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http://cr-z.honda.com/introducing-the-cr-z...t-hybrid-coupe/ new car... hybrid... will u consider this ? the ass looks abit wierd.. mmmm the front is ok...

My Daihatsu Sirion 1.3 has min RON of 91. Always been pumping 95RON until recently, pumped 2 tankfuls of 92RON discovered some sluggishness whenaccelerating and mileage dropped by about 1km per litre. My friend who drives a petrol driven Toyota Hiace school bus also told me he pumped 95RON due to lack of power for 92RON. is this true, or must engine timing be retard for it to accept 92RON?

Electricity to cost more 05:55 AM Mar 31, 2010SINGAPORE - Electricity will cost more from April 1 to June 30. It will be the fourth consecutive quarter of increase. With the increase of about 3 per cent, electricity will cost 23.56 cents per kilowatt-hour. On average, families in four-room HDB flats will see a $2.47 increase in their monthly electricity bill for the quarter. SP Services said the hike is due to a continued increase in fuel oil prices. The average fuel oil price over the last three months has increased from $99.38 to $102.95 per barrel. The Energy Market Authority, the electricity industry regulator, has approved the revised tariff.

Interesting study, now you know why your pay was stagnant for past few years and why the women at the sales dept can promote so fast and gotten higher increment [rolleyes] Fish, we misunderstood you all these while [laugh]

When a disaster happens, I see the angmos are always very on. Regardless of where the disaster area is, their media will give heavy coverage and their celebrities will donate money or organize fundraisers. Asian countries (expect maybe Japan) will bochup unless the disaster happens in their vicinity. Why is this so?

FT = Frenchie Tax-avoiders. http://www.dallasblog.com/201207031009171/...e-tax-rate.html

Singapore's Central Business District, new Marina Bay Downtown and its future southern waterfront district may be linked by an extensive underground road network beyond 2030. SINGAPORE'S Central Business District, new Marina Bay Downtown and its future southern waterfront district may be linked by an extensive underground road network beyond 2030. The plan being studied by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will see traffic zipping about unobtrusively beneath the surface in a series of subterranean ring roads. Such roads, which free up surface space and improve the liveability of urban areas, are found in cities such as Brussels, Stockholm, Madrid, Paris, Hamburg and Boston. Singapore's plan is seen as part of a larger one to accommodate a growing population, and it dates back to the 1980s. Then in 1996, the LTA envisioned 30km of two- to four-lane roads forming a pair of concentric rings under the city centre. It revisited the idea in the recently released 2013 Land Transport Masterplan, but added that the so-called Singapore Underground Road System (Surs) will now be more extensive. "We are now studying how Surs can serve new developments in the Marina Bay area and the new southern waterfront city that will extend from Keppel Channel to Pasir Panjang Terminal," a spokesman said. But until exact development plans for these two districts are clearer, he said, the scale and alignment of the underground roads remain conceptual. Experts said going underground is inevitable. Dr Park Byung Joon, head of the urban transport management programme at SIM University, said intense development is expected for the new downtown areas. Thus, building roads on the surface "may not be desirable due to the limited supply of land". Elevated roads may also mar the visual appeal and perceived prestige of a district, he said. Noise is another consideration. "The only option left is an underground road network," he said. He noted that it will be very expensive to build, but the benefits may be justifiable. Observers said the long gestation of such a network - at least 50 years from concept to implementation - held a high cost, as many areas in the city had to be "safeguarded". The term refers to reserving space for a major infrastructure project to avoid conflicting demands in the future. But retired traffic engineer Joseph Yee, 68, who was involved in early Surs studies, said: "The cost of not safeguarding is higher." Safeguarding ensures that property acquisition is kept to a minimum, for instance. Going underground is not entirely new to Singapore. The 12km Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway, which opened in 2008, is largely underground. The Marina Coastal Expressway, slated to open by the year end, is the first to have a stretch going under the seabed. Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/more-roads-be-built-underground-lta-studying-plan-build-subterranean-r

Injuries suffered by victims of road traffic accidents are becoming increasingly serious, according to figures from two Singapore hospitals. Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) point to an increasing number of grievously injured trauma patients. They cited speeding, drink driving and more heavy vehicles as possible causes. At TTSH, the number of badly injured road users has gone up by about 40 per cent. In 2008, 129 road users - drivers, motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists - had injury severity scores above 16. Last year, there were 178 such patients. Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/...erious-20130528

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singap...014/676834.html bad news for those staying at clementi area always using clementi ave 2 slip road to AYE....

Does u guys feel tuesday is more blue then monday. it does so for me. haiz..

Recently my wife was approached closed door on the above slimming method. Touting using all natural ingredients, no-hunger, no-subsequent weight gain, blah blah blah, even its promotional brochure showed our MM Goh and Health minister and another VIP I forgot, that 'suggested' them to be among its clients. It is basically eating some supplements over 3 months to balance all the smoky technical jargons, and your body will be set good for life. The catch: S$2288! It claimed to have 10 years presence here though I have never ever heard about it before. What I do not like is that a preliminary check was executed with a OSIM weighing machine, then you will be bombarded you you are this age but your body is 10+ years older, and your body got so much fat above norm that it can be rid of by exercising, very much using scare tactic. And if you bring up cost, the response would be that isn't your health worth more than the this money blah blah blah? Like I am sinning by not buying this product, worse still, not getting for your loved ones. Very much playing on guilt conscience! Anyone has any experience on this?

Read in today ST. Mr Lui said that they will release more COE next year. Couldn't find any report in CNA. If thats the case, good news indeed. Will COE drop then?

From 13 MAY CDG Mercedes will have fare adjustment. Flat down fare the same but the meter jump at $0.30 instead of the current $0.22 for normal taxi....Please take note. Dun blur blur go flag.

This story was printed from channelnewsasia.com Title : Singapore confirms three more H1N1 flu cases By : Date : 28 May 2009 2101 hrs (SST) URL : http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin.../432416/1/.html SINGAPORE: Singapore has confirmed three more cases of Influenza A (H1N1). This brings the number of infected persons in the country to four.

Huat ah for the westerner [laugh] That area going to be jam like orchard road too, with IMM, JCube and the Hospital [:(]

Transport Minister warns of ‘major consequences’ of a transport model that is overly reliant on cars Major thoroughfares such as Alexandra Road and Holland Road may be subject to Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) if traffic speeds fall below the optimal range of 20 and 30km/h, according to the refreshed Land Transport Master Plan that was released yesterday. Other than the two roads, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it is also keeping an eye on Jalan Bukit Merah, Commonwealth Avenue, Telok Blangah Road and Depot Road. These roads are currently within the optimal speed range, but the LTA added, “should these roads become congested, we will implement ERP there as well”. These roads are near the Ayer-Rajah Expressway, where traffic congestion around the Clementi area has been deteriorating. From the middle of next year, motorists will have to pay ERP as three gantries will be installed to help improve the flow of eastbound traffic towards the city during the morning and evening peak hours. As he launched the new master plan, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew yesterday cautioned about the “major consequences” of a transport model that is overly reliant on cars. First, the environmental impact would be “significant”. While measures to reduce such impact can only mitigate, they will fundamentally not solve the problem, Mr Lui said. “Fuel efficiency and technology alone will not be sufficient to bring down transport emissions, without a reduction in demand,” he added. Second, building a new road or widening an existing one in land scarce Singapore may mean that roads are built closer to homes and the living environment becomes noisier and less comfortable, Mr Lui said. Despite strict policies on car ownership, Singapore’s car population grew 11 per cent between 2008 and last year, while resident population only grew 5 per cent in the same period. “The car is not a basic necessity in Singapore given our easy access to public transport,” the new master plan said. “Going forward, we will build new roads primarily to serve new residential centres and economic activities. Expansion and improvements to existing roads will mainly be to support the movement of buses so as to bring about a better public transport experience.” The LTA is currently studying how an underground road system could serve the new waterfront city area that will extend from Marina Bay to Pasir Panjang, via Telok Blangah. The underground road system was first mooted in the 1980s as two concentric rings of underground tunnels, each about 15 kilometres long, which would encircle the city area. Source: http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/more-major-roads-may-be-subject-erp

Number of notices issued on the rise, but other violations have fallen: LTA KEEPING TO THE LIMIT: While most lorry loads keep within the designated passenger loads, an increasing number are violating the maximum limit. The number of lorry drivers caught carrying too many workers on their vehicles is on the rise, going by latest figures provided by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). There were 559 notices issued to drivers for carrying too many passengers on lorry load decks for the first eight months of this year alone, surpassing the number of notices issued for the whole of last year. There were 429 notices issued last year, a jump of more than eight times from the 51 in 2011. Since September last year, every worker has been required to have at least 8 sq ft of deck space to himself, up from 4 sq ft previously. Another rule was introduced to reduce the number of workers that may be carried, if goods or equipment are also transported, according to the remaining available floor space. Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/more-drivers-caught-overloading-lorries-workers-20131026

http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20071022-31532.html ERP helps more S'poreans to own cars: Minister Mon, Oct 22, 2007 THE use of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) has made it possible for more Singaporeans to own cars. Responding to a question for written reply in Parliament on Monday, Transport Minister Raymond Lim said this is reflected in the growth of Singapore's car population from 680,000 in 1997 to 800,000 in 2006. Dr Fatimah Lateef, MP for Marine Parade GRC, had asked the Minister if the ERP scheme has met the objectives that it was meant to achieve and if it has improved the traffic flow on expressways especially during peak hours. In his reply, Mr Lim said since its implementation in 1998, ERP has been effective in maintaining average travel speeds on priced roads within the optimal speed range through regular reviews and rate adjustments. For example, average speeds on the expressways have remained at above 45km/h during peak hours. "The use of ERP to manage traffic has made it possible for more Singaporeans to own cars than we otherwise could, and our vehicle population has grown from 680,000 in 1997 to 800,000 in 2006," he added. "It has also allowed the Government to rely more on car usage charges and less on car ownership taxes to manage traffic demand, and as a result, vehicle ownership taxes have been reduced. " The Ministers said the government will continue with a holistic and integrated approach using all the tools available to keep the roads smooth-flowing. These include building more roads, regulating vehicle growth, implementing traffic engineering solutions, managing traffic demand through ERP and promoting the use of public transport. GST is to help the poor [laugh] NS is a privilege!!! [laugh] http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/more-major-roads-may-be-subject-erp More major roads may be subject to ERP Transport Minister warns of ‘major consequences’ of a transport model that is overly reliant on cars mail print View all 64 comments Share on Tumblr By Sumita d/o Sreedharan - 08 October SINGAPORE — Major thoroughfares such as Alexandra Road and Holland Road may be subject to Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) if traffic speeds fall below the optimal range of 20 and 30km/h, according to the refreshed Land Transport Master Plan that was released yesterday. Other than the two roads, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it is also keeping an eye on Jalan Bukit Merah, Commonwealth Avenue, Telok Blangah Road and Depot Road. These roads are currently within the optimal speed range, but the LTA added, “should these roads become congested, we will implement ERP there as well”. These roads are near the Ayer-Rajah Expressway, where traffic congestion around the Clementi area has been deteriorating. From the middle of next year, motorists will have to pay ERP as three gantries will be installed to help improve the flow of eastbound traffic towards the city during the morning and evening peak hours. As he launched the new master plan, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew yesterday cautioned about the “major consequences” of a transport model that is overly reliant on cars. First, the environmental impact would be “significant”. While measures to reduce such impact can only mitigate, they will fundamentally not solve the problem, Mr Lui said. “Fuel efficiency and technology alone will not be sufficient to bring down transport emissions, without a reduction in demand,” he added. Second, building a new road or widening an existing one in land scarce Singapore may mean that roads are built closer to homes and the living environment becomes noisier and less comfortable, Mr Lui said. Despite strict policies on car ownership, Singapore’s car population grew 11 per cent between 2008 and last year, while resident population only grew 5 per cent in the same period. “The car is not a basic necessity in Singapore given our easy access to public transport,” the new master plan said. “Going forward, we will build new roads primarily to serve new residential centres and economic activities. Expansion and improvements to existing roads will mainly be to support the movement of buses so as to bring about a better public transport experience.” The LTA is currently studying how an underground road system could serve the new waterfront city area that will extend from Marina Bay to Pasir Panjang, via Telok Blangah. The underground road system was first mooted in the 1980s as two concentric rings of underground tunnels, each about 15 kilometres long, which would encircle the city area.

NTU scientists discover a way to produce cheaper, more powerful solar cells (From right) Prof Subodh Mhaisalkar, Asst Prof Sum Tze Chien and Dr Nripan Mathews. The Straits Times Monday, Oct 21, 2013 Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have discovered a way to produce cheaper and more powerful solar cells. Get the full story from The Straits Times. Here is the full press release from NTU: In the near future, solar panels will not only be more efficient but also a lot cheaper and affordable for everyone, thanks to research by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) scientists. This next generation solar cell, made from organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite materials, is about five times cheaper than current silicon-based solar cells, due to a simpler solution-based manufacturing process. Perovskite is known to be a remarkable solar cell material as it can convert up to 15 per cent of sunlight to electricity, close to the efficiency of the current solar cells, but scientists did not know why or how, until now. In a paper published last Friday (18 Oct) in the world's most prestigious academic journal, Science, NTU's interdisciplinary research team was the first in the world to explain this phenomenon. The team of eight researchers led by Assistant Professor Sum Tze Chien and Dr Nripan Mathews had worked closely with NTU Visiting Professor Michael Grätzel, who currently holds the record for perovskite solar cell efficiency of 15 per cent, and is a co-author of the paper. Prof Grätzel, who is based at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), has won multiple awards for his invention of dye-sensitised solar cells. The high sunlight-to-electricity efficiency of perovskite solar cells places it in direct competition with Silicon solar cells and thin film solar cells which are already in the market and have efficiencies close to 20 per cent. The new knowledge on how these solar cells work is now being applied by the Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N), which is developing a commercial prototype of the perovskite solar cell in collaboration with Australian clean-tech firm Dyesol Limited (ASX: DYE). Asst Prof Sum said the discovery of why perovskite worked so well as a solar cell material was made possible only through the use of cutting-edge equipment and in close collaboration with NTU engineers. "In our work, we utilise ultrafast lasers to study the perovskite materials. We tracked how fast these materials react to light in quadrillionths of a second (roughly 100 billion times faster than a camera flash)," said the Singaporean photophysics expert from NTU's School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. "We discovered that in these perovskite materials, the electrons generated in the material by sunlight can travel quite far. This will allow us to make thicker solar cells which absorb more light and in turn generate more electricity." The NTU physicist added that this unique characteristic of perovskite is quite remarkable since it is made from a simple solution method that normally produces low quality materials. His collaborator, Dr Nripan Mathews, a senior scientist at ERI@N, said that their discovery is a great example of how investment in fundamental research and an interdisciplinary effort, can lead to advances in knowledge and breakthroughs in applied science. "Now that we know exactly how perovskite materials behave and work, we will be able to tweak the performance of the new solar cells and improve its efficiency, hopefully reaching or even exceeding the performance of today's Silicon solar cells," said Dr Mathews, who is also the Singapore R&D Director of the Singapore-Berkeley Research Initiative for Sustainable Energy (SinBeRISE) NRF CREATE programme. "The excellent properties of these materials, allow us to make light weight, flexible solar cells on plastic using cheap processes without sacrificing the good sunlight conversion efficiency." Professor Subodh Mhaisalkar, the Executive Director of ERI@N said they are now looking into building prototype solar cell modules based on this exciting class of materials. "Perovskite-based solar cells have the potential to reach 20 per cent solar cell efficiencies and another great benefit of these materials is their amenability to yield different translucent colours, such as red, yellow or brown. Having such colourful solar glass will create new opportunities for architectural design," he added. The NTU team, consisting of six scientists, one postgraduate and one undergraduate, took six months to complete this fundamental research project, which was funded by NTU and the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister's Office, Singapore. [thumbsup]Up for these guys!!!

http://sgtalk.org/mybb/Thread-PM-Lee-dodges-question-%E2%80%98Should-US-lawmakers-be-paid-more http://www.tremeritus.com/2013/10/09/pm-lee-dodges-journalists-embarrassing-question/ Entertaining.

Efforts to get Singaporeans to leave their cars at home and take the train and bus appear to be paying off. This was among the findings of a recent survey by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) that was announced on Monday. Lawyer Jinny Tan still drives to her workplace in the Chinatown area each morning but she opts for the train when she goes out for lunch. Ms Tan said she is open to using public transport more if one major complaint is addressed. "For mornings, it does get a bit crowded and you have to really wait for a few trains before you get on a train." The government has put in place measures to address these and other concerns. The LTA's latest Household Interview Travel Survey indicates these measures might be working. The survey found that more higher-income earners appear to be choosing buses and trains over personal vehicles. Higher income earners refer to those who earn a salary of S$8,000 or more a month. They contributed to a rise in the number of peak hour trips on public transport last year. In 2008, just over half of all such journeys were made during peak hours. It rose to nearly two in three last year. Experts believe the key to increasing these numbers is to show people how using public transportation can benefit them. The survey also found that more people used public transport if they lived near MRT stations. The government plans to have eight in 10 households live within a 10 minute walk of a train station by 2030. Observers said getting commuters from their homes to public transport is straightforward with covered walkways. The harder part is getting them from buses or trains to their workplace. Ang Hin Kee, a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, explained: "I think the challenge for the LTA is how it incorporates this last mile into a revision of their Masterplan so that for any commuters, it will be very convenient to get from their place of work to their place of residence." The survey also showed that total daily journeys on public transport increased by 13 per cent to 12.5 million last year. Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/more-singaporeans-leaving/839682.html

Yahoo news: Malaysia to charge foreigners more for buying houses in Johor-report KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Malaysia's southern state of Johor, which neighbours Singapore, will impose a higher processing fee on foreigners who buy houses, state news agency Bernama reported, as it looks to boost revenues and rein in speculative buying. Bernama quoted the state executive councillor for housing and local government, Abdul Latiff Bandi, as saying the state government will charge a fee of 4-5 percent of the property value. Proceeds will go towards welfare projects in Johor. This compares with the current flat fee of 10,000 ringgit ($3,100) per property. Singaporeans have been buying houses in Johor, especially in Iskandar, which is a 2,200 square km (850 square mile) zone three times the size of Singapore and is just across a narrow strip of water. The strong interest also stems from cheaper property prices and utility bills compared with Singapore. The move also comes ahead of potential new measures by the Malaysian government, such as raising the real property gains tax, in the upcoming budget on Oct. 25 to rein in rising housing prices. Property companies that have exposure to Johor include UEM Sunrise, Mah Sing Group, Tropicana Corp and Hong Kong-listed Country Garden Holdings . ($1 = 3.1895 Malaysian ringgit) (Reporting By Yantoultra Ngui; Editing by Chris Gallagher) link: http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/malaysia-charge-foreigners-more-buying-014549612.html Change policies like changing clothing daily ....

from http://sgtalk.org/mybb/Thread-I-can-t-beli...ust-10k-capital

The existing bus priority measures, such as bus lanes and Mandatory Give Way to Buses (MGWTB), will be extended to more locations island-wide. From mid-October, there will be another 25 kilometres of bus lanes -- with Kampong Bahru Road, Lorong 6 Toa Payoh and Orchard Boulevard among the first new stretches. Currently, there are 23 kilometres of full-day bus lanes, and 155 kilometres of normal bus lanes. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said with the completion of new bus lanes by end-2013, there will be about 200 kilometres of bus lanes island-wide. From November, the Mandatory Give Way to Buses scheme will be implemented at another 135 bus bays. When completed by end-2014, about 300 bus stops will be covered under the scheme. LTA said the expansion of the bus priority measures are aimed at improving overall reliability and speeds of buses, so that commuters can experience more regular waiting times. It will also complement the ongoing Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), where additional buses will be added. LTA said by improving bus reliability, it will help shorten overall bus journey time and make public transport more attractive. Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/existing-bus-priority/836440.html

Hello. Recently my ride is making some weird noises. Mostly in the morning during start-up. 1 - I need to clutch in during cranking, when release the pedal, I can feel a knocking sound. Other times during driving, no such issue. 2 - After cranking, when driving off, can hear a high pitch screeching sound. Think is from the wheels. The sound can only be heard for a short distance like moving out from a lot, after that, no such sound. Any bros encounter such things before?