Categories
Running

2XU Compression Run 2011

The 2XU Compression Run 2011 was held on 10 April in Singapore’s Central Business District. The 12-kilometre run brought participants to places such as the Esplanade and Marina Bay Sands. The race was flagged off at the F1 track next to the Singapore Flyer at 6:55 am.

Participants first headed north towards Republic Avenue and into Kallang Road, making a turn into Kallang Riverside Park at the 3-kilometre mark and back to the Singapore Flyer. Up next was a right turn to the Floating Platform and subsequently the Esplanade. Yes, the bright red Merlion Hotel was also spotted along the route. This is followed by a left turn into Marina Boulevard and towards the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.

Before realising it, there was a flight of steps ahead leading up to the Helix Bridge. At the 10-kilometre mark under the Helix Bridge, participants were running in both directions along a narrow path – and with a number of them cutting across to the other lane – for an entire kilometre. This left many runners on the return route to run across a rough path filled with pebbles. The race officials should have used barricades instead of orange cones.

There were a total of six water points along the route. Despite the slight drizzle midway through the run, participants continued running towards the finish point, which was at the Singapore Flyer. My timing for this run was approximately 1:01.

Categories
Stamps

Van Harte!

I have no idea what that phrase means, but it is the only text found on this 44 eurocent stamp from the Netherlands that does not scream its origin or its value. The last line ‘aanvang verkoop’ suggested that this stamp was first sold on 22 September 2009.

How do we use this stamp? An illustration above the stamp encourages the sender to use a red pen to colour out the white spaces on the number 88, leaving the number 32. Perhaps any other number will do, but what is the designer trying to portray anyway?

The design concept is certainly unique as it involves some level of interaction. However, this stamp appears to be somewhat a mysterious one, as online searches did not produce any useful results. The article number 291261 did not help either. Those with information on this mystifying stamp could leave a comment below!

This concludes the Three Stamps from the Netherlands series. And it also concludes the relocation of close to 1200 stamps to the new drawer.

Categories
Stamps

Braille Typography

Update: As announced earlier in the week, some of the stamps will be affected by relocation works. Some 400 stamps have moved in to their new home early yesterday, completing the first phase of the project. The remaining stamps will by moved over the weekend.

On 10 January 2009, the Netherlands’ national postal service issued a series of postage stamps featuring typographic abstractions alongside embossed Braille letters to mark the 200th birthday of Louis Braille. This award-winning stamp issue (at the Dutch National Awards) was designed by Rene Put, this set of stamps can be ‘read’ by both the sighted and the blind. The stamp shown, ‘Geluk Wens Bravo’, is one of the twelve available designs.

A stamp which you can see and touch at the same time! A brilliant design, isn’t it?

This is the second part of the series, Three Stamps from the Netherlands.

Categories
Stamps

LOFAR Radio Telescope

Latest News: An increasing amount of items in my stamp collection has caused a situation of massive overcrowding in my humble cupboard, prompting for an urgent need to reclaim more land. An adjacent drawer has already been earmarked for further development, in order to alleviate the disorder. Part of the population – mainly stamps from other countries – will be resettled to the new sector in the coming weeks. Three interesting stamps from the Netherlands are among those affected.

This 77 eurocent stamp released back in 2009 shows the LOFAR (LOw Frequency ARray) project for radio astronomy. Built and operated by ASTRON over four years from 2006, this project involves an interferometric array of radio telescopes distributed across the Netherlands. Stations are also located in other European countries, including five in Germany, one each in Great Britain, France and Sweden. On 12 June 2010, LOFAR was officially opened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

Of course, this stamp has its own unique feature. The design of the stamp extends towards the edges, including the portion that may possibly be torn away. That’s something which is seldom seen on stamps from Singapore!

This is the first in the series, Three Stamps from the Netherlands.

Categories
Stamps

100 Years of Aviation in Singapore

Aviation enthusiasts would probably be interested in today’s stamp issue. Entitled 100 Years of Aviation in Singapore, this set of five stamps was released by Singapore Post on 16 March 2011. Each stamp featured an aircraft flying above an aviation hub in a chronological order, with the silhouette of a cheerful crowd as the foreground.

Exactly one century ago on 16 March 1911, the first aircraft flew out of Singapore and was piloted Mr Joseph Christiaens. That moment was reflected in the 1st Local stamp. Singapore’s first civil airport, Seletar Airport, was featured on the 45 cents stamp. Kallang Airport and Paya Lebar are featured on the 65 cents and 80 cents stamps respectively. The Airbus A380 aircraft flies over Singapore Changi International Airport in the $1.10 stamp.

Categories
Stamps

High Value Definitives: Pond Life (2011)

A new set of definitive stamps would be introduced in Singapore this year, after the previous Flora and Fauna definitive stamps were released back in 2007.

On 16 February 2011, a set of high-value definitive stamps were released. This set of stamps features the detailed and vivid images of four pond creatures, which is said to ‘give a glimpse beneath the water’s surface of life on a pond’. They include the common tilapia ($1.10), pond wolf spider ($2), water skaters ($5) and water scorpion ($10).

Common Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) is one of the most common Cichlid fish in Singapore. Originally from East Africa, this Cichlid has been introduced to Singapore as a food source by the Japanese during the World War II. Hence, it is better known as “Japanese” fish.

Pond Wolf Spider (Pardosa pseudoannulata) is an agile predator and has good eyesight. This spider belongs to the family Lycosidae. It leads a solitary life and hunts alone. Female wolf spiders can be recognised easily as they move around with a spherical egg-sac attached to their spinnerets.

Water Strider (Neogerris parvulus) is a semi aquatic insect within the Order Hemiptera in the family Gerridae. It lives on the surface of ponds, slow streams, marshes, and other quiet waters. It preys on insects and other small invertebrates on top of or directly below surface using its strong forelegs that end with claws.

Water Scorpion (Laccotrephes simulatus) is an aquatic insect belonging to the family Nepidae. It is an ambush predator. When prey approaches, it will lunge forward and grab it with its powerful forelimbs. It feeds primarily on invertebrates, but occasionally preys on small fish or tadpoles.

A complete set of stamps has a face value of $18.10. The low-value definitive stamps would be released on 13 April 2011.

Categories
Banknotes

Singapore $2 Note with A Triangle

In late January this year, banks started issuing a new variety of the $2 Singapore banknote. This polymer note from the Portrait series comes with a triangle on the reverse was seen just two months after the $10 note with one triangle on the reverse surfaced. Now, there are a total of four varieties for the $2 note – with no symbol, one square, two squares and one triangle.

The first prefix for this variety would be 4AA and has a signature of MAS Chairman SM Goh Chok Tong on the obverse.

Categories
Stamps

Spirit of Giving

The latest stamp issue by Singapore Post is entitled ‘Spirit of Giving’. This pair of stamps which measures 73.8 mm by 76 mm each, is probably the largest non-miniature sheet stamp piece ever issued. It features the winning entries from an art competition organised by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) last year. In this competition, children below the age of twelve illustrated their thoughts about the spirit of giving.

To encourage volunteerism among members of the community, this stamp issue was released in conjunction with the 21st International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) World Volunteer Conference, which is held in Singapore from 24 to 27 January 2011 at Resorts World Sentosa. Also, SingPost will donate 50 cents to the NVPC with every purchase of the presentation pack or pre-cancelled first day cover.

Categories
Banknotes

Zimbabwe $100 Trillion Banknote

Two years ago on 16 January 2009, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe announced the printing of the 100 trillion dollar banknote. At the time of announcement, this banknote was worth 300 US dollars, which meant that it would cost 300 billion Zimbabwe dollars for a loaf of bread.

Due to the effect of hyperinflation in the country, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe had to print money in increasingly higher denominations. This was one of the worst hyperinflations in history, where prices doubled every 24.7 hours in the month of November 2008. The annual inflation was estimated at 6.5 x 10108 per cent as of December 2008. In order to regain confidence in the economy, the South African rand and the US dollar became the main currencies used for trade from April 2009.

Earlier this year, a news article by the Associated Press (AP) claimed that an increasing number of visitors to Zimbabwe bought these banknotes from street vendors. Although this banknote was not the largest denomination in history, it is certainly worth keeping one, as a souvenir. After the First World War, the Weimar Republic of Germany issued a 100 trillion Mark note. In 1946, the Hungarian National Bank introduced the 100 quintillion (1020) Pengo banknote into circulation, but the twenty zeroes were not printed out. In fact, a sextillion (1021) dollar note was printed but never issued.

In countries prone to hyperinflation, metallic coins are seldom minted. As the prices increase rapidly, these coins were commonly melted down for export due to its diminished face value. In fact, the Zimbabwean banknotes were gradually printed on paper of a lower quality as more zeroes were added.

On another note, three local banks in Singapore are rolling out new and crisp banknotes for the Chinese New Year from today onwards. They are OCBC, DBS and POSB. On Tuesday, new bundles of notes are available at OCBC, HSBC, Citibank and Standard Chartered Bank. Maybank will allow customers to exchange for new banknotes on Friday.

Categories
Stamps

Year of the Rabbit 2011

The Year of the Rabbit is just around the corner, with three new stamps issued as part of the Zodiac series. The Rabbit is the fourth in the zodiac cycle of twelve animals.

The 1st Local stamp features a rabbit on a hot pink background and the Chinese character ‘chun’, which means ‘spring’. On the 65 c stamp, a rabbit is featured on an orange background together with the character ‘xi’, which translates to ‘happiness’. The slightly larger $1.10 stamp shows two rabbits jumping around.

The Collectors’ sheet features a special printing technique of offset printing on hot foiled golden metallic film with micro embossing and morphing effect on the $5 and $10 stamps. Every purchase of the Collectors’ sheet comes with a free set of red packets featuring the stamp design.

The annual Zodiac Fair is currently being held at the National Library Atrium until tomorrow. The fair opens at 10 am daily.