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The members of the Sgcarmart media team recently put its heads together to prepare something special and festive for our readers and viewers - which you can both read about and watch on Instagram - and as we were sitting down to plan things out, we were faced at one point with a deceptively simple question: What are the different meanings behind the colours we associate with Christmas? In my very non-expert eyes, three distinct colours stand out: Red, green and white primarily, and then silver and gold further in the background. And all for rather banal reasons. White reminds me of snow; green, of Christmas trees; red, of Santa; and then the silver and gold of decorations and wrappings. (Aside: it seems that all the visual messaging weaponised by large corporations at this time of the year has worked like a dream on my defenceless mind.) Again, however, a mixture of curiosity and sleuthing has illuminated that there’s much more than meets the eye (literally) when it comes to Christmas. Let’s start with the colours outlined first: Red and green: I don’t think I’m alone in thinking of Santa first when I see the colour red during Christmas, but it appears that its roots stretch back even further - and are inextricably tied to the colour green too. A number of sites point back to a pre-Victorian time where holly plants were revered, because they added much-needed amidst the dreariness of winter. On a less visible level, they apparently also signified protection and prosperity. To be clear, this is how holly plants look like (and it’s safe to say that they haven’t lost their popularity in modern Christmas culture): Turning more specifically towards those who are of the Christian faith, it should come as no surprise too that red is often appreciated as the colour of Jesus’ blood, which was shed during his crucifixion. (Green, on the other hand, apparently symbolises eternal life - in the form of the evergreen trees that don’t lose their leaves in winter.) When going down this chromatic rabbit hole, I actually had another bit of a surprise education myself: The modern image of Santa Claus wasn’t actually invented by Coca-Cola (as is often claimed), even if debates can still be had about the company’s role in popularising it. White: Apart from the colour of snow, of course, white also has historical links to winter solstice festivals. Other values it symbolises include purity and the trumph of good over evil. Silver and Gold: These are admittedly wonderful colours to fall back on when you’re decorating your homes (or Orchard Road). But again, many sites consider the strong associations that Christmas has with the birth of Jesus Christ. Silver is said to signify the Star of Bethlehem (which led the Wise Men to the manger where Baby Jesus lay immediately after his birth). Meanwhile, gold (alongside frankincense and myrrh) was one of the gifts that they bore when they visited him. Merry Christmas nonetheless - whether colours have any meaning to you, or whether you even enjoy the season Again, this was just a casual exploration of the colours that often greet us at this time of the year. It doesn’t have to be that deep - I think it’s perfectly fine to take Christmas as a welcome marker for the end of a year, and as a time to reflect (on both the good and bad), to recharge and to look forward. Merry Christmas everyone! (And unlike Desmond, I’ll be blasting Mariah Carey for the rest of 2024.) - Mattheus (All images from Unsplash)

I'm not a fan of Christmas. Let's first set aside the unclear and potentially contentious origins of this particular 'holiday', and my general apathy towards religiosity. (Christians celebrate it as the day of Jesus' birth, though some evidence suggests his actual birth was in the spring. Some historians also note that the Christian traditions of Christmas can be traced back to Pagan roots and the Saturnalia festival, and the chosen 25 December date was an attempt by church leaders to appropriate the pagan festival and increase religious popularity among non-Christians). I don't particular like the whole shtick of Christmas - it's hard to un-see the marketing tool that is the festive season, or the hyper-consumption generated by the tradition of gift-giving. I don't particular care for the lighting displays, nor do I care for Santa Claus (he isn't real, ya). But what I really don't like is the music. The endless jingles in every shopping mall, the uncountable Christmas albums from bands you may have forgotten about, Mariah Carey. The thing that perhaps grates at me the most is the general unoriginality of it all. Hundreds upon hundreds of covers just to essentially end up with the same song. It just feels so repetitive and stale. I don't dislike covers. In fact, I love them, but also only when they are interesting and do something different to the original song. Pop Goes Punk? Love. I recently discovered a Youtube channel that I am now slightly obsessed with - Sparrow Sleeps. "We create lullaby renditions of your favorite songs." says their description. I was directed to this channel from an Instagram story by Anberlin, mainly because of the punny title on one of my all-time favourite albums, Never Take Friendship Personal - Never Take Toddlers Personal is absolutely hilarious on so many levels. A lot of the bands covered by Sparrow Sleeps are exactly in my music wheelhouse - a lot of pop punk, emo, punk rock, all the usual Warped Tour staples. And the resulting lullabies are a treat. Familiar enough to be recognisable, yet so different in tone and timbre. (I will conveniently ignore the Taylor Swift and Post Malone covers.) And the album names are just *chefs kiss*. Three Cheers For Sweet Dreams (MCR), QUIET! (Paramore), The Bed Album (Weezer), The Is Nothing Left to Snooze (Foo Fighters). Man, these people have a proper sense of humour. Do these work as lullabies? I'm not sure. Maybe? I might experiment with a few over the next few nights of sleep. But the whole endeavour, and specific and particular as it is, makes me smile. They found their brand and are sticking with it, even with some videos only have a few hundred views (they really should have a lot more!!). And the covers are just really good - somehow, these normally loud songs also work well when stripped down to strings, piano and a xylophone. I am a fan, and I can't believe I haven't found about them earlier. Discovering such music makes me happy (to a slightly delirious extent, perhaps). It feels fresh and creative, it feels fun and different, and perhaps most importantly it feels unexpected and surprising. Everything that Christmas is not. So this Christmas, I know which jingles I will be listening to.

Thanks Mothership for bringing us firsthand news as always! Time to drive to Orchard Road for the festive lights. Here's a look at this year's carnival-themed Christmas light-up along the Orchard shopping district. 📅 Now till Jan. 2, 2023 📍 3.1-km stretch from Tanglin Mall to Plaza Singapura

圣诞快乐！Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël!メリークリスマス！ 滑雪.mp4

Lai lai lai waiting for someone to start the 2022 thread 😀 https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/orchard-road-christmas-light-2022-337166

It may not feel much like one this year, and we are all sorely in need of some good news.. But here's a blessed Christmas to all here, the good, the weird and even the (xxx) brand haters.. you get to fill in the blanks, hahaha This forum has given much and the banter, even the differing opinions have given it color. So here's to a safe year end, to the end of the crisis and keep well everyone, keep healthy!

This year looks great, got the 90s/early 2000s feel... really no need spend so much to overdo the street, just get it done tastefully will bring much xmas joy..

The guy in the video thought his actions would go undetected but the video has been going round on the web since yesterday. Morale if the story: With most cars having car cam on board, do something stupid, better prepare to have your face seen all over the world. Hahaha https://www.tiktok.com/@taypa4227/video/7038289851099303214?is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&q=taypay4227&t=1638974319347&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6937337549375636998 So it started with the guy securing the tree on his car, keeping himself out of the driver seat, then he try to gain assess through the boot and... (watch till the end and read the comment on tiktok) P/S: Hi moderator or admin, may I know how to embed the tiktok video in the post? Or the reader have to click on the link by default? Thank you.

Any lobang to buy cheap good ones?

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Some people were killed when a sport utility vehicle (SUV) sped through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Sunday (Nov 21), bowling over at least 20 people, including several youngsters waving pompoms and a group of “Dancing Grannies”. Waukesha police chief Dan Thompson said a person of interest was in custody and the suspect vehicle had been recovered after the incident in Waukesha, about 32km west of Milwaukee. “The vehicle struck more than 20 individuals. Some of the individuals were children and there are some fatalities as a result of this incident,” Mr Thompson told reporters. A video of the incident posted online showed a red SUV ploughing through the parade, appearing to run over more than a dozen people. In a second video, police appeared to open fire on the vehicle as it crashed through street barriers. Mr Thompson said an officer fired shots at the vehicle and no bystanders were injured. Possible SUV in question here.

Last minute decision to spend Christmas in Seoul and Busan so came in on 22nd. My first visit to Korea. Merry Christmas everyone in a Jazz bar in downtown Seoul

It seems like Santa is getting a slight boost for his intercontinental trip this Christmas, courtesy of one special Flying Spur V8 from Bentley and Mulliner. The "Reindeer Eight" - destined to one "world famous customer" (Bentley's own words) - swaps one cylinder for every one of Santa's reindeers, the result being just a small 542hp upgrade. Looks like Rudolph will be taking a break this year. The new car sports a gold 3D printed reindeer can be found in lieu of the Flying B mascot, and at the sides the V8 badges have been replaced by a special ‘Reindeer Eight’. A carbon diffuser to the front and rear bumper, carbon side sills and a boot lid spoiler will ensure maximum aerodynamic performance at cruising altitude. And to add to the festive design, the Mulliner Driving Specification 22-inch wheels and bonnet strip are finished in gold. The sleigh is also finished in deep red Cricket Bauble, one of the 62 colours available from the Bentley Extended Range. Which side of that list will you be this year? A Grand Black veneer that stretches across the dashboard in the cabin displays a North Pole winter night scene - supposedly to remind the customer what's in store back home, while the seats sport heating, ventilation, a multi-mode massage and adjustable bolsters, handy, for the many miles that will be travelled in the car. A Naughty and Nice list is also integrated in to the navigation system, apparently. What would your ideal globe trotter be?

During this xmas period, I'm going to spend on big item item in retail shop. What credit card has cashback or rebate worth using it?

https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/deepavali-coming-it-too-early-xmas-decor-orchard this is an old article dated 2016 but there are fresh debates again this year, actually every year tbh this has been goin on for years x'mas light up mid nov overlaps with deepavali but isnt deepavali also the festival of lights? that said the x'mas lights were not lit yet when i drove to orchard.. decor also toned down this year i hope im not being overly sensitive or insensitive but seems like everything these days can be used to cause singaporeans to become divisive / political this can be seen on facebook comments i'm all for the lights no matter the festival i think common knowledge for singaporeans.. to celebrate deepavali go little india, serangoon road, x'mas will be orchard road because too commercialized celebrated worldwide, chinese new year go chinatown, hari raya go haig road or geylang serai that said does anyone still go orchard road at all??

Cars & Coffee, an informal event where car lovers gather and mingle, was held yesterday with much success. Basically a car meet, owners of exotic, rare, classic, vintage, or historic vehicles are encouraged to bring their beloved machines out to let others get up close to. As the last meet before year closes, these are the highlights of what happened yesterday... Can't decide which one I like more, the NA Mazda MX-5 or EG Honda Civic. 90's front-wheel or rear-wheel drive fun? MX-5 looking really clean here. A very clean Mazda RX-7 from the mid-80's with all the decals intact. Its the details that count! This 1994 Nissan President is definitely one of my favourite cars from this meet. Never expected one to survive this long on our roads considering it was already very rarely seen back in the mid-90's. There were some Italians... (Fiat Coupe's design still fresh after all the years.) some from Britain... (The Noble looks really good here.) and of course, some from Germany... The BMW E34 5 series looks amazingly well kept... Then its back to the Japanese. The Toyota Sprinter Trueno or better known as the AE86, never fails to turn heads. A lone Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 MR RS was spotted here too. Less of these now as most are reaching the end of their 10-year COE lifespan. On the topic of rally weapons, these two Subarus should not need much introducing... For those who don't know, you are looking at a 1993 Legacy 2.0RS and a 2007 WRX STi Spec C. Pity I don't have any photos of the clean Mitsubishi Colt/Mirage hidden at the end of the photo... More sedans here... The R32 Skyline GT-R. Another head-turner! With all said and done, I reckon nothing beats this 1962 Chevrolet Impala. I mean if you want to make a statement, this is it! Anyway, that's all from me for this edition of Cars & Coffee. Watch this space for more coverage of the next meet!

Just sharin!! For once this is really worth goin to town for! Just for the Disney atmosphere and phototakings. Disney + Xmas is like magic! From Nov 10 2018 to Jan 1 2019. From Tanglin Mall, all the way to Plaza Singapura, the 2.88km stretch along Orchard Road will have four different Disney Themes. 1. Disney Princess 2. Mickey Mouse & Friends 3. Frozen 4. Toy Story https://mothership.sg/2018/09/2018-orchard-road-christmas-light-up/

Dead Christmas Trees To Be Used In The Making Of Engine Oil? “Motor” oil is the lifeblood of any car – unless you drive one of those battery-powered slugs. The lubricating fluid has typically been made from crude oil found underground, or a man-made mixture that creates a synthetic oil. Now, your dead or dying Christmas tree might be the way of the future to create your next oil change. A company called Nexcel has developed a motor oil made entirely from waste, which includes chewing gum and Christmas trees. A myriad of waste items have been recycled in the lab to yield properties required for crucial chemical additives. If Castrol wants our old Christmas trees, will the company be paying a “core charge”? If so, we will need to pay an environmental deposit when we purchase a tree? Castrol innovation business, Nexcel, has produced automotive-grade engine oil using nothing but waste products. Chewing gum, used fryer oil, batteries, bathroom sealant, and even a Christmas tree have been recycled and have yielded vital properties for the ambitious program, which demonstrates the significant potential of re-refined oil. “The project showcases the sustainability potential of waste” says John Ward-Zinski, Nexcel’s sustainability director. “This was a hugely demanding project, completed over the last year. It’s one which we hope will open the public’s eyes as to the importance of recycling and sustainability. Few people would think that discarded Christmas trees and old chewing gum could have a commercial or environmental value, but our engine oil shows this is the case.” According to the press release we received, Nexcel’s ambitious project has been inspired by the company’s innovative sealed-oil cell, which provides vehicle manufacturers with efficiency benefits and promotes used oil collection and re-refinement. “Our system has already been utilized by our technical partner, Aston Martin, for use in the visceral Vantage AMR Pro at last year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. At that event, the car became the first to tackle the legendary hill climb using re-refined oils,” continues Ward-Zinski. “In 2016, Nexcel and Aston Martin also achieved a podium finish in the competitive VLN Championship at the most arduous racetrack in the world: the Nürburgring. Sustainability, and therefore re-refinement, are of growing global significance; hopefully this project helps demonstrate the extent of what is possible.” Hopefully, the price of an oil change will decrease after Christmas because of a dead tree surplus. The most significant challenges of the project included the yielding of phenols and catechols from the waste to be used as antioxidants, forming the basis of the chemical additives required. Nexcel’s experts worked with a zero-waste goal, and after significant research, analysis of component properties and trial and error, the blend consisted of 180 chewing gum pieces, 500ml of used fryer oil, one gallon of RTV silicone sealant, 14 household batteries, 1-liter of used engine oil, and an old Christmas tree. Extraction of components from these waste items enabled Nexcel scientists to produce 1-liter of automotive engine oil. Finally, a good use for this stuff. “Re-refinement of used oil can create a high-quality product when blended with new additives, but bulk feedstocks made up of many different types of used oils can complicate the process and reduce the yield. Nexcel’s oil-management system avoids this by segregating used engine oil, keeping it in the cell during collection,” says Ward-Zinski. “For this particular project, we wanted to make the oil from waste materials, and the challenge lay in the creation of the chemical additives. However, with creative utilization of modern technology there is huge potential in recycling. It could even help prevent the traditional Christmas tree tip-run needle-drop, from which no car interior has ever recovered.” - https://www.turnology.com/news/motor-oil-trees/

Christmas is coming soon. It's a time of giving and receiving.. so have you got your eye on anything special? A car, a watch? Is it a want or a need?? When you get it, how are you going to hide it / explain it to your wife or better half or partner ?

........... MERRY CHRISTMAS ........... EVERYONE.

This year is a special year for our dearest Santa Claus, as he is taking alternate transport during this festive season. He is more environmental conscious? or is it because he has promo code? or maybe he like thing free of charge too? Actually is it because... ... ... ... He lost his redindeer to Koti Pizza... I would like to wish all MCFers: A Merry Christmas and A Wonderful New Year.

Dear friends at MCF, The Christmas/Holiday Season can be a challenging time for many. How do the Christmas Holidays cause you to feel? Do traumatic events affect you around this particular time? Thanks and Cheers! Your thoughts are welcome.

FLASHBANG SINGAPORE 09 – 30 DECEMBER 2017 | 3PM TO 11PM DAILY GRANGE ROAD CAR PARK (BETWEEN 313 SOMERSET & H&M) http://mitsueki.sg/2017/12/11/6-reasons-visit-flashbang-singapore-2017-singapores-largest-neon-light-creative-playground/ Anyone been here yet? Free admission. Same organisers as Artbox. Going there to see see look look this week.

Been to town over the weekend and the festive spirit is in the air already. Went into a shop and heard this song by Michael Buble playing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zPBpvy4m1I Lovely song! What's your favorite Christmas song?

Dear All, I'm intending to giveaway my current set of hankooks 205/45/17 to anyone who needs it as the tyre shops doesn't do trade ins and the set of tyres are still relatively new and threads still have a long way to go. Some conditions I can think of: 1. I will need your worn out tyres so I can drive to my designated location to change my tyres. 2. Cost of exchanging tyres at workshop to be borne by interested party. Reason why I'm changing out my current set of tyres is because I cannot bear the noise and the wet grip of this tyres doesn't fit my style of driving. Below are several photos taken today for your reference and information. Can always meet up to view the actual condition of the tyres before you decide to take up or not. Please don't flame me by saying the tyres sure got problem that's why I giving it away. I don't have this intention and the interested party can always verify before changing out. By the way, I'm staying in north-east in case you wanna know.

For all your children who love Hello Kitty and maybe yourself? Another reason to visit Changi Airport to soak in the Christmas fest. Hello Kitty and her Sanrio friends landed at Changi Airport on Friday (Nov 17) to bring festive cheer to travellers and airport visitors. The cute-fest lasts till Jan 5 next year. Here’s what visitors can expect: SINGAPORE'S LARGEST INDOOR DRONE SHOW Forty drones will light up the airport’s Terminal 3 Departure Hall, forming various shapes such as a snowflake and a Christmas tree, every night at 7.30pm and 9pm. Popular Sanrio characters will also dance to Christmas tunes. ACTIVITIES AND PRIZES TO BE WON Next to check-in row 11 at T3’s Departure Hall, a series of games have been planned for visitors, with attractive prizes to be won. SANRIO-THEMED PLAYGROUND According to Changi, the playground is a “first in any airport in Asia”. For the full news, please visit https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/in-pictures-hello-kitty-and-friends-at-changi-airport-9417098?cid=FBcna