23/06/2023

The 10 best-sold cars ever


Some cars are iconic because so many people owned them. The Chevrolet Impala is one of these cars. Even though it was never for sale in Europe, everyone knows this model. Cinema has a lot to do with it.

Have you owned one of them:

30 notable new cars of 1953

Seventy years ago, the global automotive industry was booming. The process of recovering from the Second World War was more or less complete, there was a big demand for new models, and design features which had seemed freakish in the 1930s were now fresh and exciting.

With a certain amount of anguish, we’ve cut down the list of cars introduced in 1953 to 30, presented here in alphabetical order. For clarification, 1953 refers to the model year in North America (in which case the car might in fact have been introduced in 1952) and to the calendar year everywhere else.

These are the Top 10 Cars of 1953:
  • 1. AC Ace - The Ace sports car made its debut only six years after that of the AC 2-Litre, but it was so much more modern that a casual observer might assume they were introduced decades apart.
  • 2. Alvis TC21 - Like the preceding TA21, the TC21 was officially marketed as the Three Litre due to its 3-litre straight-six engine.
  • 3. Aston Martin DB2/4 - The DB2/4 was a development of – and indeed replaced – the DB2 launched in 1950.
  • 4. Austin-Healey 100 - The first car produced by the joint venture between Austin and the Donald Healey Motor Company (and also the first now known as Big Healey) was a two-seat roadster powered by a 2660cc Austin four-cylinder engine.
  • 5. Bristol 403 - 1953 could be described as a transitional year for Bristol.
  • 6. Buick Skylark - The first of many Buick Skylarks was part of the Roadmaster range and, along with the Cadillac Eldorado and Oldsmobile Fiesta, one of three top-end General Motors convertibles introduced in the 1953 model year.
  • 7. Cadillac Eldorado - Cadillac first used the Eldorado name for a 1952 concept car floridly described in a press release as ‘an expression of the ageless arts’.
  • 8. Chevrolet 210 - Ask a hundred people to name the most memorable Chevrolets in history, and you’d be lucky to find more than a couple who know about the 210.
  • 9. Chevrolet Corvette - Unlike some of the other American cars we’re looking at, the Corvette was introduced in the 1953 calendar year.
  • 10. Daimler Conquest - The Conquest was Daimler’s replacement for the larger Consort saloon.
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22/06/2023

Duān Wǔ Jié 端午节 Dumpling Festival 2023


The Dumpling Festival (端午节 “Duan Wu Jie”), or Dragon Boat Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar
Zong Zi” (糯米) Bak Chang
Duān Wǔ Jié 端午节 Festival

Zongzi is a must-have food during Duanwu Festival. In ancient China, these traditional rice dumplings were used as an offering to pay tribute to ancestors and deities. Later, according to legend, after poet Qu Yuan plunged himself into the Miluo River, people threw zongzi into the water to divert fish away from his body. Zongzi are pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves and tied with colored thread. They are prepared with a wide range of fillings, including jujube and bean paste, fresh meat, ham and egg yolk.

Duanwu Festival is also called the Dragon Boat Festival. It's said that the festival may originate from dragon worship and that dragon boat racing reflects a reverence for the dragon deity. Folk tales also suggest that dragon boat racing is connected with the ancient poet Qu Yuan. After Qu Yuan drowned himself in the river to mourn the fall of his motherland, local people raced out in their boats to try and save him. Later, dragon boat racing became an indispensable part of the festival. Nowadays, it has developed into a sport which combines both Chinese tradition and the modern sporting spirit.

Realgar wine is a kind of Chinese liquor seasoned with realgar. Legend has it that an old doctor poured a jug of realgar wine into the water where poet Qu Yuan drowned himself, hoping to make all the creatures in the river drunk and prevent them from eating the poet's body. Past generations also used realgar as a pesticide against mosquitoes in the hot summer, and as an antidote against poison in ancient times. Now, drinking realgar wine has become a tradition during Duanwu Festival. Chinese people often hang mugwort above their doors to deter insects. In ancient times, people believed that hanging mugwort, calamus or pomegranate flowers could get rid of misfortune or drive away evil spirits. Also, venomous animals — such as snakes, centipedes and scorpions — were said to appear starting from the fifth day of the fifth month, and so people would hang mugwort or calamus, take long walks, and wear perfumed medicine pouches to keep venomous animals away and prevent diseases while promoting health and well-being.


Dragon Boat Festival: Names, Origins, Traditions, Greetings

Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday which falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, which is in late May or June on the Gregorian calendar.

Dragon Boat Festival is one of the four top traditional Chinese festivals, along with the Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, and Mid-Autumn Festival. It is called Dragon Boat Festival, or Longzhou Jie (龙舟节) in Chinese, because of its close association with dragon boats. Chinese people attach great cultural significance to dragons. The two main activities during the festival are eating zongzi (rice dumplings) and boat races, and both are related to dragons. Zongzi have long been thrown into rivers as offerings and sacrifices to the Dragon God on lunar month 5 day 5, while dragon boats are used in races traditionally held on this day. So, it is also called the Dragon Boat Festival.

In addition to China, many other Asian countries also celebrate this festival. In Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan, it is known as Bak Chang Festival (‘Dumpling Festival'). Learn more facts about the Dragon Boat Festival:
  • The Festival Date Varies Each Year!
  • It Is an Important Public Holiday
  • It Is One of the National/UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Items
  • It Is a Traditional Festival to Worship an Ancient Chinese Poet — Qu Yuan
  • The Most Ceremonial Activity Is Held — Dragon Boat Racing
  • Eating Zongzi is the Most Popular Custom
  • Special Plants are Hung on Doors to Discourage Diseases


Bak Chang since 1945 (Zongzi 粽 子)

Talk about having a rich history: Kim Choo Kueh Chang, a Peranakan delicatessen, has been faithfully serving handmade Nyonya dumplings and kueh for 77 years. Located about 10 minutes on foot from Eunos MRT Station, locals and tourists alike flock to this beloved store for a taste of nostalgia and tradition.

Kim Choo Kueh Chang’s humble beginnings date back to 1945, when their founder Madam Lee Kim Choo sold her Nyonya rice dumplings under a banyan tree. Through the years, they have preserved the traditional flavours of their delicacies, serving as a bastion of Peranakan cuisine in Singapore. They were even selected to manage the Singapore Visitor Centre of Katong and Joo Chiat, because of their rich heritage and legacy.

Till today, all their rice dumplings and kueh are house-made on the premises, in the kitchen right behind their counter, where you’ll get all their products, only available for takeaway.

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21/06/2023

Summer Solstice 2023 夏至 Xià Zhì

All you need to know: June solstice 2019
The sunset has been making its way north, as illustrated in this 2016 photo composite by Abhijit Juvekar

 The June solstice – your signal to celebrate summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere – is today, June 21, 2023, at 15:54 UTC. That’s 10:54 a.m. CDT in North America on June 21. Translate UTC to your time. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, this solstice marks the longest day of the year. Early dawns. Long days. Late sunsets. Short nights. The sun at its height each day, as it crosses the sky. Meanwhile, south of the equator, winter begins.

 What is a solstice? Ancient cultures knew that the sun’s path across the sky, the length of daylight, and the location of the sunrise and sunset all shifted in a regular way throughout the year. They built monuments, such as Stonehenge, to follow the sun’s yearly progress.

 Today, we know that the solstice is an astronomical event, caused by Earth’s tilt on its axis and its motion in orbit around the sun.

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What is a Solstice?

A solstice is one of the two times of the year when the positioning and tilt of Earth relative to the sun results in the most amount of daylight time or the least amount of daylight time in a single day. There are two solstices during the year: one that occurs around June 20–22 (usually June 20 or 21) and one that occurs around December 20–23 (usually December 21 or 22).

The solstices are traditionally considered to mark the start of summer and winter. But which season begins with each solstice depends on which hemisphere you’re in. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs in June and the winter solstice occurs in December. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the opposite. The summer solstice results in the longest day of the year, meaning it has the most time of daylight, and the winter solstice results in the shortest day of the year, meaning it has the longest period of darkness.

In contrast, an equinox is one of the two times of the year when the amount of daylight and nighttime hours are just about of equal length. The two equinoxes occur around March 20–21 and September 22–23. In the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox (or spring equinox) occurs in March and the autumnal equinox occurs in September. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the opposite.


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20/06/2023

World's Best Airline 2023

Singapore Airlines is named the World’s Best Airline at the 2023 World Airline Awards

Singapore Airlines has been voted the World’s Best Airline at the 2023 World Airline Awards, the fifth time that the airline has scooped the Airline of the Year title in the 23 year history of the awards.

The 2023 World Airline Awards have been announced in a gala ceremony held in the iconic Air and Space Museum at the Paris Air Show. More than 350 guests attended the event from airlines across the world, with a large number of airline CEO’s, Presidents and Senior Management present to accept their awards. As has become customary at the World Airline Awards, there were a lot of uniformed airline cabin crew showing off the airline corporate brands.

Widely regarded as ‘the Oscars of the aviation industry’, the World Airline Awards began in 1999, and remain totally independent and impartial with all of the customer survey costs and awards event paid by the organisers, Skytrax. The seven times winner of the prestigious Airline of the Year award, Qatar Airways, was ranked No 2 in the world for 2023, with ANA All Nippon Airways in third place, Emirates fourth, and Japan Airlines in fifth position, out of more than 325 airlines included in the survey results.


The 2023 World Airline Awards to be held at the 2023 Paris Air Show
2023 World Airline Awards, Paris Air Show, World's Best Airline 20th June 2023

Skytrax have announced that the 2023 World Airline Awards will take place in the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace (Air and Space Museum) at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday 20th June 2023.

Launched in 1999, this year is the 24th anniversary of the World Airline Awards. Widely regarded as ‘the Oscars of the aviation industry’, the World Airline Awards remain totally independent and impartial. Airlines do not pay to be included, and unlike many “paid-for” awards gala ceremonies, there are no costs involved to attend the awards event or subsequent marketing rights. Over 350 guests attended the 2022 World Airline Awards event held at The Langham in London, with airlines represented by their President, Chairman, CEO’s and other top management, and more than 100 cabin and ground staff from 30 airlines added great colour and elegance to the event.

Commenting on the 2023 event, Edward Plaisted of Skytrax said: “We are delighted to be holding the World Airline Awards back at the Paris Air Show this year. It is the world’s premier air show event, and it has been missed during COVID-19 when the 2021 show was cancelled. Having the awards at the Paris Air Show is always a very popular choice for the airlines attending, and the iconic Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace provides a most unique and fabulous venue at the centre of the Air Show.”


Airlines with most flight delays and cancellations, according to Singaporean travellers

Have you ever heard travel horror stories from your friends and family about flights being delayed for hours? Or worse, cancelled?

These tales of travel terror get us all nervous, but they're anecdotal at best. In the grand scheme of things, how do we know if flight delays really do happen very frequently on Airline X? Or if Airline Y really does end up cancelling a lot of their flights?

We carry out a proper survey on flight cancellations and delays, that's how. MoneySmart asked over 1,700 Singaporeans about the flight delays, flight cancellations, and compensation received for both over the past year or so (May 2022-2023). Here's what we found out about flight delays, cancellations, compensation for flight disruptions & impact of travel disruptions:
  • Air India and Air China had the highest reported rates of flight delays
  • Almost 2 out of 5 Singapore Airlines travellers had their flights delayed
  • Most travel delays didn't exceed 4 hours
  • Air India and Cebu Pacific Air had the highest reported rates of flight cancellations
  • About 1 in 4 respondents waited only 1 to 3 hours for a replacement flight
  • About 2 in 5 respondents did not get compensated for delayed flights
  • Air China was the most likely to compensate respondents whose flights were delayed or cancelled
  • Are the travellers we surveyed scarred for life?
  • How do I avoid flight delays and cancellations?


Full Coverage:

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19/06/2023

Teochew Lor Mee 潮 州 卤 面

Famous Amoy St Lor Mee Since 1959 Is Now At Boon Keng

Lor mee aficionados, Amoy St Lor Mee is now open in Bendemeer Shopping Mall, just outside Boon Keng MRT Station! This newest stall adds to their growing list of locations, spanning Amoy Street Food Centre, Whampoa Drive Food Centre, Jurong East, Fernvale Hawker Centre, Ubi, and Senja Hawker Centre.

The new stall, like its other branches, only serves one item: Lor Mee ($4.50), though it also comes in a Jumbo Lor Mee ($5.50) version. Of course, you can then customise your bowl of the stewed noodles with any of their add-ons. Choose from Noodle ($0.50), Mee Hoon ($0.50), Braised Pork ($1), Batang Fish ($1.50), Mixed Fried ($1) and Onsen Egg ($1). Getting the basic $4.50 bowl means you won’t get the jammy-yolked marinated egg, but you’ll still be served a portion of everything else. If you’re wondering what Mixed Fried refers to, here at Amoy St Lor Mee, it includes ngoh hiang, that’s said to be house-made!

Unlike at other lor mee stalls, the viscous, savoury lor gravy here is thickened not with corn or tapioca starch, but plain flour. This switch makes it such that the gravy doesn’t turn watery as you dig in, and is meant to be less heavy on the stomach as well. Choose to have it with thick yellow Hokkien noodles, thin bee hoon, or a mix of both. Then tweak the flavours with vinegar, sliced red chilli, minced fresh garlic, and fresh coriander!



This Popular Lor Mee Stall Has Been Around For More Than 50 Years

In case you didn’t know, lor mee is a traditionally noodle dish that has its roots in Xiamen, China. With its thick, starchy, dark-coloured gravy, this dish isn’t typically on top of Singaporeans’ must-eat lists. Of the few stalls that serve this dish today, Lorong Ah Soo Lor Mee is one of them, with a history that is said to date back more than 50 years!

Located on the second floor of Hougang Hainanese Village Centre, Lorong Ah Soo Lor Mee only serves one dish, Lor Mee, in two sizes: $4 and $5. What’s more, they only operate from 12pm to 3:30pm, for three-and-a-half hours, each day. This is only as long as they’ve got food to serve, which with the long queues is usually not the case.

When you pick up your order, you’ll have to add your own garnishes and condiments. Help yourself to as much fresh minced garlic, sliced red chilli, and chopped spring onions as you wish, and drizzle black vinegar to taste. The fresh, sharp flavours of these, and the acidity of the vinegar, help to cut through the viscous, thick lor mee gravy so it doesn’t get too jelak. At this popular Hougang lor mee stall, you get to pick your noodles: choose from thick yellow Hokkien noodles, thin, and thick bee hoon. You could get a mix of these too.


Famous Old-School Lor Mee Since 1988 In Jurong

When it comes to hawker food in Singapore, more specifically Hokkien noodle dishes, I feel like lor mee’s kind of the middle child. It’s not a dish that springs immediately to mind—such as Hokkien mee or mee hoon kueh—but you’ll still find people out there with a soft spot for the dish. Just go to any hawker centre with popular lor mee stalls such as Feng Zhen Lor Mee, and you’ll find noodle lovers queuing around the block for a hearty bowl to start off their day.

The original Feng Zhen Lor Mee stall is arguably the most ulu of the five outlets around Singapore. But, as someone who happens to live in said ulu region of Singapore, it was a simple bus ride to Taman Jurong Food Centre for some warm and comforting lor mee on a rainy morning. After all, they’ve been awarded the Michelin Plate—even more reason to head down.

As a third-generation stall that’s been around since 1988, Feng Zhen’s menu has seen some changes over the years, but one thing that has remained is their Traditional Lor Mee ($4/$5). Thick, dark gravy is poured over a heaping amount of yellow noodles, which are buried under a huge pile of fishcake, fried meatballs, braised egg, fried fish, and chunks of pork belly. 


Keng Heng (Whampoa) Teochew Lor Mee (Golden Mile Food Centre)

This stall at Golden Mile Food Centre perhaps sells one of the best lor mee at Singapore.

The thick gravy is not only lasting (till you finish eating) but also tasty, flavourful and memorable taste. As with any other lor mee there are the other ingredients except the dried fish skin bits which are crispy and give the mee the texture it needed.

The price is not really surprising, as the hawker stall, the price range will not far from S$3-S$10 that’s depend what you order and how many food you order. But still affordable and the guarantee is you are not gonna disappointed with their food.


Keng Heng (Whampoa) Teochew Lor Mee – Full of Delicious Surprises!

Truth be told, Lor Mee is not the first thing I would order at a Hawker Centre. The thick, starchy sauce just seemed strange to me. However, I always keep an open mind when it comes to food. So, when I heard of Keng Heng (Whampoa) Teochew Lor Mee, I was keen to give Lor Mee another try!

Located in Golden Mile Food Centre, this unassuming Lor Mee stall attracts snaking queues even on weekdays. I went down around 12pm on a Wednesday and there were around five people in the queue. Once I got my bowl of Lor Mee, I turned around and saw almost 10 people in line! One of the best parts of Keng Heng (Whampoa) Teochew Lor Mee is its value. The dish is reasonably priced(from $3 – $5). I ordered a $5 portion and got a large serving of ingredients such as fried wantons, fish, fishcake, pork belly and crispy fish skin.

With so many different ingredients, every bite of this Lor Mee will be a lovely surprise! The thick, starchy sauce that makes Lor Mee so famous is either loved or hated by people. While I fall in the latter group, Keng Heng’s Lor Mee sauce is one of the best I have tried! The sauce was thick, but not starchy to the point where it was difficult to eat. The thick sauce clung to the noodles, which were also well cooked and not mushy. I highly recommend adding all the sauces available at the stall, such as raw garlic, vinegar and chilli sauce. These sauces help lift the Lor Mee sauce, which can be quite heavy on its own. The auntie who takes your order adds in the sauces for you, so make sure to let her know if you want more or less of anything!


Keng Heng Whampoa Teochew Lor Mee Ghim Moh Link

Keng Heng Whampoa Teochew Lor Mee (庆 兴 黄 埔 潮 州 卤面) and Yu Pan (御 品 果 条 汤) at Foodfare coffeeshop at Ghim Moh Link were two new places that we visited recently. It seems like we will be returning to this part of south-west Singapore quite frequently.

According to its website, “Foodfare was established in 1995 with the social purpose of providing affordable, tasty and healthier meals to the community”.  It also has a social mission to “provide value, quality cooked food in Singapore by providing a pricing benchmark for the industry to follow”. It has more than 100 locations nationwide. The NTUC Foodfare coffeeshop at Ghim Moh Link is one of the nicest coffeeshops in Singapore that I have seen. It is bright and clean. There is a high ceiling and each stall has big clear signs. It is also convenient, right next to a multi-storey carpark and Ghim Moh Fairprice supermarket.

Keng Heng Whampoa Teochew Lor Mee is a famous lor mee stall in Golden Mile food centre that I have heard of but never tried. Golden Mile is undergoing some renovations at the moment and Keng Heng Lor Mee Ghim Moh is their second outlet.


KENG HENG (WHAMPOA) TEOCHEW LOR MEE @ GOLDEN MILE FOOD CENTRE

Thankfully, there is another very popular lor mee stall at the food centre called Keng Heng (Whampoa) Teochew Lor Mee (慶 興 (黃 埔) 潮 州 鹵 麵) which have appeared on Makan Places: Lost & Found. It is also the winner of the 2012 King Of Kings (王 中 王) award.

As its name implies, the stall actually had its beginnings at Whampoa Drive Food Centre. It was there for a good ten years before shifting to Lucky Plaza Food Centre for the next three years. It shifted again and this time, they came to Golden Mile. If you had paid attention to their name, theirs is Teochew lor mee and not the usual Hokkien lor mee. What is the difference between the Teochew and Hokkien style? Isn't lor mee just... lor mee?

According to the owners, Teochew lor mee does not have braised egg. They emphasized more on the braised meat and ngor hiang. Their lor which is cooked from a broth of chicken bones, pork bones and anchovies is also not as sweet. Apart from the braised meat and ngor hiang, other ingredients included fish cake, battered fish meat, fried wanton and fried fish skin.


We tried Singapore’s worst-rated Lor Mee stall

In all honesty, I sought out Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee without knowing of its reputation online. All I knew about this hawker stall was that: 1) it sold lor mee; 2) it’s listed on the Michelin Guide; and 3) it’s located at Amoy Street Food Centre. 

By all means, it seemed like Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee was pretty decent. Multiple other food bloggers had also written about them, attesting to their long legacy as they’ve been at Amoy Street Food Centre since 1984. Even famous Australian chef Marion Grasby was seen patronising the stall on 7 Mar 2023! It was only when I took a look at its Google Reviews that I did a triple take. “Wait… This can’t be right,” I said to myself. “1.8 stars … Really?!” Indeed, at the time of writing, Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee had racked up an abysmal rating of 1.8 stars, with a total of 85 reviews.

Most reviews agreed that while Yuan Chun Famous Lor Mee served a great bowl of lor mee in the past, standards have since dropped to a point of no return. “Avoid at all cost” the reviews said. “The lor sauce is a watery mess of sandy sour water I cannot even call it broth.” And the worst comment I’ve seen thus far: “You have to murder me to get me to come back.”


Keng Heng Whampoa Teochew Lor Mee

The thick, gooey, starchy and nicely flavoured braised sauce is well-balanced and savoury.

Each bowl is accompanied by braised pork belly, fish fritters, fishcake, fried wanton, ngoh hiang and crispy fish skin. Remember to bite the fried fish skin first and not leave it soaking in the braised sauce for too long.

Feel free to request more condiments such as chopped garlic, chilli padi, sambal belacan and black vinegar as it complements and brings the flavours of lor mee to another level


10 Best LOR MEE In Singapore – Starchy, Gooey Gravy Goodness

Lor mee 卤 面 is a popular Singapore hawker noodle dish categorised by thick gravy cooked with corn starch, five-spice powder and eggs, added with ingredients such as hard-boiled eggs, fish flakes, fish cake, ngor hiang (meat rolls) or fried fish – depending on the stall.

To complement the savoury flavours, customers add a drizzle of the rice-based black vinegar (usually the Chinkiang), some minced garlic, and for spice lovers, a dollop or two of sambal chili. For this Lor Mee listicle, I tried more than 20 famous stalls, and I personally found this hawker listicle harder to compile than the usual – because the famous stalls are located at far ends of the island, with very long queues, and operate for short hours. And it is starchy and filling, so I cannot cover more than a stall a day. (For food centres with 2-3 famous Lor Mee stalls, I go back on separate trips to try all of them.)

To me (while some may not agree with), the most important component of Lor Mee is the ’lor’ (gravy) itself. I am always looking out for that ‘magic’. It should be flavourful, and can hold on its own even without including additional vinegar, chilli or garlic. Here are 10 more luscious Lor Mee you can find in Singapore:
  • Xin Mei Xiang Zheng Zong Lor Mee 新 美 香 卤 面
  • Feng Zhen Lor Mee 鳳 珍 鹵 麵
  • Keng Heng Whampoa Teo Chew Lor Mee 慶 興 黃 埔 潮 州 鹵 麵
  • Lorong Ah Soo Lor Mee 羅 弄 阿 蘇 卤 面
  • Soon Lee Lor Mee 顺 利 滷 麵 攡
  • Zhi Xiang Special Lor Mee 智 翔 特 制 滷 麵
  • Lor Mee 178 鹵 麵178
  • 71 Lor Mee
  • Best Lu Mian In Town
  • Hui Wei Lor Mee

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