Thursday, February 17, 2011

THEY'RE HAWKERS, NOT FALCONERS: Katie Thorpe and Terry Kerr (right) arrived last night from Hong Kong. (Katie's mom, Sandy, followed late in the day on the 17th). After a morning of walking around, they met me for lunch at the famous Lau Pa Sat hawker center in the central business district. The stalls are housed in an 1894 cast-iron structure that Katie says (from her tour book) was made in Glasgow and shipped to Singapore, where it was assembled. We were there at 1 p.m. and it was absolutely packed. There were dozens of choices. Katie got some Vietnamese food, Terry had duck and I opted for some Indian food. None of us opted for the pig's organ soup. Someday... The place is billed as the "largest remaining Victorian-era filigree cast iron structure (see photo) remaining in Asia."


LITTLE INDIA: Katie and Terry visited the bustling Little India section of Singapore in the late afternoon (while I stayed home and did some research and while Sandy finished up in Hong Kong). They returned with some photos that capture the neighborhood. They visited some temples along Serangoon Road.
The one at right (which shows one temple surrounded by more modern buildings) and below (of the interior) are from the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, dedicated to Kali, a multi-armed goddess who is "the manifestation of anger in the face of evil." The building goes back to 1881.






IT'S A MARVEL TO BEHOLD: Thanks to a telephoto lens, I can see that the ship that spent the day loading at our doorstep is the MOL Marvel. I can track it at this site. It left about 5 p.m. on Wednesday the 16th.
By 8:30 a.m. on the 17th, I went to the tracking page and it said it was in the Indian Ocean. The map at right shows its most recent position, but I'm not sure what time it was recorded. It's heading up the Strait of Malacca.
There's lots of information on the site. The MOL Marvel 302 meters long and 42 meters wide. It can comfortably fit on the playing surface at Gillette Stadium. It has a top speed of 19.8 knots. No idea where it is headed. If you spot it, let me know! (Maybe it's bringing BIRTHDAY GIFTS to my sisters, Josephine and Molly, whose birthdays are Feb. 17 and Feb. 25 respectively! OK, maybe they'll be delivered a little late this year.)
The Marvel serves the Japan-Europe Express (JEX) Loop between Asia and Europe. That means it will head through the Suez Canal (hopefully avoiding those pirates along the way). And assuming that Egypt continues to allow safe passage in this all-important connecting route despite disturbing reports. The map here shows the MOL's to-and-from routes and ports along the JEX.

SCLEI: Speaking of shipping, here's today's Singapore Crane (not to be confused with Crain) Limited Economic Indicator:

Date: Feb. 17.
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Cranes Up (bad): 5.
Cranes Down (good): 23

Things are looking GOOD for the worldwide economy!!!!!

Alert: "Money Never Sleeps" BREAKING NEWS Update at 11 a.m.:

Cranes Up (bad): 1.5
Cranes Down (good): 26.5

INVEST, INVEST, INVEST NOW!!!!!! COULD THE WORLDWIDE SLUMP BE OVER????!!!!!

Alert: "Money Never Sleeps" BREAKING NEWS Update at 7 p.m.:

Cranes Up (bad): 8
Cranes Down (good): 20

HOLD ON, TIGER! NOT SO FAST. THINGS ARE HEADING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!!!! BE A LITTLE CAUTIOUS!!!! THE TRENDING DOESN'T LOOK GOOD........


NOTE: On this date, in 1972, U.S. President Nixon began his historic trip to China.