#singapore buses

[smb1610t-sbs7527c]

Ooh Bluey Bus?

SMRT MAN NL323F A22 (Euro 5) with Bluey advert. I spotted it yesterday after school. MAN A22 unknown rego on prob 985 or 176? 🤔🤔

[lucianwrites24]

1. ☆ • about me • ☆

19 [he/they] | ftm/agender/fluidflux, bisexual | asian, 5ft7in

cancer sun | aries moon | libra rising

NA author ○ bus enthusiast ○ wannabe teacher's pet <3

INTP • autistic • ex-Christian • BPD + OCD + CFS survivor

account tw's: r4pe, su1c1d3, k1nk (ddlg/abdl/cnc/somno), occasional ED posts (not thinspo but ED recovery btw)

~ ★ ♥︎ ★ ~

2. x dni's x

anti-LGBT, anti-POC, Christian apologists, MAP, ableists, purely SFW blogs

~ ★ ♥︎ ★ ~

3. the content of my page

smutty and depressing musings, transgender stuff (but especially progress photos/milestone/tips), q&a from asks, tc content and bus hunting photos.

~ ★ ♥︎ ★ ~

4. about my tc's (for tc community people)

main tc

I'll call him D (not his real name.) He taught me English and Social Studies in primary 5 and 6. He's 48 now, married with 3 kids, and still teaching in my former school. He was the one who made me like his subject a lot, inspired me to write what is now books, some novels. He also inspired me to leave Christianity for good, opened my eyes up to the world out there and let me out of my cage to be free, to be happy. He is very supportive of my gender identity and my autism too. He's really nice, he barely scolds people unless they get on his nerves and he makes me feel safe when I'm with him. We are no longer in contact for now, but I am depending on the chance that I might just see him at homecoming! (I still stalk him from time to time, don't worry 👀)

2nd tc

I'll call him H (initial). He teaches me human geography/history now. I think he is in his late 30s, early 40s. He is married with a son and daughter (one of them is same age as me, different school though). He made me interested in his subject, which I've always hated.

~ ★ ♥︎ ★ ~

5. tags

bus photos: #lucian's bus photography // #singapore buses

tc posts: #tc crush

k1nky writing: #lucian's 18+

trans progress updates: #ftmtransprogress

genderfluidity rants: #fluxfluidity

mental health rants: #lucian's vent

~ ★ ♥︎ ★ ~

6. posting schedule

it's whenever i'm free or want to rant atp :')

[cometchasr]

please look at singapore. even my constant screaming in agony over bus timings (im looking at YOU, 197!) has them at, max, 15 minutes. waiitng half a fucking hour for a bus sounds like hell. sometimes buses will purportedly arrive in 40 minutes (i had this happen once)...

... and then it comes within the next 10 because our bus timing app is fucked up in a weird way. seriously, the longest time id had to wait for a bus was 20 minutes tops, and that was one time. usually buses come every (varies by bus) about 8 to 10 minutes (as mentioned previously, 197 is an exception, and i hate it. im writing this at 10am, which is quite not-peak hours, and the buses still come every about 10 minutes. making a good bus system is possible, making it supplant cars (at least to an extent) is also possible. it's been done before. the problem is that the government itself needs to want to make the transit network better (because in its current state no one wants to pay for it), so getting your voice heard is important.

If you are thinking about it on paper, the bus running every half hour doesn't sound so bad, until you're waiting at the stop and you miss a bus or it's delayed. Then you're waiting a very, very long time. To people who never take transit, that's probably fine. Why do you care. To people who only take transit, they're expecting it, it's baked in their lives. But the important part, what really impacts our cities, is what happens to people for whom transit is an option.

The spiral goes like this. You go to take the bus instead of driving, thinking "I'm going to o have a couple drinks" or "I don't want to worry about parking where I'm going." So you take bus. First bus is right on time. But then you transfer from your neighborhood line to the line that takes you where you actually want to go. And your bus is delayed. And it only comes every 30 minutes. And then you're waiting, 40 minutes later, wondering where your bus is, knowing you could have driven there in 20 minutes.

Why would you ever chose to take a bus again? The bus made you waste precious time on your day off just sitting there. So next time you drive. Ridership goes down. When the transit authority asks for more money for more buses and more drivers, people point to the ridership numbers and say "why should we pay for this instead of paying for our schools/police/baseball stadium/parks/police again (let's be real that's who's taking all the money)?" If we want to increase ridership we need to actually design and fund functional transit networks. If we want people to actually ride the bus we need to make it a better option than driving, which means reliable service, which you don't get with a bus every 30 minutes.

Every 15 minutes, everywhere, all of the time.

[jeronimoloco]

Horse-drawn buses and that 1870s weekend hop to JB

Believe it or not, the exodus of Singapore residents to Johor Bahru during the weekends goes back a least 150 years to the 1870s. The draw of JB back in those early days were neither its food or shopping, but the Johor’s many gambling establishments. Gambling had been made illegal in Singapore in 1829, and many turned to illegal establishments to satisfy that gambling itch, or make the trip to…

[snallavanta]

singapore transport in sweden? cool

[saddiedotdk]

Kamala Harris accomplishments as VP:

Cast tie-breaking vote for the American Rescue Plan of 2021.

Passed the American Rescue Plan, resulting in $1.9 trillion in economic stimulus.

Extended the Child Tax Credit through the American Rescue Plan.

Extended unemployment benefits through the American Rescue Plan.

Passed the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill.

Secured funding for electric school buses in the infrastructure bill.

Secured funding to combat wildfires and droughts in the infrastructure bill.

Secured funding for replacing lead water service lines.

Engaged with lawmakers at least 150 times for infrastructure investment.

Led diplomatic mission to Guatemala and Mexico to address migration issues.

Launched the "Central America Forward" initiative.

Secured $4.2 billion in private sector commitments for Central America.

Visited Paris to strengthen US-France relations.

Visited Singapore and Vietnam to bolster economic and strategic ties.

Visited Poland to support NATO allies during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Visited Romania to support NATO allies during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Launched the "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour.

Visited a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota.

Passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.

Promoted racial equity in pandemic response through specific initiatives.

Chaired the National Space Council.

Visited NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to promote space policies.

Passed the Freedom to Vote Act in the House.

Passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act in the House.

Built coalitions for voting rights protections.

Supported the Affordable Care Act through specific policy measures.

Expanded healthcare coverage through policy initiatives.

Passed initiatives for debt-free college education.

Hosted a STEM event for women and girls at the White House.

Championed criminal justice reform through specific legislation.

Secured passage of the bipartisan assault weapons ban.

Expanded background checks for gun purchases through legislation.

Increased the minimum wage through specific policy actions.

Implemented economic justice policies.

Expanded healthcare coverage through policy initiatives.

Secured funding for affordable housing.

Secured funding for affordable education initiatives.

Launched the "Justice is Coming Home" campaign for veterans' mental health.

Proposed legislation for easier legal actions against financial institutions.

Strengthened the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Secured investment in early childhood education.

Launched maternal health initiatives.

Launched the "Call to Action to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity".

Made Black maternal health a national priority through policy actions.

Increased diversity in government appointments.

Passed legislation for renewable energy production.

Secured funding for combating climate change.

Passed infrastructure development initiatives.

Secured transportation funding through the infrastructure bill.

Developed a plan to combat climate change.

Reduced illegal immigration through policy actions.

Equitable vaccine distribution through specific policy measures.

Supported small businesses through pandemic recovery funds.

Secured educational resources during the pandemic.

Promoted international cooperation on climate initiatives.

Secured international agreements on climate change.

Passed economic policies benefiting the middle class.

Criticized policies benefiting the wealthy at the expense of the working class.

Promoted racial equity in healthcare through specific actions.

Promoted racial equity in economic policies.

Reduced racial disparities in education through specific initiatives.

Increased mental health resources for underserved communities.

Secured funding for affordable childcare.

Secured federal funding for community colleges.

Increased funding for HBCUs.

Increased vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Secured policies for pandemic preparedness.

Ensured equitable vaccine distribution through policy actions.

Secured international cooperation for COVID-19 responses.

Reduced economic disparities exacerbated by the pandemic.

Passed digital equity initiatives for broadband access.

Expanded rural broadband through specific policies.

Secured cybersecurity policies through legislation.

Protected election integrity through specific actions.

Secured fair and secure elections through policy measures.

Strengthened international alliances through diplomacy.

Supported the Paris Climate Agreement through policy actions.

Led U.S. climate negotiations through international initiatives.

Passed initiatives for clean energy jobs.

Secured policies for energy efficiency.

Reduced carbon emissions through specific legislation.

Secured international climate finance.

Promoted public health policies through specific initiatives.

Passed reproductive health services policies.

Supported LGBTQ+ rights through specific actions.

Secured initiatives to reduce homelessness.

Increased veterans' benefits through legislation.

Secured affordable healthcare for veterans.

Passed policies to support military families.

Secured initiatives for veteran employment.

Increased mental health resources for veterans.

Passed disability rights legislation.

Secured policies for accessible infrastructure.

Increased funding for workforce development.

Implemented economic mobility policies.

Secured consumer protection policies through legislation.

Engaged in community outreach through public events.

Organized public engagement efforts.

Participated in over 720 official events, averaging three per day since taking office.

Supported efforts to modernize public health data systems.

[quorumtalks]

LRT megathread

🧵 1/ so i was reading this Medium article about how Singapore has announced it will not build any more LRTs. they even cancelled the Punggol North LRT project and replaced it with the future Punggol Coast MRT station. but the issue is — Singapore has too many buses and not enough capacity to put all of them in one place.

[goalhofer]

2024 olympians representing non birth nation by country part 9

South Sudan: Sunday Dech, basketball (Ethiopia); Wenyen Gabriel, basketball (Sudan); Carlik Jones, basketball (U.S.A.); Anyiarbany Makoi, basketball (Egypt); Anunwa Omot, basketball (Kenya); Marial Shayok, basketball (Canada) & J.T. Thor, basketball (U.S.A.) Spain: Yulenmis Aguilar, athletics (Cuba); Mohamed Attaoui, athletics (Morocco); Alexandrina Barbosa, handball (Portugal); Polina Berezina, gymnastics (Russia); Lorenzo Brown, basketball (U.S.A.); Cristina Bucșa, tennis (Moldova); Juana Camilión, basketball (Argentina); Elvin Canales, athletics (Honduras); Marcus Cooper, canoeing (U.K.); Andy Criere, surfing (France); Thierno Diallo, gymnastics (Guinea); Jordan Díaz, athletics (Cuba); Tessy Ebosele, athletics (Morocco); Martin Faměra, water polo (Czech Republic); Megan Gustafson, basketball (U.S.A.); Jennifer Gutiérrez, handball (Switzerland); Lilou Lluís, swimming (France); Majida Maayouf, athletics (Morocco); Adel Mechaal, athletics (Morocco); Joaquín Menini, field hockey (Argentina); Tristani Mosakhlishvili, judo (Georgia); Thierry Ndikumwenayo, athletics (Burundi); Tariku Novales, athletics (Ethiopia); Abdessamad Oukhelfen, athletics (Morocco); Alisa Ozhogina, swimming (Russia); Felipe Perrone, water polo (Brazil); Enmanuel Reyes, boxing (Cuba); Leslie Romero, climbing (Venezuela); Nikoloz Sheradishvili, judo (Georgia); Lysa Tchaptchet, handball (Cameroon); Florian Trittel, sailing (Switzerland); Carmen Weiler, swimming (Singapore) & Miguel Zapata, gymnastics (Dominican Republic) Sri Lanka: Kyle Abeysinghe, swimming (U.S.A.) Sudan: Yaseen Abdalla, athletics (U.S.A.) & Ziyad Saleem, swimming (U.S.A.) Suriname: Irvin Hoost, swimming (U.S.A.) Sweden: Tyra Axnér, handball (Germany); Armand Duplantis, athletics (U.S.A.); Suldan Hassan, athletics (Somalia); Marlena Jawaid, pentathlon (Bulgaria) Felix Möller, handball (Germany); Björn Seeliger, swimming (Germany) & Sofia Sjöborg, equestrian (U.K.) Switzerland: Tadesse Abraham, athletics (Eritrea); Alexandre Dällenbach, pentathlon (France); Nikita Ducarroz, cycling (France); Helen Eticha, athletics (Ethiopia); Angelica Moser, athletics (U.S.A.); Jenjira Stadelmann, badminton (Thailand); Felix Svensson, athletics (Sweden); Albane Valenzuela, golf (U.S.A.) & Felix Vogg, equestrian (Germany) Syria: Lais Najjar, gymnastics (U.S.A.) Tajikistan: Somon Makhmadbekov, judo (Russia) & Viktor Rassadin, wrestling (Russia) Thailand: Jai Angsuthasawit, cycling (Australia); Tanya Prucksakorn, shooting (U.S.A.) & Joseph Weston, sailing (U.K.) Togo: Naomi Akakpo, athletics (France) Tonga: Noelani Day, swimming (U.S.A.) Trinidad & Tobago: Dylan Carter, swimming (U.S.A.); Zuri Ferguson, swimming (U.S.A.); Sanaa Frederick, athletics (U.S.A.); Sole Frederick, athletics (U.S.A.) & Jaden Marchan, athletics (U.S.A.) Tunisia: Jamila Boulakbech, swimming (France); Selma Dhaouadi, rowing (France); Salim Jemai, canoeing (France) & Sarra Mzougui, judo (Italy) Turkey: Vedat Albayrak, judo (Kazakhstan); Adem Asil, gymnastics (Egypt); Yasmani Copello, athletics (Cuba); Meliha İsmailoğlu-Diken, volleyball (Bosnia & Herzegovina); Kaan Kigen-Özbilen, athletics (Kenya); Kayra Özdemir, judo (France); Buse Savaşkan, athletics (Cyprus); Melissa Vargas, volleyball (Cuba) & Mihael Žgank, judo (Slovenia) Uganda: Sgt. Rebecca Ayeko, athletics (Kenya); Mercyline Chelanga, athletics (Kenya); Gloria Muzito, swimming (Sweden) & Jesse Ssengonzi, swimming (U.S.A.) Ukraine: Olena Kostevych, shooting (Russia); Olena Kryvytska, fencing (Russia); Perviz Nesibov, wrestling (Azerbaijan) & Maksym Talovierov, soccer (Russia) UAE: Aram Grigoryan, judo (Russia); Bishreltiin Khorloodoi, judo (Mongolia); Dzhafar Kostoev, judo (Russia); Magomedomar Magomedomarov, judo (Russia); Bayanmönkhiin Narmandakh, judo (Mongolia) & Nugzar Tatalashvili, judo (Georgia) Uruguay: Baltazar Amaya, rugby (Argentina)

[hourcat]

I honestly think Piarles shippers have dwindled or have moved on. I was one but over the past 6 months I’ve moved into other ships like Charlos and Landoscar. The lack of real life Piarles content pushed me over in the end.

see, this is kind of what i was thinking. and i absolutely respect that!

but the idea of there not being enough real life content of them is fascinating because 1) that has never stopped m*x/charles folks (although i think that's more an indictment of them) and 2) i think the weirdly devotional dynamic theyve got still continues to manifest and just bc they're not teammates and don't, like, travel to races together, people undervalue them.

like, charles just went on french television and told pierre how special he was to him off the track the other week. we saw pierre being a mildly possessive freak in singapore when they were out to dinner. even just how they gravitate towards one another during fia events like driver's briefings and parade buses. it's not ""traditional"" ship content but they're pretty loud in their own way

which isn't to say you're wrong for moving away, of course. it's just interesting the different perspectives we (collectively) have

[mariacallous]

On an island in the Singapore Strait, a thicket of apartment blocks peers mournfully over the sea. A corps of green-shirted gardeners dutifully tends the lawns and herbaceous borders along the roadside. A few cars slip along smooth roads to a commercial center with gleaming marble floors. Amidst the hundreds of closed shopfronts three restaurants are open—a fried chicken chain, a small café, and a gleaming and empty hot pot restaurant. Five duty-free shops are doing better business; some young men are stocking up on beer and Copper Dog whiskey at 11 a.m.

Welcome to Forest City: planned residents, 700,000; current residents, roughly 9,000. Launched in 2014 as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the mega-project is headed by once-real estate giant Country Garden, a behemoth that now sits on the edge of bankruptcy.

At first glance, the project seems yet another tale of a ghost-city built on the back of a Chinese real estate bubble—and then doomed by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic slowdown. Yet Forest City’s story is also a deeply Malaysian tale, involving property-speculating sultans, nationalist politicians, and the country’s complex relationship with Beijing and its own ethnically Chinese minority.

Building a new city to lodge hundreds of thousands of residents on four new artificial islands in the Singapore Strait was always an ambitious venture. But the main market was not locals, but rather speculative buyers from the People’s Republic of China. When sales opened in December 2015, buyers flooded in, many of them buying “pre-sales” of uncompleted apartments. “You’d have buses coming over from Singapore every day filled with people who just landed,” said Tan Wee Tiam, head of research at KGV International Property Consultants. “There were over 1,000 agents in the sales hall, and it still wasn’t enough. … You felt like you were in China.”

Buyers were often looking for not a permanent residence but an investment that could also be a potential holiday home, or accommodation for children who were headed to study in Singapore. Some were reportedly even offered the opportunity to buy a flat in China and get one free in Forest City, said Christine Li, head of research in the Asia-Pacific for Knight Frank.

Yet this reliance on the Chinese buyers also left the project brutally exposed to changes in Chinese policy. The first blow came in 2017, when the Chinese government suddenly imposed capital controls preventing individuals from moving more than $50,000 out of the country annually. The minimum price of a Forest City apartment sits at around $75,000 and can be as much as $3.5 million. Then came the pandemic years which froze international travel—and stamped hard on Chinese real estate and growth.

Yet, Forest City’s staff seem to be holding out hope. Shane Lim, a hire from Singapore, showed me around and assured me that the place is working to attract buyers from across the world, including the Middle East, Indonesia, and Thailand. Still, he estimated that about 70 percent of his colleagues in the sales team are from China.

Halfway through my tour, a Malaysian man calling himself Ozzy introduced himself and his two wives. Now living in the United States, he’s searching for a place to buy in Malaysia that he can use to visit his daughter in Singapore and rent out when he’s away. Looking around, though, he’s unconvinced.

“Look at how empty this place is,” he said. “I’d only be able to rent it out for one or two months a year. … When I visited in 2018 this place was packed. Now there’s no one here. It’s like it’s haunted.” Lim stared at his shoes until Ozzy moved off. He then firmly assured me that the sales hall is busier on weekends.

A wet Wednesday afternoon might not be a peak sales period, but it is hard to escape the reality that the putative new city is barely lived in. Surveying one of the towers I descend from the 34th floor to the first, looking for signs of occupancy—a pair of shoes at the door, furniture seen through the windows that face the corridor, or even just curtains drawn over said windows. The place is eerily well maintained but empty. Just 25 of the 390 flats show any signs of current occupancy.

I met a single resident, a Malaysian Indian woman who said she lived in Forest City with her husband. Declining to give her name, she informed me a neighboring tower is busier. That would not be hard to believe. Some floors in this tower were completely empty with flats whose doors open to the touch, revealing light-filled marble interiors into which dead leaves have blown. Others had notices of a residents’ meeting dated October 2022 still taped to the door.

According to Li, there are signs that buyers may be slowly coming back. But she also suggested that Country Garden might have aimed too high, used to China’s experience of breakneck speed urbanization, supported by strong government support for infrastructure development. That policy created plenty of “ghost cities” in China itself—but until the recent real estate crisis, also huge profits.

Forest City has also suffered from being a political football since its launch, something Country Garden may well not have anticipated. “I did notice Chinese developers tend not to focus on the political climate,” Li said. “They are not used to the idea of general elections, change of government, and change of policies overnight.”

Despite its vast scale, the first time locals heard about Forest City was in 2014, when fisherman woke up one day to find barges dumping sand off the coast. Newspapers dug into the story, revealing that Country Garden’s main partner was none other than the sultan of Johor state, Ibrahim Ismail.

The tie made sense. Many businesses take on Johor royals as partners, benefiting from the influence they wield in the state. The Malaysian government is also bent on transforming southern Johor into a new economic hub, the Shenzhen to Singapore’s Hong Kong. The city was made a duty-free zone. When further investigations also revealed rushed environmental reviews, it took diplomatic protests from Singapore for the central government to intervene and ensure the proper process was followed.

However, things began to shift when the Malaysian government’s grip on power loosened. Rocked by the world’s largest corruption scandal, the China-linked 1Malaysia Development Berhad, voters turned against it. And at 93 years old, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad exited retirement to lead an opposition filled with former opponents, previously imprisoned under his watch, against a government coalition he once led for 22 years.

Forest City became one of Mahathir’s favorite targets. Inveighing against government corruption and waste, he accused the government of planning to sell out Malaysia to foreigners. Most provocatively, he claimed that the thousands of mainly Chinese buyers of Forest City apartments would be allowed to settle, become Malaysian citizens, and vote in its elections. In a country where ethnically Chinese make up 23 percent of the citizenry—and are often stereotyped as wielding undue political influence due to their wealth—the claim was explosive.

After his shock triumph in the 2018 elections, then-Prime Minister Mahathir followed through on his threats declaring that foreigners would not be allowed to buy property in Forest City. Despite legal challenges, the announcement apparently hit Forest City sales hard.

Five years and a series of dizzyingly complex political maneuvers later, the current Malaysian government is led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. His support is mainly built by ethnic minority-backed parties that triumphed in 2018. To secure his grip on power he needs two things. The first is economic growth. The second is increased support from Malay voters, to which end he has courted the sultans who act as power brokers in their states and take turns acting as Malaysia’s head of state. Perhaps none is more influential than the sultan of Johor, who started his five-year tenure in February this year.

In this context, Anwar seems to have rediscovered the charm of Chinese investment, and Forest City. He has repeatedly praised the Belt and Road Initiative, and in August last year he announced Forest City would be designated a special financial zone with residents offered multiple-entry visas, fast-track entry for those working in Singapore, and a flat income tax rate of 15 percent.

The sultan of Johor has also suggested reviving a proposed high-speed rail link between Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, with an extra stop at Forest City. And who knows what will happen. After, all the $10.5 billion Melaka Gateway project—launched under the Belt and Road Initiative and apparently scrapped in 2020—is also back underway, after finding new support from the state and federal governments. The developer behind the project recently acquired a major new shareholder, the sultan of Johor.

But the heyday of Chinese investment in Malaysia may well not be coming back. Ten years since China launched the Belt and Road Initiative, it has begun to pull back sharply on its overseas investments. China’s own economic slowdown and business wariness about the increasingly capricious regulatory environment is part of the story. But, the large number of projects gone sour also appears to have made Chinese investors more wary.

Meanwhile, Malaysia is struggling not to get left holding the bag. Should Country Garden go bankrupt, it’s uncertain what will happen to Forest City. At that point the Malaysian government could face the unpalatable option of a potential bailout by the Chinese government, leaving a chunk of Malaysian land in Beijing’s hands. Alternatively, it could step in itself—becoming the proud proprietor of what the developers still proclaim to be “A Prime Model for Future Cities.”

[smb1610t-sbs7527c]

Irritated sister...

'Ahh panas, tak boleh tahan lah'

Another Hilda drawing but with IRL background.

It can get hot nowadays and you can feel itchy when it irritates your skin. I'm sure everyone doesn't like hot weather right, hah?

Hilda chanced upon an SBS Transit Scania KUB 'Kubbie' Euro V bus - SBS8643T on 63 (Eunos 🔁 Mei Ling St)(HGDEP 63) running along Ubi Ave 2, and she had a little sunburn on her back neck while bus spotting, and fell onto the ground. Her little sister Hazel is present to comfort her while she experiences the heat in her body. Their brother Hilbert and their mum is eating at a local foodcourt.

Added a Singaporean twist to the story: Added Malay captions underneath English captions in the speech bubbles, with real life background picture taken in Ubi, Geylang, Singapore at block 301 and on 9th August 2023. Btw it's Singapore's 58th birthday that already happened 1 year ago.

[energy-5]

Sustainable Development in Singapore: An Exemplar of Modern Urban Ecology

Strategic Advancement in Green Building: In an ambitious endeavor, Singapore aims for 80% of its buildings to be green-certified by 2030, a significant milestone considering its urban density. Changi Airport, an epitome of this initiative, integrates a myriad of eco-friendly features, including the Rain Vortex, the world's tallest indoor waterfall, enhancing its reputation as the "World's Best Airport" for eight consecutive years.

Solar Energy Initiatives: Singapore's commitment to renewable energy is evident in its solar power achievements. Surpassing 820 megawatt-peak (MWp) in solar capacity at the end of 2022, the nation is on track to reach its 2025 target of 1.5 gigawatt- (GWp).

Enhancements in Public Transportation: Singapore's sustainable transport strategy aims for 75% of peak-hour commutes to be via public transport by 2030. The expansion of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and the introduction of eco-friendly buses are pivotal in this endeavor, aiming to reduce reliance on private vehicles and lower carbon emissions.

Promotion of Electric Vehicles (EV): The government's extension of the Electric Vehicle Common Charger Grant until December 2025 underscores its commitment to enhancing EV infrastructure. This initiative, covering up to 50% of the cost of smart chargers, has led to the approval of 267 EV charger applications across 107 condominiums since July 2021.

Vision of a "City in a Garden": Singapore's approach to urban development harmoniously blends with environmental stewardship, as seen in its goal to plant one million trees by 2030. The iconic Gardens by the Bay, with its Supertrees, symbolizes this blend of ecological innovation and urban living, integrating features like solar energy collection and rainwater harvesting.

Singapore's multifaceted approach to sustainability is a testament to its visionary leadership, integrating technology, policy, and community involvement to create a living model of a sustainable urban future.

[thursdayinspace]

For the ask game, 31, 33, 34?

for this ask game!

31) what type of music keeps you grounded?

90s punkrock my beloved.

33) the last adventure you've been on?

early last year I went backpacking with a friend. she more or less travels for a living and I join her when I can (when I have the money and our schedules line up). last year I had the chance to join her for 4 weeks, traveling to Singapore and then Vietnam. I went caving, which was amazing even though I'm pretty claustrophobic, lots of climbing mountains, and meeting so many cool people. sleeping on buses and in cheap hostels which I love doing tbh. I can't wait to do it again.

34) is there a song you know every word to by heart?

many. of course I can't think of a single one right now.

[sgmaxicablimo]

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[maxicabsingapore-blog]

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[thepixelpenguin]

Mario Kart Tour: Oxford Foray

Told you this page would be random.

I think an underappreciated aspect of Tour's city track design is their atmosphere. They don't just tour recognisable landmarks in a believable layout, they really capture the city's character! From New York's dazzling nightlife to LA's casual appeal, Singapore's extreme extravagance to Sydney's energetic simplicity, Vancouver's splashes of colour and natural beauty, Amsterdam's effortless harmony with canals and nature alike, Rome's ancient architecture with comfortable life on top, Madrid's modern bustle with impressive history underneath, Athens' proud (and hilly) past and Bangkok's humble yet hopeful future, and Berlin's seamless integration of all eras: they're all accurate as far as I can surmise. There's only a few that I think don't quite hit the mark. Paris’ modernity is smothered in quaint romanticism, though what else could one expect, Tokyo has little of its maximalist flair, but perhaps the graphics limited that, and then… London.

I'm certainly biased, it being my home country and the only city on the list I've seen for more than a day, but it seems to only hit the beats of its most recognisable icons: laudably no doubt, but the city isn't just its imposing imperial riches! What strikes me about London is its fast-paced mishmash of cultures that fill in all the gaps between the great British statements like water running over cobbled streets: history and novelty around every corner! The course gives me the impression of the former but not the latter. 

I'm not sure I'm qualified to rectify this, but I can make up for it with another English icon! My hometown has its history, but not enough to base a tour around. My current homestead, however, is undeniably culturally significant, and it's not just that. I hope I did well to convey the place as storied and not just interesting, but inviting, a genuinely fun place to stay for a day or a year. That's how I feel about it at least.

HERE WE GO

1: Our foray begins on the left side of the picturesque High Street, between Queen’s College and the Examination Schools. It’s a noticeably wide street (and a noticeably wide gothic limestone starting gate with a waving chequered flag to boot), with a cobbled dividing strip, and plenty of buses to crowd the way! As the road narrows and items are collected, there’s a right turn into the Covered Market, which has three narrow lanes to choose from, and a few opportunities to weave between.

Out of the market is a sharp right turn down a walled alley, with the lovely Exeter and Lincoln colleges adjoining. This is before a huge 180 turn with another item set around the Radcliffe Camera, an impressive dome in the middle of a big communal square. Having lost its fence, at that, so if you’ve got a mushroom and are prepared to miss out on items, the shortcut is worth it! Racers continue north past All Souls College and the Bodleian Library to reach the roundabout connecting Broad Street and Holywell Street. Remember the Bridge of Sighs to your right.

The route continues up Parks Road, a leafy avenue with plenty of boost panels, before splitting around Keble College! If you continue straight forwards, you get an easy wide road, and a view of both the Natural History Museum and University Parks. However, if you take that subtle sharp left, you can find a potentially faster cut-through that’s a bit tougher to navigate. I didn’t even have to design this one!

Both options reconvene at the apex of St Giles, where a patch of off-road leads to an optional ramp, and the road broadens to quite a degree, leaving room for a ridiculous row of coins. The abbreviated straight ends at the Martyr’s Memorial, which now has just a humble patch of grass behind it instead of an entire church, just to improve the flow.

A quick left turn introduces Broad Street, which, you guessed it, also widens out, somewhat narrowed by some of the city’s numerous bike racks. However, this one has its right half covered in short wooden ramps, for the first half! These can be useful for some trick boosts, but more coins lay the other way. Items are given at the halfway point. Before reaching the roundabout at the end, there is a conspicuous diversion past the Sheldonian Theatre (which has no fence, to make way for the race) and through the library complex towards the Bridge of Sighs. Racers may either run straight through the gate (tricking as they go) or take the grated glider ramps to make it over the bridge!

The return to the start line via New College Lane and Queen’s Lane is a winding, narrow path, walled in by the historic namesake colleges. You’ll have to forgive them for not having karts running through their grounds. Nonetheless, navigate those chicanes and a final left turn (with a sneaky cut over the pavement) brings you back to the line. It’s a long one alright!

2: As in track 1, we begin on the High Street, though this time we forge ahead past the Covered Market, the traffic turning off before the Carfax Tower, until the course swerves into the Westgate Centre. In a strikingly similar manner to Coconut Mall, the route has two walkways either side of an optional drop with escalators, before a right turn into a more open area where the drop and escalators are forced. I swear it’s coincidental! The decor is distinct at least. 

After grabbing items wherever you may encounter them, exit the mall via another sharp right turn onto open road. Make use of its breadth before you have to navigate the Castle & Prison, which is exactly what it sounds like! A couple of narrow turns later, there is a brief anti-grav uphill to wind up the Castle Mound to a big glider ramp, from which one must avoid the dreaming spires of Nuffield College and St Peter’s College some random church, or grab some of the revolving coins if you’re daring…

Though you could just drop onto the street, the Ashmolean’s grand ionic forum is a perfect landing place, where one can drift around to jump down the stairs and find themselves heading onto Broad Street once again! This time, the route heads past the theatre and turns at the roundabout, so the other lot of ramps, this time occupying the left half, can be made useful. The lap ends the way you’d expect after turning at the roundabout.

3: Unlike both 2 and 1, we start our race on Cornmarket Street (under a long hanging sign of oil paints on wood, the closest I can get to putting a pub in a kids’ game), a place I would be remiss not to include, along with its clutter of bicycle parking. If there’s one thing you notice about transit in Oxford, it’s how many bicycles are in the way. However, if you can dodge around the racks, you may find some coins or even dash panels…

Anyway, Cornmarket is a simple, if not uninterrupted, straight, which racers take south, spying once again the Carfax Tower and then the Town Hall and impressive Christ Church. You know, the big one. The road continues down St Aldates with all its traffic, but soon turns left through the open gates of Christ Church Meadow! The next half of the lap takes place in greener pastures, first down a puddle-ridden southward straightaway with sparse items and Moo Moos spectating, then when the course meets the Thames and Folly Bridge, a more wide open snaking route with grass shortcuts abound! The riverside path remains intact, but still off-road.

After doing this eastward a while, the course drastically narrows as it winds its way northward strictly following the meanders of the Cherwell. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from driving through the river itself, but the bumpy terrain and drag force balances any advantage of breadth. A wiser path is found by jumping onto a series of punts, which can be quite hard to aim for, but offer a trick each time. They’re not hard to come by in Oxford. This continues all the way to the Botanic Gardens, which can themselves be snuck through via a gap in the fence. Those wishing for a complete row of item boxes and, of course, the exquisite surroundings, can find themselves jumping over the pond in the south section before reaching the north, where a quick right around the fountain directs you between the greenhouses to reenter the river. The river, of course, does continue past the gardens, but who would want to miss out? Especially when that part of the bed gets so muddy…

When you’ve finally made it to Magdalen Bridge, you need only drive under it to find a wide slope up to the roundabout, which is drifted around before crossing the bridge to witness the lovely Magdalen Tower! We then cross the line - the line from the other versions, that is - before sneaking past the University Church to reach the road past the Radcliffe Camera. The Bodleian Library can now be dashed through for a guaranteed double box, if you can find the narrow entry! The rest is obvious: take Broad Street one last time, westward now, to reach the top of Cornmarket Street.

So how might these all fit together if they were given the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe treatment? Honestly, probably better than the individual courses! Lap 1 takes version 1, of course, but stops short of Broad Street, instead cutting through via Cornmarket to start lap 2, with version 2 taking over by way of a right turn at Carfax Tower. Lap 3 simply commences from the High Street and doesn’t bother with the whole Broad Street diversion: we’ve already seen it!

Oh right, I also made the music for it! You'll have to forgive Musescore's playback engine, they try, bless 'em.

It too had to be truly emblematic of Oxford, and besides the obvious historical, academic, fancy vibes, no sound reminds me more of this place than the echoing of church bells! And there are choirs in every college. So I ended up with a rather baroque piece, arpeggiated bass, change ringing, suspensions and all, which certainly suits the locale, but does NOT typically suit Mario Kart's encouraging energy. Heck, they almost always rely on synths, too, let alone their melody-first composition style that is entirely unfamiliar. How did I fit the mould? By focusing on intensity of Biblical proportions! If there's one thing choirs and organs can do, it's a ramp-up of DRAMA. With enough build and release, it's got the natural energy. Slap on a drum-beat and it ends up shockingly fitting. With all the zero inspiration I had to go on, I seriously surprised myself with this one. Judge for yourself!

Oxford is quite a convenient place to work with: most cities are so massive that you have to smush all the landmarks together and the layout doesn’t quite come naturally. But this place is already so compact, and packed with unmistakable buildings! Also, I know they’re trying to be flattering, but can you believe London saw not a drop of rain?! I think Oxford should be partially cloudy by contrast, providing a gentle rainfall, but with enough streams of sunlight to pierce the depressing grey… it could make the meadow look positively angelic!

Perhaps one day I’ll try my hand at Hong Kong Hustle to address Tokyo’s plight… or Shanghai Streets, I can’t decide! And then there’s one that is so easy to make that it’d be kind of funny just to do for the sake of it. We’ll see.

If anyone wants to take the names Rio de Janeiro Jaunt, New Delhi Journey, Moscow Scoot, Stockholm Swing, Cairo Cruise, Geneva Chase, or best of all, Brussels Bout, be my guest. And if any modders feel like 3d-modelling most of Oxford for me, I would love to give it a look :D