Prewar buildings in Singapore and Malaysia

At first glance, I thought this is in Kuala Lumpur but it is not. It's a corner coffeeshop in Keong Saik Road in Singapore. I was mistaken because there are coffeeshops like this here in Kuala Lumpur. As a matter of fact, KL and Singapore share the same history of immigrant Chinese coolies arriving on these shores and the lifestyle and types of building styles that emerged from those early days.

Today, this type of buildings can still be found in Malaysia, even in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, in Chinatown. There is a pub (don't remember the name) in Jalan Tun H S Lee formerly known as Jalan Bandar and prior to that High Street, that looks quite like the outfit in the picture. Customers sit at the five-foot way on high chairs at the bar. There is live music at this bar popular with foreign tourists, mostly Caucasians, I noticed. Worth checking out if you are in this part of town.

This building in the image dates back to prewar 1939 and the coffeeshop/cafe business in this premise has been around for four generations.

FOR about 75 years, Tong Ah Eating House has stood out in Keong Saik Road for its distinctive red-and-white facade and shape as it sits on a triangular plot of land.

But from tomorrow, this old-school coffee shop will head out to a new shophouse, even if it is just a few doors down the same road. More..Pre-war coffee shop moving out

Friday Frolics - What Architectural Style Are You?

Traffic jams aside, if I happen to be in the city, one of the things I enjoy doing is to pause to take in the sights of buildings. We may not have that many or like those in New York City but hey, we still have the tallest twin towers in the world, the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.

The twin towers are indeed a sight to behold but standing in front of this set of iconic buildings and looking across to the other side, you will get to enjoy many other skyscrapers that seem to have suddenly sprung up from the last time you were there.

Today's personality quiz is about architecture. Take the quiz to find out what architectural style are you.

HappySurfer Is Baroque

You have a strong personality. You are who you are, and you're darn proud of it. You are quite guarded. You feel reluctant to reveal your true self to others. You think on a whole other plane. You see patterns and logic where others see chaos. You are comfortable with theories. Abstract ideas and concepts delight you.

Which Architectural Style Are You?

Friday Frolics: We'll Tell You The Truth... Someone Has To!

Friday Frolics - Which Architectural Style Are You?

Strange quiz this week's, even stranger result. Not sure how to rate this, so no rating on this one. Check out what's your architectural style.

Happy weekend, everyone, and to mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day!

You Are Modern

You are a very exciting person to be involved with in any way. You are like a drug. You make for a very formidable opponent. You destroy all challenges in your way. You are a naturally powerful person. You know how to get what you want. You crave success, but you're going to become successful on your own terms.

Which Architectural Style Are You?

Quizzes and Tests and Memes, Oh My!

New Cutting Edge Technology for Fire Retardation/Fire Rating

More often than not, newspapers feature disasters or bad news on their frontpage. This goes to show that bad news sells. I just opened up TheStar online and as usual, there is more news featuring catastrophes than pleasant news. One of them is a passenger ferry disaster in northern Philiipines, a second disaster in three days! Another item is on the bus accident that killed ten, another a heist, yet another unruly Christmas revellers in Gurney Drive, Penang. The only good news headlined is the increase in price for cigarettes beginning Jan 1, though smokers would take that as bad news.

On extended dry hot spells, fire would most likely add to the disasters. Fires can actually be avoided or perhaps damage could be minimised and lives saved with new improved fire rating materials.

Fire rating used to be referred to as fire proofing but now fire rating is the preferred term as there is really no way anyone can fire-proof anything.

In buildings, there is now a leading edge fire protection for structural steel. Nullifire S707 intumescent basecoat is the most advanced and versatile water-based fire protection coating of its type. Among other advantages, Nullifire S707 intumescent coating system comprising of primer, intumescent coating and top seal provides high quality, decorative fire protection for structural steelwork for up to 2 hours. What this means is that it allows more time for occupants to get out to safety.

There are many ways of fire rating and fight-fighting, fire spray is only one of them. Products carried by Remedial Building Services of Australia are popular with the construction industry for their compliance to stringent standards and are safe for use.

You Light Up My Life..

Being inland, Kuala Lumpur does not have a reason for a lighthouse though she has a set of twin towers that are still the tallest pair of towers in the world to this day.

Lighthouses are a welcome sight, at least to me. The sense of mystery and adventure must have stemmed from those adventure novels that we used to read during schooldays.

If one were to holiday at Outer Banks, one would get to enjoy the view of this pretty Bodie Island lighthouse.

Beijing Olympics - 080808

A bird's eye view of the Bird's Nest

Exactly one month from today, the world would be focussing on Beijing, China, the venue of the Beijing Olympics 2008. The opening ceremony will be held at the new National Stadium dubbed the Bird's Nest for its design of a bird's nest. In the meantime, the city must almost be ready with its beautification efforts such as sprucing up its gardens as indicated in the following pictures.

Anyone planning to visit China from now until year-end would have to go through stringent measures in getting a visa.






Source unknown

View from Burj Dubai - Tallest Building in the World

It's one thing to see blue skies and sunlight streaming in through your office windows or office glass walls everyday but certainly something else to be seeing clouds from your office day in day out - you see nothing below, no streets, no people, no traffic. It may look awesome initially but once the novelty wears off, having this view on a daily basis could be rather boring and unreal (maybe surreal), don't you think?

Here is how the view would be from the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai. At 2,620 ft or 801m tall, it will be the tallest building for a very, very long time.


The picture below is interesting too. The email says that if you look at the edge (uppermost right corner) of the picture, you can almost see the turn of the earth. Is it possible, I wonder. Still, it is an amazing view, almost like seeing it from space.


Okay, let's get back on the ground now, shall we?

Source unknown