inspired performing arts center. Everything in Singapore continues to be absolutely clean, picturesque and stunning to behold. Even if you are not into the glossy, modern skyscraper skyline, you can’t help but be overtaken by the awe-inspiring views and intentionality of the perfect skyline. (think real life Sim City!...yep, hitting you with that 90s nerd reference)

We then decided to hit up the beautiful (and free!) UNESCO world heritage site of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. It is a huge botanic park filled with amazing trees and flowers, animals, walking paths and lakes.

Alicia and I, in search of otters and turtles ventured to check out the Eco-lake on the grounds. Due to some recent drought, the water levels were low, which meant that Alicia and I were going to take advantage of this to get up close and personal with the local turtles hanging out in the mud flats. We bounded over the mud on a crash course to say hey to the turtles, when to our dismay realized that the mud was in fact, quicksand, and we immediately sinking into it, fearing our imminent doom. Ok, quicksand might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I did see my life flash before my eyes and by the time we pulled ourselves out of the mud, one of Alicia’s flipflops had become an unwanted victim to the mud.

This became the next phase of our adventure. You will not be surprised that we raised a few eyebrows, tramping through the beautiful park, completely covered in mud and with Alicia barefoot. As I mentioned, Singapore has a lot of rules and I am sure we were in violation of at least 5-10 of them. We managed to find a miracle bathroom that had some sort of foot washing/hose situation that we could clean up in. Again, not exactly the intended use, I’m sure and a bit eyebrow raising (again) for the locals, but a god-send. We did manage to locate a giftshop with a quite extensive flipflop selection (leading me to believe we were not the first victims of the “quicksand lake of flipflop death.”) We located new footwear for Alicia and headed on our dirty and merry way.

We ended our day the way we had started the previous one, checking out the neighborhoods that give Singapore such an enticing appeal. We headed to Haji Lane, which is part of the Arab district of the city for some delicious Lebanese food. Haji Lane really feels like a magical place, with colorful shops and restaurants lining the back alleys and live music and delicious smells and lively sounds. This was one of the highlights of the trip. A great place for two old friends to catch up.

Haji Lane (Arab Street neighborhood)

All in all, a magical trip to Singapore to end a magical trip. After almost 3 weeks on the road, I was both incredibly sad to leave and happy to sleep in my own bed. After getting stranded for a few hours in Seoul on the long trip taking me from Singapore to Seoul, Korea, to Las Vegas to home, I was so happy after 32 hours in transit to be back on Minneostan soil. Thanks to all of you for coming along with me on my journey and to all of you that showed me kindness and hospitality along the way.

(PS Full disclosure, basically of the photos that look half way decent from this post were Alicia’s. Thanks for investing in a phone/camera from this decade!)

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jeremystrele · 5 years

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Seven Incredible Tiny Eco Getaways

by Lucy Feagins, Editor

The ‘Leo’ Bubbletent, overlooking Capertee Valley. Photo – Mayumi Iwasaka.

Bubbletent by day and night. Photo – Mayumi Iwasaka (left), Saeed Sourati (right).

BubbleTent Australia

Inspired by a stargazing trip to Lake Tekapo, the creator of Bubbletent returned to Australia with an idea to build accommodation ‘without a darned roof in the way.’ The Bubbletent was born, and the completely transparent home offers views in EVERY direction. The owners explain that the exact location of the Bubbletent is secret to protect the privacy and seclusion of guests, but its ‘roughly halfway between Mudgee and Lithgow, overlooking Capertree Valley’, which is home to 1/3 of all Australian bird species! There are three Bubbletents to choose from, all inflated by an eco-turbine powered by batteries and solar power. An unprecedented opportunity to ‘experience a sunset, then the curtain of the cosmos peeling back to unveil the blanket of stars.’

Bubbletent Caper Tree Valley NSW

The Coastal Pavilions at Freycinet Lodge, designed by Liminal Studio. Photo – Dianna Snape.

Cosy inside and curving exteriors. Photo – Dianna Snape.

Tasmanian timber lines the pavilions. Photo – Dianna Snape.

Coastal Pavilions

The natural beauty of Freycinet is pretty outrageous, but somehow architecture firm Liminal Studio have matched the stunning landscape with their design of nine Coastal Pavilions at Freycinet Lodge. The self contained structures are shrouded in curved glass windows, feature Tasmanian timbers, and echo the form of the coastal granite rock formations in the National Park. Sink into an outdoor bath, and watch the light fade over Honeymoon Bay!

Coastal Pavilions at Freycinet Freycinet National Park TAS

The Blue Derby Pod Rides in Tasmania. Photo – Ben Cirulis.

Eco pods, hidden in Tasmanian bushland. Photo – Ben Cirulis.

A curved and wrapped pod, with dreamy forest views. Photo – courtesy Blue Derby Pods Ride.

A bed with a view! Photo – Adam Gibson.

Blue Derby Pods Ride

Located in the Derby Forest Reserve, these Philip Lighton Architects designed pods offer a designer experience for mountain bikers in Tasmania’s remote north-east. Nestled within the Blue Derby Mountain Bike trails network, the pods appear to float in the forest as the curved walls swoop in and embrace guests. The tiny buildings are entirely off-grid, powered by solar and local rain-water. Who knew bike riding could be SO lux!

Blue Derby Pods Ride Blue Derby Mountain Bike Trails TAS

Meet Jude! An off-grid cabin in Adelaide Hills. Photo – courtesy CABN.

Solar powered, off-grid delight! Photo – courtesy CABN.

CABN

Last week we introduced the Kangaroo Valley CABN – and today it is South Australia’s turn! Charmingly named ‘Jude’ this Adelaide Hills CABN offers an off grid escape, less than 1.5 hours from Adelaide.

All of the CABN’s are build in the company’s South Australian factory, and installed at secluded locations across Australia where they are powered by solar. The idea behind CABN is to offer a total escape, without needing to travel for hours from a major city. Say ‘Hey Jude’ and enjoy a nature reboot, without having to trek in the bush for days to reach your destination.

CABN Adelaide Hills South Australia

The Faraway Dome, in drought stricken Warialda, NSW. Photo – courtesy Faraway Domes.

The geodesic domes offer a environmentally aware glamping experience. Photo – Faraway Domes.

Faraway Domes

We have published a short piece on the Faraway Domes in Warialda, NSW once before. These stunning moon-shaped domes are inspired by their rustic bush location, and designed by the Munsie family who run, own and built the accommodation. These geodesic domes were developed in response to the devastating drought in the area – taking an environmental approach to tourism and highlighting the beauty of the region.

The Faraway Domes Warialda NSW

Get into the wild…with In 2 The Wild! Photo – courtesy In 2 The Wild.

Minimal luxury in dreamy locations. Photo – courtesy In 2 The Wild.

In 2 The Wild

In 2 The Wild offers a suite of 10 tiny cabins, dotted in secret locations throughout NSW, with details of the exact location only revealed a few days before the scheduled booking! The off-grid huts are moveable, which helps to ensure a minimal environmental footprint. Large windows connect guests to the surrounding environment, and enjoy an opportunity to gaze at bushland rather than computer screens!

In 2 The Wild Various locations in NSW

Unshackle yourself from the business of modern life with Unyoked. Photo – Sammy Hawker.

Located outside of Melbourne and Sydney, these easy escapes are easily achievable, even for the biggest city slicker! Photo – Sammy Hawker.

UnYoked

Chris from Unyoked describes their approach as providing ‘a bit of a gateway drug to living more mindfully.’ And we have to agree that if any accommodation is going to make you reconsider the way you live, Unyoked might just be it!

These cabins are located within reach of Melbourne and Sydney, and offer an escape from urban life. Inspired by Japanese and Scandi design, these self-contained contemporary cabins are designed as a ‘vessel to explore and appreciate the outdoors, and try to oppose the excess of luxury hotels.’ But fear not, all the essential creature comforts including a plush queen sized bed, composting toilet, hot shower and fridge are covered!

Unyoked Outside of Melbourne and Sydney NSW and VIC

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