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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/14/just-a-matter-of-when-the-20bn-plan-to-power-singapore-with-australian-solar Maybe in 15 years?

Starting a travelogue complete with pictures taken from my GC 2014 trip (raw pics as I haven't got the time to edit). Anyone with pictures to share of your trip in any parts of Aussie, feel free to add on! @blueblueman this is for you. More pictures, less words. Traveled by FlyScoot. Sea World If you're going to Sea World, I suggest you put on lots of sunblock lotion, bring extra clothes as there are water rides there, and be dressed in casual = shorts, slippers. Weather isn't gonna be easy on you, as least for the month of April which I went. Parking @ Sea World. Don't think you have to worry about parking lots as it is highly sufficient from what I saw. Must watch Dolphin Show. Always the highlight. Dinner @ Surfers Paradise. Many many food joints you don't have to worry about starving. Jap food, Korean food, American, Mediterranean, etc etc etc. This is mine @ The Coffee Club, next to Ben & Jerry. Their sandwiches were pretty damn good. Movie World One of the two best rides. Batwing Spaceshot drop and Superman Escape rollercoaster ride (accelerates 0 to 100 in 2 seconds!) Don't forget to take the Green Lantern rollercoaster too, located directly beside the entrance in full view. Crowd on a weekday, I think it was on a Monday. Pavilion. Gather around here for the Batman - Shadows of Gotham live show at 1pm. Hollywood Stunt Driver 2 live show, featuring gun shots, explosions and car chases. Right after the Batman live show ended at 1.15pm, everyone went to queue up for the 2pm Hollywood stunt show. They didn't have proper allocated queues so it's gonna be pretty messed up. Good thing is that the venue is able to accommodate a whole lot of people. Arkham Asylum (Suspended roller coaster) MUST TAKE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFRpJO2xgE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siKw60INs0Y Kebabs widely sold in Surfers Paradise. Had to try one since it was everywhere. Remember to update GPS maps. Roadworks all around (especially at Surfers Paradise since they are doing hte railway line) and GPS navigation isn't accurate, as experienced on my friend's GPS. Surfers Paradise Beach Q1 Observation Deck Quite suaku. First time seeing such pay-to-park machine. From what I observed, it gets extremely hard to find a road side/parallel parking lot at Surfers Paradise in the nighttime. We had to park inside of those buildings quite a distance away from the main beach. 3 minutes of wow and after that I'm thinking okay what's for lunch.. It's one of those gotta do and visit places when you're in GC but it gets boring after 3 minutes, IMO haha. Lunch @ Harbourtown Shopping Center. Everyone says Fish & Chips is a must to try in Aussie and so we did. Cheap and good! Parking @ Harbourtown. To be continued.................................

Not the human kind but the real deal... From The Telegraph: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nati...r-1226316880761 Woman saved by cruise ship passenger after croc latches onto her legs By Lisa Quartermain PerthNow April 03, 2012 11:19AM Tara Hawkes suffered severe lacererations and puncture wounds. Picture: Facebook Source: PerthNow A YOUNG woman is recovering in hospital after being bitten on the legs by a saltwater crocodile while swimming from a luxury boat in the Kimberley. A passenger is believed to have pulled Tara Hawkes to safety as she was being attacked just metres from the cruise ship True North. Ms Hawkes, 23, formerly of Busselton, was paddling at Dugong Bay when a 2m crocodile latched on to her legs. Ms Hawkes, an employee of the True North, was pulled back on to the vessel and flown by helicopter to a hospital in Derby. True North has its own helicopter and landing pad. Miss Hawkes suffered lacerations and puncture wounds to her upper legs and is in a stable condition. It is believed she needs further treatment and will be transferred to another hospital by plane. The attack came just two days after father Peter Kurmann was killed by a shark on the same stretch of wA coastline. Dugong Bay is south of Talbot Bay and near Horizontal Falls, near Derby. True North - popular with wealthy tourists and WA locals - was the cruise ship used by American model Jerry Hall and her Perth-based boyfriend Warwick Hemsley on a recent trip to the Kimberley. Ms Hawkes posted pictures of True North on her Facebook page. The vessel, which can carry 36 passengers and has 20 staff, was purpose-built to access remote wilderness areas. Passengers pay thousands a day for a berth - a seven-night Kimberley adventure costs $9000-$14,000 a person. The ship is due to take passengers from Wyndham to the King George Falls this weekend.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/design/army-recruits-angry-about-having-to-buy-their-own-safety-equipment/story-fnpjxnlk-1227114541698 BTW the get A$44K a year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSraR9AEF6o

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott praised the WWII Japanese soldiers. Today's Wanbao (Background Story below this image): http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/tony-abbott-says-praise-for-japan-wont-damage-relations-with-china/story-fn59nm2j-1226984009749 Tony Abbott says Australia’s relationship with China continues to “strengthen”, brushing off claims his praise of Japanese wartime “courage” has alienated Beijing. The Prime Minister has dismissed an article published by Chinese news agency Xinhua, as a Liberal backbencher insisted Mr Abbott’s remarks to parliament were not “trying to rewrite” the history of World War II. The article’s criticism also came as Foreign Minister Julie Bishop signalled the government would not shy away from criticising China’s record on political and economic freedom and human rights. Welcoming Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to parliament on Tuesday, Mr Abbott said Japanese military personnel demonstrated “courage” and “patriotism of a very high order” during World War II. “We admired the skill and the sense of honour that they brought to their task, although we disagreed with what they did. Perhaps we grasped, even then, that with a change of heart the fiercest of opponents could be the best of friends.” The Xinhua article described Mr Abbott’s comments as “appalling” and “insensible”.

Saw this post asking for assistance in the SG EXPAT Forum:

just met a casual friend who returned from austrailia for holiday.. apparently, he bought a property via this company called central equity during a roadshow in sg a couple yrs back for about A$350k.. seems like it has appreciated to some A400k now (and its just empty plot of land).. but he's going to rent it out for A$2k/mth when the house is scheduled to finish building by Q4 this yr..

Aussie expat scolds Singapore NSmen: You are MORONS!!! A seemingly innocuous discussion on rising

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/S...ory_645288.html AN AUSTRALIAN had his three-week jail term for being unfit to drive set aside, after the High Court found it 'troubling' that he was convicted on an amended charge without being given the opportunity to defend himself. Justice Steven Chong said the non-compliance with the Criminal Procedure Code was particularly serious in this case, as the prosecution had not produced evidence to support the amended charge. On June 23, 2008, John Peter Worrall, 60, the vice-president of oil company Swiber Offshore Construction, was driving home to his Bayshore condominium in East Coast at 11pm, after meeting colleagues at Harry's Bar in Far East Shopping Centre. His car went up a kerb and hit a tree along Bayshore Road. He was later arrested for drink-driving. After an eight-day trial that ended in August last year, he was convicted not of drink-driving, but of being unfit to drive. He was also convicted of not exercising due care and attention while driving, causing the accident - a charge he faced originally in addition to the drink-driving one. He was sentenced to three weeks' jail and fined $6,000, and was disqualified from driving for four years on the first conviction, and fined $800 and given a four-month driving ban on the second.

SYDNEY - An Australian man took a gleaming Ferrari for a dawn joyride Friday after mistakenly being handed the keys by a casino valet. The red F430 Spider, reportedly the property of a professional poker millionaire playing at Melbourne's Crown Casino, vanished after the blunder. "It has happened in the past from time to time that people lose their tickets, and in these circumstances we ask for proof of identification and a valid driver's licence," said casino spokesman Gary O'Neill. "Those procedures were followed on this occasion." It took police six hours to find the high-performance vehicle at a suburban service station. A 32-year-old man was arrested at the scene and charged with theft.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNew...ory_384738.html This guy is a disgrace, selfish b------d to me...

I been looking to change some AUD for a trip to Australia. XE.com has the interbank rates at nearly 1:1 with Singapore dollar being a tiny bit stronger. Yet I go to moneychangers in town and they either don't put up their AUD exchange rate, or they put stupid rate where S$1 buys A$0.85. I was at the airport the other day, and it seems the bank money changers like UOB and American Express has more realistic exchange rates. Anyone got a money changer to recommend?

any must-go place, must-buy stuff to intro while in melbourne this month end? then if travelling to adelaide by GOR, by coach or by self drive better to enjoy scenery?

Yen effect batters A$ below Sing $ Aussie ends day at 96.17 S'pore cents; NZ dollar also hits six-year-low By LARRY WEE (SINGAPORE) The currency clock was turned back several years yesterday as the Australian dollar traded below par against its Singapore counterpart - a situation not seen since January 2003. In fact, by the Asian close, the Australian dollar traded at a six-year low of 96.17 Singapore cents. As recently as November 2007, the currency was riding high at S$1.36. It was not the only higher-risk currency to be battered as the New Zealand dollar also fell 6 per cent in Singapore dollar terms, sliding to 86.76 Singapore cents by yesterday evening - another six-year low. The yen on the other hand called the shots all through the Asian session, surging strongly as Japanese investors scrambled to unload their overseas investments in a hurry - especially with Japan's Nikkei stock index falling more than 9 per cent yesterday. This forced the US dollar sharply back below 100 yen for the first time in six months, and once again inflicting bloody punishment on the Australian (Aussie) and New Zealand dollars (or Kiwi). In Singapore dollar terms, the Japanese currency jumped more than 2 per cent to finish the day at a three-year high of S$1.4884 per 100 yen. Versus the yen, the Aussie and Kiwi plunged even more sharply to finish the day more than 12 and 9 per cent weaker respectively - for a cumulative loss of something like 25 per cent and 18 per cent against the yen in the space of just three short sessions this week. Elsewhere, Asian stock markets tumbled as much as 10 per cent in response to another Wall Street slide of more than 5 per cent on Tuesday evening. And, as a result, the US dollar was also able to post fresh 2008 highs against Asian currencies like the South Korean won as well as the Singapore dollar, Malaysian ringgit, Indian rupee and Philippine peso. While the US dollar closed the session a hefty 2.9 per cent worse off at 98.8 yen, it also surged almost 5 per cent to 1,394 South Korean won, 1.2 per cent to 48.69 rupees and 0.9 per cent to 47.76 pesos. Closer to home, the greenback ended a more modest 0.2 to 0.4 per cent higher at S$1.4705, RM3.4980, 34.55 baht and 9,600 rupiah. Looking ahead, researchers at Standard Chartered Bank warned of no quick recovery before the second half of next year for Asian assets: 'At that time, foreign investors may begin to see good value in Asian markets - anticipating that although Asia ex-Japan is not decoupled from the global slowdown, it is certainty much better insulated than earlier due to stronger domestic demand and the presence of economic powerhouses such as China and India.' US stocks tumbled on Tuesday despite supportive news from the US Federal Reserve, which announced a Commercial Paper Funding Facility or CPFF that will buy the commercial paper of US corporations through a special-purpose vehicle - and thus help them tide over any short- term liquidity shortfall caused by the unwillingness of US banks to lend. The coordinated rate cuts by central banks from several countries were announced after the Asian closing. By then, gold was regaining some shine as a refuge destination, and the euro, British pound and Swiss franc also managed to close with some gains versus the US dollar - at US$1.3629, US$1.7447 and 1.1321 francs per US dollar respectively.

Well, not quite. But I decided to bring the 2007 Australian Motorshow to my fellow Singaporeans here at MCF. Meanwhile, unless you're heng enuff to be on assignment in Australia (like me), you guys have to contend with our smaller-scale motorshows in Singapore or enjoy the photos I've put up! Lunchtime crowd The Civic Type R: exterior and interior shots Audi RS4: Audi's answer to the BMW M3? Audi's new S5 The new Subaru Impreza WRX: Potentially the uglist car at the show Lexus ISF: Lexus' answer to the M3. Lotus booth at the Aussie motorshow Mercedez Benz sold more than AU$1 million worth of cars in the first two days of the motorshow. They made that after selling only a handful of Merc-AMG cars including the E55, new CL65 and S65s. Craaazy. Maserati took about five orders of their new Gran Turismo in the same amount of time. I'll be uploading more pictures when I have the time. Meanwhile, enjoy.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/06/ape...tml#cnnSTCVideo so which is worst? Osama wannabe or some toys @ youth park?

Australian legend Brock dies in rally smash. By Matthew Agius Peter Brock, a nine time Bathurst 1000 winner and three-time Australian Touring Car Champion, has passed away after crashing his Daytona Coupe into a tree during a stage of the Targa West Tarmac Rally today. The incident occurred near Gidgegannup at 11.50 local (WST) time, north-east of Perth, with Brock's co-driver Mick Hone being taken to hospital with serious injuries, although in a stable condition. Having retired from fulltime touring car racing in 1997, Brock took to rally driving, becoming a frequent competitor in Targa rallies, including the recent Targa Tasmania. Police originally did not confirm the passing of the legend, but motorsport officials later informed the media of the death. http://www.crash.net/news_view~t~Australia...3~id~137003.htm

Alonso first again , and can slow down for better Fc Raikknon 2nd, r.schumi 3rd. a bit boring...no ferrari team..both crash out renault cars are just too strong only button and friscalla battle for 5th place more exciting... hahah...BUTTON OUT at last 5m

In sydney for a holiday, and headed to the Aussie Motorshow. Best motorshow i've seen so far, reason being that the only motorshows i've been to were ones in singapore... This motorshow a lot bigger than the ones in Singapore. Will be posted a few at a time... Took a few hundred pictures. Here's the Alfa Romeo Brera. Too bad it's engine's gonna be a GM one. 3.2litre V6. Alfa with GM engine... Know someone already posted AR Brera pictures, but here's more: And the asian debut of the Aston Martine V8 Vantage. AM's answer to Porsche's 911. I'd take this over the 911 anytime. So gorgeous... The highlight of the show for me. Check out those handmade headlamps. A black Vanquish S in the foreground, the grey V8 Vantage, and a dark blue DB9 Volante on the left. Another stunner i might add. Will post more if u guys are interested. When im eventually back tho.