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Geography is what most people understand to be the study of where countries are. That's why not knowing where a country is on a map will result in your friends saying, "Never study geography ah?" Of course, geography is deeper and more complex than just finding countries and cities on a map. It also involves studying a country's features such as mountains, lakes and rivers, and most importantly, peoples. We won't dive into all this. Instead, we'll get into how Singapore's geography determines its climate and how this in turn influences our lifestyle. Photo: Maarten Duineveld, Unsplash Swedish observation Singapore sits just above the equator, so you might say that our two most abundant resources are the sun and its heat. Anyway, during a work trip to Sweden some years ago, a fellow journalist and I noticed many locals doing a variety of outdoor sports. From cycling to running to tennis, it seemed like everyone had an active lifestyle. "It must be the weather. The climate is so cool that even I want to pick up a tennis racquet!" he remarked. As we drove along, I remembered my geography classes in school. How citizens of a country live - this is very much influenced by its climate. Obviously, Sweden is way up in the northern hemisphere and gets plenty of snow in the winter, which explains why it's a cold country. Indeed, it was cold for the first week of October, which was when the trip took place. I recall temperatures only reaching 12 degrees during the day, dropping to around 4 degrees Celsius at night. Walking, running and cycling would certainly feel shiok in this weather. The weather lately feels desert-like. Photo: Giorgio Parravicini, Unsplash Meanwhile, in the sweltering tropics... It's only going to get hotter in Singapore. Numerous temperature and UV warnings have been issued, and the wet and cool weather we enjoyed for a prolonged period last year has long departed. We can only hope it will visit again. Life doesn't stop just because it's hot. However, it also makes exercising outdoors - and being active in general - unappealing. Combined with high humidity, it's not uncommon to hear people complain that they're already sweating after walking to the bus stop below their block. If you're from a temperate country and have never been to the tropics, you probably think I'm exaggerating. Well, come to our corner of the world and feel for yourself. So, hot weather prevents us from exercising? Of course not. Many of us are quite outdoorsy and don't even mind getting tanned (but please apply sunscreen to mitigate skin damage). But the heat tends to make us lazy. Cooler weather makes commuting more comfortable, like these folks in Tokyo. Photo: Redd F, Unsplash Nobody wants to sweat while walking 10 minutes from the office to the hawker centre. So, we'll either drive there or get a private-hire ride. Nobody enjoys sweaty commutes requiring one to walk while transferring from air-conditioned buses and trains. Yes, yes, I know. First World problems. I think this 'problem' though, is one factor that prevents us from becoming fitter. Those of us who've holidayed in Tokyo during spring or fall know that you can easily clock 20,000 steps a day when you're there, probably without breaking a sweat. It must be why everyone there looks so slim. Cooler climes make it more comfortable to do such things. Tampines MRT station is less than 2km from my house, but if I started walking to it at 9am, I hope shower facilities appear in the office by the time I arrive. With cooler weather, more people would walk and cycle as well, since the impact to one's hygiene will be minimal. If commuting becomes pleasant, we might even drive less, thereby lowering emissions and our vehicle's running costs. Photo: Peijia Lee, Unsplash Will it really improve health? The optimistic answer to this is yes, cooler weather will make us more active and therefore, fitter. According to this HealthHub article, the crude prevalence of obesity among residents aged 18-74 years old is 10.5%. This is based on a 2019/2020 National Population Health Survey. But it's too simplistic to conclude that cooler weather will change lifestyle and health trends. Does everyone become healthier/fitter during the cooler and wetter periods? Based on casual observations and conversations, we actually end up eating and drinking more when the weather is cool. Mala hotpot, already a firm favourite, becomes even more irresistible then. Whisky seems 'less heaty' as well. In general, we tend to get hungrier and thirstier the colder we feel. It's all in the mind We can't change our geography, so we can only surmise that if we had a more temperate climate, we'd be more active. I don't think we need single-digit temperatures, but if our weather ranged between 15-20 degrees Celsius on average and humidity also averaged 60% instead of over 90%, a lot would change. Training in hot weather can help improve your cardiovascular fitness. Photo: Karsten Winegeart, Unsplash But would it make us fitter? That might be wishful thinking. Beyond lifestyle and dining habits, mindsets are the most difficult to change. Someone who only insists on high-cholesterol, high-sodium and sugar-heavy foods for every meal is unlikely to change their mind, no matter the weather, or impact to his or her health. I mention food because nutrition makes up a big part of the fitness equation. While exercising regularly (even with poor dietary habits) is better than not exercising at all, we all know that the key to better health is diet + exercise. That's never been a secret. To me, that means healthier choices from Mondays to Fridays, but indulging a bit on weekends. Being more willing to sweat it out will help as well. Instead of taking cover from the heat, I've learned (or convinced myself) to use it to improve my fitness. Hot weather is here to stay. It's our geography and we must do what humans do best: Adapt and thrive. - Jeremy

BANGKOK: Thailand's first tropical storm in three decades, packing winds of up to 80kph, is expected to make landfall on Friday evening, sending thousands of people flocking to shelter inland and shutting down two major airports. The winds accompanying tropical storm Pabuk churned up high waves and gusts in the Gulf of Thailand, ahead of its arrival in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Weather officials warned of torrential downpours and strong winds in 15 provinces in the Thai south, home to one of the world's largest natural rubber plantations and several islands thronged by tourists. "The strong winds are forecast with waves up to 3 to 5 meters high in the Gulf and 2 to 3 meters high in the Andaman Sea. All ships (should) keep ashore," the Thai Meteorological Department said in a statement early on Friday. The conditions would persist into Saturday, it added. Over the past few days, 6,176 people have been evacuated to shelters from Nakhon Si Thammarat as well as the provinces of Pattani, Songkhla and Yala, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has said. The Nakhon Si Thammarat airport announced it had closed, and low-cost Nok Airlines Pcl said it had cancelled all eight flights to and from the province. The Surat Thani airport will also close from Friday afternoon to Saturday, cancelling flights by Nok Airlines, Lion Air, and Thai Smile, a subsidiary of national carrier Thai Airways. Earlier, Bangkok Airways Pcl also announced it had cancelled all flights to and from the holiday destination of Koh Samui, where ferry services have also been suspended. National energy company PTT Exploration and Production Pcl said it had suspended operations at Bongkot and Erawan, two of the country's biggest gas fields in the Gulf of Thailand. Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/thais-shelter-storm-pabuk-landfall-11086010

no please dun tell you kids that they are your great-great-grandfather, grand uncles or grand aunties oh and they are not butterflies

Car is 1wk old, nothing much except for some swirls and water spots. Will be maintaining it with OCW after weekly washes. First impressions on NXT metal polysh; easy to use, offers protection and produces good results. Used it on polished metal sections on my rims and exhaust, dare not use autosol. Exterior 1) Optimum car wash 2) Meguiars C2000 claybar 3) Wash car again 4) Menzerna PO106FF on DA with polishing pad @ speed 5 5) CarLack68 Nano on DA with light polishing pad @ speed 5 5) Meguiars #16 paste wax on DA with finishing pad @ speed 4 * 2 coats 6) Meguiars Gold Class trim detailer on all trims Interior 1) Meguiars APC 2) Meguiars #40 on vinyl & Rubber 3) Meguiars Gold Class leather cleaner & conditioner Tyres, rims & exhaust 1) Wash rims and tyres with dish detergent 2) Meguiars NXT All Metal Polysh on rims and exhaust 3) Meguiars Endurance Tyre gel(high gloss) * 2 coats [inline dscf00195bj.jpg]

Which tyres best for Singapore's Tropical weather ? Performance tyres or summer tyres Performance tyres are designed for faster cars or for people who prefer to drive harder than the average consumer. They typically put performance and grip ahead of longevity by using a softer rubber compound. Tread block design is normally biased towards outright grip rather than the ability to pump water out of the way on a wet road. The extreme example of performance tyres are "slicks" used in motor racing, so-called because they have no tread at all. All-round or all-season tyres These tyres are what you'll typically find on every production car that comes out of a factory. They're designed to be a compromise between grip, performance, longevity, noise and wet-weather safety. For increased tyre life, they are made with a harder rubber compound, which sacrifices outright grip and cornering performance. For 90% of the world's drivers, this isn't an issue. The tread block design is normally a compromise between quiet running and water dispersion - the tyre should not be too noisy in normal use but should work fairly well in downpours and on wet roads. All-season tyres are neither excellent dry-weather, nor excellent wet-weather tyres. taken from http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbi...yre_bible.html