Colin Gallagher's Blog, page 9

NASA: A Human Adventure Exhibition 2017

A couple of weeks ago I managed to get to see the NASA exhibition at the ArtScience Museum in its final week. I had been meaning to go since it arrived back in November 2016 and was looking forward to seeing some space loot. Tickets were 2-for-1 in the final few days so it was all systems go for….sigh….launch.

We’ve all heard the theories about the moon landings being fake well “fake” is actually the key word I would choose to describe this entire exhibition as a vast majority of the exhibits were replicas and models. What’s the point? I would get a more engaging experience looking up picture of the real space artifacts on the internet rather than staring at plastic effigy that some dude in an office in Cape Canaveral rustled up with some Cornflakes boxes and sticky tape.

So spoiler alert; I didn’t really enjoy it and it was pretty disappointing. As I went around I just ended up reading the information signs and  lowering my head every time I read the ubiquitous “replica” in brackets after the description.

First part was focused on the space race. Above us was a replica of Sputnik satellite. Graphically fine but nothing to write home about. Some old 60’s memorabilia set the scene for the era involved.

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard”

I guess the few authentic highlights were the REAL engine parts..at least I think they were real. Seeing the innards of wires and industrial tape and basic soldering really puts into perspective how innovative yet daring the NASA scientists were. I guess it was rocket science after all.

So after the engines you pretty much went through a model show-room of cockpits, modules, and rockets. It got boring where it should have got awe-inspiring.

Near the end there was a little miniature version of that big G-Force astronaut thingy (you know the one, James Bond was locked in one back in the day) for people to try out and that was pretty much that. I waited around to see if the door opened at the end of a spin and a pool of vomit would just flood out. It didn’t, people came out with faces asking “that’s it?” and just wandered off in a daze to the exit.

Sadly, I followed them too, in a daze, and was not sad to leave.

What was I looking for in a space exhibition? I was looking for real artifacts and an exhibition that left me with more questions than answers and a sense of awe. It failed on both counts…

Food Delivery in Singapore

Like taxi and ride hailing apps in Singapore, a lot has happened in the last 5 years with how you can get food delivered to your door so you don’t have to slide off your Cheeto-incrusted sofa and just lie there. Just lie there. Waiting.

Back in 2012, you were happy to get a Pizza Hut or Dominos pizza delivered. That was a good thing. FoodPanda was the only 3rd party food delivery app that was available and with really not a lot of variety and long hunger pain waiting times.

Fast forward to 2017 and the competition is fierce and most welcome to the paying customer. Foodpanda has had to up its game and actually try to become reliable and more accessible due to the entry of Deliveroo and UberEats into the fray. Let’s see how they stack up against each other in my experiences.

FoodPanda

Launched 2012. 5 million downloads on Google Play Store..

The oldest but the most disappointing. With more years behind them than UberEats or Deliveroo they still somehow get it wrong with customer experience. I remember ordering from them in the early days and getting cold and soggy food. There is no little map to show where your delivery is. If, for some reason, you open their app and stop browsing they pop up a little reminder on your phone as if you had lost your mind and just realised you’re not hungry. Silly. Stop badgering me. I know I’m hungry. At the time of writing they also have this splash ad before I can start even browsing the restaurants that is impossible to click the “x” on!!

They also seem to have less options than the other two main competitors (when they really don’t!), maybe that’s just where I am located in Singapore but this along with the aggravating user experience makes me choose this app last. They do have a deal with Burger King to deliver and they recently tried to start innovating with a couple of 24 hour food delivery options so I suppose there’s that.

It’s just that they remind me of Kodak; they had years to innovate and improve and did nothing. Then they got competition…

UberEats

Launched May 2016. 5 million downloads on Google Play Store.

I’ve had a couple of long waiting times with UberEats that were, after a few days, automatically acknowledged and I was given a $5 voucher. UberEats is my second go-to app due to those long waiting times, it feels to me like they just don’t have enough drivers around my location. It’s confusing too as I can’t rate the drivers like on regular Uber but the drivers seem to have ratings…odd… Even after just under a year on the market they seem to have more variety than FoodPanda and with a more smooth user experience on their app.

Deliveroo

Launched November 2015. 1 million downloads on Google Play Store.

Deliveroo rampaged onto the scene with an advertising assault that left no stone un-turned. Everywhere you looked you saw the logo and branding (they’ve since changed their logo). Restaurants and drivers were quick with hopping (ahem) on board and that made for a more pleasant first few orders with them as there were a variety of food options and quick delivery times. They show a map the moment you order and give you a notification each step of the way. They are my go-to app due to the slickness of their app and my history of getting my food quickly and hot. They also give you an option to tip the driver in your final payment which I can feel better about.

Like the ride hailing apps it will be interesting to watch this space. All companies are having money thrown into them by investments so it will be interesting how they will use those $$$$ that will determine who comes out on top. With the addition recently of a couple of alcohol delivery services in Singapore (bottlesXO and vinomofo); the room for natural expansion and evolution into that area has gotten a little but more competitive. One thing for sure is they will need to come up with something innovative to stand out from the competition.

Hans Zimmer vs John Williams: Live in Singapore 2017

Who wouldn’t pay to see two of the most acclaimed film composers in world history wrestle it out in a vat of duck fat, stripped to the waist, bloodied and bruised? Sadly, that will never happen and this peculiarly gladiatorial titled event would disappoint as it was merely a musical homage to Messrs Zimmer and Williams performed by a live orchestra conducted by Anthony Inglis.

And it was a jolly good show, it has to be said.

Movie scores when done right (and Williams and Zimmer do it right) can elicit more emotional connections to a movie and remain long in the memory. When you remember a scene; you remember the score. When you review a movie; the score plays a major part. Think of a movie, any movie. You now have the score in your head. You’re welcome.

A few empty seats a few minutes before kick-off.

As I sat and listened to the live orchestra in the Mastercard Theatre in Marina Bay Sands I fondly remembered emotive scenes and pivotal moments in each of the movies. E.T theme song? Being scared out of my mind of “sick E.T”. “Time” from Inception? Spinning top totem. Princess Leia’s Theme from Star Wars? “I love you” “I know”. Theme from Close Encounters? The final aliens reveal. Jurassic Park theme? “They’re uh…they’re flocking this way”. Schindler’s List theme? “I could have saved more” Even the instantly recognisable “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter brought me quickly back to the magic of a movie I don’t really think of as being in my top 10.

As you can tell from the short list above it was a high quality set list of many famous movie tunes. Immaculately performed and backed up by an effective yet nuanced laser show. The show finished off with a couple of Star Wars scores (with a couple of Stormtroopers appearing on the upper gangways) and Superman’s theme song (Niagara Falls rescue!). The conductor, Anthony Inglis, was a motley host with humorous asides and a couple of audience participation bits thrown in for good measure. It was also a treat to focus on different parts of the orchestra throughout to see the professionalism and timing of the various sections.

As a venue, The MasterCard Theatre is a handily located venue for events like this. I was in seat 49 in Row A of the dress circle. Right on the end of a row beside the exit door G. Unfortunately this row suffers from a maddeningly placed safety bar! If you’ve got the common sense to make your way to a live performance, you probably don’t need a safety railing! Not a show stopper but a little annoying.

I now have various movie themes going through my head…bom, bom, bom, bombebom, bombebom.

Taxis and Car Hailing in Singapore

When we arrived in Singapore in 2011 we were beyond excited that we could access our phone and order a taxi from a couple of different apps; ComfortDelGro, Trans-Cab and SMRT Book a Taxi. Jaws dropped as we saw the little taxi on the map heading our way…we were used to Hong Kong where you had to hail the old fashioned way; this was ground-breaking stuff.

Fast forward five years and a lot has changed; apps have appeared and apps have disappeared. Let’s take a look at how the whole scene is in March 2017.

Apps that are dead



There was a time a few years ago when my “Taxis” folder was crammed full of apps. Hailo – dead. Gone.

Lyft – appeared for a short time. Now unavailable. Don’t know if it will be back.

Easy Taxi – dead. Ceases to be.

Apps that exist as of March 2017

Uber

Bulldozing onto the scene in 2013 Uber is now my usual go-to app. At first, getting a lift in a personal car was strange to get used to but now it’s second nature. Constantly battling with Grab for fare deals and competitive pricing lends itself to a cheap option for getting around Singapore. Branching off from their standard UberX private car option, Uber now offers UberPool (sharing the fare with other passengers), UberExec (fancy-pants option), uberXL (up to 6 peeps), ExecLarge (fancy-pants parties of 6), and you can now just order a taxi through their app.

Grab

Launched in 2013 as GrabTaxi (renamed to Grab in January 2016 to encompass all the other options they offer), beating Uber by a couple of months, Grab was a game changer for…grabbing…taxis in Singapore. It gave us more taxis available to us as it pooled all the different companies’ taxis into one bookable engine. More taxis=more chance to get a taxi when we want. Like Uber, it dishes out fare deals and offers every few days in the quest to squash and kill any competition once and for all. Long may it last! And like Uber, it offers more options than it’s standard taxi option. It has it’s own Uber competitor (GrabCar), GrabHitch (like UberPool), GrabCar Premium (UberExec), Electric Taxi (interesting new option where you can fight against the oil giants and choose electric. Not many cars on this yet and still in Beta), a bunch of 6 seater options, and they’ve just started Coach hires. Other trials they are doing are with autonomous cars, and family friendly cars (with booster seat). Seems that Grab is branching out in a few more innovative and different directions than Uber at this stage. Let’s see!

ComfortDelGro

Nostalgia (and desperation) brings me back to this app once in a while but this is mostly long forgotten about with the power houses of marketing that Uber and Grab are. This is basically limited to Comfort’s own taxis.

SMRT Taxi

Again, this app is only limited to the SMRT line of taxis. I never use this as Grab gathers all companies together when booking.

Trans-Cab

Never used it or use it now. It has only 5 thousand downloads on the Google Play Store and a rating of 2.2/5 stars. For Singapore’s second largest taxi fleet this is shocking. Also, they have recently announced they will introduce “dynamic pricing” which mirrors Uber’s Surge pricing and hikes the prices to hire a taxi when demand is high. Another loss for the customer.

Generally speaking, a good time to be looking for a taxi/car in Singapore, ignoring the surge pricing when high demand hits and the magical disappearance of all taxis when a rain storm hits.

But wait, there’s more! We all were quite perplexed that the Singapore government were allowing these private citizens to just take up driving people around for a fee. So it’s not a surprise that the government has recently stated that every driver will have to obtain a vocational license, along with other regulations that will look to curb the exponential growth of Uber and Grab. I guess it’s a case of let’s wait and see…

Eddie Izzard: Live in Singapore 2017

The queen of erstwhile surrealist humour, Eddie Izzard, stopped by Singapore this week to deliver his force majeure stand up show. Starting this particular tour in 2013, one would be led to believe Eddie has this show down to a scientific tee. And he pretty much does.

It was only when I got there I realised that I had been to the University Cultural Center on the grounds of NUS (National University of Singapore) a few years ago to see John Cleese. It’s a fine venue if you don’t want a drink before the event as there’s only one bar with one server in the lobby. I had Vietnam-esque flashbacks to Guns N Roses looking at the snake like queue before the show. And you can’t bring drinks into the actual theatre.

Izzard starts his show off with some historical observations and surreal anecdotes, often warping historical events with his own unique angle on things. I thought he would have went along on that path throughout and I thought it was a good theme for a show; surrealistic historical anecdotes along a solid timeline. He strays off on to several tangents from then on though and the show feels a little all over the place. Which, I guess, suits Izzard’s style and manic, rambling delivery. But funny? Yes, generally funny with some laugh-out-loud moments sprinkled throughout.

It’s also very apparent how his shows would work in French and German which Izzard has performed during this tour. Some clever and witty bits on those languages are tackled here and there.

Izzard takes a 10 or so minute break in the middle which leaves little room for thirsty beer hunting patrons to head down and queue yet again for their refreshments. Boo hoo.

In the second half Izzard continues where he lets off and seems to “try” new off the cuff rambles (which he drily note several times “Singapore says no”) but again it feels like even those are scripted and clinical due to the knowledge we have that he has being doing this show for coming on 4 years now.

Wrapping up, Izzard brings back a few things he mentions at the start of the show to bring a sense of conclusion to proceedings. One thing I felt dragged on for too long was the talking chicken bit. Didn’t work for me.

All in all, a funny show with some stand out (up?) highlights throughout but with a bit of a clinical sheen to it.

Leaving University Cultural Centre is, of course, a nightmare as it’s nowhere near an MRT show. Lines of people…line…the roads faces blazed from their phone screens trying to snag an Uber or Grab but we manage to entice an Uber from 15 minutes away.

Et voila.

Guns N Roses: Live in Singapore 2017

I took my time buying a ticket to this as my experience attending Metallica at the Singapore Exhibition Centre in 2013 was one I wanted to forget. I bought a ticket.

Without doubt, the Singapore Exhibition Centre is the worst venue for a concert in the world. Situated in the middle of nowhere nearly floating adrift into the Singapore Strait it sits with indignation and aloofness. It’s so far away from civilisation you can see stars in the sky and phones lose the will to live and lose any sort of coverage.

I spent over an hour in a taxi slaloming through gridlocked traffic jams getting to the venue and even after that I got out and walked the rest of the way once on the final never-ending stretch of a road (which doubles as a construction route with dumpster trucks careening back and forth).

So, GnR was meant to start at 8pm, I arrived at 8:15pm after leaving my house at 6:50 or so. They started playing at 8:34pm. Many hundreds of people missed the start of the show, without doubt. I knew getting home was going to be terrible so I planned to leave before the encore (just like I did with Metallica in ’13).

Looking at LAMC Productions’ Facebook page comments, I got away lightly. Many people queued hours for food only to find everything was sold out and they had no way to spend the money they had put on their RFID bracelets (LAMC have posted on their page that they are proud of bringing GnR here!! And then mentioned they will work on refunding the credit left on RFID bracelets). Ridiculous! It’s all summed up by this guy’s experience, VIP packages ranged from $1,038 to a staggering $2,063 for a lounge experience!!

Anyway, to the concert itself I guess!

Guns n Roses were good, it was fantastic to see Axl ,Slash, and Duff do what they do. Highlights for me were “Rocket Queen”, “Estranged”, “Yesterdays”, and “Double Talkin’ Jive” as the latter three brought me back to the “Use your Illusion” days with my brother heading off to Slane to see GnR with Faith No More in support. With me at home, too young to go. To see Slash…slashing away at another classic and instantly remembered solo and to hear (barely) Axl whining his whine is something to experience. I still remember the blank BASF tape we had “Appetite for Destruction” copied on to.  They were the first band I listened to where it felt kind of naughty to listen to their music and lyrics. I also had “Living on a Prayer” on a blank tape back then so the contrast was very stark! I went along the GnR path of enlightenment from then on…

Back to reality…

Sadly I can’t really talk too much about the music without mentioning the organisation of the concert. Pen B suffered from muffled and low vocals from Axl’s mic. when you can’t hear a word that Axl is singing and hear the people around you singing louder then there’s something amiss. The stage was so so far away that we all ended up just watching screens which were out of sync somewhat with reality.

The fact that you have to start planning your escape route early is never good. I should be able to enjoy all of the concert and leave when I want. As I made my way outside and wrapped alllll the way around to the back of Pen B it was then I realised I could have just stood out there and watched the concert for free as it was all open and visible to all.

Thankfully I got on one of the first buses out of there (ticket wasn’t checked, could have got on for free) and, although happy to see GnR finally, it is overshadowed by incompetent organisation and planning starting with venue choice.


Some say there are still ghosts of people waiting for transportation home….

James Taylor: Live in Singapore 2017

Not my video. I paid for the cheap seats.

I’m not sure how James Taylor found his way into my maelstrom of heavy metal and hard rock listening habits back in my younger days. But found his way, he did. To be honest it was a James Taylor “Best of” CD and I didn’t venture too far away from his “best ofs”. Funnily and mirroring my experience with his experience, during his concert at the Star Theatre this week James Taylor quipped many times about his new songs and how “they won’t take too long” to play and he would go back to his “best ofs” soon after each one.

I think, perhaps, I was in need of wistful and melodic vocals along with soothing and relaxing music to counter-point roaring electric guitars and ear-splitting drumming that heavy metal produced. I guess I still am as listening to James Taylor still has the same calming effect. The irony is not lost on me that I saw James Taylor in the middle of these concerts I am going to:

Metallica – James Taylor – Guns N Roses – Megadeth.

Mirrors my teenage years perfectly.

On the night, any doubts that Taylor’s voice or guitar playing has weakened with age disappears with his first song “Wandering”. His voice still has the caramel essence that permeates throughout this discography. Backing up Taylor on his current tour is a plethora of esteemed musicians in their own right and it shows with each note; there is musical mastery with every trumpet note and guitar strum.

Each of Taylor’s “best ofs” are present as expected with each one holding its own unique melancholic story at it’s core. “Walking Man” centred on Taylor’s absent father throughout childhood, “Fire and Rain” about his depression and drug addiction, and “Carolina on my Mind” and “Copper Line” expressing Taylor’s longing and pining for his rural home life. “Copper Line” had passed me by and it really stuck with me during the concert and I’ve been hitting it up on Spotify a lot the past few days.

If another voice sung those songs they wouldn’t work nearly as well. Taylor’s voice and song composition adds meaning that many many musicians have tried and failed to muster since we started enjoying the sound that banging stones together made.

So musically the concert was excellent. Taylor has a 20 minute interlude which he seemed to question why light heartedly beforehand. He spent the time signing a never-ending autograph/selfie line from the stage (which over-ran the said 20 minutes and got everyone a little impatient).

The Star Theatre is a fine venue for concerts and I’ve seen quite a few there; sound always seems to be excellent. The never-ending escalator journey up from ground level can be a little vexing though.

Next up on the concert to-do list…Guns N Roses…a little different.

Day Trips From Zurich by Train

On top of Rigi Klum

December. What do you want? Sunshine and beaches to not think about the festive season or cold and snow and mulled wine to soak it all up? If it’s the latter then you can do a lot worse than travelling to Switzerland for the festive season.

We had 5 nights based in Zurich over the Christmas period and took full advantage of the amazing train network they have in Switzerland to explore some of the surrounding areas.

Train Details

No problem to have a few beers on the train. There is an amazing beer shop in Zurich Bf called “Drinks of the World”

Although convenient they are expensive so do the math and explore purchasing a Travel Pass for the amount of days you need it. We got it at Zurich HB (central train station) and you need to have a valid photo ID with you. Our Singapore work passes were good enough. We opted for the 3 day pass as we would do the bulk of our travelling in the middle three days of our stay. I used the Swiss Rail website to predict how much our train journeys would total without the pass and it was financially worth it to buy the pass. Do it if you will save money.

Zurich

Zurichsee

Zurich has a reputation for nothing much going for it. True that it is a business city but it’s certainly worth a night or two to see the sights. Perhaps, without the delightful Christmas markets, there may not be much of a vibe apparent but we enjoyed our time wandering around. Looking at how we travelled over the 3 days it probably makes more sense to base yourself in Lucerne. We stayed in the Central Plaza Hotel which was a couple minutes walk from the train station and across the road from a Starbucks (if that floats your caffeine boat).

Fraumunster Church

So, in retrospect, we didn’t really do much in Zurich apart from walk the old town areas and visit the few churches they have there, wandered down Bahnhofstrasse (the main shopping street), and took in all the festivities at the various Christmas markets. There is a National Museum and a few other museums but time wasn’t on our side with all the day trips we took.

Rheinfalls

A quick 50 minute train trip out on the S9 regional train to Neuhausen Rheinfalls station then a brisk walk over the Rheinfallweg bridge and you get to the Schlosslaufen (Castle overlooking the Rheinfalls). The entrance fee is 5CHF per person which you tap on an entrance gate before descending to the falls.

The falls are a must-see if you’re in the region and the vantage point you get viewing them is very unique. You make your way down right to the falls where you can touch the thunderous water flowing down the falls at a break neck speed. Worth the entrance fee.

There is a train stop right at the castle if you can’t walk back to the Neuhausen stop but there didn’t seem to be a ticket machine there and you can’t buy on the train. So be fore-warned on that.

Winterthur

Winterthur is not prominent on the tourist trail but it was another 40 minute short hop on the train from Rheinfalls so we went. Winthertur’s art gallery wasn’t open when we went so we just spent time wandering down towards their Christmas market then looped back towards the train station. Moving on.

Stein am Rhein

Again, another spur of the moment trip but I heard this place was quaint and worth the trip. 40 minutes on the train from Winterthur wasn’t going to kill us. It IS a quaint and cool little town. Little. And nothing was open for the Christmas period apart from one bar/restaurant where we killed some time downing a Swiss beer before making our way back to the train station. The buildings are cool and walking around the silent streets we could have been in the 16th century.

I would imagine it’s quite a nice place to visit in the Summer with bustling restaurants, a beautiful river-side vantage point, and perhaps some markets in the town square.

Rigi Klum

We got up early on one of our days to reach the heady heights of Rigi Klum. No cable cars for us so this was a perfect option due to its cog-wheel train that runs up every hour from Arth-Goldau. So that was our route: Zurich HB-Arth Goldau-Rigi Klum. We then descended the other cog-wheel train to Vitznau and got a boat (boat tickets included in the 3 day travel pass too!) back to Lucerne.

The ascent to Rigi Klum was misty until we got above it then you start to see the breath-taking mountains surrounding the area. It was misty every day in Switzerland in December so I feel we missed out on some lovely scenery while travelling around.

Being at the summit of Rigi Klum takes your breath away. Literally. Icy blasts pummel you into near submission but the views from the top sate the urge to run for shelter. Something about looking over landscapes from great heights rustle up some primal feelings of power and awareness of life. We had a mulled wine in the small cafe up there before heading back down to…..mull….over existential ponderings.

Vitznau after the descent on cog-wheel train isn’t worth it’s own little section here. We had to wait for the boat so we had a beer and something to eat in a cafe. Nothing much else to see but, again, I’m sure it’s a lovely place to stroll along the water front in the Summer time.

Lucerne

When in Lucerne, you must see “the Lion statue”

Lucerne feels a little more lively than Zurich. It seems to be a hub for tourists rather than business. One of the main highlights is the “dying lion” statue which on paper doesn’t really seem to justify so much attention. In my opinion, it’s well worth the attention. It’s one of the most powerful statues I’ve seen. Somehow it’s much much bigger than you can expect from photos. The facial expression, the body position, and the lion’s place embedded into the rock face all culminate in a truly powerful work of art. Venus de Milo? Pffttt in a very distant second place.

Lucerne also has areas for just wondering around taking in the architecture. Chapel Bridge cuts an interesting slice down the middle of the city. Built in the 14th Century (what?!?!) it provides an interesting angle on the city from the river’s vantage point and adds a unique flavour to Lucerne’s appeal as a tourist destination.

We actually visited Lucerne twice in our travels. On the second visit we spent time at their Christmas market/ice rink beside the Lucerne HB and then popped into see the Art Museum. The Swiss Travel pass guarantees you free access to some museums and art galleries around Switzerland and this museum is part of that package. This art museum was okay, nothing special.

Basel

This ferry uses the river currents to get across.

Again another hour or so away from Zurich we popped along to Basel. Another plethora of Christmas markets to distract us. Got in from the cold to visit their Museum of Fine Arts (another free admission with the Swiss Travel Pass) which was quite good and they had a Jackson Pollack exhibition on which was interesting to see. Like other towns we wandered around, taking in the architecture and finding a vantage point over the Rhine from a Christmas market.

Bern

Finally, our last stop of this whirlwind trip to Switzerland we stopped off in Bern (1 hour train journey from Basel). It was bloody freezing. We needed warmth and food but we settled for more mulled wine at one of their biggest Christmas markets.

Bern, through my frozen eyelashes, felt older and more historical than any other city. It felt like nothing had changed apart from cars and electricity. The buildings all looked unchanged. Not feeling like any museum visits we took in Bern by walking around and eyeballing the different sights that Google told us we had to (Zytglogge, Käfigturm, Kindlifresserbrunnen, Bern Minster). No, I didn’t just make all those names up.

Child-eater statue…gulp..

Ende. It was great to see all these areas of Switzerland (and remember my fading German) and left me wanting to see other areas in more affable weather. I contemplated the long trip to Jungfraujoch but maybe next time….

Bis bald Schweiz!

Thaipusam Festival 2017

Religious fervour has had its fair share of bonkers moments throughout history. Sadly, most of it involving killing/torturing non-believers or other people that an old book told you to…not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Thaipusam, thankfully, restricts the torture to its very friendly and devote Hindu followers. Not that torture should play a part anywhere in life but there you go. Here’s where Thaipusam originates from:

This festival was created during one of the battles between the Asuras (or to be more specific Soorapadman) and the Devas. At one point, the latter were defeated several times by the former. The Devas were unable to resist the onslaught of the Asura forces. In despair, they approached Shiva and entreated to give them an able leader under whose heroic leadership they might obtain victory over the Asuras. They surrendered themselves completely and prayed to Shiva. Shiva granted their request by creating the mighty warrior, Skanda, out of his own power or Achintya Shakti. He at once assumed leadership of the celestial forces, inspired them and defeated the Asura forces and to recognise that day the people created the festival, Thaipusam.

According to Skanda Puranam, the legend of Murugan, and Thirupugal which are divine verses on Murugan, adhere to Shaivam principles. Murugan is the embodiment of Shiva’s light and wisdom and devotees pray to him to overcome the obstacles they face, as He is the divine vanquisher of evil. The motive of Thaipusam festival is to pray to God to receive his grace so that bad traits are destroyed.

Today, Thaipusam centres around the Kavadi Attam or the “burden dance” where Hindu followers ask for help through physical burden. This can be as little as carrying a jug of milk on your head to piercing yourself like a human-porcupine hybrid.

Thaispusam in Singapore

This was my second time experiencing Thaipusam in Singapore. On the second day of festivities devotees get all prepped up (and poked up) at the Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple (SSPT) and take the 4km trek to the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple (STT).

SSPT is where it’s at as an observer/weirdo taking photos of people getting impaled and/or possessed. I spent nearly 3 hours there taking it all in. Smoke, skull shaking drumming, incense, crushed squeezed limes under feet, sweat, throngs of devotees and observers clambering over each other to experience…something, and every sense under siege with every turn of your head.

When I stood still allowing the drumming to wallop over me and the smoke to fling itself around me I got a vague semblance of how these environments could elevate the stirrings of devotion you may have inside you to something more….tangible. When you have so much attacking your senses you get to lose a lot of sense. I was physically and mentally exhausted after it. I can only imagine how the people who actually took part in it felt. I loved it.

If you find yourself in Singapore for Thaipusam you need to experience it for yourself. Here’s some photos.

What I felt like after it all…

Metallica: Live in Singapore 2017

Metallica. The smell of leather jackets, blue denim, and wet green self-graffitied parka jackets. The pointy fonted logo that nobody could replicate or emanate to express HEAVY METAL ever again. The Black Album. Playing air guitar to “Sad But True” and “Where Ever I May Roam“. The confusing negativity from old die-hard fans baying for a return to ..And Justice For All and Master Of Puppets type slash and burn metal. The meandering and depressing direction after the Black Album. The return (somewhat) to form and roots on 2016’s Hardwired…To Self Destruct.

It’s the morning after and my hearing is not good. I SAID MY HEARING IS NOT GOOD.

I saw Metallica the last time they played Singapore in a desolate parking lot at Changi Exhibition Centre in 2013. Heavy metal should not be expressed outdoors. It’s best savoured indoors where the sound can envelop you, bounce off the walls and into your ear canals; making your ears ring for a week after. The Indoor Stadium is a much much better venue for concerts. Having said that, the sound last night was a little muddled at times, especially for the first song of Metallica’s setlist: Hardwired. But they seemed to get on top of it after that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It says a lot about a band that include 6 songs from their latest album in a set-list of 18. They do fit in well into their set-list and the crowd were receptive yet reserved to them. It’s the classics that stand out though and are instant pleasers, which in a way is a bit of a shame that we have such overpowering fond memories of their “classic” days that you can’t help but wait for them to be played. And play them they do.

Metallica have aged well and musically are near perfect on the night. It’s worth noting that Lars Ulrich now looks like a garden gnome.

Stand outs of the night have to be Master of Puppets, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Sad But True, and Seek and Destroy. There were some minor flat notes, with James’ vocals and Kirk’s lead guitar on The Unforgiven sounding a little out of out of odds with each other during the verses. That’s nit-picking though.

One thing about the new album songs is that they’re not short. Average song length is about 6 or so minutes so they can get a little plodding.

Mention must be made about the stunning light and visual show that Metallica have on this tour. The screens give amazing close-ups of the band throughout which is very welcoming in a venue the size of the Indoor Stadium. The back-drops and lights that accompanied each song were top notch too.

Overall, a very good show indeed. Wonder will I get to see them again for the fourth time…? And where…?

Singapore Indoor Stadium as a concert venue standing on it’s own? Not bad. I arrived at 19:45 for what was stated as a 20:00 start. I walked straight into Pen B through the West Premier entrance without queues. I have a big problem with not knowing if there’s a support band or not. I was dreading having to stand through some guys biting their guitars for 30 minutes or so. Thankfully Metallica appeared on stage around 20:30.

Queues for merchandise were horrendous. Sadly.

It didn’t look like there were enough food and beverage stalls. The lines were horrendous even a few minutes before the show started (at what point do you say “meh, didn’t need a beer anyway?”). The lines for merchandise outside before the gig were also huge and put me off buying anything. Something that needs to be looked at for future gigs methinks.

Ok, I took a few photos. I admit it. Then when I moved to the back of the venue for a quick getaway I filmed a little bit of Nothing Else Matters. Nobody was behind me, okay!

I swear, there was a guy in front of me for the first 6 or 7 songs live streaming the whole thing. He wasn’t the only one. There were people there who held up their cameras for the majority of the show. At times I would have had a good view of the stage if not for the stance of a new generation….hand in the air grasping a device.

When I went to the back there were more people taking selfies with the concert going on behind them than there were people actually watching and listening to the joy and magic that is LIVE MUSIC going on RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!