ION Orchard : The new kid on the block

Going to the ION
What's on the front page?

ION Orchard

Opened on 21 July 2009

This residential building has a total of 175 residential units.

Called The Orchard Residences.

The apartments are from the 9th to the 54th floor

and 4 penthouses.

Some units were sold for an average of S$3299 psf.

8 floors of retail shops, restaurants, cafes and more..

A 5,300 sq ft art and exhibition gallery

on the 4th floor of the shopping mall.

'A double-storey observation deck located on the

55th and 56th floors will offer a panoramic view of the city.

Named ION Sky, the observation deck will be an ideal place

for runway shows, product launches and parties'.

Lots of excitement is expected.

If you have the eye on Ion

(check out the poshest loos on this link).

Here are some of my pictures,

of the iconic ION Orchard.

ION Art's artwork

The nutmeg

Urban People

This entrance leads to the Orchard MRT Station.

The underpass that links to Tangs,

on the opposite of the main road.

Spacious outdoor foyer.

Some flagship stores.

Louis Vuitton

This new shop called 'Car Shoe'

I wonder,

if it has anything to do with cars.

The high tech touch screen directory.

A 'finesse' foyer.

The brightly lighted-up, fine, mirror escalators that gives the

place the luxurious feel.

Feels like I am in a Hotel shopping arcade..

Shops at every turn.

The long escalator, that passes four levels of

shops and dines.

See the ceiling 'Alive' at the ION

Impressive structures.

Burger King looks different here.

In black.

Food Halls

So tall,

four levels high.

This significant fountain pillar,

leads down to the food court

Food Opera

A wide selection of food.

Pretty well decorated.

Looking from these angles,

it doesn't look like a food court.

Found a good home idea!

This is a nice display that can be applied at home.

Just to have tea.

Guess what?

Found the National Geographic Drift Wood Horse

standing in the food court.

There are many restaurants and cafes, you will be spoilt for choice.

Colorful in the day.

Notice the colour changes.

Dazzles in the night.

Danger Boy

H'm.. h'm.. my pets again..

I can never get enough of them.

Adore them, love them, they bring cheer to my day.

Playful, at times irritating and can be annoying.

Nevertheless, they are my adorable pals.

At the end of every play.

They need a good wash.

The rabbit never gives up irritating the dog

that is about 30 times his weight.

The big guy got real tired.

But the little one was still 'kicking up his heels'.

This is a video of them 'Playing Dangerously'

Soybeans : Making your own 'Tau Huay'

Soybeans a good source of protein has a significant amount of essential amino acids.

On a daily basis, amino acids is said to help us repair muscles, organ, hair, nails, ligaments and skin effectively, resulting in good health.

Used in many forms for human consumption.

Like soya sauce, cooking oils, margarine, flour or processed into tofu.

Soy milk are used as a substitute for diary products too.

Find out more from this website: Hutchinson encyclopedia

An excerpt:

Soya is the richest natural vegetable food. The dried bean is 18-22% fat, 35% carbohydrate, and one hectare of soybeans yields 162 kg of protein as compared with 9 kg per hectare for beef.

I love soya milk drinks and the dessert 'Tau Huay'

Sweeten or unsweeten with syrup, served hot or cold, this silky soft tofu is a delightful dessert.

Wonderful as a light snack or for breakfast.

This video shows...

How to Make Tau Huay by Leslie Tay

View it, try it, and enjoy it...

Marina Bay Sands Construction

A delay in the opening of the Marina Bay Sands.

This post is in relation to my previous post on

'Singapore's Changing Skyline'.

Every morning on my way to Shenton Way,

I will pass this scene and I have always thought to

myself how beautiful it will look when completed.

BUT..

I was sadden to hear of the delay.

A report on Channel NewsAsia on 10th July 2009.

'Delay in opening of Marina Bay Sands could potentially mean big losses'.

See what goes on behind those screens...

Thanks to ckuruz from YouTube for this marvelous clip.

We now have an idea of the magnitude of this project.

See the construction.

The dedication and hard work put in to make the

Marina Bay Sands.
Day...

and Night

Work goes on...

Day

and night..

Wow! did you know... 

SKYPARK: 7,000 TONNES OF STEEL

1 HOTEL FLOOR EVERY 4 DAYS

I MILLION CUBIC METERS OF CONCRETE POURED TO DATE

Taken recently on July, 2009

Taken on 12th and 13th October, 2009

Heritage Trees in Singapore

Cutting down trees in your own garden can be a crime.

Roots growing out of control or insects invested etc..

CHECK! with NParks before chopping down a mature tree.

You might own a HERITAGE TREE

From the Straits Times

Reports from the Straits Times..

This is his story...

Nope!

not when the tree is deemed a heritage and in the

tree conservatory areas.

I like this stubby looking tree, that has a thick girth.

How will this be grouped, when it matures and grows its girth too quickly

It is best to check with NParks before planting any tree.

Even in one's own premise.

Hefty fines for some fruit trees..

Below are some Heritage Trees, found at the

Botanic Gardens

The famous Tembusu heritage tree that's printed on our SGD$5.00 note

Reinforcing with much care and not simply chopped..

Another heritage tree..

This huge tree does not have a heritage sign on it.

But I was surprise that this giant is a cotton tree!

Amazed by the humongous size, I had to zoomed in with my camera to see its trunk

way up there..

Speaking of large girth.. this is gigantic..

Very strong roots that seemed to be going everywhere...

The lovely ferns nesting nicely on the tree, makes it look so artistic..

And as I walked around, these cottons were falling everywhere..

All from above..

A fascinating tree

Another captivating tree is this.. Burmese Banyan Moraceae

No heritage sign board but as interesting..

A very mature tree

Also known as the weeping ficus.

I can't tell the trunk from the vines..

Nor the branches and the vines... fantastic vines

From a distant, it's like any other tree..

Loved this most, the flame of forest...

You can't miss the striking red flowers.. lovely, lovely, lovely..

Remember, you can't just remove any tree: it will cost you.

Check with NParks.